Eliminating the Limits   change yourself: change the world

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

Kemarin ada study tour lagi, untuk tugas pelajaran Sinematografi, yaitu membuat film dokumenter tentang Budaya Betawi. We went to three places: Museum Bahari, Museum Sejarah Jakarta (a.k.a Museum Fattahillah) dan Setu Babakan, Jagakarsa. There are some pictures:

More pictures later. It was fun! The first two destinations were creepy and boring, but the last one… Wisata kuliner! I ate kerak telor, bubur sum sum (a la Betawi) and es goyang. I can be fat :-)

Reading time: 6 – 9 minutes

Read J. D. Salinger – The Catcher in The Rye
Listen Radiohead – 15 Steps
Watch Into The Wild

For the ones who have been keeping an eye on the life of Alanda in the past two, three years, either through the live version or through the media (blog, magazine, newspaper, etc), maybe have been also aware with something called The Cure For Tomorrow. About TCFT, you can read it on http://thecurefortomorrow.wordpress.com. There were a lot of people who asked how to participate, what are the activities? You can read them all in our site.

One year ago, TCFT went through an internal problem, and finally, I took a big decision, yet difficult. TCFT has been temporarily “non-activated”. Although there were a lot of registered members with us, approximately 100 people, the ones who are really doing something in the community were too few, about 15-20 people. Active, referring to their presence in our meetings and events, their routine donation payment, and more. The other 80? Maybe they were more like, just registered. So they could write The Cure For Tomorrow in their profile page and be proud of it. I’ve never thought about it as a problem, because for me, the most important thing was participation, no matter how little it is. The essence of TCFT’s presence is to respect any kind of contribution, and I will stick to it forever.

From the active 20 people, most of them currently sits on last year of high school and will face the final exams, so most of us always had excuses: after school lessons, try out, exams. There were also some of us who had moved to Bandung for school or college. Aisha, my partner-in-crime, had departed to Charleston, West Virginia, as a participant of YES (Youth Exchange and Study Programs), AFS. Read Aisha’s story, here.

TCFT was started on June 2006. It popped up in my head, and followed with a phone call  to Aishanatasha. Then, it spreaded to our friends. It all started with an idea, a dream, a hope. Two years later, we are these. :-)

After TCFT was non-activated, we got thrilling-exciting offers. We were about to be interviewed by Majalah Saos (Yayasan Cinta Anak Bangsa), Planet Remaja (anTV), were about to have a meeting with Ms Titie Sadarini from The Coca-Cola Foundation, … I had to say no to all of those, because we didn’t have enough human resources. I could have attended all of those alone, but I don’t think it’s fair. The Cure For Tomorrow is not mine, it belongs to everyone who has given their contributions, and they have the right to experience the same things like I and Aisha did.

Establishing TCFT has opened a lot of opportunities for me, Aisha, and the others to move. TCFT wants to break the paradigm and stereotype that kids and teens cannot do anything, cannot bring a change. Without TCFT, we would have never been like this. I would never become Indonesia’s delegate for Global Changemakers Guildford Forum 2009, Aisha would never become Indonesia’s delegate in YES and AFS. Being a volunteer might will never make you reach. But, it opens a lot of doors, opportunities. We have met a lot of people, do a lot of new things, learn to socialize, and even try to see the world from a different point of view.

On December 5 2008, I have accomplished an “assignment” from British Council as Indonesian Global Changemaker to attend International Volunteer Day 2008 Celebration at Menteng Park, Central Jakarta. There were booths from Palang Merah Indonesia, Volunteering for International Development from Australia (VIDA), Global Xchange British Council, United Nations Volunteers, and more.

This post will not have any meaning without sharing. Just like what Everybody Loves Irene said, love is sharing. :-)

1. UN Volunteers offered an alternative to do online volunteering for everybody from all around the world who cannot depart to other countries but want to  do something to help the world. By the time I posted this entry, there were 3000 online volunteers already. Anyone can be an online volunteer. You can do: project development and management, design, coordination and facilitation, IT development, research, writing, editing, translating, training, coaching and consulting. The organization you work for will give you a certificate by the end of your colunteering activities. Click www.onlinevolunteering.org for more.

2. British Council has the Global Xchange program, where 9 Indonesian teenagers by the age of 18 – 25 years old team up with 9 British teenagers with the same age. These 18 kids will be located in a town in the UK for 3 months and a town Indonesia for 3 months. Read Global Xchange 2008’s story on British Council’s site. The latest deadline for the application form will be on early September 2009, for the next in take term, March 2010. Click here to download form. For further information, please contact Ilsa Meidina, (021) 5155561 or try to meet her at British Council Indonesia, Bursa Efek Indonesia Tower 2,  16th Floor.

Interested?

Reading time: < 1 minute

I am so in love with family gatherings.

Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes

Today was a bit empty. I went to SSC this morning, I had a test to determine which major should I take for college. Spent all day long at home, called my boyfriend and surfed on the net. My family and I went to the mall and I walked straight to the bookstore to buy some pens and an eraser. I didn’t want to see the books anymore, actually. No money, honey.

But then I decided to take a look. I really want to read Dee’s Rectoverso or Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. I got no money, Dee’s book is very expensive and I want to read the English version of Lolita, not the Indonesian one. I walked through the bookshelves and wanted to find Into The Wild on true stories bookshelf. I found Fajar Nugros’ book instead: My Girlfriend is My Favourite Actress. I bought it.

courtesy of sutradarakacangan

There is my name on the acknowledgements page, I’d love to thank my brother for that. Fajar treats me as his long lost little sister, so, vice versa. He’s not the type of person who pampers his loved ones. He doesn’t spoil me with words or even his behaviour. But, I assure you, he makes me strong. In my harsh days, everytime I was down I always texted him, and his replies show that he wants me to reach my dreams, to break the barriers, and the most important of all… he has faith in me. He has always believed that I can do this, I can do that. Just like one of my favourite quotes from Walt Disney:

“If you can dream it, then you can do it.”

He also used my name as a character’s name in one of his stories. It’s the reason, the beginning of every conversations we had. It was the start.

me & Fajar – preparing for Bunuh Diri Massal :)

Just like other brothers out there, he has negative sides also. He annoys me a lot sometimes. Just like everyone else, he thinks that I’m a little child, therefore he loves to make fun of me, geez. The hell with it, he’s one of my inspirations. He’s always sleepless and he’s proud of that habit.  He works all day and night long, even in his holidays, or when he was ill. He is the line producer of Doa yang Mengancam, he directed Dilarang Mencium di Malam Minggu and Mati Bujang Tengah Malam. He also wrote the story of Si Jago Merah and has published 3 books: Buaya Jantan, Cara Pinter Bikin Film Dokumenter and what I bought today.

I didn’t want to write about him, actually. It flew through my fingers on this black keyboard. What I wanted to share was…

I hate going to bookstores. I am envious. I used to see an orange book, with my name on it, being put in one of those shelves. I want to see another, and another, and another. But yeah, my latest manuscript was rejected by two publishers, I know that it was not good enough. I want to have the time and the guts to write. I miss reading comments about my writings. I miss seeing my book being placed in one of those shelves. I miss Googling the title of my book. I miss those little things. I am becoming less and less creative right now.

Will you see my book in one of those shelves in one or two years? I hope so. :)

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

Have you read this? That day, I still sent the application form. It was not even fulfilled yet, I only filled half of it. One day later, I got a call from Fajar Anugerah, a British Council staff. He and his team were going to wait for my essay video. So, I recorded the video in my room (while other applicants recorded theirs at the beach, garden, park, museum, etc) and sent the link to them (though Mum was a bit irritated because I couldn’t bring her camera to the Disney Live event because of that!). It’s a bit hard to say this but, on October 31, 2008, I got an e-mail from Louise Cowper, from British Council UK, saying that I am being selected to attend Global Changemakers Guildford Forum 2009 in Guildford, UK, on January 2009. I’m so excited! Wish me luck in representing Indonesia. If I’m good enough, I’ll be flying to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum 2009.

Alhamdulillahi rabbil alamin. Thank you, Mum, Dad, Astrid Wulandari, Fajar Anugerah, Hugh Moffatt. Although I haven’t even departed yet, I am happy already.

Find out about Global Changemakers.

Reading time: 2 – 2 minutes

I know you guys must have read this hilarious blog! But, I sent my personal stories to the administrators and they put it on that blog.

29 October 2008

Tes Orang Enggak Faham Linguistik…

Teman #1: “X, lo mau ikut tes TOEFL nggak?”
Teman #2: “Hah? Bayarnya berapaan sih?”
Teman #1: “Murah kok. 25 ribu, soalnya kolektif sama sekolah.”
Teman #2: “Mau deh, mau. Tapi tes TOEFL-nya nggak Bahasa Inggris kan?”

Didengar oleh teman #1 yang mulai frustasi dan mempertanyakan eksistensi temannya sebagai manusia.

*I am Teman #1 lol*

09 October 2008

Dan orang bilang ngobrol di HP itu adiktif

Dua orang ibu-ibu yang tiba-tiba berjumpa di pusat perbelanjaan.
Jeung #1: “Jeung X! Halo!”
Jeung #2: “Ya ampun, Jeung Y!”
Jeung #1: “Apa kabar?”
Jeung #2: “Kabar baik. Lagi dimana?”

Plaza Senayan, didengar oleh anak salah satu jeung yang akan mencari tahu isi tagihan telepon seluler ibunya.

*I am anak salah satu jeung’s friend*

Sure, you can laugh. Leave comments right away, don’t even hesitate! :-D

Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes

SUICIDE IS ROCK
a gathering Bunuh Diri Massal writers, readers, and band which inspired.

November 5, 2008 @ 7 PM – done
Ruang Tamu BREWWW! Kemang

Hosted by:
Fajar Nugros
Alanda Kariza
Irene Yohanna

The band:
Everybody Loves Irene
Marche La Void
Elemental Gaze
Little Space Donkey

Bunuh Diri Massal (Mass Suicide) is a phenomenal short story written by Fajar Nugros and Alanda Kariza. The story spread on internet and inspired many people to wrote their own side story of Bunuh Diri Massal. All story published on http://bdm2008.everybodylovesirene.com. Everybody Loves Irene appear as the soundtrack for this short story. They used Flash to embed the sound and the story. What a smart idea and they called it “Short Story Clip” as replacement for Video Clip. Be there!

Reading time: 3 – 4 minutes

I cried today. And no, it’s not about relationshits.

Saya begitu bersemangat menghadapi “masa depan”, dalam hal ini, kuliah. Saya apply untuk full scholarship ke beberapa universitas di luar negeri, seperti Ritsumeikan APU dan Wesleyan. Saya juga ingin datang ke international education expos, meskipun belum kesampaian karena selalu bentrok dengan acara lain.

Hari ini Ibu bilang, bahwa kalaupun saya menerima beasiswa ke luar negeri, ia tidak akan mampu membiayai kehidupan saya di sana. Bahwa daripada berandai-andai, lebih baik tidak usah sama sekali. Bahwa ia tidak ingin mengecewakan saya.

Saya bilang, saya sudah tahu hal itu sejak lama. Tapi saya tetap coba apply untuk scholarship ini, tentu saja untuk kedua orangtua saya. Supaya mereka bangga.

Kalau orang lain percaya saya bisa, saya ingin orangtua saya tahu. Saya pun ingin tahu kualitas diri saya, apakah saya cukup baik untuk bisa terpilih menjadi kandidat penerima beasiswa. Apakah saya cukup kompeten? Saya hanya ingin tahu, dan tidak apa-apa jika saya tidak jadi sekolah di luar negeri. Yang penting, jangan bunuh mimpi saya. Yang penting, Ibu bisa bilang, “Eh, anak gue dapat beasiswa untuk sekolah di Jepang lho.” Itu adalah mimpi saya yang mutlak. Semenjak saya beranjak ke usia remaja, itu adalah mimpi yang selalu tersangkut di kepala. Saya ingin membuat Ibu dan Papa bangga. Mereka bukan tipe orangtua yang selalu mendampingi anaknya ikut lomba. Bukan pula yang menceritakan prestasi anaknya ke orang-orang lain. Tapi, mereka selalu ada di belakang saya, mendukung saya, meski mungkin hanya secara moril. Itu sudah lebih dari cukup.

Ibu bilang, hatinya teriris setiap kali beliau mendengar saya mau mengirim aplikasi beasiswa. Setiap kali saya ingin datang ke pameran pendidikan. Setiap kali saya membicarakan prestasi saya yang mungkin mendukung hal ini.

Saya akan berusaha sekuat tenaga, karena semua pasti ada jalan-Nya. Kalau saya diterima, siapa tahu saya bisa dapat scholarship yang mendapat “bonus” living cost. Saya bisa kerja di sana, atau menghasilkan uang dulu di Indonesia dari menulis. Yang penting niatnya, pasti Tuhan akan memberi kesempatan, bukan? Saya sangat percaya itu. Karena itulah, saya selalu berani bermimpi.

Saya bilang, “Bu, aku cuma mau mencoba. Siapa tahu bisa diterima. Kalaupun diterima tapi nggak diambil pun nggak apa-apa, yang penting Ibu bangga.”

Dan Ibu berkata, “Ibu akan sangat sedih kalau kamu bisa menerima beasiswa tapi Ibu nggak bisa memenuhi cita-cita kamu. Kamu mampu, tapi Ibu nggak mampu.”

Saya menjawab, “Ibu, kalau sampai aku bisa menerima beasiswa untuk sekolah di luar negeri. Itu artinya, tanpa ke luar negeri pun, Ibu telah berhasil mendidik aku dengan baik dan benar. Ibu telah memberiku pendidikan yang layak.”

Saya menatap ke luar jendela. Mobil yang berlalu-lalang. Jalan tol yang rasanya tidak habis-habis. Dengan airmata yang menggumpal di sudut mata, lalu pecah dan jatuh ke pipi. Tanpa suara. Apapun yang selama ini saya lakukan, semata-mata saya lakukan untuk membuat Ibu bangga. Bukan buat saya, bukan untuk uang. Bukan supaya hati Ibu teriris.

Reading time: < 1 minute

Me, 8 years ago.

Me, now.

Reading time: < 1 minute

I was going to write a fun post today but I am pissed. I was so grateful Astrid left a comment about a competition which is held by The British Council. She said that I am qualified. I read on the description about the competition, I’ve downloaded the application form and very eager to do the video they asked for.

But, the due date was yesterday. That’s why. I feel terrible at the moment. I hate this. I hate this. Why hadn’t I know earlier?!

The candidates will attend a forum in Guildford, UK, on January. The elected candidate will become a representative at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Dios. HELP.