Graduation Day: 5 Steps to a Great Career [time.com] -
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Indonesia 1927
A baby girl was born. A pretty baby girl, as ordinary as any other babies who were born in the same year. But she was pretty fortunate that her family was pretty rich that later she wouldn’t have to struggle as other children at her age at that time. But she also never knew what would happen in the future. She’d never know that someday, years later she’d be loved not only by her family but also society.
Indonesia 1937
She was 10 years old. Sat in a “sekolah rakyat”, a school for Indonesian. She was so lucky. Not all children could go there. She was pretty and smart and nice, came from respected family, got good education. What else could she ask?
Later, she met a guy. A tall handsome guy who coincidentally had a similar name like hers. She was Soepiah, the handsome guy was Soepii. They didn’t coincidentally met. Their parents set it up. They were engaged even before they were met. As a conventional Indonesian girl, she didn’t refuse to marry this guy. She believed a Javanese old saying: “tresno jalaran soko kulino”. Love will come if you’re used to it. She believed that she’d love him and he’d love her. Nice love story, they fell in love to each other.
Both came from wealthy family. They had big home, success business, and loving family. All of her children got good education and she was having her fifth child. Fortune started to fade. Her fifth children, a beautiful baby girl had a very high fever, days passed, the baby girl died. She was down but she kept strong, kept smilling and said, “she’s better up there. God will take care of her. God loves her so much so He takes her so fast.”
She was having her eighth child now. A very beautiful baby girl. Her family was still wealth, the older children were willing to take care of the younger children. No one was jealous to each other because she treated them with equal love.
Fortune started to fade again. The land where she built her house and her business were claimed by the government. She was forced to move and only got less than a half of what she and her husband had built. She protested but she lost. She had to move, to a smaller house in not a very good place and slowly but surely the family business went bankrupt. Not long after that, her husband who was so depressed, smoked a lot and died because of tuberculosis. The last message her husband said was to find a new fine guy, he wanted her to had a much better life than now even much better than they used to had. She was in her late thirties and still beautiful, it wouldn’t be hard for her to remarry. But she was a very loyal wife. She only loved her husband and she wouldn’t remarry. Yet, she didn’t want her children suffer from poverty. If making her children prosper meant she had to work harder, she’d do it whole heartedly even if that meant she had to work harder than any women or any men. She had made her decision. She would not step back.
She made a new business. She was really good at cooking. She made a catering business. She knew reading is the gate to knowledge. She sold newspapers and magazines. She never asked her children to help her. But they voluntarily helped her. They sold her food in school, they also helped her selling newspapers and magazines after school. Turned from a wealthy children into sellers, they didn’t care if that meant helping this beloved woman they always love. She was so happy having them as their children yet she was hurted, she thought she could have done more for her children so they didn’t have to do it. Afterall, she was only a woman and a human. She had limitation, and she couldn’t do it all alone.
Fortune might not lingered on her no more. But she knew she was more fortunate than other people in the area. Most of them had no chance to get good education. With some magazines and newspapers she had, she turned a small space in her house into a library. The first library in the area.
No matter how difficult the situation was, she never thought about giving up education for her children. None of her children failed. They reached their dreams teacher, civil servant, bank employee, and others. Thanks to her who never gave up on education.
Indonesia 1990
Things had changed a lot. Her life was much better then it was. She had 7 success children. She harvested what she seeded. And she was having her eleventh grandchild, who’d be the most rebel grand daughter she ever had.
Indonesia 1994
She just had her twelfth grandchild from her youngest daughter. A chubby baby boy. She had nothing more to ask. She had a complete happy live up until one day, one of her daughter was sick, couldn’t be cured and passed away. Left her son alone with an unreliable dad. Lots of people showed their sympathy for her loss. But again, she tried to be strong and shared her smile and said, “God miss her. He wants to see her now. That’s why He takes her.” And so, she took care of her grandson like her own son. This time she couldn’t share equal affection to her grandchildren. But she still love them equally.
Years had been passed her eleventh grand daughter was 8 years old. She was a rebelious girl. Loved to pick a fight with boys, climbed up the wall to the roof, nothing like a nice girl at all. But she knew, she did that because she wanted to be acknowledged. She also knew that she was actually so fragile that one yell could make her cry like a baby. She only wanted someone who would care about her without judging. She won her heart.
She was not only won her grand daughter’s heart. She also won people’s heart. Since she was young up until her late 60s she never forgot to share. Not a day passed without opening a door for someone who needed it. She could make a coffee for a “becak” rider who needed a shelter when it was rain cat and dog. She could have a long conversation with a shoe repairer. She could gave a bottle of water to a “pengamen” who passed by and coughed because he was almost dehydrated. She could stayed with a person who couldn’t talk for hours, paid attention to what she was trying to say. And she never knew that she won society’s heart.
Indonesia 1999
She had to lost her child again. Her oldest son died months after his first daughter’s marriage. Now she was only an old woman who started to questioning God why did He take her son instead of her? She thought she was old enough to die compared to her son. But her sorrow only lasted for couple days. She knew, God must have had a plan for her. She spent her days with her grand children. Visited them regularly, gave her bed time stories, gave them unconditional care and love. She also shared it with society. She believed she was lived to share, to be nice to the other no matter what differences that existed. She was lingers with love.
Indonesia 2000
God loves her… He finally picked her up. Her children cried, her grand daughter couldn’t accept that, the society mourned. She might not be a heroine for her country but she was a heroine for her children. She might not be a famous motivator but she was a motivator for all of her crand children. She might not be like Mother Theresa but she was Mother Theresa for all people around her.
Having a break in the middle of routine is such a heavenly moment! So I had this break to Bali for 3 days with Dodie, my friend from university. I didn’t go to many places in Bali since I didn’t really have plan about where to go and worse, my friend in Bali (Nanda) doesn’t really know how to get to any places in Bali except her own home. Haha!
Well, people asked about how was my holiday, how many places I visited, did I enjoy my holiday, etc. Yes, I enjoyed my holiday so much, but I didn’t regret that I didn’t visit too many places there. As matter a fact what made me extremely enjoyed it is because I finally could have a rendezvous with my best best friend on earth!!! OK it’s only been 3 months since the last time we saw each other but I really miss our togetherness. But there was one thing missing when I was in Bali. My another best friend, Babet couldn’t go with us because she hadn’t got to get annual leave from her office. Wish she could be there with us because we know things would be waaayy more exciting!
Hope three of us can make another holiday completely because I really miss us
March 10th was my 22nd birthday (Gosh, I’m old!!). I was not prepared to face another chapter of my life because I heard some unpleasant news days before my birthday.
But thanks God, I still got birthday surprise from my work mate. Even Kak Bornok who resigned exactly one day before my birthday was there and involved for the surprise. It really was something. And those birthday wishes from friends and family really brighten up my day.
But above all, I’ve got something more than cadeaux. I asked God days before my birthday: “Dear God, this year gift is not another lost, isn’t it?” I am always afraid of losing something (or someone) and I got a big big feeling that I’m gonna lose something. Well, yes I lose something but guess what I’ve got in return? New friends, lessons and experiences!
New friends in a totally new environment. What’s different between friends in university and workplace? in workplace, your friends are those who work with you, you’re related to them because you need their help and vice versa. But my friends here are not just working partners. We’re literally friends. I can share my stories to them, I know that they’ll cheer me up everytime I’m down (because of my own sill expectation to myself). I know I won’t be alone here.
Lessons. Working with people older than you means you can have a shortcut to know about things that will come years later. Learned about things I’ve never knew. Simply, it feels like take a peek to something I’ll face in the future. Some down feelings I’ve felt also make me learn how to deal with myself. I also learn how a company works. Oh, and I learned something about friendship and relation ship. People might come and go. But they actually never really go. It depends on you, whether you wanna keep on touch with them or not. Even if they go far far away and you can’t see their face again, they actually there with you all the time. They live in your memory. I’ve been taught lots of things.
Experience. My best teacher. How can I say experiences while It’s only been 4 months since I joined the company? It’s nothing compared to those who’ve been worked for years. But, in this 4 months I got so many chances to have more experiences than I expected (including have a face to face meeting with the Global Vice President).
And above those gift, God doesn’t even forget to taught me how to be grateful.
Dear God, thank you. I know this year will be tough. But I also know that You make it tough because you want to make me a better person, don’t You? :)
Our routines sometimes bring us nowhere like running on treadmill. No matter how fast you run, how tired you are, you’ll just stay there and going nowhere. Recently, I have a same routine to do over and over again. Wake up in the morning, take a bath, go to work, start working, lunch break, work again, go home, take a break for a moment, prepare to rest, sleep, and wake up in the morning again, and so on and so forth. I forgot my hobbies, I even forgot that I really love reading and writing.
But today, right before I hit my bed, I really wanted to read something. Not reading 9gag.com but instead I chose to read a book I haven’t finished. Pages has been read and guess what? Felt like I got a slap on my face. I realized how hard I’ve tried to look perfect in my work. How I pushed myself too hard, yet it wouldn’t lead me nowhere but to an extreme weariness and more hatred to myself every time I can’t do my job better than my own expectation.
I live my recent life full of ambition. In a bad way. I want to be looked excellent while I got nothing excellent and I should’ve realized that if I expect too much about excellences, then even if I get good, I’d always want better, and if I had done better, I’d want much better. It such a never ending expectation.
The book reminds me to pull myself out of those things and give a proper service for myself in any form. Have manicure, massage, do some sport, sing, dance, write, whatever I like to get my body and soul some leisure. So here I am, finished a half of the book and writing something in my blog. And guess what? This simple thing make me even better than an hour ago when my brain was fully filled with works, deadline and expectation.
So, if you read this post and feel the same thing, why don’t you try to take your time and enjoy it with something you like? If you like to dancen then dance; if you like to write, write then; if you like to walk, go for a walk then; if you like to travel, just travel anywhere you want. Your body, your mind, your soul are fully yours, if you’ve used them hard enough, let them take a break. Do what you love, do what you like, then you’ll feel like you’ve been recharged and ready for doing any things you have to face :D
This is my second time finished reading “Have a Little Faith” written by Mitch Albom. And this time, I took note on some memorable quotes for me. Aand here they are:
“Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith” (Mitch Albom)
“We are part of each other’s lives. If someone was about to slip, someone else could catch him.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“At some point, life is over. And then what happens when life comes to an end? When you come to the end, that’s where God begins.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“It is far more comforting to think God listenned and said no, than to think that nobody’s out there.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“Most religious warn against war, yet more wars have been fought over religion than perhaps anything else.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“War never stops; it only pauses.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“His morning prayers began with, ‘Thank you, Lord, for returning my soul to me’. When you start that way, the rest of the day is a bonus.”
Mitch Albom - “Have a Little Faith”
“Having more does not keep you from wanting more. And if you always want more - to be richer, more beautiful, more well known - you are missing the bigger picture, and I can tell you from experience, happiness will never come.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“When a baby comes into the world, its hands are clenched, right? Why? Because a baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything, to say, ‘The whole world is mine’. But when an old person dies, how does he do so? With his hands open. Why? Because he has learned the lesson, ‘We can take nothing with us’.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“So, have we solved the secret of happiness? Be satisfied. Be grateful. For what you have. For the love you received. And for what Ggod has given you. That’s it.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“The only different betwen ‘marital’ and ‘martial’ is where you put the ‘I’.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“It’s okay that the other one nudges you a little, bothers you a little. It’s part of being close to someone. But the joy you get from that same closeness is a blessing.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“We do so many bad things because one thing God gave us - and I’m afraid it’s at times a little too much - is free will. Freedom to choose. I believe he gave uss everything needed to build a beautiful world, if we choose wisely. But we can also coose badly. Ad we can mess things up something awful”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“The same things in life can be good or evil, depending on what, with free will, we do with them. Speech can be bless or curse. Money can save or destroy. Science can heal or kill. Even nature can work for you or against you: fire can warm or burn; water can sustain life or flood it away.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“Prayer and God are intertwined.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“With a little faith, people can fix things, and they truly can change, because at that moment, you could not believe otherwise.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
“Please love one another, talk to one another, don’t let trivialitties dissolve friendships.”
Albert Lewis aka Rebbey Reb - “Have a Little Faith”
The best thing about working in OEM department is invited to some exclusive product launching. Well, I don’t work in OEM department actually. But, my OEM manager sent me a forwarded email from MINI Indonesia to come to the launching of MINI Countryman (a 4-door MINI) and ask me (and another MT fellow) to join the party. Waaaaaaaaww!!! It’s MINI!!! Yes! MINI Cooper!!!!! My dream car! And I’d be one of those lucky people who could get to see the newest MINI product launched in Indonesia!!
MINI which belongs to BMW Group really had a very different way to launch their product. If you’ve been in BMW event, the event holds in a ballroom. Some kind of exclusive and elegant party. But MINI had their way to hold a party. The party held in Parkiran Timur Senayan. Started at 9 pm, and there’s a big big big container! I thought the container were only for decoration (if you see the trailer of countryman on youtube, you’ll see a guy named Ernest was stucked in a container) but I was wrong. At about 11 pm, the container was opened and… The container was actually where the party would be held!! Cool! And the MINI Countryman was already there waited us to saw it with admiration.
I enjoyed the party so much, I could say something great (sometimes) comes in MINI (size). Hahaha maksa.
In conclusion, God really loves me!!!! He knows what I really need after those works I’ve done since I join the company… Thanks God :D
@MINI_indonesia mini countryman getaway!
- @shinanandana, in a conversation with me via twitter