Despite the slight improvement for the past few years, it is undeniable that bureaucracy in Indonesia is notoriously bad and confusing. I guess part of it is due to the constant change of rules and the lack of socialization among departments or whatnot. The motto of Indonesian bureaucracy: “If you can make it more difficult,… Continue reading 10 Steps for Dealing with Bureaucracy in Indonesia
The leaves are changing colors, the warm weather is slowly disappearing, then on the scarfs and gloves and jackets (and sometimes umbrella!). That’s when I know that it is time for my favorite holiday in the US: Thanksgiving. Typical rich shade of fall. Source: Odyssey. I had my first American Thanksgiving experience during my second… Continue reading Gobble Gobble Gobble
1. Fully-functioning limbs and organs. 2. Parents who are relatively healthy. 3. A husband who does not hit me. 4. A stable job. 5. The ability to earn extra income to support myself. 6. A roof over my head. 7. The ability to taste food. 8. Air-conditioner. 9. Clean water. 10. People who are willing… Continue reading I’m grateful for…
You’re pregnant, aren’t you? Ever since I had my enormous weight gain, I have been asked this question many times in Jakarta, mostly by my Uber drivers. For some reason, some of them felt the need to verify my fertility before they took a great care in navigating the uneven pavement of the big… Continue reading Mbak, lagi hamil ya?
Being in graduate school is tough. You might be at the top of your class in high school or in your undergraduate program, but here, you pretty much are pooled in with a bunch of people who are equally academically adept, if not more. It’s very easy to fall into the routine of comparing yourself… Continue reading I, the Impostor(?)
What do you know, it’s been more than eight months since I’ve been back in Jakarta. As I’m getting more and more used to life here, I’m also starting to miss my life in Davis. Davis is my second home. It’s a city where I experienced independent adulthood for the first time. Well, I did… Continue reading (Reverse) Homesickness
“I used to think only environmental microbiology is interesting, but now I think there is a lot more to explore.” The above sentence was something that came out during the reflection session we had in the last day of the first Master’s level course I’ve ever facilitated, Selected Topics in Biotechnology. To be honest,… Continue reading I Reflect, Therefore I Apply
The third evolution of my version of spaghetti Bolognese For me, spaghetti Bolognese is another dish associated with my late childhood memory. I remember when my grandma first made it for me, probably when I was around 10, and I told her how much I loved it. Being my grandma, of course, she ended… Continue reading Cultural Exchange Series: Spaghetti Bolognese
A food historian I think the restaurant/catering business is too tough for me. However, I love food and I love learning how they are made. I also dig random trivia of the origin of food. All great cuisine comes from a culture that had the need to survive. For example, do you know that spam… Continue reading If I Weren’t a College Professor I Would Probably be…
I’m feeling blue. I know that I do not really have that many reasons to feel so, yet that’s how it is. I’m slightly disappointed with how my students’ exam scores turned out. But I know it was because I put too high of an expectation. I’m bothered by how much workload I’ve been getting versus… Continue reading Being Positive in Life is not Always Easy
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