How do I cry?

I rarely cry. I don't cry. I got choked up, but rarely cry.

I had to be departed from my family for at least two years. I looked at the bright side. I smiled, and didn't cry. I was sad, but I didn't cry.

I had to say goodbye to my friends, and don't know when I get to see them again. I choked up, but I didn't cry.

I watched a good movie. A tearjerker. Somehow it was connected to my life. There were tears building up ready to destroy their last pad, but I held it in. I didn't cry.

But when I did, it would be the longest three minutes of my life. And after that I might regret it. I may regret that I cried. I may regret that I thought crying was one of the realization of being weak. Which I am very aware that it is not true.

So stop it, I don't need to cry some more for tsunami victims. They don't need another tear delivered to them. I'm just gonna get up, pray for them, and do what I can do to help.

May all the tsunami victims, wherever they are, whoever they are, are always be blessed.
May all of the survivors gathered more than just strength and courage to move on.
May all of their families be strong for their loss, and understand all that happened to the loved ones.
May all of us truly believe that life is not eternal.

would you like to contribute?

contribution in flickr.com.

one of contribution in Germany.

Verband indonesischer Fachkräfte und Akademiker in
Deutschland (IASI e.V)
Kontonummer : 359 864 0000
BLZ : 206 905 00
Institut : Sparda Bank Hamburg
Zweck : Hilfe für Tsunamiopfer

I think this new TV show is cool

I have a feeling that Wickedly Perfect is wickedly perfect. Wow. Let me say that again. WOW! (no, I'm not gonna say the F word, heheheh..) Eventhough many times my feelings were proven to be wrong. lol. Just one question, though, what is Dawn doing in that pool of people. Hmm..

Too bad, I think I have to pass watching it. Just knowing about it is enough for the satisfaction, I think.

It's wickedly perfect!

am I allowed to cry

Am I allowed to cry? Oh, dear. I am so not good with words but I just wanted to tell you, that I feel a big sorrow and loss for 51,000 (and growing) casualties of the tsunami tragedy.

Now am I allowed to cry? Please say yes.

A related blog.

From the recent radio broadcast, it is said that people in parts of Indonesia which were not in the disaster zone are trying to get there. Most of them are looking for the family that might be hard to ID. I even feel more sorry for them. I really do hope the best for everyone.

A sip of taste from home

Dear friends,

listening to Hard Rock FM Jakarta, in Germany or any other part of the world is not that difficult. Just go to its website, and choose live streaming. It will accompany you as long as you want it. Hmm.. That simple, and you will now soon that there will be a Radio Music Award soon, and something that was sponsored by something. Hmm.. couldn't get clearer than that. You know I don't respond good to commercials.

See you then.. Don't get hooked! :D

F-R-I-E-N-D-S Retrospective

After 10 cwazee years, FRIENDS took its toll over my life as one of the most my referred source of jokes. Eventhough most of the times this joke can only be uttered among FRIENDS fans. And sometimes they still don't get it.

Now, here's something, only for the fans, only for the fans.

note: I scored as low as 68% without cheating and without checking back. Darn! That low? Hmm.. And also, a typo in question 5. Just don't get furious alright..

what I do by night

Well, being compared to Hugh Jackman is never bad, eh?

and on the other side of the fence..

that was spotted. that too. and I'm gonna spot that gay republican guy.

Well, actually I watched two of these movies not recently, but they just came to mind recently.

I always have a thing with movies with limited settings, short line of cast, and brief timeline. Maybe I should switch to dramas soon. Well, 28 Days Later offers one of them. Eventhough the backdrop of the story rings a bell a lot to Resident Evil, they're still quite different with each other. I mean you won't see well-equipped army deal with the outbreak, you will just witness a common guy who's trying to survive through it. One thing to learn though, biggest enemy of mankind, is mankind.

Gotta love Danny Boyle for keeping or pushing his style in this movie. Eventhough this movie tells you stories more verbally and visually compared to his other movies, you will still be able to see the story through alternative point of view.

Oh, Bridg, I really love that big panties of yours! Just like Cleaver. Hehehe.. Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason was funny. Not so successfully funny as the first one, though. Some of the scenes were more slapstick funny than smart funny. Good job by fading out her diary in the beginning of the movie. By the way the day after I watched this movie, I waited for a bus with a man looks a lot like Mark Darcy. I mean Colin Firth. I wonder if he watched Bridget Jones. And no, by watching the movie, I didn't prove anything regarding the previous suggestion.

I think I will have a hard time not judging when watching the Phantom of the Opera. I mean, come on! How will they pull Paris, late 19th century, opera house, two guys love the same girl, more interesting than what Moulin Rouge! had already done. The other part is that this is another musical that I was so familiar with, especially the music. And watching them sometimes just waiting for certain songs to come out, instead of enjoying the movie.

But on the other hand, I am such a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber and can't wait to see his opera-esque musical theater. Eventhough it is in the package of a movie. And no, I haven't watched the theatre yet. Poor me. I'll try to discover the talents, however, which Emmy Rossum (Christine) on top of my list. And of course I would have my eyes on favorite character of mine. Meg Giry.

Where in the world have you been hiding?

Other than that, there are a lot of parts in the musical that I would like to confirm. I am most curious for the lines of

Sing once again with me, our strange duets..

and also

Anywhere, you go let me go to..

Just trying to see how Gerard Butler and Patrick Wilson stood up to the challenge.

So far, I heard that the only dubbed singing voice is Minnie Driver's, however I have a feeling that she did a great job in this role. Minnie Driver still sings, though. There was this new number titled Learn to be Lonely and it is sung by her. I think this new number is for the sake of awards nomination. Hehehe..

what i read today, 12.23.04

So, you like Santa? - They are (or were) not.

Yeah, I agree, "Who's Your Daddy?" is a bad, bad, bad reality show. (what did they do with the link?)

What is www.gamelan.de all about?

Adjie Massaid and Reza Artamevia's latest situation. Did they realize that we're not even 2 months away from Idul Fitri?

Well, I'm not going to do that to my young'uns.. Or will I?

Charlie had written something about bieourself. I mean, be yourself.

Hmm.. just testing a blog-centered post. Hehehehe..

before the day officially ends

Humm.. Felt pretty good today. Went to Uni to gather all my project work, because tomorrow and so on the computing center is going to be closed.. Gymmy gymmy takabet (I don't know what language is this, but it's a dolanan song) after that.. Met Charlie there, told him what I had written in his shout box (what's the use of the shout box, then?)

Found out that smoking is no more allowed in NIT Building. Poor Janne and Indra. Sit around the NIT Cafe for a sec. Mostly prepping shawl and jacket to cover me from the cold. Buy dinner #1, and met Linda and Vero. Took subway to another rehearsal for gamelan sunda..

Damn you gamelan sunda! Why do you have to be so challenging? Now I am sooo challenged to master you. I will not quit practicing until I got to the part where I can play it correctly, fluently, and most important, stylish-beautifully. Hmph..

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

getting up close and personal - part 2

Continuing what I have written previously, here are the second ten from ten later on..

1. I was nearly five when we found out that my head was as big as a teenager's. In my kindergarten farewell program, I had to wear a peci. I didn't have one. I borrowed it from my neighbor who was a teenager.
2. I felt under my sister's shadow (this is an indonesian proverb), especially when I learned the fact that we were enrolled at the same elementary school.
3. I was forced to admit something I didn't commit. My teacher forced me to admit that I pushed my friend when playing soccer. I didn't, but later on I said I did. He was her son, anyway.
4. I got thyphus when I was six. I skipped a whole month of school, drank tomato slush twice a day, and only ate porridge. My teacher at that time never put 30 days absent on my report card.
5. My first inappropriate kiss was when I was eight. A trick I learned through a movie. Damn movies! So movies indeed have a big influence of my life. I still remember the girl's name, but I won't tell you.
6. I had to switch school when I was nine. I got my first 3 (out of 10) note. I was devastated, and never told my parents about it. Got my first puppy love as well. She grew up to be a model. (!) Dude, you were dating a model. She would never say we dated. Ha!
7. I was a control freak. I always determined how were we going to pick who's it in every game we played. Eventhough I played with (much) older guys. But I think it was only because my other friends were dull.
8. My grades degraded significantly since the last year of elementary school. In my junior high, I never got in to the top 5.
9. My first computer games was Prince of Persia. My best friend and I always talk about it every night over the phone. Well, not every night, only every time we talk, night and day.
10. Talent meant a whole new word to me. Suddenly I was surrounded by talented people. They play pianos, they master martial arts, they draw awesomely, and they were all my friends.
    

Hmm.. the third part will get harder to write. Just as life is.

Dear dear friends,

eventhough I'm not diggin' her, but I still wanted to tell you guys bout one of the things you may look forward to in 2005. Take care and keep the power up. :)

change of pace, there again..

So. Last night, I rehearsed the orchestra again. Now, the music is different. It's sundanese music (if you don't know sunda, please Google it :p), unlike the Javanese music that I used to play and learn.

So, the different is that, javanese gamelan has some westernization by translating the notes using numbers. And with that, sundanese music has that as well. The cutest thing, is that if bigger number denotes higher notes in javanese, it is vice versa in sundanese. But it is equally pentatonical, totally different numbers. Until now, read this as it is.

Next, eeeeveryone were like asking me, "Where have you been? I thought for sure you were back in Indonesia..", said Anne. Sven and Gitta said "Hey, long time no see." in the coolness of Sven and Gitta. Eli said, "Hmph? I don't know you. You left me here all alone." Soo Eli. While Yunita was missing me. And the rest were just glad to see me back and so on.

Another next, after the rehearsal, I told one of them, "Have you ever heard about der König der Löwen, and did you know that they have wayang interpreted in them?". The response was, "No! Really? You wanna watch it? I'd pay for your ticket!" That took be aback a bit. I was so friggin happy that someone will give me tickets for der Kö der Lö (my cooler abbreviated version of the musical). But then, what's the catch? Why would he do that? Will I feel obligated, then?

Well, stop the prejudice. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the moment. "I can watch der Kö der Lö for free! Woohooo!!!"

der König der Löwen, really?

Well.. Surprisingly, I just found out some facts about The Lion King. Not the fact that it was brought up to stage, (duh!) but the fact that the staging of the Lion King is much more complicated, compelling, exciting, amazing than what I have thought. And it's personally related to me!

I didn't realize when Gretchen, Gitta and I were talking about mainstream Broadway works, she pointed The Lion King right away. I thought at that time, out of thousands (well, maybe not thousands) of musical or drama, she can choose anything from Miss Saigon to Sunset Boulevard. Which was better, in my opinion that time. Or I thought she said that because she knew that we came from Hamburg, and she learned that there is a translated-to-german version of the Lion King in Hamburg.

I just found out that she might said that because she is a puppeteer. And we were in this international puppet festival. And the Lion King, was a slight different musical than there ever was.

My initial take on the Lion King was that there would be nothing special outside the costume. Because I knew the storyline, right? I am very much aware of the music, right? I can even rehearse some of the lines (everything the light touches [pause] is our kingdom..), right? I even know to some extent some trivia on The Lion King. I thought, I nailed it!

Again, I was WRONG!

Julie Taymor, admitted that she was faced with a big challenge when she was proposed to reinterpret The Lion King to the stage. And then Taymor admitted that what she learned previously, were applied in her final composition of the Lion King. She told us that she used traditional cultural means of performances. Namely, the african masks, bunraku puppets, and get this, wayang kulit. Well, not so sure whether solely wayang kulit, because in here it was referred as shadow puppetry. But I think it was, because Taymor spent four years in Indonesia to study on wayang, it even had significant influences in her work. Kudos to you, Jules..

Now, as one of a member of wayang kulit group in Hamburg, I think seeing the Lion King will give me a new point of view of how it is being interpreted, and most important, how the Lion King itself will be conducted. I once said that I would not watch it if it was not in english. But seeing that they will offer more than just music and story and choreography, I think it is still worth it.

That's why Gretchen picked The Lion King when we discussed about mainstream Broadway. That's why The Lion King sounds much more interesting to me right now. That's why I'm going to watch the Lion King sometime in January.

Habt Ihr Lust mitzukommen?

Ouch!

WARNING!

The post here below, was not meant to be written as suggestion or guidelines. It is solely a knowledge that I gathered, was suggested to, and read during trying to deal with my cut. My advice when you get cut is, GET HELP!

More about accident at home, and how to deal with:
Self-injury first aid
Health section of Allrefer.com
Munson Army Health Center

I was cut! By the top part of tuna can.. Yikes! It's not hurt, I think I can bare the pain. But the bleeding was kinda scary. The thing is that I don't have antiseptic ready at home (eventhough I live in the same buliding of a drugstore, ha!), how do I have to deal with the wound correctly?

So, by not having antiseptic, I thought of hot water the next best 'cleansing' actor. And soap. What a silly hurt guy.

On the left, you can see my fingers some minutes after it got cut, don't worry, I blurred the wound so that it won't look so gross. I will not deal with your imagination, though..

But anyway, after some thirty minutes of holding my hand higher than my heart, (after stupid ten minutes not knowing what to do) the bleeding stopped. The wound is so scary.. Whoosh! Well, I learned some lesson, though..

• By the act of bleeding, don't wash the wound with warm or hot water. It makes the blood flow even faster. (given to me by the son of a nurse, thanks NDC)
• Don't wash your wound with soap, according to this site. So, I made a mistake then, dang!
• Socks, are one of the first things to find when bleeding. Make them into a ball, and use wrappers to hold it to the wound. Thank God I have thousands of black socks.
• Hold your wound higher than your heart level. I assume then so if you cut yourself in the leg, lie down, and lift your leg. Maybe you can do crunches in the mean time.
• Check it after ten minutes or so, hopefully the bleeding stops. If not, try to get medical assisstance, then.
• When it stopped, apply Betadine, and bandage.

Cuts can be treated at home. So don't fret, play it cool like me, and maybe internet to a man is diaomonds to a girl: their best friend. (you know how we felt bout doctors.. or is it just me?)

just another result..

..of tickle.com test.

Good morning, mornin'.. I took this test originally about a year ago, and here goes the result..

AZ, your theme song is I Feel Good!

Owwww! Nothing gets you going like an all-out, full force, soul-meets-jaguar, call of the wild. You've got natural soul that comes out in the closed-eye, full-grinned, screeches that James Brown made famous in this song. You don't even need music playing to feel the beat. You were probably voted most friendly, best dancer, or most likely to get this party started, because you do feel good. So good, so good, you can even bring a smile to the grouchy DMV lady's face. Like the syncopated beat of your theme song, you add just the right punch to any conversation. Your friends love the up-beat you bring to their down-beat, and your dates are never short of sugar and spice. Whether you are in the middle of an important meeting or stuck in traffic, the King of Soul's "I Feel Good" takes you through the toll bridge and towards the open road to your next event. Owwww!

quoted from the result of the test

but since I'm all songs right now, I retook it, and it turns out to...

AZ, your theme song is Born to Be Wild!

You are a mad man and your theme song is "Born to be Wild." You're the guy most likely to run out on the baseball diamond during a rain delay or bang on the penalty box at a hockey game. Either way, when your mug comes on the Jumbotron, the crowd goes nuts. Whether it's bungee jumping off a bridge, or ducking the ropes at a ski resort, you throw caution to the wind—or so it seems to others. But you know that it's not danger that you crave, but the excitement that comes with challenging your fears. That's why you've got no problem asking a total stranger to dance. You are an instant party, and your friends love you for the risks you take, because whether you show it or not, you're pretty much in control when you take them. So full speed ahead as you take the world in a love embrace. You know your birthright and Steppenwolf helps take you there.

quoted from the result of the test

(note: seriously, I only need a cool sidekick as partner in crime. Hehehehh..)

Wow, looks like I've taken up some notches, eh? But I think I clicked more to the first one, and some to the second. Now, who's got Steppenwolf's CD, tell me!

laughing is the best activity

Wow.. rarely I had three posts a day.. Well, one last thing for the day I think..

I remember 'laughter is the best medicine' as a column in Reader's Digest. Right? But since this was not on Reader's Digest, so a bit slash version took place in the title.

Just check this out, laugh with me, and tell me your favorite. Mine was definitely unquestionably on-the-bull's-eye Osteopornosis. But Inoculatte is also cool. And Ignoranus?? Amazing. I wonder what will they come up with bieourself. A bit scared, here..

Ah, well.. Again, what's yours?

the grapevine is kottke.org

another song

We take the pressure,
and we throw away conventionality,
belongs to yesterday
There is a chance that we can make it so far
We start believin' now that we can be who we are! -(note: so bieourself)
grease is the word

This is another one. Composed by Barry Gibb (one of the Bee Gees) for Grease the Movie. However, this song is sooo grease that's why they put it together on the new production in the West End. So youthful and exuberant and just 123. The piano could only work for me if I sing it in a jazzy, blues kind of way. Which is not grease at all. I think it was originally sung by Frankie Valli, but I like the version by Clay Aiken better, and the original cast of the new production best. So greased!

Whoops! Get me out of the fifties!

long for the song

Did you know how my take on songs? Songs fall into four categories, but sometimes they belong to more than one, no more than three. I never find a song that goes to all four categories.

So the four categories are: (due to the template for the ordered list is just like the unordered, I put numbers in front of them)

1. (1) good lyrics
2. (2) great to listen to
3. (3) enjoyable to sing with/to
4. (4) fun to play on the piano

First example is a song that I can't get enough of these days. Les Temps des Cathedrales from musical theater Notre-Dame de Paris (composed by Richard Cocciante). Here goes excerpt of the chorus..

Il est venu le temps des cathedrales
Le monde est entre
Dans un nouveau millenaire
L'homme a voulu monter vers les etoiles
Ecrire son histoire
Dans le verre ou dans la pierre

This song is 12. So hard to sing along with. The ambitus and the language is the problem for me. :) However it is a great song. Later on, I'll tell you some more.

Now, anyone can help me with the translation? (funnily as I wrote this, it went to this song again)

Herzlich Wilkommen, allerseits. (Kendra not included)

Ay yay yay yay yay... What a great GREAT episode of the Amazing Race 6 this week! Amazing. I would never guess that it would be like this. Some said that I would definitely be pissed watching the episode. I did actually. But I couldn't care less. I mean, come on! Lemme tell ya'..

From Senegal, they were off to Berlin, Germany. A bit familiar to me. Their departure time made me shocked because I didn't think that Kris and Jon had that huge lead. Don and Mary Jean were easily got out of their cash-shortness, but couldn't really recovered from the slow moving and some mistakes. And they were eliminated.

• Don & Mary Jean - still love the attitude. I sorta knew that the only thing to make this team stayed on the race further on was if other teams made a humongous mistake or total bad luck. So it was their time. Will be missed Don & MJ!!
• Lori & Bolo - Dude! What happened, guys? Lost in the woods because a German told you where to go? Join the club. Been there three times. Hehehe.. It's better though to trust your books, maps, or Fahrplan then what people here told you. Trust me on this one. The fight in travel agent? Woof! I wish Lori had snapped back at Hayden. Like saying, "Yeah, and just because you had boobs and anorexic doesn't mean that Bolo won't smack you down. Or maybe I will." Then, catfight. Woohoo.. Nah, it's another episode of another reality show, probably.
• Adam & Rebecca - Keep trailing, keep contemplating, keep stalking. Damn, they so deserve it when Jonathan scolded them not to follow Jonathan and Victoria. Still boring as hell, I can't wait them to be eliminated. And four clips in the Amazing Race Insider doesn't change me from getting bored. Yawn.
• Gus & Hera - ROTFLMAOPMHOMS !!! Try to figure out the acronym. Gus and the beers.. Oh, Lord, don't get me started. So hillarious.. oh, I gotta go ROTFLMAOPMHOMS again..
• Kris & Jon - Again. What happened, dude? I didn't remember how this team got to the Roadblock so late. They were in the Detour with Freddy and Kendra, and boom. Where were they? Still, my favorite team to watch, if not win. I'm still rooting for Lori and Bolo, though..
• Hayden & Aaron - It's official. Not rooting for them anymore. First because they were even contemplating for giving Don and Mary Jean a hand...ful of money at the first place. Second, for telling Adam and Rebecca not to do that. Third making alliances with two of the most stupid racers. Fourth for letting their stupid ally cutting lines. Fifth for fighting with Bolo, and I think that's enough.

• Jonathan & Victoria - They will go far. They can be in the finals, however you hate Jonathan. Wow! WOW! Victoria's crying/running/screaming/panting when lifting/dragging/carrying Jonathan's bag was one of the best scenes in reality TV so far. What I can say is, Jonathan is so shameless. I do believe, though, that he shoved Victoria's bag, not her, but still Victoria has all the logic when she decided to pick it up, and so not deserve the shove. Shame on you, Jonathan.
• Freddy & Kendra - Suprise! The airheads were in first place. One thing to say to Kendra, though.. As in the words of Bolo: "Just be quiet, mouth!!" I can't wait for next week when Kendra would go down.. YESSS!!! Oh my God.. I just found this out as I'm writing this. Yesss!!! Can't agree with them more!

There were 16 racers this week, and none times I heard them correctly saying Gedächtniskirche and Teufelsberg. So, hillarious. Especially Kendra who thinks she's the best specimen on earth, but actually she is just mouth. Hahaha.. Another funny thing is that noticing them trying to say Danke schön. I'm not saying that I can do it perfectly, but it's just funny. And when Jon said "We're in Deutschland..!" by saying -land as in land.

I can do both detours and willing to do them both. One is because it was sooo fun. There is nothing merrier than seeing people hang out in a bar waiting for beers to come. And the Brats? Hmm.. making a link of Bratwurst. Not just any wurst, but 7 inches Bratwurst. Now, where have I seen such words before. Heheheheh..

This episode was another masterpiece from the producers. At the beginning it offers a very moving emotional moment. And then they didn't really expose Jonathan and Victoria's bickering too much. Because they kept something in the end. And a great thing, too. I usually cheered when any team approaching the pit stop for first place. This time there were nothing triumphant about the first place. The moment was even stolen with Jonathan and Victoria's moment. They stole their thunder. Woohoo..

this time I know it's for real

This is it.. Today's the day.. Tonite's the nite.. Finally I will get the chance of seeing Josh Groban performs live!

I don't care how far I'll be from the stage, I don't care how dark the whole arena will be, but one thing for sure, time to fill up my battery's camera, and to empty the memory card!

Wish me the fun of the world tonight.. Woot!

It turns out that I have to temporarily surrender my camera in the jacket counter. Sigh.. However, still got the whole fun though..

Updated: 7 hours later, when the concert is over.

for now

Well, a new face for the blog.. Still needs a LOT of primping to do.. But I think, it will do for the mean time.

We should talk. Gotta run.
Let's have lunch.

the duel of highway workers conclusion

Finally Chris Daugherty won Survivor: Vanuatu, as I thought, hoped for, and calculated. The funny thing is, if you noticed the name of the image file on the left, you will see that it was dated on November 12th. More than a month ago. At that time, I was preparing a writing about Chris, the last man standing.

Believe it or not, Chris recieved three votes in the first tribal council (cbs.com made a mistake), and his opposing alliance were pretty damn sure that he would go home that night. The problem? Balance beam. The first immunity challenge, copying the surprising result of the first immunity challange in Survivor: the Amazon, also took balance beam as one of the obsticles. Eventhough the other men did not have trouble in crossing them other than getting pain on their stomach, Chris couldn't get across. In the official Survivor talk on its website, Survivor Live, the first bootee and both hosts talked in disgust about Chris because he lost the challange for the tribe. Chris comment was:

"In this game you outwit, outplay, outlast people. You don't outbalance them."

At that certain second, I started to like him instantly.

He survived throughout the first course of the game, when the castaways were still in different tribes, solely because of his alliance. But people, including Chris Booker and I (you're not alone, Booker, trust me, dude!) started thinking that Chris (Daugherty, not Booker) was actually the brain of the fat-five (as the bootees call them) alliance.

During the merge, Chris was definitely on the minority when Julie and Twila jumped side to the women. Pagonging started with Sarge, and followed by Chad.

Funnily, when Chris's pecking order came, he didn't scrambled around to save his ass. The women's alliance was prepared to sack Eliza, one of the most annoying (she's a smart sweet girl, but just talk too much) girls. However, Chris knew that pecking order that low was not his ultimate goal, he approached Eliza to vote with him. This was done after he was approached by Twila, who was not happy about the pecking order as well, because Scout was not happy. (Try to figure it out)

He did it. The women's alliance crumbled, and couldn't get back on its feet. He continued to the final four after one of the hardest vote he ever made by voting his very close friend, Julie. I thought it was the smartest move. Julie might take him to the final two, but he won't beat Julie with the Jury. Especially if he stabbed Scout and Twila on the way to two.

Chris won the last two immunity challenges (cbs.com screwed up again), which was very important to him, because the odds of him going to the final two was only possible if he did won them. The challenges were awesome, by the way. Especially the final four. In the final tribal council, he played his last card. Sucking up. Damn, he was good. I wondered if I am able to suck up for a million dollars. I mean I might be able to, but I won't be good. Chris chooses Twila to sit next to him, because (1) he knew that Twila had more friction with the judge (2) Twila can be more easily played. He was right. And I too thought about that.

I didn't imagine that the final tribal council could be very emotional. Whoosh..

Now he won. I didn't recall that I rooted him to win before the final four, but he was certainly one of my favorites. He has a funky accent. Right now, everytime I say 'no' in english, I always say it in a Chris kind of way.

Congratulation Chris.. From the first obvious target, to become the sole survivor.

So, what's up with the title? Hmm.. It's just that Chris is credited as highway construction worker, while Twila is a highway repair. That's that.

getting up close and personal - part 1

Five from five of life

1. My mother once fainted in a traditional market when she carried me. At that time it was said that the baby would be a boy, and probably a hyperactive one. Let you be the judge. :)
2. I was actually a chubby baby and boy. Even one of my father's brother said that I will be plumpy when I'd grown up. I am not.
   
3. I was able to read actively and awarely when I was 3. My mother taught me how to read on her own, every night. The last word of the whole lesson is 'bawang'. Did the diphtongs.
4. In my grandfather 's funeral, I bit a glass until it was broken. He passed away when I was four.
   
5. I started kindergarten a year younger than my classmates, three months later after they started their first class. Due to my reading ability, all the teachers suggested my parents to go on with my study.

New year's coming. Time to look back to the years behind, and bring along what we had, cherish them as unaffordable experience if they are sold (I definitely will not sell mine), and just treasure every minute of it. My lookback this year starts with five fact from my first five years (longer than that actually) of life.

this is so cool, just cool, period

Who is George Masters? That link will not help you, but he is a school teacher, and scratching his own personal iPod mini 60 seconds advertisement. Got the hype by bloggers, and I think it is just cool. Wired News get something to say on this.

"To some experts, Masters' ad heralds the future of advertising. Homemade ads will play a big part in marketing, just like blogging is shaking up the news."

and also

"...it's one of the first "pure" advertisements seen on the internet." ...read more

So this is cool, just cool.

noooo!!!

Nooooo... what happened to my blog?? The template was changed unintentionally.. Sob..

Looks like I'm gonna spend another whole night to try to build the old version again.

Darn!

mr. bean jokes

Have you heard of Mr. Bean jokes? You know, silly things like..

Mr. Bean in a drugstore
Mr. Bean: I'd like to buy vitamins for my niece..
Employee: What kind? A, B, or C?
Mr. Bean: Anykind!! She doesn't read yet.

Today, in a public place, thinking about how Survivor: Vanuatu would go, I thought about a Mr. Bean joke based on my brief mind encounter with Big Brother 5. Hope don't get confused of how I got the joke.

Mr. Bean in a meeting for alcoholics
Jennifer: Hi, my name is Jennifer, 34 years old. I have a twin sister, Jenna.
Mr. Bean: How old is she?

Awright. It's not that 'hillarious' funny. Darn. It's funnier when I thought about it.

wish for Chris

I really hope that Chris will win the million dollars.. Wish you the best Chris!

the edge of reason

So, have you familiarized yourself with the second version of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason movie poster?

If not here it is..

In Germany, the three hand-written writings are changed to..

And look what I found in one of the subway station in Hamburg..

Is he really?

of course you don't read it here first

Alright, after some editing, hesitation and delay due to schedule tightness, I finally posted the writing on the devastating news.

Here goes..

There is this guy, named Ken Jennings. As in today, he is the largest winning achiever of television quiz show, in the value of a whopping USD 2,522,700.00. He got it from the television show of Jeopardy!. It was my second favorite PC game back in college. Alright, I'm dorky. Anyway, he won it by making a 75 streak winnings. Wow.

The winning streaks of Jennings of course made Jeopardy! more interesting to watch.

But he lost eventually, on an episode that would be aired on Nov. 30th. However, since Jeopardy! was taped, the knowledge of his loss was already known by the live audience and of course the producers of the show.

Now Jason Kottke (I really love this guy!) is a weblogger, the man behind kottke.org (I really love this site). It is a very great site. First time I was there, I felt a slap on my face for seeing such a great great blog.. Just compare it to mine. Sigh.. By the way, Kottke was tipped by one of the live audiences that Ken Jennings would eventually lost. And he posted it.

He didn't mean to spoil it to everyone, because the posts are tagged with spoiler alert. He just wanted to share the latest information to everyone. And later on, some mainstream media even put the coverage on Jennings' later on lost. Kottke's take on this got sharper and sharper, and eventually he got the audio recording on the moment that Jennings lost.

And you know what.. Sony, as the producer of the show, asked Kottke to take down this audio clip from his blog. And then Kottke put a transription of the question (ain't he great?!). And Sony sued him. Yes, you read it right, Sony the giant industry sued the guy. Jeessh.. Sony said that he was violating the copyright issue by posting the audio clip.

Wow.. Many bloggers thought that Sony was only pissed because Kottke spoiled their secret and they can't sue him because of that. So they try finding other way to sue him. Damn!

After everything, Kottke was thinking of not continuing weblogging. Oh, man.. I hope he was just saying it, because I will never stop reading every character and entity on kottke.org. Kottke, you know we got your back on this, and hopefully that will make a difference.

Of all the take on this matters, I like this one best.

Jon was #1 - again. Jon was #2 - again

Phew.. No one had to be casualties in the fourth leg of the Amazing Race 6, when it turned out in the end that it was a non-Philimination leg. Some great efforts, and terrible mistakes, and yet luck still highlighted the race.

1. Don & Mary Jean - 'Who wants to bathe in rose water?' is such a deadly gimmicks. Who knew that the bath turned out to be the hardest and most physically challenging roadblock so far. They were not successful in struggling out of the last place, and yet it was a non-phil leg, so they were still in the race. And I couldn't be more happier than that.
2. Gus & Hera - Made a mistake when choosing pull 'em up in Detour. I was so amazed with Hera's ability of speaking french. I believe now that's she is the most brilliant woman in the race. Not the most brilliant woman racer, though.
3. Adam & Rebecca - Arrrgghh.. What were this oh so boring couple doing in the Amazing Race? Nothing to see, except whiny Adam, rocky relationships, and.. I can't think of a third one. Yawn.
4. Freddy & Kendra - Yield them! Yield them! Guess who pissed me on this episode. If you're guessing Freddy, you're half right. If your guess is Kendra, you're half wrong. Yes, I was totally annoyed with both of them. Oh, just go to your photoshoot studios, dear models. Yeesh!
5. Hayden & Aaron - Huuuge mistake in thinking that the tower was opened at 10. I didn't recall though who made the assumption. Was it locals? By the way, Hayden, of course Kris can kick your ass! Next week, she would call Bolo 5'5" and on steroids.. Smack them down, Bolo! Wohoo..
6. Lori & Bolo - Go Lori.. I'd even cheer for her if I was in the salt harvesting field. They are sooo cool and just totally be themselves. Oh, my.. I love them so much. I really do hope they will win. Just don't make stupid mistake and be better each leg. I mean be better in reading maps and stuff. Or tag the smarter team, and beat them by footrace. Hehehehh.. Another funny happy moment in tAR Insider.
   
7. Jonathan & Victoria- I have my biggest worry now. I actually think that this team will make it further in the game. The reason? Because Jon was pictured of having great game plans in this leg. The tactics he used for shocking other group by taking different flight to Paris was useless (did he think that the other team will not check arrival time?), but at least he thought of something. The bickering was toned down this week. Or maybe because christmas is coming and it's not the best idea to show bickering couple on TV. Really?
8. Kris & Jon - If Hayden can solely be the reason I may turn my unheard cheering for Lori & Bolo, Kris can make me share some of my cheering for Lori for her. She is the smartest female racer in this season. There was not yet a crystal evidence, but somehow I felt it. And she and Jon really worked together great. Not forgetting to mention best attitude as well.

So there you go.. Last time we had Yield, this week we had non-philimination leg. I thought this week might be non-phil leg since last week. It's because of the preview of Don crying, Mary Jean pushing herself to her limit. And just how the episode went. Sometimes previews are such a dead giveaway. Especially for a fan like me. Just like Doug Ross said in Survivor: Live.

Can you tell me who's who in my capture? But don't cheat by hovering on the images!

when the afterglow set in

So, one of my most highly anticipated day in this year is over. And on this night.. I forgot to bring my camera with me.. How can one be more stupid than that.

But for sure, I was having a great time. For once in my life I have to perform to a bunch of people who's not looking at me my direction. And for twice in my life I will have to do it again tomorrow.

There are a zillion things that I wanted to do differently.. Maybe it's just the event organizer nature never did leave me thoroughly. Oh, I miss that good ol' days.

But anyway, I hope a more elaborate report on this will be able to run from my fingers yesterday. Now the afterglow has dimmed a little bit, it's time to head to the bed then.

Let the Sandman come.

the do's and the dont's

Until Friday, I may not

• sing along to all my American Idol mp3's
• pretend if I were the cast of My Best Friend's Wedding, and accompanying Rupert Everett singing I Say a Little Prayer for You
• play Christian of Moulin Rouge
• laugh highly pitched
• scream on top of my lungs - blushed.

I should, though..

• sing along to my choir tracks
• often reciting all, and I mean ALL of the numbers
• make a good unique heft for the notes
• keep speaking BIG and LOW
• laugh like this: hohohohho.. wait, I'm not Santa.. ah, well..

can't wipe out the grin

I was soooo relieved when I saw by supervisor today, and he said something like, "Okay, so tomorrow we will see each other, and we will talk about the examples and calculations." And I said something like, "Okay, I will prepare it, then, and hopefully the calculation will not be as hard." - cue for a grin on my face.

And he said later on, "And also, I think we should talk about the presentation. And your report, I think you have it everything covered, haven't you?" - cue for another grin.

So, this means two things, for tomorrow, I don't have to prepare a multi layered complicated report which is already only 40% ready now. That's a GOOD news. The bad news is, looks like I'll be working on calculations, report, and presentation during the holidays. And I have to hunt all the literature before the holidays come. - cue for yet another grin, but now add a little bit of bitterness.

Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE doing it.

Now, what can I write as my presentation outline.. - cue for the last grin.

Cut! That's a wrap.

Project Runway 2 top 7 revealed?

This post contains a spoiler of a current running show. If you don't want to be spoiled, skip it over.

Current books read: State of Fear by Michael Crichton. Finished! - study reading: State of Fear by Michael Crichton

This post should have been three weeks old, but I just watched this yesterday.

When Heidi Klum's voice saying, "This season on Project Runway.." was heard, I was alerted with one thing only: possible spoiler! And then suddenly, this shot appeared, and it may reveal the top 7 designers.

The shot looked like this. My guess is this would be the beginning of episode 9, where there would be 8 models and (supposedly) 7 designers left.

What happened might have been that the designers could pick a new model to work with, Zulema won the previous challenge (top 8) and she got to pick first. One model wouldn't be picked, und sie wird auf wiedergesehen werden. :p

This part of the shot is easy to identify. The man on the right is Nick. It's recognizable from the way he sits. On his right is Vosovic. The hair and (again) way of sitting is a giveaway.

The woman in front is not easily recognizable, it can be Kara or Diana, from their dark, flat hair.


The man on the right on this part could be Santino or Emmett, judging from his height. But I don't think that Emmett would slouch like that.The orange girl is Chloe. Clearly she is not Lupe, Kara or Diana, and Marla was never seen tie her hair.

Frontliners will be introduced shortly.


If this shot was accurately taken during Zulema's "I would like to have a walk-off between three models." speech that floored Andrae, the three guys in front can only be (ltr.) Andrae, Zulema, and Kara. And a close-up of Andrae confirmed that Santino and his beard were sitting behind him.

So the top 7 might have been (in no particular order) Kara, Santino, Nick, Chloe, Vosovic, Zulema, and Andrae.

just a quickie..

In the middle of cooking my mushroom soup (I don't have any recipe for it, btw..), another award stuff is out. This time it's from NY Times Book Review, and it's called 100 Notable Books. Check it out. Interested in finding one?

The grapevine is kottke.org.

last thing before bed..

Only want to write briefly. The opening of the awarding season is out there. Check it out. Especially in the part of Special Recognition For Excellence In Filmmaking. Wohoo.. How's everything gonna turn out?

Yawn! Wanna go to bed now, eventhough just heard a very devastating news. Gonna comment on that tomorrow morning. I think.

Night, night..

thanks to Charlie..

So just now, I came home from a turn-to-be-dreaded German course, found a package lying on my telephone counter. The name of the receiver is not one of my roomates' and definitely not mine, but a friend's. It was opened, I looked inside and.. IT'S MY BOOK!!!

Charlie.. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to have this book (maybe it's the most appropriate sentence, don't you think?). I know it's free for you, but maybe worth millions for me.. I'm a read it for sure!! Thanks again..

Umm.. BTW, congratz for the Presidency.. It's totally your year deh!

invitation across the nation

Hey.. it's less than a week! Got your tickets?

On the way, maybe you also want to check this out.

I got my ya-ya at IKEA..

I agree with Phil. I think last night was the hardest Philimination. Definitely.. I gotta give it to Lena & Kristy. Amazing sisters. Honestly, they were not my top picks for the Amazing Race this season, but however, in episode 1 they slided by to postition 3, and in episode 2, crucial mistake put them second last. Now, too bad Fortuna gave her blessing to other pairs.

1. Lena & Kristy - Don't you think that blood related siblings will not do good in filled-with-luck Roadblock? Check this amazing fact. Lance (or Marshall) had to gruel over piles of chocolate in Argentina before finding one. Teams passed them by. Lance (or Marshall) arrived last in scarab roadblock. And decided to quit. Lena took eight hours in a roadblock. EIGHT HOURS!!! I really have bloating respect for these sisters now. Way to go Lena!!
2. Don & Mary Jean - The more I think about it, the more I like Lori & Bolo more and more. Oh, wait this is not about them. Just check tAR Insider for details.
3. Lori & Bolo - Oh, man.. They expect themselves to count?? Oh, man.. Don't get me wrong guys. I don't think that they are incapable of counting intellegently. It's just.. even I can't count. But I like them more this episode. I really hope in one leg they will finish first and got the bonus. Or even better. Finish first on the last leg. Yeah!
4. Freddy & Kendra - First episode is Kendra, 2nd is Freddy, 3rd is Kendra.. Next week I assume Freddy will again piss me off. Oh, well..
5. Adam & Rebecca - Umm.. were they on this episode?
6. Jonathan & Victoria - Umm.. were they with Adam & Rebecca? Of course not! They were right there still shouting to one another. Fun facts, they were choosing three first detours themselves, and always not the most popular one (at first), but they always did it effectively. Wow.
7. Gus & Hera - Number 3 again.. Keep it goin..
8. Kris & Jon - Rock-paper-scissors.. You were rock, Aaron was paper, you were number two. Hmm.. The highest average finish position so far.
9. Hayden & Aaron - Sorry if one day I will turn all my attention to Lori & Bolo.

The detour in IKEA (so I was right, then..) - AMAZING! I don't know what to choose. Because I tend to always choose for the challenging one, and for me it's count it. Wow.. I will suck in that detour. I even have to calculate minimum three times when I used calculator. How am I suppose to do count it. For the contestants, did they never heard of IKEA? They have the best knocked-down furniture in the whole world. It's easy yet sturdy, it's simple yet stylish. This is not a detour.. this is a one way to build it.

The Yield.. I thought that Lori & Bolo would have used it for sure. But tAR Insider shows that Bolo is actually a very nice good kind guy (I'm so confused which adjective must come first). That's the reason why I like them more and more. He must be really funny and just a great pair with Lori. I wish though that the yield was placed in a two-way route, so teams could use it before or after roadblock. That would be interesting.

The Roadblock.. Eventhough for both Lance & Marshall's and Lena & Kristy's cases Phil had to go to Philiminate them on roadblock area, Lance & Marshall went straight to my bottom barrel of racers, Lena & Kristy went straight to my top choice for tAR All-Star. They sooo deserve a second chance (as Nancy & Emily from tAR 1).

Again.. I really respect Lena & Kristy. Especially Lena for her non-stop effort and no givin up attitude. Wish the best for them. And Phil said it the best. It wasn't about poor decision, it wasn't about making mistakes, it was purely about luck.

change of plan..

Things to do today..

• Find literature for my Project Work
• Kickin back an hour or two at home
• Grocery shopping

two hours later..

• Find literature for my Project Work - done!
  
• Kickin back an hour or two at home
• Grocery shopping
• Cleaning up the mess in my room
• Cleaning up the mess in my kitchen for crying out loud!

01.12.04

Be aware. Care. Be fair.

did you notice?

Two weeks ago, I noticed a different look on my choir leader. I don't know why, but I think there was a certain glow coming from his face. Well, maybe he was just using the latest facial product and it worked well for him. Maybe there was something that day but no changes on the following day. Or maybe he did have something going on with his life and it worked very well.

Now, did people notice the difference in me? Hmm.. these past few days, a dramatic change happened, not in my life, but in my thoughts. It racked the hell outta my brain. And the changes will take consequences very soon.

Let's see whether it's for the better of for the worse. Either how, I hope people do not notice it (then why the hell am I writing this fuckin' blog, then? :D), so that I can keep quiet and no questions will be asked.

Well, they didn't notice the changes should it be noticable last month!! That can shake the whole my world and no-one even notice. Two reasons. I hid it so bloody well, or they just didn't fuckin care.

The latter is the more possible thang. Hehehehe..