Wonderful Day

What a wonderful day, I got my monthly stipend from AusAid. Hi2... this just a joke. I'll give you another story later because I am in the middle of the computer class now.

A journey to Taman Anggrek Mall.....

I wake up late that morning. I have a date with Elis and Wulan (my pre-departure program classmate at IALF) to go to Taman Anggrek Mall. But unfortunately Wulan must look for a boarding house for her sister. I went to Sarinah Plaza by busway and met Elis there. That was the first time I use busway. It was a first good impression about Jakarta's transportation. Maybe this was a good decision made by "Bang Yos" to develop a mass transportation.
Finally, we met at Sarinah Plaza and continued our travel to Taman Anggrek Mall. Firstly we go to Ratu Plaza by taxi and then we use the "kopaja 66" bus to Komdak (it's a place near the Metropolitan Police Department). We change our first bus with other bus to go to Taman Anggrek Mall. It was an interesting place because it was a big Mall and I have never seen it before in Semarang. (hem, so poor I am)... Just walking around and we not found any laptop store there cause Elis need to buy a new laptop. We just share about anything and it made me comfortable to this city.
We went home at 3pm but I decided to go to Ratu Plaza and walk around to look for a card reader and buy my daily needs.
Hem it was a good journey for me. That was my first experience take a walk in Jakarta. It was my first experience to go by bus in Jakarta (or maybe in other city because I usually drive my own car).
At least I have a good impression about Jakarta in terms of friendship and transportation....

see you in my next journey....

Critical thinking

As a students, sometimes we must summarize a book, article or anything. After summarizing, we must write our opinion to that article or book and this opinion will be discussed later in the class.
To write a good opinion to an article or book isn't easy. We must try to understand the writing rationally, objectively and maybe subjectively according to the author's aim. We need a critical thinking ability in this term.
There are so many definitions of critical thinking. Complete definitions is :

"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness"
(A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking Instruction, http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/definingCT.shtml)

This definition sounds hard to understand, but actually by learn it day by day and implement it in every situation, we will train our critical thinking ability.

So, critical thinking is not only for understand an article, or a book? No, we can use it for any situation. Listening a headline news, watching TV, film, etc. The first thing we must do in critical thinking is focus to what we want to learn. Focus means give a full attention. After that, we can try to make some questions or arguments about what we learn. Questions or arguments not only for what we don't understand, but maybe if disagree or agree with the statement. Of course, we must do it in the rational and objective way when we try to analyze a case.

Sometimes we can try to think in the way of constructive skepticism. Constructive means that the aim what we want to do is give a positive effect to the author. Critic not always give a negative sides. So think rationally and objectively be a key in constructive skepticism.

(This writing based on my discussion in the IALF course)

== Beside critical thinking, there is critical literacy, I'll discuss it as soon as possible ==

Great Discussion About Plagiarism

Today's session is about Plagiarism. Our English lecturer, Michael, gives us a reading material about plagiarism fact in a University. This reading material shocked me because there are a lot of people that do plagiarism and now they become a professor. I shocked because a thesis supervisor whom he's a professor, do a fatal plagiarism when he did his thesis to get master degree.
I realize that culture on aware and avoid plagiarism still hard to follow in Indonesia. But why? Who's wrong if a lot of students in Indonesia just stealling idea or words from other people's works?
Maybe there's no education about plagiarism in formal school?

Plagiarism is about honesty and morality....
I learn much from this day's discussion.

Rainy day in Jakarta

It was two days ago since Jakarta cooled by the water from rain. Everyday always rain here, morning, noon, or afternoon. A lot of effects caused by this situation. Flood in same places, "kaki lima" food seller become more dirty, etc. It's not comfortable to take a walk in some lane specially arround my boarding house. The positive effect is the wether is cooler now compared with the average wether.

I really want to give you some picture of the condition, but unfortunatelly I don't have usb cable for my camera. Anyone have it?

Two biggest Linux groups merge to be Linux Foundation

www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-23 09:30:28

BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- The two biggest supporters of Linux software have merged to form the Linux Foundation.

A San Francisco non-profit, the Free Standards Group, have merged with Open Source Development Labs of Beaverton, Ore., the organizations said on Tuesday in a joint statement.

The Linux operating system competes with Microsoft Windows and Unix as the computer platform for other software programs to run on. It is open-source software, which means the code is publicly available and can be changed by anyone.

The Linux foundation's members include major technology companies such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Oracle, as well as the two largest Linux makers, Novell and Red Hat. It will be led by Jim Zemlin, former executive director of the Free Standards Group.

The new group will defend Linux vendors and customers against intellectual property lawsuits. It also plans to help increase usage of Linux by aiding development of the software and helping the operating system work with open-source and proprietary software.

(Agencies)

from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/23/content_5640559.htm

From me :
Indonesia has a lot of capable and competent person to develope many open source system. Unfortunatelly, The government not too concern about this. Government of Indonesia must pay a lot for proprietary software. It doesn't mean that we can't use the propietary software, but there are a lot of software that can be used freely to support their work.
I'm wondering if all of intelectual in software engineering work together with government to use and develope a cheap software...... hem... maybe I can join it.

Mandala Airlines, what happens?

I have reserved ticket to go to Jakarta long before the day I want to go. I reserved one ticket for me, and one return ticket for my viansee. The flight was delayed at 18 January 2007 from 18.25 to 21.00. It's so long even there were an announcement about this problem early in the morning before I went to airport.
I enjoy the flight at night, and I arrived to Jakarta almost at 10pm. But unfortunatelly, a day before my viansee flight at Sunday, 21 January 2007, Mandala call us and said that all flights at 21 to 25 January was cancelled beacuse the planes not suitable to fly. Hem, I'm dissaponted but it's Ok because it's better that they cancelled the flights then there would be another risk.
This announcement is too late. We were confused because there's no airplane ticket alvailable for the next day because it's a holiday, there's no agent that give a service (or we don't know).
My viansee's brother helpe us to fine the ticket via online service, and finally we got the Garuda ticket....

Hem, a nice experience. this night, my viansee must be in the midlle of her profession examination. I hope that you successfuly past the test.

My First day in IALF

I've been in Jakarta for one week, I stay in Jl. Setia Budi Tengah 10A Jakarta Selatan. This is my first day in my course at IALF. What a huge facilities here (free and fast internet, a lot of collection of book, many television connected to satellite, hotspot, exclusive class, native teacher, etc). I'm wondering that some of you (PAK MUL Community) increase your English ability to get an Australian Government Scholarship.
Actually, the English requirenment is not too high, only 500 (TOEFL) or 5.0 (IELTS). It's easy to reach if you learn hard.

Hem, Cakil has came to my boarding house last day, he came accompanied by his girl friend. We plan to go to Frater Sigit's house and maybe Jonte's house if the busway project is finished. I don't know yet about Komeng's house. I'm sorry if I can't go to your places because I have no car or motorcycle.

Good bye 2006

2006, year that full of colors. awarded an Australian scholarship, engaged. But a year that full of disaster too. Earthquake in klaten and yogya, tsunami in pangandaran, mud flood in porong sidoarjo, etc.... A lot of people died caused by that disaster. I hope we can find the "Blessing in disguise" from 2006.

2007, started with some transportation accidents, such as airplane and ships. A lot of people must die in that accidents. Who's fault? weather? navigation? human error? Until now, there are a lot of people still missing in the adam air accident and km senopati. hem, is this a sign for us?