Month: May 2021

Categories
People

Dalan Mehuli Perangin Angin: From the local ones, to the global ones

Born in Fak-Fak, Papua, and raised in Brebes, Central Java, Mr. Dalan Mehuli Perangin-angin has been quite a nomadent since a very young age. This peculiarity allowed him to be exposed to the diverse perspectives, cultures, and especially, languages from time to time.

While looking back, Mr. Dalan admits that he indeed always favors study languages, especially the local ones. Javanese, Ngapak, Malay Palembang, and Papuan are some of numerous local languages that he is fluent in. 

The USD English Letters’ alumnee shared with us that he was once jokingly aspiring to speak one hundred languages, but precisely, he had never dreamed to be a linguist. His current career is rather a life calling that had never been imagined nor planned before.

At the following year after graduated, the gentleman of Karo descent initiated his career as a research assistant at Jakarta Field Station, Max Planc Institute (a German-based institute which focuses on the language research) which turned out, opened him a new page. His strong interest in linguistic research, allowed him to travel as far as Utretch, Netherlands and Hong Kong, China to pursue his master and doctoral degree in language study accordingly which further assured his path as a linguist. He attained realization during his academic years, that it is crucial for Indonesian ourselves to employ our own certain approach in studying our language, especially in the midst of recurring Eurocentric frameworks which still denotes the study of the local languages.

In Jakarta Field Station, Mr. Dalan started his contribution in a rather contemporary discipline: the documentation of languages. He told us that there are more than 800 languages around the globe that are currently in danger.  In the spher of Indonesia, the languages of Eastern Indonesia or what so called as Non-Austronesian languages or Papuan languages are losing its speakers significantly. Mr. Dalan’s focus is to documentate these endangered languages, so that the future generations could stay in touch with the footprints and preserve the language.  One of the Papuan languages that Mr. Dalan focused in his research is Pagu language, a minority language spoken in Halmahera (Molucca), which proposals later brought him to his doctoral study.

After frequently moving from place to place as a researcher, in 2018, Mr. Dalan decided to settle. He decided to return to the place where he spent the rest of his undergraduate days, The English Letters Department USD, to teach younger students. Being a teacher in our department doesn’t equal leaving the research field for Mr. Dalan. He believes in “Tri Dharma”, that one (an academician) is supposed to hold: pedagogy, research, and community dedication. It was pretty foreign for Mr. Dalan to teach in the classroom at first as his early background is a field researcher, but in the end, the linguist is meant to adapt. He also points out regarding the aspect of contribution that it is indeed as significant as other aspects. Currently, he with other lecturers are planning on the project to do English training for Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Hong.

In correlation with Integrity’s current theme of “Serendipity”, Mr. Dalan is glancing back to his older days, that in the midst of every struggle, one, at the end, could achieve the confidence and success. It is the numerous challenges that made one could encounter a good thing in the end, indeed, with the hardworks of difficult times. He never thought that he would return to Jogja, during his academic journey. He points out that it is important to remain adaptable wherever he goes, including respecting the locals with distinct norms and cultures in different places. In the end, Mr. Dalan wishes the success for every English Letters’ students. He believes that with the background in English language and literature, one could deliver their aspiration and knowledge to the whole world, out there, while it’s also very noteworthy to remain in touch with our local cultures and background. Let’s wish Mr. Dalan every happiness and success in his future endeavour!

Journalist: Nathaniel Alvino R. Prima 

Editor: Michael Tan 

Categories
Book Review Features

The subtle art of not giving a F***

Title: The subtle art of not giving a F*** (Sebuah seni untuk bersikap bodo amat)

Author: Mark Manson

Despite the title, the inside of the book is really the opposite. This book is not about not caring about things, but rather it asks you about what you care about the most and the reason behind it. According to the author himself, this book is about value. He said that he wanted it to be contradictory to the self-help industry. Most of self-help industry assume that your end goal is to have a perfect marriage, have children, live in nice house, etc. Instead, in this book, Mark Manson wants to point out that there are many definition of success and some of them may not be suited for you. He said that the important thing is getting head in life is not just figuring out how to accomplish goals you have, it’s more of asking what goals we should have and what thing we need to care about.

This book is divided into 5 chapters and each chapters of this book gives different value. Every value given by this book is pointing out the theme of this book, which is “negativity is the path to positivity”. The first value given by this book is comfortable for being different. Not caring doesn’t mean you are indifferent, it means that you are just doing something with your own ways. The author, Mark Manson said that if you give an f about nothing, that means you are giving an f about not giving an f, therefore indifferent is impossible. You just need to know what you need to give a f about. The second value is about the problem with happiness. To make it easier to understand, I will give an example about my hobby related to this value. In a game with a lot RNG in general, there are 2 types of player regarding their account. The first one is the one who always be grateful, either for a character, weapon, gear, etc. and the one who never get satisfied. People tend to always find happiness, but what happened when that person reach their goal? Mostly there is nothing, people just find another goal. When you reach your end goal, there are only dead end, but when you keep struggling there you will get more joy. Try to ask yourself “what am I willing to suffer for?” rather than “what do I want to become?” The 3rd value is no one is special. You are not special, he, she, everyone, they are not special, everyone is the same. Mark Manson said that something like ads or social media algorithm is not healthy because it is pushing you to feel you are the most special person. That can make a delusional person think that they are the exception and everything will arrange towards you, that’s what make it socially and mentally not healthy. The 4th and 5th values are about choices and related to each other. The 4th one hardly asks you what you need to care about, because if you have ambition but have the wrong goal, you are screwed. Lastly the 5th value is you are always choosing. It is no matter how good or bad the situation and your decision, you are always choosing. It is just whether you are admit it or not. But, human instinct may have reflect won’t to admit if they choose a bad decision. They will just blame it to something or someone.

If you want a self-improvement book, but you don’t like a conventional method that probably makes you think that you are very special, this book is for you. The beauty of this book is related to the theme “serendipity.” But in this case, it may already have happened without you realizing, you just need to look back and find it. The downside of this book, which I’m not sure it is a good thing or not, but because this book sells as a self-improvement book, I can see why people hate it, is this book’s tone is really casual. It is like you just sit in a café with the author and he tells you a story. Also as the tittle implied, there is a lot of f bomb and cursing in this book. But, for me it is fine.

Especially in this covid era, which I just assume that you are still staying to study, you may have several depression about this online classes, probably nonsense amount of assignment, and you probably cannot do the things you like and you just want to ignore everything and have fun. But, if you still survive, fight the struggle and enjoy the process, it is one of the good thing (I guess).

 

Writer: Michael Surya D.P. 

Editor: Michael Tan 

Pic: Google

Categories
Features Music Review

The Warmest Hello from Your Most Beloved

I found a way to let you win
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now

Are you familiar with the song lyrics from above? The song above was performed by a famous American singer. Beyonce Giselle Knowles or better known by her stage name, Beyonce, recorded this song in 2008. Then, this song, “Halo”, was released on February 20, 2009. This song is very popular among young people because the music sounds cheerful and the lyrics are quite touching. In fact, “Halo” spent 31 weeks on the top 100 billboards in 2009 and its music video reached 1 billion views.

This song tells the story of a girl who had closed her heart tightly to anyone. She built walls and space for herself. She was too tired because she was getting a lot of bad treatment from the environment and people around her. She no longer wants to deal with the people around her by involving her heart. We’ve been like that too, haven’t we? We have felt hurt and disappointed because of the environment or people closest to us. We may or have closed the door of our hearts to others because we are too tired and disgusted by all the disappointment and sadness they keep giving us. However, believe me, all the disappointments and sadness that we have experienced do not always have bad ending.

In the song “Halo”, this girl finally finds happiness, the person she loves and loves her the most, even though she never thought of finding it. This girl didn’t think of finding someone who would understand her at all because she believed it was impossible. However, as in the lyrics “I got my angel now”, this girl managed to find someone who was very precious to her without even looking for it. She finally found someone who can give her happiness and can make her life more meaningful. She doesn’t need to worry about anything else because she has got a gift that gives her the strength to be able to run her day, no matter how bad it is.

In our life, we must have experienced this too. When we are really in a bad state, even without us asking or looking, there must be people closest to us who will give their love and attention to us. They indirectly provide enthusiasm and strength for us to live life as bad as it is. Spending time with someone we loved is really fun and happy, right? Therefore, don’t waste people who really love you. Stay cheerful in living your days, and don’t forget to always take care of yourself too!

 

Author: Theresia Paskah Prastiti 

Editor: Michael Tan 

Pic: Google

Categories
Features Lifestyle

Live and Chill : “You just forget”

(“Semua yang sirna ‘kan nanti terganti / Semua yang sirna ‘kan kembali lagi”) Those lyrics are from Hindia’s song outro “Secukupnya.” It means that “what has gone away will return, and what has gone away will be replaced” in English. Those lyrics have a major impact on my maturation process. I began to understand from the lyrics that life is not as simple as I had imagined. There are some things that I can obtain by hard work or chance, and those that are not for me. I used to blame myself for what I couldn’t have back then. I couldn’t tolerate losing something, being rejected, or not being able to achieve my goals. I didn’t want people to see me failed because it was something I didn’t want them to see. I tried to make someone proud of me, and if you’re wondering why this happened to me, I’m not sure either. As a result, I was unable to live in the present and be content. My daily bread was trust issues and cynical thoughts – I kept asking myself, “Is this good enough for me?” But life goes on, and I meet a lot of people and learn every single word, saying to me, “That’s life.” Something brighter than ever has caught my attention now. I’d like to take this opportunity to say a few things about serendipity – discovering goodness without looking for it.

You feel angry, disappointed, and helpless due to your loss and failure. It is really normal. Life is an endless suffering. Life would not give you a break. There is no pause button in life, just like when you play online game and your mom ask you to pause the game, you can’t do that, right?. As the time goes by, nothing is getting easier. I, myself, have a really pessimistic view for life. Through this pessimistic view, I could learn how to be chill in life and enjoy every ups-and-down. If world gives you lemon, makes it lemonade. It tastes sour for the first time, but you can make it tastes a lot better by adding other ingredients in it. Moreover, you even could make a profit from the lemon which tastes sour when you try it for the first time. At this point, it is just like our life. We have bad experiences, but after all we can learn from them and get a better result in the end. It will turn out as advantages for us after all. There is nothing wasted. Every wound will shape you; every scar will build your throne.

“It is just not my time, I will wait for it comes later”. I know each of us has a different pace to live, but it is not how it works. Beside than waiting your time, why don’t you make it come to you? Something is given for them who deserve. If you don’t deserve, just accept it that your time will not come to you. Well, for me, it is a good start as an acceptance stage, but as what I’ve said before that life doesn’t have a pause button. You are who can save yourself. What good for me is not always good for you. Just let it flow, whatever it will be, will be. “You can say like that because you have privileged life”, if that what you want to say as an argument, then you are really don’t deserve with something good. We have a different start, so our kind of good and success is also different. It is okay to be motivated by someone, but keep this in your mind, you are you, the one and only you.

As conclusion, you just need to be chill for what will happen for you. You wait for goodness come, but how if you don’t know that it has come in front of you? Or you have not ready to take them?. Binge-watching your favorite series, doing your assignment, listening to your favorite music, sleeping, or working, you can do anything what you want and something good will be there for you because you enjoy it in present. Make it not find it.

 

Journalist: Juhandi Dwi Putra Lyana 

Editor: Michael Tan 

Categories
Poem

MMXIX, Tu

The scorching sun, the memorable smells of morning class
Torturing and fiery!! Is this what they call a heatstroke?
Somehow delivers me unto the phase of madness
Yet – tasted – sweet as a fruitcake

Realization across to mind
As Tu enters the stage in elegance
Viewing in telescope until the eyes go blind
For little did I know, it was the cause of a moon’s presence

Tell me, where should I sow this longing?
For I am lost between the walls of a labyrinth
Doubtful, thinking that it was a zing
And there begin the trials of the truth.

 

Author: Angelin Libert W.H 

Editor: Michael Tan 

Illustrator: Ariel Harpa

Categories
Lecturer's Corner

SERENDIPITY: RELISHING LIFE OF (UN)CERTAINTIES

 

Life is full of certainties and uncertainties. Certainties create patterns. They are anticipated and taught in many subjects at schools. In English grammar, certainties are introduced in the simple present tense. In chemistry, certainties are exemplified in formulas. In physics, certainties are demonstrated by a falling apple due to gravity force. The list can go on and on. But one thing is for certain, certainties sometimes are monotonous.

On the other hand, uncertainties are primarily unexpected and not well-anticipated. People tend to avoid uncertainties. Uncertainties are sometimes seen as deviations. We can find uncertainties in our lives, such as sudden heavy rain on a hot sunny day, computer errors, or unknown mixed feelings when we meet someone special. People investigate uncertainties to find patterns and make them certain. However, in some cases, people get ready for uncertainties. Readers keep reading stories with unpredictable endings, and moviegoers cannot wait for a new movie to premiere in cinemas. In fiction, uncertainties create a world of wonders. Gulliver traveled to the unpredictable world of the giants and Lilliputian. Alice wandered in the unknown wonderland. Aladdin had no idea about the magic lamp.

Unlike certainties and uncertainties (and, therefore, like certainties and uncertainties at the same time), serendipitous moments are unexpected but not saddening at the same time. They are uncertain. They cannot be avoided as well. They have no patterns. Once the patterns are discovered, they are not serendipitous anymore. However, they do not evoke negative feelings. Otherwise, they bring little happiness sometimes. When you unexpectedly find money in your pocket when you do laundry, you might feel lucky. That might be your own money. There must be a reason why the money is there, but you cannot remember. Finding the money is an unexpected happy moment. It is a happy uncertainty. It is serendipitous. Hence, uncertainties might be as gleeful as certainties. When certainties meet uncertainties, there might be a serendipitous moment.

Anyways, that is just how life is, it is full of certainties and uncertainties. Embrace those (un)certainties as the relish for our life. Certainties help us focus on our objectives, and uncertainties bring surprises for us. We work our best on the certainties by doing our routines and habits and let us find serendipity in the uncertainties. What matters most is that we need to enjoy our lives and be happy, right?

 

Author: Simon Arsa Manggala, S.S., M.Hum.

Editor: Michael Tan 

Categories
Poem

Take Me Back

To a foreign place

I was sent to learn and venture

  Fright and daze filled my days in this place

Wandering and praying to go back

Home, I miss my home

I’m Home, my prayers were heard

I’m back at last but not for long, I suggest

Happiness, joy, relief filled my days in my place

I’m home, I thought.

Until,

Something drowns, what is it?

My soul

A vast sea of emptiness drowns my soul   

Should have stayed and prayed for nothing to happen

Now I regret what I said, I am caged

I wish to go back to that place

to where the fright and daze feed what my souls crave.

 

 

Author: Bayu Alexander 

Editor: Alma Anindita 

Illustrator: Gigih Satrio Baskoro 

Categories
Poem

Unaware Faces

And my world feels like intoxicated,

The delicacy of it crippled,

My blue skies into grey, they fade,

And the jubilant in me has been long gone.

Assuming to be alone is the best company,

Yet, still losing myself for a hundred more.

Unaware,

Of all the crowd that lift me along the way.

I keep thinking,

For where the lights are pouring,

Unaware,

That the lights are shining my way, forevermore.

Coming as the unaware faces into the best companies,

Where their presences are not my wanted things,

Where the encounter is by simple accidents

Yet, I find it as the dazzling part of us.

From one into many, and will always be embraced.

From one into many, and the sadness healed.

From one into many, and the moments lived,

And they are my serendipity that I gladly claimed.

 

 

 

Author: Birgitta Ardhana N. 

Editor: Vincenzo Halim 

Illustrator: Ariel Harpa

Categories
Features Music Review

“JESUS IS KING” – Preach, Kanye, Preach!

Photo illustration by The Daily Beast

Kanye has always been labelled as a “rabble-rouser” of the music industry, seen through his criticism of Taylor Swift, his support for Trump, him urinating on his trophies, paparazzi violence, and even him self-proclaiming as a God. Growing famously in the hip-hop community, Kanye West is no stranger to dark lyrics glorifying drugs, sex, and money throughout his entire career. To make a long story short, in 2002, a car accident almost took his life. Yet, it was a miracle instead. The way God let him survive really touched his heart. Ever since, Kanye put out several Christian songs—including the most popular one, Jesus Walks—as an expression of gratitude, distributed on each of his albums. As life goes on and the faith starts to grow bigger—after the brightest, his happy family with Kim Kardashian and their children, even the darkest, being cancelled by the media—he proudly decided to make this full gospel album, JESUS IS KING.

“You won’t ever be the same when you call on Jesus’ name

Listen to the words I’m sayin’, Jesus saved me, now I’m sane

And I know, I know God is the force that picked me up

I know Christ is the fountain that filled my cup”

 – God Is by Kanye West

JESUS IS KING is the ninth studio album from an American controversial producer-rapper, Kanye West. It debuted on October 25, 2019, as a surprise substitute for his initial upcoming project, Yandhi. The album is blessed by the presence of Ty Dolla $ign, Kenny G, and especially the Sunday Service Choir—which is a group of worship singers created by Mr. West himself. Currently, Kanye West’s JESUS IS KING also wins Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at 2021 Grammys.

“How you get so much favor on your side?”

“Accept Him as your Lord and Saviour,” I replied”

– On God by Kanye West

To some extent, JESUS IS KING is the turning point of Kanye’s career, which kick-starts his role as a musician completely devoted to God. The 11-track album shows how the old Kanye is dead and the new Kanye is reborn in the name of Jesus. The album also exhibits Kanye’s knowledge of the Bible, seen by biblical references of “selah” (סֶלָה) on Selah, Jezebel’s wickedness on Closed on Sunday, “Yeshua” (יֵשׁוּעַ) on Hands On, and many more. JESUS IS KING is a beautiful artwork to remind us that God is still here in every circumstance. In one of his dialogues with a celebrity pastor Joel Osteen, Kanye stated that it is God’s calling that allows him to use his platform to spread peace and the love of religion. Christ has freed himself from his demons in the past, so it’s his turn to repay what He did. In other words, God saved a wretch like Kanye West and Kanye West has found the light right from the source. Kanye West has found his stroke of serendipity.

 

Journalist: Billiam Susanto 

Editor: Ivana Belinda

Categories
Features Lifestyle

Rainbow After Storm

Have you ever counted how many unexpected blessings happened in your life? Blessing, somehow, is a slightly distorted mirror of serendipity. They both represent happy things that happened in our life. Even though people think that serendipity has a good meaning, the majority find it difficult to believe that serendipity will happen in real life. The concept seems similar to luck; we either get it or we do not. It evokes a sense of unreliability. While it might be true that we cannot entirely rely on it, however, serendipity is something that we may believe in our daily life.

Serendipity is a lovely word. When people first read or hear it, they might think it is a gracious or elegant word. Serendipity itself was used first by Horace Walpole, who was an English writer, in his letter on 28 January 1754. The etymology of the word “serendipity” was taken from the Persian Fairy Tales called “The Three Princes of Serendip”. The fairy tale conveys the story of three young princes set on a journey where they always discover something unexpected along the way (Zafarris, 2017). It is actually difficult to pinpoint the exact meaning of serendipity. Merriam-Webster said that “Serendipity is the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable and or agreeable things not sought for.” (Merriam-Webster, 1996). Based on Collins dictionary, “Serendipity is the luck some people have in finding or creating interesting or valuable things by chance.” (Collins Dictionary, 2007). Even though there are various definitions of serendipity, all of them refer to the good things that surprisingly happened in life. It is not something that we try to chase down, yet it will catch us off guard and bring us joy.

Serendipity always happens around us. We might not notice it sometimes because people tend to focus on achieving their goals. It is understandable because what is life without purpose? Yet, along the way, it seems like we gradually cannot grasp the meaning of life itself. People end up trying to chase things that society deems “good” for humanity. Most people genuinely believe that the only way to have a good life is by trying to chase and achieve “good things” such as money and power. Not only chasing it for ourselves, but people also try to bring a higher stake by comparing their achievements with other people. Somehow, this life turns into a racing competition. In this world that rotates really fast, we tend to forget that there is a time when we must stop for a while and take a deep breath. If we are only busy looking for particular things, we will never see other things hidden beneath. It is only when we stop for a while that we will be able to see all of the good things that have already surrounded us. You might be surprised to see that we will miss many things if we keep racing. All those good little things and blessings are around us. They are the symbols of serendipity.

Serendipity might happen in the most unexpected way, yet it does not mean that it is a bad thing. There is a quote, “after the storm, here comes the rainbow”. Serendipity is also like that. It will not always be preceded by a good time. Sometimes, a good thing will be preceded by something that people deem bad. There will be painful experiences or failures that happened. However, then, we will gain something better. For example, maybe someone does not get accepted into the college that they want, but then that person will enter another college and probably find many good things within, such as great friends and valuable lessons. In addition, that person might enjoy their life much better in this new environment. This example shows the meaning of serendipity. That person does not get what they want in life, but there is something better that happens unexpectedly.   

Serendipity is the symbol of hope. It acts as a reminder that even if life seems hopeless, there is something good that might happen around the corner or even has already existed in our surroundings. All we need to do is stop for a while, look around, and see all of those serendipities that have already perched softly around us.  

 

Author: Alvita Utomo Putri 

Editor: Alma Anindita 

 

References:

Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Citation. In Collinsdictionary.com dictionary. Retrieved April, 19, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/serendipity

Meriam-Webster. (n.d.). Citation. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April, 19, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serendipity

Zafarris, Jess (2017, December). The Etymology of “Serendipity”. Useless Etymology. Retrieved from https://uselessetymology.com/2017/12/02/the-etymology-of-serendipity/#:~:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Cserendipity%E2%80%9D%20was%20coined,looking%20for%20on%20their%20adventures.