Year End 2008

post #322

Hiatus Period
After the spontaneous singing at midnite, it seemed I lost all of my inspirations (and more importantly, willingness) to write another entry. Plus the work didn't allow me to. So that's my explanation for the lack of update in my blog. There were some ideas, but it's quite hard to combine the time I had and the will to actually write them. And after a while...they didn't seem as appealing as they had been. *talking about momentum....;D


Road Trip
One thing that I was looking forward at the end of 2008 was our road trip, which we finally did successfully. It was very tiring, but exciting as well. There were seven of us. We went at Christmas Eve, David got the first turn to drive. The traffic was already jammed at Cawang Toll and it continued till Cikampek. There were lots of buses whose drivers drove recklessly. After four hours, it was my turn....made it to Kanci and again David took turn till Tegal. I finished my second turn by arriving in Semarang at around 10 AM. 15 hours to get to Semarang...very bad traffic. I was very very tired after 8 hours of driving (a little bit break between the first five hours and the latter though) but we still ate some breakfast first. Then Dovan took turn to drive to Jogjakarta. Arrived there in the afternoon, we're all tired and quickly took afternoon nap. Went to Ambarukmo Plaza in the evening, ate dinner then stopped by at Ayam Goreng Ny Suharti to eat dinner (again). Went back to the guest house. Me, Dovan, David n Bowo decided to take a tout, we wandered around at drank Ronde at South Ground.

Woke up quite early in the morning then we checked out. We went to Sultan Palace afterward, took the tour (n lots of pics :D) then we went to Borobudur. Stopped by along the way to eat lunch. Arrived at Borobudur around 2 PM. It was hotttttt. We looked around for about an hour then decided to continue our trip to Bandung. David again took the first turn. I got the next turn, a difficult one, lots of maneuver needed. We managed to arrived at Pring Sewu to eat dinner at around 10 PM. Dovan took the next turn and drove an alternative, damaged and scary road. It's like in the middle of nowhere, only trees on the right and left side of the small road. But we got through and next David drove us straight to Bandung. Arrived there at around 3 AM. Drank coffee and lied down for a while. Then I took the turn to drive to White Cater. Arrived there at 6 AM. It wasn't open yet, but we got permission to go up. We went up and the it was very cold. I could see my breath fogged up. Personally I thought it was so so....I like the cold n chilly air though....nice.

I drove till Bandung again, then Agus took turn and drove us to the hotel. I was so exhausted I went to sleep right away the moment I lied down on the bed. We woke up in the afternoon, ate afternoon meal then drove around Bandung. We ended up hung out at Ciwalk and karaoke at NAV...lolzzz... Went back to hotel and got some sleep afterward. The next day we woke up lazily....then we went shopping...tour de FOs...Ciwalk...then ended up at PVJ. Ate dinner at a Japanese restaurant. Bowo tried a-quite-attention-catching menu called Bukkake ramen... and it tasted...weird.... *hence the name? lolzzzzzz..... Then we continued to eat pancake at Pancake Parlour. After that, trip back home. Agus drove all way back home.

It was such a blast to have a roda trip with my homies. Though it's quite short...but it's still fun, all the weariness from driving in the middle of the nite aside. It's nice to see the world...to see different, new things I wouldn't see during working days.


Reflection
Checked my work email yesterday and very surprised to read one of the email I received. *sigh... so long comrade.....wish you all the best. It made me think again...looking back my life in 2008. There were some accomplishments and valuable lessons I learned. Not a bad year...not at all. But browsing through a friend's facebook profile...it seemed that life's been at low gear, while everyone else was in overdrive...Remembering.....there were some songs that I got to know this year. The first came up none other that Peterpan - Walau Habis Terang.... I really love it. Then Jason Mraz - I'm Yours, Leona Lewis - Better In Time, Chris Brown - With You, and Rihanna - Take a Bow came...Nidji - Jangan Lupakan...Samsons - Tak Bisa Memiliki followed. Watched lotsssssss of movies....either in the theaters or TV serials. Finally got the guts to tell her..though it came with a consequence...but still it felt liberating to get it all out...*a bit stammering at first..... I was like a high school kid....lolzzz

Some targets achieved, some exceeded what I had expected...few were unrealized due to circumstances. Year 2009....may it come with new hope, new spirit, new strength, and new behavior to be better....to reach alll those dreams that are waiting to be realized.

And for my beloved friends...here's for you...


Sindentosca - Kepompong

Dulu kita sahabat
Teman begitu hangat
Mengalahkan sinar mentari

Dulu kita sahabat
Berteman bagai ulat
Berharap jadi kupu-kupu

* Kini kita melangkah berjauh-jauhan
Kau jauhi diriku karna sesuatu
Mungkin ku terlalu bertindak kejauhan
Namun itu karna ku sayang

Reff:
Persahabatan bagai kepompong
Mengubah ulat menjadi kupu-kupu
Persahabatan bagai kepompong
Hal yang tak mudah berubah jadi indah

Persahabatan bagai kepompong
Maklumi teman hadapi perbedaan
Persahabatan bagai kepompong
Na na na na na na na na na

Semua yang berlalu
Biarkanlah berlalu
Seperti hangatnya mentari

Siang berganti malam
Sembunyikan sinarnya
Hingga ia bersinar lagi

** Dulu kita melangkah berjauh-jauhan
Kau jauhi diriku karna sesuatu
Mungkin ku terlalu bertindak kejauhan
Namun itu karna ku sayang

Reff

Midnite Song

post #321

Well, seemed like I had too much nap today. Still couldn't get some sleep at this time, so I decided to sing a bit (and recorded it). To my surprise, it turned out quite good (based on my amateur standard ;D) though I didn't have any preparation. Just pick a song and sing it.

So here's with great pride (lolzzzz) I present you, the cover version of Michael Buble's - Home.

Home Cover Version


Michael Buble - Home

Another summer day
Has come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home
Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
'Cause this was not your dream
But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
In even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
Oh, let me go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It will all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

My Sassy Girl

post #320


I will try and dry my eyes

Okay okay...the above line was in one of the soundtrack of My Sassy Girl, the Hollywood version. Just finished watching it and I was so moved to write a new entry. Heck, even meeting Jusuf Kalla on Saturday, the vice president of Indonesia didn't move me to write. Well not actually meeting him, just saw him in less than 1 meter distance...we shared the opthamologist, something I could brag about....lolzzz.

Let's go, shall we. First...
Sassy is defined as:
1. Rude and disrespectful; impudent
2. Lively and spirited; jaunty
3. Stylish; chic
4. Improperly forward or bold

The only main reason I bought the DVD was because Elisha Cuthbert was the leading character on the movie. I was also intrigued to see how Hollywood would adapt this movie, which was originally a Korean Movie with the same International Title (Korean Title : Yeopgijeogin geunyeo). I watched and enjoyed the Korean/original version of the movie so I was kinda curious to watch the Hollywood version of it. plus to see none other than Elisha Cuthbert

My Sassy Girl wasn't the first (foreign) movie which was remade into Hollywood style. Some of them were:
1. Wicker Park; originally L' Appartement (French Movie), played by the stunningly beautiful Monica Belucci.
2. Lake House; originally Il Mare (Korean Movie, in Italian means The Sea), played by Gianna Jun, the same leading cast in My Sassy Girl.

Interesting fact about these two remake movies was that both used the original title of the movies as the name of the restaurant where the two characters meet. I forgot about Lake House, but in Wicker Park, it gave reference to L' Appartement in the ending credit, something that's lack in Hollywood version of My Sassy Girl.

Storywise, the plot is identical with the original My Sassy Girl (from now on referred as MSGK). There were only few things need to be adjust to adapt culture and geographical differences. The male leading character was good, but the MSGK was better. The guy there looked really plain stupid (ooops...) and very submissive compared to the dominant Gianna Jun. Elisha Cuthbert played her character well, but still felt a bit subtle...for example, the slapping scene...in MSGK you could feel that the slapping was for real. And the train scene where Gianna Jun puked, My Sassy Girl Hollywood version (from now on referred as MSGH) didn't have it. Probably because NYC was quite strict about public hygiene and forbid such acts ;D. In general, both versions had their advantages. The soundtrack (accoustic guitar) in MSGH was really good. I really loved it. It emphasized the nuance and gave the scenes that emotional touch. The songs were also great. And I liked the MSGH since all the dialogs were using English, helped alot in understanding the plot, while in MSGK I had to rely on the correctness of subtitle since I didn't understand Korean.

As like other Roma (Romance Drama) movies, it ended happily. Elisha Cuthbert finally met the man from the future. Their destiny entwined and bound them together. There were some interesting dialogs in the movie, kinda reminded me of Serendipity (another typical Roma ;D).

Elisha : "Destiny has spoken. And to search for him would be like trying to shape and mold destiny and that just can't be a good idea."
Old Man : "Just suppose, that the shaping and molding of destiny is, in fact, your destiny."

That's a thought. Similar like the one in Serendipity.

Jonathan: "Maybe the absence of signs is a sign."

Ermm....we are used to think about destiny as a dead price. We're waiting for the signs. Sometimes we feel in our heart that we're destined for something and we're sure about it, but then it got taken away from us. Then...what's our destiny actually? Well, quoting MSGH, don't we have to at least stay alive to see how it goes, how the story (of our lives) end? Maybe the thing that was taken away from us, wasn't not our destiny after all....beside, don't we also have to work to build our own destiny?

Again, quoting MSGH, destiny is a bridge you build to the one you love. *And I believe the one you love here represent a very wide meaning....

To close this entry, an old song from Sheila on 7. Heard it accidentally at Carrefour, looking for it, got it on the internet, and later found out that I already had it in my MP3 collection years ago....Hmmm...didn't I just find a song from the future? ;D

English translation:

Sheila on 7 - Point a Star

Try point a star
As a guide for our steps
Hold my masterpiece tightly
Till the blues illuminated

[chorus]
I will carve a story about us
Where good and bad embraced by beauty
I will ponder all of our moments
Where black and white wrapped by the warmth of love

If dreams come true someday
Beside you alway, my days are
[chorus]



Sheila on 7 - Tunjuk Satu Bintang

Coba kau tunjuk satu bintang
S'bagai pedoman langkah kita
Jabat erat hasil karyaku…
Hingga terbias warna syahdu

[chorus]
Akan ku ukir satu kisah tentang kita
Dimana baik dan buruk terangkum oleh indah
Akan ku cerna semua karya cipta kita
Dimana hitam dan putih terbalut oleh hangatnya cinta

Jika mimpi terwujud di hari nanti
Di sisimu s'lalu hariku

[chorus]

N97!!!!

post #319

WHOAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just read a very very interesting article about cellphone. Today, Nokia officially launched introduced the 2nd touch screen phone. After the history making (for Nokia) release of its first 5th edition of Symbian S60, Nokia surprised the world with this new cellphone.

It seemed that the article containing Nokia roadmap which had been leaked few weeks was accurate. This N97 seemed like the device which code named IP08...Hhmmm.....
Here's the leaked document of Nokia roadmap --> Nokia Smartphone Roadmap

N97 had sliding QWERTY keyboard for those who prefer input mode other than touch screen. The memory was also upgraded to 32GB internal memory, plus 5MP camera...Woww.....Talking about improvement, huh? It's planned to be launched in the 2nd quarter of 2009. The color and Nokia logo orientation kinda reminded me of N79 (Ermm....97 is 79 if you read it from right to left, right?)....Well...without further ado, please welcome N97 *drooling....

Front Side and QWERTY Keyboard






N97 compared to E90 (E90 looked so bulky ;D)


Here's the data sheet --> N97 Data Sheet

To top it, here are some videos:
N97 Live Demo


N97 Demo

Under The Same Sun

post #318


Quoting Heroes, we’re all connected.

Today I got a call from a girl who’s looking for MC. Actually she called my colleague, then my colleague handed the phone to me. We talked, she asked several questions, then gave me her email address. I added her on YM, then browse through her FS profile. When I looked at her pic I felt like I’d met her before. Her face seemed familiar, but couldn’t remember where and when.

Then it stroke me when I looked at one of her pics. She was with her mom, I recognized her mom. I was sure that she was my close friend’s mother in law. I was like…..woaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..No wonder she shared the same family name. I verified with my colleague just to be sure that she’s really the younger sister of my close friend’s wife. Indeed, she was.

I told my colleague that my close friend was her friend’s big sister’s husband and we were amazed how small this world was and how we’re connected in a way we never imagined. We went talking about how her (my friend’s wife) mom passed away not so long ago, and how they got married quite fast. We shared stories, I told her about my friend’s ex. To add my surprise, my friend’s ex little sister was my colleague’s best friend in high school. My colleagues lived in the same city with my friend’s ex. And…..she also knew my close friend because back then he had a crush on her auntie’s daughter (her cousin)….Could you imagine that?

We went on talking about the sisters. She told me about the sisters back in high school. I told her that her best friend’s big sister was quite good in playing ice skating. She said that the sisters were good swimmers. I told her that the big sister was also a good badminton player. Quite an athlete they were…;D But the big sister was calmer and seemed a bit shy.

After the clarification, I sent message via YM to this girl who called. I said I knew her and that we’d met before. After giving her some clues, she remembered me. Well she had to, I was the best man on her sister wedding back in 12 January 2008. She was also very surprised to know that we had met before.

So in summary, the girl who talked to me on the phone was my close friend’s sister in law and befriend with my colleague…who lived in the same city with my close friend; she was his neighbor and that she was the best friend of my friend’s ex little sister…kinda confusing, huh?
What a small world…..We're all connected in some way


This song is for the victims of terrorist action in Mumbai recently
My condolences for them...

If we're all connected, why can't we live as one?

Scorpion - Under The Same Sun

I saw the morning
It was shattered by a gun
Heard a scream, saw him fall, no one cried
I saw a mother
She was praying for her son
Bring him back, let him live, don't let him die

Do you ever ask yourself
Is there a Heaven in the sky
Why can't we get it right

'cause we all live under the same sun
We all walk under the same moon
Then why, why can't we live as one

I saw the evening
Fading shadows one by one
We watch the lamb, lay down to the sacrifice
I saw the children
The children of the sun
How they wept, how they bled, how they died

Do you ever ask yourself
Is there a Heaven in the sky
Why can't we stop the fight

'cause we all live under the same sun
We all walk under the same moon
Then why, why can't we live as one

Sometimes I think I'm going mad
We're loosing all we had and no one seems to care
But in my heart it doesn't change
We've got to rearrange and bring our world some love

And does it really matter
If there's a heaven up above
We sure could use some love

'cause we all live under the same sun
We all walk under the same moon
Then why, why can't we live as one
'cause we all live under the same sky
We all look up at the same stars
Then why, tell me why can't we live as one