Final Review August 22, 2007

As your teacher, I appreciate your idea to improve your writing skill through this blog. Even the term was over, you are still enthusiastic to post your writings. You made every efforts to improve your English in spite of fact that your English were actually embarrassing for students at your level.

 

I always said that you were in GE-9! In this level, you had to pay more attention to accuracy. Accuracy, accuracy, and accuracy. Not only fluency. Speaking frankly, your achievement until the final test didn’t make me satisfied. Teaching you made me so hopeless that I had no idea about what to do. You were the worst students I’ve ever taught.

 

Let me give a brief evaluation on what you had achieved. First, Adhe. You were the most active student, especially on speaking. However, you need to pay more attention to grammar. You were master in memorizing vocabularies. Sometimes you even memorized unimportant words. (Do you want to compile a dictionary?) It made me wonder how you said that you wanted to have more quality time with your daughter, whereas at the same time you wasted your time to memorize vocabularies that you would not use them in real conversation.

 

Then, Wahyu. You need to avoid bad habit in speaking: mixing English and bahasa Indonesia. (Do you want to replace Jarwo Kwat’s position?). Moreover, you will have kid soon. I know you are a good daddy. Please don’t teach your kid with that confusing language.

 

Indri. You need to practice your speaking more frequently, no matter how you do it. It will be better if you get married with an English speaking guy so you have long-lasting partner in learning English. And the more important thing, it will be free of charge. You need to pay nothing.

 

Indah. You rarely took part in speaking activity but you were good in writing. Keep writing, who knows someday you will be a great writer. If it’s necessary, you can leave your recent job and switch it to writing job like journalist, novelist, or typist, as long as not pipist.

 

And, Joseph. I can conclude nothing about you since you were absent more frequently than present. You were the strangest student: you paid for English course but you didn’t attend the class. What was in your mind when you submitted for the course?

 

The last, Sholeh. You were the best student. Although you didn’t attend final test, you are allowed to join next level if you want, for free.

 

Ok, that’s my brief review.

 

Your (fake) teacher

(who believes that language is a matter of culture, not a set of rule)

The Proverb August 22, 2007

Subject: The Proverb (Ambition and Achievement in Studying English)

By: Indah SR

 

“By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn.” (Latin Proverb)

 

I found that proverb one day when I was tidying up my room. It was included in an old calendar standing on my desk. It had directly attracted my eyes at the first time I read it, although at that time I didn’t really care about the meaning. However, I kept it in my mind still, and began to think about that.

 

Actually, in fact, I have been both, as a teacher and a student. From Monday to Friday, I was a teacher because that’s my work. And on Saturday, when I was learning English at PPB UI, it made me as a student.

 

I started working as a private teacher when I was in college. After graduating, I started working in an institution and I chose Science as a subject I would teach because it’s the most related with my background, I supposed. However then, through my experience, I found out; there were two most favorite subjects which many people always asked for (to teach them). Mathematic and English. Without reducing the other subjects, if you are expert in one or both these subjects, there will be many opportunities coming toward you. You don’t need to worry about the lack of job anymore, and it’s also possible for you to get a success (in career) soon.

 

Therefore, I decided to enlarge my subject in teaching. I chose Math first because it’s easier, and I realized I was never good in English, too :p. Actually, it didn’t satisfy me yet. I still desired to teach English :p. So, I told my boss that I had been taking an English Course at PPB UI. Then she said she would let me teach English when I had already been in advance level.

 

Finally, I was in advance level now. I started teaching English, and so far I enjoyed it. Although I had absolutely no experience in teaching English or any other social subjects before, luckily, I had some friends who were already English teachers, so I can ask advise and learn a lot from them. And of course, I have learned so much from my English teachers at PPB UI, too. I observed their methods in teaching English and often time I adopted it to teach my students :p. By learning you will teach. Yep, it’s worked for me ;-D.

 

What’s about ‘by teaching you will learn’? Well, children now are very, very clever, outspoken, and having big enthusiasm. As their teacher, they expect you so much, trust you are the cleverest one, who always knows the answers about everything. So, by teaching them, I have learned to be patient and kind. I have learned to speak always the truth as they expect me to do. The most important of all, I have learned to equip myself all the time, be ready for their ‘unsuspected’ questions by improving my skill and knowledge as the best as I can.

 

Well, it seems that I’ve just become to realize what the proverb means, now ;-D.

 

 

***

How can we benefit from English? August 20, 2007

 Stepping into the future and advance career are the most our plan. So why must we learn English?

I agree that new words and expressions are coined and existing words change their meaning as society, culture and technology progress. One of the biggest advantages of learning English as a second language is that you will be able to discover a world of information.

 

Joint English course and other activities those are related to English skills can radically improve our performance and broaden our work horizons. As we know, The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computer networks. It helps to enrich our life . On internet, learning English can be fun. We can chat (by typing, voice and video), sending and receiving email, join forums and mailing lists, even we can make and join a socialnetwork website. Once you saved your work then you publish to the net ( like this website).

 

Although we are busy, we manage our time to attend English class. However, we’ve missed the class for many times ( like me, because the change in work shifts was made.). But we have to appreciate our effort during those terms *cheers*. What we can achieve from learning English are fluency in speaking, better communication skills, confidence in meetings, successful social and business connections, and also better understanding in professional situations.

 

Of course those are the results by improving our English skills. Those can be reached by choosing your suitable way to learn. Finally, learning English with enjoyment and fun is the most effective way. All the BEST for you

My Goal-Setting for 2007-2010 August 19, 2007

I have a habit that every time I step into a new phase of my life for example study in a college or before new year, I set my plan to achieve my goals. It kinds of short term goals and mid-term goals. Than, in the end of the term, I score the achievement whether it was good, moderate or still under the targets. It is an interesting activity, imaging what is your destination, how you reach your destination, how long you will achieve it, how you measure the accomplishment, and the most important is you should sure that it is realistic and achievable.

  

Basically, I categorize my goals into six categories. Those categories are:
1. Family
2. Financial
3. Physical
4. Mental
5. Social
6. Spiritual

1st. About Family
Now my wife is pregnant. Her pregnancy is 30 weeks. So, we’ll a baby girl soon. For me, they are the reason to live and make a living. I want to spend more time with them and try doing great time such as travelling, visiting relatives, sporting, gardening. I wanna be a good daddy for my child and a humble husband for my wife. I will assure that they have my love, attention, and protection so that they feel daddy with them. Until next three years, I want to have two more children. I wanna have a big family. But of course if my wife agree with the idea because she is the one who will pregnant. The success indicator is my family feel happy and safe with me on their side.

2nd. About financial condition
I want to dedicate my self to my current workplace. My company already provides me with adequate salary and employee benefits. If we talk about enough, I must admite that we’ll never be feel enough with our salary because living expenses always rise. I don’t have ambition to accumulate a great wealth. Just enough to make a life, to provides food, education, medicine, vacation, and saving for my old day. Just as that simple. But I have a plan to run a small business. In spite of getting additional income, I want to utilize my relatives and others to get a job. Now, I am on the way of creating job for others. I plan to open warung (small canteen). I already make a preparation, may be after the Idl Fitri October 2007 the warung will be opened. If the warung run successly, I’ll create another business. Small business that can create job opportunities for others. And about my core job as an economist, I wanna make a academic paper. Just one, in this year. The success indicator is academic paper and give job opportunities.

3rd. Physical aspect
This year is really great year for me. I rarely experince a serious ill. Just cold but it will gone without taking a medicine. Just adequate rest and food. I’ll use my time effectively to come to gym. May be three or four times a week. It gives good impact to my health condition. I’ll keep this habit. I’ll combine with swimming and good food. I want to manage my sleeping time. It seems I don’t give enough sleep. Time management and work effectively is the solution, I think. The success indicator is less ill and good body mass index.

4th. Mental
Mental represents knowledge and wisdom. In the next years, I want to take my Ph.D program abroad. This year is the second year, I have preparing my self. I go to PPB to improve my english. I do my work carefully in other to mastery it. I read articles and journals about economics, finance, and else. I go to gym to improve my health and endurance. I study economics, mathematics, and statistics by myself. I also plan to take a far distance study to complement my lack of skill with certain knowledge. I hope I can focus myself with this important goal and ease the temptation to enter the comfort zone with all its indulgeness. I want to give examples for my family that knowledge is very important to help you to reach your destination and money doesn’t. Money is only a medium of exchange and money can’t buy anything. You get wisdom by knowledge not money. The success parameter is study for doctoral degree.

5th. Social aspect
I want to involve my self in social organization. I’ll start with employee organization in my office. I have an interest in education and health. I already donate every month to Indonesia Heart Organization. I want to involve more, especially in facilitating education for the needy. They deserve to get equal treatmen in education. We have to enlight them with knowledge. The success parameter is being able to join with education for all organization.

6th. Spiritual aspect
Every sunday morning, I and my wife usually go to Masjid Agung Sunda Kelapa to listen to Pengajian. It was Pak Edy Setiadi and his family who introduce me with the pengajian. They have very interesting topic every week. I want to make this as habitual in my family. I also want to continue go to the mosque near my rental house to pray at Subuh. It’s rather difficult because I usually woke up after adzan (prayer calling) finish. But I thing it’s managable.

That’s all my goals for the next three years. I don’t want to make such ambitious goals. In my opinion, these goals already hard to achieve although it still have a probability to achieve. I hope it can guide me to achieve what is important for me and my family. I’ll review again every year or at different phase of my life. Wish me luck and good luck for you too.

Jakarta, August 18, 2007

Wahyu

My goals to achieve in the next five to ten years ahead August 17, 2007

Have you ever made a list of what you should have done by the time you are 20, 30, 40, 50,….?

Before sharing what I wish I can achieve in the next five or ten years, let me share my own experiences…

In order to improve my life and to be a better person, I follow a friend’s suggestion to make a resolution ; since 2004, every New Year I make a list of some things I want to do through a year ahead. I set goals. The list help me more focus on the issues that are important to me. I remember writing down my resolution in January 2006 :

1. Do more exercises, get a healthier life

2. Be a more patient person

3. Second honeymoon with my hubby; travel to an exotic island in Indonesia or Asia we haven’t been to

4. Get an investment plan

5. Spend more quality time with my family especially my daughter

6. Buy a car with my own money

I even marked in my desk calendar with those goals. By the end of 2006, I accomplished only four of the six, which are number 1,2, 4 & 6 and the results are : for no. 1} I recently join a sport club and swim at least once a week there, for no. 2} I take a deep breath and count to ten before a burst of verbally harsh out of my mouth, for no.4} I invest 10% of my income each month in a market share in a bank, and for no.6} now I have my very own car (a secondhand car I bought from a friend) I bought with my own money so I don’t have to borrow my in law’s car anymore!

A bit disappointed that I can’t go for the second honeymoon with my hubby, but we can do that in 2007. What I regret so much is that I can’t attend and support my daughter in dancing and modeling competition held by her school (she won the 3^rd prize!). Because of the office works, client appointments, and a long list of to-dos in my office made me missed one of my proud and precious moment in my life. The two unfulfilled goals of 2006 are written down in my 2007 resolution. As yet, I am still trying to achieve that with other new goals in 2007.

In the next five or ten years ahead, I have some things to achieve :

1. Go to Makkah as a pilgrim

2. Buy a land in a village where I can plant vegetables and fruits trees

3. Be an English teacher for children

4. Become a stay-at-home mom

5. Traveling to exotic and unique places

6. Having my own company which has at least 50% handicapped people as employees

7. Help others more

No matter what will happen to my life, I believe strongly that positive minds, working hard, love and support from family and friends can carry me through whatever lies ahead.

May Allah the almighty help me to achieve and to accomplish my goals, amin….. (so

serious, hah..? hehehe….)

 

Good Luck with the final test friends!

Love, Love,

Adhe.

btw, MERDEKA!!! today 17th August is our 62nd Independence Day.

FUTURE PLANS August 16, 2007

People said that if you wanted to get a quick progress in your life you had to to plan it carefully.  I thought it was an excelent suggestion. Plan your life was the good way to keep you on track.  As example, if you had a plan to go to college.  They already had the curriculums and education programs for each semester.  You had to follow it so you could through the entire education in  4-5 years.  Good plans help you achieve good results, get through college educations on time. 

In some trainings about self achievement or management skills, they kept asking ‘ what is your plans for next 3, 5 or 10 years ahead ? ’.  That question made us think and analized our goals and what we had done, until that time, to achieve it.  As a young worker, I already had a classic targets.  My career goals were become a manager in 5 years and had my own company in 10 years.   

Beside my career plans, I also have personal goals which is having a beautiful life both in physically and spiritually.  Some people might say that my personal goals are too abstract and too classic. Well maybe that’s true because the success of it, for me, only can be measured in my heart.  Maybe somebody has same personal goals and the success of that goals could be different for each person.   

As I mention above about my future plans, sadly I must say that until now I haven’t achieved them yet.  So I changed my future plans a year ago.  Until now, my future plan is getting married.  The reason that made me change my future plan is because after you get married, your personal plans are going to change to two person’s plans.  As a family, we should discuss our life plans with your life partner.  So until I get married, I haven’t had some real plan about my life.   

It isn’t like that I don’t have a life direction, I do have a plan.  Therefore, before getting there, I stepped on  to and finished some little goals to achieve the big ones.  These days, my life plans are  live your life everyday, enjoy it, get more money J and gain more knowledge.  Above all that, I also try to improve my spiritual side every day. 

These are some wisdom words which I picked from some sources.  Hopefully, it will rise our spirit to be a better person in the future. ‘ Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement,  nothing can be done without hope and confidence. Keep your face to the sunshine and you can not see the shadow. ‘