OMG It's Been More Than A Year!!

Hi blogger,

So sorry. You won't believe how hectic things get after the last post. I don't even have time to sleep, let alone write a whole post. Anyway, the year 2012 went great!! Just like @bungdeo said, it's going to be our year :) Soo, here's a short recap on what you've missed and believe me when I say you miss A LOT!

1. I passed second leg of Pelatnas with the top rank and become the four students to represent Indonesia in International Biology Olympiad

2. I won silver medal in IBO!!!!!!! From 61 to 27 indeed :)

3. I don't know how, but I ended up going to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology with a full-ride scholarship.

4. I lose 10 kgs!! Blame it on the stress haha

5. I dyed my hair brown :P

6. I have a new obsession: make-up. Gosh, I am addicted to that stuff. I don't even dare to count how much I've spent on make-up this last three months alone. Gonna do a post on it soon...I hope...

7. iPhone 5 yo!

8. iPhone 5 sucks yo!

9. I made a new private blog, mostly just for rants and galau stuffs so that I don't have to do a love-hate relationship with that kind of posts here hahaha.

10. iGEM member!!

11. I am the female lead international singer of the school of science music band: Particles!!

12. Down graded from lacto-ovo-vegan to pescaterian :'(

13. Went through a MAAJOOR separation, still kind of suffering from that

14. Turned 18, the legal age in HK ;) Let's get this party started, rigghtttt??

15. Surprising my mom and siblings by coming home from HK unannounced!!!

Those are the things that's on the tip of my tongue, can't think of anything else.. There are lots of small moments but these are the major events. I would love to post more but let's just see where the current brings. Ciao, bella!!

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. ― Friedrich Nietzsche

חדשות טובות

Hi everyone. Whoa new blogger interface. Kind of confusing for a short while there. So what do you think of it? I personally prefer the old simple one. But maybe that's just the first impression talking. I haven't explored the features much so any judgement by me now will be considered moot.

Well, I am here to share good news (it's a plural in this case)

Good news #1: I made it to the second leg of Pelatnas! It's kind of an old news but I haven't had the time to post it so here goes. I am super duper excited to spend another four weeks at Wisma Kartini, basking myself with biology and think of nothing else. Plus I will be reunited with my good friends slash competitors. It is sad though that Meva couldn't make it and Nobi resigned. But they promised to visit us in Bandung every weekend when we're not having a mid-test or other thing.

Good news #2: The fact that something is something in something something and something is something to something for something has actually something something very something!
Isn't it something :")

Good news #3: Brace yourself because this. is. BIG. I have found the perfect vegetarian restaurant!!! Thank God after 8 months of suffering in finding products for vegetarian such as faux beef, faux chicken etc, I finally met Loving Hut :") Indonesia is not really a vegan supporting country, so deciding to be a vegan here is like being a Moslem in a pork-eating country. I am sooooo tired of having to scour my food for any traces of minced beef or fish. Have difficulties to order food in most of the restaurant here. I can not enjoy delicious food anymore. Now, in a post-finding-Loving-Hut era, I can eat bakso, fried 'chicken', 'sushi' with no worries. They provide both cooked and uncooked vegan materials. My current favorite is the Curry Fired Rice. Boy, does that gluten taste like an actual Rendang :9 But I planned to try all the food on the menu, so my favorite might change. Once I did that, I'll upload a post that specifically describe Loving Hut. Keep tuning in.

Okay, I guess that's about it. Oh, are you wondering about the title? Just google translate it, you'll see.

Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too far, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. -Eddie Cantor

Reunion

It was a sunny morning above the Medical Faculty of Indonesia University. She was mingling with her friends, preparing herself for the competition. Never occurred to her that that day, something out of ordinary is bound to happen. A group of students walked across the field. Someone waved. Hey, that girl thought, that's my senior. She waved back and joined her. They did some small talk. Her senior said that another senior of her also joined the competition and he's walking behind them. She looked behind and waved her hand to her senior. But someone else was waving behind her senior. A familiar face perhaps? As the figure came closer, she realized that he is more than just a familiar face. Yes, it is him. She threw an awkward smile and turned her back on him with great shock mainly and a cocktail of other feelings. All of them then entered the exam room.

During the recess time, they met again. She was walking with her senior who came from the same school as he does when he joined her. He asked her about the exam. He told her that he thought exam was hard. She didn't know what to say or even to use what kind of expression around him. How can he be so calm after all that has happened? Most part of her were relieved that he is such a kind guy to let it all pass and treated her like nothing happened. But it's just like looking at a scar, you're glad that it's healing but it also remind you of how you got the wound at the first time.

Throughout the competition, they didn't talk much. She passed to the semifinals while he didn't. She never met him again afterwards. What a serendipity :)

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving - Albert Einstein

Road to IBO 2012!

Hey everyone, yes I know I have been malfunctioning my blog for those sad posts but technically, they are serendipities, and as this blog is called A Log of Serendipity I know of no reason why those events shouldn't be posted. But I'll get to the fun part of the post just keep reading :)

Now as a strike breaker post, I'm gonna tell you about my most recent activity, what I've been doing for the last four weeks. One word, eight letters: Pelatnas.

Pelatnas is an abbreviation of pelatihan nasional. It's like a science camp, held specifically to train students who are qualified for a special occasion called the International Biology Olympiad. Shiver me timbers, I want it, like so much so bad. This is also basically a competition to fill the glorious two seat to Singapore as an IBO participant. The activity is being held in Wisma Kartini Bandung with TOBI Team under the house of Bandung Institute of Technology. I basically come here to learn, do some tests, go home and wait for the result. But there's much more to it than it seems. It's making new friends and new experiences. I am thrilled to be united with these 25 other student who is as gifted as ever. I had so much fun while I was there. We studied, practiced. We took exams, we trolled, we celebrated birthdays, watched some movies, threw some water ammo to the assistants, swam (or I'd rather say laid down) in a hot spring and much much more! I'll go with the details in the next paragraph.

Week 1:

Ta-Da! Finally, it's 23rd of October. I have had enough purgatory in school for two weeks ever since I'm back from OSN. Especially every Friday. That day I arrived late to Wisma Kartini. I got lodged in room 3 with Meva, Sifa, Tazky, Tia and Kezia. I met and greeted some old friends.Then out of the blue, they said there will be a pre-test done that very night. Also a new assignment come from Kak Fenryco. So, I did what every man could do, do the best and God will do the rest. Luckily, when the result came out, I didn't screw up too bad. Oh and what's different from the previous pelatnas, instead of in Wisma Kartini, we had to get our lecture in a small, hot, crowded room on the 6th floor of PAU ITB. The week went normally. On the weekend, me, Meva, Sifa, Billy, Nobi and Gun went to Ciwalk and watch Johnny English Reborn.

Week 2:

This is week is just like any regular week. Except, we got to celebrate Assifa Nur Hisana's sweet 17th! The theme of her birthday is sticky ;) So what we did, is tied her up in a pole and then charged her with eggs, flour, soft drinks, etc. And then after all those mess, Gerry brought a cake for Sifa and then we all sang Happy Birthday! So memorable! This week we also got a test from a psychological firm to measure our academic potential and our mental stability I guess? And also a mid test which was difficult as hell. After the test, my mom visited me and we went to Paris van Java to get something to eat. And then I stopped by RE Martadinata to buy a klappertaart which I ate together with my roomies who were gloomy because of the freaking mid-test.

Week 3:

This is week we had a practical exam part 1. It was quite okay I guess, though I haven't got the result just yet. This week we also celebrated another birthday, Nobian Andre's Sweet 18th. His theme was Stinky! Yep. This time we really bring it. All those stuff from garlic, terasi, fish, palm oil, bananas, eggs, flour, we got it all. Except during the torture, ther's a little mishap. The rope used to tie him in the pole got loosened up so he managed to escape. The second everyone saw the rope dropped, they all run like an arrow released from its bow. We managed to tied him up again and the torture continues.This time Meva brought the cake and we all sang Happy Birthday. All the other boys got dumped in the pond as an 'imbas' hahaha. The next day is outing to Rancaupas. It's raining when we got there so we ended up playing water fight with the assistant and then played in the hot spring.

Week 4:

Ah the last and final week :") I started this week with fear cause I have 2 exams waiting for me at the end of the week. 2 super important test which will decide my fate onward in this competition. Well, in the practical test, it's sure is worse than the first practical test, but I don't know, once again, the real result just yet. The final test, like always, I prefer the part B of the test than its Part A. I feel quite confident with my answers but then again, sometimes when I feel that way, I end up pretty disappointed. After the final test, we celebrated kak Gun's Birthday! And then almost the whole member went to Ciwalk to watch a movie. Meva, Sifa, Tazky, me and some other guys watched In Time while the rest of them watched Breaking Dawn. We said goodbye the next day, took some photos and then the next thing I knew I was sitting in my car, already on my way to Jakarta.

It was a lovely experience guys and girls. Thanks for everything. I hope we'll see each other again at the 2nd Pelatnas Meva, Sifa, Tazky, Tia, Kezia, Tiwi, Rea, Elza, Lidia, Gomel, Nobi, Billy, Gunawan, Alvin, Eni, Ibrahim, Javier, Rabid, Keju, Gerry, Alfredo, Theo, Reza, Benny, Danu!

When you know what you want and you want it badly enough, you will find a way to get it - Jim Rohn

Enlightment

Thank God, I finally understand. All this tangled problems. I maybe the most grateful person in the universe at the moment. I now realize that friend is forever. May I shall never forget this again. Amen O:)

So So True

A Token of Gratitude

With this post I just wanted to say that I love every single person I've met in my life so much and I am eternally grateful to all of you for taking a part in my life. I will never trade my life with anyone's ;)

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same - Elbert Hubbard