#What Makes Me Happy (3)

Oh God... finally I could write in this blog again. So, I'm not going to give excuse or anything about this-super-late post. I was busy, but most of all, I just don't feel like writing. But now I do. So this third installment will be about... drinks.

I don't know if it sounds weird, but sipping my favorite drinks always help to calm me down. The top three list of my favorite beverages are Delfi's hot chocolate, Pickweek's forestberry tea, and Max tea's lemon tea. I've always loved chocolate, especially Delfi's so there should be no question why I pick it as my first choice of beverage. I could talk about how beneficial chocolate is to our health, but I'm afraid it would be biased, so I'd rather not.

The Pickweek tea, I've known just recently. It's an English brand if I'm not mistaken, and I 'found' it during my visit in Denmark. We were in the Indonesian embassy and the ambassador served us tea of various choices. My friends chose to pick forest berry, and after that they told me that it was really good. So we searched through supermarkets in Denmark for the tea, and after I tried it, well, it was really good. I really like the smell, it's kind of sweet. It's a good way to relax in Sunday morning I think.

Talking about tea, I also like Indonesian tea, especially the traditional ones. I grew up with tea for breakfast, and though it's not a hard habit to break, it's always nice to be able to drink one in the morning. It feels like home somehow. And beside forestberry and traditional tea, the lemon tea is my favorite for both hot and cold beverage. It could be refreshing and relaxing all at once. I like Nestea as well as Max Tea, but Nestea is not really good to be served hot.

What about coffee? Well, sometimes I have some craving for caffeine, but grabing a can at minimarket is enough. I enjoy coffee, but I'm not addicted to it.

Well, whatever drink of your choice is, grab one when you're feeling down. Trust me, some hot beverages could help you relaxed and make you feel better. They might not help you with your problems, but relaxing can help to clear things out, and who knows what great ideas might come out of your relaxed head after that? So grab a cup now, see the world, and relax...

#What Makes Me Happy (2)

First things first. I know I should have posted this in February, and post another in March, but, I'd been calling my disciplinary to write but it just disappeared. Maybe some other business and priorities blocked its way to come back too. But anyway, I plan to repay them in this two-week holiday (I've just finished my national exam. Yeay!). So, the first thing that makes me happy is...

To sleep in my own room at home.

See? Happiness does not always come in extravagant package like winning lottery or achieving an award. It could be as simple as this. Or, is it really? As a student who stays in dormitory, to be able to sleep in my own room at home is a kind of luxury. I, eventhough go home more often than the others, still think it is. I'm comfortable with my room in dorm, yes. I like the position of the room, I like my bed in the top bunk, I like my roommates. Still, none can match my own room at home. My room is not big. The furnitures are rather simple too. Bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and table. Just your common room. Though the air conditioner might add a thousand additional point to it. The decoration? Well, I lack sense of art, so I never really try to decorate it. The only decoration comes from a poster hung on the wall. Collections of post-its with birthday wishes from my friends in TOBI (thank you guys, I still read and read it again everyday ^-^) for my seventeenth birthday. There are some souvenirs from around the world and a night lamp decorated with shell too on my table, if you can count it as a decoration. And anyway, I always prefer purpose over beauty.

What make me happy to stay in my room, are maybe the sense of belonging and privacy. Everytime I get home, the first place I go to is my room. I open the door, turn on the light, and inhale the scent that somehow, never really change. I feel safe here. And I know, wherever I'm going, this is my room. My room in my home. This is where I will come back. It's always good to know you have a place to come back. A place you can lock yourself in, and be the real you. It sounds like a paradox, to have your own freedom inside a 3×5 meter square room, not in secluded forest or tranquil beach. But no judgement please, there are so many varieties of people out there.

So, right now, if you are still reading this post, think of one place that can make you happy. One place that makes you smile when you think of it. One place, not the one faraway, not the one hard to reach, that you can call your heaven. Whatever and wherever it is, I hope you will be able to be there for many times. And again, if you are still reading this nonsense, I would like to say thank you and whoever you are, I wish you happiness in the very place you are right now.

This is the first thing. Nine more things to come...

P.S. I might add pictures of my room someday. I might not.

#What Makes Me Happy: a Project

People all over the world are chasing for their happiness. Most chase after money, because they think that's what happiness is. Some chase for fame, some chase for adventure. Everyone is trying to interpret happiness in their own way, and pursuit it. So this year, I'm going to write a list of things that makes me happy. I plan to post it every month, the first one start in February. I want to do this 'project', not only because I want to train myself to be more discipline in writing, but also because I hope I could make anyone who read my post aware that happiness, don't always come in an extravagant package. I want people to realize that we can find happiness in the simplest things in our life. What I'm going to write might not be the same as yours, but it's not a problem. The most important thing is to realize that in our pursuit of bigger happiness (if there is any, because I personally think every thing that makes us happy is equally important, nothing is bigger nor smaller) we shouldn't forget of the smaller ones that we 'effortlessly' get everyday. Of the little things that shape us and make us who we are.

And I hope today, as you read this post, will also be a good and happy day for you :-)

2014

Well... it's the end of the year already, time sure flies so fast. I know this is not the New Year's Eve, and whatever I'm saying in this post might be more suitable if I write it there, but anyway, I just want to say that this year has been a very beautiful year for me. In 2014, I found new friends with an amazing bond of relationship. This year was somehow adventurous, with every ups and downs, but that's what makes life thrilling, right? I learned a lot about life, about fighting and not giving up, about believing in yourself and your will this year. I found a new solace, a new and much better way to pent up my frustations in writing poems, and it's actually exciting to discover new things aboutmy own self.

Next year, I'm sure, will be another even greater adventure. Lots of fights of blood and sweat. Things going to be hectic, but somehow, I can't wait for that.

So, to celebrate the end of the year and my discovery about myself, I've decided to make a new page consisting what-I-think-as my best ten poems I've written until now.  I was reluctant at first, but then I thought "why not?'. Why would I be ashamed of something I should've spoken out loud to the world? You can navigate there by clicking the  'Poems' tab, just right next to 'The Front Row' one. I'm planning to change the content once a year, but let see what will happen later.

Last, I wish you all a fun holiday and a great year ahead!

#20FactsAboutMe

Got tagged by one of my friends on Instagram, and after I posted it there, I thought why not here as well? So... here the list goes.... (btw I changed the number 8)

1. First things first. My full name is Nagita Gianty Annisa
2. My family calls me Gita, but my friends usually calls me Nagita, Nagit, or whatever nick names they have
3. I was born in Jakarta, 1st November 1997
4. I have Sundanese, Batak, and Melayu bloods running on my vessels
5. You may call me nerd, but I love science, esp biology.
6. I have joined science olympiads since when I was in primary school
7. My hobby is reading and writing drabbles and poems in my notebooks or post something on my blog
8. My favorite poetess is Lang Leav
9. I love Fantasy! My favorite author is Rick Riordan
10. And my favorite books are, of course, anything with Percy Jackson in it ;)
11. When it comes to music, I got to say that I'm a HUGE fan of Owl City! The music, the lyrics, are just so perfect (y)
12. I can tell you I was not born for arts, I'm suck at them
13. I join the graphic design class in my school, but it is just bcs it's the only art I might be able to do
14. I'm also suck at sports
15. But I love watching matches, esp soccer. And I don't care whatever people say but my fav club is Manchester City
16. I also like watching sports anime and reading the manga, like Haikyuu or Free, but my favorite is Kuroko no Basuke, and I'm so sad it has ended
17. Hmm... but honestly I do like playing sports, as long as it's only for fun, like playing soccer with my family. And as long as no one laugh at my skills -_-
18. Believe it or not, I learn how to swim by myself copying my father's moves, but I can only swim freestyle
19. My favorite place in the whole world is my own bedroom, yes, call me introvert
20. People might say I'm a cold person, but why don't you try talking to me by yourself if you want to know more?

'Almost'

Some people say that 'Almost' is the saddest word in the whole world. Today, I understand why. OSN was finally over, and so was the medalists announcement. Alhamdulillah, my school got 1 gold (earth science), 1 silver (biology), and 5 bronzes (geography, physics, IT, chemistry, and math <from a tenth grade student>) this year. Yup, there, the silver one, is mine. I got silver last year, and I got the same this year. Not bad, not at all. My rank moves upward too, from 11th to 6th. Yes, 6th, which means first silver. Just one step close to gold. I don't want people to think that I'm ungrateful. Because I'm grateful. I'm happy because it's really a good result. But I'm sad that I couldn't get something actually so close to reach. I feel like regretting something, but I do realize there's nothing to regret. So I'm really conflicted right now. I'm happy for all my friends who get the golds (I know all of them personally), but I'm sad because I wish I would be one of them.

But after all, it's fine. Not perfectly, but fine is still fine. I believe God knows best. And this, is the best for me. There are a lot awful of lessons I've learned today. How to accept that some things are not meant to be ours. How to understand that in the end, it is all depend on our faith. No matter how good or bad you were, today is a very different story. How to learn to be grateful, to look down when you feel bad, and look up when you feel proud. And after all, this is clearly NOT the end. I will join pelatnas (I guess and I hope), I will join the national examination and get to a new life. I still have a long way to go. I still have many chances ahead. I hope everyone, whoever he or she is, who is not satisfied with the result, will get over this, soon or later.

It's bad that I cried in my last year of national olympiad, but this has always been a fascinating experience for me. One of the few places I feel like belong to, and one where I could find cool friends (and even best friends) who have the same passion and dream with me.

At last, Thank you for the amazing ride for these last 6 years... :-)

ASC 2014

These weeks might be the busiest weeks I've ever had in my life. From 16th to 21st August, I joined a training camp for OSN in Bandung, then from 24th to 29th I went to Singapore for Asian Science Camp or ASC (which I'm going to write about here). And later, from 1st to 7th September, I'm going to Mataram for OSN (I really hope I'll do really well here, Amin...). I don't really feel tired, I guess. The trip and flight was OK. I'm just tired of packing my clothes and things. After all, I enjoyed those two activities I've joined. I got new friends from both and I'm sure I'll get more in OSN later.

So... Let's start the story!

What is ASC? ASC is an event where students from countries in Asia will get the chance to meet and hear lectures and classes from Nobel Laureates, Field Medalists, and eminent scientists from Asia. There are also some other activities related to science like, poster competition, lab visits, and excursions. This year is the 8th time the event is held, and the country that got an honour to hold it is Singapore, hosted by NTU. There were 29 participating countries with over 300 participants. I stayed in Hwa Chong Institution Boarding School, while most of other participants stayed in Nanyang Executive Centre (NEC).

Hwa Chong

What is so special about it? Well, that was my first time going abroad, so of course it is special. This was also the first international event where I got to work in team with students from other countries, so it was really fun.

How can I participate in this camp? Actually, I don't really know how. My counceling teacher just appointed me and that's it. I wrote an essay and submitted my data (including my achievements) before, but there was no selection or anything. I guess I was lucky.

What did I do there? Mostly I listen to the scientists giving lectures. There were some very interesting ones, and frankly speaking, some others are boring. I enjoyed lectures around medicine and biology. I also enjoyed lectures about nanotechnology which is new for me. After the lectures, we had master classes. The participants were divided into three classes according to our interests.The scientists will come to different classes and usually they will talk about their personal lifes and how they become who they are now. We could ask questions more frequently and easily than in the lecture (where all the participants packed in one hall together) if we wanted to. We also had a panel discussion with theme "Can Discovery and Innovation Solve Global Challenges?"

Took a picture with one of the Nobel Laureate, Ada Yonath

The Panel Discussion

There was also a poster competition, where we were grouped with people from other countries randomly who has the same interest as us (in my case, it's biology). The poster we needed to make was about things we learned from the camp, and if possible our own ideas of how to solve global challenges. There were five students in my group. We made a poster about personalized medicine (something we learned from the camp) and our idea to solve the problem of antibiotic resistance. Unfortunately, we didn't win. But none of us cared about that, it was really fun and nice to work with them all. We even made a WhatsApp group for us! I wish I could meet them again somewhere, sometime later. 

I remembered the first day where we needed to find our group, and I was like... "WHAT?!" I mean, I didn't even know their faces! How could I find them? So I just shouted my group's number, B8. I met Wei Shan first, she was really friendly and we were relieved when we finally met the others. Then the second day, after a short meeting for the poster, Shreya invited me and Wei Shan -who stayed in Hwa Chong- to her room in NEC. We didn't really do anything, just seeing the room and talking about random things. We talked about school and college, and how all our countries accidentally have their independence days in the same month, August. Shreya even showed us her video of traditional Indian dance while we were talking about our performance for the 'Open Stage' on the last day. The next day we discussed more about the poster, then the last day we made it. It was really fun, discussing, writing, painting, and all. Zhang do most of the 'labor' work, like drawing and writing things, and Ingon mostly do the researches. I helped in-between. I write some and helped with designing a bit, and I give some scientific journals for them to read. We received some critiques in the presentation, but I guess it's OK. I know more about the thing we talked about since then.

B8 (left-right, Zhang Bochao-China; Yoo Ingon-South Korea; Shreya Gupta-India; me; Teoh Wei Shan-Singapore)

We also visited science labs. I visited labs in School of Bological Sciences and Traditional Chinese Medicine in NTU. Honestly, it was more like a 'classroom visit' than 'lab visit' because we couldn't really enter the labs. After lunch on the same day, we had excursions. First we went to Marina Barrage, where we got information about how Singapore control their water level using the reservoir. We took some pictures from the rooftop and it was awesome. After that, we went to China Town. I bought some souvenirs there, and I got one super cute owl bag for me! Then, we went to Asian Civilization Museum, where we could see traditional stuffs from many tribes in Asia. We walked to Merlion Park soon after. And at the end of the day, we went to Satay by the Bay to have our dinner. I also went to Clark Quay (not recommended if you don't like nightlife, I just bought a cone of ice cream there -_-) and Marina Bay Sands (Just for sightseeing, I can't afford a single thing here).

Marina Barrage

Sinapore, taken from the rooftop of Marina Barrage

China Town

The city view

Merlion Statue

Sky Tree at Night

The last night we performed in the 'Open Stage'. Indonesian team gave presentation about our country, from size to places recommended to visit. After that, we invited people to the stage to dance with us. The music we used was dangdut. Honestly I don't like the music and the dance, so I just stayed in the back while talking with other participants who came to the stage and told them about the music and the dance (._.v). The other countries' performances were really good and amazing as well. I guess my favorite is Japan's. They danced to a Japanese song, and it was so cute and funny (sugoiii (y) ). 

I just went back to Indonesia this morning, and I was sad to leave. There are many reasons. First, I've made some good friends there, and second, back to Indonesia means I have to study again.When we parted with our LO, some of us even cried. It was such a great experience for me. I had so much fun there. But now let's face the reality, I still have some days left 'til OSN, so that means I need to study more (because it was hard to join the event while studying for OSN before). I received the results from the training camp in Bandung. It was good actually, but I don't think it was enough for me. I want to be better, as good as I can be before the D-day. I hope I could get a gold medal this time (Amin...) and joined IBO next year in Denmark (Amin...).

Good Bye Singapore! and should I say... 'Welcome Mataram"?

Indonesian Team for ASC 2014 + our LO