Time to Say Goodbye to Weekends: Starter of the Day

MORNING HAS BROKEN, AND THE SUN IS SLOWLY COMING OUT OF ITS HIDEOUT. WEEKENDS SEEM TO BE RELUCTANTLY PASSING BY, WHEREAS WEEKDAYS HAVE EAGERLY BEEN WAITING FOR US OUTSIDE. LET’S SAY ‘GOODBYE’ TO OUR PILLOW AND SAY ‘HI’ TO OUR WORKSTATION. 


PAGI TELAH MEREKAH, DAN SANG MENTARI SECARA PERLAHAN MULAI KELUAR DARI TEMPAT PERSEMBUNYIANNYA. AKHIR PEKAN SEAKAN ENGGAN UNTUK BERLALU, BERGANTI DENGAN HARI-HARI KERJA YG DENGAN TAK SABARNYA TELAH MENUNGGU KITA DI LUAR; MARI KITA UCAPKAN SELAMAT TINGGAL KEPADA TEMPAT PERADUAN KITA DAN KEMBALI BEKERJA.

Husband vs Wife: The Importance of Having Equilibrium

IT IS MANDATORY FOR WIVES TO PAY RESPECT AND ADHERE TO THEIR HUSBANDS. HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WIVES SHOULD SUBMIT TO EVERY OF THEIR HUSBANDS' BECK AND CALL, AS HUSBANDS ARE NOT THEIR MASTERS, BUT THEIR EQUAL.

SUDAH SELAYAK DAN SEPANTASNYA PARA ISTRI HORMAT DAN PATUH PD SUAMINYA, NAMUN HAL ITU TIDAK SERTA-MERTA BERARTI BAHWA MRK HARUS MENELAN MENTAH2 DAN TUNDUK 100% PADA KEINGINAN SUAMI, KRN SUAMI BUKANLAH MAJIKAN MRK MELAINKAN SEORANG INSAN YG DICIPTAKAN SAMA DAN SEDERAJAT OLEH TUHAN UTK MENDAMPINGI, MENGASIHI DAN MELINDUNGI ISTRI DI BAWAH TULANG RUSUKNYA.

 

Chicken or Egg First?

Glad that finally I am able to answer public curiosity about (and controversy over) a chicken and egg situation as to which of the two existed first and caused the other, and have ultimately landed on a genuine theory of my own. I opine that chicken must have existed first for a reason that God has never created an egg but animal (i.e. on the sixth day), and chicken is one of the animals God has created. Hope I could make myself crystal clear!

Senang bahwa pada akhirnya aku bisa menjawab teka-teki (kontroversi) yang beredar di masyarakat tentang mana yang lebih dulu ada, ayam atau telur, dan berhasil menciptakan teoriku sendiri. Aku berteori bahwa yang terlebih dahulu ada adalah ayam, karena pada hari penciptaan-Nya, Tuhan tidak pernah menciptakan 'telur' tapi ‘binatang’ (yakni pada hari ke-6), dan ayam adalah salah satu binatang yang Tuhan telah ciptakan. Semoga cukup jelas!

How It Feels to be a Father

Those subscribing to the english88_usd mailing list might have once read the following story of mine, but some others might not. Therefore, I guess it will not be a sin for me to share the story with other colleagues as well so that they can grab the moral of the story.

Presenting the story, I do not want my family members to at all times be haunted by our life tragedy (as I may call it) in the past. Rather, I want them to learn from our past experience that, in building an empire, one should not consider a house as a single criteria for their success but also a home, which will color and keep the balance of their life.

To mitigate any adverse psychological impacts on my son, which may arise from the result of publication, I have decided to use a pseudonym, instead of his real name. It is also my intention to write this story in English for the same purpose so that my son will not comprehend the content of the story until he is grown up, understands English and becomes less fragile. Below is the story for you...

Sorry for not staying in touch over the last two weeks, but I just returned from my field break to Yogyakarta yesterday afternoon. I took emergency leave as Henry, my eldest son who is in the 3rd grade of elementary school, suffered from a minor depression.

As you may be aware, I have been working in the Eastern part of Indonesia since years ago, during which I must leave and stay away from my kids and wife. During the first year of assignment, everything was okay as I worked on a 6-week ON and 1-week OFF working roster basis and had a chance to see my family every 6 weeks with air travel fully covered by the Company. Entering the second year, however, I had my working roster switched from 6-week ON and 1-week OFF to 3 month-ON and 2-week OFF. This roster has admittedly caused some hardship, both to me and my family, as it did not allow me to see my family on a frequent basis. Yet, I was left with no option but accept this working condition, considering the fact that it is hard to get a proper job, especially during the global economic crisis like what we are experiencing now.

The hardship became more evident when Henry fell sick. Firstly, he had a high fever, followed by stomach disorder, cough and asthma. My wife took him to a pediatrist for medical treatment. Approximately a week later, following his recovery, all of sudden Henry suffered from such a serious headache that he could hardly bear. The ailing Henry kept on telling his Mom that he missed his Dad much and wanted his beloved father to be around him. Unfortunately, having been assigned to site did not allow me to return home at anytime, whereas my following leave was not due until the upcoming couple of weeks.

Despite his sickness, I tried to be calm on site and waited for his condition to improve. On the third day, however, his psychological condition had even deteriorated. My son was like an absent-minded child. He often walked around in the dining room without any clear intention and changed his clothes on a number of occasions during the day. His strange behaviour seemed to have been beyond his control. This was probably the hardest part I had ever dealt with as my kid was crying for help but I felt myself like being handcuffed and could not do anything other than pray God.  Finally, I decided to take an emergency leave for a couple of days, regardless of whether it was approved or not. Thank God, I was granted two weeks off.

On the way home, the aircraft taking me to Yogyakarta experienced some turbulence, which did trigger my adrenalin. Thank God, it lasted only a few minutes and the pilot could finally take control of and cope with the bad weather. I don't know what would have happened to Henry if something bad had happened to the aircraft I was travelling on.

Reaching home at 9.30 pm, I found Henry falling asleep and my wife keeping vigil beside his bed. I caressed his hair gently to indicate my presence by his side. Beyond my expectation, Henry even wept loudly and I could see tears rolling down on his face. I affectionately put his head on my shoulder and let him cry to express and satisfy his fragile emotion. Just like a film we often watch on TV, Henry then asked me to pinch him on his arm as a proof that he had not been dreaming of seeing his father. I did not think twice to do what he wanted me to do. Nevertheless, it did not automatically hhttp://www.facebook.comeal him.  It took him more than a week to get recovered, and more than two months to get back to normal.

To sum up the occurrence, I am now aware that despite my failure to every time present myself physically by his side, actually I still can remain present emotionally in his heart by establishing and maintaining sound and intensive communication with him (and the rest of my family members, of course), and that’s the point at issue.  Once again, I thank God for being with me on the way home. I believe Henry would not have got recovered if he had not seen me (unless God has determined otherwise). It really is the power of love that heals.  Cheers!
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The Meaning of A Deadline

I WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS WORLD WOULD HAVE BEEN IF EVERY SINGLE JOB I HAVE INITIALLY COMMITTED TO UNDERTAKING HAD INVOLVED NO DEADLINE. BUT THEN I WAS SUDDENLY MADE CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THAT GOALS ARE DREAMS WITH DEADLINES. THEREFORE, I TAKE IT AS A NECESSARY STEP THAT I SHOULD WORK WITH DEADLINES.  FOR ME, DEADLINES ARE SOMETHING TO MEET RATHER THAN SOMETHING TO GET RID OF, PROVIDED THAT THEY ARE KEPT RATIONAL


Arti Sebuah Tenggat Waktu


Sempat berangan-angan betapa indahnya dunia ini jika, dalam mengerjakan setiap pekerjaan yang sudah menjadi komitmen awal, kita tdk dikejar-kejar deadline. Namun kemudian aku tersadarkan akan kenyataan bahwa tujuan itu adalah impian yang memiliki batas tenggat waktu. Dari situlah, aku sadar akan pentingnya bekerja dengan deadline. Sejauh itu rasional, bagiku deadline bukanlah sesuatu yang harus dihindari tetapi untuk ditepati. 

Writing vs Translating

There appear to be some contrast differences between writing and translating.

In writing, we have all the freedom to express our ideas through a self-customized language style and grammar, not to mention the use of specific diction & tailor-made jargon. As long as our language is proper, grammatically-correct and meets particular standards, no one will stage a protest against us. We also reserve the right to bring and invite readers to come to our world, which is exceptionally wide and borderless. We can exercise our freedom to pursuade and convince other people of our opinion, and finally land on an agreement with us. In other words, we are the master and the architect of our piece of writing.

In translation, however, we have to stick to the original idea the writer would like to express and convey. We are inclined to be treated like a slave. However, there should be no complaint about it as it is the reason why we get paid. Being a translator, we have no option but follow wherever our master wants us to go, even if we have to go to hell. We have no bargaining position to decide on which places we are going to visit. Neither do we have the rights to intervene nor to edit our master’s piece of works.

Yet, I like being both the master and the slave, as they are my self-actualization and way of life.

My Profile

Translator’s Profile

ABOUT ME

The translator is an S1 graduate (bachelor) from Sanata Dharma Teacher’s Training Institute of Yogyakarta (now Sanata Dharma University) in 1994, majoring in English. While he was a student, he found Writing and Structure his most favourite subjects. No wonder, he had a great talent in these two language fields. To sharpen his expertise, he joined a local English Journal Forum called DIALOGUE, where he became one of the editorial staff members working closely with and under the supervision of competent English Native Speakers, while at the same time serving as a contributor for the magazine.

Upon completing his studies, he began his career as an editor for Yayasan Obor Indonesia (owned by Mochtar Lubis, the Late) in Jakarta. Not satisfied with the challenge given and due to the less demanding environment, he decided to move to Kalimantan where he worked as Translation Consultant for a gold mining company called PT Kelian Equatorial Mining (A Member of the Rio Tinto Group) under the Indonesia Australia Language Foundation (IALF) of Jakarta. Being assigned to a secluded island and remote area did not stop his ambition from becoming a professional in his field. In this place, he even began to find his comfort zone where he could make his ambition come true.


Unfortunately, after seven (7) years of service with the Company and in line with the mine closure program, he had to leave the Organization. Invensys Railway System Australia (IRSA) and PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PT NNT) are the last two (2) large companies he had once worked for, before he decided to work as a freelance consultant at PT International Nickel Indonesia (A Member of the Vale Group) under the flag of Wisma Bahasa Yogyakarta.


ROLE PROFILE

In his position, the translator is responsible for undertaking any day-to-day translations assigned to him by the clients. His numerous responsibilities and duties include, but are not limited to, the extensive translation, editing and proofreading of technical, legal and business documents in both English and Indonesian. The translator also serves as a single entry point of, and a QC (Quality Control) personnel for, any translations undertaken by external parties before they are ultimately released and submitted to Users so that accuracy and timeliness will at all times be maintained in a thorough and professional manner.


The translator’s continual contact with, and extensive exposure to, documents relevant to the mining industry in particular, and day-to-day translation in general, has afforded him a very good understanding of the global translation requirements, especially to cope with the more increasingly demanding environment as it is nowadays.


CONTACT DETAILS

I can be reached at judy_kem@yahoo.com.

Self-Words of Wisdom - Kata-kata Bijak Diri

FROM A PROFOUND THOUGHT, AN IDEA IS BORN; FROM AN IDEA, CREATIVITY IS BORN; FROM CREATIVITY, SOMEONE’S DREAM WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO REALITY, AND FROM REALITY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO TELL OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT OUR EXISTENCE. EXISTENCE IS WHAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SURVIVE IN THIS WORLD. LET US ASSURE THE WORLD THAT WE ARE ONE OF THE SURVIVORS WHO CAN TRANSLATE OUR THOUGHT, IDEA & CREATIVITY INTO A CONCRETE ACTION. Dari hasil permenungan diri yang mendalam, lahirlah suatu gagasan; dari gagasan, lahirlah kreativitas; dari kreativitas, mimpi seseorang akan menjadi kenyataan, dan dari kenyataan yang ada, kita bisa memproklamirkan kepada dunia tentang eksistensi kita. Eksistensi adalah hal yang kita butuhkan untuk bisa bertahan hidup di dunia ini. Marilah kita buktikan kepada dunia bahwa kita adalah salah satu penguasa planet yang mampu mengejawantahkan hasil permenungan, gagasan & kreativitas menjadi suatu tindakan nyata.  www.facebook.com