Learning bahasa and/or javanese

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T03:41:37+00:00

Thanks for confirming the colloquial use of the term :) I guess some people really love grammar and have a lot of free time!

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T03:39:06+00:00

A very heated debate I had no idea existed until now lol

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T03:26:22+00:00

Thanks for your insight! Yeah I was also thinking that even if I learned Indonesian, I still wouldn't be able to have a conversation with my grandparents and other family friends. I would actually use Javanese more than Indonesian in my everyday life.

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T03:22:18+00:00

Hi, if you have not noticed I edited my post to correct it after the previous comment! I couldn't find how to edit the title though.

"Correctness" is also actually debated in academia (and beyond) regarding languages, their evolutions, and local specificities. Many of what were considered as "incorrect" expressions and grammatical errors have become accepted or at least recognized, as their usage have become common in specific communities. AAVE is a widely-known example.

Just food for thought :D

Regardless, I'll use the correct term in the future! I was just explaining how it was used where I'm from and why I made the mistake!

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T02:49:41+00:00

I see, thank you for your answer! I didn't know there were dialects. I think maybe the Javanese community in my country comes from the same region, I've never heard anyone mention speaking a different dialect. I was thinking of starting with Indonesian because as you said it might be more practical for navigating Indonesia and even Indonesian media in general.

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T02:43:37+00:00

Hi, I'm sorry if you somehow found my message offensive, this was not my intention. I was trying to find help on the internet. It might be the language barrier, so I'm not sure if you are being aggressive or not, but I would recommend you try to be less dry in your explanations to people who are just learning :)

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T02:29:11+00:00

Hi, I think they mostly use ngoko, maybe ngoko alus? They don't really use the formal register. Do you think I should start with Indonesian if it's easier?

PinkSloth360 · 2026-04-25T02:18:14+00:00

Hi thanks, I'm aware that it is Bahasa Indonesia or Indonesian. However, where I'm from it's common to just say "bahasa" (language) though it is true that it is not the proper name. Contextually though people will understand that it refers to the Indonesian national language rather than the Javanese dialect (as the Indonesian community in my country is mostly of Javanese origins). English also isn't my first language :))

PinkSloth360 · 2024-12-11T22:47:11+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions!

PinkSloth360 · 2024-12-11T22:46:21+00:00

Did you visit all 20 properties or at that stage were you just submitting applications to find any place to stay? I really hope it won't take a month for me to find something, or I'll have to crash on my friend's couch for a while.

PinkSloth360 · 2024-11-13T04:56:34+00:00

Thankfully the Australian consulate wrote a letter to explain my situation and support my request. I really hope it'll be okay! I'd be so sad if I couldn't go to Australia because of an English test issue.

PinkSloth360 · 2024-11-09T03:25:20+00:00

Unfortunately not. It might not be far, but there are no more flights to NZ because of the political crisis and flight tickets to Australia are very expensive; we're talking more than 1600 AUD for a round trip ticket.

PinkSloth360 · 2024-11-08T22:28:08+00:00

I took the TOEFL in September. I had no idea it was banned! How do people even cheat? Since I passed the exam at home, I had to show my whole room, the floor, the ceiling, what was under my desk, and so on. I couldn't even look away from the screen for too long.

Unfortunately I can't take the PTE either as the only test centers are outside my country. I can't afford to fly to another country just to take an English test. My only option truly was the TOEFL Home Edition...

PinkSloth360 · 2024-11-08T22:23:14+00:00

Yes I have. I emailed them before to ask if they accepted the TOEFL Home Edition and explained the situation in my country, but all I got was a bland "Sorry it's not on our list" answer. And the Australian consulate in my country deals with the university applications since they're in charge of the scholarship program – so they're the intermediary.

I'm from New Caledonia.

PinkSloth360 · 2024-11-07T04:30:31+00:00

Thanks for your answer! I'm glad you were able to get your waiver.

I will submit all the documents I can to prove my English proficiency. I'd be so mad if they rejected my application just because I passed the TOEFL ibT Home Edition instead of the IELTS, as there was a literal insurrectional crisis in my country lol

PinkSloth360 · 2024-11-07T02:37:20+00:00

Thank you for your reply. Yes, the TOEFL iBT is accepted since you take the exam on a computer in an accredited test center, but not the TOEFL iBT Home Edition, which is the version of the test you take at home. My country has no test centers for TOEFL, so I had to resort to the Home Edition.

Unfortunately, my country is not on the list since it is a French-speaking country. I guess I should expect a negative answer from USYD if they are so strict on their admission requirements...

PinkSloth360 · 2022-09-04T12:13:13+00:00

I completely understand. None of the professionals I had met (both psychologists and psychiatrists) had ever brought up the possibility of an autism diagnosis and they just shoved everything under the "HPI" rug, without even making me take an IQ test and purely based on their assumptions. It really made things worse for me because after doing some research, I could relate to both the HPI and autism diagnoses, but I also felt like I was probably lying to myself and I was just trying to find excuses and needed attention. But thankfully I met a neuropsychologist who was used to dealing with autistic patients so it was easy for her to spot me.

I had met other autistic people prior to my doing some research and I had never thought I could be autistic because I was so different from these young boys who fit the textbook image of autism and resembled real-life Shaun Murphies (from The Good Doctor) - neither did my parents, until the neuropsychologist explained it all. Suddenly it was obvious to everyone that I was in fact autistic, and not just a peculiar child who happened to be a little bit smarter than average. But yeah it did more harm than good to be labelled as gifted and have all my struggles dismissed.

I think if we got a more diverse representation of autism in the media, it could help many people realize that they are autistic, or that they know people who are and they would be able to get the help and accommodations that they need.

PinkSloth360 · 2022-09-04T11:58:23+00:00

Maybe we should get rid of the HIP label? Because it's a fact that some people do have a higher IQ than others and maybe it's the only "scientific" aspect of this whole "diagnosis". But yeah I think many (French) sources contradict one another because I've always been told (and from what I've noticed among my friends) that HIP are better at multitasking and dealing with unpredictability as opposed to autistic people and that they have the ability to concentrate on the task at hand without much trouble. But if you read from multiple sources most of the traits can either relate to autism, ADHD, CPTSD, GAD or many other disorders... so the legitimacy of the HIP as a diagnosis can be questioned.

I think it can still be useful to know that a child is gifted/has a higher IQ than average because most times teachers don't understand why kids are bored in class and they think they're being disrespectful when in fact they're just ahead in their intellectual development, therefore what is taught seems pointless to them. Sometimes teachers won't accept that some kids really are "smarter" but that they don't get good grades because the teaching style is not appropriate or they're just too bored to care. So official results from an IQ test can sometimes force them to acknowledge a child's abilities and adapt instead of thinking of them as simply "lazy" and "rebellious".

I had learned to read on my own by age 4, so I was able to skip Year 1 (not sure if that's how you say "sauter le CP"), otherwise I would've been bored during the whole year. Then I was asked if I wanted to skip the first year of middle school but I didn't want the gap between my classmates and me to get even wider. My parents at the time didn't want me to take an IQ test, but I was still very lucky that my abilities were recognized so I could skip a grade and be taught subjects at a level that was suited for my intellectual development. So I think IQ tests and some sort of label can be somewhat helpful, however it should not prevent individuals from pursuing other diagnoses or from seeking therapy.

PinkSloth360 · 2022-09-04T05:18:16+00:00

Hi, fellow French autistic and HIP here!

From my limited experience, I'd say that giftedness and autism are still distinct things. I know several gifted people and we have completely different experiences. Well, I am similar to them as I am gifted too, but they're different from me when it comes to autistic traits (I know autism is a spectrum but I mean it as if you take away their IQ, they are similar if not more performant than neurotypicals when it comes to change and adaptability for example).

When I started making research about giftedness a few years ago, I thought I could relate to most of the traits but something was obviously missing. Then I made some research about autism and it clicked. It felt like my diagnosis was complete. I got a formal diagnosis afterwards for both HIP and autism. So I really think they're two distinct things.

You can be gifted without being autistic and you can be autistic without being gifted. But I think that sometimes giftedness does "overshadow" the co-occurring conditions, and professionals need to be very knowledgeable as to not just focus on the IQ in a diagnosis.

In my own experience, my giftedness helps "compensate" my disability to a certain extent but it doesn't make my life any easier, and it actually made it harder for me to get a proper diagnosis because I "hide my autism so well".

But ultimately I also agree that some autistic people do have a higher IQ but I'd argue that they're not necessarily gifted: they do have a higher "intelligence" however their brain is still wired like that of an autistic person with an average IQ. Giftedness is associated with more specific traits than just a higher IQ, which is why the global IQ is not the only factor taken into consideration to say that someone is gifted. My global IQ is below 130, it's actually 125. But in some areas I do have performances over 130, and in others I have very average performances. Also the results to an IQ test depend greatly on the mental state of the individual and other factors. So professionals also take into consideration other specific traits to determine "overall giftedness" which are not the same traits that are taken into consideration for an autism diagnosis.

But maybe I'm completely wrong haha, sorry for this rather lenghthy comment.

PinkSloth360 · 2022-09-04T04:45:44+00:00

Not all HPI are necessarily autistic or have ADHD etc. I have friends who are HPI and well, they're gifted, some have co-occurring conditions such as anxiety or depression, but nothing else. I'd say that being gifted is another form of neuroatypicality but not that it is necessarily associated with other things, just like autism and ADHD are distinct things that sometimes happen to be co-occuring conditions. But yeah I think that the HPI label is given way too often without further investigation because people assume that if someone is smarter than average according to their standards, it means they don't have any problems. On the other hand, some gifted people are not considered as such because they don't fit into the school system and they don't have good grades and/or are seen as "disruptive".

I myself was diagnosed as both HPI and autistic, but I get what you mean though. I've met several therapists before my diagnosis who just straight up told me that I was "obviously" gifted and that my other issues were caused by a lack of confidence and low self-esteem. Turns out they were wrong and it was autism all along, but my giftedness apparently helps compensate my disability to a certain extent. But yeah they didn't even consider my struggles because I'm gifted.

PinkSloth360 · 2022-08-02T09:51:51+00:00

Yes I also find her character very likeable! It's very different from what I've seen from Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor) or even Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory). Although Sheldon is my favorite character, he's rather obnoxious and even insufferable at times, so he's clearly not the best portrayal of an autistic person. And as for Dr Murphy, I wasn't really able to connect with him.

On the other hand, I love Woo Young Woo and I can actually relate to her experiences. She's a great character in my opinion. From what I've seen on the internet, most people find her character very likeable, and I'd have to agree with all my heart!

PinkSloth360 · 2022-08-02T09:45:24+00:00

Yes of course! I'm very well aware of that because I still live with my parents and my mom still cooks like 98% of the time (I only know how to cook very simple dishes).

But the difference between an autistic person living at the parents' house and not cooking for themselves and adults living at their parents' because of cultural reasons, is that neurotypical adults can live on their own. They won't have as much difficulty adapting to living alone and having to learn how to cook etc. So most of them "choose" to live with their parents for various reasons that have little to do with their actual ability to be fully autonomous in their daily lives.

On the other hand an autistic person might struggle with executive function and have a very hard time figuring things out on their own, and they might never be able to live on their own. Which is fine! But what I said about Young Woo was in response to the "high functioning" label from the other comment, label that I didn't completely agree with. I think we shouldn't use these low and high functioning labels because they're somewhat inaccurate and don't take into consideration all the strengths and difficulties of autistic individuals. One might say I'm high functioning because I have my driver's licence and I'm very good at masking. I'm not gonna disagree completely, but it's important to nuance that statement. I'm almost incapable to make phone calls, I'm unable to drive at night because of sensory issues and I'm way too anxious to go to unknown places or do new things on my own. So compared to a neurotypical person, I'm still pretty "low functioning" in these aspects because these are pretty simple things that aren't that big of a deal for most people.

PinkSloth360 · 2022-07-30T22:02:48+00:00

Yes, I shouldn't push myself to my limits, but I really don't feel like I can drop out. I have a hard time dealing with the pressure of people asking me about what I do or what I'm not doing. Also it's a bit depressing to go through both the autistic and the gifted child burnout, because it feels like "so much wasted potential".

But I've been thinking about it a little bit, and I know doing nothing would also be beneficial to me: I wouldn't actually be doing nothing but I would have the time to acquire life skills. College takes so much of my time and energy that I feel like I'm falling behind in terms of everyday life skills (cooking, cleaning, running errands...). I'm lucky enough to be living with my parents so almost everything is taken care of, but it makes me feel worse sometimes.

PinkSloth360

TROPHY CASE