Draw my line

Where is Neny?

2007-03-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I've been out of the spot in this blog for too long.

It's because I have another blog, fellas, and you're invited to read my thoughts there. In fact, I have not only one, not only two, but THREE blogs!

http://neny.edublogs.org -- for professional matters and thoughts in education, work, etc.

http://nenyish.wordpress.com -- for personal events, perspectives and other blah, blah, blah

http://nenyish.multiply.com -- for poems and pics

I hope you're satisfied with my explanation of my whereabouts.

See ya!

Thank you for your concerns about my country

2006-06-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm safe and sound in Salatiga. That's my reply to some friends abroad who asked if in any ways I got affected by the recent earthquake in Jogja. The inquiry of my friends is of course very relevant, because Jogja is only 100 kms away from Salatiga. In fact, during the 59 seconds of the 6.3 richter scale earthquake, we could feel the earth moving, but thank God, the epicentrum was far away from us so it left Salatiga intact. Thank you for some friends (Monica -- the first to send me email, Esteban -- her boyfriend who forwarded my reply to Fulbright community in Ames, Anne, Raul, and others) who showed their concerns for me and my family.

Some other people may not be as lucky as us. The death toll reached about 5,500 lives and thousands were injured. Of course, there are also countless others who are homeless now and once again, just like during the 2005 tsunami in Aceh, my fellow country people show their greatest strength of helping one another. Donation boxes are distributed during Friday prayer in mosques and Sunday Mass in churches. You can also donate through some volunteers who stand by the street intersections to offer the donation boxes to passerbys. Other public places like my campus, malls, shops also have these boxes. Food, money, clothes, tents, anything that can help the victims, will be greatly appreciated and taken by the volunteers to be transported and distributed later in Jogja.

Or will it be?

The question of whether what people donate will reach the victims is always lingering in my mind everytime I see volunteers collecting donation. Call me a pessimistic, but I saw in news that some areas affected have not received the help and assistance that they badly need. Maybe it's distribution problem. Maybe it's transportation problem. I just hope that it's not because some individuals try to get benefits out of people's suffering and misery. Just this morning, my uncle who just returned from visiting his relatives in Klaten (not far from Jogja and also affected by the earthquake) told me that there were 3 trucks, full of looters, arrived in the areas to get any valuables from the collapsed houses. Not to mention that during the first hours after the earthquake, some individuals spread the rumor of tsunami reaching for Jogja's downtown, only to create urgent evacuation so that the houses would be left unattended and those criminals would be free to loot.

What happen in this world? Last two years, the tsunami, this year, the earthquake, and many other natural disasters. I have a little voice telling at the back of my brain: the end is near. Maybe it's time for the apocalypse. Am I ready for it?

For Tyasning Nusawardhani

2006-04-11T23:47:00.000-07:00

seorang teman
apakah itu sebuah konstanta
atau kah sebuah kehadiran
yang mungkin ada dan tiada?

seperti galibnya neutrino
yang adalah materi
namun juga energi
seorang teman mungkin
adalah sebuah neutrino hati
Ketika dia ada, dia adalah materi
teraba, terpeluk
menjadi tempat berlabuh
ketika hati rusuh
atau ketika jiwa bersorak
Ketika dia tiada, dia adalah energi
terkenang, terindu
menjadi tempat mendamba
ketika hati mengingat
ketika jiwa merengkuh

Kubiarkan dirimu menjadi
materi
dan
energi
bagi
hatiku
dan
jiwaku
sebab kau adalah seorang teman, si neutrino itu.

Love you, Yas!

About today

2006-02-13T21:06:00.000-08:00

This morning
the sun is still as warm as ever
the trace of raindrops has shrinked
to nil.

I heard the business of chatters
of natural whispers
of harsh motor shrieks

Life as usual.

This morning
none of these creatures
around me realizes
what lovers call the day of valentine.
I search hard for the signals of love.
Yet, I found emptiness creeping into my soul.
Or maybe I search too hard?

When my soul and heart are at ease
the sun warms my skin
goes into my heart
melt my frozen soul.
: that is love, isn’t it?

The chatters fill my ears
with stories of joy,
of affection,
of normality.
A sign that in every beat
of second
of time,
there is always something
to cheer a tired burdensome soul.
: that is love, isn’t it?

The whispers of the nature
sing a song
of unevenly beautiful lyric
bringing my weary mind into peace
calming my unrested nerves.
: that is love, isn’t it?

The harsh sound of the motor
engine shrieks for attention
suggesting a development
an optimistic step to the future
bringing promise and hope
to humankind advancement.
: that is love, isn’t it?

Everything today is so usual,
so normal
and none cares for a second
if today is a valentine day.

Only if I ease my senses will I find
: warmth, joy, affection, cheers, song,
beauty, peace, calm, attention, development,
optimism, promise, hope.

All signs of love.

Salatiga, Val Day 2006

A time to rest, a time to be busy

2005-12-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't posted anything to this blog for a long time. Forgive me my dear readers! In addition to the cost of Internet accessed from my house, I guess I have to hide behind the reason of being busy with my work. Teaching is not a very relaxing job if you want to know. It involves assessing my students' works and preparing materials to teach. Unfortunately, the last two are the most time consuming of all. Am I complaining? No, I don't. It's a part of my job, and I love my job.

I have to thank God for the support of people around me, who are willing to share their Neny with the rest of the world. Particularly my husband and my son. For that, I thank them.

Happy new year to you all. Many happy returns, many good fortunes.

Blogging Fever

2005-11-20T23:12:00.000-08:00

Finally, my dearest husband got the blogging fever too!

Check out his deep posting here.

Welcome to the blogging world, Honey!

A Class Blog: Please Visit!

2005-11-15T06:42:00.000-08:00

I decided to put my little interest of mine in blogging to a class that I'm teaching: Writing 2. I decided to incorporate blogging experience into their writing by creating a class blog to post their five paragraph essay. I do hope that this experience will be beneficial for the development of their writing skills.

To my loyal readers: please visit writing to the world blog!

My students will greatly appreciate your comments on their postings and I'm sure it will give you a pleasure in mind knowing that your constructive little comments bring an enormous benefit to a student's ability to write.

A little surprise, a little reunion

2005-11-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

I woke up with a phone call this morning. From my mom. The message was more important. Nana was coming to my house in five minutes!

For those of you who are a constant blogwalker, you may have come across her blog. She has become quite a celebrity among Indonesian bloggers. With her wittiness in her postings, she has tackled some interesting and debatable issues in her blog and offered an interesting perspective to those issues.

But, Nana for me is not just a blogging fellow. In fact, blogging came along just recently into our friendship. I've known her for about 15 years, ever since we formed a circle of very jolly, smart, unique bestfriends in our second year of senior highschool in Salatiga. In fact, if we trace back, we probably have known each other since we were in junior highschool for we went to the same school back then. Nana and I even went further to the same department in college. The circle of bestfriends: me, Nana, Lolita, Lily and Tyas, were practically sisters. We always felt comfortable in each other's house and we knew each and every member of each other's family. No wonder she could just came very early in the morning (about 6 AM this morning) to my parents' place and they welcomed her warmly because practically she was present in most of my teenager life.

So, of course, we exchanged stories, shared the happenings in our lives, gossiped about the whereabouts of the other members of the gang and our acquintances. It was just like the old times, when we could just talk for hours. It felt so good to be with her, who knew me since the very beginning. In the afternoon, we decided to go to Ada Baru supermarket, where Lolita, the other gang member, works. We haven't seen each other for a very long time, ever since Lolita graduated from college (that must have been seven years ago!!!). And of course, we shared even more stories, pastime naughtiness that we did in senior highschool. And we kept laughing, and laughing, remembering how silly and carefree we were back then.

My point is no matter how silly and carefree we were, that was probably one of the best chapters of my life. With two of my very bestfriends, I cherish those times and I thank God for giving me the chance to relive those moments again.

Thank you, Nana and Lolita. I'm looking forward to seeing you guys again!

Seasonal Change

2005-10-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

Rainy days come with doubt
will life be colorful and sunny
like in the good old days?

I sense the gloom of Fall
that I miss so dearly
not as a bitter memory
but as a dream once I lived in.

But this is a distinct season
whose gloom I hate to feel
and I don't invite
but it creeps back to enlive.

Life goes on.
Seasons change.
Perhaps the feeling is temporary
until I see the beauty of the drizzling water
and my soul has made peace with dreams.

2005-10-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

test

Rainy days...

2005-10-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

Salatiga has always been known as a cooler place. I remember putting on blanket even during my naptime in the afternoon. But that was years ago, at least until I was in highschool. Salatiga has become hotter and hotter, after all the huge trees that used to decorate the streets of Salatiga were being cut down for the sake of "development".

So, when rain finally came, it was such a huge relief for me. The air became so fresh, clean and refreshing. The good old days seem to come back to me: cool weather, afternoon strolls, good snacks along the streets of my hometown. It's true that I'm not so much into rain, because I dislike the gloomy feeling that is created by the dark clouds. But I can't help welcoming the freshness of the rain that makes Salatiga's hot weather is bearable.

I just hope that my friends out there, who often wonder how Salatiga looks like these days, can come and see it during rainy season, for the sake of the good old days...

Writing an "8"

2005-10-04T01:12:00.000-07:00

I never consider writing a number 8 to be troublesome and difficult, until I accompanied my son, Jalu, while he was doing his homework. You see, Jalu, who will be 5 years old in November, is attending a kindergarten. One of his homework that he had to do is to learn to write numbers. His teacher will write the number on his homework book, for instance, five 6s, one in each line. At home, Jalu will copy the number over and over.

Of course, he has his directions from his teacher of how he has to move his pencil across the box to create the numbers, like, for number 1 is "stand", number 2 is "curve, cross, sleep", number 3 is "curve, curve", and so on. Yet, number 8 seems to be the most difficult of all. The directions requires him to know which way to make the curve (which for your info is going to the below left), which way to create the cross (which is to the upper left), and which way to make the last curve. I never realize how difficult it is and how in order to accomplish such "simple" task, someone needs to learn spatial concepts.

Another thing, he seems to need be to be reminded all the time to focus on the task on his hands. I notice that when his other classmates will just do their task independently, Jalu will absentmindedly pay attention to other things in his classroom than his task. He seems to not be able to be left alone in doing his job. This of course forces me to always be with him in class, to encourage him to finish the task. Although I really want him to be independent, it seems that with his lack of focus he needs supervision all the time.

Watching him struggling on writing the numbers (and these days the letters A, B and C) and sometimes yelling the instructions to him (and most of the time being frustrated myself) taught me two things as a teacher. First, I need to pay attention to things that I consider as easy. Jsut because it is easy for me and for most of the students, I can ignore and underestimate the simple things that I need to teach. Secondly, every student has their own pace and their own ability to grasp the knowledge. As a teacher, I have to use the most appropriate strategy for each student, because each of them is unique.

Going back...

2005-09-27T15:17:00.000-07:00

I'm home. In Salatiga.

Salatiga is of course much different than two years ago. More developments. More crowded. Somehow not very pleasant. But more or less, this is home.

So, here I am, blogging again. I hope I didn't go hiatus too long.

But why, drawing the line is the title. Just no apparent reason. I just like the design of the skin of the blog. Yet, if I want to put it into a more sophisticated and philosophical reason, probably because this is the place where I "draw my line" in the canvas of life. Sounds poetic, eh?

Drop me your line!