Terrible .. or Fortunate Experience?

The story started two days ago - Tuesday, December 27th.
I got ready to leave Lafayette, all in a rush, about 2.5 hours before my flight at 3 pm. Driving from Lafayette to the Indy airport around that time was not as promising as I thought - I arrived at 2 pm. And yes, that was only 1 hour before my plane took off. The check-in queue was not that long, maybe about 15 people? But the waiting time was unbelievable. I had to bring myself in front -- sorry for the people I passed -- and mentioned that I had a flight in 30 minutes. Oh, and don't forget all the checking done prior getting to the gate: took out my laptop, jacket, and shoes, and recollecting them again afterwards. Ok though, so far so good.
So then I arrived at my gate, not long before I realized that my ticket did not have a seat number yet. I queued to the counter, just like a few other people, but the lady was busy .. busy calling and checking something. The clock then showed 20 mins to 3. No, it's not boarding yet. The lady then announced, "... we are offering 400 dollars for three volunteers who are willing to give their seats for later flights ... ." My flight was overbooked, and worse, I did not have a seat!
I never expected this before, but anyway, not a few people offered their tickets. The officer even had to reject some people. Seems like a real lot of money for only a-couple-hour of delay yah.
Finally, a call for boarding was made. It was 2.50 pm. I got a bit worried since I did not have a seat yet.. but finally I did :). Here I come, Dallas.
From Dallas, same thing happened again. This time the officer was offering 250 dollars for every volunteer. Gosh, now I started to question, "What's up with you, American Airlines?" The seats in the plane was not at all seat-able, if I may say so. I had to stuff a pillow, a blanket, and my jacket onto my back to at least have a proper seating. And not only these two flights I took, got delayed, but also my parent's flight were delayed. Worse.. follow on.

I was flying from Indy to Dallas, then Dallas to LA. My parents were supposed to fly from Indy to Chicago, then Chicago to LA. From LA, we would fly together to Hong Kong. Too bad, our flights to LA were both delayed. From my sister, I knew my parents would arrive in LA around 11:30 pm, good enough to catch our 12:15 am flight to HK. So I waited for them at the gate, until .. call for seating 1, seating 2, ..., seating 6, and the final call was made. From the last checkpoint with them, we agreed that if my parents could not arrive on time, then I should still continue my flight to HK, while my parents would catch the next flight - whenever that would be - and we would meet in HK. Sounds simple enough .. yet it made me concerned because my parents know so little English, and I wasn't sure where they were at that time. I talked to the flight attendants, and after some communication, they were sorry to say that we were going to depart without my parents. Oh .. imagine ..

Now here came the 15-hour flight, no mom, no dad, no information whatsoever where they were, and no assurance I would see them soon after I arrived the next day. I asked God why this should happen, but He is also my only hope, so I prayed for Him to look after my parents and to guide them to the destination. Then I slept.

It was several hours to arrival. I could not sleep anymore, since I slept so much in the previous flights. I was thinking of what to do after I arrived in HK. Should I continue to the baggage claim, and wait for my parents there.. or should I wait around the gate areas until I meet my parents, then proceed to the baggage claim? But how if they would not come immediately? What about immigration? So much not easy questions for someone like me. I had faith though, that God will not forget His children, anytime anywhere, and I was so assured, God would hold my hand all the way. So let it be.

I walked out of the gate. It was full of people, many in groups for those continuing to Vietnam, Malaysia, Denpasar, and other places. I stopped to ask an officer about my parents' flight, and well.. she told me to follow the path for Arrival. (Oh, huh, then what?) Then I stopped at a Cathay check-in-like counter and asked if they could check which flight my parents were in at the time, hoping to find out the gate and their time of arriva, too. Another similar answer I heard, "I don't see any record for your parents here. They should not have taken any flight to Hong Kong today. So the closest flight they possibly take will arrive tomorrow, but I can not check for that, since they are not checked in yet." Oh greaaaat.. I didn't know where my parents were, I didn't know whether they were still in LA or above the clouds, and I guessed I had to stay overnight in the airport. And my phone card simply did not work in Hong Kong, cause I only had the 800 number for calls from the US.. *sigh*
I was pissed off, didn't even have an idea where to go to pick up my luggages. But as I followed some people to the train, I met the flight attendant I talked to earlier in my flight. Yeah, she cared enough in the beginning to help checking my parents' whereabouts, and to console me about the issue. Now she asked again, whether I've had any information about my parents.

"No, the people at the Cathay check-in counter said that they could not locate my parents, and I haven't been in touch with my sister at all. But since the next earliest flight from LA to Hong Kong will only arrive tomorrow morning, I guess I will just stay around and wait for my parents in the airport," I explained to her.

"Where are you going to stay tonight?" she asked concernedly.

"I'll just stay here .. in the airport," I answered, wondering why that's important.

"Oh no, you should get a hotel to stay. You can't stay in the airport, it's not good."

"Oh, why not? But it will just be one night, and I'm not sure where to go anyway."

"Oh this is so bad. Now that your parents aren't here yet, you should get a room in a hotel, give yourself a rest, something to eat, and come back tomorrow morning. Just follow me."

She walked with me all the way through the doors and paths to the immigration and the baggage claim area. Then she said, "You know what, I am checking a room in a hotel for you. It's the Cathay hotel, only Cathay crews can stay there. But I can book a room under my name for you. It should be cheaper than other places, besides, it is very close to the airport, so you can come back easily for food and for checking your parents' flight."

"Oh, ok," I said, so much impressed and grateful of her kindness, seems like too much for this issue.

"You go get your luggages, then wait here. I will get back to you again," she said as she walked away to make a phone call.

(to be continued ...)

I remember..

I slept "too early" last nite (due to stomachace, ouch!).. so this morning I woke up at 5.30 am, feeling quite awake, and in a moment.. I started studying. Internet was bad at home, and my laptop just got kicked by a virus (yah, blame me for leaving it on with network connection for a long time), so it ran terribly slow :(. So I decided to head to my beloved CS G56 lab..
Reading this math thing made me a little sleepy, well, very sleepy actually. So I logged into Friendster and looked around, just to get myself awake. I browsed through my old friends' pages, pictures, stories, and.. oh geez I miss those times.
I miss those times ..
when all my good friends were around..
when we played cards in class :D
when we always met during class breaks..
when we played piano, organs, and sang together..
when we played badminton in the weekends..
when you taught me how to hit the shuttlecocks but I just couldn't do it :D
when you called me over and over, everyday, until my ears got tired :p
when you asked me homework and exams, then I asked you back and you said "I still don't understand".. (oops hahaha)
when we went to Bali together, and walked along the beach sides bare-footed..
when we held hands and said "What are we doing??" :D
when . . .
when we -- the gang -- cheered one another and shared our times together..

I cherish those times, and I wish - more than anything - to experience that.. again.

Learning to hear the Voice of God

These have always been questions from God's children..
"How do we know that what we think comes from God?",
"How can I tell that I've chosen what God wants me to?",
"What makes you think - that is what God tells you to do?",
. . .
all of which refers to correctly hearing the voice of God.
I always remember what Linda (my care group leader) says.. "If something is truly from God, it will keep coming to you, eventhough you keep ignoring it. The Holy spirit will remind you on and on.. until you get it."

I was terribly busy and frustated with classes the past few weeks. The issues of getting good grades, graduating, and traveling -- alltogether make a good combination of burning me out. As you can tell, I miss my times with God, praying or reading His words.
Tomorrow is a big day. Final presentation for my research is due.. at 4 PM. After that, my life will be different.. I hope, since I want so much letting this research go. It's 9:45 PM now, and I haven't written my presentation at all. I have no idea what to write actually. Stronger than usual, God is calling me.. and so I decide to go to dailybread.com (or something alike) and read something. But then I was tempted to change my desktop wallpaper, so I turned to crossmap.com. After choosing a new wallpaper, I was going to close the browser, when I read a section on the right corner of the page: Sponsors. That one link got me - Compassion (compassion.com). I was surprised.. for another time God reminds me of this.. thing -- that I've been desiring for about two years now.
I want to adopt a child :)
I want to adopt a child :)

I was sure even from before, that God calls me for this. But I am never as sure as now. Though I don't know how, and am not sure what will come, one thing I know for sure - God takes control and I am walking with Him.
Thank you Jesus for your true and everlasting love. I want to keep learning to listen to You and be a good child. And I will do what You ask me to.

Have you heard God's calling on you today? ^_^

Amazon.com.. Real Though!

Geeez.. I thought I should be happy of getting an interview with Amazon.com yesterday (Mon 11/15). Amazon.com certainly had a very good reputation -- growing so rapidly since it was founded in 1995, doubling its number of active customers and profits every year. There is just no argument about it being a top-notch leader in the e-commerce industry. It even appears in a book I read a couple years ago.. as a pioneer in the real e-biz world.

So ok, Amazon.com, that's where you buy stuffs, sell stuffs, and maybe.. wandered around to find good deals of your favorites. This sounds a lot like marketing and enterpreneurship plus several warehouses.. you might wonder then, what is it to do with Computer Science (you know, for people like me..)?

To be continued...

Jalan-jalan ke Urbana

Setelah 3 taon tinggal di kota cilik Lafayette, di tengah-tengah ladang jagung di Indiana, rasanya asyik juga ngunjungin satu tempat yang rada berbeda. Aku bilang rada karena kota satu ini ternyata juga ampir sama kecilnya :D
Jadi kemaren minggu aku ke Urbana di Illinois. Dari Lafayette sini sekitar 2 jam nyampe deh. Dan saking kota kecilnya, cukup gampang buat temukan campus UIUC (Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Eh, belum cerita ngapain ke sini yah?
So ceritanya, organisasi murid-murid Thai yang ada di UIUC lagi ngadain acara Loy Kratong festival, yang adalah tradisi orang Thai sejak lama (entah berapa taon tepatnya hehe). Sekitar 20 Thai students dari Purdue ikut serta jadi partisipan, dan salah satunya itu temen baikku, Gong ^_^.

Menurut rencana, acaranya bakal mulai jam 12 siang, makan, lalu dari jam 1 sampe 5 sore bakal penuh dengan sambutan dan cultural performances. Lumayan sih, mereka sajikan sejumlah makanan yang keliatannya lezaat sih :p, cuman memang aku makan 2 macem ajah, yang satu mirip mie goreng, dan satunya lagi ayam goreng dengan rebung. Enaaaak.. nyaaam.. ^__^
Trus satu hal lain, acara mereka diatur sangat unik deh. Tidak yang formal seperti acara biasanya, tapi lebih involve orang-orang yang nonton. Jadi ada 5 ladies yang berpakaian berbeda-beda tradisional Thai dan ceritanya mereka lagi kontes gituh. Lalu mereka unjuk bakat nyanyi lagu daerah, nari tradisionil, bahkan ada yang njelasin gimana cara masak makanan Thai pada umumnya. Plus ada miss populer yang dipilih langsung ama para penonton. Seruuu, meski kalo aku yang di depan mah.. maluuuu :p orang-orang pada maju ke depan fotoin mereka. Lalu juga ada bagian dimana mereka dikasih pertanyaan lalu dinilai jawabannya (bener-bener kaya Miss Universe punya kontes), dan ini ada hubungannya dengan Thailand. Eh, masih ada lagi lho, mereka juga sajikan lagu-lagu Thai modern, kaya ngeband gitu, enak-enak ^_^.

Singkat cerita, acaranya berakhir dengan foto-foto (ini mah ga pernah ketinggalan). Lalu kita jalan-jalan keliling satu blok gede campus. Karena begitu dinginnya, jadi ga muter seluruh penjuru. Plus arsitekturnya ternyata juga amat mirip dengan Purdue. Kebanyakan terbuat dari bata, dan ada taman gedenya di tengah-tengah, hanya saja tidak ada tempat duduk dan air mancurnya di taman itu, cuman rumput aja. Kita ambil foto-foto sedikit, lalu jalan balik ke mobil.

Ga ketinggalan, karena udah hampir jam 7 malem, kita mutusin makan dulu baru pulang, meski aku benernya ga laper sama sekali :p. Restoran chinese satu ini luar biasa deh, punya 700 lebih menu. Entah orang pertama kali masuk mungkin perlu 30 menit untuk pilih-pilih :D. Enak juga makanannya (atau hanya karena bosen ama restoran di Purdue yah?), plus ada chrysanthemum! hmm... manis dan hangaaat..

Sheessh.. satu hari bener-bener abis. Aku bener-bener happy though. Thanks for Gong, specially, for being so sweet and patiently accompanying me throughout the day.. and for talking with me in English :D. Well, at least satu doaku terjawab :) thanks to God.

Good nite... ^^

Motorola.. Great Place to Work?

Wheew, hari ini aku jalan-jalan ke Schaumburg, Illinois. Ini kota, meski namanya suburb of Chicago, bener-bener cukup maju, ngga kaya desa. Di kota ini ada kantornya Pepsi, Zurich (entah, bank kali?), Ikea, ConAgra, dan entah apa lagi pasti banyak. Satu yang aku kunjungi, Motorola.

Ceritanya aku dapet interview nih dengan mereka. Cukup tegang juga, soalnya janjinya jam 9 pagi, dan tidak nyangka jalan bakal semacem ituh, sampe sepanjang jalan aku berdoa terus deh. Makasih buat Tuhan akhirnya aku nyampe meski mepeeeet sekali, hanya beberapa menit seblom jam 9. So the test begins.

Pada dasarnya, aku ketemu sekitar 5 orang, yang 3 nge-interview, yang satu lunch bareng, yang satu lagi ngasih tour fasilitas mereka. Mereka semua luar biasa ramahnya, dan menyenangkan sekali diajak bicara. Sampe-sampe aku nanya terus ini dan itu, dan sisa waktu mereka buat nanyain aku tinggal sedikit hehehee. Tapi bener-bener aku nyantai pokoknya, abis mereka gitu baiiik. Sepertinya memang great place to work sih, hanya satu yang aku pikirin, the challenge of the work...

Oke, ceritanya semuanya pada molor, sampe aku baru selesai jam 4.30 sore, 1.5 jam dari jadwal! Gila capeek abis, apalagi kalo menurut jam Lafayette itu sudah 5.30 sore. Sudah tegang 12 jam. Nyampe rumah sekitar jam.. 10.30 malem, masih semangat mau belajar sih. Makan dikit, nonton tivi dikit, ngecek email, eeeh.. dapet email Motorola tawarkan aku job. Gilaaa, cepet abiiiisss! Dikirimnya pas aku lagi di perjalanan pulang lagi. Hmm, mungkin mereka benar-benar butuh banyak orang buat posisi itu (dan memang iya sih), karena ceritanya satu site mereka di Arizona baru aja ditutup, sedang ada banyak project yang perlu dikerjain.

Makasih bener ke Tuhan. Segala doaku dijawab, dan Tuhan juga penuhi janjinya. Blom pasti aku ambil tawarannya sih, karena lagi nunggu interview dengan company lain, tapi jelas ini suatu pilihan. Dan aku percaya Tuhan setia tuntun aku dalam rencananya, dan Dia akan buka jalan dan tunjukkan aku mana yang terbaik yang harus aku pilih. Bersama Tuhan, segala sesuatu indah pada masanya. I love you, God, talk to me, I want to listen ^_^.

Keputusannya.. tunggu nanti lagi yaah!

Grace Hopper Conference

Oh wooooowww.. I'm having so much fuuunn here!! ^____^
Really.. really fun..
The need-to-wake-up-in-the-morning was indeed not that fun, so little time to sleep, so much time to be awake today (well, actually yesterday - Thursday).
Oh, in case you kinda stare at this, having no clue what I'm talking about.. it's the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Computing. This year, October 6-9, in Sheraton Hotel, downtown.. Chicago (cool place, I tell you!).
I browsed through the program last night, and it just happened that I didn't have so much trouble deciding which to go (cause there are more than one sessions going on simultaneously..). I simply looked at them, and picked one each time! (easy yah :p).
They were really great. We had wonderful speakers from various hi-tech companies: HP, Microsoft, Cisco, AT&T, IBM, just to name a few.. and from various countries: India, Pakistan, UK, China, South Africa, .. woow. It is particularly the energy.. of the individuals and the group, which has pumped my energy up, too. These are all bright and successful students and professionals from all computing areas.. yet so full of passion not only on cool geeky techy stuffs (eww..) but on what we can contribute to the community, whether it through academic research, industry research, or non-profit organizations. In other words, we care about how we can utilize the power of hi-tech to make the world a better place, and in some cases to empower women's lives around the globe. Well, it's not a niche thing.. it's just so true.. I mean it, I see real work presented here.

And yeah.. as you might guess.. we spent the last day to tour the city! Well, it's not a full 'day', and it's not a real 'tour'.. cause it was just for 2 hours and only a bit of the beautiful downtown Chicago. Waaah.. I haven't been there for a while.. I guess I really miss it, especially since.. I was expecting to go there in the summer.. :) too bad it was just a promise..

Anyway, things are catching up here. Leaving school for 4 days really mean stalling extra 4 days into the next couple days, maybe weeks. Great thing the October break is coming rite after this. So.. catch you later! ;)

Miss you

Count with me.. one, two, three..
1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3
. .
. .
1, 2, 3, .. 4?
1, 2, 3, .. 4? yes, think so..
1, 2, 3, .. 4? yup, for sure now!
1, 2, 3, 4 hmm.. happy happy :)
1, 2, 3, 4 la la la ..
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4 ai, ouch!
1, 2, 3, .. 4? umm..
1, 2, 3, .. 4? :-
1, 2, 3, .. do you really have to go?
1, 2, 3, .. guess so
1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3
. .
. .
Best times, best friends, best memories..
Time passes, people come, people go..
Love cherish, love hurts..
Love sustains, love breaks..

Yet my love will be with you, always.. I miss you :)

Nan naaan

Wah Naan.. blog ini el special-in buat kamu yaah.. soalnya tadi sore aku pergi ke Columbus kan, trus aku pasang CD lagu yang kamu rekamin dan kasih aku pas Desember lalu (pas aku balik indo). Aku pasang di mobil, dan.. wah enak-enak sekaliii lagu-lagunya.. ^^ hmmm.. plus nge-mix sekalee sampe mood ku jadi naik alias hepi deh ^__^ hehe.. oh aku juga jadi ngga gitu ngantuk..

Tapi yang paling istimewa, el jadi inget nan, kangeen kamu sekali loh ^__^ (cieeeh), aku inget aku dibeliin CD buat hadiah ultah dua kali huehuehee, Boyzone sama Westlife. El seneeeeng sekali lagunya. Trus kamu selalu kasih aku denger lagu-lagu di telpon, yang dulu benernya aku sampe kebosenen sih :p oopss.. tapi trus sekarang aku rindu huehuheuee (maluu neh).. el juga pingin maen badminton lagi ama nan (dan kawan-kawan), disini kalo main, ga gitu banyak temennya, apalagi yang bisa maklumin level mainku :p huehuheuhe..
Inget ntar ditungguin yah el balik indo. Kita jadi ke.. pandaan? waaah.. kutunggu yaaaa!

Take care ya nan naaan, God bless you always dear..

Home Sweet Home

Think of this -- Is there a place called Home? one that you can really really call a home for you?

Everyday I walk to school, to classes.. meeting friends, and professors.. and everyday I walk back.. to this place I always refer to as home. I walk home.. expecting to feel.. relieved from the burden of my study, or of my thoughts..
Often times though, right when I step in it, I feel lost, deserted.. not even sure of who I am myself. It rejects me. It hits me with disappointments. It takes my hope away..
Yesterday was another day.. when I just wanted to run away. Run away as hard as I can, as fast as I can, only to know that.. there might not be any other place.
"Where am I going to go?"
"Do I know?"
"No."
"Do I care?"
"Does anyone care?"

. . . . . silence . . . . .

I walked down this long walkway.. from home to grissom, wetherill, stanley coulter, .. all these fancy-named buildings.. and all I got was silence. The sky was dark.. and gloomy.. unwilling to give me any answer. Though God knows.. I am missing.

As far as I would go, I finally reached my second home, the CS building. Yah.. the CS building. It is about the only place where.. I can open my book, read my assignment, and say, "I'm doing it now, and I'm finishing it soon." But there is something about it I just realized that.. make me stay.. and settle. It is where..
I can be on my own
I can close my eyes, and be numb for a while..
I can contemplate on my thoughts, my life, your life
I can cry or smile..
and I can whisper, "Jesus.." and be covered by His heavenly peace..

Yesterday was just not for me. I wasted an hour.. to sleep.. anxiously. In the lab, yes. In front of those mocking screens and.. gadgets. I cried out helplessly.. "Oh please.. let me go.."
And suddenly, 'I've got mail', a surprising email indeed..

I stood up, rushed to pack up my stuffs.. I felt hurried, confused, guilty.. trying to get to my car sooner than possible. I forgot.. I needed to volunteer that nite.
"Oh God forgive me. I am too busy thinking of myself.. I forget to serve You." And I say it over, and over, and over.

I arrived late indeed, but things are never too late for God. The place, the people, the jobs.. everything.. turned me around completely. I did not remember my pain anymore. I did not even feel it. Right when I needed a home, He provided one, even more than what I asked. I did not only sleep at home, I was - and am still - with Him, I was refreshed and full of joy. What a blessed nite.. another blessed nite..

I know now..
that God's love is everlasting.. and overflowing
that I keep forgetting Him, turning around from Him, disappointing Him..
but God never forgets me, never turns His back to me, never disappoints me..
He is always here, looking at me, loving me, talking to me..
when I am strong, when I stumble..
His mercy and love is more than enough to draw me close to Him.. everytime.. everytime..

What was I thinking? These people.. homeless, maybe jobless, family-less, money-less.. are all taken care by God. He provides a home, for them. It's not the shelter, it's Him. How wonderful Thou art.. How wonderful living in Your grace, O Lord..


Psalm 23 : 1-6
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
. . .
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Origami

Bikin origami ternyata ngga gampang yah. Kalo biasanya dari TK dan SD kita selalu belajar model-model katak lumpat, kaos, burung, kapal-kapalan, dan semacemnya, itu baru awalnya ajah.
Malem ini aku nyoba bikin satu model "modular origami", dimana bentuknya itu pada dasarnya sih sphere, tapi ngga segampang bikin bola lampu :p. Pertama, mesti siapin 30 lembar kertas persegi (30! gila banyak sekalee). Tiap-tiap lembar itu trus dilipet sedemikian rupa, modelnya sama semua. Tiap lembar bisa habiskan 2 menit sampe selesai, non trivial. Trus 30 model itu dihubungin satu sama lain pake lipetan-lipetan yang ada, dan walaaa.. jadilah satu model bulat, diameternya sekitar 25 cm. Gede juga sih, mengingat tiap lembar persegiku selebar kertas folio :p (maklum, melipatnya paket hemat pake kertas buram..). Satu yang aku buat ini, namanya Kusudama. Silakan search Google kalo mau tau modelnya :) cantik sekali.

Tapi bener deh, cece dan aku bikin selama 3+ jam baru selesai. Bener-bener cara baik untuk habiskan waktu luang. Sayang, aku ngga luang benernya, jadi rada kapok bikin, hehehe..

Friends..

Friendship is like a spring.

It has two ends, closely attached, springing back and forth, towards each other. Sometimes the spring is hung on a fixed attachment, where one end stays and the other end is stretched away. Stretch it far enough, and the spring will break. Yes, it breaks.. and it is not a spring anymore. They are just two similar ends.

Friendship.. evolves the same way. Two people meet, make connection, sometimes even so connected they get close to each other. If one is happy, the other is happy, too. If one gets sad, the other is there to cheer and lift her up. Once.. one stays, but the other tries to leave.. somehow. After sometime.. their friendship fades away.. and gone. It is not a friendship anymore. They are just two familiar people.

Once I told a friend.. friendship is a two-way thing. The two agree on how they live together. Without it, friendship seems vague. But.. I find that love is not necessarily two-way. Love your friend enough, and you won't demand anything from him/her.

Indefinite as are the words needed to describe love.. everlasting as is the feeling you have for your loved ones.

^_^

Blessings Everywhere

Another blessed nite..

I volunteered - for the second time - in the Lafayette Urban Ministry, the homeless shelter. This time it came as a bit surprise though. I arrived at 9 PM (which means 45 mins late.. :p) and there was no coordinator there, let alone not enough volunteer. This quickly translates to -> the shelter is not gonna open that nite, which further says that 30-40 homeless people are gonna be really homeless that nite.

For about an hour, we tried to get contact with other coordinators, for possibly asking them to be in charge, urgently. It was the nite of the Labor Day weekend, so you can expect not many would be around, except.. Eric. This young and gentle Purdue grad student, whole-heartedly came on a sudden request to stay overnite in and coordinate the shelter. His humbleness and care to these particularly people in need really express God's love to all His children. You should see how those people thanked and blessed him :)

In the morning, there I was, standing at the back of the serving bar, preparing coffee, milk, and cereal on the table. A guy came in through the side door, handing me his bowl and cup, and after I said thank you, he asked, "Do you know Jesus Christ?"
"Yes, I do," I answered undoubtedly and smiled to him.

I did not go further talking to him, although I would love to. But it surely reminds me how unlimited God's love is, not only in time but also in the people. He has been faithful for thousands years and His work is greatly revealed in any people - poor, rich, old, young, .. - as long as they love and trust Him.

Remember, always remember, Jesus loves you, too, so much.

(Specially for my Father in heaven, who loves me truly and walks with me all these years)

Permias Callout

Wah wah.. ternyata ciri khas anak-anak Indo yang satu ini.. masih dipegang kuat juga :D
Jam kareeeet!!

Well, buat yang ga tau apa itu Permias Callout, let me get this straight for ya..
Permias, pendek dari Perhimpunan Mahasiswa Indonesia di AS, yaa.. sesuai namanya adalah organisasi anak-anak Indo yang kuliah di Amerika.
Callout, itu semacem welcoming event buat khususnya anak-anak baru (tahun pertama) dan tujuannya tentu supaya mereka ikut bergabung jadi member baru.
Oke, rasanya cukup jelas deh.. :p hehehe..

Nah laluuuu.. Sabtu kemaren ini.. callout nya Permias Purdue! cieeeh.. (jangan nanya Purdue itu apa yah, ga bakal dijelasin :p I assume you people know!!). Seperti biasa, anak-anak Indo kalo lagi ngumpul, gila banyaknya.. dan ramenya.. aku ga ada statistik tepat sih, cuman terakhir aku tau ada plus-minus 300 anak Indo di Purdue (wuih banyak juga ya). Tapi.. ini juga cuman yang diperkirakan sejak 3 taon lalu pas aku dateng.. sekarang ga jelas :p. Oh, yang lebih penting.. anak-anak freshmen nya ada 40-50, at least 30% itu arek Suroboyo, and 90% of them.. arek Petra-2 ^^ hmmm...

Ok, get back to awal cerita.. jadi mestinya kita ngumpul jam 11 siang, tapi aku nyampe sana jam 11:25, dan.. ga ada acara, ga ada yang omong di depan, ga ada.. makanan :p (maklum laper, dateng siap mau serbu makanan). Jadi deh kita ngobrol-ngobrol ngalor ngidul sejam-an. Ada yang menarik sih.. aku uda ga dateng 3 callout terakhir, dan rasanya uda ketinggalaaaan banget sama berita-berita anak Indo, dan wajah-wajah baru juga.. tapi not bad lah, aku masih kenal most of them.. dan I especially enjoyed myself chatting with them :). Friends oh friends..

Akhirnya, yang ditunggu-tunggu dateng juga. Enak loh, ala Indo banget.. ada ayam goreng, kari, dan pecel lagi. Sayang, porsinya yang ala Indo juga, couldn't satisfy my appetite at that time, hehe.. Setelah itu ya.. banyak pengumuman dari sana sini, mulai dari acara taonan kita yang paling laris -- Michigan City Trip, sampe e-biz anak Indo yang terbaru -- eQlan.com. Coba cek deh, another creative idea dari IE (Industrial Eng)-CS (Comp Science) folks.

Yang terakhir, guess what.. introduction dari anak-anak freshman. Well, what else yah? Satu hal aku point out deh.. ada paling dikit 4 anak baru di CS - 3 co, 1 ce! horeee.. finally... Yah, aku doa'in mereka semua betah and even love CS lah.. especially one who I will be mentoring.. :)

All the best deh buat semua freshmen.. and for fairness, buat sophomores, juniors, and khususnya seniors juga hehe.

Introducing my Care Group ...

Waah.. such a long night..

Tonite, we had the first care group this semester. It was an even larger group than the one for the summer. First, we had Subur and FOG combined, which grew my initial care group from about 6 to 10 people (yeah.. more more!). Now, there are more brothers from other care groups, plus some freshmen coming in to Purdue. What a big family we are! ^__^

Well, I guess it was just another boring news without any introduction. Let me introduce you my family here in Purdue. My care group in Spring 03 - Subur (Suka Berbuah) - consisted of Ellen, Willy, Rudy, Teddy, Linda, Dolly, Netty, and myself. After graduating in May, Ellen and Willy went back home for a new journey in their lives =). Linda and Rudy, while also graduated in May, found their home here in Lafayette for the second time. Linda continues to pursue Master in Food Processing Engineering, while Rudy works in a local company in Lafayette. It was hard to see that they have to go different paths and be faraway to one another, but God sure has plans for each of them and it will surely work out for the best of all.

Oh, let's go on to.. FOG (Family of God). There we have Patty, Renny, Lita, and Ryan. There are some interesting facts about them ^_^. Patty happened to work in Cummins - where I worked, too - during the summer, so she was my roommate for the whole 3 months. Meanwhile, Ryan.. is our current Permias President! Walaa.. safely though I'd say, this care group is not gonna be - by all means - political. Ryan surely has our supports nevertheless, and hopefully for the best of all Indonesian students in Purdue ^_^

Wheew.. that was quite a number of people. But hang on.. there are still more. By the end of summer, we welcomed Andrew and Eka from Overgrows, and last but not least.. Lisa, Albert, and Sigit from Indo. So there we go, 15 people - so far. We are expecting some new faces to join us soon. Well, the more the merrier, besides, I heard someone is from Surabaya (oh my beloved hometown), well.. can't wait to meet her! ^_^

We sure had fun in the gathering tonite. First of all, thanks to Renny, Linda, Patty, Lita, and Rudy, for preparing a delicious Indonesian dinner for all of us. Then.. the games were.. ^_____^ quite something.. though a bit embarrassing for some people :p.
It ended with.. 'Nice Netty', 'Linda Lemah Lembut', 'Tedious Teddy', 'Lita Lincah', 'Rudy Rancu' (duh, red.), 'Periang Patty', 'Extraordinary Eka', and couple others.. plus the dances and the songs. It doesn't hurt to be a little childish sometimes, right.. especially when it is among our own brothers and sisters. It put smiles and laughters in every face anyway, hehee..

I sure hope next care groups will be as joyful and loving..
Oh Lord, please build us as children in your family, united and caring to one another, and being closer to You.. ^^

Lafayette Urban Ministry

Do you know what LUM is? It's the Lafayette Urban Ministry, a homeless shelter in downtown Lafayette. It has been around for a while, except that I just noticed it. After a one-year period of.. wanting to volunteer regularly (but failed due to not having enough time :p).. I finally put my heart in there.

The experience..
It is a kinda different volunteer work, I'd say, that people do there. Everyday.. 3-4 kind volunteers get themselves busy from 8 PM to 7 AM the next day. Yeah, they stay overnite :). My first nite went very well actually. I helped with check-ins and check-out. Nothing too complicated, just say "Hi", keep people's stuffs in the lockers, and jackets on the hangers. Oh, we had to take down their information, too, assign bedroom, and all those logistics.
I'm so blessed to have such friendly volunteer friends there. They made me more than comfortable. The coordinator was even ce Vivi's (my housemate) fellow friend in the Chemical Eng department. He is such a nice and moderate guy :). Plus, I did not have to do my 2-hour nite shift, cause someone chose to do that for all of us - the volunteers. The next morning, having to wake up at 5:50 AM was surely not a nice thing :(. I felt.. sick. But yah, after another hour of checking-out people.. it was a peaceful and satisfied heart driving home.. and 2-hour napping.. :p

Always here..

He is always here.. always here..
Right when I need most comfort..
He is here.

What a day today is.
No good, no joy..
No friends, no smiles..
Well, you name it..

But wherever I am, whenever it is..
God never leaves me :)
I happened to drop by Logos, and the love of God touched me thru these Christian songs by Selah. This particularly wonderful composition - You Raise Me Up - has blessed me SO much, that I'd like to share it with you..

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me

Chorus:
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up... to more than I can be

. . .

I love You, God :)