You age well,
darling, like wine
I've no choice
but to dwell,
darling, so fine
you are so fine
Alas!
this fondness
is for you to quell,
darling, be mine
be mine
be mine
be mine
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
To Be or To Not Be
To start or to not start
To go forward or to stay still
To know or to not know
To say or to be silent
To explain or to not explain
To share or to keep
To try or to not try
To get hurt or to avoid
To live or to not live
To be happy or to not be happy
To be or to not be,
for I am on the brink
of collapsing.
To go forward or to stay still
To know or to not know
To say or to be silent
To explain or to not explain
To share or to keep
To try or to not try
To get hurt or to avoid
To live or to not live
To be happy or to not be happy
To be or to not be,
for I am on the brink
of collapsing.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Rambling
During the detour from pursuing my further study, I slowly lost my will to fight. I was not sure whether I should pursue it after all... I mean, I function just fine with my freelance work (except for days when I have no job order = no money). I actually enjoy translating movies and book, especially since I act as the boss/team leader of a small freelance translator group in a movie translation project. It is basically a combination of my favorite things: movies, translating, freelance work, good pay, and being in charge! However, I resigned from my office job partly because I wanted to pursue my Master's degree. I must not let it go to waste, mustn't I?
The truth is, I was on the verge of letting everything go and giving up on it. To my surprise, I kept going forward, as in I took the IELTS test... I contacted my lecturer who are studying Creative Writing abroad... I asked my goal-oriented, organized friend for an advice to stay on track... I scheduled my weeks for Googling and researching... and I did it all when I felt hopeless the most. I guess that just shows how truthfully, I do not want to let this go.
Fortunately, it turns out to be a good thing in the end. Now that I am already too involved in this, almost everything keeps me on track. For instance, I put off doing my essay for a scholarship because I find it too ambitious even for me, but apparently... to get my thesis advisor's recommendation letter, I still need to write the essay. Since I have already talked to her about it, I can't just retreat and forget the whole thing. Now I have to seriously work for it.
Hap hap hap!
Thursday, July 28, 2016
IELTS at IALF Jakarta #3
Writing
I like writing, and I enjoy familiarizing myself with many kinds of texts. Unfortunately, I have to admit that writing Academic text is not my strongest trait in the Writing universe. Therefore, the main reason I took this course was, actually, to learn more about the Writing section. This section was something completely new to me that even the concept of it was scary. English is not my native language, there are more rules in academic texts, and I did not know what would the test be like. Well, Andrew Smith once wrote "People fear what they don't understand", so now I'm here to share what I now know in order to (hopefully) help decrease that fear a bit!
Like other sections, you have one hour to finish it. There are exactly two passages you have to finish: the first one is 150 words long and usually based on a graph/map/process picture, while the second one is 250 words long, answering a question regarding your opinion. Anyway, I will not discuss the passages in this post because you can see the examples of the passages in common IELTS books. Instead, I'd love to share what I believe are important in the Writing section.
The first one, of course, you have to organize your ideas. During the one hour, spare approximately five minutes before starting with each passage. Try to list your main ideas. They do not have to be strictly followed, but it can help you see the key points you want to highlight in your writings. As a result, you can write your paragraphs more easily. The first passage usually consists of more or less three paragraphs whereas I like to make the second passage five paragraphs. For the second passage, you must always write the introduction and conclusion paragraphs (although sometimes, one introduction and one concluding sentences are enough). This does not apply to the first passage, where you can choose whether to write an overview (at the beginning of the passage) or the conclusion (at the end of the passage).
Second, you have to pay attention to your sentences. There are several things which can make your writing better, as told by my teachers and based on my experience. Those things include: (1) writing in both active and passive sentences, since it helps add variety to your passage as well as showcases your English understanding; (2) using which, where, who, whom, and when to help adding complex sentences, which brings up your score if used correctly; (3) making sure your subject-verb agreement is correct, which is a basic requirement even in simple sentences; and (4) making sure the tenses you use are correct, which includes understanding the time frame.
Third, also important is paraphrasing. You see, in the Writing sections, there are instructions/questions which basically give you the theme/topic of your writings. If you are confused about the introduction/overview, you can use those instructions/questions to help you with it. However, do not write it as it is; you have to paraphrase it. Do not copy the instruction/question word-by-word. Instead, change the sentence structure and use synonyms. This is important, not only in the IELTS Test Writing section, but also in any kind of academic texts.
Writing is not like mathematics, as in you do not get the exact correct number if you do the counting a certain way. Writing means formulating your own potion of words; there is a different mix for each one. Therefore, there is no guarantee that what you write in the test will get a perfect score. For instance, I have taken the IELTS test and I believed my Writing section was the best I had done so far (compared to the practices I did in class). I thought I did everything right, but it turned out the score was less than my expectation. I did not know where it went wrong, whether it was too simple, or probably there were some grammar mistakes... but at least I must have paid attention to the things I mentioned above because the result was still enough.
I have a lot to say about the Writing section because I think we, Indonesians, are not so accustomed to writing. As an ex-English teacher, I know that students these days are more fluent in speaking English than writing in English because they are more exposed to English conversation than English texts. This phenomenon does not only occur among teenagers, but also among my peers. Even my lecturer once complained that postgrad students had terrible writing skills. Therefore, I know how hard this section can be for us. Even I wrote this post with the help of Grammarly, which checks my grammar and pronunciation (highly recommended, Readers!).
Anyway, that's all I can say about what I think are important to note. I hope you enjoy reading this, despite the more serious tone compared to the two previous posts about the IELTS Test, as well as it is helpful for you! And, really, don't forget to pratice, practice, and pratice. As they say, practice makes perfect! (Trust me, it worked on my Listening section).
Till next time!
Like other sections, you have one hour to finish it. There are exactly two passages you have to finish: the first one is 150 words long and usually based on a graph/map/process picture, while the second one is 250 words long, answering a question regarding your opinion. Anyway, I will not discuss the passages in this post because you can see the examples of the passages in common IELTS books. Instead, I'd love to share what I believe are important in the Writing section.
The first one, of course, you have to organize your ideas. During the one hour, spare approximately five minutes before starting with each passage. Try to list your main ideas. They do not have to be strictly followed, but it can help you see the key points you want to highlight in your writings. As a result, you can write your paragraphs more easily. The first passage usually consists of more or less three paragraphs whereas I like to make the second passage five paragraphs. For the second passage, you must always write the introduction and conclusion paragraphs (although sometimes, one introduction and one concluding sentences are enough). This does not apply to the first passage, where you can choose whether to write an overview (at the beginning of the passage) or the conclusion (at the end of the passage).
Second, you have to pay attention to your sentences. There are several things which can make your writing better, as told by my teachers and based on my experience. Those things include: (1) writing in both active and passive sentences, since it helps add variety to your passage as well as showcases your English understanding; (2) using which, where, who, whom, and when to help adding complex sentences, which brings up your score if used correctly; (3) making sure your subject-verb agreement is correct, which is a basic requirement even in simple sentences; and (4) making sure the tenses you use are correct, which includes understanding the time frame.
Third, also important is paraphrasing. You see, in the Writing sections, there are instructions/questions which basically give you the theme/topic of your writings. If you are confused about the introduction/overview, you can use those instructions/questions to help you with it. However, do not write it as it is; you have to paraphrase it. Do not copy the instruction/question word-by-word. Instead, change the sentence structure and use synonyms. This is important, not only in the IELTS Test Writing section, but also in any kind of academic texts.
Writing is not like mathematics, as in you do not get the exact correct number if you do the counting a certain way. Writing means formulating your own potion of words; there is a different mix for each one. Therefore, there is no guarantee that what you write in the test will get a perfect score. For instance, I have taken the IELTS test and I believed my Writing section was the best I had done so far (compared to the practices I did in class). I thought I did everything right, but it turned out the score was less than my expectation. I did not know where it went wrong, whether it was too simple, or probably there were some grammar mistakes... but at least I must have paid attention to the things I mentioned above because the result was still enough.
I have a lot to say about the Writing section because I think we, Indonesians, are not so accustomed to writing. As an ex-English teacher, I know that students these days are more fluent in speaking English than writing in English because they are more exposed to English conversation than English texts. This phenomenon does not only occur among teenagers, but also among my peers. Even my lecturer once complained that postgrad students had terrible writing skills. Therefore, I know how hard this section can be for us. Even I wrote this post with the help of Grammarly, which checks my grammar and pronunciation (highly recommended, Readers!).
Anyway, that's all I can say about what I think are important to note. I hope you enjoy reading this, despite the more serious tone compared to the two previous posts about the IELTS Test, as well as it is helpful for you! And, really, don't forget to pratice, practice, and pratice. As they say, practice makes perfect! (Trust me, it worked on my Listening section).
Till next time!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Only As Much
Deliver it by mail
Or deliver it by speech
Or deliver it by codes
Or maybe you'd prefer
To deliver it by look
These words had to be delivered
They had to fall on your lap
Bless you with a slap
That says
Permission is not granted
For you to get away
Like nothing ever happened
And rather than aesthetic
I choose my poison plain
Since I can only say as much
There are days like this...
...when I want to just give up.
On love.
Goals.
Life.
Days like this come right after days that feel right.
Days that feel bright.
Perfect.
Joyful.
They just come and burn
Things that I thought were mine.
That I thought were safe.
Sound.
They leave me with ashes.
They leave me unchecked.
They leave me broken and wounded and everything sad
and that is why.
On days like this
I want to just give up.
On possibilities.
On love.
Goals.
Life.
Days like this come right after days that feel right.
Days that feel bright.
Perfect.
Joyful.
They just come and burn
Things that I thought were mine.
That I thought were safe.
Sound.
They leave me with ashes.
They leave me unchecked.
They leave me broken and wounded and everything sad
and that is why.
On days like this
I want to just give up.
On possibilities.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Merindu Buku Tertutup
Hai. Selamat pagi. Kamu terlihat bagus dengan baju itu. Ini sebungkus rokok yang kamu pesan. Tidak, rambutmu terlihat baik-baik saja. Jangan khawatir. Tidak ada yang aneh dengan rambutmu. Tidak, kamu tidak boleh merokok, tapi karena ini mobilmu, jadi semua terserah padamu. Aku cemas perjalanan ini akan banyak diisi dengan diam. Aku benar-benar tidak tahu akan membicarakan apa denganmu.
Ternyata kekhawatiranku tidak beralasan. Aku lupa kamu adalah orang yang punya segudang hal untuk dibicarakan. Kamu, orang yang dilahirkan untuk berada di atas panggung; bahkan jika panggung itu hanya memiliki satu penonton. Aku. Kamu pikir kita cocok menjadi penyiar radio? Kadang aku bertanya-tanya apa kamu menyadari tatapan orang terhadap kita. Apa kamu memikirkan hal yang sama denganku. Apa kamu juga sadar teman-temanku akan diam-diam mensyukuri kita semobil, akan menyadari aku senang berdua denganmu. Apa yang ada dalam pikiranmu?
Kamu lapar? Kita harus mencari tempat sarapan dulu. Silakan saja berhenti di Rest Area itu. Aku tidak lapar, tapi aku haus. Baiklah, aku akan menunggu di toko kelontong. Sudah? Sudah siap mencari makan? Kamu mau roti Starbucks? Tidak? Bagaimana dengan roti di toko kelontong? Kamu tidak mau roti? Mungkin mau beli gorengan? Oh, kamu mau mie ayam. Silakan saja beli. Aku tidak lapar. Minuman ini untukku? Lihat betapa berubahnya kamu sejak empat atau lima tahun lalu kita saling mengenal. Apa kamu sadar betapa manisnya yang kamu lakukan ini?
Mari kita berangkat lagi. Aku tidak tahu kenapa aku membicarakan dia. Tadinya ini pembicaraan yang menyenangkan, tapi kamu membuatnya menjadi seperti sidang bagiku. Kamu benar, aku memang menjadikan dia tolak ukur. Kamu benar, aku merasa rendah diri darinya. Kamu benar, meski berat bagiku untuk mengakui itu. Apalagi terhadapmu. Haruskah kamu mengatakan itu? Haruskah kamu memaparkan aku pada perasaan-perasaan buruk yang ingin aku kubur? Aku tahu ini caramu untuk membangkitkan semangatku. Tapi itu pukulan yang keras bagiku karena kamu tidak tahu bagaimana perasaan itu bermula.
Oh, hai. Halo. Senang rasanya bertemu orang lain, tapi jangan berjalan lebih dulu. Aku ingin tetap bersamamu. Tapi aku juga tidak mau terlihat terlalu lengket denganmu. Kurasa itu sebabnya aku terus mendebatmu.
Aku mau pulang. Sungguh, tidak harus denganmu, tapi barang-barangku ada di mobilmu. Kalau kamu masih mau bersama yang lain, aku sungguh tidak apa-apa. Lihat? Seseorang bahkan menawariku pulang bersamanya. Aku tidak apa-apa. Baiklah, kamu juga mau pulang. Aku perlu pulang sekarang. Aku harus pergi lagi. Kamu kapan mau pulang? Apa lebih baik aku pulang sendiri? Tidak? Baiklah, kalau begitu, ayo pulang sekarang. Aku mendapati debat denganmu ini lucu. Tapi aku sungguh harus pulang. Baik, ayo pulang sekarang.
Untuk apa, tanyamu? Aku membawa tas besar ini karena kukira tidak mungkin kamu mau langsung pulang. Aku sudah siap pulang naik kereta. Tapi terima kasih sudah mengantarku pulang. Kurasa kamu memang berbeda. Perasaanku terhadapmu memang berbeda daripada yang kurasakan untuk mereka. Tapi... bagaimana? Kamu adalah buku yang sudah kututup bertahun-tahun lalu. Aku rindu. Sangat rindu. Aku merindukan semuanya darimu. Tapi membuka kembali buku yang sudah tertutup mengundang sakit. Apa kamu sepadan dengan sakitnya?
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