It Is Nice to See Younger People

Asw.

How have you all been?

In the past months, I have been sharing my knowledge in english in one of english course institution. I do it twice a week in the evening. And you know what? I have found out lately that even though I only got home 30 minutes after my noon job as a clerk, I can see myself having the better spirit than working as a clerk in the morning. I can see myself as a passionate person.



Sometimes, I wonder why it can happen to me. A few minutes ago, somethings slipped through my mind.

I believe that being with younger people can give us benefit such as, we can sense their youth, their naivety, their passion to know as much as possible, their inobliging in barriers ahead, their smiles for praises and one more thing, their exhaustion of advices.

I have to admit that by giving advices, I got reminded by myself, " Have I did as I adviced?". It reminds me to be consistent as what I told them. It reminds me to be a better person that the ones in my advices. I reminds me that somewhere in my heart, I need them.

We may not be a perfect person which is invulnerable to mistake, but we can be a perfect person whose mistakes develop him/her.

Then, which one are we?

One saturday night

Dear readers, how are you?

You know, I do realize that writing can take time. As I knew that making reports and filing them are no easy tasks as they take so many time. I knew that writing needs patience as much as the number of readers reading this. I want you to know that I've been trying to get you into my mind through these posts.

This saturday night, as usual, I don't mind staying at home because the last thing I want to do is being outside with lots of people having their saturday night pleasing themselves by going to the shopping malls, cinemas, hang out places, karaokes, and many more. I don't really confident being in a mass group of people. So I chose to stay at home, having dinner with my parents, and of course, practicing with my posts. I don't enjoy TV shows too much as well, so I choose to listen to David Foster's "Love Lights the world" album to accompany me writing my posts. I want to know how good it is. And there is also a radio programme delivered in english. In the early days, I always listen to it because I am relieved that we have someone who broadcast this kind of programme. But these days, I have been neglecting them because I don't think I can get excitement in listening to it anymore. I felt bored (though I hate to say it) by their programme, lack of enthusiasm, unclear positioning (which leads to unclear messages they deliver) and their lack of influence or even their main reason of their existence; to accompany their audiences. Just like a teacher whose student are leaving him one by one because the teacher cannot get them to talk.

I have been feeling these kind of thing since I was a junior high student. I have been trying to share my enthusiasm in english. I have been trying to make them feel that english is as easy as I feel. I want to convince them that understanding english is an advantage for them. I want people to feel confident in deliverin their speech, regardless of their english skill. I always failed to consistenly accompanying them in english. I am ready, wherever whenever, someone wants to practise their english with me. I don't care who they are, as long as they want to get my correction everytime they make mistake so that they can improve themselves. But in many times, those who wanted to practice english with me began to withdraw from practicing bit by bit.

Do I dream too big? Do I want too much? Was I too harsh in giving corrections? Am I overwhelming?

I have been searching and questioning these question so many times in my life. I hope I can get a chance where I can get the answer.

This hope will never cease. It is just that bitterness has been consuming it by time..

Wisdom from Lacquer Collector

Just a few minutes ago, I was lucky to watch this program on NHK. Although I didn't watch it from the beginning, I was grateful that my curiosity lead me away from boring culinary program to this interesting program.

It was a calm, soothing, documentary program that showed the story of a lacquer collector in Joboji area, western of Iwate Perfecture of Japan. He has been collecting sap from lacquer tree for amazingly 54 years! When I start viewing this program, the program was showing how he brought back memories by playing the record of himself collecting saps. Back then, it was a glorious moment for lacquer collector until Chinese lacquer hit the market with low-priced lacquers. Slowly but sure, many lacquer collector began being out of business. But he patiently stayed in the business.

Collecting saps can only be done in summer. They get up and collect the saps by making a gouge(straight cut on the tree's skin). They may not cut too deep not too short. By making it too deep, they will hurt the tree and the tree may contract goma disease. If they do, collectors may not be able to harvest sap from that tree anymore. If they cut too short, they cannot get many sap. This old collector is also tutoring a young collector how to make good cut and collect the sap. The old collector's philosophy in collecting saps is treating the tree as living substance.

His philosophy is shown by the way he treats the trees. He makes a gentle straight tree in order to prevent the goma disease. He treats the saps by collecting it into one clean bucket, where no bad material that can damage the quality of saps can be found. He patiently collects saps even though he doesn't gain as much as he could in the past. He said, " It is the quality that matters, not the quantity". He keeps the saps as if it is his own son. It's shown by the way he delivers the saps after summer harvesting time is over to the bulk seller. He kisses the bucket as if he is letting his son go on a long journey. After collecting time is over, the trees need to be cut down in order to grow another lacquer bud into a good lacquer tree in the future. He looks sad every time the cut down those harvested trees using a chainsaw. He wishes that he can harvest the sap from the newly-born bud in the future, but in case he aren't there when the time comes, he wants it to be ready when someone younger do it for him.

Wisdom can be found from living by the lacquer tree. Can other people find wisdom by living next to us?

The short Story of Seeking Daylight's End

This book tells a story of a young and daring eagle Talan, making a journey that any other eagle would think more than twice to do it; "Seeking the place where the sun ceases".

Talan and his eagle clan lived in a mountain range. They had been living there for years in content. They had regular meetings where the elders give stories of wisdom. Then, there was one respected elder who hadn't told stories for long step up and tell them that intrigued Talan to know what there are beyond the mountain range. After confirming Talan of his intention, Cael gave Talan a simple guidance : "Listen the wisdom whispered by the wind".

Then Talan was off to his new journey. Talan experienced a lot of things;face-to-face to a kind human, getting through snow blizzard, and being cheated by two crows. The last thing Talan can be amazed about was that Talan found another eagle clan; and they mentioned Cael. Talan surprised by the fact that Cael did the same journey as he just had, very long time ago. Talan decided to lead the rest of the clan to his clan, intending to meet them with Cael.

From this journey, Talan benefited from the invaluable experiences. Talan, from a young and daring eagle, became a brave and wise eagle. He was finally able to hear wisdoms from the wind, something other eagle would never able to do. Talan had become a mature eagle.

What I benefit myself from this book is that it encourage us to do something we hadn't dare enough to do, to do something we haven't got enough courage while in the other hand we wanted to do those things very bad. The "wisdom whispered by the wind", for me, is one way to show that if we are patient enough, GOD will whisper us the hints in miraculous ways. The same thing happens to ourselves, when we are confused and have no where to go and suddenly, our heart whisper us the unexpected ideas or thought. Haven't you got those experience? This book also encourage me to go out of myself and do some effort in order to become "a better me".

I waonder if this book sometimes are not available in book stores. I hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

The Beginning of our Battle with Ourselves

Assalamu'alaikum.

Dear readers, especially the moslem ones. We have come to the month we have been waiting for. The month where we can experience joy and struggle to be a better person afterwards. It's Ramadhan.

Moslem people welcome it in various ways. Some express their joy by making activities in Masjids. Some express it by sending messages implying their request for apologizes they may make to others. Some do it by posting it in their social-network websites.

But some do it by exploding fireworks.

It happened when people are waiting for the agreement made by Indonesia government to decide whether their moslem people shall do fasting tomorrow or not. When it was decided, the refinery unit of PT Pertamina in Balikpapan blew its whistle as a sign that Ramadhan has been started. Not long ago, not far from the Masjid, there are some people or kids that exploding fireworks. Its sound was shocking. There were not only one explotion. There were repeating numbers of it. It ignited the Masjid caretaker to search for the troublemaker. The search was done in the dark night. Not long after the search, persons in that Masjid could hear the yelling of the caretaker, chasing the troublemaker.

It was a pity, because the troublemaker did it in the moment where there were a lot of jamaah doing the pray. I wonder if they realised what they did. And I believed that the troublemaker is a moslem as well. I wonder which kind of approach the caretaker should make; conservative or parental approach.

These kind of thing have been colouring Indonesia's Ramadhan year by year. I hope we can educate the troublemakers like one I mentioned together.

Can you?

A glimpse in my Granddad's cemetery

This morning, i went to see my granddad's cemetery. It's the green one among others. Placed in such a dense 'population' of cemetery, I managed to get there by carefully passing through each cemetery. When I got there, it’s already been cleaned up and poured with flowers. They smelled nice. Apparently, a member of the family came not very long before me. So I cleaned up the tiny dust and made a pray.

There are things to remember about this granddad. He was an ex-soldier who wasn’t purposed for battle. As my mother told me, he did the errands for his commander. He drove his commander to the office, drove his commander’s wife to the grocery store, took their kids to school, and many other errands he did. When he got into pension period, he continued his life by doing small-scale civil works; repairing roof, fixing electricity networks, even helping in building my parents’ house. He could fix TVs, radios, motorcycle, and even he drove a local transportation car (angkot). As if there is nothing else he couldn’t do.

He had 6 children. He lived poorly but happily. He struggled to give his kids the best education he can. He wanted to do so to make his kids have a better than his. Well, he managed to get his kids to senior high level; one of them got a diploma. Now, his kids are now grown up and having their own family.

As much as I know, he had no idea in giving up. In the age of 60s, he can do things as if he was only 40 or 50. I’m not saying that he was a workaholic, but all he did, he did it sincerely to help people and for his kids.

I had quite a few memories about him. When I went to school from elementary to senior high, sometimes he pick me up to school if my dad was assigned to another city. Sometimes, he came to our house just to have a chat and brought me and my brother nasi goreng. He gave us advices in unique and cheerful ways. He gave me a long one just before getting into college. As I recalled, he never got mad at us, but he did have mad to my other cousins. He loved us in many ways.

One that I remember the most is when he was ill deeply, it was in 2004. During lebaran, he stayed in my house for awhile, just to get better rest than his house. I didn’t think that that was my last time seeing him. Just when I was ready to depart for college after Lebaran vacation, he suddenly cried like a little child. I tried to cheer him up by saying that I believe I can see him next year. I hug him, confident that he would be okay. I left him to get to the airport. In the next few days, I got news that he passed away. I was speechless. There was a regret that I had in my heart. I regret that I didn’t spend time to show my love and respect to him. I regret that I didn’t give him enough time to say goodbye. I can picture his cry back then until now.

Now, I felt those regret as useless thing to feel. I may regret it until now but not as big as I had a few years ago. That is why I want to move on and showing love to parents and grandparents better than before. I want to be prepared to lose someone dear to heart when their time comes.

These writing come in mind every time I go there. I think that what ziarah is for.

Pengalaman Seru Mondar Mandir di kantor

Assalamualaikum.

dear readers, how are you?

We're having some rainy days lately. N I'm typing it under this chill weather, waiting it to stop so I can get swimming...huhuhuhuhu...

Well, yesterday, I had quite a confusing day. There were not so many customers, but we were not in full squad. I felt chaotic. I had no idea that I will have such kind of day. I moved to one place and another in haste. I had too many things in my hand while handling customers' requests or complain. I wasn't focus and calm. I always feel uneasy looking at the customers' eye wandering their impatient look. N yes, I made too many mistakes just by being too hasty and infocus.

And in the end of the day, I made a deep mistake. When a mystery shopper got me, questioning details about sms banking that I haven't really understand about, I gambled on the answers and I lost. They got me. I felt guilty afterward and mumbling about it throughout my explaination to this mystery shopper...very lucky me!! This was added by forgetting my promise to close an account of a soldier who was very dissapointed for waiting too long for it. I felt another guilt....


Lucky me, I can take that as an experience that told me how it felt like to have such situation..Now, I want to make myself clear that I need to be able to focus and calm so I can pick my plan carefully. I also need to rise up the challenge of my surroundings.

I have learnt from yesterday...

What about you?

A

It is easier to be a FOLLOWER than one be FOLLOWED

Dear readers, it has been a while since my last post..

I missed a lot of things. I was lost in myself. Let me whine a little bit, will you?

In the last few days, I was intrigued by the feeling of unable to look at the eyes of some successful persons. There were some kind of force that make me feel they have that inner power to be a successful person. If i may say their names, like Surya Paloh, and Elang (young entrepreneur, winner of Mandiri Young Entrepreneur). To be honest, i was jealous n i hate to look them in the eyes. But, it was my self-ego afterall.

They have put effort, drive that i haven't done up until now. They did what i did not. They bear what I can't.

Now, in the last few days, I have realised a few thing. I found it easier to be a follower than one be followed. I found it easier to be in our own circle that excluded us from what we fear of. Fear of what we may face. Fear of what we may fail in the future. Fear of loses.

We may need to put more drive in ourselves. Sometimes, we may feel tired of doing the unworthy activities or effort easier than those we may feel worthy. Again, emotions play their role more than we may need to achieve in this life. We need emotion to drive us forward, but we may not need it in facing fears.

Are we driven enough to be a great, successful person?