Highlights of My 20 Years Life

0 year old:
It is the day, when my mom gave birth to an ugly baby (that's what she said when she looked at me for the first time, LOL) and my dad gave me name : Christian Timothy Wijaya

Kindergarten:
I loved drawing back then. No idea how. I lose at a city competition when I was five and that took my drawing passion away. Up until today, I cannot draw anymore. LOL.

A picture of me when I was about three

Elementary School:
I was very active in a badminton club. I even was the city champion among all elementary school students! I also started to involved in Mathematics Olympiad. When I was seven, I started to tell everyone that I would like to go overseas for my undergraduate - even though back then I had no idea how would I go overseas - and my dad always support me and my dream.

My 13th Birthday:
It is the day. The day when I knew that my mom had a tumor on her womb. The day that I decided to do everything to make her happy. She even had her surgery on my birthday. Somehow, I turned into an ambitious boy that did not want to care about my surrounding.

Running for President of Student Organization
One of the worst moment in my life. I was running for president and I was discriminated because I am a Christian. I had done my best, yet I lost by landslide.

 

Me in Junior High - I only weigh about 115 pounds (54 kgs)

Another Junior High Stuffs
I barely had any friends in Junior High. I probably one of the most hated person and I didn't realize it up until I reflected back during my high school years.
I started to be interested in basketball.

High School
I learned one of the most important lesson in my life about being humble and care about people around me.
I gave up on pursuing Mathematics Olympiad and started writing stuffs.

Still very thin. 6 months in High School.

Last Day of Class in High School - I gained almost 40 pounds during high school. LOL.

Travelling around the Globe
After I learned my lesson about humility, my life is just getting better. My favorite parts of high school were when I represented my country twice to UK and Japan. :)

Me with Winter Olympic Gold Medalist - UK 2010

Me with my house family - Japan 2011

My College Experiences
I am so blessed to be able to study overseas for my undergraduate. It is a huge decision for me since I have to leave my family and friends behind in Indonesia. I hope this decision pays off one day.

First Snow

Growing Up!

This is a glimpse of my 20 years' life. I hope you find this post interesting!

A Reflection on My 20th Birthday

Before I started my reflection, I would like to praise the God Almighty for His blessing that never end in my life. I would thank Him for my amazing family, amazing friends, amazing opportunities, and for everything that had happened and will happen in my life.

Who am I?
I was born in a very humble family in Kediri, East Java, Indonesia. My dad is a salesman for a small syrup company, and my mom is a private tutor for elementary school students. Even though we are not rich, we always have enough to fulfill our daily necessity. I recalled how we were all riding the on a motorcycle everywhere (p.s there are five of us on the same motorcycle! -- my dad, my mom, me, my bro, and my sis). It should be illegal, but for me it was a really fun time.

Education Background:
I went to a Catholic kindergarten and elementary school. I had so many good friends then - even I still talk to some of them up until now. Then I continue my study to a public Junior High still in Kediri. After I graduate, I received a full scholarship to go to a high school, three hours away from my hometown. And I am so blessed that all of these led me up to study Finance at Texas Tech University, U.S.

Reflection:
I am so blessed to be in my position right now and even if I have a chance, I would not change anything that I did in the past. Back in my younger days, I used to be a very competitive boy that would like to win everything. Without I realize that I rubbed off some of my colleagues due to my behavior. Yet, I finally learned that my life would not worth much if I do everything for myself. I started to learn humility, a value that I did not understand up until my high school years. Now I understand that I receive more happiness when I do something not just for me but also for others around me. I have realized that I am small - very small - and should never be arrogant about anything.

Twenty. Yes, I do not even believe that I am not a teen anymore. A new age, new responsibilities. I know that I had done so many bad stuffs when I was a teen. I was not perfect, I am not perfect, and I will never be perfect.

On this new age, I would like to be a better person. To be a more humble person. To be an honest person. Learn to lose and let go. Put maximum efforts on everything I do. Always be blessing to everyone I meet. To be closer to God. And to always be happy and thankful no matter what is the circumstances. And above all, I pray for my parents to be healthy forever and my brother and sister to be successful.

There is nothing sure about the future, yet I am nervous and excited at the same time to walk a new path.

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well"

- Voltaire

One Hour Thought – Dreaming

I just watched a TV show titled “Suits” before letting my thoughts take over. It told a story about life as a successful lawyer in the biggest law firm in New York City. Success that is defined as a glamorous life filled with jobs and winning lawsuits. I imagined myself could be in the position of the main character of the TV show. He is so in love with his job and his job has always been his passion. Many people believe that having a job that we are passionate about will make us happy and live longer. Yet, my internship experience last summer made me rethink that most people are not lucky enough to have a job in their expertise and passion. 

credit: cosmicwarriors.wordpress.com

I realize that so far I have been living my dream. I have had chances to travel to many countries, I am taking a major that I passionate about, I always do things that I love to do, like cooking, eating good food, and being happy. During my almost 20 years’ journey, my life has not been perfect. Sometimes I have to experience failure, feel sadness and insecurity, and fear about my future. I had an internship over last summer, and I was proudly telling people that one day I would like to be the Finance Minister of my country. I believe that being the Finance Minister could actually impact my country positively. However, I received some sarcastic feedback from some people in my workplace saying, “Let Timmy become an idealist because he is still young,” or “Let him believe what he would like to achieve.”

I was surprised and little bit offended when I heard such comments. I was not aware that I would receive such feedback while telling people about my long-term dream. During my one hour thinking, I was wondering the reason behind their sarcasm regarding my dream. I came up with a thought that those people believe that they had their dream taken away from them by circumstances. When I realized the reason behind their sarcasm, I thought that one day I could be one of them who feel sour about life and not enjoying their job. 

I had an argument inside my head about what could possibly happen to me in the future. Positively, I believe that no matter what happen, I should let my dream live and try to pursue the value of it. If I could not be the Finance Minister who affects economy policies, I would be a person who affects people’s economy around me, maybe by creating some jobs or having a non-profit organization. Negatively, I would let the circumstances made me bitter. It is hard to get over a condition where my dream is taken away. That night, I have made my decision that I will keep living up my dream even though it is just the value of it. One day when I grow older and bitterness of life take away my dream; I would remember the night and pull up this writing to remind myself of my choice. 

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

The Old Man and His Stories

                It stuck in my head every single gesture that Dr. Lopez had while he was presenting in class this afternoon. His hair had mostly turned white; the wrinkles in his body showed how much he had been through in life. And a white beard that covered most all of his chin and cheeks, he shared some stories of his life. I was so impressed on the details he put into his story, starting from when he was thirteen years old and had many planes in his room. He continued his story reminiscing on how his professor talked to him, saying that he would regret it for the rest of his life if he did not take the Calculus II class in his college. Then the leap of faith that he took, changing his major from engineering to humanities. He also came up with a question that still stuck in my head: With whom will we choose to share our lives?

I could not describe his eyes with words, when he reminisced through the past, especially the sadness, when he shared about the Tsunami’s victims in Sumatra. The Tsunami that happened a night after Christmas in 2004, took almost 170,000 lives, and literally swept away everything in the north part of Sumatra Island. I was lucky for living on other islands in Indonesia; also I felt that he could feel the victims’ pain more than I could even though it happened in my country. While he was telling his stories and his inspirations, his words brought me to the places and events he had been through. Was it just me or were all of my colleagues in the class feeling the same way?

                Then I realized that I never had a grandfather figure in my life. My grandfather from my dad was passed away long time ago, and I rarely meet my grandfather from my mom. The kid soul in me was hypnotized when I listened to Dr. Lopez’s story, it is magical to me that after all this time he remembered all of the details. Dr. Lopez reminded me of my mentor. He is a nearly 70 year old British man who lives a good life in Bali, the island of paradise. His career as an educator brought him to Indonesia, from a teacher in England, a headmaster in Bermuda, a school director in Rome, and then Thailand and Indonesia. I met my mentor about four years ago when he was presenting in my school. He loves to share stories about his life, and every time he told me a story of his younger life, when he was travelled around the world from Bermuda to Thailand, he had the same emotional sparks in his eyes; the exact same spark that Dr. Lopez had. Would I have the same spark when I tell stories to my grandchildren?

                I came up to a conclusion that Dr. Lopez and my mentor had one similarity. Both of them are living their lives based on what drive them the most. Dr. Lopez loves writing, my mentor loves everything about education; both of them had devoted their lives for their passion. They are very inspiring old men with their stories. Indonesian idiom would express that they “telah makan asam dan garam dunia” which is translated as “has eaten the acid and salt of lives”. I believe that at one point, they had to take the leap of faith to reach what they are right now. In this point of my life I am questioning myself that one day in the future would I be able to take the leap of faith when I have to?

-There are many talented people who haven't fulfilled their dreams because they over thought it, or they were too cautious, and were unwilling to make the leap of faith- "James Cameron"

A Snow Flake and a Boy

A young snow flake

Is falling from the sky

Afraid, alone and anxious about

What happens next

On his way to earth

The snow flake is cold

He asks the sun to share some heat

But it doesn’t take him long

To realize he is melting

On earth a lonely boy

Is waiting for the first snow

When he saw the young snow flake

He gets excited

Their meeting brings

Meaning to their lonely lives

They play together 

the whole day and night

Then the morning came

the snow starts to melt

They are afraid

they might never meet again

The boy whispered,

“Thank you”