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 :)

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?

living on the east

 Recently I lived in a land of the dragon. And yes, I mean Labuan Bajo or famously known as Komodo. for people who don't know, when I said that i lived in Komodo, does not mean that i literally lived on the island! The majority of people and tourist are living in Labuan Bajo, and if people wanted to go to Komodo Island, it will only take about 3 hours or so with a boat. Other than Komodo, there is also Rinca Island which you can see the komodo dragon. Having been living there for 6 months, I am going to tell you things about Labuan Bajo. You're welcome ;)

 Where to see sunset:

• Paradise bar. Probably the most infamous bar there is in Labuan Bajo. 
• Any restaurant that is facing the beach, including TreeTop, Blue Marlin cafe, The Lounge's sky Bar
• Padar Beach, especially if you sneak a swim in Bintang Flores Hotel (which cost you Rp 50.000,-)
• Bukit Cinta. In order for you to get here, rent a motorbike up to Paradise Bar street and go beyond that. If you starting to see the ocean and all the little boat, you're there
• Puncak Waringin. It is actually the top picture. Just imagine the view when the sun is setting

Where to eat:

• Warung Mama. Indonesian style food. The most delicious one I think is the rendang. But the juice is not made from fresh fruit, but it made from frozen fruit and it just plain weird.
• TreeTop. A lot of good seafood. My favorite and my go to food (especially if I need a good wifi ;)) is fried squid seasoned with salted eggs. There are also oyster with peanut sauce and fried fish with spicy lemon sauce. Be careful if you're ordering the Sapo Tahu. Ask first if they're using tofu rather than local tahu because if they're out of tofu, the taste will be unbearable
• Bajo Bakery. Sandwiches, muffins, quiches, brownies, everything there are delicious!
• The Lounge. I especially love their cheese burger. The best burger i've ever tasted! Don't forget to try their sodas too because it's good. Accompanied by live music, even better
• Coto Makasar. It is located in Padar Beach street, so it's a bit far from the town center. 
• Kampung Ujung. It is not a restaurant or a food joint, it's actually street food carts which you could find many things there including soto, bakso, gado-gado, gorengan, and lots of fresh seafood

Where to dive:

• Karang Makassar. Or some poeple said Manta Point. Well I guess it's obvious that this site is the go to diver if they want to see some mantas! No mantas? Don't be too disappointed. You could also see turtles, white tip sharks, and even barracudas! (i've seen one)
• Batu Bolong. Probably the most famous dive site in KNP today. A great wall of corals and fishes, it's like you're in an aquarium! Nudibranches, moray eels and more are waiting for you there!
• Wainilu. If you're a macro lover, this is the place. All the macros looks like they came from a different planet
• The Cauldron. The most fun dive site if you like currents. There is a small pathway that they call Shotgun, which basically will suck you from 15 meters to 2 meters in seconds! But it was a hell of a fun ride!
• Other than that, there are Castle and Crystal Rock, Mawan, Siaba Besar, Manta Alley, and many many many more my diver friend

Where to stay:

• There are a lot of hotels ranging from good to okay and from Rp 60.000,- to Rp 1.000.000,-
• If you're planning to stay there more than a month, there are a lot of kosan or a house that you can rent. Just make sure that you have good access to a clean water all the time including the dry season
• If you're on a budget, try to find some friends there. Good luck ;)

PS: There are some flights that goes there but you have to transit in Bali first. I don't think there are direct flights yet to Labuan Bajo. There are no flight up from 6 pm because it's a small airport. For people who want to dive there, you must have a diving certificate or else you have to take your license there. You can choose if you want to dive with daily boat or live aboard. Any question? Don't hesitate to ask dear :)

i'll be seeing you

I am the first MantaWatch internship alumni back in 2012 along with Ichsan. MantaWatch internship is an event you don't want to miss, especially if you love to dive and conservation. But this internship is not all about mantas. It is also a great opportunity for you to practice your English and communication (of course, both with English and Bahasa).

By receiving this very prestigious internship (this year would be given to 6 lucky students!), it would open many doors to your future career. Look at me now! I am now a part of the MantaWatch team! I am the new Liaison Officer for West Manggarai and Komodo region. Basically, i'll be maintaining a good relationship with all dive centers there and also hold a couple of informal meetings with the DKP if necessary. I consider myself a shy person, so this job definitely will be a challenge. Nevertheless, it will also mean that I could improve my communicating skill to a whole new level (well hopefully). The best part of this job would be the fact that I will be living in Labuan Bajo for a couple of months.

This internship, among thousands of benefit, will make you a lot more confident, not only in communicating and presenting something scientific (yes, at one point you HAVE to do that in front of tourists) but also on your diving skills. The mentors are really helpful and understanding, so do not hesitate to tell them if you don't feel like going diving.

For this internship, just be confident! Trust me, it will take you a long way. Good luck applicants! I'll be seeing you in beautiful Komodo :)

sarjanaaaaa!

 

i am over the moon up until now! i felt so blessed. all of my disappointment, all of the tears of regrets, and all this weight that i feel like having for months has gone and lifted out of my shoulders. i know i know.. the euphoria will end as soon as my graduation day because i have to worry about other things. job and in my case, finding scholarships for (hopefully) my abroad master degree plan.

but i don't want to get ahead of myself, so in this post i just want to thank all of my friends, my smart friends for that specific, who helped me with my struggle to understand the concept oceanography and helped me learned about ArcGis and Surfer. thank you for my best girlfriends (13 of them) for making me sane and by being my go to girls if i needed to talk or whine about my skripsi. thank you for IVR for lending me your laptop when i needed it the most, for listening and giving all your encouragement words when i was down and lazy (that will be a lot of time ;p), and basically for being beside me from the very beginning until the end (yes, i forgive you for not coming to my last skripsi defense). and finally thank you for my parents for your prayer and your faith in me. i'm so sorry it took me so long to get my bachelor degree.

for all of my friend who still struggle with their skripsi, i will support you all the way, and to not give up :)

my fellow cetaceans of Raja Ampat

 i was there for my final college paper or as we called it here 'skripsi'. i was so ecstatic for this trip yet so nervous because actually i've been wanting to do this from May. but because of my stupidity and a bit miscommunication, i ended up taking the trip to Raja Ampat in November. but hey, no regrets.

by the way, back to my fellow cute mammals. me and the team found 3 species in total in all of our trip which include bottlenose dolphins, spinner dolphins, and pilot whales (lots of them if i might add). they were bowriding, breaching, and doing all this cute stuff that makes me just want to jump from the boat and swim with them haha.

along the way, we met this wounded sail fish. it has a bright blue color on the front of its sail.

saving sharks fun facts

okay, so maybe some of you don't know that i love love love watching underwater documentary on NatGeo or Animal Planet or Discovery Channel. so this month is my favorite because this month is all about saving sharks month! so they all got everything about sharks. so i gather up some fun facts about great white sharks yesterday:
1. they will grow a new set of teeth every 20 days
2. they will lose about 30.000 tooth in their lives! (creepy if you think human does that too)
3. they could risen their body temperature from their surroundings so they could hunt in a very cold temperature water
4. they swim so quite, maybe on one dive or swim, they could be behind us and we didn't even know. i got goosebumps just thinking about it!

so there you have it! enjoy sharks month! just maybe take care of yourself when handling great white sharks. well.. if you ever encounter with them that is ;)

regrets

sorry that this post is a bit gloomy. i just have to get it out of my sistem.

have you had any regrets in your life? some people says don't have any regrets while you're still young. it's going to be a hilarious story when you look back to that particular moment. don't get me wrong, i totally agree to that. but that will be in the future. but for now, it's like your in hell and you can't get out.

maybe i have to tell you why i regret my decision. i regret changing my research place because some of my friends told me how amazing those place was. i regret believing that one particular NGO could help me with my research (fast). it seems those kind of regrets swirling around my head like a stubborn mosquito. what can i do to make it go away? well.. i have to live with it, my own decisions. i can't keep blaming everybody, and i can't keep blaming myself. it's just so damn hard to do. every time i went to campus and my friends already prepping for their graduation, i envy them. i always felt like screaming on top of my lungs. i thought all of those thoughts will be gone in a couple of days. but hey, they're still here. it's been a month now. and the worst thing, my laziness just make it worst.

and now i don't have anything to do until the end of September. well nothing too important for my future that is.

I FEEL SO DISCONNECTED.

one step closer

some of my best supporters

akhirnya maju juga gw UP (Usulan Penelitian). alhamdulillah lancar dan ga terlalu lama hehe. terima kasih buat temen2 gw yang selalu mendukung. i feel lucky 'cause usually people only got one or two best friend, instead i got 13 of them! and my very very best man, Immanuel Variant Rumende. so very lucky to have him by my side through good and bad times :D

snorkeling with the king

the best day of my internship. period. to swim so close with those amazing creatures. my heart almost stopped. take me with you please..

first encounter

so maybe some of you may know, that my dream is becoming a marine mammalogist (is it correct?) or the other word probably cetacean (whales and dolphins) scientist. and.. the pictures above is when i first met the lovingly and cute sea creatures. too bad i couldn't see the whales, but i will meet them someday. kinda hope it when i took my research. hehe, fingers cross! :D