journey to Penang (day four)

We were starting our forth day activities by listening to 2 keynote speakers. I was curious about the speech that would be given by Dato' Paduka Marina Mahathir. Reading her name reminded me to former prime minister of Malaysia, may be she is his daughter. She was asked to give a speech about women right, and she really gave the powerful data related to the harshness women faced all across the planet earth. For me, she was explaining to much about  women issues and it drove everyone's mind that men are really bad. It was not because I am a man but more to the fact that she was talking in front of senior high students. They needed to have equal and balance information from man perception and woman perception, so they could grab the red line about the issue and decided by their own which opinion was true.

After she finished the speech then the committee invited Mr. Toh Kin Woon to give his speech. Everybody in the Dewan Seameo/Seameo Hall was expecting that he would come as the opposition toward the idea given by Marina, but the high expectation about it would never be happened for he was giving an issue that had no correlation with the women right. So the tense in the room gone by the wind.
Mr. Woon actually gave us some interesting ideas about preventing the mother earth from distinction due to the overused of energy.
All participants suddenly buzzed at the back rows when he was continuing his explanation. It happened because Mrs. Women Right didn't pay attention to his speech. It was totally different while she was giving the presentation, Mr Woong was also listening to her and showing his appreciation to Mrs Marina.
This is the evident:
1. Mr Wong was listening to Mrs. Marina's presentation.

 2. Mrs. Marina was busy with her self phone when Mr. Woong gave his presentation.

 

This condition had caused many delegates felt uncomfortable because she was doing it in front of the students from 8 countries. Teaching will work when someone who teach it can give the good example. Students are very adaptive, and I don't want the students (whom ever he/she is) to imitate the action she had shown us.

journey to Penang (day three) main activity

After all bureaucracy activities we had in the morning, it was time to the students to do the workshop. All delegates were divided into 6 groups of discussion, they are:
1. Penang room 1
2. Penang room 2
3. Thailand room 1
4. Thailand room 2
5. Philipines, and
6. Lao PDR

All Dwiwarna's students were put in different room. and I was very proud of them because they were very active on the conference.
a. Nanas giving a question to the keynote speaker.

 b. Uchi giving her arguments on the workshop

c. Ahmad giving his opinion about the issue this group was discussing.

d. Vina took a not when the chairperson was explaining the topic.

After having a taught discussion then all delegates were asked to go to the cafeteria for having lunch.
Allahumma bariklana fima razaktana wa kina azabannar.
enjoy your lunch.....

Alhamdulillah, we finally ready to do the next agenda.
Indonesia's delegations were asked to give a traditional performance on May 30 2011, so all members from 8 schools from Indonesia were preparing their traditional performance. We have Dero dance from Palu, Cublak-cublak sueng from Central Java, Poco poco from Manado, and I love Indonesia dance from Harapan Bangsa Senior High delegate.

The students had practiced a lot, but they couldn't find the perfect combination to make all the dances and song seen perfectly. I stood in front of them and started to control the crowd. I finally offer the idea to make medley performance, and I explained how to do it to them.

Alhamdulillah, all teachers and students agreed with the idea I offered to them. So we started the practice under my command. It was good, but it wasn't perfect yet. Hopefully that the students still remember all the moves and do it well on the farewell party.

This is the end of day three.

   

journey to Penang (day three) opening ceremony

I was so sleepy this morning, but I was so happy after watching my favorite football team won the European Champion League. They deserve that tittle because they are really good not only on the final match but also on every matches this year.

Well, the third day was quite busy. on the third day the activity was officially opened by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office & Chief Executive Officer of PEMANDU.

On his speech he reveal 6 secrets of success, but for a specific reason he didn't mention the fifth secret. The reminding five secrets are:
1. Pursue the game of impossible
    This is quite unique to me. Why we have to pursue the game of impossible? He explained that so many people were refuse to do their best, especially when everyone in the community had agreed that it was impossible to do this and that.
If you want to gain the success, it's better for you to give the best shot you have to make the impossibility possible. If you succeeded then you are the only person could do it. But if you failed then it was as predicted and no need to worry about it. The result of being persistent in doing something impossible might have changed your life and you become more positive thinker.

2. Focus on result
    What is your goal in life? if you know it then please focused on it.
    For example if your goal was to defeat the number one student in the class, then you have to know how he/she studied. After knowing them well, it is better for you to double the portion or if it is possible please make more than double. if you don't do more then what he/she does, then you will never stand above him/her.

3. Discipline of action
    Not to much different with key number 2, but in here you must do above way consistently and routine.
    For example if you want to beat Lee Chong Wei in playing badminton, so you have to do practice a lot more than Chong Wei. After 2 years, would id be possible for you to defeat Chong wei? if you could than you have reached your goal, but if you failed you have become a very healthy and fit person in your province. So, be discipline and consistent.

4. Winning the coalition.
    If we are in a group, we must do our best to be the winner since our goal is to win the championship as one group. but we have to do more practices in order to make our self better then our team and as the result we are going to be the best among the best.

5. (as I said above, he didn't want to give us key number 5.

6. Be ready for all conditions.
    Sometimes, what we were hoping is not like we are facing. so what should we do overcome the situation?
    we must set a new goal with the condition we are facing. Meaning, we are not allowed to regret thing that  God don't set for us.

After the speech, the committee gave some performances that really entertaining and irritating.
It was really entertaining because they prepare everything beautifully and creatively. While the irritating part was when they did performance by using Gamelan (our traditional instrument from Jawa). Not only playing the Gamelan they also singing "rasa sayange" (our traditional song)
I was here not to make the situation worse, but I want to emphasize that they were really proud playing the Gamelan and they were excellent in playing that instruments. (proud of our tradition is the thing that we don't have as Indonesian)

 
The opening ceremony ended by photo session with all delegates from all countries.

journey to Penang (day two)

Alhamdulillah, we finally arrived safely at Penang International Airport. We were surprise to see the airport. It was not for the excellent facilities, but it so messy. The Airport was like a broken ship to me. It is written in some places that the airport is upgrading.

We were waited at the airport by a student from SGGS and a tour guide. Unlucky for a student from SMK 8 Jakarta, her luggage was taken by other passenger. As the result we have to wait for an hour to make sure that the local officer will help her to find her luggage.

The tour guide ordered us to get into a ministry of education's bus and drove us to RECSAM-SEAMEO. we arrived at RECSAM-SEAMEO at 1 pm local time. The committee divided us into several rooms to stay at RECSAM. My room was B 42, Ahmad's room was B 41, and all girls student stayed at D 13.

We didn't have too many activities that day. We had our lunch at RECSAM canteen and after lunch they allow us to take rest for 2 hours.

At 05.00 students were gathered at RECSAM hall continued by ice breaking activities outside the hall. Then all the students went back to the hall at 06.00 to do the first briefing. The committee explained to all delegations about their job as the chairperson, respondents, and rapporteurs. After all students understood their part, they were asked to have their dinner. 

Well, now the second day's activity ended here.

journey to Penang

SMA Dwiwarna was invited to take part on 2nd SGGS International Students' Conference 2011 in Penang, Malaysia. The activity held from May 28 to 31 2011 at SEAMEO-RECSAM PEANANG. There were more than ASEAN countries took part on this year conference.

There were more than 10 students from SMA DWIWARNA  would like to take part on this year's conference, but unfortunately every schools can only send 4 students and 1 teacher. After doing series of fit and proper test, finally we found 4 students as the delegation from SMA DWIWARNA. They are:
1. Husyati Amaliah (XI-CIBI STUDENT)
2. Nadya Natasha (XI-SOCIAL SCIENCE 2)
3. Ahmad Zulfikar Pical (XI-NATURAL SCIENCE 2) and
4. Devina (X-C Pre-Social Science Program)

After submitting their names to the 2nd SGGS International Students' Conference 2011, then all participants had to make 10 pages of paper about "Youths of Today, Leaders of Tomorrow"  and poster about "Serving the Community". We were also asked to sent names of the students who would be selected as Chairperson, rapporteur, and responder.

From more than hundreds papers and posters, Husyati Amaliah's poster was selected as the second best poster, but it was not the winner yet. The best ten posters which won the first qualification will be presenting in front of 2 Judges
1. Wong Teik Aun
     Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude, Pomona College, United States and
2. Aliza Mansoor
    Bachelor of Arts (Hons) (English Language Studies), USM, Malaysia
on Monday 30th, 2011.

Uchi the nick name of Husyati Amaliah is not the only person selected on the activity. Nadya Natasha or famously called as Nanas was also selected as the Chairperson on one of the workshops held during the conference. While Ahmad and Devina took part on journal competition.

After doing correspondence with the committee for almost 2 months, we finally met the last day of preparation. All delegations from Indonesia were invited to a meeting in Indonesia's ministry of education, building D-17th floor. On the invitation we were asked to come on the location punctually at 13.30. Since all SMA Dwiwarna students, teachers, and staff are taught to be punctual, so we didn't meet any problems.

We left our beloved school at 11 am by taxi. We had to take taxi because that day almost all school transportation we have were busy driving students and some teachers to an international exam at 81 senior high school and a seminar at london school. The meeting held on Friday, so we have to stop at the nearest mosque to do our Jum'at pray. We stopped at Univ Islam Negri Ciputat and did our Jum'at pray. Lucky that the taxi driver is also a muslim like us, so he didn't have any problem to stop and pray. After praying, we continued our journey to ministry of education. We arrived there at 13.00 and found some delegates from other school had come and sit nicely in the room. I was expected that the meeting will start on time, but it seem to me that it is very impossible to do that if we dealing with government. we had to wait for almost an hour just to have the activity opened by "dirjen"

He gave an opening speech to us and reminded us of 2 things.
1. All students are representative of a very big country, so we must keep the hospitality and proof that our country is a well behaved country. All students who fly to Penang Malaysia must not burden their shoulder with the word winning. winning is not a must, but doing your very best is the must.
2. Indonesia is proud to have all the students in the room, since we are on behalf of our country, so we have to show them our best as a nation. not as a particular school.

After finishing his speech, the committee invited every school to take a picture with him. we got the first opportunity to do it. After the photo session, The agenda was wrapped up and we had to go home and prepare our belonging.

I would like to thank pa Toye for picking us up after the meeting. He seemed in hurry that day, hopefully he didn't have any bad news from home. I arrived at home after maghrib and met my beloved family. My wife told me to take a suitcase from my brother in law before I went to badminton court and played with my Dwiwarna badminton club. I was so exited, so I did every things as quick as possible and be ready for the match.

I went to the court with my wife and babies by our motorcycle. I was so happy that night, but the unpredicted moment happened to us. The back tire leaked and I had to find a nearest repair shop to fix it.


I finally found the repair shop to fix my bike. While waiting for my bike fixed, I watched badminton match on TV. The semi-final of Sudirman cup between Indonesia and Japan. it was the match between Kenichi Tago (Japan) against Simon Santoso (Indonesia). All the expectation to win the match put to his shoulder due to his position as the best player played on the competition from Indonesia. Knowing that he was expected to win made him play like someone doesn't know how to play badminton. It was the worst match I had ever watched.


We were arranged to came to the airport at 04.00 am and it was 12 o'clock at night. I took a shower and be ready to go. When I started my motor cycle, suddenly God sent HIS mercy by sending a very heavy rain. I woke my wife up, and we rode my bike to school (thank you honey)

We leaved our school exactly at 01.00 am and arrived way too early at the airport. we arrived at 03.00 am and had to wait for other delegates to come. After all participants had arrived then we started to go to the immigration and get our passport stamped by them. this process took more than an hour, so the announcer keep on calling us and informing that the flight was about to take off.

Bismillah we flew to Penang by Airasia and arrived there at 09:15