Jika aku sedih, aku akan tertawa.
Jika aku tertekan, aku akan menyanyi.
Jika aku berkelimpahan, kupikir akan masa kekuranganku yang lalu.
Jika aku miskin, kupikir kekayaan yang mendatang.
Jika aku merasa sangat berkuasa, kucoba menghentikan angin.
Jika merasa terlalu percaya, kuingat kegagalan masa laluku.
Jika merasa tidak mampu, kuingat sukses masa laluku.
Jika aku mendapat kekayaan berlimpah, kuingat mulut-mulut yang kelaparan.
Jika aku terlalu bangga kuingat saat-saat aku lemah.
Jika aku menikmati masa kejayaan, kuingat saat yang memalukan.
Source: http://www.geocities.com/samuellkamba/rahasia_terbesar_di_dunia.htm
Monday, August 31, 2009
A lesson
Many things happened in our lives.
Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
People come and go.
Sometimes you like them, sometimes not.
I got a very important lesson these days.
I just realized that nobody can be trusted.
Only Jesus.
He is the only one that I can trust.
He is the only one I can share with.
He is my savior.
He heals my pain.
He relieves my burden.
He lifts me up.
Thank you Jesus for being a very good friend of mine.
Urbana,
July 1st, 2009
Sometimes good, sometimes bad.
People come and go.
Sometimes you like them, sometimes not.
I got a very important lesson these days.
I just realized that nobody can be trusted.
Only Jesus.
He is the only one that I can trust.
He is the only one I can share with.
He is my savior.
He heals my pain.
He relieves my burden.
He lifts me up.
Thank you Jesus for being a very good friend of mine.
Urbana,
July 1st, 2009
Our first anniversary
Today is June 22nd 2009 and it is Firman and Laili's first wedding anniversary....
Congratulations to both of you!!!!
It reminds me of my own-first-wedding anniversary, which was on August 6th, 2006, it's about 3 years ago...
At the time, our little Jerome was almost 2 months. Me and my husband planned to go out for a romantic dinner to celebrate our first anniversary...My mom (who just came from Medan) was at my home, and also there were a baby sitter and a maid.
So, I thought it's OK to go out for a while because Jerome would be safe at home.
Me and my husband prepared ourselves for the dinner and were ready to go until, suddenly, our cute little prince Jerome, cried and being cranky....At first, I tried to tell him that we just wanted to go out for a while. I also breastfed him to make him sleeping, but it didn't work.
Then my mom and the baby sitter tried to calm him down, cradled and lulled him, and again, it didn't work.
Gosh....it took about an hour and it was almost 8 pm...You know, in Jakarta, you need at least 1 hour to reach any place.
Jerome was still crying and crying and nothing could stop him.
My husband massaged Jerome's foots but he was still crying. Then my husband said that we should stay at home with Jerome because Jerome looked unhappy if we left him alone, even though there were my mom, a baby sitter and a maid at our home.
And you know what? After Jerome heard his Dad's words, Jerome suddenly stopped crying! He looked at us happily....
Hahahahaha.....it was so funny....so it's true that he didn't want us to leave him alone...(it's also difficult to go out with him because he was just almost 2 months!)
Finally we just stayed at home, gathered with Jerome and watched him sleeping peacefully...
That moment was one of the most unforgettable moment in our marriage life...
Urbana,
June 22nd, 2009
Congratulations to both of you!!!!
It reminds me of my own-first-wedding anniversary, which was on August 6th, 2006, it's about 3 years ago...
At the time, our little Jerome was almost 2 months. Me and my husband planned to go out for a romantic dinner to celebrate our first anniversary...My mom (who just came from Medan) was at my home, and also there were a baby sitter and a maid.
So, I thought it's OK to go out for a while because Jerome would be safe at home.
Me and my husband prepared ourselves for the dinner and were ready to go until, suddenly, our cute little prince Jerome, cried and being cranky....At first, I tried to tell him that we just wanted to go out for a while. I also breastfed him to make him sleeping, but it didn't work.
Then my mom and the baby sitter tried to calm him down, cradled and lulled him, and again, it didn't work.
Gosh....it took about an hour and it was almost 8 pm...You know, in Jakarta, you need at least 1 hour to reach any place.
Jerome was still crying and crying and nothing could stop him.
My husband massaged Jerome's foots but he was still crying. Then my husband said that we should stay at home with Jerome because Jerome looked unhappy if we left him alone, even though there were my mom, a baby sitter and a maid at our home.
And you know what? After Jerome heard his Dad's words, Jerome suddenly stopped crying! He looked at us happily....
Hahahahaha.....it was so funny....so it's true that he didn't want us to leave him alone...(it's also difficult to go out with him because he was just almost 2 months!)
Finally we just stayed at home, gathered with Jerome and watched him sleeping peacefully...
That moment was one of the most unforgettable moment in our marriage life...
Urbana,
June 22nd, 2009
Kritis sebagai pasien
Membaca pengalaman Ibu Prita di RSOI, saya teringat pengalaman saya sendiri 3 tahun yang lalu.
Ketika itu saya sedang hamil anak saya Jerome, sekitar 9 bulan. Suami saya mengalami demam tinggi dan memutuskan untuk ke rumah sakit. Suami saya juga sudah memutuskan untuk dirawat inap saja, apapun penyakitnya, supaya bisa beristirahat dengan total (bed rest) dan kembali fit sebagai persiapan menyambut kelahiran anak pertama kami. Dari rumah, kami sudah mempersiapkan tas berisi pakaian ganti untuk beberapa hari dan perlengkapan harian lainnya. Maka kamipun menuju salah satu rumah sakit di daerah Jakarta Selatan (nama dan tempat sengaja dirahasiakan demi menghindari tuntutan pencemaran nama baik).
Setibanya kami di bagian gawat darurat, tekanan darah suami saya diperiksa, darahnya diambil untuk dicek Hb dll. Kemudian, suami saya dibawa ke kamar untuk rawat inap dan kami memilih kamar VIP untuk kenyamanan bersama supaya keluarga bisa menemani.
Saat itu, penyakit suami saya belum diketahui dengan pasti, masih menunggu hasil tes darah. Selang beberapa jam setelah suami dan saya berada di kamar, seorang perawat datang dan bersiap-siap menyuntikkan sesuatu ke tubuh suami saya. Sebelum perawat (suster) menyuntikkan sesuatu itu, saya pun bertanya,"itu apa suster?"
Si perawat menjawab,"antibiotik, Bu...harganya sekian juta (saya lupa persisnya)"
Saya pun terkaget-kaget, kok suami saya yang belum ketahuan penyakitnya apa sudah diputuskan untuk diberi antibiotik? harganya jutaan pula....
Lalu saya bertanya lagi,"memangnya sudah ketauan sakitnya apa? Lalu kenapa antibiotiknya yang dalam bentuk suntikan? kenapa tidak yang tablet saja?"
Si suster tak mampu menjawab dengan jelas, hanya bergumam bahwa itu adalah perintah dokter.
Saya yang pada dasarnya lembut dan berkepribadian menarik, tiba-tiba tersulut emosi. Kata saya,"Wah enak aja main suntik...apa karna kami di kamar VIP trus antibiotiknya pun harus yang mahal? emangnya apa bedanya antibiotik yang suntik dengan antibiotik tablet?"
Suster:"kalau yang tablet lebih lama, Bu...harus diminum rutin 5 hari. Kalau yang suntik cukup 3 hari.."
Saya:"kami gak masalah kalo memang harus minum antibiotik 5 hari. Kenapa kami tidak diberi pilihan, kenapa kalian langsung memutuskan sendiri? Lagipula, kenapa langsung disuntik antibiotik sedangkan sakitnya aja belum ketahuan????" Saya benar-benar emosi (tapi dalam hati komat-kamit berdoa semoga tidak terjadi apa-apa dengan kehamilan saya)....
Suster: "Baik Bu, kalo Ibu tidak bersedia, Ibu harus tanda tangani surat pernyataan yang menyatakan Ibu tidak bersedia suami Ibu diberi obat atas perintah dokter"
Saya:"Oke....mana suratnya? mana?? sini biar saya tanda tangani...." sambil membuat gerakan tangan yang sedang menandatangani surat perjanjian Linggarjati.
Si suster pun berlalu dan kami menunggu hingga akhirnya dia datang lagi dengan sepucuk surat, saya baca dan saya tanda tangani. Saya tak perduli. Suami saya yang sedari tadi diam, semakin diam dan hanya pasrah tak berdaya. Mungkin dia juga takut kena semprot istrinya yang biasanya berperangai halus tiba-tiba berubah galak bagaikan Sumanto sehabis menyantap sarapan orok....
Keesokan hari, hasil tes darah menunjukkan kalau suami saya menderita demam berdarah. Hari itu, mama mertua dan tante suami saya datang dan ikut menemani di RS. Setelah diketahui bahwa suami saya ternyata mengidap demam berdarah, saya merasa "lega" telah menolak suntikan "maut" si suster karena demam berdarah disebabkan oleh virus, sedangkan antibiotik hanya bisa membunuh bakteri, bukan virus. Buat apa saya membuang uang jutaan rupiah untuk sesuatu yang jelas tidak berguna, kan?
Saat itu saya kerap berkonsultasi via sms dengan rekan kantor, Ibu Riza, yang banyak memberi informasi penting dan bermanfaat dan saya percaya dengan informasinya.
Selama dirawat di RS, tante suami saya rutin membawakan jus jambu biji setiap hari, dan setelah 3 hari, Hb darah suami saya pun kembali normal dan kami diijinkan untuk pulang.
Saya pun lega, suami kembali sehat, mama mertua dan tante ikut senang.
Demikianlah pengalaman saya saat berhubungan dengan RS yang saat ini cenderung komersil, kita sebagai pasien sebaiknya harus kritis. Saya juga mendapat banyak pengalaman dan informasi berharga, terutama setelah banyak berkonsultasi dengan Ibu Riza yang cerdas dan kritis.
Sebagai pasien, kita berhak tau obat apa yang diberikan kepada kita, kenapa dokter memberikan obat itu, dan apa efek sampingnya bagi kita.
Sebagai pasien, kita juga harus tau apakah tubuh kita mempunyai alergi terhadap obat tertentu, sebab jika ternyata alergi, akan sangat fatal akibatnya.
Sebagai pasien, kita berhak bertanya apa saja mengenai penyakit kita, dan dokter yang baik akan menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan kita dengan jelas dan lengkap, tidak terburu-buru dan tidak terkesan sok. Pernah saya punya pengalaman dengan seorang dokter, yang ketika saya bertanya tentang penyakit saya, beliau menjawab,"kalau Ibu ingin tau, Ibu kuliah kedokteran saja dulu"..waks...saya putuskan untuk tidak lagi berobat kepadanya....Kita sebagai pasien sudah membayar mahal untuk biaya bertemu dokter, mengapa kita tidak boleh tau tentang penyakit kita? Saat ini, di Jakarta, untuk berkonsultasi dengan seorang dokter spesialis, rata-rata biayanya sekitar Rp 100.000 - 150.000 dan jumlah itu tidak termasuk biaya obat. Itu sebabnya, dengan membayar biaya sebesar itu, kita berhak tau tentang penyakit kita. Supaya tidak lupa, biasanya saya menyiapkan selembar kertas dari rumah berisi daftar pertanyaan-pertanyaan saya. Saya juga menyiapkan pulpen untuk menulis jawaban dari dokter.
Sebagai pasien, kita juga sebaiknya tidak langsung membeli semua obat yang dituliskan dengan lancar oleh seorang dokter untuk dibeli. Ada baiknya kita mencari second, third, fourth atau x-th opinion jika hasil konsultasi dengan dokter meragukan. Jika ternyata second, third, fourth atau x-th opinion hasilnya berbeda-beda, kita patut waspada dan mencoba mencari informasi dari internet, dan kalau punya rejeki berlebih, sebaiknya berobat ke luar negeri, bisa ke Penang Malaysia atau Singapore.
Sebagai pasien, ketika demam, ada baiknya kita menunggu beberapa hari, jika hari ketiga masih demam, barulah kita ke dokter. Jangan terburu-buru ke dokter supaya diagnosisnya lebih akurat.
Berdasarkan pengalaman saya selama tinggal di Amerika, saya melihat bahwa seorang dokter tidak begitu saja memberi obat kepada pasien yang sakit. Pengalaman seorang teman, ketika anaknya demam dan dibawa ke dokter, dokter menyuruh mereka pulang dan berpesan supaya si anak diberi minum yang banyak, makan yang banyak, dan istirahat cukup. Tanpa obat. Tanpa opname.
Ketika seorang pasien mengeluh sakit, apapun keluhannya, RS akan melakukan pemeriksaan menyeluruh, tidak hanya bagian yang dikeluhkan pasien. Dengan demikian, dokter bisa memperoleh informasi kondisi fisik pasien dengan lengkap.
Sebagai manusia, jagalah kesehatan karena kesehatan itu mahal harganya. Ini mungkin kalimat basi, tapi sangat penting dan benar adanya. Ketika kita sakit, apapun yang kita miliki menjadi tak berguna.
Salam sehat,
frida sinurat
Urbana,
June 14th, 2009
Ketika itu saya sedang hamil anak saya Jerome, sekitar 9 bulan. Suami saya mengalami demam tinggi dan memutuskan untuk ke rumah sakit. Suami saya juga sudah memutuskan untuk dirawat inap saja, apapun penyakitnya, supaya bisa beristirahat dengan total (bed rest) dan kembali fit sebagai persiapan menyambut kelahiran anak pertama kami. Dari rumah, kami sudah mempersiapkan tas berisi pakaian ganti untuk beberapa hari dan perlengkapan harian lainnya. Maka kamipun menuju salah satu rumah sakit di daerah Jakarta Selatan (nama dan tempat sengaja dirahasiakan demi menghindari tuntutan pencemaran nama baik).
Setibanya kami di bagian gawat darurat, tekanan darah suami saya diperiksa, darahnya diambil untuk dicek Hb dll. Kemudian, suami saya dibawa ke kamar untuk rawat inap dan kami memilih kamar VIP untuk kenyamanan bersama supaya keluarga bisa menemani.
Saat itu, penyakit suami saya belum diketahui dengan pasti, masih menunggu hasil tes darah. Selang beberapa jam setelah suami dan saya berada di kamar, seorang perawat datang dan bersiap-siap menyuntikkan sesuatu ke tubuh suami saya. Sebelum perawat (suster) menyuntikkan sesuatu itu, saya pun bertanya,"itu apa suster?"
Si perawat menjawab,"antibiotik, Bu...harganya sekian juta (saya lupa persisnya)"
Saya pun terkaget-kaget, kok suami saya yang belum ketahuan penyakitnya apa sudah diputuskan untuk diberi antibiotik? harganya jutaan pula....
Lalu saya bertanya lagi,"memangnya sudah ketauan sakitnya apa? Lalu kenapa antibiotiknya yang dalam bentuk suntikan? kenapa tidak yang tablet saja?"
Si suster tak mampu menjawab dengan jelas, hanya bergumam bahwa itu adalah perintah dokter.
Saya yang pada dasarnya lembut dan berkepribadian menarik, tiba-tiba tersulut emosi. Kata saya,"Wah enak aja main suntik...apa karna kami di kamar VIP trus antibiotiknya pun harus yang mahal? emangnya apa bedanya antibiotik yang suntik dengan antibiotik tablet?"
Suster:"kalau yang tablet lebih lama, Bu...harus diminum rutin 5 hari. Kalau yang suntik cukup 3 hari.."
Saya:"kami gak masalah kalo memang harus minum antibiotik 5 hari. Kenapa kami tidak diberi pilihan, kenapa kalian langsung memutuskan sendiri? Lagipula, kenapa langsung disuntik antibiotik sedangkan sakitnya aja belum ketahuan????" Saya benar-benar emosi (tapi dalam hati komat-kamit berdoa semoga tidak terjadi apa-apa dengan kehamilan saya)....
Suster: "Baik Bu, kalo Ibu tidak bersedia, Ibu harus tanda tangani surat pernyataan yang menyatakan Ibu tidak bersedia suami Ibu diberi obat atas perintah dokter"
Saya:"Oke....mana suratnya? mana?? sini biar saya tanda tangani...." sambil membuat gerakan tangan yang sedang menandatangani surat perjanjian Linggarjati.
Si suster pun berlalu dan kami menunggu hingga akhirnya dia datang lagi dengan sepucuk surat, saya baca dan saya tanda tangani. Saya tak perduli. Suami saya yang sedari tadi diam, semakin diam dan hanya pasrah tak berdaya. Mungkin dia juga takut kena semprot istrinya yang biasanya berperangai halus tiba-tiba berubah galak bagaikan Sumanto sehabis menyantap sarapan orok....
Keesokan hari, hasil tes darah menunjukkan kalau suami saya menderita demam berdarah. Hari itu, mama mertua dan tante suami saya datang dan ikut menemani di RS. Setelah diketahui bahwa suami saya ternyata mengidap demam berdarah, saya merasa "lega" telah menolak suntikan "maut" si suster karena demam berdarah disebabkan oleh virus, sedangkan antibiotik hanya bisa membunuh bakteri, bukan virus. Buat apa saya membuang uang jutaan rupiah untuk sesuatu yang jelas tidak berguna, kan?
Saat itu saya kerap berkonsultasi via sms dengan rekan kantor, Ibu Riza, yang banyak memberi informasi penting dan bermanfaat dan saya percaya dengan informasinya.
Selama dirawat di RS, tante suami saya rutin membawakan jus jambu biji setiap hari, dan setelah 3 hari, Hb darah suami saya pun kembali normal dan kami diijinkan untuk pulang.
Saya pun lega, suami kembali sehat, mama mertua dan tante ikut senang.
Demikianlah pengalaman saya saat berhubungan dengan RS yang saat ini cenderung komersil, kita sebagai pasien sebaiknya harus kritis. Saya juga mendapat banyak pengalaman dan informasi berharga, terutama setelah banyak berkonsultasi dengan Ibu Riza yang cerdas dan kritis.
Sebagai pasien, kita berhak tau obat apa yang diberikan kepada kita, kenapa dokter memberikan obat itu, dan apa efek sampingnya bagi kita.
Sebagai pasien, kita juga harus tau apakah tubuh kita mempunyai alergi terhadap obat tertentu, sebab jika ternyata alergi, akan sangat fatal akibatnya.
Sebagai pasien, kita berhak bertanya apa saja mengenai penyakit kita, dan dokter yang baik akan menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan kita dengan jelas dan lengkap, tidak terburu-buru dan tidak terkesan sok. Pernah saya punya pengalaman dengan seorang dokter, yang ketika saya bertanya tentang penyakit saya, beliau menjawab,"kalau Ibu ingin tau, Ibu kuliah kedokteran saja dulu"..waks...saya putuskan untuk tidak lagi berobat kepadanya....Kita sebagai pasien sudah membayar mahal untuk biaya bertemu dokter, mengapa kita tidak boleh tau tentang penyakit kita? Saat ini, di Jakarta, untuk berkonsultasi dengan seorang dokter spesialis, rata-rata biayanya sekitar Rp 100.000 - 150.000 dan jumlah itu tidak termasuk biaya obat. Itu sebabnya, dengan membayar biaya sebesar itu, kita berhak tau tentang penyakit kita. Supaya tidak lupa, biasanya saya menyiapkan selembar kertas dari rumah berisi daftar pertanyaan-pertanyaan saya. Saya juga menyiapkan pulpen untuk menulis jawaban dari dokter.
Sebagai pasien, kita juga sebaiknya tidak langsung membeli semua obat yang dituliskan dengan lancar oleh seorang dokter untuk dibeli. Ada baiknya kita mencari second, third, fourth atau x-th opinion jika hasil konsultasi dengan dokter meragukan. Jika ternyata second, third, fourth atau x-th opinion hasilnya berbeda-beda, kita patut waspada dan mencoba mencari informasi dari internet, dan kalau punya rejeki berlebih, sebaiknya berobat ke luar negeri, bisa ke Penang Malaysia atau Singapore.
Sebagai pasien, ketika demam, ada baiknya kita menunggu beberapa hari, jika hari ketiga masih demam, barulah kita ke dokter. Jangan terburu-buru ke dokter supaya diagnosisnya lebih akurat.
Berdasarkan pengalaman saya selama tinggal di Amerika, saya melihat bahwa seorang dokter tidak begitu saja memberi obat kepada pasien yang sakit. Pengalaman seorang teman, ketika anaknya demam dan dibawa ke dokter, dokter menyuruh mereka pulang dan berpesan supaya si anak diberi minum yang banyak, makan yang banyak, dan istirahat cukup. Tanpa obat. Tanpa opname.
Ketika seorang pasien mengeluh sakit, apapun keluhannya, RS akan melakukan pemeriksaan menyeluruh, tidak hanya bagian yang dikeluhkan pasien. Dengan demikian, dokter bisa memperoleh informasi kondisi fisik pasien dengan lengkap.
Sebagai manusia, jagalah kesehatan karena kesehatan itu mahal harganya. Ini mungkin kalimat basi, tapi sangat penting dan benar adanya. Ketika kita sakit, apapun yang kita miliki menjadi tak berguna.
Salam sehat,
frida sinurat
Urbana,
June 14th, 2009
The Cow Brain
I got an information from my pastor that the cow brain is illegal in the U.S....
Well....sounds weird since it is one of the most delicious food in Indonesia...hahahaha....
The pastor said, it is illegal since it causes many diseases, at least it is high cholesterol.
That's true and I wonder why people in Indonesia don't care about it....
So, it's time to change our life style though it is not easy...
Urbana,
May 22nd, 2009
Well....sounds weird since it is one of the most delicious food in Indonesia...hahahaha....
The pastor said, it is illegal since it causes many diseases, at least it is high cholesterol.
That's true and I wonder why people in Indonesia don't care about it....
So, it's time to change our life style though it is not easy...
Urbana,
May 22nd, 2009
UIUC
One day, my friend who is studying in Australia texted me,"Frida, are you studying in the U.S.? I saw your pictures on your Facebook and I wonder why all of your friends are Chinese..."
At that moment, I didn't know why....It's true that most of my friends are Chinese. In my program, Master of Science in Policy Economics (MSPE) in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), there are 45 graduate students, all of us are international students; 13 Chinese (29%), 10 Korean (22%), 7 Turkish (18%), 6 Taiwanese (13%), 2 Indonesian (4%), and the rest are 1 from Italy, 1 from Peru, 1 from Thailand, 1 from Dominican Republic, 1 from Tanzania, 1 from Iran, and 1 from Afghanistan.
Yesterday, when we went to the World Bank and heard the presentation, the presenter gave us an information that 3 countries that sent the largest number of people to study in the U.S. are India, China and Korea!
No wonder why most of my friends are Chinese! :)
That's why UIUC stands for University for Indian and University for Chinese....:)
PS: If I am not mistaken, most Indian are studying in Engineering Science, and most Chinese are studying in Social Science.
Urbana,
March 26th, 2009
At that moment, I didn't know why....It's true that most of my friends are Chinese. In my program, Master of Science in Policy Economics (MSPE) in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), there are 45 graduate students, all of us are international students; 13 Chinese (29%), 10 Korean (22%), 7 Turkish (18%), 6 Taiwanese (13%), 2 Indonesian (4%), and the rest are 1 from Italy, 1 from Peru, 1 from Thailand, 1 from Dominican Republic, 1 from Tanzania, 1 from Iran, and 1 from Afghanistan.
Yesterday, when we went to the World Bank and heard the presentation, the presenter gave us an information that 3 countries that sent the largest number of people to study in the U.S. are India, China and Korea!
No wonder why most of my friends are Chinese! :)
That's why UIUC stands for University for Indian and University for Chinese....:)
PS: If I am not mistaken, most Indian are studying in Engineering Science, and most Chinese are studying in Social Science.
Urbana,
March 26th, 2009
The comparison of standards of living
This is still part of my course, International Financial Economics.
Usually, people will look at the country's GDP per capita to compare how poor or how rich that country is. The GDP per capita is usually in US Dollar so we can compare it between countries. As I mentioned before, according to the Balassa-Samuelson Theory, the prices of goods in rich countries are higher than that in poor countries because of the productivity of labor in rich countries is high, then their wages are higher, the production cost becomes higher and the result is the price tends to be more expensive.
Now we want to compare the GDP per capita of Indonesia and the United States. GDP per capita reflects a yearly income of a person in a country on average.
The U.S. GDP per capita in 2007 was $45,800.
Indonesia GDP per capita in 2007 was only $3,400. (source: www.indexmundi.com)
We can say that the U.S. GDP per capita is 13,47 times the GDP per capita of Indonesia.
In the class, we compared the GDP per capita between the U.S. and India which showed the U.S. GDP per capita is 59 times of India.
"Does this reflect the actual difference in standard of living between the two countries?" my professor asked us in the class, then suddenly I answered him instantaneously, "NO!".
He asked why, I replied, "it depends on the cost of living!" (actually, it was the first and maybe the last time I could think logically).
He said,"Exactly!" that made me flying to the ceiling...
I could say so because based on my experience, when I gathered with friends, we ever compared our salary and expenses in our own country. Before I came here, I thought that my scholarship would be more than enough because I just converted it to Rupiah. As time goes by, I realize that the cost of living in Indonesia much much cheaper than that in the U.S.. In Indonesia, you can buy a hamburger in Mc. Donald by 50 cents (or 5,000 Rupiahs), while in the U.S. it costs us $4 to $5. It is almost 10 times! With 50 cents, you can buy a hamburger in Mc. Donald Indonesia, but in the U.S. you need to spend $5 to buy the same thing!
I have a friend who is a rich guy from Tanzania, but in the U.S., he is poor, as poor as me. Oneday, someone asked him how much money that he got in Tanzania (He also got a scholarship from his office). He told that guy, an American guy, that his salary is around $800. That American guy was almost screaming when he said,"WHHAAAAAATTTTTT??? How could you live with that money????"
Of course it will never be enough in the U.S. but in Tanzania, with that amount of money, my friend could buy a fancy house with many rooms even though he is still single. He only needs one room to take a rest, but because he could make a lot of money in his country, he doesn't know how to waste his money. He could buy luxuries goods or anything he wants to buy. In the U.S., it means nothing.
That is why, you can not just compare the GDP per capita of your country to other country because it is not comparable. Again, it depends on the cost of living!
Urbana,
March 20th, 2009
Usually, people will look at the country's GDP per capita to compare how poor or how rich that country is. The GDP per capita is usually in US Dollar so we can compare it between countries. As I mentioned before, according to the Balassa-Samuelson Theory, the prices of goods in rich countries are higher than that in poor countries because of the productivity of labor in rich countries is high, then their wages are higher, the production cost becomes higher and the result is the price tends to be more expensive.
Now we want to compare the GDP per capita of Indonesia and the United States. GDP per capita reflects a yearly income of a person in a country on average.
The U.S. GDP per capita in 2007 was $45,800.
Indonesia GDP per capita in 2007 was only $3,400. (source: www.indexmundi.com)
We can say that the U.S. GDP per capita is 13,47 times the GDP per capita of Indonesia.
In the class, we compared the GDP per capita between the U.S. and India which showed the U.S. GDP per capita is 59 times of India.
"Does this reflect the actual difference in standard of living between the two countries?" my professor asked us in the class, then suddenly I answered him instantaneously, "NO!".
He asked why, I replied, "it depends on the cost of living!" (actually, it was the first and maybe the last time I could think logically).
He said,"Exactly!" that made me flying to the ceiling...
I could say so because based on my experience, when I gathered with friends, we ever compared our salary and expenses in our own country. Before I came here, I thought that my scholarship would be more than enough because I just converted it to Rupiah. As time goes by, I realize that the cost of living in Indonesia much much cheaper than that in the U.S.. In Indonesia, you can buy a hamburger in Mc. Donald by 50 cents (or 5,000 Rupiahs), while in the U.S. it costs us $4 to $5. It is almost 10 times! With 50 cents, you can buy a hamburger in Mc. Donald Indonesia, but in the U.S. you need to spend $5 to buy the same thing!
I have a friend who is a rich guy from Tanzania, but in the U.S., he is poor, as poor as me. Oneday, someone asked him how much money that he got in Tanzania (He also got a scholarship from his office). He told that guy, an American guy, that his salary is around $800. That American guy was almost screaming when he said,"WHHAAAAAATTTTTT??? How could you live with that money????"
Of course it will never be enough in the U.S. but in Tanzania, with that amount of money, my friend could buy a fancy house with many rooms even though he is still single. He only needs one room to take a rest, but because he could make a lot of money in his country, he doesn't know how to waste his money. He could buy luxuries goods or anything he wants to buy. In the U.S., it means nothing.
That is why, you can not just compare the GDP per capita of your country to other country because it is not comparable. Again, it depends on the cost of living!
Urbana,
March 20th, 2009
"Why the prices of goods in poor countries are cheaper than that in developed countries"
This is a part of International Financial Economics course that I take this semester. It is really interesting to me since many Chinese products in Indonesia are banned by our government nowadays. Mostly because the contents are dangerous for health. For instance are candies, toys, foods, etc. Most people in Indonesia don't wanna buy Chinese product because we are affraid of its poor quality. It is a kind of slogan that Chinese product sucks.
Then my professor, a very smart and talented person, taught us in the class that prices of goods in poor countries are cheaper than that in developed countries. According to the Balassa-Samuelson Theory, it is because of the productivity of labor in poor countries is low, then the quality of the products is low as well. That is why the prices are cheap in poor countries.
Since I came here, I realized that everything is really expensive, even for Chinese products. Then I knew that the quality of the products is really good, and also you can return it if it is broken or you don’t like it, at most 3 months after you bought it and you’ll get your money back. It won’t happen in Indonesia! (“BARANG YANG SUDAH DIBELI TIDAK DAPAT DIKEMBALIKAN”. What the……).
Some Indonesian people who go abroad and find Indonesia’s product while shopping usually prevent themselves from buying it and turn it to other countries product. Now I know that Indonesian products or Chinese products which are sold abroad especially in developed countries usually have a good quality. So China sells their good quality products to rich countries and poor quality to poor countries. Next time while I go for shopping I won’t worry about the quality no matter where it was made.
Yeah…its time to go for shopping, guys!
Urbana,
February 27th, 2009
Then my professor, a very smart and talented person, taught us in the class that prices of goods in poor countries are cheaper than that in developed countries. According to the Balassa-Samuelson Theory, it is because of the productivity of labor in poor countries is low, then the quality of the products is low as well. That is why the prices are cheap in poor countries.
Since I came here, I realized that everything is really expensive, even for Chinese products. Then I knew that the quality of the products is really good, and also you can return it if it is broken or you don’t like it, at most 3 months after you bought it and you’ll get your money back. It won’t happen in Indonesia! (“BARANG YANG SUDAH DIBELI TIDAK DAPAT DIKEMBALIKAN”. What the……).
Some Indonesian people who go abroad and find Indonesia’s product while shopping usually prevent themselves from buying it and turn it to other countries product. Now I know that Indonesian products or Chinese products which are sold abroad especially in developed countries usually have a good quality. So China sells their good quality products to rich countries and poor quality to poor countries. Next time while I go for shopping I won’t worry about the quality no matter where it was made.
Yeah…its time to go for shopping, guys!
Urbana,
February 27th, 2009
Invisible Woman
This is one of my weekly journal at ESL class last semester. It's fun, so enjoy it!
"Invisible Woman"
If I could be anything, I would be an invisible woman! It would be interesting, because I could do anything I want and people around me didn’t know it. I could meet a pop star that I really adore, went to people’s house or apartment and hidden myself when I met someone I hate. There would be many things I could do if I were invisible.
Sometimes, I really want to do something weird but I’m afraid that people will think that I’m crazy. For example, I really want to lay my head on Brad Pitt’s shoulder, share my life with him personally and have a romantic candle light dinner. But it sounds impossible because Brad Pitt doesn’t know me. If I were invisible, I could go to Brad Pitt’s house, laid my head on his shoulder. It would be the most unforgettable moment in my life. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to share my life with him personally nor had a romantic candle light dinner because he wouldn’t be able to see me, but it wouldn’t matter. At least I still could see him closely, touched him and even kissed him! (This is one of my wild imagination).
I like to see people’s places, especially the big and neat house or apartment. But if I don’t know the owner, maybe they will be angry if a stranger comes in to their house/apartment like a theft. If I were invisible, I could enter people’s house/apartment, or I could enter a very famous public figure’s house or apartment. I could see inside their apartment/house, used their furniture and acted as I were the owner.
Other thing that I could do if I were invisible, I could hide from a debt collector (even though I don’t have any debt with anybody now) or someone I hate. I could hide from my boss when he needed me, from a job that I didn’t like. I could hide from any moments/persons that made me feel inconvenient. I would feel free and nobody would annoy or disturb me.
In conclusion, being invisible would be very fun; knowing that you could do anything you want and people didn’t realize it. You don’t have to be worried of being caught. Just enjoy whatever you could do!
Urbana,
February 23rd, 2009
"Invisible Woman"
If I could be anything, I would be an invisible woman! It would be interesting, because I could do anything I want and people around me didn’t know it. I could meet a pop star that I really adore, went to people’s house or apartment and hidden myself when I met someone I hate. There would be many things I could do if I were invisible.
Sometimes, I really want to do something weird but I’m afraid that people will think that I’m crazy. For example, I really want to lay my head on Brad Pitt’s shoulder, share my life with him personally and have a romantic candle light dinner. But it sounds impossible because Brad Pitt doesn’t know me. If I were invisible, I could go to Brad Pitt’s house, laid my head on his shoulder. It would be the most unforgettable moment in my life. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to share my life with him personally nor had a romantic candle light dinner because he wouldn’t be able to see me, but it wouldn’t matter. At least I still could see him closely, touched him and even kissed him! (This is one of my wild imagination).
I like to see people’s places, especially the big and neat house or apartment. But if I don’t know the owner, maybe they will be angry if a stranger comes in to their house/apartment like a theft. If I were invisible, I could enter people’s house/apartment, or I could enter a very famous public figure’s house or apartment. I could see inside their apartment/house, used their furniture and acted as I were the owner.
Other thing that I could do if I were invisible, I could hide from a debt collector (even though I don’t have any debt with anybody now) or someone I hate. I could hide from my boss when he needed me, from a job that I didn’t like. I could hide from any moments/persons that made me feel inconvenient. I would feel free and nobody would annoy or disturb me.
In conclusion, being invisible would be very fun; knowing that you could do anything you want and people didn’t realize it. You don’t have to be worried of being caught. Just enjoy whatever you could do!
Urbana,
February 23rd, 2009
"Unfaithful" Movie Review
This was my journal on ESL (English as a Second Language) class last semester here, in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. I wrote this as a weekly journal, our assignment for a semester. Here is the journal and at the end of this note is the comment from the teacher. Enjoy it!
Movie Review
“Unfaithful”
Unfaithful is a movie that is starred by Diane Lane, Richard Gere and Olivier Martinez. Richard Gere (Edward Sumner) and Diane Lane (Connie Sumner) are husband and wife. They have a son, Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan) and they live in a very big house in a suburb in New York. Their life looks so perfect until an accidental meeting happens between Connie and a very handsome Frenchman, Paul (Olivier Martinez) and they start an affair that finally makes things go bad.
The movie makes very few attempts to convince us that Connie needs the affair, because the truth is that she doesn’t need it. She is beautiful and she has a handsome husband that really loves her. She also has a cute son. They are happy and rich as well. Their life is so perfect. Just because Connie’s friend jokes with her, having an affair should be considered like taking a pottery class — it is something fun to try out. This seems making Connie approaches the affair. It’s something she’s never tried, and the idea, and the follow-through, of the affair turns her on even more than the actual affair itself. Is she in love with Paul? Actually she is not in love with Paul. She is just in love with having the affair. This is so bad.
Her husband, Edward, has a sympathetic character. But unfortunately, he made a wrong decision to be involved in a murder. He killed Paul after he finds his wife’s love affair. This is weird because a nice person will not be involved in a murder. He is a very good husband, but it reminds us that a very good husband maybe had a bad role in his past years. Nobody is perfect. Maybe he played Paul’s role in the past.
Paul, as a very charming person, is not anywhere close to be our hero. This guy is a player, the kind of man that probably has two or three women lined up to take Connie’s place as soon as she ends the affair. Paul is not in love because he already has another target in-between his afternoon sessions with Connie. He is a kind of guy that you don’t want to be your best friend, because he will take any chance to steal your girlfriend just to prove that he can. Paul is just a person who is blessed with a good looking face and he can make a friendship easily with every woman.
This is an interesting movie because it tells us that everything will be so bad if you make a love affair. In my opinion, only a fool would have an affair. In this movie, Connie begins an affair with Paul. The affair becomes hot and heavy and ends in misery and violence when Connie’s husband, Edward, finds out the affair, and on the spur of the moment, goes to introduce himself to Paul and then Edward kills Paul. Edward, as a good man, looks like so easy to kill Paul. It does not make sense because a good man who has no experience in a murder, should find difficulties in killing someone. At least you will be so nervous while doing it. But in this movie, Edward looks so calm and confident while killing Paul. On the other hand, as a drama, this movie is a thrilling drama that is not easy to forget. Diane Lane played her role totally that made her got widespread praise for her performance. This movie is good to remind us that a love affair will turn everything bad.
Then my teacher, Nisha Agha, a half Pakistan and a half Irish, wrote this:
"Are affairs common in Indonesia? In America they are very common so I think people here may be able to relate better to the characters.
I think your last sentence sums up your thoughts well."
Gosh!
Urbana,
February 20th, 2009
Movie Review
“Unfaithful”
Unfaithful is a movie that is starred by Diane Lane, Richard Gere and Olivier Martinez. Richard Gere (Edward Sumner) and Diane Lane (Connie Sumner) are husband and wife. They have a son, Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan) and they live in a very big house in a suburb in New York. Their life looks so perfect until an accidental meeting happens between Connie and a very handsome Frenchman, Paul (Olivier Martinez) and they start an affair that finally makes things go bad.
The movie makes very few attempts to convince us that Connie needs the affair, because the truth is that she doesn’t need it. She is beautiful and she has a handsome husband that really loves her. She also has a cute son. They are happy and rich as well. Their life is so perfect. Just because Connie’s friend jokes with her, having an affair should be considered like taking a pottery class — it is something fun to try out. This seems making Connie approaches the affair. It’s something she’s never tried, and the idea, and the follow-through, of the affair turns her on even more than the actual affair itself. Is she in love with Paul? Actually she is not in love with Paul. She is just in love with having the affair. This is so bad.
Her husband, Edward, has a sympathetic character. But unfortunately, he made a wrong decision to be involved in a murder. He killed Paul after he finds his wife’s love affair. This is weird because a nice person will not be involved in a murder. He is a very good husband, but it reminds us that a very good husband maybe had a bad role in his past years. Nobody is perfect. Maybe he played Paul’s role in the past.
Paul, as a very charming person, is not anywhere close to be our hero. This guy is a player, the kind of man that probably has two or three women lined up to take Connie’s place as soon as she ends the affair. Paul is not in love because he already has another target in-between his afternoon sessions with Connie. He is a kind of guy that you don’t want to be your best friend, because he will take any chance to steal your girlfriend just to prove that he can. Paul is just a person who is blessed with a good looking face and he can make a friendship easily with every woman.
This is an interesting movie because it tells us that everything will be so bad if you make a love affair. In my opinion, only a fool would have an affair. In this movie, Connie begins an affair with Paul. The affair becomes hot and heavy and ends in misery and violence when Connie’s husband, Edward, finds out the affair, and on the spur of the moment, goes to introduce himself to Paul and then Edward kills Paul. Edward, as a good man, looks like so easy to kill Paul. It does not make sense because a good man who has no experience in a murder, should find difficulties in killing someone. At least you will be so nervous while doing it. But in this movie, Edward looks so calm and confident while killing Paul. On the other hand, as a drama, this movie is a thrilling drama that is not easy to forget. Diane Lane played her role totally that made her got widespread praise for her performance. This movie is good to remind us that a love affair will turn everything bad.
Then my teacher, Nisha Agha, a half Pakistan and a half Irish, wrote this:
"Are affairs common in Indonesia? In America they are very common so I think people here may be able to relate better to the characters.
I think your last sentence sums up your thoughts well."
Gosh!
Urbana,
February 20th, 2009
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