I've Been Thinking About Nevada for the Past Two Weeks

I've been thinking about Nevada for the past two weeks, mostly about its Black Rock Desert. It is a semi-arid region, I would love to visit it someday. Maybe it's because of the movie I watched two weeks ago. Spending the night in the middle of the desert might be interesting.

Taken on Monday, 26 August, 2024 at 20:35 with Samsung Galaxy A05s. That is from my sister's laptop.

Taken on Monday, 26 August, 2024 at 20:34 with Samsung Galaxy A05s. That is from my sister's laptop.

Taken on Monday, 26 August, 2024 at 20:17 with Samsung Galaxy A05s. That is from my sister's laptop.

Taken on Monday, 26 August, 2024 at 20:13 with Samsung Galaxy A05s. That is from my sister's laptop.

Taken on Monday, 26 August, 2024 at 20:11 with Samsung Galaxy A05s. That is from my sister's laptop.

This desert is part of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, a federal land under the management and protection of Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency of U.S. Department of Interior if you don't know.

In the northwest of this desert there is the Massacre Rim Wilderness Study Area (WSA) which is one of 17 international dark sky sanctuaries in the world. One of the darkest places in Nevada and also the contiguous United States. It would be fantastic to do stargazing here.

Regarding those international dark sky sanctuaries, they are classified by the non-profit organization DarkSky International, There are also some other international classifications such as reserves and parks. I love the principle of this organization, just read about it.

Ah, Nevada, full of deserts and more than 80% of its land is federal land, managed by the U.S. Federal Government. Not to mention about Area 51 (this one is not managed by BLM but by Department of Defense). I'll talk about it later (I'm not interested in most military areas).

I took several different photos of several different maps as you can see here. This desert is close to the California-Nevada state boundary from the map but in reality, it's very remote.

The photo in this article was first published on my Instagram account on Monday, 26 August, 2024.

My Course Result Sheet for Even Semester of Academic Year 2023/2024 or My Second Semester in Indonesia Open University

My KHS (Kartu Hasil Studi or Course Result Sheet in English) for even semester (my second semester) of academic year 2023/2024 in Indonesia Open University. I got a GPA of 3.88 for my second semester and my cumulative GPA is 3.77 (two semesters). Yokatta, thank you for myself.

 

This semester grades are out from 12 August, 2024. As you can see, out of these five courses I got A's in four and an A- in one (the lecturer doesn't like me, there's a story for that). If I get all A's, my second semester's GPA will definitely be 4.00, but that's okay.

I was so happy when I see this, really. Alright, let's go! I need to keep up this good work for my third semester. My mom told me not to post this but I posted it anyway (I will keep doing that until my final semester). Especially for my friends, what do you think guys?

My First Photo With the National Flag

I think this is the first time I have taken a photo with the national flag behind me. As you can see, it's the national flag of Republic of Indonesia. I wanted to post this photo on 17 August, 2024 to commemorate 79th Independence Day of Indonesia, but I forgot. 🇮🇩🇮🇩🇮🇩

Taken on Wednesday, 21 August, 2024 at with Samsung Galaxy A05s.

This is not my best look. I don't really like this photo, I didn't wear a tie that time and also my shirt collar is too wide. However, I want to have an official portrait like a public official or politician. I don't want to say this photo as an official portrait.

Hmm, maybe one day i can be a public official or politician? Hehe, that day will come, but definitely not here. Yes, representing my constituents and also solving issues that I know. Even though I also follow the party platform, I will always put the country over the party.

With this post I also want people to know that I am still a citizen, law-abiding citizen, of the Republic of Indonesia. Saying this does not mean being nationalistic, but being patriotic. I will say that I'm a patriotic but higher above that, internationalism. 🇺🇳🇺🇳🇺🇳

We, humans, live in the same world. All humans need each other. Humans should unite across national, political, cultural, racial, or class boundaries. Especially nationalism, don't let it limit you. Oue true nationality is humanity. Internationalism unites us all.

Internationalism also means that we must always be connected to each other. Our interconnectivity saves all of us. Especially now, we have the internet, since 1991. That's also why I will always support the United Nations. The existence of United Nations is a must.

The photo in this article was first published on my Instagram account on Wednesday, 21 August, 2024.

Adieu, Françoise Hardy, tu es mon inspiration

If there is an artist I feel sad when she dies, it's only been one so far, she was Françoise Hardy. When I heard the news of Hardy's death, I was really sad. She is very inspiring to me, she is one of my reasons to learn about French culture and French language. 

Françoise Hardy, 1965.

Françoise was a French cultural icon, especially in the music industry. During her more than 60 years of musical career since 1962, she had released 32 albums to her listeners. She was also one of the leading figures of yé-yé movement. She was also an actress, astrologer, and writer.

Her musical style was unique to me, while most of her songs were melancholic and plaintive, that's why I like her, very touching my feelings. She was the beginning of me knowing more about French songs and also other singers like France Gall and Sylvie Vartan.

I also adore her fashion style which is also one of the things that has made her as an icon. She was a trendsetter, a muse, and a chic. She was like the blueprint for the 'french girl' style. Her style was effortless but yet so attractive and appealing, I love it. 

She was born on 17 January, 1944 and died on 11 June, 2024 at the age of 80. There's a lot I want to say about her but at least you know how I feel about her. Her legacy and influence is very big and will last for a long time, especially for those who love French culture.

Merci Françoise Hardy, je t'aime, j'aime tes œuvres, j'aime ta personnalité. Tu étais très différent des autres artistes de ton époque et même jusqu'à maintenant. Même si tu déprécie parfois tes propres œuvres, les gens t'aiment. Je veux être comme toi aussi. Reposez en paix. 🕊️

Electricity Had Been Out for Nearly A Day

Ugh, this electricity is crazy. Yesterday, the power was out for 8 hours, from around 3 pm to 11:30 pm. The electricity was on again only for an hour, from 11:30 pm to 12:30 am (today). After that the electricity continued to go out until 14:30 pm, meaning 14 hours.

It was very unpleasant. I can't do anything if there's no electricity, like taking a bath or eating, especially since it's so dark here. This outage was not citywide, only one sub-district. It's good that it's normal now.

My life is very dependent on electricity so of course I hate it when the electricity goes out. Just to write this article I need electricity, you know. I hope you understand my feelings.

It's been a long time since the electricity went out for that long, the last time was in January 2023 when there was a flood. I don't know why yesterday and today the electricity went out, if I heard correctly from my mother it was because there were repairs to the electricity pole.