Blissminton Event: Takinogawa Gym Direction Map from Kaminakazato Station

 

Blissminton Event: Tabata JHS Gym 2F Direction Map

 

My 2020 Story: The Year that Made You STRONGER

<< written on December 31st 2020 >>

It is so funny and still surprising to look back and reflect on what has happened this year. A year that no one has ever expected, everyone realized that they needed to cancel or postpone their new year resolutions and plans just after creating them. A year that is difficult for probably almost everyone, except mask manufacturers and Zoom engineers :p, #jk. A year that is unexceptionally difficult also for me. 

A weird start of the year: beginning of 2020 (Jan - Mar)

It was also a personally weird way to start this year. I started the year with deep grief after losing my last and beloved grandparent, my grandma. All the year-end trips last year were canceled. I ended up rushing in and out to the hospital and funeral home, went straight away back to Japan after cremating her while Jakarta was covered in flood and blackouts. I remembered that I needed to pack my baggage during the blackout on the night of January 1st after the cremation because my flight was in the next morning... No trumpet, no overnight year-end party, no more than just new numbers on the calendar.

Coming back early to Japan was I thought the way to move on more easily from what had happened back then in Indonesia. Although I knew that coronavirus was first reported back in late 2019, I never thought that it was going to be the main theme of this year. Thinking (planning) another "normal" year would come and spend the last few new year holidays peacefully were the firsts on my to-do list. I still (randomly) believed that the good rhyme of "twenty-twenty" would bring good fortunes to me. But watching TV news was like climbing the peak of a roller coaster track, slowly but surely terrifying. 

• Kobe Bryant's death? Ooh, what a bad start to the year... 

• First coronavirus case in Japan? Ooh.. still not a great deal, isn't it?!

• Wuhan lockdown? Oh come on, what's this shit...

• Corona Diamond Princess Cruise in Yokohama? The shit is coming broo... be prepared..

• A late WHO pandemic declaration? Ooh, a teddy bear (read: Tedros) haha.. useless..

• Toilet paper, rice, and masks become scarce in supermarkets? Wtf 2020...

Wearing a mask slowly became a "passport" to go outside. Mask hunting became a new weird normal. A weird year had come, robbing and destroying many dreams, looting in the US ha..ha..ha..

One of my favorite corona memes :)

Meanwhile, on another track of my life (read: my work life) things also got rough. The talk about closing down the company had become more serious than ever. The company had some serious problems to take care of and began to see stopping the business would be the best option. This was a heartbreaking point this year, or probably in my life, not only because of losing a job, but mainly because of realizing that a person whom I think is on my side can stab your back, and a dream that was once believed can turn into bullshit.

A new bottom of my life: mid of 2020 (Apr - Jul)

Here I am at the new dark bottom of my life. Pandemic? Who cares?! I have no job! #jk. Of course, I cared (most probably more than you), looking for a new job in the middle of the pandemic is a different and unknown monster.

• Coronavirus? What is this shit?

• How long is it gonna last? ...

• Seeking a new opportunity outside Japan? Not sure... With the virus, it seems not a good idea...

• HIRING FREEZE IN BIG COMPANIES?!? Uwaaaa let me CRYYYY......

As some of my friends and people tell me that I am a (little too) optimistic type of guy, of course thinking of losing a job as "A Whole New World" (Alladin, read: new opportunity) was easy. But come on people! Not in the middle of this pandemic... Honestly, there always is a little dream in some corner of my head to travel countries or have a long trip before my next job (or in this context, this is just me running away from the reality). But... but... but... cannot lah...  

can't describe better than this :)

One beautiful thing that I realized, that I am grateful for and really thank myself for doing it and thank people who taught me how to, was saving. That was the MOTM (man of the match) and a game-changer of this year. I can't imagine how big my monster was if I didn't have enough savings even though I knew that I could receive 3 months of unemployment insurance (around ¥200,000 / month) here in Japan. Not only job hunting, the first few weeks I was busy making sure that my condition did not violate my current visa and learning how to get my unemployment insurance. I think that being financially secure this year gave me space and time to think slowly and more clearly to sort things out and solve them.

So what now? I started asking for help from friends who can refer me, updating my LinkedIn and CV, and applying for jobs. It does not sound as easy as saying (writing) them. It was a 4 months gap between my previous and current job. Since I was also a little bit picky about choosing my next job, I managed to apply for 15 companies, but 10 of them did not land me any interviews mainly due to the hiring freeze or just simply ignored me. 

However, despite all the problems, to be honest, I kinda enjoyed my 4 months "reset" period. I had never had this kind of quite a long time to think about myself, but also do some fun and meaningful activities from my looong bucket list. I finished 4 online courses, read 2 books, discovered new hidden gems (read: good restaurants) in Tokyo, and moved to a better apartment, of course after my first job offer in mid of July :).

Night view from my apartment

A brand new start and surprising first (corona) hospitalization in Japan: end of 2020 (Aug - Dec)

Here I am on the new page of my life. A new apartment, a new workplace, and a new heartbreak (it did not go well also with my previous GF) were quite overwhelming. There were so many boxes in my new apartment since the size doubled from the previous one and I barely had furniture. Going to my new office in Nihonbashi was also the new normal. Just entering the fifth week of August, which is also my birthday week, I had my first fever in this pandemic year.... (jeng jeng jeng -> screaming piano sound)

Going back from office at night

To fast forward (or I can write this experience in another post), I got my Corona PCR test on September 7th and the result was positive. I had clear symptoms: headache, fever, cough, loss of smell, and noticeable chest pressure. Some (light) pneumonia was also found. Then, I got hospitalized on September 9th.

Corona positive news was shocking already, but to have it during the probation period in my new company gave me another headache haha. I was in a mental game prioritizing my health and my job. At the lowest point of this period, I said to myself to stop caring about anything except this corona shit and focus on the treatment. I was blessed that my company still supported me during this difficult period although I still felt bad because I was a new guy there. At that time, I just couldn't believe what 2020 had brought me. I just couldn't ask for a worse scenario. 

My room at the hospital before going back home :)

The best meal during the isolation

Nevertheless, time passes by and life goes on. Things got more stable and I started enjoying the last third of 2020. Buying a lot of stuff (lights, curtains, sofa, tv cabinet, monitor, etc) for my new apartment, buying proper winter outfit, removing or selling old and unused stuff, learning so many new things in the new company, cooking more because of remote work, playing badminton again after the reset period, going to a hot bath after badminton, meeting a few old friends, finding and watching Kimetsu no Yaiba :), and so on...

A blessing in disguise of 2020

It was a long journey of 2020, yet it felt so quick like riding a roller coaster. I feel like time jumped from March to December with January and February being the waiting time for the roller coaster ride haha. Here I am after the ride, sitting down writing a review for the ride (read: reflecting). I just could not find a better way to close this year by saying many thanks to people who helped me survive this year: my family, my friends (especially whom I directly asked for help and job referrals), my old and new colleagues, doctors and nurses out there especially who carefully treated me, and the loving God. (Of course, I also gave myself credit for being a tough guy he..he..he..)

2020 has changed the way people live. Despite all of the difficult things that have happened or are happening to us, these are the things that I am grateful for from surviving 2020:

1. better communication with my family and extended family

• Since the online meeting boom this year, my family has actively participated in this. We ended up having more frequent online meetings :).

2. realizing a deeper meaning of the saying "Saving is important!"

• It was just simply MOTM of this year. (please read the whole post for this :) )

3. finding a new job and having a great mentor in my new company

• It was not easy to find a suitable job this year, but I believe I am in a better place now with a great mentor.

4. genuinely kind people around me who helped me during the career transition
5. getting reminded of the importance of health

• This slapped me on the face when getting corona during the probation period. Highly appreciate doctors and nurses out there fighting for us.

6. realizing that getting an education at Canisius College (my high school) is probably the best gift I could ask for from my parents

• By looking at how many talented and global people in my network and looking at the distribution of US presidential voters this year, I am pretty much sure that I got one of the best education in Indonesia.

7. enjoying the great work of Kimetsu no Yaiba :)

Image from : https://tower.jp/article/news/2020/07/07/tg011

Experiencing all these things this year has positively changed me and made 2020 an unforgettable one. This year has taught me to stop, contemplate, and reflect. All the hardships have definitely made me stronger and I hope you think of 2020 the same way. Thank you 2020 and happy new year 2021! Have a great year ahead!

You Just Don't Know Yet -- A positive story --

Hello para pembaca! Udah lama banget nih gw ngga nulis di blog gw ini hehe.. Beberapa bulan yang lalu gw dapet mention di twitter kalo ada orang yang menunggu post baru di blog gw ini, kaget dan seneng juga, semoga hal-hal yang gw tulis di sini bisa bermanfaat bagi teman-teman yang membaca. Btw sekarang gw udah bukan mahasiswa lagi, semoga gw jadi punya lebih banyak waktu untuk mengayunkan pena di sini.

Kali ini gw mau menulis mengenai hal yang ngga terlalu berat hehe.. Ini based on my personal experience dan cukup mengena di hati gw.

Jadi beberapa minggu yang lalu, gw diundang untuk makan bakso di rumah seorang teman dan senior lama orang Indonesia. Teman ini adalah teman saya ketika berorganisasi di PPI ON. Untuk yang ngga tau, PPI ON itu adalah Persatuan Pelajar Indonesia Osaka-Nara. Gw pernah diamanahkan menjadi ketua periode 2015/16. Nah teman ini juga pernah menjadi pengurus PPI ON, sudah berkeluarga, menikah dengan teman saya juga yang juga mantan pengurus hehe.. Sekarang mereka udah punya 1 anak, kerja di Toshiba dan Hitachi, greget deh pokoknya :)

Setelah makan bakso, kita punya waktu untuk ngobrol-ngobrol santai dengan temen cowo gw ini (kita kasih inisial mas A aja biar gampang). Mas A ini dan istrinya adalah lulusan S3 dari Osaka University. Untuk sedikit latar belakang aja, cari kerja di Jepang itu lumayan susah-susah gampang, tingkat kesulitan dipengaruhi beberapa faktor yang salah satunya kemampuan bahasa Jepang. Selama gw bertugas sebagai ketua PPI, banyak tuh teman-teman yang nanya tips-tips shukatsu (就活, cari kerja) di Jepang, curhat-curhat karena keunikan dan kesulitan tata cara shukatsu, atau minta tolong diterjemahin CV-nya. Ada juga cerita sedih teman harus pulang karena ngga dapet kerja, pokoknya lumayan rempong deh.

Nah karena mas A dan istrinya keren banget bisa kerja di perusahaan ternama di Jepang, pas ngobrol-ngobrol santai gw nanya donk ke dia penasaran gimana dulu prosesnya dari Osaka bisa sampai ke Tokyo, karena gw dulu yang duluan pindahan ke Tokyo, kira-kira begini percakapannya.

Gw: Wih kok lu keren sih sekarang bisa kerja di Toshiba, dulu gimana tuh prosesnya?
Mas A: Wah kan lu dulu yang post lowongannya Cos, wkwk (Orangnya emang suka ketawa dan bercanda)
Gw: What? Serius lo?
Mas A: iya dulu pernah di grup PPI, kayaknya itu elu deh.

Gw kaget dan seneng juga. Jujur gw juga ngga inget pernah ngepost lowongan Toshiba di grup PPI. Emang pas jadi ketua PPI itu, pastinya lu dapat banyak info dari pihak luar yang minta diteruskan ke anggota, karena komunitasnya lumayan besar, anggotanya sekitar 80-100 orang, sehingga info-info tersebut harus di pilah dan yang penting kita teruskan ke milis atau grup chat anggota. Tapi karena emang lumayan banyak, kita jadi emang forward aja, tanpa pikir terlalu panjang apakah info itu berdampak atau ngga.

Terus gw lanjut bertanya,

Gw: Terus istri lu gimana tuh prosesnya? Hebat juga loh kerja di Hitachi.
Mas A: Nah kalo dia dari TOP Career Cos, itu juga elu yang post haha.
Gw: ... (speechless)

Kalo si TOP Career ini gw inget! Emang pas gw mengemban tugas ada salah satu agentnya yang selalu ngontakin gw buat minta di-forward-in lowongan-lowongan atau job fair nya mereka. Tapi gw beneran ngga nyangka ada yang nyangkut kerjaan dari situ, soalnya cerita sedih cari kerja yang gw bilang di paragraf di atas juga berhubungan dengan TOP Career. Gw makin kaget dan pastinya seneng juga mendengar jawaban dari Mas A. Kaget dan seneng karena ternyata dari suatu hal kecil yang terkadang males gw dan tim pengurus lakuin, berdampak lumayan besar buat kehidupan seseorang.

Moral cerita: Terkadang lu tuh ngga tau, suatu hal positif yang lu lakukan, biarpun kecil, bisa berdampak besar untuk kehidupan orang lain. Gw bisa aja dengan mudah meng-ignore agent TOP Career atau membiarkan lowongan-lowongan kerja yang masuk ke inbox gw, karena waktu itu gw memang lumayan sibuk kuliah. Tapi dengan pengalaman kecil ini, gw jadi lebih termotivasi untuk melakukan hal-hal positif lainnya, yang mungkin gw ga tau apa efeknya di kemudian hari. Gw cuma berharap, keberadaan gw di dunia ini bisa berpengaruh positif buat orang-orang di sekitar gw, dan harapan inilah yang menjadi kunci motivasi gw untuk terus berkarya dari hari ke hari, sehingga pengalaman yang gw jabarkan di atas adalah pengalaman menyentuh dan berarti buat gw.

Khusus untuk para ketua dan pengurus PPI di luar sana yang masih mengemban tugas, gw berharap cerita ini juga bisa menjadi motivasi untuk terus berjuang dan berkarya, karena gw mengalami sendiri senang-susah dan sibuk-sibuknya jadi ketua PPI. Gw juga pernah berada dalam kondisi kritis dan aga stress dengan tekanan kesibukan kuliah dan beban jadi ketua PPI. Ini juga alasan kenapa gw mau menulis hal ini di blog gw ini hehe..

Tentunya, I also want to give the credits to my team! Setelah gw liat-liat lagi websitenya, ternyata masih ada gambar susunan kepengurusan pas gw mengemban tugas, untuk yang berminat liat bisa klik link di bawah ini.

Susunan kepengurusan PPI ON 2015/16

I really wish them doing well in life, karena jujur gw udah ngga terlalu sering ngontak mereka, apalagi setelah gw pindahan ke Tokyo. They were a great and really helpful team. I also wish Mas A and his family a happy life, biar tetep greget dan keren :). Terima kasih juga untuk kalian yang udah baca sampai habis dan sampai sekarang, apalagi untuk yang udah nungguin artikel baru di blog ini.

Always BE POSITIVE! :)

大阪大院入試で問題ミス 合否影響なし 受験者１４６人全員正解に

大阪大は２３日、大学院の博士前期課程一般入試で、筆記試験の問題文に誤りがあったと発表した。誤った記載に関連する設問について、受験した１４６人全員を正解とし、合否に影響はなかった。

　大阪大によると、７月３０日に行われた「情報工学」の筆記試験で、アルゴリズムとプログラミングに関する問題文中の英数字に誤りがあった。

　試験後の８月３日に受験者から指摘があり発覚。誤った記載が影響する２問（５００点中５０点分）を全員正解とした。受験者にはホームページや謝罪文の郵送により説明する予定。

　大学は「問題作成者以外によるチェック体制をさらに強化する」としている。

http://www.sankei.com/smp/west/news/160823/wst1608230055-s1.html