tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17087433844307630392024-02-20T21:19:10.751+11:00FORMATIVE YEARSbecause you simply never stop growingadhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.comBlogger308125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-6086616776401247402021-06-07T18:32:00.004+10:002021-06-07T18:32:37.948+10:00Writing A Research Essay 101 <p>All students have written an essay in their lives. Some enjoy the process, others find it futile. The former would most probably end up studying arts and humanities (or social sciences in general), while the latter most probably would end up in the engineering and science programs. As for me, I do like writing. But the process has not always been smooth. I don't have any problem with creative writing per se, but I do struggle with writing a research essay. Just for context, creative writing is something that you write based on what you know about the topics and you are not required to do prior research. Even if you do, you don't necessarily have to cite your sources. This is a completely different story for a research essay. Not only you are required to do prior research but also the quality of your essay often depends on how much research you do. In other words, the more sources you cite, the better your essay would become. </p><p><br /></p><p>In this blog post, I would like to share my experience navigating my way around research essays. Luckily for me, doing research and writing have been my routine for the past one and a half year as I am currently doing graduate school.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I reflect on my writing process, I now realise how little we are taught in school about essay writing. Often, teachers just instruct us to write the essay. But very rarely they walk us through the 101 of writing an essay. Honestly, I learn about everything I am about to share in this blog post by doing. So, hopefully, this will be helpful for you and for me, in case I forget about them in the future. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here we go! </p><p><br /></p><p>I always go through four steps when writing an essay: Brainstorming, Researching, Writing and Editing. Let's talk about them one by one. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Brainstorming </b></p><p><br /></p><p>Whenever I start working on an essay, I always try to understand the question first. This is particularly important and is relevant regardless of your field, but more so if you study international relations in which the essay questions are often very vague. So, what I would do is that I would break down the question. For example, here is the essay question that I have to work on: "The Rising Power is Prone to Be Predatory During Power Transition!". As you can see, this is quite a chunky question. Rather than an answer, you are often left with more questions. Don't panic. That's actually quite normal. In fact, what you have to do next is to tend to those questions and try to digest them slowly. These are the questions that I have in mind about "the essay question". </p><p><br /></p><p><i>"The Rising Power is Prone to Be Predatory During Power Transition!</i></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>What is rising power? </li><li>What is power transition? </li><li>What Predatory rising power?</li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><p>The terms used in this question may sound foreign to most people who don't study international relations (IR). But most IR students are familiar with them. If you already have preexisting knowledge about the question, then good. You can start vomiting your ideas into a piece of paper or you can also type them if you prepare typing than writing. Some people like to use mind map, that is good as well. Use whatever platform that works best for you. I would recommend everyone to rely on their preexisting knowledge first before jumping into the researching step. What I mean by that is that just write anything that you have in mind first, then use that as the first step in your essay writing. Afterwards, you can continue doing the research. </p><p>If you don't have any clue about the question, that is okay too. At least you have broken down the questions into smaller pieces, now you can start looking them up on google, google search or whatever sites you find helpful. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Researching</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcISmK1F8tpPqee0fOYRqdF-KoOMAamvQE0tih38EQj9u0Kx9GYkIV3_1JgQZMA0UGFQxDhHI7IgUn9MxlUMxH5Sy9IsF5nSl05lQ7wwWeiHK4mHWXxaerzueCVTA9CrFAUjAQZgFaI2FV/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-06-06+at+7.28.40+pm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcISmK1F8tpPqee0fOYRqdF-KoOMAamvQE0tih38EQj9u0Kx9GYkIV3_1JgQZMA0UGFQxDhHI7IgUn9MxlUMxH5Sy9IsF5nSl05lQ7wwWeiHK4mHWXxaerzueCVTA9CrFAUjAQZgFaI2FV/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-06-06+at+7.28.40+pm.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The next step is doing the actual research. There are so many websites out there where you can do your research, but I find google scholar to be the best. Everything is pooled there. Even if you have to go to the original website to access the article, at least you can do that from one outlet. In a way, google scholar is a Skyscanner for the academic world. You just have to put in the keywords and viola everything will appear at your disposal. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yp9J0TarGvzPZYnySb97YDKvxgSKJ2lbYAiZDuAC5KI5Q-auoVgC-aGfm7N405SAklucsaUpKA3k1B7w1twpL7qgMb8S4XdLhX3VDjEhSgh-pZFtabfkJgIXINHLJTg6zoQMBmwU3252/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-06-06+at+7.27.45+pm.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Yp9J0TarGvzPZYnySb97YDKvxgSKJ2lbYAiZDuAC5KI5Q-auoVgC-aGfm7N405SAklucsaUpKA3k1B7w1twpL7qgMb8S4XdLhX3VDjEhSgh-pZFtabfkJgIXINHLJTg6zoQMBmwU3252/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-06-06+at+7.27.45+pm.png" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Another website that I regularly go to is my university search engine. It offers the same services as google scholar. Plus, by signing to the site, it instantly gives me free access to the article and online books. And, it also informs me if the printed copies happen to be available in the university library. I know for some people reading printed copies are old school. But for me, I often get tired and overwhelmed reading from the screen all the time. So, if I know I have access to the printed copies, I always opt for that option. Also, I try to read the articles from my laptop as much as I can. But if it overwhelms me too, to the point that I can't work at all, I would not hesitate to print them. Luckily, my university offers A$44 printing balance every semester which has been very helpful. And if you don't want to spend too much money on printing, I have a trick for you. Just print 2 pages per sheet. I do that all the time. And you save tons of money from it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Also, doing the research can be very overwhelming and time consuming. The question then how can you make sure that the time you invest is worth it? There are actually ways to make it less stressful. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Three things you can do to avoid stress while doing some research: </div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold;">1. Only Read the Introduction and the Conclusion </i></div><div><br /></div><div>You don't actually have to read the book/article from cover to cover. For a starter, just read the introduction and conclusion part. Most of the time, doing this helps you save a lot of time. Plus, the core message of the article are always summarised there. So, you can instantly know if the article is relevant or not to your research from the introduction and the conclusion. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>2. Search for the Keyword </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>If you think that is not enough, you can use your control + f and search the keyword you are looking for. If you find it in the middle of the article, then good. If not, just move on. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><b>3. Take Notes </b></i></div><div><br /></div><div>Note-taking is very important. For me, every time I start working on an essay I always prepare three blank word documents: one for an essay plan, one for note-taking, and one for the references. Everybody has a different style when it comes to note-taking. Some people like to make an annotation, which I think is good. But it will become a bit of a challenge, you are short with times. Another note-taking method is simply just to write down the references on the top and start writing your note underneath. Some people even just copy-paste the points that they find relevant and save them in the document. Later during the writing process, they will paraphrase them. The last method is to use a spreadsheet. Prepare four columns. The first column is for the references. The second column is for the page number. The third is for the quote. The last column is for the paraphrased version of that quote. </div><div>
<div style="border-bottom-left-radius: 8px; border-bottom-right-radius: 8px; border-radius: 8px; border-top-left-radius: 8px; border-top-right-radius: 8px; box-shadow: rgba(63, 69, 81, 0.16) 0px 2px 8px 0px; height: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 1.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 48px; padding-top: 56.25%; position: relative; width: 100%; will-change: transform;"> <iframe src="https://www.canva.com/design/DAEgq4cakPI/view?embed" style="border: none; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"> </iframe></div><a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAEgq4cakPI/view?utm_content=DAEgq4cakPI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=embeds&utm_source=link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Design</a> by Adhari Koara </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I don't have a favourite. I always try all of them. Sometimes, the first one works. But other times, the second one works better for me. So yes, try all of them and see which one works best for you. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><b>Writing </b></p><p>Here is a thing about writing, you don't have to worry about being right and grammatically correct the first time around. Just write whatever comes to your mind. You will lose a lot of energy and time if you worry too much about the wording and grammar. As long as you know what you write, just write. I don't know about you, but I am someone who relies on motivation to get me working. If I am in the mood, I feel like I have a very clear vision of what I am writing about. But if I am not in the mood, no matter how hard I try, I can't barely get anything out of my brain. So yes, when I am in the mood I try to vomit every single idea I have in my brain because I am worried that I may run out of it before I could get all the ideas out. I always feel like I am being timed to get it out. So, if the time is out, no matter how hard I try I won't be able to get it out. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>Use A template</i> </b></p><p><br /></p><p>That is that. Another thing is, I find it quite helpful you have a template. All my essay always start with the same template. </p><p><br /></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a> <i>"The Rising Power is Prone to Be Predatory During Power Transition!</i><p></p><p>Introduction </p><p>Supporting Argument 1 </p><p>Supporting Argument 2 </p><p>Supporting Argument 3 </p><p>Conclusion </p><span><!--more--></span><p><br /></p><p>Having this template helps me think about what I have to actually do in this research. So, when I start I am not completely blank. I know the parts that I have to complete. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>A Good Composition for An Essay </i></b></p><p><b><i><br /></i></b></p><p>I was told that a good essay has an even composition. For example, if you are tasked to write a 3000-word essay, the composition would be: 300 words or 10% each for the introduction and conclusion, and the rest would be divided among the three arguments (2400/3= 800). So, 800 words per supporting argument. It does not have to be exactly like that. But in between is good. </p><p><br /></p><p>Once you have done your research, obviously you now have a clear idea of what kind of position you are taking and what the supporting arguments are that lead you to such a conclusion. First, if you think moving between screens are too much for you, you can begin by just focusing on writing whatever you have in mind. Later, you can match the quotes that you have saved with each point you have written. Just continue doing that until you get a fully formed essay. By that, what I mean is that, when all the parts in your essay template are fully completed. If you manage to get there, the next step you have to do is editing. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Editing</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p>This is the most important and the most laborious part. This is where you as they often say "kill your darling babies." Not everything you write should remain in the essay. If during the editing you find them weird and incoherent, just delete them. Not so fast, though. You don't want to regret it later. What I always do is that I never edit in the same word document. So I always open a new blank page when I edit. This way I still have access to the all versions of my essay. If you see my course folder, it is full of so many different versions of my essay writing process. You would see things like: INTR8052 Research Essay Ver. 1, INTR8052 Research Essay Ver. 2, INTR8052 Research Essay Ver. 3, and so on.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><b>Print Out Your Draft</b></i></p><p><br /></p><p>The next thing that is often misunderstood is that we don't actually have to edit on the screen all the time. If you get tired of the screen, just print your draft and edit it there. Use colourful pens to see where you get things wrong. It may double the job, but it helps me a lot. So, it is still worth it.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><b>Check Your Draft on Turnitin Practice Site </b></i></p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-npFkHqP8N3GNPF2pzeV9lkpQlOIeNon9yeLcySHa5ccVHCwSEVHNrZrp0LurFUdntBOiOul6DR5kddKiqmwSfngPpzXYDUWeXcLKvsXxPlnYxfOiIzUzLEYbcVSu_c7JBVFhyphenhyphenkA0XWv/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-npFkHqP8N3GNPF2pzeV9lkpQlOIeNon9yeLcySHa5ccVHCwSEVHNrZrp0LurFUdntBOiOul6DR5kddKiqmwSfngPpzXYDUWeXcLKvsXxPlnYxfOiIzUzLEYbcVSu_c7JBVFhyphenhyphenkA0XWv/w480-h640/IMG_0537.PNG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Uploading: 898805 of 898805 bytes uploaded." border="0" class="placeholder" id="6a02f5206cdfc" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url('https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png'); background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" /></div><br /><br /><p>The last thing I often do is to check my draft on Turnitin practice site. Thankfully my university provides it. It's very helpful to check if the parts that I paraphrase was right. I don't want to unintentionally end up doing some plagiarism. </p><p><br /></p><p>Also, my university offers services where we can send our draft to be checked by the Academic Skills Department. They generally give very good feedback. It could be about the grammar, incoherent argument or etc. We can either meet the couch face to face (or via zoom, you know why) or we can also request writing comments. This is the one part that I like about my university.</p><p><br /></p><div><b>Important Tools</b></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Just to sum up, these are the tools (websites, application) I cannot get away from when writing an essay:</div><div> </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><b>google docs or office 365</b>. Basically any software or website that can integrate your writing. This is so helpful because if you can still access your essay even if you don't have your device/laptop with you. Say, you go to the lab computer in your university. You just need to log in to your google doc or office 365, you are all good to go. Plus, always store all your file/data on either one drive or google drive. That way you don't have to worry if your laptop is broken.</li><li><b>Google translate and thesaurus.com</b>. The thing about being a second language speaker is that you sometimes lose the ability to think in your second language, or even in your first language. So, if you happen to only remember the words in your native language or even in your third language, you can just look it up on google translate and voila, you find the world that you are looking for again. Similarly for thesaurus, sometimes it gets too redundant to use the same words over and over. Look it up on thesaurus, and you get yourself some of the most sophisticated words. </li><li><b>Google scholar and university-owned searching site</b>. These are probably the most important tools in writing an essay. You literally can't write an essay without doing research. Also, I feel like this is so overlooked, but these sites can help you with your referencing. Just click the (") symbol and you get yourself a generated citation. So you don't have to write the citation manually ever again. But watch out, not all of them are correct. </li><li><b>Endnote and Mandeley.</b> Some people use E and M. But personally, I never use them. I find downloading the file and then upload it to these softwares a bit too much. </li><li><b>Turnitin practice site</b>. So important to check that you do not unintentionally do some plagiarism. </li><li><b>Grammarly. </b>If you are studying in a second language, it may be helpful to use Grammarly. Also, I am generally very clumsy. I make typos all the time. Having Grammarly is very helpful that regard. But then again, Grammarly is not always right. Having a good knowledge of grammar is a must when using Grammarly. </li></ol><div><br /></div></div><div>That is it. That's how I navigate my way around essay writing. I hope it can be helpful for you. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-64859391844388363812021-03-20T20:26:00.002+11:002021-03-20T20:29:46.213+11:00The Missing Piece <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG5b-EG_9zg1GVq9X6PGyyWFULGD2PtJEeW6kCmjckjS2TtBp9IlZLdyEn6x-1FpLjmhyphenhyphen0p8Xc6u9gR_E8DmkLiBJGhuV3iFlYfkBrUA3YjhiNYEFfOaPo08fGFDAIBVfoQOUzs7ckNUE/s1073/1000-pc-puzzle.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="1073" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG5b-EG_9zg1GVq9X6PGyyWFULGD2PtJEeW6kCmjckjS2TtBp9IlZLdyEn6x-1FpLjmhyphenhyphen0p8Xc6u9gR_E8DmkLiBJGhuV3iFlYfkBrUA3YjhiNYEFfOaPo08fGFDAIBVfoQOUzs7ckNUE/w640-h268/1000-pc-puzzle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture borrowed from www.masterpiecesinc.com</td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">There came a time when you finally got to experience the cliché. The one thing that people repeat over and over. The universal experience of questioning the purpose of your existence in this earth.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">You once belittled that whole conversation. You accused them of making a big deal out of the thin air. But now you are in that crossroad. Finally, you get to know what’s all the fuss about. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It came abruptly without a warning. You lived your life. Everything seemed fine. You aced school, job and that what mattered. At least, that was what you thought there was to it. Until suddenly you realised that there is a void inside of you. You have missed the important piece of life puzzle. You forgot that life is not just about material achievements. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">There you were sitting in the middle of your 10x10m<sup>2</sup> living room facing your gigantic flat screen TV and everything felt cold. None of your possessions give you warmth. Not even your expensive cashmere. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“What is it that I miss” you uttered the inevitable question. “What is it that I miss”. “What is it that I miss”. “What is it that I miss”. “What is it that I miss”. “What is it that I miss”. You repeat the question countless of times. Despite all the evidence, you couldn’t seem to have it all figured it out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The light bulb finally switched on. By that time, it was too late. You were already in your mid forty and the one thing that should have completed you, who was there waiting for you to place it inside the puzzle, had already disappeared. She stayed long enough to give you enough time to notice that she was your missing piece. But day moment never came. So, she left. She concluded that she was wrong. You were not her missing piece. She opened herself up for another heart that appreciated her presence, attention, and affection. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It was all too late. You were too slow to realise the essence of life. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *" frameborder="0" height="150" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.music.apple.com/au/album/comfortably-numb/1067444712?i=1067444896" style="background: transparent; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-8702511992649530122021-02-10T09:52:00.003+11:002021-02-10T09:52:30.914+11:00Kuliah di ANU: Tinggal On Campus atau Off Campus? <p>Permasalahan akomodasi selalu menjadi dilema tersendiri ketika meratau sekolah di luar negeri. Begitu juga dengan pengalaman saya kali ini ketika kuliah pasca sarjana (S2) di Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. </p><p><br /></p><p>Secara keseluruhan ada dua pilihan akomodasi: on campus dan off campus. On campus accomodation adalah akomodasi-akomodasi yang disediakan oleh kampus berupa residences. Sedangkan akomodasi off campus adalah akomodasi yang kita cari sendiri di luar kampus. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lalu apa kelebihan dan kekurangan dari kedua akomodasi ini? Kebetulan satu tahun kemarin saya tinggal di akomodasi off campus. Dan, baru sebulan ini pindah ke akomodasi on campus. Dalam kata lain, saya sudah mengelami tinggal di kedua pilihan akomodasi tersebut. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>On Campus</b></h3><div>Ada banyak pilihan residences di ANU dengan harga dan fasilitas beragam. Namun secara umum, setiap mahasiswa memiliki kamar sendiri. Hanya saja beberapa residences ada yang harus shares kamar mandi dan dapur. Pilihan yang lain adalah studio atau akomodasi dengan kamar mandi dan dapur di dalam.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLivVB_HhMyvZYswApoSBWoXtWZFD7EIqesS7Yn82JBBNy_SZJDb5aJGz_JbrQzNQIsfZOjsRfrvvJyUqclEda-hP1e_rSoyPPEE8IYgrMgKm7s7A3bBMxfRy4YOXWBJ52xMO6We3Rntc/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.13.45+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLivVB_HhMyvZYswApoSBWoXtWZFD7EIqesS7Yn82JBBNy_SZJDb5aJGz_JbrQzNQIsfZOjsRfrvvJyUqclEda-hP1e_rSoyPPEE8IYgrMgKm7s7A3bBMxfRy4YOXWBJ52xMO6We3Rntc/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.13.45+am.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contoh layout kamar di Toad Hall (courtesy of anu.edu.au)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Saya sendiri tinggal di Toad Hall, salah satu pilihan akomodasi untuk mahasiswa pasca sarjana di ANU dengan harga termurah. Biaya mingguan tinggal di Toad Hall sebesar A$245 dan dibayarkan per dua minggu. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fasilitas yang saya dapatkan berupa: </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Kamar pribadi dengan keycard lock lengkap dengan ranjang, kasur, lemari dan meja belajar. </li><li>Communal kitchen dan bathrooms</li><li>Communal space dengan fasilitas billiard dan pingpong </li><li>Ruang musik lengkap dengan piano</li><li>Ruang komputer dan print </li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5KW2xN50QYoP5k3hq19_oTMrYfNpIIYDE6hKNlQrwA5wE4EuZKicn6-uPEW1HnIecc0YJwmz6afucJ9_kCgHFZoZxaXSnjseHuQdkxWWsIZLHzig2es6t3ANF_7g8ZWn-qvDF70too5q/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.16.57+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5KW2xN50QYoP5k3hq19_oTMrYfNpIIYDE6hKNlQrwA5wE4EuZKicn6-uPEW1HnIecc0YJwmz6afucJ9_kCgHFZoZxaXSnjseHuQdkxWWsIZLHzig2es6t3ANF_7g8ZWn-qvDF70too5q/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.16.57+am.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvSEkPxL2Mlk-jYIj16P2k-4WTJOWRyK7dtVzqpq-3t3I1k20xEUke3Ga3VomTTRbugRfc5tTxGBfh8Hczx8m0ZUkxTTl9yMrfqphyzILZbgowrknxWwHL6pGoBlGVVv32NfGPPibAovl/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.17.14+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvSEkPxL2Mlk-jYIj16P2k-4WTJOWRyK7dtVzqpq-3t3I1k20xEUke3Ga3VomTTRbugRfc5tTxGBfh8Hczx8m0ZUkxTTl9yMrfqphyzILZbgowrknxWwHL6pGoBlGVVv32NfGPPibAovl/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.17.14+am.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvh8WloDuFmmfvbqyRXNCr28HwV73wmU0HFB09pqQMvDnfEo6i6iA-K-jTiH_LvMs0eHIrgpUMtt_wfYx8qedma97-eRzmfdWmfXUT4-N2FQgIWIeRx29HVivlP3ZdFAqev55vsTo7xTv/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.16.41+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvh8WloDuFmmfvbqyRXNCr28HwV73wmU0HFB09pqQMvDnfEo6i6iA-K-jTiH_LvMs0eHIrgpUMtt_wfYx8qedma97-eRzmfdWmfXUT4-N2FQgIWIeRx29HVivlP3ZdFAqev55vsTo7xTv/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.16.41+am.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhingk57-CapFVF_byslEXkktIV3Gb4Qqec70QINyKCQ3EKfnM4GLQYUaCOQqqZY__rgEsT-TbAyCgh-d9oda7E83IQ9APWOJQUZYELWXLkgjH0TMxh9spkDpLDEW_7aUmdKV_LNOeDi09n/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.19.42+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhingk57-CapFVF_byslEXkktIV3Gb4Qqec70QINyKCQ3EKfnM4GLQYUaCOQqqZY__rgEsT-TbAyCgh-d9oda7E83IQ9APWOJQUZYELWXLkgjH0TMxh9spkDpLDEW_7aUmdKV_LNOeDi09n/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.19.42+am.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXybNxJISbNa4xeju5Tf7SCDu87JbJQIM8YiV3UF5rYbSNAa2mI21f7VRsnGVKiIaUXfxFGG57TXscIkdb0gHZdw4tCXozXELdKl8xeNXvbD4_AB4BfKM-AUQM6GUiUM0L3FVOSzpGavD6/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.19.57+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXybNxJISbNa4xeju5Tf7SCDu87JbJQIM8YiV3UF5rYbSNAa2mI21f7VRsnGVKiIaUXfxFGG57TXscIkdb0gHZdw4tCXozXELdKl8xeNXvbD4_AB4BfKM-AUQM6GUiUM0L3FVOSzpGavD6/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.19.57+am.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-C7q1GVWUK8A0hUbaDT7lR3p8fLIFLeFbgtdTImjIJIfTPplBR6M4b_aWWNyuxhluVmGtP5emFDAIlCx-X4FSjMpPIH-uvZLlhHNC592dno7MzOhOFcK1h4LV0h0NiLO3gK5k4LzXCWKL/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.20.20+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-C7q1GVWUK8A0hUbaDT7lR3p8fLIFLeFbgtdTImjIJIfTPplBR6M4b_aWWNyuxhluVmGtP5emFDAIlCx-X4FSjMpPIH-uvZLlhHNC592dno7MzOhOFcK1h4LV0h0NiLO3gK5k4LzXCWKL/w640-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.20.20+am.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div>Untuk virtual tour Toad Hall, boleh lihat disini: <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/study/accommodation/student-residences/toad-hall">Toad Hall</a>.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Setalah tinggal di on campus accommodation selama sebulan kira-kira berikut kekurangan dan kelebihannya. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kekurangan: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Share dapur dan kamar mandi dengan banyak orang </li><li>Biaya mingguan lebih mahal </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div>Kelebihan </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Lokasi dalam kampus </li><li>Dekat kota</li><li>Punya privasi </li><li>Fasilitas lengkap </li><li>Banyak kegiatan </li><li>Level kompromisnya lebih dikit dibanding shared house</li><li>Ada house cleaning staff datang tiap hari</li><li>Fully furnished. Jadi pas lulus nggak repot ngosongin kamar lagi.</li></ul></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Off Campus</b></h3><p>Nah, sekarang bicara tentang off campus accomodation. Untuk off campus, biasanya harus cari sendiri. Banyak situs-situs untuk nyari rumah di luar kampus seperti <b><a href="https://flatmates.com.au">flatmates</a></b>, facebook market place, dan lain-lain. </p><p><br /></p><p>Selama satu tahun kemarin saya tinggal di shared house di Watson, salah satu suburb di Canberra. Lokasinya sekitar 40 menit naik bis ke kampus. Untuk bentuk dalam rumahnya boleh cek <a href="https://www.allhomes.com.au/253-antill-street-watson-act-2602">disini</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2qJox2oyhIA6bNd61aPBSqbZdwG1-Jd2h9obOdFdWQRC5s3c2DE8pbLXc7rnbRvXDEz1mnydt62hb8mdgiThkVt3RDcr5vZlUincRvHTzoM7sVNiBuAAlKvPqhiaLz8cYwopTA41Z3Iz/s2048/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.38.39+am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="2048" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2qJox2oyhIA6bNd61aPBSqbZdwG1-Jd2h9obOdFdWQRC5s3c2DE8pbLXc7rnbRvXDEz1mnydt62hb8mdgiThkVt3RDcr5vZlUincRvHTzoM7sVNiBuAAlKvPqhiaLz8cYwopTA41Z3Iz/w640-h364/Screen+Shot+2021-02-10+at+9.38.39+am.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Kelebihan </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Biaya mingguan lebih murah, kisaran A$175-200. Kalau beruntung bisa dapat A$150-160. </li><li>Kamar lebih luas </li></ul><p></p><p>Kekurangan</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Harus merawat taman yang ada dirumah </li><li>Harus compromise dengan teman serumah </li><li>Harus bersih-bersih dapur dan kamar mandi</li><li>Lokasi jauh dari kampus dan kota</li><li>Unfurnished. Jadi harus nyari perabotan dan appliances sendiri. Artinya, pas lease selesai harus ngosongin rumah lagi. </li><li>Instal internet sendiri</li></ul><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Verdict </h3><div>Setelah ngalamin tinggal di on and off campus, kira-kira pilihan akomodasi mana yang terbaik? Tentunya tergantung kebutuhan dan preferensi ya. Kalau ingin menabung, tentu tinggal off campus lebih disarankan. Karena lebih hemat dari segi biaya sewa mingguan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tapi kalau ingin mengalami hidup sebagai mahasiswa dan ikut kegiatan-kegiatan di kampus, mungkin akomodasi dalam kampus lebih disarankan.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saya sendiri memilih on campus sih. Karena tidak banyak proses. Nggak perlu nyari perabotan. Cukup bawa koper dan belanja perlengakapan masak. Bukan berarti semua off campus accommodation unfurnished. Beberapa ada yang furnished juga kok. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bottom line, saya suka akomodasi yang jangkauannya dengan dengan kegiatan-kegiatan saya. Artinya, dekat dengan kampus dan supermarket, untuk belanja mingguan.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-31999930121324280982021-02-08T07:07:00.002+11:002021-02-08T07:18:58.180+11:00Soliter (Sebuah Puisi)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYSaiQ1LPxkDrWDVtCoqgpXFNYfcp5fw9gL0soxcMadgqi8j8QI9iJWLDxfNMuJm4PXTfSimj-6gwmqv5pHD5C1zMKYBel-CWeiaApFTNG8s_0GJhIQUNxM_gesj6dMTDCtMbVBuXVElx/s2048/P_20210124_202606.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYSaiQ1LPxkDrWDVtCoqgpXFNYfcp5fw9gL0soxcMadgqi8j8QI9iJWLDxfNMuJm4PXTfSimj-6gwmqv5pHD5C1zMKYBel-CWeiaApFTNG8s_0GJhIQUNxM_gesj6dMTDCtMbVBuXVElx/w360-h640/P_20210124_202606.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><p>Di dalam ramai ku merasa asing</p><p>Ku tatap semua bola mata </p><p>Dan ku temukan muka-muka yang ku tandai </p><p>Namun tidak ada kehangatan yang terpancar</p><p>Ku sadari penuh bahwa aku adalah manusia berdarah dingin</p><p>Aku adalah manusia soliter </p><p>Yang menemukan damai dalam keterasingan </p><p>Aku lah si pendosa </p><p>Memilih hidup cacat norma </p><p>Pun, apalah itu norma?</p><p>Tradisi yang mengekang? </p><p>Bukankah diri pemegang otoritas kehidupan?</p><p>Tidakkah aku berhak untuk menjadi diri sendiri?</p><p>Ataukah diri hanyalah hamba dari golongan-golongan? </p><p>Jika demikian, lepaskanlah aku</p><p>Menyendiri dibalik lembah hijau</p><p>Dalam soliterku. </p>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-74790186433223523942021-02-02T22:51:00.001+11:002021-02-03T11:36:04.743+11:00Ternyata Apple Beri Diskon Untuk Pelajar <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKn4LD64V6adkZIdAh7-fh7EUepvXPpXULJcga1_MQmVDfxn9FD6j7qk8xudjZvIRWb9RlgKxZc-BCwIwsVPLxArGcswhgGpBAcDmiGvr6TN0OflRKfG8r57Ppb2OuaMoEY3js8z1V6xbV/s2048/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKn4LD64V6adkZIdAh7-fh7EUepvXPpXULJcga1_MQmVDfxn9FD6j7qk8xudjZvIRWb9RlgKxZc-BCwIwsVPLxArGcswhgGpBAcDmiGvr6TN0OflRKfG8r57Ppb2OuaMoEY3js8z1V6xbV/w640-h480/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M1 Macbook Air 2020 dan Airpods 2</td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: left;">Awalnya Tidak Berniat Beli Macbook Keluaran Baru</h3><p>Kurang dari sepekan yang lalu, saya baru saja membeli macbook pertama saya. Awalnya saya tidak berniat untuk membeli macbook baru. Alasannya karena harganya terlalu mahal dan saya merasa tidak nyaman mengeluarkan uang sebanyak itu hanya untuk membeli sebuah laptop saja. Apalagi karena saya menggunakan laptop hanya untuk keperluan kuliah seperti riset dan menulis. Tentu sesekali saja juga akan nonton youtube dan film di platform streaming seperti netflix dan SBS on demand. Sebagai informasi, SBS on demand adalah aplikasi menonton film gratis. Bedanya dengan netflix, SBS on demand beriklan. Jadi, si aplikasi dapat revenue dari iklan-iklan tersebut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Sejak bulan Agustus tahun lalu, saya hampir setiap hari cek marketplace facebook dan gumtree (situs jual beli online di Australia). Saya berharap dalam macbook secondhand dengan harga dan specs yang sesuai. Saya sempat menemukan satu macbook yang sesuai minat dan budget saya. Macbook Pro keluaran 2017 harga A$750. Tetapi lokasinya di Melbourne. Kebetulan saya akan ke Melbourne dalam waktu yang sama. Sayangnya sebelum saya sampai di Melbourbe barangnya sudah laku. Salah saya sih tidak menghubungi penjual lebih awal. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lalu saya sempat tertarik dengan macbook air yang sedang muncul di iklan marketplace facebook di kota Canberra. Keluaran 2014 dengan harga A$400. Tetapi setalah saya tanya teman-teman yang tau lebih banyak tentang produk apple, akhirnya saya mengurung niat. Rata-rata bilang kalau produk apple keluaran lama, walaupun masih bagus, sering incompatible dengan OS apple terbaru. Dan juga kalau spare part rusak susah cari penggantinya. Karena apple tidak produksi lagi. Kata-kata yang akhirnya membuat saya memilih beli macbook yang baru adalah “produk apple itu awet bisa tahan sampai sepulus tahun kedepan. Jadi kalau pun beli baru sama dengan investasi”. Alasan lainnya tentu dengan iming-iming chip terbaru apple, chip M1. </p><p><br /></p><p>Apple baru saja membuat revolusi baru sebagai satu-satunya perusahaan teknologi yang menciptakan seluruh komponen produknya sendiri. Jika sebelumnya Apple menggunakan Intel Processor, sekarang tidak lagi. Apple sudah menciptakan processornya sendiri yang disebut M1 processor. Menurut iklan Apple, chip M1 ini membuat Macbook Air dan Pro keluaran 2020 menjadi produk tercepat dengan daya tahan batre lebih lama. </p><p><br /></p><p>Sebagai pengguna macbook baru, tentu saya tidak bisa membandingkan. Satu-satunya produk Apple yang saya punya adalah ipad 7 yang saya beli satu tahun yang lalu. Tetapi tidak mungkin membandingkan Macbook dengan Ipad. </p><p><br /></p><p>Tetapi dibandingkan dengan laptop windows yang saya punya, tentu macbook ini lebih cepat. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Tes Kekuatan Baterai Macbook Air M1</h3><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8IGCBEfSkpc" width="560"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Beberapa hari ini saya sempat menguji daya tahan batrai Macbook saya. Dan hasilnya berbeda-beda tergantung pemakaian. Hari ini saya memakai laptop saya selama kurang lebih lima jam. Saya mulai hidupkan jam 12.40 dan saya selesai gunakan jam 17.45. Selama lima jam ini saya lebih banyak browsing atau mengisi formulir online, merekam video dalam zoom dan nonton netflix. Hasilnya 26% batre terkuras. Atau sisa dari 100% batrai di awal penggunaan adalah 74%. Saya tidak tahu apakah itu bagus untuk sekelas macbook. Tetapi dibandingkan laptop windows yang saya biasa gunakan sebuah performa yang bagus sekali.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Sebelumnya, saya belum cerita jenis macbook yang saya beli. Saya beli M1 Macbook Air 2020 (keluaran 2021 belum ada). </p><p><br /></p><p>Sekarang cerita masalah harga. Harga asli M1 Macbook Air di Australia adalah A$1599. Karena saya mahasiswa, saya mendapatkan diskon sebesar 10%. Sehingga harga akhirnya adalah A$1439. Kebetulan Apple juga menambah promosi lain, yaitu setiap pembelian produk Macbook (baik Air maupun Pro) akan mendapatkan Airpod seharga A$249. Jadi jika dihitung, membeli produk ini saya dapat menghemat sebesar A$409. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Cara Mendapatkan Diskon Mahasiswa dari Apple </h3><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrFLiti85Z3n9bEZlLxb1KRgDJXWj3ZO0snmyznA8xc40f19MhflRWU2S5ovKHksdBKh367byWKFmLL3oHTfZ8xtGe23LNwdW911lBc3Lr2kuevfD51ONA-CAJLN2eTKS77OWw40OIkMM/s2048/8AD09F09-5326-4874-A011-C91B589F3349.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMrFLiti85Z3n9bEZlLxb1KRgDJXWj3ZO0snmyznA8xc40f19MhflRWU2S5ovKHksdBKh367byWKFmLL3oHTfZ8xtGe23LNwdW911lBc3Lr2kuevfD51ONA-CAJLN2eTKS77OWw40OIkMM/w480-h640/8AD09F09-5326-4874-A011-C91B589F3349.png" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Cara mendapatkan diskon Apple sebenarnya sangat mudah. Cukup mengunjungin Apple Store dan menunjukkan kartu mahasiswa. Sayangnya Apple Store tidak tersedia disemua negara. Di Indonesia, misalnya, tidak ada Apple Store. Sebegai pengganti ada perusahaan distributor seperti iBox. Alhasil, harga produk Apple di Indonesia lebih mahal dari negara-negara lainnya. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39a1Hy5wxn0lCBgqT3_8PQEpFnDMY6jP7yXCk3-RoElT96PljpSVXg9GfXotUeyw5Oc1uYiJDO_qs0Ckg1XR4gA3rXbOI4Oj14SIKunBPbNBqg8CT1zOasnFTe6ED2mlRf9z4XOWwB8XS/s2048/2A5BACA3-405E-4D4B-8C8D-BF82E629894A.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39a1Hy5wxn0lCBgqT3_8PQEpFnDMY6jP7yXCk3-RoElT96PljpSVXg9GfXotUeyw5Oc1uYiJDO_qs0Ckg1XR4gA3rXbOI4Oj14SIKunBPbNBqg8CT1zOasnFTe6ED2mlRf9z4XOWwB8XS/w480-h640/2A5BACA3-405E-4D4B-8C8D-BF82E629894A.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Cara lain mendapatkan diskon mahasiwa di Australia adalah dengan memesan produk dari aplikasi UNIDAYS. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4IbJHcrkrYUlZFDfOuKDkzowDsKcstQ3Y1ncxmD2Zp45ahkgVLvWdb2xU_sHnmWtlT2zYC3KyZFZhFR_XVh86A4MPgmaXRRPX1Z0Gxo864SCcZXJpCBYBBcmZBBfDXO2214OR_a2W9wS/s2048/BD896ECF-0171-44C2-8C61-E4C1C3FE7115.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4IbJHcrkrYUlZFDfOuKDkzowDsKcstQ3Y1ncxmD2Zp45ahkgVLvWdb2xU_sHnmWtlT2zYC3KyZFZhFR_XVh86A4MPgmaXRRPX1Z0Gxo864SCcZXJpCBYBBcmZBBfDXO2214OR_a2W9wS/w480-h640/BD896ECF-0171-44C2-8C61-E4C1C3FE7115.png" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Trik lainnnya, kalau tertarik mendapatakan diskon mahasiswa, coba kunjungi Apple Store pada saat berkunjung ke negara lain. Negara terdekat dengan Indonesia yang memiliki Apple Store adalah Singapore. Kalau berencana mengunjungi Singapore, tidak ada salahnya sambil belanja di Apple Store. Tapi jangan lupa, akan ada pajak cukai pas membawa produk baru saat kembali ke Indonesia. </div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-70325768483379307142021-02-01T23:11:00.005+11:002021-02-02T20:35:44.149+11:00Courtly Love di abad ke 21<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVNks-poELNU7mADC_ZrVf7wgG61jDqAHyioKEFGmyp0uVn1rzcp0I_noxBoaOEO2-Qh2cXeqNIa-P4dNMpt3nRT6UHVMJ8IKngjyJY5F6UhKF38iAudYtEkZipOWR7gsQyTyQFmzocYd/s434/CE870D81-5F84-4894-94C4-B800F4D8E7C6.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="434" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVNks-poELNU7mADC_ZrVf7wgG61jDqAHyioKEFGmyp0uVn1rzcp0I_noxBoaOEO2-Qh2cXeqNIa-P4dNMpt3nRT6UHVMJ8IKngjyJY5F6UhKF38iAudYtEkZipOWR7gsQyTyQFmzocYd/w640-h402/CE870D81-5F84-4894-94C4-B800F4D8E7C6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of elainestirling</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Akhir-akhir ini saya tiba-tiba teringat dengan <i><b>Courtly Love</b></i>, salah satu topik di mata kuliah <i><b>Medieval Thought and Literature</b></i> waktu S1. Penyebabnya, tentu, rumitnya menjalin hubungan pertemanan antara lawan jenis seiring dengan bertambahnya usia. Dulu, pada saat masih remaja, dekat dengan teman peremuan terlepas dari <i>pressure</i> tertentu. Bahkan kalaupun terjadi sebuah <i>chemistry, </i>masih dianggap sebagai sebuah hubungan yang <i>innocence</i>. Jadi, sekali lagi, belum ada <i>pressure</i>. </p><p><br /></p><p>Fenomena ini sangat berbeda di kalangan usia dewasa atau kelompok umur yang dianggap masyarakat sudah layak untuk berumah tangga (umur 25 sampai 30an). Orang-orang, terutama kaum perempuan, tidak lagi hanya sekedar mencari teman mengobrol. Tetapi kandidat calon pasangan. Alhasil, mengajak seorang teman perempuan terikat dalam sebuah diskusi yang berstimulasi (<i>a stimulating conversation</i>) menjadi sebuah hal yang menakutkan. Takut disalah artikan. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fhhQh68gK88" width="560"></iframe> </p>Di abad pertengahan (middle ages) lahir sebuah fenomena sosial yang disebut <i>Courtly Love </i>di kalangan aristokrat. Fenomena ini membedakan antara pernikahan dan cinta. Para aristokrat biasanya menikah karena pertimbangan ekonomi dan strata sosial. Karenanya cinta sering absen. Dalam hal inilah, <i>Courtly Love</i> hadir untuk memastikan bahwa cinta masih bisa didapatkan. Akan tetapi, <i>there is a catch</i>. <i>Courtly Love</i> adalah sebuah hubungan yang platonik, tidak melibatkan hubungan fisik. Hubungan fisik hanya terjadi antara seorang istri dan suami. <p></p><p><br /></p><p>Sebaliknya, orang yang terlibat dalam Courtly Love, Seorang kekasih (lover), adalah orang yang benar-benar dicintai. Hanya saja , aturan dari Courtly Love hanya membolehkan kedua individu yang terlibat untuk berdansa, tertawa dan menikmati waktu bersama. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lalu apa kaitannya dengan cerita diawal? Menurut saya Courtly Love ini adalah sebuah konsep yang menarik. Hanya saja saya ingin menawarkan sebuah proposal baru. Bagaimana kalau kita membuat sebuah Courtly Love dengan konsep baru yang lebih cocok untuk abad ke 21. </p><p><br /></p><p>Dengarkan! Courtly Love di abad ke 21. Dua individu, laki-laki dan perempuan, terikat dalam diskusi-diskusi yang berstimulasi tentang perpolitikan dunia, sastra, dunia psikologi, musik dan film tanpa membebankan satu sama lain tentang ujung dari hubungan itu. Keduanya menjaga hubungan itu murni hanya karena menikmati percakapan yang terlibat anatara keduanya. Terdengar asik?</p><p><br /></p><p>Seperti tersambat petir, saya yang tiga hari yang lalu telah menulis sebuah draft untuk tulisan ini dalam bahasa inggris, tiba-tiba menemukan film dengan judul <b>THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES </b>siang tadi. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XKYrKshJg-M" width="560"></iframe></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Topik yang diangkat film ini persis sama dengan apa yang saya pikirkan akhir-akhir ini. Perbedaanya tokoh lelaki dalam film ini, seorang professor matematika di Columbia University, menganggap bahwa seks adalah sebuah penghalang untuk mendapatkan hubungan intelektual. Alhasil dia mencari pasangan yang murni berdasarkan pada intelektualitas semata. Tanpa seks sama sekali. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Dia menemukan perempuan idamannya. Hanya saja, istrinya, seorang professor sastra di institusi yang sama, menginginkan lebih. Dia ingin sebuah hubungan yang juga melibatkan hubungan fisik dan komplikasi-komplikasi hubungan lainnya. Terjadilah konflik. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Saya tidak mengatakan bahwa saya sepaham dengan tokoh lelaki dalam film ini. Tentu tidak. Saya percaya bahwa sebuah hubungan harus melibatkan soul (you are attracted to one another), body (hubungan fisik) and mind (level intelektual yang sama). Konsern saya hanya pada <i>pressure</i> yang ada dalam sebuah pertemanan antara lawan jenis diumur saya saat ini. Kenapa harus menciptakan <i>pressure</i> itu? Menemukan teman yang memiliki level intelektual dan <i>kalau ngoborl nyambung </i>saja sudah sulit. Kenapa harus mem-pressure satu sama lain dengan pemikiran "pernikahan". </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Mungkin saya <i>defensive</i> saja sih. Karena saya belum berpikir untuk menikah. <i>Who knows? </i>Mungkin saja pemikiran saya berubah seperti profesor laki-laki itu diakhir film.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Draft awal. Dibuang sayang. </p><p><strike>In the middle ages, love and marriage were two different things. You could get married without the presence of love. Especially among the nobles, marriage were often arranged. In the absence of love, came a new social convention called COURTLY LOVE. </strike></p><p><strike><br /></strike></p><p><strike>COURTLY LOVE happpened between two individuals who shared the same affection. However, there was a rule. The lovers were not allowed to consumate their love. It was considered a breach to the rule if they ended up having physical relationship. In other words, COURTLY LOVE is purely a platonic relationship. </strike></p><p><strike><br /></strike></p><p><strike>The most famous example of COURTLY LOVE is a love story between Lancelot and Guinevere in the King Arthur story. </strike></p><p><strike><br /></strike></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strike><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LJiUqKCBIW0" width="560"></iframe></strike></div><div><strike><br /></strike></div><div><strike><br /></strike></div><div><strike>Of course, everything about COURTLY LOVE is wrong. It normalises loveless marriage and that marriage is a contractual procedure. </strike></div><div><strike><br /></strike></div><div><strike><br /></strike></div><div><strike>Meanwhile, in the 21st century, a lot has changed. In the Western world, in particular, marriage is no longer a prerequisite. People can live under the same roof and perform a marital act without marriage certificate.</strike></div><div><strike><br /></strike></div><div><strike><br /></strike></div><div><strike>That's not the case with the East. While they have embraced some form of liberalism, many still hold on to the old view of marriage. </strike></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-10564213418617248042021-01-28T12:34:00.001+11:002021-01-28T16:37:05.358+11:00Beasiswa Australia Awards FAQ<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a6ejqaR0UlQ" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Berita gembira! Pendaftaran beasiswa Australia Awards, atau biasanya dikenal dengan AAS, sebentar lagi akan dibuka. Menurut laman resmi <a href="https://www.australiaawardsindonesia.org/content/31/12/important-dates?sub=true">Australia Awards Indonesia</a>, pendaftaran untuk intake 2022 akan dibuka per 1 Februari 2021 dan tutup pada tanggal 31 April 2021. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFGgQXPJbo9KyxTliE-Haku_O1TJM0XWP_Pu1260dSqDMTMCoIN1Vk3DwEToxkHHKwM1jVs6gvmfYSWruKhiZk3-jB8PE2h9dm8KlYwwyd4m_8Q7X7x6-TYBhJgagwVGePLPmYBFHZ9Ib/s1312/C8B6C45F-ADF1-4D75-B2DF-A69C9B9544C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1312" data-original-width="882" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFGgQXPJbo9KyxTliE-Haku_O1TJM0XWP_Pu1260dSqDMTMCoIN1Vk3DwEToxkHHKwM1jVs6gvmfYSWruKhiZk3-jB8PE2h9dm8KlYwwyd4m_8Q7X7x6-TYBhJgagwVGePLPmYBFHZ9Ib/w430-h640/C8B6C45F-ADF1-4D75-B2DF-A69C9B9544C4.jpeg" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sumber: https://www.australiaawardsindonesia.org/content/31/12/important-dates?sub=true</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Nah, dengan tanggal pendaftaran yang sudah sangat dekat, tentu banyak sekali pertanyaan-pertanyaan. Berikut saya rangkum pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang sering saya dapat. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Apakah sertifikat bahasa selain IELTS diterima? </b></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jawaban untuk pertanyaan ini sebenarnya sudah sangat jelas sekali di website resmi Australia Awards Indonesia (klik di <b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.australiaawardsindonesia.org/content/158/12/general-requirements?sub=true">sini</a></span></b>). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-left: 30px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit;">For Master’s applicants, have an English language proficiency of at least 5.5 in IELTS (or 525 in paper-based TOEFL or 69 in internet based TOEFL or 46 in PTE Academic). For applicants from GFAs and people with disabilities, have an English language proficiency of at least 5.0 in IELTS (or 500 in paper-based TOEFL or 59 in internet based TOEFL or 38 in PTE Academic).</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit;">For PhD applicants, have an English language proficiency of at least 6.0 in IELTS (or 550 in paper-based TOEFL or 79 in internet based TOEFL or 54 in PTE Academic).</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit;">The IELTS, TOEFL or PTE Academic result must be current (a test result obtained in April 30, 2018 until June 30, 2020 will be considered current). No other English language test (including TOEFL prediction test) results will be accepted.</li></ul></div></blockquote><p>Jadi, sudah jelas ya, AAS juga menerima sertifikat bahasa selain IELTS untuk tahap administrasi. Tetapi, kalau lolos ke tahan wawancara, nanti wajib ikut tes IELTS yang resmi. Tenang saja, biaya tes IELTS untuk tahap wawancara akan ditanggung oleh pihak AAS. Jadwal dan lokasi IELTS akan dikirim selang beberapa waktu setelah email konfirmasi bahwa anda masuk dalam daftar shortlist.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Apakah perlu punya letter of acceptance (LoA) kampus untuk daftar AAS?</h3><p>Tidak perlu. Tim Australia Awards Indonesia (AAI) akan membantu proses daftar kampus setelah kita terkonfirmasi lolos beasiswa AAS. </p><p><br /></p><p>Jadi timeline-nya begini. Pertama, pastika lolos AAS dulu. Setelah lolos AAS, nanti ada sesi pre departure training (PDT). Nah, pendaftaran kampus akan di proses di sesi PDT ini. Sebelum daftar kampus, pihak AAS memberikan kesempatan bagi awardee untuk memastikan bahwa pilihannya sudah tepat. Untuk itu, akan ada satu hari yang disebut University Day, dimana perwakilan kampus-kampus yang ada di Australia akan berkumpul di suatu ballroom hotel dan siap ditanyai oleh para awardee. Setelah itu, baru kita mengisi formulir online yang menyatakan tiga preferensi akhir kampus kita. Tim AAI akan mendaftarkan sesuai dengan formulir tersebut. </p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Apakah preferensi kampus boleh berubah dari formuliar awal pendaftaran? </h3><p>Boleh. Itulah gunanya University Day, untuk memantapkan pilihan kita. Sebagai tambahan, di University Day juga akan ada seorang konsultan pendidikan profesional yang akan membantu, kalau rasanya masih ragu. Perwakilan kampus tentu bias ya. Untuk itu, kita bisa konfirmasi ke konsultan pendidikan kebenarannya.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Apa itu PDT?</h3><div>PDT adalah singkatan dari pre departure training. Setiap awardee yang sudah dinyatakan lolos akan mengikuti PDT. Lokasi PDT ada 2: di IALF Jakarta dan IALF Bali. Didalam PDT ini kita akan belajar academic writing, diajar oleh native speaker langsung. Selain itu, kita juga akan mendapat kelas budaya agar nanti tidak culture shock masuk ke Australia. Bagi yang IELTSnya belum memenuhi persyaratan kampus akan mendapatkan kursus IELTS lagi. Diakhir PDT akan tes IELTS lagi (tentunya dibiayai oleh AAS). </div><div><br /></div><div>Berapa lama ikut PDT ditentukan oleh nilai IELTS. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>7 minggu = overall score IELTS diatas 6.5 dengan semua band diatas 6</li><li>9 minggu = overall score IELTS 6.5 tetapi masih ada band yang dibawah 6 </li><li>4.5 bulan = overall score IELTS dibawah 6</li><li>7 bulan = overall score IELTS dibawah 5.5</li><li>9 bulan = overall score IELTS dibawah 5 </li></ul><div>Sebagai tambahan, pihak AAI hanya mendanai tes IELTS 2 kali, pas wawancara dan setelah PDT. Jika nilai score masih kurang dari yang diminta oleh kampus, kita menanggung sendiri. </div></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom-left-radius: 8px; border-bottom-right-radius: 8px; border-radius: 8px; border-top-left-radius: 8px; border-top-right-radius: 8px; box-shadow: rgba(63, 69, 81, 0.16) 0px 2px 8px 0px; height: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.9em; margin-top: 1.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 48px; padding-top: 56.25%; position: relative; width: 100%; will-change: transform;"> <iframe src="https://www.canva.com/design/DAETw2cMCfo/view?embed" style="border: none; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"> </iframe></div><a href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAETw2cMCfo/view?utm_content=DAETw2cMCfo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=embeds&utm_source=link" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Australia Awards Scholarship</a> <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Apakah stipend yang disediakan cukup?</h3><div>Kalau untuk single cukup sekali, bahkan bisa menabung. Kalalu untuk keluarga mungkin akan sangat pas-pasan sekali, atau bahkan kurang. Biasanya untuk yang berkeluarga, salah satu pasangan akan mencari pekerjaan tambahan. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Berapa stipend yang diberikan?</h3><div>Sipend diberikan per dua minggu sejumlah A$1,150,80. </div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Apa saja "benefit" yang diberikan? </h3><div>Ada banyak sekali. </div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Tim AAS mendampingi semua proses. Kebanyakan beasiswa hanya menyediakan pendanaan. Namun si awardee harus mengurus segala seperti daftar kampus, visa, check up kesehatan dan lain-lain sendiri. Kelebihan dari AAS adalah, semua dibantu oleh tim AAI. </li><li>Biaya transportasi dan penginapan selama wawancara dan tes IELTS. </li><li>Biaya Tes IELTS (2x)</li><li>Stipend selama PDT di Jakarta atau Bali </li><li>Biaya transportasi dari dan ke lokasi PDT</li><li>Biaya medical check up</li><li>Biaya visa </li><li>Establishment allowance saat pertama kali sampai di Australia sejumlah A$5000. </li><li>Bi-weely allowance </li><li>Medical insurance </li><li>Mendapatkan student contact office (SCO) yang akan membantu kita selama berada di Australia </li><li>Biaya kursus tambahan kalau misalkan struggle pas kuliah (untuk ini nanti bekomunikasi langsung dengan SCO)</li><li>Biaya ikut conference (berkomunikasi langsung dengan SCO)</li><li>Biaya reunion fair bagi yang single dan yang tidak bawa keluarga. Fasilitas ini baru bisa digunakan setelah 1 tahun di Australia. Berhubung sedang COVID, kami belum bisa menikmati fasilitas ini. </li></ol></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Berapa kisaran biaya akomodasi?</h3><div>Disini saya secara khusus menggambarkan biaya akomodasi di kota Canberra, ya! Untuk di Canberra sendiri, semakin jauh dari pusat kota, semakin murah. Ada tiga pilihan akomodasi:</div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Shared house: kirasannya A$175-250 per minggu</li><li>Studio : A$350-500 per minggu</li><li>On campus accommodation : A$245-400*</li></ol><div>*Untuk akomodasi on campus bervariatif. Ada yang berbentuk studio, kamar mandi dan dapur didalam. Tentu harganya lebih mahal. Ada juga yang kamar sendiri, tetapi dapu dan kamar mandi share. Pilihan ini lebih murah. </div></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Apakah ada biaya tanggungan keluarga? </h3><div>Tidak ada. Jumlah stipend sama bagi yang single dan yang sudah bekeluarga. Tetapi, visa masuk ke Australia untuk anggota keluarga akan digeratiskan. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sekian dulu FAQ kali ini. Kalau masih ada pertanyaan lain, silahkan tulis di kolom komentar dibawah ini. Nanti saya akan coba jawab. Terimakasih. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFytcaoeQq3sa04KWCG-0EcbXEFkl3pr3bFDEAzA7UBJi0eBXP7ArGXRW6c-UfPPsV6Zu9OFNuGdqa_UkcE07yXz2jrwqwMLHRPBFYULZtkZ-SLCihwYp3ZIeBQTcy6aYOuID5QCnHhPHh/s1334/E708D131-5DD4-42E6-B317-6CC87EF2A977.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="889" data-original-width="1334" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFytcaoeQq3sa04KWCG-0EcbXEFkl3pr3bFDEAzA7UBJi0eBXP7ArGXRW6c-UfPPsV6Zu9OFNuGdqa_UkcE07yXz2jrwqwMLHRPBFYULZtkZ-SLCihwYp3ZIeBQTcy6aYOuID5QCnHhPHh/w640-h426/E708D131-5DD4-42E6-B317-6CC87EF2A977.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awardee AAS dari berbagai negara angkatan 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Dislaimer: </b></div><div>FQA diatas saya tulis berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi saya mendaftar AAS di tahun 2018 dan berangkat ke Australia di tahun 2020. Ada kemungkinan beberapa informasi telah berubah. Untuk itu, harap membaca sumber lain juga, untuk memastikan bahwa anda mendapatkan informasi terbaru. </div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-45036074974072645392021-01-24T17:30:00.003+11:002021-01-30T14:24:53.724+11:00Senja di Djakarta oleh Mochtar Lubis <p style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg13ReCyTxIzEKXzDTS3gG7CG3HVVINdmeCL9XDc88qHAOtRXA8BwvYKdgDQ-5niT2fNdSIP8KtBdtrPZwkAQeeORuO7rTroX2U0QUZ8yV5VDFaYk7-bZrRuNwZKDhCDj4tjcdr603sZ13/s2048/image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg13ReCyTxIzEKXzDTS3gG7CG3HVVINdmeCL9XDc88qHAOtRXA8BwvYKdgDQ-5niT2fNdSIP8KtBdtrPZwkAQeeORuO7rTroX2U0QUZ8yV5VDFaYk7-bZrRuNwZKDhCDj4tjcdr603sZ13/w640-h480/image.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Pas baca bagian awal, saya pikir buku ini masih di tulis dengan ejaan lama, belum menggunakan Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan (EYD). Ternyata setelah cek informasi buku, kemungkinan besar, tanpa sadar, saya telah membaca Senja Di Djakarta versi bahasa Melayu. Agak kesulitan awalnya. Tapi bahasa yang digunakan mirip seperti cara bertutur orang-orang di Sumatera. Jadi walaupun ada kata-kata dan ejaan yang saya anggap aneh, masih bisa ditebak artinya. Beberapa kata-kata dan ejaan yang digunakan dalam buku ini seperti: Ugama, Wang, Khabar, Kerana, Masaalah, Oplaag (saya tidak paham apa artinya), Fonds, Komunisma (e?), Kapitalisma (e?) dll.<p></p><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Dari segi alur cerita (plot) juga menarik. Buku ini terdiri dari sembilan bab yang di awali oleh Mulan Mei hingga Januari. Masing-masing bab berkisah tentang tokoh-tokoh dengan latar belakang yang berbeda, sebagai representasi masyarakat di Jakarta. Ada kelompok elit partai, pegawai negeri dan juga kaum terdidik. Sebaliknya, ada kelompok bawah yang berprofesi sebagai pemulung, sopir delman, dan pelacur. Masing-masing bab di akhiri dengan “Lapuran Kota” atau berita reportase yang terjadi dalam bulan itu. Biasanya mengenai kalangan bawah atapun tindakan kriminal.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Tema buku ini juga tidak kalah menarik. Buku ini berlatar di masa-masa awal Indonesia merdeka di era kepemimpinan Sukarno. Buku ini banyak berdialog tentang sistem pemerintahan apa yang layak untuk membangun Indonesia. Menariknya dialog ini terjadi dalam sebuah klub diskusi bulanan diantara kaum elit terdidik. Ada yang merasa bahwa komunisme adalah sistem yang paling cocok untuk Indonesia yang baru saja merdeka dari imperialisme dan kapitalisme. Tetapi tokoh lain menolak, karena negara-negara komunisme yang ada menjunjung tinggi asas otoriterianisme. Ada juga karakter yang beranggapan bahwa Indonesia harusnya menjadi negara yang berasas Islam, karena populasinya mayoritas muslim. Kaum terdidik ini mendapat keritikan pedas dalam buku ini karena hanya menghabiskan waktu menganalisa tanpa bertindak.</span><div><br /></div><div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Selain menampilkan sebuah diskursi tentang sistem pemerintahan yang layak untuk Indonesia, buku ini juga menggambarkan praktik-partik korupsi, kolusi dan nepotisme (KKN) yang masif dikalangan elit. Disatu sisi kondisi dalam negeri sedang kacau karena persediaan beras, garam dan minyak tanah sedang turun. Disisi lain digambarkan kaum elit memperkaya diri sendiri. Didalam situasi ini, partai komunis memanfaatkan momentum untuk mengumpulkan masa. Akhirnya, terjadi aksi dimana rakyat kecil menuntut haknya, tapi tidak dengan cara yang benar. Bukannya menuntut pemerintah, mereka malah menjarah toko-toko. Asumsi saya, karena partai komunis mempropaganda mereka dengan mangatakan bahwa pedagang adalah kaum proletar yang juga adalah akar masalah.</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Ada banyak sekali toko-tokoh dalam buku ini. Semua dengan kompleksitas masing-masing. Hampir semua tokoh tidak ada yang sempurna, bagian yang paling saya sukai dari buku ini, karena menjukkan sisi kemanusiaan di para tokoh. Tokoh-tokoh elit tidak seutuhnya digambarkan sebagai tokoh jahat (villain), begitu juga dengan tokoh-tokoh dari kalangan kecil juga tidak digambarkan sebagai malaikat. Mereka memiliki kekurangannya masing-masing. Tapi tentu, kalangan elit digambarkan lebih jahat. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Tokoh-tokoh elit: </span></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Raden Kaslan: Salah satu anggoa partai yang melakukan praktik korupsi, kolusi dan nepotisme (KKN)</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Suryono: Anak Raden Kaslan yang baru kembali ke Indonesia setelah dinas di Kedutaan Besar Indonesian di New York. Suryono memiliki hubungan terlarang dengan Fatima, istri muda ayahnya.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Halim: wartawan yang menggunakan korannya untuk mendukung eksitensi partai. Tokoh Halim digambarkan sebagai tokoh oportunis yang sebenarnya menolong partai hanya untuk mendapatkan uang saja. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Ada beberapa tokoh lain seperti petinggi partai partai, namun mereka hanya berfungsi untuk menggambarkan kerusakan moral dikalangan petinggi negeri saat itu.</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Tokoh intelektual: </span></span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Pranoto: bertindak seperti ketua dari klub perkempulan para intelektual muda. Memiliki hubungan dengan seorang wanita Amerika. Namun, cinta mereka tidak bisa dilangsungkan karena dinamika dalam negeri saat itu sangat anti-asing. </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Ahmad: memiliki ideologi kiri (komunis) dan menginginkan Indonesia untuk menjadi negara komunis. Diakhir cerita Ahmad menjadi provokator agar orang-orang kecil bertindak anarkis terhadap kaum proliter, termasuk pengusaha kelongtong. </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Yasrin: Awalnya berpandangan liberal, tetapi di akhir cerita menjadi pengikut partai komunis. Dia seorang penulis yang awalnya bekerja dengan Pranoto dengan upah sangat kecil. Setelah menjadi anggota partai komunis, dia menjadi redaktur majalah rakyat dan digaji 1000 rupiah. </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Nurhalim: Anggota klub yang memiliki pandangan islamis dan menginginkan Indonesia menjadi negara Islam. </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Ies: Satu-satunya tokoh peremuan dalam klub ini. Dia tidak memiliki pandangan idelogis yang jelas. Tetapi sepanjang cerita dia konsisten menginginkan yang terbaik untuk kaum bawah. </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Suryono: Liberal, pencinta hal-hal yang berbau Barat. Dia juga mengaku menganut eksistensialist. Setiap orang bertanggung jawab atas dirinya masing-masing. Tapi, dia tidak punya pendirian kuat dan tidak terlalu perduli dengan sekitar. Dia hanya memikirkan diri sendiri saja. Cukup hedonis juga, gaya hidupnya. </span></span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Kaum bawahan: </span></span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Item: Datang dari kampung mengadung nasip di Jakarta jadi pemulung. Sering kelaparan dan ngutang di warung </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Saimun: Teman Item yang memiliki nasib yang sama. Hanya saja Saimun lebih optimis dalam hidup. Dia juga lebih gigih bekerja dan memperbaiki hidup. Keduanya buta huruf. tapi cuma Saimun yang betekad untuk belajar membaca. Item sudah pasrah. </span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Neneng: Awalnya tinggal di pondok yang sama dengan Item dan Saimun, tapi akhirnya jadi pelacur. Diakhir cerita dia ditangkap polisi, tapi ditangguhkan oleh Saimun.</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;">Ada tokoh-tokoh lain seperti supir delman dan keluarganya juga dengan nasib yang sama. Fungsinya dalam novel ini untuk menggambarkan kontras antar ketiga kelompok. </span></span></li></ul></div><div><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Sisi lain yang saya sukai dari buku ini, nilai rupiah masih tinggi :D. Harga mobil masing 500 rupiah. Harga rumah masih 1000 rupiah. Sudahkah waktunya kita meredenominasi rupiah?</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;">Secara keseluruhan, buku ini sangat bagus dan saya merekomendasikan semua orang diatas 18 tahun untuk membaca!</span></div></div><div><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/twilight-in-jakarta/id1047709647?itscg=30200&itsct=books_toolbox&ct=books_twilight_in_jakarta&ls=1" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 13px; border-bottom-right-radius: 13px; border-top-left-radius: 13px; border-top-right-radius: 13px; display: inline-block; height: 83px; overflow: hidden; width: 250px;"><img alt="Get it on Apple Books" src="https://tools.applemediaservices.com/api/badges/get-it-on-apple-books/badge/en-US?size=250x83&releaseDate=1388534400&h=0d3bed2e3eec3e8a00cc2e5017e4ebf0" style="border-bottom-left-radius: 13px; border-bottom-right-radius: 13px; border-top-left-radius: 13px; border-top-right-radius: 13px; height: 83px; width: 250px;" /></a>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-36059059745641032372021-01-21T13:25:00.005+11:002021-01-30T12:57:35.468+11:00Saman Karya Ayu Utami <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0nzlWQ7L_NzRkAfOuAW4ACZdh6JYNmQtzcXMmkrBO7pZsmfDhLfvvVPXWPG02Ud7GT-8LoHsZC-P4lUc50EzN6DtVw0oeLr3AoUMYvvjsv6PSe5lvXuTvPUXCJri2_fWJ0RrXLznb0EH/s2048/059A8147-5A35-499B-9C7F-931A8F095EF4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd0nzlWQ7L_NzRkAfOuAW4ACZdh6JYNmQtzcXMmkrBO7pZsmfDhLfvvVPXWPG02Ud7GT-8LoHsZC-P4lUc50EzN6DtVw0oeLr3AoUMYvvjsv6PSe5lvXuTvPUXCJri2_fWJ0RrXLznb0EH/w640-h480/059A8147-5A35-499B-9C7F-931A8F095EF4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Saman adalah karya pertama Ayu Utami yang saya baca. Sebelumnya saya sudah mengenal Ayu Utami dan saya juga cukup sering mengikuti kegiatan beliau di teater Utan Kayu dan Komunitas Salihara, walaupun hanya melalui internet. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>First impression</i> saya terhadap buku ini adalah sangat <i>genius </i>dan <i>beautifully messy. </i>Buku ini mendobrak hampir semua sisi proses menulis, baik dari segi plot, narasi dan tema. Hampir tidak ada satu sisi pun yang konvensional dari buku ini. Menurut ini adalah sebuah terobosan. Ketika biasanya kita membaca buku yang sangat linear dan diceritakan oleh satu pencerita (<i>narrator</i>) saja, disini kita mendapatkan gaya bercerita yang sangat acak dan memiliki pencerita yang banyak.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Pertama, dari sisi plot. Cerita bermula di masa kini. Namun sepanjang buku, cerita bolak balik dari masa kini ke masa lalu dan kembali ke masa kini lagi. Ini bukan metode yang baru. Penulis lain sudah pernah menerapkan metode ini. Selain Ayu Utama, karya penulis lain yang pernah saya baca menggunkan metode penulisan seperti ini adalah Elif Shafak dengan karyanya seperti The Forty Rules of Love, Honour dan the Bastard of Istanbul. Saya sangat merekomendasi kalian untuk membaca karya-karya Elif Shafak! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Kedua, sis pencerita (<i>narrator</i>). Keseluruhan isi cerita berasal dari banyak sumber dengan metode penyampaian yang berbeda-beda. Sumber pertama ada Laila yang membuka cerita di awal buku dengan <i>setting </i>di Central Park, New York. Lalu cerita dilanjutkan oleh orang ketiga, namun diselingi oleh alam bawah sadar Laila yang muncul tiba-tiba memotong cerita si orang ketiga. Terakhir, ada korespondensi antara Saman dan Yasmin. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dengan metode bercerita seperti ini, pembaca akhirnya menjadi spektator yang aktif. Dari pada menikmati cerita saja, pembaca juga berkesempatan untuk berperan aktif dalam menyambungkan cerita yang sangat acak adut. Seperti kegiatan detektif yang seru. <i>Connect the dot.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Ketiga, tema. Buku ini tidak memiliki tema tunggal. Melainkan banyak tema atau didalam teori sastra sering disebut sebagai <i>metanarrative. </i>Adapun beberapa tema yang diangkat seperti: </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Cinta terlarang antara Laila dan Sihar, serta Saman dan Laila. </li><li>Penindasan kaum termarginalkan seperti Upi gadis yang mengindap gangguan jiwa dan orang-orang Prabumulih yang di tindas oleh pemerintah dan pengusaha pertanian. </li><li>Nilai-nilai moral Barat versus Timur. Laila dan tokoh-tokoh lain didalam buku ini selalu mempertanyakan esensi dari moralitas yang notabene adalah konstruksi sosial. </li><li>Seksualitas, terutama antara laki-laki dan perempuan. Bagaimana nilai moral merugikan dan mengutuk perempuan sebagai kambing hitam dalam setiap perkara seks. Padahal laki-laki juga ikut andil didalamnya. </li><li>Hak Asasi Manusia. Didalam buku ini, tokoh Saman memperjuangkan hak orang-orang Prabumulih yang tertindas. Namun pada akhirnya rezim yang ada juga meng-opresi hak asasi dia. Pada akhirnya ia harus berlari ke Amerika. </li><li>Spritualisme. Tokoh Saman pada awalnya adalah seorang pastur. Namun karena keterlibatannya dengan pihak otoritas dalam membantu orang yang tertindas akhirnya dikeluarkan oleh pihak gereja. Setelah menyaksikan penindasan terhadap orang-orang di Prabumulih, Saman akhirnya mengalami krisis eksistensialisme. Dia mempertanyakan keberadaan tuhan yang tidak hadir dalam membantu orang yang tertindas. </li><li>Perlu diketahui, Ayu Utami menciptakan sebuah terobosan berpikir yang dia sebut spriritualisme kritis. Pemikiran ini juga ia sematkan dalam buku-bukunya. Saman ini adalah salah satu karya sastra dengan tema spritualisme kritis. </li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div>Terakhir, setting. Cerita ini tidak ber-setting tunggal. Melainkan, cerita ini bertemapat dibanyak lokasi. Pertama, ada New York dimana Laila berjanji bertemu dengan Sihar. Lalu ada lokasi tambang minyak di Laut Cina Selatan. Terkahir ada Prabumilih, Sumatera Selatan. Ada juga lokasi-lokasi yang tidak terlalu signifikan seperti Medan dan Jakarta. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sekilas membaca buku ini mengingatkan saya pada karya-karya Jeannette Winterson seperti Sexing the Cherry dan Oranges are Not the Only Fruit. Terutama karena buku ini mengangkat elemen-element dongeng dan <i>biblical story.</i> Yang membedakan, dalam novel Saman ini ada unsur khas Indonesia seperti mistis dan pewayangan. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Secara keseluruhan, membaca Saman adalah sebuah kegitan gimnastik intelektual yang sangat asik. Sebagai pembaca, kita tidak pernah tau kemana cerita akan berujung. Bahkan kita tidak pernah tau gerangan siapa yang akan bercerita. Yang paling menarik, keseluruhan isi cerita tidak linear. Sehingga pembaca harus aktif berpartisipasi dalam menyambungkan benang merah cerita. Dengan begitu pembaca bukan spektator pasif, melain spektator aktif. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-61119437408777402882020-12-31T12:45:00.001+11:002020-12-31T12:45:17.781+11:00#2 Child of All Nations <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dqpHsw9j3nIdkLyOzOddSh1ieMIUuR-saWtA5QFT5mcCa-b_fW0-w1uFVH8MeOKHvY2YdL7mpDQmnH9z3D3Xb7beznjnpG3NS7LCH4MoDzw91EKjF_so1sQcIvNfygKNoAUOJ6FgLZlX/s1600/D9EEC929-1B38-4CB4-842C-A8757F043A16.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1600" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dqpHsw9j3nIdkLyOzOddSh1ieMIUuR-saWtA5QFT5mcCa-b_fW0-w1uFVH8MeOKHvY2YdL7mpDQmnH9z3D3Xb7beznjnpG3NS7LCH4MoDzw91EKjF_so1sQcIvNfygKNoAUOJ6FgLZlX/w640-h246/D9EEC929-1B38-4CB4-842C-A8757F043A16.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The first book of Buru Quartet ends with the death of Mr Mallema and the repercussions it brings to the family. The court decided that the Mellema’s estate and wealth would be divided into three: Robert, Annelies and Mr. Mallema’s son from his legal marriage, Engineer Maurits Mallema. Nyai Ontosoroh, who has been looking after the business since Mr. Mallema was incapacitated, did not get anything at all. While that alone has intensified the situation, what made the situation even more tense is Robert’s disappearance. If Robert was around, the court would have appointed him as Annelies’s guardian. However, since Robert was nowhere to be found, Annelies was then forcefully sent to the Netherlands to her legal guardian, the Mellema family. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The thing that needs to be noted, however, is that Annelies has got married with Minke months before. However, since Annelies was still considered underage, the European court did not acknowledge their marriage. A series of defence were made both at court and through newspapers, but to no avail. One of the arguments used was that the marriage was legal in the Islamic law. If the court did not acknowledge this marriage, it meant that the court disregards Islamic law. This argument was successful to get the natives’ attention. However, it did not succeed to change the court’s decision. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the<b> Child of All Nations</b>, the story picks up from when Annelies was on a ship sailing for Europe. Obviously, considering how weak Annelies has always been, this whole experience has deteriorated her health even more. Before the sail, she was unconscious for days and now even though she is conscious she is barely alive. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Both Minke and Nyai Ontosoroh wanted to accompany Annelies leaving for Europe, but the court disapproved it. Rather, they both were under house arrest during Annelies’s departure. Only three days after Annelies left that they were freed. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Luckily, Nyai Ontosoroh has secretly arranged Robert Jan Daperste alias Panji Darman, a loyal friend of the family, to be on the ship along with Annalies. It is he then who reported to the family about Annelies’ situation on the ship and in the Netherlands. From his letter to Minke we learn that Annelies was getting worse and she did not want to eat and lost hope entirely. From his letter, we also learn that when the ship arrived in the Netherlands, none of the Hellema’s family was present to welcome Annelies. Instead, an old woman was paid by the family to pick her up. Panji Darman then followed the old woman who turned out taking Annelies to her own house, not the Hellema’s house. It became clear that the Hellema’s family would not take care of Annelies. After a few weeks, a telegram from Panji Darma arrived informing that Annelies has passed away. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Personally, I was very disappointed on this part. Here I was thinking that this journey, being away from Nyai Ontosoroh, would make Annelies a strong independent woman. No, instead, she is dead. Such a turn off. On the bright side, Pram kills her early in the book. Again, it shows that Pram considers her character just as a foil baring no significance to the story whatsoever. Once she is dead, Pram continues with more important issues. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The first important issue is about empowering the natives. This theme was brought up through the Khouw Ah Soe’s character who is a member of Chinese Young Generation Movement who came to the Dutch East Indies illegally. He was in contact with Minke because Minke was appointed by a newspaper to write a story on him. However, Minke was disappointed that the newspaper did not publish what he originally wrote. Instead, they completely fabricated an entirely different story which Minke found to be misleading. Luckily, Khouw Ah Soe believed Minke and they became friends. From him, Minke learned that there is a movement in China wishing to develop the country so that they can become equal with that of the Europeans. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The second important thing in the second book is about Japan’s rise in the late 19th century. Because of its significant growth, Japanese people became the first non-white whose status were made equal to the white people before the law. The Japanese was also an inspiration to Khouw Ah Soe in his activism. He wanted the Chinese people to aspire to do the same as the Japanese. However, Japan was also beginning to invade parts of Korea and China. In this regards, the book also talks about international relations of the late 19th century. The book talks about how balance of power politics was about to take place. Obviously, this is a foreshadowing for Japan’s eventual power and greed to invade the entire South East Asia. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The third theme being discussed in the book is identity crisis that Minke was experiencing. Being educated in a European school has made Minke views the world around him with the European lens. As a result, when he sees local customs and people, he can’t help but looks down on them. Increasingly, however, Minke begins to see that European people with their so called “enlightenment” are savage in their own ways. Minke’s experience with the law is one of the examples in which Minke sees that Europeans shield their savageness under bureaucracy and law. But beneath all of them lies deception and exploitation. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Minke’s identity crisis doubles when his European friends encourage him to write in Malay. They assert that Minke should write in a language that the natives understand, that way the natives can benefit from Minke’s wisdom. They also said that Minke does not owe the Europeans anything. All these times Minke has been writing in Dutch and is comfortable to do so. Meanwhile, Minke as an educated native owes his people everything. Hearing what his friend had to say, Minke was defensive and offended at times. But as time goes, he understood why they thought so. But we are yet to see Minke writes in Malay. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Another important event in the second book was Robert’s letter informing where he is. Before he disappeared we knew that he had fallen into Babah Ah Kong’s trap, just like his father was. He entered Bahah Ah Kong’s brothel and slept with a Japanese prostitute who had syphilis. Now on his letter we learn that he lived abroad in Hong Kong and is sick. In his final letter we learn that he is in Los Angeles being treated in a hospital. He also admitted to have impregnated a maid named Minem and asked Nyai Ontosoroh to acknowledge him. However it is so strange that Minem did not catch syphilis, considering they slept after Robert slept with the prostitute who had syphilis. And by the way, Robert died too. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Towards the end of the book, Nyai Ontosoroh and Minke expected Muraits Melemma to arrive and they also expected that he would take over the entire estate. Throughout the book he has been portrayed as an antagonist whose only motive is to take over the Mellema’s wealth. And at the end of the book, Nyai Ontosoroh, Minke, and their two other European friends confronted him for his behaviour, questioned his Christian and European morality. He was mostly quiet the entire confrontation and was forced to leave because many natives had gathered in front of the house hearing May crying and shouting on hearing that Annelies had died. Yes, Nyai Ontosoroh and Minke did not annouce Annelies’ death. Even their close friends did not know about it. Only when Maurits was present that they called him out for his cruelty and blamed him as Annelies’ murderer. And this is where the second book ends. So, we don’t really know if he did take the Mellema’s wealth after all. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>See you in book 3. </div><div><br /></div><div> </div>
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The first book of Buru Quartet ends with the death of Mr Mallema and the repercussions it brings to the family. The court decided that the Mellema’s estate and wealth would be divided into three: Robert, Annelies and Mr. Mallema’s son...
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<script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.goodreads.com/review/custom_widget/20288930.Adhari's%20bookshelf:%20just-finished?cover_position=left&cover_size=small&num_books=5&order=a&shelf=just-finished&show_author=1&show_cover=1&show_rating=1&show_review=1&show_tags=1&show_title=1&sort=date_added&widget_bg_color=FFFFFF&widget_bg_transparent=&widget_border_width=1&widget_id=1609379055&widget_text_color=000000&widget_title_size=medium&widget_width=medium" type="text/javascript"></script>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-28636415394172957142020-12-30T12:55:00.003+11:002020-12-30T13:01:48.014+11:00#1 This Earth of Mankind <div class="separator"><p style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldvIsXnYG2I8u293iMwf4C27IDpvB82rnH2BAM_5vGU6A1VSTVmnNAM1KHmrp0yxjVud8Z9u7MBg2ki-LPhH8FGtJtSQQF6TMz7v0rENr9Zcb0VN_CNR5Pz64ezu1sBCK2p3Xsyvcy9vq/s1600/D9EEC929-1B38-4CB4-842C-A8757F043A16.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldvIsXnYG2I8u293iMwf4C27IDpvB82rnH2BAM_5vGU6A1VSTVmnNAM1KHmrp0yxjVud8Z9u7MBg2ki-LPhH8FGtJtSQQF6TMz7v0rENr9Zcb0VN_CNR5Pz64ezu1sBCK2p3Xsyvcy9vq/w640-h247/D9EEC929-1B38-4CB4-842C-A8757F043A16.png" width="640" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p><b>This Earth of Mankind</b> is the first book of the Buru Quartet series, and probably the most famous of the four. Although, personally, I don’t find the first book exceptional at all compared to the other three. In fact, I find the love story between Minke and Annelies quite shallow. But, isn’t all love stories are? </p><p><br /></p><p>The story starts with the narrator introducing himself. However, rather than revealing his real name, he let readers know the name people use to call him: Minke. At first, readers are puzzled with name especially because Minke claims to be a native, but the name Minke is not a common native name at all. Luckily, there is one special chapter in which Minke explains how the name comes about. It turns out that the name was born at a time when his teacher was angry at him for not being able to answer a question he asked. The teacher meant to say <b>MONKEY, </b>but realising that it’s inappropriate to insult a student in a class before other students, he then quickly changed it into Minke. So, Minke is actually a derogative term, but only later that he understood that. </p><p><br /></p><p>Minke was among the only two natives who were privileged to have been enrolled in Surabaya Hoger Burger School (HBS) or the equivalent of Senior High School. The other one was Robert Jan Dapperste who was admitted because he was adopted by a Dutch preacher. Likewise, Minke, too, was admitted because he was the grandson of a Bupati (regent). Indeed, during the colonial time, no natives are given access to education, unless they are the children of important people. </p><p><br /></p><p>A bit of context, the book begins in 1898. By this time, the Dutch had ruled Indonesia for over 200 years. This quartet, therefore, is a great historical fiction to show Indonesia’s colonial history. We get see how the natives were being treated by the Dutch colonialist. Most important of all, we get to see how big a failure the Dutch had been in influencing Indonesia culturally. <b>It appears that unlike other colonial doctrine that believed colonialism was a way to enlighten the so called “savages”, the Dutch’s only goal was to exploit the resources and the native people for their own benefit.</b> </p><p><br /></p><p>The Dutch’s biggest failure for me is the fact that the Dutch did not introduce education to the Indonesian native, or if did it was obviously failed. What is apparent is that Indonesian people had to fight for it. It is no surprise that after ruling Indonesia for 250 years, no trace of Dutch language left in Indonesia. Unlike the former British colonies, they all adopt the English language either as their official language or as their second language. This is not to say that British colonialism was better than the Dutch. No. No form of colonialism is justified. </p><p><br /></p><p>Back to the book. At the surface, the story seems to centre around a love story between Minke and an Indo girl, Annalies. An Indo is a term used to refer to Dutch-Indonesian mixed person. But, as we dig deeper, it is obvious that Toer, or Pram as Indonesians fondly call him, only uses the love story as a foil to talk about issues that are much deeper and much more serious such as colonialism, segregation, slavery, psychology, capitalism, feminism and many more. </p><p><br /></p><p>The lead character of the book is obviously Nyai Ontosoroh. Nyais are an important part of Indonesian colonial history, beautiful native women bought by colonial officials to be their concubine. These women were often ridiculed and outcasted by other natives. But, as Nyai Ontosoroh’s story, they are victims of the circumstances. </p><p><br /></p><p>We are introduced to Nyai Ontosoroh as Minke and his schoolmate, Robert Suuroof, was visiting the Hellema’s estate. As Minke was smitten by Annalies’s beauty, readers were smitten by Nyai Ontosoroh’s unusual charm. A nyai has the reputation for being a sex slave. However, nyai Ontosoroh is different. She is fluent in Dutch and she is literate. Later, we also discover that she manages the entire Hellema’s business empire - something that’s quite extraordinary for a native woman to do at the time. Probably her most powerful charm is her progressive way of looking at the world. Although she is a nyai, she doesn’t look down at Minke. Rather, she welcomes him and does not pay attention to his nativeness. </p><p><br /></p><p>The love story between the two continues, but it terms of storyline we know that it is so just to draw Minke closer to nyai Ontosoroh and the Mellema family who will take the story to a whole other level. Personally, I don’t like how Pram portrays Annelies’ character. He describes her as a beauty beyond compared, but she is very fragile and sentimental. This is quite contradictory, considering that she started working with her mother quite early on. My point is that, you can’t be mature but immature at the same time. I suspect that Annelies’ character is not important at all. She is just there as a foil so that we get to see more of nyai Ontosoroh. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ontosoroh was made into a nyai when she was quite young. It was her father who sold her to a colonial official (Tuan Besar Kuasa), Mr Mellema, so that he could be promoted into a higher position. Because of this, she holds a grudge against his family. She refused to acknowledge them and to meet them ever since. At first, Mr Mellema was a nice gentleman teaching Ontosoroh everything from hygiene, reading, writing and even managing a business. It was Mr Mellema therefore who transforms Ontosoroh into a “modern women”.</p><div><br /></div><p>However, Mr Mellema stops being a gentlemen (at least according to nyai Ontosoroh) after one day a man came to their estate which turns out to be his son from his legal marriage back in the Netherlands. That man confront Mr Mellema for deserting him and his mother. Ever since that day Mr Mellema no longer the person he used to be. Later in the story we learn that he has been staying at a brothel next door and spends his time drinking. Amidst all of this, nyai Ontosoroh takes over the job in managing the estate and the businesses. That’s how she becomes a truly independent business woman. </p><p><br /></p><p>Minke was invited to stay with the Millemas but he did not know how to react. After a long consideration and because Annelies was madly in love with him to the point that she would get sick just being away from him (I hate this part), he finally gave in. However, little that he knew this is the beginning of all troubles that he is about to encounter. What are those troubles? I think this is the part where I should leave you. Please get the book and read it. It’s so worth it. </p><p><br /></p><p>What can you expect from the book? </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>You get to see life during the colonial time. You get to also see the narrator’s perspective about native’s responses to colonialism. For example, we are given two contrasting responses to colonialism. One, that of the the Javanese, who gives in to the colonial regime. More exactly, the Javanese rules, who cared only about themselves. So long as they are safe, they do not think about the common people. While the kings and sultans kept their place, the common people suffered. Meanwhile, we also see how the Acehnese responded to colonialism. They fought and fought even though they knew they would fail. Regardless, they have the courage to fight. It had proven that the Dutch spent the most money in this war, an evident that Acehnese was not easy to defeat.<span><a name='more'></a></span></li><li>You get to see how the Dutch treated the natives. What’s great about Pram is that he did not generalise all Dutch. Instead, we also see Dutch people with good intention like the de la Croixes, Ms Magda Peter, and many others. But what’s clear is that, the colonial administration systematically oppressed the natives. <span><!--more--></span></li><li>Feminism at its best. Nyai Ontosoroh is a champion of feminism in the book. Kartini’s name was mentioned but not to a great detail. Nyai Ontosoroh’s character is progressive. She thinks about nationalism before the term even coined.<span><!--more--></span></li><li>Narrative style. If you are learning about creative writing, this book can be a good way to learn about the different ways to narrate a story. In this book, Pram uses the diary-like technique. When we read the book, it is as though we are peaking into somebody’s private diary. We almost always told a story about an encounter and how that encounter affects Minke personally and intellectually. That being said, the narrative style is quite Dickensian in nature, in that Pram goes deep into details. I personally don’t like classic realism for its sometimes unnecessary details. But it’s a personal reason. It doesn’t change the greatness of the books at all. Apart from the realism, we also see Pram uses stream of consciousness and metanarrative. <span><!--more--></span></li><li>Reminisce the time when newspaper was everything. In this first book, we will witness a court case between a native and a pure (a term used for European). Since natives always fail before the court, Minke tries to influence the court’s decision via newspaper. Because of it, though, the case becomes public. This my favourite part. I won’t any justice to summarise it, so go read it! <span><!--more--></span></li><li>So many other reasons to read it, but I will leave with the 5 now. I hope you do read it! </li></ol><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>
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This Earth of Mankind is the first book of the Buru Quartet series, and probably the most famous of the four. Although, personally, I don’t find the first book exceptional at all compared to the other three. In fact, I find the love st...
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<script charset="utf-8" src="https://www.goodreads.com/review/custom_widget/20288930.Adhari's%20bookshelf:%20buru-quartet-marathon?cover_position=left&cover_size=small&num_books=1&order=a&shelf=buru-quartet-marathon&show_author=1&show_cover=1&show_rating=1&show_review=1&show_tags=1&show_title=1&sort=date_read&widget_bg_color=FFFFFF&widget_bg_transparent=&widget_border_width=1&widget_id=1609293284&widget_text_color=000000&widget_title_size=medium&widget_width=medium" type="text/javascript"></script>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-56050041576483671692020-12-29T11:38:00.012+11:002020-12-30T10:16:46.001+11:00Buru Quartet Marathon <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c_1W1uycB0U" width="560"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">This post, above anything else, is a confession post. <b>The confession: I haven’t read much lately.</b> Well, I do read, but what I read are just a bunch of academic journal articles assigned by my course conveners and news. Those don’t count, right? </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I have no excuse for all of this. I could have read more, especially since the pandemic everyone has been forced to stay at home. Except, I had to work on my assignments during the semester. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Now that I am on summer break, I really run out of excuses. I guess, I better catch up of my reading. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Lucky for me, a couple months ago an angel gave away a bag full of Pramudya Ananta Toer’s books on Buy Nothing of my suburb. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I immediately put my hands up, and like an angel, or perhaps Santa is the most appropriate name for the occasion, she gave all of them to me. Within the bag includes the complete edition of Buru Quartet and other books such as: It’s Not An All Night Fair, Fugitive and Arok of Java. If any gift can make me happy, it has to be books. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I have started the marathon. So far I have finished reading the first and second books. The point of this post is to document my experience while reading this masterpiece. I will write down my feeling and reaction while reading each book. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I am fully aware that Pram is a a big name in Indonesia and almost everyone says that his books are not that easy to absorb. Implying that it requires certain level of intelligent to understand his works. Well, it’s true to some extent. But I think the problem lies in the language. Indonesian language is always changing and the new generations are not familiar with the “old” generation of Indonesian language. The old version strikes them a bit stiff and too formal. So yes, it requires a bit of effort both to understand the language and the content. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Luckily for me, the book that I got are all in English and so far I have no problem at all. Except, there are parts that I find funny. I am not a translator, but I did take translation course back in the days. And, one of the thing the translation course emphasises is that we need to contextualise everything. We cannot translate everything literally. There is one particular character in the book named Minah who has “slut-ish” personality. In Indonesian language, we refer to such character as <i><b>cewek gatel</b></i>, which literally translates into an itchy girl. Rather than calling her a slut, Max Lane chooses to use “itchy girl”. There must be an intention behind it which I am still figuring it out. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">So yes, in the next posts I will be documenting my whole experience reading each book. I am so excited! </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
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adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-56016720054007865462020-12-14T12:39:00.005+11:002020-12-14T14:56:24.994+11:00Traveling Ke Melbourne Saat Pandemi <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNbcbLjzMKZthw2NDbIhty88LUZI_1wSdl0qy7UDUoeaiLlbBiqK9CMbnqu4gm47gWh04V8DjpH-BqY9MJc6t1rwryO0iK6kaECpbL0Oi7_I3LwFQbOzeBqZa508DjDP6n10a_cDt-wbk/s1156/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-07+at+10.19.49+PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="868" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNbcbLjzMKZthw2NDbIhty88LUZI_1wSdl0qy7UDUoeaiLlbBiqK9CMbnqu4gm47gWh04V8DjpH-BqY9MJc6t1rwryO0iK6kaECpbL0Oi7_I3LwFQbOzeBqZa508DjDP6n10a_cDt-wbk/w480-h640/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-07+at+10.19.49+PM.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Traveling atau melancong adalah salah satu kegiatan yang sangat terdampak akibat pandemi. Hampir semua negara menerapkan larangan untuk melakukan perjalanan dalam kota, lebih-lebih lagi perjalanan antar kota dan negara. </p><p><br /></p><p>Hal tersebut juga berlaku di Australia, tempat tinggal saya saat ini. Dari bulan Maret 2020, ketika kasus COVID-19 mulai melonjak, Australia menutup penerbangan dari dan ke luar negeri. Salain itu, Australia juga menutup perbatasan antara states atau negara bagian. Salah satu alasannya karena penyebaran virus COVID-19 tidak merata antar negara bagian. Misalnya, sebagai negara bagian terpadat dan tersibuk, New South Wales dan Victoria memiliki kasus penyebaran COVID-19 yang cukup signifikan dibandingkan negara bagian yang lain. Untuk menekan penyebaran, pemerintah federasi membatasi perjalanan dari dan ke kedua negara bagian tersebut. </p><p><br /></p><p>Syukurnya, kedua negara bagian ini telah berhasil untuk <i>flatten the curve. </i>Sebuah mukjizat sekali. Terutama untuk negara bagian Victoria dengan angka kematian akibat COVID-19 tertinggi di Australia, sejumlah 820 jiwa. Kini kasus positif COVID-19 di negara bagian Victoria sampai nihil, atau tidak ada kasus sama sekali. </p><p>
</p><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1607909832021" style="position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="tableauPlaceholder" id="viz1607909832021" style="position: relative;"><noscript><a href='#'><img alt=' ' src='https://public.tableau.com/static/images/Ca/Cases_15982342702770/DashCasesGSG/1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript>Bukan berarti kasus COVID-19 di Australia sudah tidak ada. Masih ada. Secara total, saat ini ada 51 kasus aktif. Namun, kebanyakan kasus aktif ini berasal dari warga Australia yang baru kembali dari luar negeri. Sehingga mereka langsung karantina ketika memasuki Australia. Dengan begitu penyebaran secara lokal bisa di antisipasi.</div><p></p><p> </p><p>Setelah berhasil menekan penyebaran COVID-19 di hampir semua negara bagian, akhirnya pemerintah negara bagian mulai mengizinkan perjalanan antar perbatasan tanpa harus karantina dua minggu terlebih dahulu. Sepertinya saat ini semua negera bagian sudah membuka perbatasan kecuali South Australia. Alhasil, saya pun bisa dan memberanikan diri untuk traveling ke kota Melbourne. </p><p><br /></p><p>Walaupun Melbourne sudah aman, penggunaan masker saat berada di tempat umum masih diterapkan. Berbeda sekali dengan Canberra atau Australian Capital Territory (ACT) dimana penggunaan masker tidak wajib sama sekali. Jadi sepanjang tiga hari saya di Melbourne selalu menggunakan masker kemana-mana: di hotel, tram, restoran dan saat jalan kaki keliling kota. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lalu bagaimana rasanya traveling saat pandemi? Jujur agak paranoid ya. Apalagi karena Melbourne satu-satunya kota yang sempat memiliki kasus positif dan kematian COVID-19 tertinggi. Tapi setelah ketemu teman-teman di Melbourne akhirnya mulai merasanya nyaman dan percaya diri bahwa kasus COVID-19 di Melbourne sudah tertangani (under control). </p><p><br /></p><p>Sekarang saya sudah balik di Canberra. Tapi saya masih aja paranoid. Takut tiba-tiba saya tertular saat perjalanan di Melbourne dan saya secara tidak sengaja membawa virus ke Canberra. Jadi ragu untuk keluar dulu di Canberra. Harusnya sih nggak ya. Kan sudah nol karus. </p><p><br /></p><p>Nah, selama di Melbourne saya jalan-jalan kemana aja? Jujur saya nggak banyak jalan-jalan selama disana, karena saya lagi ada kerjaan saat itu. Jadi saya cuma jalan-jalan dari pagi sampai jam 13.00 siang. Setelah jam 13.00 saya harus kerja. Jadi saya cuma memanfaatkan waktu dari jam 06.00 sampai 13.00 untuk jalan-jalan. </p><p><br /></p><p>Walaupun begitu saya masih bisa mengunjungi tempat-tempat yang identik dengan Melbourne seperti: </p><p><br /></p><p>Hari Pertama:</p><p><span> </span>1. St. Kilda </p><p><span> </span>2. Brighton Beach </p><p><span> 3. University of Melbourne (Unimelb) </span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5sDk36M_1n6AlsN24-OKt44FPVEufLvqAUSzBb01y9vTc3F2jrF2e9ByBYNzMkGLaZ9aW95s5-3P-3snjXQJXoJsWr8uyl5ucJD9TK4S20BKA-ok1V94hz6oRDH0zn_Fqlrnwr1yxi6Q/s1156/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-07+at+10.19.42+PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="868" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin5sDk36M_1n6AlsN24-OKt44FPVEufLvqAUSzBb01y9vTc3F2jrF2e9ByBYNzMkGLaZ9aW95s5-3P-3snjXQJXoJsWr8uyl5ucJD9TK4S20BKA-ok1V94hz6oRDH0zn_Fqlrnwr1yxi6Q/w480-h640/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-07+at+10.19.42+PM.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span><p></p><p><span>Hari Kedua </span></p><p><span><span> 1. Queen Victoria Market (QVM) </span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> 2. Royal Exhibition Building </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span> 3. Immigration Museum </span><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span> 4. Makan di YOI dengan teman-teman 9W1 Melbourne </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span> 5. Victoria State Library (saya akhirnya kerja disini selama 3 jam)</span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5NTp71fm17u6BQkqOA9lRgdi8r84GVHS7uEmPjK5HqOnr54quGKEliS54auvHxe7pkHhJ8E7mHCgM8qSxAVkT0fXgUxGBKbe0B2XrQ4rMCbPgQit3YoedMUvpVV4gDkOTlOK7RSCZHu0/s1280/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-07+at+2.34.34+PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5NTp71fm17u6BQkqOA9lRgdi8r84GVHS7uEmPjK5HqOnr54quGKEliS54auvHxe7pkHhJ8E7mHCgM8qSxAVkT0fXgUxGBKbe0B2XrQ4rMCbPgQit3YoedMUvpVV4gDkOTlOK7RSCZHu0/w640-h480/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-07+at+2.34.34+PM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></span></div><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span><span>Hari Ketiga </span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p> 1. South Melbourne Market</p><p><span> 2. Makan di Ayam Penyet Ria </span><br /></p><p><span><span> 3. Shrine of Remembrance </span><br /></span></p><p><span><span><span> 4. The Dock </span><br /></span></span></p><p><span><span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEuprHRlFRcLow0QWJ4b4fR-6-XtzaRagK0JUQ4p_HNHhvtMXKeaWtbTxQfINw1xv_FosNz73f1RSTNJ3Ry1C8eauAehRnpi7peF7cQdWifaUysAI8NzKfoDFH8VHj1CtQUu16qubLwjM/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-10+at+10.12.49+PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEuprHRlFRcLow0QWJ4b4fR-6-XtzaRagK0JUQ4p_HNHhvtMXKeaWtbTxQfINw1xv_FosNz73f1RSTNJ3Ry1C8eauAehRnpi7peF7cQdWifaUysAI8NzKfoDFH8VHj1CtQUu16qubLwjM/w640-h480/WhatsApp+Image+2020-12-10+at+10.12.49+PM.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div><span><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p>Jujur, masih banyak sekali lokasi-lokasi yang ingin dikunjungi. Tapi karena waktu terbatas akhirnya yang bisa aku kunjungi baru tempat-tempat wisata dalam kota. Lain kali kalau ke Melbourne lagi ingin ke lokasi-lokasi seperti: </p><p><span> 1. Sovereign Hill </span><br /></p><p><span><span> 2. 12 Apostles </span></span></p><p><span><span>Dan tentunya banya tempat-tempat lainnya. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><p>Selanjutnya mari ngobrol tentang budget. Berapa uang yang dibutuhkan untuk tiga hari di Melbourne? Untuk ngomongin ini aku bagi jadi tiga bagian ya: transportasi, penginapan dan makan-makan. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Transportasi</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Saya berangkat ke Melbourne dengan jalur darat menggunakan Grey Hound couch. Biayanya 130 pulang pergi (PP). Untuk transportasi dalam kota menggunakan kartu myki dengan harga 4.5 dollar sekali tap. Kota Melbourne menerapkan cap atau nominal harga maksimum yang kita keluarkan untuk transportasi dalam sehari, sejumlah 9 dollar. Jadi mau jalan sebanyak apapun kita hanya akan mengeluarkan uang 9 dollar dalam sehari. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ada satu hal unik mengenai transportasi di Melbourne. Kita tidak perlu tap kartu myki untuk daerah central business district atau CBD. Dalam kata lain, transportasi gratis untuk wilayah CBD. Jadi kalau mau jalan-jalan sekitaran CBD aja, nggak akan mengeluarkan untuk untuk transportasi. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Penginapan</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Selama di Melbourne saya menginap di City Centre Budget Hotel dengan harga 125 dollar 2 malam. Kebetulan saya menginap di kamar twin bed dengan teman saya. Jadi masing-masing kami mengularkan sekitar 63 dollar untuk 2 malam. Harga yang cukup bagus mengingat lokasi hotel ada di CBD. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Makan Makan</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Bagi anak Canberra, Melbourne adalah syurganya makan-makan. Selain makanan biasaya, di Melbourne banyak restoran Indonesia. Akhirnya jalan-jalan ke Melbourne jadi ajang memenuhi kekangenan untuk makan makanan Indonesia. Selama di Melbourne kami coba tiga restoran Indonesia: YOI, Nelayan dan Ayam Penyet Ria. Menurut saya yang juara, Ayam Penyet Ria. Sambalnya khas ayam penyet banget. </p><p><br /></p><p>Makanan di Melbourne rara-rata harganya 12-15 dollar untuk menu makan berat. Untuk kopi biasanya 5.5 dollar kalau minum di cafe. Kalau mau ngopi murah beli di Seven Eleven aja, bisa dapat dengan harga 2 dollar saja. </p><p><br /></p><p>Kalau di total transportasi, penginapan dan makan-makan, budget yang perlu dipersiapkan untuk jalan-jalan selama tiga hari di Melbourne sebanyak 300-400 dollar. Tentuk balik lagi ke gaya traveling masing-masing. Kalau kamu bisa berhemat dimakanan mungkin bisa lebih murah lagi. Karena saya kangen makanan Indonesia dan mau menikmati jalan-jalan saya selama di Melbourne, saya cukup hedon dalam jalan-jalan kemarin. </p><p> </p>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-45482567886911346322020-09-25T09:09:00.002+10:002020-09-26T15:25:46.010+10:00Staring at the Ceiling <a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/16210667@N02/16595069147/in/photolist-rhs4TR-Q31pAQ-2jnp3XK-2gvJZe8-qFKtoF-26Czops-p6aEpN-ejgZ6h-2e9ZSoj-2hqDV9Y-2fR9pAy-8DTZKY-2eb3ags-NZCr79-TBhaYu-2d4fyuz-QBD3YK-2hVVYWh-2jnaF7B-DhBJ5q-2ixfnCg-2jy6yWc-W73dA2-dx9koa-2iC7i8A-V8Y7rv-K67Zjr-2iA4yBf-UQWUdE-9tkXTN-Vu2t7M-7K97Ya-fc3rzo-24tq9is-6TdFP9-27fi8rq-2iU2Jqp-7noNcQ-f1uCq-orpzBS-2iNf4wh-7ZaGBc-MKGDxt-RHp5ZZ-2bmHx4Z-Tkobam-2jAn7Bb-PhuYo5-2iTvt61-FR3ML6" title="Staring at the ceiling !"><img alt="Staring at the ceiling !" height="412" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/7605/16595069147_defd8ed031_3k.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
<p><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Human civilisation has definitely come a long way. We all now have small-sized portable devices that we call smartphones. But through all this progress, there is always something precious abandoned as a tradeoff. For me, that tradeoff is as simple as an act of staring at the ceiling. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me ask you an honest question. When was the last time you stared at the ceiling? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">My hunch would be: never? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">You probably ponder what's so significant about staring at the ceiling. Or, you simply react to the whole notion with "why? it's a waste of time". Yes, that is actually the point. You stare at the ceiling to waste time - to take a break from the outside world that's constantly feeding you with information (bad news, good news, funny videos, etc.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kids these days (kids born with smartphones on their hands) may have trouble comprehending this idea. With all attention grabbing things on the internet, why would anyone spend their times staring at the ceiling - right? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">But, the ceiling stands for something deeper. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you lived in the era before smartphones, you would know that the ceiling was a big blank screen that projects the story inside your brain. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember that one time you came home from school covered in sweat, feeling frustrated, because after almost three years, you still did not have a courage to talk to your crush? And yet, the ceiling was there to project your emotion. You went right to your room, dumped books filled heavy backpack of yours on the floor, and jumped right on to your bed. You first faced your head down to the pillow and your hand was gesturing that you were disappointed with yourself. Once calmed down, you turned your body upside down, and there it was - the ceiling. You stared at it without a blink. And - its quietness, motionlessness, and sameness were the things you did not know you needed. It was a pure act of no judgement. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or, remember that night you could not sleep? The ceiling was there to entertain you. You eyes met with the white-painted ceiling and there it was the pictures of your imagination moving like it was some kind of a movie. You imagined how the day went badly or beautifully. But most importantly you are engaged with your inner-self. Yes, that's it. The ceiling connected you with yourself. The ceiling may sound like a trivial thing to have an emotional attachment with - but, the ceiling is a mere representation of your inner-self. So, in a way, losing contact with the ceiling is losing contact with yourself. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's the reality of life today. When you have time off, you no longer spend it doing nothing (doing nothing is actually doing something. You do nothing to connect with inner-self). Instead, you would distract yourself with all the countless attention grabbing things on the world wild web. Consequently, you lose touch of you.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yesterday I banned myself from touching my phone the entire day. I wanted a total silence. No YouTube, no Facebook, no Instagram, not even Spotify. I want to reconnect with myself - I want to reconnect with the ceiling. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The result? I feel calmer. It's almost like a meditation. My imagination now has its platform back. I am now feeding myself - as opposed to being fed by the world wild web. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">P.S. The image is borrowed from an amazing flickr account. Please check his flickr account for his other amazing photography.</span></p>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-36474434819584859482020-07-06T12:55:00.003+10:002020-07-06T12:57:13.264+10:00Searching for Meaning: Intimacy In the Age of Social Media <div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PgwluZdJwpo" width="560"></iframe> </font></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">I have spent a lot of time contemplating about the culture we live in - the
culture of social media. </font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
In this considerably new culture, we are encouraged to put everything on
display, including our private lives. As a result, what we display very rarely
reflects the reality. Instead, we post the improved and better version of the
reality. Worst, we post the fabricated version of our reality. We don't post
our unfiltered photos, instead we have them edited to make our lives look
better in the picture. As a result, we don't only fool others, we fool ourselves.
</font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
We are living Jean Baudrillard's prophetic reality. We live in an age of
hyperreality. Social media was supposed to be the simulated version of our
reality. What happens instead, the simulation has become the simulacra, a
shared reality whose origin is practically nonexistence. Because of it, our
lives have been reduced to pretension where meaning is a precious little
thing. Or, has meaning gone extinct?
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<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
Watch the following videos to learn more about Jean Baudrillard and read <b><font color="#3367d6"><a href="https://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/english/theory/postmodernism/modules/baudrillardsimulation.html" target="_blank">here</a></font></b> for a brief introduction to Simulation and Simulacra.
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Yxg2_6_YLs" width="560"></iframe></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bf9J35yzM3E" width="560"></iframe></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
I had my 26th birthday last May which I deliberately kept under the radar. I
changed my social media settings, so that no one would be reminded about my
birthday. Why? I detest the social media culture that encourages people to
celebrate publicly what would have been an intimate occasion. Why can't people do
that in private? You could send a private message congratulating the person -
which, I argue, would have been a much more meaningful gesture.
</font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
The same thing happens in all other occasions: wedding, graduation, having a
baby - and you name it. Instead of sending heartwarming messages privately, we
celebrate our friends' happy moments on Instagram story where other people
(our IG followers) can see it. For me, this whole thing looks disingenuous. We treat our friends' lives as our social media
contents, to show others how kind we are. We are not genuinely happy for our
friends, we do it because we need to show the world that we have lives. If I
were the person being tagged in the IG story, I would think that the celebration and congratulation have no meaning at all.
</font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
I would much appreciate it being congratulated via private messages. For me it
shows a genuine gesture, that he or she really means what he or she
says.
</font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><font face="times">
I would do the same to you. When others congratulate you on public forums
(Whatsapp group, Instagram story, etc), I'd prefer to text you directly. For
me, it shows that I really mean what I say. That's my way to keep meaning in a culture that fosters fakeness.
</font></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F27%2F4b%2F54%2F274b54053592a92b177f8a4d16f954bd--mona-lisa-van-gogh.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></font></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="times">borrowed from the internet <br /></font></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"> </font></div>
</div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-30659342928668773102020-07-05T13:05:00.007+10:002020-07-05T13:25:27.396+10:00Millennial Money <div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OcdnGSqtCxs" width="560"></iframe> </font></div><div><font face="times">
There are a few stereotypes that we, millennial generations, are often
associated with. One, we would rather be paid less than having a job that we
don't like. In other words, money can't buy our loyalty? Consequently, we are
the generation that normalizes job hopping. However, according to a Forbes'
article (click
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryalton/2018/01/22/millennials-arent-job-hopping-young-people-are-5-things-to-keep-in-mind/#572303110d82" target="_blank">here</a>), job hopping is not unique to millennials. It's just what young people do.
The question is would millennials stop job hopping when they reach
maturity?
</font><div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
The answer to this question should be available by now, because according to
the textbook definition, "the millennial" refers to a generation of people
who were born between 1981 and 1996. In other words, we have already had
people who are as old as 39 and as young as 24. If we can classify ages over
35 as mature ages, then we can start recording the patterns to find out
whether millennials still job hopping in their mature years. Indeed, there
has been a study (read
<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/19/millennials-arent-job-hopping-any-faster-than-generation-x-did/" target="_blank">here</a>) about this and the answer is we don't job hop as fast as the generation
before us (Gen X). So probably the hypothesis that all young people hob
hopping is true.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div>
<div><font face="times">
The other stereotype is that millennials are not good with money. We are
practically financially illiterate. Publications upon publications show
that home ownership among millennials is low (read
<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/25/the-homeownership-rate-is-falling-among-millennials-heres-why.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Some argue that this trend has something to do with the shift of
priority and principle among millennials. While the previous generation
values financial stability, millennials value experience and are more
politically active. How much of this is true? Only us as individuals can
judge for ourselves our day to day experience.
</font></div>
</div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
From what I have experienced, there is some elements of truth in both of the
stereotypes and the research outcomes. I've seen many of my seniors,
including myself, who are not afraid to quite their jobs when the job or the
working environment do not meet their expectations. To some extent, this is
a good thing, because it emphasizes that employee has an equal power to the
employer. Both need each other. But it also has its drawbacks. Our job
hopping habit shows that we are not that resilient. We escape the situation
that we don't like, as oppose to changing it.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VCNTs9tyJ6M" width="560"></iframe></font></div><div><font face="times"><br /></font></div><div><font face="times">
What about money? We are probably the most careless generation with regards
to money. There are many factors contributing to this trend. A, we live in
an age of consumerism. When companies pay millions of dollars for
advertisements to tempt us into buying their products - we are practically
trapped. B, there is a trend among millennials who choose quality over
quantity. This decision could be driven by environmental factors as well as
health factors. But quality means higher price. So, even if millennials
choose to buy organic foods for environmental and health reason, they still
have to pay more.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
The question we have to ask: do we need to celebrate millennial way of
living or should we change it? After all, it is our parents' strive to have
a stable economy that we could enjoy what we have now. Now it's our turn to
think about our future children. Do we want them to have a better
life?
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
It would be incorrect to assume that all millennials are the same. While
being spendthrifts are common, there are also millennials who take the other
approach to financing. Saving the environmental is one of the reasons. They
believe that minimizing carbon footprints is the only way to save the
planet. Because of it, they don't buy as much.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
I take the second approach. I deliberately chose not to spend too much money
on things like clothes and things that have temporary values. I do that
because I too believe that we should be minimizing our carbon footprints.
But my main reason is that I want to have a stable life. Coming from a
family who did not have much, I learned from early on that I need to be wise
with money. Since I was a kid, I was taught that I could only buy a pair of
new clothes on a big occasion like the Eids (Islamic celebrations) or when I
really need it. I am very proud that my shopping decision still follows the
principle that my parents taught me.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
Now that I am 26, I try to practice a lifestyle that does not glorify
luxury. I have seen many of friends who would not think twice to enjoy
activities that cost them a big sum of money. They would go to a concert
that costs hundreds of dollars, they would eat at a fancy restaurant that
costs half of their monthly salary, they would buy a pair of shoes that cost
them a lot. I just don't do that. In my six months in Canberra, I ate out
only for less than five times. I prefer to cook and save the money for
things that are valuable.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
About saving. I don't know much about finance. What I do know is that, I
should do the opposite of what a capitalist businessman would do. If a
businessman would spend as less capital as possible and earn as much as
possible, I would do the exact opposite. I spend as less as possible and
save up as much as possible. Even though I am doing my postgraduate now, I
still try to save up. Fortunately, I still have a stable income from my
scholarship which is paid biweekly. I save what I have left after I pay my
rent, wifi bill, buy grocery, and other miscellaneous.
</font></div>
<div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
<div><font face="times">
So how are you with money? If you are a millennial, do you think we as a
generation should change our attitude toward money?
</font></div><div><font face="times"><br /></font></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><img height="640" src="https://millennialmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/AreMillennialsFucked.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></font></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><br /></font></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div><font face="times"><br />Note: </font></div>
<div><font face="times">
I deliberately choose this title, because I am a big fan of CNBC show
#millennialmoney. I think it's a good show, where we can learn from young
people who are both good with money and those who are not. </font></div><div><font face="times"><br /></font></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lb3Z5cGOksY" width="560"></iframe></font></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-33953365180107417342020-07-02T10:09:00.001+10:002020-07-02T10:11:47.446+10:00Is The Tech Company the New Empire?<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zb6-xz-geH4" width="560"></iframe></div><div style="direction: ltr;">
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<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I have just finished reading Christopher Wylie's <span style="font-weight: bold;">"Mindfuck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to
Break America"</span>. If you don't know who Christopher Wylie is - he is
one of the Cambridge Analytica's whistleblowers (the other one is Britany
Kaiser). In case you are not familiar with Cambridge Analytica scandal, perhaps
you have heard about the Brexit and Donald Trump? It turns out that there is a
link between the two. Both Brexit and Donald Trump are the results of
psychological warfare used by Cambridge Analytica to influence people's
psychology so that they would vote for certain candidate or certain outcome.
This is of course is not a new tactic. What's new is the use of sophisticated
technology and illegal data harvesting from Facebook and other online flatforms
to accurately determine people's personality. As it turns out, it is easier to
convince you when you are told what you want to hear, instead of the real
facts. That's exactly what Cambridge Analytica did. They mapped people who were
vulnerable (gullible) and fed them with disinformation about issues (hidden
darkness) that they potentially care about or secretly care about such as job
or immigration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">This book is simply great. It delves deep into more than just
talking about the chronology of how the whole shitshow happened. Instead, it
also talks about culture, social issue and philosophy, if you like. Wylie's
good story telling skill certainly helps to make the story even more
interesting. When I read it I can't help but feel like the whole thing is a
sci-fi story exists in Christopher Nolan's movies. But obviously it is real and
that makes it even more scary. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.meetupstatic.com%2Fphotos%2Fevent%2Fb%2F4%2F2%2Fa%2F600_487126122.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.meetup.com/DC-International-Affairs-Book-Club/events/266930092/">https://www.meetup.com/DC-International-Affairs-Book-Club/events/266930092/</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">One of the themes addressed in this book is about how tech company
has emerged as the new empire. Wylie repeatedly talks about how tech company
like Facebook has acted as if it is a nation. If fact, according to the book,
tech company has more power than a nation. While a country has to have a
warrant that involves a complicated bureaucracy to investigate a case, tech
company can just go and investigate the case in question. No warrant necessary.
This happened during the early days of Cambridge Analytica's investigation.
Facebook investigated Cambridge Analytica before law enforcement in the UK was
even able to get their hands on the case. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The question then is to what extent tech companies or private
entities have the power to do what they do? Should our law draw a clear line on
what is okay and what is not okay? As we have recently learned - our law does
not have that clear line yet. Because of it people's online engagements (data)
are harvested freely. We are creepily watched by the big brother of the tech
company. If they just passively watch, it would not be a big problem. They
watch and learn about our personality. With that knowledge they become the
mastermind behind every of our decisions. They feed us with advertisement,
news, hobbies that will tempt us into buying the product that we don't need and
doing things that are harmful to our democracy. In the case of election, they
feed us with issues sensitive to our psychology, so that we would vote for a
certain candidate. We no longer have our free will. We are puppets of the
modern technology. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">As such, it is pressing to question whether tech company is the new
empire. Our world order cares so much about democracy and human rights. The
irony is both of these elements are being eroded by the new technology. The use
of algorithm puts people in the bubble of their "looks-alike" and
people are psychologically manipulated to think and feel in certain ways. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In the book, Wylie describes Alexander Nix as a colonial figure who
uses SCL (Cambridge Analytica) to fetishize about Britain's past colonialism.
Perhaps what Cambridge Analytica did is a new colonialism? Cambridge Analytica,
a UK-based company - meddles in foreign election (particularly in British
former colonies) and uses propaganda to divide people in those countries. Isn't
that the very tactic British Empire used in its heyday? Divide and conquer! It
is the divide and conquer tactic that has become the roots of all disasters
that are occurring in the world today. Look at India - Pakistan conflict. Look
at Palestine - Israel conflict. So perhaps tech company is the new empire?
Perhaps colonialism has evolved. It is no longer about territorial annexation,
perhaps data is the new thing to colonize? Why not? You can divide people
through that data. When people hate one another, they fight against one other,
more chaos and more destruction. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cy-9iciNF1A" width="560"></iframe></div><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The UN charter bans any form of colonialism. Should we ban the
colonialization of data? Should we ensure that internet users are given the
rights to self-determination? Should sovereignty over the content of our
internet feeds be made a thing? I think, yes! They should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Coincidentally, my courses this semester were about imperialism and
human rights. In fact, my final assignments were literally about those two
things. I wish I had read this book sooner, I could have talked about tech
company's emergence as the new empire, as opposed to the slowly and painfully
dying American imperialism (the one that I ended writing). Similarly, in my
other assignment I could have talked about how imperative it is for the rights
to digital privacy to be included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Instead I talked about how human rights should be treated as a dynamic concept
rather than a rigid one. Well . . . I did write about this topic before in the
Pre Departure Workshops, but I am not confident that it was any good. But I am
really interested about this topic and really look forward to being engaged in
it more in the future. Hopefully, my 2nd semester courses will allow me to
learn more about this issue!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
</div>
</div>
</div><br /></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-9532646980740832082020-07-01T10:46:00.000+10:002020-07-01T10:46:45.298+10:00Are Visa and Residence Permit Going to be things of the past? <div style="border-width: 100%; direction: ltr;">
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<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 6.9375in;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sbs.com.au%2Fyourlanguage%2Fsites%2Fsbs.com.au.yourlanguage%2Ffiles%2Fstyles%2Ffull%2Fpublic%2Fgettyimages-488707838.jpg%3Fitok%3DU_hiJLE7%26mtime%3D1549844935&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of sbs.com.au</td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">Let me first clarify the title. With the world is becoming more
divisive, with the rise of alt-right ultra nationalist politics, it is
nonsensical to even bring up the idea of visa and residence permit abolition.
Certainly, this topic would have been more relevant six to eight years ago -
where everyone had thought that capitalist liberalism with its free market had
reached an equilibrium. People thought that the world had voluntarily and
happily become one - globalized, interconnected and countries are dependent on
one another. It still is the case today but the voluntary and happy sides have
been upended. Little that we know that there are people out there who resent
world's interconnectedness by making nationalistic propaganda, sovereignty
rhetoric and anti-foreignness. Because of these new phenomena, the very idea of
visa and residence permit abolition are left in the air. </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">No. This article is not going to talk about the abolition of visa
and residence permit in a political sense. Obviously, there is no sign that
this will ever happen in the near future. What I wanted to talk about in this
article is about the practice of attaching physical visa in your passport page
and getting a residence permit once you arrive in the country. This practice
seems to have been slowly removed from our traveling experience. </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">Having acquired visas and residence permits to live in two countries
(Turkey and Romania) before, I naturally thought that I had to go through the
same process to live in Australia. In turns out that, although you still have
to go through the same process, you won't find any visa on your passport page.
Likewise, once you arrive in Australia, (1) your passport will not be stamped,
(2) you are not required to go to the immigration office to process a residence
permit. Instead, you get an electronic visa (PDF file) and that's about it. </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">I had a hard time rationalizing this. I thought "well, this is
going to be complicated." </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">In my past experiences, you have to bring your residence permit with
you every time you leave the house. If you don't have one (because you are in
the country on a temporary visa), then you carry your passport with at all
times. You never know. Just in case some random police stops you in the street.
</p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">Now that I am not given a visa nor a residence permit, I thought I
would have to carry my passport with me all the time. "This is not very
pleasant. What if I drop my passport? It will get me a lot of trouble - for
sure." </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">But having lived here for a little over six months, I have yet to
experience being stopped on the street and asked to show any form of
identification. Although I don't carry my passport around, I do carry my
student ID and an ID that I got from the local authority. I guess we can say
that the ID I got from the local authority is the equivalent of a residence
permit? Well, it is not a compulsory to get it though. But if you want and need
one (to buy alcoholic drinks and to get in a bar) - you can get it from them. </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="en-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; margin: 0in;">I don't know what to feel about this. Personally, I like having my
travel experience documented in the form of visa and immigration stamps. I
mean, I have 30 blank pages or so in my passport. Might as well have them
stamped and decorated with visas. But I guess seeing the massive migration to
the digital world of almost all aspect of our lives, it is not an impossibility
to see a future where the passport book that we now know and have will be
replaced with a credit card-like passport. Our movements and data will be
easier to be traced, and no more privacy. Ye…! </p>
</div>
</div>
</div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/euf/assets/themes/AC2/images/FAQs/Proof-of-identity-card.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/51/~/proof-of-identity-cards">https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/51/~/proof-of-identity-cards</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-60406295190743102152020-06-30T19:03:00.004+10:002020-06-30T19:14:34.883+10:00A State of Melancholy
<div style="direction: ltr;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="370" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fih0.redbubble.net%2Fimage.211898445.6603%2Fmp%2C550x550%2Cgloss%2Cffffff%2Ct.3u5.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="550" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of redbubble.com<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I didn't know that there are people out there who like it being in a
state of melancholy. There are at least two people who confessed that they like
it being in a state of melancholy: Orhan Pamuk and Jamaica Kincaid. Well, these
are no regular people. They are established artists. They literally create
"something." And, the process to do what they do certainly not easy.
You have to set the right mood for the inspiration to flow fluidly into your
imaginative minds. And that requires you to be in a state of solitude and
melancholy.</p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HGWv6lMDs2I?start=835" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">At first, I found this statement weird or eccentric rather, "so
cliché!" I would say. But as I observe myself, I think I have to admit
that I am also one of those overly cliché people. The only difference is that I
am a no body. Not an artist, nor a creative person. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">How did I know that I like a state of melancholy? For one thing, I
like being alone. Well, perhaps the right way to put it is that it doesn’t
drive me crazy to be alone. Quite the opposite, I find being alone quite
stimulating. I can talk with myself about the world, about my feeling and about
whatever things that the world throws at me. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Also, if you check my Spotify, almost 90% of them is the hotel lobby
kind of song. Slow rhythm with lyrics about unsatisfied life. Not always about
love. It could also talk about the dissatisfaction with one's own world.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I feel like being alone gives me room to organize my thoughts - and
ultimately my life. I find myself more productive when I am alone (as opposed
to being around a lot of people). I think this has to do with my personality
that likes routines, plans, and predictability. Don't confuse plans with
execution. Plans do not necessarily mean that you have to follow your "to
do list" religiously in a sequential order - instead, plans mean that you
have direction. You are not walking on an impulse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is easy to get distracted in this life, or
simply live a life in a state of constant intoxication. Yes, that's what I
think of those people who have no clear realization of what's going on in their
lives. They don't plan ahead, they just do life as it goes. They are care-free.
On the one hand this is good, because you won't ever feel depressed. But on the
other hand, you live a lamb kind of life. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5bYnZxnBYlA?start=835" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Now I can totally relate with what they say about being melancholic.
I think what prompts my initial reaction was a simple misunderstanding. I
thought when they say "the state of melancholy", they refer to a
state of being utterly and miserably sad, and that they like to be drawn in
that self-pitying situation. Of course I was wrong. They were obviously
referring to a constructive situation in which the person could express the
creative side of their brain. The former, however, leans more towards a
destructive side. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In my case, I think I, too, am more productive when I am melancholic
/ alone. If I could rewind my life on a live video, I could see the instances
where melancholy produces a positive results to my life. I hope it's still
true. I mean, who runs listening to melancholic songs and find it motivating?
Or, who reads or writes more when he is frustrated with life?</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">So, it's totally ok to like melancholy, if that brings you more
positivity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-46086557834038841182020-06-29T10:30:00.003+10:002020-06-29T10:32:00.188+10:00Non-fictions Are Not That Bad! <style media="screen" type="text/css">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/20288930-adhari-abroader?shelf=non-fiction&utm_medium=api&utm_source=grid_widget" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration: none;">Adhari's non-fiction book montage</a>
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<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35133922-educated" rel="nofollow" title="Educated"><img alt="Educated" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1506026635l/35133922._SX98_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38746485-becoming" rel="nofollow" title="Becoming"><img alt="Becoming" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528206996l/38746485._SX98_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40876575-utopia-for-realists" rel="nofollow" title="Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World"><img alt="Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532031994l/40876575._SX98_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11324722-the-righteous-mind" rel="nofollow" title="The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion"><img alt="The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534528902l/11324722._SX98_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27213329-grit" rel="nofollow" title="Grit"><img alt="Grit" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1457889762l/27213329._SX98_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52269471-mindf-ck" rel="nofollow" title="Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America"><img alt="Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570129884l/52269471._SX98_SY160_.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="gr_grid_book_container"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52098718-why-we-re-polarized" rel="nofollow" title="Why We're Polarized"><img alt="Why We're Polarized" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575592025l/52098718._SX98_SY160_.jpg" /></a></div>
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<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">As an English graduate, my exposure to non-fictions was only through
journal articles that I had to read for writing papers (If you can count
journal articles as non-fiction at all). I used to think that people are
incapable of 100% not being bias. Hmm . . . I think I am still holding on to
this thought.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I was always suspicious with books that are classified as
non-fictions. I believed that there had to be some elements of fiction in them
- whether the writer exaggerates or understates the events, views and etc. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Also, I admit that I was clouded by my judgement. When I heard
non-fiction, I tend to associate it with self-help books. I don't know why. I
don't have a logical explanation to that. And what's the problem with self-help
books? They just simply don't work on me. Or, maybe I just have not found the
right ones. I feel like I am at an age where preaching does not work anymore. I
like conversation better.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Lately, though, since I started my master in International
Relations, I have been trying to read non-fictions more (particularly the ones
that are connected to IR or Politics). And . . . I have to admit that there are
actually quite good non-fiction books, like really really good ones. And, I
don't only read politics, but I have been also trying to read biography and
even self-help book. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The moral of the story is . . . Don't say no to something that you
have not tried. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">But I guess there is an explanation to my shifted perception.
Although in my undergrad we talked a lot about social issues, politics and
psychology - we did it in connection with literary works. So the focus was to
decode the literary works and to better understand the social phenomena of
certain time periods through that literary works. Now, however, we talk about
all those subjects not only to understand them but also to find ways to
potentially change them through the means of politics and policies. In other
words, because the focus of my learning environment has shifted, so does my
interests. I no longer just refer to fictional works to talk about social
issues - instead, by reading non-fiction books I will be able to refer to real
historical events.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I guess what I am trying to say is that - I have been trying to be
open-minded about books. I am trying to not compartmentalise my reading based
on my bias perception about certain genres. And . . . As I have recently
learned, fiction or non-fiction do not matter much. What's more important is
whether the writing resonates or challenges your perception in a constructive
fashion. If it does, then none of it really matters. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">At this point, I have not read non-fictions that much. But I look
forward to reading them in the future. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">These are non-fiction books that have changed my mind about the
genre. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Educated by Tara Westover </span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Becoming by Michele
Obama </span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">The Righteous Mind
by Jonathan Haidt</span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Utopia for Realists
by Rutger Bregman </span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Grit by Angela
Duckworth </span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Mindfuck: Cambridge
Analytica and the Plot to Break America by Christopher Wylie<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Currently Reading)</span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Why We're Polarized
by Ezra Klein (Will read it once I am finished with Mindfuck)</span></li>
</ol>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">If you have any recommendation, please leave it the comment!</p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="413" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mercurynews.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F11%2Febt-l-amazon-1103-4.jpg%3Fw%3D620&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="620" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/02/amazon-books-opens-first-east-bay-outpost-in-broadway-plaza/">https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/02/amazon-books-opens-first-east-bay-outpost-in-broadway-plaza/</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-43491935870065906422020-06-28T12:38:00.003+10:002020-06-28T12:42:37.543+10:00Podcast is basically radio's biological child <div style="direction: ltr;">
<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 6in;">
<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 6in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="369" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2Fm3u_FORbuW4%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="655" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">courtesy of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3u_FORbuW4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3u_FORbuW4</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I grew up in a very strange time. I was born in 1994 when my
hometown (Aceh) was at the height of civil war. It's easy to imagine that in a
war time development crawls very slowly. That explains exactly my whole
experience growing up. When other cities have started enjoying the magic of
portable phone (cell phone) and the internet - we were stuck with no or few
televisions and radios. I can still remember vividly how many houses had TVs in
our village, which were only a few. Neighbors would invade the private lives of
the people who had TV in their houses by joining them at the worst time
imaginable, afternoon times. But I suppose it was a source of pride for them,
too. Owning TV was a visible sign of wealth and accomplishment for village
people. So, although in the general sense it looks like they are being
intruded, they did not mind at all. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">We got our TV set quite late in our lives, too. After the war ended
in 2004, everyone could finally get back on their feet and started to make a
good living - now that nothing can stop them from earning a living anymore. And
that was a huge luxury. During the war, male members of the family were not
able to leave the house. If they did go to the farm and got caught by the
Indonesian army they would be mistaken for a GAM (the rebel). If the GAM caught
them, they would be forced to join the rebellion. Now that the war had ended,
the male members of family can resume their work again as farmers. So did my
father. After the war, my father went back to farming for a while. Soon he
changes job to become a contractor. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">It is from his contractor job that we got to have what we did not
have like TV, gas stove, and washing machine. It was around this time that I
was sent to study at a boarding school. Before owning these things my mom would
cook on a fire that she had to build before cooking, and she used to wash our
clothes by hands too. It was a tough time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Saying that I did not grow up with TV would not be correct. Although
we did not have TV, every day I would go to my neighbor and watch with them.
Basically I was the intruder in this story. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">*****</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Moving forward, I finished middle school and resumed my high school
in Aceh province's capital - Banda Aceh. By now (2009) many people have started
to own dummy phone. And because I would be away from my parents, I was given a
dummy phone too. The only features it had was call, sms, and a radio. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">(side note: I was so obsessed with Nokia N-gage phone at this time
around - and I was not and am not even a gamer).</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I am glad to say that I was once a frequent radio listener. My
favorite radio channel was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>102.8 OZ
Radio FM Banda Aceh. I would request song. I still remember very vividly - one
of the songs I requested very often was Rio Febrian's Aku Bertahan. (I am
literally laughing with joy writing this). </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In two years time from this moment, technology grew even more
aggressive. Now, people started to own blackberry. I, too, started to save up
my pocket money to buy one. So, I bought with my own saving (I am proud of
this) when I was in 3rd grade of high school. I got the gemini one (the
cheapest one). Believe it or not, I had it until 2017. The blackberry was my
companion through high school, university, exchange, and even the first few
months of my real job. It was only when I gathered enough money from my salary
that I finally decided to buy a new phone. An Asus phone - the one I am having
right now. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Let's us not get carried away. What I wanted to talk about is
actually the radio culture. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">*****</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">It is true that radio has never died, but it is fair to say that it
has been having near death experience ever since people started to own
smartphones. But luckily, radio culture has evolved in an effort to catch up
with the ever changing culture and technology. Now we have podcast, which is
literally the biological child of radio. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I don't know if it has anything to do my past experience, but I am
loving (hell… I am obsessed with) podcast! I listen to podcast when I am on
bus. I listen to podcast when I run, walk, cook or simply sitting in my room. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The podcast culture fits me very well. Unlike radio, where I spent
my time listening to music, - with podcast, I only listen to inspiring
interviews and news. Well, I do listen to music on my Spotify. If we consider
Spotify the modern version of radio, then I do listen to music on modern radio
(podcast) too. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">*****</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Here are some of my favorite podcasts:</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal;"><font size="5"><b>What It Takes </b></font></span></li>
</ol>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I have never heard of the Academy of Achievement before. So, when I
discovered this podcast I was instantly hooked. Plus, the podcast announcer has
the sweetest voice. Who can say no to her podcast, right?</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Basically "What It Takes" is a podcast where the announcer
goes through the Academy of Achievement's old archives and republishes it with
a fresh touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="232" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/episode/2ocyC6rZiqLZy3YyG7N2Hz" width="100%"></iframe>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="2"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal;"><font size="5"><b>Oprah's SuperSoul Conversation </b></font></span></li>
</ol>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Who does not know Oprah, right? The queen! If you don't have time to
look at the video version of her SuperSoul Conversations, you can actually
listen to them. It's available on Spotify or wherever you listen your podcast. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="232" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/show/0nMF1JL5tNJW7B0teIFWxV" width="100%"></iframe>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">For my favorite news related podcasts, you can check <a href="https://adhariabroader.blogspot.com/2020/06/where-do-you-get-your-news.html"><font color="#0b8043">here.</font></a></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">*****</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">What are your favorite podcasts? Let me know in the comment! I would
love to expand my podcast library. </p>
</div>
</div>
</div><br />adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-67028671059003599922020-06-27T09:16:00.001+10:002020-06-27T09:17:44.978+10:00Reading Angela Duckworth's Grit <font face="times"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H14bBuluwB8" width="560"></iframe>
</font><div style="direction: ltr;">
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<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 5.8437in;">
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><span><font face="times"><br /></font></span></p><p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><span><font face="times">I vaguely
learned about Grit in my very brief career as a teacher (2017-2018). In the
school where I used to teach, it had a very unique culture where every teaching
staff (at least in the English department) took turn to do a microteaching in
the first 10 minutes of our department's weekly meeting. In a way, the
microteaching was an opening to the meeting (the main star). To avoid making
any mundaneness, everyone was free to pick any topic and it doesn't have to
link to our teaching material.</font></span></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">One
particular week, it was our department manager's turn to do the microteaching.
What she brought us in her microteaching was Duckworth's Grit. I was completely
hooked by the concept of Grit and determined that I will get a copy of the book
and read it. Unfortunately, being a teacher was very handful. I had to teach
roughly 20 hours a week. The teaching itself was fun. What I had issue with was
making elaborate lesson plans. I found this to be a waste of time. I felt like
a simple syllabus is more than sufficient to ensure that you are well guided.
My point is, why should teachers spend so much time writing long narratives on
things they plan to do in the class, when actually they could use the time to
prepare for their classes. Let's face it, lesson plan is not a preparation for
the class. Especially in this era of technology, you have to prepare
presentations and visuals that will capture students' attention. So, if I had
an authority, I would let teachers spend more times preparing on how to make
their classes interesting, instead of preparing on how to make lesson plans
about them.</font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">Anyway, I
didn't get to read the book then. Luckily I just finished reading the book last
night. I know it took me 2 years, but the book is no less relevant to me now
than it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">Having
finished the book, now I have much more clearer idea on what my department
manager aimed to say then. She wanted to say that: yes, teaching is not an easy
job; yes, not all students will understand what you teach; and yes, smart
students are great, but grit students are greater. I think if I had read this
book then, I would have had a better understanding on how to: a, motivate
myself and b, to motivate / teach my students. I admit that although I had an
amazing one full year teaching experience, I cannot claim that I was a great
teacher. After all, I did not have a teaching degree. I did not study
"psychology for teachers", which I think is an important knowledge
for professional teachers out there. In other words, I might have done "not
very teacher like" things during my year teaching experience, but I did it
because I did not know better. It was my first time teaching after all. It was
my first real job. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">While
this book could have helped me then, it is obviously helping me now. The
concept of grit (determination and perseverance) is a key to getting through
hardship and possibly achieve greatness. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">As
someone who switches career a lot in the past two years, I find this book to be
an answer to all my angst and anxiety. This book helps me understand what's
going on deep inside my twisted mind (LOL)</font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">Although
this book may seem like a self-help book, I think it also tackles a lot of
other issues that parents and teachers could benefit from. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><font face="times">For An Individual<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></font></span></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">There is
one chapter in the book that makes a clear distinction between three people in
the world. One, a person with a job. Two, a person with a career. And three, a
person with a calling. The person with a job works only to survive (just like
breathing and eating). Meanwhile, the person with a career works to elevate his
career (how to get to the top). Finally, the person with a calling works to
fulfill a duty that benefits people around him (beyond himself).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">I find
these three distinctions quite powerful and it gets me question which one does
my personality fit with the most. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"><br /></font></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><img height="393" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmariliza.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F12%2FJOB-CAREER-CALLING-1024x768.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="524" /></font></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="times">courtesy of mariliza.com</font></td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p><p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"><br /></font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><font face="times">For Parents </font></span></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">Being a
parent is not an easy task. Most parents don't know what they are doing. But I
think what parents can do is read what scientists have studied about parenting
and try to experiment with what they suggested. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">One of
the biggest question about parenting is which parenting style is better: strict
or easygoing parents? Well, this whole issue is addressed in the book. It turns
out that a combination of both are better. </font></p><p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"><br /></font></p><p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"><br /></font></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><font face="times"><img src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicism.info%2Fpsychology%2Fgrit%2Fgrit.files%2Fimage018.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></font></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><font face="times">Courtesy of Angela Duckworth's Grit</font></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><font face="times">For Teachers </font></span></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">People
always credit their parents when a person achieves greatness. But not all
parents are great, and sometimes the real hero behind a great person is his or
her teacher. So, don't underestimate the power of being a teacher. It is so
true what they say, teacher is an unsung hero. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">Of course
there are many things addressed in this book. Certain topics might resonate
with you more than other topics, but that's why this book is great. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times">I am sure
that I will need this book again in the future to remind myself what I could do
in a specific time and event. When I become a parent for example. Or, when I
feel down and unmotivated for example. Now I know where to turn. </font></p>
<p lang="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="times"> </font></p>
</div>
</div>
</div><br />adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-30486614166916797462020-06-26T09:44:00.001+10:002020-06-26T09:48:41.278+10:00Art is An Extension of Life <div style="direction: ltr;">
<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 6in;">
<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 6in;">
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">In a press junket for a movie entitled "Our Souls at
Night," Robert Redford was asked what he thought has changed with film
industry? And his answer was: movies no longer tell stories about real life. I
particularly find Redford's observation to be quite true in so many ways. For a
start, if we look at the movie charts, one of the blockbusters has got to be
sci-fi or something in that range. I am not against sci-fi. And in a lot of
ways, sci-fi film makers such as Christopher Nolan incorporates a lot of
philosophical questions for audiences to chew - which is a remarkable thing.
Still, if I had to choose between sci-fi and movies like "Lady Bird"
or "August: Osage County," I would probably go with the later. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">This whole thing goes way back to the earlier debate: do arts exist
for the purpose of esthetics only or do they exist as media to reflect life, or
even more so, are arts there to preach or to convey ideal moral values. Of
course, both are not wrong. And every artist is entitled to determine what his
or her arts represent. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="354" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwallpaperset.com%2Fw%2Ffull%2F2%2Fa%2F1%2F33220.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="629" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of wallpaperset.com <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">However, in an age where the views of the experts/the critics mean
less in society, people perceive arts merely as entertainments to give them
cheap laughs and temporary awe to get them out of their boring lives.
Consequently, the quality of an art work is no longer judged based on its
meaning and quality, instead it is judged based on how much audiences like and
watch the movies. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Should we move away from having a philosophical question about what
arts are supposed to mean to our society and focus on making money instead?
Yes, unfortunately that's what Arts have been reduced into. Arts have been
bought by capitalist money driven culture. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Luckily, while "the big screen" has shown a downward trend
in quality, the streaming culture such as Netflix gain momentum. We have been
seeing a lot of good quality shows such as Sex Education, The Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel, Mrs. America, the Feud, and many more. It seems that nowadays TV and
streaming flatforms are more open to unique creative ideas, while the big
screen studios are more rigid and calculative in making the decisions. Rightly
so, there are a lot at stake and big screen doesn't make as much money as it
used to. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Anyway, just fun little questions. What do you think an art work
should stand for?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can we maintain
the quality (if that is necessary at all)? Should arts reflect reality? </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Finally, I would like to end this blog post with lists of some of
the movies that I consider rare species. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal;"><b><font size="5">Lady Bird</font></b></span></li>
</ol>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">A movie staring the up and coming actors such as Saoirse Ronan,
Lucas Hedges and Timothee Chalamet - complemented with the already established
stage actors such as Laurie Metcalf and Tracy Letts. Looking at the casts
alone, I would not think twice to watch this movie.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The movie follows the life of an eccentric teenager (Lady Bird) who
is transitioning to become a young adult. Following the journey of her
transition, audiences are taken into a roller coaster ride of emotions filled
with laughter and tears. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cNi_HC839Wo" width="560"></iframe>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="2"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal;"><b><font size="5">Frances Ha </font></b></span></li>
</ol>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Frances Ha was directed by Noam Baumbach. If you are not familiar
with him, you are probably familiar with his 2019 Oscar nominated film
"Marriage Story".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in a
very strange coincidence, the main protagonist of Frances Ha (Greta Gerwig) is
actually the director of Lady Bird. To make it even more interesting, Noam
Baumbach and Greta Gerwig are a couple.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Frances Ha explores a chaotic life of an adult woman who is yet to
reach a meaningful accomplishment in life. With the use of black and white
movie technic, the story is so much more powerful. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YBn5dgXFMis" width="560"></iframe>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I guess from the movie I have chosen it's quite telling that I like
certain kind of movies and actors. I like movies that reflect real life.
Throughout this blog post I have been mentioning names and movie titles that
are connected in one way or another. For example, if you haven't noticed, I
talked about August: Osage County which actually was written by the amazing Tracy
Letts (he plays Lady Bird's father in Lady Bird)</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">So, I guess for now I am just gonna look forward to seeing the works
of these people that I've mentioned. Alternatively, I can look at other
directors who produce similar genres. Feel free to give me some recommendations!</p>
</div>
</div>
</div><br />adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-87705842495130217002020-06-25T11:05:00.004+10:002020-06-25T11:08:11.624+10:00What's in the Mind of the 20 Something <div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/132FUKE7ubLKJ9NVdOOPmd" width="300"></iframe>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/4h6ViRoztTBpWcJ1zFT9Zg" width="300"></iframe></div><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">It is fair to say that I am a future-oriented person. Before I
finished elementary school, I had already decided where I would do my middle
school. The same thing has repeated over and over again until today. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Now that I am in the first semester of my master's degree, I
naturally question what I want to do next. You might guess that I want to at
least dream (if not plan) about my PhD. But that does not seem to be the case.
Quite the opposite, pursuing yet another higher education does not seem to be
what I want to do next. Instead, I have been obsessing over the idea of owning
a house. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">"What are you, a middle-aged man?"</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: right;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">I know, right? I can't help it. It has been dominating my
conscience. I even joined Facebook groups that sell houses or offer mortgaged
houses in Jakarta and its neighboring cities like Tangerang, Depok, and Bekasi.
Having been fed with the house advertisements in those groups, I knew that my
chance to own a house in Jakarta is very slim. It seems that if I really want
to live and own a house in Jakarta, it has to be in the suburbs that are far
from the city center like Sawangan, Cibinong, and Parung. Even then, you won't
get a house with decent back and front yards. Anyway, I guess I will rest that
thoughts there for a while. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="369" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F4M7LIcH8C9U%2Fmaxresdefault.jpg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="655" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of the Notebook (film)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">I have touched on this topic before, in which I concluded that my
desire to own a house stamps from the fact that I have moved around a lot. I
basically stayed with my parents only for the first 12 years of my life. After
the age of 12, I have been moving around: 3 years in boarding school, 3 years
too early living an independent adult life in Banda Aceh, 5 years in Turkey, 2
years in Jakarta, and now I am in Canberra. I think what I want in this stage
of my life is to own a tangible possession that will stay in one place even if
I have to move around a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">You might say: "that's why we have family". </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">That's actually quite true. My parents live alone now and I could
easily crash at their place at any time. But I think it is very different. I
don't know how any of you thinks about the world. If you are an independent
person like me - who resists making any inconveniences and insists that you
want to earn everything with your own sweat - then you probably have the same
life philosophy as me. That you have to earn everything by yourself.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Still, family is always family. I always look forward to visiting
them. And soon as I own my own place, I really look forward to inviting my
parents to come and live with me. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Another realisation I had was that my relationship with my home town
(my place of birth) has been reduced to " an occasional visit only"
kind of relationship. To be frank, I cannot see myself living there permanently
in the long run. For a start, I don't know anything about farming and I like
warm weather better (which is the opposite of my birth place). Basically, I
just don't have the survival skills to live there. While in a big city like
Jakarta, I feel like I know how to earn a living better. Even though what I do
might simply just things like giving private tutorial and work for a social
project. At least, I know how to do it. I have tried it last year, and I think
that had proven one thing: my survival instinct is best suited for a big city
than an agricultural town. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Like most screwed up kids, I blame my parents for my lack of farming
skill (LOL). Even though both of my parents are farmers themselves, for the
most parts of my formative years they did not take me to the farm that often. I
asked them the reason once. My dad simply said: "I don't want you to be
comfortable with it." That certainly works. When you rarely go to the
farm, once you are asked to go, your body instantly resists it. Not trying to
be a spoiled brat or something, but I always get itchy if I go to the farm -
even if I go there only for an hour. You might say: "everybody does."
To avoid any further speculation, I would not respond with another excuses. I
would simply say: A great point! </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Back to the idea of owning a house.</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">"But you are still 26, why do you have to worry about owning a
house now?"</p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Many of my peers are consumed with the idea of marriage. But I feel
like marriage should not be an end goal. Well, maybe it is. One thing about
marriage that I can't quite understand is the idea of a lavish wedding
reception. You are young and broke. Yet, you want to spend 100M rupiah for a
day of celebration? Why don't you invest that money into buying a house? A day
of haha hihi and you probably wouldn't be able to save up the 100M within a
year of your 5M per month salary. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Yes, owning a house will not determine a happy marriage. But at
least, it prevents any potential conflict within that marriage. At least,
that's how I see it. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">I think I would opt for a simple wedding with only my family
present, as oppose to the other option. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">Anyway, for now, I think I am not gonna worry about marriage. My two
years in Canberra will be filled with the thoughts (obsession) of owning a
house and getting a job that is relevant with my passion (and pay well, too). </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in; text-align: left;">So, when is the right time to think about marriage? I don't know!</p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/6jyh00Jiec4AYKrl948jfV" width="300"></iframe>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/5ykU1R2EkDFfccEDqKOvvf" width="300"></iframe>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/10ViidwjGLCfVtGPfdcszR" width="300"></iframe>
<iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/4jSuthawb7fitf3Wx3MqVM" width="300"></iframe></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708743384430763039.post-55462117579762193042020-06-24T20:02:00.002+10:002020-06-24T20:03:54.124+10:00English Literature or International Relations?<div style="direction: ltr;">
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<div style="direction: ltr; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 0in; width: 6.052in;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="461" src="https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fmiro.medium.com%2Fmax%2F3000%2F1*ghpsLy8Osy8ivrWAOnOggg.jpeg&f=1&nofb=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="614" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of mystudentvoice.com</td></tr></tbody></table><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My first semester as an International Relations (IR) student has
just ended. Even though grades have not been released yet, I thought it would
be fun to compare and contrast between my undergraduate and my master study
(the one I am currently pursuing).</span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">A bit of context, I did my undergraduate in English Language and
Literature back in 2013-2017 at the University of Celal Bayar, Turkey. As for
my master study, I was freshly admitted (well, I was admitted in late 2019 and
enrolled in courses in February 2020) at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific
Affairs, the Australian National University (ANU) majoring in International
Relations. Having gone through the bloody months (literally and figuratively)
of the first semester, it is only right that I reflect on my decision to switch
from English Literature to IR. So let's get right into it! </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">What Prompts the Switch?</span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">To be honest, studying IR was "the plan" from the first
place. Remember that critical time in your final year of high school when you
had to decide what you wanted to do next? For me it was an easy answer: I
wanted to study IR in Yogyakarta. It was that specific. No, it was not UGM (I
was surprisingly very<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>realistic with my
chances). Instead, I made peace with the reality that I might have to go to a
private university in Jogja, like UMY or other private universities where IR
major is available. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Then the option to study in Turkey came into the table. While
studying abroad had always been my plan, I did not plan to do it for the next 5
years. In other words, studying abroad was a plan that I reserved for my master
education. Mind you, I was a very well-planned kid. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<ol style="direction: ltr; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="1">
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" value="1"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">Elementary in my neighborhood</span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Junior High in a
boarding school (still within my the compound of my district area)</span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Senior High in the
capital of my province (Banda Aceh)</span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">University in
another Island (Possibly in Java e.g., Jogja) </span></li>
<li lang="" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Master in an
overseas institution (as for this one I didn’t really mind where it would
be).</span></li>
</ol>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Looking at my life plan, it's obvious that I skipped plan no. 4, not
without consequences. I guess nothing comes easy or to get things easy you have
to trade with the devil. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">So I did go to Turkey and instead of pursuing IR, I ended up with
English Literature. I have always liked English in high school. But
unfortunately I only learned grammar in my English class and I was not even
that good. We were not taught English novels, poems, short stories or even
plays. So you can really imagine how blank I was in my first days of
university. But I grew loving it and I have to admit that I was even obsessed
with everything I learned. The course that I loved the most was Literary Theory.
I found it fascinating that people invented theories to decode the things in
the short stories, novels, poems, and etc., In a way, my relationship with
English Literature is like an arranged marriage where the couples grow loving
each other. It was difficult at first, but we find ways to love each other. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">"If it has gone that well, why look back?" you may ask.
After graduation, I returned to Indonesia and got myself a job as an English
teacher at a private school. I really liked teaching - even though dealing with
teenagers are not that easy. What I had issue with was the paper works and the
salary. Teachers spend so much time dealing with lesson plans and meetings -
that we have no times for ourselves. I literally spent my weekends marking
papers and writing elaborate lesson plans (as instructed). Another thing that I
had issue with was the fact that I slowly move away from the literary world. I
guess there is a similarity between public and private schools in Indonesia -
they don’t teach students to read the literature. I would have been very happy
to stay if what I had to do was to teach Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, Great
Expectations, Shakespeare and etc., </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4D0fLisyjBY" width="560"></iframe>
<p lang="" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Towards the end of my contract, I have been very active to look at
my potential options. A, I could switch job or B, I could get a degree in the
job that I plan to pursue first - so that I am there in a full capacity to do
the job. Long story short, I applied for Australia Awards Scholarships (AAS)
with International Relations as my proposed program. I specifically chose IR
because during my time as a teacher I helped coach the Debate Club and Model of
the United Nations where we spent times discussing social issues such as the
Rohingya refugee and etc., In a way that experience gives me a taste of what it
would feel like to study IR. Plus, I was always so excited every time we had
that debate about certain social issues. I just could not help but connect the
dot. Is this a sign that I should do what I planned to do from the first place:
study IR?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I got an offer from AAS in 2018. According to the plan, I would be
flown to Australia in January 2019. But there was a problem. At the exact same
time I received an offer from AAS, I also got an offer from the committee of
the 2018 IMF-WBG Bali Meeting to take a small part in the meeting as a liaison
officer to a certain country's prime minister. I decided to defer my master
study to 2020. Fortunately, AAS was kind enough to let me do it without
rebuking my scholarship. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">That's a very long story to tell you why I switched to IR. But that
is the truth. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Now, let's go to the motion: English Literature or IR? </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">English Literature</span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">The biggest misconception about English Literature is that you only
learn poetry, short stories, plays and novels. While it is true that we study
all of them, we also study them in relevance to the politics and social issues
of the time. For example, when we read Jane Eyre, we study how women were
systematically oppressed by society. Similarly, when we study A Tale of Two
Cities, we also study the political situation of the 19th century such as the
Industrial and French revolution, child labor, economic disparities and many
more. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Earlier I talked about the literary theory course that is taught in
English program. In this subject, we learn lenses or theories with which we
will analyze the text. The theories that I like the most are psychoanalysis and
postmodernism. I find these two theories to be fascinating because they reflect
the life that we are experiencing at the moment. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Although I will always be fascinated by literature, I feel like I
can still nurture my fascination of literature without having to formally study
it. I will always read and analyze the books that I read. In other words, while
pursuing IR I can still enjoy reading poems, short stories, and novels. They
are not mutually exclusive. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4RCFLobfqcw" width="560"></iframe>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">International Relations </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">One of the reasons why I decided to switch to IR was because IR is
all about the present. Meanwhile, in literature - it is very persistent that we
only study the cannons - which are mostly the classics. While the quality of
the classics are beyond questions - I feel like we should also study the
contemporaries. How are we going to produce the new thinkers, If we only
appreciate thinkers of the past? </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">Now that I am studying IR, I get what I wished for. What I do every
day is to talk about the present: human rights, power transition, civil war,
trade war, military intervention, refugee crisis,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the fall of a hegemon, and etc., which I
wholeheartedly like. But what I notice is that, the line between fictions and
facts are very thin. Much of the things I study in IR are very philosophical
and theoretical - which make them very English Literature is a sense. Quite understandably
so, IR is not a science where you get a manual on how to run things. IR is a
study where it offers you the possible approaches on how to handle the present
situation. Sometimes it works, oftentimes it doesn't. </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">How do I like it so far? I like it a lot. I like talking about
social issues and their potential solutions. But sometimes, I am just
frustrated that our social issues can't be fixed as easily as a broken window. </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7RLVWWMXScc" width="560"></iframe>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"> </p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Summation </span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;">I think I made the right choice to both study IR and English Literature. I have been very
interested in social issues such as climate change, refugee crisis, human
rights and etc. What's better way to study them, other than through IR. I admit that, although the two programs are not that different (they both are under the humanities umbrella), I still struggle to adapt. But that's why we study, right? If we have known and aced everything what are the conveners are there for? </p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p lang="" style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in;"><br /></p></div></div></div>adhari'sabroadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04949412859400230801noreply@blogger.com0