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On semi-hiatus

why? because I am in INDONESIA!!! Yay, yay, yay!! holidaaayy *dancing* so, yes, peepz, I am now in Surabaya for a short holiday in Indonesia. I arrived last Friday. Stefy's brother picked us up. No one knew about our arrival, expect our brothers. Some friends also knew because of the appointment that we had to make to meet them. But, yeah, it was a fun arrival! Everybody is so happy, especially Stefy's parents, because they are now so incredibly proud of their son that has graduated as Master of Imagineering. About me? I am OKAY, apart from my broken heart because my job application did not go further than the first interview. I applied for Marketing and Recruitment Officer at this university . Ah well, I will move one. I will try to apply more and more. Hidup Job Hunting!!!! Another story about me is I suffer from food poisoning :P It is my 4th day in Indonesia and I have already eaten food from the street yesterday. heheheh,.. yeah,.. my own mistake. I should have been able t

Joan's Story Book

As sisters, my little sister (age 10) and I share one similar passion: writing. The difference is she started really young - and my mom discovered her passion and encourged her. Me? I started quite young, too, but noone knew because I usually wrote in the back of books or in a piece of paper, and threw it away afterwards. Sooo, as my mom encouraged my sister, she made a compilation of her writing. Do check it out. Read this *pointing down* Yap! that's it! Any comments are welcome. Or, if you know any publisher interested in her writing, let me know. My mom told me that she is now writing a book. Gosh, what did I do at the age of 10? Playing Barbie? Wow, my sister is awesome! So do enjoy, and my apology that it's in Bahasa Indonesia. Joan's Story Book

Merry (Almost) Christmas

It's good to be in the month of December. I love December! Sinterklaas, birthdays, Christmas, and soon New Year! Food, food, and food! Presents, presents and more presents! And HOLIDAY! So, to start this month, I present to you this cute/awesome video from Jesse Barrera and friends. Merry (almost) Christmas

Suicidal

This morning (Holland time) I received a shocking tweet from a friend of mine in Jakarta. She tweeted saying that there was a woman comitted suicide at Grand Indonesia mall, Jakarta. Some tweetpics were spread. It was quite shocking. Sigh,... why are there still people committing suicide these days? Anyway, these short sentences are quoted from the Jakarta Globe : A young woman died instantly after falling from the fifth floor at the luxury Grand Indonesia mall on Monday afternoon in what was believed to be a suicide. The woman’s body landed on an escalator railing on the ground floor. Be safe, people. Don't do anything stupid you'd regret

Universities and HBO

Are you planning to study abroad? Is Holland or the Netherlands one of your options? Then you should know the difference between Universities and HBO . This is my 6th year living in Holland. I came here in 2002 to study Bachelor of Communication at the INHolland University in Diemen (a city near Amsterdam), which is a HBO. At that time, coming from Indonesia, I was not aware of the difference between HBO and the normal universities. I was only informed that HBO was an institution that would provide more practical knowledge to the students. If you study at HBO, you would know how to work in the real world. Instead, if you study at the universities, you would learn a lot more academic knowledge. Thus, if you study at the universities, you have the intention to pursue PhD or to be a professor in an university. With that information, I (with some influence from my Mom) had decided to study at INHolland University . In the end of my first year, some rumours were spread among us saying that

Slap Bet

Who doesn't like How I Met Your Mother? I guess most people like this TV series. If you don't, please do not decide anything until you pass the second season. The first few episodes in the first season is indeed not very appealing, rather boring, I would say. So, if you like How I Met Your Mother? (HIMYM), you must know 'Slap Bet'. Have you watched Slapgiving 2? Hahahahha, LOL. Last night, I really laughed a lot watching this episode with Stefy and Herdian, our housemate. And, look what I found! Slap Bet COUNTDOWN!!! You can embed this in your web or Facebook. Too bad none for Blogspot. Speaking of blogspot, did you hear that some ISP in Indonesia banned Blogspot? Blogspot was not accessible for a few days in Indonesia. It was caused by a comic about particular religion that was rather offensive. Thus, the ministry of communication and information gave a decree to ban that particular blog. Yet, it happened that all .blogspot sites were banned. Hopefully, it is over now.

Rambling about nothing (or maybe about something)

Today I felt so ill that I called the office and asked to have a day off. Gosh, my head was spinning. My body is aching. I don't know what to blame: the weather, my low antibody, or poor intake of food. Instead of moaning, I guess I will write some aimless post that maybe can cheer both of us up: you happy to know my stories and me happy to can write something. Deal? Okay, where to start? Let's start with my current situation. No, not the ill, weak condition I am in now; but the current job hunting situation. Like Dita , I am too now searching for a job. I am currently doing an internship at Nuffic, but I will soon be gone. The project will be finished and so will my contract. Job opening websites like LinkedIn, Undutchable, Monsterboards, and also Twitter have been my regular destination when I am online (especially to Twitter :P). I also visited the (so-called) biggest Job Fair in Holland, which turned out to be smaller that it'd always been, with much less exhibitors (de

When I'm 64

When I get older losing my hair, Many years from now. Will you still be sending me a valentine Birthday greetings bottle of wine. All of Beatles fans must know this song by heart. Not as much as I love this song, I hesitate to think of what I would be when I'm 64. Never have I ever felt afraid growing old, yet don't you ever ask yourself how you would be when you are 60+? Would I be very dependant? Would I be a whinning, old grandma that your grandkids hate? Would I be useless or paralyzed? Would I be a fat, weak old lady? In fact, would I still be loved? Would I still know and feel love? This improper thought had been creeping to the surface due to the facts that my boyfriends' family (mostly the female ones) are getting old but still look fabulous: slim figure, shinny appearances, and fit! You must have seend Sex and the City right? You can see some similarities in my relative-in-laws. The pressure definitely exists! Some years ago, when I met my boyfriend's relative

Magic Mascara

Ooops, almost forgot to share the "magic" that Dita has shared with me. So I asked her the other day about the best mascara, cos I have used several brands, yet I had never been satisfied with one brand. My eyelashes are so soft and short thus I needed a mascara that can lengthen them and make them look pretty. Dita - now I announce her as my fashion advisor - adviced me to use mascara from Maybelline. Thank God it was on special price at Kruidvat! Thus, I, with Stefy's help to choose whether I had to buy the 3x, 5x or 7x type, bought the 5x mascara from Maybelline. And, it works verryyy well! I love it! My eyelashes are soo pretty now :) Thanks dita! In case you are also searching for a mascara, here is my mascara now:

Friendship forever

Friendship [frend-ship]: the state of being a friend [dictionary] This word might seem meaningless for us 5 – 10 years ago. It was merely nice word that we put in the end of our e-mail or in our classmate’s memory book: Friendship forever. Yet, what does this word mean to us right now? How much time do we invest in building our friendship? Or how much time do we have to even think of friendship? Last week at church, we were taught about having healthy relationship with friends. And I realised that I haven’t done anything to my friendships with any of my friends. Based on the sermon, there are four sorts of friends: acquaintances, casual friends, close friends, and intimate friends . And I notice that most of my friendship (levels) I have been downgraded: from intimate to close, from intimate to casual, and even worse, from intimate to acquaintances. These happened because first, distance (because I have moved from one place to another), and of course, quarrels or problems. I feel emb

Berlayar bersama Perahu Kertas

Berkat pertolongan seorang teman yang sedang berlibur ke Indonesia, Oma berhasil mendapatkan sebuah buku Perahu Kertas-nya Dewi Lestari yang kalau tidak salah, diluncurkan versi cetaknya pada tanggal 29 Agustus 2009. Setelah beberapa saat menanti untuk dibaca – setelah lembaran skripsi yang harus dituntaskan, berjam-jam waktu yang dihabiskan untuk mempersiapkan defence, dan langsung dilanjutkan dengan berminggu-minggu persiapan sebuah acara education fair di Bangkok, Thailand - akhrinya Perahu Kertas berhasil dituntaskan dalam one shot, di dalam pesawat KLM Bangkok – Amsterdam, 2 November 2009. Walaupun berbagai media sudah memberi bocoran bahwa buku Perahu Kertas ini tidak ‘seberat’ buku-buku Dee yang sebelumnya, Oma masih saja memiliki rasa ‘takut’ pada saat membaca halaman pertama. Namun, perasaan itu segera sirna seketika Oma mengenal sosok Kugy. Apalagi setelah membaca bahwa sosok Keenan lebih tampan daripada Therrius di komik Candy-Candy. Langsung Oma hanyut dalam fantasi-fantasi

Mendua

Some of you might still recall this song. I was jumping off of my chair when this song was played at Radio Kosmonita (online radio). This song reminds me of a lot of things, especially my time in Meulaboh, Aceh. Audy's songs were usually played in the morning, to accompany us getting ready for work or having breakfast. Kak Rina, my housemate, loved Audy so much. For you who are in need of nostalgic moment or melancholic company for this rainy weather in Holland, please enjoy this song. Sekat hati, tak menahan jua Lelah aku pada setiaku Mengapa kau datang, memberiku cinta Oh inikah indah mendua Haruskah, kuhempas Jangan kau tanya, kan cinta untukmu, disini yang ada dirimu Adakah benarnya, janji diatas ingkar, disana yang ada ragu Oh inikah indah mendua Pergi saja pergi, bawa jauh cintamu Kutahu ini tak adil untukmu Sesalkan, adanya Bukankah kita mengerti, dan kita sadari janji, ‘kan hindari cinta

I'm back

Back from Bangkok this is the first day at work, with heavy migraine and sleepy-head. I guess these can be categorised under JETLAG - my first jetlag. Okay, if I manage, I will upload some pictures on my Facebook and of course, some here.

Last few days in Bangkok

I should have mentioned earlier that I would go to Bangkok, Thailand for European Higher Education Fair Bangkok 2009 in Royal Paragon Hall. But, the combination of work and life has made me forget to update you all. So, here I am now, spending my last day at the fair. Not as busy as yesterday, but I feel good today. Tomorrow, I will fly back to Holland (to continue my mundane yet exciting life) and will look forward to December: Sinterklaas, my birthday, stefy's birthday and Christmas. So, how's your life? Update me :)

Spying on Jamie Cullum

Lately I have been becoming Jamie Cullum's biggest fan. I always like his music and performance. I fell in love with his stage performance when I watched his concert for the first time, at Java Jazz Festival 2007. He was just insanely awesome. He got the soul, got the fun, and also the charm. And last week was already my third time going to his concert - and the BEST. I was invited to his exclusive new album (the pursuit) presentation in Westerunie, Amsterdam (invited = for FREE :P). It was intimate, (again) crazy, and interactive, especially for me, who stood really at the front (he even touched my hand, aaarrrghh,...!) :P Just now, I watched his concert for the forth time: ONLINE concert. So, Jamie Cullum invited his fans (or Twitter followers) to watch him live at Ustream.tv. Good job, Jamie (and his management!). I don't know how many artists have done this before, but it is really an innovation. Jamie, realllly looking forward to coming to your next concert, either in Euro

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

I do not believe in Karma, yet I do believe in the law of sowing and reaping. As a matter of fact, I believe to treat people the way I would like to be treated. I reckon it's my motto of life. How about you? Have a good week and be good :)

If I Had My Life to Live Over

by Erma Bombeck (Written after she found out she was dying from cancer*) I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the “good” living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace. I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed. I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television, and more while watching life. I would never have bought anything just

Camera Japan

I went to Camera Japan - a film festival held in Rotterdam (last week) and Amsterdam (this week) - last week in Lantaren Venster (Rotterdam). It is such an experience that I would not forger. It really reminded me of my childhood. In the beginning, when we entered the venue, we were really surprised. We thought that the venue would be much bigger. Yet it was just a small, cozy theater. When we entered, we saw lots of Nintendo devices - old and new - being displayed. Amazingly, there was thing giant nintendo controller. Wow!! With that controller, we could play THE old Mario Bros Nintendo. Still remember that? Mushrooms, ducks, poing,.. poing,... :P After playing the nintendo, we ran to the Sushi counter, as soon as it opened. I tell you the truth, it was the best ever! Next to the sushi counter, there was a Sake counter, where numerous types of Sake were being displayed. We could taste the Sake: first we had to choose from the list, which Sake we would like to tast, and then we paid 2

Welcoming my new addiction

1. Project Runway 2. America's Next Top Model Cycle 13 3. Benelux Next Top Model 4. So You Think You Can Dance - Benelux 5. Gossip Girl Season 3 6. One Tree Hill Season 7 7. (Coming Soon) How I Met Your Mother Season 5 8. MELROSE PLACE (welcome back to my life :P) Wow, at least these would keep me occupied in the evening for the next few months. I guess, American Idol is also coming soon. Can't wait to see Posh Spice and Ellen DeGeneres sitting on the judging panel. My other addictions: 1. Coffee (as always) 2. Decorating my (not-so-new-anymore) house 3. Italian bread shop in front of my office (really gooood for lunch) 4. Celestial Tea 5. Indonesian books (I have Perahu Kertas and Negeri van Oranje that are waiting to be read) 6. Twitter I reallly enjoy my days now. Bye bye school, I see you soon, I guess? :P

My Master Graduation Speech

I am so blessed that I was chosen to represent the MICM class of 2008 to give a speech on the graduation ceremony, on the 15th of September 2009. Here it is: Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Friends, Family and members of the Faculty, Good Afternoon. This morning when I was going through my speech, my boyfriend said that I should read my speech like Obama. I don't think I can, because it is my first time to give a speech in front on this big audience. It was actually a couple of weeks ago that Ms Maggie O'Neill asked me to represent the MICM Students class of 2008 to say a few words about our experience of studying here at the Hague University. Without a moment's hesitation I said yes straightaway. Even though at that time I had not yet found out the result of my communication advice report; neither had I done my presentation. Interestingly, Maggie didn't accept my answer; she wanted me to think about it for another day or two. Maybe, it was another way of te

Graduation

I have graduated!!! So, let me introduce the new me: Nathania Limanto BComm, MComm Thanks God

The Road to Cologne

It was my second visit to Cologne. If the first was to visit the Christmas market, this time to visit a friend. If I should give a title to this trip, I would write this: a relaxing and adventurous trip that gave me some lessons to learn. I remember what JD said in the Seasone Finale of Scrubs: "Things rarely go exactly the way you want them to. I always build them up so much in my head they can’t possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed." And that was what I learned. I learned that everything does not always turn out the way you expected them to be. Sometimes things fail or unexpected things happen. And we have to stay positive and try to be happy with it. We have to be flexible. If things turn out differently, we need to adjust and respond accordingly. Not get mad and all stressed out. Despite a little unexpected thing that happened during the weekend, we had fun. We did a little bit of culinary experience, took lots of pictures, and relaxed. Herd

My Sister's Keeper

Berkat anjuran ibu Dita , Oma malam ini akan nonton Sister's Keeper. Semoga bagus, soalnya Oma honestly kurang suka ma Cameron Diaz. Tapi, tenang, dit, I have prepared some tissues, in case I would be crying :D After my attempt untuk 'nyindir' orang dengan posting Stalker 2.0, nampaknya orang itu belum juga minta maaf. ya udah lah, capek :P seharusnya bisa langsung face-to-face, tapi pernah ngga sih kita sebel ama orang tapi kita males banget untuk arguing ama orang itu? Yes, I'm now in that exact position. Speaking of which, I need to counsel a few things with you. Have you ever been in a position where you hate your good friend's girlfriend, and also you hate your boyfriend's good friend. With the first case, would you no longer acknowledge him as your good friend just because his girlfriend is so freaking annoying? or would you just befriend with him and avoiding his girlfriend (or even worse, pretending the she does not exist)? If you throw a party, would yo

Happy Face

This picture was taken by mbak Rahma Saiyed, a journalist from ANTARA, who is also a student in the Hague university. It was taken while I was waiting for the grade. A curious-yet-very-happy-and-relieved face and a proud fiancee standing next to me :)

Stalker 2.0

If you have ever asked me about my thesis (or other school-related report), or if you have read my other blog , you would know what Web 2.0 mean or things that are followed with "2.0" mean. If you don't, I will tell you very quickly. It is the interactivity that is now enabled in several websites. The example of this technology is Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. In the beginning of my study, I was so excited to learn and discover things about this issue. I joined a lot of social network sites just to experiment how things work. Yet, I now feel that it is getting very annoying. For instance on Facebook, you will see a lot of unnecessary updates that are none of your business, nor funny, nor interesting. Like shairng that you have just farted, or asking people opiníon's about which food to eat, which activity he should do first. Gosh, it is beyond my expectation. The comments are sometimes funny. I like when I post something and people leave nice, interesting, and humour

Freedom

In less than 1 year, I have finished my master education in the Hague university. It's not been very easy. There were tears and laughters; happiness and disappointment. Yet, I am very happy that I am now standing towards the end of the journey. The final assignment to produce such communication advice report, I thought it would be easy. Yet, it turned out to be another challenge that I had to go through. And I have finished this challenge. Thank God! I would not be writing this post right now if I didn't have such an amazing boyfriend, friends, housemates, and families that have stood behind me and supported me. I thank you all for that. For the final task to present the result of my communication advice report, I was taught a very remarkable lesson that I will not forget; in fact, I will share with you all. You have to believe in yourself. During the preparation week of my presentation, I was scared to death - so scared that I might lose my appetite (which was a good thing act

Defence

Tuesday it is I am trying my best to produce such a good presentation that would impress the panel, especially my supervisor - the beloved Amanda Coady Wish me luck, peepz If anyone has tips for doing presentation, please comment on this post thanks

Oh, My Thesis

Finally, I finished it. It is just a quick update about the status of my thesis. I have submitted it, and waiting for the green light from my dearest, killer supervisor, Ms Coady. All students would be informed about the status of their thesis next week. Thus, please please please, wish me luck, and pray for me if you would. During the second week of September, I would have my "judgement day" (quoting from Hariadi :P) or the normal term is defence. I would present my thesis and defend my findings. And if everything goes right, I will graduate on the 15th of September. Pleaseeee pray for me. Another update, I have started my internship with Nuffic as project assistant for their EU-Asia Higher Education Project Bangkok 2009. And, I have a new house! :) Pictures coming soon. That's all, folks!

Skripsi/Thesis

Almost done almost Next week is the deadline, and now i just need to polish the final bits. Anyone interested to proof-read it? Fyi, the topic is marketing strategy for the digital natives. Pray for me would you? quite nervous about it, ESPECIALLY because I have a killer-yet-very-sweet supervisor

Pengharum Indonesia: Sandhy Sondoro

Never heard about this man before, but he is a-ma-zing!! Wow,.. He joined a New Wave singing competition in Latvia. Really, Indonesia has the best people scattered all around the world Update: He even won in East Europe singing Indonesian song (read more)

Pengharum Indonesia: #indonesiaunite

Dalam rangka menyambut HUT RI yang ke-64, Oma akan menyajikan content-content yang berhubungan dengan Indonesia. Especially, because this month will be a very special one, because #indonesiaunite movement is getting more serious ( see #indonesiaunite Facebook group ). Di Indonesia, tanggal 16 Agustus nanti bakal ada konser non-profit, thus for the performers also unpaid, yang dimotori @BarryLikumahuwa en @pandji . Di Belanda, hari ini (3 Agustus) bakal ada bincang-bincang dengan Pak Wimar Witoelar tentang apa yang mahasiswa indonesia di luar negeri, di Belanda pada khususnya, bisa lakukan untuk kemajuan Bangsa Indonesia. So, support #indonesiaunite , kalo kata @pandji, jangan hanya "kibarkan" bendera merah putih di Twittermu atau di Facebookmu, tapi kibarkanlah juga di depan rumahmu, di kantormu, dimanapun supaya orang bisa liat semangat kebangsaan dan nasionalisme-mu! Anyway, if you want to know the update of Wimar Witoelar talk show today, you can follow me @omania

Thesis

these last 1000 words are nowhere to be found meanwhile, I have upgraded my "relationship" with the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: we tweet! *did i surprise you?* :P gosh back back back to my thesis

I Heart Amsterdam

This video is made in defence of Amsterdam. To be honest with you, there is nothing to worry about being in Amsterdam. I have been here for 5 years and I enjoy it. I become even more a hard-working, dedicated student here, pursuing my career and shaping my future. So, I would say, Holland is a country to be :) source: Swordfish

Like Father, Like Son

This phrase is usually applied when the son did something bad, for instance, imitating what his dad usually does. This can also be said when a wife is terribly upset with her husband; and when she saw that their son didn't behave, she would say " you are just like your dad! " or in Indonesian way, people would say " hm, kayak sapa lagi kalo bukan kayak papanya! " (using a very cynical tone) This time, I would say similar phrase towards Indonesia. Not that I love Indonesia (I do very much), but this news has made me think how the Indonesians learn to do such things. In indonesia, many criminals such politicians or people working in the ministries, or rich criminals, would excuse themselves from the court by saying that they are ill. In result, the process will be postponed, and postponed, and postponed, until you would never hear about it anymore. Apparently, in the Netherlands, the government or the court would be the one who releases "the criminals" w

On 3000 something words

2000 something words to go I guess I better stop at 4000 something and leave the last 1000 for conclusion and recommendations My foot is aching my right hand, too (too much mouse-clicking and writing) my back hurt (maybe should eat blue M&Ms ?) 3 weeks to go and I am totally done with this Master degree Fancy another degree, Nia? or PhD? *chuckle*

Expect something like this or more...

I came across this video that made me laugh and cry at the same time; but, it gave me an inspiration to do at least something similar, or more,... source: Viralblog This video was about Jill and Kevin's wedding that had a slightly different walk down the aisle. They decided to dance instead. So, any crazy ideas for our wedding, anyone? =) thanks for Jill and Kevin for the inspiration. Congratulation for your awesome wedding :)

Are you a Digital Native?

Are you? Pasti banyak yang belum tau apa itu Digital Natives? The digital native is a person for whom digital technologies already existed when they were born, and hence has grown up with digital technology such as computers, the Internet, mobile phones, and MP3. They are now age 15 - 23 years old. Some people call this generation as Generation Z. My research will focus on this particular target group and what kind of marketing strategy that my client, Nuffic, needs to consider. I am quite sure that some of you, like me, are no longer in that age (unfortunately), yet you can still help me to pass on this interview questions to your cousins, little brothers or sisters, relatives, friends, students, colleagues' children or anyone that are still in that age range. Tapi kalo kalian adalah the Digital Natives, please just click the link below, and answer some questions written there. Here is the link: http://www.thesistools.com/?qid=87266&ln=eng Thank you in advance. Please bantuin

Wedding Songs

Without any means to give any clues about anything :P I came across these two songs that I have put in my wedding songs list. These two songs are those that I find very special. And I definitely want Bang Tepy to remember to play (or if he dared, to sing) on our wedding day. Once again, this post has no means to give you a hint about anything. This Jamie Foxx song is really powerful. I am still in tears after hundreds attempts to watch this without crying. Pay attention on the lyrics. This Steven Curtis Chapman is not only portaryinga love of a spouse, but I believe it is also a song that God is singing to us every single day. That's why thing song is sooo special. In case he forgot, you can always remind him :)

Kerokan

Oma uda dibohongin! Oma diboongin ma negri Belanda. Ini uda kesekian kalinya Oma dikerok bulan ini. Akibat angin yang sangat heboh gila, udara yang dingin, dan kesibukan yang cukup tinggi. Apakah saat ini adalah musim dingin or gugur di Belanda? No! Lagi musim panas, yet di Belanda ternyata ngga ada yang namanya musim panas edan,.. masak bulan Juli, yg notabene adalah musim panas-nya negeri Belanda, eh,.. ini masih dingin, berangin, dan hujan. Sigh,.. Emang keadaan fisik uda kayak nenek-nenek, sih ya namanya juga Oma :P *burp* oops,..

The Proposal

" I forgot what it was like to have a family " (Margareth Tate - The Proposal) This quote struck me. I asked myself, do i remember how it was to be part of a family? I guess I barely do. My mom doesn't even know, nor does she care, that her oldest daughter scored really good grades at school, that her daughter is paid very well in the place she is working now, that she is going to move out in 2 weeks that she needs some money to pay the bills. I guess she isn't bothered to think of me. My dad? Ah, he even forgot that his daughter's tuition fee was overdue. Having good grade at school? He won't give a shit!

Juara Kelas

Sapa dulu yang pernah juara kelas? Seumur-umur, Oma cuma sekali masuk dalam 3 besar; dan itu pun keluarga besar bangganya minta ampun, seperti menang postcode lotterij (lotere) puluhan triliun. Tapi sekarang uda ngga jaman juara kelas. Mulai dari jaman si Joan, adiknya Oma yang paling kecil, masuk sekolah, tidak ada namanya rangking, juara kelas. Adanya adalah gelar-gelar seperti student with good character, the most active student, etc. Dan Oma sangat setuju dengan hal ini. Sebuah artikel di Kompasiana menggelitik Oma untuk menulis artikel ini. Dan mengingatkan Oma kepada seorang tante yang so old-fashioned dan naif, menanyakan pada Joan, " wah, Joan pintar, pasti rangking ya di kelas? rangking berapa? juara kelas ya? " Ah, tante, it's so last century, deh! Finally, this quote is very true, Mr Abdi Dharma (penulis dari artikel Menjadi Juara Kelas Itu Tidak Penting ) "Ada lagi yang lebih penting daripada menjadi juara kelas, yaitu jika anak anda pintar dalam pelaj

Spababy: What Does the Future Hold for Our Children?

Spababy - Stylish & Fun, invites all boys and girls for some serious pampering. A revolutionary new concept dedicated to people with little hands and feet (2 months - 15 years old). Uniquely designed areas guarantee hours of relaxation and stimulation for your child. Source: Spababy Oma really is worried of the new generation of Indonesia. I just checked my Facebook account and something intriguing appeared on the right column: Spababy - Become a fan . Then I clicked and the whole Facebook page about a spa service for babies in Jakarta, Indonesia appeared in front of my face. It contains information about the Spa centre, and also photos of celebrities' kids: Donna Agnesia's, Tora Sudiro's, Ulfa Dwiyanti's, etc. *ngelus dada* They are babies, like below 5 or max. 7; and they are being overly pampered (overly because it is not what they suppose to get in that age)! They are being manicured, pedicured; they get a masker, facial, peeling, beauty massage, etc. Imho, chil

How patient are you?

Orang Jawa selalu bilang " alon-alon asal kelakon ". The Bible mention that patience is one of the Fruits of Spirit. Yet, see what the world is feeding us, telling us how to behave and think. If Samsung said: "Patience is knowing you're bored and doing nothing about it. Impatience is a virtue. Faster. Brighter". I would say " Patience is not a desperate waiting in doubt, but a hopeful waiting in confidence ". (source: RBC ) I have found the beauty and pleasure in waiting. My life has been transformed to be more patient. Imho, waiting is not boring. I just hope that this Samsung viral ad will not be taken seriously; and people would still find the beauty and pleasure in waiting.

Simposium International PPI Dunia 2009

Tak disangka, tak diduga, Oma bisa menjadi bagian dari Simposium Internatinal PPI Dunia 2009 di The Hague, Holland. Bukan hanya jadi peserta, tapi menjadi MC alias host dari acara ini. It was great: meeting people from many different countries, meeting important people like Prof. Johanes Surya, Anies Baswedan, Prof Endang, Nasir Tamara, and many more. It was amazing! Moreover, di acara ini, juga diresmikan adanya Ikatan Ilmuwan International Indonesia yang intinya adalah memberikan wadah bagi ilmuwan-ilmuwan Indonesia yang scattered all around the world; mendukung mereka dan mengajak mereka bersama-sama membangun bangsa Indonesia. Ada deklarasi Ikatan Ilmuwan International Indonesia (I4) yang dibacakan oleh para 'proklamator' nya dan diakhiri dengan menyanyikan lagu Indonesia Raya. Indaaaaaaaaaaaaah banged. Kapan ya terkahir Oma nyanyi lagu Indonesia Raya? Lalu kami menandatangani deklarasi tersebut. Wah, indah banget. Oma langsung membayangkan pelajaran sejarah, dimana para pe

Soulmate

Soulmate, percaya or gak percaya? Dulu Oma ngga percaya, thinking it was just a lame excuse of finding another lover, or thinking it was just on the movie or fairytale. Apa sekarang percaya? Hm,.. masih ngga jelas. Maybe yes, maybe no. Tadi di Radio For Fun denger lagu Kahitna yang Soulmate, cepet-cepet cari liriknya. Dan, liriknya memang benar-benar menohok hati. Ketika engkau datang Mengapa di saat ku tak mungkin menggapaimu Meskipun tlah kau semaikan cinta Di balik senyuman indah Kau jadikan seakan nyata Seolah kau belahan jiwa Meskipun tak mungkin lagi Tuk menjadi pasanganku Namun kuyakini cinta Kau kekasih hati Terkadang begitu sukar untuk dimengerti Semua ini kita terlambat Pasti kalian masih inget tentang si Drummer itu. Memang sudah lama Oma tutup buku, tapi kadang Oma masih memikirkan dia. Kadang-kadang. (And seriously, uda lamaaaa ngga chatting. ) Sempat terlintas, is it possible that he is my soulmate but I just don't realise it. Or, have you ever read children book whe

Tribute to MJ - So Long, Mr Jackson

Last nite, I came back home from Shopping Night Festival in the Hague - very tired. As always, I logged in to my Twitter, Facebook, and my other social media sites; just to check out what's happening in the world. Then @perezhilton tweeted that 'Michael Jackshon has passed away." Wow, what a shock! It was around 00:00 GMT +1. But, funnily, CNN, BBC or Reuters hadn't confirmed about the news. Some said he was just hospitalised. A few minutes after that, some again said that he was in coma. But, the rumour in twittersphere remained: MJ died. Until this morning, it was confirmed: he's gone now. It is indeed sad, very sad. I am not a big fan of MJ, but I can't deny that he is indeed the King of Pop. He has put a mark in history about his existence on earth: Jackson 5, black or white, man in the mirror, and my mom's favorite song: Heal the world. This song below was sung in rememberance of him. I loveeee this version. Bravo! But, now, the question is, who's

Recap

It's been a while that I have really shared my story in this blog. Feel ashamed that I haven't taken care of it very well. Another cliche excuse: work and school But if you ask how my life has been, I would say it's been great. Great doesn't mean I ain't have any problems or circumstances that make me cry or angry; but problems have made me a better person (like the wise man always says). As some of you may remember, that money has always been my issue. I don't know why God hasn't taken away this thorn from my life. Anyway, this has been the very 'interesting' problem; also now. But, thank God and to Bang Tepy (also my friends) that I now can handle it differently. I can surrender to God (cos He gives and takes away, rite?) and accept help from Bang Tepy and some friends (I used to refuse helps, even from Bang Tepy). No, it's not yet over, the thorn is still there; but now I can smile and think positively when my bank account shows one digit numb

Ikan Asin

Hm... kapan ya terakhir makan Ikan Asin? Yum tadi malam di Amsterdam, masak bareng Ardy dan Nita, kami makan nasi beras merah, ikan asin, ikan makarel goreng, sambal terasi, ayam goreng, dan ditutup dengan ronde, homemade. Yum yum yum :P Besok ke bazar indonesia, so makan enak lagee :D hehehhehe

Tak terasa

Sudah mulai thesis padahal banyak tugas yg belum kelar edan dan 2 bulan lagi lulus tapi masih bingung, bis lulus mo ngapain? stay di belanda? back to Indonesia? what would I be doing for work? commdev, PR, social media, or what? atau nikah? :P

Thesis

Tomorrow is my first coaching session for my thesis with the most demanding, yet challenging teacher I have ever had, Amanda Coady interesting yet scary :P wish me luck

Wanna be #2

Runner up of Britain's Got Talent 2009, SuBo is more popular than Diversity , the winner Runner up of American Idol, Adam Lambert is more sensational and for the second time the Trend in Twitter, compare to the winner, Kris Allen . I think the trend is now: don't be number one, be number two! Apparently similar phenomenon are occuring in Indonesia: Manohara , "the victim" of sexual abuse by a prince from Malaysia; and Prita , "the victim" of the emergence of online media in Indonesia. They both are now superstars both in the online world or in offline world in Indonesia. ABBA should rewrite the song from " the Winner takes it all " to "the loser takes it all" :)

Prita Bebas

Tangerang (ANTARA News) - Prita Mulyasari (32) terharu setelah bebas dari tahanan Lembaga Pemasyarakatan (LP) Wanita Tangerang, Banten, dan berencana berkumpul dengan keluarga. Setelah berbagai pihak mendesak, termasuk Wapres Jusuf Kalla dan Capres Megawati Soekarnoputri, akhirnya Prita dibebaskan secara bersyarat dengan status tahanan kota. Sumber: Antara Gosh, tahanan kota? Unbelievable. But okay, in the mean time I am glad that she is released. Imho, Indonesian government has to justify what has happened and explain what will happen in the future, because I believe street journalists will scream for help if the freedom of speech in Indonesia equals get arrested when you post online complaints. Prita, welcome home Omni hospital, shame on you! did you hear that? shame... on... you...

The Power of Digital Media Vs The Power of the Powerful

People say everybody now is the media people have more power over companies and organisations compare to 10 - 20 years ago. But, apparently it is yet not true in Indonesia. The powerful still wins. Before I head to bed, I checked my Google reader, and found out that Ndoro , famous Indonesian blogger has just updated his blog. Thus, I thought, why not read his light, interesting post. It was not light at all. The article he wrote has made me shocked to death: a house-wife complained and was sent to jail . The story started when this woman, named Prita Mulyasari got very ill and went to Omni International Hospital in Tangerang, Indonesia. Yet, she was mistreated. She didn't get the treatment she supposed to get and she was treated badly by both the staff and the doctors. It happened last year, in 2008. Because she had felt very disappointed about the service of this hospital, she shared her experience through e-mail and also sent her complaint to one of digital media in Indonesia, de

Liputan Tong Tong Fair 2009

Tong Tong Fair aka Pasar Malam Besar adalah acara fair tahunan yang selalu diselenggarakan di Malieveld, the Hague. Pasar Malam Besar dulunya adalah kumpulan stand-stand Indonesia yang memamerkan kebudayaan dan keunikan Indonesia: mulai dari stand baju-baju batik, kerajinan tangan, sampai, yang tidak pernah terlewatkan, stand makanan Indonesia. Tahun ini nama Pasar Malam Besar diubah menjadi Tong Tong Fair. Tong Tong adalah Event Organiser Pasar Malam Besar. Menurut kabar burung yang beredar, Tong Tong berpikir akan lebih menguntungkan kalo Fair ini tidak hanya diperuntungkkan untuk stand-stand dari Indonesia; tapi dari seluruh Asia. Alhasil, tahun ini nama Pasar Malam Besar berganti menjadi Tong Tong Fair dan memang benar, kita bisa melihat stand-stand dari negri Cina, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Surinam, dan of course Indonesia . Tong Tong Fair berlangsung selama 10 hari, mulai dari 21 Mei - 1 Juni 2009 dan bertempat di sebuah lapangan besar bernama Malieveld. Biaya masuk