Dari Coelho, Lewat Brida..

"Tuhan, bantu aku memahami semua hal indah yang terjadi dalam hidupku terjadi karena aku layak mengalaminya. bantu aku memahami bahwa yang menggerakkanku untuk mencari kebenaran-Mu adalah kekuatan yang sama dengan apa yang telah menggerakkan para orang kudus, dan bahwa keraguan yang aku miliki sama dengan yang mereka miliki, dan segala kerapuhanku sama dengan kerapuhan mereka. bantu aku menjadi cukup rendah hati untuk menerima aku tidak berbeda dari orang lain. amin."

Columnist in Disguise: Another Old Article :))

Access Film Interpretation

Words: Nissa 07130 / Editor: Andrew Thren

THE ROAD

Director                                 : John Hillcoat

Written by                              : Joe Penhall

Cast                                     : Charlize Theron, Garret Dillahunt, Guy Pearce, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Viggo Mortensen  

Production year                    : 2009

Runtime                                : 119 mins

 

The Road is a film adapted from the same title Pulitzer Prize winning novel written by Cormac McCarthy. It is a powerful, apocalyptic, yet a blinding and evoking film. It tells us the story about a father (the Man) and a son (the Boy) perceiving their existence in which the conditions of life are extremely bad as from deprivation, oppression, or terror of a post-apocalyptic world. The early scenes show us how the Man and his wife (the Woman) witness the end of the day. However, there is no exact explanation for what triggers the world’s devastation and it seems like there is no more chance for mankind to survive in spite of adversity.   

There is no certain plot implied in this film. It sort of goes all over the place, back and forth, to the time before the calamity happens and at the moment when the calamity happens. The Boy was born at some time after the disaster happened. The mother of the Boy found it difficult to endure her life in such a condition where habitations were demolished, and people who survived become uncivilized as they turned into cannibals. At last, she committed suicide, as she said, ‘They’re gonna catch up with us. They’re gonna kill us and they’re gonna eat us… I don’t wanna just survive, don’t you get it?’ (Hillcoat, The Road, 2009, 00:20:40)

After being left by the Woman, the Man and the Boy wander through death valleys, abandoned towns, and dying forests. They are heading to the sea. On the road of their journey, they come across some inflicting upshots; join with another wanderer, escape from cannibals, and find food and shelter for themselves. Later, those occurrences lead us to the evoking messages behind the relationship build up between the Man and the Boy.

Lighting Up the FIRE inside You

The Man, unlike the Woman, has a strong belief that they’re going to survive; they’re not going to quit. He clings on to “the fire inside you” (Hillcoat, The Road, 2009, 00:24:39) as he teaches the Boy to have great compliance to persist for his life. The Man and the Boy depict a strong emotional connection between a father and a son. As life gets harder for them, where there is no civilization, the Man, armed with patience, shows the Boy how to support himself, how to define the good and the bad, and how to understand and construe the meaning of life. Just like all parents all across the universe, their affection grows inside our hearts and minds, creating a warm ambiance that fires up our will to live. 

Savoring the Meaning of LIFE

At the end of the film, the Man is dying, waiting for the moment when death is about to draw closer. He tells his son, ‘You have to keep trying. You have to find the good guys. You have to let me go.’ (Hillcoat, The Road, 2009, 01:09:54) From this scene, in my point of view, after all that they’ve been through, The Road elicits and evokes our awareness that life is not that simple. It requires strenuous effort and many forms of struggle. We must savor it as a priceless gift that God gives.

Blossoming Out Your FUTURE Plans

In the film, the Man and the Boy have a certain destination for their journey which is heading to the sea. They finally reach their goal through various ventures and tough efforts. Regarding this notion, the Man and the Boy who are said to live in such deprived conditions can still hold tight their hopes and faith, then why don’t we look at their passion and begin to determine, make, or come to a decision about our future plans? Or, do you already have it? Then, synchronize your plan with the road to accomplish it!

 

Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.

(Mohandas K. Gandhi)

P.S. This was the last article I wrote for my dearly loved "Access" English Department Magz.

Oh how I miss those splendid days back then.. :'))

 

philosophisation of philosophical philosophy

Philosophy of Teaching Statement

Noberta Nissa Edina R

112007130

English Department

Satya Wacana Christian University

 First entering this beloved English Department, I did not have any idea that this Department requires me to do such ‘teaching practicum’ program in order to fulfil the prerequisite to graduate and to get my S, Pd. degree. I thought I have entered an English Literature Department, and in my imagination, I would be taking literature as my major later on. In point of fact, I don’t even want to be a teacher, and the most important thing is that I don’t even like teaching. Yet, everything has happened. As the time went by, I finally could except the real state of being a well prepared English teacher. All of the required courses that were provided before I take the PPL program really gave me super guidance and knowledge.

I really got great experiences in MICRO TEACHING course. Here in micro teaching course, I also learned a lot of useful things for my teaching skills later on. Now that I know, I learned how to design materials for students in school ages (SD-SMP-SMA) using the KTSP. Swore to God, it really got me crazy. Those mapping, syllabus, and lesson plans had me going with the dizziness. But in the end of this class, I could felt my progress in making the three of them. Even though I have learned how to make a lesson plan and syllabus in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and CURRMADEV (Curriculum and Material Development), in micro teaching, my ability in designing those three sacred things in teaching learning process increased. TLS (Teaching Learning Strategies) course also gave me some teaching techniques and how to deal with different kinds of students. From TEFC (Teaching Fun English for Children) course, I grasped some important things that would help me so much in my PPL program. This course taught me how to teach well, how to understand our students, how to design a motivating and attractive material and activity for the students, and how to manage a classroom.  

I soon begin to enjoy being a ‘teacher’. I am now also giving private courses to some elementary students in my home town. The worthy of note is that someday, being a teacher is really advantageous yet valuable.

         

I personally think that being a  teacher is like being a creative team of an advertisement. In advertising, as it is proposed by Landa (2006: 259), the creative team includes an art director, a copywriter, and a creative director. Together they develop idea behind an advertisement. After generating ideas, the art director is responsible for the design decisions and the copywriter is responsible for the writing. They are usually supervised by a creative director, who makes the decisions about the idea, creative approach, art direction, and copywriting before the work is presented to the target audience. Here, I use the analogy of advertising world and teaching-learning field. A teacher has the equivalence duty as a creative team in advertising. One thing that differ them is that in a creative team, they divide their own responsibilities, yet, a teacher has a combination of a creative team’s duty.

Teachers have to be an art director, a copywriter, and a creative director at the same time. It is the same when a creative team has to develop ideas, generate them, and explore their creativity in making the advertisement. They must be aware of the needs of the audience. Teachers, first thing first, must be acquainted with their students’ need. Then, after knowing their students’ need, teachers could develop ideas, generate them, and design what activity they should make in order to accomplish the objectives of the lesson. Teachers also have to think about teaching methods or approaches they need to apply in a class so that the main message of the lesson can be transferred well and the students can achieve the objectives that the teachers has aspired.

             

To be a well-prepared teacher, what you should consider is that you have to learn a lot and ascertain your teaching skills. Teaching involves skills and experiences. The more you get experiences in transferring the materials, the more you get good progress in developing your teaching skills. Besides, teachers also have to build clear objectives they want to achieve in delivering the lesson. I myself really wish that in the teaching learning process that I will conduct later on, I could position myself as my students’ mate in their learning process. I believe that a good relationship between teacher and learners with no boundaries will result better in delivering and transferring the comprehensive knowledge to my students. Last words, wise words that I have picked from my favorite song, Hawaii by MEW, “Time goes by fast like rain, it swallows your every sound, from whisper to icy howl. Good luck trying to be someone, if you make it then you won, you’ll grow up to be someone!” All in all, you’d better keep moving forward for your own sake. Conquer and take over your ego, learn from your failure and keep exploring your talent, you will be what you really want!

References:

Anonymous. (2010). Teaching practicum handbook. Salatiga: English Department Satya Wacana Christian University.

Landa, R. (2006). Graphic design solutions. New York: Thomson Delmar Learning.

*T'WAS A MURMURING THUNDER, MATEY!

self embroidery

quite expressing indirectly by the image, form, or model; be a proxy of parallel selfie.

W.A.N.D.E.R.L.U.S.T :))

oh baby, let me live that fantasy!

P.S.
Here's a note for Reykjavík. :))

Iced Tea Analogy (((DISCLAIMER)))

lemme spark off this post with a tweet I found truly tickling:

私は天国を探して ‏@chromatika 23 Nov

NOW this is what I call a pickup line: “Know this: I am addicted to you. I have tasted your mind, and I cannot forget its flavour.”

and it clearly revealed that the teeth marks you left on my skin still felt itchy bitsy spider. (if you know what I mean, here, but well, just nevermind, the bollocks.) couple months ago, I had this heart to heart convo with one of my bests @pemiapeak this lovely chatterbox told me something quite surprising yet despising. OH WELL. but even so, now, by all odds, I have to thank her for her heartwarming analogy. for helping me go stand thru the hardest part of living on my own life. about de-attaching from something I used to be addicted to. from something I've been tempting to taste. about something that I can hardly resist to forget. 

it's the iced tea analogy.

"without question and beyond doubt, we have to know exactly when is the right time to lessen or EVEN stop consuming sugary iced tea. it can cause serious illnesses like diabetes, cavities, or even SEVERE ACUTE ROMANCE SYNDROME. in hence, inhale the negativity, but exhale the positivity. try to manage your emotion and reduce any strong feeling you have. for your own sake........"

and I was like,

  

 *beep sound*

*PLAAAAAAKKK*

 

an unbearable degree of sentimentality: note to self

It's no use crying over spilled milk, so...

Don't cry over spilled milk. 

Do not be upset about making a mistake, since you cannot change that now.

Being upset over something that has already happened and cannot be changed.

Getting upset over certain things, like the spilled milk, it's DEFINITELY not going to fix any-single-stupid-thing.

Jesua :))

MUEHEHE.

ladies and gentlemen, here I introduce you, the super cool lad i have ever met! 

please welcome....

Mario J E S U A Saptodiharjo <3 span="">

he is on the third grade now. geez, this kid is just so extremely adorable and lovable, especially in a childlike or naive way. yesterday i was teaching in his class. he was sitting on a desk opposite the teacher's desk. out of a sudden, he said something jaw dropping to me. "you know what miss? I look awe-so-handsome with this undercut hairstyle, miss!" i was like, "OH WOW." and bursting laugh out loud. :P

soon afterwards, he was about to go to Sundanese Martial Arts class when he uttered something, well i don't know, kinda pathetic but it was quite witty for him. in the martial arts class, all students should take off their shoes and socks. i stood right in front of him and accidentally saw him wearing a kinda ethnic foot-bracelet. i asked him why he wore that bracelet even though he knew wearing accessories is just for girls. he refused to take off the bracelet and said to me -- he wanted to inform me something which he doesn't consider as a secret, anymore, at least -- "this bracelet is a souvenir from my father, miss. my parents have separated. they divorced." as he giggled.

c o m p l e t e  s i l e n c e.

 (((BLAAAAAAAAARRR))) 

i was slightly shocked knowing that bitter fact. out of the blue, he said (((again))) "Louis parents' divorced as well, miss!" oh God, what happened to these dazzlingly beautiful little lads... at their totally young age, they have to face hardships that they can't even bear.

but still, you will always have a special place in my heart, kid. you have successfully stunned me, bloody little gorgeous! :))

SYNTAX IS IN YOUR MIND: How to Conquer SYNTAX in a Blink

Syntax may be a horror course that you, English Department's students, face during your study here in this fascinating English Department of any-awesome-university. Syntax is a course that equips students with grammatical concepts and terminology. Later on, students will be given topics such as parts of speech, parts of a sentence, major English phrase types, and parts of internal syntax, clause as complement, subject, and noun phrases. Ayeee! Sounds terrifying, right? Indeed, syntax was like a howling terror for me when I took this course. Well, you don’t have to freak out anymore, since I'm about to reveal a guideline to get an A in syntax…

1.       Be a Good Listener

Of course, you have to listen to every explanation by the lecturer. Open your ears widely, retrieve the data, transfer it to your left brain, be ready to be process it, and whooooooaa! Get the point!  

2.       Make Graffiti  on Your Handbook

Graffiti? Nope, this is not graffiti or word painting on a wall medium that you usually see on the street. Instead, this graffiti means, you should take notes about some points that you may have difficulties to understand. Draw the notes with colorful pen and artistic shapes so that they can be a magnet for you to keep on struggling with your study.

3.       Exercise Your Brain!

The golden key in mastering syntax course is that you should do all the exercises in the handbook. There are some ways to do the exercises:

a.       Do it yourself.

b.      Do it with your friends.

c.       Do it with your lecturer.

d.      Do it with your imaginary friends.

e.      Do it with your imaginary lecturer, hehehe…

Repeat what you have done in the exercises a couple of times, since generally, the test may be taken from the exercises in the handbook. 

4.       Speak Up!

There is a popular saying in Bahasa Indonesia, “Malu bertanya, sesat di jalan”. The same thing will happen to you if you keep your questions timidly in your mind. No-No! Think twice, it later will be a hex for you, guys. If you have questions, you should ask the lecturer to give a clearer explanation about the things that you don’t understand. By doing this, you can also help your friends to get more enlightenment.

5.       Contact Person: Syntax Lecturer

Still have unsolved questions? Then I suggest you to go to the lecturer and ask for a further explanation. I believe that you will get much input from the lecturer which can help you to master the course in a flash.

Okay matey, those are the cloaks-and-daggers for you to cope with syntax course. They are really worthy and believe it or not, I have proved it myself. Last words, just try them at home and from starting now! In God we trust and have a fun trying!

*as published on Access ED Magz, SWCU, Wrong Three District, Central Java, Indonesia. #19 ISSUE

*originally typed on 28-01-2010.