My Simple Life

My Blog Award

2012-01-14T13:13:00.004+07:00

Recently, I got a blog award from Mayya! (Thanks Mayya!) Actually this is my second blog award. I got one from Nadiafriza long time ago. (Thanks Nadia!) What's fun from thing like this is that you have to answer the questions from the award giver. So, here is my answer: 1. Who is your favorite teacher(s)? My Data Forensics teacher. He has to work from Monday to Friday at a corporation, then on

Harvard and MIT

2012-01-10T00:03:00.002+07:00

Wow, it's been 2012 already! Hope it's not too late to wish you a very happy new year! I used to count my blessings at the end of the year, but this time I was busy with some moving and studying again preparation. Anyway, one of many things I'm so thankful of in 2011 was the trip to Boston, Massachusetts, one of the oldest city in the U.S. From Boston, I took the train to Cambridge, a neighbor

Stanford Online Classes for Free

2011-12-29T22:35:00.002+07:00

Have you ever dreamed of studying at a top school like Stanford University? If yes, then this is your chance to learn from their best of the best professors. They are offering exciting classes at no cost. You are not even required to buy a textbook. In addition, you can learn at your leisure because the classes will be online. Take a look at these: Natural Language Processing Technology

Pengalaman Mengurus Visa Pelajar Australia

2011-12-27T21:34:00.001+07:00

Di website kedutaan Australia ada banyak info tentang persiapan melamar visa ke negeri kangguru. Menurut saya, mereka sangat fleksibel karena ada pilihan untuk apply secara online, langsung, melalui agen, atau bahkan melalui pos. Setelah mempertimbangkan berbagai pilihan yang ada, saya melamar visa pelajar melalui AVAC Jakarta. Selain karena tidak perlu mengantri di kantor kedutaan Australia,

Xmas Gift

2011-12-27T19:07:00.001+07:00

Two months ago, I learned about a scholarship program to get an undergraduate degree. The deadline was so close that I initially didn't want to apply. But there was something in my mind that kept pushing me to take the chance. In addition, this year is my last chance to apply, I almost reach the maximum age limit. I discussed with my teacher about that and I was thrilled with her willingness to

Reverse Culture Shock

2011-12-21T15:08:00.000+07:00

Somewhere in West Kalimantan, Indonesia The first thing that appeared in my mind soon when I arrived back in Indonesia was the willingness to start the life, the work that had been postponed. I miss my family and friends, I have thousands of stories to tell. I miss my students, wanna see how they have grown. People told me it's easy to apply for a teacher position but reality proved that it

Santa Monica & LA

2011-12-12T21:20:00.002+07:00

In Santa Monica, in the wintertime, The lazy streets so undemanding I walk into the crowd In Santa Monica, you get your coffee from The coolest places on the promenade Where people dress just so Beauty so unavoidable, everywhere you turn It's there. I sit and wonder what am I doing here? ... The song always reminisces my high schools days, I couldn't be more excited to sing it again when I

Winter Tour to Grand Canyon

2011-12-03T22:27:00.003+07:00

Soon after we left Nevada and entered Arizona, I was doubtful whether we'd make it to the Grand Canyon. It started to snow heavily. From the bus window I saw those white things falling like cats and dogs rain. In Seattle, if it's snowing like this, the buses will certainly be canceled or rerouted. We'd passed probably half of our journey. We're already far from Vegas, but not close enough to

The Sin City

2011-11-26T22:11:00.001+07:00

A road trip from Los Angeles to Las Vegas probably is the simplest drive ever! Most of the time, you just go straight and straight on the only road in the middle of vast desert. Sometimes there are few cars pass by from the other side but the main scenery is the large, almost plain area. At the end of the dry and sandy place there is a big casino building. If you see it then you're just about

Life in Ilmenau

2011-11-11T08:44:00.000+07:00

View from Technische Universität Ilmenau (Ilmenau University of Technology) Every day before the lunch time, the teaching assistant gives me a coupon. Then, I will walk to the Mensa to order food. There are so many kinds of food to order but the food descriptions are all in German; no English. So, I always queue at the longest queue. Sometimes I end up with something tasty, other times I end

White and Black Big Apple

2011-11-01T16:17:00.002+07:00

Today my mind is in New York so I want to tell you about my trip to NYC. It began on last winter (well, it's been a while) when my friends and I were tempted by the cheap flight to the East Coast. So, when everyone tried to escape to warmer places, we planned our vacation in NYC. We happened to stay in a horrible hotel but we had a wonderful tour around the city from the morning until late at

Frankfurt Part II

2011-10-27T21:37:00.002+07:00

Goethe House ~ Image from Wikipedia From Mainz, I took a train back to Frankfurt. I left early because I was afraid of being late for the train to Ilmenau that night. In fact, I was too early. When I arrived in Frankfurt I still had several hours to walk around. So, instead of going back to the hostel where I stayed, I hit the road to discover some other places in the financial district. I

Going to Mainz

2011-10-19T13:19:00.002+07:00

ICE 3 ~ Image from Wikimedia You probably only need a day or two to explore Frankfurt am Main. However, if you want to see the surrounding area such as the beautiful small towns around Frankfurt, it will be a different story. Take a look at Germany cities on the map and you'll find some Frankfurt neighboring cities: Aschaffenburg, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Kronberg, Limburg, Würzburg ...

Frankfurt Day Trip

2011-10-11T14:48:00.004+07:00

Römer Hello bloggers! Sorry, I've been busy with papers and lab projects. Here are pictures from my quick Frankfurt trip. I did a short trip along Rhein River. Then, I walked to see some major buildings with their lovely style.People say that there is not so much to see in Frankfurt because it's actually a financial center; most people go there for business trip or merely transit. However, I

From Xiamen to Frankfurt

2011-09-23T00:28:00.000+07:00

I thought I would be lonely sitting at the waiting room for my first boarding to Xiamen when the two Chinese girls I met at the check-in gate showed up and talked to me again. Three hours later, we were boarded into the plane. When, I looked around, they were just one row in front of me. Yay, I have companions although only for a short time. When we arrived in Xiamen, they went outside, to their

Comment Form

2011-09-17T12:49:00.003+07:00

Hello friends, I have trouble commenting on some of your blogs. Here is an example of comment form embedded below the post. Like usual, I can type my comment on this box but I can't select any profile (Comment as) although I have signed in to my Google account. Thus, I can't preview or post my comment. I use Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox and the problem is the same even after I change the

Mengurus Visa Schengen

2011-09-11T14:02:00.005+07:00

Beberapa hari setelah saya tiba di rumah, saya segera kembali ke Jakarta untuk mengurus visa Schengen. Tadinya sih berencana mengurus di U.S. ketika saya berhasil membeli tiket Jakarta ~ Frankfurt setelah saya harus bolak balik ke bank karena credit card saya di-reject berkali-kali oleh website ticketing. Hanya saja, ternyata saya tidak menemukan asuransi perjalanan untuk warga Indonesia di sana.

It's Time to Say Goodbye

2011-09-01T18:43:00.001+07:00

View from my apartment complex, before leaving it Packing, packing and packing, that is mostly what my last days in USA about. I spent a day trying to move the whole year stuff into two suitcases and making sure that the apartment is as clean as when I moved in. In the afternoon, I moved to a hotel near SeaTac airport, in which I would stay for the rest of my time in the States. As soon as I

Finding Bruce Lee

2011-08-16T23:01:00.003+07:00

The crazy me and my friend were sooo curious when we heard people talking about Bruce Lee cemetery in Seattle. "Really?" "In Seattle?" We're curious so although we had to take several buses on a long journey to the north of Seattle, we did the trip. "Doesn't look like cemetery!" I told my friend as we hopped off from the bus that brought us to a beautiful park. It was a nice day and people

I ♥ SF!

2011-08-02T17:01:00.012+07:00

I first planned to go to San Francisco only to attend a conference. But when my friends told me about their willingness to spend one or two days there, we ended up booking tickets together and the trip became more than just an ordinary conference trip! We arrived early in the morning in SF, dropped our bags at the hotel, and went to explore the city. There are sooooo many places to see in

An Evening

2011-07-29T02:10:00.011+07:00

On an evening, after a very long day, a friend asked me: "What are you gonna do after completing this program?" Me : "I don't know yet ... I'm still struggling with these assignments. I'll move on as soon as I can ..." Another friend said: "Winnie is a dreamer, she'll always reach her goals!" Me: Thanks ... (In my heart: to God be the glory) ... Am I a dreamer? Maybe. Had I ever

Another Milestone

2011-06-24T09:17:00.002+07:00

Everything goes so fast in America... Somehow I feel like I haven't done many things. Some of my friends went to the conferences in other states but I was not lucky enough to get accepted to the professional fund. Then, this month, the other friends went to Canada for a very fantastic cruise experience class. I actually tried to go, but filing my application and asking a mentor to write a

Weekend in Seattle

2011-05-20T14:23:00.005+07:00

Yes, another weekend in Seattle! I didn't plan to spend my weekend hanging out in the city. However, when I woke up that day I found no one at the apartment. My house-mates had left for a cruise from Port of Seattle to Vancouver. I couldn't go because of my visa status and also because I didn't take the cruise class. I had my own vacation then. I called my best friend and we made our

Representing Indonesia

2011-05-16T06:27:00.006+07:00

We are ordinary students with different schedules, personalities, and backgrounds. However, whenever it comes to presentation or culture event, we gather and support one another. I'm glad to see and experience how everyone contributes to the team. I am so proud of my fellow Indonesian! You're the best! Red & White Team Our Performance @ GlobalFest We Are Family :) Presentation for

Experiencing America

2011-05-04T11:57:00.004+07:00

Do not go to school in the United States with the idea simply of passing courses. Go with the attitude that you are going to learn as much as possible during your time there. This means learning as much as possible about your subject discipline, but it also means learning about America. If you work it right, you will learn even more outside the classroom than in it. Let's face it; not many

Enjoy Seattle ♥

2011-04-22T13:14:00.003+07:00

I love traveling, especially in this country where I can see and experience various kinds of places. Recently, I just realized that the place where I stay has wonderful views and attractions too. Now, I feel so grateful that I'm here. Seattle Center Pacific Science Center at Night Seattle Skyline Beautiful Flowers at Pike Place Market Creatures at Seattle Aquarium Cherry

A Year to Remember

2011-04-09T06:29:00.006+07:00

Howdy! I have always wanted to update this blog, but I have lots of things going on: paper, projects, coding, internship, volunteering, student clubs, and so on. However, this week J asked me to write an advice for the new incoming student in the program. So, here are my thoughts: 1. What has been the most rewarding thing for you, being here in the CCI Program? Becoming a member of CCI Family is

My Winter Adventure

2011-03-01T10:41:00.012+07:00

Travel.. travel? Who doesn't like it? But J really made me think for a while when she asked me to write about what I learned from my travel. I love traveling so much that I don't realize what I learn from it. LOL But then I sent her this reflection ... A Day in DC Have confidenceDuring my first week of winter break, I went outside early in the morning and went back to the hotel very

Decision ... Decision ...

2011-02-15T09:15:00.003+07:00

Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, Hawaii, Niagara, etc... a long list came as soon as I wrote down my spring break travel plan. There are soooooo many places I am willing to visit. However, the break will be only about one week and I will probably be able to travel for several days only due to a training in Microsoft which will occur before the spring

Groundhog Day

2011-02-03T06:53:00.003+07:00

http://www.greenparenthood.com/blog/2011/01/29/celebrating-the-groundhog-day/ When I was in elementary school, I was always excited to learn about groundhog, an animal which is believed to be able to predict the weather. The groundhog hibernates during winter and will come out in February to see his shadow. It believed that if he see his shadow, he will come back for a longer sleep because

What My Heart Wants to Say

2011-01-30T12:03:00.011+07:00

Today is a long day and I am so tired. I've just arrived home from college. I missed an event in Seattle, I missed a friend's birthday party, I still have so much homework to do. Everything happens for a reason, I hope I have enough faith to keep me strong. I'm having hard time with my class. Taking 21 credits is not as easy as I thought. I have one very tough class. I talked with my teacher

Surviving College Life

2011-01-23T11:14:00.005+07:00

I caught myself smiling alone remembering my first month in the college. I always carried the campus map with me every day because I always got lost. My new campus is totally different from the campus in my home country. It's very beautiful but very big. I couldn't recognize all the buildings and lanes there. During orientation days, I was always afraid to walk around, even when I went to the

Thanks SIF!

2011-01-08T09:20:00.002+07:00

I received this newsletter today. It was about the event we attended in December. Thanks SIF!

My Books

2011-01-05T11:35:00.003+07:00

Time passed by quickly and I went back to campus. Have gotten all my books today, I feel relieved.. but wait, this is my first book: With more than 950 pages, the book just amazes me ... Then, these are my second and my third books: I first felt glad when I saw my fourth book: It's better than the previous one, isn't it? But... oh, this subject requires two books in one

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T12:57:00.012+07:00

December 31: I was in Denver together with my two friends for a flight from New York to Seattle. We were supposed to arrive in Seattle by 11 p.m. but the plane was delayed and we would miss the New Year Eve celebration in the town.Yeah, we would count down the time in the air. The plane then took off around 10 Denver time, the time where the clock stroked 12 in New York. No fireworks,

Xmas in New York

2010-12-29T14:13:00.047+07:00

I have always wanted to go to New York and my dream came true when I arrived at La Guardia, took the subway, and walked to St. Patrick. It was Christmas Eve. . Then, I walked along Fifth Avenue. People walked and chattered with families and friends,sharing the happiness of Christmas. Perhaps it's only me who was wondering there alone in the crowd. I kept walking, holiday spirit amazed me

End of Fall Quarter

2010-12-19T13:05:00.002+07:00

Fall quarter was almost over and everyone was happy. Almost finishing the coursework of this year, I joined my schoolmates for a short weekend trip to Leavenworth and Snoqualmie Falls just before the final week. The snow and ice on the ground; the German village looked so beautiful in white. I felt much more invigorated after the trip. Then, it was a rainy Tuesday when I just

A Dream Like This

2010-12-17T15:45:00.007+07:00

Listening to Christmas song while doing assignment brought me back to last year memories where I celebrated the special day with all the best wishes I could make. If I think back to the past, I almost can't believe I'm here. Last year it was just a prayer and this year it is answered: it's so real... No heart is too small if you have the courage... Dont be discouragedDont be dismadeThere's

Let It Snow ~ Let It Snow ~ Let It Snow

2010-12-05T10:23:00.003+07:00

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin It was Monday morning when I saw some friends' status: snow! I went outside to find nothing but wet road after the rain. I went inside and continued working on my assignment. However, my apartment-mate went

What Great People Do ...

2010-12-01T13:50:00.001+07:00

This post is just a re-post from a post that I found today. I do believe that actions speak louder than words. Do you think so? Anyway this is what the post says: Today, i saw a picture from Facebook... and for i totally disagree with it !!!! How could we judged someone based on their conversation ?it's not the content that we should judged...... it's their ACTION that we should judged !!!

Black Friday

2010-11-29T14:01:00.002+07:00

I stayed very late at my mentor's friends' house on Thanksgiving 'cause I had a great time with them. We talked, we ate, and we played game. I also had a small tour around their beautiful house and threw snow balls from the back side of the house. That was really really a great time. The next day, which was Black Friday, I woke up late and found no one in the apartment. A good time to study

My First Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T14:25:00.005+07:00

It's the fourth Thursday of November when I started my day gracefully, ready to spend the long day. Yeah, it's Thanksgiving, "as big as Christmas," one of my mentors told me. I have two mentors. One has left for a week holiday in Pennsylvania and on Thanksgiving she would visit her son. Therefore, my first plan of the day was to cook with my other mentor (who is still here). My mentor picked me

Seattle Women in the World Breakfast

2010-11-20T10:03:00.001+07:00

I never attended a special event for women before. And I was surprised to attend Women in the World Breakfast. It was a cool event!Together with my fellow CCI students and our Project Coordinator, I went to Four Seasons, Seattle. We started our journey early in the morning: 5:45 a..m. because we didn't want to be late. When we arrived, it was still so early but we were excited. We volunteered to

Daylight Saving Time

2010-11-07T10:22:00.003+07:00

"Don't forget to set your clock backward one hour tonight at 2 a.m. guys," said my teacher today and I just wondered why because I didn't know about that. In Indonesia, I never changed my clock, I enjoyed year long summer with 12 hours days and nights. The only thing I knew about time is the time difference between West, Middle, and East Indonesia and it was because two of my friends who lived

Hallowed Evening

2010-11-03T12:11:00.004+07:00

Happy Halloween! I used to think Halloween was only on October 31. But here, when I celebrated it for the first time, we started on October 29! And we still have two other Halloween parties after that day. So it means we have three Halloween parties! At first, I didn't really like the idea about Halloween because I am a coward person. I am afraid of darkness, I dare not watch horror movies, I

I Thought It was the Worst Time in My Life

2010-10-30T14:45:00.005+07:00

No one wants to have a bad time and so do I. But I couldn't escape it when it comes to me. I have no idea to deal with it. One evening, my friends just arrived home as soon as I realized that I hadn't buy anything for the mentor family potluck party. I changed my clothes and rushed outside hoping I can make it but they prevented me from going because it was too late at night and I would go alone.

My First Day in America

2010-10-23T11:16:00.007+07:00

After the longest journey I'd never taken before, finally I arrived in a nice apartment complex which would then become my home away from home. I was actually supposed to go out and feel this new world I've just reached. However, I was soooo sleepy because I couldn't sleep well during my flight. So, while the sun shined brightly outside I went to have a good night sleep. Several hours later I

Welcome to USA

2010-10-18T09:48:00.004+07:00

We arrived in Sea-Tac early in the morning after a long long flight (I can't count how many hours we've spent there, we flied from Beijing at about 9 a.m. but arrived at abour 4 a.m. on the same day, but i think it's more than 11 hours). However, we couldn't get out soon of our plane because the custom border hasn't even worked yet. All the disappointed passengers including me and my fellow have

CCID ~ Highline Video

2010-10-09T12:09:00.003+07:00

Howdy! It's been awhile, I'm now enjoying my life and studying in America. But I'm so busy with my coursework and homework that I can't write my posts often. I'll still try all I can to share my stories, they are too precious to keep only for me. I would like to share a video made by my friend Dinesh on the first and second day of our orientation days. Cheers from Washington ...

Pieces from Beijing Capital

2010-09-12T00:32:00.002+07:00

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } We flew to Beijing by Garuda Indonesia, the best airplane in our country. There is a small TV on every seat with a lot of movies, games, songs, and other entertainment. The seat is also very comfortable. We all sat on a line so we could talk one another, what a fun trip!After seven hours flight, we arrived at Beijing Capital airport at 7.00 a.m, our next flight

Before Leaving Indonesia

2010-09-05T23:09:00.003+07:00

My journey began when I took a domestic flight to Jakarta.I got my itinerary one day before the departure date and I went to Sriwijaya office to change the itinerary into e-ticket. I arrived at the office at about 9 o'clock and queued. Suddenly a friend called me, surprisingly she was my college-mate working for the

T Minus ｡｡｡ hours

2010-08-18T20:52:00.001+07:00

Image via Wikipedia Awal 2008: Hidupku datar-datar saja, biasa saja, pagi kerja, malam kuliah, pulang ke rumah review dan kerja pr, tidur larut malam kemudian besoknya kerja lagi. Aku kerja dari senin sampai sabtu, kuliah dari senin sampai jumat. Di suatu hari minggu, aku hanya iseng belajar bahasa Inggris dan

My Days

2010-08-10T22:40:00.001+07:00

Image via Wikipedia Welcome August! I’m been waiting for you… Oops, it's too late to say this … I’m still busy packing my belongings. There are so many books in my room, also so many clothes, too many toiletries, so much food, and not to mentioned: abundant of documents. I was too quick to answer confidently,"yes, my bags are halfway packed!" when a friend asked me about packing because I

Pengalaman Wawancara Visa Amerika

2010-08-07T16:04:00.001+07:00

Setelah packing yang buru-buru dan istirahat singkat semalam di rumah, aku menuju airport untuk perjalanan ke Jakarta, tempat wawancara visaku akan berlangsung. Di hari interview, aku bergabung bersama teman-teman dari berbagai program untuk briefing di Aminef. Karena briefing akan dimulai pukul 7.15, kami sudah berangkat pukul 6.30. Ternyata gedung Balai Pustaka yang kami kira cukup jauh

Mengisi DS160

2010-08-06T05:45:00.000+07:00