My Pets' Nicknames

Nenek! Engkong! Mpid! Kucing gendud! You will hear me say those words at least once a day. They are just some of the nicknames I have for my dogs and cat, and the nicknames that I use more often than the rest.

"Nenek" is the nickname for my oldest dog, Snowy. In Bahasa Indonesia, nenek means granny. She got this nickname for being 13 years old, which is pretty old for a dog's age, and will turn 14 this year. In addition to that, she's the oldest among the dogs. Another version of this nickname is "Nenek Centil". The term "Centil" in Bahasa Indonesia is usually used for a girl who likes to play with boys, like the girl version of a playboy. I like to call her this because she likes to act playful and flirty around male dogs such as licking their faces and showing her butt to them several times.

Hello boys!

"Engkong" is the nickname for my second dog, Chiko. "Engkong" is the Hokkian version for grandpa. This is because he's 8 or 9 years old, which is also considered old for a dog's age. He also has coughs; more frequently than Snowy. This shows that his physical health is worse than Snowy, making him "older" than Snowy.

Next is Mpid. This is just a shortened version of my youngest dog, Speedy. It started from only Pidy, to Pid, to Mpid. I added the M in the front because it just sounds more comfortable for me. Also, when I feel as if I want to squeeze him because of his cuteness, I like to emphasize and say the M longer.

Last but not least, is my cat, the "kucing gendud". Those are the Indonesian words for fat cat. When we adopted him, he was really skinny and bony, making him a walking skeleton. But after a few months, he became a really fat cat. He looks a lot like a character in my sister's storybook. They're both fat, orange, and stripy. The cat in my sister's storybook is called "Kucing Gendut".

Out of all the nicknames I had given them, these are the ones that make the most sense. Not all of them react to these nicknames. Snowy doesn’t respond to anything, including her own real name, so there’s no point in calling her. Chiko sometimes responds to “Engkong”, as he starts to get used to being called that. Speedy always responds, as that’s just the shortened version of his real name, which he responds to too. As for my cat Goldie, he only responds to his real name or the shortened version of his real name, Odie.

My pets will continue to receive numerous, senseless nicknames as long as they live, as I will always find something new and funny about them. It’s a good thing that they all put up with their owner’s quirkiness and took all the nicknames good-naturedly.

Who Do I Turn To In My Most Difficult Times?

It is said that teenagers are awkward and I’m living proof of that. As I enter the dreaded teenage year, I suddenly discovered many situations that made me feel self-conscious and at loss about what to do. The person who I turn to to help me deal with difficult social situations is my mom. One of the most frequent and unavoidable tricky situations was walking my dogs in my neighborhood. It’s always full of people, like a park! There are kids and teens playing, adults out to talk with their neighbors, people exercising, vehicles, and other dog walkers. When walking my dogs, I just want to have a quiet me time with them. However, my all-white dogs are a constant attraction to passersby, and we often get disturbed by both positive or negative reactions. With people who like dogs, they would stop us and some would pet or play with my dogs. Some would even follow us. I only have a limited time to walk my dogs and I don’t appreciate being stopped every 5 minutes or so. People who don’t like dogs give us askew looks, a wide breadth, and I’ve even heard mean comments as they pass by. This results in me turning away from people I know to avoid having to stop and chit chat with them. I may appear rude and unneighborly, supporting the stigma that teenagers are difficult. As I often feel drained and agitated after taking my dogs for their walk, I usually talk to my mom.

My mom isn’t a counselor or a psychologist; in fact, she graduated from civil engineering. But being a middle-aged mother of a special needs child, my mother has an abundant of good and bad experiences. From her experience, she discovered that keeping bad feelings only made her feel worse. Instead, she sought out alternative ways to deal with them. A method which worked best for her was to release her negative emotions by breathing in and out. While breathing out, she imagined that her negative emotions went out with her breath. In other words: “pushing” them out mentally. She then would analyze what just happened and found out that she could learn some lessons from the experience.

My mom also taught that method to me. When I’m in one of my tempers, my mom always asked me to calm down first by “pushing” them away, as thinking with heavy emotions often lead to stupid decisions. When I was younger, she helped analyze the situation with paper and pen. It usually ended with her telling me the reasons of why people acted that way, and how I could react to them in a better way than what I did before. The reasons and factors sometimes surprised me. Sometimes, it’s just their habit to lose their tempers. Sometimes, it’s just because of the environment that they live in. I was also taught that my energy could be put into a better use for the greater good to help change the world into a better place. :)

Now that I’m older, I could analyze the difficult situations on my own and think of ways to handle them in a better way. Still, with an occasional help from my mom. As the person who raises me and helps me deal with my problems, she knows every little details about me. When retelling my bad experiences, I don’t have to explain myself, why I did what I did, because she already knows why. She would also know just the right words to say to me. I don’t think I would ever find someone else more perfect than her to guide me and help me through difficult situations.

A Tale of Discipline

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I updated about myself, hasn't it?

With all my recent book analysis posts, I hoped that you all didn’t think that my blog has become a book review and analysis blog. It hasn’t. It’s still just a platform for me to share my life-views and activities with you all. I am an avid reader. So I have recently been busy reading and analysing different books, which I found to be quite interesting and educating. But, I get that if you get the same type of posts every few weeks, it would tend to get boring. So I will try to insert other types of writing in between.

To be honest, I only posted my study analyses because I had difficulties in thinking up topics to write in my personal entries. I didn’t participate in too many events recently. I didn't want to add more activities to my schedule, as there's this voice behind my head saying that I still have lots of things to do. During the holidays, I also couldn't hang out with friends because I had to catch up with my studies. I have an allotted study time of seven hours a day. However, I don’t seem to be getting any studying done. What a mystery! I even used to think that one of the reasons I'm unable to get things done was because of my extracurricular activities; and was about to cut them all down. After examining every possible clue, I finally discovered the culprit! D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N-S. Objects of crime: mobile phone, books, pets, daydreams, computer, and Internet access. Perhaps no further explanation is needed. :)

Thinking back, this culprit has been my constant companion for as long as I can remember; ever since my parents decided to trust me to study on my own. This culprit always succeeded in persuading me to trick my parents, and this obviously bore rotten fruits. The academic deadlines I set for myself always seemed to run away from me and I had to constantly chase them. Unfortunately, I acted like a snail and when I finally reached the finished line, I have another or actually many other races to complete. I seemed to be stuck in never-ending races.

In order to persuade myself to change, I had to find motivations. Unexpectedly, I found my motivations in my friends. I have a friend who goes to a prestigious school known for its rigorous and challenging activities. I wanted to experience similar challenges, but as you know, I have many incomplete lessons. Therefore, I felt the urgency to finish my studies so that I can pursue more challenging and exciting activities.

A competitor can also be a great motivator. A few months ago, I joined an academic course, where periodically, there’s an academic assessment. The results would be shown to the whole class. For the first assessment, I ranked 1st in my class. Recently, a new classmate joined the course. He is a diligent and dedicated student. He studied tirelessly, even during break time! I’m very much motivated to maintain my 1st position and he has become a serious challenger. Therefore, I need to work more seriously and harder on my studies.

I discovered that when I have more motivations, I have more drive to make changes, such as studying more and working hard. But motivations can only push me forward; it cannot help me to manage my time. So, I use a study method called Pomodoro Tomato. A pomodoro is to work with full concentration for 25 minutes then break for 5 minutes. Every 3rd pomodoro, I break for a longer time; usually for 15 minutes.

With these to help me catch up my studies, I'm starting to get back on track. I managed to find time to explore my coordinating skills. I became the coordinator of a homeschool event. Coordinating the event is quite time consuming as I need to spend a lot of time managing people. Therefore, I’m still hesitant in trying a new hobby, as it also takes up time to practise the skills. I still have subjects to catch up with, even though they're not as many as my previous years. I hope that these methods will help me for a long time. I’m very sure that at some point in my life in the future, I will be distracted again. Hopefully, I will find new motivations to help me get back on track!

Son: A Little Analysis on Love

The power of love is a curious thing. It plays a significant part in people’s successes, as it could motivate them to conquer their fears and challenges to reach their goals. The love here is not limited to just romantic or parents’ love, but it’s all encompassing, including friends and teachers’ love.

It is generally known that the greatest love is a parent's love. Claire sacrificed a lot to find her son Gabe. She left her home into the unknown, train hard physically to climb cliffs and traded her youth with Trademaster. Although Gabe never knew Claire, learning about her sacrifices for him made him felt wanted and loved. Before this, even though Gabe led a fairly peaceful life in the village, thanked to Jonas, who rescued him and became like a father-figure to him; he felt a void of not knowing his mother and origin. He agreed to fight Trademaster to save Claire.

The journey to find Trademaster was a hard one, and he couldn't have done it without those who cared for him. The main weapon that Gabe brought with him, is a paddle. The paddle was carved with the signatures of his friends and Jonas. Feeling those signatures, which symbolises all those who mattered in his life, helped motivate him to continue his perilous journey, and later to defeat Trademaster.

There's a saying that behind every man's success, there is a strong woman. I think it would be more precise to say several strong women and men. Many successful people in our world always had someone behind them, cheering them on. Some examples are Jack Ma and Barack Obama. When they made a big change in their career, their wives and families believed in them and supported them to just do it! Love and support from the people that care for us are the main recipes to success. No matter how big their roles are in our life, they help shape us into who we are today.

The fourth, and last book of The Giver quartet

Messenger: What is Important In Our Lives?

For our whole lives, we are constantly reminded and advised to be good. But somehow, without realizing it, we might have fallen victim to the devil's whisper. In the book Messenger, we are introduced to the community where Matty and Christopher, Kira's father, lived. It's a community built by outcasts, and they welcome everyone with kindness. They are considerate and sincere, and they always try to help anyone in need. Unfortunately, with the presence of the manipulative Trademaster, who was actually evil disguised as human, the people lost track of what’s the most valuable things in their lives.

Matty and nearly everyone in the community was envious of Rowan and his family, who had traded for a gaming machine. They thought that they would be happier if they had it. What they didn't realize though, was that Rowan and his family became more and more unhealthy. It reminded me of the avid and addicted gamers. They spent hours playing their online games and some had become so addicted that they disregarded their health both physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Mentor, the community’s school teacher, exchanged his kind self for a fit body and a handsome face so that he could marry Stocktender’s widow. He thought that he couldn’t win the widow without outward beauty. It’s also such a common notion nowadays, and we have this kind of “trade". Many people are insecure about their looks. Beauty clinics, weight loss programs, and plastic surgeons have mushroomed to help people with physical insecurities. Some people would even go into debt and ruin their health in order to be able to achieve their goals. All for the sake of feeling confident and appealing. The importance of inner beauty is forgotten.

Evaluating what are the most important qualities in our lives and societies is very crucial. We should never give up our true selves for the sake of others and materialistic enjoyment. We might be too late when we realize that the results have corrupted ourselves. Matt had to sacrifice himself to heal all the corrupted souls in the Village. Don’t wait until you have to pay a very high cost for your ignorance. Do not lose sight of what matters most.

The third book of The Giver quartet

Gathering Blue: Is the Paved Path Always Right For Us?

"Stay on the path, and you shall be safe!" That was what Jamison told Kira when she went into the woods, and so is the motto of a lot of people. We could think of the path as the norms and traditions we grew up with. They had been made by the people before us, and so they guaranteed a safe and expected result. Straying away from the path meant that there would be differences and changes. There would be consequences, and the results might be either good or bad.
Life was not easy in Kira’s community. All members of the community were expected to be able to work and contribute. Those who were born with disabilities, would immediately be abandoned and left to die in the fields. When Kira was born a cripple, her mother, Katrina, fought to keep her. As a result, nearly all the other women in their community despised them. Katrina and Kira’s lives were lonely and hard. However, Katrina’s action would bring about a significant impact for the future of their community.

Katrina’s a talented weaver. She once worked as a weaver to fix the Singer’s Robe. Every fall, the Singer would wear it when he sings the Song of Ruin, which tells their history. It was one of the most important events in the community. Future events needed to be added to the robe, and for that, the council needed a weaver. Kira's prodigious talents caught the eye of the council, and therefore, killed Katrina and took control of Kira so that they could use her talents for their benefits.

At first Kira was grateful that she was given a chance to live and tried to live up to Jamison, her mentor's, expectations. However, she discovered the dark side of the authorities and the exploitation of talented children. Their talents were cherished, but they were not allowed to create their arts freely. They must follow Jamison’s instructions about what to create. Kira felt limited when asked to weave what Jamison wanted. After much struggle, Kira decided to go against her orders and weave her visions of the future onto the robe. Through this, Kira was able to make a better future for her community.

One of Kira's roommates, Thomas, was also an orphan. Just like Kira, his prodigious talent in carving landed him a spot in the government's quarters after his parent's deaths. He became the Carver of the Singer's Staff, which helped the Singer remembered the parts of the song. He would also carve the future onto the staff. Thomas also felt limited when he carved under Jamison's orders, but unlike Kira, he didn't go against them. He carved the future they wanted.

Even though both Kira and Thomas chose different paths, both ended up leading good lives. Following the societies’ expectations didn’t become a disadvantage for Thomas. However, he didnt make any improvements in his society, while Kira did. She reintroduced blue, which symbolizes love and compassion back into her society. An achievement that none other could do.

In our modern socities, high academic achievements are the ultimate goals because many people think that they will help you get high paying jobs and succeed in life. However, I think that what’s even more important than that is to follow your own passion and be innovative. People who follow their true beliefs and not just adhere to the society’s standards will be inspirational to others. They are the one who will bring new innovations to their companies or societies. Look at some of the world’s greatest innovators, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, both of them didn’t complete their university studies but decided to pursue their passion and their creations changed the world.

People go against the norm because of many reasons. Some don't intentionally go against it. Some aren't comfortable with it or disagree with the norms. Some just don't fit. Whatever the reasons are, as long as we follow our hearts and fight for what we believe in, we will make a difference.

The second book of The Giver quartet

The Giver: An Opinion on Emotions

Turn on the news, and you’ll find a long list of problems in the world. Higher divorce rates, suicides and fights among the streets are just a few of the many problems we have in this world. Nowadays, people are more vocal, thus, they are easily provoked and would react accordingly. Thus, we hear a lot more of conflicts. In The Giver, Jonas’s community tried to get rid of these problems by creating controlled and isolated communities; and alternating human’s character. However, their attempts weren’t permanent and eventually, their troubles resurfaced and they would still need to deal with the root of their problems. In Jonas’s community, everyone’s emotions seemed to be watered down. They don’t display deep emotions. They are also educated to always use precise language to avoid misunderstandings that might result in problems. It’s very clear that they consider emotions as one of the cause of unrest, which is a valid point. People can’t always control their emotions. When there is a problem, sometimes emotions will get in the way of resolving it. Instead of discussing calmly, the involved parties lash out in anger, which resulted in fights.

A very inventive method to understand and deal with emotions is to share and discuss them with others. It was a method that was implemented in Jonas’s community. It is required for every family to have a “Sharing of Feelings”. Everyone is encouraged to share their feelings, and all the members will help to resolve any problematic feelings. This is a good practice, as it helps us understand and deal with our own feelings. Inability to do so, might lead to an individual not being able to function properly. Thus in our world, would require counselling.

Another way Jonas’s society use to control feelings is by a pill. All adults take it every day to suppress emotions. In real life, we also have our own kind of “pills”. They are drugs that psychiatrists use to calm their patients’ emotions. These drugs allow patients with depression and anxiety issues to be able to have a decent life. Most importantly, in Jonas’s community, there is a role called The Receiver of Memory. That chosen one holds selected past memories and emotions, so that others won’t have to. War and starvation were just some of the most unpleasant memories, while some pleasant memories that might invoke vivid emotions were colour and parties. It could seem useful as the society didn’t need to face all those unpleasantness. But it’s only a temporary solution. If anything happens to the Receiver of Memories, all the memories and emotions he or she kept would return to the society, and they wouldn’t be able to cope and the society became chaotic.

The real gist of the problem is that people don’t know how to handle and control emotions well. As we learned in the story, hiding or forgetting feelings and memories that might invoke those particular emotions don’t really work. It’s only a temporary solution. A more permanent and effective ways to deal with emotions is to identify, understand, and accept them. Others are there to help and support you. Nowadays we have counsellors and psychologists who can help guide you to explore your feelings. Unpleasant emotions will always exist. If you can resolve them, they will not cause negative impact on both individual life and the community.