Week 35, 2011

Being a SUPER MINORITY... How does it feel like?

I am a minority... and it's not the best thing in the world. I used to be the majority in Indonesia because I was the same as everyone else, and I'm Javanese, which if I'm not mistaken, is the biggest ethnicity Indonesia. So I was the total opposite of minority.

But now, (1) I'm living in a foreign country. (2) I am not Chinese, and I'm Malay [I'm not exactly Malay but I am Indonesian]. (3) Nobody in school takes the same class combination as me [true!] (4) I joined the school late so I'm sort of like the "newest" student in Sec4. So the point is... I'm different from everyone else. Which is good in a way... But it's also not so much of an advantage when you're talking about privileges and stuff.

So today, we had this Social Etiquette Workshop, which was cool, except for the fact that Muslims were excluded from the dining experience. Since we were fasting, we were only joining the workshop for the "studying theory" part and not the dining experience. It sucked really badly. And it's a total shame too...

The teachers said that the SE Workshop would also be a platform for class bonding. But how are we supposed to bond with the class when the class is not even complete? Another reason for this Workshop was to prepare us for interviews to get into JCs, Polys or maybe to get a job. But for all I know, the JC and Poly interviews are already done (or at least some of them are). So the timing is not exactly right. And next week will be the Prelims. And usually the week before Prelims or Common Tests or MYEs or EOYs is the most important week... So why take away our time that could have been used for studying? Why didn't the SE Workshop take place earlier this year? To think of it now, it even seems like it was planned so that the Muslims couldn't participate with their class. Although I know it isn't true, because I know the school is trying hard to not make the minorities feel left our or disadvantaged. Like for instance, Muslims who are fasting are dismissed from ASP earlier so that they can break fast at home. Which is cool. But because of this SE Workshop thing, it just feels weird...

So.. the question is "Why didn't you bring this up to the teacher?" Well, I was going to... But I thought even if I did, it wouldn't change anything as stuff like this need to be planned really early. And changing this would mean that the trainers would have to change their schedule. And postponing this would also mean that for the students who are going to go for interviews... They would be at a disadvantage because of not having the workshop earlier. So.. yeah. Never mind.

Mother Tongue 'O' Level Results Are OUT!

I got a.... B3 and distinction for Oral. It's not good enough.... I was quite satisfied with it at the beginning because I kind of knew all along that I'm not that good in Malay and I might get a B3. And I was correct. But then my Malay teacher came to me and said that I could do better and that I "have to" retake. So I guess I'll retake. And to think of it, I actually didn't put my 100% effort into it... Which might have been one of the main causes to my B3 and not A1/2. My parents also said the same thing, to retake. So I'm gonna retake.

Byebye to all you lovely people who read my blog and respect my opinions. :-)

Singapore from the Eye of a Foreign Student

Singapore. What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'Singapore'?

I'm sure all of you know what Singapore is, (although if you don't, your proficiency in Geography and your general knowledge must be really poor) but just in case you don't know, Singapore is a city-state in South East Asia. From the picture above I guess you might have been able to infer that Singapore is indeed a developed and urbanised country. It's a pretty small country with a total area of 694 sq km (according to Wikipedia).

Now why am I writing about Singapore? I was just thinking, pondering, contemplating, and I just thought that there are some stuff about Singapore that I should post on my blog. And I just remembered that next Monday, which is the 9th of August, is Singapore's National Day. Oh, no wonder I thought of that. What perfect timing.

So, Singapore, to me, is a very nice place to live in. It's a developed country, so you don't have to worry that there might be poor internet connection here. In fact, the internet is pretty fast. The transportation system is fantastic. There's the MRT, LRT, Bus, and there are tons of taxis here too. The education is also *thumbs up*. And despite Singapore being an urbanised country and all, it's a pretty green place. There are parks and quite a lot of trees. There are tons of malls, a lot of libraries, a lot of restaurants, and well, let's just say you can find nearly everything here. But that's just the general opinion. There are other interesting facts about Singapore, such as....

SINGLISH

You ever heard of Singlish before? Don't worry if you haven't, because I have never in my life heard it until I came to Singapore. Singlish, according to my understanding, is Singapore-English. The everyday-language in Singapore is English, but because of the different races here, Chinese, Malay and Indian, they've made an influence on English and as a result, Singlish is produced. They say stuff like 'lah', 'leh', 'lor', 'hor', 'sia', 'siol', 'hor', 'mah', 'meh, and stuff like that. When you're living in Singapore, it's hard not to use Singlish, because it is contagious, like seriously. A ten word English sentence can be shortened to just 6 words. I try not to talk in Singlish, but however hard I try, some Singlish slips in. If you haven't heard people speaking in Singlish before, watch this:

Funny? :-)

MC MC MC

In Singapore, from what I've observed, people get sick easily. Nearly everyday there's always at least one person that's absent from school. And usually that's because they're sick. And I don't know whether this is normal or not, but in Singapore, if, for instance, today you have a runny nose. The next day I bet you'll be staying at home resting with an MC to cover your absence. I think Singaporeans get worried too easily. Once I had a runny nose and a cough, long story short, I was sort of having a flu. But I still went to school, even with my weird voice that time, which according to Google Translate is "Nasal tone voice" (in Indonesia -- suara bindeng). My friend called me one night and said "I heard you coughing a lot today, maybe you should go to he doctor." .... I'm alright. I'm okay. It's not like I'm dying... I mean, I understand. It is important to look out for your health. But it was just a runny nose and a cough. I didn't even have a fever and I didn't even feel dizzy or anything like that. Isn't that common? I usually don't take any medication and still recover.

Singaporeans are diligent.

Around a week ago, I went with two Indonesian friends to the cinema to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. While waiting, we went to the library and met a fellow Pei Hwaian. He asked us what were we doing here, my friend said we were waiting for the movie to start. And then he said "Wah nearly O level still can watch movie ah?" I was totally shocked, stunned, flabbergasted. Wow. The O Levels are 2.5 months away. And it turned out that he was studying at the library. Wow. You guys are so diligent.

Besides that, a lot of my friends have tuition during the weekends. In Indonesia, I don't think you will find that to be a common thing. In Singapore, it's pretty common. Actually I have tuition too on Sunday. But I only have tuition once a week, and it's only for like 1 to 1.5 hours.

Oh, another thing... Singaporeans like to study in restaurants. For instance, McDonald's. But isn't McDonald's sort of noisy? Yeah, I know. I don't understand either. I can understand that you like the food there so you wanna eat there... But why not eat and then study somewhere else?

Everyone in the public transportation has an earpiece plugged in their ears.

Well, okay, maybe not everyone. But a lot of people do.

Rushing here and there.

In the MRT, people are always rushing here and there. Relax, people.

Girls like to wear really short shorts.

I know that this trend did not start from Singapore, but I am really against wearing really short hot pants. Sometimes the pants are just long enough to cover their butts. Or maybe sometimes, not even all of their butts are covered. If you girls wanna show off your beautiful butts, why don't you just wear your underpants? :) That way, you won't have to waste money buying really short pants that are just a few centimeters bigger than your underpants.

Teachers are appreciated.

In Singapore, there's even a Teacher's Day celebration and school holiday. In Indonesia, we have a Teacher's Day but don't really celebrate it. It's really touching to see students give gifts to teachers. And unlike Indonesia, I think the teachers get pretty good pay. I mean, there are teachers that drive BMWs to school and own a house. In Indonesia, most of the time, that won't be possible.

So that's what I've gathered from the 1 year I've stayed in Singapore. If anybody feels offended... Then I'm sorry. I never meant to offend anybody. Singapore is truly an amazing place. If you're planning to visit Singapore... Well then you should look forward to it.

By the way, happy National Day, Singapore.

Byebyee!

4E2 is AWESOME!

The IFD games today were awesome! For the 4E2 girls, we lost 2 matches and only won 1 match. But never mind, it was still fun. I played in 2 of the matches and the weird thing is... We lost in both matches that I was playing in. -_- Hahaha, but anyway maybe the opponent was weak or something. But it was fun.

In the first match, we were playing against 4E5. It was supposed to be a draw... But during the extra 2 minutes given, 4E5 managed to score! In the second match, we were playing against 4NE. Vivien got a yellow card... which was weird because I don't think she did anything wrong. We lost 0-1. I don't know about the last match because I was playing frisbee with Yan Ting and Shi Hui. But I think we won 1-0 against 4N2.

On the other hand... The guys placed 2nd! Congratulations! Marcus was the goal keeper, and he played really well! Actually, everybody played well :)

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Next... Do you know the song "Friday" by Rebecca Black? I used to hate the song, because I seriously didn't really get what's so cool about the song when I first heard it. I mean, it was just a normal song. But then, I heard Tim Whybrow sing the song.... and I actually liked it. Well, I'm not trying to say Rebecca Black's voice is bad or anything, I've heard her sing another song and it doesn't sound so bad. Anyway, take a look at this!

The guy there is Tim Whybrow. I think his cover is better than the original song. Hehehe.

TEEHEE.

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The Problem With Me and School

The one thing that I hate the most about studying in Singapore is:

How there will always be school activities going on during the holiday.

I mean, a holiday is a holiday right? Holiday means a day free from school. Then how come there are school activities during the holiday?

For example, the Term I break is supposed to be from 12th March - 20th March. I was super happy, until I found out that there will be...

• Class CIP on 12th March.
• Chemistry SPA 2 on 14th March.
• CCA CIP on 16th March.
• CCA Camp possibly on 16th - 17th March.

And I also heard that there's also 'gonna be an Oral Examination.

I mean... WHY?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME T_T

Can't I just live peacefully and go home to Indonesia during the holiday... Can't I just meet my family and friends there....

So, the point I am trying to make is... Why is the school scheduling school activities during the holiday, when we're supposed to get a break from school? And why can't they just schedule it during the school term?! Why?! Isn't there enough time?!

My cell phone nearly got confiscated. EEEK

Thank God that didn't happen. Thank God my phone didn't get confiscated. What would my life be without my BlackBerry D': (oke lebay -_-).

Jadi gini, tadi pas lagi Art Council, kita kan dikasih tas tas polos gitu untuk didekor. Pada saat itu, banyak yang make hape. Nggak semua sih, tapi banyak kok. Malah ada yang dengerin lagu pake earphone -_-. Jadi ya udah, aku make hape. Tujuannya nggak munafik atau kenapa napa kok. Cuman untuk nyari gambar untuk ide dekor tas.

Beberapa saat setelah itu, guru A (biasanya baik) kayaknya nangkep seseorang make hape. Trus dia langsung umumin ke semua orang "Don't let me see you use your handphone ah!" Trus jadinya untuk beberapa saat langsung gue sembunyiin tuh hape. Tapi nggak lama setelah itu, banyak juga yang make hape. Trus guru B dateng ke mejaku. Di mejaku ada 3 orang yang make alat elektronik (2 BB dan satu iPod) untuk nyari gambar. Dan gurunya biasa aja tuh. Malah nanya ke temenku, "Kamu mau gambar apa tuh?" gitu.

Setelah itu... Aku kan make hape gitu kan. Trus tiba-tiba dari kejauhan aku liat guru A jalan ke arahku. Aku udah takut aja tuh dia ngeliat gue make hape. Dan ternyata bener. Dia langsung ngambil hape gue trus ngomogn "I have no choice! You let me see you using your handphone so I will have to confiscate it." Gue langsung diem :o trus bilang "But..." trus dia ngomong "What were you using your handphone for?" trus gue bilang "I was using it to find pictures for the bag!" trus gue tunjukin kan. Trus akhirnya dia ngalah, trus bilang "But next time when you want to use your handphone you must ask permission from me!" Oke deh bos. Padahal sama guru yang satu lagi biasa aja tuh... Gimana nih gak ada koordinasi antara guru yang satu dengan yang lain -_- ckck.

But, well yeah, maybe I was wrong. Gue juga seharusnya ijin dulu sih. Tapi sebenernya kalo udah diliat guru B make hape tapi gak diapa apain nggak papa dong? Ah tau ah. The past is the past. Learn from it :)

Oh ya. Art Council hari ini... was surprisingly funner (?) / more fun than usual. Thumbs up for Art Council!

Life After Secondary School

Kemaren pas hari Rabu pas lagi Upper Sec Assembly Mr Ho ceramah tentang 'O' Level. Tambah pressurized... -_- Dan juga tambah motivated sih. Gurunya cerita tentang pas hari Senin, pada nerima hasil 'O' Level, banyak yang nangis. Banyak yang dapet nilai kurang memuaskan. Katanya ada tuh beberapa anak, mereka emang jarang dateng buat Afternoon Study Programme dll, trus nilainya diatas 30 point! Gilaa, mau lanjutin sekolah kemana tuh?

Aku pinginnya sih kalo lanjut sekolah di Singapore, masuk Junior College. Tapi kalo mau masuk JC pointnya harus kecill. Kemaren kan kita ke Anderson JC, lagi ada Open House tuh. Temenku ada yang nanyain tentang nilai-nilai mereka. Katanya kebanyakan pada 6-pointers. Artinya... mereka dapet A1 untuk 6 pelajaran. WOW. Can I do that? Why not? Memang nggak akan gampang, tapi nggak ada yang nggak mungkin :D

Tadi malem aku juga udah nyari-nyari rank JC di Singapore. Dan hasilnya ini.... (Top 10)

1. Raffles Junior College
2. Hwa Chong Junior College
3. Temasek Junior College
4. Victoria Junior College
5. National Junior College
6. Anderson Junior College
7. Anglo Chinese Junior College
8. Saint Andrew's Junior College
9. Nanyang Junior College
10. Jurong Junior College

Mending lanjut kemana? Ya :o

Enjoying a FANTASTIC Holiday!

Hey fellas. Long time no see :D

I've been quite preoccupied for the past few weeks. I'm in Indonesia now... Having a great time. The only problem is, my friends and family in Indonesia are still taking their final exam now. So I'm usually left alone at home, with my Mom. But I guess it's okay. I mean, I still enjoy my time here. I don't live here any more, and I really, really miss Indonesia.

So.. I'm trying to finish all my homeworks now. So that for the remaining weeks I don't have to worry about school anymore. But I've got a little problem here. I lost my Chemistry worksheets! Wait, not only worksheets but also some of my notes. I really don't know where they are now. I think I left them either in my room or downstairs, but I've searched the entire house, and it's nowhere to be found! But what boggles my mind even more is that, around 2 weeks ago I was cleaning up my room, throwing away papers and other stuff that I don't need anymore. I'm worried that I accidentally put my Chemistry worksheets and notes there. *Gulp*.

The next problem is... Well, actually this isn't a big of a deal as the first one. My English homework is to create four summaries and reflections of an article on the Straits Times newspaper (Singaporean newspaper). Since I'm spending the whole holiday in Indonesia... I don't know whether I can buy the newspaper or not. But I was thinking... Maybe I can take some articles from the online website :/ but still, the articles there are not as complete as the ones in the newspaper, and if I'm not mistaken, the instructions clearly say to take it from the magazine :/.

But nevermind, I'm sure I can find a way out. I've finished Geography, Social Studies, Physics and Malay. I've done English, E Maths and A Maths halfway too :D

Enough about school. Oh yeah. On Wednesday, Indonesia beat Malaysia in a soccer game, Indonesia 5-1 Malaysia! I am so proud :) GO INDONESIA!

I guess that's all I'll say today. There are tons of stuff I'm experiencing right now, but I guess I'll tell you guys later. So long for now... Byebye :)

December Holidays ARE COMING!

"Well hello people. It's the last week of school! I can't believe I'm gonna be back at home in a couple of weeks. I still have this headstart programme thing for one and a half weeks so I have to stay in Singapore for a bit longer. And that also means I'll have to spend my birthday in Singapore :(. But I'm trying to see the positive side of this. So... For this year only, I'm gonna 'postpone' my birthday and pretend that it's actually on the 14th of November. Which means I'll be 14 for 372 days and I'll be 15 for only 358 days. :D

The final exam results have come out and... Not bad :). I'm 6th in class! Happy to hear that.

The past few days I've been really really really into Glee. You know Glee right? It's this TV show on FOX. It's amazing, I really love it. As Cory Monteith put it, it's like High School Musical has been punched in the stomach and had it's lunch money stolen. I don't really get what he means.. But I guess I'll stick to his analogy. But I think it's just awesome and that you should watch it.

I didn't really know what Glee was until I heard my friends talking about it, which was like half a year ago. It's on every Tuesday/ Wednesday night (I forgot), and I'm not really allowed to watch TV on weekday-nights so that's why I didn't really know what Glee was. But I did watch an episode, after I asked permission from my Mom. And at that point of time, I didn't really get what people really saw in Glee, and just thought that it was just some ordinary TV show. But around two weeks ago me and my dad went to this DVD retailer and I bought the complete season 1 of Glee. And.. I finished watching all of it in like 4 or 5 nights (I had school during the day). And I loved it.

So.. FOX is already airing the second season now. I can't wait to go back to Indonesia so that I can watch Glee! I don't think they have FOX at the place I'm staying now. So for now I guess I'll just have to wait. Oh, and Glee does really awesome musical numbers. Watch this.

Ok so that's that. Oh, and I saw these really funny doormats. Check them out.

That's all for now... And see you in Indonesia! :D

"I used to think this was like the lamest thing on earth. And maybe it is. But we're all here for the same reason: 'cause we want to be good at something."

-Finn Hudson

"Being a part of the glee club and football has really showed that I can be anything. And what I am is... I'm gay."

-Kurt Hummel

"Glee is supposed to be what's inside your heart, not what's coursing through your veins."

-William "Will" Schuester

"I don't trust a man with curly hair. I can't help picturing small birds laying sulphurous eggs in there and I find it disgusting."

-Sue Sylvester

"Sometimes people have to deal with a little adversity. I learned that at glee club."

-Quinn Fabray

"Bring it on, William. I am reasonably confident that you'll be adding revenge to the long list of things you're not good at. Right next to being married, running a high-school glee club, and finding a hairstyle that doesn't make you look like a lesbian."

-Sue Sylvester

"I'm gonna bring some Asian cookery to rub your head with, 'cause right now you've got enough product in your hair to season a wok."

-Sue Sylvester

"[Sniffis] Oh, hey William. I thought I smelled cookies wafting from the ovens of the little elves who live in your hair."

-Sue Sylvester

"I'm a delinquent, sure. I like setting things on fire and beating up people I don't know. I own that. But I'm not a liar."

-Noah "Puck" Puckerman

"I'm a sex shark. If I stop moving, I die."

-Noah "Puck" Puckerman

"I'm proud to be different. It's the best thing about me."

-Kurt Hummel

"To be honest, Will, I'm having a really difficult time hearing anything you say today, because your hair looks like a briar patch. I keep expecting racist, animated Disney characters to pop up and sing songs about living on the bayou."

-Sue Sylvester

"I'm gonna take your house, your car, your extensive collection of vests. I mean, seriously, Will-you wear more vests than the cast of Blossom."

-Sue Sylvester

"Brittany: I don't want to do Britney.

Kurt: Why no Britney, Brittany?

Brittany: Because my name is also Britney Spears. My middle name is Susan. My last name is Pierce. That makes me Brittany S. Pierce-Britney Spears. I've lived my entire life in Britney Sprears's shadow and I'll never be as talented or as famous. I hope that you'll all respect that I want glee club to remain a place where I, Brittany S. Pierce, can escape the torment of Britney Spears."

-Brittany S. Pierce and Kurt Hummel

"[To Emma] I realise you're only half orangutan, but I'm still very allergic to your lustrous ginger mane."

-Sue Sylvester

"How can you do a duet with yourself? That's like, vocal masturbation, or something."

-Santana

Alone in This World

Hey fellas. The kids from SMAN 1 Purwakarta have finished their tour, and have gone back to Indonesia *sobs*. When they were here, to tell you the truth… I felt happier. Yeah, really. I live on my own, in a foreign country. Suddenly, some friends from my country paid a visit to where I live. And *poof*! I got a mood boost. It just felt that… I wasn’t alone in this world. It felt like I had someone who shared the same difficulties as me. I just felt happier with their presence. Well, yeah. I’m homesick.

And it’s only been 2 weeks. I think I need to make a change, make more friends.

Anyway, I’m doing quite well on my academics :]. I guess my efforts weren’t wasted at all!

Now, the next challenge is nearing.

COUNTDOWN: 8 more days to FINAL EXAM 2010.

Gosh, I really need to catch up! My goal for the Final Exam…

• A MATHS: A1
• E MATHS: A1
• PHYSICS: A1
• CHEMISTRY: A1
• ENGLISH: B3
• MALAY: A2
• COMBINED HUMANITIES: A1

Some people see things as they are and ask why. Other dream things that never were and ask why not. What your mind can conceive and believe. It Can Achieve.

It’s better to set high goals and chase ‘em, right?

SMAN 1 Purwakarta pays a visit to Pei Hwa…

Hey, you know what? Some students from Indonesia are coming to Pei Hwa! Yeay! It feels like home.. HAHA okay yeah I’m exaggerating. The good news is that some of them will be learning in my class! I hope one of them will be seated next to me, it’ll feel good studying with an Indonesian :)

During English class, Mr Muru said “Eh Indira! Indonesians are coming here! When they came they asked me ‘Where’s Indra?!’” My name is actually Indira, but he pronounces it as ‘Indra’. I don’t really know why. Probably he doesn’t know, and if he really doesn’t know I’ll tell him the truth. But the thing is, sometimes he likes to make fun of people’s names. He’s not mocking or anything, I think that’s his nature. He likes to make people laugh. But then, Nicholas said “Her name is Indira.” Then Mr Muru quickly corrected his story “Oh yes, Indira! I said ‘No! There aren’t any Indras in here!” When I heard him say that, I was like ‘Hahaha no way -_-’ cause well.. They wouldn’t know me -_- I don’t even know them. Haha. But anyway.. Suddenly, in the middle of class, when we were told to correct our speeches, Mr Muru approached me and asked,

Mr Muru: What’s a cool word in Indonesian?

Me: Cool word? *confused*

Mr Muru: Yes. ‘Bisa’ is cool right?

Me: ‘Bisa’? Bisa means ‘can’.

Mr Muru: Oh yes, can.

Me: Hmmm….

*thirty seconds went by…*

Mr Muru: When you know, tell me ah.

Me: Okay.

But that was the end of it. He never asked me about the ‘cool Indonesian word’. I mean, anyway, what do you mean by a cool Indonesian word? Hmmm :/

But anyway, I hope they’ll enjoy their stay in Pei Hwa :) I just saw them when I was about to go home. They were all wearing Batiks! Yeay! Awesome! And I saw some of them with a small ‘Merah Putih’ flag. Cool :D

September Holidays, Day 3 (6th September 2010)

This day wasn’t much of a holiday. Why? Because I had to go to school. Well, not school actually, but to Koufu, a food store near my school. And I was wearing my school uniform, because I was actually planning to go to school, but the plan changed. Anyway, I went there to discuss about the geography presentation (that we need to present on 7th September) with my friends. It only took 30 minutes. And… Guess what? It takes 1 hour to get to school. So I wasted 2 hours only to discuss 30 minutes with my friends. Gahh. But well, never mind. It’s not good either staying at home. I need to go out once in a while.

In the morning, I finished my chemistry homework and tried to do some social studies. It was hard o.o

I guess that’s all to tell. Not really interesting. It was a boring day.

September Holidays, Day 2 (5th September 2010)

I didn’t go anywhere yesterday. Hmph. But I finished my E. Maths and A. Maths homework! Woohoo! Three down, three more to go!

What I did mostly yesterday was just… Reading, internet browsing, and homework-ing (?). Kinda boring. I just can’t wait to go home! Even though it’s only from 9th September - 12th September ;)

September Holidays, Day 1 (4th September 2010)

Yesterday… Was the day.. That I’m supposed to go home. But of course I didn’t because my flight was rescheduled to the 9th of September. Because of those stupid exams!!! GAH. On Tuesday I’ve got a geography group presentation, and on Wednesday I’ve got an English Oral Examination. I was planning to reschedule the tests.. But since the Geography work is a group presentation, I’m not sure whether my friends will like it if I reschedule it… So I didn’t. Hm :(

Well, anyway… I can’t stay mad all day. So.. I tried to do something fun to get my mind off it. Yesterday morning.. I finished my geography assignment! Yeay! One homework done, 6 to go.. Yeah, right. In the afternoon, I went to the Toa Payoh Public Library and made a membership card, and I borrowed 3 books; “Weird”, “Oh. My. Gods.” and “Imaginary Enemy”. Then, after that I went to Popular and bought watercolor pencils, painting brushes, and a pen. I also bought plastic cups (for painting; for the water… You know right?) and a jelly for breakfasting :D.

I got pretty bored after that… :( And I was jealous with my brother and sister because I wanted to be in Jogja too! :( But I can’t. Hmph. Well, I hope Steve Jobs is right. He said that we might not see how the dots connect now, but it will all seem clear in 10 or 20 years. The “dots” refer to the things that happen in our life, mostly the hard things I guess. ‘Cause that’s what I’m experiencing now. I live in a foreign country on my own… Great experience, but you’ve got to give a lot for it, too. But I’m pretty grateful that I got this opportunity.. I’m sure it will come in handy :)

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I’m quite pissed of actually. It’s only a 1 week break, and I have a bunch of homeworks I need to complete. And, I was also supposed to go home to Indonesia today, but because of those stupid tests, I’m forced to go home on 9th of September. Ahh. It won’t even be 3 days -_-. My plane arrives in Jogja at around 12.20 PM, and I’ll be going back to Singpore on Sunday, 7AM. GRRR. Oh yeah, why isn’t Monday a public holiday? It should be! Friday is Eid-ul’ Fitr! But I guess it’ll be okay, because I’m gonna get a 2 month holiday after the End Of Year exam! Woohoo!
But anyway.. Happy holidays everyone. I hope you’ll enjoy the holiday! :)

Oops... Permennya Lupa Dimakan :(

Source: An email from my dad..

Alkisah ada dua orang anak laki-laki, Bob dan Bib, yang sedang melewati lembah permen lolipop. Di tengah lembah itu terdapat jalan setapak yang beraspal. Di jalan itulah Bob dan Bib berjalan kaki bersama. Uniknya, di kiri-kanan jalan lembah itu terdapat banyak permen lolipop yang berwarni-warni dengan aneka rasa. Permen-permen yang terlihat seperti berbaris itu seakan menunggu tangan-tangan kecil Bob dan Bib untuk mengambil dan menikmati kelezatan mereka.
Bob sangat kegirangan melihat banyaknya permen lolipop yang bisa diambil.Maka ia pun sibuk mengumpulkan permen-permen tersebut. Ia mempercepat jalannya supaya bisa mengambil permen lolipop lainnya yang terlihat sangat banyak didepannya. Bob mengumpulkan sangat banyak permen lolipop yang ia simpan di dalam tas karungnya. Ia sibuk mengumpulkan permen-permen tersebut tapi sepertinya permen-permen tersebut tidak pernah habis maka ia memacu langkahnya supaya bisa mengambil semua permen yang dilihatnya.

Tanpa terasa Bob sampai di ujung jalan lembah permen lolipop. Dia melihat gerbang bertuliskan “Selamat Jalan”. Itulah batas akhir lembah permen lolipop. Di ujung jalan, Bob bertemu seorang lelaki penduduk sekitar. Lelaki itu bertanya kepada Bob, “Bagaimana perjalanan kamu di lembah permen lolipop? Apakah permen-permennya lezat? Apakah kamu mencoba yang rasa jeruk?
Itu rasa yang paling disenangi. Atau kamu lebih menyukai rasa mangga? Itu juga sangat lezat.” Bob terdiam mendengar pertanyaan lelaki tadi. Ia merasa sangat lelah dan kehilangan tenaga. Ia telah berjalan sangat cepat dan membawa begitu banyak permen lolipop yang terasa berat di dalam tas karungnya. Tapi ada satu hal yang membuatnya merasa terkejut dan ia pun menjawab pertanyaan lelaki itu, “Permennya saya lupa makan!”

Tak berapa lama kemudian, Bib sampai di ujung jalan lembah permen lolipop. “Hai, Bob! Kamu berjalan cepat sekali. Saya memanggil-manggil kamu tapi kamu sudah sangat jauh di depan saya.” “Kenapa kamu memanggil saya?” tanya Bob. “Saya ingin mengajak kamu duduk dan makan permen anggur bersama. Rasanya lezat sekali. Juga saya menikmati pemandangan lembah, indah sekali!” Bib bercerita panjang lebar kepada Bob. “Lalu tadi ada seorang kakek tua yang sangat kelelahan. Saya temani dia berjalan. Saya beri dia beberapa permen yang ada di tas saya. Kami makan bersama dan dia banyak menceritakan hal-hal yang lucu. Kami tertawa bersama.” Bib menambahkan.

Mendengar cerita Bib, Bob menyadari betapa banyak hal yang telah ia lewatkan dari lembah permen lolipop yang sangat indah. Ia terlalu sibuk mengumpulkan permen-permen itu. Tapi pun ia sampai lupa memakannya dan tidak punya waktu untuk menikmati kelezatannya karena ia begitu sibuk memasukkan semua permen itu ke dalam tas karungnya.

Di akhir perjalanannya di lembah permen lolipop, Bob menyadari suatu hal dan ia bergumam kepada dirinya sendiri, “Perjalanan ini bukan tentang berapa banyak permen yang telah saya kumpulkan. Tapi tentang bagaimana saya menikmatinya dengan berbagi dan berbahagia.” Ia pun berkata dalam hati, “Waktu tidak bisa diputar kembali.” Perjalanan di lembah lolipop sudah berlalu dan Bob pun harus melanjutkan kembali perjalanannya.

Dalam kehidupan kita, banyak hal yang ternyata kita lewati begitu saja. Kita lupa untuk berhenti sejenak dan menikmati kebahagiaan hidup. Kita menjadi Bob di lembah permen lolipop yang sibuk mengumpulkan permen tapi lupa untuk menikmatinya dan menjadi bahagia.

Pernahkan Anda bertanya kapan waktunya untuk merasakan bahagia? Jika saya tanyakan pertanyaan tersebut kepada para klien saya, biasanya mereka menjawab, “Saya akan bahagia nanti… nanti pada waktu saya sudah menikah… nanti pada waktu saya memiliki rumah sendiri… nanti pada saat suami saya lebih mencintai saya… nanti pada saat saya telah meraih semua impian saya… nanti pada saat penghasilan sudah sangat besar… ”

Pemikiran ‘nanti’ itu membuat kita bekerja sangat keras di saat ’sekarang’. Semuanya itu supaya kita bisa mencapai apa yang kita konsepkan tentang masa ‘nanti’ bahagia. Terkadang jika saya renungkan hal tersebut, ternyata kita telah mengorbankan begitu banyak hal dalam hidup ini untuk masa ‘nanti’ bahagia. Ritme kehidupan kita menjadi sangat cepat tapi rasanya tidak pernah sampai di masa ‘nanti’ bahagia itu. Ritme hidup yang sangat cepat… target-target tinggi yang harus kita capai, yang anehnya kita sendirilah yang membuat semua target itu… tetap semuanya itu tidak pernah terasa memuaskan dan membahagiakan.

Uniknya, pada saat kita memelankan ritme kehidupan kita; pada saat kita duduk menikmati keindahan pohon bonsai di beranda depan, pada saat kita mendengarkan cerita lucu anak-anak kita, pada saat makan malam bersama keluarga, pada saat kita duduk bermeditasi atau pada saat membagikan beras dalam acara bakti sosial tanggap banjir; terasa hidup menjadi lebih indah.

Jika saja kita mau memelankan ritme hidup kita dengan penuh kesadaran; memelankan ritme makan kita, memelankan ritme jalan kita dan menyadari setiap gerak tubuh kita, berhenti sejenak dan memperhatikan tawa indah anak-anak bahkan menyadari setiap hembusan nafas maka kita akan menyadari begitu banyak detil kehidupan yang begitu indah dan bisa disyukuri. Kita akan merasakan ritme yang berbeda dari kehidupan yang ternyata jauh lebih damai dan tenang. Dan pada akhirnya akan membawa kita menjadi lebih bahagia dan bersyukur seperti Bib yang melewati perjalanannya di lembah permen lolipop....

Ceritanya bagus. Kita harus 'CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY!' Berarti sekarang aku walaupun harus tinggal sendiri, walaupun jarang ketemu Mama, Papa, Adam, Nadia harus tetep seneng :D Harus menikmati hidup :D Jangan kayak orang gak punya hidup. Hahaha :D

'Unlucky' Day

Hari ini bisa dibilang hari 'sial'. Ada dua kejadian hari ini...

Case I

Tadi pagi bangun, ambil anduk, ambil baju. Tapi... Celana olah raga gue dimana?! Udah dicari di lemari baju, dan gak ada satu pun. Padahal harusnya ada 2 lho. Nah abis itu gue langsung ke jemuran. Cari, mungkin gak ya masih dijemur? Dan ternyata nggak ada. Di kamar mbak ada nggak ya? Nggak ada. Di tempat baju ada nggak ya? Eh! Dan ternyata... Ada! Eh gak deng, ternyata itu cuman celana yang mirip sama celanaku. *sial* Hal kedua yang kepikiran di otak; 'Telfon ke lobby C aja ya, nanya mbak nya, kira-kira liat gak ya celanaku?' Tapi pas baru mau nelfon... Eh mbaknya udah dateng. Ku tanyain, dan katanya nggak liat sama sekali. Haduh. Gimana tuh. Masa gak liat sih. Ihh aneh. Padahal ada 2 lho celana yang kayak gitu. Haduhh. Desperate banget. Hampir nangis tau gak *lebay*. Tapi udah desperate banget sih. Nanti gimana di sekolah? -_- Haduhh. Akhirnya aku nanya mbak, kira-kira marah nggak ya kalo yang lain dibangunin? Katanya mbak '*tuuuut* yang marah kalo dibangunin.' Eh ya udah deh nggak jadi. Aaaahh :((

Abis itu gue langsung mandi aja deh, udah ngabisin 13 menit nyariin celana itu. Padahal harusnya jam segitu lagi mandi, mungkin udah hampir selesai. Hhhh.

Setelah mandi, mbak bilang 'Tadi mbak udah cari di kamarnya Adrian nggak ada.' Yahh :( Jadi ya udah deh, terpaksa tadi pake ke sekolah pake seragam. Pas udah di sekolah, langsung cepet-cepet ke bookstore trus beli celana, dan langsung ganti.

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Flag raising udah berlalu, dan akhirnya saat untuk morning walk! Eh, tapi tau nggak? MASA MORNING WALKNYA DIBATALIN KARENA WAKTUNYA UDAH NGGAK CUKUP. Elah. Udah capek-capek nih gue beli celana baru. Ngabisin uang tau gak >:O

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Pas sampe di rumah.. Aku tanya mbak 'Mbak celanaku ada nggak?' Kata mbak, 'Nggak ada Dir. Celananya yang kayak celana putih yang itu, cuman warna item kan?' Trus aku bilang 'Bukan mbak, celananya yang kayak yang kupake sekarang.' Trus abis itu aku lupa mbak bilang apa.

Beberapa saat setelah itu....

Mbak: 'Dir, celananya yang ini bukan?'

Aku: 'Nah iya bener! Ketemu dimana mbak?'

Mbak: 'Di kamar Adrian.'

Aku: *dalam hati* "Ya elah gimana sih, tadi pagi katanya nggak ada?! Liat nih udah beli celana baru hhhh"

Case II

Besok kan jadwal HBL (Home Based Learning), jadi kita nggak masuk sekolah, tapi ngerjain PR di rumah. Nah, PRnya itu kan dikasihnya lewat website sekolah, namanya LMS. Karena aku murid baru, aku belom terdaftar di LMS. Jadi pas pulang sekolah, aku nemuin guru yang ngurusin LMS, dan aku ngasih tau kalo aku nggak bisa log in ke account LMS ku. Trus sama gurunya, aku disuruh nulis nama, kelas, dan NRIC number. Abis itu udah deh pulang.

Nah, pas sampe di rumah, aku langsung ngakses LMS. Mau ngecek udah bisa buka atau belom. Aku masukin ID sama passwordnya. Dan... Berhasil! Bisa masuk!

Tapi.... *JENG JENG JENG*

NAMA GUE KEDAFTAR SEBAGAI 'UNDRIA NOOR'!!! WHAT THE HELL?! Ya Allah, apa tulisan gue segitu jeleknya sampe nggak kebaca ya? Padahal jelas-jelas itu I. Diatas dan bawahnya udah dikasih garis, jadi mirip huruf I. Kayaknya nggak mungkin banget deh huruf itu bisa jadi U. Udah gitu namaku INDIRA, bukan UNDIRA. Dan namaku kedaftar sebagai UNDRIA. Aduh. Apa tulisan gue yang nggak jelas, atau gurunya yang salah baca sih? Elahh. Sedih amat sih gue. T.T

...

Mama barusan pulang ke Indonesia :'( sedih deh. Sendirian di kamar. Gak ada yang nungguin pulang sekolah lagi deh :( Tapi gak papa, penderitaan dulu baru bersenang-senang, ya tidak? Hahaha. Like what Andrew Matthews said, happiness is a choice, and I choose to be happy.

Hm hm bosen nihh. Oh iya, papa katanya mau ke Singapore tanggal 20an, yeay yeay yeay :D Gak sabar nunggu papa dateng! :D Oh iya, trus tanggal 19 Agustus itu ada Home Based Learning lhoo... Jadi kita belajar di rumah masing-masing, trus nanti kita log in ke Virtual Workspace, dan nanti disana ada webcam gurunya yang ngajarin, trus nanti dikasih tugas juga. Huaahh, coba tiap hari kayak gini, gila asik banget deh. Haha. So the point is, I am looking forward to HBL. HBL should be done once a month! Haha. Tapi ya sebenernya kayaknya model belajar kayak gini nggak bakal efektif. Karena kan bisa sambil main-main pas belajarnya karena nggak diawasin guru. Haha, tapi asik sih :D

Oh iya, kan liburan term nya mulai tanggal 4 September, nah aku udah pesen tiket pulang ke Jogja untuk tanggal 4. Trus balik ke Singapore nya tanggal 12 September. Tapi ternyata...*JENG JENG JENG* ada English Oral test tanggal 8 September! *gubrak* Ah elah seneng amat sih ngambil liburan orang. Gak enak tau! Liburan tuh ya untuk bersenang-senang, jangan dirusak -_- Jadi ya sekarang, saya sedang bingung. Bagaimana nasib saya? Semoga aja boleh ikut make up test atau apalah. Aamiin. Lagian gitu sih nyebelin ya, ngambil liburan orang. Hiks hiks T.T

Itu aja buat hari ini.. Makasih bagi yang udah baca, dan bagi yang baca pun juga nggak papa. Haha. Makasih buat yang udah ngunjungin blog ini, thank you very much. Byebye

My target for Sec3

In life, targets may play a very big role. They always bring us up when we're down. So I decided to set a target for this year. And since my parents (and I) have high hopes of me.. I'm gonna set a pretty high target this year (considering that I've just joined the school for 1 month; which means I need to catch up on most of the subjects).

Additional Mathematics: A1

Elementary Mathematics: A1

I've only decided on those two subjects. I'm not quite sure about the others.. English.. Hmm I'm not really strong in that. Malay? I still need to get used to the language. Physics? Hmm I was quite good in my last school, but it's kinda harder here. Chemistry? I barely know anything. I did learn Chemistry in my previous school, but that was just little. But actually, I'm quite motivated in this subject, thanks to Mrs Lim. She keeps saying that I have talent in this subject, and she even put me in the advanced acer group. I think she kinda trusts me. Well then, I'd better not let her down.

For SS? It's hard. There's this SBQ thingy, and there's also the SEQ thingy, blablabla. I didn't have SS in my previous school. And I think it's hard. Geography? Hmm dunno.

So.. you see.. Things aren't easy for me. The situation is not something you would want to be in. Trust me, it's not fun. I have to live away from my family.. But on the other hand.. This new life does teach me something. It gives me experience. And anyway, how are you supposed to to grow if you never go out of your comfort zone? I am both grateful and sad that I get this opportunity to live in Singapore. But I'll always try to do my best, where ever I am. Not just for the sake of my self, but I also want to make my parents happy. Every parent would love to see their child be successful right?

So... All I'd like to say is... Thanks God, for all the things you've given to me. I hope I will continue to learn from my mistakes and do better in the future. Aamiin...

I'll surely miss Indonesia :(

Hey guys. I'm in Indonesia. And I'm HAPPY. Yes, very very happy! I met my friends, and I'm enjoying my time here! I'll be really sad when I'll have to go back to school :'( #THIRDREICH I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Oh, next week, #DARWIN is going to go to SUKABUMI! Yeay yeay yeay! Asik, jalan bareng #DARWIN! Uhuy uhuy. Kita mau nginep di Villanya Chaca, tanggal 12-13 Juni. Sayangnya cuman semalem sih :(, coba 2 malem, kan lebih asik tuhh hehe. Tapi nggak papa laah, yang penting bisa pergi bareng #DARWIN! :D

Hmm, gak tau mau nulis apa -,-, lagi males aja ngeblog. Hmm.. Mungkin itu aja dulu, bye bye :3

What I like and dislike about S'pore.

Since I've been staying for quite a long time now, (hmm, this is my 2nd week in my new school) I would like to share to you my opinion about Singapore.

WHAT I LIKE?

Well, there are a lot of things that I like about Singapore.

1. Singapore is VERY CLEAN. Well, among the other South East Asian countries, I think Singapore must be the cleanest of them all. And well, even bubble gum is now allowed!

2. It's easy to get anywhere. There are MRTs, buses, and taxis. The MRTs and buses are very accurate. They arrive at the time said on the schedule. It's very very predictable. But I'm not saying that the public transportation is perfect though, nothing is perfect. Just today, there was something wrong with the MRT. I was inside the MRT at that time, and we were all told to alight at the Eunos MRT, which is 2 or 3 stations away from where I wanted to alight. There was something wrong, and we were all told to continue our journey on the buses provided. Well, just like I said before, nothing's perfect.

Singapore Bus, SBS Transit

MRT, SMRT

3. The education is SUPERB. The schools are very disciplined, and the education given is also good (y).

WHAT I DISLIKE ABOUT SINGAPORE?

DEFINITELY THE TIME!

06.00 AM IS STILL DARK! It gets bright at 07.00! THAT's TOO LATE! And it GETS DARK AT 07.15 PM. Wow, 06.00 PM SHOULD ALREADY BE DARK!! I just hate the time!!