Indo-lyric: Makhluk Tuhan Paling Sexy (Mulan Jameelah)

English translation:

God's Sexiest Creature

it's obvious that your brain is sexy
from the way you think of me
it's obvious that your eyes are sexy
from the way you look at me

must I be
inside your love prison

it's obvious that your lips are sexy
from the way you kiss my lips
it's obvious that your lips are sexy
from the way you say my name

must I be
inside your love prison

Reff:
you're God's creature
the one created to be the sexiest
you're the only one who could
make me scream again and again

it's obvious that your liver is sexy
from the way you embrace mine
it's obvious that your heart is sexy
from the way you get jealous of me

you are God's sexiest creature
the one sexiest... very sexy

back to Reff

Original lyric in Indonesian:

otakmu sexy itu terbukti
dari caramu memikirkan aku
matamu sexy itu terbukti
dari caramu menatap aku

haruskah seperti ada
di dalam penjara cintamu

bibirmu sexy itu terbukti
dari caramu cium pipiku
bibirmu sexy itu terbukti
dari caramu sebut namaku

haruskah seperti ada
di dalam penjara cintamu

Reff:
kamulah makhluk Tuhan
yang tercipta yang paling sexy
cuma kamu yang bisa
membuatku terus menjerit

hatimu sexy itu terbukti
dari caramu memeluk hatiku
jantungmu sexy itu terbukti
dari caramu cemburu padaku

kamulah makhluk Tuhan paling sexy
yang paling sexy… sexy sekali

kembali ke Reff

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Could you comment on my blog, please?

Honestly, I'm asking you ever single one of you my blog readers... What makes it so hard for you to comment on my blog?

Is my blog too "heavy" that you find it difficult to comment on?

If yes, why?

Lately, I have noticed that my blog is one humongous irony; "Foreign Prophecies" is famous yet people don't care about it.

Or at least, that's what I feel.

I always do my best to update it on a daily basis as to satisfy both my loyal readers and my writing streak, yet this blog is very under appreciated with all this neglect by 30+ of you my RSS subscribers.

As a matter of fact, I really don't care how many visitors click my blog anymore... The only thing I care about is to see my blog entries commented by readers who really care about my writings.

While my blog may look like a gemstone to most, it is a pathetic kind of gemstone which has no value in the eyes of the public whatsoever. People just pass by looking at it without giving any comments whatsoever.

On the other hand, my friends' blogs (you can check some of them in my Blogroll list) are akin to ordinary metals which people hold in high regards.

I don't know why are they commented more while I often get none... Sometimes I think it would be better if I write daily musings like they do instead of commenting on Politicians or other social issues...

Should I write more on sex?

Should I write more on love? Religion? Poems? Or perhaps my daily life?

You name it... Please, if you happen to like my blog and you read this message right now; I hope you will comment on my blog more often!

Now I have asked you my readers a lot of questions up there...

During the month of September 2008 alone, there were only five people who cared to leave a comment on my blog:

  1. 14 September 2008 by Tree
  2. 11 September 2008 by Anita
  3. 10 September 2008 by Diny
  4. 8 September 2008 by Buana
  5. 4 September 2008 and 1 September 2008 by Yonna

Why don't the rest of you comment on my blog?

Do you find it to hard to comment on?

Your comments don't have to be smart or whatever... I don't even care if you comment anonymously.

Now this is an open forum, please feel free to support or insult me by doing me the favour of clicking the "words of wisdom" commenting option below, and make a comment.

Even if you want to insult me by using a new pseudonym, I would gladly accept it (in comparison to those who READ ONLY but NO COMMENTS).

I hope there will be at least two responds from my blog readers in this post.

Otherwise, I will consider making this resolution below a reality:

  1. If there isn't more than 10 comments in October 2008, I will DISCONTINUE writing in http://foreignprophecies.blogspot.com as Toshi and assume a new pseudonym in another blog (possibly Wordpress) where I will totally start anew, anonymously.
  2. If you happen to read my blog regularly but you don't comment in my blog during the month of October 2008, I will do my best to keep my new domain (which could then start operation in November 2008) a secret from you.

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There is more to elephant than size

The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Wednesday, 9 July 2008.

~Compiled from various sources~

  • An elephant will pull a clump of grass from the ground with its trunk and beat it against its leg to shake to dirt away.
  • Adult elephants consume as much as 130 kilos of food per day.
  • Elephants have been found swimming kilometres from shore in the Indian Ocean.
  • According to circus superstition, elephant trunks must be raised in photos for good luck.
  • Elephants have been known to die of broken hearts if a mate dies. They refuse to eat and will lay down, shedding tears until they starve to death. They refuse all human help.
  • The woolly mammoth, extinct since the Ice Age, had tusks almost five metres long.
  • Elephants like eating leaves from the top branches of trees. They push down the trees with their large heads and bodies to get the leaves and take the bark by scraping it with their sharp tusks.
  • A herd of elephants is typically composed of up to 10 females and their young. All of the females in the herd are directly related to the matriarch, who is typically the oldest and largest female.
  • Young elephants stay with their families for many years. It is not unusual for a herd of elephants to live together all of their lives.
  • The male elephants leave the herd when they are 12 years old.
  • Herds have been known to travel 15 km or farther to look for food and water.
  • Elephants are capable of making low frequency sounds that are below the human range of hearing. This allows wandering individuals within the herd as well as several different herds to stay in direct contact over distances of many kilometres.
  • Elephants act as seed disperses by their fecal matter. It is often carried below ground by dung beetles and termites, causing the soil to become more nutritious.
  • The paths created by elephants act as firebreaks and rainwater conduits.
  • An elephant's journey thru high grass provides food for birds by disturbing small reptiles, amphibians and insects.
  • 22 September is Elephant Appreciation Day.

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How was your first five minutes of meeting me?

I once read a psychology article that says:

First impression is always crucial. When you are about to meet a person for the first time, make sure you appear at your best look and you are in a good mood. The first five minutes of meeting him/her defines his/her perception of you for the rest of your life.

Oh really?

That article is a bunch of Bullshit.

This is why I am particularly picky when reading up on Psychology... Those smart-arse psychologists always think they hold the key to the universe inside humans' minds, while the facts may not concur with them.

Looking at my own experiences, a large number of my close friends today disliked me when they first met me.

When I asked them how was their "first five minutes" impression of me, their answers vary, from the typical ones like this:

"You seemed so quiet, so boring... But hey, how on earth could I become close friends with you in the first place, eh?"

(a common testimonial taken mostly from my friends in Indonesia)

to the ones which are slightly irritating:

"Frankly T, you looked damn weird back then. I just wonder how on earth could we become close friends like today... Lolz, comparing the Toshi back then and Toshi today is just sooo different"

(a common testimonial taken mostly from my friends outside Indonesia)

Why am I not surprised.

As a matter of fact, I saw them that way in return.

I didn't like any of my close friends when I first met them.

It is perhaps more of a bad trait of mine to view people more with disliking than liking that, whatever kind of person you may be; I disliked you at first.

Hahaha... There is no such thing called "love at first sight" for me; or in my case, liking at first sight.

I disliked almost everything about my friends when I met them for the first time; and the only way I could become close friends with them like today was just by getting to know them more over a couple of weeks (or months).

Which is why I tell you; first five minutes of impression is NOT that important.

The important thing is to plant the seed as we will surely reap the benefits in the end.

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Leecher

n. Carnivorous or bloodsucking aquatic or terrestrial worms typically having a sucker at each end
One of my nicknames in my old Singapore school was "leecher"

Now how did it came about?

Easy.

Whenever I get my hands on any friend's laptop, I always had this itchy habit to copy whatever songs they have from their hard disk to my CD/DVD/external HD/Thumb drive and as a result, I had tonnes of gigabytes of unlistened songs, as I copied all the songs they had regardless of whether I liked the songs or not.

In the end, all I did was deleting half of them as a large of number did not suit my musical tastes.

Lolz, I assume this is a part of my OCD perhaps?

When I first found out this "leecher" nickname, I was curious how did the nickname "leecher" got tagged to me in the first place. Then I investigated it and voila, I found that there was this one guy from the next hall (let him remain anonymous here) who circulated my nickname.

Hahaha... What an honour, eh?

But wait a sec, was it complimentary or mocking?

I couldn't even tell for sure.

Read more...

How to change your blog icon in Blogger

Wanna know how to change your blog icon in Blogger (like the one on this page)?

It's simple, just follow these simple steps below!


First, choose a .png file (of any size) that you deem nice enough to put as a blog icon.

Then, upload the .png to http://html-kit.com/favicon/-/selpic-2/ and download the resulting file in .ico format.

After downloading the .ico file to your computer, upload it to http://picpanda.com or http://imageboo.com or http://www.iconj.com/icon_generator.php and obtain a direct link for the file after it is uploaded into the website's storage.

Log into your Blogger account and select: Dashboard>Layout>Edit HTML.

You will see a window with all the HTML mumble-jumbles you do not understand. Fret not, you only need to find the code right at the top, that should look like this:

<head>

<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>

<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>

<b:skin><![CDATA[/*

After the line of code:

<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>

on the next line, type:

<link href='URL of your icon file' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

Make sure not to simply copy this exactly, but actually put your icon’s URL in, instead of the words ‘URL of your icon

The whole thing will look like this:

<head>

<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>

<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>

<link href='URL of your icon file' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

<b:skin><![CDATA[/*

Here is a sample of the code:

<head>

<b:include data='blog' name='all-head-content'/>

<title><data:blog.pageTitle/></title>

<link href='http://www.picpanda.com/images/123456789abcdefg.ico' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

<b:skin><![CDATA[/*

Click to save your new template and you should see the new icon next to your blog's address!

PS: If the above codes do not work, try inserting this code instead:

<link href='URL of your icon file' rel='shortcut icon' type='image/x-icon'/>


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Who are your true friends?

Every now and then I hear all different sorts of perception of what a "true friend" really means.

Some define "true friend" as confidant, some define it as best friend, and some define it as those with whom we have befriended for years....

I tell you, those definitions above are distorted.

Having known a certain person for years and be close with him/her does not necessarily make him/her a "true friend".

Because for me, there is only one certain definition.

If you want to know who your true friends are, take a look at who stays with you as a loyal company when you feel down or suffering.

"Mere friends" only accompany you when you are happy and having fun, but "true friends" are those who are willing to listen to you for hours and give you moral supports or constant company in times when you really need them.

Over the past few months, when I am really in a need of people to keep me company during my loneliness and all, only a very few of them could spare some time out of their busy activities to listen to all my troubles and worries. And that few number of friends also take some of their own length of troubles to look for the best advices they could give me.

I must tell you, I really appreciate having friends like them.

They are my true friends.

Taking a look at it, they don't even number more than ten people!

Very pathetic, eh?

I have known dozens of so-called "friends", but when the time comes for me to cry and look for shoulders to lean on, they disappear to nowhere.

I'm not going to mention any particular names here (as not to offend those who do not fit into the "true friends" category), but feel free to give yourself a self-congratulatory back-pat if you think you fit my definition of a "true friend". I myself know that I could not possibly be deemed "true friends" by everyone I know. I also have my own preferences on whom I like and whom I want to have fun with.

There are also some of those who always seek my help in times of troubles and sufferings, but when I really need them in return, they leave me.

They deem me as their "true friend", but do I see them as "true friends" in return?

It depends.

A "true friendship" has to be reciprocal. It cannot be just limited within an 'I-help-you-but-you-don't-help-me' attitude or vice versa.

I myself don't know what my "true friends" think of me, do they see me as "true friends" too?

But even if they don't, it's OK.

Because as one of my true friends recently told me, "what people think of us is not important, as we can't possibly please everyone".

Although my "true friends" do not number more than ten people, quantity is not that important.

What is important is how long you could keep on with those friendships in times of happiness and hardships; for as long as you could remember.

So ask yourself, who are your true friends?

If you still can't answer for now, try to think of it this way (especially if you are a youngster):

Imagine yourself 12 years from now in a lowly-paid shopkeeping job, while your friend works as a senior manager in a well-known company or other highly-paid professions. Will he/she be willing to hang out with you as you used to be during your school/college days?

Your answer defines who your true friends are.

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Indo-lyric: Ingat Kamu (Duo Maia)

English translation:

I'm reminded of you

is this what they call love
such a wonder
I am now in love
I'm asking why

my heart is anxious, my heart is restless
everything turns contradictory

when I'm about to eat, I'm reminded of you
when I'm gloomy, I'm also reminded you
when I'm bored, I'm reminded of you
oh love, is this what it feels to be in love

everyone is laughing at what I do
as I agitated aimlessly
this turns wrong, that turns wrong
I'm asking why

my heart is anxious, my heart is restless
everything turns contradictory

when I'm about to eat, I'm reminded of you
when I'm gloomy, I'm also reminded of you
when I'm bored, I'm reminded of you
oh love, is this what it feels to be in love

when I'm confused, I'm reminded of you
when I'm gloomy, I'm also reminded of you
when I'm bored, I'm reminded of you
oh love, is this what it feels to be in love

is this what they call love
such a wonder

 

Original lyric in Indonesian:

apakah ini namanya cinta
begitu membingungkan
aku kini sedang jatuh cinta
ku tanyakan mengapa

hatiku resah, hatiku gundah
semuanya jadi serba salah

aku mau makan, ku ingat kamu
aku sedang sedih, juga ku ingat kamu
aku sedang bosan, ku ingat kamu
oh cinta, inikah bila ku jatuh cinta

semua tertawa lihat tingkahku
lenyap jadi tak menentu
begini salah, begitu pun salah
ku tanyakan mengapas

hatiku resah, hatiku gundah
semuanya jadi serba salah

aku mau makan, ku ingat kamu
aku mau tidur, ku ingat kamu
aku mau pergi, ku ingat kamu
oh cinta, mengapa semua serba kamu

aku sedang bingung, ku ingat kamu
aku sedang sedih, ku ingat kamu
aku sedang bosan, ku ingat kamu
oh cinta, inikah bila ku jatuh cinta

apakah ini namanya cinta
begitu membingungkan

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Why on earth did God create mosquitoes?

Quote from Wikipedia:

Mosquitoes are a vector agent that carries disease-causing viruses and parasites from person to person without catching the disease themselves..... Mosquitoes are estimated to transmit disease to more than 700 million people annually in [the entire world] with millions of resulting deaths.......Worldwide, malaria is a leading cause of premature mortality, particularly in children under the age of five, with around 5.3 million deaths annually.....

With regards to that fact provided above, I wonder why on earth did God create mosquitoes for. Apparently, Tree agrees with me.

They are constant source of misery for us tropical people (with exception of those lucky weirdoes in Singapore), as we have to spend quite a sum of money on mosquito-repellants, aerosol sprays, and electrical rackets.

I got hospitalised due to dengue when I was 6 and I still hold grudge against them. They are not supposed to live.

Anyways, I think this is a theological question which should be approached as a uniting power for differing faiths. People of various religions should make their effort to open their Bible, Quran, Analects, Hadits, Veda, Tripitaka, Kojiki, and whatever names of holy books you have and do an extensive research to quote verses where those freaky blood-sucking creatures are specifically regarded as non-kosher (or non-Halal; unclean).

It would do some good if the Israelis&Palestinians, Sunnis&Shias in Iraq, Hindus&Buddhists in Sri Lanka could instead join hand in hand in their effort towards eradicating mosquitoes. Take a look at it, we may even create world peace with this common enemy!

Now I could sense some smart-arse bigotry-filled-biologists attempting to make an argument out of this,

"But hey, it's for the balance of ecosystem! Mosquitoes are there so the geckoes could feed on them"

So let me show you another quote from Wikipedia:

Many geckos are kept as pets and will eat various kinds of insects and sometimes fruit.

See?

Our lovely geckoes could still live well with or without mosquitoes .

Once I am in up there (where I hope I could see you my blog readers coming around too), I think the first question I ask God will be,

"God, why did you create mosquitoes for the humanity? Could you make them extinct, pleeeeaasssseeee???"

For the sake of my future descendants, I would beg Him to make mosquitoes extinct. But again, I think someone else must have had requested that. Perhaps that 'someone else' wasn't sincere enough in asking.

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Spam, bugs, bytes and toilets

The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Friday, 14 March 2008.

~Compiled from various sources~

  • In 1943, a navy officer had to fix a computer glitch caused by a moth, hence the term "computer bug"
  • The word "byte" is contraction of "by eight"
  • The word "pixel" is a contraction of either "picture cell" or "picture element"
  • Unsolicited e-mail earned the name "spam" because it resembled a Monty Python skit where chorus of Vikings drowned out other sounds by singing "spam, spam, spam."
  • The time spent deleting spam costs U.S. businesses $21.6 billion annually.
  • Spam filters that catch the word "cialis" will not allow many work-related e-mails through because that word is embedded inside the word "specialist".
  • Back in the mid to late 1980s, an IBM compatible computer was not considered 100% compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator.
  • In many cases, the amount of storage space on a recordable CD is measured in minutes. 74 minutes is about 650 MB, 63 minutes is 550 MB.
  • Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge, reverse of how a record works.
  • A silicon chip a 1.6-centimetre-square has the capacity of the original 1949 ENIAC computer, which occupied a city block.
  • The world's first e-mail message was sent in 1971 by Ray Tomlinson.
  • 35 billion e-mails are sent each day throughout the world.
  • During Bill Clinton's entire eight years of presidency, he only sent two e-mails. One was to John Glenn when he was aboard the space shuttle, and the other was a test of the e-mail system.
  • 77% of Yahoo! Mail poll respondents said they are more aggravated by weeding thru spam than they are by cleaning dirty toilet.

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When I 'rented' a private swimming pool

I literally 'rented' a private swimming pool yesterday (19/9).

How did it start? Probably it had to do with intuitions.

The evening before (18/9) a friend came by the house for a short confab. Being a faithful Protestant as she always is, she mentioned that this is the month of Bible-reading for us Christians and among other things, she asked me that out-of-the-blue question, "How often do you open your bible, T?"

What is she, an angel?

Haha.

I was quite embarrassed to have anyone approach the subject of my own religiosity, particularly because I have not been a very devout person myself over the last several weeks.

So that night I randomly picked excerpts from the Bible and found the story of Moses (which is also found in Judaism's Torah and Islam's Quran) regarding the promised land for the Israelites out of Egypt.

But that's not the main story yet.

On the next day, at around 12:00, I suddenly felt the mood to swim.

It had been quite a while since I last swam, being ill and all; so I found it unique myself that I found the urge to swim.

When I got there and bought the pool ticket for Rp6,000 (0.30 Euros), I found myself at a peculiar surprise.

I was the only one who swam that day!

Really, I spent a lovely hour going back-and-fro in the pool and enjoyed it lavishly as if it belonged to my own disposal. It really felt as if I actually had purchased the swimming pool myself.

Wow, this month of fasting definitely had discouraged a lot of people from swimming, especially in such a sunny day.

Having nobody else in sight (apart from the pool ticketing person keeping an eye at the front desk), I turned on the Music Player in my Nokia loudly (and not with earphones as I usually did), put it on the chaise lounge that I had shifted right to the tip of the pool, and sang a karaoke in a total carelessness.

My mood told me that Buble's "Quando Quando Quando" was the best one to listen to, so I turned it on and quickly continued it to John Mayer's "Why Georgia" and two of Lisa Ono's French songs.

Nice.

I 'owned' the swimming pool only for an hour though, as I realised I had to go home as not to run late for a Go course I planned to attend in Japan Foundation.

Somehow I had a hunch that I was going to JF not for the Go course.

I went to JF which was located in the Summitmas building (not very far from Ratu Plaza district in South Jakarta) and when I got there, I found myself registering for JLPT application instead.

Nicey.

I previously had my qualms over registering or not registering for this year's level 3 JLPT (because I am not sure whether I would be taking the test in Jakarta or Atlanta), but if I have to take the chances, then that was it.

I bought the application form and I was surprised to find out from the JF staffs when they told me that the registration is closed at 17:00 that day.

I looked at the clock.

16.15

Whoa, I panicked!

It took me around 5 minutes to fill in all the details, from my full name, birth details, home address, personal e-mail, etc etc.

So that was it: I had come to JF not to attend a Go course after all, but to register for JLPT!

I guess it had to do with God's workings, for I had no wonder that they were all mapped out from the evening before when I read that Bible.

There may seem little correlation between the two events, but I think it was much more than a coincidence that I came to register for JLPT at 16:00, which was exactly an hour before the registration was closed (and I had to wait for another 365 days were it to happen).

There was a long queue for the JLPT application, ranging from the high-school-attending ones to the office-boys test-takers. During that long queue, I noticed something trivial which I think worth a mention here.

The girl who was queuing right in front of me had the level 3-application form in her hands held in such a way that I was able to read all the details in her form without the slightest indiscretion.

I looked at her 3x4 Pasfoto (photo of passport standard) which was attached on the top left of her form and let out a big ZWT.

It was not a pasfoto; anyone could easily tell that the picture was taken inside a car!

I'm not sure if such a pasfoto could be accepted by the Japanese examiners but why the hell should I care? I don't even know her.

Queuing there alone with nobody else I know, I had nothing better to do than looking around.

I took a more careful look at her pasfoto, she struck a half-formal half-casual pose in that particular picture until I finally said to myself, "Hey, she looks quite cute after all"

She queued right in front of me hence I was unable to see her face from the frontal view (I had not noticed her myself when I first came to the JLPT application room as I was busily preoccupied with filling up stuffs).

I took a look at her date of birth: September 1992.

Hmm so she just had her birthday not so long ago. A high school girl at around the same age as someone else I used to write poems about.

Definitely my type.

Might be worth to pick her up, probably striking a little conversation? It had been a while since I picked up a total stranger out of nowhere.

Her e-mail address was in Yahoo and it sounded catchy enough, I think I could add her if I wanted to.

But nah, I think I'll pass this time, I decided.

In complete contrast to my Singapore days where I could put myself at a full pride for being a student of a top school, I have no particular school/college I could affiliate myself to at this particular moment of time, hence I lost the 'appetite' to introduce myself as an "unemployed student" (yea, as if such a thing exists, eh? Haha.)

I finished the JLPT administration related issues at around 16:55 (yes, just around five minutes before it closed) and thanked God and myself for the luck I had had that day.

Before heading home, I went to the Go course which was already on midway and I thought to myself, Maybe next time.

It would be too late and a bit rude just to bulge into the middle of the lesson, so I looked for something else to preoccupy myself before going home.

And there was this Wali Sanga (the first nine Islamic proselytisers in Java island) picture galleries which showed the atmosphere in and around the Wali Sanga tombs in various Javanese cities.

There were 45 black-and-white pictures altogether taken by Seno Gumira Ajidarma (I think I've heard that name somewhere before, yet I couldn't recall where).

The beauty of the pictures really struck me.

It made me wonders that visitors from all around Java, do their best to flock to the tombs and some of them even spend hours of praying in front of a particular tomb.

There was one picture of a pilgrim who came to Sunan Bonang's tomb in Bawean island and had prayed in front of the tomb for five days when the picture was taken.

As far as I know, Islam discourages any pilgrimages to tombs (even to Prophet Muhammad SAW's own tomb), so I concluded it to myself that it must be the elements of syncretism combined within that made them do a five-days-of-prayer like that; just like when Catholic pilgrims flock to pray in front of saints' tombs (though Catholics never worship saints in the first place).

On my way home, I noticed several Bike-to-Work 'adherents' in the street.

Whoa, cool.

They struck quite a commitment when it came to biking to work, because it sure must be a dangerous ordeal to bike back-and-fro from house to office everyday. Vietnamese people have it easier with their own dedicated bicycle lanes, but Indonesians don't.

I salute those BtWs. I hope God grant them safety always along their Bike-commuting activities...

Taking a look at the river, I also noticed that Jakarta's own Ciliwung river had an iceberg.

Wait a sec, an iceberg????

After a closer look, then it came clear upon me that the white substance I saw floating on the river was in fact an agglomeration of detergent substances.

Yuck. That could turn anyone's appetite off.

Then on the night during my sleep, I dreamt about planning a vice a couple of my ACS buddies in a seaside elite school, where we left our parked motorbikes in exchange for the car we were about to steal there.

In conclusion, I dreamt about stealing a car.

What a weird dream, I've had a couple of them going for the last several weeks... Perhaps anyone could tell me what they're supposed to mean?

Dream of stealing.... Is this an omen of anything, or does it tells me anything about my current inner conscience?

Have I taken anything that actually doesn't belong to me?

This question have had me wondering for myself now, and I really can't tell the answer. I just hope anyone could tell me what that is, because I don't think I have the answer...yet.

Read more...

My friend the governor's nephew

A friend of mine (who coincidentally shares the same birthday as mine, though we are several years apart) once told me that his uncle -let's call him Joko- actually held one important position in politics.

Several months before Joko's gubernatorial election, he told me, "You know T... If my uncle Joko really is going to nominate himself for this election, I think I'll pass"

"Really? I mean... Why?"

"Hahaha he's a dumb you know; a total dumb. People get sorts of good images of him in the public and media but I must tell you; he's not a really wise guy"

Then one month before the gubernatorial election, I had the chance to see him again.

I asked him if he still kept his word (in not voting for his uncle Joko).

"What are you thinking, T?" he laughed, "Of course I'll vote for him, that's for sure"

I showed him the why-are-you-turning-against-your-own-words look and asked him, "But I thought you told me several months ago that you won't...."

"Nah, after second thoughts, I think it would be a hell lot better if I vote for him. All the 'benefits' would be shared by the entire extended family anyway, and I surely will get my portion!"

"You one lucky jerk!" I grinned.

"So what, then?"

And we laughed.

The month later, my pal's uncle won the election by a thin margin over his rival. As of today Joko still holds office as the incumbent governor of one of the provinces in Java island.

I was indeed fortunate enough that I was not registered as a voter in Joko's province, otherwise I would have voted for him like my pal had. Those who had voted for him in that election must have regretted such a decision, because as my pal had told me; Joko is not a very wise person; despite the fact that he holds a university degree from abroad.

Regarding the social issues faced by his province, Joko's comments in the media do not in anyway reflect a single bit of his supposed intelligence.

  

I assume by now all my Indonesian readers must have known who Joko is.  Big Grin

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Why you shouldn't steal drinks from a boys' hostel

Warning: This blog post could potentially make you lose your eating/drinking appetite. If you are about to munch your dinner or sip your red wine, you are strongly advised NOT to read this entry below.

Remember, you have been warned.




In our boarding school, stealing food or drinks from the hall fridge is deemed equal to stealing US$10,000. Whether you are caught stealing a serving of Ferrero Roche from the fridge or caught stealing an LCD monitor from the prep room, it is quite likely that you will be taken to the police.

For Singaporean offenders, the penalty would be several months of imprisonment in the infamous Changi prison.

For non-Singaporean offenders, the penalty would be deportation.

And yeah, that's what you get if you are caught stealing.

But sometimes it's not so easy to know who has stolen your food or drinks from the fridge, since there is no CCTV installed in the hall kitchen. I once lost a bottle of Milo that I had bought from NTUC FairPrice, and I blamed myself for being so trustful of other boarders to put my drinks in my hall fridge.

Stealing food is always safe, because anyone could always check for expiration date in the food's box.

But stealing drink isn't necessarily so.

Now I am about to tell you a widely known real story passed down from batches of seniors in my Singapore boarding school. It happened a couple of years back, long before I graduated from Primary school myself.

Back in the late 1990s, there was a student who was infuriated to know that his beverages -whether it was Coke, Milo, or lemon tea- was drunk by someone else every time he kept his drinks at the common fridge. A bottle of Coke that he had 3/4 full on one night could only have 1/4 of the remaining contents left on the next morning.

Reporting the case to the hallmaster/halltutor would be useless, since nobody could possibly keep a watch on the fridge at a 24-hour-standby mode anyway.

So, as to avenge that mysterious drinker, he came up with an ingenious solution.

He bought a bottle of lemon tea which he drank 1/4 from. Then he urinated to that empty 1/4 as to make it look like it is almost full.

Since lemon tea is of the same colour as urine, it could easily pass to the unobservant eye as the same liquid.

He kept that "lemon tea" trap in the fridge one night and waited anxiously the whole night for the "lemon tea" to be "stolen".

On the next day, he checked the fridge and found that the 'lemon tea' he had kept the night before only had half of the remaining contents left.

He smiled satisfactorily to himself and quickly announced his 'celebrated victory' to the entire boarding school.

No one knows what kind of response did the mysterious drinker generate after he known that he had consumed urine (because nobody ever owned up), but it is safe to assume that that 'lemon tea case' helped to deter a lot of people from stealing fridge drinks after the story is passed thru batches of ACSians for years afterwards.

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Depends on who the brother is...

"Man, your sister is sooo pretty!"

Such quotation as the one above comes from my friends - male and female creatures alike- when they see my sister's picture (or see her in real life) for the first time.

My usual reply to them is,

"Ya jelas toh... Siapa dulu dong kakaknya.. Hahahaha" ("Of course, that depends on who the brother is... Lolz")

That reply is exactly why I take a bit of my own troubles to 'show off' my sister's pics in order to display a bit of my so-called attractive genes.

Most people who sees my sister could not even believe that we are related to one another, as they think that I look so different from her (though my Depok friends had said otherwise, haha).





Don't worry, I know what you people are thinking. If you think that I'm a bit of attention-seeker these days, then I'd say that I totally agree with you. Because I surely am. Happy



Meanwhile, I got these ad parodies from my junior Basta's blog.

Copyright belongs to him... err, I mean, to Media Nuansa.

(Apologies extended to my non-Indonesian readers for being unable to translate the ads messages this time round. The humour could only be grasped by Indonesian audience anyways, whom I am sure must be smiling to themselves right now...)



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Indo-lyric: OK! (T2)

English translation:

OK!

Aaaa... aaaa..
If only you've told me
What you're feeling
Without having to keep quiet again and again
confusing me all the time

You come and go
As if you're occupied with yourself
You like me and I like you
But we're spinning around

Chorus:
I'm confused myself
To see you this way
You make me wondering
I know what you want
I know what you mean
I want an answer
Only an answer

Finale:
Aaaa.., OK
Aaaa.., OK
Just say it OK..
I want you to listen OK

You're wasting too much time
As I look upon you in boredom
It's obvious that you know what my heart wants

You come and go
As if you're occupied with yourself
You like me and I like you
But we're spinning around

back to Chorus+Finale

Aaaa, aaaa

back to Chorus+Finale

Original lyric in Indonesian:

Aaaa... aaaa..
Seandainya kau bilang saja padaku
Apa yang kau rasakan
Tanpa harus kau diam dan diam lagi
membuatku tak mengerti

Kau datang dan pergi
Seperti sibuk sendiri
Kau suka ku suka
Tapi berputar-putar

Chorus:
Aku bingung sendiri
Melihatmu begini
Kau buat aku jadi pusing
Aku tahu maumu
Aku tahu maksudmu
Aku mau jawaban
Cukup satu jawaban

Finale:
Aaaa.., ok
Aaaa.., ok
Bilang saja ok..
Ku mau kau dengar ok

Kau terlalu lama mengulur waktumu
Aku jadi capek deh..
Jelas-jelas kau sudah tahu hatiku

Kau datang dan pergi
Seperti sibuk sendiri
Kau suka ku suka
Tapi berputar-putar

kembali ke Chorus+Finale

Aaaa, aaaa
kembali ke Chorus+Finale

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A promise you can't keep

This scene below happened back in late 2006 in my classroom. The students' names are changed to protect privacy.


Two of my classmates, Wayne and Randy, were quarreling over a borrowed book during Mr Koh Soo Keong's Geography lesson.

Then out of his outrage, Randy shouted to Wayne, "Fuck you!"

That shout was loud enough to be heard by the entire class, and everyone fell into an eerie silence.

Even Mr Soo Keong stop explaining his lesson and turned around to stare at Randy.

The only thing that frightened us all was to see Mr Soo Keong's response. He was still a new teacher at the school, hence we still had no idea what kind of reaction would he display to the class regarding that F-word.

To our surprise, he only replied calmly, "No Randy, please don't make a promise you cannot keep"

Then he smiled sardonically.

It took us three seconds before we finally understood what Mr Soo Keong meant, and everyone laughed too.

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News from around the world

The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Saturday, 28 June 2008.

~Compiled from various sources~

  • The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag that is flown differently during times of peace or war.
  • Libya has the only flag that is all one colour (green) with no writing or decoration on it.
  • The Swiss flag is square.
  • Nepal is the only country without a rectangular flag. Its flag instead looks like two pennants glued on top of the other.
  • The British royal family changed their last name to Windsor from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha during World War 1 so as not to appear to pro-German.
  • In 1739, nearly 500 thousand people died in Ireland due to the widespread crop failure of potatoes.
  • At the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the USA occupied Cuba. Rioting mobs in the street, along with outbreaks of malaria and yellow fever, created havoc in the country. Lt. James Moss was sent with his troops to maintain order and was successful. The unique thing about Moss's 25th infantry of only 100 men was that they were a bicycle corps - they all rode bicycles, they were all black, and they never once used their weapons while in Cuba.
  • A Mexican president once held a funeral for his own leg. The president, Antonio de Santa Anna, was the general who in 1836 led Mexican troops to victory over Texan rebels at the siege of Alamo. Santa Anna's leg was amputated below the knee after he was wounded during a battle with French troops in December 1838. He kept the leg at his hacienda near Veracruz for four years, during which he rose to become effectively dictator of Mexico and the centre of an adoring political cult. On 26 September 1842 his supporters solemnly paraded the leg thru the streets of Mexico City to the accompaniment of the bands and orchestras, then laid it to rest in a national shrine known as the Pantheon of Saint Paula. Two years later, however, the leg was stolen during the riots that surrounded Santa Anna's fall from power. Santa Anna died in 1876 at the age of 62 - poor, blind and ignored.

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Persian is not Arab

A lot of people have their own misconceptions when they see my face for the first time and they guess my ethnicity: "Are you an Arab?"

Well as a matter of fact, I am not.

I am one-eighth Persian, which is an ethnicity originated from Iran (and Eastern Iraq). On the other hand, Arab ethnicity originates from the rest of Middle East.

Now some may argue like this:

"But Persian people basically originates from the same DNA group with Arabians, right?"

Thank God I am not 100% Persian. Otherwise, I would have released my fury at you!

Well, try saying that to a real Persian and see what kind of response you will get!

Here I tell you people:

Calling a Persian as an "Arab" is similar to calling a Javanese as a "Malay".

Or perhaps calling a French as a "British".

And try calling a Japanese as a "Korean"!

Japanese-Korean or French-British may have a strikingly similar characteristics in their appearances and skin colours, but let us be honest here: You don't like to be mistaken as the other ethnicity, do you?

(I am not being racist here but it is a dire truth that can be observed easily in our everyday lives)

Lolz.

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Whom should I give up my seat to?

Whenever I'm in the train or bus -be it in Singapore's MRT or Jakarta's Transjakarta bus- I have a code of preference in deciding whom I think deserve give up my seat for.

I don't know if this character is also found in any other guys, but feel free to criticise me if you feel that it is an ungentlemanly act, because I know that it is not a good example to follow... Haha.

Consider this scene below:

All the seats are taken and there are several people who have no choice but to stand in the bus/train.

Do I willingly give my seat to anyone, considering that I'm still below 20 and hence my body is fitter than theirs?

It depends.

I do a profiling on the person. If the person standing nearby is...

an old lady/an old man: I always give up my seat as she/he is frail enough that I think she/he needs the seat much more than I do.

a boy/man: No matter how tired he looks to me (even if it looks as if he has done a hard work the whole day), I will never ever give my seat for a man. I would pretend not to notice him instead.

an unattractive girl/lady: Too bad she's unattractive. Otherwise, I would have given up the seat for her. LOLZ.

an attractive girl/lady: Ah, this is a good choice to give up my seat for! Sometimes when a certain Transjakarta/Metro Mini bus/Singapore MRT is packed and there are several girls whom I see standing, I would do a quick profiling to decide which girl deserves my seat most. The best kind of girls to give my seat for is of course; a school/college girl. I rarely find any office ladies attractive, hence my preference. Hahaha.

As a note, the above profiling has nothing to do with my intention of picking up strangers (because I rarely do), but it simply gives me a tinge of satisfaction when I could appear "gentleman" in front of girls I deem attractive.

Does this habit of mine sound ungentlemanly to most of you?

Don't worry, I agree with you folks.

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Every cloud has a silver lining

"Every cloud has a silver lining" means that the sun shining at the edges of every cloud reminds us that every difficult situation has a bright side.

It is an idiom which means that one should never feel hopeless because difficult times always lead to better days.

Difficult times are like dark clouds that pass overhead and block the sun. When we look more closely at the edges of every cloud we can see the sun shining there like a silver lining.

Oh really?

I still have my doubts on that one. Nothing in my past year has ever been so productive than teaching private English lessons to a couple of secondary school students or blogging daily.

I guess I should try to cling on that idiom for a guide... Perhaps there really is a good thing out of my homely boredom these days.

Lolz.

As a digress, let me comment on a couple of current issues...

 

Obama's approval ratings worldwide

Obama wins a huge percentage of support (against McCain) in all countries outside of USA as surveyed by GlobeScan, ranging from 87%-5% in his father's home country of Kenya to 18%-7% in America's former Cold War foe of Russia.

In Indonesia, he won 46%-11% margin, which is surprisingly lower than the 51%-8% support he received in Brazil.

Indonesian population of 273m

Indonesia is estimated to have a population of 273 million people by 2025, a figure that looks frightening enough if we have a look at the country's condition where the masses are still fighting each other on racial/religious basis, bickering over legislature seats, and promote morality shrouded in the hypocrisy of fanaticism.

Oh, give us a break.

The current population of Indonesia stands at around 230 million (and half of them are poor), which means that if we assume that the poverty continues to increase at the same rate with the population, there will be an additional 20 million poor Indonesians during the period of 2008-2025.

20 million additional poor people in a period of 17 years!

We really need a break.

Cindy McCain's sense of fashion

Rather than discussing the downsides of McCain's family, I would very much prefer discussing Obama's good virtues (I don't like to attack McCain. He is good, though Obama is better).

But somehow I just couldn't help not to comment on this issue.

It is a stark comparison that the dress that John McCain's wife wore to RNC was 2000 times more expensive than Barack Obama's wife's.

Her dress to the RNC costs US$300,000???

That is the 6 years of salary of an average American, for heaven's sake!

Seriously, we all know that she's freaking rich, being a chairperson of one of the largest beer distributors in USA, but there really is no need to flaunt such a luxury over a dress.

Especially in times when those credit crunches are haunting most middle-class Americans (and in the end, the rest of the world's citizens too).

What is wrong with purchasing a $3,000 dress instead, really?

In case she does not know, $3,000 is the average one year of salary in most developing countries, hence she should feel extravagant about purchasing a much cheaper dress.

Michelle Obama doesn't mind wearing a $200 dress to DNC, so why doesn't Cindy take a follow?

Palin's popularity

Palin's popularity is indeed a threat to Obama's future presidency.

I previously had no doubts that Obama would win this election, but given that Palin has electrified millions with her RNC speech, I assume that we all know that she is indeed, a tough woman.

Some have even likened her to Hillary Clinton.

But nah, she hunts those Alaskan bears! This means that she has little concern for wildlife animals, even though she loves humans with her anti-abortion stance...

I just think that Hillary Clinton is 100 times better than Sarah Palin. And apparently, Tree and Tasa agree too!

We are running on the same wavelengths guys, which is indeed a good thing, gee-hee.

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Why 21 is such an auspicious age...

Qiongye had been inviting me to his home country of China this December for a travel round his kingdom, which I had to politely decline.

Well on this semester's holidays he will be visiting Terence's place in Penang, Malaysia and there is a possibility that they will have a shot together to China.

How fun.

Geez, I'm stuck on being penniless and stranded amidst uncertainty here... I don't know how I could go to college, neither do I know how I could pursue my life of globe-trotting with the expense of my own savings.

I will need at least US$5000 for a gap year travel.

What a jest.

So in the end, with all those hypes in AXN's Amazing Race reality show, I asked him out of the blue, "Dude... Wanna join Amazing Race with me three years from now?"

"Well, OK" he replied, "But why three years?"

"The age limit, lah. Hahaha I could've joined this year's application if I were 21."

"Yeah, why not?"

So it is Amazing Race that I am looking forward to down the road in the next three years.

Twenty-one, twenty-one... Couldn't wait till that age, Lolz. I've promised myself to be a boozer by then

I'm freaking tired of being a good guy, such a poor personality gets me nowhere in life... No dates, no success, few friends...

*sigh*

I just could not wait till I have this freedom from my parents, hahaha.

*evil grin*

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Indo-lyric: 11 Januari (Gigi)

English translation:

11th of January

Eleventh of January we met
And we sail thru this love story
My instinct tells me that you're mine
Happiness is always in my possession
After the years I've spent with you
I could say that you're my soulmate

I'm your guardian
I'm your protector
I'm your lifelong companion
In every single step of yours

I once hurt your heart
You once forget this promise
All of this because we are humans

I'm your guardian
I'm your protector
I'm your lifelong companion
In every single step of yours

Chorus:
You've brought me
Into your life
You've bathed me
With pourings of affection
Your smiles and your tears are my life
You've touched my life gently
With a million colours

Original lyric in Indonesian:

Sebelas Januari bertemu
Menjalani kisah cinta Ini
Naluri berkata engkaulah milikku
Bahagia selalu dimiliki
Bertahun menjalani bersamamu
Kunyatakan bahwa engkaulah jiwaku

Akulah penjagamu
Akulah pelindungmu
Akulah pendampingmu
Di setiap langkah-langkahmu

Pernahku menyakiti hatimu
Pernah kau melupakan janji ini
Semua karena kita ini manusia

Akulah penjagamu
Akulah pelindungmu
Akulah pendampingmu
Di setiap langkah-langkahmu

Chorus:
Kau bawa diriku
Kedalam hidupmu
Kau basuh diriku
Dengan rasa sayang
Senyummu juga sedihmu adalah hidupku
Kau sentuh cintaku dengan lembut
Dengan sejuta warna

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What will she look like when she's grown up?

A couple of years back I watched a sermon on TV by the well-known Christian pastor Gilbert Lumoindong from Jakarta. It was a sermon for youths regarding the topic of love and sexuality.

He addressed the topics in a very entertaining way...

His preach is, in my opinion, quite similar to the Muslim Imam Abdullah Gymnastiar's; who can address issues that are universal to all religious backgrounds, hence attracting viewers from other faiths as well (Some of my Hindu friends have also told me how they liked Aa Gym's sermons).

Now regarding that Gilbert's particular sermon, there was one anecdote that I could not forget till this day.

It goes like this:

"For you boys in this hall... Do you know what will your girlfriend look like when she's grown up? And for you girls, do you know what will your boyfriend look like when he's grown up?"

The question was directed to the entire audience, yet nobody seemed to know the answer. So he continued:

"Here I tell you: If you boys wanna know what your babes will look like in her adult years; then take a look at her mother. Her mother is what she will turn into...

"Similarly, if you girls wanna know what your hunks will look like in his adult years, then take a look at his father. That boyfriend of yours will most surely turn into his father when he's grown up."

The audience seemed to get excited with the answer.

"So be careful girls! The guy you are dating now may seem like the hottest hunk at school, with all his spiky hairstyle and athletic body... But when you see that his father is humpback and bald and skinny, then I tell you: be prepared for the worst"

The audience laughed.

"Similarly, the girl that you are dating now may seem like the sexiest babe you could ever have, with all those hot lips and glossy lipsticks... But when you see that her mother is a fat and bad-tempered woman, then too bad for you!" he smiled.

Another laugh and applause from the audience.

The anecdote above may have no statistical basis (indeed, nobody has ever done a survey on it); but frankly, there is nothing wrong in taking that anecdote as a guide for me to see girls.

Because regarding the last girl I fell for, I don't think her mother is that bad... In fact; I'd be delighted to see that girl mature and be a caring person like her Mom.

But enough of the topic of my own love life, haha.

It's not like I'm still having any feelings for her anyway.

(Or have I? Gosh, why is it so hard to tell my own feelings? Haizz...)

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A colourful bag of details

The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Tuesday, 31July 2007.

~Compiled from various sources~

  • The little bags of netting for gas lanterns (called mantles) are radioactive - so much that they would set off an alarm at a nuclear reactor.
  • The metal part at the end of a pencil is 20% sulphur.
  • The average lead pencil will draw a line 56 kilometres long or write approximately 50,000 English words.
  • Moisture, not air, causes super glue to dry.
  • The aluminium ranks as one of the mose highly engineered products created by the Western civilisation.
  • Though a brick wall and a plate glass window look quite different from each other, both of them are made from the same principal ingredient: sand.
  • Until the 18th century, India produced almost all the world's diamonds.
  • The ancient Egyptians thought it was good luck to enter a house left foot first.
  • In the late 19th century, millions of human mummies were used as fuel for locomotives in Egypt where wood and coal was scarce, but mummies were plentiful.
  • 20% of all publications sold in Japan are comic books.
  • The first toothbrush with bristles were developed in China in 1498. Bristles were taken from hogs at first, later from horses.
  • Though it is often associated today with Satanism, Christians once commonly used the pentagram to represent the five wounds of Jesus Christ.
  • If you lace your shoes from the inside to the outside the fit will be snugger around your big toe.
  • The earliest document in Latin in a woman's handwriting - from the first century AD - is an invitation to a birthday party.
  • During conscription for WW2, there were nine documented cases of men with three testicles.
  • Medieval knights put sharkskin on their sword handles to give them a more secure grip; they would dig the sharp scales into their palms.
  • The world's youngest parents were eight and nine and lived in China in 1910.
  • Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history; Spades - King David, Clubs - Alexander the Great, Hearts - Charlemagne, and Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
  • Sound travels 15 times faster through steel than it does through the air.
  • You can test a two way mirror by putting your fingernail on the surface - if there's space between the tip and the image, then it's a normal mirror, if not, it's two-way.

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A psychotic vengeance towards Mosquitoes

If there is one thing that most people in the tropical countries share in common, it is our intense hatred of mosquitoes.

We all hate mosquitoes... very much. The deadliest breeds kill millions thru diseases such as Malaria, Dengue, or Yellow fever; while the ordinary ones never cease in being such a nuisance by biting our legs, arms, and necks.

As an embodiment of my hatred towards mosquitoes, I have a quite unusual habit. Quite psychotic, as a matter of fact.

You may think that I am being so inhumane towards them here, but no; they deserve it.

When I was 7, I once got hospitalised for two weeks due to the Dengue fever. So this vengeance of mine is simply a comeuppance.

You know, killing mosquitoes instantly is never fun. When you kill a mosquito, you "catch" it with your palms, and simply crush or smash its whole body to an quick death.

On the other hand, I have a much more enjoyable way of making them die.

When I "catch" a mosquito, I don't crush it to death.

Instead, I gently hold both of its scaled wings with my nail tips, and slowly sever its legs one by one until there are only the body, the head, and one wing left. I intentionally let it live with one wing and not two as to incapacitate it from flying.

Then I gently put the mosquito on the table or the floor as to make it "enjoy" prolonged hours of agony.

Sometimes when I am lucky, I could get up to five mosquitoes in a night, with all of them having all their legs and one wing severed. Then I would line them all side by side so that each and every one of those culprits could enjoy one another's company during their final hours of agonising life.

This unusual habit of mine is of course in line with the basic rule of capital punishment: If you want to punish someone with a more evil way than murder, then let it live (with pains).

Now some people may argue that since the only mosquitoes that "bite" are the female ones, my indiscriminate treatment towards both male and female mosquitoes is actually inhumane.

As a matter of fact, it is not.

The male mosquitoes are bigger bastards than the female ones: they mate with the girls and have babies.... Just think of it that way and you will never ever have to feel guilty of killing mosquitoes.

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on University of Indonesia enrollment

As I took a sip in my lemon tea, I asked her, "How did you manage to enter UI? You must be quite smart... You went there with that SPMB (Seleksi Penerimaan Mahasiswa Baru, or New Student Enrollment Selection) thingy, did you?"

Citra replied, "Nah, it was UMB (Ujian Mahasiswa Baru, or New Student Examination). And it wasn't me who was smart... It was a stroke of luck actually"

"Really? So tell me... What kind of test is that UMB thingy?"

"Hmm, let me see... That time I got examined on Maths, English, and General Knowledge. And I scored pretty well on the English section, which was perhaps the reason why I got accepted in the first place, T!" she smiled.

I stared blankly at her for a moment in disbelief.

"Are you sure they tested you only that?"

"Yes, of course. Why? Interested on entering UI?"

"Haha.. not in a thousand years perhaps"

"I knew it... You hate the challenge being too easy, right?"

I only chuckled.

(For information, Citra just graduated from UI last week. She majored in tourism. A bit of googling I did turned out a different fact from what Citra told me, though; where it is said that in UMB one is tested in Maths, English, and Indonesian; with Science or Humanities for different streams in High School.)

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Signs that I am in love

Most (famous) bloggers are lonely people. There is no denying that. I am quite well acquainted with a top blogger in Indonesia, and once he confided in me about how he is longing to meet up new girls (even to the point where he asked to be introduced to my own female friends, could you imagine that?), despite the fact that he's the more popular one among girls.

And there is no denying that I am one of those lonely people. I can be surrounded by friends and family and still feel lonely. I don't know what that is supposed to mean - perhaps as a proof of an unsatisfactory life?

But fret not, it's not loneliness that I'm going to write about today.

In retrospect, I can look things more objectively now as I am able to look at my own past feelings from a more detached view... This is one weird ability that I have: Sometimes I could see myself as if I am examining a psychiatric patient.... Does this in anyhow indicate that I have the knacks to become a psychiatrist?

Back to the point, some of these "signs of love" below also exist in most other people, yes, but I do think that the characteristics are mostly unique to myself.

Here are signs to know if I'm in love:

1. Compose poems.

If anyone asks me whether I'm still in love with that former girl or not, I am quick to answer No. And how can I be so sure about that? Because I no longer compose poems... It's as simple as that.

2. Being overtly sentimental in my words and deeds.

I use a lot of flowery and girly language, even to the point of being dramatic. Gee, that's pathetic ain't it?

3. Drop little hints to the girl I like, but not too obvious as not to make her start "playing the expensive card".

Now this is one feature that is mostly present in all the "chases" I've been thru.

4. Absent of foul language.

I refrain from using the F-word or S-word (at any given time) when I'm head over heels for someone. Foul language scares girls out, and I'm well aware of that fact.

5. Listen to instrumental songs more often.

This is perhaps related to point no.2, the sentimental thingy.

6. Take great care of my hairstyle.

I comb my hair more regularly... could you imagine how silly that is? I always hate combing my hair in the first place, because I'm prouder to have the wacky "Harry Potter" unkempt hairstyle instead of that nerdy-looking combed one.

7. Willing to learn new skills I've never tried before.

The last time I was head over heels, I learned how to ride a motorbike. Well I had never wanted to learn motorbike-riding before, but there I was!

8. I'm not myself.

Now if you want to know the real Toshi, this is the right time to see him! Here I tell you now: You'll NEVER see the real side of Toshi when he's in love, because he puts up a sweet and genteel face in front of basically everyone... How pathetic of him, eh?

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Fukuda's resignation, McCain's bane, and Indonesian debt

I had known it all along that PM Yasuo Fukuda will resign soon (indeed he had a very unpopular support in the Diet's upper house) but definitely not this soon!

It was an honourable move expected of a political heir (who is son of former PM Takeo Fukuda) notwithstanding.

Now regarding the next PM of Japan, I am putting my bets on Taro Aso. Today I reiterate my statement that I have supported Taro Aso long before I supported Barack Obama (refer to my September 2007 post if you don't believe me). Aso has had a long career in the Foreign Affairs Ministry; and I think it would do Japan some good to have a former Foreign Minister reign as a PM - indeed they still need some more foreign experts at the top position to mend relations with former Japanese colonies of China and South Korea.

The comeback of Junichiro Koizumi has also been widely held as possible, though I don't think of it as very likely. Despite his Yasukuni visits, I do think that Japan needs some Obama-ish figure in the leadership - one who can inspire youngsters like me in the public spot.

On American politics, President George Bush has cancelled his planned attendance at the Republican Party National Convention due to Hurricane Gustav. Indeed it either means that Bush and McCain are not meant to go together, or perhaps this is a sign that McCain's presidential nomination has not gotten God's blessings!!

I would very much love to think that the latter possibility is more likely, because a change promised by a Democrat like Obama is just what we need right now... Eight (failed years by Bush) is enough!

Now on Indonesia, do you know that as of July 2008, Indonesia's foreign debt has amounted to 1,462 trillion Rupiahs? If we divide the debt's responsibility evenly amongst all Indonesian citizens, then it would mean that every single toddler born in Indonesian territory has already gotten a debt of Rp 6,500 (US 70 cents). Perhaps it would do some good if you -as an Indonesian citizen- start paying your debt by disciplining yourselves when it comes to the taxes due dates.

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Indo-lyric: Terima Kasih Cinta (Afgan)

English translation:

Thank You Dear

I just realised that within my loneliness
After my long walk
Your light of affection has guided me
Back into your love embrace

Thank you dear for everything
You've given me that single chance
That only comes once in a lifetime
Every single mistake of mine that has hurt you

Without you it would be meaningless
Because I wouldn't be able to stand up again
Your light of affection has guided me
Back into your loving embrace

Thank you dear for everything
You've given me that single chance
That only comes once in a lifetime
Every single mistake of mine that has hurt you

ouuwwww...
ouuwwww...

Thank you dear for everything
You've given me that single chance
That only comes once in a lifetime
Every single mistake of mine oouuwww
Every single mistake of mine that has hurt you

Original lyric in Indonesian:

Tersadar didalam sepiku
Setelah jauh melangkah
Cahaya kasihmu menuntunku
Kembali dalam dekap tanganmu

Terima kasih cinta untuk segalanya
Kau berikan lagi kesempatan itu
Tak akan terulang lagi
Semua kesalahanku yang pernah menyakitimu

Tanpamu tiada berarti
Tak mampu lagi berdiri
Cahaya kasihmu menuntunku
Kembali dalam dekapan tanganmu

Terima kasih cinta untuk segalanya
Kau berikan lagi kesempatan itu
Tak akan terulang lagi
Semua kesalahanku yang pernah menyakitimu

ouuwwww...
ouuwwww...

Terima kasih cinta untuk segalanya
Kau berikan lagi kesempatan itu
Tak akan terulang lagi
Semuaaa kesalahanku oouuwww
Kesalahanku yang pernah menyakitimu

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The borders and differences

Sometimes when I study the world history and the countries' respective boundaries, I imagine what kind of world would it be like if there are no borders.

In its actual form, there is no such thing called country border. There surely are walls, yes, but try taking those walls away and there surely be no difference between the geographical features of one country and the next.

I just wonder if only the world's people are united under one single government, with all the existing entities turned into provinces, what kind of peaceful harmony would we have! Separatism would be nonextant, and the best governments (such as those of Norway, Japan, or Canada) are able to manage the poor locations such as sub-Saharan Africa.

But nah, it's just one naive streak of mine.

I know such a thing called "one unified world government" is freaking impossible since human societies are per se more concerned about their own racial, linguistic, and religious differences rather than looking for similarities.

By nature, we are always concerned of other people's ethnicity, ideology, loyalty, faiths, habits, beauty, etc.

Nobody could deny such a fact because we are born like that.

That's what being human is all about.

We are born to judge others in accordance to our own mind sets. You are born to judge me, and vice versa.

Even if one person don't say it, one cannot pretend that one has certain dispositions of the other.

You may think that I don't have certain secret dispositions of you, but no, as a matter of fact; I do!

For example, I hate people who smoke. I always do my best to stay away from them.

But what would I do if I befriend a certain person and find him/her smoking one day?

Of course I would keep it to myself.

I hate seeing him/her smoking, but I just couldn't possibly just say, "Hey, why are you smoking? I hate people who smoke, you know?"

That would end a friendship, for certain.

And of course I would never say such a thing (because I have never said anything about smoking despite the fact that I know Linda, Duli and Citra inhale cigars).

The friend in question has his/her own freedom of choice to smoke or not to smoke, just as I have the freedom to binge or not to binge.

I just thank goodness that there is this thing called "tolerance". Tolerance enables us to refrain from saying out those bad things we have in mind of other people.

I know that certain people cannot refrain from having their own gross dispositions of me. There are certain things that they intensely dislike of me, such as me being a "semi-autistic weirdo"? Or perhaps a "constant whiner with a weird hairstyle"? Or what about an "ugly Persian who stays untalkative all the time"?

Surprised?

Yeah, I'm surprised too to know how much do I know about their thoughts!

They could deny it, but I know that some of those thoughts exist in their minds. They never say such things in front of me, but trust me, I usually know what people say of me when they talk behind me.

They just don't say it to me directly because they cherish the friendship they have with me, just as I cherish my friendship with theirs.

Some call it intuition, some call it sixth sense.

I prefer to call it "common sense".

That is why I myself refrain from saying my own gross thoughts of them.

I rarely gossip about my friends behind their backs, but when I do, things could get pretty nasty. The reputation of the friend concerned could get turned upside down from a "prom king" into a "constant wanker" with just several decorative metaphors from my tongue.

Which is why I choose to refrain from gossiping about my friends behind their backs.

I think they should refrain from gossiping about me too, because it pretty much bothers me to know what is inside their heads.

It's nasty, don't you think? If gossiping is sinful, why should we continue such a nasty habit?

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