Strings, Sticks, and Notes around the Head

"Though there were a few clumsy fumbles, the pain, the gentle warmth vibrated so palpably throughout the song." – Len Tsukimori, from La Corda D'oro Primo Passo

 

I always wish I was raised somewhere more urban, more modern than my hometown. Although, I am glad that I was raised there, in such a great environment. Well, grew up in a forest-like environment has given me so many values of life which you won't experience in real urban life, big cities and stuff. I have experienced exploring the forest, and in the end, found out that the way that we explore connecting my home with my friend's house. I also have experienced hanging on the hanging roots in the banyan tree. Kalimantan, for the specific place, is where I was raised by. You won't have many places that still reflect their nature, like my hometown does. I apparently lived inside the small town, where you can even imagine it as Forks in the Twilight movie, surrounded by trees-tropical rainforest trees. My house is an old one, very much alike with the western house style, with bar and terrace, from woods. It's surrounded by agriculture vegetables, mango tree, and kittens. Kittens are almost everywhere. I share another story about my beloved kittens in other post, because this one will absolutely not talk about my pets-or sort of.

And that's the small description of my previous hometown, which I love so much. Although the place was like heaven-still green, fresh, calming, yet so hot because it's near the mines, small town has its own disadvantages. Being raised in such a beautiful yet low of courses-additional education, such as music course, art course, singing course, etc.- has given me decision to go abroad from the island. It was beautiful, but I won't develop myself there. Once, I moved to Jakarta at the age of 5 or maybe 6, and for my last year of kindergarten period, my mom registered me into many courses, such as singing course, painting course, sempoa course, dancing course, and many more that I can't even remember them. Many trophies I gained, I even met Titiek Puspa, one of the marvelous actress in Indonesia whom I adore so much, from dancing. I still feel that all of them were just yesterday-a few days ago, and now I'm already 16 years old. How nice.

Somehow, I regret my decision to choose singing course over a piano or violin course, although my teacher (if I'm not mistaken, her name is Ms. Mersi or something like Mercedes) said my voice is beautiful (I don't know what will she say when she hears me sing now), because it is hard to find a music course in my hometown. The piano course itself was one hour away from my house. This one hour, by meaning, is more than 30 kilometers with smooth road and very quiet environment-you'll probably just see few cars and monkeys crossing by. My mom immediately rejected my wish to learn piano, and so on, until my 9^th grade of Secondary School. One of my teachers offered me to learn violin with some other fathers and moms of my little sister's friends' parents. I learn with those adults for about 3 until 5 months, until my national exam came. And that is the time when I stopped playing music again, along with my karate and swimming.

But I do have passion in music. I do think I want to be a musician. It is one of my infinite dreams.

I am more than an optimistic average girl. Some of you know I am insane about books and comics, and many of those books inspired me to do new things. I found out that I am interested with strings instrument. Violin and Cello are the top two on the list. I want to learn them so badly (Pssst.. I have saved my money to buy a cello, wish me luck!). I am inspired to learn classic stuff and am born to be one, with style. I am also interested with drums, when I saw how passionate a drummer can be, and how they "sleep" during the show, by playing their drums. I admire those women who face the world by playing them, and I do want to be a part of them. Not only that, I also want to learn how to play a clarinet. Classic stuff. Or maybe an oboe? How knows.

For some, they will see me as an average girl who doesn't really understand music and don't care about it. But when they found out how freak I am about music (classical and jazz), their instruments, and their books, people will see me as a freak, an otaku.

For my obsession of music, I even have scheduled my life to learn almost all of those desired instruments. Here's the timeline:

•   In my First year of Senior High School, I will learn drums (checked! I have started my drum course since a few weeks ago).

•   In my Second year of Senior High School, I will probably continue my drum until specification for genre (I'll choose Jazz), and start to learn cello. I hope until then, I'm able to save money to buy one.

•   In my Third year of Senior High School, I will continue my current courses, which are drum and cello.

•   In college, I'll probably wondering whether I'll master the drums a bit, because I think, I will decrease the intensity of my drum course (since I bet my skill is developing) and start to have a violin class beside cello. I will try to figure this thing out.

•   Autodidact, I will learn how to play the clarinet and guitar in my Senior High School or College (there's no too late in learning, dude!)

•   My target is able to play all of those instruments: Drums, violin, cello, clarinet, and guitar before graduating college.

•   Thus, when I enter my work life before marriage, I'll try mastering all of those instruments.

•   And when I'm married, I will learn how to play the piano and mastering the previous instruments. Isn't it nice when you send your kids and husband to school and work, and while waiting for them, you play the piano on the middle of the house, with light everywhere? It's my dream married life.

Quite confusing, eh? Well, you'll learn how freak I am about my obsession.

I have thought about these things in many places, such as in the public transportation, school, toilet, bedroom, etc. And thanks Allah, He gave me enough brain to imagine them.

You'll probably asking, "Why should I want so many things? Isn't it enough?"

Well, enough is good to remind us for the blessings from Allah. But when you feel your dreams are enough, what will you achieve in your life? What will you do for your entire life when there's nothing you desire anymore? So, keep dreaming and making them come true, my friend.

Sincerely,

Dina Puspita Sari

Note: this post is just a personal interest of something. Don't mind to stop and read for awhile, but no compulsory to read it, feel free :)

Don't Mess with Someone's Commitment

"If you think what 's good for you is not what you have chosen, then change it. It's your sake, your future, and your responsibility. Or, you should just try to get through it. Your decision, Your life, Your Future."

I had a quite lesson story for all of us youngsters, since we're still youngsters.

Making a commitment seems unfamiliar for us. It's not like we're getting married or something, but a commitment sure is a serious problem for us which we have to prepare ourselves today to be able to commit something tomorrow. But I am not saying that you should commit suicide or something like that in your future, since I said so.

Joining a club, or an activity, in our High School period, looks like to be the most important part of having a memorable Senior High School. One of my seniors even told me this:

"For you to go to school for 3 years, you should only study for a half year, which is 6 months before your National Examination, College's Entrance Test, and everything to enter your favorite University. For the another two years and a half, you should only do what you love and things you have passion with along with your school, though you still have to make school looks like the priority. The main thing is, do what you like without abandoning your school, which means you should only study what you need for school, you don't need to take extra lessons, you just need to spend your youth time with F. U. N."

While studying, you should also think of what you wanted to do so badly and do it right away.

For example, joining guitar class, cello class, cooking class, write a book or some, read comics as many as you like and collect them, play basketball until midnight (without hurting yourselves), and many more.

For this case, joining a club would be nice.

Well, that is when our commitment is being asked for.

You may think that by joining the club which you like or popular will make it as your passion. Well, it's a no, my friend.

You should always know what you love from the beginning of your life, or as soon as possible.

Before you move away to the next stage of life: being an adult.

For my friends, and perhaps me, joining and then quitting a club seems fine, when our absence won't cause a big trouble for the club itself, and it's for their own sake.

That is a commitment. When you don't have any passion on what you do, I suggest you should expel yourselves from that activity and find the new one. Know what's your passion. And if you're saying such statements like: "I don't know what my passion is!" , then all that I want to say is:

FIND IT!

Find it, today, this time, before it's too late for you to finally have found what you love.

It's not that I support those who can't make up their minds, but I'm strongly oppose those who hate someone just because that someone has finally found their passion and decided to follow their dreams.

I have a friend that finally spoke up and said that he didn't like the activity he was in to, and decided to go out from the club and do what he likes. I said, "Good for you, for finally have found what you love the most, rather than being a bug for the club, you should make yourself a hero in what you love."

But unfortunately, one of his friends disagreed and hates him. For a reason like, "I don't like him because he joined this club and then said that he hates this kind of thing and just walked out from the door."

Now I should say, poor you for being jealous because your friend had finally found what he love and will be succeed in his major when you're only staring at him and saying that you hate him while you still in the bottom.

But, there are some negative points if you keep changing your major without trying to find out what your passion actually is.

There are some tips from me to help you avoid those kind of circumstances, for example, being bullied by the community for not having a commitment when we actually try to make one.

•   You should try to have a trial for everything you want to do before actually being in it. For me, trials are fine as long it's just for finding out whether you like them or not.

•   If you already in the circumstances, I suggest you should find a way to be out from it. And not to repeat a same mistake again. Rather than making troubles for the club itself, you should make yourself out from it right away.

•   Don't judge someone's commitment just by seeing them go in and out hobbies clubs. They are those who still try to find their passion.

•   Use your time and age wisely. You're young and for me, youth means chances to try and be failed, stand up, and try again until you have reached the top and have another chances.

just USE YOUR AGE AND TIME WISELY.

When you already step in to the next stage, you won't have time to look back and regret things and try to make an excuse to play your commitments.

That is the point why I'm telling this to you know.

And believe me, just don't mess with someone's commitment, especially when they are in this stage, Youth.

You won't know tomorrow if they're going to be a very successful man because they try to find their commitments and passion in their youth, when you regretting yourself for not trying to find chances and passions and just doing what you think was fine.

Go find your passion and in the end, when you have reached your youth limit, put your commitments on it.

I bet all of you will rule this world sooner or later.

Thanks for reading such a long blog.

I hope you have a wonderful time reading it.

Sincerely,

d.

Children Climate Forum Copenhagen

-->

Delegations from around the world held the shout-out globe. I was inside the crowd.

In 2009, UNICEF cooperated with UNFCCC held the first climate forum for children, as a pre-event for COP15, a special meeting for our world leaders to make decision and solutions about what will we do as a human for this Earth’s sake.

I represented Indonesia for the first time, with two other colleagues, one from Jakarta (currently studying in a college at Australia) and other came from Bali (currently studying in a college). I went there as the youngest one, along with our chaperon, the Ministry of Environment’s representative, Ms. Aini. The event was held from 28th November until 5th December 2009, mostly indoor, at one of the most historical building in Copenhagen, the City Hall of Copenhagen. This forum was held in the middle city of Copenhagen, which was quite far from the COP15’s place itself.

There were 44 countries which sent usually three children as their representatives, mostly from 15 until 17 years old. Indonesia and Vietnam were the only countries which represented South East Asia. India, China, Hong Kong, and South Korea also represented Asia in this forum.

This forum was actually more similar like classes in college. We chose what subject (in this case, what problem) we desired, and we attended classes which discuss about the matters. For this forum, we discussed about matters which would affect our Climate, because we knew that Climate Change is one of the hottest issues around the world, and we knew, as the children of the world, we should take actions along with our leaders. Mostly to encourage our leaders to make a more wise decision rather than argue about each country’s matter.

Because I lived and grew up in Kalimantan, I chose matters which were the base one, such as forestry, biodiversity, etc. rather than population in a city, industry pollution, etc. Those classes were side one, because we had to choose the main team or group we wanted to be involved, and I chose the CAP (Climate Ambassador Program) team. In CAP, we were the team-matchmakers; we connected countries which have same issues, so they’ll figure other solutions and share what they had. Also, we made a toolkit for CAP, which has many great ideas about how to solve our community’s problems, individually and with our teammates back in the country. Other teams worked with their own tasks, so here, we also learned how to be a part of a team where you need to learn how to work together, but still become an active or dominant one, so you’ll make your voice being heard.

Aside from my main team, I joined forestry, which discussed about problems about our forest in the world, and how to solve those problems, again, individually or in groups. I joined Biodiversity class, and got a chance to represent the class in front of everybody to send what we had discussed in class. Gladly, I got great responses about what I’ve said, and this was a great start for us, the Indonesians, to be heard.

Luckily, Indonesia was one of the teams which got an overwhelming opportunity to visit the Copenhagen Zoo for our external visit. I saw some animals which I couldn’t here in Indonesia, such as penguins. We also got a chance for being interviewed by a youth-paper, and they encouraged us to make the same one here, in Indonesia. It was a great trip, because other teams probably went to companies which maybe weren’t as fun as ours, or went to a trip by boat, which is very unfavorable for those teams to have such a ride in the end of the year’s season, winter. I was and I am really glad that I am an Indonesian.

164 delegates around the world worked together to achieve our main goal: to pursue the world leaders and convince them to make better decisions about what the world have to do to prevent the Climate Change and to stop it as fast as we could, also to convince them that there are more than 100 youths who are ready and already made changes in our community, and we dare our leaders to do the same thing, for the earth and human’s sakes. Mostly, our main project was to make a declaration which be given to the COP15’s president. Other teams, such as my team, CAP, worked for the ambassadors’ toolkit, tools they could use to make project back home. We, as the representatives of our countries, would be Climate Ambassadors, the one who would take steps and break the silence to make changes.

In the last night, we had a great Cultural Night, when each country should represented local performances in their country, but sadly, Indonesia didn’t show any attractions, because of our time and lack of experiences. But the night was amazingly wonderful, and I didn’t regret anything that night.

I was crying when we departed from Copenhagen, because the environment and its people were really nice. But I was also spirited to make new moves in Indonesia. I do wish that someday, I can make Indonesia as nice as Copenhagen with its own way.

It’s our job, young generation, to make changes now. If we delay it today, then when?

We are the next world leaders, so why don’t we become the local and young leaders now?

Thank you.