1/3 of Biology 85

Cewek-cewek biologi 85

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What the…?

Then it hit me. Until last year, I did not have any problems because one of my colleagues have opened the doors to the lab every Wednesday morning without fail. This July he passed away.

Since then, things have not been the same.

You are sorely missed Pak, I wish you were still with us

Al Fatihah untuk Bp. Ellyzar IM Adil MS.

My Department is mourning the loss of our dear colleague and friend, Mr. Ellyzar IM Adil.

He taught Animal Physiology. Always maintained a close relationship with all students, rarely see him down.

I am sad because I know that he had to deal with a lot of difficult things during these past few years, and I couldn’t really help him.

The various status updates on Facebook are a testimony to his kind heart and gentle manner.

You will be missed Pak Ellyzar. May Allah SWT have mercy on you and your family (ibu Ena, Dika & Dita) be strong to get through this difficult time.

(Al Fatihah untuk Alm. Pak Ellyzar)

Seriously.

I’ve always tried not to quit easily, taking each experience as a learning experience, but sometimes, it’s just not worth it.

They say a job worth doing is worth doing well, but the $64,000 question is, is the job worth doing?

When I literally threw up before going to bed after a meeting, I knew it was time to move on.

Anyway…

In Jakarta, the sight of beggars asking for money at traffic jams are a common sight. You can always see them line up every day. Some are even “regulars”, like clock work appearing at a same hour. People believe that some kind of mafia is involved in putting these beggars on the street and so usually, a lot of people ignore them.

Yesterday, I came across a mother-child beggar during a traffic jam. I also noticed, across the street, a young boy (about 12 year old maybe) selling some kind of fried food. The mother then waved and ordered something for the child. He then crossed the street carrying something and gave them the food. What happened next made me want to cry.

The mother started to give the boy some money from her cup to pay for the food, but you know what the boy did? He just waved off the money and crossed back to his “pikulan”, and moved on, walking, continuing his selling. The mother child beggar then proceeded to have their simple meal.

The whole episode made me ashamed of myself. There I was, in my nice car, AC on, songs on the CD, silently complaining about the traffic while this boy, who obviously does not make a lot of money selling cheap fried food, sacrifice a portion of his profit for… a mother-child beggar (who might not even be mother and child?). I wanted to shout out to the boy and pay for the food he gave the beggar but he was quick and nimble on his feet and he quickly faded from my view.

So I slowly moved on too, all the while feeling embarrassed, because sometimes I think too much when giving to the needy when there this young boy who didn’t think twice about giving free food to the needy.

Moral of the story… if you want to give, then GIVE! Don’t overthink your actions. Do what your heart tells you to do.

I do pray that the young boy sold out all his food that day and has enough for his family to eat a decent meal.

Thanks for reading.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

[Ceritanya, ibu Sita sedang memberikan sambutan wisuda]

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

Kalimat ini merupakan kalimat pembuka wakil wisudawan Spring Semester di University of Wisconsin, Madison, May 1994. Sudah lama, ya? Kok itu yang diingat? Soalnya, saya berada di tengah-tengah rombongan wisudawan pada saat itu. Wisuda di universitas-universitas Amerika mirip dengan suasana di Indonesia. Meriah banget. Mau lagi spring, summer atau winter, seluruh keluarga berbondong-bondong hadir. Ayah, Ibu, Adik, Kakak, Tante, Nenek, Kakek… yah pokoknya sampai itu gymnasium luber deh. Karena jarak Amerika Indonesia yang jauh, hanya ayah-ibu saya saja yang datang. Saya ingat, ayah saya sempet ngerasa sal-tum dengan jas lengkap (karena lebih banyak yang casual) tapi beliau menghibur diri "Ini kan, the States, nggak ada istilah saltum…" Memang betul, wisuda di Amerika jarang ada dress code. Mau pakai jas lengkap atau tshirt, enggak ditolak masuk. Pokoknya, on that one day, everyone is happy. Ada sense of achievement. Perkara besok belum dapet kerjaan, atau application ke program PhD nggak lolos, pada hari itu, at least satu tahapan proses pendidikan dinyatakan selesai, and they can say:

"I DID IT!"

Fast forward, 24 Agustus 2007.

Hari ini, Departemen Biologi melepas 30 orang wisudawan/wati. Dua orang punya predikat cum laude. Saya sempat tercekat para wisudawan/wati yang ganteng-ganteng dan cantik-cantik karena saya ingat mereka pada saat mereka kuliah. Rata-rata anteeeng kalau kuliah. Duduk dengan manis. Ada juga yang tidur. Banyak yang main SMS.

Saya juga ingat pada saat mereka mulai penelitian. Saya lihat mereka jungkir balik mengambil data. Ada yang bolak-balik ke laboratorium di luar Depok, ada yang nyebur ke laut, naik ke gunung. Banyak yang bermalam di gedung Departemen Biologi, nungguin reaksi PCR atau mengikuti kurva pertumbuhan.  Ekspresi muka bermacam-macam. Data tidak seperti yang diharapkan. Tiap diskusi dengan pembimbing, kok, makin banyak coretannya? Mungkin ini adalah the worst of times.

Tapi jangan salah, banyak yang menemukan cinta di Departemen ini. It was the best of times, because I found my soulmate. Cieeee, romantis yah? Ibu Sita itu, romantic at heart. The stories I hear make me smile. Ah, to be young and in love… Eh, eh, tapi kan, nggak semua jadi dengan "cinta"nya di kampus? Lha terus kenapa?  But think of the stories you can tell your children in the future…

Akhirnya, saya melihat mereka pada saat ketua sidang menyatakan "Anda berhak menyandang gelar S.Si…" Kelihatan sekali, ekspresi kelegaan, kegembiraan di muka mereka. Ibaratnya, si roller coaster of emotions sampai di stasiun terakhir.

Dan hari ini, mereka dikumpulkan di Balairung UI, dan dirayakan oleh seluruh universitas, termasuk mahasiswa baru, yang sudah pasti terbengong-bengong membayangkan, "Kapan ya, saya bisa jadi wisudawan?"

Ada rasa sedih, atau mungkin terharu. Bagi saya yang belum punya anak kandung sendiri, ya rombongan inilah yang tiap tahun saya claim sebagai anak-anak saya. Setiap anak adalah individu, dengan achievement masing-masing. Predikat boleh berbeda,  tapi bagi semua wisudawan, this is your day. On this day you can say: I DID IT!

Selamat untuk para wisudawan dan wisudawati Departemen Biologi FMIPA-UI semester ATA 2006/2007!