JOURNAL

~NOVEL~
The Nanny Diaries
(Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin)

Summary: Annie Braddock is a young woman from a working – class

neighborhood in New Jersey, struggling to understand her place in the
world. Fresh out of college, she gets tremendous pressure from her nurse
mother to find a respectable position in the business world although Annie
would prefer to trade in her blackberry for an anthropologist’s field diary.
Onetime, when she was taking a walk, she saved a child, named
Grayer, from a man that almost crushed him, and so, his mother, named
Mrs. X, thanked Annie. Mrs. X offered Annie to become Grayer’s nanny.
Finally, Annie decided to accepted Mrs. X’s offered.
At first, Mrs. X looked very kind, but, after a few days, Mrs. X
started to show her bad character. She was very introvert and weird. She
also depressed because of her husband’s attitude. Mr. X didn’t care about
her.
In order to control the nanny, Mrs. X put a camera in each room.
When she knew that Annie did something bad to her child, she began to
dislike Annie. Actually, Annie didn’t do something really bad, but that’s
happened because of the naughty Grayer.
On holiday, the X family decided to visit Grayer’s grandmother in
other town and stayed there for a few days. In the morning, when Annie
wanted to cook for breakfast, Mr. X suddenly appeared. He wanted to flirt
with Annie. Annie tried to refuse it, but, suddenly, Mrs. X appeared and
she thought that Mr. X and Annie had an affair. She was very angry and
directly she fired Annie. Grayer was crying loudly when Annie gone.
Annie went home and packed her belongings sadly.
After a few days, Annie received a letter from Mrs. X. In the letter,
Mrs. X said that she already divorced with Mr. X. She lived in a simple
house with Grayer. She realized that she had done something bad to
Grayer and also Annie. Therefore, she thanked Annie because Annie had
done many things to her family, especially Grayer.

Opinion: Parents are very important for the children, because almost all the
children’s characters are same with their parents. So, as parents, you have
to take care of your children as good as you can and always pay attention
to them. Also, don’t fool your self just because of materials or some other
else, because at the end, you will feel hurt and sad.
Vocabulary: 1. Tremendous  something huge/ big.
~ The child got tremendous pressure from his parents, so, he became very
naughty.
2. Anthropologist  a person who study about human.
~ My uncle is an anthropologist.
3. Struggle  work harder to live/ try to live.
~ I have to struggle to become an entrepreneur.
4. Introvert  people who think about him/ herself, or don’t want to tell
anything to anybody.
~ She is very introvert because of the accident that happened 3 years ago.
5. Prompt  ask or order to do something.
~ She prompts him to wash her shoes.
6. Pleadingly  begging firmly.
~ She said something pleadingly about her boyfriend.
7. Flannel  a fabric/ cloth that is made from wool.
~ Grayer’s mother always uses a pink flannel.
8. Erupt  something burst out (explode/ explosion).
~ The larva erupted from the top of the active volcano.
9. Monogrammed  character or pattern.
~ She uses a monogrammed dress made by herself.
10. Thesis  project or final project for college student.
~ The food science students have to submit their thesis before the end of
the semester.
11. Gesture  sign movement.
~ I cannot understand her, because she uses strange gesture.
 ~NEWSPAPER~
Step by Step, Kovalainen Reaches for His Ultimate Goal
[International Herald Tribune, Saturday-Sunday, August 23-24, 2008]

Summary: A Formula One driver, named Heikki Kovalainen, had joined the
Formula One for 1 year. Now, in his second year, he is he is starting to
look like the latter kind of driver. After a season and a half difficulty, he
won his first race at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Kovalainen was a great and support man, also drivers. He has
shown himself that he can do the job and that he doesn’t need anyone. He
also said that he is trying to do the maximum for his self and he is not
helping any other drivers.

Opinion: To be a winner or to reach what we want, we have to do the best we can

do, just like Kovalainen. Some people usually want to achieve something
directly, but actually they should do it step by step, start from zero, and
also be patient. Those are some recipes to be a winner.

Vocabulary: 1. Iffy  full of unknown/ uncertain situation.

~ Since the manager left the company, everything turns to be iffy.
2. Talkative  fussy.
~ He is a talkative person.
3. Witty  smart/ clever.
~ What we called witty is when he/ she can do everything.

China’s Next Challenge

[International Herald Tribune, Saturday-Sunday, August 23-24, 2008]

Summary: China leads in Olympic golds, but we don’t know whether it can
lead the global economy or not. For years it has been the world’s GDP
growth champion but that has been led by exports increasing at more than
double the growth rate of the economy. The rest of the world helped pull
China along by providing markets for its goods and investment for its
factories. China can now achieve domestic demand-led growth, the world
as a whole is in for an extended period of pain in addition to existing
financial sector problems.
Beside that, America, England, and Australia also have problems
that are obvious enough. America needs an extended period of under-
performance to repair its financial institutions, household balance sheets
and its trade imbalance. Euro-area countries and Japan have no external
balance problems and limited financial ones.

Opinion: Actually, what China needs is a shift from investment to

consumption, and Indonesia should learn from China. Long time ago,
China is a very poor country with untalented community, because they
 couldn’t do anything. But, because of the people is getting smart and had a
spirit to be the best, now China has become the world’s largest export. The
community are a very hard work people and also creative.
Beside China, Europe and Japan are also a great country, but,
stability is the best that can be expected from their economies with their
cautious consumers and rapidly aging populations.

Vocabulary: 1. Deem  to judge/ to think.

~ It need much time to deem about her fault.
2. Surpluses  more than enough.
~ The foods for September and October are still surpluses.
3. Massive  consisting of a large mass.
~ The eruption containing massive big and small rocks.

K2 and Its Consequences

[International Herald Tribune, Saturday-Sunday, August 23-24, 2008]

Summary: Everybody has different hobbies, starting from a very simple

hobby until the very dangerous one, such as climbing mountain. The most
important thing is, even though it is dangerous, no one wants to die, but
still, many were killed. Every year, the number of people that was dying
because of climbing mountain was increasing. That’s happen because
more people want to climb mountain.
Actually, some climbers already know that climbing mountain is
very dangerous and they can die because of it, but they still do it. It’s not
because they want to suicide, but they do it because it’s their hobby and
jollity, or you can say that recreation.

Opinion: Sometimes, people throw their precious life just because of their hobby.
That’s not good. If we already know that climbing mountain or anything
else is dangerous, we shouldn’t do it, because we only alive once, so we
have to be grateful and make the best the use of life. We can’t throw their
precious life, except for God or for people who really need us.

Vocabulary: 1. Plenty  so many or a large amount/ number of something.

~ There are plenty of people who don’t like you.
2. Inevitable  something that can’t be avoid.
~ Tragedy is inevitable for everyone, so we must face it.
3. Chute  supply/ equipment which are dropped to save life.
~ Do not bring to many chutes if you want to climb a mountain.

Two Terms Is Enough, President Uribe

[International Herald Tribune, Saturday-Sunday, August 23-24, 2008]
Summary: Columbia’s president, Alvaro Uribe, had already leaded Columbia
for 2 terms. He leaded Columbia very well and almost all the community
liked and also wanted him to be their president again, which was because
of his good constitution. But, there were several people who didn’t like
him, which were the guerrillas. Besides, if he wants to lead the 3rd term, he
has to change the constitution again.
Some people told him to retired, because for about a fifth of the
Congress’ members are under investigation or have been arrested in these
cases (for example: corruption). So, President Uribe should retire before
the Congress’ members are getting worst and he will be blamed.

Opinion: To help a country, we have to think clearly, we can’t just use ego as the
weapon, because everything have a limit/ role definition. We also have to
give a chance for other people to help, build the country or some other
else. So, ego will not help anything, but on the contrary, it will ruin
everything.

Vocabulary: 1. Curb  holding back/ to restrain.

~ The use of seat belt is to curb people from falling.
2. Daring  braveness.
~ He has the daring to rob the bank.
3. Accused  defendant.
~ All the accused persons are brought to the court.
 ~MAGAZINE~
Test – Tube Baby: A First for Gorillas
[Pacific Friend, June 1996]

Summary: Gorilla’s baby named Timu, is the first baby who was born by test
tube. Timu’s parents are Mosuba and Rosie. They didn’t meet each other,
but zoologists sent the sperm and the ovum by mail. It is because the
primatologists didn’t want to move them from one zoo to another zoo, just
for fertilization. It is illegal to import gorillas from the wild.

Opinion: The law to restrict people to take the gorillas from the wild is good,
because if they take the gorillas from the wild, the gorillas in the wild will
be rare. So, it is better to use test tube, because it is very effective (helping
the reproduction of gorillas) and also very helpful, because it can help
women who cannot have a baby from their womb.

Vocabulary: 1. Womb  place where the fetus becomes a baby.

~ A fetus from test tube is put inside the womb of a mother.
2. Reveal  show or tell something about something important.
~ Its behavior reveals its characteristics.
3. Broaden  make something broad/ enlarge/ escalate.
~ My uncle broadens his manufacture until Europe.
4. Captive  something that is isolated/ narrow or prisoner.
~ The captive crocodile is now being sent to its habitat.
5. Hazard  dangerous.
~ Poison is very hazard and it can kill someone.

Jet Lag Wallops West – to – East Nines

[Pacific Friend, June 1996]

Summary: Research about win – lose by a preliminary study of the win – loss
record of 19 teams, adds to jet – lag research. It seems that the visitors lose
because they have traveled cross country, which means there is different
time from one country to another.

Opinion: Long distant traveling can make people tired and less energy. That is
almost the same with jet lag. Jet lag means when we go to other country
that has a very long different time, we will feel tired when the other feel
very fresh, and vice versa. So, they suppose to hold the game in other
country beside both teams to make it fair.

Vocabulary: 1. Edge  the outer part/ the side of something

~ He was unconscious at the edge of the field.
2. Preliminary  something that come first/ as the preface
 ~ This project is the preliminary sturdy of Harajuku style.
3. Precede  existing or coming before something/ be the first
~ I precede my friend to go to school.
4. Endure  suffer from something (for example: disease)
~ I really endure when I am alone at home.
5. Slightly  slight/ a little bit different
~ My score and his score are slightly different.

Justice for Our Justice

[Newsweek, June 30th 2008]

Summary: In mid-June, a young Pakistani student, named Samad Khurram,

who went to Harvard University, was called on to accept an achievement
award by Anne Patterson, the U.S. ambassador in Islamabad, because he
supported the justice for his country.
When he went back to Pakistan, there was a chaos happened. It
was because the justice was detained by the government and the Pakistanis
wanted their judges back, that are why they did long march. There were
more than 200,000 Pakistanis had managed to make their point. Because
of that, Khurram was really protected by his family, because Khurram was
one of the people who supported justice.

Opinion: From the story above, it told us that justice is really important. Without it,
there will be chaos in the community and their country will be ruined.
That’s why; we have to make the justice straight, just like Khurram did.
That is one way to have a better country and better life.

Vocabulary: 1. Coalition  a union of individual or parties or country.

~ The first and the second party make a coalition, because they have the
same purpose.
2. Tendency  trend/ special thing or thought that is followed by most of
people.
~ There is a tendency that people like to wear blink.
3. Mob  disorganized crowd.
~ When there is a Hollywood starts coming to Indonesia, directly there
will be a mob.
4. Solemn  serious/ formal.
~ There is solemn ritual in my village when somebody is passed away.

A Year of Harajuku Fashion

[Pacific Friend, May 2000]

Summary: Fashions change fast in Tokyo’s Harajuku district. One person who
has achieved this is Maki Ishii, who was still 18 at that time. She took art
school for university.
 She was the first person who used Harajuku style as her style. She
made herself as a model of Harajuku style. Many people wanted to shake
her hand or took a picture with her. Now, Maki has grown up with a
different style, but still Harajuku. She also said that she wanted to be an
actress.

Opinion: Harajuku style grows very fast in teenagers. The style of Harajuku is very
abstract (mix between old style and modern style) and change anytime.
Actually, it’s not very suitable, because Harajuku style looks very messed
up, and also, usually, the people who don’t know someone will look his/
her characteristics by his/ her style of fashion (cloth, shoes, etc), also his/
her neatness/ tidiness.

Vocabulary: 1. Evoke  something that produce a memory about some other else.
~ She has Harajuku style to evoke people to remember her.
2. Passerby  people who pass something/ somebody in the street.
~ All the passers – by are looking at her for a moment.
3. Stint  gives someone in a small portion of something/ decreases the
amount of something.
~ The manager stints a big job to his employees.
4. Assert  say something firmly to make it sure.
~ She asserts herself as the Harajuku’s model.
5. Debut  the first performance of somebody in public.
~ Harajuku style by Maki Ishii is the debut in Tokyo, Japan.

Hansen Sugijanto/ 9 Pre-IB/ 12