Stronger Middle Class Indonesians

Have you ever thought of making a change? A change to your life or even to your country? A change to be a better person or to make Indonesia to be a better nation?

Well, you can start from yourself.

My purpose in writing this post is to acknowledge who ever stops in this blog and reads this post to make a simple change starting from yourself. In order to help you develop your country and also managing your life in a better way, you can simply start by making an improvement. I, myself, have been doing this after I read a book called "Untuk Indonesia Yang Kuat: 100 Cara Untuk Tidak Miskin." 

After reading the book, I concluded that: we can all gather around and participate as  Stronger Middle Class Indonesians. 

And maybe you are wondering, what is that? what is the purpose? and is that a community?

Nope. It is basically a mission that came from Ligwina Hananto, the author of the book. She invites us to take part in this new group she invented. She wants us to actively participate in running this big mission. She wants us to forget all the things that we used to hear, "the government can not do anything" or "Indonesia can not be a developed country". 

Stop complaining about what they did to us, and let's all participate to make middle class Indonesian to be a stronger people.

And how can we accomplish that?

Middle class Indonesians refer to those who are able to get a good job, receive a good education, earn an enough income, and even build their own business. We are a group of people that actually doesn't really need Government's attention. Our family are able to pay taxes and also our school fees. However, according to Ligwina, the reality seems to be different. As she is a CEO of a financial planning company, sure she has been experiencing a lot in dealing with her clients. And she found out that middle class people often have money issues. We are the people who need to work in order to earn some money.

Middle class Indonesians are sure able to buy books, eat at a fancy restaurant, and even spend money on good clothes and bags. But sometimes, as we keep on living with this kind of lifestyle, we soon forget about savings and investments. If we continue to spend our money in our younger age, how are we supposed to live when we get old later on? If we keep on spending money on such unimportant things, how are we supposed to make savings to build a house or to enroll our future kids to a good university? 

Let's save this middle class people!

We can start by making a good financial planning for ourselves. This planning includes financial records, financial goals and the plan on how we can reach the goal. Living in Indonesia with this kind of lifestyle is somehow frustrating. By earning a so-so income, many people are still able to hang out every weekend, hire a maid, and even go on a holiday every time they got their free time. But how can we all keep on living like this until we are retired?

Investment would be the best answer.

Invest for your pension funds! 

We can start doing investment from now on, investment for our pension funds or even for our educational funds. 

But those types of investment are only part of a comprehensive financial planning. As it is mentioned earlier, we need to have our financial records. Because in this way, we are able to track down all of our incomes and expenses, as well as our money condition at the first place. We have to know what are the assets we own. After knowing the flow of our money, we need to know what is our future financial goal? Saving our money for pension funds or perhaps getting $500 at the end of the year can be considered as one of our financial goals. Truthfully speaking, having a goal will definitely make us think twice before we spend our money. Because we keep telling our mind that achieving our goal is better. This financial goal helps a lot when it comes to saving. 

So now we know our first condition and our financial goal, now it's time to make a plan in order to achieve the goal. Simple as that, in my opinion, we can deduct some of our income and save it. For example, we can simply put aside 5% or 10% of our income monthly and keep that money in some place we make sure that we will not ever touch it unless.. we really need it. We can save it in a safety box, or in a bank account. 

But how do I do it personally? I opened two bank accounts, one is used to put the money that I would like to spend (where I can take my money) and the other one for keeping my money for saving. So every time I want to take some money, I can always use the first bank account. Try not to mix both of them because once I did it like that and I had faced some problems in distinguishing how much money I can spend and how much money I have saved. 

In the book, you can find a lot of things I didn't mention it here. The author has made the book as simple as possible so it is very understandable. It is a very good book for a every people. Once you read the book, I'm sure you will get inspired to make your financial condition to be better.

And when all middle class Indonesian have the same way of thinking, we might be able to develop our country to be a better one. We will hopefully not face some problem like poverty, for example. 

So, let's invest, save up some money, and start a good financial planning from now on.

Saturday morning.

Good morning!

Never thought I would be this excited on this Saturday morning. I just woke up half an hour ago and now I'm here trying to announce something. 

I want to write a book. 

I know this may sound silly, but this is such a sudden idea that came up unexpectedly. I got this idea just 15mins ago when I was reading my Timeline on my bed. I used to read good morning tweets on this such hours but today was different. One person who I followed is the chief of Nulis Buku. It's basically a publishing service that allow you to publish your book without charging anything. They believe that every person has a dream to write a book and pursue it. They also said that a book means a lot more when it is shared with a lot of people. 

I like the way they describe their company, it is true indeed. People sometimes want their piece of work to be published, and to be known by a lot of people. I have always been dreaming about writing a book. I had write about it, that I wanted to write my own book, on my old blog.. but it never really happened. I was inspired by JK Rowling and I wanted to write a fiction. But maybe this time is different. I want to write a story which is based on my life. Not that my life is interesting though, but there are parts of me that can be questioned. And I think it will be a good storyline. 

Ollie, the chief of Nulis Buku, said a few things on Twitter that are really inspiring. 

"Write to inspire. Write when inspired" - @salsabeela

"Everybody has a story. *Everyone can be a Writer." - @salsabeela 

Once again I got to say, it's true. I also believe that a story that everybody owns is worth to share. 

Anyway.. the problem is.. I don't know where to start. I always made a plan for myself but I kept on neglecting it. As soon as I do my routine activities, all the dreams seem to be disappeared. I made a bunch of 2011 goals in the end of 2010, but I barely completed even one task. And maybe, because this is such a sudden thought, it is not gonna be completed in a short period of time. I have to get focused on my thesis, my IELTS, application for scholarship and other related stuffs.

Well at least I have stated here that I want to write a book, so every time I open my blog, I will be remembered. It's a lifetime goal I assume. Someday, I will. But perhaps, not now. :) 

The Cancelled Tour

I'm writing this in favor of my disappointment to one of Indonesian promotors. Due to promotion and ticket issues, CN Blue, a rock indie band from Korea who was supposed to have a concert here in Jakarta had decided to cancel the concert. The concert was regarding their Asia Tour; including Jakarta, Hong Kong and Thailand.

The news started when FNC Music, the management of CNBlue, stated that CNBlue concert in Jakarta is cancelled. The reason was because the event organizer in Indonesia was lacking of preparation of the concert as well as the promotion. At first, FNC Music had requested the promotor to fix this issue, however, they did not seem to find any answer from the Starlight management and hence they cancelled the tour. 

When I read the news I thought it was just a hoax. I kept on telling my mind that the concert is going to happen. I asked the Starlight management through Twitter to ask if it is true or false, and around 4 o'clock they finally confirmed that the concert has been cancelled. Based on Startlight's press conference, they had tried to fulfill all the requirements given from the FNC, but according to them, FNC had insisted to stop all the concert preparation. (source)

So it's a bye-bye to Yong Hwa. 

I was not meant to watch him performing live anyway, sad thing to know. 

The Script Live in Concert

Since 2009, Guinness Arthur's Day has been an annual celebration to celebrate the 250 years when Arthur Guinness signed the St.James' Gate Brewery's least (1759) and introduced Guinness to the world. This celebration is also held in Indonesia and for this year, the Guinness invited The Script and Mr.Big to perform. (source)

The Script performed in this annual year celebration yesterday night, 12 November 2011. It was one of my best nights in 2011. The Script was awesome.. beyond words. But during the celebration, I was feeling disappointed at first. This is due to the unexpected bands who performed as the opening acts. I think it has been told in the media that there will be some other bands performing, but I did not know about that. I wasn't expecting for any other bands beside The Script. The concert did not start at the exact 7PM (as it is mentioned). They were a bit late but it was okay. 

The first performer was Della Idol and the second one was.. Mike.. hmm something.. I couldn't recall the name. Sorry. And then the last one was Gugun and The Blues Shelter. Each one was performing for about half an hour, so at 9.30 that night The Script has not showed up yet. Even though Gugun and The Blues Shelter performed very well, and Jono was very entertaining, but still I was only rooting for Danny, Mark and Glen. So I just like barely watched them and prefer to sit in the corner instead. 

After the two hours of tiredness in waiting for The Script, they finally showed up at the stage. They sang 13 songs in total, which were Before The Worst, Dead Man Walking, Breakeven, The End Where I Begin, For The First Time, If You Ever Come Back, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Nothing, Rusty Halo, Science & Faith, Talk You Down, We Cry and You Won't Feel A Thing. I was like shouting "Danny.. Danny.. Danny.." for the whole night. I sang along with them. It was awesome :)

The rumored I heard about the not-so-good-live-performance was wrong. They were the best! It was an overwhelming great feeling to be able to watch one of your favourite bands performing right in front of you. The two hours of waiting was all worth it. They did give us such a beautiful night to remember. Not only The Script, but the crowd was also great. The enthusiasm of those who watched that night were incredibly amazing. Thank you so much for the Guinness, The Script, my friends who came along with me, and also the amazing crowd :)

ps: special thanks goes to Putri for taking the pictures with my camera :)

A Little More Update

Been thinking of changing my blog name.
I'm not spreading any of my secrets here. So "let's divulge the secret" doesn't suit this blog very right.
"I share things" sounds okay isn't?
I do share some stuff here.

A Little Update

Abandoning my blog for a month. I know. I was very excited when I wrote down the first post but nowadays I have been neglecting it. About weeks ago, I actually had the thought about writing something.. something valuable, but I didn't really have an idea on what to post. From the 2nd of October (my last post) until today, my days have been so far so good. I have been working with the 2nd and 3rd chapters of my thesis so I barely had a free time. And since I submitted my thesis task on last Friday, and finished all my paper works by yesterday, I think I owe this blog a post.  

Anyway, I remembered I posted something about an internship in UK. Well, it's not going to happen. The cost that I need to pay is waaaaaay more expensive than I thought. I have to spend like almost $7000 for two or three months internship. And it's beyond my reach. I wouldn't even dare to ask that so much money to my parents for only having a work experience in UK which not even lasts a year. So, forget about it. God still has a plan for me. I do believe in it. And maybe at this time I should have said, "it seems impossible." But no. Impossible is not in my dictionary. Nothing is impossible.. unless you try. 

Talking about trying, last week I went to Australian Education Fair in Jakarta to enlighten me with a choice I will make in the future.. on where I will go for my master degree. If UK seems to be far off the limits (not impossible.. just out of reach), then maybe I should be thinking of other countries as my option. Then I clearly stated to my mom, I will not enroll in any other universities beside the universities in UK or Australia. I'd prefer to start working. But my mom strongly disagreed. And when my mom disagreed, later on, I'm just gonna follow what she thinks the best for me. Even if I said no at first. My mom has a power to brainwash my mind. She has a power to make me obeys her. So, well, I just have to go with the flow. Whatever happens next, I'm sure it is the best way for me. I hope. 

That's enough for the update.

It's 12:28PM right now and I need to go to bed :| 

Morning classes suck. 

Oh, well.

Today has been really hard for me. It was supposed to be one of my good Sundays, but it turned out to be my least expected day. October has been started for two days and I was really hoping to have a better start in this month. But it was not as good as I expected after all. 

Yesterday was quite enjoyable for me. I spent time with my brother and sister. We went to MOI together to have our super-late-lunch in the afternoon. I bought a pair of flat shoes to make my day. To cheer me up actually. Cause I'd been spending time for my thesis task in the morning where I got stuck in the middle and I couldn't complete it. I know.. such a rough Saturday morning. But the rest of the day went so far so good.

This morning, however, was a complete different situation in compared to yesterday. Yesterday morning I went through a hard time finishing my work but it went away because I had a good afternoon. Today, on the other hand, I had my worst Sunday morning ever in my entire life. I got a problem, in which, I couldn't tell. To anyone, even to my closest friend. It was the moment when I tried to be the best, but it's not good enough for 'them'. I have improved myself, but that's not making anything to be any better. I was in a condition where some people always suspecting me to be the wrong ones. I feel something that others can't feel. I've got lots of stories though, or more precisely, problems to be shared but I don't want people to know what I've been through. I just want them to know who I'm in the outside, not the inside. People can know my happiness, but they don't have to know my sadness. Let I keep it with myself. And that is actually one of the problems I faced. I don't have the guts to share. Even if I can share, I don't know where to start, how to start, and how to explain. I just want myself to be capable enough of solving my own problems. To be mature enough to finish what I had started. Involving someone is not gonna make anything to be less complicated. I just can't tell, really. 

Hours had passed and problem has not been solved. But I remembered about my grandma's invitation. She invited all of us to have lunch together for her birthday treat. My dad picked us (me, sister and brother) and we went to Pondok Indah Mall together. We had our lunch at American Grill. Sounds yum, isn't? But I just can't feel the taste. The steak I ate was not tasteless, it was good, but my mood was not supporting my appetite at all. So, it just went okay. I ate as much food as I can and took pictures as much as possible to throw away my sorrow. 

..but it didn't help. 

Look? Tasty, eh? Screw my mood. It just didn't come at the right moment. 

And when I reached home, I felt the exact same feeling I got from the morning. Feeling as useless as it can be. That won't stop until now.

I'm here, typing the words, thinking of the right sentences, trying to feel happy just by writing it down, but it won't help. I still got that feeling. I tried to distract my mind once I got home. I used to distract my mind by doing something; either studying or finishing my task. But I couldn't keep my head focused. My mind brought me to every single thing I went through this morning. It sucks.

Hhhh. I should go back to the reality, bunch of works to do. Goodbye. 

Here comes the opportunity

Internship program in UK?

Super excited.

Have I ever mentioned about me being so passionate in living or study abroad? Well, of course not. This is my second post so far and due to that I haven't quite describing myself; about what I like, what I want, this and that, etc. The main reason is simple; I want to feel something different. I want a new environment. An environment which has a diversity in people and culture. Just what you will get by studying abroad, isn't? There will be a lot of people coming from different sides of the world to one of those top world universities. I want to be one of those people. My choice of studying abroad, so far, is UK. There are a lot of good universities there that I can choose as my consideration. But as far as I'm concerned, there are many obstacles in which I have to go through if I still stick to my first choice. First, UK is way to far from my hometown. Second, there will be a tough competition for getting accepted in one of UK's top universities. And the third one, will be explained further in the next paragraph. 

As I'm in my final year of getting a bachelor degree, the only reason for me to go abroad is for taking master. Taking a master degree, however, needs a lot of efforts. I don't mind, really. Studying day and night or taking away my weekends as long as my goal is finally achieved. But the only huge thing that matters to me the most is the scholarship. I have to get the FULL scholarship. I HAVE TO. Not a half scholarship or something, but the full one. All free including tuition fees, books, home stay/dorm and living cost. And why am I supposed to get it? Well, I still have one younger sister and two younger brothers whom my parents need to take care of. I came from a middle-class family. Not a super-rich sort of family. Getting a scholarship is also my decision. I don't want to bother my parents anymore. Instead, I want to help them raising my sister and brothers as I'm the oldest child they have. 

So.. where was I?

Scholarship. Right. For these past few months, I've been doing research for UK scholarship. It turned out, that full scholarship is very rare. Mostly they are giving a half scholarship or a reduction in the fees. Therefore.. sadly.. hardly.. I have and need to let go of it. Let go of UK. If I was meant to be there, I will be there. God surely has a better plan rather than I do. He knows myself more than anyone in this entire world, even me. But still, I want to study abroad. Maybe not in UK, maybe.. Malaysia or Singapore. Still in Asia? yes baby. Or maybe Australia is also a good choice. I don't know. I really don't know. 

Reality hurts. Way more hurtful than having a toothache. But I didn't stop until there. I know getting a scholarship is hardly unachievable, but I still have a way to study in UK even for only one or two months. I was thinking of joining a summer school. In which I can study English language in UK for a short period of time. If it comes to summer school, EF always comes as the first choice. They have a good program for studying English abroad in the summer. And I think it's not so costly. My target is by April or May 2012, so I still have months to save the money. And last week I surfed down the net to find the appropriate program for me. I filled the registration form and they said they will send me the details in 3 or 4 days. 

I received the email, finally. 

I was expected the email will consist of the price details or the summary of the program. But instead, they sent me an email about an international career. 'What the hell?' I said it once I opened the mail. I didn't ask for this! and I also not interesting in getting a job first. But well, I still downloaded all the attachments given, I thought maybe I could find something interesting.

AND YES I DID. 

They gave me a flyer about joining an internship program abroad! Internship!! A two months (or more) internship program. The choices of the cities are mostly in UK and some are in US and Australia. Well heck yeah, I AM SO UP FOR IT. I'm rooting for the internship in Lloyd's Bank, Brighton as it is the only organization available for IT industries. (FYI, I'm majoring in Computer Science.) I have to fill some forms I think. But it'll be better for me to call first and ask for the details. I'll have my fingers crossed so that I can be accepted. Maybe this is the way.. The path that God has given to me. Maybe.. I'm so really hoping for this. If I got in, I'll get two benefits. First, I'll be studying English as well as some IT related things. and second, I'll have more working experience. You don't know how happy I am just by writing this down. I'm not gonna make my expectation too high though, I'm not gonna expect anything. I just want to go for it. I'll try my best. Cause if I fail, the reality will hurt more than ever. I got that feeling already, and I'm not gonna the mistake I made a long time ago for the second times; to expect. 

I will just go for it. 

God will help.

God will hear my prayers.

I just need to believe in Him and myself.

That's it for now.

Adieu. ;)

A simple hello.

Hi. I'm just a human being, like you. Not an alien or a talking beaver. 

I'm not good in greetings. And surely not capable of making a good conversation with a stranger.

It takes me minutes to figure out what to ask.. or what to say..

Anyway..

I miss writing. I miss putting my ideas into words. I nearly have something to share though, but there are things in my mind that need to be put into sentences. The reason I've been avoiding writing is because my inability to capture of all the good memories I've had. The good memories that actually good to be shared (in my point of view). I forgot those times when I used to love writing. I forgot how I always gave some time to 'communicate' with myself through my written stories. I forgot how I used to be so blessed just by remembering how my day went. It was such a lovely phase of time. I want to have it again. A quite quality time, to just sit down and type something that is worth seeing. 

I've come to my senses to write again when I read my posts a long time ago in my Tumblr. I reblogged pictures most of the times but there were also some of my writings I found between those pictures. Mostly, I posted something about me being mad due to the excessively course works. Yep, the never-ending-assignments. A one certain thing that everyone must have been dealing with.

Speaking of the posts, something crossed my mind. 

I remembered that I still own a blog. And I opened one. An old blog of mine. I had it two years ago when I was still 16 years old. I laughed at some of the posts. I laughed by just remembering all those memories. The good thing is, I still remember. By reading the posts, one by one, I'm actually feeling jealous with the 'old' me. The old version of me who always gets some time refreshing her mind by writing the stories in paragraphs. I've been busy with my life, all the routines. 

So, well, here I am. Trying to write, again. 

Let's spill the beans, divulge the secret, and embrace the new start.
Cheers.