People are starving everywhere..
Grown-ups unemployed..
Children uneducated..

It is not an easy task to make the world a better place..
but we can at least try to make a difference to someone's live..

Children are the future of this world..
The following is not an advertisement nor a must-to-do for you..
It's merely an invitation to help..

… 29,480 children under the age of five suffered from serious malnutrition across the province (East Nusa Tenggara)… Since January this year two children have died due to marasmus.
The Jakarta Post, February 24, 2007

Penghasilan penduduk yang tidak menentu, rendahnya tingkat pendidikan, kemiskinan, kekeringan, kelaparan, dan busung lapar pada anak-anak telah menjadi hal yang biasa di NTT (Nusa Tenggara Timur) karena tidak adanya perbaikan selama bertahun tahun. Dengan ini kami mengetuk hati Anda untuk menjadi donatur reguler bagi perbaikan gizi dan pendidikan anak-anak di Maumere, NTT.

Apa yang kami lakukan?
Bersama dengan tenaga sukarelawan dari penduduk setempat, kami mengkoordinasikan penyediaan susu, obat-obatan, buku dan alat tulis untuk sebuah sekolah di desa Wairklau, di Maumere yang memberikan pendidikan cuma-cuma untuk anak-anak berusia 4-7 tahun dari keluarga yang tidak mampu.

Sekolah ini bernama PAUD (Pendidikan untuk anak-anak Usia Dini) Maria Gunung Karmel, didirikan di bawah naungan biara Karmel Wariklau pada bulan Juli 2006. Dengan memakai fasilitas seadanya dari biara, jumlah murid sudah mencapai 40 anak dengan 2 orang pengajar sukarela. Karena kemauan mereka untuk berjuang inilah, maka kami ikut merasa terbeban untuk memberi dukungan moral dan material.

Foto2 gambaran kondisi kehidupan penduduk setempat dapat dilihat di http://www.flickr.com/photos/48405206@N00/

Info Mengenai Biara Karmel

Short profile Biara Karmel yg di Flores , yg ditulis oleh Rm. Paskal bisa didownload di link berikut:
part 1
part 2

Program-program kami adalah sebagai berikut:
I. Mulai April 2007 :
* pembagian susu di sekolah, 1 gelas per hari sekolah
* penyediaan buku bacaan, buku mewarnai, serta alat tulis per bulan.
Untuk saat ini, pengiriman dilakukan dari Jakarta 3 bulan sekali (April, Juli, Oktober).

II. Mulai Juni 2007 :
* Pemeriksaan kesehatan dan gigi 1 bulan sekali.

Bagaimana Anda dapat membantu?
Kami membutuhkan kesediaan Anda untuk menjadi donatur reguler
demi kelangsungan program-program yang sudah kami sebutkan di atas. Komitmen kami adalah memberikan progress update dan financial report setiap bulan.

Tanpa maksud membatasi jumlah donasi per bulan yang Anda berikan, Anda dapat membiayai kebutuhan 1anak selama 1 bulan berdasarkan perhitungan berikut:
A $7 / bln (Rp 50.000,- / bln)
Mencukupi kebutuhan susu (1 gls/hari selama 1 bln)

B $10 / bln (Rp 70.000,- / bln)
Mencukupi kebutuhan susu, buku dan alat tulis

C $15 / bln (Rp 100.000,- / bln)
Mencukupi kebutuhan susu, buku, dan alat tulis serta pemeriksaan kesehatan dan gigi
(Mulai Juni 2007)
*$ = Australian dollar

Bagi Anda yang tergerak untuk membantu, kami mohon agar mengisi formulir yang tersedia ( bisa didownload di sini) dan mengembalikannya ke elsa_loe@yahoo.com

Bila Anda ingin mengetahui informasi lebih lanjut, silahkan menghubungi salah satu dari kami :
Melbourne:
Elsa Loekito - elsa_loe@yahoo.com ,
Aureine Wibrata - aureinew@yahoo.com.au ,
Sintia Hermawan - duck_96th@hotmail.com ,

Jakarta:
Benny Chandra - scalarae@gmail.com

My life after university has just begun..
I graduated last November whilst I started my first full-time job last October..

If there is such thing as 'identity crisis', probably I'm having one here..
At some point, I haven't been able to decide what I want to do in the future..
I looked around..
and suddenly I said to myself..
"I want to do that..and that..and that..Ughhh that also seems interesting..
And the result..a huge confusion of what I exactly want to do after this?

It feels like I'm being chased by TIME..
One of my friend told me that it's somewhat normal to feel like this..
I just began my journey..that's why I keep on looking around trying to figure out whether this is the path that I want to explore..
And it's better to turn to other direction while I'm still at the beginning of it..

I had a hair cut two days ago..
Not much changes, except that I no longer have a long back hair..
Hehe its length is now equal to my front hair..
And the curl is becoming really loose..

How's my new hair?;p

Our encounter with people could happen practically anywhere and sometimes in an unexpected way..

Here are some of my unique stories of how I know some of my friends *and boyfriend;p*
(This is sorted according to the year it happened)

Location : GOR (Sport Hall) in Grogol
Event: SMUK 2 Cup Volleyball
Chronology:
We were all queuing at the exit door after the match.
I felt someone was tapping my shoulder..
I turned around and there's this guy around my height, looked really young..
him: "Hey..You're from TarQ2 right? Do you happen to know ***** (a girl's name)"
me: "ooh yuppe i know her..she's not coming today though..and you are??"
him: "I'm ****. I'm a friend of her friend"
me: "ooo ok..do you want me to pass her your message or something?"
him: "oohh no...it's ok..thanx"
me: "ok then.."

Later that night, I chatted in an IRC chatroom..
The girl (whom that guy was looking for) was also there.
So I message her in the chatroom..
me: "*****, someone was looking for you this evening..He approached me after the match"

Suddenly someone PM me..
unknown: "Hii..you're talking about me"
me: "errr???"
unknown: "I'm the one who tapped you on your shoulder this evening"
me: "ooohh????"

Now:
We become friends ever since..He's my partner in badminton..He's the person who can chat with you for hours and never seem to run out of topics;p He's the everybody-is-connected-to-him type of person (almost everyone i know somehow know him too)..Kalo bahasa Indo nya: "Manusia Sejuta Umat" hehehe Anyway, It's been about 7 years..And really pleased to have known him..

Location: *again* IRC Chatroom
Chronology:
I was looking for Dashboard Confessional's songs..
Then there's someone who PM me..
And as I remembered, he started to promote me some DC's songs that he likes..
I learnt that he's also from Indonesia..
So we started chatting for hours..and the next day..and the next day..

Now:
It happened about 4 years ago. I still keep in touch with him (although we don't chat everyday anymore;p). We've never met, but it feels like I've known him forever haha Hopefully I could meet him this July/August..


Location: at the cafetaria at my campus
Event: a job interview
Chronology:
There's this job interview at my campus held by an IT house in Jakarta. My teaching assistant at lab knew that I haven't had a job yet (His friend worked at that company). Thus, he suggested me to try that one. I remembered clearly that it was Wednesday, coz I had French class that day hehe The interview was supposed to be held at 10am, but somehow it started at 11am. There were me and some other friends. I almost left the interview coz by 12 o'clock I hadn't had my turn yet (meanwhile my class was at 1pm). Btw, I wasn't that excited about finding a job at the time, coz I was enjoying myself as a part-time math tutor. Anyway, I decided to stay..and I had my turn at around 12.30..There's 2 men at the table..One is the Project Manager and the other is *hhmm I forget his position..only remember his name;p* The interviewer asked me to send him a simple program, which I did..

Fast forward to the next 2 weeks. While I was installing a program at a client's office in Cibubur(I was a freelancer with my brother), I got a call from that IT house asking me to attend the 2nd interview. It was scheduled for the next day, since I told him I didn't think I could make it for that day.

The next day, I came to that office..I had an interview with the boss directly. I met one of my interviewer (the one that I failed to remember his position;p). The interview went well..

The day after that, I was at my Chinese class. I got a call from someone, who later I recalled as the Project Manager from that IT House. I told him that I was in the middle of a class and asked whether he could call back afterward. And he did..

Now: I did not take the job offer from that company..and..he is now my boyfriend;p


Location: a mailing list *sigh..I started to sound like a person who spend an entire day in front of the computer..hhhm;p*
Chronology:
A day before my first day at work, I wrote a post in a mailing list asking suggestion of where should I stay (in Spore) if I was working in Eunos area..
One person replied me..and later on I chatted with him.
Turnt out that he's working in the same company as me..Same floor..Same department but different project.
Later on I also found out that he knows my boyfriend..What a small world

Now: We're still in the same company..Me, him and some other people also from Indonesia have become one-big-happy-family;p

I learnt that the more I involve myself in the present,
the less I worry about my future..
end result? I fully aware of a happy feeling that's growing inside..

I realized that when I'm feeling down,
only I can pull myself out of the misery..
It's a decision away of whether to smile or to frown..
And I choose to smile..

I wake up this morning with these thoughts in my mind:
What if today was my last day on earth?
How would I spend today?
What are things that I've always wanted to do but I haven't done?
Will people miss me?
Will people still remember me long after I go?
How much have I contribute to this world?

The answers to those questions:
If today was my last day on earth..
I'd be one of those people who would feel all the regret of all the things I should have done but I haven't..

If today was my last day on earth..
I'd call my boyfriend asking him to come back to Jakarta right away
I'd cash out all my savings..
I'd take the earliest flight to Jakarta..Having lunch with my family and friends..
I'd give my savings to my family..pack up all my stuff *making sure my family knows what to do with all of them*
I'd try the wall climbing in PIM *the one I've always wanted to try*
I'd take a walk with my boyfriend at our favorite spot..
I'd go to my grandpa's urn deposit *i don't know the term in english hehehe itu lohh tempat penyimpanan abu*
I'd go to church and ask for Sacrament of Confession..
I'd say goodbye to the people I love..

There are so many things that I've always postponed or put aside with so many reasons or things that I've planned but never have a chance to do..
I no longer know where to start the list..
I've always wanted to:
see snow..
bungee jump..
go to Japan and France..
have a dog..
build my own family..
build a school..
etc..etc..

Ahhh well..
That concludes everything..
I haven't optimized the way I live my life..