Angie at Kindergarten

Angie waktu mengikuti kegiatan hari Kartini ketika TK, tahun 1996, probably, I am not sure. Aku sendiri yang ndandanin, so maklum kalo dandanannya gak karuan. LOL. Tapi, toh, Angie tetap IMUT kan? hahahaha ...

Angie and Vonny

Ini adalah foto Angie ketika dia ikut lomba tahun 2001. Aku sendiri sudah lupa tajuk lombanya, hehehe ... Sebagai juara umum, piala dan hadiah diserahkan oleh Vonny, salah satu personil dari grup musik Bening. Sekarang aku sendiri tidak tahu apakah Vonny masih ikut dalam grup musik Bening ataukah tidak; apakah kegiatan dia akhir-akhir ini. Tapi, waktu itu, Angie bangga sekali berfoto bersama Vonny sebagai juara umum lomba itu. LOL.

Saturday, 26 Agustus 2006

Telah beberapa minggu aku tidak nulis di sini. Beberapa alasan untuk itu.
1. Aku sendiri ga punya ide untuk nulis apa tentang Angie. LOL. Mungkin karena aku terlalu sibuk sehingga aku tak sempat memperhatikan apa-apa yang dia lakukan, ataupun ceritakan. Well, tentu saja kita tetap sering cerita-cerita, Angie tetap sering curhat ke aku. Tapi berhubung aku sendiri sibuk, maka tak ada waktulah bagiku untuk coret-coret sesuatu tentang Angie.
2. Blogger.com sulit kuakses akhir-akhir ini ketika aku ke warnet. :(
2. Blogger.com juga sulit kuakses dari komputer di kantor. :(
Hari ini aku pengen nulis sesuatu di sini, but apa ya yang akan kutulis tentang Angie? Kayaknya nggak ada deh. LOL. Kegiatan sekolahnya biasa-biasa aja. Tiap pagi aku ngantar dia ke sekolah. Pulang sekolah dia biasa naik angkot dengan teman-temannya. Kecuali hari Senin dan Rabu ketika dia langsung kursus Bahasa Inggris di LIA, tempatku kerja (so, dia gratis!!! LOL.), kita pulang besama. :)
Satu hal. Hari ini dia mulai ulangan harian sekolah, or whatever it is called. LOL. Dia sempat komplain tadi malam, "Ulangan kok tetap ada pelajaran biasa. Payah deh." LOL.
Selama dia sekolah, ulangan, ataupun ujian, aku tidak pernah memantau belajarnya. Aku anggap dia telah cukup dewasa untuk menentukan pada dirinya sendiri apakah dia perlu belajar ekstra atau cukup mengerjakan pe-er dari sekolah. Berapa nilai yang ingin dia dapatkan dari ulangannya. Kalau ingin bagus, it means she has to study hard. Kalo cukup dengan nilai yang biasa-biasa aja, ya go ahead. Aku berikan kebebasan penuh padanya. I know one thing, though, she is smart, but not really a hard worker. LOL. Niru sapa yah? hahahahaha ... Cuma ngeliat dari ketidakseriusannya belajar, dia jelas tidak ngikut aku dulu. hahahahaha ... Aku dulu (sewaktu SMA) lebih rajin dibanding dia. Hahahaha ...
Well, kita lihat aja nanti hasil ulangan hariannya. LOL.

Angie's experience dealing with boys :)

Well, I am not sure if Angie will let me write this topic here. LOL. Hope she doesn't mind. LOL.
In junior high school, she started to have a crush on a boy "seriously". Seriously? LOL. She had courage to "shoot" this boy too. LOL. Wow ... And the boy accepted it. Since then on, oftentimes they communicated via mobile phone (short messages) on Saturday evening. Angie seemed so happy at that time. :)
Not long after that, they broke up, without clear reason. Well, I didn't really know. And it is a very common thing to do, so I let it go like that. But from Angie's expression when she told me about RM, that boy, I knew that Angie still liked him.
Some time later (I was still in Yogya at that time), out of the blue, Angie told me, "Mama ... Angie jadian sama RZ..." Nah lo ... with another boy? LOL.
Different from RM, the shy boy, RZ is very confident. He kept messaging Angie almost everyday, (not only on Saturday evening) although they met at school everyday. I knew it made Angie bored easily. LOL. And I know in the deep of her heart, Angie still liked RM.
AFter graduating from junior high, Angie wanted to continue her study in the same school with RM.
Unexpectedly, they even were in the same class!
Unexpectedly (again, LOL) RM became so ignorant to Angie. My analysis was that he was a shy boy and he didn't feel comfortable if all the classmates know about their 'record' that they used to be close. However, to Angie, she feels that RM dislikes her very much. Of course it made Angie very unhappy. Moreover, suddenly RM becomes one favorite boy at school, compared to when they were in junior high school no other girl had a crush on him!!! LOL.
Last night, I told Angie, "In our life, sometimes we need to experience to face disappointment, to undergo heartache or broken-heart. It will even make us more mature in facing this life. Time will answer our recent question, honey. After time goes by, we will know whether RM really has a crush on another girl or in fact he still has that special feeling to you; whether you will be always trapped to your special feeling to him or you will find another more adorable boy. Just be patient with this disappointment now."
Angie was speechless. But I hope that she will always believe in whatever I say to her; just like when she was a little. "Whatever Mom says is right." LOL.

My lovely Angie

Today is my birthday. 

Early in the morning, before going to school, while she was preparing herself to go to school, and I was preparing to take her to school, suddenly she came to me, shook my hand, and said, "Happy birthday, Mama... Hope you will have a long life, more blessings from God, and others, up to you." LOL. Then she kissed both of my cheeks.

FYI, today she went to school early, at 6am. There was one additional class she had to attend. And you know what? English class. LOL. Unbelievable, is it? LOL. She had to take an additional English class because she got a bad score in the test the last time. LOL. 

I haven't decided yet what to do tonight, to celebrate my birthday with my lovely star.

 

After Angie going camping

Last Sunday, August 6, 2006, I was restless waiting for Angie to contact me to pick her up. She told me that she would come back in the morning. I was all ready to pick her up, anytime. I didn't go swimming though I love it a lot, and I usually do this hobby every Sunday coz I was waiting for her coming.
At last around 11.35, she sent me a message asking me to pick her up at school.

When she arrived, she looked so tired, dirty, messy, and I greeted her, "Goodness, my daughter looks ugly, huh?" LOL.

Arriving home, she asked me to prepare her lunch and a glass of iced tea. She was spoilt, eh? LOL.
At first, she didn't talk a lot about her experience during camping. it seems to me that her experience at Bantir was not really exciting for her.

Anyway, I love to see her coming back safe and sound. LOL. 

Then, I found out that she was a bit jealous coz out of the blue, many girls have a crush on RM, the boy she likes very much. LOL. 

She complained to me, "When we were at junior high school, he was just an ordinary boy, not famous at all, not the favorite of many girls. I was the only who had 'sharp eyes' to see him cute besides smart. And now suddenly, many girls like him!!!" LOL.

Angie seemed broken-hearted at that time. 

Oh ... teenagers ... 

She will have a very long life, she will find many boys in her life later. Perhaps she will fall in love with many other boys in the future (not just one or two. LOL.) It is okay to me. LOL.

Acceleration Program

Some days ago Angie told me about her friend’s problem. Her parents forced her to take acceleration program but she herself was not willing to do that. 

If I am not mistaken since four years ago, Indonesia has applied acceleration programs at school. Elementary school level that usually covers six years of study will only need four years for those who take acceleration program. Junior high school level will only need two years that normally takes three years. Senior high school level also applies the same thing.

Not all schools offer acceleration programs for the students. It is understandable if only good schools get the permission from the government to have this program. 

A child normally needs 12 years to cover elementary, junior, and senior high school. If he/she starts going to elementary school when he/she 6 years old (recently there is a requirement that a child is at least 6 years old to start going to elementary school), he/she will be 18 years old when graduating from senior high school and then continue to a higher education—college/university. 

I don’t really know the significance of the government to have acceleration program. To cut the time needed to study only? A child will only need 8 years to finish from elementary school until senior high school. He/she will be around 14 years old to continue to college. If he/she needs four years to finish the bachelor’s degree, he/she will be 18 years old. What is the next step? Normally, he/she will look for a job. To continue to a higher degree, such as master’s degree until doctorate’s degree is not widely spread yet in Indonesia. Many people feel it enough already to have a bachelor’s degree. Compared to around three decades ago, graduating from senior high school only was enough to look for a job.
To join acceleration program, there are a series of tests that must be followed by a student: besides tests on some major subjects (Physics, Biology, Mathematics, English, etc), a student must reach a certain IQ, take an aptitude test, psycho test, and some other things. The school fee is also much more expensive compared to the students who take the usual program. 

And as usual, when a parent forces his/her child to join such a program, I am of opinion that it is only for the parent’s prestige (that he/she has a very smart, also that he/she can afford to pay the high school fee). It is different if the child himself/herself wants to take it. As a parent, of course, we must support that. 

Coming back to Angie’s friend’s problem—her parents forced her to join the acceleration program, I told Angie this whole history (what is the significance of joining such a program? What benefits for the student to get?) Okay when she finishes senior high school at a younger age compared to the others, the parents feel proud of that. but then what? From my experience so far, people will not pay attention to someone’s age when graduating from a college then looking for a job. Many other people look for a job only after graduating from senior high school. And from my observation so far, it is not a guarantee that someone graduating from college will always get a better job/position compared to those who just graduate from senior high school. 

PT56 10.53 080806

Angie going camping 3

I slept well last night. It means that I was not really worried about Angie who is still going camping. I know tents are not really comfortable places to lie down. But her being with her school friends will make Angie not really complain about it. 

However, before sleeping, I miscalled her. When she picked it up, I hang it up. :) Then, I messaged her whether she was still awake and what she was doing with her friends, whether she really ate the rice and its friends for the dinner. LOL. She didn't reply the message though. I assumed that she was already sleeping then. 

This morning, around 06.00 I messaged her asking how her sleep was, how cold the weather was there coz Bantir is popular for its cool weather. She just told me that she had to sleep in one tent together with some friends so that she didn't get really enough space. One positive thing though, she didn't feel cold then. :) She also told me some programs she would do with her friends.

Around 11.00 I messaged her again. Instead of getting her nice response, she said, "Mama, I am okay here, and have some fun with my friends. Don't worry about me. I will tell you the whole experience after I go home. Don't waste our credit now."

LOL. What an economical daughter. LOL.

JDC 17.14 050806

Angie going camping 2

Friday, August 4, 2006

I took Angie to her school around 13.30 this afternoon. Before leaving, she asked me, "Mom ... will you stay until all of us leave?"

Honestly, I was surprised to hear that. I thought that she would just ask me to drop her by, then I would go to my workplace.

Then, she went on, "The last time when I went on vacation with my junior high school friends, and you were in Yogya, dad just dropped me be at school, and directly left me. So, when we were leaving, the other students beckoned to anybody there, their parents, family members, or whoever. Me? I had nobody to beckon."

Ups ... I felt so touched, so I said yes to her want.

Angie and I arrived in her school around 13.30. It was very crowded. The school yard was full of the buses that would take the students to Bantir, the campsite. There were also very many parents, family members, friends of the students who were about to go camping. Not long after that, Angie disappeared in the middle of the crowd.

When time showed 13.45, I didn't feel comfortable coz I had a class at 14.00. So, I was looking for her in the crowd. I found her. Then I told her sadly that I had to leave, no time to say goodbye and beckon to her while they depart. Guess what Angie said? "Go ... Mom ... go!!! I am fine here."

Ups ... LOL.

Before leaving her, I kissed her both cheeks and forehead and said, "Take good care of yourself, honey!" 

Then I left for my workplace.

Arriving at the office, I told a workmate there. He laughed very loudly hearing me say so. LOL.

Oh kids ... LOL.

Angie going camping

Thursday August 3, 2006

 
I finished teaching at 7pm today. I promised Angie to buy her some things she needs for camping. On August 4-6 2006 she is going camping to Bantir, a camping location oftentimes visited by high school students. It is located not quite far from Semarang. It takes about one hour by bus.

When I was in junior and senior high school, my parents never let me go camping.  I was very unhappy of course but I couldn’t do anything. I know their forbidding me to go camping coz they loved me and were worried if something wrong happened to me. But still I was very unhappy, disappointed, and upset. So??? Until now I never have any experience to go camping.

This bitter experience makes me think differently from my parents. I always let Angie go camping with her school friends. I know I can trust Angie to take care of herself well. Besides having fun to do that with her friends, Angie can also learn to be independent.

Yesterday, Angie just got period; one thing that really upset her. Going camping when getting period is really unfavorable. A workmate of mine said to me, “Don’t you think you had better not let her go? I heard some bad things happen to those going camping in that place; mostly some people get in a trance by spirits entering their bodies.” And I got confused whether to let Angie go camping this time or not. When I talked about this possibility—Angie not going camping—to her, she looked very disappointed. My reason to her was that it would be very uncomfortable for her to go camping when she gets period. Teenagers like her oftentimes get stomachache, besides, of course Angie cannot easily wash her panties when she has to change them, etc.

But then, I came to the conclusion that she can go camping. She is bigger than some years ago when I let her go camping. Nothing to worry about, is it? And when Angie goes home, and talks about her exciting experience during the camping, I will be very happy to listen to her. Besides, I can enjoy my being alone, being an individual Nana, not a mother, for some days. LOL. People always need some time to be alone, don’t they?

PT56 21.37 030806