Five Interesting Things About Hanoi

Xin chào!

That is the Vietnamese way of saying hello. Saya nggak tiba-tiba bisa bahasa Vietnam kok. I learned it from my trip to Hanoi. Yep, my colleagues and I did visit Hanoi two weeks ago! Saya pergi berenam bareng sahabat sepayung skripsi saya, Daniel dan Isol, beserta dua orang mahasiswa S3, plus pembimbing skripsi saya juga. Kami pergi dari Jakarta tanggal 27 November dan pulang lima hari kemudian. Kalau ada teman-teman yang tanya kenapa line up orang-orangnya akademis banget, that's because we went to Hanoi to attend an international psychology conference!

Singkat cerita, saya dapat kesempatan untuk dibimbing pengerjaan skripsinya sama seorang dosen yang luar biasa kece. Kayaknya saya harus bikin post terpisah kalau mau nyeritain betapa kecenya beliau dan betapa seru-nya riset dibawah bimbingan beliau. One of  her "terms and conditions" was that as her supervised student, I had to get my undergraduate thesis slash research published in an international or national scientific journal OR presented in an international conference.

So, there I was in Hanoi with Daniel and Isol; menepati janji. Setelah menggabungkan skripsi masing-masing jadi satu research paper yang komprehensif, kami diarahkan untuk submit abstrak ke salah satu konferensi internasional milik IAAP, International Association of Applied Psychology, yang kebetulan diselenggarakan di Hanoi. Alhamdulillah ternyata abstraknya diterima dan kami dapat undangan untuk presentasi! Jadilah kami semua berangkat. It was our first time attending an international conference, so we were very excited.

Blest be the Moonlight

Everyone had already left when I heard him play.

The poignant tune of the piano caught my attention. My heart skipped a beat the moment I recognized the song.

He sat tall on the bench as his slender fingers gracefully danced across the piano bars. He was as calm as the placid Greenland fields; as peaceful as the serene Himalayan mountains. He was so immersed in his own little world that he did not seem to realize my presence.

The haunting melody echoed all over the room, its feelings were perfectly conveyed. He played the song just right.

I was helplessly drawn to him.

In the Honor of the Snatcher

"I see you took an immediate liking to him."

"To whom?"

"To him. The guy you came across at the exhibition last month."

"What makes you say that?"

"How many times have you opened his page since your encounter that day?"

"I open his page every once in a while."

"That didn't answer my question. And by once in a while, you mean once every two or three days, so it makes you have opened his page like.. 10 to 15 times already."

She laughed. A faint blush was slowly become visible on her cheeks. I couldn't help but smirk.

Chasing Yoko Shimomura: Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour

Something spectacular happened last week in the honor of celebrating Kingdom Hearts series' 15th anniversary!

Pada Minggu 7 Mei 2017 lalu, saya dan sepupu saya bareng-bareng nonton Kingdom Hearts Orchestra World Tour di Singapura. Konser tersebut adalah konser official musik-musiknya Kingdom Hearts (dan world tour concert perdananya juga!). I never thought I would go to Singapore again this quick for another concert, considering the fact that I barely went to Singapore for Distant Worlds concert last December (click here to read the story). But there I was in the concert hall, completely enjoying the moment, nggak nyesel sama sekali telah merelakan segenap uang tabungan dan meninggalkan skripsi sejenak demi..

KETEMU YOKO SHIMOMURA!

An Afternoon Well Spent

As seniors who are about to graduate (hopefully) soon, it is mandatory for my friends and I to present the Last Performance. The name says it all; it's an event where we put on various performances on stage dedicated as our last contribution for people on campus. It is also recognized as the last opportunity to show your true color slash go crazy (meaning: giving your best shot to come up with the most stupid, effective way of ruining your image you've exerted yourself to build in the last four years, like by doing some weird dancing or acting ridiculously).

Our Last Performance was successfully held last Wednesday, earning rounds of applause, squeal, and laugh. After practicing and preparing everything for weeks, I was nearly moved to tears at the end of the three hours performance. I felt so happy, relieved, and proud receiving positive feedbacks and knowing that people love the show!

Your Recommended Dose of Slice of Life

Although it's hard not to be stressed out from writing undergrad thesis, I still manage to distract myself by doing stress relieving activities. You name it; from going to the cinema and attending gigs to taking part in the Last Performance (by the way, it was a huge success, feeling so proud!). Watching movies and reading mangas are also on the list. So in this post, I would like to talk about these one film and manga that gave me a quite lasting, deep impression.

Your Carnation

Usai kereta pergi

dan kapal terbang tinggi

Rahasia meluap

tanpa sempat terungkap

Rasa menguap

tanpa sempat terucap

Menyungkum tanah

Terhalang janji

2月20日

L'ete en février