The Story of QQ

I know I should've write 2 x 2000 words essay right now, but dang it, my brain just won't start to send the words to my fingers. So to kick-start it, let's do some warm up with writing a story about the beginning or my nickname(s), yeah, I'm a man with a lot of nicknames.

My full name is Rizky Novrianto, in Indonesia, we (mostly) don't have a family name, it just name and all mine. If you want to know what it means, well, Rizky is derive from Arabic language means GIFT FROM GOD. Well, it's a good name, but sadly (or fortunately) that is one common name parents use for their children. But for my second part of my name NOVRIANTO, it's one that's not much people use. NOV means I was born in the month of November, RIAN just a name and ANTO means boy, if ANTI means girl.

I always believe that nickname is showing me how close people are to me. Just like in Japan, there's family name and your name. Just like Nobi Nobita. Nobi is the Family Name and Nobita is the name. If you just know him, you'll call him Nobi-san or Nobi-kun because you're not that close to him to call him by his name. But once you get closer and know him better, you'll start to call him Nobita-kun or maybe even Nobita-chan or just Nobita to show how close you are to him.

So, I always grant a freedom of choice in terms of what you want to call me with. People who just know me might just call me Rizky. Because the easiest way to call a person in Indonesia is to call him/her by his/her first name. My original nickname at home which my parents and family called me is Kiki. It's a cute name, derived from the last part of my first name. 

And then I grew up and meet so many people at my school. Since I lost most of my childhood memory, the thing that I can still remember now is that this nickname thing is begin when I'm at my Junior High School or maybe now they will call it, my 7th grade. In my class there's a girls named Rizky Bontaraswati. So either they call Rizky or Kiki, both of us will answer. So one of my friend give a splendid idea to give both of us nick name. Since my name is Rizky Novrianto, they call me Kinop (rizKY NOVrianto) derived from KyNov. and for the same reason, she'll be called KiBon. Although in the end, the one who the nickname is still sticking is me. Everyone else start calling her Kiki or Rizky and my nickname in school is now Kinop (read : Kee - Nop)

That nick name even evolve, since Kinop seems not HIP, so I evolve it into Q-Nope. It still pronounce in the same way, it just look better. hahaha... Well that is one of my nickname I'm most well known of. Some of my friends might not knowing my real name, but when they hear or see Q-Nope, they'll know it's me. 

Well that's my nicknames that derive from my name. I think some people does once or twice call me with Anto or Novri. But not that much, they're minority, hahaha.

One friend of mine even give me more than just one nick name. First time he met me, he call me Kiki (of course) and then everything evolve from there. He never calls me Q-Nope and once we know more about each other, he call me MoMo (read similar like : Mow - Mow), well it's not derive from my name but from one of my personality that sometimes shifting without me realizing it (yeah, so sci-fi), but if you know me more, you'll know why MoMo is one of my nick name.

And then we know more about each other and he realize another side of me. I have a principal that I must not loss, once I pay (or someone else for that matter), I will utilize everything that I can get from that payment. So he start to call me OGi (read similar like : O - Ghee) in Bahasa Indonesia, it's an abbreviate from Ogah ruGI, it means maybe similar like no-loss-behind (hmm, is that an English term?) or Don't wanna loss.

Even after that, my nickname evolve once again when he combined the two of them. He made his final nickname for me, it is MoGi (read similar like : Mow - Ghee), and now his family and close friends start to call me by that name. In Bahasa Indonesia, it means Momo Ogah Rugi.

Well, actually there's a lot more of my nickname including Honey (from someone at my highschool) or Kaki (means Kak Kiki or Bro Kiki) or even BangKi (means Abang Kiki or Bro Kiki in different dialect of other Indonesian part). I love to hear new nicknames that people made for me. It shows how close they are to me, and my close friends know that I don't have that many friends.

On my interview, someone from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy talk to some of us about the importance of names. She said that if your name is too hard to pronounce, some people might be have a hard time to remember you. Well, she brought up an excellent point about "nickname equals marketing". This is my area of expertise.

At one point, I realize if I market my name using Rizky, that is one name that's not easy to pronounce and/or remember by a non-Arabic or English native speaker. At first, I would like to create a new nickname, that is RICKY. Yeah, some people once suggested this nickname because they said I look like Ricky Martin (un-true #sigh). It is easy to remember because it's an English name and a very common one to use. But then, I'm afraid if that's is one to common. so I will stick to RIZKY because of its uniqueness.

But then, here where the misunderstanding happens. Someone from the Academic Affairs ask me for a nickname while he offers to make a t-shirt for me. So I assume that it is the nickname that they want to print on the shirt. So because it's just on a shirt, I would like to use my original weird nick name. Kiki but in a more modern letter : QQ. yeah a letter Q and another letter Q.

I always feels like the letter Q is so me. If I have to choose between the 26 letters, I would definitely choose Q to represent me. But then, Oh my God, it became a name plate that I have to use for the entire two years of my existence in the school. At first I really do feel like I've made the biggest mistake because I misunderstood the message when they asked me for my nickname. The shirt doesn't even have my name on it.... arrrrgh....

And then, quoting a proverb in Indonesia, Once rice has become porridge, there's no use to cry about it, just give it spring onion, fried chopped shallots, broth and some chicken and there you have a chicken porridge. Maybe it really is the time for me to Back to Basic (quoting Christina Aguilera's album) and use my very own original nick name with a new twist. From Kiki to QQ.

The problem now is that since I need this for my performance grade, I need to link every lecturer to my nickname and my real name. The catch of this strategy is that they might know my nick name but none of them will remember my real name. So the challenge for me now is to link Rizky Novrianto and QQ. 

QQ is easy to remember, even though some people might pronounce it Kyu-kyu. Well, it might me a new nick name for me. It's always a good sign when people start to create new nick name for me. It means that they do care about me, oooh, I feel loved.... #FlyingWithoutWings

Well, although some people might know me with Rizky or even Ricky or QQ (either Kee-Kee or Kyu-Kyu) or even now someone create Q2 (Q square) for me and other start to create a new dance style for me called Godrad or "Goyang Kuadrat" (means "Dance Square") to add more on erotic dance market in Indonesia.
(google for "Goyang Ngebor", "Goyang Ngecor", "Goyang Gergaji", "Goyang Itik" or "Goyang Caesar" if you're interested in erotic dance from Indonesia, it'll make you laugh...!!! goyang means dance.)

For this first semester, I would like to see the performance of QQ as my nickname. If it do more harm than good, maybe I would change to RICKY for the next semester... hahaha... and it might change again for the third semester. Market is a place where you need to adapt in order to survive.

Well, once you know me better or at least my other thousands of personalities, you might come with a new nickname for me. There's a saying that says, "It just a name", but not for me, I believe more in a saying from Arabic that says, "Name is a pray to God", so every name has a deep meaning for me and every nickname has a memory from someone who give it to me.

But for now, let's stick to QQ, unless you have another name on your mind. Speak now or forever be in silence.... hahahaha........

Economic Foundation : Exempted then Un-exempted

This is an old story, but I keep on forgetting to post it.
Now, It's the story of how I got exempted then un-exempted from the Economic Class.

If you ask me about my favorite subject, when I'm still on my Primary school, I'll answer to you straight-forwadly that it's Mathematics. I love Math because everything is precise and definitive. 1+1 = 2, there's no other answer. But then when I'm in High School, I meet with this teacher, other than very mean, he's also super boring. Since that time, I hate Math the most.

I should've realized at that time that my hatred of Math will haunt me forever, because Math is like the basics of everything I'm about to learn. 

At college, I never learn Math directly, but every now and then the modules in my college is keep creating a link to connect the modules and Math. Especially Economics. Oh come on!!! Economics is a social studies, why should you have to connect Economics to Math. aaargh...!!!

There's Micro Economics, there's Project Evaluation, there's Managerial Economics, and the best grade that I got from those Economics are B. Maybe it does, I hate economics because at some points I don't believe on Economics. How can you quantify something that should be un-quantify-able. Too much assumptions on economics that deny all other elements, as they said it, "Ceteris Paribus"

I have to repeat twice for the Managerial Economics module on my Bachelor degree, and even when I tried twice, I still got a B. darn it!.

At my master degree, I never thought that I'm gonna meet another Economic Modules. the Economic Foundation. I feel like, oh, this is going to be my death sentence. But then, after the first meeting with the Lecturer, I got an email saying that I got exempted from the class. Wow, suddenly I feel so very happy because it feels like, "Fyuuh, I just dodge a bullet there..."

So then they make me submit the exemption form. But when I read the form, suddenly bad feelings coming. Because you have to state on that form, what Economic Modules you have taken previously. I look at my transcript,
- Introduction to Economics : C+
- Micro Economics : C+
- Macro Economics : B-
- Managerial Economics : B
Darn!!!

The next day, my premonition came true, The Professor wants to see me.
"I'm dead...."

So he said that, he exempted me because my degree is Bachelor of Economics.
The thing he doesn't know that in Indonesia, if you are from Economics, Accounting or Management, you get the degree of Bachelor of Economics.
So he thought that I'm an economic bachelor.
I can't argue any further since my grade is also something that I can't proud of. 
I accept defeat and there's the story how I get un-exempted......

Aarrrrgh... Economics!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The thing that I hate the most is when they try to make a mathematics formula out of the economic theory. ooooh... why....why.... why.................

Now I have to attend the class, on Monday, Wednesday and sometimes on Friday. F*ck!
This is only one modules, but it takes most of my week.
But still, this is the silver bullet for me (yeah, I'm a werewolf), so I just have to be extra carefully with this subject. It could kill me and make me lost my scholarship if I'm careless. Because in this school I have to get minimum B-, or else....!!!
I would not only be exempted from the class, I will also be exempted from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Maybe I'll back to the Justin's story about challenges makes you strong. Darn Justin, you really do affect my life with that one time lunchtime talk...

This time I'll try harder than before to try to accept Economics close to my heart. I will not let my self or my hatred stands before me and my A+. If I want to, I can get any grade I want. I just have to let my self to be as receptive as possible.

Who knows this could be the time where me and Economics do Fusion just like Son Goku and Vegeta, and we can make the greatest combo in the world... okay, that just make no sense at all...

I'll just try my best, give my best and avoid to get less than a B.
Go Economics....!!!!!!!!
Can laah......!!!


image source:
http://www.venturacollege.edu/images/economics_emblem_money_429px.png  

E-Learning Week Reflection

NUS just finished its e-learning week this week. The concept was that if suddenly something bad happen to the campus, let say there's a bird flu endemic spread, The Student can still commence their process of learning through the advancement in technology. The study process moves to the internet universe. It's either Facebook, Forum, Video, anything that can still communicate between the lecturer and the students.

This event is posted on the Strait Times newspaper on page 2. But then again, is this kind of thing that new here in Singapore? I don't know how it could be different, but back in Indonesia (oops, here I go again), There's a University called Universitas Terbuka (Open University) which almost the entire process of study held from a distance and the student and the lecturer never met unless for several occasion. 

And then again, learning from the Open University, I don't even think that's a good idea. From what I heard, you can finish your degree longer than the average 'normal' university and the grade is mostly low. I must say that, "Thank God the e-learning week is only for a week..."

The problem is that, I enjoy being lectured rather than I have to read my self the entire course. I hate reading, even though I know it actually good for me. The Lecturers will only send their material through the internet, and the student asked to participate in either commenting the course material or submitting some assignments. 

Now, because of the internet, who can be certain that at least 90% of the students do read the material? or maybe this time I shouldn't use my self as the reference for the issue. hahaha. Because I don't read.

Some student can just go somewhere else and think of this as a vacation, while on the other hand, some students can really be serious about this. The basic is that, it depends on the student, but for me, e-learning is not suitable for my learning style.

The one that must be highlighted on this e-learning week that the 36 hours Policy Challenges. So the other lecturer might be just post a question and demand for a 100 words answer or to post comment on forum and comment on the others opinions. One lecturer even so kind to post a video of his lecture material. But, this one special particular course, really gives me a whole week of hell.

First of all, there are still two assignment that we have to submit in that particular week, suddenly the assignment is a group work rather than individual work, and finally, the challenge that originally said to be an only 6 hours challenge, turn into a 36 hours challenge. Alamak!!!!!

I really feel like slapping someone at that time.. AAAAAARRRRGH!!!! EDUARDOOOOO!!!!!!!!
I feel like taking my wand and then cast "Imperio" on him... "Cancel the assignment...!"
and after that, "Avada Kedavra...!!!!!"
 
He even prolonged the deadline for another assignment. Oh, it feels like you know you're going to be shot by a thug and the thug is just keep delaying your death. Just shot me already and finish this suffering.

This one course really is consuming my entire week, darn it! 
From this meeting to that meeting, plus I'm juggling time because my friends is coming from Jakarta and finally, the dreadful 36 hours challenge. From 9 am in the morning after I slept at 4 am the previous night and the day before that, we have to work full day to finish a video project about giving solution to corruption in Myanmar. 

All day is about creating script, talking about solutions, recording, re-recording, re-recording again, then editing, arrrgh.... it's killing me. Though it's a great big thanks for the host for preparing a good Fried Rice for the lunch. But still, this assignment is excruciating.  

Finally at 7 pm, our group manage to finalize the video project, and it feels like we've been freed from a 1000 years imprisonment under a mountain, maybe like Sun Go Kong when he was freed from the 5 finger mountain that imprisoned him.

As much as I hate the assignment, the lecturer and the sudden changes. I remembered the story that I posted before about an experiment on the primary school students and how challenges actually make us stronger. 

From this excruciating assignment, I do learn much about editing video, recording, screen recording, and most of all, in the end me and my group mates were laughing and we're so happy in the end. Despite that we're so stressful, in the end there's just relief. Some people even held a party in my unit all night long. 

The fact is that all of us are getting closer to each other, we're bonding more than ever, we're knowing more about each other, and finally the assignment is being done...!!!
This challenge does makes us stronger than before. 

As much as I hate to admit this, but for me, this e-learning week, especially this one, has a good effect. Aside from the stress level it created, it also has good side that I'm grateful about. No matter the outcome, I still think that our video is the best one, because we did it whole-heartedly, we glad with the result and we have fun doing it. That is all that matter.

But still, if you're going to do this again Eduardoooo...... please notice what I'm about to say, "Don't change the assignment, in terms of time, so suddenly, we have a life to live too you know..."
But after saying that, "Thank you... for pushing me this far...."

Does this mean I want to do this again?

Thanks... but NO THANKS....!!!! hahahaha....




Please watch our video in this link and show us some love by clicking the LIKE button...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8A1q-uEV6Y


image source:
http://www.bar.co.uk/images/elearningglobe.png

The Distance Between Me and God

If someone asks me why I don't drink Alcohol, the answer is simple, because I obey what God forbids me. There's a story about Alcohol that always stuck in my head. 

There was one pious man, then the demon got to him. The Demon took him and lock him in room. Then the Demon said to the Pious Man, "I will let you go from this room, if you will do what I say. it's either one, you have to kill this woman." Said the demon while pointing at a woman on that room. "Or two, you have to rape this woman, or three, you will have to drink the Alcohol until you drunk." The Pious man is in great confusion, but then he chose to drink the Alcohol until he drunk, because he think that it's better than he has to kill or rape the woman."I'll take the drink then" said the Pious Man to the Demon.Then the Pious Man drink the Alcohol until he drunk, after that later he rape the woman, and finally kill her. The sin that he thought the lesser evil, make him do all the three things he wants to avoid.

But then again I think, "So If I don't drunk, it's fine"
But then again, what God has forbid, I obey. So I don't want to touch the Alcohol.

Alcohol is different than Pork and Dog (yeah, some people ate dog). If God forbid me to eat Pork and Dog, it basically easier because there are substitutes to those meats, there's beef, lamb, shrimp, fish and others. But Alcohol don't have the exact substitutes, soft drink is not the substitutes for Alcohol.

So I actually having curiosity and craving for alcohol. But I hold it for the very basic reason, God Forbid me. Yeah, and actually there's another reason, I don't want to pay for Alcohol. hahaha....

So then, once Alcohol were there on a silver platter, for free. I have the biggest dilemma of my life. On one side I'm curious, on the other side, I don't want to break the thing that God forbid me. Some people said that, "Curiosity kills a cat"

And yes, curiosity kills my good deed.
If before I don't drink Alcohol because God forbid me, now I don't drink Alcohol because I simply don't like the taste. There goes my good deed.

I actually don't blame Singapore for this, but since I arrive in Singapore, I really do feel that I'm moving further away from God. It's like the distance is wider now. If in Indonesia (there it goes again, I keep comparing everything to Indonesia), You can easily find a praying room in every place, every building, every mall, every park, everywhere. But here in Singapore. The Malls doesn't have a Praying Room. I actually not a traveler, but sometimes I pray as I'm a traveler. Singapore really isn't my hometown, but still, living here for 1,5 month already, doesn't qualify me as a traveler anymore. But I sometimes pray the traveler style, because it's hard to find praying room.

But then again, I wonder to my self... "Is this true? or I just making this easy for me?"
The technology is actually quite advance now and you can find the nearest Mosque around you. Maybe it's not near, but it's still in Singapore. Why I'm too lazy to move my feet to the Mosque just simply because it's far? People of old time were riding a camel through the desert just to pray and here I am, to lazy to go to the Mosque.

Today is Friday and I should be doing my Friday Pray. But I overslept and when I woke up, it's raining outside so then I decided to go back to sleep because the mosque is gonna be too far if I walk in this heavy rain. Oh my God... what happened to me. It's really like I keep moving away from You.

Maybe before this, I was to spoiled because of the easiness that I feel and I took everything for granted. Now the real challenges is come and I'm not prepared for that. In a place when you're no longer a majority is a hard life. But challenges shouldn't make you weak. Every challenges you conquer can make you even stronger. I know that this is hard for me to handle, but at least I want to walk in the right path. Not that I'm saying that all your way is the wrong paths, but this is my life and this is the right path that I chose to believe.

This distance really is wider, but even if I have to make baby steps or even crawl, I will make this distance close again. God once said through Prophet Muhammad, "I am near. If you come to Me by walking, I come to you by running." So maybe If I crawl, God will still come after me by walking.

Sometimes I wonder, in this world where people seems walk away from God and said that religion is no longer "up to date" with it's many restrictions, "Do I look like an old soul person? Will I look like a traditional person in this super-modern world?"

But I think, one Nobel Prize winner once said, regarding of her choice to wear a muslimah outfit, that, "Man in early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes. What I am today and what I’m wearing represents the highest level of thought and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It’s the removal of clothes again that is regressive back to ancient times." She is  Tawakkul Karman, ‘The Mother Of Yemen’s Revolution’.

Sometimes I also think like that too. "In the early time, Man lives free without rules, just like animals. Along time, our intellect evolves and we start to create rules, regulation and came along religion. Now at this time where we have achieved a high level of thought and civilization, we run away from rules, regulation and even religion to declare our self free. There's no such thing as free, there's only limited freedom. And Religion should be one of our limitation in life."

Oh maybe I should get a Nobel Prize for this, hahaha....
Though I fully realized that I'm not perfect and still struggling with so many aspect of my life, but still I try not to stray to far from the path that I chose to live. God doesn't need me to obey Him, it's me who needs God to be a part of my life and my purpose of living.


Image source:
http://www.indianruminations.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/long-distance-love.jpg

There's No Right Answer

Well it actually started unexpectedly this afternoon. I was actually want to come to do lunch time talk but none of my friends seems to be interested. Actually I want to go out. I just went to the gym and considering  the decision hard enough to finally decided that I'm not going. Then it still raining outside,  so rather then waiting the rain to stop I decided to attend the lunch time talk and boy did I get surprised that this is one kind of lunchtime talk I need the most.

Well, I can't say thank you enough for the rain that falls today. The rain this time really is bring a blessed day for me. It's not actually the format of the usual lunchtime talk where a source-person talking and question in the end, may be because at first, it just me who attend the lunchtime talk. 

I'm not quite surprise though that the talk will be empty. But i thought there will be at least a few people that coming. Well thankfully Justin still patient enough to wait and another 3 student coming and make the four of us. Even though initially I don't want to come, but I do have one unfinished question that I need to address to Justin. It's about what constitutes something as a published work. Yeah and I do get the answer. Even though it's just a blog like this, it constitutes published writing. So f I want to submit some blog as my assignment, he said that it's better if I consult first to the lecturer if it's okay with him. Well now it's better if I wrote my blog not for scientific purpose. Yeah, it's just for fun. If it really is important and I want to use it later, I'll just cite my self. hahaha...

Okay, other than that, this lunchtime talk also got a surprise guest, Mr.Zeger. So it's two against four now. Since the talk in no longer about the Pedagogical Approach (Pe-da-Go-Ji-cal, I can't even pronounce the word correctly), We mostly talk about the curriculum in the school. Then I remembered about the two main problem that I always have in every class. 

First, I keep feeling that the lecturer actually have a certain topics to convey, but then some students keep raising their hand, either for questioning or stating their opinion. In the end, I feel like the lecturer is actually unfinished in terms of conveying what he actually has to convey.

Second, it's about when people stating their opinion. I keep feeling like the lecturer is as if saying that, "You're right" to every opinion. In the end, it leaves me confused, which one is the real correct answer or opinion, well at least one opinion must be better than the other.

Well, Justin then addressing my second problem first. He said that, It might be true, no answer is completely wrong, every answer can be right with "it depends". Depends on the circumstances, depends on the culture, depends on the country. So this is actually a good practice for all of us to know different opinion based on country of origin. 

What I like about Justin, beside that his accent is much better than the other professor that I've encountered, I feel like he's understand the background of my question. He continues that, he thinks that I'm questioning the issue in terms for the exam. How if in the exam, the question shows up and I'm going to be confused which is the right answer. OMG, Justin... you know me so well....hahaha...

Is it?? now that is actually my deepest fear.

Then Justin said that, if it's the issue, first, think of this is as an experience. There really is no just right or wrong answer. The most important thing is the reason behind that answer. Let say prostitutes in Britain is forbidden, but in Singapore, it is legal in certain area. So both answer legal and illegal is correct. Now it depends on what basis do you use to answer the question. The most important is you can understand the basics from where you derived your answer. Second, it the exam really is worried you, just ask the lecturer about what answer did he really want, because you really need to know what to answer if that question shows up in the exam.

Oh, okay... that's a good one. But then Zeger is trying to address my first issue.

First of all, he said that he's a bit different with Justin. Zeger thinks that it's true, one opinion maybe better than the other. So that's why it is important for a lecturer to manage the class. He must be able to stop a student when his opinion is no longer in context of the topics. It's all about managing the time and class.  

And then Justin gives us an example from an experiment. 

There are two groups of kids from early primary school and there is a robot that exactly has 10 functions. For the first group, we told them that if you press this button, the robot will make beeping sounds, but for the second group we just show them that the robot can do this and that. The result of the experiment is that the kids in the first group keeps doing the same thing over and over, because it's what taught to them. But in the second group, they actually find 4 out of 10 of the robot's functions. 

It shows that if you got spoon-fed of a topic, you'll end up doing the same thing over and over again. But if you try to explore some topic on your own, you'll end up find more about the topics. That may be the basics of some lecturer in this school.

Wow, that is so eye-opening.

Struggle does bring more invention and knowledge. We can learn so much from success, we we can learn so much more from mistakes. So it may be intentional from the lecturer to just gives you clues to solve a problem.

Justin also gives a very good tips and trick to read more effectively, even though he said that this is from Zeger, well at least, he cited it. He said that if a lecturer give you a stack of things to read, try to find questions you want to be answered. Consider it's like you're interviewing and the reading material is your source. You make a set of questions and you try to find the answer in the reading material. Because if you just reading it without knowing what you're looking for, it's like filling a cup with constant water, at some point it'll just pouring out of the glass because the glass is full. Or for easiness, you can ask the lecturer, what point he want us to know from the reading material.

In big picture he also said that we have to question ourselves, what we want to get from this course in support of our goal. Maybe we can take some from this course, some from another course and we try to fill our own jigsaw puzzle of what we want to achieve when we're graduating from this school. So we really have a purpose and during the course we actually start to put pieces by pieces in our pool of knowledge, so we can be more focused rather than just accepting everything in.

This could be the best lunchtime talk I've ever had so far. I do hope you read this Justin, "This talk really is helpful"

Now I hope I can share you the benefit I get from the talk.

This school is a struggling process, but with that struggle, I just hope that all of us can get the best out of it.

Image source:

http://static.tumblr.com/03eab764b87eada9c8ba96437e804aac/bcqldsk/Qk5mhkhw1/tumblr_static_022.jpg