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

Horror Story at the Faculty’s Laboratory July 13, 2007

by Wahyu

When I was in college year, I had a strange experience. I studied at one of state university in Surabaya. The location is on the eastern Surabaya. The campus is so big with its old building. When the night came, the campus looks dark and so quite, because there is no academic activity in the night. Especially after 9 P.M.

My department is located near a small river that divided the campus with old trees and bushes on each side. The wind usually hard and cold because the area still surrounded by swamp. Although there are official house for lecturers and located in the area of the campus, but it’s far enough from the faculty.

Students usually did some activities in the campus area. From playing chess, poker, internet, did homework, study in the 24 hours library, until in the lab. The activities usually dominated by male student, although female student also take part.

The Natural Science Faculty, where I studied, has a legend. The legend related with a female student that was killed because dropped from the top of the 4th floor building some years ago. She was suicide because she had broken with her boyfriend. She was in her last year. She was dropped into the small river near the building and died. Another story is there was a murder in the indoor basketball field. The victim was a female. It happened during my study. But until now the case still mystery. The crime area was near our faculty. Those are some legends in our campus.

Now, come back to my strange experience. One night I did my computer assignment in a computer laboratory in the faculty. I started from 10 P.M. with 5 of my friends. We played MP3 from our computer with rock music, the situation so lively and we chatted about many things from assignment until woman. It was boys talk. When the clock showed 0.00 A.M. 2 of my friends began to sleep at the floor using a mat. And than one by one, they began to sleep until me and one of my friends. We still talked each other about the assignment and we concentrated in our own computer.

When the clock showed 2 A.M., there was somebody called my name. She called couple times. I thought it was my friend trying to terrify me. Than I said to him don’t terrify me, it’s not funny. But she still called me. Suddenly I looked back, at his place, but I didn’t see him. “Where the hell is he?” I asked myself. I looked at the back on the floor, I saw all of my friends had slept. “Wow, so who called my name?” I kept asked myself. I didn’t dare to move my body and when I looked outside at the window of the laboratory, I saw shadow of somebody. It’s look like a woman. But it’s not clear. At that time, I was really afraid because I had never experience anything like that.

And then, I kept my face looked at the monitor although my mind couldn’t concentrate. I tried to yell to my friend to wake up but they didn’t hear at all. I heard the woman kept called my name. My hand felt cold and my body felt eerie. I didn’t know how long it had been going on and still I sat on my chair without noise. After some times frightened, suddenly I heard adzan subuh. My computer clock showed it’s already 4 A.M. and didn’t hear anybody call me anymore. I moved from my chair and walked headed to my friends. I woke them up, and said that I want to back to my boarding room. One of my friend only said yes.. yes.. and then back to his sleep.

I took my jacket and opened the door and than went out from the library to parking area. Although I was still afraid but it was significantly reduced because I believed that ghost is afraid of adzan. I turned on my motorcycle and went to my boarding room. After arrived, I took wudhu and prayed. After prayed, I slept and woke up at 10 A.M. when I felt hungry. I saw that my friends already arrived in our boarding room. I asked one of my friend to woke up and had a dinner. During having dinner, I told to him that I experienced frightening times in the laboratory last night. I said that I yelled to woke up them, but they didn’t hear at all. He looked scared also and said he didn’t want to go to laboratory by himself. Quickly, the story soon circulated among the student. But, we only scared just for few days. The laboratory looked empty. After few days, the laboratory began filled with students who did their assignment. They said that they were afraid of ghost but they were more afraid if they failed the course.