#837 - Mid Year 2010 Trip : Guang Zhou and Yiwu, China

ENGLISH

For some reasons, I won't write about this trip to China in details. Well, I had so many new and interesting experiences while I was there and I think I know a new way to share about it in a much more compact post without reducing the content (a detail story can take four or five posts to complete anyway :-D)

1. First of all, my recent trip to China wasn't really a "vacation" trip. That's why I didn't visit any touristy places. But hey, it doesn't mean a non-vacation trip is boring or stressful. Quite the contrary, it was so enjoyable and exciting in a unique way.


2. I took my very first non-Indonesian domestic flight. It was exciting, you know, taking a domestic flight in another country :-) The flight was CZ 3795, a China Southern Airlines' flight from Guang Zhou to Yiwu.


3. Speaking about flights, to get to (and from) Guang Zhou I took Garuda Indonesia flights which centered in Jakarta. Thus, I went Yogyakarta - Jakarta (GA 201) - Guang Zhou (GA 898) - Jakarta (GA 899) - Yogyakarta (GA 218) with Garuda. I was lucky as all my four flights with Garuda were all using brand new Boeing 737-800NG with entertainment facility on board! :-) Some detail informations about my flights:
   
   
   • My GA 201 flight was on a Boeing 737-8U3 registration code PK-GMM. We took off from runway 09 of Adisucipto Airport, Yogyakarta and landed at runway 25R at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. In this flight, I (my mom actually) sat next to Didi Nini Thowok, haha... :-)
   • My GA 898 flight, scheduled to fly about 1 hour 15 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of GA 201, was on a Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GMK. We took off from runway 25R of Soekarno Hatta International Airport and landed at runway 20L at Guang Zhou Baiyun International Airport, about 4 hours 30 minutes later. Apparently, a transit time of 1 hour plus is more than enough :-)
   • My CZ 3795 flight was on a Boeing 737-31B registration code B-2941. We took off from runway 20R of Guang Zhou Baiyun International Airport and landed at runway 02 at Yiwu Airport. It was a pretty short flight, taking only about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
   • My CZ 3796 flight was on a Boeing 737-3Y0 registration code B-2909. We took off from runway 02 of Yiwu Airport and landed at runway 20R of Guang Zhou Baiyun Airport.
   • My GA 899 flight was on a Boeing 737-8U3 registration code PK-GME. We took off from runway 20L of Guang Zhou Baiyun International Airport and landed at runway 25R of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. This flight was delayed for about 2 hours as the GA 898 flight that day was also delayed (thus, creating a chain reaction of delay).
   • My GA 218 flight was on a Boeing 737-8U3 registration code PK-GMN. We took off from runway 07L of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and landed at runway 09 of Adisucipto Airport. The flight was not really convenient as we had to climbed up and down stairs to board the airplane at Soetta (our gate was at Gate F5 while the aircraft was parked at Gate D) and we had to wait the ground crew to disembark four unaccompanied baggages.
   
   Anyway, China Southern Airlines apparently applied different style of seat-numbering. On CZ 3796, I was seated on seat number 42J while the aircraft was a Boeing 737-300!! It is impossible (based on the assumption that they used conventional seat-numbering) for a Boeing 737-300 to have up to 42 rows and a "J" seat (there are only 6 economy seats per row in a Boeing 737 series). Apparently, the economy class numbering starts with number 31 and it is in an A-B-C (aisle) H-J-K configuration :-)


4. If you think the traffic in Indonesia sucks (due to many people not obeying the rules), then go to China! You will find Indonesian traffic is much more orderly and friendly. I find people there driving crazily, even crazier than angkot driver in Bandung! In Yiwu, seeing cars "colliding" is a daily menu as I literally saw the "scratching" everyday! And surprisingly, it didn't only involve "cheaper" cars, but also the expensive and fancy branded cars!!
   
   The other crazy thing is that crossing a road is one damn dangerous and life-threatening activity to do in China (than in Indonesia). I assume that when we cross a road, we "predict" about the speed of the upcoming vehicles and analyze whether crossing at that time is safe or not. Plus, this works under the assumption that a driver should slow down when a pedestrian is about the cross a road (especially when the pedestrian crosses in a "legal" space, i.e on a zebra cross). Well, in China, the assumption FAILS as drivers tend to drive really fast and not willing to slow down when somebody wants to cross!! That's why it is super hard (and heart-beating) when we have to cross a road when the traffic is high.
   
   People there were also "selfish" in term of driving. For example, one day we tried to stop a taxi. When a taxi passed, I waived and the taxi stopped for us. The "crazy" thing is that it didn't stop in the curb side of the road, but in the middle of the bustling road! So, we had to cross half of the road to get in the cab! Another example, people didn't bother to park their cars in a "neat" order, thus, raising the chance of another car-scratching.
   
   I don't know whether I can generalize this or not but at least this is based on my experience.


5. Quite the contrary from what I read and hear, I found many Chinese people I met friendly and very kind. I didn't speak nor read Chinese, but they were still really kind. One time, I had to contact a local number in Guang Zhou. Since a SIM Card was unbelievably expensive (in the hotel :-D), I walked out my hotel and found a public telephone. I tried to dial the number but something went wrong as the sound I heard on the line was really "strange". At that time, there was this local girl next to me and I knew she spoke English (she spoke with her friend in English). I asked her about what was wrong, and she helped me. Plus, she offered me to use her phone instead!! Well, I insisted not to (since I didn't want to bother her that much) but she insisted. She then called the number through her phone (wew) and told me what was wrong! How nice she was! There were also several other occasions where I experienced similar kindness. Well, this might because I was in a business area, where people already knew being nice and polite is important :-)


6. Still, I found several Chinese people were "rude" and "not hygienic". Well, this might be because of culture difference though.
   
   One day, after meal at a restaurant, I washed my hand at the sink. While I was taking the washing soap (so I practically was still in front of the sink), an old guy suddenly washed his hands at my sink (without saying anything first)!! How rude that was!?!? He didn't wash that long and just went away after that, not even looking at me or what.
   
   Another day, inside a trade center, I found many people spitting. Well, it might still be fine if they spat in the toilet or to a tissue or something, but nope, they spat just to the FLOOR IN the mall!! I was so shocked seeing that and I had to watch my steps closely, LOL. Then, I was told that the condition now has been much better than in the past! Well, I don't want to imagine how it was in the past!! haha...


7. Being in China for just 11 days, I already learned new words or phrases. I think this is one beauty of going abroad by ourselves, we learn MORE about the destination. And I also found that the word "lihai" and "ca kue" (both are common words in Bahasa Indonesia) are apparently Chinese words, hahaha...


8. There is no trip (to a country with English not being a national or native language) without having a "lost in translation" experience. In China, it was worse. I think the accent of some locals are really thick, plus they don't use Latin alphabet which makes things worse for some cases. One day, I wanted to borrow a nail clipper from my hotel's housekeeping. I called housekeeping to bring me a nail clipper. I pronounce "nail clipper" slowly hoping they would understand. He then responded: "Okay, so you want to bollow a clip boald" [read: "Okay, so you want to borrow a clip board"] (yeah, lisp). Bllaaaaarrrrrr.... . He didn't understand at all but when he said he would send someone up to my room, I agreed, since I think speaking face to face can be a lot more understandable as we can "mime" what we want. Then, a waiter came to my room bringing an : "ironing board" and the iron!! LOL. After I mimed about cutting my nails, he understood (finally).
   
   The other day when I was in Guang Zhou, I needed some pieces of paper, a marker, and a cutter. I desperately tried to tell the waitress what I needed but she just didn't understand. Instead, she brought me a pen and a roll of toilet paper, wkwkwkw. I tried to mime what I wanted but it didn't work out this time. The waitress seemed not to understand at all (she just understood that I wanted paper).


9. Food is always one interesting thing to explore while we are traveling. In China, of course I mostly had Chinese food, LOL. I found some "strange" menus as usually I only find this kind of menu in a daring TV show like Fear Factor or The Amazing Race. For example: alive scorpions! I also had a chance to eat Chinese style Shabu-Shabu. It is pretty much like Japanese-Style Shabu-Shabu but the unique thing is that it involves ca kue, and the ca kue is also soaked in the boiling pan. Anyway, normal Chinese portion for a menu is really huge (compared to Indonesian portion), you can see one comparison below.

Well, that's all for now. If there are another experiences that I forget to write about now, I will write it down in the future :-)

::: My Travel Path, taken from Google Earth.


L : Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GMM was ready to fly to Jakarta as GA 201 from Yogyakarta.
R : Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GMK was ready to fly to Guang Zhou as GA 898 from Jakarta.


L : Complimentary Breakfast On Board Garuda Indonesia's flight from Jakarta to Guang Zhou.
R : On board Garuda Indonesia's brand new Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GMK flight no. GA 898 from Jakarta to Guang Zhou.


L : The City of Guang Zhou
R : at Beijing Lu, Guang Zhou


L : Beijing Lu at Night
R : Complimentary Snack (digestible biscuit) on board my very first non-Indonesian domestic flight, China Southern Airlines flight no. CZ 3795.


L : China Southern Airlines' Boeing 737-31B reg code B-2941 which brought me on my first non-Indonesian domestic flight.
R : The city of Yiwu.


L : "Alive scorpions". I dunno whether they ate them alive or not, but this bowl of scorpions was put on a "display" table where they put cooked meals as the samples of their menus.
R : First meal at Yiwu, scorpions-free :-D


L : Crossing the road on a motorbike with no helmet!
R : A satayman cooking mutton satay. Tasty, very different from Indonesian satay!


L : The city of Yiwu
R : The city of Yiwu at night with a BMW Series 7


L : A unique designed building at Yiwu.
R : One spot at Yiwu during the night.


L : In Yiwu, I found this drink in every restaurant!!
R : Korean-style yakiniku I had.


L : China Southern Airlines' Boeing 737-3Y0 reg code B-2909 which would bring me back to Guang Zhou as CZ 3796.
R : Another view of Guang Zhou.


L : A bus with electricity power at Guang Zhou.
R : McD in China.


L : A standard-sized portion. Well, I deliberately put the chopsticks next to it as a comparison!!
R : Some historical remains from the Ming and Yang dynasty as exhibited in Beijing Lu, Guang Zhou.


L : Another view of the city of Guang Zhou. The new Guang Zhou TV Tower makes a small appearance in this picture :-D
R : A menu list written in Chinese. I only understand the price, hehe


L : Chinese Food dinner at Guang Zhou
R : A Garuda Indonesia's passenger should wear this sticker there.


L : A View of Guang Zhou Baiyun International Airport
R : A Delayed Flight


L : Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GME which would fly back to Jakarta as GA 899 from Guang Zhou.
R : Complimentary Dinner Menu Choice on board Garuda Indonesia's flight GA 899.


L : And I picked this complimentary Dinner on board Garuda Indonesia's flight GA 899.
R : A view from my window on board Garuda Indonesia's flight GA 899 on a Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GME.


L : The city of Yogyakarta at night, as we were approaching runway 09 to land.
R : Garuda Indonesia's Boeing 737-8U3 reg code PK-GMN which brought me back to Yogyakarta as GA 218.

BAHASA INDONESIA

Karena beberapa alasan, aku tidak akan menulis perjalananku ke China ini dengan terlalu mendetail. Yah, aku mendapatkan banyak pengalaman baru dan menarik ketika disana dan aku rasa aku tahu deh cara baru untuk membagikan pengalamanku melalui posting yang padat (soalnya kalo pake penceritaan detail kaya biasanya bisa jadi lama nih sekitar empat ato lima posting :D)

1. Pertama2, perjalananku kemarin ke Cina ini bukan perjalanan "jalan-jalan" loh. Makanya aku nggak mengunjungi tempat2 untuk turis gitu. Tapi ya bukan berarti perjalanan bukan "jalan-jalan" itu membosankan atu bikin stress koq. Agak berlawanan, menyenangkan dan menarik dengan caranya sendiri loh.


2. Aku juga menaiki penerbangan domestik non-Indonesia pertamaku loh. Asik aja, iya kan, naik penerbangan domestik di negara lain :-) Penerbangannya adalah CZ 3795, penerbangan China Southern Airlines dari kota Guang Zhou ke Yiwu.


3. Ngomong2 tentang penerbangan, untuk pergi ke (dan dari) Guang Zhou aku naik penerbangannya Garuda Indonesia yang berpusat di Jakarta. Makanya, aku pergi dengan rute Yogyakarta - Jakarta (GA 201) - Guang Zhou (GA 898) - Jakarta (GA 899) - Yogyakarta (GA 218). Beruntung juga semua empat penerbangan dengan Garuda adalah penerbangan dengan pesawat baru Boeing 737-800NG dengan fasilitas hiburan di pesawat loh! :-) Sebagian detail mengenai penerbanganku:
   
   
   • Penerbangan GA 201ku dengan pesawat Boeing 737-8U3 kode registrasi PK-GMM. Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 09 Bandara Adisucipto, Yogyakarta dan mendarat di landasan pacu 25R Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta. Di pesawat ini, aku (mamaku seh sebenernya) duduk di sebelahnya Didi Nini Thowok, haha... :-)
   • Penerbangan 898ku, dijadwalkan terbang sekitar 1 jam 15 menit setelah waktu tiba GA 201, terbang dengan pesawat Boeing 737-8U3 kode registrasi PK-GMK. Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 25R Bandara Internasional Soekarno Hatta dan mendarat di landasan pacu 20L Bandara Internasional Baiyun di Guang Zhou, sekitar 4 setengah jam kemudian. Ternyata, waktu transit sejam lebih dikit itu cukup juga loh :-)
   • Penerbangan CZ 3795ku menggunakan pesawat Boeing 737-31B kode registrasi B-2941. Kami lepas landas di landasan pacu 20R Bandara Baiyun dan mendarat di landasan pacu 02 di Bandara Yiwu. Penerbangannya singkat juga, hanya sekitar 1 jam 20 menit.
   • Penerbangan CZ 3796ku menggunakan pesawat Boeing 737-3Y0 kode registrasi B-2909. Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 02 Bandara Yiwu dan mendarat di landasan pacu 20R of Bandara Baiyun di Guang Zhou.
   • Penerbangan GA 899ku menggunakan pesawat Boeing 737-8U3 kode registrasi PK-GME. Kami lepas landas dari landasan pacu 20L Bandara Internasional Baiyun di Guang Zhou dan mendarat di landasan pacu 25R Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta. Penerbangan ini terlambat selama dua jam loh karena GA 898 hari itu terlambat (makanya mengakibatkan reaksi berantai keterlambatan).
   • Penerbangan GA 218ku menggunakan pesawat Boeing 737-8U3 kode registrasi PK-GMN. Kami lepas landas dari landasan 07L Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta dan mendarat di landasan pacu 09 Bandara Adisucipto. Penerbangan ini agak sedikit menyebalkan soalnya kami harus naik-turun tangga loh untuk naik pesawatnya di Soetta (gerbang keberangkatan adalah Gerbang F5 sementara pesawatnya parkir di Gerbang D) dan kami juga harus menunggu kru darat untuk menurunkan beberapa bagasi tak bertuan.
   
   Ngomong2, maskapai China Southern Airlines ternyata menerapkan sistem penomoran kursi yang agak berbeda. Di penerbangan CZ 3796, aku duduk di nomor 42J padahal pesawatnya adalah Boeing 737-300!! Mustahil (dengan asumsi penomoran kursi konvensional) untuk sebuah Boeing 737-300 memiliki kursi sampai 42 baris dan memiliki kursi nomor "J" (kan cuma ada 6 kursi ekonomi sebaris di seri Boeing 737). Eh ternyata, penomoran kelas ekonominya dimulai dengan nomer 31 dan konfigurasi kursinya A-B-C (lorong) H-J-K :-)


4. Kalau pada merasa kondisi lalu lintas di Indonesia itu parah (soalnya banyak orang yang nggak menuruti aturan), pergi deh ke China! Akan didapatkan kalau lalu lintas di Indonesia itu lebih teratur dan bersahabat. Menurutku, disana orang menyetir dengan gila, bahkan lebih gila daripada sopir angkot di Bandung! Di Yiwu, melihat mobil "serempetan" itu pemandangan setiap hari deh. Ini beneran soalnya aku memang setiap hari melihat dua mobil serempetan di jalan! Dan gilanya lagi, kejadian itu nggak hanya terjadi pada mobil2 "murah" lho, bahkan terjadi juga antar mobil bermerk mahal nan keren!!
   
   Hal gila lain adalah menyeberang jalan itu merupakan hal yang sangat membahayakan nyawa di Cina. Aku asumsikan ketika akan menyeberang jalan, kita "memperkirakan" kecepatan kendaraan yang akan datang dan menganalisa apakah aman untuk menyeberang atau enggak. Plus, ini berdasarkan asumsi kalau seorang sopir akan memelankan kendaraannya kalau seseorang mau menyeberang jalan (apalagi kalau mau menyeberang di tempat "resmi" kaya di zebra cross gitu). Nah, di Cina, asumsi ini TIDAK BERLAKU karena sopir itu cenderung nyetir dengan ngebut dan seperti nggak mau ngerem loh ketika ada yang mau menyeberang!! Makanya sangat susah (dan bikin deg2an banget) ketika harus menyeberang jalan disana apalagi waktu jam-jam ramai.
   
   Pengemudi juga biasanya agak2 "egois" gitu. Misalnya nih, di suatu hari kan kami akan naik taksi nih. Nah, waktu ada yang lewat, melambailah kami untuk memanggil itu taksi dan taksinya akhirnya berhenti untuk kami. Hal "gila"-nya adalah tu taksi berhenti bukan di pinggir jalan, tapi di tengah jalan yang lagi rame! Jadi, kami mesti menyeberang setengah jalan untuk naik taksinya! Contoh lainnya, orang sepertinya ga peduli deh parkirnya itu serampangan, akhirnya kan kemungkinan serempetan jadi makin besar tuh.
   
   Nggak tahu sih ya ini bisa digeneralisir atau engga tapi paling nggak kaya gini deh pengalamanku.


5. Agak bertentangan dengan apa yang kubaca atau kudengar, aku malah merasa banyak orang Cina yang kutemui ramah2 dan baik loh. Aku sekarang sih nggak bisa ngomong bahasa Mandarin atau baca tulisan sana, tapi masih aja koq mereka baik. Suatu kali aku harus menelepon sebuah nomor lokal di Guang Zhou. Karena harga SIM Card ajubile gila mahalnya (di hotel :-D), aku jalan keluar hotel dan nemu sebuah telepon umum. Aku mencoba menghubungi nomor itu tapi ada yang salah karena suara yang aku dengan malah "aneh". Nah, waktu itu, ada seorang cewe orang sana yang berdiri di sebelahku dan dia bisa ngomong bahasa Inggris (soalnya dia ngomong pake bahasa Inggris sama temennya sih). Nah, aku tanya dia tentang apa yang salah, dan ia menolongku. Plus, dia malah menawarkan untuk memakai hp-nya loh!! Yah, aku sih ngomong nggak usah (soalnya nggak enak banget kan merepotkan gitu) eh dia tetep bersikeras. Dia terus menelepon nomor itu pakai hp-nya dan memberitahuku apa yang salah! Baik hati kan! Ada beberapa kejadian lain dimana aku mengalami pengalaman yang serupa. Yah, ini mungkin karena aku berada di area bisnis sih, dimana orang sudah sadar akan pentingnya bersikap baik dan sopan :-)


6. Walaupun begitu, aku masih merasa beberapa orang sana itu agak "gak sopan" dan "jorok" deh. Ini mungkin karena perbedaan budaya aja kali yah.
   
   Suatu hari, waktu lagi makan di restoran, aku kan lagi cuci tangan di wastafel. Ketika aku sedang sabunan (jadi ya praktis aku masih di depan wastafelnya), seorang om2 gitu tiba2 cuci tangan di wastafelku (tanpa tedeng aling2 loh)!! Ga sopan banget kan!?!? Dia nyuci tangan ga lama sih dan langsung pergi begitu aja setelah selesai, ga ngeliat aku dulu ato apa gitu.
   
   Di hari lain, waktu di dalam tempat perbelanjaan gitu, aku melihat banyak orang sembarangan meludah loh. Yah, mending kali yah kalo mereka meludah di toilet ato pake tisu ato apa lah, tapi enggak lho, mereka meludah begitu aja di LANTAI DI DALAM mall-nya!! Aku kaget banget melihat itu dan akhirnya harus berhati-hati dalam melangkah deh, LOL. Kemudian, aku dikasi tau kalau kondisi sekarang ini sudah jauh mendingan dibanding kondisi dulu! Yah, gamau deh membayangkan gimana kondisi dulu!! haha...


7. Di Cina selama hanya 11 hari, aku sudah belajar beberapa kata dan frasa baru loh. Inilah yang aku rasa sebuah keindahan pergi ke luar negeri dengan ngurus sendiri semuanya, kita belajar BANYAK tentang tempat tujuan. Aku juga baru tahu kalau ternyata kata"lihai" dan "ca kue" itu kata bahasa Mandarin loh, hahaha...


8. Tidak ada perjalanan (ke negara dengan bahasa utama atau bahasa lokal bukan bahasa Inggris) tanpa mengalami pengalaman "lost in translation". Di Cina, malah lebih parah lagi deh. Aku rasa aksen beberapa orang sana itu agak "kental", plus mereka tidak menggunakan aksara Latin jadi ya agak susah juga. Di suatu hari nih, aku ingin pinjam gunting kuku (nail clipper) ke hotelku. Nah, aku telepon tuh bagian housekeeping-nya dan memintanya untuk membawakan gunting kuku. Aku mengucapkan "nail clipper" pelan2 supaya mereka bisa ngerti. Ternyata responnya seperti ini: "Okay, so you want to bollow a clip boald" [read: "Okay, so you want to borrow a clip board" 'Oke, jadi Anda ingin meminjam clipboard'] (ya, agak2 cadel gitu). Duaaaaaaarrrrrr.... . Dia nggak ngerti sama sekali deh tapi ketika ia bilang akan mengirim seseorang ke kamar, aku setuju aja, soalnya aku rasa kalau bertemu muka kan mungkin lebih bisa dimengerti dan lagi bisa "memeragakan" yang kita mau kan. Trus, pelayannya tiba di kamar sambil membawa: papan setrikaan beserta setrikanya!! LOL. Habis memeragakan menggunting kuku, baru deh dia (akhirnya) ngerti.
   
   Di hari lain ketika sedang di Guang Zhou, aku membutuhkan beberapa lembar kertas, spidol, dan cutter. Aku berusaha keras memberi tahu pelayannya tentang yang kubutuhkan tapi dia kaya nggak ngerti2 juga. Malah, dia membawa sebuah pulpen dan satu rol tisu toilet itu, wkwkwkw. Aku mencoba memeragakan hal2 itu tapi kali ini hal itu gagal. Pelayannya nggak ngerti sama sekali (dia cuma ngerti aku butuh kertas).


9. Makanan selalu menjadi hal menarik untuk dijelajahi ketika sedang jalan-jalan. Di Cina, tentu saja seringnya aku makan masakan Cina, LOL. Aku menemukan beberapa menu "aneh" yang biasanya cuma ditemui di acara2 tantangan seperti Fear Factor atau The Amazing Race. Misalnya: kalajengking hidup! Aku juga berkesempatan makan shabu-shabu ala Cina. Mirip2 aja sih sama shabu-shabu Jepang cuma hal yang unik adalah yang versi Cina ini melibatkan ca kue, dan ca kue-nya ikut dimasak di pancinya itu. Ngomong2, porsi normal menu Cina itu besar sekali loh (dibandingin porsi Indonesia), bisa lihat tuh perbandingannya di atas.

Yah, itu dulu deh untuk kali ini. Kalau ada pengalaman lain yang kelupaan ditulis sekarang, aku tulis ntar aja yah :-)

#836 - Back!!

ENGLISH

Hello Guys, now I am back!! :-) Last night, I got back to my hometown after catching Garuda Indonesia's flight. Well, I haven't really prepared a posting about my almost-2-week trip to China though, but I think I will put all my experiences there in a compact one special entry. So, be prepared!!

Of course I don't have much to write right now, so I am putting some sneak-peek pictures about my trip to China.

::: On board Garuda Indonesia's brand new Boeing 737-800 reg code PK-GMK on my way to Guang Zhou. Notice that every seat in economy class is equipped with a personal touch screen LCD where we can enjoy many kind of entertainment on board. COOL!!!

::: The City of Guang Zhou

::: Beijing Lu at Guang Zhou

::: Several minutes before landing at the city of Yiwu. This picture was taken while I was on board of my very first non-Indonesian domestic flight. I was on a China Southern Airlines' Boeing 737-300 reg code B-2941 on a 1 hour 40 minutes flight from Guang Zhou to Yiwu.

::: A Roundabout at the city of Yiwu.

::: The City of Yiwu

::: A satay seller at Yiwu. Sate in China is so different with Indonesian sate, LOL.

::: The City of Yiwu at night

::: Another View of Guang Zhou, overlooking Beijing Lu.

::: Beijing Lu at night.

::: A public bus at Guang Zhou. Notice that this was an electric bus, running with the power gotten from the pantograph on top of the bus :-D

::: This Garuda Indonesia's brand new Boeing 737-800 reg code PK-GME brought me back to Indonesia from Guang Zhou, China.

BAHASA INDONESIA

Halo semua, sudah balik nih aku!! :-) Semalam, aku tiba di Yogyakarta setelah naik penerbangannya Garuda Indonesia. Yah, aku belum menyiapkan posting tentang perjalanan hampir-2-minggu ke China ini sih, tapi yang jelas aku akan menuliskan semua pengalamanku di dalam satu posting spesial yang padat. Jadi, tunggu yah!!

Tentu saja aku belum punya banyak hal untuk ditulis sekarang, jadi aku akan mengunggah beberapa foto untuk mengintip sekilas perjalananku ke China ini.

#835 - Over The Week

ENGLISH

Well, another week has passed. There were several things which happened this week.

1. I just realized that the validity of my driving license is going to come to an end this September. Thus, I have to renew it in the very near future before I go to the Netherlands. Ugh, so many agenda.


2. I got a surprise present this week. The present is a pocket camera, the gadget I have been wanting for a long time! :-D It is a new Canon Cyber-Shot DSC-W380. Thank you so much to my parents' friends who gave me this camera!! :-) Anyway, I think I am going to learn how to use this camera on my next trip to China.


3. Speaking of my trip to China, tomorrow is the departure day! I am catching the first Garuda's flight out of Yogyakarta to Jakarta and transiting in Jakarta for about 1 hour. My connecting flight to Guang Zhou is scheduled to depart at 8.45 AM. I hope the time is more than enough to go pass the fiscal and immigration desk. Amen!


4. There is an interesting character in this season of "Penghuni Terakhir". This character, which is Erick, knows how to "play the game viciously and coldly". I think this is very interesting because I don't think I have seen this type of character in any other local reality show! What I don't like about this character is that I think he is somehow artificial. He "plays" this evil, cruel, and dictating character while I don't think he IS that character. Well, all I want so say is that "knowing how to play the game" doesn't always translate to an "evil" character ;-)


5. Speaking of "Penghuni Terakhir", I think I found some "scenarios" in it, and it was pushed by the producer. For example, last week there was a scene showing that one contestant climbed the big wall to pick a jackfruit in the neighbor's yard. Some time later, still in the middle of the night, a woman (who claimed to be that neighbor), accompanied with her security guard, came to the house and she was furious. She blamed the producer for letting someone strange entering her house (she had CCTV cameras installed all around her house). Well, the angry neighbor was a "making-sense" thing, but not her appearance. If you want to know, I think there were three odd things about this neighbor:
   


• If she was that angry, how could the team convinced her to put a mic on her outfit? I am sure that she pinned a mic on her outfit as we could hear what she said clearly. If this was not "written", I can imagine this odd conversation:
  
  Angry Neighbor (AN) to the PeTir's Team (PT): "Hey, there was a strange guy entering my home from yours in the middle of the night stealing my jackfruit!! How could you let that happen?" (furious voice)
  PT : "Oh, wait Ma'am, let me pin this mic first so what you say can be recorded and aired in a national television."
  AN : "Oh, okay."
  
  The PT then pinned a mic on AN's outfit. Then, AN continued her furious protest. Weird, uh?


• For a neighbor whose house had just been "intruded" by a strange guy stealing a jackfruit and she was complaining to her neighbor about it in the middle of the night, she dressed a bit too "fancy" for that. She wore a make-up, she got her hair done, she wore a fancy black dress, she brought a fancy handbag, and she wore high-heels. It seemed like she was going to a mall, but it was in the middle of the night. Conclude yourself


• I don't think anyone can enter the quarantine house freely. If the woman was really the neighbor and she forced to enter the house creating a conflict in the middle of the night, I think her face should have been blurred unless she agreed that she let that scene with her face to be aired. Watching many episodes of The Amazing Race and The Amazing Race Asia, some local people's faces were blurred because they didn't sign the so-called contract to "air" the scene with their "full" faces. So, based on this, I concluded that she let ANTV to air the scene with her "full" face. If she was willing to "cooperate" with ANTV on this one, the possibility of a "scenario" over that is possible, rite?

Okay, that's enough for now :-)


6. Anyway, mixed news about one thing are confusing, hahaha

::: Some meals I had at Qua Li.

::: Chicken Cordon Bleu I had yesterday

BAHASA INDONESIA

Lagi, satu minggu sudah berlalu. Ada beberapa hal yang terjadi minggu ini.

1. Aku baru sadar kalau ternyata masa berlaku SIM-ku akan habis September ini. Makanya, aku harus memperpanjangnya segera nih sebelum berangkat ke Belanda nanti. Wah, banyak juga agendaku.


2. Aku dapat hadiah kejutan minggu ini. Hadiahnya adalah kamera saku, alat elektronik yang sudah aku ingini sekian lama! :-D Kameranya adalah Canon Cyber-Shot DSC-W380 yang baru. Terima kasih banyak untuk temen2nya ortuku yang sudah memberiku kamera ini!! :-) Btw, kayanya aku akan berlatih menggunakan kamera ini di perjalananku ke Cina besok ini deh.


3. Ngomong2 tentang perjalananku ke Cina, besok adalah hari keberangkatan nih! Aku akan naik penerbangan Garuda pertama dari Yogyakarta menuju Jakarta dan kemudian akan transit selama sekitar 1 jam di Jakarta. Penerbangan sambunganku menuju Guang Zhou dijadwalkan berangkat jam 8.45 pagi. Mudah2an waktu transit itu lebih dari cukup lah ya untuk melewati antrian meja fiskal dan imigrasi. Amin!


4. Ada karakter yang menarik di musim "Penghuni Terakhir" kali ini. Karakter ini, yaitu Erick, tahu bagaimana "bermain dengan kejam dan dingin". Aku rasa ini sangat menarik karena rasanya aku belum pernah deh melihat karakter semacam ini di reality show produksi lokal! Yang nggak aku suka dari karakter ini adalah aku rasa ia agak dibuat-buat. Ia "memainkan" karakter yang jahat, kejam, dan diktator padahal aku rasa aslinya dia sih BUKAN karakter seperti itu. Yah, yang mau aku katakan adalah "mengetahui bagaimana memainkan permainan" tidak selalu berarti karakter yang "jahat" kan ;-)


5. Ngomong2 tentang "Penghuni Terakhir", rasanya aku mencium bau "skenario" di dalamnya deh, dan skenario ini agak dipaksakan oleh produsernya. Misalnya, minggu lalu ada adegan dimana seorang penghuni memanjat tempok besar untuk memetik buah nangka yang ada di halaman tetangga. Beberapa waktu kemudian, masih di tengah malam gitu, seorang wanita (yang menyatakan dirinya sebagai tetangga itu), ditemani seorang satpamnya, datang ke rumah PeTir dan ia marah2. Ia menyalahkan produser karena membiarkan seorang asing memasuki rumahnya (ia memasang kamera CCTV di rumahnya). Yah, tetangga yang marah adalah hal yang "masuk akal" koq, cuma penampilan si wanita ini koq engga ya. Setidaknya, aku rasa ada tiga hal janggal dari tetangga ini:


• Kalau ia memang marah, koq bisa ya timnya meyakinkannya untuk memasang mic di pakaiannya? Aku cukup yakin kalau ia memasang mic di bajunya karena apa yang ia katakan bisa terdengar dengan jelas. Kalau memang tidak "diskenario", aku membayangkan terjadinya percakapan aneh berikut ini:
  
  Tetangga Marah (TM) ke Tim PeTir (TP): "Hey, ada orang asing yang masuk ke rumahku dari rumahmu di tengah malam untuk nyolong nangka!! Koq bisa kalian membiarkan itu terjadi? (suara marah)
  TP : "Oh, tunggu Bu, biarkan saya memasang mic ini di baju Ibu dulu jadi apa yang Ibu katakan bisa terekam dan ditayangkan di televisi nasional."
  TM : "Oh, baiklah."
  
  Kemudian TP menyematkan mic di bajunya TM. Kemudian TM baru melanjutkan marah2nya. Aneh nggak?


• Untuk ukuran seorang tetangga yang rumahnya baru saja "disantroni" seorang pria asing yang mencuri sebuah nangka dan si tetangga ini kemudian komplain ke tetangganya tentang itu di tengah malam, ia berpenampilan terlalu "keren" deh. Ia pakai make-up, ia juga sudah menata rambutnya, ia memakai gaun hitam yang bagus, ia membawa tas wanita yang kelihatan ok, dan juga ia memakai sepatu hak tinggi. Dengan penampilan seperti itu, lebih cocok kalau dia jalan2 ke mall deh, tapi koq di tengah malam yah. Simpulkan deh.


• Aku merasa koq tidak semua orang akan dibiarkan masuk ke rumah karantina PeTir dengan bebas. Kalau wanita itu memang tetangganya dan ia memaksa masuk ke rumah dan mencipatkan konflik di tengah malam, aku rasa wajahnya seharusnya di-blur kecuali ia setuju untuk membiarkan adegan dengan wajahnya untuk ditayangkan. Nonton banyak episode dari The Amazing Race dan The Amazing Race Asia, beberapa wajah orang lokal di-blur karena mereka tidak menanda-tangani kontrak untuk "menayangkan" adegan dengan wajah "utuh" mereka. Jadi, berdasarkan ini, aku rasa tetangga ini memang membiarkan ANTV menayangkan adegan dengan wajah "utuh"-nya. Kalau ia mau "bekerja-sama" dengan ANTV dalam hal ini, kemungkinan adanya "skenario" juga ada kan?

Udah ah segini dulu aja :-)


6. Ngomong2, berita yang bermacam-macam tentang satu hal itu membuat bingung yah, hahaha

#834 - (My Preparation to) The Netherlands

ENGLISH

So, it is already confirmed that I am going to continue my study at the Netherlands, thanks to this great news several months ago. Of course I have to prepare many things for my departure to Europe.

Guarantee Payment

You might recall that last month, I wrote that I faced two big problems. One of them was related to My Vacation. The other one was this so-called Guarantee Payment. I used to think that the Guarantee Payment was the sum of one year tuition fee and (pre-determined) living cost for 12 months, thus, it was covered by the scholarship. But then, apparently there was another part of the Guarantee Payment which I did not realize about, it was the Visa and accommodation arrangements fee, plus health-insurance. Well, apparently this part of the Guarantee Payment used to be included in the "living cost for 12 months" but now it is in an independent account. Well, it's still the same anyway. It's just that now we have to pay "in advance" and we will not have to "pay" for it once we are in the Netherlands while the old system made us to "pay" for it in each of our months in the Netherlands.

Anyway, it became a problem because I knew this information just two days before my vacation started! My vacation would take one week and it would end on Friday, so basically I wouldn't be able to work on it until Monday the 21st unless I worked on it before my departure to Singapore. Thinking that the 21st seemed to be too close to the deadline, I decided to work on it on Thursday, one day before my departure, haha. Yeah, it was so sudden plus I also had that "Krabi hotel problem" in my mind, so it was a bit frustrating for me at that time. But I managed to solve those problems just in time, thanks God.

Visa

Of course this is one of the most basic thing to prepare. After paying the Guarantee Payment, my Visa was processed. They told me the process would likely take up to four weeks. But in my case, it took only about ten days, mwahahahaha.... . Then, I called the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta and they confirmed that my MVV Visa had been ready. It had already been a MVV-D Visa which will allow me to enter the Netherlands multiple times for three months since the effective date of the visa. YEAH!! Anyway, there was also more good news. They said that I didn't have to go to Jakarta to take this visa as the Embassy has a contact person in Yogyakarta. I only need to contact him, pay for about Rp 425,000.-, and taa daa, it's done :-D Of course this way, it would take more time but I could save more money, rite? (Otherwise I would have had to pay for my Jogja - Jakarta vv flight, all the transportation fees in Jakarta, etc). So, yesterday my passport with the visa in it arrived at my home, yeah!!

Flight

My university, TU Delft, offers a unique service for international students : "International Students Pick Up" at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam. So, we will be picked up at the airport and we will all be transported to our accommodation there, and this is for free!! How great is that?? But to use this service, we have to arrive between 19 and 21 August. So, I did some research for all flights to the Netherlands which arrive at these dates.

My survey led me to our national carrier, Garuda Indonesia, as Garuda offered the cheapest ticket to get there. I called Garuda and the only flight (with still available economy class seat(s)) was the flight on 18 August 2010 (it arrives on 19 August). All economy class seats for flights on 19 and 20 August had been sold out, only executive class seats available (crazy!). Plus, luckily, apparently I got the lowest fare for this flight on 18 August. Okay, I booked this flight.

Then, more good news kept coming. Because of my purpose of my travel to the Netherlands, which is to study, I get a 20% Discount and automatic qualification for an extra 10 kg of baggage!! The discount and extra baggage was also applicable for my Jogja - Jakarta flight!! Cool!! So, I bought the ticket.

Yeah, I am moving to the Netherlands on Wednesday, 18 August 2010. I am catching Garuda Indonesia's flight, with this route: Jogjakarta - Jakarta - (via Dubai) - Amsterdam.

Accommodation

Of course there is no way I can look for my accommodation myself as I now live about 10,000+ km away from there. Luckily, there is a company which offers accommodation for upcoming international students. Of course I accepted the offer as it is the most convenient way! I read there have been some complaints to this company from current international students there, but hey, what is the other option I have? Looking for the accommodation by myself? I think it is a big NO as now I am not in the place where I can easily reach the Netherlands, right?

About three weeks ago I got a list of my possible accommodations there. I did a quick skim and picked one (yeah, I had to made my choice quickly as the list was also open for many other international students. It worked under the first-come-first-served basis). Two weeks ago I got a confirmation that it had been booked for me. Yeah!!

Dutch Language

My course will be held in English, so it is not gonnabe much a problem. However, I also think that it is important for me to "know" the local language, which is the Dutch Language (Nederlands). That's why I have enrolled Dutch Language Class these past two months. Now I think I know the very basic of the language. I am still far from being fluent, but at least my knowledge of this language is not zero :-)


I think those are the basic preparations I need to make. Of course I will still have to prepare for many more things in more details, but I think the most basic preparations have been done :-) Wish Me Luck



BAHASA INDONESIA

Ya, jadi memang sudah dikonfirmasi kalau aku akan melanjutkan kuliahku di Belanda, terima kasih kepada berita hebat ini beberapa bulan yang lalu. Tentu saja dong aku harus mempersiapkan banyak hal untuk keberangkatanku ke Eropa.

Guarantee Payment

Mungkin masih pada ingat kalau bulan lalu, aku menulis bahwa aku menghadapi dua masalah besar. Salah satunya berkaitan dengan Liburanku. Satunya lagi berkaitan dengan apa yang disebut Guarantee Payment. Nah, aku dulu mengira kalau Guarantee Payment ini adalah jumlah dari uang kuliah selama setahun ditambah biaya hidup (yang nilainya sudah ditentukan) selama 12 bulan, artinya nilai ini ter-cover oleh beasiswa. Tapi ternyata, ada satu bagian lain dari Guarantee Payment yang sebelumnya tidak aku sadari, yaitu bagian biaya pengurusan Visa dan akomodasi, plus asuransi kesehatan. Yah, ternyata dulu sih bagian ini dari Guarantee Payment termasuk dalam "biaya hidup untuk 12 bulan" tapi kini dijadikan satu akun tersendiri. Yah, sebenarnya masih sama aja sih ya. Kalau sekarang kan harus "bayar di depan" dan nanti kalau sudah di Belanda nggak harus bayar lagi sementara sistem yang dulu kan membuat kita harus "membayarnya" setelah kita di Belanda.

Btw, itu menjadi masalah karena aku mendapat informasi ini hanya dua hari sebelum liburanku mulai! Liburanku kan akan memakan waktu seminggu tuh dan akan berakhir pada hari Jumat. Artinya aku nggak akan bisa mengurusnya sampai paling tidak hari Senin tanggal 21 kecuali aku mau mengurusnya sebelum keberangkatanku ke Singapura. Ya sudah deh, karena berpikir tanggal 21 itu agak terlalu mepet sama batas akhirnya, aku urus semuanya pada hari Kamis, sehari sebelum berangkat liburan, haha. Ya, memang mendadak juga tuh ditambah lagi "masalah hotel Krabi" kan sedang membayangiku, jadi ya akan bikin furstrasi aja waktu itu. Tapi kemudian aku berhasil menyelesaikan masalahnya tepat waktu, terima kasih Tuhan.

Visa

Tentu saja ini adalah salah satu hal paling dasar yang harus dipersiapkan. Setelah membayar Guarantee Payment, visaku mulai diproses. Katanya sih prosesnya bisa memakan waktu sampai empat minggu. Cuma dalam kasusku, cuma butuh waktu sepuluhan hari loh, mwahahaha.... . Trus, aku menghubungi kedutaan Belanda di Jakarta dan mereka mengonfirmasi bahwa memang Visa MVV-ku sudah siap. Visanya sudah bertipe MVV-D sehingga visa ini otomatis memungkinkan aku untuk masuk ke Belanda banyak kali selama masa waktu tiga bulan sejak berlakunya Visa. YEAH!! Ngomong2, ada berita baik lain yang datang. Katanya aku tidak harus pergi ke Jakarta untuk mengambilnya karena Kedutaan memiliki perwakilan di Yogyakarta. Jadi, aku hanya perlu menghubunginya, membayar sekitar Rp 425.000,0, dan taa daa, jad deh :-D Tentu saja cara ini memakan waktu lebih lama tetapi aku bisa hemat uang kan? (Kalo engga aku kan harus beli tiket pesawat Jogja - Jakarta pp, trus bayar semua biaya transportasi di Jakarta, dll). Nah, kemarin akhirnya pasporku dengan visanya sudah tiba di rumah, yeah!!

Penerbangan

Universitasku disana, TU Delft, menawarkan fasilitas yang unik untuk mahasiswa internasional: "Penjemputan Mahasiswa Internasional" di Bandara Schiphol, Amsterdam. Nah, kami akan dijemput di bandara dan akan diantar langsung menuju tempat tinggal kami disana, dan ini gratis loh!! Enak kan?? Tapi untuk bisa menggunakan fasilitas ini, kami harus tiba di antara tanggal 19 sampai 21 Agustus. Ya sudah, aku melakukan pencarian tiket pesawat yang tiba disana di antara tanggal2 itu.

Survey-ku mengantarkanku ke maskapai nasional kita, Garuda Indonesia, karena Garuda menawarkan harga tiket termurah untuk kesana. Aku menelepon Garuda dan satu-satunya penerbangan (dengan kursi kelas ekonomi masih tersedia) adalah penerbangan tanggal 18 Agustus 2010 (sampai di Belanda tanggal 19 Agustus). Semua kursi ekonomi untuk penerbangan tanggal 19 dan 20 Agustus sudah habis, tinggal tersisa kursi kelas eksekutif aja (gile!). Ditambah lagi, untungnya aku masih bisa mendapat tiket dengan harga terendah untuk penerbangan tanggal 18 Agustus ini. Oke, aku kemudian memesannya.

Lalu, berita baik terus saja datang. Karena tujuan perjalananku ke Belanda, yaitu untuk belajar, aku mendapat diskon 20% loh dan otomatis bisa mendapatkan bagasi ekstra 10 kg!! Diskon dan bagasi ekstranya juga berlaku untuk penerbangan Jogja - Jakartaku!! Keren!! Jadi, aku beli deh tiketnya.

Ya, aku akan pindah ke Belanda di hari Rabu, tanggal 18 Agustus 2010. Nanti akan naik penerbangannya Garuda Indonesia, dengan rute: Jogjakarta - Jakarta - (via Dubai) - Amsterdam.

Akomodasi

Tentu saja dong nggak mungkin aku mau mencari sendiri akomodasiku nanti soalnya sekarang aku kan sedang berada sekitar 10.000+ km dari sana. Untungnya, ada perusahaan yang menawarkan akomodasi bagi mahasiswa internasional yang mau datang. Ya tentu saja aku terima tawarannya karena ini cara paling mudah kan! Aku memang membaca beberapa komplain mahasiswa internasional disana terhadap perusahaan ini, tapi pilihan lain apa nih yang kupunya? Mencari tempat tinggal sendiri? Rasanya sih nggak mungkin banget ya untuk sekarang soalnya aku berada di lokasi yang tidak mudah untuk pergi ke Belanda, ya kan?

Sekitar tiga minggu yang lalu, aku mendapatkan daftar mengenai tempat-tempat akomodasi yang mungkin cocok buatku disana. Aku melakukan pembacaan cepa dan memilih satu (ya, aku harus membuat pilihan segera karena daftarnya kan juga terbuka bagi banyak mahasiswa internasional lainnya. Sistem bekerja dengan aturan siapa cepat dia dapat). Dua minggu lalu aku mendapat konfirmasi kalau tempat itu sudah dipesan atas namaku. Yeah!!

Bahasa Belanda

Kuliahku akan diadakan dalam bahasa Inggris, jadi ya memang tidak akan terlalu menjadi masalah. Cuma, aku rasa penting juga untukku untuk "mengenal" bahasa lokal, yaitu bahasa Belanda (Nederlands). Makanya dua bulan terakhir ini aku sudah ikutan les bahasa Belanda. Sekarang rasanya sih aku sudah tahu deh yang dasar2nya. Cuma memang masih jauh lah sampai bisa dikatakan lancar/fasih. Yah, setidaknya kan sekarang pengetahuanku akan bahasa Belanda ini nggak nol-nol amat gitu :-)


Aku rasa, itulah hal-hal dasar persiapanku yang aku lakukan. Tentu masih banyak hal yang perlu dipersiapkan yang lebih men-detail, cuma aku rasa sih yang paling dasar sudah siap :-) Doakan aku yah

#833 - A Lot of Things

ENGLISH

A lot of things have happened in the past few days.

New Laptop

My laptop is now four year old. I bought this laptop this time when I was preparing myself to move to Bandung. Whoaaa, time flies really quick!! Well, of course there were several technical problems I had during these four years, but this laptop has worked really well for me all these years. It helped me to get everything I achieved during my undergraduate study. But now, I think it is time for me to find a new "partner" as I am preparing myself for the next stage of my life : Europe.

So, I read an advertisement in the newspaper last week saying that there would be another National Computer Festival held in Indonesia that week. This is a great news as usually the price offered in the exhibition is all competitive. So, I decided to go to the exhibition on day one. After searching around and considering some facts I got about my campus in the Netherlands, I came up with a decision to purchase a DELL laptop. The price was so competitive, it was even much cheaper than the hp laptop I bought four years ago. Well, looking at its features, I think it is good enough to support my study (hopefully). Last Sunday, I finalized the deal and brought my new laptop home :-)

It doesn't mean that my "old" laptop is done and retired. My brother will "take over" it and will function it as his "supporting" laptop for his undergraduate study.

D*mn Flu

Well, I was sick last weekend. Somehow I caught a flu and it was a bit worse than I expected. It was not that I had to take a full-day bed-rest, but I just got a bit dizzy and found myself hard to concentrate a bit. But now I am fine, it's just that this cold is a bit annoying, haha.

China, Here I Come

This is such a sudden plan. Somehow, last week, I got a news that I should accompany my mom to go to China next week. Well, of course I am in!! It is gonnabe exciting, right? I think I'll keep the details for later. But now I already have a confirmed flight ticket to get there. I am catching Garuda Indonesia (yea, Garuda offered cheaper flight tickets (beside I will also get points for my GFF Account), even cheaper than AirAsia in my case) to go to Guang Zhou next Sunday. I am coming back to Indonesia ten days later and I will be staying for one night in Jakarta because my flight will land in Indonesia in the evening.

"Renewed" Birth Certificate

Apparently, the "new" Indonesian birth certificate is already in two languages, Bahasa Indonesia and also English! Cool, rite? Anyway, as part of my preparation before going to the Netherlands, I need to get my birth certificate in English. There is another option actually, to get a sworn translator to translate it, copied it, and legalized the copies. However, it would cost a lot more time and money. So, I decided to go to the government's office where my birth certificate was issued, and asked to get it "renewed".

Well, the thought of "having to go to the government's office" is already kinda scary and trigger the aversion inside me. This is because I imagine that it will be such a long and difficult process, you know. But I have no other option to go, so I decided to go with it anyway. But then, what "welcomed" me was the opposite!! It was a quick and easy procedure I had to go and I only needed to pay Rp 15,000.-!! It is "clean"!! Well, I think the government has done their homeworks, hahaha... :-) This is a good thing to know, rite? Anyway, so after three days, I got my renewed birth certificate, and yeah, it's in both Bahasa Indonesia and English.

::: My new DELL laptop.

BAHASA INDONESIA

Banyak hal yang terjadi belakangan ini.

Laptop Baru

Laptopku yang sekarang umurnya sudah empat tahun. Aku membeli laptop ini pada waktu ini ketika aku sedang mempersiapkan diri untuk pindah ke Bandung. Whoaaa, waktu benar-benar cepat berlalu ya!! Yah, tentu saja ada beberapa masalah teknis yang muncul selama empat tahun ini, tapi bisa dibilang laptopku ini sudah bekerja dengan sangat baik loh selama ini. Ia membantuku mendapatkan segala hal yang aku capai selama masa kuliah sarjanaku. Tapi sekarang, rasanya waktunya sudah tiba bagiku untuk menemukan "partner" baru karena aku kan sedang mempersiapkan diriku untuk babak selanjutnya dalam hidupku : Eropa.

Jadi, kan aku membaca sebuah iklan di koran minggu lalu kalau akan diadakan Festival Komputer Nasional di Indonesia minggu itu. Ini berita baik karena biasanya harga yang ditawarkan kan kompetitif tuh. Jadi, aku memutuskan untuk pergi ke pameran itu di hari pertama. Setelah berkeliling sambil mencari dan mempertimbangkan beberapa fakta yang kudapat mengenai kampusku di Belanda nanti, aku memutuskan untuk membeli laptop merk DELL. Harganya juga kompetitif lho, jauh lebih murah daripada laptop merk hp yang kubeli empat tahun yang lalu. Yah, melihat fitur2nya sih, aku rasa seharusnya bagus lah untuk mendukung studiku (mudah2an). Makanya hari Minggu kemarin aku membelinya dan membawa laptop baru ke rumah :-)

Ini bukan berarti laptop lamaku sudah tamat dan pensiun. Adikku berencana "mengambil-alihnya" dan menjadikannya laptop pendukung untuk studi sarjananya.

Flu Sial*n

Akhir minggu lalu aku sakit. Entah bagaimana aku kena flu dan ternyata sakitnya agak lebih parah dari bayanganku. Nggak separah sampai aku harus istirahat tiduran seharian sih, cuma saja aku merasa sedikit pusing dan agak sulit berkonsentrasi. Tapi sekarang sudah nggak apa-apa sih, cuma pileknya nih yang masih sangat menyebalkan, haha.

Cina, Aku Datang

Ini adalah rencana yang benar-benar mendadak. Jadi minggu lalu aku mendapat kabar kalau aku bisa menemani mamaku pergi ke Cina minggu depan. Tentu saja dong aku mau!! Akan asyik kan? Aku rasa akan kutulis detailnya kemudian. Tapi yang jelas sekarang sih aku sudah mendapatkan tiket terkonfirmasi untuk perjalanan ini. Aku akan naik Garuda Indonesia (yup, Garuda menawarkan harga yang lebih murah loh (di samping aku juga akan dapat poin untuk GFF-ku), bahkan dalam kasusku bisa lebih murah daripada AirAsia) untuk pergi ke Guang Zhou hari Minggu besok. Aku akan balik ke Indonesia tanggal sepuluh hari kemudian dan akan menginap di Jakarta satu malam soalnya penerbangan baru sampai di Jakarta malam hari.

Akta Kelahiran "Terbarui"

Ternyata, akta kelahiran Indonesia yang "baru" itu sudah dalam dua bahasa loh, bahasa Indonesia dan juga bahasa Inggris! Keren kan? Nah, sebagai persiapanku sebelum pergi ke Belanda nanti, aku harus mempersiapkan akta lahir dalam bahasa Inggris. Ada opsi lain yang bisa kutempuh, yakni dengan menerjemahkannya melalui penerjemah tersumpah, kemudian mengopinya, trus kopiannya dilegalisir. Namun, itu kan memakan waktu dan biaya yang banyak kan. Makanya aku memutuskan untuk pergi ke kantor pemerintahan tempat aktaku dikeluarkan saja dan memintanya "diperbarui".

Yah, pikiran "harus pergi ke kantor pemerintahan" udah agak-agak menyeramkan dan memacu rasa enggan deh. Ya karena aku membayangkan prosesnya akan lama dan sulit, tahu lah. Tapi ya karena nggak ada pilihan lain, aku mesti menjalaninya kan. Eh ternyata, apa yang "menyambutku" adalah sesuatu yang bertentangan banget loh!! Ternyata prosesnya cepat dan prosedurnya mudah dan aku cuma harus bayar Rp 15.000,- saja!! Prosesnya benar2 "bersih"!!Yah, rasanya pemerintah disini sudah mengerjakan PR-nya deh, hahaha... :-) Hal yang baik untuk diketahui kan? Btw, setelah tiga hari, sekarang sih aku sudah mendapatkan akta lahirku yang terbarui, dan ya, memang dalam dua bahasa nih, bahasa Indonesia dan bahasa Inggris.