Why I Deactivate My Facebook Account

Yes, I deactivate it. It’s hard to delete it, that’s why I deactivate it. Just so because I’m fed up of its disadvantages. My lovely country, Indonesia, isn’t ready for Facebook. Let’s just say I need to take a break from it to keep my sanity because I terribly need it now that I’m doing my graduation project.

First, it distracts you. Oh yes, all the games, the quizzes, applications, photos, etc are resistance-proof  temptations. And even if you’re not tempted by it (I kept a healthy amount of playing there), you just can’t  get away because…

Second, ‘your friends’ make you distracted. I’m not an antisocial person. It’s just people seemed love to talk  and more importantly, being talked about almost anything. Those trivial matters like  ’My heart hurts me’ is  boring and useless. And it’s crazy seeing that those ‘controversial’ sayings can be baits to hundreds of even  more useless comments. It makes you feel you should comment too. If you don’t talk much in Facebook,  you’ll be deemed ‘antisocial.’ My not-so-close friend thought I didn’t like her just because I seldom  commented at her status. I didn’t hate her, I just didn’t feel a need to comment. Why can’t Indonesian people  be objective?

Third, and when you want to talk about scizophrenic people or waste problem, nobody wants to talk about  it. They often say, ‘Let things go,’ or, ‘What use talking about it anyway?’ I sometimes think Indonesian  people are only wastes to a supposedly blessed country.

Four, believe you me, but I have many poetic ‘friends’. So poetic that my timeline warrants instant suicide. They filled my timeline with melancholic or pessimistic thoughts (often about love). I started a day cheerfully & full of spirits, until checking my Facebook ruined my mood all day. I tried not to glance at the timeline, but a friend talked to me about another depressed friend and said I should check him/her. They were like ghosts, always finding a way to reach you!

Makes me think that Indonesian people can’t separate things that should be said in direct, daily conversations and things that should be typed in a public, indirect conversations. They seemed to have no shame, telling the world all things about them & it irks me.

But Facebook has given me its biggest advantage, connecting me with distant friends. I have friends in Central and East Java, Lombok, US, Pakistan, etc and it’s great to keep our bond close. I don’t mind talking about trivial matters here and there to them, because I can’t do daily, direct conversations with them while I want to feel as if they’re still close with me. So, yeah, I’ll be back once I graduate, for my friends.

Egypt is In

‘Goodbye the peaceful and romantic travel destination image!’

Egypt is in.

Not because of archaelogical discovery (as I had expected), but because of a revolution! I was surprised when I found out about it last week. For me, Egypt seemed like, what, the only country in Middle-east that was not identified with war and chaos? Except at the borders, yes.

From what I’ve seen in Egypt’s popular culture, they’re not like most of Middle-east countries. Their soap operas have women dressed in lace tops with bare shoulders and shorts, which are very short. That’s for example. I think Mubarak has tried to Americanized Egypt and it’s what makes the people angry.

Okay, I disagree with the people killing Christian Coptics in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. And don’t label those people ‘moslems.’ They are NOT moslems. Moslems are not the kind of people killing anybody around! They’re just murderers!

But I agree with whoever wants to topple Mubarak. It kills me to see any country being like a dog licking United States’ shoes, begging for bones. And to think that my country is being like that too! United States is not the governess of the world and should stop nursering other countries! It makes me sick to see US feeling like I-know-all-better while it actually only knows what’s better for itself!

And what have we here? McCain just agreed that Mubarak needed to go off the show. Ha! Makes me suspicious if they already have a plan to put yet another puppet on Mubarak’s chair? Time will tell.

Not that I hate the US. I’m sure there are many good people there. It’s just the government, I think. See, I like Broadway. I like their national parks, the way the preserve nature is a thing I always admire, I admire their health system (not completely, though). I’m not anti-American. I’m anti-current-American-government. Ha ha.

What Have been Proved Facts in POTO

Truly, this matter is debatable. This has been a nice hobby, but as this matter is too complex for me to solve, I won’t research about it for the time being. I have other pressing matters (including my graduation project).
So now my conclusion on what are facts in Phantom of the Opera:

1. Palais Garnier (and its infamous underground, though I’m not sure about how it looks)
2. The chandelier incident (even though it was only one of the counterweights)
3. The Punjab society & their use of ‘lasso’
4. The curious structure of Yildiz Kiosk in Turkey & its torture chamber (said to be built by an unknown German carpenter, who received much of Sultan’s favor. I’ll let one’s imagination suggest the rest)
5. The phonographic records & a sealed room under the Palais Garnier
6. That the Palais Garnier management had sort of trouble with money at the time POTO supposedly took place
7. That Leroux must be blind to use Christine Nilsson’s as his inspiration for Christine Daae. No offense, but Mme. Nilsson was a diva in her time and she obviously knew it, she was stubborn, rather haughty, and more of a Carlotta type of woman. The New York Times Archives paid attention to her in her active days, even to smallest details of her relationships with friends, etc. This may be subjective, I know.

What I Learn from Working In a Hospital in Indonesia

This summer I did internship at a government hospital in my town. It was tiring, but has its benefits.

Bad things:

1. It was honestly boring. As administrative staff, I don’t like doing routine job. Like everyday checking supplies in the pantry, checking computer data, blah blah whatnot.

2. Administrative staffs. Boring job for equally boring people. Both women and MEN gossip a lot. What’s worse, they were always gossiping about celebrities’ scandals and any form of housewives talk. Like there’s nothing in the world can interest them as much as gossip does. But they don’t seem to get bored by themselves, though.

3. Because of reason 2, I couldn’t talk to anyone. I talked sometimes out of boredom, but in merely 15 minutes they made me even more bored.

4. Flirty 30-40s men with gossip traits and banal language. God, this is simply untolerable.

5. I didn’t see high-tech medical equipments. Or they didn’t allow me to see. I wish they put me in hospital laboratory instead of the warehouse.

Good things:

1. I know that working in a hospital is a bad thing for me. Or at least working at THAT hospital.

2. Prevent me from applying for a boring job in the future.

3. Despite all its flaws, that hospital is still prestigious! It’ll do good for my resume.

4. Some of people there (usually those in higher positions, not merely staff or newly hired) were more respectable and nice to talk with. Unfortunately, they were often busy.

5. I learned about drug price policy and regulations. It really helps to make me looks as if I understand economic while I barely understand NASDAQ table.

My conclusion is: work at a hospital but just for a while, don’t make it my forever after dream job. I’ll end up being such a characterless individual.

Note: this only applies for administrative works and possibly what pharmacists do in a hospital, in Indonesia. Doctors do better I think. Considering I worked at a hospital in the CAPITAL of Indonesia, it may represents the condition of all Indonesian hospital in general. I’m not talking about international hospitals here, like Pondok Indah. They may not be different, though.

But I hope they may be.

Gangguan Jiwa ada Dimana-mana

Kali ini menulis dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Kenapa? Sejujurnya, semua orang paling suka dengan bahasa negeri sendiri. Begitu pula saya. Sederhana saja. Kembali ke topik yang jadi judul…

Kemarin waktu pulang dari Gramedia, suasananya gelap dan suram dan mendung. Pokoknya misterius dan menyenangkan. Aku naik angkot. Selain aku, yang naik ada 8 orang. Jadilah kami Fellowship of the Angkot, yang terdiri dari 3 orang anak SMP yang ribut, 1 orang bapak berjas, agak tua, sepasang suami-istri yang terlihat biasa-biasa saja, mbak berambut panjang, dan si supirnya tentu.

G berapa lama, bapak berjas mengajak bicara si suami. Dia bertanya, “Bapak asli mana?”
“Oh kami dari Indramayu”
“Disini lagi kerja?”
“Bukan, lagi berobat”
“Siapa yang sakit?”
“Istri saya”
“Penyakit apa?”
Sampai detik ini aku g terlalu perhatian sama mereka.
“GANGGUAN JIWA”

Kuharap mereka tidak melihat dilatasi pupil saya yang tampak kentara, atau otot muka yang tertarik ke atas membentuk senyuman samar. Jeritan sih bisa kutahan. Di kepalaku langsung muncul serentetan kata-kata…
“Kepribadian ganda? Depresi? Mania? Bipolar? Skizofrenia?” dan sebagainya.

Sayangnya percakapan tidak berlanjut dengan deskripsi penyakit. Bapak berjas itu malah menganjurkan berbagai resep nenek moyangnya. Tapi melihat ibu-ibu yang (katanya) sakit itu tampak normal dan tenang, kuduga penyakitnya pasti dari jenis yang keren.

Dulu menurutku penyakit jiwa ada 2 kategori, yang keren dan g keren. Yang g keren itu misalnya yang suka teriak-teriak, rambut gondrong, nari, g pakai baju. Lalu yang keren itu yang kelihatan normal, malah bisa aja jenius, tapi pikiran dia terganggu (misal mendengar atau melihat sesuatu). Contohnya John Nash dalam A Beautiful Mind.

Itu pikiranku dulu.

Sekarang aku tau, bahwa pembagiannya g sesederhana itu. Yang g keren itu adalah fase akut dari suatu penyakit yang keren sebagai fase kronisnya. Jadi yang keren-keren kayak skizo bisa aja tiba-tiba teriak-teriak. Tapi memang ada yang murni g keren, yaitu depresi. Bahkan untuk aku yang penggemar gangguan jiwa (gemar topiknya, tidak gemar mengalami) depresi itu sangat menyebalkan. Aku g suka orang depresi, kecuali kalau depresi karena cobaan yang memang berat banget aku maklum lah. Tapi sekarang banyak orang yang depresi gara-gara hal sepele, menurutku mereka itu g tahu bersyukur jadi menyebalkan.

Maaf OOT, jadi kesimpulannya berita di Pikiran Rakyat di suatu hari di bulan November 2009 tentang meningkatnya jumlah penderita gangguan jiwa di Jawa Barat benar adanya. Soalnya selain kejadian di angkot itu, aku lihat di bulan-bulan terakhir 2009, Rumah Sakit Jiwa di Jalan Riau juga penuh dan ramai. Sekian

My Personality Type

My friend took this test & suggested I take it too…so here it is, Lichen!

Your personality type: “Analytical Thinker”
Logical, original, creative thinkers. Can become very excited about theories and ideas. Exceptionally capable  and    driven to turn theories into clear understandings. Highly value knowledge, competence and logic. Quiet and   reserved, hard to get to know well. Individualistic, having no interest in leading or following others. Highly analytical, they can discover connections between two seemingly unrelated things and work best when allowed to use their imagination and critical thinking.

Careers that could fit you include:

Physicists, chemists, biologists, photographers, strategic planners, mathematicians, university professors, computer programmers, computer animators, technical writers, engineers, lawyers, forensic researchers, writers, artists, psychologists, social scientists, systems analysts, researchers, surveyors.

This quiz can be found here

The logical part is largerly due to all-engineering & science majors at my college -.- there are many mad scientists there, but not me (I think)

Genuine Geniuses: Engineers & Scientists Analyzed

Actually it was in the Creativity class today I gained an awareness that I’m living in a world surrounded by genuine geniuses. And also engineers & scientists alike’s true face. My version of a genuine genius is one who has insanity, intelligence, creativity, boldness, valiance, sense of caring, responsibility, authenticity, Peter Pan, imagination, and sense of art combined together.

I’ll explain. Today we were watching some of the class member presentating their innovation (any innovation they could think of, no matter how crazy it sounds). Here’s some memorable innovations:

- The first team presented a polymer high-tech helm (we have quite plenty of motorcycle users here. It’s part of college life, after all) which was designed having UV screen for daytime and lightning for nighttime. It also has a thin cooling-fan layer. The energy used for the fan and lightning comes from a solar cell on TOP of the helm (so it can be charged during the day).

Though I think a cooling-fan isn’t needed, just add some holes on it and you’ll have air circulation instantly. And how much energy can a single little solar cell mount? Teeny-teeny bits of energy, everyone knows. But it’s a fantastic idea indeed. What an imagination, we have to appreciate it!

- The second team presented a chair with student’s absence detector. Simply put a fingerprint detection device on the chair. When the class starts, the teacher activates the entire class’ system. Students do the fingerprint detection, the system matches it with existing database, done! It ‘ll bring effectiveness to lecture time and prevent absence manipulation.

But anyone with enough skill can hack into the system database and ruin the whole plan. It’ll be a bit trickier to be applied to a class full of IT students
(not me, pharmacist doesn’t do that kind of stuff)

- The third team (and the last that I remember, sorry) presented an offshore dwelling concept. Actually it’s been made in Japan (but underwater), said my colleague. This one isn’t underwater. Basically it’s a big, board-like structure connected with the foundations below. The team explained kinds of foundations used underwater, but I can’t remember the details (I wasn’t paying the least attention but it was just too much and too…distant. Not my field). Besides the foundations, there’s also a ‘waveradar’ structure. It’s like a single tube divided into 3 horizontal branches at the end. On each single branch another tube structure is vertically attached. This vertical structure swaying up and down, following the ocean wave. The swayings are sent through the big, single tube and then converted into electrical datas. The computer reads this and will respond by slighthy moving the whole structure according to the wave. The ‘waveradar’ is also used to eliminate the wave vortex so the force can be reduced. And the dwellings (home, etc) is placed on the board. Like a refinery nowadays.

It’s too expensive! Although I’d like, like to see and visit such a town. Imagine a whole town floating over the water just like Lake-town in the Hobbit! And visit your neighbor with boat-ride hmm all fun

Although they all took much liberation to imagine something, perhaps ridiculous and not practical, but I like them. They’re all a bit of mad scientists who believe that possibility has no limit. Their innovations might be incomplete here and there, but basically they all just want to help fixing the world. They care, they are aware of social problems. Engineers and scientists are not people who sit all day mumbling on equations and science laws. They ‘re dreamers. Creative dreamers who want to help fixing living creatures’ and environmental problems. Why? For they care. They have sympathetic feeling and responsibility towards these creatures and environment, because of all persons on earth they are the ones who understand most of the secret of the universe. And we are all part of the universe. We are all the building blocks of it. It’s you who must choose whether your block addition will ruin the whole structure of the universe…or build it.

Whew. That was a long post. Need some sleep now. Vale!