10 Ways to be Happy

*I've been so busy this past week. I need to finish my tasks from OSIS and study for pelatnas. It was tiring. Really tiring. So I decided to open tumblr today to refresh myself and found this post which I think I need to share. Happy reading!

Who Am I...

*Found this (again) on tumblr. I've always loved good poems. I feel like there is something magical inside them. And this one that I found is beautiful yet heartbreaking. My favorite. This poem is written by "L.L." by the way, you can read more poems in lyvixo.co

An old painted wall
Covered in multicolor layers
The top coat outrageous and fun
The last one dull and broken, tattered and lost
Peel back each layer
One by one

An ugly doll
Painted in dirt and grime
Standing next to the flawless others
The unwanted one left behind
Leaving it in the background
Nothing to them in comparison

A butterfly without wings
Still beautiful,
Still trying,
But unfinished
A part of it missing
Never to be complete

A faceless person
Always chasing a moving train
So close to the goal
But yet so far away
Forever trying to keep up
But never reaching on

A shadow of someone better
Never being the top
Always over done
Seeking to overcome one's obstacles,
But never surpassing them
Always a shadow of another

A loner in a crowded room
Bodies surrounding
Laughter consuming
Chatter and happiness and excitement in the air
All around me
But I've never felt so alone

L.L.

A (Real) Holiday

Holiday. What will come to your mind when you hear that word? Is it gathering with your family and friends? Going to some mall and doing shopping, travelling, or playing some sports? Or is it just laying around lazily in your houses, being happy because you could sleep and wake up late and surfering the internet all day? Well, if you think that holiday is. To me, it is completely the opposite.

I'm not saying that I don't go anywhere at all and stay at my dorm. I'm not saying that I don't have fun. It's just... whole this time in my life, at least since I was a fifth grader, my holiday has never been that kind of holiday. Because of this olympiad things, I need to spend my holiday to study because I won't have time to study it at school. And now, as I become a high-schooler, I also spend my time in holiday for finishing organization tasks.

Once again, I never say I don't like it. In fact, I really do. It's good to feel... productive. It's good to me to know that I don't waste even a second in a day (Playing some game for awhile is not wasting time, ok!). Of course I go somewhere sometimes. Whether it is just somewhere near to buy some snacks, or eating-out, or even go visiting my families. But I rarely have a holiday-plan like... for a week or so. Even, I only go somewhere if I think I already surpass my target for the day. But Islam has taught us to spend our time wisely and to not do something useless, right?

I know it seems too ambitious (Maybe that's why I get slytherin in pottermore) and you would think it's really boring. I need to admit that I feel bored sometimes. But my mother always says that we need to make sacrifices. For everything. Moreover for our dreams. And I stick up to that. I believe all sacrifices that I have made will turn out into a good thing someday, And it actually isn't really that bad. I mean, when you do something you love to do (even if other people think it is not something to be loved to do) you wouldn't feel that bad. Actually, I will be more bored and feel worse if I just laying on my bed and twittering all day.

And the most important thing is, I learn to manage my time even when I was given freedom not to manage it. I learn to hold myself from doing the unproductive things, even if it is the one I really want to do at that moment. I learn to put my priority of one thing over another.

Believe it or not... holiday is the best time to learn things. So many things...

God Listens

Sometimes, we want something so badly. We pray for that fluently. We give 'deadlines' to God for giving us that thing. When we don't get what we want at the 'deadline' we thought our prayer is not listened and will never be listened. But tonight, I realize it's completely wrong. God listens. He always listens. God always gives the best thing for us in the best time, at the best place, on the best way. We just need to wait and believe. Because... God loves us.

29-10-13

We often forget that there are people who truly care of us. Sometimes, like last week, I somehow felt alone and thought that I don't have any friends here (since last week, I've been joining pelatnas). I saw people laughing and talking together in dining room or the class, and I need to admit that I felt jealous. Of course I have friends from my school, but still... I felt like I didn't belong here

Until the Sunday came. And I realized I was wrong. My mother called me, my cousin visited me, my friends from school contacted me and told me stories about school. They might not know but those things that they've done meant a lot to me. I realize that I have families that love me and friends who care of me. It touched me when my friends called me. I felt like they didn't leave me behind and they won't. It made me realize that I'm still part of them no matter how far I'm from them.

It made me realize one more thing. I need to work my hardest and do my best here, in pelatnas. I want to make my families, my friends, and my teachers proud of me. I never know how strong the power of support is until now.

By the way, things have gone better here, I made new friends. I could talk, laugh, or at least smile at them. Everything takes time, right ?

So... Bismillah... I'm going to start a new day here with new spirit and a smile on my face :D

03-07-2013

"Just because I laugh a lot, doesn’t mean my life is easy. Just because I have a smile on my face every day, doesn’t mean that somethings not bothering me. Its just that I choose to move on with the negative in my life, and keep my head up, instead of dwelling on the past."

That was a post on tumblr that I've just reblogged, and yes, I'm quite agree with it. I don't like crying if I could prevent it. I don't think expressing your sad or angry feeling everytime will make your condition better, I guess it will just make your feeling worse. When you laugh over your problem or smile over your tears, it's like manipulating your brain that you're happy. Anyway, I know this may sound cliche, but I believe everything happens for a reason, it's just sometimes the reason is unknown. Rather than dwelling and regretting your past, it's better to move on and face your future by learning from the past. So, let's smile, laugh, and don't forget to stay positive :D

What I call as art..

What I've made in my graphic design class this year. Still don't know if I could ever call these as art...

Editing in photoshop

Final exam task : book marker with sport theme

book marker 2

Paper folder (inside)

Paper folder (outside)

Studying photoshop

combining picture in corel and photoshop

First time learning photoshop

The transformation of the mouse from 2D to 3D 

Dreams (and Disasters)

 People have their own dreams and passions, and so do I. There are so many things that I like to do and things that I wish I could be. I love sciences. Yes, you might think that I am a nerd. But see, I'm just trying to be true to myself. People (including me) might consider fashion designer, fashion stylist, or photographer is a cool job. But I think choosing your job later is not about whether you think it is cool or not, it is about whether you love it or not.

   

I love biology. People might think it is hard and boring, that we have to memorize everything.I agree. It is hard to get good scores in biology. But for me, biology is not about memorizing things or getting good scores. When I learn it, I learn about myself. About us, as human. I learn how the system in our body works in an amazing way. The coordination that balances everything, simply, biology should have made us believe in our God more. I've always wanted to be a doctor. At first, I thought it was just a childhood dream that would change as the time goes on. But I found out that it's still the same until now. I want to cure diseases and learn more about our own body. I want to help people who suffer from diseases and educate people about health. I also want to be an environmental scientist and find a way to make this environment better in the future. I'm also curious about biotechnology and bio engineering, learning about DNA and all tiny things even smaller than a cell.

But science is not my only love. Eventhough I hate P.E., it does not mean that I hate all kind of sports. I

love badminton, soccer, and swimming. I still dream about being a professional badminton player for Indonesia sometimes. I also love watching soccer games. Two clubs that I love beside our beloved Indonesian National Team are Manchester City and Chelsea. Never ask me why I love them, really, I don't know ! And about swimming, I just feel so comfortable and alive in water. I remember the first time I tried to learn to swim by myself. After two or three trials, then I just float, and it just felt so great. Unfortunately, I don't have much time to swim these days.

I'm also interested in fashion. I love to see beautiful gowns and dresses eventhough I know I would never ever wear them. I love to see models walking on the runway, and read their or the designer's story. Sometimes I try to draw clothes and imagine what it would be like to have a fashion brand under my name.

I also love photography and graphic design. I can't say that I'm good at them, but I just love it. I don't even have a camera on my own, but I love borrowing my uncle's SLR sometimes and take some pictures of flowers, plants, nature, cities, and people (especially my cousins, haha!). My love for graphic design grew when I join graphic design art class in my high school. It's really fun. And I always feel happy when I see people using things with my design.

What about music ? Well, I can't play any musical instruments. I don't understand musical notes. But I remember when I was in elementary school I loved mixing some melodies and sounds using my handphone to be some songs. I had made around twenty. And believe it or not, my family thought it was nice. My cousin even save some of them in her handphone for ringtones. And my favorite musician is Adam Young, the former of Owl City and Sky Sailing. I really adore him for his unique music and funny lyrics (which actually hide many messages inside). This post is also titled after one of his songs. Eventhough I never watch his concert or has one of his merchandise, I could proudly say, " I'm his BIG FAN!".

And last, but of course not least, I really really love writing. I'm not really good at speaking, and I think I could explain things and express my feelings much better by writing. I really wish I could have some time to write some short stories or even a novel of my own. And that's why I made this blog anyway.

Those are my dreams. What about the disasters ? Well, I think I'm going to post something about that later. See you soon!

04-28-2013

I was reading Alanda Kariza's and Diana Rikasari's blog, and I had to admit that I was envy. Why ? For me, it's not about how many people read their blogs or follow them. It's simply because of the things that they posted there. I found many life lessons and inspiring things there. And really, inspiring and motivating other people to be better is my life goal. The feeling when I heard somebody said that she was motivated by me was really amazing, and I guess, inspiring and motivating other people to do good things is a good deed. I really hope I could write more inspiring things here. I know I don't have much time to write things in my blog. I even had tons of works to do on holiday, but I know I could inspire people around me first, maybe my roommates or my classmates by doing good things. It'sa double good-deed, by the way 😄😄😄

04-01-13

Setelah diliat-liat, aku belum nge-post apapun tentang IC liburan ini. Jadi, aku bakal cerita sedikit tentang kegiatan (yang sangat banyak) yang udah kita ikuti. Banyak banget lomba antarkelas yang diikutin kelas X-3, dari membuat puisi, cerpen, poster, sampe yang paling ribet (walaupun sebenernya anak cowok yang ngurusin) bikin video klip. Video klip kita mengambil lagu Sheila On 7 yang sayangnya, judulnya aku lupa. Walaupun kelas kita belum berhasil mendapatkan satu titel juara pun, tapi lumayanlah buat ningkatin kekompakan kelas.

Nama acaranya juga macem-macem, ada Revolution dari divisi bahasa yang memperingati sumpah pemuda, Amazon dari divisi lingkungan, Madinah dari divisi IMTAQ yang memperingati tahun baru Islam, Fantasia dari divisi bahasa, GAKIC dan Prenagen dari divisi olahraga, Twinkle (Tour Ahad) dari divisi SosMas, Civitas Day dari divisi PPBN yang sekaligus memperingati Hari Guru, sampai yang terakhir IC Award yang ngasih penghargaan buat siswa/i, kelas, dan angkatan. Nah, disini kelas X-3 dapet nominasi kelas teraspirasi dan menang kelas terdermawan. Selain itu, banyak juga anak kelas yang masuk nominasi di award lainnya. What about me??? Entah ada angin apa, anak-anak divisi Humas memasukkan aku sebagai nominasi siswa terupdate (update darimana coba...) dengan foto yang super aib.

Dari semua acara di atas, aku belum pernah jadi panitia apapun. Ada untungnya juga sih, jadi bisa santai dan gak sibuk-sibuk amat.

Selain lomba perkelas, ada juga lomba perangkatan. Nah, angkatan aku, Astonic Dralen Relaston berhasil menang di lomba parade di Fantasia dan lomba voli di Prenagen (Astonic juga runner-up secara umum, lho!!!).

Selama beberapa bulan ini, aku mulai bisa ngeliat perubahan sikap dari temen-temen aku di angkatan, dan terutama di kelas. Bukan berubah sih sebenernya, tapi mungkin mereka cuma menunjukkan sifat asli mereka.

Yang paling aku amatin sih di kelas. Ada yang aku kira diem, ternyata enggak. Ada yang aku kira polos, ternyata enggak. Ada yang aku kira kalem, ternyata enggak. Mungkin mereka juga ngeliat hal yang sama dari aku. Aku inget banget ada yang nulis kalau aku itu 'friendly' di kertas yang disuruh dibuat sama Miss Puteri (kita disuruh nulis hal-hal yang baik dari temen kita). Padahal.... I'm like the grumpiest person there, haha :P Yah, dengan semakin banyak kebersamaan kita di kelas dan di lomba-lomba, kita jadi semakin mengenal satu sama lain. Yes, we have suffered some problems together, but I know that everything will be just fine.

Selain semua acara dan lomba-lomba, aku juga punya beberapa kegiatan lain, misalnya ikut FLP Insan Cendekia (walaupun gak terlalu aktif), dan juga ikut KBS (Klub Bidang Studi) Biologi yang dengan teganya meninggalkan PR di liburan ini. Dan divisi aku di OSIS, Divisi Jurnalistik, juga mengeluarkan Magnet 18 (walaupun kelas satu belum ikutan buat). Belum lagi, tugas dari kepanitiaan di sonlis dan perpisahan kelas 12. Dan jangan
lupa, belajar buat ulangan-ulangan yang gak pernah berhenti itu.

Yup, masih banyak lagi yang bakal harus dikerjain di semester 2 nanti. One thing for sure, I 'm going to try my best and work hard in the next semester to make my parents proud. They are my biggest motivation...

The Football Lesson

1. The National Team of Indonesia teaches me to SURVIVE even at the worst times.
2. Manchester City teaches me to FIGHT 'til the end.
3. Chelsea teaches me about CONFIDENCE and how they impact our life.
4. Arsenal teaches me to MOVE ON over a problem.
5. QPR teaches me to BELIEVE in good things and miracles could happen when we do our best.
6. Manchester United teaches me to get your spirit high ALL THE TIME and to not be arrogant.
7. Add it by yourself

Saya dan Menulis

I always thought that i was good at writing, tapi saya baru saja melihat beberapa blog dari kakak-kakak kelas saya dan saya berpikir "wow, ini baru yang namanya tulisan". Saya melihat bagaimana mereka bisa mengolah kata-kata dengan baik, menggunakan pilihan kata yang sesuai, menggunakan beberapa perumpamaan unik, dan menambahkan jokes-jokes kecil yang menghibur di sela-sela tulisan mereka. Mereka mampu menyampaikan ide mereka dalam tulisan yang baik dan menginspirasi orang banyak(termasuk saya). Saya melihat mereka bahkan bisa mendapatkan ide dari hal-hal kecil di sekeliling mereka, yang seringkali tidak pernah terpikirkan oleh orang banyak kalau hal tersebut juga dapat menginspirasi. Mereka tidak selalu menulis tulisan-tulisan panjang yang kadang melelahkan mata. Kadang mereka hanya menulis beberapa quotes atau kutipan buku dan film. Tapi satu hal yang pasti, tulisan mereka berbobot dan original.

Jujur, saya merasa sedikit minder melihat tulisan-tulisan mereka. Tapi, saya tidak langsung berkecil hati, saya memutuskan untuk mulai menulis lebih banyak lagi. Bagi saya, menulis adalah proses. Untuk menghasilkan tulisan yang bagus, dibutuhkan latihan dan proses yang panjang dengan terus menulis, menulis, dan menulis. Saya jelas ingin seperti mereka. Saya ingin dapat menyampaikan pendapat dan pikiran saya dengan baik dan menginspirasi orang banyak.

Tapi satu yang bagi saya sangat penting, saya harus jujur dalam menulis. Saya tidak mau menulis yang dapat menyenangkan orang lain joka itu tidak sesuai menurut saya. Saya tidak mau menulis hanya untuk mencari sensasi agar tulisan saya dibaca orang. Saya ingin menulis untuk saya.

Saya ingin terus menulis. Menulis telah membantu saya dalam banyak hal. Saya yang seringkali sulit dalam menyampaikan pendapat saya melalui berbicara, menjadi dapat menyampaikan pendapat saya melalui menulis. Menulis bisa mengusir penat dan membebaskan saya dari pikiran-pikiran yang menyiksa.

I will never stop writing, because writing sets me free....

How To Wear a Button Up

I'm not really into fashion. But this picture inspires me a lot. Who says we can't look stylish with a button-up shirt ? The only thing needed is the right combination. So, which one is your favorite ?

Salah Siapa ???

Jakarta dan banjir. Dua kata yang sepertinya amat sulit dipisahkan. Hampir setiap tahun bencana banjir terjadi di  Jakarta. Tapi apakah penyebabnya sebenarnya ? Saya sendiri juga tidak tahu pasti. Tapi, saya percaya bahwa bencana banjir ini disebabkan kerusakan lingkungan sungai dan sekitarnya. Lalu, apa yang menyebabkan kerusakan lingkungan sungai ini ? Untuk Jakarta, masalah terbesar yang menyebabkan kerusakannya adalah sampah dan bangunan di DAS (Daerah Aliran Sungai). Pembuangan sampah sembarangan di sungai jelas dapat menyebabkan terhambatnya aliran air. Hal seperti ini tentu sudah diajarkan sejak sekolah dasar, kan ? Selain itu, bangunan di Daerah Aliran Sungai juga dapat menyempitkan sungai dan membuat alirannya terhambat. Sangat diperlukan penyuluhan kepada masyarakat untuk tidak membuang sampah di sungai. Diperlukan juga adanya penggusuran terhadap warga yang tinggal atau memiliki bangunan di Daerah Aliran Sungai. Tentu saja tidak hanya hal ini yang harus dilakukan. Pemerintah DKI Jakarta harus menyiapkan Tempat Pembuangan Sampah yang lebih baik dan cukup untuk menampung sampah-sampah warga Jakarta. Selain itu, Pemerintah juga harus menyiapkan dana relokasi atau tempat tinggal baru untuk warga yang tempat tinggalnya digusur. 

Lalu, apakah banjir menjadi kesalahan warga ? Tunggu dulu ! Salah satu penyebab warga tinggal di Daerah Aliran Sungai adalah kemiskinan. Dan apakah itu salah mereka ? Apakah kemiskinan itu karena mereka yang malas berusaha atau memang karena kesempatan yang tidak pernah ada ? 

Salah satu penyebab banjir lainnya adalah berkurangnya daerah resapan air di Jakarta yang kini sudah tergantikan dengan gedung-gedung perkantoran, mall, hotel, dan apartemen mewah. Apakah ini kesalahan pengusaha atau pemerintah yang memberikan izin tanpa memperhatikan keseimbangan alam ? 

Salah Siapa ???? Itu tidak penting lagi. Banjir bukan hanya persoalan yang bisa diselesaikan dengan satu pembangunan kanal atau waduk. Banjir adalah masalah yang kompleks, yang membutuhkan kepedulian semua orang, baik warga maupun pemerintah. Jangan pernah mementingkan kepentingan sendiri. Ingatlah orang lain, ingatlah juga alam ini. Sebagai warga, jangan hanya protes, bantulah pemerintah bekerja walaupun hanya dengan membuang sampah pada tempatnya. Pemerintah juga tidak boleh menyelewengkan kekuasaan yang didapatkan dan harus menjalankan amanah yang diberikan kepada sebaik mungkin. Saya percaya, jika seluruh elemen masyarakat mampu bekerja sama bahu-membahu dan tidak mementingkan  keuntungan pribadi, Jakarta dapat terbebas dari banjir suatu saat nanti.

Sum Them Up !!!

So, holiday is almost over. I really don't want to go back to school, but I think I will have new excitements there with some big things coming up. So, I would like to sum up things that i do, places where i go, and food that i have eaten during this holiday. Enjoy!

PLACES AND ACTIVITIES

•  Sari Ater, Lembang

What i did there : Swimming!!! I don;t think swiming is the proper word, actually. we just bathed ourself in       hot water. It was very relaxing. Especially, if you did it while it's raining... We also went on a 'delman' ride, and took some walk around. My boy cousins also played mini golf, while the girls took some photos.

• Anyer Beach

What i did there : Swimming (again)!!! Well, this time is swimming for real. The tide was high that time, so instead of just 'waiting' for the waves, we decided to swim. We also played with sand (that's my favorite!) and did some surfing (OK, that's not surfing.I just don't know the name of that thing. hehe...)

• Did some sports with my family and cousins
• Watching movies (finally, i can watch SALT on tv!)
• Buying and reading comics and books 
• Surfing on the internet
• Eating food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FOOD

I ate many kinds of food this holiday, so I will just tell you my favorite ones. While we were staying at Sari Ater, we ate dinner and breakfast from the hotel, and that was my favorite ever!!!

For dinner i ate : 

• Rice + chicken BBQ + fish fillet + potato wedges + mayonnaise 
• Chocolate fondue with strawberries, bread, sticks, and marshmallows
• Pumpkin & chocolate pudding
• Orange Juice & mineral water

For breakfast i ate :

• Toast with my favorite french butter and blueberry jam
• Omelette + chicken sausage + country potato
• Green bean porridge + bread
• Strawberry yoghurt & mineral water

So, that's all about the suming up. Gonna write more posts (but not about myself) today. Wish me luck for the second semester :D