karena hanya air putih yang netral. Air putih yang apa adanya membilas rasa dahaga terhebat sekalipun. LRA, sometimes student. Often times geek with dozen of interests.
Hey folks, you might be realizing that I have written posts so rarely in the last few months. Firstly, that was due to the limited Tumblr access in Indonesia (though I heard it has been reopened for public for some reason) and secondly because I prefer a more customizable platform where I can tailor and share my thoughts at ease. Two simple reasons were sufficient. I decided not to close this account on Tumblr permanently (at least for now), although there may be a time when I take that decision in the future (you will notice it whatsoever).
Therefore, I invented a new home, just in case you are still interested to dive into my diverse subjects and discussions. Perhaps we have a commonality that we can talk about. Together.
Open your door and welcome aboard: lugasraka.wordpress.com
Touching upon hustle-and-bustle during the past twelve months, I realized that diverse subjects has yet to be learned, while time gradually reveals my interests. No turning back, no restarting either. There is only continue, for the journey commences now! Depuis je crois -Pour la patrie, les sciences et la goire-
Kak, would you mind to share the philosophy behind "Air Putih" (written in your profile bio)? Or perhaps, the time when you invented and/or inspired by such "usual" thing-that actually-has-million-means when you turned it into words. :) Thank you
Hi Selvi, What an interesting question you have!Honestly I didn’t remember exactly the time when I changed the profile bio to such case, yet it was basically originated from surroundings. Sometimes we have to pause our life for a while to see what occurs around us.
Saya sendiri lebih mudah terinspirasi dari kejadian sederhana tapi punya makna yang mendalam kalau diartikan secara seksama. Air putih = kebutuhan esensial yang kebanyakan orang “take it for granted” namun punya khasiat jangka panjang yang umumnya dikesampingkan. Meski sekali lagi, rasanya: netral, apa adanya, dan..sederhana. Justru itu favorit saya :D
Meeting para mafia cakupan regional. Berawal dari kroco-kroco anak smp yang hanya mengerti tentang main dan 'kabur ke ruang komputer kalau guru absen', sekarang masing-masing punya dunianya sendiri. Arief yang gue rasa nantinya akan jadi praktisi handal tentang arsitek dan bisnis sampingannya. Yodi dengan kreasi game-nya yang menembus pasar khalayak, kalau lihat judul gamenya di list googleplay semua akan bilang "edan, yang buat ini temen aing dulu di spensa denpasar". Serta Surya yang sudah jadi sketcher/ kritikus pop culture ternama, tak terhitung cakupannya dari game, hiburan, hollywood sampai politik.
Tepatnya di penghujung tahun 2016 lalu, refleksi sederhana ini ‘gatal’nya saya tuangkan sepulang melakukan aktivitas penting bulanan bagi para laki-laki yang tak tahan akan gerahnya rambut panjang. Saya masuk klasifikasi kelompok pria tersebut, syukurnya. Banyak teman yang tidak merekomendasikan untuk memotong rambut pada musim winter yang amat menggigit sebetulnya di Skandinavia, tapi apalah saya hiraukan saja. Toh, keputusan sudah bulat.
Akhir pekan itu hari Sabtu, kereta kami (saya dan seorang rekan - koordinator wilayah ppi Stockholm 2017 yang kala itu belum terpilih) beringsut melaju ke arah utara dari kediaman kami, tepatnya Husby. Tanpa mengurangi esensi cerita, tibalah kami di barbershop yang konon katanya ‘termurah’ di seantero kota Stockholm (catatan: kota yang mudah sekali menjangkiti kanker alias kantong kering para mahasiswanya).
Seusai menantikan giliran ‘eksekusi’ layaknya pasien di ruang tunggu, akhirnya saya dipanggil untuk duduk di kursi 'panas’.
“Please, my friend” - celetuk si pemilik barbershop paruh baya bernama Abdu Salong.
“Ah yes hej! Could you copy that hair style? Over there top-right corner”, ujarku spontan memberi instruksi. Aba-aba ini saya usulkan lebih awal untuk menghindari salah paham atas minimnya pengetahuan bercakap Swedish saya. Berbicara mengenai potong rambut, hampir tidak ada bedanya prosesi ini dengan di kampung halaman. Tentu saja, kalau beda justru saya yang mulai was-was.
“This one – aha! nice choice, young man. I have never seen you in a while, what’s your name?” balasnya sembari mempersiapkan peralatan. Pertanyaan pembuka dari Abdu dengan jelas mengisyaratkan salah satu kelebihan tinggal di kota Stockholm. Sudah menjadi hal yang umum untuk memulai percakapan dengan Bahasa internasional yang sama-sama dipahami (dalam hal ini Inggris).
“Yeah this is my first time coming here. The name’s Raka. Nice to meet you, Sir”
Kami berdua membagi cerita singkat mengenai asal-usul masing-masing. Cerita apa yang membawa kami berdua datang ke negara berpenduduk kurang dari sepuluh juta ini. Oh ya, belum sempat saya terangkan – Abdu bukan nama yang lumrah untuk seorang Swedes. Lantas saja saya mempertanyakan hal serupa untuk memastikan: Nyatanya Abdu adalah seorang imigran dari Kurdistan, suatu kawasan yang wilayahnya berbatasan langsung dengan Irak, Suriah, Iran, dan Turki (Simpelnya bisa dilihat di sini).
Selang beberapa menit semenjak kami berkenalan, Abdu teringat akan satu hal.
“You know what, your name in Kurds means Run.. ah wait a moment.. no no… It’s sprint. Raka, raka. In our country, we spell it to tell someone “go sprint quickly” – Sekali lagi kami berbagi tawa sembari Abdu menangani rambutku dengan tenang. Cerita berlanjut dengan Abdu sesekali bergurau mengenai tips mengelola rambut dan kampung halamannya puluhan tahun silam. Tentu saja itu terdengar menarik bagi saya yang kurang awam tentang Kurdistan dan sekitarnya (not quite an exemplary but hey! that time it worked).
Dari sana saya paham, pantas saja banyak yang berdatangan ke Barbershop ini meskipun lokasinya yang terbilang cukup jauh dari pusat kota (Husby letaknya sekitar 40 menit jarak tempuh menggunakan kereta bawah tanah Stockholm). Bukan karena murahnya saya rasa yang menjadi daya tarik tersendiri, melainkan keramahan dari pemilik toko saat menyambut dan melayani pelanggannya. Mereka bisa saja datang pertama kali untuk mencoba penawaran dari Barbershop tersebut, tapi dibutuhkan alasan yang lebih dari itu untuk datang kedua, ketiga, keempat, dan seterusnya untuk kembali datang ke tempat yang sama.
He has what it takes to be a great salesman – bisikku dalam hati.
Salah satu kemampuan esensial dari ilmu account management kata seorang guru saya saat masih ber’seragam’ kantor dulu, kurang lebih bunyinya: “You have to remember it sincerely, Raka – as a salesperson, you do not force somebody to buy your product. Instead you are helping them. Guide them so that they understand you and your product. They are people just like you, so be human when performing on-duty as the company’s sales”
Sepulangnya dari sana, sembari mengenang barang satu-dua hal yang tadi saya bicarakan dengan Abdu dan kerjaan sales, tampaknya gelagat merenung saya sempat tertangkap ‘kamera’.
“punten Rak, oi Rak..Rak yok lah naik kereta udah mau jalan”, Alfi memotong lamunan di peron biru Husby.
“eh Fi, aing baru sadar… pendek pisan euy hahaha gimana yak” *(berkaca pada pantulan jendela kererta)
“bagus kok Rak bagus” disertai tawa khas Alfi yang terkekeh memecah suasana kepulangan kami.
Terang saja komentar Alfi masih jauh lebih baik ketimbang reaksi spontan dari Philipe pada hari Senin minggu berikutnya di kampus “Man your hair looks like sh#t hahaha” diikuti gelaknya sambil terpingkal menunjuk rambutku.
“Nah.. you just shut up and be quiet” refleksku bercelutuk seolah tidak peduli dengan tanggapannya.
Hanya ingin sekedar berbagi: Beberapa artikel dan publikasi serupa juga mendukung teori mengenai icebreaking ini, hal paling jamak dalam keseharian kita tapi saking umumnya jadi sedikit terabaikan. Dua diantara sekian banyak tulisan yang saya sempat lirik dan adequate enough ada di Quora dan Linkedin.
Of all technologies that have been acknowledged so far, energy from the sun, popularly known as solar energy is perceived by me as one of the most promising resource which has enormous chance of being utilized universally across the world.
Bear in mind that what has been excerpted above is all about solar PV – In short, it works by directly converting sun light into electricity through specially designed device called panel. In a hindsight of the past one year, I have been learning thoroughly the backbone of this technology, ranging from state-of-art of the development, possible arrangement of the panel, p-n junction working principle, and even the methods to estimate the energy output from certain sun ray input.
Wait, did those things ring a bell in your mind? (honestly, it sounded unfamiliar/ cool)
Relax, this article is not purposed for the previous matters that I mentioned. Besides, the laser-point focus would be from different perspective:
If solar PV is so magnificent in terms of technology and application, what does decelerate the development of such solution, particularly in rural areas? (1)
Putting that aside for a moment, let us jump into another for fact of the world in the snapshot below from ‘International Energy Outlook’ – an agency with the role of overseeing the progress either good/ bad of energy worldwide.
Figure 1: Number of people without electricity access (past and projection) from IEA Energy Outlook Data 2030 – (2)
As you may observe, the trend decoupling had even begun in 1990s and couple of years away before millennial century (20th). Yes, you guessed it right, folks. The green and purple colored lines are the center of attention in this figure, since both have the largest proportion of citizen which lack the capability of watching TV, using PC, or any other electrically-driven appliances! Undoubtedly it could have also been suspected earlier, the countries are those which settle in Africa and South Asia – continents with huge gap of income between the rich and poor. Sadly, my country: Indonesia belongs to South Asia’s classification in this category.
What on earth can we correlate from (1) solar PV for rural areas and (2) inaccessible access of electricity in some countries?
Exactly, both are (2) problems and (1) solution. By introducing the efficacy and latest development of solar technology, hopefully it could be a way-out from the mission of bringing equal access of energy.
Alas, it does not end as easy as flipping palm.
It should be noted that the approach was right, yet the stepping point from (2) to (1) cannot be done hastily due to an additional barrier – people who in dire needs of electricity have limited capital!
(It is not an urban legend though. Even some population with enough money do not favor to solve the situation. We will deal with this later.)
Roughly the approach-sketch would look like this in my opinion.
Figure 2: Illustration to depict clarity
Now we have another issue of breaking down the ‘wall of barrier’ into a penetrable one. Although in the beginning it seems that we have yet to see this issue coming, still it becomes the most problematic one particularly for low-middle income society. In overall the situation has shifted moderately from technical to socio-economic condition. Now, I understand clearly why this case has risen as the most crucial pre-requisite to successfully introduce renewable energy. Because it is indeed the challenge!
(Nowadays, many experts proudly highlighted the novelty and advancements of the solar PV technology as if those are the absolute winner as opposed to their rival. I did not say entirely it was wrong. As concealed as it seems, they should also pay attention to whom they provide the solution to.)
Path to Solution
Long story short, while searching for the tactical solution on alleviating socio-economic adversity for these communities, a replicable model in Bangladesh I would say hold an excellent promise to be adopted. The-so-called “micro credit” business model, proposed by Noble Prize winner in 2006, the one and only Muhammad Yunus enabled the purchase of solar home systems for underprivileged users. Through this model, customer who fulfills the criteria of becoming the user might appeal for short-term credit with marginal interest or even negligible additional fee. The practical advantage of micro credit lies in the possibility of buying the equipment with very low down-payment (15% of actual price) while the rest of payment (85%) will be settled within the next 3 or 4 years via fixed monthly fee. Think of it as the recurrence charge over the time as the full installments. Once every cent has been returned to the donor (or financial institution as the donor), the solar home systems itself become the possession of buyer. Pretty good deal, huh?
What if they can’t pay back the 85%?
It is highly unlikely that the customer faces this circumstance, unless there happens to be a force-majeur during the process. An exemplary real case can be seen in the schematic below (focus on the right figure for payment distribution).
Figure 3: Solving investments barrier via micro credit (From Alliance for Rural Electrification, 2009)
The idea behind fixed monthly fee is allowing multiple payments using the money which comes from the deduction of oil/ gas/ fuel cost and solar systems’ cost. Usually referred as the ‘switching cost’ or in this case might be called as the ‘switching gain’. Therefore, in the end, if the calculation was right, there would be always a positive gain or surplus that is generated from the savings.
Nevertheless, what made Muhammad Yunus won the prominent prize was due to his idea of building “Grameen” Bank at that time. It can be said that most of the advantages those were discussed prior would be meaningless without the presence of this institution. In brief, the bank has allowed the borrowers who are mostly under served people to loan money with zero or infinitesimal collateral. It comes in handy, eh?
This one is among diverse probable solution out there for promoting renewable energy (solar PV) with the sole focus for developing countries. There are also alternatives such as carbon financing (combining small projects into larger single-portfolio) from United Nations or World Bank direct grants for certain neighborhoods. Both are profoundly renowned international agency with noble mission of combating climate change and economic inequality, respectively.
Else, based on the study cases which have been occurred so far, the success likelihood does not only depend on single factor (e.g. technology, expertise, government, etc.). No matter how good the solution is, it always comes back to question that should be asked prior to designing proper scenario: How does the end-user accept solar PV in developing countries?
Renjana [1] Yang dirindukan Tuan dan Puan Ah sungguh teduh hati menilik kebersamaan Meski kini tak dinyana tersisa tinggal kenangan Bukan berarti mudah dilupakan [2] Kalau pun belum berbagi kesenangan Boleh lah menitip janji untuk disimpan Sementara semangat melukis angan Ah kesayangan...
Let me open this note with grandiose: I AM A PROUD FRIEND!
Two of my best buddies will soon settle down (within a month or so) for good. The former actually had already told me about this emotionally-touching announcement ever since the early of this year, while the later just recently sent the mass-invitation via chat. Nevertheless, both do not alter nor tarnish the main message of their upcoming ceremony - a monumental moment of the lifetime which marks the starting point of leading someone’s life and being leaned in by the same person. InsyaAllah.
I wonder if I were at their position, the feeling could be indescribable by merely single adjective: It must have been the uncanny thousands feeling of joy, sad, awkward, calm, and many more that ultimately bring to an entire certainty of devotion.
Without being skeptical, I dedicate this one as a reminder for me that both friends have such an exceptional quality in their life, in which in one case or another affect the way I see the life through upgraded ‘lenses’.
The first one, the “wonder boy” from Garut has always been the subject of my admiration. No person in this world could not get attracted to him due to his ‘charm’. Not in the slightest exaggeration I try to uplift him - but he possesses this quality I named myself as the “wonder boy”. Wait, I have mentioned it already, yet the nickname was invented with special reasoning. This guy compiles almost the good things every woman would want: geek-smart-engineer (oh boy, he was one of the ‘culprit’ behind the unimaginable accomplishments 3 years ago), savvy-guitarist player (he has many collection of guitars at his home I tell you), socially-approachable & active (without a doubt, he juggled the responsibility as one of student union’s core member/ other roles + being welcome and accepting people), and many more which can be written endlessly if such request would be needed.
Remember buddy you taught me one precious lesson which I internalize during our graduation ceremony in 2014: let the struggle and journey of life define you as person, instead of the opposite.
Well, I do hope that you won’t have to spend the ’Lebaran - Eid Al-Fitr’ alone anymore in the near future just as you told me!
On the other side, I have a Balinese guy, the one who witnessed almost 90% my ups and downs during college till this time. Ever since I entered university on very first day until the rector rewarded us all with bronze medal of bachelor + certificate of graduation, I have never seen any guy as ironclad as him. Not in the meaning of stubborn or bigot but he has somehow this strong desire to fulfill something. And one notable thing that I saw - he did it without blabbering so much about his goal. He just. did it.
Finishing splendidly the study at one of university’s most challenging subject, GPA as high as skyscraper (clue: solidarity forever!) - checked
Bulking up body so that the appearance outclasses the famous shirtless CR7 - checked
Conquering the heart of his ‘once upon a time’ idol - checked
Spearheading the leadership of Ganesha’s great family, with addition of breaking the stereotype of member/ elitist - checked.
What else? Similarly to the previous one, I am keen to continuously elucidate the stories bit by bit - however, it does not change the meaning that you earned my respect till date. Your daily habit of saying “Apalah Rak, tjang hanyalah manusia yang bisa berusaha” has never lied - for every no one can be someone with sincere effort. Period.
Shame on me, considering that I could not attend your sacred and glorious event shortly.
Yet.
For both pals, it’s not that I am expecting that you would do the same when I were at your position. I truly wish you begin the new phase of life with wonderful and pure smiles - smiles which are even sweeter than what we used to laugh at when we teased each other back on our innocent days!
Masa 2010 silam, permulaan kuliah di kampus Gajah duduk. Tanggal spesifiknya tidak ditentukan.
GB: Kle ngudiang ci ngancing baju sing ka duur? *(Eh cui, Kenapa kamu kancing baju nggak ke atas?)
R: Sing gung, cang ngelah prinsip ne...*(nggak gung, hanya saja aku ada alasannya tersendiri...)
Seketika pikiran saya waktu itu menerawang ke masa satu dekade ke belakang pada situasi yang hampir sama.
R: #sibuk mengancing baju
A: Mas mas, kancing baju baiknya dari bawah #sambil dicontohkan ke baju R
R: Loh kok gitu? Ini kan lebih gampang
A: Karena hakikatnya manusia mulai berusaha itu dari bawah. Kalau dari atas nanti kaget ketika sekali-kalinya jatuh.
R: #Waktu kecil belum paham, lanjut kancing lagi sekarang mulai dari ujung
A: Nah kan bagus...
Terima kasih @swastikadia yang sudah mengulas kembali pelajaran berharga ini, dari dulu sampai sekarang masih tetap dilakukan hingga jadi kebiasaan yang tidak butuh kesadaran. Dipikir-pikir masuk akal juga, semenjak itu problema salah kancing baju (keliru dipasangkan) bisa dengan mudah diatasi :)
One of the brilliantly written ‘thriller’ -novel by her majesty Mrs. Agatha Christie. The name is so familiar around my ears yet I have never even put a single effort to read the book until these past days. Officially this title I know was not the pioneer of her series nor the last. Nonetheless, what could go wrong by amusing one-self through immersing in an artist masterpiece during her peak career?
I would admit that she has her touch and sense of orchestrating such unexpected schemes of crime. When I read it over and over again gliding through its chapters, I exclaimed “hm I didn’t see that coming though”. She designed 'flawless' deaths. Pure genius, as if the author had undergone all those experienced both as poor victims and the mysterious Mr. X.
Best part:
I think of a sentence when one of the deuteragonist said “one of the ten people on the island was not a murderer in any sense of the world, and it follows, paradoxically that the person must logically be the murderer”. What a savage thing to say!
On top of that, throughout the pages I am always fascinated by the way oldies author (invented the name by myself for those who were prolific writers in 1900s-1990) organize the paragraphs and sentences. The wordings are beautifully and meticulously chosen, entirely different with the coming of age books. That does not mean you can hardly understand the meaning though!
If I were to comment:
The presence of good side or detective in this case was not heavily exploited. All the way the reader would be guided in one side of thinking, which constrained the perspective of good/ evil by turning into vigilante. Later, I also norice that she might did it intentionally but the battle of psychological crime would be much more tremendous if she could have included it. Regardless the feedback, the novel deserves 8.5/10!
side note: I found the book in Stockholm’s 2nd hand store for extraordinarily cheap price (10 SEK or 1 Euro or 15k Rupiahs). Book never depreciates, anyway!
Ada yang bisa mengenali cuplikan gambar di atas? Petunjuk
“Pulang dengan kaki tertatih kadang menyebalkan, tapi namanya juga lari. Satu-satunya pilihan cuma meneruskan langkah supaya segera sampai tempat tujuan”
Awalnya saya senang sekali saat menyadari bahwa tempat saya tinggal sekarang amat dekat dengan GBK. Itu loh yang biasanya muncul di layar kaca menjadi latar tempat berita pagi (Gelora Bung Karno). Setiap minggu selalu saja ramai tak tertolong. Berhubung saya punya niatan agar bisa nimbrung muncul di layar pagi, selepas subuh saya memantapkan hati (1) untuk menjajal lapangan GBK. Perjalanannya cuma memakan waktu 5 menit dengan jalan kaki, walau bisa dipersingkat pakai bus.
Hemat cerita, saya sampai di lingkaran luar lapangan termegah di Indonesia ini. Untuk menjangkaunya, ternyata kompleks GBK ini lebih besar dari kelihatan luarnya karena sepertinya 2/3 bagiannya adalah taman.
Ternyata faktanya hari Sabtu si pembawa acara tv tidak menampakkan batang hidungnya (terus masalah?).
Saya bisa lari dengan tenang tanpa distraksi. Bicara soal olahraga, maka bagi saya lari merupakan salah satu olahraga favorit. Diantara renang, memanah, berkuda, sepak bola, hampir semuanya tidak ada yang mahir. Lari pun sebenarnya tidak jago-jago amat. Hanya saja lari yang paling praktis dari semuanya hehe.
6 keliling saya patok sebagai target yang mesti dipenuhi. Hanya saja di putaran ke-4 ada yang menyulitkan kaki untuk mempercepat langkah. Sendi lutut saya nyeri yang rasanya seperti jarum tersangkut. Saya mantapkan (2) lagi untuk di putaran ke-5 karena toh sudah sedikit lagi akan mengakhiri putaran. Hanya saja, di putaran ini giliran sendi kiri yang punya masalah serupa. Lagi-lagi, saya mantapkan (3) supaya mengejar putaran terakhir. Titik 'finish' saya capai dengan tergopoh-gopoh, karena saat jalan mendadak kedua betis keram yang luar biasa. Baru kali ini saya merasa betis tidak sanggup menahan beban hingga pada akhirnya perlu merebahkan badan di sisi lapangan.
Bagi kebanyakan orang yang ada di sana, kemungkinan saya terlihat janggal karena meringisi menahan sakit dengan mimik aneh. Namun, dari kejadian pagi itu, lari mengajarkan mengajarkan beberapa hal.
1. Jalani saja dengan mengkalkulasi betul setiap resiko dan kemungkinan yang akan terjadi. Saya bisa saja memilih untuk lari dengan kecepatan sedang (atau jogging). Cuma memang kebetulan saja hari itu lagi terlampau on-fire.
2. Hantam saja dengan percaya kalau risiko selalu ada, tapi dapat ditangani bukan dihindari.
In the beginning of 2017, I have made up my mind to enlist myself as one of the EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) Community mentee student for the next 6 months long semester. Concise description of this program: a student and mentor are matched one to another correlating their common interests in the field of sustainability. Broad topics are open and available up there when I enrolled myself in it, so letting go of this bountiful opportunity is a total waste. Eventually, the requirement for signing up was pretty straightforward - motivation letter, curriculum vitae, and lastly video of introduction (short pitch of yourself).
Brief explanation on how I scrutinized each section will be described below.
Motivation letter - check.
All I have to do is adjusting the content of my letter in accordance with the objective of this program. Little background research was beneficial for this step.
Curriculum vitae - check.
I was kind of struggling between two alternatives by the time of submitting the application.
1) Using own CV format (either Europass or own-made document)
2) Web-based or Online-crafted CV
In almost many occasions, option 1) has always become my priority since it strengthens your authenticity and comprehensiveness of portfolio, especially if you have been working on several parallel projects during study period. It will be valued highly by the reader undoubtedly. Granting all this, my inner-self debate ultimately drawn me towards option 2) as it displays an enticing appearance of compelling resume in only single page. In addition, details or clutters can be easily avoided when you have been given the outline and boundary for the contents.
Side note:
Novo resume has one of the most user-friendly interface with an excellent final outcome on the internet out there (go ahead, access it fast while it’s free - frankly recommendable for almost every purpose:))
Self-introduction via Video (short pitch 2 minutes) - not yet checked.
wait, what!?
This was the trickiest part for me since I have never been into video making and editing before. At first I thought : nah, piece of cake.
Searching for decent online video-editing up there on the internet should bear no hassle. In reality: It WAS not.
I spent roughly half of total effort time to learn the fundamental things of video making. It is true indeed that there are bunch or even hundreds of editing software which you might use for the purpose. However, the mixture of art and technical-thingy must be carefully taken into account when you deal with videography (it sounds cliche and blabbers with lot of theoretical stuffs, but trust me: it is valid)
Side note:
Mine was constructed and formulated using Videomaker FX software, one-stop shop software for beginner user who wants to quickly grasp most of the basics.
Through the sweat and pain which were sufficiently needed to finalize the video, herewith the results of my one week dedication. Check it out before it expires! :)
Make sure you watch this in silent when nobody is around you :p.
I am fully aware this is not the best version (considering the fresh video with minimum refining - well officially not the very first one I made in the past 20 years or so).
The audio quality was poorly recorded with my PC built-in mic as well as the scene and movie transition. Also, I forgot to apply one rule of thumb which I learned from an expert - two until four seconds is your maximum accepted duration for a cut scene. Above that period, prepare and think clearly on what to present afterwards. Roughly it could have been shot like this idea.
Despite of all those experiments on this initial attempt, I managed to land on this EIT mentorship program (feeling blessed!).
One researcher (PhD candidate) generously volunteered himself as my mentor, which is impressive from my perspective as his handful of knowledge and experiences might enable me to connect with “Energy in Buildings - Smart cities” topic.
What’s the deal with this stuff? All right let’s discuss on the forthcoming post :)
It has been almost one year (technically my first year is coming to an end soon this early June remembering my first week of arrival in August 2016). One backlog left – an exam on exactly 31st of May!
Regardless of the fact, I am keen to record some of the among wonderful trips around Europe which I have experienced so far. Some of them were purely for pleasure and entertainment (holiday, visiting friends, chilling, escaping from routines, etc.) - believe me, it is highly needed for the fulfillment of desire, while the others were and are dedicated for master’s program activities. If I could digest it into one easily understandable graph, more or less it would look like this.
Hey it’s me on my adventure in Europe! The whole exploration is yet to come, thus leaving me curious on what to be found on the blue colored countries above (more attached pins, hopefully) :)
If you carefully notice, the number of violet vs. red pins are somewhat lopsided to the reds. My objective is to balancing both ranks smartly :p.
Short story:
My first year is spent in a beautiful and affluent country in the northern part of Europe officially named Sweden. The moment I write this article, I am still being at my apartment in Stockholm couple of days away before leaving such gorgeous country for good. I can’t lie that it has been tremendous opportunity exceeding my own expectation in the first place. Sort of depressed truth, yet life has to move forward. Shouldn’t we?
Subsequent to properly pull the 1st year off, I have luckily got admitted into two summer activities for total of two months in multiple cities and countries. What could go wrong with the plan? Unless something unprecedented happen which I profoundly wish it does not arise abruptly.
2nd year – not yet, huh? Long story short, last March marked a historic day for me since L’x accepted this Indonesian boy as its student for next Fall 2017 period. The up-and-coming of this section is still unforeseen. Let’s see what might come, imminently this September.
Verdict to embrace the glorious summer paradise:
I am honestly so excited to begin my 2nd year in the city of love (cross mark), L'Amour de Paris. Although the program would be formally started in the beginning of September, the long lists of activity during summer I believe might be able to hold my thirst of productivity.
That having been said, I feel even more undeniably enthusiastic towards my journey going back home in June (yes, Ramadhan* in Indonesia I think is still the best choice, at least for me).
In a nutshell, the most anticipated event for me right now is: Mudik*!
Glossary
*Ramadhan: Recognized by Muslims worldwide as a special month of fasting according to Islamic belief. The end of the month is most certainly celebrated by Eidl Fitr (more thoughtful information from the hyperlink).
*Mudik: the closest translation of Mudik to English would be going back home to celebrate Eidl Fitr with Family. Usually, it is resembled as massive migration of people from major cities to their hometowns.
Ibu saya orang yg suka menceritakan kisah masa kecilnya dulu di Maninjau, Sumatra Barat. Dari yang dia genit, hei, bayangkan saja umur 5 tahun sudah bisa menguji anak laki2 dengan melemparkan topi ke kolam ikan sambil berkata “ayo, ambil topiku. Katanya kmu suka sama aku. Ambil.(Yg tentunya dalam bahasa minang ya)” sampai kisah sedih tidak naik kelas.
Alasan tidak naik kelasnya cukup sederhana: “anak saya tidak bisa mengerjakan soal matematika yang ini. Jgn biarkan dia naik kelas”. Kalau dulu seorang ibu mati-matian memperjuangkan anaknya naik kelas(sampai bayar), beda lagi dengan nenek saya. Nenek orangnya galak sekali dulu. Hobi dia hanya menjahit baju untuk anak-anaknya, diluar kegiatan itu, galaknya ampun-ampun.
Pagi itu, setelah makan rinuak(ikan kecil produksi danau dekat rumah), nenek mengetes kemampuan ibu dalam berhitung. Dari 10 soal, mungkin ibu hanya bisa menjawab 4. Nenek marah. Nenek merasa ibu gagal mengaplikasikan kemampuan berhitungnya. Di sekolah memang bisa, tapi apa gunanya kalau ilmu itu tidak dipraktekkan di luar. Nenek kecewa. Kala itu juga, nenek membawa ibu(yg menangis tanpa henti pastinya) ke sekolah, bertemu wali kelasnya , dan minta untuk turun kelas.
Lalu disinilah nenek, di hadapan saya, di Yogyakarta. Kisah sedih diatas mampu diceritakan kembali secara lucu(dibantu dengan kemampuan stand up comedy tante saya) dan membuat kami tertawa. Tapi tidak dengan nenek. Nenek tidak tertawa. Nenek menangis. Nenek mengusap air matanya terus-terusan. Saya panik. “Nek, kenapa?”
Dalam bahasa padang, nenek bilang untuk tidak menceritakan kisah seperti itu di hadapan saya. “Jangan cerita depan mira. Nanti mira benci sama nenek”. Sebenarnya saya tidak bisa berbicara bahasanya, tapi setidaknya saya faham. Ah. Ternyata nenek takut kalau saya membenci dia. Nenek menangis krn ngeri cucu perempuannya ini akan menjauhinya.
Dia sudah menjanda sejak berumur 27 tahun. Bersama 4 orang anak-anaknya, yg pastinya sangat membutuhkan figur seorang ayah. Tpi tidak. Nenek sendirian saat itu. Nenek mengurus semuanya seorang diri. Di umur 27 tahun, dalam usia perempuan yg menurut saya sedang cantik-cantiknya, dia berjuang tanpa bantuan siapapun. Menjahit. Menjahit lagi. Menjahit terus. Sampai dia lupa dia seorang ibu.
Sikap feminim nenek saat itu bisa jadi terkikis. Tergantikan oleh mental maskulinitas yang menghilangkan unsur “mengemong” dalam dirinya(aduh ini bhs indonesianya apa ya). Maskulin, yg tentu saja serupa dengan paradigma military, jadi tidak heran kalau dia menuntut ibu untuk tidak naik kelas. “Kalau kmu tidak bisa, kmu tidak berhak naik level, Marina! Belajar lagi!” Katanya pada ibu saya saat itu.
Nenek peluk saya. Sambil menangis. Dia bilang “mira, nenek minta maaf”. Ah. Saya jadi ikutan menangis.
Kalau saja aku tidur sedikit saja lebih lama semalam sebelum keberangkatan, maka insiden tertinggalnya headset di situasi genting seperti ini dapat terhindari. Kembali lagi aku mulai teringat konten seminar singkat di kampus medis terdekat bahwa kurang istirahat dapat memicu buyarnya konsentrasi. Entah apalah yang aku pikirkan pagi hari tadi, bisa-bisanya benda yang selama ini aku bawa kemana pun baik pulang dan pergi menuju kampus tidak bisa kutemukan dalam saku jaket kananku.
“Eh...apa tadi yang baru saja dia ucapkan? Apa aku tidak salah dengar...”, tanyaku dalam hati sekedar memastikan.
“Hello, do you by chance need an earphone for your convenience?”, sekali lagi dia mengulang pertanyaan yang hampir serupa untuk penegasan.
“Sure, I desperately need this stuff while calling a friend of mine with difficulty. May I borrow this for couple of minutes?”
“There you go, make sure that you use it gently without taking a long extension of the cable from its place. Be careful with the plug as it tends to break easily. I will be strolling around this area, so take your time to make your call..no need to worry. I really do hope you clear out your concerns soon”
“Tack tack! I will indeed let you know once it’s over”, terima kasihku pada gadis berparas asia (?) yang tampaknya sedikit kukenali.
“Sama-sama, tenang saja, sudah segera telpon temannya sebelum dikejar oleh waktu”
“Eh!? Ya ampun, baiklah tunggu sebentar ya”, seketika aku terdiam kikuk sejenak usai bercakap dengan bahasa inggris selama beberapa saat dengannya.
Aku tahu betul semenjak tadi ada yang janggal dalam percakapan kami selang beberapa menit. Namun baru saja kusadari itu setelah dia menggunakan bahasa ibu yang sama-sama kami pahami. Terang saja, dia orang Indonesia! Payah sekali saking risaunya dalam kondisi ini bahkan wajah familiar asia tenggara, tepatnya tanah kelahiranku, bisa aku kesampingkan. Aku terlalu fokus pada kejaranku saat ini, yaitu kembali melanjutkan jalur komunikasi yang terputus dengan professorku di Jerman
Selang beberapa percobaan panggilan telepon, aku berhasil menghubungi Dr. Jaeger dengan suara yang lebih jernih dan mudah untuk dipahami, berkat ‘alat bantu dengar’ di tengah kerumunan stasiun pusat Stockholm. Dengan pemikiran yang matang, kujelaskan skenario terbaikku apabila gangguan cuaca ini tetap memaksaku tertahan lebih lama di stasiun pusat.
“Sir, I guess an alternative plan of taking later flight might be my best option. Considering tomorrow morning the schedule is a mandatory session for all participant.”
“To be honest, I can try to facilitate those schedules in order to make your timing fits with the events. For instance, you could also move your flight to the next morning, hop on the earliest plane, and take direct cab from Hamburg airport to the university. Tell me which one suits you best, but no later than this afternoon”
“Acknowledged, Sir. Personally I prefer to fly there by today. I will let you know the soonest I receive news from SL. Until then, sorry for bothering and asking you with lots of special requests”
“(Laugh) Andra, that’s completely fine for me. Besides, I am the one who expects you to arrive and present your accomplishments these past months. Professor Dan should be proud with all your group and research team have made so far. Tell him to pay a visit here once in a while, it has been a long time not seeing him ever since our last appointment last year. Oh yes, talking about the upcoming panel discussion in Sweden, I am still uncertain with the invitation of smart cities expo next month in Uppsala, due to thesis defense schedule at the same week. If it does not match, then skipping it and delegating you sound like a good idea (Laugh), just like the previous times”
Professor Jaeger memang tipikal orang Jerman yang cermat nan taktis. Beliau tahu betul kondisiku saat ini dengan berusaha menawarkan solusi terbaik terkait presentasi besok. Dipikir-pikir, aku sungguh beruntung bisa berkolaborasi dengannya dan Prof. Danielsson. Keduanya punya cara mereka masing-masing dalam mengayomi tim.
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08.00
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“Attention please, Attention please! The management of SL has managed to solve the major traffic problems during this past hour. We would like to announce that the majority of fleets have come back normally online following the schedule as it is. Again, we regret our previous inconvenience, because some of the schedules are still being paralyzed due to heavy avalanche. Nevertheless, from SL, we are hoping the best for you and your safety to the destination. Thank you”
Tepat beberapa saat aku menutup teleponku dengan Dr. Jaeger, SL memberikan pengumuman terbaru mengenai pembaharuan jadwal transportasi. Sebagai layanan transportasi andalan kota, SL nyatanya sudah berhasil mengatasi permasalahan jalur salju yang menutupi rel kereta utama. Meskipun pada kenyataannya beberapa jalur masih lumpuh total, terutama jadwal keberangkatan jarak jauh menuju utara seperti Oslo dan Kiruna.
Tanpa pikir panjang, aku bergegas dari pintu sentral No 16 menuju peron 2 tempat keberangkatan kereta Arlanda. Berhubung waktu penerbanganku semakin terbatas, kereta *express ialah satu-satunya pilihan masuk akal untuk menyediakan rentang waktu peninggalan barang (check-in) yang cukup serta berlari ke ruang tunggu.
“Yes, see you there very soon, Sir”, salamku sebelum menutup telepon Professor Jaeger seusai mengabari rencana penerbanganku yang tidak berubah sedikit pun.
Professor Danielsson juga turut senang mendengar kabarku yang sekarang sedang dalam perjalanan menuju Arlanda. Dengan kata lain, dia tidak perlu meluangkan waktu untuk mengantarkanku ke bandara.
Aku merasa sangat lega akhirnya projek dan pencapaian tim kami yang sudah dipersiapkan dengan matang selama beberapa bulan ke belakang akhirnya akan mendapatkan ruang unjuk gigi. Kendati pun terdapat beberapa hambatan ‘kecil’, aku yakin ini tidak seberapa dibandingkan apa yang akan aku jabarkan di hadapan para ahli teknologi dan ilmuwan ternama seantero Eropa besok pagi.
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16.00
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“Yey! Ratna akhirnya aku bisa membanggakan foto-foto salju putih ala Skandinavia layaknya pemandangan yang ditampilkan “visit Stockholm”!, semangatnya Bella menunjukkan gambar-gambar yang ia dapatkan dari perjalanan pusat kota kami.
Acara yang kami niatkan untuk hadiri ternyata rampung dua jam lebih cepat dari yang kami perkirakan. Itu berarti kami (aku dan Bella) memiliki dua jam waktu luang untuk berkeliling kota disebabkan kereta kepulangan kami ke Upssala baru akan berangkat pukul 16.30. Maka dari itu di sinilah kami ‘terjebak’ seolah turis domestik di kota seberang.
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16.45 - Stockholm
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Nyaris saja kami tertinggal oleh kereta keberangkatan Uppsala karena terlalu larut dalam keasyikan turisme tengah kota. Aku sebetulnya sudah sedikit cemas saat kami mulai berani mengambil tempat yang notabene terhitung cukup jauh posisinya dari stasiun pusat. Itu artinya waku perjalanan pulang dari tempat tersebut menuju stasiun tempat kereta kepulangan kami akan semakin bertambah. Belum lagi terhitung dengan cerewetnya temanku satu ini saat berulang kali kuingatkan tentang terbatasnya waktu yang kami punya.
Walaupun begitu, tepat beberapa menit sebelum kereta melaju ke utara, kami berhasil dengan tergesa-gesa menerobos stasiun menuju peron bertuliskan “Stockholm-Uppsala 2 minutes, *Spår 8”.
Belum sempat mengobrol begitu banyak, Bella sudah tertidur begitu tenangnya di sisiku.
Kalau dipikir-pikir, mukanya jauh lebih menggemaskan ketika sedang terlelap dengan tenang, ujarku sembari tersenyum kecil.
Hari ini memang terbilang cukup melelahkan, terlebih selama acara kami berdua sangat berhasrat untuk memenuhi rasa ingin tahu dengan berpindah ke sana kemari memandangi pameran seni Stockholm 2017.
Di tengah perjalanan mengamati danau beku kota Stockholm, serta diiringi dengan memuncaknya rasa bosanku ketimbang menyusul Bella yang sedang pulas, aku memutuskan untuk memilah foto-foto hasil jepretan kami tadi. Lagi pula, beberapa di antaranya akan aku gunakan untuk pameran foto kebudayaan di akhir periode kuliahku Mei ini.
“hoahm..Ratna, kamu cari apa? Ada yang tertinggal ‘kah?”, tanya Bella sayup-sayup setengah sadar padaku yang sibuk memeriksa setiap saku yang ada pada tas mungilku.
“Astaga! Aku baru ingat!”, seketika saja pikiranku kembali pada momen pagi tadi di pusat keramaian pintu sentral no 16.
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17.05 - Stuttgart
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Siang ini pertemuan inisiasiku dengan tim Dr. Jaeger berlangsung memuaskan. Kami sudah membahas beberapa rencana tambahan tentang apa yang semestinya akan dipaparkan lebih mendetil untuk besok pagi.
Meskipun demikian, ada satu hal ‘minor’ yang mengusik, seolah masih menungguku untuk menuntaskannya.
Tiada lain dan tak bukan ialah barang pinjaman yang tanpa sengaja kubawa bersamaku hingga ke Jerman!
“Andra, please read my message accordingly: your conference room location has been slightly changed to Room 10A due to unexpected reasons. I have been trying to reach you several times today but could not manage to get into your attention. Take a good rest today and showcase your best performance tomorrow!”, isi pesan singkat Dr. Jaeger padaku - terlihat beliau mencoba menghubungiku 3 kali tanpa tanggapan dariku.
Untuk sementara, Maaf Prof. ujarku dalam hati.
Sebetulnya sepulang dari kampus Hamburg menuju penginapan, pikiranku lebih banyak dihabiskan untuk memikirkan bagaimana cara mengembalikan headset putih ini kelak di Swedia.
Pertanyaan yang aku pun belum tahu mulai menjawabnya dari mana.
Inisial “R.K.” sebagai satu-satunya keping teka-teki yang tertulis pada benda ini sama sekali tidak membantuku.
Tapi bukan berarti aku akan berhenti berusaha menemukan siapa pemiliknya sekembalinya aku ke Stockholm.
fin...
Catatan kaki:
*Spår: Peron dalam bahasa Swedia.
*Arlanda: Bandar udara utama di Stockholm. Letaknya sekitar 40 km dari stasiun pusat.
*Express: Kereta cepat dengan jalur khusus Central-Arlanda, dapat mengantarkan penumpang hanya dalam waktu 20 menit dari stasiun pusat (Umumnya dibutuhkan kurang lebih satu jam menggunakan armada lain).
Sumber gambar:
1) Dokumen pribadi
2) Dokumen pribadi
3) Internet: The Verge
Cerita lengkap bagian 1 dan 2 ada pada tautan berikut.
