(over year-end) End of Year Note

Maksud hati ingin membuat tulisan bertema Catatan Akhir Tahun, tapi mental deadliner saya sungguh masih kuat melekaaaatt. Akibatnya ya begini nih, terbit terlambat deh. Intinya tetap Catatan Akhir Tahun sih, jadi mohon saat membaca, anggap saja masih seakan-akan masih tahun 2011 ya :p.

Lot of things happened this year, sweet and sour, sad and happiness, success and failure. I went 2 loses, 2 success, 2 failures, 2 adventures and 1 enlightenment.

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I lost two of my beloved ones at the beginning of this year; one is my colleague in university, another is my grandma. None of us, even from the same faculty, had ever suspected about my friend’s terminal illness. Not long after her sudden return to Indonesia, we heard about the devastating news. If we could give more of our attention to even little change that happen among us and not just simply ignoring it, … .

Losing my grandma while I was far away was very heart wrenching. I talked to her on the phone about 2 weeks before her death. She asked when I would go home. I said on the end of September, inshaAllah and she replied we might not see each other anymore. Quite shocking but I still could convince her (and myself) that it’s not true. She asked me to find a job in Jakarta so we can be near again. I wished her health, but it was my last chance to hear her voice. Not being able to be around on her last days brings despair to me, even until now.

May Allah swt forgives both of them and accepts their good deeds.

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Last year I passed Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3 and wanted to give another shot on Level 2. So I registered and took the test on December 2010. No pressure of passing the test as I found it deadly difficult. Until finally the result was already in my mailbox on mid-February 2011, I had prepared myself to see blank page on the right hand of the postcard’s inner side. I opened the postcard and WOW, it wasn’t blank! I passed level 2 because my perfect score in Listening section lifted my total score. Not bad, although I think it didn’t represent my true ability. Need to learn more for sure.

All praise just for Allah swt, I have finished my Master on last September. I call it Pass with Hard Work. Why? Just read my previous post in this link and you will understand the reason.

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Completing all level of study until PhD for me means finishing what I have started. That’s why I have been searching for PhD opportunity that fits my interest, even before I graduated. First attempt came with failure though, perhaps because I didn’t have enough to ‘sell’.  I thought I already have something to offer in my second attempt but it didn’t turn out well (again). NO word of giving up! まだまだ頑張ります!  I’m sure 2012 will be my year of success in getting a PhD scholarship!

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In Hokkaido, winter can offer you a lot. From ski, snowboard, fishing to icebreaker ship tour. After considering here and there, my friend and me went to Abashiri in East of Hokkaido on a 2D1N tour, including the icebreaker ship tour. Unfortunately, on that day the weather was too bad for the ship to board. The snow was falling heavily and the tide was high because of strong wind. The next schedule might also be cancelled, besides that the seats were already almost fully booked. We went to a play field instead (while it was freezing outside!), sliding on ice, riding banana boat (plus a usual boat) on top of frozen lake, and visited one more museum until finally our time to go back to Sapporo came. Yes, absolutely that was a new experience, but for a person who was born and raised in tropical country like me, cold, ice and snow were NOT a friendly buddy indeed.

Every time I had time, I went around beautiful places in Hokkaido. The scenery was unbeatable. However, the geographical position of Hokkaido made trips to other islands need extra budget. Just once I went to Tokyo for a short visit, last year on my way back to Sapporo from Jakarta. Before I went home for good, I was determined to go around and see the Japanese side of Japan. A trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hiroshima was set for two weeks on the beginning of September. That became such a precious experience for me. Wait for the story in my next post (maybe in my other blog)!

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It’s uncommon for Japanese to be unemployed after graduating from school. The chance of being recruited by a company will be extremely decreased if someone hasn’t secured any job before he receive his certificate. That might be the reason my Japanese friends, including my professor, seemed can’t understand why I chose to go home with not knowing where to work or where school to go after finishing master study. I have my reason though, but now I feel that may be God’s way to show me one smart road to help other. I meet inspirational people. I reorient my view of the future. Many I can do with the potential God had given me, for my family, for my nation, for my deen. Now it’s time to start building the foundation!


Happy New Year 2012! May Allah swt bless our life in the upcoming year!