Anggriawan Sugianto

“There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” ― Bill Watterson

If I had to sum up 2013 in two words, they’d be "awesomely hectic!" And when I say hectic, I mean the kind that makes you wonder if sleep is just a mythical creature from ancient textbooks. Most of my year, surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly for anyone who knows me), was spent… studying! Yes, you heard that right.

As I mumbled in a previous year-in-review (back when my Bahasa was doing more heavy lifting), I’d snagged an MBA scholarship from KAIST. Me, the Computer Science guy, diving headfirst into the deep end of business. My goal for 2013 was simple, if a little ambitious: soak up as much knowledge as humanly possible from this intensive one-year MBA. Little did I know, this noble pursuit would demand a rather significant sacrifice from my life balance. My sleep schedule became a tragic comedy, and my social life? Let's just say it went on a prolonged sabbatical. But hey, looking back, it was only by some divine guidance and protection that I not only survived but actually thrived (mostly) in a foreign land. A testament to sheer stubbornness, perhaps, and a whole lot of grace.

KAIST Information & Media MBA 2013

January: A Winter Wonderland

안녕하세요! So there I was, a fresh-faced Indonesian in Seoul, bracing myself for the first winter of my life. And boy, did it deliver! We’re talking a bone-chilling -16.5°C. I remember the air stinging my face, each breath turning into a visible cloud, and wondering if my toes would ever truly thaw. I'd arrived in late 2012, spent New Year's Eve doing "nothing" (which, when you’re in a new city with new friends, is actually everything) around Gwanghwamun, and then hopped on a bus to Nami Island – you know, that famously picturesque spot from Winter Sonata. It was breathtaking, even if my hands were numb from trying to snap photos.

The real fun, or rather, the "pre-academic event," kicked off right after: new student orientation. Walking into that room, I was surrounded by brilliant minds. Managers from big corporations, folks with years of experience under their belts. I felt a tiny flutter of imposter syndrome, but mostly, it was just inspiring. This program was clearly going to be a masterclass in learning from the best. Our short, four-week semester plunged us into IT Strategy & Management, Media Economics, and Business Presentation. It started innocently enough, but then came exam week. Sleep? Showers? Those became luxuries only spoken of in whispered legends. (Though, in my defense, it was very cold winter!). Yet, despite the academic acrobatics, the toughest part wasn’t the schoolwork; it was the quiet ache of missing loved ones far away.

Winter came earlier in Korea this year. I remember that Nov 18 was the first snowfall this year. Although it's not my first winter, I was still very excited for the snowfall experience, maybe because I came from a tropical country, Indonesia. The soft snowflakes were like kisses from heaven, cooling down my head that heated by all school assignments.

Winter at Gangwon Province, South Korea

Last Friday, Dec 13, finally I was able to join a trip organized by Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). It was the day after I had a 5-hour in-class exam (Yes! 5-hour exam till 10pm, but still I could't finish well for the last question, haha!!). So, the trip was really refreshing for me ^^. We went to Yongpyong Resort, one of the best ski resorts in Korea, located in Gangwon province. I went there by shuttle bus from Jamsil at 6.10am (first departure). You should book the shuttle bus in advanced because many people are going there during the winter season. Anyway, you should use Internet Explorer and read Korean to book the ticket ^^'. It took 3 hours to get to Yongpyong, long enough to continue paying my sleep debt.

Seoul was cold. Yongpyong was even colder.

Yongpyong Ski Resort (용평 리조트 스키장) is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Korea. It is going to be one of few venues in 2018 Winter Olympics, the biggest winter multi-sport event. Yongpyong has 28 ski slopes and it is suitable for various level of skiers, from beginners to experts. Among those 28 slopes, the famous one is probably Rainbow. Rainbow slope is the highest course (around 1,210 meters) and also the longest one (around 5,600 meters). However, if you're a beginner like me, you can try the Mega Green slope, which is only 700 meters long, quite wide and not that steep (only 12 degree).

Congratulations to all my juniors in ITB! Last weekend was the graduation ceremony day for ITB class of 2013. Somehow it reminds me about one of the happiest moments in my life. That was my graduation day in 2008, a couple years ago. "Today is yours," they said. All classmates were smiling happily as they succeeded to finish their education in the most prestigious university in my country. Pardon me for the narcissism.

Computer Science ITB – Class of 2008

I remember a heap of happy people with nice suit and dress inside their graduation gown, and a bunch of happy parents were proud of their sons and daughters. I remember the classic European style of ceremony with "Gaudeamus Igitur", one of most infamous commercium songs, was played as the backsound of one session. Getting our graduation cap tassle moved by our rector before we were shaking hands and taking photo with him. We were also listening to the boring speeches from the faculties and student representatives, which I am pretty sure nobody remember about it, except for one or two students who delivered the speeches itself.

Somehow I envy the graduation ceremonies in some universities in the US, which usually invite their famous alumni to give one of the most important speeches in their academic life. It is the last lesson students get before entering the real world. I cannot understand why my almamater haven't adopted this concept by inviting our famous successful alumni for giving commencement address. CMIIW, but I hope they will start the tradition soon.

Here I post my favourite commencement speeches, yes they all are from US universities. Actually you can easily find the other version of the best commencement speeches – such as from TIME magazine. However, in this list I prefer they who are in IT industries. They delivered inspiring speech and even some of them were presenting in a funny way. They all are my inspirations, and I hope someday we can be like them.

Steve Jobs, Stanford (2005)

Memorable quotes:

1. You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.
2. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
3. Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Full script: 'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

Pada Juli 2013, komunitas pelajar Indonesia di Korea Selatan berkumpul di kampus KAIST, Daejeon, untuk menghadiri CISAK (Conference of Indonesian Students Association in Korea) keenam. Dengan tema "Empowering National Pride through Knowledge Collaboration", konferensi ini menjadi wadah bagi para peneliti muda untuk memaparkan inovasi mereka di berbagai klaster—mulai dari teknologi informasi hingga pertanian. Selain paparan riset, konferensi ini menghadirkan dua figur pemimpin inspiratif: Ridwan Kamil (arsitek dan pendidik) serta Ilham Akbar Habibie (tokoh industri dirgantara).

CISAK 2013 - Daejeon, 7 Juli 2013

Insight Utama: Creativity for Society

Sesi yang paling membekas bagi saya adalah keynote speech dari Ridwan Kamil bertajuk "Creativity for Society". Saya telah mengikuti pemikiran beliau sejak TEDxJakarta 2010 sebagai sosok akademisi yang mampu mengeksekusi karya nyata di tengah masyarakat. Dalam paparannya di CISAK, beliau mendemonstrasikan bagaimana kolaborasi kreatif lintas komunitas dapat membawa perubahan konkret bagi sebuah kota, bahkan sebelum beliau menjabat di pemerintahan. Pesan intinya sangat jelas: ilmu dan kreativitas mencapai nilai tertingginya ketika diaplikasikan untuk memecahkan masalah nyata di masyarakat.

"Buat apa ilmu kalau tidak bermanfaat buat orang banyak." - @RidwanKamil, CISAK 2013 pic.twitter.com/km5n9di27h
— Anggriawan Sugianto (@anggriawan) July 7, 2013

Refleksi Strategis: Persimpangan Profitabilitas dan Dampak

Sejak menempuh pendidikan bisnis di KAIST, sudut pandang saya terhadap inovasi mengalami evolusi. Setiap kali melihat riset atau teknologi baru, insting saya secara otomatis menganalisis model bisnisnya: How to make it profitable and sustainable? Saya percaya bahwa secanggih apa pun sebuah inovasi, jika tidak memiliki nilai ekonomi (baik dalam jangka pendek maupun panjang), maka skalabilitasnya akan terbatas.

Namun, mengoptimalkan economic value saja tidak cukup. Sebagai pemimpin, kita harus mempertimbangkan social value—sejauh mana inovasi tersebut bermanfaat bagi publik. Idealnya, sebuah bisnis atau riset harus berada di persimpangan keduanya: menguntungkan secara finansial dan berdampak secara sosial.

1. Inovasi yang Menguntungkan & Berdampak: Inilah "Gold Standard" yang harus dikejar oleh organisasi modern.
2. Inovasi Berdampak namun Belum Menguntungkan: Tanggung jawab kita adalah mengupayakannya agar setidaknya menjadi berkelanjutan (sustainable).
3. Inovasi Menguntungkan namun Kurang Berdampak: Di sinilah integritas individu berperan untuk mengalihkan sumber daya (seperti melalui filantropi atau inisiatif sosial) agar tercipta keseimbangan manfaat.

Kesimpulan: Menuju Purpose-Driven Leadership

Kita tidak perlu menunggu untuk menjadi sosok besar seperti Warren Buffett atau Bill Gates untuk mulai berkontribusi. Prinsipnya sederhana: Think big, start small. Kita bisa mulai mengintegrasikan nilai-nilai kebaikan dalam setiap keputusan bisnis atau riset yang kita ambil hari ini. Seperti pesan yang tertulis dalam kitab suci: "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

안녕하세요! Hari Jumat yang lalu (14 Juni), saya pergi ke KBRI Seoul untuk memperpanjang masa berlakunya paspor saya. Seperti yang kita tahu, masa berlaku paspor RI itu hanyalah 5 tahun. Sebenarnya saya masih punya jatah waktu 6 bulan sebelum paspor saya expired karena paspor saya dibuat pada akhir tahun 2008 (berarti expired akhir tahun 2013). Hanya saja, jika masa berlaku paspor kita kita kurang dari 6 bulan, kita tidak akan diperbolehkan untuk pergi keluar negeri oleh pihak imigrasi. Ada teman saya yang pernah berencana untuk liburan keluar negeri dan sudah membeli tiket pesawat pulang pergi, tapi ketika dia sampai di bandara, petugas imigrasi tidak mengijikannya terbang karena paspornya sudah mau expired. Sayang sekali kan..

KBRI Seoul

Karena saat ini saya sedang di Seoul, cara untuk memperpanjang paspor di sini sangat mudah. Asalkan semua persyaratan lengkap, kita cukup membayar biaya sebesar USD 22 dan bersabar menunggu beberapa jam, paspor baru pun sudah siap. Adapun cara-caranya adalah sebagai berikut:

1. Download formulir PSLD berikut (atau pastikan form terbaru di situs KBRI Seoul) dan isi form nya di rumah. Tidak perlu menempelkan pas foto 3x4 karena nanti diminta foto lagi di KBRI.

2. Siapkan dokumen-dokumen berikut ini, baik asli maupun fotokopi: paspor lama, visa, Alien Registration Card, dan surat keterangan studi/kerja.

3. Berpakaian yang rapi dan datang ke KBRI Seoul pada hari kerja (Senin-Jumat), sebelum jam 12 siang. KBRI Seoul ada di Yeouido, tepatnya di 380 Youidebang-ro, Youdeungpo-gu, bisa dijangkau dengan Subway Line 9, keluar di Saetgang station, exit 3. Masuk melalui pintu samping kedutaan, bukan pintu utama yang dekat pos satpam. Saat itu saya datang hari Jumat jam 11an, dan suasana KBRI cukup sepi.

4. Serahkan form dan dokumen-dokumen yang dibutuhkan (semua dokumen asli, kecuali paspor lama, hanya ditunjukkan saja). Setelah itu, nanti kita akan diberi struk pembayaran sebesar USD 22 (untuk paspor 48 halaman). Pembayaran dilakukan di KEB (Korea Exchange Bank) yang terletak di seberang jalan utama menuju KBRI.

5. Menuju ke KEB, yang ada di lantai dasar dari Lotte Castle. Supaya lebih jelas, bisa tanya petugas security yang ada di KBRI karena beliau punya petanya. Tunjukkan struk pembayaran ke petugas KEB dan bayar sejumlah USD 22 (atau bisa juga menggunakan mata uang KRW).

6. Setelah itu, menuju ke lantai basement dari bangunan tersebut, dan cari studio foto. Cukup beritahukan bahwa kita mau foto untuk paspor, nanti kita akan dipotret dan mendapatkan 2 lembar foto 3x4, seharga KRW 10,000. The most expensive passport photo that I ever had...

7. Kembali ke KBRI, serahkan bukti pembayaran dari bank dan pas foto, lalu nanti kita akan diberikan slip tanda terima. Biasanya kita cukup menunggu sampai jam 3 atau 4 sore, dan paspor yang baru bisa kita bawa pulang. Kalau saya kemarin, karena sore itu saya ada kuliah, jadi saya baru kembali ke KBRI beberapa hari setelahnya. Voila, paspor baru sudah di tangan, dengan masa berlaku sampai 2018 dan issuing office: KBRI Seoul.

Semoga informasi di atas bermanfaat!
좋은 하루 되세요! :)