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Category: My Diary

Chemical Engineer’s Diary: How far I have grown?

Rifka Aisyah 2 Comments

About five days ago I got an email from my boss. He asked my opinion about working in this company. Honestly, I have been asking myself how far I have grown as chemical engineer who works as consultant. I found the answer was very hard. I am not quite sure I have grown a lot as chemical engineer.

I have been working in this company since November 2011, so it’s been nine months. I have involved in six projects, one pre-feasibility study project, one bankable feasibility study project, three energy audit projects, and one engineering project (make piping and instrumentation diagram mostly). Although my project is quite a lot, I think my chemical engineering knowledge improved slowly. This is regrettable, but I need will not stop to create many ideas to improve ability. Read More

Oil and Gas Company vs Project Management Consultant Company

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I have a nice colleague. In some ways, I like him so much. But in other ways, I don’t like him when he started talking too much while I got many jobs to do. But overall, I like him. We get along well since I started working here. He’s more than friend for me (but not in romantic way, of course). He’s not really close with me, but every time I see him, I always remember my Dad.

On Friday (20/4), I had a short and nice conversation with me. As usual, he asked me to do or prepare something for our upcoming project: Detail Feasibility Study of Sabah Ammonia Plant. In addition, he also asked me if I mastered Aspen(R) (this is different issue from the previous one). He said he’s preparing proposal of biomass pyrolysis and wondered what’s the limitation of that program.  Read More

About My Work and Writepreneurship

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Because this is the end of weekend, I want to write as many topics as possible. I am sure it would be hard for me to write something I don’t really understand. Here in this post, I want to write something crossed my mind today. There are many things I want to write, but I don’t know what is the purpose. However, I keep thinking those are very important for me.

About My Work and How I Will Pass My Days

It was a long weekend since Friday till Saturday. The worst thing was I almost forgot my work. I meant, I wanted to finish my work or at least I learnt something from what I am doing right now. The fact is I almost did nothing. On Friday, I did open the old files related to Cost of Good Sold of our proposed project and I planned to update them. However, I slept long day, finished reading Kubah by Ahmad Tohari and starting to read Bittersweet by Danielle Steel. Read More

Jealous

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There was a time I felt pain when I checked my facebook. I wish I could not see Home or had curiosity of other people or friends. In fact, I checked several of them then I looked into my self. Then I said, “How ordinary I am…”.

One of my friend told on facebook that she was going to Germany for several days. I got an enthusiastic feeling on her and I felt grateful for her. But actually, I was not sure it was grateful or jealous. I denied to confess it. In the end, I deactivated my facebook account in the hope I didn’t have to know what other people celebrated about or happy about.

Then about two days ago, one of my friend (but different people I mentioned above) updated his WordPress account. I didn’t know he is actively writing his story since we were undergraduate. He has been working at Baker Hughes for two years. I read his adventures, places he visited, his feeling, what other people felt about him, and I was totally jealous about him. Again, I said, “How ordinary I am…” Read More

First Step to Learn Foreign Language

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http://www.jamboree.freedom-in-education.co.uk
http://www.jamboree.freedom-in-education.co.uk

Once upon a time, there was a Japanese old man who had not engaged in much physical activity. He could not bend over and touch his toes. Then, he decided to gain the flexibility without putting stress on his body. He put together a stack of paper, thousands of sheets, that reached up to his knees. Then, he bent over and touched the top of the stack with his fingertips, holding the position for a little while, which was not at all hard to do. The next day, he removed two sheets from the stack and did the same thing.

Every day from then on, he removed two more sheets of paper from the stack. The difference from one day to the next was so slight as to be practically imperceptible, so he never had any problem bending over, touching the top sheet, and holding the position for a minute or two. After many months, the stack was considerably lower, until there was no paper at all left, and he could easily touch his toes. He had achieved his goal, with no strain, no pain, and no stress on his system. All it took was patience and perseverance. Read More

Best Moment in My Life

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When I looked back what I’ve experienced, I realized that most of my best moments in my life happened when I lived in Taiwan, when I pursued Master Degree.

My First Publication

I was so happy because at the second semester, my Ph.D supervisor asked me to take a part in writing article review, Cultivation, photobioreactor design and harvesting of microalgae: a critical review. Although I’m not the first author, I feel happy because that article was listed in Most downloaded bioresource technology article. Since then, I got a powerful spirit and motivation to learn and more serious in doing my research. If you wish to get this article but don’t have access to download it, you can contact me. Read More

Smile: A simple act to feel better

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About a week ago, I was thinking to write something about smile. This inspiration came from daily human behavior. Smile is the way to show politeness, friendliness, and openness, especially in my country. When you don’t smile and show sad face, people may think you are a bit bad people, impolite, and a kind of unsocialized people. However, that was for normal smile. Sometimes, we smile for something not good (in the hope to feel good).

Yesterday I got a meeting and got scolded by my client. I totally forgot how to smile. In fact, I wanted to cry at that time. The condition was really appropriate to cry. I felt my eyes were hot, but I controlled my self and tried to act normally. I tried to smile to feel better. It worked at that time, but my heart was still hurt. Read More

Sandals: Symbol of Injustice in Indonesia

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Sandal: symbol of injustice in Indonesia www.internasional.kompas.com
Sandal: symbol of injustice in Indonesia www.internasional.kompas.com

Today I read online Newspaper in www.kompas.com in the international section. I was shocked reading the news about the case of AAL, young teenager from Central Sulawesi, who was convicted of stealing sandal. If only the sandal that was stolen does not belong to police officer, his case would not continue to trial. In addition, that sandal was worth not much, only IDR 30,000 which is about $3.

Of course this is very not fair if we compare to corruption case in Indonesia. This case showed that how expensive justice for poor people. In Indonesia, justice can be bought by money. Only the one who has a lot of money and close to the legal world will easily get justice. Justice is no longer about what is wrong and what is right. Justice is blind. It cannot see and distinguish the right from wrong. Therefore, we no longer believe in police institution.

This case has become one of headline in most international news: BBC, CNN, ABC News, Voice of America, and other. I don’t know if this case will be a part of something we (Indonesia people) need to think about.

The fact that today people are dumping a dozen of sandals all over places, not only in the cities, showed that they are fed up with the police. They are very angry. They see police are mostly corrupt.

I cannot see police as the one whom I can beg for protection. In the earlier, they shot and killed three people at Bima, East Nusa Tenggara. Last December they were also involved in the beheading of villagers near palm oil plantation in Southern Sumatera. They acted like a military. Police rarely investigated their members. If they did so, the punishment was not significant. They just said their members were lack of professionalism. Their “lack of professionalism” is not commensurate with the lives they have ripped.

I wish the legal condition in Indonesia will be better. This is very shameful for us. I don’t think most Indonesian people will believe in the police institution. They are more like enemies than friends for us.

 

How to make Indonesia Richer

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I believe Indonesia is a rich country. But there is a joke that we were like a dead rat in the granary. We were supposed to live happily because we have fertilized soil and we also have abundant mineral and gas resources. But the bitter fact is we live unhappily, people are starving while there are so many rotted foods. I sometimes don’t understand why this happen to us.

I lived at Taiwan two years ago. Living in such developed county make me think that there are so many negative consequences living in developing country like Indonesia. The simple case is sanitary. I’ve never seen waste lied in the road while I was living in Taiwan. But in Indonesia, waste is everyday’s scenery. We can see them lie on the roads. Read More