Keep On Track! October 29, 2009

This term is no easy one. Unlike the first year, this second year in Computer Science is a bit more… challenging. Now my stack of act is full with organizations, committees, and a few addition acts which is not too related to my major. Which, somehow, I feel wrong about it, that I didn’t dig the core of computer science, that I only learn about it from lectures. And the stack put me in the more wrong state, which is putting the study life in the bottom of it.

Okay, I know it’s totally wrong. Or it isn’t? I found this habit very disturbing now (on mid test times), because there were times when I rarely touch those lectures slides and books. I feel like I fail 3 out of 4 mid tests I had until now. Ugh. Worse, the lecture is getting harder too. So now it’s a bit tricky to find a way to do the non-academic act and keep track on the lectures. Moreover, the members of my class is very competitive, it’s even harder to be on track! On the other side, this fact also pushing me to fight harder.

But life is a roller coaster, there are times to fall, isn’t it?

Anyhow, those acts are delighting. They keep me from getting bored :p. The fact that time is very expensive lately is giving me chance to learn how to manage time. And also learning how to sleep around 5 hours per day on weekdays, and paying them on weekends

What is more surprising is that I haven’t fallen sick until now. And don’t be! Haha. Yet, there is one thing that keeps me happy but also frustrating… :p

Good luck on mid tests and take care of your health!

A Few Updates September 21, 2009

It’s been too long I let this blog in its hibernate mode. Let’s write something before the mood wears off.

A lot of things have been going on in the past one month plus plus that I’d like to share.

On a committee, I was asked to be a treasurer. Wow, this position is something that I have almost never done before. Secretary probably is my specialty, but handling money?? That’s something different. Anyhow, I learn a lot from it. Making budget plan, writing down the expenses and income, and finally making the financial report. The trouble I had in this position is that the other committee mostly forget to TAKE THE RECEIPT from the sellers (aka kwitansi). Other thing that is quite nasty is that the report should be with dates, while most of the incomes have no date info on the receipt we have. Daaaang!

In the other committee, I happen to be a staff of the eating section section which take care of the food matters. I kinda love this job, since the job is fun and we deal with lots of food there  And this one will last for a few months, so let’s keep the spirit up!

The new semester have started. More interesting difficult courses are coming, more efforts must be done to accomplish those ones well. Not to forget, more obstacles are in the way. Well, not obstacles, but a few things that might be a distraction this semester. Such as, say, upcoming committees? Emotional distraction? More to come, I guess.

And now of course are Ied Fitr holiday, which is a pseudo holiday for college students, where they bury us with lots of assignments. Ah! How beautiful high school was

Yeehauw, let’s get back to reality! Face your future!

Idealism and Metamorfosis August 11, 2009

I think it’s normal for people in my age (read: high school student and college student) to find his/her identity by trying and having some principles around.  That surely is happening to me too.

For me, it’s very very normal to do some activities to develop myself. Either it is joining campus organization, event committee, or even a religious group. It’s like, hey, I must do any activities that will be useful in my future! Not that I reject any criminal good time, but I really looking forward to self-development activities and experiences, since I had too many holiday back then :p

Having some principles means more efforts to stick to it, especially when your principle is different with the mainstream one. It’s pretty tiring to stick to it, when the devils are all around and little that supports. But I guess if you think it’s the right one, why not?

Sticking to an idealism will somehow change you slowly. The idea of changing yourself, and old friends take some distance to the new you is kinda scary for me.

However, I’m preparing to do it soon, since it’s an obligation for everyone like me. It’s like, I’m gonna be 19 soon, and that’s only a year to twenties. Almost 19 years living on this mortal world, but what have I done for myself and the people around me?

The future might be hard with it. Yeah, I have to upgrade myself!

One step at a time there’s no need to rush
It’s like learning to fly or falling in love
It’s gonna happen and it’s supposed to happen
That we find the reasons why, one step at a time

(Jordin Sparks – One Step At A Time)

Done it, sorry for the weird post, just what I had in mind…

It’s not about finding who’s the best for you, but it’s you that should be upgraded…

An Impostor?? July 27, 2009

Yes, I had an impostor! Uh well, on second thought, maybe it’s not an impostor, just a fake Facebook account of mine. I happen to know this a week ago, when my cousin was looking for my name to be added in Facebook, and found 3 persons with the same name. I know the second one because she added me some time ago, and (hopefully) she is a real Yasmin Khairina who lived in Banjarmasin. The fake one is the bottom one:

"yasmin khairina" search on facebook

This impostor just swap my name, giving my maiden name “Khairina”, and he/she even use my real photos! This photo was from my last blog:

my blogger profile

OMG! What the heck?!

Really, I don’t know whether I should be blushed

or scared because of this.

Is this some kind of joke or what?? Do I have a secret fan? Or maybe a freak?? Whoever did this, I was totally shocked. Haven’t added this account, though, waiting for some right time.

Well, one lesson learned: be careful on the net, guys! You won’t know if there’s someone using your ID. Do not ever share personal information, even your e-mail. I only give  a standard photo, but someone took wrong use of it.

All right, see ya later!

It’s Raining July 23, 2009

A few days ago, it was raining, so badly, almost as bad as I were that time.

However, I could not say less than thank you to ade, latifaah, tiara, feby, and ikhma. My best love and wishes for you, guys And more thanks for the first three for staying in my dorm that day. Kisses and hugs!

Dang, I really can not imagine that day without those people!

Can you imagine how people change in a flash?

So little time
Try to understand that I’m
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody’s changing
And I don’t feel the same

Summer Course and Buses June 27, 2009

Summer course in University of Indonesia is now on! The cost is Rp 250.000,00 per credit. If you took 1 course (mostly 3 credits), you must pay Rp 750.000,00. Quite a money, huh?

I only take 1 course, which only take 2 meetings per week. Unfortunately I still have to go to the campus 4 days a week. What the heck?? So many consequences of taking a lot of activities and committees. Moreover, this holiday I don’t live in my cozy and lovely dormitory, but I live in my parents’ house in Jakarta. Consequently, I take buses in order to get to campus.

What? Me? That spoiled girl is taking buses? Yes, I finally get the chance to taste public transportation in Jakarta Jakarta-Depok.

Public transportation in Jakarta is somehow pathetic and enjoyable. I often use Depok-Grogol buses. Even one of the bus only cost you Rp 2.500,00 for that distance! But most of these buses will give you what people say “tua di jalan” because taking them -especially in traffic time- means losing 2 hours++ on the road. Some that are more expensive only took less than 2 hours, but you lose more money.

Anyway, I learned a lot from taking buses. I am one of the people who just sit on the back of the car, mostly don’t look out to learn the road. I sometimes sleep on the car and even read books (yeah, this one is bad for your eyes’ health). I also find it enjoyable to be in the car, cool and is sheltered from any kind of weather outside.

Taking buses means another way. I must watch the road in order to know where should I stop. I must also bring umbrella everyday, a preparation to face the rain while waiting on the road. Most notably, buses are not too comfortable. It’s hot, especially when you take it in the traffic time, which will make the bus full. A full bus means a lot of singing beggar inside, because they look for a crowded bus.

I know some people dislike these singing beggars. However, I think we should respect them, at least they who sing and play the instruments nicely, and it’s not too hard to find. They are also human, and by singing they also do some job, not just begging. Still, not every people are lucky. Jakarta is difficult, dude! Before going to the bus stop, I found myself preparing not only the money for the bus cost, but also some small coins to give to the singing beggar.

On the other hand, I don’t like to give money to children singing beggars. I don’t think they are supposed to be singing on the road and the bus like that. Moreover, I like the idea of giving them milk, as our friends in Bandung do. Not too difficult to try, eh?

Back to topic, one of the issues in public transportation is safety. This one depends on the owner. Most of buses user is likely to use their cellphones on the bus, whether to call or text message, which made me quite surprised. As long as you take care of your belongings well and be confidence (don’t look as if you’re scared) then it’s OK to use it. Yet don’t show off, only a fool done that. I even aslept sometimes, but alhamdulillah my belongings are safe. Asleep in the bus is not recommended, however!

That’s all. Some tidbits of my experience as a beginner in public transportation in Jakarta. Silly, I know. Guess I will make a page of buses around Depok-Jakarta later.

Good day, may the force be with you!

PAID OFF! June 13, 2009

Nothing more to say, but alhamdulillah!

Ah, I really have never imagined it would be this great. Thanks to Allah, my dearest family who always be there when I need them, and my awesome friends! *Dang, I talked as if I were in some kind of winning-speech

This semester’s result turn up to be so surprisingly amazing. I thought the result would be a total wreck, since I ruined most of the mid tests and quizzes. But yeah, all the illness, the breaking h*art, it’s all paid off! Miraculous.

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah! (can’t stop saying this )

Endless Illness May 14, 2009

They say that this week is a “silent week”, which means there’s SUPPOSEDLY be no lecture, no task, we must study for the final exam, and so forth. But until I wrote this, I haven’t even touch any book or notes to prepare the exam. This happens because of the OOP project. Duh. It really takes time, you know.

The project description said that we should do the task in 3 hours per week. Yeah, like we are spending more that 5 hours per day doing it, and the progress until now is less than 50%. Maybe that 3 hours is applied for professional. Huh.

As if it’s not enough, I’m sick. Again. This time it’s not only daily flu and cough, but also asthma. I can’t help wondering why this is happening. I think I took adequate sleep time this week and had discipline meal time, but it did not affect the illness. Darn it.

Anyway, the internet lesson I taught to my mother finally gave me a benefit too. She has a facebook account now, and luckily she’s online right when I need or miss her . So now I can chat with my mother and father without spending any cell phone credit. Great great great!

The final exam is coming in a few days, and this might be the last post before it. This one might sound sarcastic and full of complaints, but I really need to spill this one out, even though I don’t really like the idea of making this blog as a container of my complaints. All right, let’s go back to work!

May we have a great final exam!

Just so tired… May 5, 2009

Things have gone quite too smooth in this blog. My latter blog still get the highest page rank in Google if you look for my name, but who cares anyway? :p

Things might be hibernating here, but not in campus. Storm of assignments are starting to reach its peak: this semester’s final exam. The lecture that take almost all of our attention is that Object Oriented Programming Design lecture, one that has never been lacked of assignments. Tutorial tasks, programming assignments, and the biggest problem right now is the final group project, where every group of students are obliged to create an adventure game using Java programming language. There are so many programming assignment that if a compiled HTML file have an open-counter, then JDK 1.5 API will be the champion.

Fyi, JDK is a documentation of Java classes, methods, et cetera

The impact of one of this programming assignment is that it took most of our sleep time. OK, I know it’s our own fault of being a dead liner, but before this deadline there was a Discrete Math second exam being held.

A few days ago, because of doing one of that assignment, Ade and I was sleeping on 4.30 am, and awaken on 6.30 am. That, was the worst bed time ever for us! It even sounds like taking a 2-hours nap. Yeah, of course we were drugged by coffee that night, and the next morning I took one more glass of it, and passed that day nicely without feeling sleepy in campus. I have never really enjoyed drinking that black bitter liquid, but yeah, I started to need it since I enter Computer Science.

Moreover, the day after that, I get a bad morning flu. Darn it. Just hoping that there would be no more 2-hours sleep like this one. Duh. Later.

Post mid test April 17, 2009

Assalamualaikum wr wb.

Two weeks plus plus had gone from the last time I posted. Wow, last two weeks was amazing—full of sadness, inability, and illness. It’s like the kind of weeks that Daniel Powter may say “bad weeks”. Anyway, I learned a lot from it, and those two weeks really made my feel a lot better than before.

For the first time since I became a college student, I was so ill that I was unable to be present in class. It was just those standard kind of disease! Flu, headache, asthma, cough, fever… But yesterday I can’t take control of those combination anymore. So I decided to absent and went to the doctor. It’s such a fortunate that I have a very kind and caring mother to accompany me and take me there. Alhamdulillah

Yeah, lesson learned: don’t forget to sleep A LOT after a mid test week.

Now my mind is as light as a lightweight component. Ha-ha . Thanks to great help of greatest friends: ade-aqid, ipeh, yosmarina, nichan, dita, danang, tiara, feby, et al.

____

Speaking of lightweight component, then we speak of Java, and we speak of subjects (okay, I know I’m compelling… :p)

This semester’s mid test is bad. From 7 subjects I take this semester, 4 of them had issued the results, which are highly varied, from great to poor results. Not to mention that my lecturer in other subject told us that the average of our mid test is under expectation so that there will be a lot of quizzes to fix it. Darn it!

What is worst is Calculus. The result of this subject’s mid test is officially the worst I have ever gotten since I enter college. Limit and derivative are nightmare! Unfortunately these topics are very applicable in one kind of computer branch I’m interested in right now.

branch—Branch If Not Equal? =p

Back to topic, I think it’s what you’ve got if you’re apathetic at the lecturer. I was too apathetic—since I think the method of her teaching wasn’t very nice, but it’s me—the student—who should be used of the lecturer’s teaching method.

And there might be also an X factor why I failed that Calculus test… A kind of logic and feeling factor

I know some people think that scores are not important. Yes, it may won’t affect much in your job anyway, but there’s always a kind of satisfactory feeling if you get great grades. It makes your parents proud, it eases your way to get scholarships.

Well, that’s all I want to share. Sorry if the English are bad—I’m trying to apply English in writing if I can.

Keep smiling, keep shining, get ready to face the new world!

Wassalamualaikum wr wb