A New Book Project

One of my projects got cancelled until August and I didn’t know how to feed myself until then. So the book project dropped by when I needed it badly...

Yesterday was wonderful. First thing in the morning is my friend Y had her thesis defense successfully. She got her defense early in the morning that when I got there in the campus, she’s all alone, even her supervisor was still on his way. Even though I was jus an insignificant help, I’m glad that I came. She got so many things in her hands to be shared at that time.

Then I got my Fulbright reference letter from my lecturer, Mr. U. I can’t wait to get my TOEFL test result on Friday so I can finish my master degree scholarship application. I still have to ask for one more reference letter from Mr. F though.

I went to a publisher for a translator test. It took longer than I had expected but the result was great. They trusted me both to be a translator and an editor. In the same day, they directly give me a book to work on. The book is not easy but the payment is way finer than my previous projects in other publishers. The best thing about this publisher is they forgave my late response. One month ago, they had sent me an email responding my application, but I just had figured it out a few days ago. Such a big fish I’ve almost missed!

The next thing was I had to go to Tanah Abang directly. I had a class there on 04.30. Two times I had to take ojek (motorcycle cab) to minimize the time but thanks God I didn’t come late. One of my students refused to keep studying in the last ten minutes but it wasn’t a big deal. My way home was average. I just got confused a little in Pasar Minggu and had to pay the last minibus with coins since I got no more small cash with me.

One of my projects got cancelled until August and I didn’t know how to feed myself until then. So the book project dropped by when I needed it badly. When I told my friend, she said, “God never sleeps.” I guess it’s true. If He sees us fighting for our good, He will help us somehow. But I said to my other friend that, “If we do something good, good thing will come to us.”

Last week I also joined a selection for translating a young adults fiction in a different publisher. I've just received an email about the result. I failed the selection but this time I'm relieved since I've already got a bigger project in my hand.

From now on, I got so busy that I won’t be able to write many. But working hard is fun when we’re expecting some money from it ;)

Dedicated to IKSI 2005 (My University Friends)

I have to thank you for every single thing you’ve done, for every laugh and tear. Even our conflicts and enmities are not less valuable...

I wrote this last night when I was already sleepy but wanted to write something in the same time. This afternoon my friend had her undergraduate thesis defense. Some of us accompanied her before the defense, and then we waited for her (peeking, chuckling, gossiping, joking, and trying to take her pictures) in front of her door. It was a great time. Sadly, it also reminded me that it was one of our last times together.

There were hard times, ups and downs, disputes, and achievements. We learned to see who’s who and each other’s position. We’ve been through so many things during the last four years. And I tell you this, you helped me to grow up—something I had not been able to do in my previous environments.

I have to thank you for every single thing you’ve done, for every laugh and tear. Even our conflicts and enmities are not less valuable. You showed me how to be a friend, how to deal with life, and how to make jokes (ahaha, I’m still not good at it lol). Every single one of you is complementary--including those rarely had contact with me. After all, the best thing is we’re not friends like those in the televisions. Us is us… with some funny lines ^_^

One of the reasons why I’m still here in the campus after graduation is I don’t want to lose you too soon. I want to see the leaves fall one by one while carving your names in my heart. The Time will always run forward and the Distance will eventually play its part. Yet we may not get stuck in this point. Let’s run along with the Time and laugh at the Distance. We’ll become bigger and stronger, and then realize that there were “us” somewhere between the long journey.

I love you guys ^^

My Unspoken Love

I’d thought you were the strongest
yet you shed your tears in front of me

I’d thought you knew everything
yet you gave me no grip

I’d thought you would always be there
yet you left me with only me


Later I realized that
you're not a superhero,
you're not a professor,
and you're not a god

You’re just someone older
struggling to make our life better
for this so-called unconditional love
we’ve sometimes doubt of

Now I have a few words to say
Let’s grow up together starting today
along with our little ones
we’ll draw much brighter lines



(this poem is dedicated to my mother...)

Avoiding "Particular" Friends in Facebook

I had to figure out how to prevent their interferences in my facebook life...


Yesterday my facebook friend B complained in his status that one of his friends had deleted him from his/her friend list. I offered him a possibility that it was simply because he/she might just doesn’t know him personally. But B insisted that they know each other and he knows every single person in his facebook friend list. Actually, he was wrong. We don’t know each other. I had mistaken him for other friend with similar name in the same school and he believed me to be one of his almost forgotten English course old fella. Haha, hey Mr. B, please don’t delete me since we have many mutual friends, let’s just be friends from now on ^^

It reminded me of some cases where removing someone from the friend list happened. The first time it happened to me was done by a girl from USA. I just wanted to make friends with her. I thought she wouldn’t be afraid to someone looks like a little girl like me (oh, really? Hahaha). But she deleted me after a brief chat. I didn’t mind at all. I had already understood that parents in the USA and Great Britain always warn their children about having friends in the internet (trust me, I’ve read loads of young adults novels). Now I have some friends from other countries and we’re doing okay, ahaha.

First time I delete someone from my friend list happened a few months ago. He was Mr. A and I don’t know him personally. He added me from my neighbor’s account. I thought he’d wanted to be my friend since he commented several times on my status. But then I teased him on something and he got mad. He shouted at me. After leaving a little “I’m sorry” message, I deleted him. Whew. In fact, I deleted him directly to avoid him deleted me earlier. Ahahaha.

The second one was Mr. R in disguise. Well, we never really had a relationship, but I admitted that we were close. When we “broke up”, I swore him that it was my last message. He didn’t use his real name when he added me. There were no personal picture, only cartoon and various kinds of coffees. Then when he said, “Hi, M. This is me, R,” As reading it, I wanted to scream. Despite of his marital status, I’m still afraid of him until now. So I reminded him that my “last message” was really meant to be one. Then I deleted him *sigh*. His last words were “conceit cannot be beaten even after years”. Ooooh, I don’t care. I was afraid >_<

Lately I found myself feeling uncomfortable with some of my friends in facebook. But I realized that it might become such a pain (= problem) if I deleted them. So I had to figure out how to prevent their interferences in my facebook life. Suddenly my friend H disappeared from facebook. He deactivated his account (but then came back in a few days). That’s when I found out the “settings” icon (yeah, my facebook knowledge development was slow). Since then I set the privacy settings, especially blocking my status updates to be seen by those persons. I can also stop any kinds of notifications about them in my home. Sometimes I also block particular notes from particular persons. And no more facebook notification emails (I let a few still though).

Fewer disputes follow less contact. Now I have a more peaceful facebook life. Please have a try :)

Starting My 20s

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less...

It was told by my senior (also Indonesian studies alum, thanks so much, i love this quote ^^). In fact, starting my 20s is chilling me. I've been through difficult times during my late teen ages. Now I'm 20 and have a bachelor degree title. I have to look for money and look for a way to pursue higher degree. And the most important thing is to look for my self-actualization!

My other senior told her friends about her being in the quarter life crisis. My friend told me about the disadvantages of being a woman. My lecturer told me about how adults might went crazy (literally!) due to their fiasco in life (esp. carrier and money). Damn, all of these stuffs make me goosebumps.

Another senior said that I'm too young to be right. Maybe he's right. Somehow my academic life has hampered me from growing up normally (I said me, so I'm not representing my whole friends with similar condition-those 20 year old holding a bachelor degree title). So I guess I need to take a break and start learning everything again...

Wish me luck ^^