Is The Tassel Really Worth The Hassle?

It has been nine months since I sent my son away to Jogja. I never felt that time really flies, since sending him away is such an endless second-to-second torture to me. Not even once...until yesterday, after finally!!! presenting my research results in so-called seminar hasil penelitian, I couldn't help but thinking how time has gone so fast. I also couldn't believe that I've been doing this whole master's degree for almost NINE YEARS. N.I.N.E CONSECUTIVE YEARS, well…with around 9 month-leave-of-absent due to pregnancy and child-rearing period. Gosh…that is such a lengthy time for pursuing master's degree, isn't it? Even my dad was once teasing me, "If I were you, I would have received THREE PhDs" #ROFL. He said so because he obtained his PhD after only 2.5 years. His tenacity for pursuing PhD degree was pretty awesome though, considering he was not young anymore. 

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Two-semester Contemplation

Source : http://tinyurl.com/mdwykmu

This semester has finally ended. To be exact, it was dramatically ended just today with an online statistical analysis remedial exam #sweats. Frankly saying, I don't feel satisfied with my academic performance. This semester is basically quite similar with last semester. I remember that I was only performed as a typical student who topsy-turvied to survive from a red elimination zone***. 

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For your information, when you're enrolling to BAU graduate school, you'll be addressed as a "regular" or "trial" student. A "regular student" is a student who has previously graduated from the same major/department as the major/department being enrolled at BAU. This "regular student" will have two semesters to prove his/her academic performance at the enrolled department with achieving a minimum GPA of 3.00 at the end of his/her second semester. Whereas a "trial student" is the one who has graduated from the different major/department as the major/department being enrolled at BAU or a student who has graduated from the same major/department but lower standard university compared to BAU. A "trial student" only has one semester chance to prove his/her academic performance; it means that a trial student must achieve a GPA of more or equal to 3.00 in order to proceed his/her study in BAU graduate school, at the end of his/her first semester. I was being addressed as a "regular student" because I was graduated from GMU's Food and Agricultural Product Technology department which of course similar with BAU's Food Science department. Hence, this second semester is quite an emotionally stirring period for me. If my GPA (from this past two semesters) is lower than 3.00, I'll be forcibly kicked out from BAU. 

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Get Obsessed!

"Cinta adalah anak dari kecocokan jiwa. Maka jika kecocokan jiwa itu tiada, jangan harapkan cinta itu hadir dalam hitungan tahun bahkan milenia". (Khalil Gibran)

Section akhwat S.E.L.A.L.U penuh :D

Okay, that is just so WOW-ing! Honestly, my heart was fluttering at the moment I heard Ust. Salim A. F. reciting that sentences a few weeks ago when I attended his kajian at 4th Bogor's IBF. Well, it's true that I haven't met my "soulmate" yet (maybe he's just right before my eyes and still preparing himself or maybe he's dunno-out-there and still looking for me), but after listening to this kajian I feel like getting more patient waiting for him. #tapipleasejanganlama2,ya XD

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Being single or married is actually has its own "advantages". And most cases, one another always envying each other in such a ridiculous way. The single wants to get married because she/he thinks that getting married is super fun, whereas the married one wants to be single again for a freedom of doing anything's reason. Well, that's just "so human" :). As for my case, the single, the most important thing is preparing oneself before taking a responsibility as a wife or husband. Ust. Salim pinpointed one critical thing as a preparation before the marriage (for the single) : GET OBSESSED instead of EXPECTING.

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Tenanting

My boarding house in Balio

Three weeks have gone by and I almost couldn't believe  to see how fast I'm adapting myself to Bogor and IPB. I guess I have to give thanks to my "dramatic" and "agonizing" experiences in Taiwan for that #tongue! Seriously, Bogor is nothing to be compared to Chiayi. I would like to say, "If you have exposed yourself to the worst situation unimaginable, other situations will be sensed just alright". Yeah, kinda like that :).

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During my 3.5-year stay in Taiwan, I lived in a four-people shared room. I couldn't help it because my campus only provided that kind of facility on its dormitory. Well, actually,  NCYU also provided two-people shared room. But the problem is, it's in a boys-girls dormitory. HELL NO...I'd rather die than have to share the same living space with boys #seriusan! As for now, I'm living in a 11-room boarding house with other woman tenants. Eight of them are students at IPB, while two of them are high school's graduates. Of course living in your own room (or I would rather call it "cubicle" for its small size :D) is way more delighted than in the four-shared dormitory's room. Alhamdulillah...everyone here is very nice. I can easily make friends with all of them. 

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Greetings from Dramaga!

Dramaga's district sign

Oh yeah...this post is typed by a full-time student who is enjoying her first week of campus routines :D! So, after battling with the whole entrance procedures, I have finally started again my academic life as a master's degree student. Alhamdulillah :). やっぱり, studying is SUPER FUN!

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However, since Bogor is not Yogyakarta nor Jakarta (nor Chiayi :D), I have to adapt to this city. Well, Dramaga is not a hectic area, though. It's a little bit hectic ONLY because two ANGKOT terminals (= Laladon and Bubulak) are located side by side, hence the vehicles that going around Dramaga are jam-packed on its narrow-and-badly-perforated road #grin. Nevertheless, because I had proved to survive well in Taiwan, I think I'm going to be just fine staying in Bogor. 

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This Is How Ukhuwah Works

These past three weeks, I've been insanely going back and forth from Jakarta to Bogor. And let me tell you that it was VERY TIRING to do that by motorcycling XD! Breaking news, now I'm officially one of the millions of capital city's motorcycle rider. Ha~...adios, angkot! Yeah, I must do that for the sake of fulfilling my IPB's registration procedures. We are all know that the university entrance registration procedures are always VERY COMPLICATED. But surprisingly, I HAD A FUN completing every single step of it. Seriously :). 

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So, last week, when I was in the middle of getting a recommendation letter from the dean of IPB's Graduate School, I bumped into these people:

Bapake SBI (fourth from right) and Mr. Kom (third from right) :D

Bogor Adventures (part 2)

[Personal snapshot. Simply edited with PicsArt]

I knew from the start that my transfer to IPB wouldn't going to be done in a mere two or three times visit. Nothing is coming easily, especially for a case that is rarely happened. Additional efforts such as stubbornly waiting your 'fate god' for a straight 8 hours until his secretary hates you to the bone, advocating your very self, and arguing over a rigid university rules are considered as necessary. An optional stupidity as in torturing yourself to meet your 'fate god' when you're getting a feverish body surely counted. #grin

Yeah, I know I've succeeded in securing my seat in that university. But the thing about 'how many credits I can transfer there' remains vague, for now. (cont'd)

Bogor Adventures (part 1)

[Personal snapshot. Simply edited with PicsArt]

     It's been only two days since I arrived in 'the city of 1000 "share taxis"; angkot'. But somehow, I already feel attached to this city. I'm not trying to guesstimate anything; whether later in the (near) future I'll become this city's resident or not. Let's just wait and see patiently for anything to come up.

    Yeah, I guess I made a right decision to go here by myself with my confusing traveler way. I'm enjoying jostled against the other passengers on the crowded bus and angkot, even enjoying rode a wrong angkot route. Ha~ XD. Seriously, it's so much fun rather than sitting peacefully in a moving car, finally fall asleep for boredom; just like I usually do.

     Honestly, Bogor is not a 'perfect' city. My absolute choice is still Yogyakarta :D. I love peaceful and village-ish atmosphere, hence when it comes to frenetic places like Jakarta, Bandung or Bogor, I feel a little bit disturbed. But well, I'm sure I can force myself to stand with it. Moreover, my future campus is located in a slightly village-ish area, thus I guess I'm going to be just fine staying/studying there. (cont'd)