Great Leader, Great Characteristics

As social human beings, we definitely do not live alone but in groups. And every group of people, or let's say, every community or organization must need a person to lead the others in their surroundings, which is normally called as leader. A leader is not only responsible of leading and guiding the members and taking care of them, but also a "role model" the members would look up to. This means one should has good characteristics to be a good leader in order to lead the organization well, some of them are commitment, good communication skill, honesty, trusty, and wisdom.

First of all, commitment. Without good commitment, a leader won't be able to lead well. A strong commitment is needed to make the leader being loyal to the organization. If a leader's commitment is just too weak, means that he/she isn't that loyal, how can he/she lead and guide the members to have good commitment and be loyal to the organization as well?

Second, it is certainly necessary for a good leader to be good at communicating with others, especially with the members. It will make the relationship between leader and members become closer and friendlier, and it is very helpful to build stronger kinship in the organization that will make the people in it feel more comfortable.

Honesty is super important characteristic ones should have, especially for someone who wants to be a good leader. When a leader is responsible to a group of people, he/she obviously has that one goal to change the group or organization to be better than before. And in the progress, you reflect your members and the organization as well. So, if you make honest one of the "key" for it, then the members will follow suit.

Trusty doesn't only mean that a leader must be able to be trusted, but it does also mean that a leader must trust his/her team. If a leader divide the group into small groups where each small group has its own function, then a leader should be able to delegate the organization's tasks to the appropriate "small part" of the group. It will be very organized and efficient, but if the leader doesn't learn to trust others, it might obstruct the progress of the tasks to be done, or even worse; the leader might be stressed by this condition and cause the organization to start having problems.

And the last one is about wisdom. Of course, a good leader is the wise one. In every group of people, there must be problems. A leader's responsibility, in this case, is to decide the best solution to solve it. Imagine if someone, as a leader, doesn't that wise to decide things, how would they be able to solve their problems? Wisdom is also needed to build justice between the people in it. And if a leader is wise, the members will respect him/her, won't they?

In brief, to be a good leader, someone should have at least those characteristics that are explained above because the characteristics reflect the whole organization someone leads. If you behave good then the group you lead will also be good, and vice versa. It obviously means other people can see what kind of human being you are. So, having good characteristics since today is absolutely necessary because even though you have no chance to lead a group of people, at least you become the leader of your own self.

References:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/

https://www.google.co.id/search?q=leadership+quotes&rlz=1C1UXZO_enID490ID490&espv=2&biw=1024&bih=537&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMI3b6b_vvnxwIVxSmUCh0m6AD0#imgrc=LdxjlL9tsB9AOM%3A

Medina Savira: Keep Writing while Making School as No. 1 Priority

Young, smart, talented, and humble; those words are the right ones to describe her, I think. I have actually been admiring her since the first time I knew that she's a writer, which brought my interest to interview her for this blogging task.

This interview was begun by my greeting for her through LINE on Sunday evening. Firstly, I told her that I got this task to interview someone I found inspiring, so I asked her whether I could interview her or not; if she didn't mind it, of course. And... fortunately she said yes!

Since she said so, then I started the short virtual interview with her.

First of all, I asked about when and how she started to write. Then, she answered, "I have started to write books since I was 10. When I was a 5th grader, my teacher took me to a journalistic training where I met Sri Izzati, a famous, senior children novels (KKPK) writer. There, she told me about how fun it was to be a writer, how to write, and also she introduced me to KKPK (Kecil-Kecil Punya Karya) books. Since then, I started to write short stories. After collecting all of them in a month, I sent them to DAR! Mizan Publisher. Alhamdulillaah, they gave me positive response. That's why I have addicted to write until now, hehe."

This 17-year-old girl has produced 18 books until today. Well, it means she's been very productive during her 7-year career as a writer. I wonder how does she manage her time so well, because she's also an acceleration class' student like me and I thought it'd be hard for her to spend her time for writing during her accelerated study in high school. But, she just simply said that she kept school as her first priority. "I started to write if I've done my school things; finishing my assignments and study. So, I wrote whenever I had free time, like during weekends or school's holiday, for example."

After that, I asked her if she had any plans ahead, whether it'd be writing again or something else. This new student of SAPPK ITB then answered, "I actually have a plan to continue my novel script which was delayed due to the exams preparation. Just wish me luck :)"

Sure, I immediately wished her luck. And for the closing, I would like to quote the words from this 2014 West Java's Students Language Ambassador for her juniors in SMAN 3 Bandung, especially for me and my fellow friends as acceleration class' students. Here it is:

"Although you undergo Kurtilas (Kurikulum 2013), don't make it as a burden. Do not waste your 2 years needlessly (for the accelerated students). Look for new experiences as much as you can, because life lessons will not come from your study at classes, but if you are willing to try new things :)"

So, that's how my short interview with Teh Dina ended. Thanks for being so much inspiring, Teh!

Here is the photo of me and Teh Dina! :)

One Day at Braga Street

I often pass this iconic street, especially when I'm on my way to school. Many people also walk on its sidewalks or just sit on the benches which are placed along the sidewalks; were many of them who like to take some pictures there, too, just to capture every single moment they spent at the beautiful street.

Yes, Braga Street. It is a small street in the center of Bandung, Indonesia, which was famous in the 1920s as a promenade street. Chic cafes, boutiques and restaurants with European ambiance along the street had made the city to attain the Paris of Java nickname. The street starts from a T-junction with the Asia-Afrika Street (or De Groote Postweg during the colonial times) to the north until the city council (Balai Kota), which was formerly a coffee warehouse. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braga_Street)

It is still famous until today, anyway. It has not only some historical buildings, but also its part of street called Braga Andesit since it has andesites used for the road instead of bitumen (asphalt). Unfortunately, this Braga Andesit often gets roadwork because the andesites are not so firm that it's easily broken. This roadwork always cause traffic jam along the street, too.

However, yes, Braga Street has this unique views for me, especially at Braga Andesit. It also has many food stalls and painting outlets. There is also a mall called Braga City Walk (BCW) located at Braga Andesit. Despite not having so much things in it, BCW still quite worth it to visit. Besides foods, you can also watch movies at the cinema with low price! :p There are usually some events held in this street, like Braga Culinary Night and Car Free Night that was held just few weeks ago.

Even though I often pass this road as I said in the beginning... but actually I haven't spent so much time on its sidewalks with its beautiful views, which I'm really waiting for! But, since I hardly have someone to accompany me... would you like to visit Braga Street together with me if you are free? *winks*

PAMAN GOBER 2015

Paman Gober is one of annual events held right after Dewa Athena--SMAN 3 Bandung's sport event--tournament's over. It's an event where all of the school's students and teachers ride bicycles together and plant some trees in certain places at the end of the ride.

This year's Paman Gober was held on May 9th. Most of the students brought their own bicycles; like I did, and some others had to come earlier so that they could borrow the bicycles provided by the committees. That day, I woke up late so I had to get myself prepared in a hurry. I'd decided to ride my bicycle from home to school since the day before anyway, but since I was late so I had to rush to school--well, it's Lapangan Bali to be precise. Lucky me, I arrived there on time. I just needed to wait for few minutes and finally all of us started the bicycle convoy.

We left Lapangan Bali to head to Tegallega. We passed through Belitung St., then we down the Sumatera St. and passed Tamblong and Lengkong Street. The police car which guarded us during the convoy suddenly stopped us before Pungkur-Lengkong intersection. I personally didn't have any idea about it, neither nor my friends. After waiting for quite a while, the polices started to drive their car again, but it turned out that they're heading back to Lapangan Bali since they said that Tegallega was too crowded for us to stop by and take a rest there at that time. So, yeah, we just followed the police car. When we arrived at Sunda Street, our group split in two; some of us were heading back to Lapangan Bali, and some others were going to watch the symbolic trees handover from our committees to the representation of the residents at Buton Street; including me and some of my friends. After that, we finally went back to Lapangan Bali.

There, at Lapangan Bali, the committees gave each of us a box of nasi timbel since it's time for lunch already. My classmates and I sat together and ate our lunch, before we started the final round of Dewa Athena tournament. Our class went to three finals; tug of war, dodgeball for girls, and table tennis. And... guess what??? We finally won all of those finals which brought us to be the 2nd Grand Champion! Yeay, congratulation to us!!

Well, for me, these annual events have given new experiences and it was very exciting as well, though me and my fellow friends who are also acceleration class' students would probably not experience next year's Dewa Athena and Paman Gober... but anyway, thanks to everyone involved in these events this year!! :)

Photo of me and my friends during the bicycle convoy~

Story behind Kelly Clarkson's '"Because of You"

I will not make

The same mistakes that you did

I will not let myself

Cause my heart so much misery

I will not break

The way you did, you fell so hard

I've learned the hard way

To never let it get that far

Because of you

I never stray too far from the sidewalk

Because of you

I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt

Because of you

I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me

Because of you

I am afraid

I lose my way

And it's not too long before you point it out

I cannot cry

Because I know that's weakness in your eyes

I'm forced to fake

A smile, a laugh everyday of my life

My heart can't possibly break

When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you

I never stray too far from the sidewalk

Because of you

I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt

Because of you

I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me

Because of you

I am afraid

I watched you die

I heard you cry every night in your sleep

I was so young

You should have known

Better than to lean on me

You never thought of anyone else

You just saw your pain

And now I cry in the middle of the night

For the same damn thing

Because of you

I never stray too far from the sidewalk

Because of you

I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt

Because of you

I try my hardest just to forget everything

Because of you

I don't know how to let anyone else in

Because of you

I'm ashamed of my life

Because it's empty

Because of you

I am afraid

Because of you

Because of you

"Because of You" is a song recorded by American pop singer Kelly Clarksonfor her second studio album, Breakaway (2004). It was written by Clarkson along with its producers David Hodges and Ben Moody. It was released on August 16, 2005 by RCA Records, as the third single from Breakaway. Clarkson originally wrote "Because of You" when she was 16 years old to cope with the emotional distress caused by her parents' divorce. She wanted the song to be included on her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), but her record label thought that it was not suitable to be included in the album. She then polished the song with Hodges and Moody before successfully convincing her label to include it on Breakaway.

To know about the song's background further, here are some comments from Kelly Clarkson about what inspired her to write "Because Of You" :

“’Because Of You’ isn’t about breakups, it’s about my family. It is about growing up in a broken home. My parents were together for 17 years or so, and then all of the sudden, something went wrong. But I’ve talked to lots of friends who have seen domestic violence in their homes; I didn’t. But if you see those things as a child, you see a family member cheating or people not trusting each other or people not communicating with each other, that effects you. You end up afraid to trust people, because you think you’re going to get screwed over. Me and a friend of mine were up late one night talking about our lives, and it led to this song. I wrote it when I was 16, my friend was having a really hard time with her family. It was a different situation than mine, but I could relate to what she was going through. My parents were together for a long time, and suddenly one thing happens, and it’s over. That could happen to me. It made me feel like, why would I want to open up and trust someone? I know that it’s a childish way to look at it; life is a risk, and anything worth having is worth taking a risk for, but I wrote it when I was 16. I have learned a lot since then. At the same time, it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still relate. I was 6 when my parents got divorced. I used to be the most closed off person. I didn’t want to get hurt. I had been messed over by friends, and I had been through a lot with my family. I didn’t pity myself, but I did put a wall up. I’m smarter now, but I have a good relationship with God, and that’s gotten better over the years. That’s why I’ve gotten smarter about situations. I’m a very trusting person now. I’m not going to let people screw me over left and right, but at the same time I’m not going to close myself off. That’s a big step for me.”

So, in conclusion, in the song, Kelly sings about trying not to make the same mistakes her parents did, and how because of the divorce, she is scared to fall in love, in fear of going through the same pain her parents did.

Hmm, such a really sad love story happened in the family that is implied in the song, isn't  it?

Sources:
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070624182126AAaSP9Z
http://www.metrolyrics.com/because-of-you-lyrics-kelly-clarkson.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Because_of_You_(Kelly_Clarkson_song)
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=5176

The "Door to Hell" are Existed in This World?

"Sometimes, despite our best efforts, scientific pursuits don't always go according to plan. And sometimes, a pit to hell may open up right beneath your feet."

Every man in this world obviously knows where will we go after our death, don't they? Of course, since we were still kids our parents told us stories about the hereafter life; especially about heaven and hell. We have been taught to do good deeds in our lives so that we can go to heaven later and to avoid bad deeds so that we won't go to hell. I am 100% sure none of us want to go to hell because... well, you know how terrifying it is.

However, in this real world, there is a place which can depict how hell actually looks like. That is The Door to Hell and is located in Derweze village, Ahal Province, Turkmenistan. It is in the middle of The Karakum Desert, about 260 kilometres north of Ashgabat. The gas reserve found here is one of the largest in the world. The name "Door to Hell" was given to the field by the locals, referring to the fire, boiling mud, and orange flames in the large crater, which has a diameter of 70 metres. The hot spots range over an area with a width of 60 metres and to a depth of about 20 metres.

Let's read the history about this natural phenomenon. The site was identified by Soviet engineers in 1971. It was thought to be a substantial oil field site. The engineers set up a drilling rig and camp nearby, and started drilling operations to assess the quantity of gas reserve available at the site. As the Soviets were pleased with the success of finding the gas resources, they started storing the gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and disappeared. No lives were lost in the incident. Fearing further release of poisonous gases from the cavern, the engineers decided to burn the gas off. They believed that it would be safer to burn it than to extract it from underground through expensive methods. At that time, expectations were that the gas would burn out within a few weeks, but has continued to burn more than four decades after it was set on fire.

The site is still burning, attracting hundreds of tourists every year, even though Turkmen President, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov issued orders for local officials to find a way to put out the fire, after his 2010 visit to the crater. The president expressed fears that the fire would draw off gas from other nearby drilling sites, damaging Turkmenistan's vital energy exports. The country exports natural gas to Europe, Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. Turkmenistan produced 1.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2010; its Ministry of Oil, Gas, and Mineral Resources published a goal of reaching 8.1 trillion cubic feet by 2030. Impressive though it looks, the Gates of Hell at Derweze seems unlikely to make much of a dent in those sorts of numbers.

So, are you interested in seeing this sort of hell existed in our world?

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door_to_Hell

http://asianhistory.about.com/od/asianenvironmentalhistory/ss/Gates-of-Hell-Derweze-Turkmenistan.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/door-of-hell_n_4311694.html

Let "SpongeCLOCK SPLASHpants" Wake You Up!

Waking up in the morning has been our daily problem before going to school. Yeah, especially for me. It is so hard to set the "biological clock". Perhaps some of us don't suffer this problem, but what about some others who do? Should they let their mothers to yell everyday to wake them up? Well, that is actually what I have every morning. Tiring, isn't it? That is why I imagined about a new cute yet (maybe) quite annoying thing for those who have a difficulty in waking up in the morning. Check it out!

I bet you are familiar with this character. Yes, it is Spongebob Squarepants, one of our favorite character during our childhood, am I right? Haha. But, I won't use its original name for my new thing. I will rename it as "Spongeclock Splashpants" ! OK, don't get confused with it. I will explain it to you.

So, "Spongeclock Splashpants" is an alarm clock, not the ordinary one, of course. Why? Because I have designed it as an alarm clock that has an ability to make the owner wet! Oh, how come?

Here is how it works. This "Spongeclock Splashpants" is made of a kind of sponge (the harder one, to be precise) that is covered by plastic and it will look like a Spongebob Squarepants doll. By its small part of sponge that appears on its surface, it is able to absorb water. The absorbed water are later collected on the inside of its sponge body. In the other hand, we can set the alarm time the same way we do for a normal alarm. Let's say it will be ringing at 5 a.m.. At that time, it will really ring like the other ordinary alarm. People must tend to turn it off since they think its ringing is annoying, so this is the time when this Mr. "Spongeclock Splashpants" works. So, after we turn the alarm off, it will immediately splash the water collected and make us wet. Though only our hand got splashed, but at least we will be shocked and automatically getting up. 

See? This unusual alarm clock is effective enough to wake sleeping beauties up. It costs Rp50,000,- to change your days. Grab this product fast and you will get 50% off! For the first 5 buyers only!

 So, what are you waiting for? Wake up, or get wet?