A Lovely Vacation

About 2 months ago, I planned to have a vacation. The plan was about visiting Boyolali, a place where I was born and spent my childhood and teeneger. My parents are living there. Actually, I planned to visit my parents’ home in Boyolali on the first week of March, but it canceled for there was a wedding invitation from my friend in Bandung. Since then, I tried to find out other days that proper to have “a little break” from routineness. There were some days in the last of March that seem appropriate to have vacation. Gotchaaa… 26 – 30 March, I got it. Fortunately, I got cheap price for flight Jakarta-Jogja by Garuda Airways. It’s always fun to visit Boyolali for there are not only my parents and family but also some old friends.

My parents are getting older. My father is 73 years old while my mother is 65 years old. Because I live far away from them, I only can communicate with them by phone. Visiting and seeing them keep healthy and happy are relieving me much. On the other hand, having vacation in Boyolali is always fun. It is because of the food that I can’t find in other place except Central Java region, such as Sego Jagung, Sambel Tumpang, etc. In Boyolali, I also can eat irregular food that restricted to eat doe to a personal reason (I mean the smell) such as Pete and Jengkol. Hihihi….!!! Lovely, here did I get my freedom in consuming that such “inappropriate food” ..:-p.

Moreover, some old friends are living in Boyolali or cities around it, Jogja, Solo and Semarang. When I visit Boyolali, I never forget to hang-out with them. Sharing, having chit-chat about anything particularly about school memories and laughing aloud to the past behavior that mostly embarassing are very amusing. Delightful !!. Yes, it was definitely a kind of lovey vacation.

Today, I have to go back to Jakarta. So, let’s get back to “the main responsibilities”. Study and Study.

Dearest Father

I got home, my parents home actually, 2 days ago. Here am I taking a break for holiday. I am missing some classes for this. Hehehe… Hopefully my coming will relieve my parents for they really miss me, their younger child. Huhuhu… narcissist! Yeah, my parents only have 1 son and 1 daughter. For my brother is living in Boyolali, near my parents house, he comes to my parents house for daily, while I am staying away and used to going to Boyolali about 3 times in a year. No doubt if they miss me much… (keep narcissist!). Emm… I have been at home for 2 days. I notice that my father whose age is 73 years old keeps energetic in enjoying his life. There are two things that make me amaze.

Firstly, my father looks so healthy. When others old men are just staying at home, my fathers are having exercises. Hehehe… lovely! He rides bicycle every morning (and even in afternoon). Yesterday, I accompanied him to ride bicycle while sightseeing rice fields. You know what? Anytime we through up street, my father kept riding his bicycle, while I got down from my bicycle. Hahaha… poor me!! My father also plays fulsal with his friends 2 times a week. He even has a uniform that he always wears to play footsal. Hehehe… Seems like a professional football player.

Secondly, my father looks so happy. My father is a kind of person who is easy going. Moreover, now he has no burden for his children have been working (minimum standard for successful parents… :-p). Beside that, I think that doing exercises ragularly also makes my father refresher.

It’s lovely to see it. It has even touched my heart. Sure. I always love being home, Seeing my parents are healthy and happy. Home always gives comfortness. Staying with people who we love and to be loved us is lovely.

The Most Favorite Source of Information

In this day and age, there are many sources where we can get information. For instance, newspaper, TV, Radio, magazine, journal, Internet, etc. Among all those sources, the Internet is the most media that I am used to use. There are some justifications for this preference.

Firstly, the Internet is accessable. We can access the Internet anytime and anywhere. As we know, internet is getting cheaper and cheaper these days for there are many internet provider in Indonesia that set up internet connection with a cheap price, even Rp 100.000 per month for unlimited connection. Moreover, there are many places such as campus, café, restaurant, airport, mall, etc, which provide “hotspots“ internet free accessed. The hardware that we can use to access internet are also various. It is not only can be accessed by PC, laptop, but also mobile phone.

Secondly, information from Internet is up to date and comprehensive. Information in the internet is quickly updated, so we can know the news shortly after they just happened. Beside that, information from the Internet is also comprehensive. Because there are many sources of Information in the Internet that complete each other, we can have a comprehensive material for a “specific” thing we need and want. What we should do is going to the websites that we can browse through. Even, if we don’t know the specific websites, we can just use search engines. After typing the keywords of the subjects in search engines, there will be lists of information related to the subjects. It is quite easy, isn't it?

Therefore, in my opinion, the Internet is “the best” way to be well informed. Howover, we must be wise in using the Internet, not only in term of time consuming for internet but also in term of the kind of information that we can get from it.

Do We Need Creativity in Academic Writing?

Writing is one of skills that students must have to be success in academic. It is because academic writing is never “a side-job” for students, particularly students who engage in college. There are many writing tasks such as paper and essay that the lectures used to give to. Moreover, in the final year, students must design thesis before graduating. Therefore, learning academic writing can help students to do their academic obligations. For me, writing, particularly in term of academic, is not easy. It is definitely different from writing in blog as I am used to doing. Yah… I know… I keep struggling on it. For academic writing has some procedures that must be followed by academic writer where it must be well organized and based on evidences, facts, and data, do we need creativity in academic writing? In my opinion, there are some points of creativity that can be develope in academic writing.

Firstly, creativity is needed in organizing data and information. Eventhough creativity in academic writing is not dominant because students have to keep the procedures of academic writing itself, but it can stimulate creativity in some ways. Creative means how to find pattern in abundant data and information, so we can distinguish ‘signal’ from ‘noise’ that it can provide solutions to the problems.

Secondly, creativity is needed in elaborating rigorous explanations in communicating data and information. The formality in academic writing may be exhausting for some academic writers, but it generate several positive values including honesty, submissive, criticism, and curiousity. Overall, these values play important parts in a process of knowledge building writer’s while continuely lead to respecting nature and fellow human beings.

Thirdly, creativity is needed in selecting words, phrases and sentences used so writing has effective and efficient sentences. This includes how to link words, phrases and sentences as succint as possible so there is brevity and clarity sentences with no waste words.

In conclusion, though it is not that simple to write, particularly in academic writing, I believe that writing skill can be learned by practice. The more students take writing practice, the more writing skill that student can get. Therefore, writing should be supported as a positive habit in daily activities.

Classmates

I have been staying in Depok for about 2 months. It’s mean that I have been through one third of the EAP process. Then, what I can say so far? Though it’s a little bit tiring due to a tight schedule, actually I can say that the process is definitely fun. It is because of my classmates. My class consists of 13 people, 4 are women and the rest are men. We come from various government institutions, both central and local government. Here am I finding a very fun community. Emmm… There are 3 reasons why I feel that way.

Firstly, there’s no a day without laughing. Each of my classmate is a kind of playful person who loves joking. There're always moments to laugh (loudly laugh in fact), not only outside of class but also during the study process in class. Everyone seems to have talents to make jokes and humor. I see that the process of study become interested, lighthearted and spirited.

Secondly, my classmates are very generous and helpful. For we have "same and definite" goal to be reach in the end of this process, getting minimum score 83 in IBT, we try to help each other. Since the beginning, I, personally, think that we don’t compete against each other for this process. There is neither winning nor losing in this case. One thing for sure that we must pass "this" together. I am sure that all of my classmates think it in the same way.

Thirdly, I find another Javanese community. I was born in a small village where there was surrounded by Javanese culture and values. For I’ve been leaving my village since 1997, Javanese custom is always missed then. I don’t mean to be “a couvinist”. Off course not! I love making friend to anyone, whatever their etnic background. It’s only about something that remind me to all memories in the past. Honestly, I love the way Javanese speak particularly the accent. It sounds lovely and uniquely. I always miss it. Sure. Unfortunetely, there are not many Javanese communities that I have this far. There are: some people in office, Ida and Diana, ex-pancoran community, Mas Bron (I love the way he speaks… medoxxx bangeet... ;-p). That’s why it is interesting to find another Javanese community for most of my classmates are Javanese. Hehehe…. :-p

After all, I find a positive environment here. I wish that we gonna pass this process together. Ok, guys, let’s go for it!! Keep on fire!!

A Virus named Facebook.

Nowadays, there are many “IT products” that related to social networks, for example: Hi5, MySpace, Tagged, Skyrock, Orkut, Friendster, Cyworld, and Facebook. These “IT products” have created new ways to communicate and share information. They are being used regularly by millions of people, and now it seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life.

Some friends told me that they become addicted to some kinds of social networks lately. Even, a few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that he spends 75% of his time having fun with this such of social networks while the other 25% was spent in study (Parahhhh kali … hahaha…). Frankly, I am also susceptible to this kind of “IT products” lately, particularly Facebook. Hehehe… it makes me become very addictive. A day without “facebooking” seems drained of. Berlebihan ya boww…. Hihihi…

Facebook is being like a virus that affacted me much,-as many people do-. The indication is just like “cough potato”,- wasting a lot of time in front of my laptop just for “facebooking” though is’s with or without consuming potato chips. I am used to moving with no clear direction or purpose on it. Just for fun, but is is time consuming. Oghhh… poor me!

So, why facebook and other social networks are being virus? Basicly, the main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. Moreover, we can post the status where it can be commented by friends in uncommon way. It’s given us a lot of fun.

Since realizing that there are many things must be done lately, so how to get out of this infection? Can we be discipline and control ourself from this kind of distractions? Huhuhu… Emmm….