This Is Just an Amateur Blog

It is easy to create a web log / a blog as it just takes you five minutes. Open account with Google or Yahoo to have your own e-mail and log in with Blogger, Multiply or Wordpress to create your blog. Within five minutes, you will have got your own blog and you can write down anything on it, and then any one in the other part of the world would see your blog. If so, what is the difficult part of blogging?

Yes, to create a blog is an easy thing. The problem is how to maintain it to be existing. I fact, so many blogs are facing the fate of being neglected by the owners like a farm with no plants. It is unknown if the owners still remember the blog, or once in a while, they still visit it. When someone happens to pay a visit to this neglected blog, they find that it has not been updated for 2 or 3 years since the owner posted the first, and perhaps the last article. Thus, to my opinion, writing articles to post is the hardest work of blogging.

When I created this blog, the first thing emerged in my mind is having a place where I can write anything. Yes, I want to learn to write. Since I am not a writer, I do not teach you how to be a good writer or how to write well. If you find out some articles about how to write in this blog, it is just the manifestation of my idea with some reference. It is not a dogma of how to write. If someone thinks that some points of those writings may be logic and acceptable, it is another question.

On the other hand, if someone would think that the contents of this blog are poor or even terrible, it would not bother me at all. Why? The answer is just simple: because, in fact, I am not a writer. I am but a learner who wants to learn to write. The fact that the articles here perhaps do not comply with the writing techniques nor grammatically incorrect would not be a killing punch that renders me to desperation. Good or bad, it is my writing! The most important thing is trying how to improve it. To be poor in originality may be far better than perfection in plagiarism.

This is also not a splendid appearance of blog that present full magnificent displays and attracts hundreds of visitors a day. This is just a simple one with not more than 10 visitors a day and they just accidentally – not on purpose – dropped by. It doesn’t matter, as well. This is not a business blog nor a professional one designed to charm people as many as it can to visit. This is just a plain and amateur blog, the place where I personally learn many things.

You may see the moving banner with the clause ‘the site that makes you speak’ but you are wandering as not to see any part of this blog that makes you speak rather than just write. Yes, you are absolutely perfect. Realizing that I am not a professional English teacher, a linguist, nor an expert of this language, again I have to say, I do not teach you English. For the time being, I am still learning English and try to write down anything here. So, this is just the way of how I learn English. If someone may take any advantage of it, it is just another side for which I should be proud of. In the contrary, when no one see anything appropriate in this blog, it would not be a big thing to dispute.
A professor may think that learning to speak is sticking glued to the phonetics rules, sitting in a language laboratory or, in front of the class, presenting the speech. And with his almighty, the professor is keeping on watch to his students, justifying each student whether he is eligible to be classified as ‘speak’ or not. Street vendors in Bali will thing that speaking English is sounding any words to offer their merchants to buyers. And no one will argue if the vendors say: ‘Yes, we speak English.’ Speaking is sounding words to express one’s idea and his counterparts catch the meaning. The two different perceptions of the way to learn speaking English.

The main four skills of English learning are reading, writing, listening, and speaking. But, each does not mean to be a separate aspect of skill. One should be an integral of the others. Speaking does not always equivalent with practicing pronunciation, dialogues, or presenting a speech. One may also start with reading, writing, or listening. As these four skills are integrated, you may start with reading first when you learn to speak.

I am learning English here with first being much involved with the writing activities, but you are, as the readers, would perhaps start with reading. To my opinion, this is also the way to learn speaking. When you read one of the article loudly so that you will know how to pronounce each word correctly, this is also the way to speak. Usually, if you have a good command of reading, writing, and listening, then you will be proficient in speaking, as well. The first-three skills will support your speaking skill. Thus, again, to learn to speak one may choose from the other side.

I am almost overwhelmed with daily heap of works of export-import documentation and serving customers or other related parties from 8.00 a.m. up to 20.00 p.m. A few after office hours, I try to be with my family before they finally go to bed. The next one or two hours later, at the midnight, I try to manage this blog. Yes, I think I don not have much time to do many things. Anyhow, In the limitation of time and capability, I commit to maintain this blog existing.

One thing is now to be certain: this is not a magnificent blog like ones that are now available on clicks. This is but an amateur one, just a place to share experiences in English Learning. But, another thing has also to be certain: it will be going on. Not to teach, but to share!

The site keeper

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Our Independence Day

It has been a tradition to every one in our kampoong to do something special to welcome the Independence Day. Pak RT, the kampoong chief, hold a meeting with the residents to discuss what agenda to be taken. It is almost to be certain that we start it by setting up a committee, called as ‘Panitia Tujuh Belasan’ or ‘Panitia Pitulasan’. Tujuh Belas in Indonesian or Pitulasan in Javanese means the seventeenth of August, when we commemorate the Independence Day. This committee organizes all the events such as the mass social works to clean and dress up the environment, festive competitions and gathering for praying at the Independence Eve. There are many ways to celebrate our Independence Day, of course.

The committee usually organizes festive competition of some sports like volleyball, table tennis, and chess game for fathers and mothers. Some funny games or competitions are for children of the surroundings. We clean and dress up the environment with red-and-white flags and colorful banners to make splendid atmosphere. We do all the things to celebrate our independence to recall the great moment in history about 64 years ago when we get freedom from the colonists.

Hundreds of years our nation had been suffering from the wildest life of the colonialism era, and these miseries invited local and sporadic attacks against the colonist. Uncounted lost of possessions and souls were sacrificed with no result, until the nation came to the national awakening for which we recall it as Hari Kebangkitan Nasional on every May 20. Since the day all efforts to get rid of the colonialism were not on district basis, but on national basis. It was the change of the paradigm in the efforts and struggles to get freedom.

It was on the August 17, 1945 when Mr. Soekarno and Mr. Moh.Hatta, for and on behalf of the nation, proclaimed the Indonesia’s Independence to the world. Since then, we have been an independent nation after so long-sufferings from colonialism. History has recorded that this independence was not granted, but it was fought over with terrible pains, efforts and struggles. It was engraved with tears and paints, bodies and souls.

In commemoration to the Independence Day, we arrange festive events to express our thanks and joy for the freedom. In other side, it is to pray for the heroes passed away in the battles for the independence. Festivals are usually held a few days before or after the August 17. On the Independence Eve, we all gather in a wide-open space with foods offerings. After a written speech from the local regent or major usually read by the village chief, and one from the kampoong chief, an ulama prays for the predecessor heroes. In the same time, he appeals His blessing for the strength and tough to continue the on going development of the country.

A few days, usually until a week later, some festive events are still going on in some villages. Funny games such as panjat pinang (palm tree climbing) are popular among the village residents. In this game, participants will have to climb a palm tree to take some gifts on the top of the tree. It is not an easy game to do as the tree greased with fat before and is becoming slick when the contestants climbing it. Music shows are often presented to end the subsequent events arranged during the commemoration period. This is the way of how to express our thanksgivings to God for the freedom moment.

Now, after 64 years of the Independence Day, we are not holding guns and fire the enemies. We do not have to go to the battlefields confronting the colonists. What we have to do is to develop the country to pursue justice and welfare for all people. This is not an easy task to do of course, and is not only in the hands of the government officials but on ours, all the elements of the nation. It is the task of the nation to get rid of the backwardness.

There are some barriers that we have to overcome. Those might be coming for the outside such as global economic crisis and the fluctuation of the world oil prices. The hard works are how to create a breakthrough to be sustainable to these attacks. From the inside, the low economic growth, the increase of jobless, corruption and illiteracy are waiting tasks of the nation to be overcome. In addition, the country is still prone to any security disturbance and separatism that may hamper foreign investors to come.

We have been 64 years free from the chain of colonialism, but we are facing the new manifestation of it that curbs us from being the developed country. Could we now get rid of all these disadvantages? We may have been left some decades behind those developed countries, but there is only one answer from this nation: YES!

Mojokerto, August 2009

The site keeper

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How to Build a Paragraph

Writing looks like a light work. Even, people say that writing is easy. This saying may be more just like a stimulant that encourages people writing, but a good writing is not as easy as to say it. Good writing requires adequate technical knowledge, logical idea managing, and language proficiency. Communication competency will not be apart from writing. How to make a good writing?

Writing is actually communicating information or message in the forms of written language. To communicate the information, writers have to follow certain techniques so that their readers will easily understand. With their writings, the writers would make readers know and take any advantage from or, further to this-in some cases, to influence their thinking.

As writing is the art of influencing people by means of the power of words, writing is not just a matter of having a brilliant idea. How to present the idea will give much effect to the transferring process of the idea to readers. This communication of idea will be much influenced by whom the readers are supposed to be, the intent of writing, and how deep the expected effect to them.

Writers will express their idea in the form of sentences, but bad structure of them will not help readers comprehend the idea easily. Even, it may lead them to misunderstanding and misinterpreting and it means that the writer fails to transfer his mission. That is why it is important to organize such a group of sentences into a basic unit of writing that develops the main idea. This basic unit of organization is called as a paragraph.

By means of paragraph, writers will manifest their ideas. And only when they are developed in such a way, readers will ‘catch’ these ideas. To write a good paragraph the understanding of what it is about, components of its unity, and how it make a sense seems to be a compulsory.

A paragraph is a cluster of inter-linked sentences, built as a basic unit of a writing that will compose the whole writing in its unity. The numbers of sentences vary from one to another, but it will comprise the three main points of topic sentence, supporting sentences and concluding sentence. In addition to these three points, unity and coherence will support the paragraph to be powerful.

A topic sentence is stating the main idea of the paragraph. It comprises the thing that is to be described. A topic sentence should be precise and no need to tell everything about the topic in the first sentence. It serves to limit to one area that will be described in the space of the paragraph.

Supporting sentences are inter-linked sentences that develop the topic. They explain the topic by giving outlines, reasons, facts that will support the topic to be clear to understand. These sentences will make up the body of the paragraph as the result of describing the topic.

Closing sentence is the concluding sentence that sums up important points from the discussion. It may be a sentence of reinforcing the topic in another words. It is the conclusion of the discussion in the paragraph.

In addition to the three main points that form a paragraph, unity and coherence will support a good paragraph. Unity means that in the paragraph only one and the main idea is stated in the topic sentence and is developed by the supporting sentences to make it easy to comprehend. Meanwhile, coherence means how supporting sentences are describing the topic in logical and consecutive order.

The three steps of building a paragraph are pre-writing, writing and editing. Pre-writing is the step when writers think carefully and organize their ideas for the paragraph before they start writing. The writing step is when they turn the ideas into sentences and communicate them. The editing step is when they check the paragraph for mistakes and take necessary corrections.

In pre-writing step, it may be useful to think of:
Why do I choose the topic?
Why is the topic important?
How can I make the topic interesting?
How to collect data related to the topic?
Then, organize the facts ad ideas to develop the topic and the best way to present them to readers.

Writing step is when writers put on the idea and facts to the consecutive of order of supporting sentences.It is the phase when they write down the topic sentence, describing it with supporting sentence and sum up main point into the conclusing sentence, without missing unity and coherence.

Editing step is when writers check the paragraph for necessary corrections against mistakes. Not only checking against spelling and gramatilcal errors, but to the extend of this, if they have developed the paragraph excellent.

the site keeper

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How to Catch Ideas For Writing

Some people say that writing is easy, whereas others still stay at their contradictory. Advanced writers have likely been experiencing a long journey prior to their current writing world, and that is why they say that writing is easy to do. In this case, perhaps they do not remember again all their pains they might have been facing during their long road of journey. They are harvesting what they have planted long before, and writing seems to have been coming easy. Writing has been one of their hobbies and it has been intact in life. How is about the beginner writers? From which side should they start writing? Catch the ideas first!

Most beginners are likely not in the line opinion with the seasoned writers. They still find it difficult to write; it is hard to spill their idea into the subsequent powerful sentences on paper. Some people say that there are unlimited ideas that we can catch everywhere at any time, at any occasion. In fact, beginners - like me- do not always grab this idea easily and often do not see any idea. We feel blank.

In order to know from which side we should write and how we may catch the ideas and engrave them in the form of subsequent words, these ways may be useful.

1. Be alert to catch up the ideas

It is true that there are unlimited ideas around. They may come to us at a sudden, in spontaneous, and unpredictable fixed time. Ideas may be coming from stimulus when we are in the use of five human senses of touching; tasting; smelling; visioning; hearing. They may also vanish in a twinkling, so we must always be ready to catch them and to ‘stick’ them on paper. When ideas are suddenly coming, write them down on paper or type it on computer without any delay before they jump up.

2. Find ideas by experiencing whatsoever at surroundings

Ideas are rampant at our surroundings. The problem is that we are not accustomed to see them and take them out. We are not sensible enough to discover these veiled ideas. Many people may be taking some trips, visiting certain places or meet someone to make a little bit of interview. By developing the sense of ‘investigation’, we unveil the disguised valuable ideas to write down. From the long journey we may record what we have seen and felt, which are not only valuable ideas for writing but it may be valuable learning process of living.

3. Read supporting sources to develop ideas

When we have caught an idea from the surroundings, it may be just a plain and simple one, which is not at all attractive to anyone. Then, it is the next step to develop this idea into one that is interest capturing and reliable, so that when it is presented in the form of writing it will evoke readers’ interest. What we are writing will not only show readers the contents; it will further represent how far our insight about the topics is. So, read related sources to enrich and support the idea.

4. Make reading a habit

To be a visionary, as a writer should be, it seems that reading is not a separate activity from writing. As a beginner writer, at first stage, we may start reading whatsoever of our preference. Then, step by step, we have to develop reading as our daily needs, like our body needs food and drink to survive. At the later stage, reading is not just a habit but it is the part of life. As in fact, reading is the part of writing; it will shape and color what we would like to write.

5. Start writing

Like ammunition of a mortar, people will not know how powerful it is until the weapon launches and it explodes, hitting the targets. How brilliant your idea is, just like ammunition, it does not give any effect to others unless you write it down. That is why writing should be directly commenced soon after we catch the idea, without fail. Write it down before it vanishes from us. Do not think that our writing will be automatically perfect from the beginning, it will come as a result of many practices or rehearsals. Our writing will be getting smooth and perfect in the line of how much practices we have been doing, so start writing from now and at any time.

This blog will not justify how perfect the articles are, but it is more likely a forum where I myself, and anyone who may concern to English learning, can spill out their ideas, a place for free expression of viewpoints and opinions.

Mojokerto, 07/07/2009
the site keeper

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I want to write!

I used to dream of being a famous writer or journalist when I was in Junior High School. What encouraged me for the dream was the thought of having my name printed under the tittle of every my works. It would have been such a pride if readers recognized me as the author of what they were reading at hands. Years have passed since that dream, and now I am neither a writer, nor a journalist at all. Now, with limitation of nearly all aspects, I would be still having a dream of being a writer. Not because I would like to gain popularity and still have a dream of a famous writer, but it is just because I still love writing. Yes, I want to write!

People said that writing is easy. Arswendo Atmowiloto even writes a book, entitled ‘Mengarang Itu Gampang’. Writing is easy. Is that saying really true? To my personal opinion, at least there are three steps of requirements that someone should acquire before he decides to start writing. The three of them are the knowledge of the contents or topic of writing, the competency of the language in which we are willing to write in, and the writing techniques.

Before I start writing, I have to know what the topic is about. How can I write something that I do not know much? Thus, it is a must to collect necessary data about the topic. It might not be an excessive statement if reading is an activity that is not separable from writing. Even, if I may say, reading is a preliminary step that a candidate of a writer should have been their habit first, prior to deciding to start writing as by reading we collect what we would like to write. A little observation may also be necessary to support the data, so that we can present reliable writing to readers.

A language competency is also an absolute preliminary step of writing activities. The language is like the frame into which we should place the topics in, in the forms of subsequent sentences. From words to sentences, from sentences to paragraphs, and paragraphs subsequently build the whole integral text. No fixed rules of how to express ideas by means of a language, but in transferring the ideas into the sentences certain grammatical and structural rules must be followed. Not following the rules will not only fail in revealing the idea, but also lead readers to misunderstanding and confusion.

To make it easier for readers to catch what is the text about, we should certainly adopt writing techniques or strategy. Writing is not just a matter of supplying readers with information or particular data. It is more like an art of entertaining them while they are searching for the information through words. Thus, they will gain what they are looking for in the form of enjoyable activity of reading. As writing is the art of offering information in the form of entertaining people with enjoyable activity, guidance of how to write effectively must be taken into account.

As a matter of fact, it is not easy to write down our ideas to paper. If people said that writing is easy, it is just to motivate people to like writing. It is far more like motivational saying to boost the interest of writing. I do feel how hard it is to write. As the beginner, I have to struggle hard in both how I should make use of grammatically correct words choice, powerful phrases, and interest-provoking-sentences and how express my ideas from head to the language smoothly, like water flows.

I have been often making some mistakes as I arrange words into phrases, phrases into sentences and compile sentences into paragraphs, before finally it is coming to a text or article. From so many factors, this may have happened since English is not my mother tongue and, as elementary learner of the language, I still don’t have adequate competency in it. At one side, I still have to sharpen the competency of the respective language itself, and at the other hand, as a new-born learner I often find it difficult to ‘flow’ the ideas in the mind into the sentences. I often feel every thing is like stuck at the head and nothing comes out. Sometimes, I feel blank and don’t see anything to write. It looks like just sitting on desk with blood stop running to the brain and hands caught in chain.

To be a writer, it is still a long road ahead, through which I have to pace with full of efforts, struggles and pains. But, despite the limitation of competency, skills, and time, I am trying not to escape from this uneven path, a long road of dreaming as a writer. Indeed, I still want to write. No matter how hard the road and the long distance that I will have to cope with, it seems that no other way than just pacing it through. Yes, I still want to write, at least here, in this web log.

the site keeper,
a man who is dreaming of a writer

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