Learning by Doing

so now is my third day in Manila.

until this time, i feel again what i felt over one year ago in Taize. it's about learning by doing.

yes, while i stayed in Taize, for the first day until my departure, the 'learning by doing' this thing is always happens.

and i feel it again in here, in Manila.

first of all because i come to a new place that has a different culture and habits. and also the community habits. it's like for the first time i really don't know what to do, where to go, how to do, with whom, and so on. but as time goes by, i learn how to do it by doing it self.

such as my first supper in Manila two days ago on the day when i arrived. i have to learn where the brothers take their supper, how to set the tables, and once aga in how to take the meals because i impressed that even we are in Asia, the meals also have an appetizer (salad), main course, and a desert. haha!

and the other thing is, every two of the volunteers have to prepare the morning, midday, and evening prayer. because i just arrived, i didn't get my schedule yet but i volunteered my self to help anyone on any schedule. so at the first time i really didn't know what to do and how to do. there are song papers, psalm papers, reading papers, prayer books, and so on. i really didn't know which papers is use for the morning, midday, or the evening prayer. so i just keep asked the other what to do.

overall, this three days it seems like i'm a junior one here. ahahaha. but it's okay. it's interesting to see that in our life, actually we will always experience the 'learning by doing' thing. the one of important thing is don't be afraid to do that and keep initiative to learn and do it. and also i always keep in mind that the others will not mind to help us, because if i was on their place, i will do the same for the 'junior' one.

so wish me luck for my learning by doing thing. i still have one more important thing that i have to learn it by doing; washing my clothes! and there is no laundry machine here so i have to wash it by hands. so wish me luck! ;p Read More...

Mabuhay Manila!

so here i am! in Manila!
now it's my second day in Manila, but the interesting part is the day before, when i came to Manila.

so my flight is landing on Clark - Pampanga City, there is one small airport which is unfortunately quite far from Manila itself, it's around 2 hours by bus. actually in Manila itself also have an airport which bigger, but i don't know maybe it's because my cheap ticket so Air Asia flown me to Clark. haha!

i arrived in Clark on 11am, then Sam who last year spent his 3 months in Taize picked me up and accompanying my to Manila by bus. around 2pm we arrive and we were waiting in Caloocan City to meet Br. Andre who will fetch me up because Sam will back again to Pampanga. afterward Br. Andre came with Florian! wohooo it's been last year since my last meeting with Florian! so they take me to the secretariat by LRT. and around 3pm i arrived in the Taize Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth Secretariat, in Makati City.

well on that time i'm totally exhausted and total sleepy because of the KL Traveling Day and only 5 hours sleeping in the airport's benches. but the problem is, i can't go to the house where the boys volunteers stayed because i don't have the key yet and the other 3 boys are leaving for work. so i just wait in the secretariat, try to get online with my cellphone and fall asleep many times.

until 6pm, Br. Andreas woke me up and ask me to join the evening prayer. ah, the prayer here is soooo simple. there is no musical instrument, only singing. and after the prayer we take lunch together with the brothers. and also in silence with classical music.

and after the supper, Br. John-Noel asked me to take a sleep on his bed. okay then i sleep but on 9pm Br. Ghislain woke me up and told me that Michio from Japan is already arrived.

so finally i come to the house. it's took around 10 minutes walking from the secretariat. the house actually some kind of a dormitory in the house. there is one room with 4 beds, already enough for 4 boys volunteer. and with one bathroom inside our room.

the funny thing is, the welcoming! on the top of my pillow, there isone paper that wroted "Mabuhay Kuya!". and when i opened my closet, i also found one paper that wroted "Welcome Timo!". ahahaha i almost forgot that "welcoming" is one of the most important thing in Taize-life style ;p

so that's my first day in Philippines and in Manila.
the story about it, just follow my stories afterward.

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my lovely sister who spend her time for a Master study in Tokyo, Japan - Elfani Read More...

Get Lost In KL

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Monday, Nov 9th 2009.

what a good date for travelling! 091109 ahahahaha.

so my plane take off around 06.25 from Jakarta and arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 09.25.
and after i arrived in the Low Cost Carrier Terminal, i survey the airport to find the locker room, the international departures, the Food Garden which open 24 hours, and checking if there any free wi-fi connection. after i checked it all, i put my 60l carrier to the locker room and take the bus to KL Sentral with Aerobus after bought the return ticket for 14RM (8RM for one way).

okey! my first time to Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur! first of all, my impression for the people here, is all of them quite nice! they're really helping to answer some of question from me. and sometimes i use my Bahasa Indonesia and we can still understand each other. cool! ahahahaha.

so my first destination is Petronas Twin Tower. yes for a long time i always want to visit this tower and FINALLY. ahahaha yeah! so the Aerobus from the airport alight in the KL Sentral. KL Sentral is some kind of intersection of any transportation in Kuala Lumpur. start from monorail, MRT, Commuter, Buses, and so on. so from here i take Rapid KL to KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center) station.

and finally i see the twin tower. oh yes it's so high. and it's really beautiful! stunning!

and i already prepared my self to go to the top! so i start to find how to do it. and i read the board sign and it tells "open everyday EXCEPT MONDAY". !!!?!?!?!?!?!?!

then i go to the other tower, KL Tower. yes it's the tower that used for radio, broadcasting, and anything else. also for tourists and wedding (they call it "Wedding In The Sky" ;p). yes it's quite the same with Tokyo Tower but the structure is quite the same with Kobe Tower.
so after failed to see the town from the heights, now i'm really really promise to my self that i WILL go up this time.

but,

after i see the ticket price, is 38RM. argh is soooooooooooo expensive for me and i don't have enough money for that. so to cure my heartache and to make my visit to the tower not so vain, i used their toilet to finish my duty ;p

and afterward, i want to see the Bukit Bintang Road because many people said that Bukit Bintang is some kind of Orchard in Singapore. and yap, it's quite the same but i don't know why, in this street there are many massage services. ahahaha.

so after the Bukit Bintang, my friend told me that i have to visit the biggest mall in ... (i forget, in Asia, South East Asia, or Malaysia?) yeah whatever. it's called Berjaya Time Square. and it's really big mall. that mall have around 10 floors and many stores. but me, i just sit in the benches near Wendy's and "steal" their wi-fi. ahahahaha. after that i'm quite bored because the benches is not really comfy. so i move to Starbucks and just sit on the outdoor and once again "steal" their wi-fi. haha. but on that moment i realize one big mistake which i did. i forgot to match my plug to the Malaysian plug. their plug is have three buttons and flat which is very different with Indonesian plug (same like Europe plug).

so i intended to stay as long as possible, at least after the sun goes down because i want to go back to the Petronas Tower to see what is like during the night.

and so i back to the Petronas Tower. well i know such a wasting of money but it's okay. and i found out that i'm not regret it. it's more beautiful during the night! the light, the sky, wohoooooooo stunning! and i take like hundreds of photos there. until some Indian people laugh at me ahahahaha. after it's began to rain, i stopped and back to KL Sentral to take the Aerobus again to the LCCT Terminal.

so here i am in the airport again. i take a shower in the restroom and then take my dinner. and i start to looking up for some plug that match with my plug but i can't find any one. i'm looking for the adapter in the store but it's tooooooo expensive. not worth it. fortunately, there are two English people who use an adapter to watch movie in their laptop. and they are sooooooooo nice, the let me share their adapter and i use my multiplug to share with them. later i found out that they want to go to Bali for 3 weeks then continue their journey to New Zealand.

so tomorrow my flight to Manila will take off on 07.20. and i have to find some good spot for sleep. i still left my carrier in the locker room, it's more safe to leave it there than i have to watch it while i'm sleeping.

so see you in Manila! Read More...

The Day After Tomorrow

okay, in two days i will depart from Jakarta, Indonesia to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia then to continue my journey to Manila, Philippines.

exactly on Monday, Nov 9th, 2009 on 06.25 AM i will take my flight to Kuala Lumpur. but my flight to Manila is on Tuesday, Nov 10th, 2009 on 07.35 AM. so i have one full day to explore Kuala Lumpur. and alone!

sounds cool. but until now i only have two destinations in KL and two of them is the highest building in KL. and after that i don't know where else to go. well, i depend on the tourism brochure which i will get that since i'm already in KL. and the other thing is i planned to sleep in the airport so i can get my flight on time. the interesting thing is, i've never been sleep in the airport before! hope i will okay for that.

but the problem is, until now i feel like i'm not ready enough to leave. i don't know why. maybe i'm too comfort in my "comfort zone". hang out with friends, enjoying time with them.it feels like time never be enough to be with them. ah i know it's not good, and i have a principal that told "leave your comfort zone, and find a new one, until you feel it again and then repeat the steps."

but i never expect that it will be this difficult, to leave my comfort zone and find a new one. ahahaha i always thought that it will be that easy, as i told to my friends to do the same. but the reality isn't tell like i've said!

even i'm not finishing my packing yet. there some minor details things that i haven't put them into my backpack or into my carrier. there are electronic tools like charger for cellphone and camera, laptop, data cable, and all my documents such as passport, money, CV and so on. yes i'm planning to bring on my CV for in case that i get a job offer ;p

oh yes i'm planning to bring my laptop because the brothers told me so and i think it will be useful to continue write my blog with my laptop. so i don't have to write in a book anymore, just like i did one year ago in Taize. haha.

so this is my quick report from me.
wish me luck by the way.
Read More...

Things to Do Before the D-Days

well it's been soooo long not to write in my blog.
okay, it's because all of the business of me and my commitment to my thesis.

and by now, finally my thesis is finally done! all of my nine months hard work! and finally my name and my thesis' title got into the final exam schedule. and mine is on October 30th, 2009. so pray with me, will you?

so there's the quick update from me.

and from now on i have a bunch of things to do. let's list it one by one so i will not forget and in case i forget, anyone can remind me.

1. preparing presentation slide
yes, a presentation slide is a necessary thing to walk in into the final exam about my thesis. every student should present their thesis in maximum 15 minutes. and after that they will defend their thesis in front of two lecturer. if they succeed, then they will walk out from the room with their new title on their name (uuh, AMEN!).

2. study!
of course. it's a common thing if we study before exam. but an exam about my thesis?? come on, i've been working with my thesis for about nine months and i already have all the contains in my head. actually, i'm too sick to read again my thesis ahahaha. but one thing is i have to learn about personality theory because a Personality Theory Exam is one of the condition before we (psychology student) can take our new title (uuh, AMEN!).

3. exchange money
oh yes i have to exchange my money into three different currency; US Dollar, Phillipina Peso, and Ringgit Malaysia. yes the money is ready (my nine months savings). but still don't have time yet (or still lazy ;p) to go into the money changer and exchange my money. and why i have to exchange my money?? read further.

4. buy a travel insurance
oh i have to do this. at first i think i will not need this kind of thing since i never believe such thing like insurance. but the brothers think it will be wiser if i have some insurance. okay for a guy who never interested in any insurances, i was confuse. but internet do really helping in this kind of situation. so i already decided of which insurance that i have to buy and how to do it. the problem is i have to buy it in US Dollar and the office is quite far from my home so once again, i'm quite lazy ;p

5. packing
yes and not yet done. okay i'm the lazy boy, but i will do it. finally i already bought a carrier bag. yes i've claimed my Manila trip as a backpacking-volunteering trip.

#intermezzo# - about Manila
i already volunteering my self to preparing the Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth (click for further information) in Manila that will be held on Feb 3rd - 7th, 2010. it's a meeting that arranged by the brothers of Taize. and i already decided to become a volunteer since last year, when i'm still in Taize. so all the volunteers expected to come in Manila from October. but me, due to my thesis, will come on November 10th, 2009. and i will stay in Manila until Feb 22th, 2010. yes, more than three months abroad, again!

okay back to number five, as my past experiences, i think it's better not to bring a luggage, especially into a country that already get a disaster such as thunder and flood. so i think it's wiser to bring a carrier backpack to anticipate anything happens. and my new 60l carrier is still empty and i don't know yet if all my things can fit on that carrier. but we'll find out. i decided to start packing at least after i get my degree (for the third time, AMEN!), so it's on the beginning on November.

so i think it's the first time i announce officially of my three months and a half trip to Manila. well i have to write about this because it's important for my blog record. and also to automatically answering such questions as "where are you going??" "what will you do in Manila??", etc.

well, i'm planning to keep on writing, especially about my personal experiences while my staying in Manila on my blog. on that case i already prepared my self to bring my laptop there. hope there's nothing bad happens on my possessions.

so wish me luck and pray for me for my D-Days!; October 30th of my final exam and November 9th of my departure. Read More...