cheerUP!

I have come to an understanding that when people are busy talking behind my back or trying to drag me down, I have to be busy making my dreams happen till they wondering why they left behind. For me, the best revenge is massive success. Bismillah:)

Muslim Fashion in Indonesia

Bismillah...

I'm proud living in Indonesia as the largest Muslim population in the world. It's easy to wear headscarf or hijab without any worries to be discriminated. Few years ago, it was not easy to wear hijab or headscarf in Indonesia, still there was discrimination towards Muslim. Time goes by, style for the modern Muslim women is evolving. Fashion industry in Indonesia offers many young Muslim designers, such as Ria Miranda, Dian Pelangi, and Jenahara. I love those designers as those offer different style.

From left to right, Ria Miranda, Dian Pelangi, Jenahara

Anyway, by wearing headscarf it doesn't mean we cannot wear fashionable attire. The rise of Muslim fashion in Indonesia can be seen as young people who are embracing their faith and their self-identity with confidence. The biggest hijab community in Indonesia namely Hijabers Community has successfuly attracted Muslim women to gather to talk about Islam, fashion, hijab style and many more. Through this community, young designers can market their design and start their entrepreneurship soul. As we know, entrepreneurship is the heart of Islamic heritage. In addition to that, it can be used to attract women to wear hijab.
Today, many people can easily get an awesome attire from Muslim designers. It can be found at their stores or even by online shopping. Glad to know my favourite designer's collection, Jenahara, now can be found out at Zalora Indonesia, this is the link http://www.zalora.co.id/jenahara-for-zalora/

Is fashion your passion? :)

Let's spread the love.

Bismillah...

Happy Ied Al-Adha to all Muslim brothers and sisters in the world. :)
The moment of Ied Al-Adha reminds me with the current situation which happened in some countries in the world where Islam is the minority. I myself who was born and raised in Indonesia, which is the biggest muslim population in the world, do not have any significant obstacle in doing my daily prayer and wearing my hijab. I'm totally sad hearing bad news from friend of mine who is currently studying in X country that there is still discrimination toward Muslim in that country. I do believe that each of religions in this world teaches people to love and respect each other. Islam doesn't teach me to be terrorist, meanwhile Islam urges to love and respect each other. The last prophet of Islam, Muhammad SAW, taught us to respect and love each other as well, even for the people who have different faith from us. Dear people who are still underestimate Islam, don't discrimate us because we're Muslim, please stop judging Islam is bad. It's not because of the religion, it's all because of some people who do not follow their God's rules. And stop discriminating women who wear hijab, we wear hijab because of God's rule. Because we love our God, Allah SWT. Don't judge what I wear on my head, but judge the content of my character. As an muslim agent, i wanna be a good agent for my religion. I wanna be good and true muslimah. I wanna spread the love and throw away the hatred.
I think the world would be more beautiful without any discrimination. :)

Chat over food

Bismillah...

So happy meeting up with these ladies. It has been awhile since the last time I had a chit chat over food with my friends. The preparation for my graduate study stole my time and thought hohoho... but finally it's done done done! Alhamdulillah for the abundant ni'mah I got these days. Have a good day folks ;)

 

 

My IELTS Test Preparation

Bismillah...

September 6th 2014 was my first IELTS test, actually I had long preparation before the test. I was so worry if I couldn't make it. At that time, I've got the conditional offer from Monash University in Melbourne, so I needed to meet the requirement of the IELTS score from my major in Monash. The pressure was so big, i had no other choice to succeed in my first IELTS test. I started learning IELTS after getting the conditional offer in June 30th 2014. I started looking for IELTS books, IELTS websites, but I got nothing. I mean, I didn't get any successful formula or tips for IELTS test. Luckily, I had a chat with my Vietnam friend that I met in Tokyo last year, and I told her I would take IELTS test in September. She gave me suggestion to learn from Simone Braverman's book. He is the masterpiece of IELTS who wrote "IELTS Band 7" book. Unfortunately, it was so hard to find Simone Braverman's book (from Periplus and Kinokuniya bookstore) in my country. So, I ended up learning through his website and daily email from him. This is the link of his website www.ielts-blog.com , and you can subscribe your email there to get the daily email from Simone Braverman. The daily email is all about the tips for IELTS test and mostly about the questions of IELTS speaking test which have been done in many countries in the world. Anyway, because of this daily email, it helped me a lot in my IELTS speaking test as I got the same questions I learned from his daily email. Alhamdulillah hehe :`D
Anyway, I took IELTS course for 1 month only. I took the cheapest one in town, it's only around Rp, 300.000,-  for one month course. The teacher is not a certified IELTS teacher, but what I needed from the course was the IELTS simulation test. If you have enough money, you may take the IELTS course in town, the price might be different from Rp. 3.000.000 to Rp. 8.000.000 for one month. And if you wanna take private IELTS course, it takes around Rp. 12.000.000 for one month.
For the rest months after finishing my IELTS course, I studied IELTS by myself. I studied almost everyday from morning to night, even until midnight. There was no free day from studying IELTS. When i get bored, i studied speaking only in a day. :p
More often, I cried many times at midnight when I couldn't do the IELTS exercise well or even when I thought it was too difficult for me. To be honest, I pushed my self to the limit for my IELTS test preparation.
Eventually, I got the result of my IELTS test on September  19th 2014, it was precisely two weeks after the test. Alhamdulillah :)
A self - reminder : work hard in silence, let your success be your noise - Frank Ocean.

Getting closer to Melbourne

Assalamu'alaykum dear readers...
Today, I was totally happy as soon I will get the unconditional offer from Monash University Australia. Finally, Alhamdulillah :`)
It was not a short journey for me to get it. I had to battle with IELTS test first, you have to know the truth that I haven't taken IELTS test before. I've been preparing for my IELTS test for approximately 3 months, and the result made me happy yay!. Thank you Allah for making my dream becomes reality. Then, I have to focus on getting the LPDP scholarship from the government. So, wish me tons of luck. :)
I promise myself to write the journey I've been through to you all, the ups and downs I got before getting this unconditonal offer. I'm getting closer to Melbourneeeee :`)

Self contemplation

I've been having a hard day in the past few weeks. Many things should be settled. Now I'm preparing something important for my future. I've won the first race, and now waiting for the second race.
Lately, life is like a roller coaster for me. I have to say that preparing for this is not totally easy. I'm so so so soooo tired since it takes my energy and thought a lot. I believe that if it was easy, so everyone could do it. I'm hoping that everything runs smoothly. I wanna take a break, then sit back and enjoy the ride in my roller coaster life. Allahuma yassir walatu'asir rabbi tammim bikhair. Ya Allah make it easy and do not make it difficult, make it end well. aamiin :`)

#20FactsAboutMe

Assalamu'alaykum...

Bismillah...
Been tagged by some friends about #20FactsAboutMe in Instagram account, i decided to write it here as well. For me, it's really hard to find facts about myself. I need to take a short break about what to write in each numbers :D

1. I'm perfectionist. You may ask to my close friends and even my parents would say I'm perfectionist woman. Sometimes, this personality makes some people do not understand what I want. Sorry guys, but being perfectionist woman is not what I want. I was born like this. :p
2. I'm punctual person. If I have a meeting (important or even not important), i prefer to come earlier. I hate waiting for people, so I don't want to make people waiting for me.
3. Introvert. Yes, you may be surprised. Based on some psychology test I took, the result was introvert. Thus, I can easily get my energy by gathering with my close friend only, reading a book in my favourite place, and writing. That's it. I'm proud to be introvert as many successful people in this world are introvert. It's proven. Read Susan Chain's book (The Power of Introverts in the World That Can't Stop Talking) then you will understand. :)
4. I love my family so much.
5. I'm an avid reader. Mostly, my books are about my religion (Islam), psychology, education and politics related. I spend more my money on books than clothes. :)
6. I love pastel colors.
7. I started learning English since 4th grade in my elementary school. So far, i've been learning English for more than 10 years. Yet, i need to improve my English skills.
8. I love to read many good quotes. Sometimes, it helps me a lot to get back my spirit.
9. I'm a big fan of coffee and tea. For coffee, i love cappucino, while for tea, i love green tea.
10. I don't like to play online games. For me, it wastes of time, there are many things to do instead of sitting in front of your PC while playing video games. You may not find any games in my PC and in my smartphone as well. Sorry for gamers, hehe maybe we have different paradigm about this :p
11. I enjoy deep discussion.
12. I adore Indonesia's Foreign Minister, H.E. Marty Natalegawa. I want to tell the truth that I've been admiring him since high school.
13. I'm not a procrastinator at all.
14. Cupcakes, ice cream, and chocolate lover.
15. I'm interested to learn Japanese and French! :D
16. I'm a thinker. To be honest, i don't like to be a thinker and I hate myself when I can't stop questioning "Why it doesn't work? and How come?".
17. I'm too bad in memorizing someone's name and address! :D
18. There is no musical instrument I can play.
19. My most favourite snack is NYAM NYAM! :D
20. I love the intersection of education, international policy and government.

Those are #20FactsAboutMe, now share yours! :)

For scholarship hunter!

Assalamu'alaykum...
Dear my beloved readers, here i give some scholarship information that may attract you to apply.
I'm so thrill as Indonesian government has many scholarship programs. Now, it's the chance to grab one of them. Anyway, some people can belittle your dreams, what you have to do is focus to touch the finish line of your dreams. A friend of mine once told me that studying graduate program in top university in the world will bring good networks afterward, so make sure we get it. It doesn't mean that universities in Indonesia are bad, but let's try to move from our comfort zone, meet many people across the globe, and build so many networks from them which can affect our life in the future. It doesn't matter if you fail to make it, but at least you've tried to apply. You already win as you've tried. Some people are afraid to fail, so they do not have any guts, even to apply! Make sure we're not one of those people :). If you decide to study in our own country, Indonesia, government also provides the scholarship as well. As long as the scholarships are available, do not encumber your parents with the school's tuition. To sum up, wherever the schools we choose, make sure we use that gold chance to build the betterment of Indonesia in the future. The future belongs to us, young people!
Good luck for the future endeavours and see you on top! :)
Cheers!

1. Australia Award Scholarship (http://australiaawardsindo.or.id)
2. LPDP Scholarship (http://www.beasiswalpdp.org/index.html)
3. DIKTI Scholarship
a. Dalam Negeri (http://www.beasiswa.dikti.go.id/dn/)
b. Luar Negeri (http://beasiswa.dikti.go.id/ln/)
4. Turkey Government Scholarship (http://www.turkiyeburslari.gov.tr/index.php/en)
5. General Cultural Scholarship India (http://www.iccrindia.net/gereralscheme.html)
6. USA Government Scholarship
a. (http://www.aminef.or.id/index.php)
b. (http://www.iief.or.id)
7. Netherland Government Scholarship (http://www.nesoindonesia.or.id/beasiswa)
8. Korean Government Scholarship (http://www.niied.go.kr/eng/contents.do?contentsNo=78...)
9. Belgium Government Scholarship (http://www.vliruos.be/4273.aspx)
10. Israel Government Scholarship (http://www.mfa.gov.il/.../scholarships%20offered%20by...)
11. Sciences Po France (http://formation.sciences-po.fr/.../the-emile-boutmy...)
12. Utrecht University Netherland (http://www.uu.nl/university/international-
students/en/financialmatters/grantsandscholarships/Pages/utrechtexcellencescholarships.aspx)
13. Prasetya Mulya Business School Indonesia (http://www.pmbs.ac.id/s2/scholarship.php?lang=ENG)
14. Brunei Darussalam Government Scholarship (http://www.mofat.gov.bn/index.php/announcement)
15. Monbugakusho Scholarship Japan (http://www.id.emb-japan.go.jp/sch.html)
16. Paramadina University Master Fellowship Indonesia (https://gradschool.paramadina.ac.id/.../paramadina-medco...)
17. PPM School of Management Indonesia (http://ppm-manajemen.ac.id/beasiswa-penuh-s2-mm-reguler/)
18. University of Twente Netherland (http://www.utwente.nl/inte.../scholarshipsandgrants/all/uts/)
19. Sweden Government Scholarship(http://www.studyinsweden.se/Scholarships/)
20. Chinese Government Scholarship (http://www.csc.edu.cn/laihua/scholarshipdetailen.aspx?c.20. Chinese Government Scholarship (http://www.csc.edu.cn/laihua/scholarshipdetailen.aspx...)
21. Taiwan Government Scholarship (http://www.studyintaiwan.org/taiwan_scholarships.html)
22. United Kingdom Government SCholarship (http://www.chevening.org/indonesia/)
23. Panasonic Scholarship Japan (http://panasonic.net/citiz.../scholarships/pso/requirements/)
24. Ancora Foundation Scholarship (http://ancorafoundation.com)
25. Asian Public Intellectuals Fellowship Japan (http://www.api-fellowships.org/body/)
26. AUN/SEED-Net Scholarship (http://www.seed-net.org/index.php)
27. Art Asia Major Scholarship Korea National University of Arts (http://eng.karts.ac.kr:81/karts/board/list.jsp?
c_no=003013002&bt_no=123&page=1&b_category:&b_categoryimg:&searchSelect=&keyword=&divisionSelect=&engNotice=engNotice)
28. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Japan (http://www.apu.ac.jp/home/life/index.php?content_id=30)
29. Seoul National University Korea (http://en.snu.ac.kr/.../scholarships/before-application)
30. DIKTIS Overseas Scholarship (http://www.pendis.kemenag.go.id/beasiswaln/)
31. Honjo International Scholarship Foundation Japan (http://hisf.or.jp/english/sch-f/)
32. IDB Merit Scholarship Programme for High Technology (http://www.isdb.org/irj/portal/anonymous...)
33. International HIV & Drug Use Fellowship USA (http://www.iasociety.org/fellowship.aspx)
34. Nitori International Scholarship Foundation Japan (http://www.nitori-shougakuzaidan.com/en/)
35. School of Government and Public Policy Indonesia (http://sgpp.ac.id/pages/financial-conditions)
36. Inpex Scholarship Foundation Japan (http://www.inpex-s.com/application.html)
37. Asia University Taiwan (http://ciae.asia.edu.tw/AdmissionsScholarship.html)
38. Macquaire University Australia (http://www.mq.edu.au/.../macquarie_university.../)

Finish what you've started...

Stumbled upon mba Atin's status on facebook yesterday morning, and it feels like DANG!! It really represents what I feel recently. Alhamdulillah, everyday is a learning process for me. Let's be a better muslimah day by day insyaAllah :)
Here's her status on FB, hope you will be inspired too :)

Menyelesaikan apa yang telah dimulai. Jangan terlalu khawatir dengan apa yang akan terjadi di masa depan, itu hanya akan menghalangimu melangkah. Rencanakan dan lakukan, mensyukuri setiap tahapnya, menjalaninya dengan ikhlas, lalu suatu saat kita pasti sampai disana, garis akhir. Tapi kalau kekhawatiran menggelayut dalam jiwa, setiap langkah akan terasa berat dan menyakitkan, garis finish pun akan terasa jauh, bisa jadi tak sampai ke sana dan tumbang di tengah jalan. Hidup ini hanya sebentar saja, menyakitkan sekali jika diisi dengan kesedihan yang kita ciptakan sendiri. Berbahagialah, bersemangatlah, lakukan semuanya lillah :)

I know that maraton is never that easy but touching the finish line is the greatest feeling ever after the difficult marathon we passed. Let's finish what we've started. Don't forget to involve Allah in every steps we take :)

Reigniting my spirit

Akhir-akhir ini sedang dag dig dug menunggu hasil ikhtiar. Mimpi yang aku punya sejak awal kuliah dulu, semoga sebentar lagi menjadi kenyataan aamiin... Minta doanya ya :)
Ketika kita punya orang-orang di sekitar kita yang hebat-hebat, pasti kita harus merasa iri. Tentunya iri yang positif. Rasanya kosong sekali jika kita tidak punya pencapaian apapun dalam kurun waktu 1 tahun. Paling tidak kita harus bisa punya pencapaian yang kita targetkan dalam 1 tahun itu. Siapa yang tidak mau sukses? Semua orang ingin sukses, tapi cara mencapainya yang berbeda-beda. Saya selalu berpikir bahwa di dunia ini hampir semua orang ingin sukses. Ketika saya malas, saya selalu ingat bahwa dalam kondisi saya yang sedang malas ini, pasti ada orang yang 100% sedang berusaha keras meraih mimpinya, terkadang it works for me for getting back my spirit. Saya ingin sukses yang bermanfaat untuk orang lain. Saya ingin sukses yang bisa menginspirasi orang lain juga untuk sukses, saya ingin sukses yang bisa membantu orang lain di negara sendiri atau bahkan di dunia seperti yang dilakukan Bill dan Melinda Gates :)

Graduation

Alhamdulillah, Maret kemarin officially lulus kuliah dengan gelar sarjana. Ada perasaan bahagia dan juga terharu sudah melewati berbagai macam fase selama kuliah. Walaupun jurusan kuliahku bukan passionku selama ini, well aku bisa melewatinya dengan baik. Ingat sekali 4 tahun yang lalu, ingin sekali rasanya kuliah di jurusan hubungan international atau managemen, tapi ortu lebih mendorong untuk masuk di pendidikan. Berhubung sudah mendapatkan PMDK saat itu, aku tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa karena peraturan dari sekolah untuk murid yang mendapat PMDK cukup ketat. Jika ingat momen-momen itu, dulu aku selalu menyalahkan diriku sendiri kenapa tidak berjuang untuk mengejar passionku. Berjalannya waktu, aku mulai belajar menerima. Tidak semua orang bisa beruntung menikmati bangku perkuliahan. Aku selalu yakin bahwa rejeki dari Allah tak akan pernah tertukar. Ibu juga pernah bilang kalau kita memaksakan sesuatu yang bukan rejeki kita, sampai kapanpun itu tidak akan kita miliki kalau Allah sudah berkehendak. Sepertinya Allah tahu passionku ada dimana dan mendengar doa-doaku, di pertengahan kuliah aku diberi kesempatan untuk menjadi delegasi Indonesia di Thailand dan Jepang. Apa yang spesial? di dua acara itu tidak ada hubungannya sama sekali dengan jurusan kuliah yang aku ambil. Aku merasa bahagia dan tanpa beban sedikitpun mengikuti forum-forum internasional tersebut. Allah seperti mengganti luka lamaku dengan sesuatu yang lebih baik. Allah memberiku kesempatan yang mungkin tidak semua anak HI dapatkan. Jika ingat kebaikan-kebaikan Allah, aku selalu menangis teringat betapa baiknya Allah sebagai "sutradara" dalam hidupku. Sekarang, semua sudah terlewati. Aku sudah mendapat gelar sarjana dan fokusku sekarang adalah melanjutkan mimpi dan mewujudkannya. Aku sedang sibuk apply-apply di perusahaan multinational di Jakarta, Alhamdulillah semuanya sudah sampai tahap akhir seleksi dan semoga aku tidak mendapat regret letter hehe... Aku juga sedang sibuk persiapan untuk test IELTS ku bulan Mei nanti, inshaAllah jika diberi kesempatan, aku juga ingin apply S2 ke luar negeri. Semoga apapun nanti rejekinya, entah kerja dulu atau sekolah lagi, inshaAllah aku siap! :)

ASF small reunion

ASF small reunion with Fajri, Indah, and Fika. I had so much fun in that day! Nice coffee, deep discussion, books smell like a perfume, good food good friends :)

Love letter to my future other half :)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...
Maybe it sounds weird. A love letter should be written for the people we've already known. I haven't known you, the one whom this love letter should be addressed to. Whoever you are my future other half, this love letter is special for you :)
May i guess who you are? Don't worry, i won't compare you with my imagination. I think it is normal when a girl has an imagination of her future other half. Once again, i wanna make sure that I love you just the way you are :)

Hmmm probably you're a pious man who does shalat on time and recites Qur'an after maghrib time, maybe you're a man who treats your mother like a queen, you're a man who visits bookshop every month, you're a man who spends the day at coffeshop while reading a book after having a hard day at work. Are you joining John Green's series? How do you liking it so far?
Are you a type of man who wears glasses? Are you a smart guy? Are you a globetrotter? Are you a brave man who impresses other people with your awesome speech? Are you a type of man who loves booktalking? Are you a man who dies to expert on Japanese and French languages?
I know you're not perfect, so DON'T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY okay? haha.

I don't know how Allah arranges His way for us, i mean how and when we're going to meet. Maybe we've met before or we haven't met but we've known each other. I don't know. I'm a bit tired yet excited of wondering who you are. I have been expecting to meet you soon. Dear my future other half, I'm not busy dating with men while waiting for your coming. I'm busy pursuing my dreams and busy preparing myself to be a great partner for you. Some men tried to attract my attention, but you know I'm not the type of girl who wastes my time in a "trash relationship" anymore. Many people often questioning why I have been being single for a long time. I used to be known as a girl who is very busy pursuing my dreams and future career. I don't want to be a "brainless trophy wife" for you. Whatever your profession is, I wanna be your best discussion partner. I enjoy and love deep discussion, that's why you may ask me whenever you need a discussion partner. I wanna be smart, bright, beautiful, talented and everything you can hope for in a girl. But don't worry, I will step back and support your dreams and career as well because I deeply understand that your dreams are mine too.

When we meet later, i'll ask you to have a midnight booktalk with me and we build our own library at home. I'm not that sweet in expressing my feeling, but laying down on your arm while we're reading in silence is very romantic for me. It feels good to finally be able to meet you in the future. My life has found it's missing piece. I love you because of Allah...

Love,
your future other half :)

Oh Tokyo, how i miss thee!!

Tokyo must be so wonderful this month! The streets get brightly lit with beautiful winter illuminations. Oh Tokyo, how i miss thee!

Another day, another dream comes true

I'm invited as one of the speakers in this program. Jika ada waktu luang silakan datang besok pukul 15.30 WIB, talkshow ini GRATIS! :)
Semoga sharing pengalaman yang saya berikan besok bisa banyak menginspirasi anak-anak muda supaya berani bermimpi dan action. Untuk saya sendiri, semoga pengalaman yang saya share ke audience bisa membuat saya bisa lebih rendah hati karena semua dari Allah, atas ijin Allah.
Saya pernah menulis "ingin jadi pembicara yang menginspirasi anak-anak muda" di list mimpi saya tahun 2013 ini. Alhamdulillah another day, another dream comes true. God is good :)

That's what friends are for

 Assalamu'alaykum...
Lama banget rasanya ga nulis di blog *tiup-tiup debu di blog*
What is the newest? I already finished my undergraduate study yay! Sudah beberapa bulan yang lalu sebenarnya, i'm just too lazy to write it on blog. Sorry :)) and my graduation ceremony will be on March.
As a fresh graduate, semuanya pasti pernah merasakan "galau". Untuk studi lanjut atau kerja. Sebuah pilihan yang sulit (untuk saya). Mungkin untuk beberapa orang bukan pilihan yang sulit karena sudah mempunyai kemantapan pilihan jauh-jauh hari.
Bulan lalu saya dipanggil test salah satu multinational company besar di Indonesia, but i didn't make it. Test kerja  di multinational company itu yang pertama bagi saya. Well, i was killed by GMAT test LOL :) tapi mungkin belum rejeki untuk kerja disana.
Bukan kegagalan test itu yang ingin saya share disini. Saya ingin share kalo saya beruntung. Saya beruntung punya banyak teman yang care dan ada di saat saya ada di atas atau di bawah.
Akhir-akhir ini kegalauan mau studi lanjut atau kerja datang lagi, but i'm so happy to have Fika as one of my best friends. Kita pertama ketemu di Bangkok, Thailand tahun lalu sebagai delegasi Indonesia di Asean Student Forum. Setelah kita balik ke Indonesia, kita jadi temen deket. Kita punya kesamaan, sama-sama suka kopi dan buku, perbedaannya Fika suka pak Gita Wirjawan dan saya suka pak Marty Natalegawa :p
Semalam saya bbm Fika, "Fik, tell me one strong reason why you take that path", and her answer warmed my heart

"Life and Love. Life is too precious to be usual and too short to be ordinary. Will you stand on zero ground while enormous opportunities are waiting for you?. Love is the way you praise God for gracious life. The more you know the world the more you love you have, to God and His blessing life. Learning is about knowing and knowing is never ending process. The knowing is upper hand than the not, as God says. So, don't you want to be the knowing? God indeed encourages us to learn as much as possible no matter how far, how hard, and how long to know each other better for better future"

Seketika saya langsung buka dream book yang saya punya dan membaca lagi mimpi-mimpi yang saya ingin raih. Saya lupa jika saya pernah menulis mimpi besar itu dengan semangat. Saya senang ketika punya teman dengan visi yang sama, kita bisa saling mengingatkan tentang mimpi-mimpi yang kita punya. That's what friends are for, for good times and bad times. And there's so much more i see, and so by the way i thank you. Thanks Fika! :)

Saya semakin yakin setelah ini saya akan kemana. Tugas saya adalah terus bekerja keras supaya mimpi-mimpi itu menjadi nyata suatu hari nanti. Jika ketentuan Allah berbeda dari keputusan yang saya ambil, saya akan biarkan Allah bekerja, karena Dia yang punya kendali pada hidup saya. Saya bahagia karena saya berusaha "menghidupkan" mimpi-mimpi saya :)

Date a Girl Who Reads

Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find  a girl who reads. You'll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She's the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That's the reader. They can never resist smelling the page, especially when they are yellow.

She's the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a pick of her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she's kind of engrossed already. Lost in world of the author's making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interupted.

Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee. Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce's Ulysses she's just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It's easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday or for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Sexton, Cummings, Pound. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by God, she's going to try to make her life a little like her favourite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand who understand all things will come to end. That you always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you're not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series. If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her of a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She'll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or a very casually next time she's sick  Over skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn't burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you're better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads

-Rosemary Urquico

Mommy Cammy

Hello dear readers...
Wish u all doing great there. I'm doing great here as well. Lil bit busy with my thesis since i have a date with thesis everyday till midnight. But i believe, hard work will be paid off. Wish me luck :)
Today, i want to write one of my room-mates in Tokyo. She is Camilla Itokszii Garuai (Cami). She comes from Papua New Guinea. Finally i have a friend from that country hihi. I really want to have many friends in another country and i wish from all over the world.

She is very nice room-mate, pretty, humble, and smart. I talked many things with her, had a public bathing together, had a gossiping till midnight about the boy in the forum-whose-name-shall-not-be-spoken hihi, and many more. We worked in the same group, governance group. We shared many things, about the politic condition and the governance in our own country. I call her mommy since she is older than me and she is wise. When i shared my stories with her, she gave a very nice advice. That's one things that i love from Cami.
I really love to have many friends, so that's why i keep in touch with everyone, Cami as well.
I remember her nice advice "Shelia, do not ever give up on your dreams, if something is meant to be no matter how impossible it is, God will make a way"

Though we have many friends from many different countries, i think distance is not the matter. Trying to keep in touch despite the distance. Meeting many friends is such kind of blessing for me. Thanks God!

Cami and I

I'm on Japan Web Magazine

Hello...
I just found out that my photo and my group's photo in IDYF Japan appeared on Japan web magazine. Yay! :)
Unfortunately, the article was written in Japanese language. Thanks to Google translate, i could understand around 50% of the article. LOL
Here is the link for the full version http://dev-media.blogspot.jp/2013/03/mdgs.html?m=1

My group in IDYF - Governance group