LGD dan essay on the spot LPDP

Oke. Lanjut ya cerita pengalaman seleksi substansi.

Setelah wawancara yang berlangsung kurang lebih 30 menit, turun lah gw kebawah dengan perasaan cukup lega. Karena jadwal essay on the spot dan LGD gw masih jam setengah 1, jadilah gw gabut jalan-jalan sekitar UNJ, ke mesjid buat sholat, ngaja orang ngobrol, dan lainnya.

Pas deket jam setengah 1, gw disuruh nunggu di satu spot untuk ngumpul dan ke gedung sebelah. Grup LGD biasanya ada 9-10 orang. Pergunakan waktu nunggu masuk ruangan essay on the spot maupun LGD untuk ngobrol sama mereka biar pas LGD diskusinya lebih enak dan ga kaku. Malah ada temen gw yang niat banget sebelum hari seleksi substansi udah kopi darat sama grup LGDnya. Gw ga seniat itu. Hasil blog walking gw (again), kelompok bisa nentuin siapa yang mau jadi moderator dan notulen. Sebenernya ini ga wajib, kesepakatan bersama aja enaknya gimana. Di dalem ruangan kita bakal dikasih secarik kertas yang isinya artikel yang harus kita diskusiin. Tema dari artikel bisa beragam. Kemaren gw dapetnya cukup ringan yaitu implementasi Pancasila di pendidikan formal (SD, SMP, SMA, kuliah). Ada baiknya untuk prepare rajin2 baca berita apa yang lagi hangat di Indonesia. Gw aja sampe tiap hari baca berita padahal biasanya ga pernah tertarik hehe. Artikel disuruh baca 5 menit, abis itu langsung boleh diskusi. Alokasi waktu 30 menit biasanya cukup untuk per orang di kelompok lo untuk ngomong setidaknya dua kali. Tapi karena waktu itu moderator gw menyimpulkan hampir semua opini kita, waktu cukup terstia. Tapi gw tetep dapet kesempatan ngomong 2 kali sih hehe. 

Untuk essay on the spot, temanya sama kayak LGD. Biasanya dari berita-berita hangat di Indonesia. Tapi lagi lagi (rejeki anak sholehah), tema yang gw dapet cukup ringan. Yang pertama tentang kontraktor dan keselamatan bangunan, yang kedua pentingnya tes mengemudi sebelum kita dapet SIM. Kita dikasih waktu 30 menit untuk nulis essay yang dimana ga ada batasan mau sepanjang apa. Dikasih 2 topik, pilih salah satu aja. Jangan kerajinan ngerjain dua-duanya yaa..

Selesai semua seleksi substansi, yang kalian bisa lakukan adalah doa.. doa.. dan doa yang lebih banyak. Kalau memang rejeki insya Allah akan dapat. Semangat untuk semua pengejar beasiswa LPDP! :)

cerita wawancara LPDP

mungkin kebanyakan dari kalian sudah mengetahui kalo gw (alhamdulillah) keterima LPDP bulan Desember tahun lalu. tapi.. seperti hal hal amazing lainnya di hidup gw, ga segampang itu dapetin ini. pertama gw tau LPDP tuh pas semester2 akhir gw kuliah which is tahun 2014. karena banyak yang bilang lebih bagusan kerja dulu sebelum S2, akhirnya gw cari kerja dulu kurang lebih setahun. gw daftar pertama kali pas bulan Mei 2015. pengumuman lolos administrasi dan jadwal wawancara sayangnya pas gw lagi YSEALI di Hawai'i. mau minta interview Skype udah ga bisa karena mereka udah nambahin LGD. hal penting untuk diinget, kalo jadwal seleksi substansi bentrok sama sesuatu, bikin surat pengunduran diri (kalo enggak bikin nanti jatohnya kalian tidak lolos seleksi wawancara dan dikasih hanya satu kesempatan lagi untuk wawancara).

A lot of you asked me why I got the scholarship. honestly, I don't even know. tapi akan gw ceritain hari yang bikin gw lebih deg-degan daripada sidang kolokium gw.

soo.. biasanya jadwal seleksi substansi (wawancara, LGD dan essay on the spot) akan berlangsung selama 3 hari. per orang biasanya dapet satu hari penuh atau dua hari. untuk wilayah jakarta, biasanya di UNJ atau STAN bintaro. krn gw dapetnya UNJ (which is jauh banget dari rumah gw), sehari sebelum gw nginep dirumah sodara. beberapa hal yang perlu disiapin sehari sebelum:

- checklist dokumen-dokumen untuk verifikasi dokumen (karena kalo ada yang kurang/lo ga bawa ga dibolehin untuk lanjut ke wawancara)

- kalo lo separno gw, bawa fotokopian seluruh dokumen lo (sebenernya ga perlu sih hehe)

- pilih pakaian yang sopan dan membuat lo terlihat profesional

- blog walking! poin ini penting banget untuk tau pertanyaan apa aja yang bakal muncul pas wawancara

hari H dateng, gw berangkat naik ojek ke UNJ. sambil nunggu ngantri verifikasi dokumen, pergunakan waktunya untuk ngobrol sama orang sebelah lo. it helps with your nerves! dan seru banget kalo tiba tiba tau ada yg keterima juga saat udah pembagian PK, jugaa kalo lo dateng sendirian seenggaknya ga planga plongo aja, ada temen ngobrol.

nama kepanggil untuk wawancara, naik keatas, suruh tanda tangan untuk daftar hadir, masuk aula. oya, jadi jangan mikir kalo wawancaranya tuh di ruangan tertutup yang hanya ada lo dan 3 interviewer. wawancara bakal diadain di aula gede dengan banyak meja. jadi pas lo masuk aula bisa liat yang lain lagi di interview juga. a very good tip (dan emang common courtesy), sebelum kalian duduk jabat tangan masing-masing interviewer terlebih dahulu. 

pertanyaan pertanyaan sangat beragam. yang penting kalian udah paham luar dalam dengan essay yang kalian buat. satu interviewer adalah ahli perikanan dimana pertanyaannya semua masuk akal (kenapa milih luar negeri? kenapa di univ tsb? udah hubungin prof disana belum? pokoknya yg scientific lah ya). satu interviewer adalah psikolog. pertanyaannya cukup menjebak dan intinya sih mereka pingin liat apakah kita akan balik ke indo lagi atau enggak. interviewer terakhir adalah ahli akutansi. mungkin karena dia ga paham ttg kelautan, pertanyaan dia paling absurd (contoh: "kamu kan suka jalan-jalan yah, berarti disana bukannya belajar malah jalan-jalan lagi"). mau apapun pertanyaan atau apapun itu dari interviewer, senyum aja. jangan terpancing emosi karena menurut gw emang itu cara mereka. keep your composure and keep smiling walaupun dalem hati gedek haha. setelah selesai interview jangan lupa berterima kasih yaa :)

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Diamond Head Mountain

many many apologies for not posting anything for a long time. been quite busy (or most of it just being lazy). so I will continue to post incredible places that I got to visit while I was in Hawai'i. this one is Diamond Head mountain. if you go to Waikiki and even look at the postcard that were being sold in supermarkets, you'll definitely see Diamond Head in the background. this mountain is quite unique because it has a crater in the middle of it. so at first when a friend invited me to hike the mountain, my first thought was: "how could you do that? are we going into the crater? is the trail quite safe?" well this is me when i thought the crater filled with lava or something (haha). but theen.. just like you can see on the last picture, there were just some buildings and trees down there.

hiking is not my forte at all. i don't like the feeling of steep trail and how i couldn't breathe after conquering those trails. this was not an exception. i join because i simply curious and it was the last days in Hawai'i so i was thinking why not? and it WAS very tiring. there are a lot of stairs and lots of steep trails. but the views totally worth it! and because i was with a bunch of groups, so it wasn't that bad i guess. after all, after you get down, you can go to farmer's market. it was very near with the Diamond Head entrance. in there, you can buy homemade ice cream, loco moco, and takoyaki! just think about those wonderful food when you're hiking those trail and believe me, you'll be more energize ;p

dining in D.C.

D.C. kept surprising me. First of all, the weather. they told us that D.C would be hot and dry, not like the weather in Colorado. well it was, on the first day we went to The White House. but the next day.. cold as hell! i don't know what happen, but we ended up bundled with jackets and coats every time we have to go outside because the temperature dropped. besides the dreadful weather, D.C surprises me with a range of good restaurants!

Jyoti

it's an Indian food restaurant located in Adam's Morgam neighborhood. all the food are sooo good. i normally don't pick Indian food for lunch, but this place is an exception. if you're a small portion eater, the rice and the naan is quite big. it's better if you share it with a friend. for the price range, it's from 8-16 usd. not bad right?

Shophouse Kitchen

i love the idea of Southeast Asian food fusion! the spices are perfect for our tongue, and the portion is just right for my tummy! this one is located in Georgetown, and ranging from 6-8 usd.

Thomas Sweet

craving for something cold and sweet? this place is the best place to go! they have a range of ice cream flavors. i personally love the mint choco chip one. they're not green like the ones they sold in Indonesia, but just plain white. but when you taste it, the mint is so rich! you can pair your scoop of ice cream with cones or cups. located in Georgetown.

Bangkok Palace

i remember that day when me and several of my Indonesian friends went to visit The Embassy of Indonesia. we craved asian food so much, the embassy people picked this spot! the owner was so nice, and he speaks Indonesian quite fluently! it is located behind the embassy's office. the stir fry chicken was excellent, but the tom yum, not so much.

Ankara

we had a dinner date with one of embassy employee. this was actually a new restaurant when we came there. the food is good, but a bit pricey. ranging from 10-30 usd. lamb chop was sooo yummy! Jacob, the owner, can speak Indonesian language! located only a few blocks from The Indonesian Embassy.

Las Canteras

another dinner date with embassy employees. but now it's getting bigger! this place is in Adam' s Morgan neighborhood, close to Jyoti. this was actually my first time trying a Peruvian cuisine. i made a mistake ordering a seafood platter because they were all deep fried and it makes me a bit nauseous afterwards.

Goa Rangko

Airnya jernih, tempatnya pas banget kalo mau main air tapi ga mau panas2an kena sinar matahari, dan jaraknya cukup deket dari Labuan Bajo! anywaaay.. gw ngomongin tentang Goa Rangko. kalo mau kesana dari Labuan Bajo, ga usah berangkat pagi2 banget soalnya cuman butuh 1 jam kesana. bisa sewa mobil apalagi kalo berangkatnya banyakan (tapi keep in mind disini mereka ngasih harga turis asing, harus nego kalo mau dikasih murah). trus make sure supirnya tau Goa Rangko dimana. kayak gw kemaren supirnya taunya bisa kesana cuman naik mobil padahal harus nyambung pake ojek laut. jadilah harganya dimahalin ;(

kalo cuman berdua atau bertiga gw sewa motor karena lebih murah dan convenient. tapi harus pake masker ya kesana soalnya jalanannya berdebu banget. kalo gatau jalan, tanya2 aja ke orang lokal ke arah Desa Rangko kemana. nyampe di Desa Rangko, cari ojek laut. biasanya mereka minta sekitar 250rb. kalo lebih mahal nawar aja soalnya emang cuman 10 menit darisana. goanya ga bakal keliatan dari pantai, so jangan bingung kalo sampe pantainya. kita harus jalan bentar dulu baru ketemu goanya. 

the inside is totally mysterious and beautiful! tapi airnya air asin lho. dan keep in mind kalo mau berenang-renang cantik, disana ga ada tempat ganti baju. saran gw sih pake aja baju renang dari labuan bajo. atau enggak kalo emang udah kepepet ganti di bagian gelap goanya (kayak gw ;p).

yuk jalan2 kesini! belom banyak yang tau lho tempat ini.

Explore Lombok: Pantai Tunak

bulan lalu gw berkesempatan untuk pergi lagi ke Lombok setelah beberapa tahun lalu sempet ke Gili bareng bokap. Tapi sekarang, gw pergi kesini untuk suatu project dan ditempatin di Selong, Lombok Timur. Suatu hari kita harus nyewa mobil buat jemput salah satu tim di bandara. Otak maunya jalan-jalan terus, jadilah kita searching di instagram tempat yang bagus buat foto-foto dan nemuuu... Bukit Tunak! Karena Bukit Tunak terletak di Lombok Tengah, dari tempat kita tinggal di Selong memakan waktu kira kira 3 jam. kalo dari bandara, tinggal belok kiri. kalo mau nanya arah ke orang tanya aja arah Pantai Kuta kemana soalnya ga banyak yang tau Bukit Tunak. sampe di gerbang biasanya suruh bayar 5rb per orang, tapi karena kita udah sampe terlalu sore jadilah gratis hehe.

jalanan masuk sampe ke pantainya masih dibilang jelek dan kayak masuk semak2 hutan belantara. kalo bisa sih pulangnya jangan abis maghrib soalnya takut ada binatang atau apapun itu (banyak juga masyarakat sekitar yg bilang begitu). kita aja karena udah kesorean jadinya ga sampe bukit, tapi cuman sampe pantai. foto foto bentar, langsung cabut!

perks of reading a book

I just merely writing from a page in Michael Crichton's book: Congo. Always the brilliant in making a storyline (you all seen Jurassic Park), he always struck in the best of way.

Over the years, scientists had evolved a standard defense acceptable to the courts. Researches claimed that their experiments had the goal of bettering the health and welfare of mankind, a higher priority than animal welfare. They pointed out that no one objected to animals being used as beasts of burden or for agricultural work--a life of drudgery to which animals had been subjected for thousands of years. Using animals in scientific experiments simply extended the idea that animals were the servants of human enterprises.

In addition, animals were literally brutes. They had no self-awareness, no recognition of their existence in nature. This meant, in the words of philosopher George H. Mead, that "animals have no rights. We are at liberty to cut off their lives, there is no wrong committed when an animal's life is taken away. He has not lost anything..."

Many people were troubled by these views, but attempts to establish guidelines quickly ran into logical problems. The most obvious concerned the perceptions of animals further down the phylogenetic scale. Few researchers operated on dogs, cats, and other mammals without anesthesia, but what about annelid worms, crayfish, leeches, and squid? Ignoring these creatures was a form of "taxonomic discrimination". Yet if these animals deserved consideration, shouldn't it also be illegal to throw a live lobster into a pot of boiling water?

Doesn't it makes you wonder? Over the years, what change? Why do people started to care about animals? What else do you have in mind about this paragraph?

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Protohub Honolulu

i know that this place is not outdoor and probably not a usual tourist site. but if you're an entrepreneur and you need a place to consolidate or merely a place to meet other people who has the same passion as you do, than Protohub Honolulu is the perfect place for you! even if you want to do an event and have a hard time finding a place, you can book it here.

Protohub Honolulu is a co working space that specializes in events and programs that foster a supportive community, develop professional network, connect investors and entrepreneurs, provide entrepreneurial training, and implement funding/investment programs. for more info on this amazing space, check out their website: http://www.protohubhonolulu.net/en/about

with amazing decorations and comfy couches, i wouldn't mind staying long for brainstorming with a cup of hot coffee ;)

22 Jump Street

it's been so so long since i wrote my last movie review. because i looove movies, i will keep the tradition alive. and i will start with 22 Jump Street! honestly, the first movie wasn't that memorable and not that funny. beside, the jokes mostly are dirty jokes instead of pure jokes (if you know what i mean). but this one is definitely funny! i even laugh my ass off! but still.. some of the jokes are not really my taste. but overall was damn funny and a good plot. it's too refreshing seeing Channing Tatum ;p (i think one of the reason i watched this movie)

photo op with POTUS

YSEALI Academic & Professional Fellows 2015 with Barack Obama

There I am, so close to Obama. Up until now I could never describe the feeling how I felt that day when I saw him walk into the room with a big smile and greet us. Excited? Happy? Nausea? I would probably say yes to all of that. 

In a photo, position is super important. The story why I end up being so close to Obama on this shot goes way back before I came to the US. I was considering bringing heels for this program, but then my suitcase already so bulky and I was afraid it will be overweight. Then in Hawai'i, the good news came on the last few days before we're going to Colorado. So Ines and I (like any other girls would), planning on buying heels to go to the White House. I guess i'm a bit cheapo for this, but also thinking I wanted to buy affordable heels because let's face it, I rarely use them on a daily basis. So long story short, I bought a pair in Goodwill. God knows how old those shoes were, but it's only 10 dollars! The day we went to The White House, I carried the heels on my purse because I know I will suffer if I have to use them all day long. I changed into them on the bus, but we still have 10 minutes to grab a quick lunch. Mistake or a blessing in disguise, I took a few stride with that heels, and the sole came off! Thankfully I still have my flat shoes and doesn't want to carry a broken shoes to The White House, I throw it on the trash can without a second thought.

I know you're still wondering why all this got to do with my position on the photo above. Well, this is just my thought, but when we're arranging position, they asked for the short ones goes in the middle and the tall ones goes in the outer part. If I wore the heels, I would stick out quite tall and have to stand way out there. Soo.. believe me or not, that is my unfortunate fortunate story.

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Kualoa Ranch

this is actually the place where so many movies got filmed including Tears of The Sun and the ever famous Jurassic Park! that's why I chose this place at the very beginning for my team's learning journey in Hawai'i (others are Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, H Power, Hawai'i Food Bank, and Iolani Palace). 

Kualoa ranch is actually a very unique place where they have a sustainable land management system called Ahupua'a. let me tell you a bit of history behind this magical place. over 1500 years ago, the first voyaging Polynesian landed in Hawai'i, in Hakipu'u valley (foothill of Kualoa). the original owner of the land was King Kamehameha III, but he sold it to Gerritt P. Judd in 1850. A few years later, Kualoa's adjacent land (Hakipu'u and Ka'a'awa) were brought by his son, Charles Hasting Judd. from sugar mill to becoming an auxiliary army airstrip, Kualoa went to so many process to become what it is today. 

i could go on and on with the picture here haha! place as beautiful as this is definitely worth to conserve for the future.

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Japanese Garden

In the upcoming days (or maybe weeks if i'm totally lazy to open my laptop), I will post all the beautiful places that I got to visit while I was in Hawai'i for three weeks. and believe me, there are a lot! first up, it's in the backyard of IMIN International Conference Center, the Japanase Garden. If you're selected to be the participant for YSEALI Institute on Environment 2016, you'll be likely to stay in Hale Manoa. the place is just walking distance! in fact, the photo session for your participants profile in susieastwestcenter.com will be taking place there. beautiful and serene, the place is definitely worth for a photo op!

the picture above is the final product from the photo session :)