bleu

This is Michigan, for God's sake!

2011-09-20T19:27:00.001+08:00

Power is nothing without control

2011-09-17T16:54:00.001+08:00

Hey, Soul Sister

2011-08-09T10:25:00.001+08:00

One more time from the proud dad :)

Rational Masterminds: at work

2011-07-30T13:04:00.001+08:00

Ah, so true...

The Mastermind sees situations from their own unique perspective and they enjoy finding new solutions to complex problems. They are driven to implement their ideas whether or not others can see their vision for improvement. If they are given no support, they dig in their heels and work all the harder to achieve their vision. Stress comes when they are forced to deal with too many unexpected events or if they are forced to be too extraverted for too long. The stress manifests itself by obsessive thoughts on external data and feelings of the world being against them. They can recover if they are given time to be alone, get their tasks rebalanced and have time to pursue their visionary solutions. It's best if others do not try to give them advice or suggestions. Says Vince, "I can see ways to make information more accurate with less effort which will greatly benefit the organization. Unfortunately, most people can't see what I see until I actually can give them a working model. Luckily my current boss has faith in my visions and gives me some free reign. He doesn't ask me to account for all of my time and gives me a heads-up when a specific deadline is coming up. This is so much better than my last boss who pressured me all of the time that I became less effective and wanted to withdraw from everyone."

From http://keirsey.com/personalityzone/wz34.asp

The Time | wedding theme

2011-07-23T10:41:00.001+08:00

Everytime I hear Black Eyed Peas' "The Time", this YouTube clip always comes in mind. So here we go again!

The MS iPod - if iPod belongs to Microsoft...

2011-07-23T09:46:00.001+08:00

I think I flashed this before. A marketing colleague shared this during a workshop. Not related at all to the workshop topic, but WTH, as long as you get some air time, right?

Anyway, aren't you happy that iPod belongs to Apple?

Volunteers

2011-07-03T13:50:00.001+08:00

Giant pizza drama

2011-07-03T13:48:00.001+08:00

Taken at Picotin

The latest news on beer-drinking

2011-06-08T21:18:00.001+08:00

Last month, National University of Lesotho scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in
beer. Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption. The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women. To test the theory, 100 men drank 8 pints of beer each within a 1
hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects:
1)     Argued over nothing.
2)     Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
3)     Gained weight.
4)     Talked excessively without making sense.
5)     Became overly emotional.
6)     Couldn't drive.
7)     Failed to think rationally
8)     Had to sit down while urinating.
No further testing was considered necessary.

Afternoon chips and margarita

2011-04-23T16:12:00.001+08:00

Taken at Chili's Grill & Bar

Untitled

2011-03-27T15:45:00.001+08:00

Taken at Barrosa Studio

Appreciating arts

2011-03-27T15:42:00.001+08:00

Taken at Barrosa Studio

Milo Youth Triathlon

2011-03-05T12:08:00.001+08:00

As we, particularly Anya, enjoyed last year's Milo Youth Triathlon on Sentosa, this year's event is not as well-managed.

Pic: the junior female groups are waiting for their turn to start

Milo Youth Triathlon

2011-03-05T12:06:00.001+08:00

As we, particularly Anya, enjoyed last year's Milo Youth Triathlon on Sentosa, this year's event is not as well-managed.

Pic: the junior female groups are waiting for their turn to start

Get a life!

2011-02-12T13:12:00.001+08:00

MySpace Graphics - Myspace Layouts,Graphics, and Comments!

Got this apologetic request from a chain email, that was trigerred from someone up there, on 6:53 PM yesterday - yes, Friday PM. The original email, from that someone up there, wanted something back by "tomorrow noon time" - yes, Saturday 12 PM. And I got calls like at 11:15 AM.

Fuck off.

Get a life.

0.5 L

2011-02-04T16:30:00.001+08:00

Pint-size that's bit more than a pint (a liquid and also driy measure of capacity, equal to one half of a liquid and dry quart respectively, approximately 35 cubic inches (0.473 liter). Abbr.: pt.

Taken at South Coast Mbs

Cokes

2011-02-01T20:29:00.001+08:00

Regular, Zero and Light

Xi Gua the Legend of the Lion Dance

2011-01-30T21:36:00.003+08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

We went to see a performance by the Players Theatre this afternoon, and really enjoyed it. It is targeted for kids 5 year-old and above, and Ben, in particular, seems to love it very much. The Q&A session at the end was excellent! Here are the pictures with the cast and Carina, the Director.

Xi Gua the Legend of the Lion Dance

2011-01-30T21:36:00.001+08:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Xi Gua the legend of the lion dance

2011-01-30T21:23:00.001+08:00

Sunday morning ice cream

2010-12-12T11:46:00.001+08:00

Good property locations are those with good ice cream places nearby.

Sunday morning ice cream

2010-12-12T11:45:00.003+08:00

Good property locations are those with good ice cream places nearby.

Sunday morning ice cream

2010-12-12T11:45:00.001+08:00

Good property locations are those with good ice cream places nearby.

Pray for Indonesia

2010-11-05T22:14:00.001+08:00

An avatar found on Twitter. Pray for Indonesia.

On diversity, xenophobia and nationalism

2010-03-06T10:53:00.001+08:00

Look at the boardroom of any regional companies - or the regional office of any global companies. The chance is that you'll see a diverse board members. From functional perspective, for obvious reason, and from nationality perspective as well.

But look at just the levels below them. The chance is that, it's not that diverse anymore.

The Indian mob rules a certain function after the new board member was appointed - he's evidently an Indian. The Thais have built their own little kingdom, while the Koreans are not far behind.

Ah, this must be an Asian thing - one might think.

But it seems the Aussies and even the Europeans want to play a part too. Seriously, I have now tripled my German and French vocabulary (from one word to three words).

So is this nationalism? Or people just being xenophobic? Or is this diversity in its true meaning beyond the common stereotypes - like diverse point of views?

On obese, being religious and smoking

2010-02-16T22:13:00.002+08:00

A recent study found that religious people smoked less.

It also found that religious people were fatter. The effect was large - religious people were 50-60% more likely to be obese.

The study lead put the findings as: ".... We don't really know if there is something about religious participation that leads to obesity, or if it's the other way around, and that heavier people might seek out religious and spiritual experiences because of things like stigmatization."

I smoke and am, uhm, slightly overweight *wink*. Is it time to be more religious or should I workout more seriously?

Logically illogical

2009-07-11T11:51:00.004+08:00

The logic behind defensiveness doesn’t stack up.

If we’re wrong, do we really want to defend a bad idea or position? If we’re right, will being defensive increase or decrease the strength of our position? Will it hurt or help the odds that others will give up their position in favor of a better way? Will defensiveness foster better listening, on either side? Will our defense or denial of our weaknesses make us stronger.

While there’s no rationale behind the tactic of being defensive, there’s plenty of emotion. Fear is the mortar that holds together the wall of defensiveness. We fear that

We weren’t smart enough to see it first.
We risk losing what we have or who we are if we change.
If we admit we’re wrong, we’ll lose face.
The world is changing and we don’t want it to – so we defend the “old world”, under the illusion that if we hold to our position long enough, the world will adjust to us.
The past has been different from what we thought it was, and the future might be different from what we want it to be.
We are the feedback we’re getting.

Excerpt from "Egonomics" by David Marcum and Steven Smith

On crime, bras, coffee, topless and nipples...

2009-06-07T11:26:00.007+08:00

Pardon the title.

As crime rises and gets more sophisticated, one must keep the new and innovative thinking of preventing and surviving from it.

In Malaysia, where snatch theft case has doubled and is the biggest jump in the crime categories, the police is using the combined efforts (of various departments). As surprised as I am to learn that, I hope this will not be another traffic-jam-causing roadblocks. In addition, KL City Hall has proposed to build pedestrian bridges and plant trees along pavements to prevent snatch thefts. While women are also advised to choose their handbags wisely.

A little root cause analysis would really help... I think now I understand why a lot of Singaporeans are concerned about safety in Malaysia.

The types of crime in Detroit are different and a bit more serious as it involves firearms. I'm not sure what the cops are doing, but a woman avoided serious injury from a gunshot - thanks to her bra. That's right. The bullet struck the underwire on the woman's bra and that saved her from a more serious injury, police said. Of course, some bra wires are made of steel.

I wonder if Vivid Entertainment will come up with a "based on true event" movie.

Speaking about bra, or the lack of it - coffee seems to get a momentum for raising its fans base. The Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Maine started serving coffee, topless, since the beginning of this year. I drink coffee; it's a good enough reason to pay a visit. The sign says: "Over 18 only. No camera, no touching, cash only". Sounds like going to a gentlemen club, eh? See it yourself.

Do they offer franchising opportunities...? Ouch, the coffee shop was just burned down earlier this week.

Or perhaps in Japan, where topless seems to be just another part of life... and entertainment. Bored with the traditional tug-of-war or the all-time favorite flag football? Try nipple flag challenge! Yes, it does involve nipples, flags, tug-of-war, and Japanese. Sadly, this is not a team-based game, so it is very unlikely to be included in any of corporate outing games.

Pardon the topics as well.

A message to my friends...

2009-05-28T21:26:00.000+08:00

I have two friends who will get married in the next five months or so. Knowing them, and what their friends will do to them, I've got an important message: don't drink too much during your wedding day.

Because in Taiwan a groom just died on his wedding day after having too much wine and beer.

No one should mix wine and beer anyway - unless they're free.

Alternatively, if the wedding can be something similar to this bar in the U.K. (also shared by a friend), that would be, like, continuous yum seng. Yay!

And ladies - or the brides to be, there is another reason to not let your loved ones get drunk in your wedding day. Because a study found that after drinking alcohol men actually see women as less attractive. You don't want that to happen on that D-day. At least not before they say "I do".

All the best for your weddings.

Cheers!

To chew or not to chew...

2009-05-06T21:31:00.000+08:00

Singapore has banned the sale and import of chewing gum since 1992, but a new research may force the government to reconsider its policy...

clipped from www.reuters.com

CHICAGO (Reuters) - In a study likely to make school janitors cringe, U.S. researchers said Wednesday that chewing gum may boost academic performance in teenagers.

Many U.S. schools ban chewing gum because children often dispose of the sticky chaw under chairs or tables.

But a team led by Craig Johnston at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that students who chewed gum during math class had higher scores on a standardized math test after 14 weeks and better grades at the end of the term than students in the class who did not chew gum. The study was funded by chewing gum maker Wrigley.

Imagine how the Singaporean parents will react!

Singapore Math is respected world-wide. It is considered "the most powerful approach to primary math instruction in a generation" by a U.S. institution for educators. It is about the curriculum, says the institution.

I'd say, it is the kiasu-ness of the parents and the ridiculous number of tuition centers around. Check how the support was recently created to ensure parents can still afford paying for tuitions in during this crisis period.

In this republic, tuition is among the most important in Maslow's hierarchy!

So if all the 'hard works' are undone by a bunch of gum-chewing American kids, we can have a serious riot here demanding supply of chewing gum...

PS. I don't wanna get into trouble here - so just wanted to make sure everyone is aware that there is no indication that the ban of sale and import of chewing gum will be lifted.

On sex-ed in Singapore

2009-05-01T17:23:00.002+08:00

Having only legalized blow job less than two years ago, Singapore with it's latest buzz around sex education amazes me.

TODAY newspaper has a topic on sex-ed provided by a non-profit organization, AWARE (which itself has been on the news recently).

Some excerpts from the article are:

"Anal sex - can be healthy or neutral if practised with consent and with a condom."

"Pre-marital sex - people might place pre-marital sex as negative, but it is really neutral."

The "AWARE Comprehensive Sexual Education: Basic Instructor Guide", from which the excerpts were taken, was copyrighted in 2007 - the same year as when the oral and anal sex were legalized.

The guide, as TODAYs wrote, has been posted online. If this is the correct guide, the topics include virginity (as a state of mind?), pleasure (sex is a pleasure act), fun (sex is meant to be fun), orgasm, and so on.

A very good move, in my opinion. It's just I don't expect that from a country where even some websites are blocked.

The neighbor Malaysia is definitely way behind, as only last year it was considering sex education in National Service.

So as I posted before: is sex education solution or problem?

Speed clicking

2009-04-11T19:15:00.000+08:00

The world record for speed clicking may be 15.5 clicks per second, but no one beats average Singaporeans in speed clicking the close button in elevators. And the clicking rate gets faster when they see someone walking towards the elevator...

I must be exaggerating and somewhat stereotyping, but the fact is it does happen (plus, the elevator at my work is indeed dumb.)

Seriously, the way these people press the close button reminds me of the Olympic Decathlon game back in early 1980's - somehow. And they do so with innocent look - the same look as when they block your way out of the elevator.

Aargh.

Appreciating and understanding others

2008-09-30T11:15:00.003+08:00

This is the period where people forgive each other - though we should do so everyday, every moment of our life.

To forgive, or to ask for forgiveness, in a way is like corrective maintenance. You know, we correct or replace what is wrong.

The better way is preventive maintenance. That is, maintain it before it fails. Or in this context, try not to do stuff - intentionally and unintentionally - that will require you to ask for forgiveness later.

To do a good preventive maintenance, one may require to perform analysis and, in some cases, simulations.

One of the biggest challenge in social life is the interaction between men and women (one of which men usually apologize without knowing exactly what was wrong). Time Out New York did a little simulation to better understand each sex, particularly in the area of bouncing boobs and dangling dicks. Their reporters traded parts to find out how it feels.

And here are the verdicts:

Guys, I’m not moved by your penis plight. Granted, had I been wearing a pair of loose-fitting boxer shorts, I may have had some motion-control issues—it couldn’t be any fun to run or bike with a set of sweaty objects thwacking against your thigh. But dudes, take advantage of the fact that American Apparel has brought back the brief and as far as I can tell, you’ll be golden. I’ll never make fun of your tighty-whities again. —Kate Lowenstein

I experienced no chronic back problems or sore nipples; the problem that plagued me the most was the punching-bag effect that occurred when doing arm curls. Though this was catnip to my perpetually fifth-grade male mentality, had the boobs actually been attached to my chest, the overwhelming feeling would’ve likely been one of pain, not fascination. —Drew Toal

Let's better appreciate and understand others.

Happy Eid, selamat lebaran, mohon maaf lahir dan batin.

On investing and porn

2008-09-17T09:43:00.006+08:00

Stock market has been performing badly. Wall Street goes banana.

It was the banks. Bear Stearns collapsed, Merril Lynch is about to be acquired, and Lehman filed for bankruptcy.

And now it's the insurers. AIG needs a savior.

Investing looks bleak.

Some people say that I work in a safe industry - consumer products. No matter what, people still need to go on with their life. They need to bathe and wash their hair. And people still make babies too.

But there is another industry whose demand never dies, thus ought to be less volatile than technology or banking: porn.

And we can now invest in porn industry. Adult Entertainment Capital, Inc. went public yesterday in NASDAQ, under ADLE ticker.

MSN Money says the porn stocks are worth watching. With yesterday's closing at $0.0065, you can easily be a shareholder.

An article says that it's a big market, around $57 billion globally. Looks like a huge market that can still be exploited...

A classmate once interviewed with Vivid Entertainment for an internship position in finance. The whole school enjoyed his story about the interview.

Can you imagine the experience of attending ADLE's annual shareholder meeting?

Politicians are politicians, wherever they are

2008-09-09T20:27:00.000+08:00

Bad, or naughty, politicians to be specific.

Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick, recently resigned from his post, having pleaded guilty to felony charges last Thursday in a sex scandal.

Why Kwame? Well, I happened to witness his campaign for his first term in 2001. He was the young candidate (31 years old at that time), campaigning against the old opponent (Gill Hill was 70 at that time). He was hip-hop, energetic, and had this 'young' aura - at least in his TV campaign ads - if I remember correctly.

He was exciting.

However, apparently his two terms in the office was full of controversies. Similar to some politicians in this part of the world, but handled differently.

While he must have done some good things for Detroit, but the information in Wikipedia lists mostly his controversies.

A wild party involving strippers at the official residence of mayor.

The murder of one of those exotic dancers.

Personal use of Detroit Police's Harley-Davidson.

Expensive lease of a luxury SUV (by the city) used for his family.

Use of a Civic Fund (created to improve the city of Detroit) for week-long California vacation with his wife, three sons, and babysitter.

And the latest, a sex scandal with his chief of staff, having previously denied the wrongdoing under oath.

The chief of staff, by the way, once was pulled over for speeding. She reacted by saying "Do you know who the f*** I am?" to the traffic officers. She called the Police Chief and the cops were called off.

These sound kind of familiar, doesn't it?

So I'd say, bad politicians are the same everywhere.

The difference is the way they are handled. Of course, some would get away. But in this region, most will get away. Worse, some are well-guarded and keep their positions for long.

The top 100 reasons it's great to be a guy

2008-09-06T12:46:00.005+08:00

I'm not sure what the original source is, but this has been out there for some time. A bit towards Americans, but nevertheless applies to most guys...

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
Movie nudity is virtually always female.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five day vacation requires only one suitcase.
Monday Night Football.
You don't have to monitor your friends sex lives.
Your bathroom lines are 80% shorter.
You can open all your own jars.
Old friends don't give you crap if you've lost or gained weight.
Dry cleaners and haircutter's don't rob you blind.
When clicking through the channel, you don't have to stall on every shot of someone crying.
Your ass is never a factor in a job interview.
All your orgasms are real.

A beer gut does not make you invisible to the opposite sex.

Guys in hockey masks don't attack you.

You don't have to lug a bag of useful stuff around everywhere you go.

You understand why Stripes is funny.

You can go to the bathroom with out a support group.

Your last name stays put.

You can leave a hotel bed unmade.

When your work is criticized, you don't have to panic that everyone secretly hates you.

You can kill your own food.

The garage is all yours.

You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.

You see the humor in Terms of Endearment.

Nobody secretly wonders if you swallow.

You never have to clean the toilet.

You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes.

Sex means never worrying about your reputation.

Wedding plans take care of themselves.

If someone forgets to invite you to something, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is $10 for a three pack.

The National College Cheerleading Championship

None of your co-workers have the power to make you cry.

You don't have to shave below your neck.

You don't have to curl up next to a hairy ass every nite.

If you're 34 and single nobody notices.

You can write your name in the snow.

You can get into a nontrivial pissing contest.

Everything on your face stays its original color.

Chocolate is just another snack.

You can be president.

You can quietly enjoy a car ride from the passenger seat.

Flowers fix everything.

You never have to worry about other people's feelings.

You get to think about sex 90% of your waking hours.

You can wear a white shirt to a water park.

Three pair of shoes are more than enough.

You can eat a banana in a hardware store.

You can say anything and not worry about what people think.

Foreplay is optional.

Michael Bolton doesn't live in your universe.

Nobody stops telling a good dirty joke when you walk into the room.

You can whip your shirt off on a hot day.

You don't have to clean your apartment if the meter reader is coming by.

You never feel compelled to stop a pal from getting laid.

Car mechanics tell you the truth.

You don't give a rat's ass if someone notices your new haircut.

You can watch a game in silence with you buddy for hours without even thinking (He must be mad at me)

The world is your urinal.

You never misconstrue innocuous statements to mean your lover is about to leave you.

You get to jump up and slap stuff.

Hot wax never comes near your pubic area.

One mood, all the time.

You can admire Clint Eastwood without starving yourself to look like him.

You never have to drive to another gas station because this one's just too skeevy.

You know at least 20 ways to open a beer bottle.

You can sit with your knees apart no matter what you are wearing.

Same work....more pay.

Gray hair and wrinkles add character.

You don't have to leave the room to make an emergency crotch adjustment.

Wedding Dress $2000; Tux rental $100.

You don't care if someone is talking about you behind your back.

With 400 million sperm per shot, you could double the earth's population in 15 tries, at least in theory.

You don't mooch off others' desserts.

If you retain water, it's in a canteen.

The remote is yours and yours alone.

People never glance at your chest when you're talking to them.

ESPN's sports center.

You can drop by to see a friend without bringing a little gift.

Bachelor parties whomp ass over bridal showers.

You have a normal and healthy relationship with your mother.

You can buy condoms without the shopkeeper imagining you naked.

You needn't pretend you're "freshening up" to go to the bathroom.

If you don't call your buddy when you say you will, he won't tell you friends you've changed.

Someday you'll be a dirty old man.

You can rationalize any behavior with the handy phrase "F*#k it!"

If an other guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you might become lifelong buddies.

Princess Di's death was almost just another obituary.

The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected.

You never have to miss a sexual opportunity because you're not in the mood.

You think the idea of punting a small dog is funny.

If something mechanical didn't work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.

New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.

Porn movies are designed with your mind in mind.

You don't have to remember everyone's birthdays and anniversaries.

Not liking a person does not preclude having great sex with them.

Your pals can be trusted never to trap you with: "So...notice anything different?"

Baywatch

There is always a game on somewhere.

Banned!!

2008-09-03T06:34:00.000+08:00

Marina Mahathir found more nonsense in Malaysia. Unspun added more meats on it.

The victim is now the devil-horn hair clip. (yes, hair clips for children)

This adds to the list of banned 'products' in Malaysia, which, Unspun summarized, include Inul (though she finally got to perform at the KBRI), Avril Lavigne, the sight of women's armpit on TV (what?), and more.

Well, it's not all that bad, actually. If it's an art, it seems people here are more receptive.

Like the recent Sloggi Art for Humanity in Sunway Lagoon. (photos from Bun Virus' flickr)

A bit of hypocrisy, eh? Or simply an irony? But life will be boring otherwise...

More pictures here.

Living dangerously

2008-09-01T07:04:00.000+08:00

No, not the movie/novel (The Year of) Living Dangerously.

It's blogging.
Particularly, blogging against the government.

In Malaysia, you can be jailed and charged. Your home may be raided, and your website can be blocked. Defamation is the keyword.

In Russia, you're dead.

So Malaysians can consider themselves lucky.

P.S. Malaysia Today is now blocked, and has moved to another address.

Being an Olympian: what to expect

2008-08-30T10:58:00.001+08:00

A lot of practice sessions. Tough ones, to be sure.

But once you get there to compete, and stay in the Olympic Village, the expectations might be different.

Matthew Syed, a former Olympian, shares a story of interaction among athletes in the Olympic Village. A fact which, perhaps, caused some 100,000 high-quality condoms made available at the Village's clinic.

Do you want to be an Olympian? (or just being there in the Olympic Village)

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk

This sex fest was not limited to Barcelona: the same thing happened in Sydney in 2000, my second Olympics as an athlete, and is happening right here in Beijing, where this time I'm a commentator. I spoke to an Aussie table tennis player this week to check out the village vibe and he launched into the breathless patter common to any Olympic debutant: “It is unbelievable in there; everyone is totally crazy once they are out of their competitions. God knows what it is going to be like this weekend. It is like a world within a world.” A British runner (anonymous again: athletes are not supposed to talk to journalists unaccompanied by a PR type, least of all about sex) said: “The swimmers finished earlier in the week and it was like there was an eruption.”

On beach volleyball

2008-08-25T23:23:00.002+08:00

As a response to Anita's "no problem with men's beach volleyball - for a different reason", watch again the women's beach volleyball final. It had it all: beach, bikini, rain, and women jumping, rolling and hugging each other. What else can a sport fan ask?

Though this is inspired by some other websites, I think I win my case :)

Check out these pictures from FIVB.

At least

2008-08-24T19:58:00.003+08:00

Here I am, waiting for the Olympics closing ceremony and watching Astro reviews how Malaysian athletes performed in the Olympics.

It's been full of "at least".

Like, "At least he broke the national record."
Or, "At least she got the international experience."

Then, the commentators talked about how Lin Dan studied the video of Lee Chong Wei's moves - enabling him to play fast and anticipate most of Chong Wei's shots. Surprised?

Well, at least next time they can consider using video too...

Beijing 2008

2008-08-23T22:32:00.006+08:00

I was lucky to get the chance to go to Beijing early this week to see some actions in the Olympics. This was a corporate hospitality program of which I was selected to participate. So I'd like to think it has something to do with the cigar I celebrated last year.

The visit was only three days short, but the schedule was packed. It started with table tennis on the first day, men's beach volleyball and athletics on the second day, and women's diving on the last day.

I brought along my new Sony Alpha SLR camera, and took a lot of pictures. (Yes, some of them were the cheerleaders from the beach volleyball game.)

Here are some of my observations.

Olympic Lane. To anticipate traffic during Olympics, one lane is dedicated as Olympic lane in some streets and highways. Surprisingly (or not?) people are pretty disciplined in keeping this lane only for the Olympic-related vehicles. I was also told that during this period Beijing implements odd-even license plate number to match with the days; that it was quite bad that some offices allow their employees to go to work during the days they can drive. Hey, it's the Olympics after all.

Supporters. When their countries do not play, most supporters will support the better-looking players. At least that's what I observed during the table tennis matches. Tetyana Sorochynska from Ukraine (was playing against Wenling Tan Monfardini from Italy), for example, received full supports from my Indian colleagues.

Chinese-descendant players. Most table tennis players are Chinese-descendant. Whether they represent France, Italy, Canada, Poland, and more.

Men's beach volleyball. My colleagues made fun of me going to see the men's beach volleyball game. Sure, women's beach volleyball would be perfect. But we were definitely entertained by the cheerleaders (the game was of high quality too!) See, men's beach volleyball isn't that bad.

Athletics. Usain Bolt was damn fast, and he really looks enjoying every single moment. That's the way it is!

Foreigners. The city is full of foreigners. Most are corporate guests from the main sponsors, and the athletes and coaches themselves, of course. I met a Texan, quite arrogant, who comes with the U.S. soccer team. He doesn't like to sightsee (though I met him near the Forbidden Palace), only to drink and boom-boom.

English. More people in Beijing, I believe, are able to speak English. Some information booths are trilingual. Cops can clearly explain where to get cabs. Servers can even explain that the yummy Peking duck was cooked with pork oil. (damn it!)

I uploaded some of the pictures to my flickr and facebook.

Confused with history

2008-08-17T19:43:00.002+08:00

Still with the spirit of independence day, and the fact that I'm home alone and got nothing to do, I was thinking about some heroic stories from Indonesia's independence day history.

One, the only one indeed, that came in mind was the Battle of Aru Sea. It is the one whose diorama I still remember after my visit to the Satria Mandala museum, thanks to Mas Aroengbinang.

It's truly heroic. One of three Indonesia's warships (MTB, motor torpedo boat,-type) decided to let itself to be a target so that the other two could run away from two Dutch destroyers' attack. The ship, KRI Macan Tutul, eventually got hit and sank.

Googling for more information about the incident, however, led me to some variations from the story I learned back in the elementary school. The version in Wikipedia seems to be the most updated one.

It says, the decision was for all ships to return and sail away. KRI Macan Tutul, unfortunately, got a problem and kept making right turn. (Another version is going straight to the two destroyers.)

Holy moly! What's happened? What has really happened?

Sigh...

Well, the heroes are still heroes. They fought for their country, and they deserved to become heroes. Not only the high-ranked officers. But all who contributed - physically, mentally, or with any other means.

But hell, why histories are tweaked? Were they genuine mistakes? Were they versions of the writers (being subjective)?

If a-century-ago histories are not that accurate, what about those from thousands years ago?

Yes, like today's religions.

I guess the truth is out there... we just want to believe...

Other interesting websites that discuss Indonesia's history are Anusapati (check an entry on heroism) and Beni's Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia.

Independence day spirit and Dara Torres

2008-08-17T12:26:00.002+08:00

Dara Torres is the oldest in the U.S. swimming team - and perhaps among all swimmers in the Olympic - competing in her 5th Olympics. Neither the sexiest nor the prettiest athlete (but she posed on Maxim magazine in 2000).

And, umm, she's got short hair too.

What she recently did in the semifinal was quite a topic, given the competitive nature of the event: helping out a rival swimmer.

"Therese's suit ripped when we were getting ready to walk out," Torres said. "I tried to help her with it, tried to do it up, and it ripped again. So I walked out and was trying to get them to hold the race for her. I was saying, 'Her suit's ripped.' And waving my arms around."

A counter argument on this is that what she did actually threw off other swimmers' concentration. Ridiculous argument. I think what she did was based on fairness, or fair play - one that some soccer players just fail to do.

On how this qualifies as an independence day spirit, I'm not sure. (What is independence day spirit, anyway?)

But for the sake of it - her act is a quality that we, as a nation, must possess to move forward. To accomplish what our predecessors dreamed of, and to correct mistakes we did in the past.

The quality of being fair, unselfish, and mindful of others.

We have been an independent nation for 63 years, and we're still fighting over things because our lack of this quality, for crying out loud.

It's been too long. It's the time now to move on.

Merdeka.

On bullwhip effect

2008-08-12T22:52:00.001+08:00

In a supply chain network, (demand) variability increases as orders move upstream. Eventually, the network can oscillate in very large swings as each organization in the supply chain seeks to solve the problem from its own perspective. This phenomenon is known as the bullwhip effect and has been observed across most industries, resulting in increased cost and poorer service.

Among the culprits are demand forecast inaccuracies: everybody in the chain adds a certain percentage to the demand estimates. The result is no visibility of true customer demand.

This phenomenon apparently also applies in life.

Well, how?

It's simply the attempt to impress. Unfortunately, people get inaccurate and unconfirmed information about how to impress. They end up trying many things that they think or assume will work.

This is cascaded down. And further down, with many more assumptions, in the hierarchy. Moving the herds up and down with new assumptions. The swings get bigger each level.

No one wins.

It sucks.

On single-sex school, bikinis and decision-making

2008-07-16T20:50:00.001+08:00

Research says single-sex schools help children thrive.

It says boys, particularly, have trouble paying attention in class, and often ignore instructions and generate sloppy work. Among the reasons, the article concludes, are more female teachers (than male teachers), superior female student counterparts (girls read faster and control their emotions better), and unfit educational structure.

An alum of both types of schools myself, I fairly agree with the argument, but am not sure about the details - perhaps because the article refers to U.S. education. (Shoot! There was also literally no girl in most of my Mechanical Engineering classes.)

To me, the boys of single-sex schools can practically say "there is one less thing to worry or think about". Thus they can more freely express their feelings and actions.

Most of which are usually deemed unmannered.

What are other potential advantages? Well, they can benefit through better decision makings.

What?

Well, there's this research that scientifically demonstrated that bikinis make man stupid, that sexy images rob male brain of ability to make wise decisions. The paper is formally titled "Bikinis Instigate Generalized Impatience in Intertemporal Choice".

How will this benefit the students? While there shouldn't be any bikinis at school, I'd say that you never know what's in young men's mind... or what they can imagine. For single-sex school students, at least this imagination part is eliminated or 'constrained'.

The experiments must be like torture to the 358 young men subjects.

Read this: "In one test, the men looked at images of women in bikinis or lingerie and at images of landscapes. In another, some men were given T-shirts to handle and assess while others were given bras. Another batch of men was assigned to watch a commercial featuring men running over landscapes while other guys watched a video of “hundreds of young women, dressed in bikinis running across hills, fields and beaches.” (No word on whether they used “Baywatch” slo-mo)."

How valid is this research? If concentrating itself is difficult, let alone making decisions, then the research must be quite valid.

Take an example from my friend, at his previous company.

One of his best technicians was fixing a pump when a female employee with sizeable yet well-proportioned boobs (that's how he explained to me) passed by. Without realizing it, the technician let his fingers cut (but did not require amputation) in the pump. Recordable accident.

In manufacturing environment (in any environment, in fact) it's a big deal. But you know what the technician said?

"It's OK. It's worth it."

Blogging addiction

2008-07-12T19:12:00.004+08:00

Rima lists "20 signs you're a blog addict". From the comments, most, if not all, plead guilty of being addicts.

How bad blogging addiction can be?

None reported so far. But how about this: "At least two cases of phone addiction have been reported in Britain where young people who were obsessed with their phones and became depressed when the number of incoming calls or messages dropped."

Not too far off, perhaps?

If mobile phone addiction can be a good indication, you (we?) may end up in a mental health clinic. Just like these two Spanish kids who were treated in mental clinic.

Two children are learning to live without their mobile phones after becoming so badly addicted to the technology they were admitted to a mental health clinic.

The children, aged 12 and 13, were treated for mobile phone addiction

They were brought in after spending an average of six hours a day on their phones, talking, texting or playing games.

Their parents became concerned that the children, aged 12 and 13, were unable to carry out normal activities without their handsets. They were failing at school and deceiving relatives in an attempt to obtain more money for phone cards.

However, it may take a year to wean them off the "drug", said Dr Maite Utges, director of the Child and Youth Mental Health Centre in Lleida, north-east Spain, where they have been treated for the past three months.

"It is the first time we have used a specific treatment to cure a dependence on the mobile phone," she said.

"They both showed disturbed behaviour and this exhibited itself in failure at school. They both had serious difficulties leading normal lives."

Both children had had their own phones for 18 months and were not controlled by their parents.

"One paid for their phone by getting money from the grandmother and other family members, without explaining what they were going to do with it," said Dr Utges.

At least two cases of phone addiction have been reported in Britain where young people who were obsessed with their phones and became depressed when the number of incoming calls or messages dropped.

Prospectus - friends with benefits

2008-07-10T20:42:00.002+08:00

In case you haven't heard, the term friends with benefits refers to two individuals (friends, as the term implies) who mutually and regularly engage in sexual activity without any aspirations of anything more than just sex. How does it compare to the traditional relationship? The prospectus below provides the answer. :)

(Found this on Yes, I Can't See You)

Roadblocks - preventing crimes or causing traffic jam?

2008-07-08T23:09:00.000+08:00

Today's massive traffic jam / flood was pretty bad and pissed off many of my colleagues. It reminded me how annoyed I was with traffic jam resulted from roadblocks.

"Roadblocks part of regular crime prevention" - title of the article below.

clipped from thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Police say the roadblocks around Kuala Lumpur and here on Saturday were part of the normal crime prevention measures.

Several readers had called The Star office in Petaling Jaya on Saturday expressing concern that several roadblocks had been set up around Kuala Lumpur and here, causing traffic jams. Some even questioned whether the roadblocks were in any way related to Sunday's rally organised by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) at Stadium Kelana Jaya here.

I fully agree with the idea of having sensible roadblocks. Like the ones for speeding (which I got caught), the ones for drunk-driving (I assume so if it's done past midnight), or the ones for some unknown reasons - most likely to catch criminals or something.

But I think it's a little too many roadblocks in Malaysia. I doubt the effectiveness to prevent crime (how would it prevent crime from happening?), but for sure they cause traffic jam. Even the Deputy Tourism Minister complained about having it (done just outside KLIA).

On this particular roadblock in KLIA, I experienced it once or twice. Why did it have to be just outside the airport? What were they looking for?

Perhaps positively responding to the Minister appeal, the roadblock was once done on the highway between the airport and KL, causing at least 30-minute jam on the highway. Yeah, I was there as well... *sigh*

Drama nation

2008-07-06T00:38:00.003+08:00

I don't follow politics - well, except the big events like elections. I'm a skeptic when it comes to politicians (or politician wannabes).

I also don't read newspaper regularly. We don't subscribe to any local paper, but every other week we always get the free Star everyday - because our maid is nice enough to pick up the free paper every time she takes Anya out to wait for her carpool.

Last week Anya was carpooling so we get to read local newspaper everyday. That's when I've really had enough about drama with Malaysian political leaders.

The news are full with crappy drama from the political leaders. Either it's about sodomy, or unresolved murder of a Mongolian model, or racist comment, or missing private investigator (after providing a report, of course), or other things that are shameful enough to occupy first page news for days.

Or maybe they should be on the first page. Because these news involve the number one and the number two, as well as the former number one and the former number two...

On In Bruges, Tarantino's movies, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and Tera Patrick

2008-07-05T17:12:00.003+08:00

I watched In Bruges last week, and enjoyed it. It is said to be a good dark comedy movie - whatever it means - receiving 79% positive reviews in Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie reminds me of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction or True Romance. In comparison, In Bruges uses the word "fuck" (and its derivatives) 126 times (resulting 1.18 "fucks" per minute). That's still better compared to True Romance's 1.86 and Pulp Fiction's 1.58.

I like most of the movies written or directed by Quentin Tarantino. They're quite unusual. I also enjoy other unusual movies like Blair Witch Project, Memento, or Twelve Monkeys (I adore Madeline Stowe, after Winona Ryder). Don't get me wrong, I also like masterpieces like Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers. (oh, I, too, like Tom Hanks.)

Speaking about Tarantino, he is rumored to want to remake Russ Meyers’ 1965 exploitation flick Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Among the stars include Britney Spears, Eva Mendes, and Kim Kardashian. Well, only Eva Mendes has a proven acting experience, but who cares. Throw in Paris Hilton to make it more interesting! I'm sure Tarantino will make something out of them.

Further rumor, however, says that Tarantino wants Tera Patrick in the movie as well. Yes, Tera Patrick the porn star. (doesn't sound too familiar to me though - I know only Asia Carrera, and found out that she has a blog!) Tera was delighted and said: "It would be the hottest remake ever, and I'm honored to be considered."

My opinion remains the same. Tarantino will handle it nicely. Perhaps a role like what Brad Pitt did in True Romance - a cheerful stoner.

25 years too old

2008-06-28T14:17:00.002+08:00

The Egyptians have a law that limits the age gap between spouses to 25 years.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

The Egyptian authorities have banned a 92-year-old man from marrying a 17-year-old girl, the Egyptian al-Akhbar newspaper has reported.

The ministry of justice invoked a law which says the age gap between spouses should not exceed 25 years.

That means, 17-year old girl can only be married by a man no older than 42 years.

That also means, if Rika Tolentino Kato is an Egyptian, Yusril would've not been allowed to marry her.

The same goes to Woody Allen, Billy Joel, and Rod Stewart.

While Michael Douglas - Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Harrison Ford - Calista Flockhart would be on the border.

However, as in "if there's will, there's a way", there's a catch in this law.

In special cases, the justice ministry does allow foreign men to marry Egyptian women more than 25 years their junior if they deposit a very large sum of money in the name of their wife at the Egyptian National Bank. (Didn't the Indonesian government try to implement something like this before?)

To be fair to the old man, though - if he is 92, he's only allowed to marry a 67-year old. Maybe we should let him make use the money he's earned all his life, lah...

Next generation soccer: topless

2008-06-17T21:46:00.009+08:00

Austria 10 - Germany 5.

Whoa, wait. Didn't Germany beat Austria one-nil?

That's Euro. We're talking about Sexy Soccer, or topless soccer, or whatever you want to call it. It was played on the beach with one football, two goals, and two topless ladies teams.

"The traditional swapping of shirts afterwards was not an option as the six-a-side teams wore nothing but thongs, with the national colours painted on to their bare skin."

Get the idea? Picture to prove?

The players seem to be playing pretty hard...
"We played pretty hard, we even had some injuries, like I for example broke my toe nail," 29-year-old bank employee Doris Fastenmeir told Reuters.

But they're not professional players after all...
"I was supposed to hold the balls but I really have no idea how to do that," said German keeper Jana Bach. "Maybe it is because I am not all that much into soccer. I am more into shoes to be honest."

I'm a big fan of Germany. But after seeing the pictures, I think I'll be just a neutral soccer fan...

This is where all hooligans and bonek united...

Links:
Some nice pictures, also here.
Full report from Reuters.

We love ice cream

2008-06-15T17:38:00.010+08:00

Perhaps it's something that runs in my family. No one so far beats my dad, but certainly he's got a couple of contenders.

An old picture from our vacation in Myrtle Beach.

But what are our favorites? Pretty much any kind of ice cream. For sure, certain brands are better than the others.

Häagen-Dazs is definitely among the best, a truly premium brand with premium taste. Unfortunately, it comes with premium price. So, it's restricted to only premium occasions. Our favorite: its fondue (now) and Mint Chip Dazzler. Oh yeah, high calorie dessert - 1270 calories and 38 grams of saturated fat. But, gosh, it's so good.

I also like Woody ice cream, back way years ago in Indonesia... I think Woody is a local brand, without any permission to use the Woodpecker icon. But for sure, it was among the best back then.

Ben and Jerry's was our favorite when we were in North Carolina. One shop on Chapel Hill's Franklin St. was our favorite during Summer time.

Baskin-Robbins used to be better than they are today, in my opinion. But with 31% off every 31st of the month, it certainly is a good deal, good value for the taste.

There was an ice cream parlor in Blok M (then moved to Pondok Indah), called Rendez-Vous. Again, my parents' favorite. Their sundae is superb!

And of course, soft ice cream -- anywhere, vanilla mixed with chocolate. Dairy Queen, Mc Donald's... My old time favorite is the one in Apotik Melawai on Jalan Melawai.

Yeah, we love ice cream.

In God We Trust -- 4Real!

2008-06-15T11:35:00.000+08:00

Everyone, meet Mr. We Trust, In God We Trust.

Steve Kreuscher from Zion, Illinois, has legally changed his name to "In God We Trust". He says the new name symbolizes the help God gave him during tough times and says he can't wait to begin signing his artwork with the new moniker.

This is the latest from a string of interesting names in the past years. The previous one, I remember 4Real, who was born last year, but finally named Superman. The New Zealand officials ruled against it.

Apparently, before that there have been some interesting names (or name changes), such as Optimus Prime, Jason Megatron Burrows, Metallica Tomaro, Yahoo Serious, Byron Low Tax Looper, Depressed Cupboard Cheesecake, and GoVeg.com.

More about the Transformers guys here.

Some other sites about unusual names: here, here, and here.

On armpit sniffing

2008-06-14T11:49:00.004+08:00

Just as hair pulling is not enough, there is armpit sniffing... oh wait, it's other people's armpits!!

I wonder how he does that... sneaking or by force? Either way it's so weird, that the guy might as well enjoy being caned...

clipped from www.reuters.com

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A Singapore man with a penchant for sniffing women's armpits was sentenced to 14 years in jail and 18 strokes of the cane for molesting his victims, a local newspaper reported Friday.

The 36-year-old, who the Straits Times said was mentally unstable, had previous convictions for drug and sex-related offences.

He molested 23 women over the course of 15 months, smelling their armpits and touching them in lifts, staircase landings and their homes, the paper said. He was caught after a housewife reported him to the police.

Ana Ivanovic and traffic surge

2008-06-08T06:02:00.001+08:00

The page Ana and the queens has suddenly become the number one destination of visit in the past few days. I really admire those people who "finally" got into this blog. They must have gone through hundreds of Google pages before it finally shows up.

Yes, Ana Ivanovic has~~, again, reached the French Open final for the second year in a row - playing today. This time she's the favorite, and, regardless of the result, will be the world's number one by Monday.~~ finally won her first grand slam title, defeating Dinara Safina... with a few screams of "Hadje!"

I also found several good clips of Ana Ivanovic (there are tons of them) - below.

Dreaming of a better world

2008-06-07T12:44:00.003+08:00

Celebrating tennis and Roland Garros.

The crowd loves it... and so do I...

R-rated exhibition

2008-06-05T07:35:00.000+08:00

Or NC-16, if there's such thing. Admission is free. No one under the age 16 is allowed. No short. No slippers. No photography.

Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza

2008-05-31T18:58:00.005+08:00

After sex, that is.

Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza. That's what Dave Zinczenko told Arianna Huffington - which she blogs in "Less Sex, More Fat: Why You Need to Get Some Sleep". She argues against workaholism and sleep loss: less productivity, less job satisfaction, less sex, and more inches around the waist. She ends the post by saying "So do yourself a favor and go to sleep right after sex. Or before sex. Or instead of sex. Just not during sex."

(I, too, question what enough sleep is, support midday nap, want to know the best time to go up, and try to find out how to sleep more to lose weight.)

Anyway, I'm not going to share my sex life. But it's worth it to check out what Melinda Wenner has got to explain, about why guys get sleepy after sex -- as apparently perceived by many ladies.

Towards the end, there's an interesting survey result, that 48% of English men fall asleep during sex...??

Why do guys get sleepy after sex?

(published on Scienceline and She Blinded Me With Science!)
by Melinda Wenner

For many women, the correlation between sex and snoring is one of those annoying facts of life: no matter when passionate encounters occur, men always seem to fall asleep immediately afterwards. Dave Zinczenko, the author of Men, Love and Sex: The Complete User Guide For Women, explained the phenomenon to Huffington Post writer Arianna Huffington this way: “Men go to sleep because women don’t turn into a pizza.”

I doubt I am ever going to become a pizza, and I’ll never have the foresight to order one beforehand. So in lieu of a cure, a better explanation will have to do. Although women sometimes feel sleepy after sex, the phenomenon does seem more pronounced in men. What is it, then, that spirals them into the land of nod?

First, the obvious reasons for sex’s somnolent sway: the act frequently takes place at night, in a bed, and is, after all, physically exhausting (often more so for the man than the woman, although this certainly varies). So when sex is over, it’s natural for a guy to feel sleepy.

Secondly, research using positron emission tomography (PET) scans has shown that in order for a person to reach orgasm, a primary requirement is to let go of “all fear and anxiety.” Doing so also tends to be relaxing and might explain the tendency to snooze.

Then there is the biochemistry of the orgasm itself. Research shows that during ejaculation, men release a cocktail of brain chemicals, including norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide (NO), and the hormone prolactin. The release of prolactin is linked to the feeling of sexual satisfaction, and it also mediates the “recovery time” that men are well aware of—the time a guy must wait before “giving it another go.” Studies have also shown that men deficient in prolactin have faster recovery times.

Prolactin levels are naturally higher during sleep, and animals injected with the chemical become tired immediately. This suggests a strong link between prolactin and sleep, so it’s likely that the hormone’s release during orgasm causes men to feel sleepy.

(Side note: prolactin also explains why men are sleepier after intercourse than after masturbation. For unknown reasons, intercourse orgasms release four times more prolactin than masturbatory orgasms, according to a recent study.)

Oxytocin and vasopressin, two other chemicals released during orgasm, are also associated with sleep. Their release frequently accompanies that of melatonin, the primary hormone that regulates our body clocks. Oxytocin is also thought to reduce stress levels, which again could lead to relaxation and sleepiness.

What about the evolutionary reasons for post-sex sleepiness? This is trickier to explain. Evolutionarily speaking, a man’s primary goal is to produce as many offspring as possible, and sleeping doesn’t exactly help in his quest. But perhaps since he cannot immediately run off with another woman anyway—damn that recovery time!—re-energizing himself via sleep may be the best use of his time.

And although there is conflicting information as to whether women feel sleepy after sex, a woman often falls asleep with the man anyway (or uses it for some key cuddling time), which is good news for him: it means she is not off finding another mate. When the man wakes up and she’s still there, he just might be ready to go again.

It’s also possible that sleepiness is just a “side effect” associated with a more evolutionarily important reason for the release of oxytocin and vasopressin. In addition to being associated with sleep, both chemicals are also intimately involved in what is called “pair bonding,” the social attachment human mates commonly share. The release of these brain chemicals during orgasm heightens feelings of bonding and trust between sexual partners, which may partially explain the link between sex and emotional attachment. This bond is favorable should the couple have a baby, as cooperative child rearing maximizes the young one’s chances for survival.

The bottom line is this: there are many potential biochemical and evolutionary reasons for post-sex sleepiness, some direct and some indirect—but no one has yet pinpointed the exact causes. One thing, however, is certain: we females better get used to it, because it doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon.

I will leave frustrated American women with one final thought: if you are upset at the ubiquity of the post-sex snoring phenomenon, remember that things could be a lot worse. A recent survey of 10,000 English men revealed that 48 percent actually fall asleep during sex.

Talk about coitus interruptus!

I suck at golf

2008-05-31T14:51:00.001+08:00

I played golf this morning.

For someone who got introduced to golf nearly twelve years ago, I really suck at golf -- though I can always argue this morning's was my only fourth game since moving to Malaysia nearly three years ago - and my clubs are over ten years old.

I've tasted 92 strokes, though I scored 110 more often. I've gotten my birdie, only to be overwhelmed by my triple- and quadruple-bogeys.

I will be the big fan of this website (unfortunately not up today - but check out the About). All and all, I might be an average golfer!

2:05 hours (92%) remaining

2008-05-25T15:50:00.001+08:00

I've already complained about the performance of my laptop battery. Last year, it was 45 minutes after being fully charged. It had become only 20 minutes in the past few months and made me too busy looking for electrical plug while traveling.

I got it replaced, finally, yesterday. It is 2:05 hours for 92% remaining, as compared 0:18 hours for 100% remaining previously.

Now, I am looking into how to better maintain the battery performance. Especially with the dock I am using at work. The Battery University, again, is helpful with some general information about battery charging. They're so good; they analogize battery to human: "Batteries behave like humans; some live to a great old age, others die early."

Here are some Q&A to maximize battery performance from cradle to grave from the Battery University for Lithium-ion batteries.

How should I prepare my new battery?
Li-ion comes partially charged. You can use the battery right away and charge it when needed.

Can I damage my battery if incorrectly prepared?
No; Li-ion is forgiving to partial and full charge. No priming is needed when new.

Should I use up all battery energy before charging?
No, it is better to recharge more often; avoid frequent full discharges.
Yes, on batteries with a fuel gauge, allow a full discharge once a month to enable reset.

Should I charge my battery partially or fully?
Does not matter. Charging in stages is acceptable. Full charge termination occurs by reading the voltage level and charge current. Charging a full battery is safe and does not cause harm.

- Should I remove the battery from the charger when full?
- Should I remove the AC when my laptop is not in use?
It does not matter. The charger automatically cuts the charge current when the battery is full. A laptop may be connected to the AC when not in use.

Should the battery be kept charged when not in use?
Best to store at 40% charge or 3.75-3.80V/cell open terminal. Cool storage is more important than state-of-charge. Do not fully deplete battery because Li-ion may turn off its protection circuit.

What should I know about chargers?
Charger should apply full charge. Avoid economy chargers that advertise one-hours charge. Fastest full-charge time: 2-3 hours.

Sex education: solution or problem?

2008-05-24T07:12:00.008+08:00

Malaysia is considering sex education in the National Service - I heard this on the radio a couple weeks ago.

clipped from www.cbsnews.com

AP) Malaysia's government is worried that high school graduates may not know enough about sex.

Authorities in the conservative, Muslim-majority nation are considering teaching sex education to teenagers when they undergo national service after leaving school, Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil, director general of the National Service Department, said Wednesday.

High school graduates may not know enough about sex? Never underestimate teenagers!

The question is "what is sex education?" What is the curriculum? Will knowing more about sex drive up or down the sex activities among teenagers?

I found another article from John J. Macionis interesting.

Most schools today have sex education programs that teach the basics of sexuality. Instructors explain to young people how their bodies grow and change, how reproduction occurs, and how to avoid pregnancy by using birth control or abstaining from sex.

Half of U.S. teenage boys report having sex by the time they reach sixteen, and half of girls report doing so by seventeen. These numbers are much the same in most high-income nations; what accounts for the higher U.S. teen pregnancy rate is less use of contraceptives. "Sex ed" program, then seem to make sense. But critics point out that as the number of sex education programs has expanded, the level of teenage sexual activity has actually gone up. This trend seems to suggest that sex education may not be discouraging sex among youngsters and, maybe, that learning more about sex encourages young people to become sexually active sooner. Critics also say that it is parents who should be instructing their children about sex, since, unlike teachers, parents can also teach their beliefs about what is right and wrong.

But supporters of sex education counter that research does not support the conclusion that sex education makes young people more sexually active. More generally, they argue that it is the larger culture - one that celebrates sexuality - that encourages children to become sexually active. If this is the case, the sensible strategy is to ensure that they understand what they are doing and take reasonable precautions to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Be careful of what you say

2008-04-26T07:33:00.007+08:00

At work, we have several required courses that everyone needs to be re-certified every two or three years. One of them is Careful Communication.

It's kind of reminding us on the right use of emails and verbal communication that may result in legal charges. For example, comments or jokes that may be interpreted as racial or sexual harassment.

We should apply it at home as well.

A few weeks ago, I carelessly made a comment about myself: "I think my tummy is getting rounder."

One event led to another. Now I am (was - as of this moment) on 'forced' phase I South Beach diet - at least when I'm home. ;) No carbohydrate is allowed... ouch!

So guys, be careful of what you say.

(on a different note, this probably is the right time to do so - with the price and supply of rice go bananas...)

The twenty-first-century campus: where are the men?

2008-04-19T22:02:00.003+08:00

I want to hire five management trainees. Through our HR partner, we received 180 resumes, out of which 35 were shortlisted as potential interviewees.

When I went through these resumes, one "unbalance" was apparent: the proportion of female candidates is higher than male candidates.

I may be old-fashioned, though, for having this kind of thought - especially when we focused on getting engineering-background management trainees. My biased reference is the three females we had out of 130+ students in my Mechanical Engineering class (but that was in the twentieth century, quite some time ago!) :)

This is, however, pretty much similar to an article I read in a Sociology textbook by John J. Macionis about the decreasing number of male students in the U.S. universities (or the rise of the number of female students?) In 2000, men accounted for 44% of college students in the U.S.

Some of his interesting discussions:

Out of class, many women soon complained that having so few men on campus hurt their social life; not surprisingly, most of the men felt otherwise about their own social life. (yeah, right... you go boys!)

Some suggest that young men are drawn away from college by the lure of jobs, especially in high technology, a pattern sometimes termed "Bill Gates syndrome".

Anti-intellectual male culture. While young women are drawn to learning and seek to do well in school, young men are more likely to see studying negatively and to dismiss schoolwork as "something for girls".

Or yet a more simple, possible explanation: the male students aren't smart, or impressive, enough to make the shortlist.

Fitna from our perspective

2008-04-16T06:44:00.003+08:00

To go with the flow, I think it doesn't hurt to write some shallow observations about Fitna - the movie. I am not interested in watching this BS, nor do I have empathy for any side. People do BS everyday.

I do, however, observe that the Indonesian government is not that much smarter than the Malaysian government on internet. Or perhaps that the Malaysian government is not as dumb as some bloggers thought, especially after this Indonesian Minister of Information's blunder.

Fitna does have a direct impact to our life - at least that's how Tari and I would like to think so.

Ben's best friend, Sam, has been missing several play-dates. His mother has been, umm, kind of avoiding us.

Based on this limited experience, we concluded that we have been impacted by Fitna. Sam's mom feels unease with us because of that movie, she rather puts a distance. She probably is afraid that we will revenge, somehow, through his boy.

We failed, though, to think what we had done that may cause them avoid us (well, if they do at all - good question to answer). Perhaps it's us, not them.

But hey, there's this guy Wilders to blame on. Everyone else does, so why don't we?

We're just another human being, after all.

On being indecisive

2008-04-12T14:51:00.008+08:00

"Is it better like this?"
"Or like that?"
"A or B?"
"Left or right?"
"How about the last row?"

I did my eye exam this morning.

I think I drove myself and my doctor crazy.

There's not a moment in my life that I was so indecisive as was this morning.
"Can you show A again?"
"Maybe this one... err... I don't know..."
"I'm sorry, but left looks as sharp as right."

Maybe I was trying too hard.

Like one stand-up comedian said - you don't want to get a 'D' on eye exam, and end up with big, thick, coke-bottle of glasses, with a sign 'I didn't take it seriously'.

Intersection

2008-04-10T06:47:00.004+08:00

Which intersection is this?

Nah. It's not Mampang Prapatan :)

We had a trip to Thailand last week - our first time. We went to Bangkok and visited Dudi and Lisa Hermanto in Pattaya. (Don't worry, we don't randomly visit any bloggers - they're our friends back in the U.S.)

Like I've heard from many people, Bangkok is similar to Jakarta in many ways. That is, Jakarta today, not in the past. The most obvious one is traffic. And the number of motorcycles like the ones in the picture above.

The ability (or the lack of) to speak in English is also somewhat similar. People are mostly extremely polite.

The (what seems to be) sex workers are more visible. I guess, well, they generally look prettier and have longer legs. Though I suspect some are transsexual. (I spent three years schooling in Brawijaya area where Baskom - bakso kumis - and transsexuals popped out after dusk)

Yes, traffic. The home-feeling-factor.

We also stopped by at some warungs.

And tried some fried bugs.

Or not... ;)

And enjoyed the sight of the Reclining Buddha

On landing and take off

2008-04-07T19:53:00.004+08:00

I don't fly often, but I can clearly spot a difference between the practice of the airlines (cabin crews) in the U.S. and Malaysia (and other Asian airlines?) towards turning on mobile phones on (after) landing.

In the U.S., as I observed until 3 years ago, pretty much everyone turns on her cell phones once the airplane touches the ground. And the crew seems to be OK with it. Always.

Here (mostly with Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia), they make it clear that passengers cannot turn their phones on until the engine is turned off. I've seen a cute flight attendant rudely reminded a passenger in one of my Air Asia flights. (She could've done it nicer, but it's an attitude problem, I guess.)

We know that mobile phones can cause electromagnetic interference to airplane devices. I copied a quite comprehensive explanations below from Jamie. She also provides the explanation why we are required to raise the shade and put the seat on vertical position - which is a real pain with Air Asia. (I wonder whether some flight attendants can clearly explain the reasons behind these requirements.)

But the question remains: if we use our phones after the airplane touches the ground, what would be the risk? Will the pilot gets lost and not be able to find the terminal?

Well, on a more serious note, we should comply to the regulation. It's always too late to say "I wish I did that" after an accident happens.

Why do you have to turn of all electronics during take off and landing?

People must not be preoccupied during take-off and landing so that in the event of an emergency, they can clearly hear instructions given by the Flight Attendants.

You are asked not to use any electronic devices, although some may be used after cruising altitude has been reached. Cell phones, wireless computer mouses, etc are banned for the duration of the flight. This is because they pose a risk called electromagnetic interference.

Electromagnetic interference is experienced by all of us on a regular basis. An example of this is if you put a cell phone near the computer, you can hear loud static in the computers speakers every time the phone rings, and the screen may start to shake. This technically should never happen, but the wire to each speaker is acting like an antenna, and it picks up side bands in the audible range. This is not a dire problem -- just a nuisance. But notice how common it is. In an airplane, the same phenomena can cause big trouble.

An airplane contains a number of radios for a variety of tasks. There is a radio that the pilots use to talk to ground control and air traffic control (ATC), a radio that the plane uses to disclose its position to ATC computers, there are radar units used for guidance and weather detection, and so on. All of these radios are transmitting and receiving information at specific frequencies. If someone were to turn on a cell phone, the cell phone would transmit with a great deal of power (up to 3 watts for a single phone). If it happens to create interference that overlaps with radio frequencies the plane is using, then messages between people or computers may be garbled. If one of the wires in the plane has damaged shielding, there is some possibility of the wire picking up the phone's signals just like a computers speakers do. That could create faulty messages between pieces of equipment within the plane. Now imagine what would happen if everyone on the plane were to use electronic devices, and you should be able to fully understand the ban on such devices.

Why on planes take offs and landings you must: open the windows and put the seat on vertical position?

You are asked to raise your shade so that in the event of an accident you can see through the window to help you remain oriented (which way is up, etc.). Because of this, it lets you see what hazards there are outside the plane (fires, debris and such), which would be important during an evacuation. It also serves as a way to let light into the cabin and make it easier for rescuers to see inside.

Upon descent (and also if you are taking off at night) they dim the lights to help your eyes adjust to the darkness, so if anything happens and it goes dark, you're not suddenly blinded while dashing for the exits. It makes the emergency path/exit lights more visible, as these might be the only lights you see in an emergency. As with the shades, it allows you to see outside for orientation, because with the cabin lights burning brightly, the glare would make it impossible.

The seats have to be in upright position for safety reasons. In case of an accident:
*it makes it easier for passengers to exit their seats
*passengers must have easy access to emergency exits (something they wouldn't have if seats are reclined)
*it allows passengers to assume the "crash" position if need be
*reclined seat backs could kill or seriously injure the passenger behind if it should come unbolted, or if the passenger behind it is thrown forward.

Everything

2008-04-05T07:42:00.002+08:00

And in this crazy life
And through these crazy times
It's you, it's you
You make me sing
You're every line
You're every word
You're everything

(Michael Bublé)

It's Tari's birthday today - happy birthday, hon!

The Onion: naked woman picture gains popularity on internet

2008-03-30T08:04:00.006+08:00

FYI:
1. This was copied and pasted from last week's article on the Onion
2. There is a real naked picture in the original article - don't click it at work (The Onion is not intended for readers under 18 years of age)
3. Again, this is from the Onion; don't join this group

Naked Woman Picture Gains Popularity On Internet

SAN FRANCISCO—According to leading web experts, a photo of an unidentified naked woman has caused an online sensation after appearing on the Internet sometime last week.

The inexplicably popular photograph, which features the woman exposing both breasts as well as providing an unobstructed view of her vagina, has been visited an estimated 750,000 times since it was first discovered two months ago.

"For some reason, people cannot seem to get enough of the naked woman picture," said Michael Vianna, a web analyst for Comstar Market Research who has been closely following the trend. "Though the image displays no discernible function or real-world application, it continues to enjoy immense popularity with Internet users. It is utterly perplexing."

Vianna, who closely examined the photograph over several days in an attempt to understand its appeal, said that the nude-lady photo falls completely outside typical uses for the Internet, like checking e-mail or accessing helpful information such as tax laws and driving directions. Even more unusual, the photo contains no information regarding the woman's acting or modeling career, her possible relevance to American history, or name.

"This image contains no encrypted data or practical content of any kind," Vianna said. "Even more baffling is that, in terms of web traffic, this seemingly pointless image has vastly surpassed websites as informative and indispensable as WebMD.com and Yahoo! News."

"If only she were wearing a T-shirt with some slogan on it or standing in front of a national monument, perhaps then we could begin to understand this enigmatic image," Vianna continued. "In the end, however, it is simply a picture of an unclothed female approximately 20 to 30 years of age posed with her breasts and vagina clearly visible."

According to Vianna's research, there are no significant patterns relating to the viewing behavior of those accessing the picture except that the majority of the traffic usually comes late at night. And, though web-usage reports indicate that the naked woman picture interests people of all ages, income brackets, and ethnic backgrounds, there is no evidence that the photo has ever been shared with viewers' family members or coworkers, or featured in a CNN.com photojournalism slide show.

"It appears as if every one of yesterday's 27,430 viewers accessed this specific portrait independently of one another, and may even have searched for it intentionally," Vianna said. "What could have driven them all to seek out this particular photo of an anonymous, undressed woman? We may never know."

The unaccountable popularity of outwardly useless Internet content such as the naked woman picture is not unheard of. According to freelance web consultant Joseph Ziarko, these Internet "memes" are difficult to explain, as there are no factors to dictate why something as nonfunctional as a 6 x 9" digital capture of a well-endowed, tan-skinned woman lightly moistened by either sweat or beach water would interest so many people.

"No one really understands why these things catch on," Ziarko said. "Like the Hamster Dance website from a few years back or the recent interest in LOLCats, there is some intangible quality about this photo that thousands of otherwise-normal people find captivating. Maybe the fact that it is in such sharp focus."

Though interest in the photo currently remains high, Ziarko predicted that the Internet-using public will soon tire of the naked woman picture once the web is saturated with images from imitators attempting to duplicate its popularity.

"By next month, the Internet could be home to literally hundreds of pictures of naked women," Ziarko said. "There's simply no way the trend can sustain itself. People will very quickly get bored with the constant barrage of bare breasts and vaginas."

Many experts agree with Ziarko, but others in the field have suggested that the picture could spark a lucrative industry in which images of naked women are licensed to decorate promotional gas-station soda cups.

Animal minds

2008-03-29T07:57:00.004+08:00

I'm a fan of National Geographic magazine, and found the March 2008 issue interesting.

The main articule of this issue is Animal Minds - that animals are smarter than we think. It goes like this on the cover: Animal Minds - Birds, Apes, Dolphins, and a Dog with a World-Class Vocabulary.

It features the following animals:

Uek the crow: solves problems and creates and uses tools

Azy the orangutan: shows cognitive complexity and flexibility rivaling that of chimps; the species maintains cultural traditions in the wild. The article says: "In the wild, orangutans keep innovative cultural traditions: Some groups construct foraging tools for extracting insects from tree holes; others use leaves as rain hats or napkins, wad them up as pillows, or line their hands with them when climbing a spiky tree. And in rare instances orangutans will twist leaves into bundles and cradle them like dolls."

Alex the parrot: counted; knew colors; shapes, and sizes had basic grasp of the abstract concept of zero.

Betsie the (Border Collie) dog: retains an ever growing vocabulary that rivals a toddlers.

JB the octopus: has distinct personality, uses tools, recognizes individuals.

Kanzi the bonobo (ape): acquired language spontaneously; makes tools at level of early humans.

Psychobird the jay: recalls the past, plans for the future.

And, uh, I also learned that the capital of Bhutan is Thimphu.

This week's red

2008-03-24T06:56:00.002+08:00

Yup.

Red is this week.
Dedicated to Mascherano, Bennett, and the little red devil.

On love

2008-03-23T08:25:00.004+08:00

Bumped into this while browsing Yahoo! Most Emailed Photos:

A couple kiss. A new study published in Evolution and Biology reports that people who are in love with their partners are less attracted to other people.

Two things came into mind.

One, it's good to see that people keep challenging the status quo or public predominant beliefs. I am pretty sure that most people would have thought this as 'fact' even before the study was conducted. But these guys go out and challenge (or prove) it. Seriously, I mean it, and I appreciate it.

Two, it proves that my friend, back in high school, was wrong - that love does, indeed, exist in real life. His theory was that love exists only in songs and movies (he was single and, probably, desperate at that time).

On the way...

2008-03-20T12:22:00.001+08:00

"On the way!"

Arguably the number one response given when one is caught being late or about to being late. Whether he is really on the way, or even not yet on the way.

And sometimes it comes with supporting "evidence", like "the traffic is surprisingly bad today!"

From friends going to a gathering, to husband picking up wife. From suppliers delivering "just-in-time" packaging materials, to colleagues coming to a business meeting.

Even recently, delivery from our cafeteria, less than 5 minutes walking, was on the way for 15 minutes (and after the second phone call to check).

I guess it is more OK (or less not-OK) to use excuses or reasons that are a little dramatic for being late. But to give expectation that one will be on time when he knows that he will be late, is pure lying and not acceptable.

Why would not tell the truth?

"Geez, I haven't left home yet. I'm still blogging" (Positively dead husband!)
"Some of our warehouse personnel did not show up at work. Your delivery will be late." (Not a competent supplier)

Because the truth hurts? But it seems to be just a matter of being scolded early or later.

At least, then, we can start a meeting on-time with modified agenda if we know someone is coming late. We can start order the appetizers. And many other good things...

When you grow up

2008-03-16T18:53:00.001+08:00

Most people spend a lot of time to prepare for the future, to anticipate what might happen, and to plan for a better tomorrow.

We review FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis), develop what-if scenarios, and plan our exit strategies.

In personal life, we question: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We ask the question until even we are a grown up. We keep asking it, set a new goal, and work towards it.

But, what if, by as young as five years old, we know what we will be when we grow up?

Or at least we know whether we will be a criminal.

"Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain's most senior police forensics expert." - an article from Guardian News.

Doesn't it suck to know that you will grow up to be a criminal? I think this can even increase the number of criminals. If I am told that I will become a criminal. I will damn sure make myself a good one.

It's like doing self assessment for strengths or talents. Instead of "you are good at dealing with numbers", you get "you are good at stealing others' properties."

Ouch.

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it," said Alan Kay (I thought it was Fox Mulder saying it)

Imagine if we go ahead with this DNA database, it will only time until we try to invent the future - creating the people. Making all today's movies into reality.

Speedtrapping

2008-03-15T20:49:00.001+08:00

Last week I got pulled over on a police roadblock for speeding on a 80 km/h highway.

I think I drove at a little over 90 km/h. The second time in about six months at exactly the same place - just in front of the National Science Center in Mont Kiara / Damansara Heights area. I don't learn, I guess. But I have my reasons to rant about it.

First, it's a pretty straight three-lane highway with medium or low average traffic density. The limit should be at least 90 km/h. Nah. I'll never win with such argument.

Second, the traffic police should focus on other more important or critical violations (well, from my perspective). Like the Mat Rempit (illegal street racers) on the Penchala Link. It's extremely dangerous to other drivers, and is very noisy! Or double parking at Desa Sri Hartamas - just around the corner. (the double parking is horrendous - I'll try to take a picture of it)

Third, it was at 12:30 AM. I was on my way home from work. They didn't even check for DUI. They should focus on other more important or critical violations... oh, I've said it up there.

Most important of all, the only evidence the cop had was a piece of paper with handwritten notes of license plate number and the "speed". Mine was written 93. I didn't challenge, because I knew I was at fault, it was late, and I didn't know how Malaysian cops would react if challenged. I told him to write the ticket and not to bother to ask anything.

Handwritten note... it's a bit fishy, isn't it?

The previous pulling over was similar, though I asked the police how they knew how fast I was driving. He said they had camera.

I know there's no permanent traffic camera; I drive on the highway twice a day.

A non-permanent camera? Like what a friend said, that she saw someone squatting with camera on the road side. If so, how would the cameraman (radar-man), or the assistant, communicate the "catch" to the police? Handphone or walkie-talkie, I guess.

This also means that the distance has to be quite far between the radar and the roadblock. And also means the police don't really have any hard evidence (except the handwriting) at the time of pulling over.

So, I'd like to know two things.

One, what would happen if I insist that I don't drive over the speed limit.

Two, if there is, indeed a camera or radar that captures the speed and license plate, why would the police need a roadblock? Can't they just send the speeding ticket directly? (they did to me sometime ago, on the same highway but opposite direction.)

Or perhaps that way they can ask for bribes - like what they did on my first pulling over?

The day after election

2008-03-09T14:27:00.005+08:00

It's the day after the general election. The day we were advised not to go out due to many rumors of post election "activities".

The incumbent, Barisan Nasional (BN) or National Front, is losing their 2/3 parliament majority they have had since 1974. It also looks as their popular vote will hit the rock bottom at low 50's. The last time this happened was in 1969, followed by some riots.

I start to think that I got a well-thought advice.

The oppositions - DAP (Democratic Action Party), PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia), and PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) - won in five states, as compared to only one state in the last election.

(... I don't know why I put the parties' logos here...)

Déjà vu

2008-02-23T11:50:00.002+08:00

Since the first day of our arrival in Kuala Lumpur, about two-and-a-half years ago, both Tari and I share one (of our many) impressions of KL. We think that KL today (or at least part of it) is somewhat like Jakarta around the 80's and 90's - with today's technology.

Don't get me wrong - this is mostly positive impression.

When our relocation agent took us to the Central Market, it immediately reminded us to Blok M, especially the part next to Aldiron Plaza, where Bakmi Boy and shops selling custom plaques, stickers and shirts were located - near the bowling alley. Aldiron Plaza, by the way, rocked. I remember two or three music stores on the ground floor, some video rentals on the top floor, and of course Happy Days. Those were the happy days...
(photo from Yahoo! Travel)

We also think that traffic here is comparable to that of Jakarta in the early 90's - both from the perspectives of traffic jam or congestion, and also from the number of motorcycles. Oh how we thank God for this.

The on-going development, i.e. structural construction, is also similar, in one way or another. There is hardly any places in KL that passes the day without any construction - just like Jakarta during its booming period. Even development of commercial places in residential areas is happening - which I don't think is a good thing.

Nightlife seems to be around the ballpark. I ain't no club hopper - far from it; but even then I can clearly tell the difference from what my friends in Jakarta tell me (yeah, right). You know, it's like the era of Musro, Ori, Ebony, or Parrots in Jakarta. Or when Kemang was still under control. Or Studio East in Bandung. Ouch!

The recent arrest of HINDRAF's members was also quite identical to how freedom of speech was in Indonesia in the 80's. Even Taiping prison seems to serve the same function as Nusa Kambangan prison (well, they are both prisons).

I believe there are more that, being insensitive and ignorant, I overlooked. But my take is, if history is to repeat itself, these two neighboring countries have to learn from each other.

Malaysia can learn to not repeat the mistakes that Indonesia made - whatever they were. For Indonesia, having long term plan and vision (and execute them with less deviation) is probably one of the things to copy from Malaysia.

... and the lions were beaten...

2008-02-22T19:14:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday our condo had a Lion Dance performance, celebrating the Chinese New Year. This, at least, was the second year we had such performance, and it seemed that everyone - the spectators - was more prepared and skillful.

Part of the performance was the lions giving out oranges. Last year Anya and Ben were overwhelmed with the oranges they got; this year they brought big shopping bags.

Others decided to take faith into their own hands. They decided to claim their oranges rather than waiting for them. Poor lions. It was all chaos.

The performance was stunning, though.

Joining the Indonesia Global Network

2008-02-10T00:27:00.000+08:00

The link to join the LinkedIn group should be:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/48376/79692A0FE65F

68 members in LinkedIn, covering all "regions", except Africa and South America (the closest is Mexico).

Busy

2008-02-09T23:43:00.000+08:00

Been busy like bees - mostly over the weekends, with works, guests, and trips. I went to Genting, (yup, again) with guests, spent a weekend observing my team going through a teambuilding activity, interviewed an MBA applicant (and completed the evaluation), and went to Singapore for the Police concert (they rocked!). My parents are visiting at the moment.

Here's Tari's hand during the concert (and some other pictures below):

And other things that occupies and just can't get out of my mind. I hope to settle many things in the next few weeks.

I've missed reading blogs for weeks now, but created a lot of drafts. Yeah, those unfinished, useless drafts that sometimes I didn't even remember what I was trying to say. Not that I have much to say -- Tari can attest to that.

Some photos I took in the concert.

Indonesia Global Network

2008-01-23T11:46:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine - and I am helping him - initiated a LinkedIn networking group called Indonesia Global Network. We also created a mailing list in Yahoo! with the same name.

The idea is to connect fellow Indonesians who are currently living abroad. We hope the members will help each other in their professional and personal life by exchanging information, expertise, experience, and favors.

I've invited some fellow bloggers to this group, and please feel free to join if you haven't. The group is currently limited only to those who are living abroad at this moment. We try not to overwhelm ourselves and grow out of control. There are definitely ups and downs of this, and I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Here are the links:
Network group in LinkedIn
Mailing list on Yahoo!

Dear Members,

Thank you for joining the Indonesia Global Network (IGN), and welcome to the group. You are now connected with other Indonesian Professionals with similar background and situation.

The idea of initiating this group is for members to help each other in their professional and personal life by exchanging information, expertise, experience, and favors. This mailing list is a medium for collective communication among members, in either English or Indonesian. Please feel free to invite your qualified connections to join this group.

We would appreciate if you could share the following information to the group:
- How long you have been away from Indonesia.
- What you like most from the place you are currently living.
- Your expectations from this group and suggestions to get there.

Please take the advantage of LinkedIn IGN group network to view other members' rich professional profiles, through the link below. You may contact these individuals directly to discuss your specific interest.

http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&sortCriteria=3&groupFilter=48376

In posting and sending messages to all group members, please observe the following common etiquettes:
- No spam, MLM, commercial advertisement, or things alike. Senders will be banned immediately without notice.
- Set this mailing list as exception in the auto-reply features (such as out-of-office auto reply).
- Keep email subject relevant to the content.
- Respect others' opinions; do not insult others when in disagreement.
- No attachment. Please files send to Admins to upload and member to view/ download at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndonesiaGlobalNetwork/files/

Best,
Admins

2007 by numbers

2008-01-05T09:17:00.000+08:00

I like numbers. They're exact. They're not wishy-washy. They're not dependent on how one sees it.

Here's my 2007 by numbers, subject to memory bias.

1 - the sight of the Petronas Twin Towers from mi casa. Down from 2.

8624, approximately - number of visits to this blog. I'm sure the majority was my own visits. Up from, I believe, below 100.

7 - the highest number of guests staying over in a night. Up from 5.

143 - size of the group I'm leading. Up from 8.

17 - return air trips to Jakarta in 2007 for the whole family. Up from 10.

1 - number of cigars smoked. Stay at 1.

And here are two views of the towers from the balcony...

February 2007

January 2008

Happy new year

2008-01-04T20:27:00.000+08:00

Happy new year, everyone!

For the third time in a row, we spent the new year's eve in KL. This time, though, it wasn't in an apartment.

We celebrated the new year countdown at SouledOut, with its SoulStock theme night. We got companies too! Thirteen guests were joining us -- seven stayed in our place. Full house!

Good coffee

2007-12-30T21:32:00.000+08:00

Since Rizal of Café Salemba wrote today about good coffee (with economics spin), I feel obligated to share my happiness to finally find the good coffee I like - Taster's Choice from Nescafé. This is one of those things I haven't been able to find since we moved to KL.

Last week when I went to Singapore and had the time to do things I usually don't when I have to go there, Tari and I went to Mustafa Shopping Center. We spent some quality time until 2 AM at Mustafa (kids are with their cousins and grandma). I went home with my Taster's Choice. She got her iPod Nano. We were both happy.

Yeah, I'm not that sophisticated.

At-the-moment-addiction: Scrabulous

2007-12-25T20:51:00.000+08:00

Yup, I have some free time towards the year-end. And I use some of them to play Scrabulous - kind of online Scrabble - on Facebook.

What's good about playing online is that all players need not be online at the same time. You can check how the game progress at any time. Which is also not a so-good thing if you're playing with someone who travels a lot. (this can be mitigated by playing more than one game at a time)

Since we can try words, it's amazing to find out a lot of new "words" out there. Like my friend's favorite, ZA, which doesn't appear in Merriam-Webster dictionary. (it may be defined as South Africa's country code, .za, or a short version of pizza)

Or XU, which means "a coin formerly minted by South Vietnam equivalent to the cent".

Currently, the highest-scoring word listed in the global statistics page on Scrabulous is worth 1,778 points - "OXYPHENBUTAZONE". (as a comparison, my highest scoring game was 305 points.)

Cool, eh?

There are many websites that assist players to find such words, like Scrabulous Dictionary, Scrabble cheat-o-matic, More Words, or WordNavigator. Some consider this as cheating.

Scrabulous was founded two years ago in India, and debuted in Facebook last July. Players can play either on Scrabulous website or on Facebook. While we can play against any friends in Facebook, we can play against anyone on Scrabulous website.

It even sells merchandises online. Like this thong.

Perhaps for some fanatics...

Studying aboard

2007-12-20T10:55:00.000+08:00

Ever thought of furthering your education? Forget about the conventional MBA or Ph.D. Try studying aboard (yes aboard, not a typo of abroad) with the Scholar Ship.

What is The Scholar Ship?
The Scholar Ship is a recognized academic program aboard a transformed passenger ship hosting both undergraduate and postgraduate students on semester-long voyages around the world. Participants from diverse cultural backgrounds come together to co-create a transnational learning community that develops their intercultural competence and fosters lifelong friendships.

It offers both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, in areas like International Communication, International Relations, and some more.

What I can't get out of my mind, however, is the fact that there are many ways of communications. Like verbal and non-verbal. And in one semester, students have more than enough time to practice both... and any relations that come with it.

There are tons of examples - and theories, I believe - that prove being together for a period of time may spark something among the participants.

My wife and I, for instance, sort of met in a summer stay program. Or Rob and Amber, from the TV show Survivor, who got married a couple years ago. And all the flings and affairs that happen at work, in business trips, during study exchange programs, and in other "opportunities".

Knowing that these will happen, the program should consider expanding its core and elective courses beyond international communications and relations. Students will surely have a lot from the semester-long practice to analyze during case study discussion.

Two that top my mind are:

Social psychology, with Interpersonal Relation as the core subject.
Biology, with concentration in human anatomy.

Submit your application here.

On tex mex food in KL

2007-12-16T16:56:00.000+08:00

Finally after more than two years in KL, we found a decent Tex-Mex food at Las Carretas in Damansara. It's been two Sundays in a row, and we've tried quite a few - Chimichanga, Quesadillas, Fajitas, and Nachos. And so far two Margaritas and a Boca Chica on the house. Good service.

Prior to this, it's been limited to Fajitas and Nachos from places like TGI Friday and Chilli's.

I'm not a big fan of Tex-Mex food, but it's one that I can easily take. Tortilla + salsa, I'm happy. Cheese nachos - great! (now I remember where all these fats came from).

Next - Taco, Enchiladas, and Burrito.

Yumm...

LCCT, low cost redefined

2007-12-15T20:30:00.000+08:00

Some companies really take low cost to the limit. In this case, it's KLIA's LCCT - Low Cost Carrier Terminal.

I wonder why an airport was so overcrowded, chaotic and messy at 5 AM. So bus-terminal-like.

Perhaps there's really a bus terminal somewhere at the back.

After all, the name is Low Cost Carrier Terminal, not Low Cost Air Carrier Terminal. So we should expect any types of carrier at the end of the gates. Bus, cabs, or even becak. And the services that come with it...

And here's how the cost structure is probably like with regards to LCCT and Air Asia:

Standard air fare price

- decent customer service
- knowledgeable airport personnel
+ (more) inefficient passenger flow
- lots of luggage-scanning equipment
+ four times the queue length
- jet bridge
+ umbrellas when it rains

= LCCT air fare

- 10kg baggage
- in-flight food and drinks
- 10cm of leg room

= Air Asia fare

The adorable Sampras

2007-11-25T17:51:00.000+08:00

Going to two tennis matches of world's first and second never crossed my mind. It happened last week, with two exhibition matches between Rafael Nadal (2) vs. Richard Gasquet (8) and Roger Federer (1) vs. Pete Sampras (former number 1).

Everything was business as usual, i.e. both Federer and Nadal defeated their opponents. But Sampras stood up among the other players as the most entertaining and spectator-friendly. You go, Pete!

Dear penis

2007-11-24T16:32:00.002+08:00

The older a man is, the further the relationship with his penis...? *LOL*

Making friends with Air Asia

2007-11-18T08:41:00.000+08:00

I had my first experience with Air Asia, finally, last weekend. Equipped with all sort of information about flying with Air Asia - good and bad, there I was, checking in at the Low-Cost-Carrier Terminal (LCCT).

(This blog shares (bad) experience flying with Air Asia.)

Interestingly, I went through several scenes that, like it or not, provided the occasions to interact with other passengers.

While I knew that the baggage limit is lower than other airlines (both for checked-in as well as carry-on baggage), I didn't know that some people with overweight baggage would approach passengers with lightweight baggage for 'help'. Two students in front of me were ones of the victims - they ended up carrying one of their bags as a lady insisted their help.

I, too, was approached. Not sure what my position at that time, I asked questions like show me your boarding pass, what do you do, etc., before finally let him 'use' my excess capacity.

Well, not knowing this person and what is in his luggage, I felt it was necessary to stay close to him.

Only to find out that he works in a multi-marketing company.

Shoot!

Luckily, he was not the sales person or the marketer, but rather in the setting up the business structure. Phew...

The other occasion was the boarding process, which was worse than I expected. A total chaos. No line to queue, which is even worse than queuing in Genting. And I hate having my body constantly touched or pushed.

And then the race to the airplane. This is where passengers with children are handicapped.

Finally, the seating process. People can get pretty rude in this process - I saw someone who practically indicated something like "I don't want you to sit next to me, look somewhere else." Rude and unacceptable.

Everyone tries to maximize his position. Hoping to sit next to an empty seat.

This is the same challenge, actually, across all airlines that don't assign seat numbers. The difference is the passengers (that people want to avoid sitting next to). In the U.S., for example, there are more oversize passengers. In Asia, or my experience flying between Malaysia and Indonesia, there are more passengers with strong body odor. Yeah, smell bad.

A friend of mine who frequently travels with Southwest Airlines, one pioneer of low-budget airlines, has a tip on this. When you travel alone and light, and the flight seems to be full, board in the last one-third of the passengers. That way you can pick and choose who you want to sit next to.

As a favor to your neighbor-to-be, make sure you take a shower before going to the airport.

Yes, everyone. Please.

I question the effectiveness of busway

2007-11-13T18:58:00.000+08:00

Having had the chance to observe Jakarta's famous busway, as well as discussed it with some friends, I doubt that busway is, and will be, effective.

There are several premises and assumptions in this thinking (or perhaps others have done similar approach as well). One is that the goal of having a busway system is to reduce traffic congestion on the streets where the system is implemented.

Here traffic congestion is defined as the number of cars per unit length of street with busway. If this number gets smaller with busway implemented, then it's effective. And vice versa.

There's no hidden agenda, politically or economically, in the opinion below, which concludes that installing busway lanes, indeed, increases traffic congestion.

The framework of determining the effectiveness is very much simplified, that is by looking at whether replacing a vehicle lane with a busway lane will actually reduce the overall traffic (on the other vehicle lanes).

Without considering the cost, I'm looking at the balance of demand (number of people to ride busway) and supply capacity (number of people that the busway system can transport) - on a unit of length.

Let's say a vehicle, running at a decent speed on a traffic lane, will consume an average space of 12.5 meters (4.5 meters length + 8 meters distance between front-end and back-end of two cars). That makes 80 vehicles per lane per kilometer.

If we assume 1.25 passengers per vehicle (that is 5 people for every 4 cars), that'll make 100 people transported per lane per kilometer.

The question is whether taking off one lane for busway will positively affect (reduce congestion on) other lanes. In other words, whether at least these 100 people in 80 cars will use busway.

Another assumption here is that there's no costs of switching (whether financially or based on comfort). These passengers will switch to busway (if available) once they feel there are more than 80 cars per lane per kilometer, and so on to keep the system in balance.

To complete the demand side of this equation, it is also assumed that in each bus available, 25% of the passengers are actually coming from those who do not drive. These are the people who has the buying power to switch from other means of mass transportation to busway. These people are assumed to be more experienced in using mass transportation, thus will always get in to the busway ahead of the people who are used to drive or use vehicles. In other words, these people are in higher priority.

Let's also say the average speed of a busway is 30 km/h, of which each bus will take 2 minutes to travel for 1 km. If we assume the time between two buses is 1 minute, there will be two buses at any given time in a kilometer of busway lane.

Another important parameter is maximum capacity of a bus. A friend who's a regular busway rider informed me that a normal capacity is 40 passengers, and 60 passengers in an extremely full situation ("kalau dipaksain"). Let's assume an average of 50 passengers per bus.

This will give us a capacity to transport 100 passengers (50 passengers times 2 buses) every one kilometer per one busway lane.

Since 25% of these 100 passengers, or 25 people, come from other mass transportation, only 75 people truly move from driving a car to riding a busway. These 75 people equal to 60 cars (with 1.25 people per car).

A little summary from the above rough estimate:
- number of cars "displaced" when busway lane is installed: 80 cars/km/lane
- number of "cars" that will switch to riding a bus: 60 cars/km/lane

This means, once a busway lane is installed, the other lanes will be more congested by 20 cars for every kilometer. The more lanes available, the less added congestion will occur. But it will always be more congested. E.g. if there is only one other lane, it will be more congested by 20 cars for every kilometer. If there are 20 other lanes, each lane will be more congested by 1 car for every kilometer.

Therefore, busway is not effective in reducing traffic congestion.

Imagine on Jalan Sudirman, which is about 4km long, the two express lanes (jalur cepat) will have an additional of at least 160 cars - displaced from the new installed busway lane.

With this same logic (and only with this logic), several ways to decrease traffic congestion with busway are:
- Increase the capacity of busway - either by using bigger buses (more than 50 passengers per bus) or by having more frequently buses (less than one minute between buses).
- Prioritize passengers who "give up" driving. (How?)
- Add another vehicle lane for every busway lane installed. (Then we may not need busway.)
- Create busway lanes (or other mass rapid transportations) that do not utilize regular vehicle lanes. Subway? LRT? Hmm...

I'm sure there are lots of loopholes in this exercise, mostly through the simplified assumptions (I may need to do some sensitivity analysis?). But the conclusion probably won't be too far...

Bridge blogging and English for Indonesians

2007-11-10T10:52:00.000+08:00

Four blogs that I regularly read shared their views about bridge blogging last week, a topic started by Unspun's "More Indonesians needed for bridge blogging".

Then Miund expanded on her "On Bridge-Blogging". About how (some) Indonesians perceive English blogs as ‘hard to read’ or ‘pretentious’.

And that perception is really a problem.

I once was asked by an Indonesian colleague: "Is it our ability to speak in English that limit our opportunities to pursue career overseas?"

He was referring to the small number of Indonesians currently holding a regional position - relative to that from other neighboring countries.

"No," I said. "It's more on our networking abilities."

I partially lied.

I believe it is, directly or indirectly, the ability to speak in English. Networking will bring in the opportunities, while the English part will help land the job. Both help go up the corporate ladder.

Directly, through communication skills. Ability to clearly communicate ideas, provide directions, and so on. Broken English will do to a certain level. At the end, the higher the position, the more frequent upward presentations one needs to do. And that's where things get a bit tricky.

Indirectly, through self-confidence. I tend to think that people perform better, verbal-communication-wise, when they're talking to non-native English speakers, or people whose English they perceived to be at most on par with theirs. It's a bit difficult when the counterpart speaks more fluently, or is a native English speaker. I don't know - it works somewhat that way with me.

Drawing from the same logic, if I don't speak as well as I do now, there would be relatively more people with better English, and the more often do I have not-as-great self-confidence while speaking. This is perhaps what's happening to some fellow Indonesians.

This perception can put self-roadblocks to learning and practicing English (or other languages for that matter). And it's kind of a downward spiral if other people keep improving their English while we don't even want to start.

Part of the roadblock could be the fear of something new, or of making mistakes.

But hell, who cares? We can always improve if we really want to. We are always in a learning process anyway.

Wouldn't it be nice if majority of Indonesians can understand some basic, essential English words? Perhaps at least numbers and some basic trading words to allow them to do transactions with English-speaking tourists?

Or the ability to put compelling business arguments and analysis? Or at the least, to give a better first impression. Because the chances are that we do have strong technical skills and work ethics.

All it takes to start is the shift of that perception or mindset, lots of practice, and the willingness to take feedback openly and positively. (and a supportive environment too.)

As for bridge-blogging? It's a medium. A place to make mistakes and to improve.

Is flashlight a toy?

2007-11-03T08:54:00.000+08:00

A typical scene at home.

*#^$%#$(*& !!!!

"Whoa, whoa. What's happening?"
Anya: "Ben doesn't let me borrow his flashlight!"
"Why, Ben?"
Ben: "Because it's not a toy..."
Anya: "It IS a toy!"
Ben: "It's not!"
Anya: "It IS!"
Ben: "NO!"

"Stop it, stop it."
"Why do you think it's not a toy?"

Ben: "Because... because we use flashlight when it's dark!"
Anya: "No..."
"Wait. Let him finish."
Ben: "So we have to keep it."
"And why do you think it's a toy?"
Anya: "Because it's a Buzz Lightyear flashlight! Buzz Lightyear is a toy!"
Ben: "But it's a flashlight! You said we shouldn't play with flashlight!"

(Oh, now it's me)

"OK. Let's not play with my flashlight, because we need to know exactly where we keep it. When it's dark, it'll be very difficult to find a flashlight if it can be anywhere, won't it?"
"But since this is a toy flashlight, you can play with it."

Both: "Yipiiii...!"
Anya: "Give me."
Ben: "My turn first!"
Anya: "But you've played with it already!"
Ben: "This is my toy. My turn first!"

... I think I found the reason why men play golf the whole day...

Terokai and menerokai

2007-11-01T21:50:00.000+08:00

Me (sms): dude, what are the meanings of 'terokai' and 'menerokai'?

(15 minutes later)
Dude: explore & exploring.

Me: but X said they're develop and development. (I also sms-ed X.)

Dude: just because X is a Malay doesn't mean he can translate well. Develop and development are kembang and perkembangan.

Me: oh... so terokai is not 'the most OK' and menerokai is not 'making it the most OK'?

Dude (call): what are you doing??!!

Yes, I'm still working on some Bahasa Malaysia words. Being an Indonesian, of course, helps, but there are words that I just have no idea what the meanings are.

Some words are similar to Indonesian words, but with different meanings. Like "bisa" (can, venom) or "jemput" (pick-up, invite).

Other words are "English-based". Like "kolej" (college), "imigresen" (immigration), or "kek" (cake).

So I guess I have a good basis to guess "terokai" as ter-okai -- ter-OK -- 'the most OK'...

There are some more (from Macvaysia): amaun (amount), akaun (account), bajet (budget), bas (bus), bank, beg (bag), buli (bully), cek (cheque), diskaun (discount), draf (as in bank draft), edisi (edition), fail (file), fesyen (fashion), hospital, hotel, imigresen (immigration), kad (card), komuter (commuter), komputer, kompaun (compound, in the sense of a fine or levy), kredit, motosikal (motorcycle), motivasi (motivation), pakej (package), preskripsi (prescription), projek (project), rekreasi (recreation), resit (receipt), sains (science), seks (sex), seksyen (section), sesi (session, as in a university year), skim (scheme), sup (soup), tayar (tire), treler (trailer), tren (train), universiti, wad (ward, as in hospital ward)

Maybank and customer service

2007-10-25T21:35:00.000+08:00

I've never had a good experience since banking with Maybank two years ago. Some were OK perhaps, but definitely nothing good. Not the ever-under-maintenance ATM. Not the teller. Not even account opening.

Last year's credit card renewal was horrible. From a phone number that was never picked up, to repeated visits to pick up my card.

They required a number of ridiculous documents. And they put the most unfriendly and incompetent people to talk to customers.

But I received a surprise today. Maybank sent a credit card renewal notification - that my new credit card is ready for collection. Just like that. That's way beyond expectation! (Though I still yet need to prove it)

Maybe because this time is my second renewal. Or perhaps they don't want to let those unfriendly and incompetent people to deal with customers.

Whatever, one thing for sure they've set my expectation so low, that even this makes me happy.

Maybe they've hired a consultant who taught them a (marketing?) theory that suggests that a customer's satisfaction with a service is a function of his expectation. If you can't improve the service, just lower the expectation, huh?

Anyway, good for Maybank. I hope they will do more improvements.

Another thought about customer service: Jakarta public transportation.

In a way, this is a candidate for the best customer service level. These buses, metro mini, and angkot are willing to stop every 20 meters to pickup the passengers. They will fight with other cars for the convenient of their customers.

But only before you get in.

Once you're in, it's a different story - no more customer service. They keep taking passengers in thinking human are compressible. They will do their best to take you to your destination as soon as possible, how unsafe it could be. They want you to get off while the vehicle is still moving.

It's been a while since I took a Jakarta public transportation. And I look forward to hop in to Busway the next time I'm going back - this weekend :D

A visit to Satria Mandala

2007-10-21T11:35:00.000+08:00

I finally was able to keep my word to Aroengbinang to visit the Satria Mandala museum, during my mudik last week. It's been at least 20 years since the last time I visited, and nothing looks to have changed. Okay, my memory isn't so great, but the Rp. 2500 entrance fee is probably a good indication.

Aroengbinang's post tells all about the museum, so I only put a picture of Anya and Ben excited to see a real tank (though not as cool as the ones in the Transformers).

On the definition of Malay, politically

2007-10-18T21:20:00.000+08:00

M. Veera Pandiyan wrote in the Star last week about the rift between Indonesia and Malaysia on Rasa Sayang. I do think both sides are a bit overreacting and agree with most of what he said.

That aside, though, his explanation of Malay, under Malaysia's constitution, is the one that caught my attention.

clipped from thestar.com.my

But most Indonesians don’t realise that Malays, who make up the majority of Malaysians in the peninsula, are not “Malay” as in the context of people from the Riau province on the eastern side of Sumatra, which include Batam, Bintan and some 3,200 other islands.

Not many also know that under our Constitution, a Malay is a political rather than ethnic definition – a person who practises the customs and culture of the Malays, speaks the language and is a Muslim.

I've been puzzled with the way people here stereotype Malay-like people, really, and these two short paragraphs answer it all. That if someone who looks like a local and is neither a Chinese nor an Indian, he or she must be thought as a Muslim. That's merely my observation.

What would a non-Muslim Malaysian who was born from, say, Javanese parents, be called?

PS. Jennie - in this case, American accent helps too!