My colleagues and I had the chance to visit Mt. Bromo on one weekend in October 2013. It was a wonderful experience, and a relaxing weekend (despite of its tight schedule). Here, I am posting some pictures that I took to share those wonderful moments with all of you. Enjoy!

View from the car, on the way to Bromo

View from the hotel

Splash of colors

They call it Teletubbies Hills

in red

Fun picture

Dry

Mountains of sand

Man against the wilderness

How small we are

Leave nothing but footsteps, take nothing but pictures

The sign on the jeep

Love Hill

Before sunset

Me and someone else's husband ;-p

Look at the crowd who are trying to catch a glimpse on the sunrise!

Sunrise

View from Pananjakan

This trip cost me my shoes :-(

On the way to the top

The temple

The figures of the horsemen

Travelling solo does have its ups and downs (who doesn't). But since I've done my share in solo travelling, I will share my thoughts about it. I hope it helps you to decide whether it is your thing or not (^_^).

Many people express their desire to study abroad under so many different reasons; the quality, the prestige, the travel, the cool experience, etc. Whatever reasons you could think of, make sure you know what you're signing yourself into, because it will definitely won't be all heaven. It won't be all hell as well, of course, but anticipation and preparation are your safe bet. Some things that might help you to decide whether studying abroad is your things or not:

1. Pick the right university for you. Just because all of your friends go to A university, doesn't mean you have to go there. Make sure they are credible, not just some institution built in someone's garage. 
2. Pick the right subject for you. I chose a subject that I think is still relevant to my previous study, and I can't be more wrong. I was struggling so hard to pass and was on the verge of giving up (which I luckily wasn't. yeay!). Make sure you conduct enough research to find out which subject that is suitable for your purpose.
3. Find an place that you can afford of. If you are eyeing a very expensive university (yes, they can be very expensive), find out whether they offer a scholarship. Even if you could get a scholarship for your tuition fee, you have to consider the living cost as well. Don't choose a place that will make you starve half death or force you to work like a slave to pay for all your living cost. Be sensible.
4. Prepare all your documents in advance. Trust me, all these documents can be a pain. Never arrange everything at the last minute, since there are so many tiny litle details that you need to do, and your admission plus your visa depend on it.
5. Expect a culture shock. There are so many things that might shock you; the people, the food, the habit, the weather, the system, the language, you name it. If adjusting is not your strength, you might want to reconsider. Seriously.
6. Expect feeling homesick. The after effect of the culture shock is homesick. No matter what people say, home is always the best. You might not feel it now, but once you're away for a long time, home doesn't look that bad anymore. Homesick can pass, but for some people, it can eat you inside out and can affect your stress level and eventually affect your study. Preparation will help you to manage it.
7. Expect the unexpected. No matter how well you prepare, something always comes up. Brace and prepare yourself for an adventure, and treat every misfortunate events as lessons. Then your life will be a series of unforgettable and valuable adventure.
8. Travel and make friends. These two things will help you to survive, big time. One of the sources for stress is loneliness. So, find an activity that you could join with, and meet new people. Go places, and see how lucky you are to be there in the first place.

It goes without saying that in the early stage of job / scholarship search, having a good reference is important and critical. However, I realize that not many people are aware of the importance and the complexity of finding the right person to speak on your behalf. At least, not until the last minute when they are desperately trying to meet the deadline, and are stuck with someone who cannot really give you the credit that you deserve (but you have to ask them anyway because there are no one else!)

I have met lots of students or ex-students coming to me, asking me to write them a nice reference letter, simply because they took ONE of my classes, or because they thought I was friendly and easy. (P.S. nobody likes to be called easy!). Then I realize their misconception of the term "reference". Just because the requirement says that you need to have a reference from your former professor or lecturer in your former university, it is definitely not as simple as checking through the list of faculty members in your Department and choose the most good-looking one.You want your reference to highlight your strength, commitment, skills, experiences - anything that will strengthen your position as a candidate. You would not want to choose somebody who barely knows you, who would just say a few cliche statements copied from a template of reference letter.

Here are some tips to land yourself a good reference:

1. Build a good relationship with your former lecturer, supervisor, or employer. You don't need to have a personal relationship with them, but don't be a stranger as well. Even if you are not exactly a social bee, there must be someone who knows you well enough to speak for you. One of my former students says to me casually that he doesn't think he needs to remember his lecturers if he is not trying to apply for a scholarship. You definitely don't want to follow his footsteps since he is really having a hard time finding anyone who wants to be his reference. It seems that not many of his former lecturers remember him as well! *Believe me, karma does exist!*
2. Choose somebody who really knows your work, responsibilities, and achievements. For example, your academic advisor who you have consulted with the whole years you've spent in university, a faculty member that you have worked closely with, a colleague that you have done a project with, etc.
3. Have the courtesy to ask the willingness of your potential reference in person. Having someone who is willing to speak on your behalf is earned, so don't take it for granted. Ask them politely, and supply them with necessary documents or background information to help them write good things about you. Don't forget to keep them updated and thank them when you get the new job or the scholarship. The update will always be appreciated.
4. Last but not least, remember that the key of all this process is you. Make yourself presentable and memorable. Be honest, committed, and passionate in everything that you do, so that saying good things about you is inevitable. Always do your best to give others the right reason to talk about you.

source: http://www.mcrfb.com

I don't realize how old I am until I start complaining about kids nowadays. You know how we used to hate when our parents started nagging about how reckless or how different we were compared to them when they were our age? Back then, I always tried to highlight the generation gap so that my parents could see that differences were inevitable. Their era was way too different from my era, and so on, and so forth, ended with a comment about how OLD-fashioned they were! (yes, I was rude. I was a teenager, remember?) Here I am now, in my thirties, already complaining about young kids today. Hah! History repeats itself, I know..

I was an okay kid when I was younger. Never really had any serious problems with school or relationship. I was sociable enough, naughty enough, healthy enough, cute enough, smart enough, and stupid enough. In short, very normal. Not really a social queen, but not a geek as well. I tried almost everything and broke every rule that a kid of my age was supposed to do. I had fun, and I decided that when I grow up, I will be a cool adult, who can still have fun despite of the age. And you know what, I think I'm not doing a bad job! Working in the university does keep you younger (remember that we're talking about feeling, not a physical thing!). Interacting with youngster makes you updated with cool and up-to-date issues, jargon, any slang words, music, movie stars that these kids love and adore. I never try to follow or even like their taste, but at least I hear enough to keep up in any conversation with them. And voila! I become a cool teacher! Hahaha..

However, no matter how cool I am, there are still some things that I find difficult to understand or even tolerate. These kids addiction to gadget, for example. I simply don't understand why they can be so devastated when they had to let go of their cellphones, but be cool when they had nothing to eat for a day. Their priority amazes me. It also drives me crazy when they're busy texting with their cellphones even when they are talking to me. Why do they need to see me if they don't even bother to talk to my face? They can simply text me! I also find it odd when I see a couple on a date, and each of them are busy with their gadgets during the date. Honestly, I feel that my date in the past, that involved walking hand-in-hand (we had no transportation back then) was way much better.
It also amazes me how little they know about the outside world. Yes, they are highly connected and well-informed. Yet, not many of them have a real hand-on-experience. They prefer to browse and travel and experience through the net, then really be "out there". Pretty sad for me as real life is so unpredictable and tough which they have to face sooner or later. 

But, what can I say? I guess now I know I am one of the "old" ones who complain and worry about the young ones. I know somehow they will survive, but I know that I can't stop worrying either. I guess I'll live with it ^^