Gle|n|ation

The question rang in my head out of nowhere this morning as I was heading to the office. It took me back to two years ago when a mother of three, who had her only daughter at a renown all-girl senior high school here in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, said something interesting. She opined that she would have sent her daughter to an international school to make it easier for the daughter to enroll at universities abroad.

Well, I spent my high school years at an all-boy school, and those years have been the best years in my life. I didn’t get to score Top 5 in classes, but I still enjoy those times. I got to know friends, did many things together and sometimes stayed late at school for nothing more than empty chit-chat. After three months in senior high school, I wrapped up higher education in four years at a leading national university before entering the so-called cruel career world.

And now, five years after graduating from the university, I personally feel and think that my high school education has given more impact in me, in terms of my way of thinking, way of doing things at job and others. So, how incredible was my high school years?

People said my high school is a famous one, with good knowledge and moral education. Well, honestly I was wondering why they could have such perception. I do think most of my high school times were filled with extracurricular activities and becoming program committees. I spent time joining English club, playing basketball and football (soccer) after school or just hanging around the school with friends to kill time.

Time spent for study? Personally, I just studied a day before the exam. I sometimes scored bad mark that my mom would be very angry, until a point I ‘insisted’ that I enrolled at the school not only for flying scores, but also to enjoy my youth by having many friends and activities. I could see some of my friends were scoring worse than I did. Then how did those experiences help us during universities?

Surprisingly, I was very much helped. My learning method in university was not much different from what I had developed earlier, but my GPA was doing just fine to graduate as one of the leading graduates. Yes, it was ‘just fine’ because I never was obsessed with high score for GPA. Those things do not make me proud, though they might made my parents and most other parents in the city or almost everywhere.

But if I look back and see how the way I spent those years affect me, I should say I am grateful. I now have a job, though it’s not a big money maker, because I somehow felt that having a lot of money will definitely not mean that I enjoy my job. Enjoying my job is important because I spent forty hours a week working and if I do not enjoy my work, I would probably not enjoy my life.

A friend of mine enrolled at a leading technological research university in the US and is now working for a leading giant company in computer business, but the way he interacts with his surroundings are a 180-degree different from mine. I don’t mean wither he is or I am the better one, just making a point here.

So back to the question, what was senior high school for? It is the foundation of who I am now. This is why choosing the right school is important. Parents used to say that this or that school is bad for a reason or two, and I always tell them that bad kids are in every school you can ever find. It depends on the parents and teachers to give students and children the best-fit high school times, but it is all about how the parents would drive their children: to fulfill the dreams of the parents or the dreams of the children themselves.

Pick wisely.

Manchester United’s former Korea Republic midfielder Park Ji-Sung has predicted that an Asian country will bring home the FIFA World Cup™ in a decade. Park told the China Daily that Asian teams still had a way to go before they could triumph in football’s most prestigious tournament, but said they were improving quickly.

“There is a gap between us and the world-class level, so we still have to improve. But in the past few years, the quality of Asian football has gotten better and we have proved we can deal with world-class teams,” he said.

“So, if Asian teams work hard and continue to develop, one day they will have success at the World Cup… not now but maybe in ten years time an Asian country will win the World Cup,” Park added.

Asia’s best performance yet in the FIFA World Cup was in 2002, when Korea Republic - playing as co-hosts with Park in the side - reached the semi-finals. The next global finals will be held in 2014 in Brazil, followed by Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

Look!

The sky is bright and clear
Moon and stars are out and playing
In their own garden of space
They parted one unto another
Yet look masterpiece together

Some said clear sky is for wishes
But let’s not overdo it
Let the moon be the moon
And stars the stars
Let them be the way they are
For they alone are already beauty

Ease and peace paste their way to me
Hectic and tired I’m feeling
To home they point me
And rest under the shines and rays
Of the gorgeous night sky

—-6.3.12 / 11:26 PM / roadside—-