My Random Journey and Passions

When a Honey Bee Queen is Stung to Death by Her Workers: A Phenomenon of a "Democratic" Incident in North Sumatera

2009-02-03T12:22:00.082-05:00

There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots. What is it? Distrust - Dorothy Thompson

Entry #12321-1:
Another soul has rested in peace, in the name of democracy. Another descendant of Adam and Eve has fallen as victim, in the name of democracy. When subjects turn barbaric, they are even more violent than a pack of starving wolves. They even dare to prey on their own pack leader, the alpha male. A similar incident happened recently in North Sumatera, when a group of people demanding for a new province (somewhat similar to a state, here in the U.S.) has caused the death of the Province Chief of the People Representative Board, (Alm.) Mr. Abdul Aziz Angkat. The chief is suspected to be attacked to death by participants and was even previously held hostage. Recent followups suggest that people are blaming the lack of security that causes this incident. In my view, this implies that such anarchist democracy practice is permissible, and it is the duty of security guards alone to prevent such incident. I argue that this phenomenon is a manifestation of a misunderstood democracy, and hence all elements of the social system are to be blamed. But then again, is this how democracy supposed to function? What makes subjects take over absolute power in such violent manner?

What Went Wrong?
Ever since the fall of the late former President Soeharto in May 1998, Indonesia has since misunderstood the concept of democracy. In my view, Indonesia is, and still is, learning the gist of democracy. And the result is, however, the rise of many demonstrations whose agenda ranges from one that truly represents and conveys voices of subjects to one whose participants just want to appear on mass media and create social sensation. By all mean, I do not intend to dispose the political system of Indonesia which I personally believe have successfully progressed. I applaud the government and his subjects for their effort. The problem lies within the subjects, who are learning democracy by hands on experience (learning by doing) rather by proper education and socialization. As a result, people seem to perceive that democracy means demonstration, an organized form of protest by a group of people. But the government is also to blame for his incapability to control his subjects.

I Would Like to Request for an Audience with His Majesty: A Historical View
In the past, during medieval times when monarchy is the only known governmental system, government, particularly the sovereign, owns the absolute power to control his subjects. However, absolute power tends to bring out greed and lust for money and power and is thus abolished or, if not, undermined to certain extent such as that practiced by the United Kingdom and many other existing monarchical nations.

In comparison to the focal issue of this essay, monarchy has successfully controlled its subjects and guaranteed security for the government. Subjects (are forced to) abide to regulations and etiquette on how to greet, to meet, and to express their voices and opinions to the sovereign. Almost all monarchies allow for personal "meet and greet" between each subject and sovereign, whereby the mechanism dictates that a subject request for a formal audience with the King (or the Reigning Queen) and the King is to address all concerns the subject expresses. During the late 18th century in France, however, the practice had been diverted whereby sovereign held audiences only with nobles and ignored voices of commoners; thus infusing the French Revolution in 1789.

Today's practice of audience between government and subjects has been enhanced to a more justified method that allows for all elements within a social system to be heard.. This is a result of the ideology of equal opportunity. Democracy is said to be "from people to people." I view that democracy is a manifestation of energy transfer within and between social systems and thus can be controlled and even be manipulated.

A Social System: Democracy as a Manifestation of Energy
Indonesia is, like any other nation, a social system which is "organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships." And as a system, Indonesia consists of a variety of persons, families, organizations, communities, societies, and cultures; all that define the notion of subjects, or agents as do many sociologists opt to define. The social system theory, developed by Niklas Luhmann, posits that a "social structure is seen as comprising the relationships themselves, understood as patterns of causal interconnection and interdependence among agents and their actions, as well as the positions that they occupy"(Lopez & Scott 2000). Such causal interconnection and interdependence form what is believed to be relationship as well as energy. In essence, a social system generates transfers of energy or information, within and between persons or groups of persons in a social system.

This energy may appear in forms of 1) capacity for action, 2) action, and 3) power to affect change. I believe that the philosophical perspetives of democracy embody all such forms. Democracy encourages the capacity for action, democracy induces action, and democracy infuses power to affect change. The philosophical gist of democracy defines the possession of power by people, and thus abolishes the absolute power of a (small) group of subjects, which in the past is possessed by monarchs. In common practice, government, hence, is viewed as a group of subjects, as opposed to an overprivileged group of people such as those of monarchy, who represents the people. This is one form of democracy, which is called the representative democracy. Other forms include parliamentary, liberal, constitutional, socialist, meritocracy, etc. Despite its various forms, democracy stands on one definitive keyword, the people.

Disbelief and Violation of Trust: Demonstration and Its Chaotic Appearance
Trust is a relationship of reliance. Trust is a mental state, which is intangible and thus cannot be measured directly; but the effect is visible. Trust is an important and integral idea of social influence, meaning that trust eases persuasion and influence of an individual who is trusting. Affection and respect are common results of when trust is successfully gained. When trust is violated, however, the trusting individual will definitely react negatively as a result of disappointment and it is very hard to regain trust from him (or her). In relation to the focal issue, when subjects begin to distrust government, they start to react to reinforce their concerns and will as far as replace the government which could turn into violence. This reaction almost always forms demonstration, however some reaction may be an assassination of a member of government in the worst scenario. In essence, almost all kinds of demonstration are triggered by distrust.

In my personal observation, there are three types of demonstration based on the intention of its participants and the amount of its participants. Such demonstrations include:

Demonstration that truly represents the voice of subjects. This type of demonstration can be bloody as it often turns violent. The mark of this demonstration is the amount of its participants, which is massively huge, and it is always sporadic and distributed everywhere within the social system. Every element of the social system initiates to voice his or her concern over, usually serious, issues that threaten the existence of the social system. In a political system, this type of demonstration marks the revolution of political paradigm. In essence, this demonstration is a clear manifestation of a loss of trust of subjects toward their government.
Demonstration that conveys certain specific, or even political, agenda. This type of demonstration is less likely to be violent since its participants are trying to retain the positive image of the (political) group (or party) they represent. The amount of its participants is much smaller compared to that of the first type of demonstration. For political purpose, these participants often derived from the opposing group and they tend to nay-say or refute any policy and regulation of their counterpart, which is the government. The opposing group can be seen to have lack of trust toward its counterpart but it can also strive to defame its counterpart. However, this type of demonstration does not always convey political agenda as it can be a demonstration by a small group of civilians addressing certain social issues such as raising safe-sex practice awareness to prevent STDs, stop-smoking campaign, peace in Gaza campaign. However, this social-issue type of demonstration can also be steered or organized (i.e. manipulated) by certain political party with hidden agenda. This type of demonstration is very common.
Unclear demonstration with no important agenda. The issues brought up are almost often unnecessary to the welfare of the social system. The participants are often those who just want to seek fame, create social sensation, and appear on TV. Most people are able to perceive and determine that such participants comprise of a very small group of people who have nothing better to do and just waste their time and energy marching the street, carrying pamphlets and boards.

What Can be Done?

The first type of demonstration is often very hazardous and the second type has the potential to be hazardous as well. It is the duty of all elements within the social system to ensure security and safety of their social system. Violence on the first type of demonstration is unavoidable since almost all elements within the social system react as a result of distrust while the government desperately counteracts to defend his authority. Although bloody demonstration seems to be unavoidable for the first type of demonstration, prevention and caution can be applied to the second type of demonstration. As a mere observing civilian and an outsider, I am incapable of determining the type of demonstration that happened recently in North Sumatera. However, I am personally certain that this demonstration can be categorized as the second type of demonstration based on its agenda and the amount of its participants within North Sumatera as a social system.

I contend that the government raises issues with demonstration and introduces more proper and civilized ways to express concerns and opinions. Government is indeed responsible to guarantee security, safety, and education of his subjects. As with many aspects of relationship within a social system, expressing concerns and opinions needs to be further regulated and violators need to be penalized. Often in practice, it is the outcome of the incident that is used for penalty, such as charging the ones responsible for death in this case. The regulation and etiquette for formal demonstration are there however they are not fully comprehensive and they are not sufficiently socialized among people. Such lack of awareness results in common perception that it is alright to march down the streets carrying pamphlets and boards whenever a group of individuals want to express their concerns and opinions. It is not sufficient to report your intention to demonstrate protests to local police station and to have security guards assist you while you are voicing your opinion! The government needs to raise awareness of the negative impacts of demonstration such as political and economic instability and distrust, horrendous traffic jam, business slowdown, etc.; all which are the lesser degree of negative impacts of demonstration. But most importantly, the government needs to raise awareness that democracy is not always equal to demonstration!

People need to be aware that there are other methods to voice their opinion and have their concern addressed by the government. But most importantly, people need to be rational and wise when they choose to march down the street. They need to consider the negative impacts that can inflict themselves, the opposing party, and many other civilians that have nothing to do with the agenda. Demonstration participants need to be highly organized and coordinated to avoid unintended third-party participants who wish to create instability (and obviously defame the agenda you're trying to express), and to ensure security and safety of themselves, the opposing party, and other civilians. Moreover, people need to be aware that demonstration should only be permissible if there is no other way to voice their concern. In other words, people should perceive demonstration as their final and desperate move to voice their opinion and concern when the opposing party, or the government, seems to be ridiculously stubborn. Other than that, demonstration is just a waste of time and energy that inflicts instability to the social system as a whole.

When you think you're starting to distrust your partner, negotiate with him in a rational and more civilized way. You cannot just march down the street every time there is an increase in the price of gas. You need to learn to trust the government, let the government do his job! It is our duty to ensure Indonesia to mature as a democratic nation.

RIP - Mr. Abdul Aziz Angkat

Scholarly References:

Lopez, J. and J. Scott (2000), Social Structure, Buckingham and Philadelphia: Open University Press.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start=1&q=http://www.csub.edu/~rmejia3/Social%2520Systems%2520Theory.ppt&ei=iWCKSbIToZu3B9iMmZ0H&usg=AFQjCNHDTHqkAYyjqm5tPWmDJ0CG-rJ8LQ

Mere Words from the Heart: A Journal of the Autumn Hype

2008-11-13T12:17:00.044-05:00

Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart - William Shakespeare

Entry #11803-1:
Pianissimo [It's 12:00 noon. These lazy eyes are staring at the window; staring at those yellowish and brownish leaves, which most of them have fallen. The gray sky gives a gloomy feeling and the road is dampened with few puddles here and there.]

Fall season is on its peak nowadays. The weather has been steadily cold lately, around 50 degrees (or around 10 degree Celsius). Trees are starting to get bald, leaves are messing roads and contraptions everywhere. I was planning to give a presentation on my paper for my independent study and then work in my office when suddenly I woke up with soreness all over my body and a slight soreness on my throat. I cross my fingers that this will not take into a more severe effect. I need my health to realize my plan up to February.

Particularly in this kind of weather is when I miss my Madam the most. Ah, her cute voice, her warmth, her picturesque, angelic face. Ah, her stories: what she's done at school, what she does with her "Josephine" cadaver, what she does to spend some time with her roommate(s), and how she plays and interacts with our unborn. It's going to be another 2 weeks until I meet her again, on the week of thanksgiving, which will be on the 27th of November. It is the same day when I was born 30 years ago and the same day my Parents vowed to spend their lives together in a holy matrimony 31 years ago. It's interesting that I was born a year after my Parents wedded and how the last Thursday of November is the day of thanksgiving here in the states.

Pianissimo [These lazy eyes turn to the corner of my bedroom. A little messy I must say: plastic bags, a sport bag, and a small luggage are laying on the corner of my bedroom. I don't actually dwell in this bedroom; it's not my original escape, definitely not my haven. After 6 months, I will finally bid adieu to this bedroom.]

I don't consider where I stay here in Richmond my permanent residence. I always feel Northern Virginia is my home here in the states. Northern Virginia, and all other parts of Washington D.C. area, is where my family lives: my Uncle and his family, my second Cousin who is of my age, my distant Aunt and her family, and my In-Laws who live in Rockville, Maryland. I know, I know, not-permanently staying in Richmond does not lend me an excuse for being unkempt. The only thing I have in this bedroom by the way, is an airbed, pretty much giving you the idea of how I feel that I don't belong here.

I live about 40 minutes away down to south from downtown Richmond. It's a nice suburb area with many white Americans dwelling here. It's interesting to see the demographic distribution in the states. That stereotype, rubbed on our faces by those Hollywood movies, by which the area where black Americans and Hispanics dwell is often for real. Often this area takes place if not in the downtown area or in the east side of a city. This is the area that people call the ghetto, the slum area where the crime rate is often slightly higher compared to the crime rate in other areas of the city. Interestingly, almost all cities in the states have their ghetto area in the east side. At least based on my experience living in St. Louis-Missouri, Washington D.C., and Richmond-Virginia. On the other hand, the west side is often filled by those mid-to-upper class white people. This area is often a convenient place to live with many family-friendly facilities. Midlothian, where I live, is not so much of a difference from the west side of Richmond. But its comfortable and convenient atmosphere sort of makes me feel unmotivated most of the times. I don't normally work from home cause I feel unmotivated once I'm home. But interestingly, this is not the case when I'm originally home in Arlington (D.C. area).

Pianissimo [These lazy eyes now turn to this laptop screen, staring at two electronic documents I composed earlier today. These documents have just been delivered to their proper owner, the one who is going to determine my future. The one who has been kind enough to me; the one with an extraordinary patience to deal with my tardiness.]

As I have managed to overcome my problem with anxiety, there emerges a new problem: I have become a bit of a laid-back type of person, if not too much that this causes a lot of delays in my daily schedule. I know, I know, it is something that I must deal with; a tardiness that has put many as victims. It's my way of overcoming that uneasy feeling whenever I'm bound to tight schedule and unmerciful deadlines; that essentially I'm not going to die just because I'm being late. Yes, I learn to overcome this in a not-so acceptable way.

Pianissimo [These lazy eyes turn to the window once again. The aura of the sky looks steady, the air seems motionless, the remaining leaves drip water drops. Rain has seemed to pour while these lazy eyes stare at this virtual diary of mine. I have seemed to be suspended in this bogus moment as I'm recording my life in this virtual diary.]

The bald trees mark the hype of autumn
The yellowish brown leaves announce the peak of autumn
That stream of melody applauds the gloomy sky of autumn
Streaming in harmony with the pouring rain of autumn

Whatever happens on this lane is mine
Whatever bursts in agony in my mind is mine
How autumn shreds this sanity in me is mine
How autumn steals my symphony away is mine

The small puddles celebrate the height of autumn
The motionless air stays to tell fairy tales to autumn
The cold weather is chilling with autumn
Streaming in harmony with the grayish sky of autumn

How autumn laughs at my face is mine
How autumn mocks my dignity is mine
Wherever I run to is mine
Wherever I stare at is mine

The ants hide away from autumn
The squirrels shy away from autumn
This tempo sways along with autumn
Winter lays her head in the upcoming death of autumn

Wherever I point at is mine
Wherever I dwell in is mine
Whatever I am mimicking is mine
Whatever I have done...
...is deceiving this humanity of mine

Midlothian, November 13, 2008
Muhamad F. Nasution

Note: the second picture on this entry belongs to Kris Cahill.

The Mirage State of Mind

2008-11-04T20:42:00.009-05:00

When the desert deflects the mirage again
That tune freezes, parting melody from the wind
I'm left tone deaf, blind
Dust and sands collide... This is all a deceiving blend

When a boat docks to a pier
I'll be in ecstasy, that reflection shines even brighter
Oh... but empty, static, oh... but gloomy
I'm running again, on a mere odyssey

When thousands of bubbles burst
Do you know which one I am?
Do I have to make the loudest burst?
But I'm helpless, it's just all the same

When a petal drops to the river
Am I the only one to see the ripple?
The current swallows the flicker
Should I dip my hands and grab that fate?

When the moon shies away in a partial eclipse
A grasshopper stunned, a snake lurks for a feast
No longer is his reflection in this pond
Just as I emerge from this state of mind

Frankly, I can see, I can hear, I can think
This playground is my comfort zone
Nothing differs, nothing excels
But I hate that new swing

Frankly, I can see, I can hear, I can feel
I stop and I hum
Go ahead, spin that ferris wheel
Near or far... They're just the same

Arlington, June 29, 2008
Muhamad F. Nasution

Entry #XX0:
It's been a while since the last time I recorded my life in this virtual diary. A lot of things has happened to me, Alhamdulillah. I am now a husband to a beautiful and greatest wife on earth, and a father going to be (the wife is now 6-month pregnant). Yes, I'm still a doctoral student and I haven't even done with my coursework, BUT, I've proposed to take the comprehensive exam on February 16, 2009, several weeks before my child is due. So I come close to actually becoming a doctoral candidate =) Yes, I'm still residing in the states and I'm looking at another 7 to 15 years at the very least to return home for good. But frankly speaking, I do miss my family back home, I do miss Jakarta. But whatever happened to me is of little interest. I do not intend to compose this particular journal to blab about my whereabouts.

You would wonder why I wrote this poem. This poem was kind of random, I composed it verse by verse while actually got fed up writing paper at around 3:00AM. I would see this poem as a helpless civilian's shout to dictatorship. So here's the thing, consider lethal circumstances similar to what happened in Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta, in May 1998. By lethal I mean increasing prices, crowding out investments, increasing number of unemployment, and skyrocketing interest rate. With these attributes, you could expect a verging reformation or revolution followed by humangous civilians massacre. This administration turn-over often deflects the "mirage" truth, i.e. situational fallacy.

But not until circumstances become lethal, we just choose to watch and hum, and let status quo spin the ferris wheel. We do realize that the falling petal causes ripple on the river (let's just call it increasing number of unemployment) or that the snake preys on the grasshopper even during lunar eclipse (let's call this increasing interest rate). But before things become lethal, who'll notice such fallacy? Hey, we're just one of those thousands bursting bubbles. Like it or not, these fallacies look just the same as if nothing happened, what say you?

My Celebrity Look-alikes

2007-04-14T17:13:00.001-04:00

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

The Cradle of Spirituality

2007-01-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

I named thee voracious
To greatly consume my anger
To greatly devour my anguish
To greatly swallow my angst

I named thee redemptio
To free me from the plethora of sins
To save me from deceit
To bring me supremacy

My vigor voracious
Where art thee?
Why dost thou restrain?
I repell my jolly as to long for you

My immortal redemptio
Where art thee?
Why dost thou retreat?
I have failed to repent to this universe

I adore thee
Albeit this hatred I carry in my heart
Worship is my ship
A contraption to our promised supremacy

I admire thee
Albeit this ridiculous thought I have about you
Love is my sword
A weapon to save our supreme universe

Please return.....
I'll be waiting.....
For supremacy.....
For eternity.....

Dedicated to all holy souls of this universe. "There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so." -- William Shakespeare

Fari Nasution, January 7, 2007 @ Glen Allen, VA

My Teaching Philosophy

2006-12-07T03:42:00.000-05:00

The next essay is part of the requirement for my "Seminar in College Teaching" class. Hehehe, I just realize that I might become one of those demanding professors =p If you're thinking to take any of my classes, be prepared for a lot of hard works! =)

Teaching Philosophy

The pedagogical philosophy that I am using as a teacher in the field of business and management is to foster critical thinking of dealing with real-world problems in business and specifically in information systems. Critical thinking, problem solving, communication skill, and the ability to work as a team are essential skills needed for (future) managers to survive the competitive world of business. Having been an undergraduate student in computer science and a graduate student in business information systems, I found that the core concept of these combined areas is to utilize Information Technology (IT) for the benefit of organizations. However, I believe that it is rather delicate to capture the real-world problems of IT utilization to classroom. Through my past educational experiences, the case-study approach is an excellent tool to introduce students to various current issues of IT utilization and dealing with real-world problems of IT utilization. Hence, my primary objective as an instructor is to advance the issues of IT utilization beyond theories covered in textbooks and field articles so that this knowledge are applicable in real-world problems. In the end of the semester, I expect students to be familiar with issues dealing with the use of IT in organizations and to be able to work as a team.

In an attempt to achieve this objective, I will adopt the use of cognitive learning strategies introduced by Weinstein, C. E. I believe that students are knowledgeable of my field to certain degree and fostering such a strategy will entice exciting classroom discussions. I believe that coming to class prepared is essential to succeed. I expect students to have read some concepts from textbook(s) or assigned article(s) and be prepared to discuss such concepts in real-world setting (e.g. by using case-study approach). In this way, knowledge is transferred not only between me, and the students, but also among students themselves. In practice, I will present concepts and theories unearthed from textbook(s) or assigned article(s) through conventional lecture, and students are expected to apply these concepts to group presentations by using materials from the assigned case(s) and textbook(s) and/or assigned article(s). Group presentation will arouse students’ ability to work as a team and to communicate their knowledge and thoughts professionally. In addition, I believe that the use of conventional exam(s), (pop) quizzes, and individual term papers will arouse students’ ability to think critically and solve problems individually. As an instructor, I would expect certain degree of freedom to design and select the reading materials in addition to the core textbook(s) the school required. Additional reading materials include case-study materials (e.g. the Harvard Business School (HBS) Case materials), and news or academic articles. To avoid overwhelming students, however, I agree that there are different styles and methods to facilitate learning for undergraduate level and graduate level. Although I expect the undergraduate students to have certain degree of familiarity with IT utilization, I realize the raw understanding of what IT is among these students. Graduate students should have more experience in terms of their academic and professional backgrounds. I would assume a more one-directional teaching style when dealing with undergraduate students since I will be the main source of knowledge in the classroom. On the other hand, I would expect to better utilize the cognitive learning strategies when dealing with graduate students so that they can learn from each other’s experience and knowledge as well. My perspective is to treat undergraduate students as individuals and prepare them to work as a team and to treat graduate students as groups of knowledgeable individuals. Despite the demanding and the rigorous nature of my course(s), I expect to witness the learning process that students experience as a team and as respective individuals rather than the outcomes.

Although I emphasize learning process rather than outcomes or products, I believe that the use of conventional assessment is, still, a relevant and most powerful tool to measure students’ learning progress. I will assess the rigorous effort that students undertake and the performance students demonstrate on various projects and assignments. Certain criteria will be assessed based on performance rather than content when certain required skills are deemed more necessary. For instance, oral assessment and task distribution of group presentation are the more essential variables to assess as they convey communication skill and teamwork. Comprehension assessment is more appropriate to assess on quizzes, exam(s), and individual term paper(s). The degree of content comprehension demonstrates critical thinking and problem solving skills. As for the goals that I require students from different academic levels to achieve, I believe that the degree of evaluation varies between these levels as well. As individuals who are learning to work as a team, I encourage undergraduate students to primarily achieve critical thinking and problem solving skills. I emphasize individual efforts on undergraduate-level works; Group works are considered a secondary tool for undergraduate level. The opposite is expected for graduate-level works as I assume the participants are more mature students. To what degree should I consider my expectations have been successfully met? I expect and see my undergraduate students to grasp the contemporary issues of IT utilization in organizations and possess the skills needed to survive as (future) professionals. I expect and see my graduate students as responsible individuals who can teach one another and become leaders in their respective fields.

I realize that as a human being myself, I am not the most reliable source of knowledge for these people to rely on. By designing the learning process in such a way, I hope to learn from these bright individuals in return. Knowledge and thoughts I receive from my students may help me keep track with my own field and research. And I hope to be able to return this favor through teaching the newer generation by formulating these insights into better knowledge. I realize that I may not be capable of addressing each student as different and unique individual. Information systems field develops rapidly and is a field that was born from such disciplines as management, psychology, computer science, and economy, and coping with each individual’s cognitive style is a challenge itself. Without undermining each student as different individual, I emphasize more on delivering contemporary issues of information systems and that is my duty as a teacher. Taking the religious point of view, I believe that teaching profession is one of the most noble and prestigious professions God has ever bestowed upon us. We, professors and/or instructors, are responsible for creating experts and professionals by sharing our respective knowledge and expertise and this is how we, teachers, contribute to make the world a better place to live.

Kermit the Frog - The Rainbow Connection

2006-12-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

This song brings back memories when I was 4 or 5 year old in France. This song is the opening theme of The Muppet Movie (1979). Even until today, this song makes my eyes warm whenever I listen to it. Well, the point of this song is, believe in what you're doing, no matter how irrational it might seem to others. Only you who understand the reason for doing it. And in the end, you're the one who'll be glad that you've done it, and the others might be happy too! =) Don't forget to turn the music on the left-side navigation off to enjoy the video.

Lyrics

Kermit the Frog - The Rainbow Connection
Written by Paul Williams

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.
So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
When wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it,
And look what it's done so far.
What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

All of us under its spell,
We know that it's probably magic...

... Have you been half asleep? And have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
... Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same
I've heard it too many times to ignore it
It's something that I'm s'posed to be...
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

Laa, da daa dee da daa daa,
La laa la la laa dee daa doo...

Stranger than Fiction OST? Help!!!

2006-11-29T19:51:00.000-05:00

Yep, as the title said, it's all about a song! I ain't gonna cover anything about the movie but overall I like it. I went to watch it at the cinema in Rockville, Maryland with my girlfriend last Saturday (November 25? Oh yeah, it was November 25 =p) It's a good movie, I would rate it 4 stars out of 5. My main concern here it's about this song, a sweet, jazzy song. You can hear it scatted by a female as a background music when Will Ferrell's character and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jake Gyllenhaal's older sister) 's character were cuddling in front of TV on the night before Will's character was "supposed to die." (woops, sorry, spoiler =p) This song continued to play until they went cuddling on bed (but they were not making love. The background song when they were making love, which was before this scene, was "Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric)

This song goes "La...la...la...la..." and nothing more. The first time I heard this song was when I was in middle school. It was a piano instrumental song. So, to make matters worst, I can't find this song by simply "googling" it. It's easy if there's a lyric to it, whenever there's a song on the radio and I instantly fall in love with it, all I need to do is to memorize a piece of sentence of the lyric. I "google" it when I got back home, and voila, the artist and the title of the song show up. All I need to do later is to "limewire" or "ARES" it with the artist name and the title of the song (oops, I know it's illegal =p). But what about this song? I found the OST album sold anywhere online and these sites have audio samples of this OST. But none of those songs is exactly what I'm looking for. And I'm sure of it, cause although I don't know that song, I'm actually familiar with it. I even left a message on a discussion board at amazon.com (click here to look at it), but no one replies yet. I think I'm starting to lose my sanity cause this song keeps haunting my head. I keep humming this song as if it's tattooed on my mind! HELP! SOS!

Random Blab.....

2006-11-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

*Yawn* I've been "hybernating" a lot lately =) Richmond is cloudy and it has been rating these couple of days. I hate rains! It just makes me lazy and makes want to crawl in my comforter. Well, today is Thanksgiving. *Huff* Some Thanksgiving. Last year I was excited since a Thanksgiving would mean a half-day of work =) *aaaahhh, those days back in the World Bank* But this time, I'm left with a bunch of articles to read, as if they are calling my name "Faaarrriiiiii, I long for your tender warm eyes. Read. Read. In the name of God." *wait a minute, this sounds familiar? =p* But this freakin' weather just seems to mess up with my reading appetite.

I can't wait till December comes. I would go to NoVA (Fairfax) more often, like prolly 3 or 4 times a week. Visiting my girlfriend and wushu!!! God, I miss training a lot. I went for some wushu last Saturday, my body was aching for 2 days! Frankly, I never stretch at home so I think my body couldn't take that kind of harrassment no more =p Even my right ankle still hurts a bit today. But I promise myself, gotta get that purple sash by the end of January next year. It was funny when I stepped into OMei last Saturday. I was excited to train again, I always love the forms that I'm doing now. I love seeing my friends once again. But in the same time, I'm sad since some people that I'm close to are not there anymore. I miss Stephon, Fabienne, Li Yang, and Nhan. I mean, sometimes I think that OMei would never be the same without them. And it's true.

I'm torturing myself with this song, Les Nubians "Makeda". It brings back memory on April 2006. Some of the best days of my life. My *tedious and routine* job at the Bank and rushing to OMei in the evening. Training with my close friends (those that I mentioned above). Hanging out with them almost every weekend. During those days, I listened to this song every now and then. Everytime I listen to this song, it really brings back memories of OMei and all of those training and hanging out *sigh*. I will see them this Sunday afternoon, hopefully, for lunch. Just can't wait to see them. It feels like ages already =)

ICIS 2007

2006-10-13T02:24:00.000-04:00

PERCEPTION AND DIFFUSION OF IT: GAINING SUSTAINED COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

ABSTRACT

There is no doubt that IT has contributed major impacts on various socio-institutional contexts (e.g. firms, industry, or society). Firms, in particular, are in huge dependency on IT as a technology artifact that is capable to achieve sustained competitive advantage. However, a firm consists of a hierarchical structure of individuals and each individual perceives IT as an artifact to increase one's power and influence as well as to help firm reaches its goal, which is sustained competitive advantage. This paper uses bibliographic research to investigate how IT as a piece of artifact is perceived, accepted, and adopted by individuals in an organization, diffuses among the hierarchy structure of a firm thus affecting organizational behavior, and achieves sustained competitive advantage.

Keywords: IT artifact, sustained competitive advantage, IT acceptance, IT adoption and diffusion, organizational behavior

Yep, I came up with that abstract couple of days ago. This is supposed to be elaborated as a research paper for the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) on December 2007 at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Well, I'm not gonna be presenting alone though, my classmates and my Professor will colaborate with me. This is a chunk to a larger research paper. But *sigh* this is such a big conference. It's considered the most prestigious gathering of Information Systems academics and research-oriented practitioners in the world. It's tough to get paper published at this kind of conference.

I consulted this abstract to a third-year IS Ph.D. student at my school, overall she likes the topic. But she said the research method (bibliographic research) used in my abstract would get my paper nowhere. Well, what to do? I'm a first-year IS Ph.D. student, and the only research method that I've learned so far is case study research method. I'm taking qualitative research method and the philosophy of science class this semester and I'm planning to take the quantitative research method class 2 years from now before doing my Ph.D. comprehensive exam (so I'll be able to take applied multivariate analysis and applied linear regression before taking quantitative research method). Well, back to the main problem, bibliographic research doesn't have the rigor to make a "research" scientific and presentable enough in academia. Well, I haven't learned more qualitative methods though as this is just the mid semester. There are more qualitative methods to be covered for the rest of semester, which are action research, ethnography, grounded theory, etc. Well I'm in a middle of educating myself in grounded theory though, as this concept is required for my work as a Graduate Research Assistant. This method will actually be covered some time in mid November, so I'm one month ahead of my classmates =) But I don't know, the Professor hasn't given me a feedback on my abstract so I don't know whether I should change the research method. I don't know, I personally like this topic and I'm planning to evolve it to be my dissertation topic in couple of years from now (and I'm planning to use quantitative method instead). What do y'all think?

The Real Life of a Ph.D. Student: Part #1

2006-10-08T01:13:00.000-04:00

Alas, it's been 5 months since I posted something here. Many things happened to me in the past 5 months. I went back for a 1 1/2 months vacation in Indonesia, I got myself a new, cool apartment (but kinda expensive for 1 bedroom apartment in Richmond), I got a girlfriend (yep, peeps, a girlfriend!!! And that lady of mine is very beautiful), and I've turned into a nerd because of these overwhelming reading assignments for this Ph.D. program I'm doing =)

Well, what to say about my vacation in Indonesia? Uhmm, Jakarta has turned into a city of malls!!! Many new skyscrapers can now be found around the downtown (Sudirman street and Thamrin street.) The Government should do something with the traffic though, cause it's getting even more ridiculous (believe me, if you're used to driving in a country with strict traffic law, you don't wanna drive in Indonesia.). They should try to add more comfortable and safe public transportations (please get over with the monorail train project!) and add huge taxes for households that have more than 2 cars and those whose car is over 10 years old. What I did was just going to Batam Island on my first week in Indonesia and visiting my families and my close friends (hey Rico, I was trying to look for you, I sent you e-mails, like twice, how come you did not get back to me, even until today?)

The first week back in the U.S. was already terrible. I drove back and forth Fairfax and Richmond, putting stuffs and buying furnitures. Even until the first week of school, which was in the mid of August, I would still be assemblying my furnitures (I love these furnitures! Thanks to Ikea =D) and went back to Fairfax in the middle of the night cause I couldn't sleep over at my own apartment (my Uncles helped me assemblying my bed on my last day of going back and forth Fairfax-Richmond. Thanks Uncles =)). Then my body couldn't take it anymore that I got cold (it was very bad that I lost my voice). The apartment where I live is called "The Gardens at Twin Hickory". I love where my apartment is located, at the back of my apartment you can find Super Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Food Lion, Short Pump Mall (this is a huge mall! There's Nordstrom, Dillard's, Macy's, Bath and Body Works, Abercrombie & Fitch, Express, Apple, Bose, Brookstone, etc., you name it! They have everything in this mall except for Banana Republic and Aerpostale!), Target, Lowe's, Gamestop, Starbucks Coffee (there are even 3 branches, one of them is inside the mall.), Barnes & Nobles, Wachovia (there are even 3 branches), Staples, Blockbuster, Midas (one of the busiest branches in the U.S.), Jiffy Lube, Citgo (I'm their loyal customer =p), Bowl of America, Regal Cinemas, Best Buy, Circuit City, a fitness center, many kind of dry cleaning and alteration, and a lot of fastfood restaurants (in case I got too lazy to cook). You name it! Twin Hickory is a new community located at the back of Short Pump and it's a quiet and safe place to live (I hate living around campus cause those undergrad kids who just got their first experience to "see" the real world, living away from their parents, would always be loud and wild on weekends. Rebelling from their parents rules. Jeez, grow up will ya!!!). Even though there's a huge mall at the back of my place, that doesn't mean that I go there often, and as a matter of fact, I've been to the mall just once! (I shopped for a cologne, and just explored the mall). Places that I visit often are, of course, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Citgo, Food Lion, and Lowe's (when I need to buy new bulbs) for grocery shopping. Despite the apartment's monthly rent, I LOVE where I live =)

Another thing why I haven't been able to explore Short Pump and Richmond a lot is because I got to visit a beautiful lady at Rockville, Maryland every weekend =) (besides the fact that I'm not really interested in exploring the surrounding area of my apartment.) I've been single for a very long time, even for half of my age, so it's kinda weird for me that now I'm in a relationship =) We're trying to be as communicative as I can despite of our busy schedules. She's an Indonesian like me, and Alhamdulillah, a Moslem and she comes from a very devout Moslem family. She's currently working full-time as an assistant to a lawyer and as a waitress at a cookies store (Mrs. Field's Cookies). Just so you know this, she is very beautiful (need I describe her physical appearance?) and I'm not being bias and subjective just because I'm her boyfriend (my Brother and a lot of my friends admit that she's very beautiful). She has a very cute and soft voice. Overall, she's very ladylike, something that I really treasure from a woman. I love her very, very much and I get along very well with her family (her Mom is a great cook, her Dad is very nice and very kind, and her Brother is cool. I wish I could spend more time with her Sister though but she's a student at Virginia Tech so she's only home during school breaks.). We, my girlfriend and I, share a lot of same personality traits and I'm glad that she's a person who really values privacy. She's not demanding at all and she really understands my crazy schedule as a Ph.D. student. Although we may not talk on the phone that much and that long (we only call each other for like, every other day, three times a week, and only for like 10 minutes.), but we know that we'll be there for each other. In January 2007 she'll become a student at the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore, majoring in Physician Assistant. She plans to go to a medical school after graduating the Physician Assistant program in 2 years. Gee, I'm very proud that my girlfriend will become a medical doctor =) Thank you Mayang and I'm sorry that I can't visit you next weekend (aaarrrggghhh, those reading assignments have stolen my social life =( As if I had a social life before =p)

Now, this is the root cause of everything, why I move to Richmond, why I quit my full-time job at the World Bank (which many people think it's a pity), why I can't see my families (my Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins) and my girlfriend as much as I want to (I even sacrifice wushu although I'm still paying the tuition-fee). I am now a full-time Ph.D. student at VCU's School of Business and a part-time Graduate Research Assistant to one of the most famous Information Systems researchers in the U.S. A Ph.D. program is very demanding! Doing a Ph.D. program is not like doing a Masters program (or even an undergrad or Bachelors program), so do consider getting a Ph.D. if and only if you're really into research and academia! First of all, let me describe how the classes (seminars) work, which affect my daily life. Most of Ph.D. classes are held during daytime, in the late afternoon (except for statistics research method courses, which are held in the evening cause these are Masters level courses). So you can never assume that the way these classes are conducted is the same way as Masters level classes are conducted. Professors (of course, they must hold a Ph.D. degree and be at Associate Professors level) do not act as teachers, they act like moderators or hosts in talk shows (such as Oprah Winfrey or Jay Leno). Most of the times, they learn together with us cause the reading assignments mostly consist of new academic journals, so they're learning together with us to keep themselves up-to-date to the current researches in their respective fields. We, the Ph.D. students, are the ones taking control of the classes; we discuss and debate the assigned articles. The Professors just assign reading assignments (and the amount of reading is crazy and overwhelming!!!) and pick which students are going to present or lead the discussion on some particular articles. Well, they still grade you though cause anyway, they are the instructors (although they don't act like teachers or instructors during Ph.D. level courses). Sometimes the Professors will assign us to read a book (and I mean the whole book, 200 something pages for a week) along with the assigned articles. So, one class usually demands at least 3 articles per week, at most 7 articles per week with one book. One article usually consists of somewhere between 8 pages and 38 pages and one book usually consists of somewhere between 75 pages and 250 pages. I'm taking three 3-credit classes this semester (there's another one, which is a 1-credit class, but this class doesn't need that much reading assignments). 3 articles x 3, so I have to read at least 9 articles per week! Sometimes it can be 15 articles and a book per week! The one week assignment is like one semester assignment for a Masters level or an undergrad level course. Not to mention my duty as a Research Assistant, which sometimes costs me more than 20 hours per week (my supervisor is the School of Business' Associate Dean, so of course I have to be an assistant to both a Professor and an Associate Dean. But we get along very well. I think because we're both East Asians. I respect him very, very much and I wish someday I could become as famous as he is in the IS researchers community.). And I'm also sitting in for an Intermediate Microeconomics class (I'm not allowed to register for this class since this is an undergrad level course, so I won't get credit for this) to prepare for the Advanced Microeceonomics Theory class next semester (now this one is a Masters level class and I will be given credit for taking this class.). Yup, this Ph.D. program really stole my social life, I've turned into a nerd as a matter of fact =p (I chatted with 2 other first-year Ph.D. students last Friday, and we all agree that at this point we've turned into nerds and had no social life =p We laughed dramatically at this fact =p) But call me crazy, I really LOVE and ENJOY what I'm doing now. Although at some point I got fed up of reading journals and books, writing papers, and making powerpoint slides presentation (have you ever felt like throwing up every time you look at a pile of papers?), I'm not complaining what I'm doing. I love writing and now I've developed passion for doing research. Getting a Ph.D. program is very rewarding to me, it makes me feel smart. Your fellow Ph.D. students are some of the brightest people you've ever met and Professors do not treat you as a student anymore; they treat you as their colleague. Most of the time the Professors will invite you to have coffee and chat for topics ranging from current research to even personal life.

I'm really looking forward to my first symposiums, one on March 2007 at Jacksonville, Florida, and another one on December 2007 at Montreal, Canada (McGill University). I'll be presenting my papers, which are my semester research projects for my 2 IS major classes this semester, the Decision Support Systems class and the Information Systems Strategy class. I found a topic on the DSS class (all I need to is to write the abstract and find some research articles that relate to my topic) but I still don't know what to do for the ISS class. I'm very anxious about the fact that I'll be presenting my works at major IS symposiums cause, of course, the participants are IS Ph.D. students and IS faculties from other universities (I'm terrified to think these bright people would ask questions on my works during the discussion session.). All in all, it's easier being an employee at the World Bank than being a Ph.D. student. But this is very rewarding cause I can put this experience (and my works) on my resume. Now you all see why I have no time for myself. But how come I have time for updating this blog then? =p Guess I'm currently fed up of studying =p

4 Things

2006-06-05T12:45:00.000-04:00

Hehehe, I just got the chance to do Rico's homework now.....=p I've been extremely busy these past days, well, this is my final week at the World Bank. Well, I'm gonna tell you all the rest on my next post, where I have been and what I've been doing, but I got a promise to keep for now.....=p

4 Jobs You Had in Your Life
a. Student
b. Programmer Analyst at Pertamina (full-time intern)
c. Web Programmer at BPPN (IBRA)
d. Business/Research Analyst at the World Bank
Note: I've spent 90% of my life as a student!

4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over

a. Any classical Chinese Kung Fu movie (or TV series)

b. Rat Race

c. A Walk to Remember

d. Home Alone 2

4 TV Shows You Love(d) to Watch

a. The Golden Girls

b. The Nanny

c. Friends

d. American Idol (or any singing-talent show or Idol show. I think I'm gonna be rooting for Indonesian Idol when I'm in Jakarta this June to August 2006 =p)

Note: notice that 75% of my favorite shows are sitcoms. I just love shows that crack me up like crazy!

4 Places You've Lived

a. Jakarta (Indonesia): for most of my life

b. Paris (France): for about 5 1/2 years

c. St. Louis (Missouri, U.S.): for about 2 years

d. Washington, D.C./Fairfax (Virginia, U.S.): for about 1 year.

Note: I will be living in Richmond (Virginia, U.S.) this August 2006 for the next 4 to 5 years!

4 of Your Favorite Foods

a. Pasta! (I don't care whether it's marinara or it's alfredo)

b. My own combination of Padang cuisine: Nasi Kapau, Rendang, Sayur Nangka, and Perkedel *yummy*

c. Any Japanese food

d. Korean food: Bibimbap with Bulgogi

Note: I really, really hate seafoods! (my apology to all seafoods lovers =p) There was one time when my little cousin Rishah couldn't finish her dinner (she always orders a huge menu but then isn't able to finish her meal). It was Pad Thai (Thai Fried Noodle) and I always love Pad Thai. But when I started to devour this meal, I sensed some seafoods aroma and tears started running down my cheeks (I wasn't crying, but whenever I eat or drink something that I trully dislike, tears just run down from my eyes). I started to pay close attention to the food, there were lots of small shrimps in it! I had no choice that I had to finish the food cause it was gonna be a non-stop trip from New York City back to Fairfax. But the very odd thing (many people find this bizzare and hillarious) is that I love sushi and sashimi! Hey, I did say that I love any Japanese food, didn't I? =p I used to hate boiled eggs (but I love omelette), but now I've overcome it. Still I prefer the Balado one instead of the plain boiled eggs.

4 Websites You Visit Daily

a. My Yahoo! Inbox

b. Liputan6.com

c. Aquabotanic.com (I'm thinking about becoming an Aquarist; fishkeeping and aquascaping seem to be fun and challenging!)

d. Petsmart.com (don't ever think of making fun of me by saying that I'm doing my online grocery shopping here =p)

4 Tagged

a. Ricorea

b. Wulan

c. Budi

d. Chris Sexton

7 Business Lessons from "American Idol"

2006-05-25T12:12:00.000-04:00

My own review: Okay, now the show is finally over with Taylor Hicks crowned as the new American Idol. I came across this article, 7 Business Lessons from "American Idol" as I find it very interesting (well, I got a Master of Business Administration, or MBA for short, title behind my name). It kinda makes sense how phenomenal this show is, last night votes for the new American Idol casted for over 64 million votes! Even more than votes received by any President in the history of the United States. I guess the movie "American Dreams" starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid and Mandy Moore is a good satire to this phenomenal show. This movie portrays how Americans prefer to vote for a pop idol over their own Presidents! =p

This season show is extremely phenomenal (drawing viewers and voters for over 30 million each week and over 64 million for the finale showdown) that it makes other TV networks in U.S. to reschedule their shows to avoid competition. The numbers here are viewers and voters of the U.S., imagine how much the number will add up (I can't count the voters since voting is only available for U.S. viewers) if we include viewers from around the world! This show is also a marketing tool for established pop stars or musical icons to boost their popularities. Guest stars for this season only have been (in no particular order) Kenny Rogers, Stevie Wonder, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Barry Manilow, and Rod Stewart. Last night finale presented Dionne Warwick, Meat Loaf, Prince, Toni Braxton, and Mary J. Blige! It's like watching the Grammy Awards. Anyway, this article was taken from Small Business-MSNBC.com (click these bold words for link to the original article). This, is, "American Idol" (quoting AI host Ryan Seacrest, every time the show starts).

7 Business Lessons from "American Idol"

Business lesson #1: If you're looking for a business idea, remember that everything old is new again.

The reality TV way:

"American Idol" may seem like an original idea, but this American TV series was based on entertainment entrepreneur Simon Fuller's British series "Pop Idol", which basically borrowed elements from musical variety shows from the 1950s and 60s ... which in turn were taking ideas from the radio shows of the 1940s and 1930s ... which took ideas from 1920s vaudeville shows ... which -- well, you get the idea. The only sort of new idea "Pop Idol" presented was to offer a cash prize at the end of the series, but even that had been done recently in series like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (another take-off on a British show) and as far back as game shows during the 1950s. Obviously, nobody has to invent the wheel -- you just need to come up with a wheel that looks flashier than the last one.

Your reality:

Whether you want to start a business or already have one, there's always a twist you can bring to your company, no matter how removed from Hollywood entertainment it is. In Washington, D.C., there's a dry cleaning service that -- at least for a while -- was known for playing matchmaker for its single customers. In Silicon Valley, there's an entrepreneur who has a hair salon that's does business in three buses so they can go to their customers' houses and clip and shampoo hair on the premises. In Dallas, the Cafe Izmar has no menu -- when you go, you just find out what's cooking that day. And in California, the multilocation Legal Grind Cafe offers legal advice in a coffeehouse.

It's not hard to be creative. Just think outside the box: Start a maid service that specializes in only cleaning children's messy bedrooms. Or a petsitting service for fish. The key is to be useful and different with a pinch of fun -- everything that "American Idol" arguably is.

Business lesson #2: Spread the wealth. If you can get other companies to give you money and you help them get rich off your product, you're going to be very well off.

The reality TV way:

"American Idol" has this lesson down to an art. Their show has millions of viewers dialing exclusive numbers on the Cingular Wireless network. Exactly what kind of money they're generating from this partnership isn't public knowledge, but Cingular is clearly doing well. For instance, in 2005, the voting system produced 41.5 million Cingular text messages. In the quarter that just ended in March, Cingular reported a 9 percent increase in revenue and a profit of $350 million, attributing that increase partially to "American Idol". And no wonder. They sell ring tones of "Idol" performances as they happen, and they recently produced a service that permits the 70 million MySpace subscribers to sell their own "Idol"-style karaoke performances as ring tones through the MySpace site.

Meanwhile, Ford gives away cars on the show, and Coca-Cola is the official sponsor of the series. They're everywhere on the show, from the Coca-Cola Red Room where the remaining contestants meet after their performances to the cups of Coke placed inconspicuously throughout the program.

And while "American Idol" scratches Coke's back -- like sending their contestants to NASCAR's Cola-Cola 600 -- Coke is also promoting "American Idol". As Coca-Cola spokesperson Susan McDermott says of their relationship with the series, "It's given us a lot of opportunities to involve local markets and take the 'American Idol' experience outside your TV screen."

Your reality:

No matter how big or small your business, you can always find a useful partner, and both of you can benefit from the alliance. Provided you're each serving the same market but offering different solutions for them, it makes sense to have a friend you can count on.

If you have a popular restaurant, for instance, you could offer to sell snacks or foods to a local bed and breakfast or hotel -- at a reasonable discount -- provided they talk up your place and hand out restaurant coupons. Or if you have a tutoring service, you might offer your city's biggest school free in-school tutoring once a week, or free seminars on how to study, provided that the schools are promoting you. If you own a pet store, you might want to team up with a local kennel or doggie day care. They need supplies, like dog bowls and leashes; you need more customers, which you'll get from the free promotion they'll give you. You would obviously promote their service in return.

Business lesson #3: Foster enthusiasm among your customers.

The reality TV way:

It's the viewers, not the judges or producers, who choose the winners of "American Idol".

Your reality:

You can find ways to get your customers involved in your business. If you have an art gallery and willing artisans, you could offer customers the opportunity to pre-pay and have something custom created just for them, which could be as involved and expensive as having the artisan meet one on one with the customer or as fun and whimsical as having the customer fill out a multiple-choice quiz on what they're looking for and then wait to see what the artist creates for them.

Some customers don't want to be involved in your business -- they just want what you have to offer and want it fast or cheap. But a lot of people are creative, and if you can offer people the opportunity to be involved -- and even better, offer an experience -- they'll actually you pay you more. Why do you think people go to farms to pick out their own pumpkins or strawberries? It may be backbreaking work to the laborer who has to do it all day, but for the family who wants to spend a few hours in the sun, it's fun. You may design handbags and see it as work, but your customer might love the chance to help create the look of their own purse.

Business lesson #4: Get your employees to talk reverently about your business.

The reality TV way:

Everyone involved in "American Idol", from the show's host Ryan Seacrest to judges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell talk about the series whenever they get the chance, even when they're working on other projects.

Your reality:

You can have your employees talking about your business, too, but it obviously needs to be in their best interest to promote your company at all hours of the day. Since that's in your best interest, too, come up with some reason for them to love your business, whether it's offering some form of profit-sharing, or simply having pizza parties once a month or even once a week when sales are up. And keep in mind that what you choose to do for them will really depend on the age of your employees: A fully salaried middle-aged man with a family is going to have different interests than a teenager who waits on customers just a few nights a week.

Business lesson #5: Get the public to talk about you.

The reality TV way:

Paula Abdul's alleged affair with one of the shows contestants, Simon Cowell's withering putdowns, the controversy around the fairness of phone call judging -- the news out of "American Idol" may not always be good, but people are talking about the show, and watching it, and purchasing the products involved with the series.

Your reality:

We're not suggesting you try to become embroiled in a scandal, but publicity is certainly important to spread the word about your business. It often comes when your business can offer a new twist on an old idea (see Business Lesson #1), but there are dozens of other ways to get people talking about your company.

Get involved in community projects. Or get a local celebrity to endorse your business in some way. Offer a free or low-cost seminar or workshop that draws people in. Provide your employees with an unusual perk, like letting them bring their pets to work on Fridays (which could just be the talk of the town, if your company is in a small town). Or paint the outside of your business bright pink or green or orange, or all of the above, depending on the message you want to send. The important thing is to make sure that your business isn't invisible.

Business lesson #6: Brand yourself.

The reality TV way:

"American Idol" owns all the licensing and trademarks associated with the show, and they have every contestant under contract for three months after the series ends. Meanwhile, there are "American Idol" clothes, thermos mugs, watches, iPod carrying cases, clocks, track bags, videos, DVDs -- and numerous other products for sale at the "American Idol" online store. The point is, as much as possible, "American Idol" controls its image and makes sure its name is out there for the public to buy.

Your reality:

You may not be able to get the public to buy T-shirts or thermos mugs featuring your auto supply store on them, but you can still make sure that everyone knows your business is the best. You could have a contest for your customers: Ask them to write about the best experience they've had at your store, and give the winner a free tank of gas, or more, if you can afford it. Then send the winning essay and list of winners and runner-ups to your local newspaper, and use the essays in your ads. Considering how valuable gas is these days, you might get a lot more attention than you've ever dreamt of.

The critical thing to remember is that you need to get your name out there, attached to what your business does, in a creative way. If you can enter competitions or get your name positively mentioned by your peers -- at a trade show, for instance -- that can be even more helpful. You want to be the driving force in branding your business, but if you can have the public or your peers saying you're a great company, your credibility and brand are going to be even stronger.

Business lesson #7: Once you have your idea up and running, keep thinking of new twists to add to the mix.

The reality TV way:

The show's creator, Simon Fuller, could have said, "I'm satisfied with 'Pop Idol'," and just called it a day. Instead, he spun that show off into "American Idol" -- and also created "Indian Idol", "Indonesian Idol", "Malaysian Idol", "Latin American Idol" -- and many, many more. More than 100 versions of "Idol" exist around the world.

Meanwhile, host Simon Cowell started his own production company, creating series that are arguably similar in vein to "American Idol", like ABC's "American Inventor" and the upcoming NBC summer series, "America's Got Talent". Ryan Seacrest is constantly reinventing himself as a host. And Paula Abdul has recovered some of the popularity she once had as a pop star. In fact, many of the people behind "American Idol" are constantly dreaming up new ways to expand their empires. Partnering with Sony, "American Idol" has albums that showcase its contestants talent, and they have a summer concert tour.

Your reality:

Franchising is one of the best and most tried-and-true ways to expand your empire -- and that's just what Idol is doing around the world. If you don't want to franchise, though, there are always new markets to find. If you own a car wash, for instance, you could eventually expand to wash buses and large trucks. You could send crews to individual homes or neighborhoods to personally wash cars. You could develop your own brand of automobile soap and start selling it to other car washes and auto stores. You could write a book about washing antique cars. You could have a car show at your car wash once a year and draw in thousands of people.

Of course, it costs money and time to pursue new ways to bring in income, but if your product or service is the best in town -- and if you have the imagination -- there's no reason the public won't rally to your cause. If you want to have business students at your local high school or university bow before you, you, too, can be an "American idol".

Intermezzo 10: How Will You Die??

2006-05-24T11:54:00.000-04:00

You scored as Posion. Your death will be by poison, probably because you are a glutton and are around so many people that it would be easy to get away with it. Several important people in history share your fate.

Posion

80%

Natural Causes

80%

Bomb

67%

Suffocated

60%

Cut Throat

53%

Gunshot

53%

Disappear

53%

Stabbed

47%

Eaten

40%

Suicide

40%

Disease

40%

Accident

27%

Drowning

27%

How Will You Die??
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American Idol 5: Elliott Yamin

2006-05-19T12:58:00.000-04:00

Source: Wikipedia.org

Elliott Yamin (born Efraym Elliott Yamin on July 20, 1978) is an American singer who is best known for being the third place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol. Elliott (pronounced yah-meen) was born in Los Angeles, California to an Israeli Jewish father, Shaul Yamin (of Iraqi heritage) and a Jewish American mother, Claudette Goldberg. He began singing at the age of five and had no formal training. As a child, he suffered from allergies to grass and pollen. Yamin is 95% deaf in his right ear, which he mentioned in the third round of the semi-finals. When he was eleven years old, he moved to Richmond, Virginia and attended Tuckahoe Middle School. At the age of seventeen, Yamin was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and has to wear an insulin pump. He attended Douglas S. Freeman High School in the West End Richmond neighborhood until he left in his sophomore year. He went to work at Foot Locker and with the help of his employer, he eventually received his GED. He later worked with a jazz band, DJed for a radio station under the name "E-Dub", and worked at Westbury Pharmacy, a job he left to audition for American Idol. Elliott auditioned for American Idol in Boston (he originally considered auditioning in Memphis, Tennessee, but the audition was cancelled due to Hurricane Katrina). Elliott performed "A Song For You" (which he also later sang in the finals) and made it to Hollywood.

Yup, my most favorite contestant has been voted off on last Wednesday's AI elimination show (May 17, 2006). I can't believe how I have become so attached to this show, and particularly to this guy. I have never, ever before favored or idolized someone as much as I did to Michael Jackson when I was a kid. When I just started to watch AI this February 2006, I just thought I would just enjoy this show as it is "just" a talent show packed in a reality show. I've never watched this show before because of my evening classes when I was doing my MBA at the Univ. of Missouri - St. Louis, and I did not recognize this show back when I was in Indonesia. I first caught my eyes on Taylor Hicks (who still remains on the show and is predicted to be this season's American Idol replacing the currently reigning Carrie Underwood), but although he has a lot more charisma, I just thought that his stage act is kinda ridiculous. I still was not interested enough in this show (I even left the TV several times during the show) until I came accross this "ugly" guy who sang Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me". I was completely stunned and amazed. I was like, whoooaaa, where did this guy come from? I don't remember seeing him on the Hollywood Round show. I started rooting for Elliott Yamin ever since. He got more of my attention when the following week, he sang James Moody's "Moody's Mood For Love", which is considered one of his best performances on the show. I really, really love his voice and the genres that he adapts, soul, R&B, and jazz; all of these are the only genres that I choose to listen to over and over again. This guy might have some ups and downs results during the show, but he remained strong until May 17, 2006. Guess the power of AI has finally metled me as I "kneel down on my knees" in front of this guy.

Elliott's story is one of the perfect examples of the realization of the expression "reach for the stars no matter how high they are" or the famous proverb "shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars". Some have described him a perfect realization story of Cinderella. On a physical term, you should be able to notice his physical transformation on the top picture above, which was taken shortly after the Hollywood round when he made it to the top 24 back in February 2006, to the second picture above, which was taken during his latest performance, Tuesday, May 16, 2006. This shy guy, who only did karaoke performances and couple of gigs with a jazz band, has turned into a major international superstar, thanks to the power of AI. Before the show started, he was just an average high-school dropped out who worked as a pharmacy store clerk in Richmond. He admitted that he was "lost" before he joined the show. But now, look at him. His unfortunate background has contributed to how humble, sincerely nice, and emotionally kind he is. I'm not making this up, if you've been watching the show throughout this season, you would have clearly noticed the golden personality traits of this guy. An average guy who really loves his Mom, his family, and his friends. Even during the episode in which they showed clips of supports from families back in the contestants' respective hometowns, Elliott clearly mentioned that he missed his family and friends the most and emotionally cried after he watched the clips made especially for him (unlike other contestants who said they missed their hometowns' cookings.). But then, as the clock ticked off on May 17, 2006, Cinderella has to go home to Richmond.

Unlike one of the remaining contestants the other night, who said that she doesn't talk that much to her parents, live, on TV. I've been noticing the cocky attitude of Katharine McPhee lately, and this has turned me off as being a McPheever fan. Her body language whenever she receives comments from the AI judges and especially, her too early celebration of her victory over Elliott the other night clearly turn me off. But most importantly, an idol should never say that he or she doesn't talk that much to his or her parents, live on TV. What kind of image is she trying to build up anyway? I am no longer a McPheever fan and now I'm rooting for Taylor Hicks to receive the "idol" crown for this season in an attempt to block Katharine's chance to get the crown (I will vote for Taylor next week, I will!)

But to me, the real idol is still Elliott Yamin. Not only because of his singing talent, but also because of his exceptionally kind nature (you should watch his AI Exit Interview. Really emotional and humble.) This funky white boy (nicknamed by AI judge Paula Abdul) is loved by everyone and if you watched the other night's show when they showed the clips of the contestants' parades in their respective hometowns, you would see how crazy the crowds were on Richmond. You could see how much he is loved by the citizens of Richmond. I was at Richmond on the same day (Friday, May 12, 2006) to take care of my academic matters (class registration and administrative matters) and to get a tour on my future apartment. I was planning to join the parade and watch him throw the first ball on the local baseball game, but the tickets were sold out and I couldn't bare the risk of getting lost in Richmond. At around 3:30 PM, after I went to VCU Graduate School of Business office, couple of the main streets/roads that lead to the downtown of Richmond were blocked, as if a President were planning to visit the city. I figured that I better went home although I kinda regret my decision at that time. But hey, if I move to Richmond this August, there might be a chance to see him, am I right? So why risking myself in a city that is still foreign to me?

Well, for the time being, I will miss his live performances. I just hope that he'll get a recording contract deal so I will be hearing more from him. I hope his story will end just like how Cinderella story ends. Good luck Elliott!

Resigning: A Draft Letter

2006-05-10T10:52:00.000-04:00

Dear all,

It's been a great journey to work with you here at the World Bank. I have gained a lot of experience and surely applied the theories I received at school. This August 2006, I will be back to school and become a student once again. However, due to my optional practical training restriction as an international student, I will have to resign earlier than August 2006. Friday, June 9, 2006 will be my last day of work as I will be receiving a new I-20 form, making it not possible for me to continue my work. I cannot mention any of you here one by one but again, my sincere gratitude for your guidance while I am part of the big family of the World Bank. I hope we can still keep in touch. You can contact me by sending e-mail to attar1297@yahoo.com or by cell-phone: (703) 589-4784 . Thank you.

Fari Nasution
Business Analyst
Information Solutions Group - Enterprise Administration
The World Bank
1850 I Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
E-mail: mnasution@worldbank.org
Phone: (202) 458-8703

How did My Blog Change My Life?

2006-05-05T10:03:00.000-04:00

Well Mbak Tina (Zeventina), here is the "homework" you assigned me to do =p At first, I completely forgot about this (gomenasai =p) but then I was reading those comments on my shout box (Nosy Section) when I found yours and realized I haven't done this yet =p Uhmm, let's see, why me, making and writing this blog? How this has changed my life? Uhmm, it all started back in October 2004, shortly after the Indonesian Night 2004 event at the UM - St. Louis. I kinda wanted to follow the steps (what a copycat =p) of my other Indonesian friends that I was (am) bonding with because of that event. Most of them at that time had blogs and all of them used blogger as their "trusted" domains =) I read some of their blogs and was inspired of how carefree and intelligent they are to express their ideas and their feelings. Some of them even write intellectual topics in a highly artistic fashion (the topics, the chosen words or language). They trully inspire me (I don't need to mention names here, you know who you are). Through blogs, we can see the owners' personalities and the way they think, the way they view their surroundings and the world. You'll get to know them, what they have been doing, their pasts, etc. This envied me back then =p Then was born, "My Random Journey and Passions" and this blogging thing soon became a trend among the Indonesian community in St. Louis until now.

For me, my blog is a piece of art, my work of art and I treat it as my electronic diary. Although I selectively write what's in my heart and what's in my mind to avoid controversy (I'm not that brave and no offense to others who are having or have been having controversy just because of expressing their feelings), I always try to be as honest as I can. Of course, I couldn't bare to lie to myself. My blog is a medium to communicate with my family and my closest friends, to let them know how I've been doing lately and what my plans are when phone calls, messenger chats, or e-mails are out of reach. Also to introduce them to the other side of me and to share with them my past, my sorrow, and my joy. My blog is my medium to practice my english writing skill. It surely helps me get 5.5 out of 6 on my recent GMAT Analytical Writing section (5.5 is similar to 87 percentile, which is, of course, considered very high). Well, indeed, I discover that I love writing. Some of my non-Indonesian friends (my wushu friends and my co-workers) were amazed of the length of each of my entries. "Jeez, you write so long. I usually write a short entry, a paragraph or two, or even just one sentence", said them. My blog helps me discover my other talent, which is writing poems. I used to hate poems when I was little. I hated seeing those classmates of mine (during the K-12 era), crying out of fake while reading patriotic poems during the Bahasa Indonesia subject. PHOOEEEWWW!!! You don't need to exaggerate with those fake tears just to get an A! That made me hate patriotic poems. But when I read poems by Wulan and Freddy (and recently Budi discovered his talent in writing poems as well =p), I was moved to write poems myself. I treat poems as the media to express my feelings that I feel will greatly cause controversy. I hide them behind many symbols. So, when you find any entry entitled with "Intermezzo bla..bla..bla...", and the content is a poem, expect me being overly happy or overly upset about something or of someone during the time I post that poem =p

My blog is also a medium to introduce readers to my taste of music. Many, many times I state that I'm a music lover and I love to sing. But of course, I'm very selective to the genre that I prefer to listen to. Expect to hear songs or watch music videos by artists in the likes of soul, smooth jazz, funk, groove, R&B, or pop. Yes, I'm very picky and my taste of music is not universal and I'm not affraid to say that =p Recently, I found that blog is also a medium to meet new friends who happen to share similar hobbies, similar favorites. That's how I found people such as Rico, Zeventina, Elisabet, Rahma, Enda, and Nita, whom I have never, ever met physically =p My blog has helped me discover things that I never knew I could do and helped me meet new friends. Conclusion, my blog is my electronic diary, the electronic journal of my life, and so you wanna know me? just sit back, relax, turn your PC's speakers on (turn them louder), and then read my entries. I think that's the new motto of this blog =p Although I will selectively write whatever I feel or think to avoid some people's dissapointment, I will write whatever I like, whatever I want here so forgive me if some of the entries might (will) upset you someday! This is, the journal of "My Random Journey and Passions".

Life as a Ph.D. student?

2006-05-03T15:13:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been quite a long time since my last post. I was very busy with a project that I did for my co-worker. Not just that, I've been busy doing small research on apartments in Richmond, VA, cars (I'm planning to buy a car by August 2006 when I come back from Jakarta), and of course, school and courses that I'll be taking for this Fall 2006. All of these were done during my breaks. Besides, I'm also taking care of my new laptop that is getting on my nerve lately. I have to return this thing to the manufacturer, Sager Notebook. This gadget is suffering infinite reboot every time I turn it on. Every time the Windows XP logo appears, the laptop will restart by itself, the same thing goes whenever I load it using Windows Safe Mode. I tried to reinstall it using the Windows Recovery CD, but the system fails to recognize the hard drive. What more can I do besides returning it to the manufacturer? All in all, no time to blog anyway ;-)

As I'm preparing my life as a Ph.D. student for this upcoming Fall 2006 until the next 4 to (probably) 6 years from now, I begin to wonder, am I ready for this? I don't care about the living though cause I don't mind living solitary as I'm not the kind of person who needs constant companions even during my breakdown times (a call to some of my closest friends is enough for me). But what scared me the most, is the rigorous, tough nature of the life of a Ph.D. student that awaits me in 3 months from now. I've been browsing these websites, ISWorld Ph.D. Page and IceWorld. The first one is sort of a portal that contains lots of useful resources for I.S. Ph.D. students and researchers while the second one is a blog written by various I.S. Ph.D. students around the world as a medium to share their experiences. All of the information I read kinda overwhelmed me. Am I really ready for this? The classes are not those typical classes you take even in the graduate (masters) level. I contacted my academic advisor, Dr. Gurpreet Dhillon, a well-known scholar in information security, to ask for the pdf or word file of a doctoral seminar course he'll be teaching this Fall 2006, yet he insisted me to visit him at VCU to talk about this face to face. His reasoning was that I will have to choose courses wisely cause these courses will greatly affect my research expertise and my future dissertation (these are not similar to the typical courses that I took in the past). Wanna know what kind of courses that I will (might) be taking this Fall 2006? Don't ever think that it will be one of those introductory to e-commerce, management information systems, database practical approach and such, these courses are seminars and research method courses such as:

1. MGMT 691 - Advanced Research Method (3 credit hours): Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1, 2 or 3 credits. Study of current topics. Topics may vary from semester to semester.

2. INFO 691 - Doctoral Seminar in Information Systems (1 credit hour): SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDENTS ONLY; GRADUATE STUDENTS ONLY; PHD CANDIDACY REQUIRED; Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1, 2 or 3 credits. Study of current topics. Topics may vary from semester to semester.

3. STAT 643 - Applied Linear Regression (3 credit hours): Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: MATH 200-201, STAT 212 and MATH 310 or equivalents. An introduction to the concepts and methods of linear regression analysis. Topics include simple linear regression, multiple linear regression, the impact of model misspecification, model selection criteria, residual analysis, influence diagnostics, diagnostic plots, multicollinearity, transformations and response surface methodology. Applications involve the use of a statistical software package.

4. GRAD 602 - Seminar in College Teaching (1 credit hour): Short course (eight weeks); 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Prerequisite: GRAD 601. Focuses specifically on the act of teaching. Graduate education in this country has only recently begun to address college teaching issues. While mastery of the discipline and of the research skills necessary to contribute to that discipline have long been a staple of graduate training, mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary for teaching the discipline are often neglected.

Notice that doctoral seminars and research method courses apply less than 3 credit hours and do not have detailed course descriptions. I'm like walking in the dark, I don't know what I will be facing. If it's not seminars or research methods, it will be math or statistic courses. Plus, I will be working for a Professor to pay for my school and earn my money. Being a planner, this sort of freaks me out. During my undergraduate and MBA programs, I could always ask those who had taken the courses that I would be taking. But who am I gonna ask for suggestions this time? Ph.D. program is highly individual, specifically tailored to match with your research interests, plus the size of the class is very, very small, up to 6 students at most. Besides, I've heard creepy stories about those who are facing the comprehensive exam, how some (or even most of the time) time you will feel like throwing up whenever you see a pile or a stack of research journals lying on your desk. I could end up having no life. The thought of me giving up most of my wushu training has already made me sad. I'm also sad thinking that I won't be able to see and train with my wushu friends as often as I do now (I'm planning to visit Fairfax, VA to train at O-Mei every Saturday, starting this August 2006). Am I gonna be able to finish these courses with satisfactory results? (I prefer to get at least a B of course) Am I gonna be able to give huge presentations in major conferences or consortia, in front of hundreds of other I.S. Ph.D. students and scholars? (the thought of these people giving critiques and asking difficult questions after I give my presentation has already freaked me out) Am I gonna be able to produce quality research journals and publish them in top I.S. academic journals? (such as MIS Quarterly or Communications of the AIS) Am I gonna be able to sit for the 6 to 8 hours comprehensive exam and pass the comprehensive exam? Am I gonna be able to teach, to become a good teacher? Am I gonna be able to finish my dissertation in less than 2 years? Am I gonna be able to become a Professor with good rating (such as those listed in RateMyProfessors.com website) or a well respected I.S. scholar just like my academic advisor? Or am I just being over-excited? God, please help me get through this. I must earn the title Ph.D. at the back of my name, 4 to 6 years from now!

The Busy Bee

2006-04-18T09:10:00.000-04:00

My co-worker is having her days off..... Hmmph, she left all her works to me, which keeps me busy these past days. I'm almost done with my (or should I say, hers?) works though, only 15% or 10% left. Before yesterday, I actually had 40% of my works left so you can say that I procrastinated almost the entire leftover tasks yesterday =p I was so tired I slept in the subway on my way back yesterday. Actually I didn't wanna go to train for wushu yesterday, but I promised the guys the day before (and it turned out one of them didn't show up =p). Went home when for the first time, I screwed up at home which really made the owners of the house mad at me =p FYI, I'm gonna confess, I'm really, really scared of insects (or bugs) that bite or sting! (I'm not afraid of cockroaches, spiders except venomous spiders such as Tarantula or Australian Black Widow of course, or worms though.) Cause to me, these are harmful animals that can fly everywhere and can land anywhere or on any part of your body and sneak inside your outfit and then bite you or sting you =p

I was enjoying my leisure moment, watching TV and munching on Ritz chips, when suddenly I realized there was a huge bee falling from the air vent! I started panicking (one more thing, I'm a person who can easily get panick and when I'm panicking, I don't think clearly =p It runs in my gene, my parents are like that =p) when I saw the bee (it was huge, black bee with a yellow spot on its back) crawling and flapping its wings between Sekar's old binder and 2 stacks of CDs/DVDs. Sekar who noticed my gesture (and who is even afraid of any kinds of insects =p) started panicking as well. I panickly grabbed a can of RAID, ant and roach killer, and started brutally spraying that bee. I know, I didn't think at all at that time although I did notice that it wasn't a spray of mist that came out of the can, it was more like a white, bubbly liquid. My thought at that time was I don't care what's gonna happen to the binder and the CDs/DVDs cause all I know is that I have to eliminate that creature first and then I'll start worrying the binder and the CDs/DVDs later =p Yes, I successfully ruined the binder, CDs, and DVDs =p (and of course, the bee itself, which Oom Marfi, Sekar's Dad, had to flush in the toilet.). The binder, and some of the CDs/DVDs stank and had some white spots or blotches on them. Don't get me wrong, I do love animals, but when I think they are harmful to me (and they can fly too), I'll kill them for my own safety for sure =p For the very first time, Sekar's parents yelled at me for ruining the binder, CDs, and DVDs =p (especially Sekar's Mom, Tante Tika, who was actually very tired after coming back from work. I terribly, sincerely apology Tante.) When I think of that, it kinda makes me sad but it tickles me as well (I laugh at it now =p), but well, I was an idiot and was acting childish though =p She was actually preparing dinner when she then had to clean up and wash the binder and some CDs or DVDs that got contaminated (some of those CDs and DVDs belong to someone else.). She was really upset that she refused my help.

But it wasn't for long though, a couple of minutes after that, we sat together watching a movie although they now teased me and made fun of me for being afraid of bee =p (they said that it wasn't actually a bee. It was some sort of a bug, I don't know what it was, but still it looked like a harmful bee to me =p) Now they know that I'm afraid of biting and stinging bugs and that I would become brutal when I'm panicking =p Think about it now, if only it was recorded on a video camcorder, it would look like some silly sitcom scene where I brutally spraid an insecticide and was mumbling unclearly (out of fear) and Sekar behind me was screaming =p But again, to me, this is some everyday scene that could happen to everyone who lives under the same roof. No matter how hard you try to become and to act innocent, you will have to screw up once or twice (but not too often as the others might become fed up and pissed off =p) in order to "introduce" the other side of yourself and in order to learn and understand each other. You'll understand that he or she is afraid of something or doesn't like to be treated in some sort of way, and vice versa. I didn't get this kind of experience when I lived in St. Louis cause my roommate, although nice and very helpful, was extraordinary individualistic (he almost never came out from his bedroom. He has 3 computers and 1 laptop, his own TV, his own TiVo machine, and his own microwave in his bedroom. He only came out to go outside, to use the bathroom, or to get some drinks or raw foods to be further "processed" in his microwave. Talking about quality time, we rarely chatted and never hung out together. The only thing we talked if it wasn't about electric, internet, and cable TV bills, it would be about classes and Professors at UM - St. Louis =p I had to run out of house and spent most of my weeks, sleeping over at others' places. That's how I became close to Wulan, Freddy, Edhy, and Budi =D). Once again, I'm sorry.

[Yaaayyy, my new laptop will arrive this Thursday, April 20 =)]

The 2006 Cherry-Blossom Festival Parade

2006-04-14T21:41:00.000-04:00

You might be wondering, why I did not post any American Idol review this week. Simple, as I said earlier, I hate QUEEN, so I think there's no value for me to post any such review =p I'm just gonna focus on posting the thing that really kept me busy for these past three weekends, especially on Saturday as I gotta go straight to the Indonesian Embassy for rehearsal, right after wushu practice. Yes, I, along with several cousins of mine, participated in the 2006 Cherry-Blossom (Sakura flowers) Festival parade, or precisely the closing of this festival, which dated back on April 8, 2006. I think (this is just my opinion though, I've never confirmed this) this festival is the only one made in U.S. in order to celebrate the coming of spring.

Washington, D.C.; April 1 & 2, 2006; 1:30 PM: First of all, I have to say I hate my outfit! We had to pick our outfits a week before the parade. The system was who came earlier got to pick earlier. So those terrible outfits were the leftovers, at least that's what I thought. So there I was, late because of wushu practice, got to pick the leftovers. It was actually a traditional outfit of my Dad's cultural background (tribe), North Sumatera. There were two types of this outfit, the traditional Indonesian style, and the traditional Melayu (Deli) style. I like the first type better cause it's a black trouser with an ulos sheet. The other one, the Deli style, is a plain blue outfit with gold embroidery, which I hate so much. Nonetheless, my cousin, Daniel Tobing (he's a batak as well), who got to the Embassy earlier than me, got to pick the cool one =p I got to wear the "golden blue" outfit =p (blah) Anyway, the parade was, I think, divided into four groups. My group (and Daniel's of course), which was with the Permias (Indonesian Students Association) Washington, D.C., got to be on the first row (we were to do a fashion show with some traditional dance movements to make it look interesting), followed by the kids group (this was the group which my little cousins, Rasha, Rishah, and Sekar got to be assigned. This group had a similar task to mine except that they didn't do any dance.). The second row was used by a group of young and older females, which was performing some sort of Melayu dance. The third row was used for Reog (East Javanese traditional dance) performance (this is the coolest part), and the last row was for Pencak Silat (traditional Indonesian's martial art) performance. Pretty long group, ain't it? =p Anyway, we picked our outfits on Saturday, and we did the Dress/Technical Rehearsal (we say it Gladi Resik/Gladi Kotor in Bahasa Indonesia) on Sunday, April 2. The rehearsal took like, the whole day, at Wisma Indonesia (the official residence of the Indonesian Ambassador). It was pretty fun, rehearsing under the sun! =p (it reminds me of those flag ceremonials we had to go through every Monday morning during our K12 education =p) The kids were such a riot, especially when there were bees around =p

Washington, D.C.; April 8, 2006; 5:00 AM - 2:30 PM: Finally, the day had come. We were encouraged to come to the Embassy at 6:00 AM because the female performers had to put a lot of make-up and their outfits were very complicated to be put on by themselves. I had noticed a week before that there was gonna be raining and a thunderstorm on that day. So, I prepared some extra clothes for the after-show. Woke up at 5:00 AM and headed straight to Dunn-Loring Metro Station at 6:00 AM (I know, I bailed a little late, but I was not the one who needed the whole make-up stuff.). Right when I thought everything was under control when the gate at the station was closed *sigh* I just found out, after 10 months living in D.C. Metropolitan area, Metro subways operate at 7:00 AM on weekends =p I was just about to head to my Uncle's place when a cab with a bunch of Hispanics stopped by at the station, as then I hopped in to the cab and made my way to downtown D.C. (there goes $40 and my debit card/visa check card left inside the ATM machine. I forgot to pick up my visa check card cause I was in a hurry, and I just realized it at night when I wanted to pay for the Pizza Hut delivery service =p Well, I had my visa check card canceled and now I'm waiting for the new one to be issued.) A nice way to start my day. The next thing isn't that necessary to tell, just a usual chat and breakfast. We arrived at the National Mall (not those usual malls, it's the large green open space in downtown D.C., surrounded by the Capitol Hill, Abraham Lincoln's Memorial, and Smithsonian Museums. Remember the one on the movie Forrest Gump?) around 8:30 AM while our turn to parade was scheduled at 11:00 AM. Rain started to fall right when we stepped out of the bus (there were 4 buses, and these were school buses. The first time I ever rode in a yellow school bus =p). The girls were starting to complain, including my partner (see my picture on the right). They were worried of their make-ups, their health, their outfits, etc. I had to joke out of it to cheer her up and got myself humiliated when I just realized I was being taped by the Voice of America (VOA) (no thanks to the others who just giggled =p). And you know what? This is gonna be broadcasted at several TV stations in Indonesia (the likes of RCTI, Indosiar, MetroTV, oh boy, they're gonna see and hear me pointing at the sky, yelling in Betawi accent =p) Anyway, I think we had a blast, we had fun when we started at 11:00 AM =) Well, the Indonesian group was the most unorganized group, at least that's what I noticed when I watched it myself the next day at ABC 7 or News Channel 8 (these are local channels folks, and Rishah got to appear on TV twice.). I saw that in the kids group, one of the girls left her shoe (kinda like Cinderella), and hilariously a group of 5 kids ran back to get the shoe for her (including her of course). Cause it was so crowded, we couldn't hear the music, so we created a music ourselves, I even sang dangdut =p (Alam's "Mbah Dukun") Our turn to parade around 10 blocks was exactly 1 hour. We got back in to the bus, and everyone was so quiet, tired and soaking wet =D We had lunch (of course, those delicious Indonesian cuisine =D) and chatted a while after I decided to go back and took a long nap (3 hours and then a good night sleep for like, 11 hours!) Below are the pictures of my cute little cousins in the kids group =)

Intermezzo 9: What Does Your Birthday Mean?

2006-04-13T12:46:00.000-04:00

Your Birthdate: November 27

You are a spiritual soul - a person who tries to find meaning in everything.
You spend a good amount of time meditating, trying to figure out life.
Helping others is also important to you. You enjoy social activities with that goal.
You are very generous and giving. Yet you expect very little in return.

Your strength: Getting along with anyone and everyone

Your weakness: Needing a good amount of downtime to recharge

Your power color: Cobalt blue

Your power symbol: Dove

Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

American Idol 5: Mandisa.....

2006-04-06T09:46:00.000-04:00

Sorry it took me quite long to post my own review, cause I woke up late today and I had breakfast at McDonalds' and spent some time there =p Ah, song choice, song choice, it can boost your popularity but it can also be the start of your doom. The latter is the case if the genre of the song choice doesn't fit your vocal characteristic. When I found out last week, that this week American Idol's theme was gonna be "country music", I knew right away that this is gonna be a problem to Paris Bennet, Mandisa Hundley, and Elliott Yamin. These three are soul singers! But I never thought that it was gonna be a very serious problem to the three of them.....

I remember what Budi wrote the other day, when some of my friends were confused of my new obsession with American Idol. He wrote that, this is a competition show, you can compare this to sports events where fans will become overly obsessive with those shows that fans will finally develop a strong bond with their favorites, who are completely strangers to those fans. The same thing goes to American Idol, which is a show that also packs reality show in it. Let's face the fact, reality shows have boomed lately in this 21st century, everybody loves reality show. American Idol is a combination of talent show and reality show. And for someone who is an excessive music craze like me (I can't pass a single day without listening to my iPod and sing it out. Before I owned an iPod, I used to do this in front of my laptop, listening to my collection of 3000 mp3 files!), this soon becomes my favorite show, before that I used to like sitcoms. Besides that, I have never watched American Idol or any Idol (or top-rated talent show) show before, due to my evening classes back in St. Louis, Missouri. Watching American Idol has become one of my rituals after coming back from work and wushu practice.

Okay, back to the review, we all know that this week's theme is "country music". Personally, I have nothing against with country music, I treat all genre besides soul and smooth jazz the same. If I think it's a high quality music with intelligent lyrics, I will fall in love with that song. This goes to the likes of genre such as country music, hip-hop and rap, heavy metal, rocks, pop, alternative, underground, hard-core jazz, etc. Soul, funk, smooth jazz, groove, and R&B have their special places in my heart. Hey, why am I again babbling something out of AI's review? =p Anyway, I will concentrate my review on last night's bottom three performers and Katharine McPhee.

Back in Tuesday, April 4, I have to agree that some, if not most, of the contestants were kinda struggling with the songs they performed. Mandisa, I'm so sorry for her and I'm also sad of the fact that she won't be in the show anymore, was actually doing okay. She sang Shania Twain's "Any Man of Mine". I did feel a weird poppish kind of thing at the beginning of the song, but she did great in the middle of it and the refrain part of the song. Actually, Simon Cowell praised her by saying that her rendition was "fun" and "cutesy", but the song choice was horrible. Well, I did realize that she did not show the best of her that night, but she struggled in the middle of the song and she did okay! At least that's what I think. I know that choosing a genre apart from someone's style is stressing, but the logic behind this is that every singer should be able to sing any kind of song. I just never thought that America would be that harsh on her. AI judge Simon Cowell, "No matter how good the singer you are, you're always going to be tied to the song you sing. If I have to guess based on the song you sang, I think Elliott, you'll stay." *sigh*

Another extreme shock to me, Elliott Yamin joined the gang of the bottom three list! When AI host Ryan Seacrest divided the contestants into three groups, I thought the group that had Bucky Covington and Ace Young would be the bottom-three-performers one. Although I was a little bit sad that one of my favorites stood there again for the second time. I thought that the first group on the right, "Taylor Hicks, Chris Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler" was the group with the top three performers, the middle group, "Mandisa, Elliott Yamin, and Paris Bennet" was the second best group, and the last group, the one on the left, "Bucky Covington, Katharine McPhee, and Ace Young" would be those with the lowest votes. Don't get me wrong, I was dead wrong. I got chocked by popcorn chicken nugget when Ryan Seacrest announced that the middle group was the performers with the lowest votes! (I was having dinner when I watched AI's result show last night and literally got chocked out of shock. And I am not joking! Luckily I managed to swallow my food instead to spit it out. Imagine if that happened =p) The three best singers, the soul singers, were voted worst performers for the April4's show! About Elliott's performance, I kinda had a feeling that he might not shine as he did before cause it was a "country music" theme. When I found out that he was gonna perform "If Tomorrow Never Comes" a couple of minutes before the show started last Tuesday night, I was excited about this though the fact that I've never known that "If Tomorrow Never Comes" is actually a country song and was originally performed by Garth Brook. All a long, I always thought that "If Tomorrow Never Comes" was originally performed by Joose (click Joose to find out who they are and you'll see that their biggest hit was "If Tomorrow Never Comes"), a gospel soul group consists of Jay Farmer, Trell Lewis, Rocky McKaufman and Leonardo Pettis from Oklahoma City. The other version that I know was performed by none other than Ronan Keating of Irish boyband, Boyzone! I have both versions in my iPod and although Ronan Keating's version was the first one I heard, I hate his version and fell instantly in love with Joose's version later on. My thought on Ronan Keating's version is that, the song sounds weird and the melody in the refrain part is terribly flat. And since I'm a huge fan of soul music, I think that the melody in Joose's version is more harmonious and has more variation. They harmoniously reach a high tune during the refrain part, compared to the flat melody on Ronan Keating's version. Conclusion? Of course, I would expect Elliott to perform Joose's version, converting a country ballad into a soul ballad, his style like he did last week when he performed "I Don't Wanna Be". To my surprise, Elliott's rendition was more like Ronan Keating's version, which made me conclude that Ronan Keating's version was actually the one close to the original version. I wasn't that disappointed though as I think he still did a good job, but I realized from other AI reviews that he looked sorta nervous and looked like he was holding back something (and some people are getting tired of his vibrato, which I think it's what makes him unique compared to other contestants!). Some said it was because he was influenced by Kenny Roger's suggestion, not to show off the power of his voice to impress audience since the song is to make audience cry. Though I agree that that night wasn't his best performance and that he has to do better than that, but to be on the bottom three list at this moment? Not in a million years..... But look at the bright side, he'll come back next week.

Paris Bennet joined the group of the bottom three performers. Yes, all the three soul singers. Somehow it disturbs me that I come up to realize that country music is probably the polar opposite of soul music! America just doesn't seem to like hearing soul singers singing country songs! Anyway, Paris sang "How Do I Live", which was originally performed by either LeAnn Rimes or Trisha Yearwood (Trisha Yearwood's version was for the original soundtrack of the 1997 movie Con Air.). Yes, she did sound like she was struggling with the song, she really showed that country music is not her thing at all! The result, obviously AI judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson disliked her performance as Randy Jackson said it was a tough song for her, but surprisingly AI judge Simon Cowell praised her by saying excellent! But still, she had the third lowest vote last night.

Katharine McPhee, woohoo, she was hot that night! I've never heard "Bringing Out the Elvis" by Faith Hill before, but I fall in love with this song because of Katharine! =) I love it when she "screamed" the refrain part and the way she walked on the stage like a supermodel, it was HOT!!! =) Although she's not the best singer in this season's contest, she worked the stage as she owned it, I just love her unique voice and her body language on the stage =) The funny thing is that, although she earned praises from the judges, Simon said the song was peculiar =p I agree, but that's what makes it unique don't you think?

Anyway, a short review on the other stuffs, yes, country music is the safe element for both Bucky Covington and Kellie Pickler. That's why Bucky is not on the bottom three list last night. I think people are getting sick of Kellie Pickler's attitude, her naivety that earlier I found cute until AI host Ryan Seacrest asked her whether it was natural or it was just her "marketing strategy", and she answered it with a calamari story! It sorta turned me off actually, as to me she then looked like another dumb blonde, whether she was faking it or she was behaving naturally (which is sad if it were a natural behaviour cause that would mean she's really dumb! Even the calamari thingy just went too far if it were to be her "marketing strategy".). Chris Daughtry surprisingly sang differently last night, more like in a ballad mode after last week's harsh critic on his heavy-metal's style. Taylor Hicks sang John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Road" and it was a very lame performance. It seemed as if he lost the spirit to sing and was uninterested in performing at all! Ace Young once again showed off his selling point, his "signature" falsetto, which surely saved him from being voted off this week. But please America, why does it have to be Mandisa? Putting her on the bottom three list was already enough to make me chocked my dinner. And Kenny Roger's performance on last night's result show, uhmm, I'm never his fan actually and I think his biggest hit "Lady" is just a so-so song to me. And I think last night, he wasn't "the Gambler" America used to know when he sang his new single "I Can't Unlove You". Just my 2-cent, I think American Idol isn't just a reality-talent show anymore, but is a marketing tool, or a marketing medium, for famous artists or legendary artists to boost their newest hits and the selling of their newest albums. Well, forgive me if I just realized this since I've just watched this show this year now. I heard, and heard, that Prince who reportedly hates American Idol, might surprisingly appear as a guest star and coach the remaining contestants on the future episode. It was said that this is an attempt to boost the selling of his newest album 3121. And BTW, next week's theme is "the QUEEN's songs". Ouh, I hate QUEEN so much! Listening to their songs, especially "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You", and "We are the Champions", brings back those dreadful and horrible memories during my time in middle school, around 1991 - 1994 (I won't tell you what happened during these years, just not now =p). Not to mention that sissy, effeminate, lead singer Freddie Mercury! If I were one of this season's remaining contestants, I would be the first one (or probably the only one =p) to stand up and protest the theme! =p I would rather be forced to rap, to sing heavy-metal songs, or to sing dangdut songs (dangdut, pronounced dunk-doot, is the notorious Indonesian music genre that is, unfortunately, considered the most unclassy and hideous genre that ever exists by most Indonesians.) rather than to sing one of QUEEN's songs. Well, anyway, stay tune for more Idol on Fox. Thank you.

Dear Laptop....

2006-04-03T12:17:00.000-04:00

To my dear laptop...

You've been a great company for these (almost) past 3 years...

I remember the first day you arrived at my apartment, August 2003...

You sang me my favorite mp3s...

You showed me my favorite clips...

You entertained me whenever I was bored...

You helped me get those As or A-s...

You were the reason I got 2 B-s (PC games =p)...

You helped me communicate with my loved ones...

Now you're just a piece of crap...

No power, broken motherboard, frozen and locked hard drive...

I apologize my love, but I gotta replace you for the sake of my sanity...

[my laptop is officialy broken now.....=( It started two weeks ago when all of the sudden, my laptop continued to shut down by itself. The battery was running critically low, no electric to power this gadget. I thought the problem was the AC adapter, like a loose chord or something. I patiently held and shook the chord everytime I turned my laptop on (at first, it only took like 10 seconds to shake the chord and get the power to the laptop. After a couple of days, it took me 5 minutes to shake the chord and reshake the chord every 10 minutes and so on.). One day, last Friday, I thought that it would be better to buy a new AC adapter (I was running out of patience to shake the chord for 5 minutes every 15 minutes or so.). There went my $78 for a piece of new 70 Watt, Targus AC Adapter. The damn thing kept on loosing power even with the new AC adapter. Called the Dell Service Support (my laptop is Dell Inspiron, but I forgot the exact series. Guess I never paid that particular attention to my dear laptop, didn't I? =p), and the diagnosis was to replace the laptop's motherboard which could cost me somewhere around $500! *sigh*

The day after that, Saturday, I needed to entertain myself after a long day of wushu practice and the Indonesian fashion-show cherry-blossom festival rehearsal. Got home at 5:00 PM with an empty stomach, then grabbed myself some McDonalds' and turned my laptop on. This thing now showed blue screen everytime I turned it on, even when I tried to switch it to Window's Safe Mode. Got some emergency here, I rushed to Fairfax's Microcenter, a digital and computer shop like CompUSA but much cheaper, with my laptop in the bag around 6:00 PM. Paid $85 for diagnostic fee *double sigh*, and waited for like 2 hours! The technician (oddly enough, looks like the blonde version of Maroon5's Adam Levine?!?) finally gave up and I got 80% refund (somewhere around $60 to $70 refund) and was suggested to buy a new laptop. The motherboard is broken and the hard drive is locked up, even scan disk can't seem to work. Luckily I bought a Seagate 120 GB External Hard Drive and moved all my important data (except my MBA courses data. St. Louis' peeps, to whoever has my MBA courses CD, can you please send to my current home address a copy of the CD containing my MBA courses data? Thanks, I really appreciate it.), mp3 files, and clips to that external hard drive, one year ago. A pretty good investment don't you think? But still, I have to prepare myself to spend somewhere between $700 and $1,500 *triple sigh*]

Parody version of Engelbert Humperdinck's "There Goes My Everything"

There goes my reason for living,

There goes the one of my dreams,

There goes my only possession,

There goes my sweet laptop.

Intermezzo 8: Get To Know Yourself Better

2006-03-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

I got this quiz from a link in a friend's blog (xanga). The only thing that really makes me astonished and speechless is the "The right job for you:" part. On one hand I do really wanna finish my Ph.D. and become a successful and well-respected M.I.S. scholar/researcher. On the other hand, deep in my heart, I always want to be able to produce my own album, but I never have the chance to get exposed to the world of showbiz. I want to be able to sing the poems that I created all a long and record them in my own album. But, *sigh*, this one is just a dream. Well, anyway, this is the result of the quiz. Click this bold word for link to the quiz's website.

Get to know yourself better

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education:

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

American Idol 5: Our McFever Almost Gone?!?

2006-03-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

This week's shows have been quite a shock to me. AI judge Randy Jackson suddenly became as critical as Simon Cowell. Almost all the contestants lost their wow-factor that night. While the theme of that night was "the music of the 21st century", all the contestants picked songs that did not show-off their vocal abilities. This is odd, since this is our era, and their era. However, only two stood up brilliantly, of course, Paris Bennet and Elliott Yamin. And surprise, surprise, one of the bottom three performers last night was Katharine McPhee!

Paris Bennet, uhmm, I kinda agree with Simon on her stage act (Simon Cowell said that Paris is just a little girl pretending to be Beyonce.). But overall, her performance was fabulous. She sang Beyonce's "Work It Out" without any flaw, and to all of you novice or amateur performers (that includes me of course =p), do take note on how to move or shake your body while singing difficult notes without loosing your breath. I tried this once when I performed Alicia Keys' "Diary" and I learned that doing Michael Jackson's spin and moonwalk in the middle of singing can be tough! Although I got praised from the crowd (of course, some of them are my close friends), I was not satisfied at all with my performance. But I admire Paris for being able to control her vocal while shaking her butt like Beyonce =p

Elliott Yamin's stage act was goofy! =p The way he bounced, trying to be black, ooouuhh gawd, not in a million years!!! =p He looked like a seventh-grader trying to bounce himself in a prom party =p Not to mention his outfit =p But I do admire how he could turn a country-ballad Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be" into an R&B song (despite the fact that I don't like this song, even in any kind of version.), sorta like his version. I can see his confindence grows stronger on every performance. He started to express himself, that he owns the stage, not the other way around. Compare this to his earlier performances, in which he looked awfully nervous and shy (but at least he wasn't trembling like me whenever I was about to perform =p). That's why, I agree with all the AI judges' comments, even Simon said it was fantastic =) And Mandisa, I think she did okay. She sang a gospel song, Mary Mary's "Wanna Praise You". Once again, she showed off her vocal, but I just can't understand why Simon disliked her performance.

My apology to all Ace Young's fans, but I think he has gotta be in the bottom three list and I was right. First of all, I don't like the song that he picked, "Drops of Jupiter". Second, he sang it terribly, especially during the "ehehe..ehehe..ehehe.." part, which was repeated couple of times. It sounded horribly funny, I couldn't help myself from not laughing or giggling while working in my office yesterday (I had to muffle my mouth =p). The third flaw, he thought showing off the scar on his chest during the lyric that mentioned about scar was sexy, but to me, that was hideous! Judge Paula Abdul was asking how he got the scar, hoping that the scar would be caused by something tragic or dramatic like the theme of the song. It turned out to be a basketball play accident! I got completely turned off when he showed his scar and couldn't help myself from laughing everytime I remember that ridiculous "ehehe..ehehe..ehehe.." thingy (he got the guts to sing that part! Even Sekar, one of Ace's fans, was laughing during that part and thought it was ridiculous.) Well, Bucky Covington, uhmm, I think he did better yesterday, but his vocal got drowned by the background music, so I couldn't hear his pronunciation clearly.

Lisa Tucker, tsk..tsk..tsk..., two weeks in a row in the bottom three list, and she got the guts to sing a song by the past winner of AI, Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You". I actually didn't watch her performance though, as she was put as the first performer that night. I was late cause I was practicing wushu and the cab arrived late. But from most of the AI news that I read, many reviewers said that she "successfully" ruined the song. All the judges agreed that she had made a bad choice of song. And after two weeks being in the bottom three, I was right, she has to go home. Bye-bye Lisa, I did enjoy your performance though. And, hee..hee..hee...., Taylor Hicks, this time he tried hard to stand still while performing. Like always, his souly voice was so soothing, but his effort to stand still made him looked like he was constipated =p

Now this is a shock! I love the way Katharine McPhee sang Christina Aguilera's "The Voice Within" and all the AI judges thought that she did a good job too! And then how come she ended up in the bottom three list last night? Come on peeps (especially those of you who live in the U.S.), help me vote for her, do you wanna recover from the McFever too soon? Or you just can't stand from "suffering" (enjoying) the McFever no more? Just because the previous performers did awful, that doesn't mean that the latter ones would do the same thing! All the reviews that I read showed a sign of shocked too, and the audience on the stage was also on shock. This is what happened if you don't dial her number! A Tylenol or Advil won't kill her, but not dialing her number will surely do! Well, at least there was a little entertainment last night. I enjoyed Shakira's and Wyclef Jean's performance, singing their new hit "Hips Don't Lie". Anyway, I will post a new review below once I get the theme for next week's show. Keep on voting your idol peeps!

STOP PRESS (March 31, 2006): The next week's theme is "country music". If I were the contestant, I would personally pick B.J. Thomas' "Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head" (B.J. Thomas also sang the theme song of the 1980s' famous sitcom "Growing Pains" starring Kirk Cameron and later on would introduce Leonardo DiCaprio.). But again, I can't seem to suggest any of those country songs to each of those contestants cause country music isn't actually my thing.

The Worst Wushu Sash Test I Ever Took

2006-03-27T09:31:00.000-05:00

Before playing the YouTube videos below, please turn off the audio or video played on the right section of this blog. *sigh* Monday again... I came late today cause I got to drive my Uncle's car instead to wait for the bus every 7:05 AM like used to do. Well, the "grand manager" isn't here yet, surprise, surprise, cause he's one of those workaholic type who comes at 8:00 AM sharp and leaves after 6:00 PM everyday! I can't wait to get back home today, 6:00 PM for a more complicated wushu practice. Finally, compulsory forms cause now I'm officially a green-sash student, which means that I'm officially in the intermediate level =) Even as an intermediate wushu practitioner now, I still can't land on both legs whenever I do the jump-front kick and I can't do the legs-cross sitting stance. But to earn this sash, I was drained to my last breath last Saturday. Yes, as a wushu student, I had to take a sash test to earn a higher level.

Frankly speaking, I was terribly dissapointed with my performance on the sash test, especially when I performed the complete basic broadsword form. This form consists of 4 sections, when I took the gold sash, I was asked to perform just 2 sections of this form, but this time, the whole 4 sections, cause this Tuesday I will be learning compulsory broadsword form, the form used by wushu athletes at various wushu competition. So I have to finish the basic broadsword form. Actually, I have no problem at performing changquan forms (long-fist barehand) and broadsword form, which is my specialty weapon. I was more worried to perform the staff form, the only weapon I can't seem to figure out until today. I was even praised by the tai-chi practitioner, who was one of the test judges, that my chanquan forms are more powerful and more flexible than they used to be. I had to perform 3 full basic chanquan forms and the first section of the intermediate-compulsory chanquan form (some said it's the junior-compulsory changquan form). In addition to the broadsword, I was planned to perform 2 sections of the basic staff form. For a demo of how the compulsory broadsword form looks like, click on the video below. This is the exact form that I will have to learn this Tuesday, so imagine me doing that with much, much less perfection =p I can do the side split, but my back leg has to bend a little cause I still can't do the split really low. Freddy suggests me to practice the split everyday even when I'm not training for wushu, it's just that I'm too lazy to do that at home =p

The routines performance (basic stances, such as front-stance punch, slap-kick, cartwheel, etc.) and the chanquan performance went well. These drained a lot of my energy, I was panting like a dog after doing all of these forms =p The trouble started when I was called by Sifu Lu Xiaolin (the Headmistress of my wushu school. She's also a member of U.S. National Wushu Board of Directors and U.S. National Wushu Judges/Coaches.) to perform the broadsword form. I couldn't get rid off the thought of having to perform the complete sections of this form. I was more anxious when suddenly Stephon (he was acting as one of the judges as well. By the way, this good friend of mine who is about my age is one of the U.S. National Wushu team members and he's one of the top 5 wushu athletes in U.S. So I'm lucky to learn from these top-notch wushu athletes in the U.S. =p) announced that he wouldn't count every sections I did, so when he said go just performed. Usually he would count so I had the time to pause for a while and think. The result was, right on the third section, I completely forgot the rest of the movements, making me stood there completely clueless. I have never been in this kind of situation and never felt this embarrased. I kept on thinking positively that this was not a competition and I would pass anyway. What dissapointed me is that, this is my specialty weapon, I even practiced myself at the basketball court at the back of my apartment which lured many eyes to stare at my sword =p (I will never, ever practice weapon forms outdoor again.) I always thought that this is the weapon I'm most comfortable with and I already got the idea of the dexterity, speed, and power of the movements when doing this form. And to my surprise once again, I was not called to perform the staff form. I was terrified that I thought that I did so terrible on the broadsword form that I got skipped from doing the staff form which could mean that I failed the test (which could mean another 2 months of being a gold sash student and learning the same thing I've been learning these past 2 months.). Well, after the test, Sifu told me that she noticed my expression that I was surprised during Stephon's announcement so she noticed I became nervous and I rushed too fast. I didn't give myself a time to think for a moment for my next movements. She also told me that the reason the judges did not ask me to perform staff form was that I already performed the routines, 3 1/4 changquan forms (1/4 of these forms is the first section of the intermediate-compulsory changquan form) and a complete set of basic broadsword form, which is too much for a gold sasher. Well, eventually I passed with a very generous score (for gold sash to green sash, I think the score range is from 7.2 to 7.6. I got 7.4.).

Well, enough said, I'm just looking forward to this evening's practice. When I called Stephon yesterday, I forced him to teach me compulsory chanquan form while I get to finish the intermediate-compulsory chanquan form =p He gives up and finally agrees with my demands, some student I am, huh? =p (at first, he didn't agree with my request and he insisted that I finish the intermediate-compulsory changquan first so I wouldn't get mixed up and confused. But I kept on nagging him =p) I just realized that it's been almost a year since I first started wushu back in June 6, 2005 (I still remember that horrible first day of training. Now I lost so many weights because of practicing wushu.). And I grow to love this sport even more everytime I practice. I love wushu for its graceful, fluid, circular movements yet rapid, fast, and powerful. For those of you who have no idea of how competition wushu looks like, below is the video of my most favorite sport and one of the only three sports that I like (these other two sports are swimming and tennis). BTW, I like this video's background music, Linkin Park's Breaking the Habit, the song really suits the vigor nature of wushu. Anyway, I realize that I can't be as good as these athletes as I'm training for health and for fun (besides the fact that I started late at this stage of life. I need to train harder on flexibility and conditioning. I have to stretch more but I'm too lazy =p), but I'm trying hard to get as near perfect as they are. I hope someday I will be able to upload my very own video of me performing wushu forms (which means I should be doing perfect performance with very minor flaws.). And click the next bold word for definition on what competition wushu is by Wikipedia. All I can say is that competition wushu is a Chinese Martial Art that focuses more on performance or styles/stances rather than on self-defense. Most people recognize Wushu as Kung Fu (which actually means skills gained through hardwork and rigorous practice. So a Basketball player can also be said to have a Kung Fu =D). Enjoy and have a great Monday.

American Idol 5: Farewell Chicken Little

2006-03-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

Another final week of American Idol. Before the result was announced, like usual, they showed a weird ads of car (Ford) by the idols, singing on the beach (I was too astonished at the bizarre advertisement. And even after two ads, their singing are still not harmonized!). The ads sounded like just a group of people being put together to sing an ads jingle, despite how talented they are. Well, I'm just gonna concentrate on my three idols instead, Mandisa Hundley, Elliott Yamin, and Katharine McPhee. And of course, the idol who has to be laid off this week, who is none other than our beloved "Chicken Little", Kevin Covais.

Anyway, the other night, I think each performer showed their best performance, except for Bucky Covington who sang "Oh Boy" in a pointless karaoke mode (that's what AI judge Simon Cowell said). At this moment I knew right away that Bucky would be on the "bottom three" performers. I even thought that he was the one to go home on the next day's result show. Oh boy, you gotta go home =) OK, Mandisa Hundley, she dressed elegantly, which matched with that night's theme "music from the 50s". Despite her jumbo size, she looked elegant and pretty that night. And wait till she started to crack your emotion with "I Don't Hurt Anymore". She earned high praises from the three judges, Randy Jackson was a little speechless, Paula Abdul called her a thoroughbred, and Simon Cowell loved the performance and he thought it was sexy as she made it sounded like a stripper song.

My boy, Elliott Yamin! =) Man, I should definitely get a chance to meet him if I have to live in Richmond, VA for the next 5 years this August 2006 (but still I prefer to live in Atlanta, GA no matter what!). He came back with "Teach Me Tonight", Ladies and Gentlemen! Well, his strength is jazz (and soul) anyway, he used to gig around Richmond with a jazz band. At first, I thought he was gonna sing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" or any of those stuffs. Anyway, after those so-so (or should I call lame?) performances the past two weeks, he was finally alive! I have to agree with Rico though, that Elliott's best performance is still when he sang "Moody's Mood For Love" (and also his first performance when he sang "If You Really Love Me". That was the first time I realized him.). And you can tell that the AI people are working hard to give him some make-over. He looks a bit better with that goatee beard and a bit of messy hair style. But please, that night was the "music of the 50s", I was hoping that he could dress a little bit "50s". Take a note from the female contestants will ya? But dude, if you ever make a record deal (but I think it would be tough for him to win AI if viewers judge looks also. There is a chance though and I'm very, very sure that he can make it to the top 5 contestants.), I will surely buy your CD! (even though I will convert your songs to MP3 later on, for the sake of my iPod =p) I think you have the best vocal among all this season's male contestants and I wanna learn vocal lesson from you! (hey, at least we have the same vocal technique and I never did any vocal lesson either!) BTW, I've already downloaded the MP3 of him singing "Teach Me Tonight" during that night's performance. I will upload the MP3 on this blog tonight so you too will have the chance to listen to his wonderful voice.

My newly-found crush, Katharine McPhee! =) Oooh boy, she's such a feast to both the ears and the eyes. She sang Ella Fitzgerald's "Come Rain or Come Shine" that night. She has a beautiful voice, she can sing, she dressed elegantly again that night, she knows how to work the stage and the camera, she is a real singer and performer! Just take a look at her picture on the left-hand side and listen to her voice every Tuesday on Fox, 8/7c. Despite AI judge Randy Jackson said that this wasn't her best performance, I'm pretty sure that she could be the next American Idol for this season! But she'll have to be smart since she'll be facing fierce competition against Mandisa Hundley and Paris Bennett.

Well, last night's result show, Ace Young could relax a bit for this week. It seems that his teenage-girl fans surely voted for him this time, a lesson that could almost lay him off last week. It's a shame that Lisa Tucker had to be on the "bottom three" performers again. I think she can actually sing, the thing is that her performances have always been a wee, bit tedious. Where's her fans? I'm affraid that she would be laid off next week, judging from the pattern that has been going on these past two weeks. And my prediction was correct, Bucky Covington was in the "bottom three" list. But to my surprise, it wasn't him to be laid off, it seems that the sky didn't fall on our "Chicken Little", Kevin Covais. It was a shame though, despite his nerdy look, I really love his voice, the way he sings, and his self-confidence. I love his rendition of "When I Fall in Love" on that night's performance. And should I remind you that he's just 16 years old? Anyway, at this point, the rest top-10 contestants will get a chance to tour the U.S. and to make the American Idol Season 5 CD! Well peeps, stay tune for next week's American Idol.

STOP PRESS (March 24, 2006): I just found out, next week's theme is "the music of the 21st century". Well, this is our era and the contestants' era as well. They will have a broad range of repertoires to choose. I have no idea what to suggest this time =p

Jokes of the Day #3

2006-03-22T20:53:00.000-05:00

Do You See What I See?
One time there was a guy who was browsing a local "Home-Depot" store for a toilet. There were three types of toilet on sale: the wooden toilet, the stainless steel toilet, and the "singing" toilet. The wooden toilet is the cheapest while the "singing" toilet is, of course, the most expensive one. So that guy bought the wooden toilet. The next day he returned the toilet and complained to the store clerk, "I don't like this toilet. It gives me splinter! It keeps poking on my butt and it's so painful!" So the guy got to get the stainless steel toilet with the same price as that of the wooden toilet. The next day, he returned the stainless steel toilet as well. "I hate this toilet! It's too cold!" He got to the last option of the toilet and, unfortunately this time, had to pay a little bit more for the "singing" toilet. Surprisingly, he returned the "singing" toilet to the store on the next day. "I don't want this toilet. It's embarrassing! This toilet keeps singing "Do You See What I See?" whenever I'm using it!"

Final Fantasy XII Relesased in Japan (March 16, 2006)

2006-03-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

First of all, don't forget to turn off the music or video played on the right section of this page.

What was your first impression after watching the above clip of the final ads of Final Fantasy XII? If you're interested, please read my next review. Fans of the long-awaited latest installment of the famous Final Fantasy series can curb their enthusiasm in Japan. Square-Enix has finally released Final Fantasy XII (FFXII), which was originally scheduled in the mid 2004, on March 16, 2006 in Japan. Although sold during the weekday, die-hard fans started to line-up in front of Shibuya Tsutaya store at 6:00 PM, the evening before the official release date. The result was a queue of 70 people at 7:00 AM, right before the store opened.

Square-Enix president Yoichi Wada and FFXII Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu were on-hand at the event to greet consumers and answer questions about the release. According to Wada, over 2.3 million copies of FFXII were shipped for the launch -- more than that of the previous FF title (it is presumed that he was referring to 2001's Final Fantasy X.). He also mentioned that the U.S. version is currently in the process of being localized, and should see release sometime around Thanksgiving in U.S. One excited fan asked Wada to release a remake of Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation 3, to which Wada responded "We'll consider it."

The extra months spent in development may have caused some to wonder whether there is something wrong with FFXII. There isn't, if respected Japanese magazine Famitsu is to be believed. With the game finally nearing release, the magazine has doled out only its sixth perfect score, Next Generation is reporting. FFXII earns 40 points out of 40, which means that the four notoriously tough judges have rated the game 10 out of 10 for aspects such as graphic, story line, and game system. The clean-sweep 40-out-of-40 score puts Final Fantasy XII in an elite group of games that includes recent hits Soul Calibur (Dreamcast), Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64), Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube), Vagrant Story (PlayStation 2) and Nintendogs (DS).

The game system itself has introduced something different from the previous installments of Final Fantasy series. You might have known the so-called Gambit system, which consists of an action and a target for that action. Actions can make a character use particular items, attacks, magic spells or skills. Targets can be set as enemies or party members and can even be specified with usage conditions. It's possible to set up a Gambit to make a character use a heal potion (the action) only on party members whose life has gone down by 70% (the target). You can also make a character attack (the action) the enemy that's currently engaged with the party leader (the target). The power of the Gambit system grows along with your characters. As you learn new spells and skills, you gain new actions that can be selected for a Gambit. New target types can be acquired at a Gambit shop in town. You can even increase the number of Gambits held by a character. These can then be ordered, resulting in priority for certain actions. For instance, you can make a character first attack the enemy currently engaging the party leader, then attack the nearest enemy. Each Gambit can be toggled on and off individually from the main menu.

The Gambit and battle systems offer a refreshing experience for the jaded Japanese RPG gamer, but FFXII goes much further in its attempts at twisting all the old formulas. Enemies don't leave behind gold anymore! You can find gold in treasure chests here and there, but the real way to get cash is to collect treasures, sometimes in treasure chests, sometimes being carried by enemies, and sell them at shops. This system has worked well over the first few hours of the game, and it has the benefit of actually making sense as opposed to having all these monsters running around with bags of gold.

Another cool, new feature of this game is the level-up feature using this so-called License Point (remember the creative level-up feature of Sphere Grid and Sphere Nodes on Final Fantasy X? But the License Point is totally different.). Players will be awarded with License Points (LP) and experience for defeating enemies that at least one of them doesn't carry any item. Experience is used just as it is in any other RPG. Your character rises in level when crossing a certain experience threshold and gains added HP, MP and strength.

The LP is used for one of FFXII's coolest new gameplay systems: licenses. In FFXII, as with most other RPGs, you have to buy or find weapons, magic spells, skills and armor. Here, though, a character can only equip weapons and armor and use skills and spells if he's acquired the appropriate license. Each character has a personal license board, which looks somewhat like an irregular chess board. Each square on the board corresponds to a single license for a particular set of skills or items. The board is split into six license regions: magic, skills, accessories, defense, options and weapons. As an example, in the magic area, you'll find one square, titled "White Magic Lv. 1," which allows the character to use a level 1 cure spell. Another square, titled "Black Magic Lv. 3" lets the character use level 3 fire, blizzard and thunder spells. In the case of accessories, defense and weapon slots, opening up a given license allows the character to equip certain classes of equipment. You can make a character equip bows, daggers or heavy armor, but only once you've acquired the appropriate license, even if you have the equipment in your possession.

Two special skill types appear on the license board as you advance through the game: Summons and Mist Knack (character specific special moves, remember Limit Break on Final Fantasy VII or Overdrive on Final Fantasy X?). As for summons, each summon beasts can be assigned exclusively to a single character; once assigned, the summon cannot be acquired from the license board of another character. Both of these skills, once they've been acquired, are selectable via a special command on the battle menu.

Well, it seems that it will take another half year for the U.S. release of Final Fantasy XII. Although there is no official release date, it is said that the U.S. version is set to be some time around Fall 2006, before Thanksgiving. I mostly copy-paste the review above, so just click the next bold words for more info on first impression review by IGN: Final Fantasy XII Playtest, Famitsu's game rating review Kikizo: Final Fantasy XII Scores Perfectly, and FFXII's first sale in Tokyo review by 1Up.com: Final Fantasy XII Launches in Japan. Below is the clip of Final Fantasy XII's opening movie.

Check This Out: About Indonesian AntiPorno Bill

2006-03-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

Guys, check this out, a blog from another Nasution in Bangkok, Thailand. I always admire how Enda Nasution writes and expresses his idea critically. But this one is very hillarious. I like how Bang Enda sarcastically expresses his opinion about this bill, so go check out his article called "Pornobasi dan Pornosapi". The contents are in Indonesian though. I left my mark there. I think for those of you who understand Indonesian will find it amuzing.

Intermezzo 7: A La Carte Emotion

2006-03-17T10:06:00.000-05:00

Another purple, red dawn...
I dip my soul in her cafe au lait...

This blues infuses my emotion...

A merry toast to today...

Jamming myself in this aroma...

A similar, familiar aroma...

An aroma I'm fed up with...

Yet I long for and linger with...

Another red, purple dusk...

I stir myself in this smooth danish pastries...

A soulful gift that embraces her pink cheeck...

Yet a lazy evening we shall face...

Biting my lips in confusion...

Wanting to escape to that meadow...

A green, virgin meadow with handsome stallion...

Yet reality bite me to sorrow...

Another purple, red dawn...

I'm frozen into a sweet, raspberry ice cream...

Eager to satisfy her mouth and passion...

A sappy way to ignore my dream...

Twisted in this passion...

Is it a passion or a mere lust?

Tangled in my own premonition...

That dull aroma vanishes and that meadow morphs into a desert...

Fari Nasution @ Washington, D.C., March 2006

[This is just my way of saying that I'm hungry while listening to Terry Callier's "No More Blues". I know it sounds silly. But the weather in Washington, D.C. sucks! I was enjoying the sunny, cool breeze of spring when suddenly it turns back to winter, and plus it's cloudy outside. The sky is gray. I actually created this poem this morning, around 10:00 AM but I decided to hold it back for a while so I can upload "No More Blues" as well. Probably then you can grasp the emotion that lies underneath the poem and the song. Sigh, you can never trust weather.

Another lazy day at the office. Only few people here, the "grand manager" isn't even here. My co-worker who used to share her works with isn't here yet. The good thing is that, today's Friday, I get to wear short sleeves and jeans to office. Tomorrow, a whole day of wushu practice: barehand, short-weapon (broadsword), and long-weapon (staff) forms. I still can't do the staff's figure-8 and upper-cut right because of the trauma getting my left eye poked (or precisely hit). I thought my left eye would be blind for sure (20 minutes of having blurry visions on your red left eye that kept on shedding tears surely is freaky. I'd rather get my other parts of body hit by a staff instead of my eyes.). Since then, I always wear my glasses (which I rarely wear) whenever I practice with staff. Anyway, should I do tai-chi too? It's been a while since I did tai-chi as I don't wanna mess up my wushu forms (these forms are getting complicated once you're in the intermediate level and they expect a lot from you as if you were a professional wushu athlete.) On the other hand, I feel kinda guilty to my tai-chi instructor, it seems that I'm sort of a moody student.

Oh, one more thing, the theme of next week's American Idol is "The Music of the 50s". I think Elliott should sing The Platter's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (or The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody". But I don't like this song.). It perfectly suits his vocal character. Anyway peeps, enjoy your weekend!]

A Time to Blog

2006-03-16T08:34:00.000-05:00

8:33 AM Washington, D.C. time at World Bank, I building. No one's here except me and the ISG - E-Gov manager, Mr. Deepak Bathia. Another lazy morning waiting for my co-worker to give me another works. How time flies if you're stuck with something to do. Just got to read liputan6.com and found another news about "pornography" and "porno-action" bill in Indonesia. It seems that some Indonesian females and citizens of Bali strongly argue this bill. It is said that this bill controls how Indonesian women should dress and discredits women and children as the perpetrators instead of as the victims. I've read some of the draft of the bill and I found what they've been arguing specifically on the content of section 25. The content should read like this:

(1) Setiap orang dewasa dilarang mempertontonkan bagian tubuh tertentu yang sensual.
(2) Setiap orang dilarang menyuruh orang lain untuk mempertontonkan bagian tubuh tertentu yang sensual.

Translation:
(1) Every adult is prohibited from displaying certain parts of his or her body that are sensual.
(2) Every person is prohibited from suggesting someone to display one's parts of body that are sensual.

Now, you know that I'm not interested in politic at all. But, what is the definition of sensual here? Have they (the government) defined the meaning of sensual/sensuality? Have they delineated the limit of sensual/sensuality? Well, pardon me if they have defined this limit but in my opinion, sensual/sensuality can have a different meaning to each individual as to how far the limit of sensual is. We need a clear definition and limit to what sensual/sensuality is and then we can agree with this definition. I found that the bill is just filled with sections, there is no definition to what should be adhered to and what should be prohibited from. This causes ambiguity, people from different cultural and educational background come with their own definitions that it then creates arguments. I don't know about the sections that express women and children as the porno-action perpetrators as I don't really read all the contents of the draft. But from what I've read and heard, I'm not surprised that the bill draws so many disagreement. The government probably thought that we basically adapt the eastern culture, thus this bill won't make such controversy. But it seems that they forget how diverse Indonesians actually are, in terms of culture and religion. It seems that the bill is constructed mainly from one specific point of view. It ignores other elements that contribute to forming the Indonesian society. Then why not form a nation on the basis of that particular element only? Why bother creating a controversy that leads to arguments, which might lead to a bigger chaos (for the love of Allah, please no, I have enough of riots.). Well, fortunately for those who argue it, the fact that it's still a bill, yet to be formalized as a law. It can still be revised (just cross your fingers.).

My eyes are very heavy. I didn't have enough sleep last night. To make things worst, I had a nightmare. It's been a long time I never had dreams about ghosts or mystical gimmicks since I never believe in mystical things (my nightmares were usually about arguments or getting lost alone in mysterious places or mazes.). This is silly. The dream was so surreal that I can still remember most parts of it. I dreamed that one of my friends (who I've never seen or even known) died beheaded. His body was thrown in a well and his head was wrapped in an Indonesian, traditional-batik sheet. A couple of days later on, all of the sudden the body was revived and came out from the well, morphing into a different form of person looking for that head (although this form had a head). He killed anyone or everything that came into his way, chopping part of the victim's body into pieces before finally killing the victim. This bizarro zombie got to injure a female friend of mine who kept the head for good-luck charm (who, again, I've never even seen or known, but she's very pretty though =p), he chopped her left arm. I remember seeing blood flowing like a river in my dream. I remember that I carried her in my back and we escaped to my other friends' place. These people were husband and wife. Another bizarre scene, they knew that they would be the next victims so as their only chance of survival, they dressed like "pocong" (Indonesian zombie in which a dead Moslem is bundled in a white sheet before he or she is burried) and wore beeds or a Catholic Rosario type of thing around their neck. They kept reciting some mystical prayers and it was not in arabic (so I know that it wasn't an Islamic prayer). Carrying your injured, one-armed friend on your back, seeing your friends dressed like the deads and waiting for a zombie to attack surely was creepy. I forgot the rest of it but I remember that during the final battle (it's like those kind of games =p), we all got to gather in a river (I repeat, in the river, not near the river) and I remember I was flying on the surface of the river like Jet Li with his kung-fu gimmicks on his action movies =p Although I didn't sweat at all, but this morning, I woke up with chills all over my body. Some dream huh? =p Probably I was very tired yesterday as I worked hard at office (I haven't been busy since 3 weeks ago) and went to wushu training afterward (I got to finish half of the praying-mantis style and Stephon is very pleased with my progress.). But last week, the night after I hurt my back during the praying-mantis style practice (and then I suffered back cramp and had trouble getting myself to sleep. Stephon told me that I didn't do enough bridge stretching.), I dreamed of being in my wushu school, stretching and doing a middle straddle when suddenly a sumo wrestler jumped on my back and fell right on my back, when I was right in the middle straddle position! I suddenly woke up with a terrible pain on my back but after that, the pain was suddenly gone! I guess I slept in the wrong position that night, but that position cured the pain on my back (with a tremendous amount of pain first of all, of course.). Now, this one is hillarious =p

Now, yesterday's wrap-up of American Idol =) He..he..he... My blog isn't complete without the review of my current favorite show, is it? =p My two favorite contestants, Mandisa Hundley and Elliott Yamin are safe. Of course, they have a terrific voice. But their performances that night were so-so, not that catchy. But that night, I fell in love with Katharine McPhee. Her version of Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back To Me" was fabulous. She has a terrific voice and she's HOT! She reached a higher-octave pitch during the refrain part of the song and I love her outfit. So classy and so sexy =p A new blog-buddy of mine, Rico, covers the review of Katharine McPhee on his blog (but the language is mostly Indonesian. So those who are not Indonesians might have difficulty reading it.). Anyway, I did notice that the first half of the performances was alright and the second half was fantastic. I have to say that the best performers that night went to Katharine McPhee and the Vin Diesel look-a-like, Chris Daughtry. I have to admit that Chris Daughtry is a fantastic singer and performer, but rock is just not my thing, so I'm never interested in this guy. But his rock version of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" was absolutely phenomenal. I understand that he said in the intro that he was a bit worried to sing Stevie Wonder's song since he's more of a rocker type of singer (even his stage act looks like a heavy-metal performer's style.). Sekar was complaining that that-night's theme was not fair for the female contestants since Stevie Wonder is a guy. But I think gender has nothing to do with it as it has to do more with the match between the character of the voice and the character of the song. It's all about style match. I imagine if I were to sing a rock song, I would be DEAD! My voice character is far from rock or heavy-metal style, I can't even rap although I can scat (of course, I can sing jazz songs too.). Anyway, last night, America chose to lay-off Melissa McGhee, whom I think is just another average singer. To make matters worst, she messed up with the lyrics of Stevie Wonder's "Lately", which is a big NO-NO to every singer who has to do live performance. Well, that's it for now, gotta get back to work. Thanks for reading this.

Finally, Spring is in the Air...

2006-03-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

Finally, one of my two favorite seasons is here (at least is getting here.). The weather has been nice these couple of days (but it's very cloudy and windy today *sigh*), you can see flowers are growing. But I hate the scent of flowers growing. They smell weird, sorta like rotten, grilled shrimps and FYI, I hate seafoods! (but I love sushi and sashimi.) I can't wait to see the annual cherry-blossom festival next month. I wannabe a part of it though, just don't know to who I should report.

Finally, got something to do in the office. Yesterday, I offered a colleague of mine for help, and I ended up helping her with some stuffs. She's gonna give me more today. No more endless internet browsing, no more downloading weird software. BTW, I was a software admin when I started to work here back in October 2005. Now I've moved to a different subdivision, but I still retained that admin right until couple of days ago. I installed ARES (a peer-to-peer software.) and iTunes so I can download new songs and upload these songs to my iPod. But I forgot that as a big organization, World Bank has a sophisticated IT control and technical support.

Finally, a couple of days ago, I got a call from the IT technical support and they took over the control of my PC to scan for virus and spyrware in my PC. They said that they noticed some suspicious activities like on my PC, some sort of spyware activities. They found ARES and Yahoo! Messenger in my PC and demanded that I remove these software. Not long after that, they sent someone over and he removed ARES (I haven't had the chance to do it.) from my PC and he revoked my admin right as well =( But he was kind enough to let me have Yahoo! Messenger and iTunes in my PC (he said that these software have nothing to do with virus and spyware activities.). There go ARES and my admin right =( (*sigh* Now I can't install anything without permission and I can't download any song.) BTW, my job at this subdivision doesn't need me to do any sort of those software technical support thingies, so an admin right isn't that necessary. Well, I think that's a lesson I need to learn =p

Finally, spring is in the air, and just like what MINMI says in her song "Song of Four Seasons" (the original title is "Shiki no Uta".), "haru wo tsuge odoridasu sansai" (Translation: "Spring is announced when the wild plants break out in a dance".). I love this song a lot. I've been listening to this song over and over again for two weeks in a row! (to me, the appeal of this song defeats any other song I currently have in my iPod.) I love the idea of combining jazz and R&B, and I also love the poetic, symbolic lyric. If I had the chance to make an album, I wanted all the lyrics to be poetic and symbolic, but not cheesy. It just sounds unique, so classy, and very artistic. About the song, this may sound kinda bizarre, but whenever I listen to this song, it reminds me of Atlanta. This is because when I went there a week ago, I listened to this song everywhere I go, everytime, anywhere. This song really makes me wanna live in Atlanta, while this song is actually the ending theme of an outstanding anime, Samurai Champloo. Anyway, hope life will treat us better this spring.

American Idol 5: Bad Choice Dude, Bad Choice!

2006-03-09T09:42:00.000-05:00

Urgh, thought I wasted $16 for a cab just to get home earlier and watch Elliott Yamin in action. I was kinda disappointed by his choice of song last night. But still, he sounded fabulous like he used to. The thing is that, the song did not match his vocal characteristic! Plus, he was put to perform as the second-last performer, so I could have taken a bus and saved $14 instead *sigh* (Sekar was right. Because of the wushu practice, I usually got home around 8:15 PM to 8:25 PM. But last night, I got home around 7:30 PM and she was surprised to see me home earlier than I used to. She told me that she is pretty sure they're gonna put him on the last round, and she was correct! What a psychic =p)

Okay, last night, he sang Bryan Adam's "Heaven". Never in my life have I appreciated that song. I never like "Heaven", especially the remake, techno, house-music version by D.J. Sammy (it made me hate that song even more!) The original song was actually a rock-ballad thing, and the characteristic of his voice is soul! It is a complete mismatch! Should I lend him my more than 2,900 MP3s collection so that he can get the idea which song to choose for the competition? The beginning of the song was okay, I think, since I always love his vibrato technique. But still, tsk, tsk, bad choice, bad choice. I have to agree with Simon Cowell. Notice how Simon said that he felt a disconnection between Elliott and the song. I think it's a polite way of saying, "I know you love "Heaven", but this song is not for you dude!" Right after that, you can see a look of disappointment on Elliott's eyes, and of course, what Simon says are always the truth, even if they sound so harsh. And as usual, the other judges, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were sugarcoating opinions. I know that he didn't sound that bad (as a matter of fact, he still sounded fabulous last night), so that's why I pick him as my most favorite male contestant (and Mandisa Hundley as my most favorite female contestant). Okay, probably my opinion was kinda subjective cause I hate "Heaven" from the very beginning and I was shock to see him singing that song. But again, I completely understand his effort, trying to prove to America that he's a singer and that he can sing any kind of song (those on his league of course). But dude, stick to your genre, you should be singing soul, or smooth jazz songs. Some R&Bs or pop songs are acceptable. I think he should try some Eric Benet's songs (and I think he will sound fabulous if he sings Eric Benet's "Hurricane"! But I think the falsetto on some part of this song might be a bit problem to him. Probably he can actually reach the falsetto range, it's just that he never showed it. Can't wait to see what he'll do next week.) or some Craig David's songs (how about "Walking Away"? This song suits his voice perfectly, I can already imagine.).

And as the result, based on my subjective opinion, the top male goes to Taylor Hicks. I kinda have an interest in him, but I think he's style, stage act, makes him look more like a retard (notice how he kept bending and swinging his arm like a retard everytime he sings). But anyhow, it does make him a unique performer though. He's voice, he's style, everything about him is so unique and different. The second top male has to go to (sigh, Sekar's favorite because of his good look. This is not a beauty pageant you know =p) Ace Young. I've never given him any interest before since I think he's just an average singer, but last night, he sang one of my childhood idol's songs. He sang Michael Jackson's "Butterflies" and I have to admit that he has a fantastic falsetto! (most part of "Butterflies" was sung by Michael Jackson in falsetto too.) Too bad he just didn't do some of those Michael Jackson's moves or moonwalk =p (or probably he doesn't know how to do it.) Well AI lovers and my dear readers, below are the videos of the last night's top three male contestants, according to my opinion, ordered from the top first, Taylor Hicks, the second best, Ace Young, and sadly, actually my most favorite male contestant, on the third rank, Elliott Yamin. I hope he'll sing something in his own league on next week's competition. And like usual, don't forget to turn off the music played on the right section of this page. Enjoy.

1. Taylor Hicks "Taking It To The Streets".

2. Ace Young "Butterflies".

3. Elliott Yamin "Heaven".

American Idol 5: Go-Go-Go Mandisa!

2006-03-08T12:43:00.000-05:00

First of all, don't forget to turn off the music played on the right section of this page.

Did you see the video above? Then read my next review. Last night, I rushed myself back home to watch the Female competition on American Idol. Surprisingly, all the female contestants were so lame last night. Except for one person, Mandisa Hundley, a 28-year old gospel singer from Antioch, Tennessee. The previous contestants were so lame that I could dare myself to leave the living room and check some e-mails. But this girl, I mean woooowww, her entry was even engaging (notice that she said "Now All the Ladies and bla..bla..bla...."), and her performance was fabulous and enthusiastic. She seemed to have fun with the song that she sang. I wish I could perform like that, the last thing I remember about my last 2 performances was that I always trembling out of getting nervous before going on stage =p The result, sometimes my voice starts to shake along due to being nervous. Okay, back to Mandisa, despite her size (I mean her jumbo size), I love this girl! =) Her version of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" was trully fantastic, even better than Whitney Houston's version that appeared as the original soundtrack of the famous movie "The Bodyguard".

Her performance last night gave me the chills and I unconsciously stood up and applauded her (sorta giving her a standing ovation, but from my living room? Duh! =p). Notice that Paula Abdul jumped out of her chair, and Simon Cowell praised her by saying that her performance would make other female contestants hate her and it was one of the performances that he would rewind on his TiVo machine =) I believe that this babe can get to the top 5 too, but given the option to choose between Mandisa and Elliott Yamin, uhmm, I really don't know which one to choose. I'm confused =p I love Elliott as the male contestant since his vocal technique is obviously similar to mine, so I can really relate to him. This is a personal opinion, but I think those who made it to the top 20 of any talent show contest are extremely talented people. The only thing that could throw them away from this kind of competition is their choice of the song, whether that song really suits the singer's original voice and character. Those who had been thrown away on this season's top 24 contestants just had bad luck on choosing which song to perform, at least that's what I think. You pick the wrong song, then goodbye my love =p (or you just booked yourself a plane ticket back home, just like what Simon Cowell said to several female contestants last night =p) Anyway peeps, vote for Mandisa Hundley too! =)

Atlanta, I Love You!

2006-03-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

Got to visit Atlanta last weekend. I'm not trying to be racist here (and I'm not!), but I heard lots of weird stuffs about Atlanta, such as it's a city filled with lots of African-Americans (and you've heard those discriminating stereotype of anything associated with a community filled with African-Americans.). But once I was there, it's certainly not like what you think. It's true though, there are a lot of African-Americans, for example, if there were 10 seats in the MARTA's subway (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta's public transportation authority.), then 7 out of the 10 seats would be occupied by African-Americans. And there are very few Asians and Hispanics there, at least I thought so. Probably because it was weekend.

Day 1: Anyway, I visited Atlanta for a purpose of visiting and doing some interview at the Georgia State University (GSU). Once I got to the airport (12:00 PM eastern time), went to check-in to the hotel. It was the Westin Atlanta Airport. I love that hotel soooo much. I got a king suite room, with my own treadmill, even though I've never used it. Well, I think it worths the price, I mean I paid $420 for 2 nights stay including a round-trip ticket. Grabbed myself something for lunch (Rotisserie Chicken Pot Pie, and it was very expensive! $15 just for that thing! It was good though.) at the hotel's restaurant and immediately reserved a cab to downtown Atlanta (I got 1 1/2 hour left.). Took a short nap at my room (comfie =D) and then woke up and briefly skimmed through one of the professor's published research (so I get to show-off that I know and understand his works and I'm really interested to work with him =p). It took only 20 minutes by cab to the downtown. BTW, it was already spring there! It was 50 degree something, almost 60 degree. I could even take my coat off and wear only sweater. Leaves were starting to grow and I could see some trees with beautiful, colorful flowers. Arrived at GSU 10 minutes earlier than the scheduled time, and when I got to that professor's room, he was still busy on the phone, so I got to wait for another 15 minutes. He was very friendly and polite though, and I like him very much. Unfortunately, we only got 10 minutes left cause he gotta attend some meeting at 2:30 PM. He frankly told me that I have a very slim probability to be admitted there. He is a member of the MIS doctoral admission committee, and he is very concerned of my low verbal score on my GMAT's result. Last year there were almost 100 applicants to the I.S. doctoral program and the committee admitted 1 person only! This year, the applicants pool is kinda lower, but still, around 50 to 70 applicants and the committee plan to admit up to 3 to 5 persons for Fall 2006! But he said that I have other strong factors to be considered. I also proposed him to be my academic advisor, if I were to be admitted, and I promised him to send my research work that I did during my MBA program. The second professor is even friendlier =) I can see that he has a strong interest on my background (again, the fact that I work at the World Bank really helps!), and he doesn't really care about my GMAT score (but he's not a member of the doctoral admission committee.). He read my research work that I did at the World Bank right in front of me, and looked very interested. It turned out that one of his research area is Global IT. He even introduced me to a Ph.D. student (which I forgot to ask to meet with some. I usually asked the professors for the opportunity to meet with several Ph.D. students whenever I visit a school) and several other professors (including the director of the doctoral program). We even got to talk several personal matters (it turned out that he's a European and he's very pleased of the fact that I lived in France the first 5 years of my life and the fact that my Dad too, has a Ph.D. degree from Sorbonne, France.). The whole meeting took about 2 1/2 hours, and I went back to my hotel riding MARTA (which stopped at the airport and then waited for the hotel's shuttle that serves every 15 minutes.).

Day 2: Okay, it may sound stupid to some of you, but I paid another $82 for a one-day city tour (hey, I don't wanna spend the whole Saturday in my hotel room, plus I'm not familiar with the area.). It was scheduled from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Luckily, I am now used to wake up very early in the morning (thanks to my job), and was ready at 8:15 AM (grabbed some breakfast at the hotel restaurant again, and paid another $12 for some stupid American breakfast combo of scrambled egg, turkey sausages, toasts, hot tea, and a glass of orange juice. I had no choice!). Because I didn't know that the tour's starting point was very close to GSU's school of business, I took a cab to get there and there goes another $36 =( (I should have taken MARTA instead.). Now, I can see the real Atlanta! The city is very clean, with several unique buildings (several buildings with unique architecture, and several others with tunneled bridge connecting each building to another.). The parks are uniquely designed, especially the Centennial Olympic Park (look at the picture on the left-hand side). I instantly fell in love with Atlanta (despite of its reputation as the nation's second city with the worst traffic.). The first tour was to visit Coca-Cola Museum. I wasn't very excited though, as I lost interest to any kind of soda or soft drinks (my stomach can't take any of those stuffs no more.). However, I did taste some sodas, the Vanilla Coke and Power Drink =) (and then my stomach started to growl. I was scared that I might get diarrhea again.) Gotta read and watch some clips on several history lessons of Coca-Cola. Next stop, The Carter Center (Jimmy Carter Library and Museum). To me, this one was very boring since I have no such interest in that former President of U.S., although I did admire the building's architecture and the artistic gardens around the center. We spent 1 hour there! Next trip, The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (National Park Service). It's actually a Church (Ebenezer Baptist Church) enlarged with a small museum behind it, but what interest me were the graves of the Reverend himself and his wife (Coretta Scott King, who just passed away earlier this February 2006). We got to see the house where the Reverend was born on 1929. We then had 1 1/2 hour lunch break, and then went for another visit, Margaret Mitchell House and Museum. FYI, Margaret Mitchell is the author of the famous Gone With The Wind (although I've never read the novel.). It's the only small house in the middle of tall, skyrise buildings, so it's easy to spot. It was supposed to be demolished before it was proposed to be a museum. It was quite interesting though, we got to visit the rooms where she got to sleep, eat, and write that novel (we saw the antique typewriter that she used to write Gone With The Wind.). The next tour, my most favorite one, is the tour to the nation's third most beautiful residential area. It's actually a forest on a hill, but filled with mansions and manors =) Each mansions and manors are located farther away to each other, hidden behind forested trees, but you can spot beautiful gardens and fountains right before each mansion. They look like European palaces. It is said that former Coca-Cola CEO, Robert Woodruff, artist Elton John, several Atlanta's sport atheletes, and the Japanese Consulate General live there. I held my breath with excitement each time I see each mansion. There was this mansion, extremely huge you can call it a palace, located faraway from the road, surrounded by beautiful gardens and fountains, and you can see swans around the fountains! Locals call it the swan mansion. The trip lasted for 1 hour 15 mintes, I took pictures using my cell-phone, everytime we stopped at extravaganza mansions. The last trip was a tour at Georgia Aquarium. This too was so-so. I had visited several national aquariums before, and I think this one is just the same as the others. But what annoyed was we got to spend 2 hours in the d*mn aquarium! As a result, I spent 45 minutes sitting on the bench. The tour finished exactly on time, and I grabbed a Prime Rib sub for dinner at Quizno's Subs and went back to my hotel using MARTA. But I surely enjoyed the city itself, how clean it is, how unique the architecture of each building is.

Day 3: I begged the hotel management to allow me to check-out at 3:00 PM. I was too lazy to go back to the downtown and to spend several hours before checking in for a flight back to Washington, D.C. (and certainly never wanted to spend several hours waiting in the hotel's lobby) They said they could only extend it to 1:00 PM. So I finally decided to go back to downtown Atlanta using MARTA. It was 11:15 AM. It took about 15 minutes to get to Five Points station. This is the station nearby GSU's school of business and the starting point of the city tour, the day before. I grabbed my lunch at McDonald's (another junk food =p) and walked around the plaza at the Coca-Cola museum and the Underground Atlanta. BTW, Underground Atlanta is an underground street mall, but not those malls with famous branded stores, famous boutiques, nor famous outlets. The outlets are more like gift shops. There is a food court although I didn't have my lunch there. My flight was scheduled at 5:30 PM, so I went back to the hotel (to pick up my bag that I left at the hotel's deposit counter) at 2:30 PM. It was Sunday, so it took 20 minutes to wait for the next train to arrive! Once I got there, I waisted no time to pick up my bag and took the hotel shuttle to the airport. Arrived at D.C. around 9:00 PM, got to my house around 10:00 PM, extremely exhausted. The next day at my office, I browsed the net for the costs of renting apartments in Atlanta, and surprise-surprise, you can live in a safe, well-maintained one-bedroom apartment with beautiful landscape for "just" $700 to $900 (with this price, you can only live in a mid-level one bedroom apartment in Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It costs more than $1000 to live in that kind of apartment in D.C.). This price is just like the price of apartments in St. Louis, Missouri. But hey, if you take a doctoral program in U.S., you (usually) don't have to pay for tuition-fee and you'll get paid as a teaching or research assistant (usually around $1000 to $2000 per -month). Since now I'm really in love with Atlanta and I always wanted to study at GSU (BTW, the I.S. department at GSU's school of business is ranked on the top 5 by USNews and is internationally ranked number 1 in terms of I.S. research productivity, even higher than the ranks of the I.S. departments at MIT's Sloan School and at Stanford's School of Business. This is obvious since there are several "big name" professors at GSU's I.S. department and the I.S. research area are diverse.), I really hope that I can live in Atlanta this August for the next 5 to 6 years of my life and to study at one of the most respected I.S. departments in the world.

American Idol 5: Vote For This Guy!

2006-03-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

First of all, don't forget to turn off the music played on the right section of this page.

Did you hear him singing James Moody's "Moody's Mood For Love" on this blog's background song? Despite his look (I think he looks like Abraham Lincoln with dental problem =p Oops, sorry Elliott =p), I love his voice! People, vote for him to be the next American Idol =) I think he has a very cool, souly voice (I often imitate this style of singing and it made me sing the way I sing today), and as a matter of fact, he's white! He sings better than his male counterpart, Gedeon McKinney (who is an African-American. I think African-Americans are always great singers, so until today, if I hear one who sings terribly, this usually astonishes me =p). The first video above shows him singing Stevie Wonder's "If You Really Love Me" and you can hear (and see) what the judges have to say about his performance (notice that Simon Cowell praises him as the best male performer for the entire 5 seasons, which I think it's a little bit too far.). The second one shows him singing James Moody's "Moody's Mood For Love" with some extra interview on the beginning. FYI, he's currently living in Richmond, VA , so if I get to attend VCU, I might visit him and sing duet with him =p And don't forget to watch Elliott Yamin in action, every Wednesday night 8/7c on Fox channel.

Intermezzo 6: Pretty, Please...

2006-02-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

Sire, may I have a penny?
I need a loaf of bread for dinner...
I need an elixir for my sick mother...

Sire, may I have a loaf of bread?
I need to feed my sick mother...
I need to share the rest with my younger siblings...

Madam, would you care to buy this bouquet of flower?
I need to help my mother to pay tax...
I need to buy a loaf of bread for my family...

Madam, would you care to buy this matches?
I need some pennies to survive...
I need to pay the doctor that cared for my mother...

[dearest supervisors, I need some projects or works to do... I am very bored! Please respond to my e-mails... This is what happen when I'm bored and there's 1/2 hours to go to leave this office building...]

The Rebirth of a Lonesome Amateur Writer

2006-02-23T08:49:00.000-05:00

Howdy y'all =) It's been a long time since I got my hands on this blog, and when I open it, wow, so many complains from my dearest blogger buddies =) The reason I never updated this blog is that, I don't think there is something special I can share with, and besides that, I am suffering from what you can call "writers block" =p Those ideas and inspirations just don't come out of my mind lately. Maybe I'm too exhausted and my energy has been drained. During the weekend, all I wanna do is just to have a long, good sleep, although sometimes I am "forced" to attend dinner parties (and it always lasts until like, 1:00 AM or more. I usually get bored of being at someone else's place for more than 5 hours!)

Well, to some of you, it looks like I don't have a life lately =) But I am not complaining though, if you know me very well, I am actually a bit of a solitude person. I enjoy loneliness, a time or situation when my mind roams freely with music pampering my ears and my mind =) But that doesn't mean that I am an antisocial! I enjoy being around people I care, and sometimes, I enjoy being the center of attraction. But when I'm exhausted, all I want is to be alone (well, I guess everybody does).

Guess what, out of 8 schools I'm applying to, VCU has accepted me =) Yes, I got admitted to the doctoral program in Information Systems at VCU, with full tuition-fee waiver and graduate teaching assistantship. I earn a stipend of $9,000 for one academic year and I have to be a teaching assistant, working for 20 hours a week. So that leaves me 7 schools to go =) Hehe, I can imagine, in couple of years from now, strangers will have to address me as Doctor Nasution =p But this also means a tough, upcoming 5 years waiting for me to get through. I've been trying to get myself familiar with all of these Information Systems research methods, trying to read "Design Research in Information Systems" (for those of you who are interested, here is the link, http://www.isworld.org/Researchdesign/drisISworld.htm). Everything here is so abstract! It only mentions about theories that can be applied in designing research in I.S. What more is there, waiting for me? I guess I'm a bit anxious about my life as a Ph.D. student in the next couple of months.

About wushu? Uhmm, almost got to the intermediate level =) I'm trying to train myself to do that one-arm cartwheel (I twisted my left wrist the first time I tried this). I've been taking all the intermediate level training. It's very complicated and painful too, but I love it! I remember my wushu instructor, Stephon, said that wushu athletes are masochist. The more pain they get, the more they crave for it! =p I guess I'm starting to become a wushu freak too. I'm learning the praying mantis style in the traditional style class. It's really cool. I love every movement of it. Can't wait to learn the compulsory form of broadsword. I've been peeking this form back and forth and trying to imitate the movement (and then got my cheek poked by the sword. Oouch =p)

About work. It's been lazy weeks. The official fiscal year is about to end, projects are running slow, executive managers are going back and forth out of country for missions and leaving junior staffs (such as me) behind doing nothing. That's why I have the time to write something in this blog =p Actually I have to update the content and modify the look of the World Bank's e-Government website. But whenever I'm assigned to do something with a reasonable amount of deadline, I tend to finish assignments as quickly as I can, done before the deadline and left behind doing nothing afterwards. I hate having to do something near the deadline, cause it drains a lot of my energy (because of panic). So here I am, doing nothing =)

Finally, I got to change the song in this blog after several complains from my fellow bloggers =p This is a very sweet and romantic Indonesian song, by a 20-year old jazz singer. What I like the most about this song is the lyric. The lyric is actually a poem, which makes this song somewhat classy, unlike those cheesy, melancholic, romantic songs. The artist wrote this poem to her boyfriend. This song was actually a hit one year ago in Indonesia and I just got to know it 2 days ago, another terrible side effect of living faraway, outside Indonesia. I instantly fall in love with this song once I listened to it. I love its unique melody, the background guitar, and its poetic lyric. I got this song from a close friend of mine (ask me if you wanna know the link to her blog) when I helped her with some fancy HTML gimmick. She used this song on her blog until yesterday, so I can freely use this song on mine without being accused of being a copycat =p About the song, I never knew the word "gemintang" before. I just found out that it actually means a bright, twinkling star. This song is about a woman in love with a man and it's nicely expressed in this piece of melodious poem. As an end to today's story, I post the lyric and the translation below (this is not an official translation. I made it up myself and believe me, it's hard to do it, because it uses so many symbolic expressions. What can you expect, it's a poem! I have difficulty tring to translate the sentence "Laksana, nyata manis nuansa" and trying to figure out "Mengartikan kita". Only the artist who can translate it perfectly.)

Title: Gemintang

Artist: Andien

Lyric: Andien

Music: Tohpati

Released: June 2005

Verse 1:

Gemintang

Awali indahnya cerita

Melantunkan rasa

Nyanyikan

Denting nada dan senyuman

Menghadirkan cinta

Resahku menepi, indahku bersemi

Mengingat utuh bayangmu

Reff:

Hatiku, mengucap kata merindukanmu

Laksana, nyata manis nuansa

Dan jika, gemintang tiada lagi melagu

Kisahku, yang mencinta dirimu

Kan slalu abadi

Verse 2:
Rembulan

Temani indah malam ini

Menyatukan asa

Lukiskan

Dekap hangat yang kau beri

Mengartikan kita

Resahku menepi, indahku bersemi
Mengingat utuh bayangmu

Background:

Gemintang, nyanyikan

Rembulan, lukiskan

Back to Reff

Translation

Verse 1:

Twinkle stars

A beautiful story then unfold

Singing my passion

Serenade

A piece of melody and a smile

Our love is here to stay

Those anguish then harbored, my wonder starts to bloom

As I recall your glorious sight

Reff:

In my heart, I speak the words of how I long for you

As if like, a sweet, genuine nuance

In the end, when these twinkle stars never sing again

This tale of me, that's telling how I love you

Will last eternally

Verse 2:

Glowing moon

Filling the beauty of the night

Keeping our souls as one

Visualize

The warm embrace you present to me

Defining how we are

Those anguish then harbored, my wonder starts to bloom
As I recall your glorious sight

Background:

Twinkle stars, serenade

Glowing moon, visualize

Back to Reff

Intermezzo 5: Untitled

2005-11-26T00:50:00.000-05:00

I am the myst in a heat...
Floating freely, touching anything...
I am the chill in a spine...
When fear crawls, when sorrow lurks...

I am a drop in the ocean...
Important yet unnoticed...
I am a spark on a cigarette lit...
Tiny yet Shiny...

I am the Father of everything...
Wise and childish...
I am the Ruler of my ego...
Humble and arrogant...
I am who I am...
Let me roam freely to myself and dismay you, shall I not...

Fari Nasution @ Fairfax, VA, Nov. 2005

Worst Singing Ever, In a Stadium Setting: By the Dutch Idol?

2005-11-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

First of all, don't forget to turn off the music played on the right section of this page.

Hehehehe, here is a very funny clip. I got this link from a friend of mine, Tina =) But unlike her who can still find some private moments to herself, I have no time to put some serious and lengthy stuffs because of my works, activities, etc. (like usual, works and wushu/taichi on weekdays, studying GMAT almost anytime, and visiting people during the daytime and dinner parties on weekends. But I'm not complaining though. I just need to find some moments on weekend for myself.) I have a really tight schedule lately. Well anyway, she provided the link for other clip though, but I kinda look for other stuffs in this site. Anyway, this is the worst singing ever, before the public in a stadium =D Check out the guy wearing glasses and a white shirt. He kinda remind me of Carlton from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (the way this guy dances).

This is a very, very funny clip, I laughed hard when I watched it. Check out the reactions from the audience. It's a serious insultment to any singer performing on a stadium (I would cry if I were in that situation), but hey, who can blame the audience? =D These clowns (the singers) are lucky enough not to be thrown with rotten eggs =p There are so many off tunes, they don't even harmonize their voices, they can't catch up with the rhythms, the nerdy guy wearing glasses and a white shirt is too hyperactive (even Michael Jackson doesn't move that much =p), and BTW, I just edited this article as I said these clowns were the Dutch Idol contestants. Correction, these people are the rejects of the 2004 Dutch Idol, shamelessly singing for the public on one of the Dutch soccer matches. Well, I'm so astonished, I can only laugh and laugh (I've been watching this clip for million times and I still laugh hard on the last part of the song) =p Just imagine them singing "Star Spangle Banner" on one of those NFL matches. It would be a total disaster and a mockery =D

I couldn't even recognize what the song was at first until they started singing the reff (and I mean in a horribly, terrible way). I think the title of the song is "Simply the Best". And pay attention to the last part of the song. It sounds as if they were howling like some wolves or something =p Did they practice before the performance or is it just because of the horrible quality of the sound system? Even if they are rejects of some sort of a talent show, they could have better prepared themselves. The completely cluelessness of these "idols" as to how bad they suck is absolutely amazing =p (their self-confidence beats that of American Idol's William Hung)

Caught in a Ladies Bathroom (Goblog =p)

2005-11-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

Bahrain, Saturday, November 12, 2005

Touching up your make-up after using the loo is a common ritual in women's rest rooms around the world.

But when the person using the mirror next to you is Michael Jackson, the scene borders on the bizarre, if not downright scary.

This is another bizarre story of the self-proclaimed King of Pop =p Michael Jackson was reported entering a Ladies toilet in capital's Ibn Battuta Shopping Mall over the weekend, trying to put on some make-up on his cheeks before spotted by someone else.

Jackson was reported innocently wandering to the wrong toilet, wearing a T-shirt and trousers with a traditional Tunisian head-scarf Sheila. When the pop superstar revealed his disguise and powdered his cheeks with rouge, a 37-year old Tunisian woman standing at the next mirror, screamed in horror, realizing the fact that a man was powdering rouge right next to her. Jackson, who has been living in Bahrain since being cleared of sex abuse charges, let out a screech in return, calling off some of his bodyguards to rush by his side.

But as soon as she realized who the man is, Latifa M., the 37-year old Tunisian teacher, started to take pictures of the poor pop superstar with a frightened look on his face by using her mobile phone. Because of this, the pop superstar chased after Latifa, attracting the security of the mall who then tried to take the phone from Latifa. But she refused and asked for compensation, while the two women accompanying Jackson tried to convince her to sit in private and settle the issue.

Wary of this suggestion, the teacher called the police. Colonel Abdul Jalil Al Mehdi, Deputy Director of the Preventive Security Department of Dubai Police, took the matter in his hands and tried to solve the issue, while Jackson left it to his companions to explain who he is and solve the matter.

While Latifa insisted on compensation, Jackson flatly refused to pay up. The police informed Latifa that the UAE laws do not entitle her to any financial gain from the situation and they convinced her to hand over the mobile, which she did after erasing the photos for the fear of being penalised.

Sources:

Intermezzo 4: You Might Do Wushu If...

2005-11-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

Some of these are quite hilarious..... Enjoy =)

You Might Do Wushu If...
- You have posterior and anterior shinsplints.
- Your hamstrings are pulled, all the time.
- The only person to cause you serious injury with a traditional chinese weapon is -- you.
- You cut those plastic things off the end of your shoe laces.
- You have a gaping hole in the crotch of your pants and you don't care.
- You don't make fun of the guys in all pink silk uniforms, because you know they are crazy good.
- You don't stare at girls doing the splits anymore.
- Pick your pants based on how high you can kick in them.
- Can't grab a basketball hoop, but you can kick it.
- You have more scuff marks on your ceiling than your floor.
- You think it is normal to touch your head to your toe -- without bending your knee.
- You can hold your arms straight out for 30 minutes, easy.
- You think all white people look the same.
- The idea of training 8 hours a day sounds like the best vacation ever.
- You find yourself casually standing in a low empty stance.
- Shutting the top cabinet door with you side rising kick.
- Choose your house based on ceiling height.
- You just busted your lip open with your shin.
- Done your clothing with kicks, thrusts, and punches.
- Test out new shoes with back sweeps and slap kicks.
- Can't walk by anybody else from your school without casually exchanging a flurry of mock strikes and kicks.
- Everyday chores turn into elaborate training drills.
- You get real upset when people say "oh you mean kung fu!"
- You randomly do a hammer fist while walking on the street.
- You do poses while sitting on the toilet.
- You do a front slap kick at work.
- You're dating someone that does wushu.
- You start chanting "jia you" for every competitive activity.
- Your hands hurt more than your feet from doing kicks.

Source:
"http://www.wushuwiki.org/You_might_do_wushu_if"

The Atmosphere of Ramadhan #2

2005-11-02T11:57:00.000-05:00

Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.,

I can't believe it, Ramadhan is about to end in 5 hours from now! What have I achieved so far? Frankly speaking, I don't know. I can't judge myself of or tell what my accomplishments were in this past month. All I know, this year I "only" missed 20% or 25% of the Tarawih prayer =) Is this an accomplishment? I don't know. But then, I failed to keep my emotions over a disappoinment, sorrow, and anguish earlier on this Ramadhan month. Is this a failure/lost? I don't know either. To me, it's very easy to withdraw my appetite. I can even go on a whole day without eating or drinking at all. But withdrawing from appetite IS NOT the essential meaning of Ramadhan. I remember a story about my friend, whose cousin lost his Dad on Ramadhan, 4 or 5 years ago. Because the true essence of Ramadhan is to withhold any emotion and human ego (appetite is part of emotion), the living family (including this person, the cousin of my friend) attended the burial ceremony without any tear flowing out (or at least they tried not to cry). But anyway, let Allah be the valid, the Almighty judge for my deeds this past month =)

Anyway, back to the main topic. As I successfully did good deeds on one hand and didn't do good deeds on the other hand, have I won the "spirit" of Ramadhan or have I successfully failed this month? =) What do you think? IMHO, my winning or losing is comparably relative. Only He, Allah the Almighty, who can decide this. But why did I say that my result and progress in the training of this year's Ramadhan is comparably relative? Because I'm basing this only on human's logic and perceptions. I am losing the "spirit" of Ramadhan if you compare my efforts to the efforts of those who are trully, undoubtedly religious. Those who even spend most of their times in the Mosque. But then again, do they win the "spirit" of Ramadhan? Well, from the religious ceremonial perspective they might do, but what do you think of their results if you compare these people to the Moslems who engage in various charities but don't have time for religious ceremonial because of their busy schedules? These social people didn't mean to avoid their religious calls, busy/tight schedules force them to do so. I don't mean this by avoiding the daily 5-time prayers though. These tight schedules are those involved with charities and good deeds other than religious ceremonials. But do these social people win over the "Mosque" people or is it the other way around? IMHO, again, this is comparably relative. But if you compare me to them, of course, I lost.

But what if you compare me, to those who ignore Ramadhan? Well, don't take the extreme case, such as comparing myself to those Moslems (or at least they admit they are Moslems) who don't even fast on daytimes and often go to night clubs getting drunk every night even on Ramadhan (I feel terribly sorry for these people and I pity them. Uhmm, I know this is mean or cruel, but what if they suddenly die on an accident in an hour from now? Gee, I wonder where their souls/spirits might be. I wonder whether they are prepared for death.). If you compare me to these people, of course I tremendously win the "spirit" of Ramadhan. But compare me to those who often lost their tempers and are not able to withhold their emotions even if they perform various satisfactory religious ceremonials. Believe me, there are a lot of these kind of people, and I am likely one of them (although I try my best to withhold my emotions). Now, this is the hardest part, you can't tell if I win or lose the "spirit" of Ramadhan. To some people, it's easy to judge and point their fingers to someone else. But their basing it only on human's logic and human's made ethics and norms. I know that ethics and norms are derived from philosophies and religions, but the derivations depend heavily on human, mortal assumptions and comprehensions toward topics of various philosophies and religions. That's why, only Allah who is allowed and is able to judge one's sincerity.

There's a proverb in Indonesia saying "kuman di seberang lautan tampak, gajah di pelupuk mata tiada tampak". The translation is "you can spot a virus lie across the ocean but you can't even see an elephant standing right before your eyes". The meaning of the proverb is that it's always easy to blame others but it's often difficult to admit that you are wrong. And it takes a big heart to admit your mistakes. Well, let me start by begging for your forgiveness for things I did or said on purpose or not. I don't remember each of my mistakes, but hopefully my efforts will mean something to you. In the end, I would like to say happy Eid Ul-Fitr to my Moslem Brothers and Sisters. Taqabalallahu Minna Wa Minkum, Minal Aidzin Wal Faizin.

Ah, Ramadhan finally ends...

Am I happy or sad?

I don't know...

I am happy for all the things I've been through this month...

I am sad because I will miss the atmosphere of Ramadhan...

It is like a little boy bidding farewell to his sibling...

He is happy and he is sad...

He is happy because the jerk is finally out of his life...

He is sad because he's losing his bestfriend and his "enemy" to fight with...

It is like a junkie giving up drugs...

She is happy and she is sad (outraged)...

She is happy that she'll lead a healthier and meaningful life...

She is angry because she lost her only painkiller and source of happiness...

Farewell Ramadhan...

May I live for another one year...

Even if I can't promise you to be a better person in a year till I meet you again...

But for now, let me say "Minal Aidzin Wal Faizin"...

Aspiration Agony

2005-10-20T13:06:00.000-04:00

Dedicated to all of us, human beings.....

The deepest agony one can suffer...

Is the inabiltiy to achieve holy aspiration to others...

Is the inability to blossom loves with others...

I mourn for this insecurity...

I shout and scream for this injustice...

No, this is not God's punishment...

This is just one of the steps in life to achieve holy perfection before we die...

But, who's to blame?

No one, nothing, just believe that faith and courage surpase all sufferings...

Intermezzo 3 (About Me)

2005-10-18T15:52:00.000-04:00

The womb creates me...

The wind raises me...

The planet protects me...

The sky shelters me...

My senses guard me...

My fantasies cuddle me...

My logic teaches me...

My imagination caresses me...

Praising is yearned when one is respected and admired...

Condemning upon the abstinence of respect and admiration...

Courage is yearned for survival...

Think you I shall loose it at the time my sufferings are about to end?

Fari Nasution @ Washington D.C., Oct. 2005

1 Hour to Go: 1st Day of Work

2005-10-12T15:38:00.000-04:00

Pufffhhh, hungry, thirsty, sleepy, everything in one (just like those shampoo sold in a mini market. Two-in-One or Three-in-One shampoo =p). I never thought it's gonna be so boring, that I have posted on this blog, three articles already! *lol* I came late today, I overslept. I was supposed to be here at 9:00 AM, but I woke up at 8:25 AM. You can imagine how long it takes from Fairfax, VA to downtown Washington D.C. Sekar reminded me of how I was supposed to be in my office at 9:00 AM sharp. I took a shower in a flash, still I missed the 8:46 AM Fairfax Cue Bus. There was a slight sprinkles outside this morning. Luckily, Sekar's Dad, Oom Marfi, arrived home at 9:07 AM, so instead of waiting for the 9:20 AM Cue Bus, I politely asked him (yes, he just dropped his daughter off to school. But I really, desperately needed a ride.) to drop me off at Vienna Metro Station. It took 12 minutes by car from home to Vienna Metro Station. I took the metro subway there, it took about 35 minutes to get to my office.

I arrived exactly at 10:00 AM, on time according to the new rescheduling appointment (I called my supervisor earlier and apologized for my coming late and asked for an appointment rescheduling). A pass had been waiting for me at the security lobby (unlike yesterday, when I came too early, 8:00 AM, and got stuck waiting on the security lobby for 3 hours since all my supervisors were out of the office), I went straight up to the 12th floor and met her (my supervisor) right away. We discussed a lot of things, she mostly introduced me to the office internal systems and how things are done here in the office. The introduction took about 40 minutes only and lasted at some time around 10:40 AM. And then, here I was until now (when I'm writing this article), all on my own, trying to get a grip of what have been going on or what have been done in the past. It is interesting to see how they organize all their forms and templates so that they don't need to "reinvent the wheel". Each of the projects differ by their nature only, the way they are preserved and compiled is the same. I received the anticipated work program for year 2006, compiled quarterly, and because of their effort, it's easy to understand the pattern of their works (but I don't think I need to understand what they have been doing so far and in the past).

This is pretty much a job which has similar tasks to what I've been doing and trained so far during my M.B.A. program. I think I shouldn't struggle too much. But I hope I am not over self-confident as I'm dealing with this. Earlier this morning I was told that I will be involved in a software package project on this late November. I am gonna be in a training session for 3 days, starting on November 28. Ho..ho..ho... This means no thanksgiving holidays for you mister...=) Besides, I need to get my act together. I don't wanna quit my wushu training (I just wanna reduce the amount of it depending on my schedule) and I need to start filling those Ph.D. application forms and start making essays or statement of purpose (hey, that's what I'm here for). On November 12, I will take the official GMAT test at George Mason University Testing Center. It seems that November is gonna be a busy month for me...=) Anyway my dear readers, I gotta go back to what I've been doing before, resuming my self introduction to the works of my team. Au revoir.

The Atmosphere of Ramadhan #1

2005-10-12T11:57:00.000-04:00

Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb. =)

I got these posts from a blog of a friend of mine back in college, Dewi. I think it's nice to review these and think of the essence of these posts. All of the messages were originally in Indonesian, but I will try my best to translate these in english and probably add some of my personal opinions.

Al - Ahzab (1 - 3)
Dengan Menyebut Nama Allah, yang Maha Pengasih, Maha Penyayang (1) Hai Nabi, bertakwalah kepada Allah dan janganlah kamu menuruti orang-orang kafir dan orang-orang munafik. Sesungguhnya Allah adalah Maha Mengetahui lagi Maha Bijaksana, (2) dan ikutilah apa yang diwahyukan Tuhan kepadamu. Sesungguhnya Allah adalah Maha Mengetahui apa yang kamu kerjakan. (3) dan bertawakkallah kepada Allah. Dan cukuplah Allah sebagai Pemelihara.

Translation: In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. (1) O Prophet! Fear Allah, and hearken not to the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites: verily Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom, (2) but follow that which comes to thee by inspiration from thy Lord: for Allah is well acquainted with (all) that ye do. (3) And put thy trust in Allah, and enough is Allah as a disposer of affairs.

I always believe that the Prophets are the Messengers of Allah. What they inform, teach, and instruct are all descended directly from Him. We all have our personal opinions and thoughts. But is it necessary to disobey these instructions? In my humble opinion, this lack of trust shows that we actually don't understand what we have been taught for all our entire life. It shows that we don't understand the essence of what we have been practicing. It is all just ceremonial. I often say to the non-Indonesians that Indonesians are religious. But unfortunately, some of us are just religiously ceremonial. And some of us are too blinded by logic and science. Don't they know that logic and science originally derived from philosophy which is a (in my humble opinion) compilation of various religions? Well, I, personally, am not religiously ceremonial, I miss (or skip probably =p) prays sometimes, but I try hard to understand the essence of all regulations and teachings, why we are told to do so or why we are forbid from doing so.

Next is a lyric of Nasyid by Opick. No, I've never listened to the song, but I personally think that this song (as well as other Nasyids) contains a good message to remind us of how terribly spoiled we are as human beings (including me of course =p) in a melodious way. Yes, because we as humans have our own mind and our own free will, even when we're young, we tend to disobey what our parents told us. As we grow older (and we think we become wiser), and legally allow to do just about anything, we think we have the power to do just about anything, purposely disobeying not only our parents but Him above. Just to show that, hey, I'm mature now, I'm 17 (or 21) years old or older than 17 (or 21) years old, no one or nothing can stop me as long as it's by the book and under the rules (those rules written by humans). I never believe that I have matured. Never. Please read my article entitled Maturity? that I posted last January 2005. I always believe that we grow, we learn and absorb wisdoms from our religious teaching, society, and experience.

I just received a message from my Mom, that my cousin, as old as me (a year younger actually), just passed away of HIV/AIDS because of drugs addiction and got infected from a needle. Nauzubillah Min Zalik. May Allah save me from any similar terrible incident. My deep condolence to my Uncle and my Aunt in Jakarta. I never like and don't respect the fact that some people do mistakes on purpose, in an excuse for gaining some experience. We start smoking for an experience and then accidently end up being an addict. We start drinking (too much cause we can't control the urge?) for an experience and then end up being an alcoholic (or those terrible pain we suffer in the morning. Why look for that unnecessary pain and then nagging that we regret to drink but then start it again once we are socializing or when we are depressed?). We start experiencing premarital sexual intercourse and then end up believing it's a normal thing to do (then why is there a marital institution and all of these ceremonials? Just to have a party and waste our future parents in law's money? Duh?!?). We start to use drugs because of peer pressure or just want to know how it feels like and then end up being a junky (or worst case, like my cousin whom I just mentioned earlier). The results are obvious, why would you want to put yourself in uneccessary troubles, dude(s)/dudette(s)? I don't understand, I just can never understand... In my very humble opinion, just lead yourself to a simple life. We don't need to look cool or impress others with these stuffs. Don't lie to me, we all start all of these because of peer pressure and we want to look cool in front of our own peer (yeah, I can do it, I can be like you...). Pokoknya enggak usah neko-neko deh, that's what Indonesians say.

I don't know. But probably I'm still too overwhelmed of what have happened to me lately. That these raise my sense of awareness. I don't know, but you can call me naive or too conservative. Well, that's who I am, but please respect my opinion as I never interfere or forbid anything that happens as long as it doesn't drag me into it or put myself in trouble as well. We are all humans, we are never mature, we are still learning so that when death calls, we are ready to face Him and that we deserve a better place next to Him. Check out the next lyric or message. Wassalamualaikum Wr. Wb.

Kesaksian Diri
Tak satupun orang bisa menjamin dirinya
Selamat disaat ajal memanggilnya
Setitik kesalahan semua akan diperhitungkan
Semisai buih dosa yang telah kita kerjakan

Setiap mata, hati, tangan, kaki, akan jadi saksi

Tiada dusta diri yang tak terhakimi

Luka sepi air mata tak berarti lagi

Akan terlambat segala sesal diwaktu nanti

Allah mohon jangan hukum kami dari dosa
Ampuni kami karena tak mungkin kami
Sanggup menahan pedih
Setitik rahmat yang kau beri lebih berarti
Dari segalanya

Setitik ampunan-Mu kan menghapus dosa kami

Karena mata, hati, tangan, kaki akan jadi saksi

Tiada dusta diri yang tak tehakimi

Luka sepi air mata tak berarti lagi

Akan terlambat segala sesal diwaktu nanti

Translation:

A Self Witness

Nobody is able to guarantee himself or herself

Safe when death calls

A tiny mistake will be considered

As a sin we have already done

Every eyes, hearts, arms, legs will testify

No lies cannot be tried

Tears of loneliness wound will be nothing

It will be too late to regret anything

Allah please do not punish us for our sins

Have mercy on us because it is impossible for us

To handle the pain

Any of Your blessing will be truly worthy

More than anything

Any of Your Mercy shall banish our sins

Because every eyes, hearts, arms, legs will testify

No lies cannot be tried
Tears of loneliness wound will be nothing
It will be too late to regret anything

Source:

- Dewi Khairani's Blog

- The Noble Qur'an

Jokes of the Day #2

2005-10-12T01:06:00.000-04:00

Jacko Christmas
What's the difference between Michael Jackson and Santa?

Nothing, they both leave children's bedrooms with empty sacks!

Kemosabe Waters the Bushes
One day Lone Ranger and his side kick Tonto were out riding when Lone Ranger had to take a piss. So Lone Ranger goes over to the bush pulls down his pants and then he screams. He runs over to Tonto and says, "Tonto I've been bitten by a snake on my penis go to town and ask the doctor what to do."

So Tonto rides to town and goes to the doctor and says "Doctor, Lone Ranger has been bit by a snake what do I do?"

The doctor looks at Tonto and says, "You take a knife and make an x on the spot where he was bit, then you suck out the venom."

Tonto thanks the doctor and rides back to Lone Ranger and Lone Ranger asks "What did the doctor say?"

Tonto looks at Lone Ranger and says "Doctor say you gonna die!"

Mickey, Minnie and Goofy
One day Mickey Mouse woke up and Minnie wasn't there. He went to look for her and, as he stepped outside, he saw "Mickey sucks" written in a yellow liquid in the snow. He investigated and realizedthere was good news and bad news: it was Goofy's urine, but Minnie's handwriting.

Bar... Monkey
A guy walks in to a bar with his pet monkey. He orders a drink and while he's drinking the monkey jumps all around the place. The monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them. Then he grabs some sliced limes and eats them. Then he jumps on to the pool table, grabs one of the billiard balls, sticks it in his mouth, and to everyone's amazement, and somehow swallows it whole.

The bartender screams at the guy, "Did you see what your monkey did?"

The guy says, "No, what?"

"He just ate the cue ball off my pool table - whole!"

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replied the guy. "He eats everything in sight, the little bastard. Sorry. I'll pay for everything."

The man finishes his drink, pays his bill, pays for the stuff the monkey ate and leaves.

Two weeks later, he's in the bar again, and his pet monkey is with him. He orders a drink and the monkey starts running around the bar again. While the man is finishing his drink, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his ass, pulls it out and eats it. The bartender is disgusted. "Did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks.

"No, what?" replied the guy. "Well, he stuck a maraschino cherry up his ass, pulled it out and ate it!" said the bartender.

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replied the guy. He still eats everything in sight but, ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures everything first."

Big Testicles
A tourist is in Spain, and goes to a fancy restaurant for dinner. As he looks around, he notices a diner being served a beautifully garnished dish with two gigantic meatballs in the middle. When the waiter asks him for his order, the man asks him about the meatball dish. The waiter explains that the meatballs are bull's testicles, and when the bull loses the bullfight, the bull is brought to the restaurant, and this beautiful dish is made.

The diner tells the waiter that he wants the bulls testicles for dinner, but the waiter tells him that only one bull a day is brought to the restaurant, but he can have it tommorrow. The diner agrees. The next day the diner goes to the restaurant, and orders the testicle dish. When his food is brought out, he notices that the meatballs are extremely small. He mentions this to the waiter, and the waiter replies, ''Well sir you have to understand, sometimes the bull wins''.

Bozo's Big Beautiful Ass
There was an old man named Bozo, and all he had was a female donkey. One day he wins the lottery and gets $50,000. He doesn't know what to do with his money, so he decides to spend a night in a five star hotel. He asks for the finest room and starts going up the stairs with his female donkey. The manager sees him and asks where he's going with his donkey.
"Anywhere I go, she goes."
"I'm sorry, sir," said the manager, "but you can't take the donkey upstairs. Leave it down here with us and we'll take good care of her." So Bozo goes up to his room and opens the door. Everything is made of gold, there is a table full of food, and a huge television. He doesn't want to ruin anything so he takes his raggedy coat off and sleeps on the floor. The next morning the manager comes up to the room and asks how his night was.
''Great!'' replied Bozo. ''How much do I have to pay?'' he asks.
''One thousand dollars for the food.''
''But I haven't touched the food."
''It was right there, so you should have. Two thousand dollars for the TV."
''But I didn't even know how to turn the damn thing on!''
''It was there, so you should have. Five thousand for sleeping on the bed."
''But I slept on the floor!''
''It was there. Your total is eight thousand dollars."
''You owe me ten thousand dollars for screwing my donkey.''

''But sir, I didn't screw your donkey.''
''It was there. You should have!''

Source:
- Comedy Central - Jokes -

When You Wish Upon a Star

2005-10-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

This is one of my favorite songs. I always love its lyrics. This song was originally sung by Cliff Edwards (voice actor of Jiminy Cricket) in 1940 for the original soundtrack of Walt Disney's Pinocchio.

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires
Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star
As dreamers do

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of
Their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

The Elegy of a Foolish Journey

2005-10-10T12:56:00.000-04:00

It is like playing with fire, you will get burned, some say
I ran in a dark forest with one of my precious jewels
A special jewel that in my opinion can light and shine my way
A special jewel that I notice long ago
But was kept out of my reach on the top of my closet
I chose this jewel only, as its shine shall guide me out of the forest
I seem to forget how fragile jewels are

It is like playing with a sharp knife, you shall get cut, some say
I held it too firm in my palm
I extended it too high in a hope to light my way
The jewel started to crack
Lord, it is not even half of the journey!
How can I get through these thick thorny bushes, these venomous spider webs?
How foolish I am, I realize I am not well prepared

It is like playing with water, you will be wet, some say
I brought this jewel with me
But I left my sword, my armor, my torch and my stallion at my hut
How naive I am
The crack expanded, it finally brake and scattered all over the forest
How outrageous this is, I am devastated and very embarrassed of myself
I do not know whether to go on or to collect the pieces of the jewel

It is like feeding a hungry wild beast, you find yourself in trouble, some say
I collect these remaining pieces in a hope that I can assemble it
It is so precious that I do not have the heart to surrender it
I hold the pieces in my palm, but they are so sharp, they wound my palm
No more light to shine my way out of the forest
My face is covered by dust and spider webs
My arms and feet are wounded by the thick thorny bushes

I am a mess, inside and outside
I am bleeding but my heart bleeds even vigorously
I was so blinded by the shine of the jewel that I ignored the mists
The mists have long ago sting my eyes, even before I enter the forest
They warned me about the forest but I insist to walk in with a naive self confidence
Now I realize, even if they sting my eyes, their fresh breeze gives me peace
They help me find my way out, indirectly though, I feel the air moves and their breeze guiding me

I am not completely out of the forest
The bloods dry out, my wound starts to recover, but still I am a mess
My palm is still bleeding, I still insist to hold the remaining pieces of the jewel
It is a long journey, but now I have the mists to guide me
I am still confused which to choose, I see so many spots of light at the faraway
I have to assemble this jewel and present it to Their Majesties, the King and the Queen
Yes, this is a special jewel
How foolish I am to play with it

Pictures Sources:
- http://home.teleport.com/~hsimante/pictures/early69.jpg
- http://rhinoplex.org/np/paintings/images/painted%20works%20006_jpg.jpg
- http://www.sterlingtimes.org/morland24_gathering_sticks.jpg
- http://www.kleefeldart.com/paintings/2004_StudyForTheWalk_l.jpg
- http://collazo.org/paintings/images/the_magic_is_back.jpg
- http://www.misterw.com/img/paintings/p013b.jpg