#772 - Updates

ENGLISH

Well, it turns out that October has become even a more unproductive month for this blog. As I record, this entry is the fifth entry published this month!! Well, it is now officially that October 2009 is the second to least month in term of number of entries published, haha.

Anyway, last Saturday I took my IELTS test, the international test which cost 180 USD. That's why I must not fail in this test, hehe. Well, based on my performance, I think I am confident enough with my work on the test. The result will be published next week, wish me luck, hehe :)

Nothing much happened this week. It's just that tomorrow I have an extra class. Damn!! My OFF Saturday is now tainted, LOL.

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, beneran deh ternyata Oktober menjadi bukan yang semakin tidak produktif untuk blog ini. Seperti catatanku, posting ini hanyalah posting kelima bulan ini!! Yah, sekarang resmi deh kalau Oktober 2009 adalah bulan paling tak produktif kedua dalam hal banyak posting yang kutulis, haha.

Ngomong2, Sabtu kemarin aku mengambil tes IELTS, yang internasional yang biayanya 180 dollar. Makanya aku tidak boleh gagal di tes ini, hehe. Hmm, berdasarkan performaku, rasanya sih aku yakin dengan pekerjaanku pada tes kemarin. Hasilnya baru keluar minggu depan, doakah saya ya, hehe :) h with my work on the test. The result will be published next week, wish me luck, hehe :)

Nggak banyak sih yang terjadi akhir2 ini. Hanya saja besok akan ada kelas tambahan. Sial!! Sabtu LIBUR-ku jadi ternodai deh, LOL.

#771 - Current TV Shows

note: currently being lazy in writing bilingual, again, this is a single-language entry ;)

Lately, especially after my last midterm last Thursday, and this week is still the second midterm week in my campus, I haven't really done anything much. I am having my off days tho, at least until next Sunday (tho I will have my written IELTS test this Saturday). It's just that I made a pretty good progress in my thesis. Hopefully I still can keep it up to achieve my personal deadline target, middle of November ;)

Anyway, as I have plain days, I have nothing much to write right now. It came up to my mind to write about my favorite TV Shows lately. Some new series have been aired within the last month, tying to my TV for some days during the week.

On Monday, my favorite TV Show is clearly The Amazing Race 15, no question about it. Anyway, about it, finally this week Brian & Ericka are one of my top favorite team. I really like the way they raced, nice, and Ericka was smart ;) So, my top four teams are Meghan & Cheyne, Brian & Ericka, Maria & Tiffany, and Mika & Canaan. Back to topic, unfortunately, Star World also airs what they call "Monday Night Laughs", a pack of six sitcoms it premiers from 7 PM to 10 PM, and for this session, I follow FIVE of them. The schedule is in conflict with TAR's schedule and of course I gotta make TAR my first priority since it's kinda a live show ;) Lucky enough, Star World airs the rerun of "Monday Night Laughs" every late Saturday and Sunday afternoon. So, I still can catch up with the program on the same week ;)

Tuesday is also my favorite day this week. Some weeks ago, when I was back in Yogyakarta for Lebaran holiday, Star World premiered a new TV show titled Royal Pains. At first, I wasn't really interested, honestly, but starting episode 3, I somehow stertaed liking this show. Now, I think this show is great and worth watched! :) The night is followed by Desperate Housewives (season 5), of course, the show which is really enjoyable to watch. I know, Tuesday is a drama day, LOL.

There's nothing really interesting on Wednesday so I'll just skip it to Thursday. I love Reaper Season 2 on Thursday. It's really unfortunate I think that the show is now officially canceled and will not be renewed for a third season :(. I think this show is actually really great, funny, and interesting!! :( Then, I watch Ace, a tennis news show aired on Star Sports later on the evening.

That's actually pretty much it. Friday is an off TV day (lol), and I usually catch up the sitcoms I miss on Monday on late Saturday or Sunday afternoon. O yea, and now I also like The Simpsons as Star World airs two episodes each day five times a week. I think it's really funny, smart, and witty :)

Oh, and one show is almost forgotten. I really like Psych, I think it's really funny and enjoyable :) It's about a detective which possessed an eidetic memory and great observational skill which made people believed he was a psychic :)

#770 - Last Midterm

ENGLISH

Well, it has been another while since my last entry. Anyway, this week is the first week of midterm in my campus. Because this semester I only take three courses, one of them is thesis (final assignment), I don't have that full schedule these two weeks, not like other midterms which I have had before.

In fact, as of Thursday afternoon which was the fourth day, I am FREE of exam!! haha... . My two exams were held on Tuesday and Thursday, leaving me with 10 days ahead free from daily campus activities (but not from thesis tho).

Anyway, next week (on Saturday the 24th), I'm taking the official IELTS test. Wew, I have already paid for it, which cost USD 180 (lucky last Monday, when I did the payment, the price of dollar went down a bit, which saved me some rupiah (but when I did the transaction, the price had rised about Rp 200,- tho since I last saw it)). Well, USD 180 is much and I must nail this one! :)

Btw, lately, it's getting cooler in Bandung as some rain has dropped, some was even pouring. The bad news is that somehow the cooler weather makes my appetite goes up a bit, damnit. Lately, sometimes around midnight, I somehow become starving!! WTF!! That's bad!! haha...

Anyway, last week I bought Stephanie Meyer's novel, titled "The Host". I haven't read it yet tho since I barely have time to read. Well, I bought the imported one, which cost only about Rp 20,000.- more than the translation edt, hehe... .

::: "The Host"

::: Suniaraja Fried Chicken I had last Wednesday

BAHASA INDONESIA

Yah, udah berapa lama lagi deh sejak posting terakhirku. Ngomong2, minggu ini adalah minggu UTS pertama di kampusku. Karena semester ini aku hanya mengambil tiga mata kuliah, salah satunya skripsi (tugas akhir), aku jadi tidak memiliki jadwal UTS yang padat dua minggu ini seperti dulu2.

Malah, Kamis siang kemarin yang merupakan hari keempat, aku sudah BEBAS dari ujian loh!! haha... . Dua ujianku diadakan hari Selasa dan Kamis, meninggalkan sepuluh hari ke depan bebas dari kegiatan kampus (tapi tidak dari skripsi deh).

Ngomong2, minggu depan (tanggal 24 hari Sabtu) aku akan mengambil tes resmi IELTS nih. Wew, aku juga sudah bayar, seharga 180 dollar Amerika (untungnya Senin waktu aku bayar, harga dollar lagi turun dikit jadi lumayan lah bisa menghemat dikit (tapi waktu aku melakukan transaksi harganya uda naik sekitar Rp 200,- dari terakhir aku cek)). Yah, 180 dollar tetap aja banyak dan aku harus berhasil di tes ini! :)

Btw, akhir2 ini, Bandung semakin dingin nih karena sudah beberapa kali hujan, malah beberapa diantaranya hujan lebat. Berita buruknya adalah karena suatu hal cuaca dingin koq membuat aku jadi gampang laper yah? Sial. Akhir2 ini parahnya sekitar tengah malam jadi lapar nih!! WTF!! Bahaya!! haha

Ngomong2, minggu lalu aku membeli novelnya Stephanie Meyer berjudul "The Host". Aku belum membacanya sih karena belum ada waktu untuk itu. Aku beli yang impor deh, yang harganya cuma beda Rp 20.000,- dari yang edisi terjemahan, hehe... .

#769 - IELTS Test

ENGLISH

I actually have a plan to take an IELTS test, the international and official one, within this month. The problem is that I have never taken this test before. Sure I have taken TOEFL test, even the international one, this time, but I have no experience in IELTS, at all :)

Therefore, before taking the actual test which cost USD 180, I need to make sure that I am ready for it so that I will achieve the score that I need. To reach that, I have decided to take a practice test at TBI which cost Rp 300,000.-. Fair enough I think, and I hoped that I would get many experiences about the test itself, so that I at least have a concept about the actual test I'm taking.

So today, I took the test. It took about 3 hours to complete and after waiting for 30 minutes after the test ended, I got my result. I got a 7! Well, the score is pretty satisfying as I have never taken any IELTS test before, hehe. Well, actually I could have done better. The tester told me I made some minor mistakes in some parts. I also made a pretty stupid mistake in the Reading Section. Qualitatevely, actually I got every single answer on that part CORRECT!! However, I didn't follow the instruction properly (I didn't read it carefully as I focused on the questions and passages, honestly), instead of writing 'YES' for 'TRUE' and 'NO' for 'FALSE', I wrote 'TRUE' and 'FALSE'. Damnit, they were counted as wrong, haha.

Well, tho it was a bit disappointing, I'm very satisfied that the purpose of me taking practice test was achieved!! I made some mistakes, minor and major ones, and that's the reason why I took practice test: to make mistakes!! By making mistakes, I learn from them and know how to do better next time, right? hehe :) Had I not made those mistakes, I would probably have still had no idea about those mistakes and I might make one during my actual test, which is my main target, right?

Therefore, this test was a complete success for me. I reached my personal score target and I also made mistakes and learn from them!! So quantitatively and qualitatively, the test was a success for me. Rp 300,000.- paid off, hehe. Anyway, wish me luck on my actual test! :)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Aku sebenarnya berencana untuk mengambil tes IELTS, yang resmi dan internasional, pada bulan ini. Masalahnya, aku belum pernah mengambil tes ini sebelumnya. Memang sih aku sudah pernah mengambil tes TOEFL, bahkan yang internasional loh, yaitu pada waktu ini, tapi aku sama sekali tidak punya pengalaman di IELTS :)

Makanya, sebelum mengambil tes benerannya yang harganya 180 dollar, aku perlu memastikan bahwa aku siap untuk mengambilnya sehingga aku bisa mencapai nilai yang aku butuhkan. Untuk mencapainya, aku memutuskan untuk mencoba mengambil tes latihannya di TBI, yang seharga Rp 300.000,-. Wajar sih, karena aku berharap aku akan mendapat pengalaman tentang tes itu, jadi setidaknya aku ada bayangan akan tes yang mau aku ambil.

Jadi hari ini, aku mengambil tes itu. Kira2 3 jam lah waktu yang dibutuhkan dan setelah menunggu 30 menit setelah tes berakhir, aku mendapat hasilnya. Aku dapet 7 loh! Yah, nilainya lumayan memuaskan karena aku benar2 tidak pernah mengambil IELTS sebelumnya, hehe. Hmm, sebenarnya, ternyata aku bisa dapat lebih baik lho. Pengujinya memberi tahu bahwa aku membuat beberapa kesalahan kecil pada beberapa bagian. Trus, ada juga kesalahan bodoh yang aku buat di Bagian Reading. Secara kualitatif, jawabanku di setiap nomor itu BENAR lho!! Namun, ternyata aku tidak teliti dan tidak mengikuti petunjuk pengerjaan soal (jujur sih memang petunjuknya hanya aku baca sekilas saja karena aku fokus pada soal dan bacaan), bukannya menulis 'YES' untuk 'TRUE' (benar) dan 'NO' untuk 'FALSE' (salah), aku malah menulis TRUE dan FALSE saja. Sial, disalahin deh, haha.

Yah, walau agak mengecewakan sedikit, tapi aku justru puas lho karena tujuanku mengambil tes latihan jadi tercapai!! Aku membuat kesalahan, kecil dan parah, dan alasan aku mengambil tes latihan kan untuk membuat kesalahan!! Dengan membuat kesalahan, aku belajar darinya dan tahu bagaimana untuk mengerjakan lebih baik nantinya kan? hehe :) Andai aku tidak membuat kesalahan itu, mungkin aku masih ga ada bayangan akan kesalahan2 itu dan bisa saja di tes sebenarnya malah salah, ya kan?

Makanya, tes tadi adalah tes yang sukses untuk aku. Aku mencapai target nilai personalku dan aku juga membuat kesalahan dan aku belajar darinya!! Jadi, secara kuantitas dan kualitas, tes tadi adalah tes yang sukses untuk aku. Rp 300.000,- tidak sia-sia deh, hehe. Yah, doakan aku di tes yang sebenarnya yah! :)

#768 - Updates

ENGLISH

So, now I have been back in Bandung.

Actually last Monday I went back to Bandung catching Turangga Express. Well, it was probably the weirdest train trip I have taken ever. My brother and I got seats number 1C-1D printed on our tickets. However, when we boarded the train, there were NO such seats 1C-1D!! WTF!! Well, I bought the ticket at the official ticket booth so there was no way it was a fake ticket. Luckily, I could remain calm and asked the officer on board about it. Apparently, because it was a new couch, true there was no seat 1C-1D and as their procedures, seats number 13C-13D should belong to us. And apparently, yes, it was the solution, haha, and I felt relieved. However, I still think it was a silly incident. I mean, if there was no seats 1C-1D, they shouldn't give those seats to passengers, and if their procedures was to reseat those passengers to seats 13C-13D, they should also have put that in their computer so misunderstanding can be avoided, right?

Anyway, this week has been kinda busy, haha, but nothing was really special tho, and so is the upcoming week. Next week is gonnabe my midterm week. This midterm is gonnabe the least stressful midterm weeks of all. Why? Because this semester I only take 2 classes (3 with thesis class tho). Therefore, out of 12 days of the two weeks of midterm, I will only have 2 of them filled with examination, and luckily, those 2 days will be within the first 4 days!! That means I will have at least one week OFF!! hahaha... . Hmm, at second thought, it's not gonnabe literally OFF tho since I have set a target to finish my thesis by the middle of November. Hopefully I can make it!! Wish Me Luck!! :)

::: soto kadipiro

::: bakso Narto

::: beef sate (sate karang)

::: the crowd at Tugu Railway Station Yogyakarta, so full of people.

::: aproaching Turangga Express

::: roast duck I had last Tuesday

BAHASA INDONESIA

Jadi, sekarang aku sudah balik di Bandung.

Sebenarnya Senin kemarin sih aku baliknya ke Bandung naik Kereta Turangga. Hmm, mungkin perjalanan dengan kereta kemarin adalah perjalanan paling aneh dengan kereta yang pernah aku lalui. Jadi, adikku dan aku mendapat kursi nomor 1C-1D di tiket kami. Namun, ketika kami menaiki keretanya, ternyata TIDAK ADA kursi nomor 1C-1D!! WTF!! Yah, aku kan membeli tiket di loket resmi tuh, jadi tidak mungkin tiket itu adalah tiket palsu. Untungnya aku bisa tetap tenang dan bertanya ke petugas akan masalah ini. Ternyata, karena mereka menggunakan gerbong baru, benar bahwa memang tidak ada kursi nomor 1C-1D, dan sesuai prosedur mereka, kursi 13C-13D sepatutnya menjadi milik kami. Dan ternyata memang sih itu penyelesaiannya, dan akhirnya aku merasa lega. Kalau dipikir2, aneh juga yah kejadiannya. Maksudku, kalau memang tidak ada kursi 1C-1D, seharusnya mereka tidak memberikan kursi nomor itu ke penumpang dong, dan kalau prosedurnya adalah dengan memberikan kursi 13C-13D, ya seharusnya nomor itulah yang dimasukkan ke komputer dan kesalahpahaman bisa dihindari, ya kan?

Ngomong2, minggu ini lumayan sibuk nih saya, tak ada yang spesial sih, dan juga minggu selanjutnya. Minggu depannya lagi adalah minggu UTS. Oya, minggu UTS kali ini mungkin adalah minggu UTS paling tidak bikin stress dari semua UTS yang pernah aku jalani. Mengapa? Karena semester ini aku cuma mengambil 2 mata kuliah (3 sih sama skripsi). Makanya, dari 12 hari dalam minggu UTS, hanya 2 hari aku akan melewatkannya untuk ujian, dan untungnya lagi, 2 hari itu ada di 4 hari pertama!! Artinya, aku akan mendapat setidaknya 1 minggu LIBUR nih!! hahaha... . Eh, kalau dipikir-pikir lagi nggak juga benar2 LIBUR sih yah, karea aku sendiri sudah menetapkan target untuk menyelesaikan skripsiku pertengahan November. Mudah2an aku bisa menyelesaikannya!! Doakan aku yah!! :)