He has been quoted as saying, "I am very careful about different foods. My diet is simple phulka, dal, green vegetables, yogurt and milk. I do not touch parathas, pakoras, rice or any other fried food. I take lots of water and tea with ginger. ... I go to bed early taking the name of my Rabba (God) as I don’t want all those negative thoughts crossing my mind."
Speaking about the marathon, he said: "The first 20 miles are not difficult. As for last six miles, I run while talking to God."
I don't know but he inspires me to keep myself healthy, always be busy with positive thoughts and keep running, moving on in life instead of being drowned in sorrow.
The reason why I decided to buy: it comes with spoon, fork, and chopsticks, it's made of good plastic, and... it was on SALE, obviously...
But guys.. what I actually want is a lunch box exactly like this...
The reason why: becoz the inside material is made of steel so it can keep your meals warm, and... I love the color! Yellow yellow, dirty fellow... I love YELLOW!
Just let me informed guys if you know where to get that kind of lunch box.
Thanks :)
Kali ini aku mau share cara membuat sendiri make up remover yang cocok buat membersihkan make up di wajah khususnya di daerah mata. Tau kan kalo make up di bagian mata itu biasanya paling ribet dan susah buat dihapus karena areanya kecil, sensitif tapi penuh dengan aneka rupa eye shadow dan eye liner.
Menghapus make up dengan make up remover yang sudah tersedia memang lebih praktis, tapi berhubung aku jarang banget pake make up berat jadi berasa sayang aja kalo beli. Ditambah lagi make up remover suka berbau menyengat dan bikin kulit jadi kering so... why not making it myself? And here is my version of DIY Eye Make Up Remover...
Prinspnya, bahan yang diperlukan adalah kombinasi antara cairan dan minyak. Cairan di sini fungsinya adalah untuk menyegarkan kulit sementara minyak bertugas untuk melarutkan make up di wajah.
Untuk cairan aku pake toner yang ringan dan segar (jangan pake toner yang strong, karena bisa bikin perih dan iritasi) dan untuk minyak bisa didapat dari petroleum jelly atau baby oil (bisa juga pake extra virgin olive oil atau minyak zaitun murni).
contoh hasilnya: menghapus waterproof eyeliner
Begini cara pakainya...
Aplikasikan toner secukupnya pada kapas
Kemudian tambahkan satu tetes baby oil (satu tetes baby oil cukup untuk membersihkan satu bagian mata)
Tutup matamu (ini penting nih, matanya jangan sampe melek), taruh kapas tersebut pada mata, diamkan selama 3-5 detik
Sapukan kapas ke arah luar mata dan bersihkan sisa make up dengan usapan ringan
Setelah make up terangkat, basuh wajah dengan face wash, bilas dengan bersih, keringkan, dan aplikasikan toner kembali jika diperlukan
Notes:
Karena formulanya yang ringan dan alami, sisa-sisa make up yang masih nempel di wajah harus dibersihkan lagi dengan face wash dan aplikasikan toner kembali jika dirasa perlu
Why are we so easy to judge people with zero level of knowing about each other?
People say, don't judge a book by its cover. It is true, but I know it is also not easy to stop our mind from labeling someone that passes our eyes.
For example, you were roaming in the market when you saw a very fat lady walked by. Your mind unconsciously said, what a gigantic aunty! look at her boobs. how did she find bra in that size, how will her husband.... etc, etc, etc.
Isn't that kind of thing happen often? When we see something and our mind instantly starts thinking: this is good, this is bad, that looks so ugly, OMG she's so stupid, that's so cheap, mines better, yours worse, etc, etc.
He uses iPhone; he must be a rich-urban man.
An aunty walks holding hands with a younger-looking man; she must be a slutty lady and he must be using her for her money.
That polkadot blouse with that ugly skirt and that dull scarf; she must be coming from a poor family with a horrible taste of fashion without any mirror in her room.
Now...
What if the fact is: he got the iPhone from stealing?
What if the fact is: they are just married, no matter that the woman is 15 years older, they find a truly comfort in each other and both are already settled down
What if the fact is: she is a medical doctor who needs to go to the hospital immediately to save the patient so that she picks randomly what she can reach in her closet
See?
Don't easily fall in to conclusion about something that you don't have knowledge about. It is better to remain in neutral even positive vibe. Train to keep your mind away from thinking bad and most important of all, always be kind to people no matter how bad their cover look.
Ok my friend. I am feeling so sad now. And down as well.
I just came home from a scholarship interview and it didn't go very well if I may score myself. I was opt to continue my graduate study in UI so that the reviewers constantly ask, why UI? Why don't you take abroad university? Have you done any browsing for the overseas university? You don't challenge yourself? Your TOEFL score is not good enough to get to university abroad. Bla, bla, bla. What the heck is wrong with taking local university? I don't know if it's me that's never been good in pointing an argument but I don't think I delivered reasons that pleased them. Just let see how's the result in the next 2 weeks. Still I have a slight hope for the best result and definitely expect get myself ready for the worst: get rejected.
In other case, I am also sad that someone whom I've never talked in real before judged me RUDE just based on a text-chat.
He was the first that disappointed me on a phone call; I was busy talking and he surprisingly gone sleep on the other side of the phone. I instantly got upset lah! Why? Becoz already told him in advance; if you want to sleep you can go sleep and take some rest but he replied; no, no, I will sleep later.
I then continued talking and rambling before I realized that he didn't give any reply. I kept hello-ing; hello, hello, you there, you there, reply me please, you there, you sleep, where are you going, hello, hello, hello...
I then closed the phone and texted him, go to hell; 3 words that I already regret typing it right second after I pressed enter. But what can I do, the text's already sent and I couldn't delete it.
So I guess he read it in the next morning and we didn't have any contact for the next 5 days. I keep thinking if it hurts him over and over before I decided to apologize for saying that words. He accepted my apology and asked back for apology for making me upset by leaving me on the phone like that. But then he said, are you always like that when you're upset, being rude?
What? Rude? Oh come on!
You also wrote that go to hell in your status. Now I am saying that words right in front of you thus you call me RUDE? How can you say that I am rude? Based on what? In what capacity have you been in touch with me? Have you known me very well so that you can say that I am a rude girl? Have you talked to me face to face? Have you been in difficult situation with me that wakes the evil up inside me? The answer is all NO!
I don't mean to say that I am the sweet girl that saying all sweet and wise words. No. Not at all.
When I am upset I do curse. When something went wrong I say bad words as well. But that doesn't mean that I keep saying that on the daily basis to every people. No.
Just ask my close friends or my family (unless mom and my sister of course, hahah), none of them will ever say that I am a rude person.
It feels sad, you know. It feels sad when someone who barely knows you put a bad label on you just like that.
Kali ini aku menyaru menjadi beauty blogger karena aku akan mereview produk kecantikan dari Himalayan Herbals.
Jadi sekitar sebulan yang lalu, aku jalan ke Margo City dan ternyata Watson lagi ada sale gede-gedean, mulai dari produk kecantikan hingga kesehatan semuanya lagi diskon. Singkat cerita, aku yang suka liat-liat beauty product ini akhirnya nyangkut di booth Himalayan Herbals.
Brand ini jelas-jelas asing sekali buatku karena belum pernah dengar sebelumnya dan pertama kali melihatnya ya pas di situ itu. Setelah dijelaskan panjang lebar oleh mbak-mbaknya dan baca sendiri kandungan produknya di balik setiap kemasan... ehh.... ternyata... made in Bangalore, India.
I have an interesting idea to make you know your body better. Starts from getting familiar with your natural smell, a.k.a body odor. Here is the way:
Just in one fine normal day, try going out and do your activity without applying deodorant, deo powder, perfume, or whatsoever on your body. Let your armpit be as natural as possible without putting anything on it. Do your activity as you use to be in the daily basis. As the day passes, go back home and smell your cloth on the armpit part. That's your natural body odor!
I know it sounds ewww... kind a rather disgusting to going out without putting deodorant but guys, who else would know your body better than you? It is you! Not the doctor, nor your mom.
Sometimes the body odor problem can be cured by changing your life style such as modifying your food intake or bathing more cleanly, not by putting more deo. Give your armpit the time to release the sweat naturally bcoz sweating is one of natural forms of detoxification.
If you don't feel confident to go out in a day without deo, it is very fine. We all use deo to not ruin people's nose especially in public transportation. I use deo too. But at the end of the day, do make it a habit to sleep with deo-free armpit to give it a time to breath.
I just woke up from a 2 hours nap and I don't feel good now. Lately, I have been feeling that I need someone to talk, about everything, at anytime, by anyways. But sadly I just don't have that someone to talk :'(
Nothing much special today coz I am so busy and tired in finishing my field work. I actually had planned some kind of birthday post, writing about things that I am grateful for and things that I want to achieve in my 23 buuuut... I am not in a good mood to write about all those. Maybe later I will do Ok!
For now, I just wanna express my gratitude to Allah SWT for all the unstoppable blessing and love He showers me, despite the up and down of my imaan. Oh Allah, please always guide me and show me the way to live a better quality of living, for myself and people I love and people who love me.
I hope in my 23rd age I can improve my daily ibadat and be more sincere in heart; no more wrong deed and negative feeling inside my heart so that I can always think positive and do kindness to people and my surroundings.
May in my 23rd age I can always perform healthy lifestyle and influence people around me to do so, be healthy inside and outside. May I can always be consistent in doing what I am doing, be a better person with integrity, patience, and honesty. To be a professional in one particular field so that I can earn good with my profession and help my family and people around me that are in need.
And last but not least... I hope I can continue living my life with someone I love and loves me back, just in the right time so that I have someone to share about everything in life coz lately I have been realizing that living alone feels suck.
Semoga Allah SWT mengabulkan harapan-harapan sunyi di hati yang sedang berultah ini. Amien.
So yesterday I went to department store just to buy............. soaps!
Initially I only wanted to buy one, but as I smelled each variant of soaps I couldn't stop myself not to get one of every variant!
You know guys, I just woke up in the middle of the night bcoz I am sweating and it is so hot here. So I decided to continue some works and do blogging.
You know guys, I just realized how stupid and careless I am since I just opened the admission web for a postgrad study in UI and guess what.... the major that I would like to take IS NOT OPEN for the next coming semester, which means, it will only be opened on the semester after the next semester, August 2015! Oh gosshh... How can I not know... Well, Okay.. Someone from one department has already told me abot that but I was just too busy lazy to log on and check the registration page to make it sure.. but wait... I remembered a lady from another department once told me that it will be opened, which made me confident that it surely will! #ahsudahlah #mungkindialelah #atau #mungkinsayayanglelah
Sooo what I am gonna do now...? Should I still apply for LPDP for this November's batch? What I am gonna do if I didn't pass? What I am gonna do after this semester ends? Will I be able to assist the class on the next semester? What I am gonna do during the time before that awaiting semester come? Working? Or.... getting married maybe?
Hello guys.. how's life? Hope you all doing well. It's October already and guess what... I am turning 23 in very soon hehehehh...
So guys in the past few days I have been watching some wedding and birthing videos on youtube and facebook. The wedding videos are soo beautiful, one of my favorite is this.
But guys... but... as I watched a birthing video shared by my friend on facebook yesterday... I think that... I am trapped in a deeper state of emotion compared to the emotion I feel when watching the wedding video. Both are incredibly beautiful but... I dunno guys... The birthing video just gave me more goosebumps... But yaa I know, in order to give birth as sweet as that way, you gotta get married first :'))
Last weekend I went to Bandung to visit my 3 siblings and it felt soooo nice and peaceful to be completely-brotherly reuniting when you are far away from home ;)
Having Ramen as dinner (taking pix while waiting for the ramen to come)
Morning walk to campus... Ohh.. I always love the fresh ambiance in morning Bandung
I am actually not a really accessories-girl but once a while when I have a short visit to accessories shop, of course lah hasrat tuk membeli barang-barang cute itu tak dapat terbendung juga, hehehe...
From my little experiences purchasing accessories, I personally think price doesn't always matter. I mean, cutie stuffs often come with more affordable price. Even the quality is not as good as the pricey ones, at least, you still can go menggaya with it lah, hahaha...
Here are some examples of my recent broke down in accessories stores:
See? Even my cheap ring looks more fancy than the pricey one!
Okay.. I think that's more than enough for me. It's time to earn and save more money now... in order to.... get married maybe... hehehehe...!!! Amieen...:)
Jadi kemaren sore pas lagi liat-liat timeline twitter, gw ngeliat ka Amank, travel blogger and travel videographer dari neverstoptravelling, ternyata lagi ada di Depok. Lalu gw, antara iseng dan nekat, me-reply tweetnya: ka amank lagi di depok ya? ka aku ngefans sama blog dan videonya boleh ketemu ga ka?
Sekitar satu jam kemudian gayung bersambut, ka Amank merespon positif. Asik asik asik... Jadilah magrib-magrib gw meluncur naik angkot ke sebuah mall buat ketemu sekalian minta foto sama ka Amank. Hihihi...
Pas ketemu... aiihhh.. Ternyata bener seperti yang selama ini gw tonton di videonya, orangnya suka ketawa dan ramah pula. Rasa nervous dan shy-shy cat gw sebagai seorang fans nekat yang ingin ketemuan akhirnya jadi mencair, hihihi... Thank you ka Amank. Sukses terus ya!!!
It's Saturday night tonight and guess what...? I am at home and....... blogging!!
#duh #foreveralone #yuck
Btw, I am just sooo in love with itsjudyslife family and cannot stop crying watching the recent surprise by Benji... Oooucchhh.. Where can I get myself a Benji??!!!
It's been a month since my last blogpost and oh yaa before I write further I would like to say Happy Eid Mubaraak 1435 Hijriyah, Taqobbalallahu minna wa minkum, shiyamana wa shiyamakum. With all my heart I humbly apologize for all mistakes and wrongdoing that I have done, consciously or unconsciously. May Allah swt accept all of our ibadat and good deeds during the Ramadhan and may we all meet the next Ramadhan Insya Allah. Aamin.
Soo what's been happening during Ramadan and Eid ul Fitri?
First of all, I went back to my hometown and spent half of my Ramadan at home. Then, I went to mom's hometown at the second day of Eid. Aaand you know what, my older brother Adil and my younger brother Zakki got accepted in ITB! Bro Adil continues his post-grad study in Pharmacy and Bro Zaki takes bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering and he awesomely passed the national selection SBMPTN himself! Congratulation for them!! This is just the beginning for them but still I am a proud sister! They, along with my sister Sarah, have departed for Bandung on August 1st and I am now staying alone at home... hiks... accompanying Mom and supervising the renovation of my house which Insya Allah will be done soon.
So when will I be back to Depok?
Hmm... At the end od this month I guess.. Coz I understand that my mom is in need for me to supervise house's renovation aand... still I am finding chance to work on a research and to be a lecturer assistant as well.
How about my plan on getting post-grad study?
Ow yaa, after being rejected by UKM.. I have been doing contemplating a lot about it.. which means... still I am so on fire in continuing my study but I am thinking about the place... I guess my mind has switched from Malaysia to Indonesia... But let see... I need to count on everything before taking decision; chance of getting the scholarship, the living cost, the subjects, my family's circumstances, my age (before and after taking the study), and... when will I get married maybe? Heheh... The more I think about it, the more I want to make it precise and less complicated. Ugh yeah.. That's pretty much all. And oh yaaaa... I am quite surprised to see my blog's page view has reached 10,000 plus!! Aahahahaha!!! I hope I can still be consistent to write, to keep practicing my English, to develop my writing skills which I hope will not make my readers get bored... hehehe...
Here are some pix I got from my Ramadan and Eid at hometown... (all pictures are stolen from my cousin and aunty's facebook)
with my cousin ( I am in love with this hijab style right now!)
With my sister and cousin at kampung
Drinking traditional hot coffee Kopi Kawa Daun (eeiik... I could't finish my coffee.. I just can't be a good friend with coffee)
Nowadays, the contents of Indonesia's TV stations are getting soo alay, boring, less educational, full of random joged-joged, political campaigns, and the their qualities get decreased day by day. Unconsciously, all of them lead us to be more pragmatical, lazy, and so pessimistic in life, don't they?!?
So in the past 6 months, I have been turning my watching onto youtube and I found out sooo many inspiring channels that make me more positive, cheerful, and open my eyes to the world as well. Here are channels that I subscribe and watch the most on youtube:
1. Michelle Phan
First time I watched Michelles Phan's video was around 10 months ago when I was searching for make up tutorial for graduation and I really love her! She taught us (girls) things that are barely taught in school: about how to apply make up, be positive, be creative and be confident in looking beautiful inside and outside.
2. Itsjudytime and Itsjudyslife
After Michelle, my make up inspiration is Itsjudytime. She does make up tutorial, product review, first impressions and product swatches as well. In the Itsjudyslife channel, she does daily vlog (video blog) about her daily life with her husband Benji, her daughters Julianna and the twins Keira and Miya. I learn a lot about how's the family's life in the US and how Judy lives her happy life with her beautiful family.
3. Amenakin
Browsing for hijab tutorial, I found gorgeous Amenakin's channel and I love it!!! Amenakin is Indian descent who lives in the UK. Not only posting hijab tutorials, she also posts videos about make up, style, daily vlogs and Islamic messages as well. Really opening my mind and making more excited to improve my daily ibadat.
4. Ochikeron and Cooking With Dog
Besides of watching make up and styling tutorial, my another love is watching cooking videos. My 2 favorites come from Japan; the kawaii Ochikeron and a neat lady with her dog, Francis. I learn a looot about Japanese recipes and other food recipes as well. Banzaaai Japanese!!
5. Vah Chef
Other than Japanese recipes, I am also in love with Indian recipes and my inspiration is a hilariously funny Vah Chef. Namaste! Salammualaikum! Satriakal!
6. Xiaxue's Guide to Life
I just cannot stop watching hilarious Xiaxue's Guide to Life and this is one reason why my internet quota get finished before its due date. Watching this show, I get to know more about how advance Singapore is and I get to be more familiar with Singaporean English. Welcoming the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, get your ears used to Singlish lah! Ok lor!?!!
7. More beauty and daily vlog channels... April Athena and AprilJustinTV; another beauty and US's family vlog Chloe Morello; the beautiful Australian make up personality, Lilith Moon; European make up and hair tutorial's personality. I love her accent!!!
That's pretty much all guys. I hope I can give you a little insight if you want to watch more quality and positive programs!
I am in hometown now since last 2 days until the next 10 days. I am carrying my works home while waiting for a new job's application procedure. Wish me luck guys ^^
And the sad news is... I probably wouldn't be able to come to hometown on Eid :'((
Just watching this commercial on a TV program and I totally agree with it!!!
Sometimes..., okay... most of the time when I dress up in front of the mirror: swiping some powder, putting lip coloring onto my lips, etc, I mostly ends it up with smiling just by myself. As I am ready to step out of my room, just within second, I unconsciously try to "neutralize" all of them, trying to tone down everything that I just put on. Oh My God... What's going on with me..? I do want to be looking nice and pretty but in contrary, I feel like a slightly guilty to seem like I do put some efforts to it. What a pity, right?
I guess... It's bcoz I am too shy... or in the right words: I have a rather low self-esteem... and yes, I admit that I am lack of confident in wearing things that make me up. You know what I mean, lah...
But after watching the this ad... I feel like waking up and my confident level rising up. There's nothing wrong in appearing nice and pretty, isn't it? And to achieve it, one has to put "confidence" on the first basis. Once confidence is there, no more doubt or fear of swiping more powder, trying new hijab style, or even wearing red lips. Am I right?
Thanks Olay for waking me up to go out confidently with the best version of me.
And oh ya, I have been using Olay's moisturizer for almost 5 years now and I really love it!
Kali ini aku akan memberi review tentang pasta gigi baru yang kubeli awal bulan ini: Systema Nano.
Awal mula belinya sih karena.... ekonomi lagi labil!!! wkwkwk
Secara diriku adalah konsumen setia pasta gigi Enzym sejak dua tahun terakhir, akhir bulan kemarin pas lagi belanja groceries pasta gigi Enzym kebetulan lagi gak diskon (sekitar Rp 20.000-an) dan disebelahnya Systema Nano udah nangkring cantik dengan harga kurang dari separuh Enzym (sekitar Rp 8.000) dan isinya lebih banyak 20 gram pula.
Here is the review...
VS
Diklaim sebagai pasta gigi dengan butiran nano-kalsium yang bisa menutup lubang-lubang mikro di gigi, pas gosok gigi emang beneran berasa ada butiran-butiran gitu....
Awalnya rada asing gitu sama butiran2 yang berasa pas lagi sikat gigi itu, tapi setelah beberapa kali gosok gigi udah nggak berasa lagi tuh, mungkin udah terbiasa kali ya..
Rasa mentolnya cukup kuat dan oh ya... busanya banyak banget... Karena sebelumnya udah terbiasa make Enzym sikat gigi tanpa detergen kali ya... sekarang dengan Systema Nano ini aku gosok giginya jadi tiga ronde: sikat-kumur, sikat-kumur, dan sikat-kumur sampai busanya bener-bener hilang.
Beberapa hari di awal, setelah gosok gigi tuh jadi suka ada kayak apa gitu... semacam lendir gitu di bagian dalam mulut dan ujung bibir, tapi nggak banyak sih. Jadi inget sama pasta gigi Close Up, yang dulu aku suka pake, setelah gosok gigi mulut jadi suka ada lendir gitu.
Kesimpulan
Secara harga Systema Nano cukup terjangkau. Secara khasiat yang katanya bisa menutupi lubang-lubang mikro di gigi sih... belum tau deh. Dan untuk membuktikannya memang perlu waktu sih..
Secara kualitas pemakaian... busanya berasa banget dan gigi jadi berasa keset juga. Cukup beda dengan Enzym yang nggak berbusa dan nggak bikin gigi berasa keset sehabis dipakai.
Saran
Hmmm... Kayaknya kalo punya duit bakal balik ke Enzym lagi dech... hehehe..
Daan... Oh iya.... Don't forget to do this sebelum membuang produk-produk harian kamu... supaya nggak dioplos sama tangan-tangan tidak bertanggung jawab gitu... Okey...?!
Jadi hari itu, aku lagi after duty from tutoring privat anak SD kelas 6 buat menghadapi ujian nasional. Tutoring mulai dari jam 5 sampai jam setengah 7 trus pulangnya jalan kaki keluar komplek perumahan. Ya... elit gitu deh perumahannya... Di belokan yang rada remang-remang dan menyeramkan aku ngeliat kucing unyuuuu banget... Badannya gemuk, bulunya lebat, ekornya panjang, hidungnya pesek, warnanya putih abu-abu gitu... Kayaknya kucing Persia atau Anggora dech, nggak mungkin kucing kampung. Aku tegur dengan bahasa kucing seadanya "pusss... pusss... meoooww... meoooww" tapi dianya malah menjauh dan ngelirik aku dengan ekspresi waspada gitu... Sempat terlitas di pikiran, eh ini kucing unyu apa kabur dari rumah ya... koq sampai berkeliaran malam-malam gini... aku ambil aja apa... masukin tas trus dibawa pulang, hehehe... Ya udah dech selamat tinggal kucing.. jangan lupa pulang ke rumah yaa...
si kucing imut
Aku jalan lagi dan dari jauh ngeliat lagi anjing lucu berbadan kecil... kalau ini kayaknya jenis Chihuahua soalnya sering liat di TV. Pas aku udah dekat, dia nyalakin.. "grrr... gukk gukk grrr...". Eh copot!!! Aku kaget dong..
si tersangka pengejar
Nggak taunya... dia mendekat dan nyalak makin kenceng, "GUKKK!!! GUKK!!!" Aku refleks langsung lariiiiii.... Eh... emak... dia malah ngejar.... "Ttoloonggg...!!!". Pas di depan ngeliat pak satpam lagi lewat pake motor... "Pak satpaaammm.... Tolooonggg...!!!!", tapi sial Pak Satpam nggak dengar teriakan aku... "GUKK!!! GUKK!!! GUKK!!!" Aku lari making kencengg.... Ehh.. Di depan ada anjing lagi... badannya juga kecil tapi agak gedean dari yang sekarang lagi ngejar... tipe-tipe Hachiko gitu... nggak kalah unyu-unyu... Eiits... Kalo dia juga ikutan ngejar gimana... haduhh... tamat deh riwayatku....
hachiko yang baik
"GUKK!!! GUKK!!! GUKK!!". Pak satpam udah menjauh... eh tapi alhamdulillah si Hachiko diem aja cuma ngeliatin...
"Guk... Guk... Auffttt... Aufft..." Suara si Chihuaha makin mengecil... Aku liat ke belakang... Alhamdulillah... dia udah berhenti... capek kali ya... trus jadi ngeliatin aku gitu... "Hoshh... hoshhh... hoshh...". Legaaa.... Aku berhenti sebentar, ngatur napas sama detak jantung dulu... Fiuhh.... Begini toh rasanya dikejar doggy -,-
What is the most satisfying feeling for a woman when she does shopping?? Winning a bargain for a stuff with the lowest price. I found this message on my FB's timeline this morning and it suddenly wakes me up to practice bargain wisely in the future.
Many people say that I am a simple person and yes... I cannot find words to deny that. I really think that I am a simple kind of person, I mean, I do love to live a basic, non-complicated life just like in the era of 1990's hehehe... Okay... Some few years ago, I used to spend money on unworthy stuffs... but now every time I have money I simply spend them on my basic needs and put into my saving.
For example, lets take a look on my choices on these questions:
Kitchen Set or Bags...?
......Hmm... I love both... but... I will vote for Kitchen Set!! My love for cooking and trying new recipe are soo far beyond my love for collecting and stacking bags.....
Food or Make Up Tools...?
......quite dilemmatic... but I really cannot live without FOOD especially the fresh and healthy one. I would love to plant them in my own garden somemore. Check on the FOOD....
Gold Jewelry or Fresh Water...?
......who doesn't love to find treasure of ancient gold jewelry beneath the ground? I would love too!!! but... in this era... I would really love to find the source of clean and fresh water nearby my house coz no one drinks gold for living......
Selamat ulang tahun buat Ibu dan Ayahku tersayang yang ke-49 dan 59 tahun... Pelita kehidupan, sumber kasih sayang dan keridhoan Allah yang tak terputus untuk kehidupanku <3 <3
Semoga Ibu dan Ayah senantiasa berada dalam lindungan dan penjagaan Allah SWT, selalu diberikan kesehatan serta kekuatan untuk badan dan fikirannya, dilimpahkan rizki yang nikmat dan barokah, serta dilancarkan segala hajat dan urusannya. Amien...
PS: Selalu doakan anak-anakmu ya Ibu dan Ayah agar kami menjadi generasi penerus yang ihsan, sukses dalam bidang kami masing-masing, dan selalu tawadhu'. Amien...
Karena sudah berniat untuk melanjutkan studi pasca-sarjana di Malaysia, skor TOEFL menjadi satu syarat mutlak untuk dimiliki. Umumnya hampir semua universitas di Malaysia mensyaratkan skor TOEFL minimal 550 untuk mode paper-based atau 79-80 untuk mode internet-based. Nah setelah aku ubek-ubek web ets.org/toefl, mode paper-based sudah tidak diujikan lagi di Indonesia. Jadi, sertifikat TOEFL resmi yang dikeluarkan di Indonesia adalah TOEFL iBT semata. So here I go...
Menetapkan Waktu, Lokasi dan Cara Pembayaran
Awal bulan Februari, sepluang dari Malaysia Trip, aku mulai sibuk browsing dan cari-cari cara pendaftaran test TOEFL iBT yang paling efektif dan efisien. Waktu itu aku datang ke lembaga International Testing Service (ITC) di Plaza Sentral Jl. Sudirman yang merupakan salah satu lembaga resmi tempat penyelenggaraan tes TOEFL iBT dan juga melayani pembelian voucher test-nya. Di sana dijelaskan kalau biaya resmi untuk mengikuti test TOEFL iBT adalah 175 US Dollar, dikalikan kurs yang waktu itu 12ribu sekian jadinya 2,2 juta Rupiah *menangisss.....*
Setelah menghitung-hitung tanggal, hari, dan bulan baik, akhir bulan Februari aku beranikan diri untuk daftar ikut test TOEFL iBT. Aku kembali mengontak ITC, ternyata harga voucher test-nya masih sama, 2,2 juta rupiah, padahal kurs USD saat itu sudah turun menjadi sekitar Rp. 11.600-an. Akhirnya aku putuskan saja untuk daftar mandiri di situs ets.org/toefl, lalu minta tolong Abang sepupuku untuk bantu bayar online dengan kartu kreditnya, kemudian nanti akan aku transfer sesuai dengan total pembayaran. Alhamdulillah selain dibantu bayar dengan kartu kredit Abang, Mama-nya Abang (kakak perempuan Ibuku) juga turut menyumbang separuh dari biaya test yang totalnya Rp. 2.073.099. Alhamdulillah... Thanks buat Mama dan Abang *hugs*
Aku memilih hari Sabtu/22 Maret sebagai tanggal test dan Kaplan Edupac di WTC Jl. Sudirman sebagai lokasi test dengan pertimbangan tempatnya paling mudah dijangkau serta pilihan lokasi test lainnya mayoritas berada jauh di daerah Jakarta Utara. Satu minggu sebelum hari-H, tepatnya Sabtu/15 Maret, aku datang untuk mengecek lokasi test yang terletak di Gedung WTC lantai 10 itu.
Setelah itu...
Aku memiliki waktu sekitar 20 hari untuk benar-benar mempersiapkan diri mempelajari materi TOEFL iBT secara mandiri. Maka, karena mayoritas kursus persiapan TOEFL iBT sangat mahal dan tidak tersedia di banyak tempat, aku mendownload materi dan contoh-contoh soal dari internet dan mempelajarinya sendiri. Kuakui, effort-ku saat itu kurang maksimal karena dalam 20 hari tersebut ada beberapa hal yang membebani pikiran, termasuk deal dengan sebuah tawaran pekerjaan yang membuatku tidak tidur memikirkannya dan akhirnya dengan terpaksa... aku tolak. Jadi saranku, lepaskanlah beban pikiran terlebih dahulu saat mempersiapkan test TOEFL ini. Stay focus dan konsentrasi pada tujuan: nilai yang setinggi-tingginya.
About The Test: Persiapan, On The Spot dan Tips
Okeh, untuk masing-masing bagian dalam test TOEFL iBT ada baiknya aku jelaskan satu per-satu: 1. Reading
Sesi ini terdiri dari 3 artikel yang panjaaaang sekali dan masing-masing artikel memiliki 14-16 pertanyaan. Total waktu untuk sesi Reading adalah 60 menit, berarti sekitar 20 menit untuk setiap artikel. Kita bisa melongkap jawaban yang dirasa sulit dan kembali mengoreksinya kalau waktu masih tersedia. Persiapan: Aku mendownload contoh soal TOEFL Preparation dari ETS, aku print, trus aku kerjakan dengan mengeset stopwatch 20 menit. Hasilnya dari beberapa kali trial: paling banyak hanya betul setengah dari jumlah soal, waktu 20 menit aku rasa sangat kurang... dan akhirnya... aku jadi malas melanjutkan latihan ini... *jangan ditiru* On the spot: Di sesi pertama test ini jantung masih berdegup kencang dan aku terus saja melirik pada stopwach yang tertera di layar. Aku coba fokus membaca paragraf demi paragraf artikel dan menjawab soal-soalnya. Untuk dua artikel pertama, aku kerjakan dengan membacanya sampai habis lalu menjawab soal-soalnya. Namun untuk artikel terakhir, waktunya tinggal 17 menit. Aku mulai ngawur dan meng-skimming satu per-satu paragraf lalu lompat ke pertanyaan. Mana ada pertanyaan di artikel kedua yang belum dijawab... duh... Waktu tinggal 48 detik, aku kembali ke pertanyaan yang tadi ditinggalkan, baca lagi paragrafnya, lalu mengklik jawabannya... Klik. Waktupun habis, layar komputer berganti. Fiuhh... Terus terang diantara semua sesi, aku paling pesimis dengan sesi Reading ini :'( Tips: Latihan, latihan, latihan! Be curious tentang topik bacaannya. Simulasikan diri dengan mengerjakan soal-soal Reading dengan waktu 20 menit per artikel dan temukan gaya pengerjaanmu yang paling efektif, apakah dengan membaca seluruh artikel sampai habis, ataukah dengan meng-skimming.
2. Listening
Sesi ini terdiri dari 2 sampai 3 percakapan antara dua orang (antara sesama teman kuliah, antara dosen dengan mahasiswanya) dan 4 sampai 6 ceramah (lecturer) dari seorang dosen. Masing-masing percakapan dan ceramah memiliki 5-6 pertanyaan, total pertanyaannya aku nggak menghitung sih. Persiapan: Sama seperti sesi Reading diatas, aku mendowload contoh-contoh soal dan berlatih dengan mendengarkan audio percakapan dan lecturer secara online. On the spot: Aku sangat menikmati setiap audio yang diujikan karena suaranya sangat jelas dan intonasinya sedang. Tidak seperti sesi Listening pada 2 kali test TOEFL ITP yang pernah kuikuti sebelumnya (tahun 2011 dan 2013), dimana nilaiku selalu rendah pada sesi ini. Pembelaanku saat itu: audionya (kasetnya) nggak jelas karena menggunakan satu tape sentral dan ngomongnya terlalu cepat. Untuk test iBT ini, masing-masing peserta memakai headset yang bisa disesuaikan volumenya serta disediakan kertas dan pinsil untuk mencatat poin-poin penting percakapan. Percakapannya nggak bisa diulangi lagi, dan jawabannya nggak bisa dikoreksi atau direview kembali seperti sesi Reading. Aku cukup senang dengan kualitas audio-nya, tapi sebenarnya nggak begitu yakin dengan jawaban-jawaban yang kuberikan :'( Tips: Latihan, latihan, latihan! Untuk kontennya sendiri, latih dirimu untuk memahami sinonim atau frase-frase English, contohnya: What does the speaker mean by saying "He is really on the ball". Trus juga latihlah kemampuanmu buat mendengarkan ceramah/percakapan sambil mencatat poin-poin penting atau ide dari perkataan seseorang. Memang sih nggak mudah, tapi seenggaknya latihan akan membuat kamu familiar dengan bagian ini.
BREAK
Usai sesi Listening kita diberi waktu break selama 10 menit. Waktu break setiap orang berbeda-beda, tergantung kecepatannya menyelesaikan soal-soal dan apakah dia men-skip sesi direction di komputernya. Saranku sih, sesi penjelasan direction jangan di-skip, hitung-hitung memberi waktu sejenak untuk bernapas.
Waktu break aku manfaatkan dengan minum, makan roti, lalu ke toilet. Sebenarnya di ruang break ada satu kotak Dunkin Donats, tapi terletak begitu aja, nggak ada yang nawarin dan nggak ada yang inisiatif nanyain pula, pada segan kali ya... Yasudah akhirnya donat-donat gemuk itupun pada diliatin aja oleh para peserta, hehehe... Oh iya, waktu itu peserta test ada 14 orang dan sebagian besar adalah adek-adek Chinese yang aku perkirakan murid kelas 3 SMA dan pada ngobrol pake Bahasa Mandarin. Aku juga sempat ngobrol dengan seorang mbak-mbak berjilbab dari IPB yang katanya ingin melanjutkan studi ke Jepang.
3. Speaking
Sesi ini terdiri dari 6 pertanyaan: 2 pertanyaan umum, 4 pertanyaan yang meminta kamu merangkum/menjelaskan kembali sebuah teks, percakapan, sesi lecturer, dan campurannya. Persiapan: Aku mendownload program audacity untuk merekam sendiri suaraku dan mendengarkan kembali hasilnya, apakah pengucapannya jelas, intonasinya terlalu cepat, dlsb. Aku pelajari tipe soalnya, dan mengkondisikan diriku untuk menjawabnya secara lisan dengan waktu yang dibatasi. On the spot: Karena pernah bercita-cita jadi English news anchor, aku cukup enjoy dengan sesi ini, tapi yah gitu deh... Ada beberapa bagian dimana aku banyak "eee..." dan mengulangi kata yang diucapkan. Tips: Latihlah dirimu buat speaking English dengan intonasi moderate dan pengucapan yang benar, mudah dipahami, dan nggak perlu spesifik menirukan aksen tertentu karena masing-masing orang punya ciri khas aksen/dialek tersendiri. Rekam suaramu dan dengarkan kembali, kalau perlu minta orang lain untuk mendengarkan, apakah bisa dipahami atau tidak. Trus latihan buat spontan merespon pertanyaan sehari-hari dengan Bahasa Inggris, contohnya: What did you cook yesterday?; Where will you go today?; atau Tell us how did you meet your best friend?
4. Writing
Ada 2 essay yang harus ditulis pada sesi Writing ini, yaitu integrated writing dan independent writing. Pada integrated writing kita akan menulis essay berdasarkan gabungan antara sebuah narasi dan sebuah percakapan/lecturer, sementara pada independent writing kita menulis essay mengenai pendapat kita terhadap sebuah topik tertentu. Persiapan: Aku mendownload ragam model essay iBT dengan skor tertinggi kemudian menganalisa polanya. Trus aku menonton video di youtube tentang cara mengerjakan Writing di TOEFL iBT. Video yang aku temukan ini sangat bermanfaat untuk menambah pemahaman kita tentang sesi Writing sehingga kita jadi ada guideline untuk menulis essay agar jadi lebih terstruktur dan nggak nge-blank. Sayangnya aku menemukan learning video ini hanya beberapa hari sebelum hari-H pelaksanaan test, jadi nggak sempat menonton semua materi untuk TOEFL iBT :'(
On the spot: Aku mengerjakan kedua essay dengan cukup lancar, tapi ya gitu deh... Karena struktur essay itu menggambarkan pola berpikir penulisnya, aku yang agak lemot untuk mentranslasikan pemikiran menjadi tulisan ini jadi menghabiskan banyak waktu di bagian awal. Ditambah lagi... Mas-mas disebelah pake melirik-lirik ke layar komputerku segala, yang hanya dibatasi dengan sekat kaca bening transparan seperti di warnet. Konsentrasiku jadi buyar... Bagaimana ini... f$@#!&*#*@!. Akhirnya kubalas aja dia dengan melirik balik dengan tatapan nanar emosi "apa loe liat-liat?!" Tips: Latihan, latihan, latihan! Menulis adalah menyampaikan isi pikiran kita, jadi berlatihlah untuk berpikir runut, terstruktur, salin ke dalam bentuk essay, dan jangan lupa sampaikan satu gagasan utama di setiap paragrafnya. Ambil beberapa contoh soal dan buatlah essaynya, kembangkan dengan penggunaan vocabulary yang beragam, grammar yang tepat, dan kata penghubung yang sesuai tempatnya.
10 hari kemudian...
Tepatnya hari ini, 1 April, sesuai jadwal pengumuman hasil test yang disampaikan di web ETS, aku membuka email dan menemukan inbox dari ETS kalau hasil test tanggal 22 Maret kemarin sudah tersedia dan bisa dilihat di account masing-masing. DEG! Aku takut dan pasrah, harap-harap cemas karena sama sekali nggak ada bayangan tentang performaku kemarin. Selama 10 hari ini aku mengira-ngira.. apakah dapat mencapai 80, atau hanya setengah dari 120, yaitu 60... bisa jadi 92... atau jangan-jangan melampaui angka 100...?
Aku buka hasilnya pelan-pelan, dan menutup layar dengan tanganku... WHATT!?!? 79!
Aku sempat bingung mau bereaksi seperti apa. Aku buka lagi tabel konversi nilai TOEFL dan persyaratan minimum untuk apply di universitas dan beasiswa... Fiuuh... Alhamdulillah... Skor 79 berarti sekitar 550 dalam skala paper-based dan sekitar 6,5 dalam skala IELTS.. Aku bernapas lega... tapi.. yah... itulah hasilnya.
source: Google
Ada sedikit sedih juga sich karena skornya tepat sekali di batas nilai minimum, tapi aku sadar bahwa itulah nilai dari usahaku and I deserve it! Semoga angka 79 ini membawa berkah untuk apply di universitas nanti. Aamiieen... Oh iya, menurut web, sertifikatnya akan dikirim ke alamat masing-masing dan memakan waktu sekitar 4 sampai 6 minggu untuk sampai karena dikirim langsung dari USA.
Kesimpulan:
Bagi teman-teman yang ingin mengikuti test TOEFL iBT, persiapkan dirimu sebaik-baiknya. Latihan, latihan, latihan! Practice, practice, practice! Belajar dari situs-situs seperti Engvid.com, englishclub.com, hotcourses.co.id, youtube, dlsb. If I can, you also can! Just believe in yourself dan jangan lupa berdoa tentunya. Good luck!
Hari Sabtu yang lalu aku nonton TV One yang mewawancarai Pak BJ Habibie secara ekslusif terkait hilangnya Malaysian Airlines MH370. Pak Habibie dengan semangatnya yang khas menjelaskan teori tentang pesawat terbang serta analisisnya terhadap kemungkinan yang terjadi pada MH370 yang saat itu sudah 14 hari menghilang namun belum ditemukan (yang akhirnya kemarin malam PM Malaysia secara resmi menyampaikan bahwa penerbangan MH370 berakhir di Samudera Hindia bagian selatan. Innalillahi wa innalillahi rojiun... Al Fatihah).
Aku sudah mengenal nama Pak BJ Habibie dari SD sebagai Presiden RI ketiga yang menggantikan Presiden Soeharto. Namun menginjak SMA, aku mulai mengenal Pak Habibie sebagai seorang ilmuan ahli pesawat terbang. Aku ingat sekali guru fisika di SMA-ku pernah menjelaskan bahwa Pak Habibie adalah penemu sebuah teorema fisika tentang sayap pesawat terbang yang kemudian diabadikan dengan namanya. Waah... aku jadi semakin kagum dan mengidolakannya.
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Hari ini aku mengunjungi Toko Buku Gramedia. Hanya ingin liat-liat aja, nggak ada niat beli apa-apa secara ekonomi lagi labil, yang mengakibatkan kontroversi hati kepada konspirasi kemakmuran *apasih*
Eh... tapi ngeliat Tabloid Nova covernya Dude Herlino dan Alyssa... akhirnya jadi beli deh... harganya Rp 6.000. Setelah bayar di kasir, aku melihat sebuah buku dengan gambar Pak Habibie mengenakan topi. Kayaknya buku baru nih.. Aku jadi tertarik dan membolak-balik halamannya terus membaca skimming selama lebih kurang 10 menit. Kulihat harganya, Rp 86.000. Hmm... Beli nggak yah...? Ekonomi lagi labil gini... tapi... Ah.. Beli deh! Sebagai pengingat buat terus semangat.
Pak Habibie, Presiden Indonesia kesayangan dan kebanggaanku
Sampai di kosan buku yang berisi gagasan (atau wejangan) Eyang Pak Habibie untuk generasi penerus bangsa ini langsung kulahap sampai habis. Selepas membacanya, batin jadi terasa semakin tenang dan semangat untuk melanjutkan pendidikan. Ada dua gagasan Pak Habibie yang sangat mengena bagiku, yaitu tentang pentingnya pendidikan dan peran seorang ibu (perempuan) dalam membentuk karakter anak-anaknya sebagai generasi penerus bangsa. Dan menurutku, buku ini sepantasnya wajib jadi bahan bacaan untuk anak-anak SMA dan mahasiswa saat ini supaya nggak tersesat di arus globalisasi, matrealisme, hedonisme, dan euforia sosial media.
******
Sekitar dua tahun yang lalu, di timeline Facebook, seorang temanku mengupload foto dirinya lagi bersalaman dengan Pak Habibie di sebuah acara. Aku iriii sekali melihatnya sampai pengen nangis! *lebay*. Ah... Ingin deh... sekali aja, ketemu dengan mantan Presiden RI yang paling kubanggakan ini buat foto dan tanda tangan buku-ku. List tokoh-tokoh yang aku ingin ketemu dan berfoto bareng jadi bertambah satu:
- Andrea Hirata --> penulis
- Bara Pattiradjawane --> chef
- Shah Rukh Khan --> aktor
- Saina Nehwal --> atlit badminton
- Diana Rikasari --> blogger - Pak BJ Habibie --> presiden Indonesia ketiga, ilmuwan
Semoga satu persatu bisa segera tercapai. Amieen...
Assalamualaikum guys...
I just changed my blog's layout (again...). Hope it looks nice and more cheerful :)
Btw the list of blogs I subscribe cannot be displayed... I wonder if there is something wrong in my HTML or blogger's gadget setting... Any idea guys?? If there is any, kindly leave comment below ^__^
Oh yaa... I am gonna take an iBT TOEFL Test on Saturday (22/03). Wish me get a high score guys :)
Checked my email this morning and I found that someone very very far away is in need for my assistance... hehehe...
Just kidding... It is just a part of my spam actually...
And also guys... Always beware of spamming messages on FB. I give you an example based on what I found in my FB inbox several month ago:
PLEASE!!!! Don't be GE-ER instantly after reading this kind of message. This is pure SPAM and one of the common mode in FB. That time I checked on the so-called US troop's FB page and I frankly said that it seemed pretty reliable. Surprisingly enough, I also had 1 mutual friend with him: my high-school female teacher. So, I decided to reply this innocent way:
Soon after... I got this heart-warming life story of the troop...
I couldn't help myself not to laugh... But really... this is just pure spam and pretty common in FB.
I checked my inbox again after couple days and I couldn't see the troop's FB page (the user name is supposed to be in blue, now it is in black so that I couldn't open the page. The profile picture had been changed somemore).
So guys... Always be aware of spamming. It can be funny or heart-warming sometimes but still, it is just a SPAM.
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