Crazy Posting ^^

Actually I really hate this boy at the first time. I know him because of my friend. she really like SHINee. At that moment, I just wonder why she likes them. She has almost all of their songs, their pictures, and everything about them. Everyday she always tells me about SHINee. -.-' I know that they are cute, but I just don't really like a flower boy, especially this man ================>

Day by day, everything is changed, belonging to my animosity. When I saw one of their variety show, Hello Baby, I saw that he really a gentleman. ^^ He looked after their cute baby properly. From that moment, I really fall in love with him. Then, I decided to love him and be his wife.. XD

Baby, I believe we can look after our baby, Yoogeun. We can bring Yoogeun to be a good boy. hahahaha

The Traffic Congestion

The traffic congestion in the city gets even worse day by day. One of the Indonesian problems which still cannot be addressed yet is traffic. Indonesian people, especially for those who live in the big city such as Jakarta and Surabaya, experienced traffic congestion almost every day. According to Wikipedia (2012), “Kemacetan adalah situasi atau keadaan tersendatnya atau bahkan terhentinya lalu lintas yang disebabkan oleh banyaknya jumlah kendaraan melebihi kapasitas jalan”. From the statement above, the writer assumed that traffic jam is a situation when car, motorcycle, bus, truck, and other transportations vehicle cannot walk in their normal speed because of road situation. Traffic jams or traffic congestion in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta, arises from three basic causes: road traffic factors, vehicle factors, and human factors.

One of the causes that makes Jakarta’s traffic jam so complex is the unequal increase rate of street width and the increasing of vehicle significantly on the private vehicle. Nowadays, Jakarta is crowded by vehicle. Indonesia Transportation Department (2011) released, “The amount of total vehicle in Jakarta are about 4,9 million. It is estimated will increase around 11% per years”. Moreover, in the same year, they said, “The capacity of Jakarta to add the length and width of the street is less than 0,001 percent per year; meanwhile, the increase of automobile is about 10% per years”. From the data above, the writer concludes that the street in Jakarta cannot accommodate the increase of the vehicle per year.

Another cause that makes Jakarta has a complex traffic jam is because of the vehicle factors. Vehicle factors are all factors derived from the condition of passing vehicles on the highway. Those factors can be about type, size, quantity, and quality of vehicles which pass the highway. For example, the amounts of vehicles that pass the highway are enormously much, so highway capacity is insufficient. Of course this problem can lead into a congestion problem; moreover, the using of private cars in Jakarta is still very inefficient. The writer sometimes finds out the true fact that one car only contains one person. The logic is one car should contain three persons in minimum amount. This is based on the regulation of Pemprov DKI Jakarta which stated that there should be three people or more in one car to reduce the traffic jam. That is one of the solutions which can decrease the problem of traffic congestion in Jakarta, but in the reality lots of the car owner use jockey to avoid the regulation of three in one.

A third reason which contributes in traffic congestion is about human factors. Human factors are all factors related to human as road users. Various things related to road users, such as attitudes, behaviors, and habits that are less precise when using the highways often causes traffic jams or even accidents. For example, the user who has bad attitudes, selfish behavior, and arrogant on the road can cause traffic situation becomes obstructed. Besides, their bad attitudes can also lead into accidents which can exacerbate the traffic jams.

These three causes of traffic jams lead some negative effects for Indonesian, especially for them who live in a big city such as Jakarta and Surabaya; moreover, the effects of this problem are being felt in some sectors, such as energy wastage, time wastage, and health problem.

One of the biggest negative effects of traffic jam is energy wastage. The greatest amount of loss is in the sectors of fuel. According to the calculation which is done by Ali (2011), the ecologist of Fakultas Teknik Universitas Indonesia, “The wastage of fuel because of traffic jam is around Rp 10,7 triliun per years”. This disadvantage is calculated from the number of fuel which is wasted due to vehicle stuck in traffic. Although nowadays some industries have produce car which has economical fuel, the ratio of energy wastage is still be a big problem for Indonesian. Moreover, energy supply of fuel in Indonesia always diminishes year by year. Besides, traffic congestion would be one of the factors which leads Indonesia into fuel shortages.

Another negative effect of traffic jam is about the loss of time. The writer believes that time is money. There are only 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and people have to spend some of that time for sleeping, eating, playing, relaxing, studying, etc. The writer sometimes hears that some people still need the additional time for finishing their duty or activity. That is why the writer believes that time is money, but due to traffic jam, someone has to lose her/his worth time. Because of traffic jam, some people also have to spend their precious time on the road. Based on the writer’s experience, she has to waste her time around 3,5 hours for travelling from Senayan to Bekasi, whereas the maximum time for travelling from Senayan to Bekasi is just around 1 hours if the writer walks along high way. Moreover, Ali (2011) stated,“The total amount of the disadvantages of the Indonesian productive times due to traffic jam are around Rp 9,7 triliun per years”.Because that is not a small amount, government should take more attention of traffic congestion problem in Indonesia. Government should not let Indonesian’s productive time lost on the highway because of traffic jam than because of their creativity in the office.

The next negative effect of traffic jam is a health problem. Traffic jam can give a bad effect for human health. It is related to the statement stated by Ahmadi, one of the professors of Public Health Universitas Indonesia. In Ahmadi’s view (2011), “Transportation sector contributes about 80% of air pollution which can affect some health problems, such as, asthma, bronchitis, pneunomia, cardiovascular disease, nervous system andliver-kidney”. As the additional information, United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) has placed Jakarta as the third most pollutant city in the world after Mexico City and Bangkok. The UNEP also said that 67 percent of the pollution comes from automobile emissions. Furthermore, according to Kojima and Lovei (2001), “Traffic congestion is the biggest donator to particle emissions which contribute to the increasing of 80-90 percent Pb (Plumbum)”. Pb is a hazardous compound that may be harmful to human health. In Dyah’s view, “Beside Mercury (Hg), Plumbum (Pb) is also a kind of heavy metal contaminant with high danger level”. Furthermore, Kurniawan’s study (2008) found the following:

          Pb dapat memberikan efek-efek toksik pada sistem neurologis, reproduksi hematologi, urinaria dan jantung. Keracunan Pb  dapat menimbulkan anemia, hipertensi, kerusakan otak, seperti antaksia dan penurunan daya pikir, atau bahkan berdampak pada kematian.

Besides, WHO (World Health Organization) estimated that 400.000 people die each year because of the pollution which is caused by traffic congestion in the world. Due to that tragic fact, people should not view traffic congestion as a diminutive problem.

Therefore, the facts that show the negative effects of traffic should be contemplation for Indonesian people. To reduce the negative impacts of traffic congestion, people should be able to overcome the traffic congestion itself. Government should pay attention to find the solutions to overcome traffic congestion in Indonesia, such as by improving the public transportation system, so that people are more interested in using public transportation rather than private vehicles. By this recommendation, it is expected that traffic congestion in Indonesia can be addressed immediately.

A Gap Year, Why Not?

Nowadays, some students take a year off after they graduate from their study in senior high school. This activity is known as a gap year. According to PLANETGapYear (2011), “Gap year is a period of time when students take a break from formal education to travel, volunteer, intern, study, work, perform research or any combination of these activities”.  A gap year has different name in each country. Some people define a gap year as an interim year, deferring college, an overseas experience or taking time out. Students who take a gap are also known as "gappers". Most students do not want to take a gap year because they do not yet know the benefits they can get over in the gap year. In fact, a gap year can help graduates improve job prospects in the future time, renew their passion for college, and gain a sense of maturity and self confidence.

The first reason to take a gap year is because it can improve job prospective when they graduate from university. If students use their gap year to improve their skill and experience at work, it will bring a benefit for them. In fact, after they graduate from their study in university, they will have many competitors in finding job. For that reason, of course they should have an excess which can make them preferred to work at the company compared with any other college graduates. It is in line with the survey conducted by PLANETGapYear in 2011. According to PLANETGapYear (2011), “85% of the United Kingdom HR professionals agreed that they preferred a job-seeker who has a suitable work experience than an average non-vocational degree and 63% of them said that they notice a job application from gappers who spent their times for volunteering or gaining work experience overseas”. Therefore, students should use their gap year properly. They can do a language-learning, make a work experience, do a charity work, and develop their networks that could help them in their future career. Moreover, in the article of The Goods on the Gap Years written by Boyd, Bull, who is a president of the Center for Interim Programs in Princeton, New Jersey, suggests that a gap year is the best time to be an open-minded person by learning the other cultures, then it is the best time to discover a possible careers for their future life, and it is the best time to discern themselves better.

The next reason to take a gap year is because it can refresh graduates’ passion for college life. Some students need a gap year because they feel burn-out by their formal education. They need to take a breath for a while after 13 years of studying. They spend the time to pursue their formal education since they were in kindergarten through high school. If the school is like a journey and life goals is an established career or a job, then students need a break occasionally when they have felt tired with their long journey, conversely they should remember that their goal has not been achieved yet, and it needs to be resumed. Therefore, they should continue their journey to a university education after they rest. As written in 11 Amazing Ways to Spend a Year Off Before College (2011), “Students who take a gap year will be more serious in their study because they are ready to face the university life”. For example, Sullivan (2011), one of the gapers, claimed that her gap year had prepared her for college more than high school ever could have. She had a better idea of who she was and what she wanted to achieve than most of her peers. In another case, Sullivan’s parents who was worried by her daughter’s decision to take a gap year, now they are breathing easily because she maintain a 4.0 GPA. She said that taking time off had been the best decision she ever had made for herself.  That is why several top universities such as Harvard and York University support the idea about gap year before they settle in for freshman year. Gappers argue that while many of their classmates come to campus ready to party, they come ready to learn. This is because the gappers have been enjoying their refreshing time when they take the time off, so they are ready to give their best when they return to campus.

The other reason students should take a gap year is to gain a sense of maturity and self confidence. Sometimes most graduate students are not mature enough to decide which course that they will take in university. They need a lot of time to recognize their interest and personality. Therefore, by taking one year off, students can be more mature for a year before making a commitment to a course of study. When they have decided the course which they are interested in, they will study harder and enjoy everything there. Based on information bulletin titled What’s a Gap Year?, there are some advantages of taking a gap year. One of the advantages which student can get is they will get a maturity boost. They can use this opportunity as a time to know about themselves, to make choices about their future, to strengthen soft skills and to develop emotional intelligence. Gappers find themselves thrust into new situations, making decisions and interacting with new people all the time. Some students choose to work, do an internship, volunteer, and find the experiences which can bring the maturity naturally for the gapers. In another way, most students go to the university which they do not want because they are not accepted in their university choices. The writer believes that it is a wrong way because to be success students, they should enjoy and like everything that they do, so it is better to take a gap year for preparing themselves to study harder in order to be accepted in the university that they want.

Considering the conventions that students should have a university experience sooner, for they can graduate from that university younger, some graduates students might claim that they do not need to take a year off after their graduation from high school. Of course, it is true if they have decided what course in university which they will learn and if they are ready to enter the university life. In contrast, based on fact which the writer found, some graduate students fail in their university life because they just enter the university without any preparation. They just follow most Indonesian people who think that sooner is better.  Nevertheless, some students who take a year off before their university life will feel the benefits which they can get in the future time, the fresh brain and body for studying in university, and the preparation for adapting in the university life. Therefore, those can be the considerations for high school graduates to take a year off.

In short, students do not have to be afraid to take a gap year before continuing their study in university. Most graduate students who have taken a gap year return with a better sense of direction and focus on their course of study. Moreover, students who take a gap year are usually not bounded by a usual or accepted way of behaving to continue their course sooner. They can prepare themselves to be better than other students. A gap year does not mean that graduates students are totally free from their duty in study; moreover, they can learn a new thing in their lives.