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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
This term is not considered to be very popular among teenagers, and most teens claim it is definitely not a very popular phrase. (wikipedia)
Whatever.
But seriously, holy cow! I didn't write (and read) any blogs for the past four weeks. I guess I'm neither a blogoholic nor a blogophile. The truth is, a lot happened and I just naturally decided not to get close to any blog-related activities. It kinda felt good, though :)
Business planning
This was the root cause, definitely. Somehow Asia Pacific region does their business plan just at the start of the 2nd half. Ridiculously way too early. No wonder it has never been accurate. But you know Asians, they like to put a bit too much in their pockets. Anyway, I probably spent too much time given the craps our business partners put in. At the end, though, it seemed to be a big win for Malaysia.
Single life
This has also become a once-a-year routine, during the kids' school holiday in July-August. This year's highlight was sweeping the floor. Having not done it for so long, I found it very difficult to clean just an apartment unit. The area I just swept instantly got dirty again! I felt like Tom, with Jerry kept teasing me... I could've thought about checking the sweeping technique.
24
Finished season 5 and season 6. I feel like I know Jack Bauer inside out.
Negaraku rap
I'm pretty sure tons of blogs out there talked about this short clip by a Malaysian student in Taiwan. I wonder how most Indonesians will react if this was done to Indonesia Raya...
When everybody knows your name
I didn't do much cooking during this period. Two places I visited frequently for the take-away food were Burger King and SOULed OUT - their pizzas are good! Towards the third and fourth visits, the servers and I were like buddies. Well, I doubt they really know my name, but it has reached a different 'level' in my limited social life. To me SOULed OUT is now among places like Prambors Cafe (used to be in Blok M), Champions Cafe (was in Kemang), and O'Hara (this is where RIF used to play) in Bandung. The first two are now history, physically. Not sure about O'Hara...
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
(Cheers)
Business, not results
Spent an evening with a colleague from Thailand and we agreed that the reason we exist in a corporate is to deliver business, not only results...
Fantasy football and Premiere League
New season has started at Yahoo!Fantasy Sports.
IKEA ads
Tidy up! Some hilarious commercials from IKEA.
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani stopped by in KL, the last city in her Sweet Escape Asian tour, despite protests from student groups in Malaysia, claiming that "the concert would clash with local values". What a great performance from Gwen, and totally different audience (much better than the ones at MLTR's concert)! Most importantly, I feel much, much younger... :)
Miund is, and so am I, clearly disappointed with this website, managed by a couple, that generalizes Indonesian women (in villages and small towns) in somewhat not a very nice way. "... treated like prostitutes," Miund strongly says.
Other issues aside, what this couple does is kind of providing a marketplace for retired foreigners looking for good retirement life and Indonesian women, as the website claims, looking to know, or marry, foreign men.
Connecting demand and supply, so to speak.
Here's a thought. With all the loose assumptions and connections, what if the situation is the opposite? Retired women looking for good retirement life - whatever "good" retirement life may be.
Especially now in Hong Kong the majority of millionaires are women.
When Miund brought up Shar-Pei in her comment on circum(de)cision, I didn't know exactly how they look like.
Here are some selective info about Shar-Pei from Dog Breed Info Center. Things that both the owner and master need to know...
Description
- Both heavily wrinkled dogs with large heads and smaller headed dogs with tighter looking skins occur in this breed.
- It has a square profile with a broad, full head and wide, padded muzzle.
- Puppies have more wrinkles than adults.
- Shar-Pei slowly loose their wrinkles as they get older.
Temperament
- The Shar-Pei is very loyal to his handler.
- It is an intelligent dog that does not always follow orders slavishly.
- Playful, active, dominant, and brave.
- They bond with their family, but are not unfriendly toward strangers.
- The Shar-Pei needs a confident handler.
- If you are too uncertain, too inconstant, too soft, or too mild in the dog's eyes, it will take over as the boss.
- Shar-Pei need firm, but gentle and extremely consistent training.
- They need an owner who as the ability to be "Top Dog".
- Shar-Pei generally hate water and try as hard as they can to avoid it.
- Mixing other dogs can sometimes be a problem and socialization is important.
- Some Shar-Pei tend to slobber, especially when in pain.
- Good Shar-Pei lines will get along well with other dogs and will not have skin problems, which is a hereditary condition.
Living conditions
- The Chinese Shar-Pei will do okay in an apartment if it is sufficiently exercised.
- It is moderately active indoors and will do okay without a yard.
- Because of their padded head, the Shar-Pei is very sensitive to heat.
- Shade and water must always be available.
- Provided they get enough exercise, they will be very peaceful indoors.
Exercise
- The Chinese Shar-Pei have a considerable need for exercise, but keep them on a leash in public so they do not fight with other dogs.
- Do not over exercise them in the heat, as they are sensitive to it.
Grooming
- The Shar-Pei should be brushed regularly.
- Bathing about once a week and brushing the coat daily during this period will remove the old dead hair and allow the new coat to grow in.
After 'not-so-well-thought-out' comment from Malaysian Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan about bloggers, another official made another 'blog-unfriendly' comment.
If officials in a country that's relatively well-developed in the IT infrastructure like Malaysia still make this kind of comments, what about officials from other countries?
I hope the Indonesian officials learned from their neighbor's blunders. Learned not to talk trash and also learned about what is up in the 21st century.
But the indication is not that good.
Here's an email I got a few days back, claimed to be based on real interview with DPRD (House of Representatives) of East Kalimantan.
===========
LAPORAN PANDANGAN MATA DARI DPRD
Pertanyaan REPORTER: Bapak sebagai anggota DPRD, apa sudah punya e-mail?
Jawaban Anggota DPRD: Apa itu e-mail? Saya belum punya e-mail
karena masih kurang paham teknologi macam itu. Keinginan punya ada,
cuma untuk mengoperasikannya saja saya mesti tanya sana sini. Di
lingkungan Dewan ini sebenarnya sudah ada, tapi sampai sekarang tidak
dioperasikan karena tidak ada yang menggunakan.
Pertanyaan REPORTER: Bapak sebagai anggota DPRD, apa sudah punya e-mail?
Jawaban Anggota DPRD: Sekarang ini belum punya, sebab saya tidak
ingin punya nafsu besar untuk memilikinya namun tidak ada waktu untuk
melihatnya.
Pertanyaan REPORTER: Bapak sebagai anggota DPRD, apa sudah punya e-mail?
Jawaban Anggota DPRD: Saya masih pikir-pikir, karena tidak bisa
dibawa pulang, jadi kurang efektif bagi saya yang terus kerja keras, baik
di gedung Dewan maupun di rumah
Pertanyaan REPORTER: Bapak sebagai anggota DPRD, apa sudah punya e-mail?
Jawaban Anggota DPRD: Sudah, saya waktu itu sudah pernah punya.
Tetapi karena kurang efektif, sekarang sudah saya jual...
Pertanyaan REPORTER: Bapak sebagai anggota DPRD, apa sudah punya e-mail?
Jawaban Anggota DPRD: "Secara pribadi saya belum memilikinya.
Bukannya saya tidak mampu untuk membelinya, namun saya masih cinta
produk dalam negeri. Buat apa kita membanggakan produk luar, kalau
hanya untuk gagah-gahan. Lihat saja nih HP (handphone) saya, masih
model lama kan?"
Jangan dikira ini reportase fiktif lho! Benar-benar merupakan jawaban
anggota-anggota DPRD, ketika reporter kami melakukan semacam
survey di suatu DPRD-Kota di Kalimantan Timur.
Nama kotanya dan nama-nama masing-masing anggota DPRD yang
menjawab sebagai di atas, ada pada Redaksi suatu surat khabar...
The first thing I would suggest is to reestablish the people's trust in government. Many people have lost trust in the system and this leads to apathy. After all, who wants to participate in a process that is viewed as flawed or biased? I, myself, have become disillusioned with our democratic process (as have many others I know). Many people just no longer believe that the government has their best interest in mind.
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This question assumes that participation in democratic process if a matter of *choice* when in fact its a matter of *ability*. The first step should be to bring all people to equal *ability* to participate in the democratic process. With massive inequalities in education, standard of living, and access to resources - we are clearly not there yet. On one hand we have those who don't even know whether they will get to eat tonight - worrying about voting in the mid-term elections is hardly on the top of their mind. On the other hand we have those who have paid millions of dollars to politician's election campaigns to make sure that their needs are taken care of once the politician gets elected. Can this really be referred to as "the democratic process"?
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It would help if politicians could be trusted. And the best way to gains ones trust is an act of generosity on their behalf. I think proposing legislation to remove corporate and private donations, essentially cleaning up the system, would prove to the voters you are genuine and can be trusted.
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By ending the smear campaigns. Many people have become apathetic to politics because they are fed up with the negativity and mud slinging. We want to hear what the candidates CAN and WILL do, not a list of every crime against the other.
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Send corrupt politicians to real prisons to serve real time. Stop treating us like children. Stop lying.
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The majority of the people I talk to tell me "it doesn't matter what I say or how I vote, Congress does what the people who donate the money to their campaigns tell them to do". I believe most politicians in Washington D.C. probably are bought and paid for and unless their constituency makes enough noise to change their vote they vote with big donor interest in mind. Unless we have Federally funded campaigns and some way to reign-in lobbyist pocket books and influence we will never get enough people engaged in the democratic process to make it really a "Government by the people".
As amazed as Enda was, I'm very happy to find this blog, particularly because it says it's presented by bloggers from many countries. My first thought was that it has informations and postings on where to find kecap Bango. But unfortunately it has only one post on the topic in Singapore.
I myself am a loyalist of kecap Bango. Most of the time, I can distinguish Bango from the other kecap (which my wife finds it a bit weird). I think it's the thickness and sweetness that set it apart from the other kecap.
I find it more difficult to find kecap Bango abroad, as compared to kecap ABC. Even here in Malaysia, as Coffeeliqueur also confirmed. It's kinda not nice to ask visiting friends and family to bring a couple of heavy bottles or refills of kecap Bango.
Back in the U.S. we were pretty much dependent on online merchants like indomerchant.com, though some Chinese grocery stores might carry some.
After the brand acquisition by Unilever in 2001, it is said that the business size has grown by 2.2 times, while market share grew by 3% annually. Now it's the matter of distribution worldwide. Bango should benefit from Unilever's worldwide network, as ABC probably does after being acquired by Heinz. So the hope is there.
* Kecap is soy sauce. Bango, in particular, is sweet soy sauce, which has a thick, almost syrupy consistency and a pronounced sweet, treacle-like flavor due to generous addition of palm sugar. It is a unique variety; in a pinch, it may be replaced by molasses with a little vegetable stock stirred in. (Wikipedia)
Just found this today through Unspun. Bloggers sued by journalists. And, from all the possible places in the world, it's Malaysia. Not sure for what reasons, but isn't it alarming? Now I don't really feel comfortable putting my uncensored thoughts about it...
[Read more...]Now moved back again to blogger. Lost some comments - all of them, actually. But this seems to be easier to manage, and I seem to be having more time to write... How could that be?
[Read more...]I found these two very interesting blogs, Indcoup and Jakartass, most likely through comments and other blogs linked to Tiara Lestari's. I've been their regulars for some time now and enjoy their writings.
[Read more...]By this time, most of Indonesians should've known Tiara Lestari, her pictures and posing for Playboy. Quite pretty, has Indonesian look, and, surprisingly writes very well in her blog, Tiara Lestari's Personal Journal.
Here's her "About Me" and picture from her blog:
"I am originally from Indonesia. Formerly residing in Singapore, I am now firmly back in my own beloved country. Modeling has been my passion and profession. My journey as a model has taken me to the cover of Playboy Magazine in a far away land and right in the center of a national controversy. It plunged me into depth of humility without prejudice or guilt. It guides me to see through changes, places and faces. Through it all, I understand that life itself is full of surprises that neither reason, nor logic can comprehend. It certainly has been a journey filled with joy and turbulence. It is a journey from sensuality to elegance. Welcome to my life."
