Dear wifey - The Programmer that supposed to be a teacher

It all started with Java

2003-2008

And then I trapped in Electrical Engineering Education of State University of Jakarta for 4.5 years continueing the search my life path. Overall it was great time in campus. I met a lot great friends, nice lecturer and many new knowledges. I enjoy most of the courses, atrending the class, go to library, doing some research project, participate in some competitions, join cool extracurriculer club and also start to earn my own money. More story to come.

Life is only easy in movies and maybe the sims game. Real life often have much challenges. Money is not everything but only money that will make our stomach full and finance our education. My tuition fee was quite affordable even on standard of between 2003 - 2008. It was exactly 1.000.000 IDR. However arrive to that age I start to realize cannot rely to my mother anymore in financing my life. Start in the second year I became the freelance door to door student tutor.

Teaching is the easiest job for college student like me. First it is in line with my own college degree, at the end I supposed to be a teacher anyway. Second, I have my own passion in sharing my knowledge. Then I became freelance teacher for some years forward.

Back to school, I am still doing my activity like usual. Except I have to decrease my hanging out time, since I had several teaching schedule in a week in several student house. Sometime I woulf go home late and have to wake early morning again to go to campus. During my university time , mostly I keep commute from my parent home to campus which took averagely 2 hour one way.

In campus I encountered my old fascination with computer. In my major, beside studying low level concept like electrical engineering to microprocessor, there are several programming courses as well. And I was falling in live again. That was C programming course that made me turned to pink. I don't know why, writing line of codes, compiling and running it produced some output like a kind release some endrophin from my body, sense of enjoyment and fulfilment. Since that day, I never look back for looking what it is called passion.

Nearing the end of my university time, I became more heavily interacted with something callwd internet. But at that time it was still expensive. Broadband internet was still not common, wifi was never heard yet, most of the housing if needed still have to use dial up to connect to internet. Internet connection through phone had been existed but still not common. Only possible to use gprs and we only could browse to wap site which is almost useless. Even zuckerberg perhaps has not entered harvard yet, no twitter and most of the phone still Nokia.

In that era I was introduced with something called Java. It jargon is WORA which mean Write Once Run Anywhere. It is available in most platform from mobile phone, desktop to server. Luckily it has c like syntax. The challenge, Java introduced me to something called object oriented programming which took several years me for me to grasp its full concept.

The first time I used Java when I participated student contest in developing software for mobile platform. I built sms gateway to respond query of muslim praying time by using location parameter. At the end, even my thesis was something relate to Java which I wrote time attendence system using Java and RFID.

Fast forward, I had graduated on March 2008. De ja vu, like when I was in high school, I lost my path and don't know what I should be. Most of my friend go back to school and be a teacher. I respect teaching job, but at that time I want something else. Even though I have to end uo teaching in some stages of my life, it should to be a lecturer or professor in uni.

I remembered, I posted several job application using dead tree paper, envelope and stamp. I was submitting about 8 to 10 applications to different companies that posted job advertisement in news paper. Most of the vacancies that i applied for was management trainee or junior engineer. Very less that replied my application. Funny thing was some of management trainee vancancy that I applied, actually was forex tradeer recruitment. So I attend the process what they called interview but actually was forex training. At the end of 3rd day training we were asked to start to search investor. What?!!

I give up job searching use traditional way. Then I encountered some online job searching website. At that time the most famous in Indonesia was JobsDb. I derping arounf the website and don't know why I entering IT as industry that I look for. Later I saw so many job posting. Database Administrstor, Project Manager, sysadmin, web designer, php prorammer and Java developer were several open position available. Hey Java! I just realized there were quite many Java vacancy. I knew Java, at least I can program simple desktop apps.

Fast forward, I invited to several interviews. Software started to be a hype. Much people building company to answer demand of other company that need cool software. In same chains, software company need a cool software developer. Since cool software developer difficult to find, some company doesn't bother to recruit fresh graduate like me. Moreover I can show off to them at least I had created something. I got two job offers, both were junior java developer position. I took the one has more convenience location. The journey of Java developer in Java island start that day. It was, 15 July 2008, the first time I went to work. The office located in nice house (yes the office is in the house) in Kebayoran Baru Jakarta. The journey has not stop yet. Now I work in Singapore. Still with some Java codes, some sql script, deployment problem, some reporting and some design pattern. The exploler still looks some another nice beautiful and colder place. Maybe Finland and Norway? Who never know.

"Passion allows you to do what you love even without getting paid. So would you code java for free? Absolutely no! " :)

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - In searching of the life path

Dear wifey,

It all start with Resistor color band.

Until 2003

After graduated from my high school, I was not clear to what life path that I would like to take. Obviously that must be not relate to social science, since I dont like remembering facts. I prefer thinking and solving problem. It made me love science, especially math, physics, electronics and ... computer.

The first two I love because I like calculation. Thanks to Pak Tri Wahyudi, Pak Sahroni, Ibu Rina as some of teachers in junior highschool and highschool that cultivate this interest.

About electronics, I like device since I was child. There were quite many electronic devices that was broken in my hand just because to pay my curiosity. I just wanted to see to internal of the item. I open it, dissambly, and I dont know how to reassimbly again. When I was i junior high school, I met with Pak Wawan Gunawan that teach semi extracuriculer study electrical engineering. It started with quiz of calculating the value of resistor based in its color band. I failed, but then I found my othet interest, electronics.

I interested with computer because of its sophistication and my incapability to afford one. I met this superb device in junior highschool when we have course in DOS, wordstar and lotus 123. In highschool I learnt with word, excel, paint (yes paint!! We were teached drawing logo of several Indonesia TV station) and somehow I discovered programming started with Visual Basic. After realizing my excitement to computer, Pak Arif the computer tutor who doubling his role as physics teacher, proposed me to join computer science olympiad representing my school. He promised to tutor me along the way. Indeed he tutored me by passing some books. I was learning Pascal in several weeks. Interestingly I win the region competition and then sent to province. Since that time I fall in love with bew stuffs call programming.

Reaching the end of my highschool, I confused again about my life path. Older sister in law of my father (who partially subsidise my education expense since highschool) who I called as Matuo Lin was expecting me to be a sailor to be like her husband. Even she sent me monthly money so that I can go routinely to swimming pool so that I can chase minimum body height to be accepted in local sailor academy. However this proposal change suddenly. One day she invited me to her home. She asked what major that I want to take in university. With full of honest and pureness I said "I don't know". She seems didn't like my respond. Conclussion from that day talk was also interesting. We came out with electrical engineering. The term that seems come from no where. I assume one of he reason this proposal came out because my cousin (her youngest son) was also taking electrical engineering in University of Indonesia (one of greatest university in Indonesia). However my destiny seems not to go to that great uni. Because budget consideration, she suggest me to try State University of Jakarta.

The problems was Electrical Engineering in State University of Jakarta was not pure engineering degree. State University of Jakarta was high institution to breed a teacher that later on to university. But after conversion most of its major still relate to education. Electrical Engineering in this university didn't aim the student to be an engineer but instead to be a vocational school teacher that will teach ready to use engineer. Honestly I was expecting to be an engineer instead of teacher.

Luckily there were special track for admission in that university. For whom that have sufficient grades in high school, can enter to this university without test. I passed the special track and then enter my new life journey as Electrical Enginering Education student a.k.a teacher candidate. In the mean time I burried my dream to study in one of the greatest university in indonesia. Start from this years I started to see that often destiny is very interesting.

Destiny is not dead end path. It is open paths where we have privillage to choose the path to go. Indeed sometime there will be an obstacle along the way.

Dear wifey - A Short Farewell

Dear Wifey,

That is it. 3 months flies like a flash. It feels just like yesterday when I picked you up from Changi Airport. Today I drop you off when you have go again to Germany.

Dear wifey, thank you for bring so much happiness during your stay. Thank you for always taking care of me all the time. Thank you for not complaining in staying in small room and sharing very small bed.

Wifey, did you know, at the time I decide to propose you, honestly I was not sure whether you are the truly the one that I am looking for. I just asked an advice from Allah and from there my heart felt a guide and can do autopilot to do what I have done. Then as the time goes on, I become more and more grateful for that decission because, choosing you is the best decission I've ever take. As the time goes on, more and more I felt for you.

Dear wifey, physically separating again from you is a grieve. However we have to face this as our current reality. Of course we will not just give up and do nothing for this condition. I will do many things so that we can reunite again. Either by applying job and also applying scholarship. During this process, let's pray and fight together for our dream.

Wifey , did you remember the closing sentence of my earlier dear wifey email? It sounds something like, please wait me in Ilmenau, couple of weeks from now. Can wait to touch and kiss that beautiful and soft check that you have.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Danke

Dear Wifey,

Hubby want to say thank you so much for treating me so well during your stay in here. You always patient for waking me up for Sahur meal eventhough I realize by myself that I must be so difficult to be woke up. Thank you as well for preparing all the meal and even feed me using your beautiful little hand.

Dear wifey when I flash back to couple of years ago, at the time I'd just graduated, I have a wish about job. I really wanted to work abroad. The exact country I wanted to work to was Singapore. In couple of years my wish is granted. Indeed, speaking about wish, hope and pray, human always focus to what is not granted yet. But human often forget for so many things that has been received by him.

I still have a lot of wishes. Want to have more settle life, have children, wanna these and those. But I have to realize as well that I have had so many things in this life to be gratefull for. One of example is you. You are the most important person in my life for now. I still love my parents and still need to care my sisters, but still you are the most important one.

Thank you for accepting me, thank you for always being patient with me, thank you for continuously caring me. So sorry if I still cannot be someone as you expected.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - 2 years

Dear wifey,

Do you remember something that was happening several days before Ramadhan of some years a go? It was approximately about 2 years ago. In rainy night when I was coming to your please. The night when finally we settled a commitment after getting your approval for having serious relationship toward married.

Time flies isn't it? It has been two years and feel just like yesterday. This night I want to say thank you for accepting me.

I cannot wait in couple of hours we will meet again. Hopefully you will be happy during your stay here. We will do a lot of interesting things again together. Ramadhan worships, watching movies, do some traveling, etc.

Two year are short for a relationship. There are still more years to go Insya Allah in front of us. I believe we can sail through it together. I was thinking can write many things in this letter before. But I feel my finger just numb cannot type anything again.

Again I wanna say thank you so much for would like to be with me.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - I love you

Dear Wifey,

Bicara kelembutan suami pada istri memang teladan terbaik adalah Rasulullah. Beliau selalu memberlakukan istrinya dengan sebaik mungkin. Tak pernah berkata kasar dan selalu sabar. Bahkan banyak hadist menjelaskan keutamaan memberlakukan istri dengan baik.

Meski bandingannya masih sangat jauh aku ingin bisa meneladani rasul dalam hal bermuamalah dengan wifey. Sekali lagi maafkan aku jika sampai hari ini masih jauh dari sempurna untuk menjadi suami bunda. Tapi Insya Allah aku ingin selalu belajar dan berubah menjadi lebih baik. Menjadi suami yang lebih penyayang. Menjadi imam yang lebih berilmu. Menjadi ayah yang penuh cinta dan dicintai.

Semoga bunda tidak pernah menyesal menikahi hubby. Semoga kita bisa mendapatkan kebarakahan Ramadhan ini. Insya Allah ini adalah Ramadhan penuh pertama kita bersama. Mari menjadikan Ramadhan ladang ibadah dengan sebaik-baiknya. Mohon ingatkan aku terus bila ada kekhilafan-kekhilafan. Tak sabar menunggu untuk berpuasa bersama, bertadarus, bertarawih, dan belajar bersama.

Tadi sebenarnya banyak sekali hal di kepala yang ingin aku tulis tapi tiba-tiba writers block ketika di depan keybaord ini. Aku hanya ingin bilang, aku sangat sayang dan cinta wifey. Aku tak pernah menyesal sedikit pun menikahi bunda. Bunda adalah karunia terindah dari Allah untukku.

PS: I love you

Dear wifey - Letter and Stamp

Dear wifey,

Sudah cukup lama aku tidak menulis dear wifey saat commuting. Tidur saat di perjalanan memang rasanya enak sekali. Apalagi jika ada hutang tidur malam sebelumnya. Beberapa hari ini aku lumayan cukup tidur. Saat cukuo tidur biasanya kita akan lebih merasa berenergi. Lebih semangat dan lebih positif. Asal jangan kebanyakan tidur saja sebab itu justru akan membuat kita lemas.

Btw nulis topik apa ya hari ini? Bagaimana dengan tentang korespondensi.

Pada waktu SMP aku pernah menulis surat pembaca ke majalah Hai. Aku lupa menulis tentang apa. Tapi dari surat pembaca yang akhirnya dimuat itu aku mendapat banyak sahabat pena. Tapi hobi ini tak terlalu lama berjalan karena tiba-tiba mulai merasa bosan. Yang paling aku suka dari menerima surat adalah menggunting bagian amplop yang ada prangkonya kemudian merendem itu di air panas. Dengan cara itu prangko akan lepas dengan sendirinya dari potongan amplop tanpa sedikitpun rusak.

Dulu aku membeli sebuah album filateli di gramedia Bogor. Gramedia Bogor adalah gramedia terdekat pada waktu itu. Selain dari surat-surat yang aku terima, aku juga mengoleksi prangko dari membeli di toko buku. Salah satu kebanggaanku yang lain adalah saat mendapat surat dari mahasiswa korea yang pernah magang di SMP ku. Aku lupa mulai kapan aku berhenti melakukan aktivitas sahabat pena dan mengumpulkan prangko. Namun mengkoleksi prangko nampaknya akan terus menjadi kegiatan yang menarik.

Di jaman sekarang ini aktivitas surat menyurat pun tinggal menunggu kematiannya. Meski tetap aku merasa ada momen-momen tertentu yang lebih berkesan disampaikan melalui surat atau kartu pos. Mengirim kartu pos saat traveling misalnya seperti yang sering bunda lakukan.

PS: I love you