Graha Raya Bintaro, The New House of Heaven

Home.

For some reasons it’s not easy to be described. Home can be a house (the building), a place where we live (zone), or the origin (country). We use home in a more personal and emotional way. Sementara dalam bahasa Indonesia, kita hanya mengenal satu kata, rumah, dengan semua makna yang ada. Saya ingin membahas rumah sebagai hal yang lebih dari sekadar bangunan.

Dewasa ini, memiliki rumah bukan sekadar perwujudan cita-cita tentang kemapanan. Ada nilai lebih dari sebuah rumah, ada impian lain yang jauh lebih esensial. Kita ingin membangun kenyamanan, keamanan, ketenteraman. Kita ingin membangun surga di dalamnya dimana setiap orang yang berada di sana merasakan kebahagiaan dan ketenangan. House of heaven.

Lantas rumah yang bagaimana yang memenuhi kriteria tersebut?

Saya akan membaginya menjadi dua bagian pokok dalam kriteria house of heaven, physically and not physically.

Get A Golden Life

Hi, how’s your life going?

Terkadang pertanyaan sederhana bisa membuat kita berpikir lebih jauh, deeply thinking.

Sesungguhnya pertanyaan yang saya ajukan tadi adalah bentuk lain dari “how are you?” Yang seringkali secara refleks kita jawab dengan, “I’m OK”.

Mengapa refleks? Karena memang tidak mudah bagi kita membagi cerita pahit tentang kehidupan kita. Jika hidup kita adalah kopi susu, biarlah orang lain mendapat susunya dan hanya kita yang perlu merasakan pahitnya kopi.

Tapi kali ini saya tidak akan menjawab dengan refleks. Saya tidak akan memberi jawaban kalau saya baik-baik saja. Karena sejatinya saya dan Anda memang sedang (atau akan) tidak baik-baik saja.

Stairway to Self Publishing

Self publishing!

Yes, I said self publishing!
Terlalu banyak pertanyaan tentang self publishing. Terlalu banyak apa, siapa, kapan, dimana, mengapa dan bagaimana. Intinya adalah, we want to publish our writings, we want our works can be read by so many people and we want to get appreciation about what we have done ‘in our head’.

Banyak sekali tujuan yang menjadi dasar mengapa kita ingin menerbitkan tulisan kita dalam bentuk buku. Saya ambil salah satunya, yang memang menjadi tujuan saya selama ini, yaitu memuaskan hasrat bercerita. Hmm, tidak usah mengerutkan kening membacanya, saya akan jelaskan mengapa ini merupakan tujuan yang ‘mulia’ bagi saya.

INFINITIVE - after interrogative conjunction

The picture is credited to http://oanilicious.deviantart.com/art/Studying-169053494

Hmm... quite late to post this, but I have to do it now though it's too late...

Today's lesson is about infinitive after interrogative conjunction. I read the lesson book and it showed me about this issue.

Firstly, after certain verbs, it is possible to use the interrogative conjunction how, what, who, where, when or whether with a to-infinitive.

for examples:

• I wonder who to invite.
• Can you tell me how to get to the station?
• Show us what to do.
• I don't know whether to answer his letter.
• Ask my father where to park the car.
• Did you find out when to pay?

The verbs are know, ask, tell, explain, show, wonder, consider, find out, understand, and others with similar meanings.

Secondly, note that it is not possible to begin a question with How to...? Who to...?

These are typical mistakes:

1. How to tell her?
2. Who to pay?

Instead, we say, for examples:

1. How shall I tell her?
2. How can I tell you?
3. Who should I pay?
4. Who did pay the bill?

'by' and 'near'

Picture is credited to http://ptiteouch.deviantart.com/art/letters-73769764

I opened the book, and it was page 125. I studied about by and near. What's the difference...?

In fact, by means just at the side of; something that is by you may be closer than something that is near you.

So I compared the examples:

1. We live near the sea (perhaps five kilometers away).
2. We live by the sea (we can see it).

Then I knew the meaning of a clause, "Please, stand by me, Dear."

So when a girl say it to me, she wants me not only standing near her, but standing by her instead (so she can see me always).

Oh, what a romantic statement!

So I made some sentences used by and near:

I live near Pekayon. Actually, my residence is by Metropolitan Mall (I can see the mall from my window). And near my residence, it's about 1 kilometer to the South, there's a laundry service corner that I always use. When I go to that laundry service corner, there's a porridge stall standing by the main road. I can see it from there.