It has been decided

After 1 week subject shopping this second semester (which is hopefully my last)... i've decided the subjects that i'm going to take.

1. Machine Learning

Yup.. i take it again. This is the second time i take Machine Learning. The first one was in my undergrad. Looks like this machine learning (taught by Tim Baldwin) is more to data mining. Hey, but i've taken Data Mining as well in your postgrad in Indo. So, what are you doing Ridho?
Well, i heard that Google is hiring people with Machine Learning skill. So.. Hahaha.... Good luck with the mathematics anyway.

2. Network and Parallel Processing

Prepare to be slaughtered by algorithms, complexity and mathematics... It's not just about creating programs that use more than one computer to do a processing. Well, at least it's cool to be able to do that.

3. Mobile Computing

One of the subjects that i've been willing to take. At least by taking this subject i will be forced to learn J2ME and creating cool mobile apps.

4. Engineering for Internet Application

My goal here is to learn more about creating web apps with todays technology. I hope i can get it here.

I think this semester is going to be hard.

Trips to 2 Mountains

Hi hi...

The new semester has come. It means more classes to attend and more assignments to do. Yaikkss...

Anyway, in this posting i just want to share some pictures of my trips last holiday. Since it was winter, so my trips were about going to mountains. Hiking? no no... Skiing? no no... just toboganing..

The first trip was to Mt. Buffallo. I went there with some of my friends. Mas Wawan with his wife Bonnie, Mas Ade with his wife Mbak Desi.. It means that i was the single one. Hahaha...
Mt. Buffallo wasn't big, but it sure gave me the first great experience on snowing.

What the hell?! Those fats doesn't only go to my belly?

In front of ski equipments renting shop

Mt. Buffallo.. Most of

Looking at the mountain

Tobogan !!

The second trip was to Mt. Buller. This mountain is a lot bigger more kind a resort type. It also has more facilities than Mt. Buffallo.. I went there with other 200 UMAC people.

Near the parking lot

With mas Adi and mas Didik on the tobogan field

Another pose

Have just fell from the tobogan

Snow...all snow !!

Free At Last

Hai All...

After finishing 10 assignments and 4 exams.. i am free !!!! My first semester in Melbourne Uni is over. Fiuhh, that was more works than what i imagined. At least more than works that i have done when i attended my Informatics Master Degree in ITB.

Anyway, i spent my first day of freedom (which is last Thursday) by lazying all day long. Wake up late, youtubing, eat, sleep again (ow please..), wake up again, and nearly forgot that i haven't taken bath all day (whups...).

However, after that day, i followed an interesting activity. I became a drummer in Indomelb band. Hahaha, a drummer? Can i actually play a drum? Well, not really.. drum is even the last instrument that i could think of playing if i joined a band. I usually play bass guitar, sometimes a rhytm guitar if i must, but not a drum. Nope.. never play the drum for a band even once.

Despite of never been a drummer, i actually remember took a drum lesson while i was in Bandung a few years back. It was a really short course, around 2 months only, and the only song that i've ever studied was Nothing Else Matters by Metallica. I was really proud that i could play that song's drum at that time, but that was all. I don't even remember how to play that song's drum anymore.

Okey, back to become a drummer for Indomelb band. The indomelb band decided to play some songs in UMAC party. It was some kind of welcoming and farewell party for AusAid scholarship awardess (maybe.. not sure though). We played some Indonesian tradisional songs medley as well as other songs like Like a Stone and Last Kiss, and i have to admit that playing drum is really great !! Why didn't i try to learn it in the first place. Having said that, while i'm here, i think i'll stick to this instrument for a while..

And they are all out !!

Continuing my previous post...

I did ask what next, didn't i ?

So here we go guys...

1. Grid Technology Paper Review

2. Grid Technology Project

3. Agent Programming Technique Paper

4. Peer to Peer Chatting Application

Including the XSLT Project and Web Technology Paper, it looks like i still have 6 assignments to finish this semester.. yes.. 6 ! S-I-X !

Relax..relax...

It's not as bad as you think Ridho.. relax.. relax..

They are all interesting in different ways.. so, by working on them should gain you new knowledge.. so be happy (err.. i'm talking to myself).

Perhaps sometimes i should write something that explains some of my assignment projects. It could be useful for me, and perhaps to you too..

Anyway, i should probably do that later after i've finished them all..

Cheers..

What Next ??

Agent Modelling ?

MPI Programming ?

Java RMI ?

XSLT ?

Paper Review on XML Technology ?

What Next ????

Easy Mender Commercial

Do you have a torn or hole on your pants or jeans ?

You feel too pity to throw it away ?

You don't have enough money to bring it to the tailor ?

You don't have enough money to buy a new one ?

Introducing..... Iron on Mender ! A quick solution for your beloved pants or jeans..

With this 2 easy steps:

1. Just cut it


2. Stick it, and iron it..


And walaa... your torn or hole is gone

Once you called it a bad day, it will be a bad day

Have you ever experienced a bad day ? Of course you do, nobody hasn't. Maybe if you don't think about it too much, you wouldn't considered it a bad day. But i always think that once you had an unluckiness or something, more unluckiness will come to you and that's a bad day.

I experienced a bad day yesterday, and it turned out to be at my work in Vic Mart. Yesterday was the first day when Mas Solihin didn't help me (much). So first off all, i was late. I didn't expect to be late, but Najiba, the shop owner had come before me. And then, during the shop opening, i broke so so so many cloth hangers. See, that's one unluckiness...

In the afternoon, when i did the shop closing, i unexperiencely store the clothes in a wrong way. And do you know what happened? After piling so many clothes they were all collapsed !! Oh no... i felt if i had the ability to freeze time like Hiro Nakamura in Heroes, i would do that and fixed everything back.. Oh i felt so bad.. bad bad day... Eventually, Najiba and her son had to help me to do the closing and all the clothes weren't in correct order.

However, despite of my bad job, Najiba still kindly payed me full, but the consequence is i had to come early this morning to fix all that mess..

Now you see.. once a bad day, it's always a bad day.. I hope i wouldn't experience it again.

My New Room At Last !!

At last.. i got my new room. After spending more than a month in Mas Leo's room (thanks a lot...), i finally got a flat in Brunswick Rd. It's closer to the campus, although it's a bit more expensive than Mas Leo's room in Coburg.

I trully blessed the day (not i found you..) i met Mas Irwan and his father when we prayed together in Baillieu Library in Unimelb. I didn't know them that day, but i think Allah heard my desperation in searching for my own room. Hahaha.. Luckily, Mas Irwan (Master of research in Forestry) was looking for his replacement in his flat, because he has finished his study in Unimelb. Mas Irwan lived with his family and also his father, Pak Deddy who has just come for a post grad research in Botany in Unimelb.

So, without hesitation, i ran into that offer and here i am now..

This is my room sweet room...

Easter Break = Gathering

Other things that i did last easter break are gatherings. I attented two gatherings.

First gathering was held by Mas Leo with other depkominfo scholarship awardess plus depkominfo staff which are studying in Melbourne. Mas Leo held this gathering in order to celebrate his marriage. So, what was the food? BBQ !! :D



Second gathering was held a few days after that in Clayton. This time, only the depkominfo scholarship awardess who gathered. We used Pak Zul's house which was very near to Monash University. This time not bbq, but lots of food !! I don't mine as long as it free. Hehehe.. kidding.
After the gathering, we took some pictures around Monash University.

Easter Break - My First $15 earning

Hi everyone..

Easter break is almost over. Did i tell you when it started ? No? It started on 21th March (just last Friday) and it should be over this Sunday (30th March 2008).Oougghh, it means i only have 3 days left. And you know what? I planned this holiday to study through all my subjects, but i actually haven't started anything. =)) So typical..

Anyway, let me share a bit experience that i had during this holiday. It all started before the break. In software agent class, my classmate, Mas Andria (who was actually my senior back in Teknik Informatika ITB, he was in class of 98) offered me to work in Victoria Market. The job desc is just we have to help a shop owner (shirts and jacket) to open the shop in the morning and close the shop in the afternoon. How much do i get paid? A$30 a day for opening and closing. Wow, not bad. i was a bit hesitated at first, but what the hell, it will start on Tuesday (in Easter Break), so nothing to lose.

Upon working in VicMart, i was introduced (via sms) to Mas Solihin, who actually has the job. So, Mas Andria was only helping him and he decided to give this job to someone else (me :D). Mas Solihin met me in the market on Tuesday morning (6 AM !! The first time i awake so early in Melbourne). We met on the spot where the shop should be opened.

There were 2 big metal boxes on the spot. One box contained the clothes and the other one contained the structures of the shop. Structures ? Yeah, do you think it would be easy to open and close a shop in the market. You have to build the shop man... Wahaha, this is why some of my friends told me that this isn't an easy job (many student do this job to earn some extra money). Anyway, Mas Solihin introduced me on how to build the structure of the shop. Basically, there were lots of poles (heavy poles i tell you...) that have to be stand and assembled.

After the shop had been built. We brought all of the clothes (from the second box) out of the big box and arrange them. I felt like a labor in Pasar baru (well i did...). The process took around 1 hour and i also helped Mas Solihin to open his shop, since he helped me with opening my shop.




The owner of the shop didn't show up until it was around 8.30. It is the time for shop opening transaction. The shop which i opened belong to a lady called Najiba. Well, i haven't known her well yet, but that day she told me that the shop would be closed by his son, so i didn't have to come in the afternoon. So, it was only 15 bucks for me. Hehehe... She also told me to come on the Saturday and Sunday to do the opening and i agreed. Why not, it won't take a long time to do this afterall.

So, instead of studying, in this easter break i have been working. I will tell you later about other things that i have been doing in easter break later.

"Window Shopping" of Subjects

Coming to all the subjects was the activity that i've been doing last week. Yup, new semester has arrived... Wuhu.. Excited? Yup.. very much. So many interesting subjects (eventhough they are too computer science). Hesitate about how i will be doing? Mm... This is actually my first time having lectures in English. So, that unconfident feeling is always there.

Anyway, let me tell you some stories about each subject that i've attented.

1. Distributed System: taught by Dr. Shanika Karunasekera. This is my first that i had on Monday. Actually, i took this subject because it is the pre-requisite of Mobile Computing Systems Programming subject which i'm planning to take in 2nd semester. So, i didn't hope that much from this subject. Nevertheless, i found this subject quite interesting (since i didn't take this subject in ITB) and i think distributed system will become a basic knowledge that should be known.

2. Cluster and Grid Computing: taught by Dr. Raj Buyya. Frankly speaking, i could catch what Dr. Shanika is saying far better than Dr. Raj Buyya. He speaks so fast in Indian dialect so that if you lose your concentration for a little while, it would be hard to catch up. And guess what? In his first lectures i have to admit that i was dozen off a couple of times. Hahaha.. In my opinion, this subject will give a great knowledge in dealing with networking stuff and since i consider myself weak in networking knowledge, this is an opportunity for me to study.

3. IT Project Management: taught by Martin Vaugh. I think he is an Australian. This subject will teach about how to be a good project manager. Well, this should gain me a knowlege about "how to be the boss", but i didn't find this subject interesting. Or is it maybe i'm too technical ?

4. Software Agents: taught by Dr Kuldar Taveter. He is an estonian. This subject closely related with Artificial Intelligence. What so funny about this subject was that the lecture give "Tamagochi" as an example of software agent. I didn't have any idea that this tamagochi stuff is still alive.
Hmm, my intereset in AI will never change. Who wouldn't be interested if someday you could program a robot?! I always interested in the concept but when i actually learn it, i usually get frustated. Well, i think i'm going to give it another shot.

5. Web Technologies and Applications: taught by Dr. James Bailey. This subject is one of my expectation in MSSE (Master of Software System Engineering). I thought that in MSSE all the subjects are about this kind of stuff plus a few analysis and designing software subjects. However, it turned out that MSSE is too computer science.

6. Human Language Technology: taught by Steven Bird. I think he is an expert in Natural Language Processing. You can find him in this video if you like. In this subject, students will have to learn about phyton language and also nltk (natural language tool kit). I found this subject so hard because of several reasons. First, the class has only few international students (CMIIW) so the lecture often talks too fast. Most of the students have backgrounds about HLT, i don't know what, but i could sense that most of the students and the lecture know what they were talking to each other about. I think it will be too difficult for me to catch up.

So, after thinking for a while, i decided that this semester, i will take:

1. Distributed System
2. Cluster and Grid Computing
3. Software Agents
4. Web Technologies and Applications

Wish me luck everybody !!

Still in tourist mode

New semester will begin in a few days. Before that day come, i surely could take some trips around the city. A few days back i took a little trip around flinder street area.
At flinder street area we could see the Yarra river which is the river that goes through the city of Melbourne.
I took some pictures there (i went with mbak neni and mbak desi) and these are some of them.

On the bridge across the Yarra river


Tallest building in Melbourne ??


Federation Square: an art gallery


Hmm.. i wonder what this painting means. (Inside Fed Square)

Aussie's Slang

This week (26-29 Feb 2008) is the orientation week in Unimelb. There are lots of sessions that can be attented by students. Those sessions are not always about study supports, for example this session that i attended called "Understanding Australian Slang".

Interested by the topic, i came there, although i was late for about 10 minutes. It was pretty good actually. In the session, the lecturer thought us some of famous australian slangs.

Take a look at this one.

"I don't like this pub. Let's bugger off to the other pub across the road"

Bugger off means like move away.

Or this one..

"The other team are clearly being done. Do you still want to watch the game?"

Can you guess what it means ? Yes.. it means that the other team is heavily beaten.

There are some other weird words also, like "barbie". I wonder what it means.. Oh my, it means barberque.
Or this one, "rego". A shortenage of registration. Hahaha... very weird.

If you want to know more about Australian slang, you could browse this website http://www.aussieslang.com/

So. have a g'day mate !

Indonesianese Cuisine and Spices??

When i was still in Indonesia, i always thought that if i'm in Melbourne i should adapt myself with Western food. Well, i must say that what i was thinking is wrong.

On the next day after i arrived in Melbourne, Fabian and mbak Desi (thanks a lot you all.. :D) kindly guided me and mbak Neni in city of Melbourne. I went with Fabian I tried to take the tram (a kind of busway transportation - electricity powered) for the first time, i went to my campus to look around a bit and afterwards we went to the Konsulat Jendral RI in Melbourne to report ourselves.

It was around 2 o'clock and we started to get hungry. That morning i only ate 2 slices of bread with peanut butter that Fabian gave me. That moment i started to think "hmm.. what kind of food what am i going to eat?" when suddenly Fabian suggested us to eat in Nelayan Restaurant. "Wait a minute ? Nelayan ? That doesn't seem an English word at all". Ow, it happened to be an Indonesian restaurant in the middle of Melbourne.

Nelayan - Indonesian Restaurant

Most of people that ate there were Indonesian (if i am not mistaken), but there were also other Asians and perhaps Australians. The food was varied but i had a roti cane and rendang (hmm, usually we eat roti cane with curry right ?) that day for lunch.

Roti Cane and Rendang

Fabian and I

Mbak Neni on the left, Mbak Desi on the right

Wow, okay, so now i know that there are also Indonesian food in Melbourne. No big deal, there are lots of Indonesian here, so someone should have thought that opening an Indonesian resto should be profitable right?

But the next one made me surprised more. I was taken to a supermarket called "Mix" that supplies Asian's products and of course Indonesian. Hehehe, feels like home. Mix was okay but yesterday Fabian brought me to this even bigger supermarket called "Laguna" that also supplies Asian's products. "What !? What the hell is bumbu nasi goreng Indofood doing here? Bumbu gulai Bamboe ? Pepsodent ? A Clear shampoo with Samuel Rizal picture on it ?" And the best thing about them is they are not expensive. Well, around the same price with the local products if i am not mistaken (CMIIW). Hmm, now i know how Seif (my house mate) made those gulai.

So, for you who will study in Melbourne. You shouldn't be worried. Eventhough this is Melbourne, you should feel like home. Nevertheless, perhaps sometimes i will try the local product as well. "Ngapain juga jauh-jauh sampe sini tapi ga make produk lokal ? Betul tidak...?"

Cheers..

Journey to Melbourne - Part 2

Previously on my blog....

Hahaha.. sounds like tv series Heroes right ?

At 14.30 on 19th February 2008, my departed to Melbourne. The flight was okay. Got snacks, watched the tv. When i watched the tv, i realized that i was watching "Akhirnya datang juga" in Australian version, called "Thank God, you are here" (if i am not mistaken).

Finally at approximately 4 o'clock, mbak neni and i arrived in Melbourne airport. No troubles there. We were picked up by mbak desi, another MCIT awardess which have been in Melbourne for 6 months. We searched for her help because the university airport pickup didn't wait for us anymore.

i arrived in melbourne

We took a taxi together. The driver looked came from Middle East. When i saw him the first time, i though "wow, this guy looks like the vocalist of System of a Down (an armenian rock band)". In Melbourne, i temporary stays in mas leo's room in 35 Chambers Street Coburg. Leo is another MCIT awardess.

Way to coburg

The weather was sunny and hot, made me thought that Melbourne is as hot as Jakarta. But that thought should be revised if i saw the next day. I'll tell you later about this.
I arrived in Chambers Street around 5 o'clock. At last ! After 36 hours of travel (didn't take a bath also), i arrived safely. In the house, Fabian (a friend of mas leo and house mate) has been waiting for me and he told me everything that i need to know about the surroundings. Thx Fabian.

Journey to Melbourne - Part 1

On 18th February 2008 i departed from Jakarta, Indonesia to Melbourne, Australia.

I was with my two other fellow MCIS Awardess, mbak neni and mbak yuni. For those of you who don't know what MCIS is, i will tell you. MCIS stands for Ministry of Communication and Informatics. Yeah, i considered myself lucky to get a scholarship to Australia and moreover, it is from the goverment ! So, i think i have to study seriously right ? Hahaha..

Anyway, my flight was QF42 which was going to transit to Sydney, and mbak yuni supposed to get off there. I have to leave my family and my girlfriend Deasy but i didn't feel that sad. Hmm, maybe it's because i will only leaving for about 10 months. Yeah, my study will only take that long. Master of Software System Engineering in Unimelb only consists of 2 semester, so by the end of 2008 i should be finished.

The fligh took around 6 hours to get to Sydney. It was okay i think, actually i didn't feel it was that long cause i was asleep about 4 hours, while the first 2 hours i enjoyed the flight dinner and watched "The Heartbreaker Kid" which was starred by Ben Stiller. Oh, and i also happended to take care of mbak neni who got a bit sick. Hoho, that "Tolak Angin" actully worked on you, mbak neni.

At 8.30 (Sydney time) we arrived in Sydney airport. I felt so excited cause the last time i've ever gone abroad was when i was 11. I was a bit worried too because my baggage would be checked by the quarantine. Hope nothing is gonna get wrong.

this is me, mbak yuni, mbak neni, arrived in Sydney

In Sydney airport looked fine. We were checked in the immigration, claimed our baggages, and suddenly.... What a long queue just to pass through the quarantine area! I took a video about this queue, if you want to see. It was like this thousand of people try to get their bags checked, but there were not enough doors available.

It took us 2 hours just to queue there whereas mbak neni and i got a plane to catch to melbourne at 10. We started to queue at around 9.30, so as you can imagine, we were late. But we shouldn't be worried, because our flight was moved to 14.30. It meant that we had around 2 hours for fooling around in the airport. What i was worried about was the university airport pickup. I registred for the airport pickup before i left and they only know that i would arrive at 11 (Melbourne time). I couldn't contact them so the alternative was to catch a taxi when i got to Melbourne airport. Btw, we separated with mbak yuni after we passed through the quarantine area.

In the sydney airport, i tried to call my family and Deasy. By using my xl bebas, i took me 4000 rupiah just to send a sms and i could not make a phone call. So i tried to find alternatives. I found this thing called "calling card" which can be got through the money changer counters or through a calling card vending machines. I was confused in using it for the first time, but in the end, i figured it out. I was so glad that i could call my family and Deasy. I think i do miss them afterall.

Anyway, sydney airport was so big. It got three big terminals and to get to each terminal, they facilitate people with airport buses. After waiting for about 2 hours, we finally got to the plane.

Sydney Airport

Ok, i'll be off to Melbourne. Good bye Sdyney, looking forward to be here again when i'm travelling.

to be continued ....

Hello.. Allow me to introduce myself

Hello..

My name is Ridho Akhiro. You can call me ridho.

This is my first personal blog and hopefully i can post regularly. So, if you interested in reading my posts, i will be thankful.

About me:

I'm an Indonesian 25 years old male. I was born in Jakarta on 3th February 1983. My zodiac is Aquarius. I graduated from informatics engineering from ITB in 2006 and recently graduated from magister informatika from ITB also. Previously i worked in PT. LAPI Divusi in Bandung as a system analyst.

Btw, today is my second day in Melbourne, Australia. I'm here to take Master of Software System Engineering in University of Melbourne, which gonna take around a year only.

Well, perhaps most of my posts are going to be about my life in Melbourne but it doesn't mean i am not interested in posting other topics. So, enjoy :D