Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Oh-portunity!

Hello, dear friends! I wanna share my experience with this article. :)

As a big fan of Jay Chou, I'd like to get his new album, Exclamation Mark. One day, a friend told me about a competition held by Fullstar. Oh! The winners would get it! I decided to join in that competition and thank God I became one of the three winners! ^__^

Me and Exclamation Mark

As always, his songs are lovely! ;)

After some time, I found another competition on Facebook—held by PeriplusOh! The winners would get a voucher worth a sum of money to buy books! As a book lover, I joined that competition and thank goodness I became the winner! :D

I used the voucher to buy 3-D Explorer: Dinosaurs: A Journey through the Prehistoric WorldI am a dinosaur lover :)and Oxford Paperback Dictionary & Thesaurus—I am an Englisholic :D.


Me and 3-D Explorer: Dinosaurs: A Journey through the Prehistoric World


Me and Oxford Paperback Dictionary & Thesaurus

Opportunity. Something that usually comes to our life—I believe you have ever got it, haven't you? Something that will bring something good to our life. Probably, we often miss it because we are lazy or not confident. Maybe, we usually miss it because we are afraid that people will laugh at us. Perhaps, we miss it because we assume that we will lose. Be positive! "Leave" everyone! You are you! You are the decision maker! Don't let your life be driven by people around you. It is you who is the center of your life. Don't you see that "mouth-watering food"? Don't you see those "shining jewels"? Don't you see YOUR SMILE behind that opportunity?

Be not late. It doesn't await you. The matter is whether we want to take it or not.

I have proven that taking an opportunity is very pleasant. :) (believe me :)) And. . . It is your turn. :)

Oh! Oh! Oh-portunity! :D

(It sounds like the chorus of Chao Pao Nü Shen, the last song in Exclamation Mark) :p
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Quote #3

"Love without faithfulness is not love." - Klinsman Hinjaya
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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Book The Book!


"Who coined the term 'dinosaur', dad?" a young daughter asked. The father was confused, and then bought her beloved one her first dinosaur book, First Dinosaur Encyclopedia. He asked, "Have you got the answer, sweetie?" She replied, "Yes, dad! A man named Richard Owen did so. Thank you for buying me this book, daddy."

A little depiction of what a book is. Our life is full of books! Those who have never read a book, please comment below – I am sure that you have at least one book in your bedroom now. ;)

When in primary school, people read a lot of books, such as math and art books, and some people have gotten books as a birthday present from their friends or their loved ones (never? poor you.. :p). Some read books while on a train or bus (don't do this while driving a car!), whereas others read them during the time of pooping (eating? sorry.. :p). Yeah! Books have been our "guardian angels": they are everywhere! The question is: Why?

There is an Indonesian saying: books are windows into the world. Through books, we see the world. We know innumerable things such as natural science, psychology, economics, and sports by reading books. They are very important as they—including Facebook :p—can't be separated from our lives. Not reading books simply means being "blind".

Books can also entertain us. Two types of books which are considered to be entertaining by many people are comics and novels. I believe many of you like to read them, don't you? My favorite comics are Kungfu Komang and Doraemon. Personally, I think Kungfu Komang is the funniest, while Doraemon is the coolest.

Not only knowledge and entertainment, but also inspiration can be gotten by reading books! We can be more positive-thinking, more courageous, more confident, and so forth – there are many lessons we can learn from reading these sets of written and often illustrated paper sheets. When you read about a tough character, such as Chinmi in Kung Fu Boy, you may be inspired to be a tough cookie in your life. Besides the character(s), the story and even the author of a book might inspire us.

One thing worth mentioning is that books are generally reliable sources. If you want to look for information – for your research, for example – books are a good place to start. Nevertheless, the most reliable sources are journals; books should be "satisfied" with being "the runner-up".

However, keep in mind that books can also have a negative impact! They can be demotivating, contain misleading information, and the list goes on and on. Therefore, you really have to be selective or careful when choosing a book to read.

At present, it is so easy to get books. In the past, you had to go to a bookstore to buy one (not necessarily, if you are the son or daughter of the owner.. :p) Nowadays, there are online bookstores, which cater for bibliophiles and novice readers alike, such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. You can place an order on the internet in just a few minutes and what you want will arrive at your home by mail in a certain length of time, depending on how much money you are willing to spend. Purchasing books is now really at your fingertips!

It is suggested that you buy books that you like and you need. Never buy any books that you wouldn't read as there could be many people needing them. In addition, you need to make sure that you read all the books you've bought – we are taught to eat all the food we have ordered and the same thing applies: we have to "eat" all the books we have bought, don't we?



Two days later. . .

"Honey, I've just arrived home from a bookstore. There was a dinosaur book titled "Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages". I'll go there again tomorrow. Do you want it?"

"Book the book, please!"
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Saturday, March 17, 2012

How to Be Good at English (Part 1)


My high school English teacher said that English is a "golden bridge". And, that's certainly right. As an international language English connects people all over the world. Even Jay Chou, my favorite musician, studied English in order to play the role of Kato well in the movie The Green Hornet.

I have a few friends from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Kenya, Nigeria, Sweden, and India. What language do I use to communicate with them? Yeah, English! English makes you "fly" around the world! English is like "a tongue that everyone must own" if they want to "get out of their shells".

And, several questions come up:
• What is the way to be good at English?
• How can we understand well what people say in English? (listening)
• How can I speak English fluently? (speaking)
• I want to read Harry Potter novels but I can't! Can you help me? (reading)
• How can I produce good writing in English? My teacher ordered me to write an English essay. (writing)

I have experienced learning English for more than ten years—yep, not too long. Some people told me that I am good at English. (I don't know whether it is true or not. Humbleee~ :p) Given the fact, I'd like to give you some tips on how to be good at English. I hope these are useful for you. :) Here they are~




Tip #1


Like learning other languages, learning English is a matter of habit. You have to accustom yourself to it. Wanna be great at listening? Watch English movies! (such as Hollywood movies) Try not to turn on the subtitles. You can read the text when you feel it is necessary. Another way is to listen to English songs. (Phew! Jay Chou has not written any legitimately English songs. I hope he will. :)) Wanna be awesome at speaking? Talk with English-speaking people! Find some partners that are willing to converse with you in English and do it consistently. Wanna be excellent at reading and writing? Read a lot of English books! (I suggest that you choose ones that are interesting to you) The more you read, the better you can write. You will meet a lot of new words, and you can use those in your writing. :) Don't forget to write anything in English! Why don't you update your Facebook status and tweet in English? :)

Tip #2

Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries

Your dictionary is your "weapon". It is an extremely useful means of learning English. Whenever you find a word that you don't understand the meaning of, look it up in the dictionary, Don't be lazy to open your dictionary! Make sure that your dictionary is good. A good dictionary provides how to pronounce a word, what type of verb a word is (is it a transitive or intransitive verb?), what part of speech a word is (a noun? an adjective? an adverb?), etc. I myself use Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary and several Oxford dictionaries.

Tip #3

Think once, not twice. Once you read or listen to a word, "feel" the word. Imagine what it describes, what its form is, etc. For example, the Indonesian word for "human" is "manusia". When an Indonesian reads or listens to the word "human", they have to imagine how a human appears, what forms it, etc., rather than the word "manusia" and subsequently those! So, what is in his brain is the form, the appearance of a human, not the letters "m", "a", "n", "u", "s", "i", and "a" and then the form and the appearance of a human! Let's see the pictures below:

Don't do this... :(
Do this! ^_^

In my opinion, this is a common mistake made by most learners of English. They think twice. We just need to think once.

Pretend that your brain has two modes: one is your mother-tongue mode and the other one is English mode. When you want to do anything in English, block your native language mode completely! Nothing in it is to "infiltrate" your English mode! All of your mind is English.

Tip #4


English is not a phonetic language. This is very important. In "about", "a" sounds /ə/, while, in "all", it sounds /ɑ:/. In "say", "s" sounds /s/, while, in "is", it sounds /z/. There may be more than one speech sound for one letter. Be careful with this.

Tip #5


Your brain is amazing! Be fast! You don't have time to think! Use your subconsciousness.  Don't be "fascinated" with the words you read and hear. Don't get "captivated" with the words you use. You have to think a looooooooooonggggg wayyy~

Tip #6

English Grammar in Use and Advanced Grammar in Use

Grammar is the foundation of a language. It is needed for all kinds of activity: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. You should have good English grammar books—and, of course, read them. My favorites are Betty Schrampfer Azar's series, one of which is Understanding and Using English Grammar, English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy, and Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings.

Additional information: There are many means of learning English, e.g., books, websites, and English clubs. I like to read four of-the-day English points on EnglishClub to enrich my knowledge. I also have an English-learning group named Learn English with Q-Man. Please join if you'd like to. :)
★ English: Connecting People ★
PS: Sorry, NOKIA.. :p

Related article: How to Be Good at English (Part 2)
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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Quote #2

"Love doesn't hurt. If it does, it is not love." - Klinsman Hinjaya
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Mind Mind

Probably the title reminds you of one of Jay Chou's newest songs in his latest album, Exclamation Mark: Mine Mine. Yep, it inspired me to name this article—I am a big fan of him. ;)


Yesterday, I stayed at my brother's house in Kelapa Gading, an area in Indonesia you must visit before you die! There are so many foods available there, and the environment is comfortable and very suitable for living. The epithet of Kelapa Gading is the "autonomous town", due to its completeness – my friend from junior high said the only thing it doesn't have is a funeral home.

That afternoon I met an old friend; we began our friendship when we were in elementary school. He is actually one of my closest friends. We had promised to go jogging together beforehand and then we did it in a vast jogging area.

He urged me to jog around the area ten times! I thought I wouldn't be able to do that. I had not exercised for long. "Maybe I can jog around only about two or three times," I reckoned. And, in my opinion, ten times were too many! The area was very wide!  But, I just decided to start jogging. He gave me three tips:

(1) While jogging, don't open your mouth. It would make your stomach painful.
(2) Don't stomp. Step calmly.
(3) Enjoy the "show"! Don't focus on your tiredness.

I did what he had told me. And. . . I was able to jog around the area six times incessantly! I was quite surprised! How come I was able to do that? Nevertheless, I decided to take a rest while he continued jogging for one more lap. Afterwards, I went on jogging around with him two more times! Then, I took another rest while he completed another lap. At the end of the day, I jogged with him for one more lap.

It was incredible! I was able to jog around a wide jogging area nine times in total! (I know he was greater: 11 times! He is definitely a sturdy man. ;)) Probably I would have been able to do it more than six times continually, but I chose not to force my body. :)

His tips are great! And, what I want us to focus on is the third one. "Mind".

Minds are determiners. What you focus on is highly influential. I concentrated on enjoying the jogging: my mind was directed to the "enjoying". I didn't feel tired because of that. And, the result shows how great the power of mind is.

I remember an inspirational saying of his: "Your mind conquers your body, rather than your body conquers your mind."

Mind mind~
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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Quote #1

"If you can read this, it means you are alive. If you are alive, you can live your life to the fullest." - Klinsman Hinjaya
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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Alien or Hammerhead-man?

Alien? Hammerhead-man?

Ehm. . . . . . Do you have any idea. . . . ? Continue reading..

"Afford" and "Effort"

Two simple words. They look and sound similar, don't they? And, in fact, the relationship between them is very strong!


Please read the story below, which is based on a true one:


There is a 21-year-old girl named Tania. She loves English and wants to buy Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings—one of my favorite English books—to improve her grammar. The problem is she doesn't have enough money.
One day, her friend offers her to be a data entry clerk for three days. "The wage is more than enough," she thinks, "I will be able to buy AGU!" Then, she decides to take the opportunity.

And. . . Deng deng deng~ AGU is in her hands!



Effort → working for three days
Afford → AGU

So simple, so simple! But, often we only look at the "afford"! We don't pay attention to the "twin". We seem under hypnosis! Do we realize that it is like eating without a mouth or playing without a game? It is impossible. What would have happened if Tania had not taken the opportunity? We need to do something to get something. That's the precept.

Wake up! The world is a place for non-dreamers! The world is a place for vigorous men! The world is a place for real men making real efforts to get real results! And they are us, right? ;)

PSsstt. That's my true story. :p
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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Patience Makes Perfect


One day, I was waiting for a transjakarta bus, a typical bus operating in Jakarta. There were several persons waiting with me. A bus came and stopped. Then, the door opened. What next?

Yeah, you are right. Pushing! And, pushing makes "pusing"—"pusing" is an Indonesian word meaning "dizzy". I was quite surprised. Maybe you have seen this kind of "event" too. Was it that hard to be slower? Did it "kill" them to wait a few seconds more? I don't think the people meeting them would have said, "Hey, you look old, my friend. What happened?" if they had been more patient.

There is another. On Jakarta streets, you will see many motorcycles stop in front of the white line while the red light is on. Many even go forth! What if an accident happens? Two lives are sacrificed for two minutes!

Time is precious. But, using time for something silly is .... (please fill in the blank yourself) Let's cherish others in very details of our life.

People say practice makes perfect. I want to add one, "Patience makes perfect."
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Welcome to Klinsman Hinjaya's Blog!


Welcome to my blog! ^_^

On this blog there are many things which you may haven't met in your life. Surf, laugh, cry, reflect on yourself, be happy, be grateful! Hopefully, this inspires us to be a better, better, and better person! :)

Whatever your web browser is, the website is Klinsman Hinjaya's Blog! Hahaha. :p Continue reading..