Kotaksuara

The Water of March - Jobim

2010-12-03T00:03:00.002-06:00

A stick, a stone,
The end of the road,
The rest of a stump,
A lonesome road

A sliver of glass,
A life, the sun,
A knife, a death,
The end of the run

And the riverbank talks
of the waters of March,
It's the end of all strain,
It's the joy in your heart.

Have been listening to the original song by Jobim and Elis Regina (Águas de Março) thousands time, but just struck me as a potential earworm this week. Been playing it on my piano couple times too.

If you are a bossa or Ipanema aficionado/a, take a breezy listen to the song (if you don't know it yet). I'll choose mine over a glass of nice cold wine:)

Susannah McCorkle's rendition : http://ow.ly/3jf9v

Sighting of curly haired girl at work

2010-11-02T10:30:00.000-05:00

Gw udah 7 taon tinggal di Amrik, lebih dari seprempat idup gw, gw ada di sini. Ada banyak yang gw pelajari, yang penting banget, sama beberapa hal yang ga gitu penting tapi hal2 yang gw bisa amati terjadi pada diri gw sendiri. Nah yang pengen gw tulis kali ini itu kategori yang kedua.

Hari ini pertama kalinya gw ke kantor membiarkan rambut gw yang keriting ga diikat. Hmm apa sih pentingnya urusan rambut?

Lingkungan kerja gw bener2 cowo banget (ga ada 1 pun cewe di kantor gw yang ngerjain apa yang gw kerjain). Jadinya temen2 kerja gw pada cuek sama penampilan apalagi semuanya dah pada berkeluarga. Semua dateng pake kemeja (tangan panjang kalo dah lagi winter), dan celana bahan. Karena gw cewe, dan satu2nya di tipe kerjaan gw, gw pake celana bahan kadang2 rok bahan, tapi yang pasti atasannya bole casual work gitu lah, bole sweater, ato blouse, ga usah kemeja asal rapi dan bukan T-shirt. I am an exception.

Kenapa rambut gw? Keriting, dan kalo dilepas gitu aja, gw ngerasa ga rapi. Dengan anggapan ini, gw kerja 2 taon tanpa pernah sekali pun ngebiarin rambut keriting gw menjuntai begitu saja. Gw ga tau dengan orang2 laen, tapi latar blkg gw yang ngebuat gw punya anggepan ini. Waktu dulu di sd/smp/smu jaman2 gw, rambut semua temen gw pada lurus (naturally straight). Mau diponytail, mau di bandoin, intinya lurus. Ngeliat temen2 gw yang bisa punya poni yang lucu2 (poni keriting kan ga bagus aneh gitu, udah bertaon2 sampe skrg gw ga punya poni), bisa dibentuk apa aja rambutnya, gw ngerasa rambut keriting gw itu bener2 rambut yang paling jelek. Cuma rapi kalo diikat, otherwise rambutnya ngembang dan ga silky-straight kaya orang2 laen. Disisir juga kayanya jempet banget, gw udah pernah matahin sisir plastic temen gw pas olahraga ga bawa sisir. Malu abis. Jaman dulu bonyok gw (yang juga keriting dua2nya) menghibur gw dengan bilang "Semua orang2 lain pengen rambutnya dikeriting. Kamu udah punya gitu aslinya malah pengen lurus." Waktu itu pikiran gw "Ya abisnya yang pengen keriting kan ibu2 (bukan seumur gw)!" jadi ya gw ga ngerti kenapa ibu2 pengen dikeriting. Katanya bagus, mananya bagus? Cuma bagus sekali doank pas dikeriting tapi mereka punya possibility untuk punya straight hair the rest of the year kalo bosen. Apalagi pas SMU lagi jaman2nya bonding rambut (gw pernah coba, pertama kali gagal langsung keriting lagi parah banget lah rambut gw). Kedua kali akhirnya berhasil dan rambut gw jadi lurus. Tapi ya Cuma tahan beberapa bulan kan kaya gituan. Sampe skrg ga pernah lurusin rambut permanen lagi.

Sampe di sini, gw sebenernya dah ngeliat dah banyak banget tipe rambut orang2 bule. Ada yang ga tanggung2 pendeknya, ada yang panjang banget nget, ada yang lurus banget dan keriting, kribo juga banyak. Intinya mereka berani jalan ke tempat publik dengan rambut apapun yang mereka punya. Di Indo ini ga keliatan, semua orang rapi aja intinya kalo keluar rumah, banyakan lurus panjang yang sleek gitu, with a cute bang, again. Hari ini milestone pertama gw, 2 hari yang lalu gw ngobrol sama M, sohib gw dari smp/smu. Kaya gw, dia itu ga mainstream rambutnya di Indo, hers is even more curly than mine. All the time we spent together (6 years in school) gw selalu ngeliat rambutnya dikepang. She is now an artist working in Singapore (bukan seleb, tapi seniman!), dan dia keren banget skrg. She looks just as cool as an artist. Now she lets her heavily curly hair down, and it gloriously shines. Digabungin sama kaca matanya, intinya she looks so awesome! Dia tanya kenapa gw ga pernah biarin rambut gw kalo lagi kerja, dan gw jawab karena ga rapi. Tapi dia inspired gw hari ini. There's always a first of anything, and this feels great.

Dari 7 taon, gw awed ngeliat orang laen yang begini, so now is my time at work. Sedihnya it took me 2 years to think, "hey maybe my colleagues don't really care anyway". Hahahahaha… Lagian kalo semua orang di sini bisa express rambut keritingnya tanpa takut ada anggepan ga rapi dan orang2 mikir "emank rambut dia aslinya kaya gitu", ngapain juga gw stress sendiri.

In fact hari ini gw bisa masuk kantor dengan tidur cukup hari sebelomnya, sampe di kantor membawa a marble pound cake dan Latte dari Starbucks, I feel great. Yeay to the curly haired lady at work!

My first ever Tiramisu!

2010-07-26T23:29:00.000-05:00

So last Saturday I woke up saying "I want to make Tiramisu today!"
So there was it, my first Tiramisu.
Thanks to honey Art, Feli and Rendy for helping whisk.
Almost fail because the whisked whipping cream was let out while waiting for another thing. But the next day, the Tiramisu worked and tasted delish for a first-timer. Beginner's Luck? Maybe. A tasteful one :)

http://twitpic.com/28nauk

2nd Anniversary at work

2010-07-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

Hari ini... adalah anniversary gw yang kedua di tempat kerja. Sempet mikir mo bawa donuts ato bagels ke kantor, tapi gw males lama2 di Panera. Jadinya dateng ke kantor hanya dengan segelas Grande Vanilla Latte. Mayan tenang si, waktu2 banyak kerjaan sudah berlalu akhir minggu lalu. Jadinya rada nyantai...

Tampaknya bos gw inget kalo hari ini anniversary gw yang kedua. Lalu dia kasih gw selamat atas achievementnya, terus mantan bos gw (yang dulu memperkerjakan gw) juga kirim email dan kasih selamat. Seneng sih soalnya mereka kasih feedback yang bagus2. Jadi senang...

Gw liat lagi, 2 taon yang lalu, gw lebi inexperienced (walopun 2 tahun itu masih kerdil dibandingin experience kolega2 gw yang sudah bertahun2, bahkan puluhan tahun lamanya, gw ngerasa gw ada perkembangan), dulu lebih culun dan lebih hijau. Hehehe... Sekarang gw lebi ngerti gimana harus berpikir, berkembang secara teknis dan profesional, macem2. Dan lebih ngerti kalo jalan masi jauh...

Masi inget meeting gw keluar kantor (dikirim ke CA), gw segitu begonya ga bawa business card buat tukeran! Geblek kan. Ijo banget deh gw. Setelah itu belajar, dan selalu bawa spare di dompet, just in case (kadang bisa di-drop-in ke Chipotle juga hehehe).

Gw dah ngerasain yang namanya punya project sendiri, dikejer deadline, ngadepin orang dari macem2 department supaya bisa rapi, telpon2in dan ngadepin vendor (termasuk saat dengan berat hati ngabarin ke vendor kalo kita pilih vendor lain), naik gaji (naiknya dikit tapi berguna tu!), tiba2 sekarang gw di posisi yang rada beda dari waktu gw dulu mulai kerja. Gw ngerasa tanggung jawab gw makin berat. Di saat yang besamaan, gw ngerasa gw seneng bisa menantang diri gw tiap hari, jadi lebih ngerti dan lebih bisa bikin keputusan, kasih opini yang lebih berguna. Semua itu baru 2 tahun, dan masih ada puluhan tahun ke depan. Belom bosen sama apa yang gw kerjain dan semoga ga cepet bosen. It's a very unique feeling, to know you have a significant achievement, yet at the same time you know you're just at early stage of infancy.

Intinya, gw mayan bangga sama 2 tahun gw selama ini di sini. Gotta keep it up! :D

Yeay me!

Why a no-meeting day is a sad day

2010-06-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

Meeting started at 1 pm.

...

15 minutes into the meeting

B and C, previously missing at 1 pm, required for the meeting appeared in the office, 1 of them with a cup of C*ldst*ne Ice cream in his hand. When teased on being late, his excuse was that he drove with 1 hand holding the ice cream and 1 hand on the wheel to avoid being even later.

...

18 minutes into the meeting

B : I heard the French went back already. Now I guess we have to follow the US team.

A : Yeah they had too many controversies.

C : Not coming to practice, not doing this, that...

B : Hahaha, they could say they were paid to play the game, not to practice.

A : Only they could do that.

C : Now they're out though, they don't advance.

gw : US team just won today, too.

B : They just played Algeria rite? They're advancing.

gw : Yep.

...

20 minutes into the meeting

A : UK Pound Sterling weakens.

B : So this is the best time to vacation to UK?

...

30 minutes into the meeting

Meeting ends, coinciding with C running out of his ice cream.

...

This is why I have fun at work, and why a no-meeting day is a relatively sad day.

Bahasa Indo gw jeblok!

2010-06-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sejak berapa hari yang lalu, gw berkeputusan pengen nerusin blog. Terus ada 1 hal yang baru 'nyamber' gw : Koq gw nulis pengennya bersih bahasa Indo, makin lama ga sadar akhir2nya jadi nulis bahasa Inggris lagi ya? Udah dipaksain, eeeh jadinya malah aneh banget, 1 kalimat ada Indo ada Inggris campur aduk ga keruan. Apa jangan2 bahasa Indo gw jadi rada2 terkebelakang?

Terakhir gw balik Indo, itu 3.5 taon yang lalu. Sehari2 gw kerja, ya ngomong dan nulis (nulis email si banyaknya) pake bahasa Inggris (bisa2 temen kerja gw ga ngerti kalo pake Indo!). Gw pikir2 lagi gw cuma pake bahasa Indo pas lagi ngobrol sama cowo gw si Art, ato temen2 Indo di sini, ato bonyok, ato chatting ma orang Indo. Nah ini jadi masalah ni, gw amat2i lagi, bahasa Indo gw terkebelakang khususnya pada hal tulis-menulis (bukan ngomong), apa gara2 kalo lagi chatting emank kita nulisnya dikit2 terus dah gitu cuma bahasa sehari2 yang pendek2 doank ya? Emank si, Bahasa Indo gw belom separah memakai kata "secara" buat gantiin kata "karena" (gara2 gw emank ga di Indo pas pemakaian kata "secara" untuk "karena" mulai ngetrend, no offense buat orang yang udah menggunakan "secara" buat "karena" tapi jujur, eloe bener2 bisa bikin gw bingung/ga ngerti sekejap!).

OK, intinya, gw makin ngerasa 'ditampar' setelah ngeliat Google Chrome Indo. Kalo eloe orang pada ke link itu, ada beberapa kalimat yang terus terang gw ga yakin 150% artinya apa. Contohnya :

1. Mulainya cepat : Google Chrome diluncurkan dengan segera.

2. Muatnya cepat : Google Chrome memuat laman web dengan cepat.

3. Penelusurannya cepat : Telusuri web langsung dari bilah alamat.

Kalimat 1: gw bisa rada2 nebak maksud 'diluncurkan' itu dibukanya kali ya (launch browser), pas kita ngeklik icon chrome di desktop kita.

Kalimat 2 : gw ngerti 'muatnya cepat' artinya kira2 'fast load' karena muat itu bisa artinya load, bisa artinya fit (size). Tapi alaminya, gw tebak kayanya artinya 'load' deh. Tapi apakah itu 'laman'? Apakah benar itu 'halaman' (tebakan pertama gw ni!)? Kalo ngeliat di Google Chrome aja, bahasa Inggrisnya sih "Google Chrome loads websites quickly." Jadi "laman web" = website (tampaknya?).

Kalimat 3 : GW KAGA NGERTI KALIMATNYA SAMA SEKALI! Kalo ini ada di tes Bahasa Indo, gw pasti GAGAL. "Penelusuran"? "Bilah"? Gila gw musti ngeles Bahasa Indo kali ye? -_-' Ok2, klarifikasi : gw tau arti kata telusuri, biasanya/dulu dipake buat kaya "ngikutin jalanan". "Telusuri web" bener2 gw ga bisa nebak artinya. "Bilah" bener2 clueless, ga tau deh apaan maksudnya. Mgkn ngeliat "Bilah alamat" tu maksudnya "Address bar"? Dengan anggapan kaya di atas, "Telusuri web langsung dari bilah alamat" ga gitu ngena maksudnya apa, tebakan gw "Browse langsung dari address bar" kali ya? (Yang ga makes sense, karena semua browser laen juga begitu, ga cuma Chrome aja!) Kalo ngeliat di Google Chrome, bahasa Inggrisnya si "Search the internet directly from the address bar". Baru tau maksudnya "Telusuri" itu juga bisa "Mencari di", kira2. "Browse" sama "search" pada kalimat "Browse/Search the internet directly from the address bar" itu beda soalnya!

Nah kata terakhir di paragraf di atas mengejutkan gw. Apakah gw jadi lebih sensitif pada Bahasa Inggris? Perbedaan "browse" sama "search" walopun kecil, jelas banget bedanya buat gw, intinya kalo diganti dengan kata yang satu lagi ya artinya/aksinya jadi beda. Gw lebih ngerasa susah nyamain/melumrahkan kesamaan arti "telusuri" dan "mencari di".

Hmm, apa ini internet doank ya? (Kebanyakan webpages pake bahasa Inggris dan jadi kebiasaan baca internet pake Bahasa Inggris). Semoga gw balik2 blog gw ga kelewat kacaw bahasanya dan masih memenuhi standard untuk bisa dibaca tanpa bikin orang pusing.

Umboh's being Art's passenger for the first time

2010-06-18T23:13:00.000-05:00

Abis makan Ha Long Bay hari ini... Rencananya karena besok mo jalan pagi2 Umboh nginep tempat gw biar pagi2 bisa langsung jalan. Jadinya dari restoran, anterin Umboh ke rumanya dia biar bisa ambil kolor dll, terus baru ke rumah gw.

Art : Ka, bole gw yang nyetir ga, latian? Dah malem jam stenga 11 sepi.

Gw : Oh ya udah, ni (kasi konci mobil).

Umboh : Ha? Nyetir kemana? *takut*

Gw : Ke rumah eloe! Takut ya??? Hahahaha...

10 minutes into the driving (yang emank menegangkan)...

Umboh : Guys, gw ga usah ke rumah dulu gpp si ga usah ganti.

Notabene lebih deket ke rumah gw daripada ke rumah Umboh dari restoran.

Gw : Hehehee, takut yaaaa??? Hahahahahahahahaha...

Umboh : Gw musti kontak insurance gw ni.

Hahahahahaha...

Kita selamat sampe tujuan tanpa kekurangan apa2.

El Capítulo Dos

2010-06-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

OK, so as you guys might have noticed, I'm waking up from a long Hiatus.

Selama ini ada banyak dukungan dari beberapa orang untuk nerusin ngeblog.
Raddie : eeh, inget elu, inget blog, kaga pernah diupdate ye.

Josie : You've been MIA.

Anung : Why Not? (red:resuming the blog) Entertain us! (Eloe juga hiatus ni kayanya ya Nung? Mulai lagi ateuh!)

Reggie : resume resume donk!!! makanyaaaa gue dr maren suruh elu tulis trus blog nya.

I'm pretty sure there were more similar suggestions here and there tapi gw ga ingetin specifically. Anyway thank you guys, setelah mikir2 due to recent happenings, that it is important to have some sort of a way to record. Ya otak manusia kan ga bisa siaga ingetin semuanya selamanya. Dan gw sendiri dah pernah ngerasain yang namanya bernostalgia bisa inget2 apa aja yang gw kerjain beberapa tahun yang lalu. It's never a bad thing to have a blog, it connects people, it entertains people (thank you udah bilang blog gw entertaining), it records, it's a timeline of somebody's life. Kalo eloe pernah nonton HarPot, pasti eloe tau yang namanya Dumbledore's Pensieve. Naaaah blog itu kaya gitu (not to say that JKRowling is not entirely creative). Untungnya, ga kaya pensieve, eloe bisa jadi selektif dalam hal naro apa yang eloe pengen ingetin (ato dibaca orang laen) di blog (freedom is upon us yeah peeps!). Anyway, here I am again, online and wired :) Sebenernya gw mayan mikir2, ada temen gw yang sampe "inget gw inget blog", berarti to some people, the blog's "gw banget".

Gw tadinya pengen start baru tapi gw ga bisa nemuin a better blog title. Kotaksuara, so far has been very accomodative, gw ga bisa nemuin title/theme laen yang emank lebih sreg. So, gw bakal lanjutin di sini. Selaen itu, gw sempet mikir pengen bikin picture blog (it's like the photo of the week type of thing gitu). However, gw mikir ada ide mo join-an sama temen2 laen yang suka moto2 juga, so that we can see what other people are doing. Kalo ga ada yang mau join-an (kurang pede?) foto2 gw yang gw jepret sendiri juga gpp, yang penting ada dokumentasi. I'll send guys casual 'invitation' to join this. Hope this will be fun. I'll post the picture blog link if it's set up.

There are definitely some things that needs to be taken care of. Gw tau haloscan is no more a service. I gotta find a way to make sure my commenting system works.

Apalagi ya? Ini aja dulu kayanya... Moga2 jadi seru! :D

Cheers, to Chapter II. :)

Orang yang malesin tu orang yang ngomongin orang!

2009-08-04T21:51:00.003-05:00

Ke gereja tiap minggu, kalo ngomongin orang di belakangnya, buat apa si?
Senyum, kalo di belakangnya sebenernya ga suka, buat apa si?
Ngeluh ke orang2, tanpa langsung bilang ke yang bersangkutan, nyelesein masala apa si?

UDAH DEH GA USAH SOK RAMAH, GA USAH NGOMONGIN ORANG, DAN SATU LAGI, GA USAH BELAGAK GA PERNAH SALA!!!

Semua orang ga ada yang 100% innocent, tapi yang ngebedain gw sama eloe, seengganya GW CUKUP PUNYA BANYAK KERJAAN DAN ETIKA UNTUK GA NGOMONGIN YANG JELEK2 DI BELAKANG LOE!

Funny thing with my mom and gramma

2009-05-28T23:09:00.002-05:00

You-might-laughing-pee-yer-pants alert : Make sure you don't have fully inflated bladder when you read this! Well, at least that was my problem when this happened.

My mom and gramma are visiting me in Sussex. Yesterday they arrived at nite and I bought some take-out Chinese already so that as they arrive, they can go to my home directly since it was pretty late and they might haven't had their dinner. 2 dishes 3 females, 2 of the females from Indonesia... Should be enough.

At home, dinner time. I told them that I would move this Sunday so I packed my things already. The only left in the dishwasher are 3 bowls for 3 of us, coupla spoons, forks and a pot to boil things. My gramma takes a bowl, and put about 5 spoonful of the first dish in it, the rest was kept in the take-out canister, which remained to be very close to being full. I assume she's preparing her bowl. She said "Yea, we'll share the foods, there's definitely more than enough of them for the 3 of us" while opening the second take-out canister and preparing the second bowl. Then we kept talking and talking and talking, catching up.

Almost at the end, I caught the impression that everything in that bowl would be shared. I thought when she said we'll share foods, it means all the foods in the bowl and the take-out canister. Then, I did a bold move : I pointed at the food in the bowl (yes, which I assumed to be her bowl containing the 5 spoonful) and asked "Did you mean everything in this bowl is going to be divided for 3 of us?!?" Then my mom and gramma answered yes. I looked at them and the food in the bowl seriously and then laughed my ass off, I had to run to the bathroom otherwise I peed my pants. While running I shouted to them "I can eat all in the bowl and take-out canister by myself!"

I kept laughin in the bathroom, I could hear them laughing too in the kitchen. Even when I was done with my business I was still laughing.

Funniest Day At Work

2009-04-23T15:48:00.003-05:00

Today is funniest day at work : The "Bring yer kids to work" Day 2009. I've been working for almost a year and today is my turn to experience this day.

The sign can already be seen in the morning. I parked my car and the big truck next to it is one my colleagues'. Truck is green and big and rusty, the only hint of cuteness is that kids-sitter thing on the passenger seat. Glanced at it, smiled and thought "Here it starts : Workday full of kids!"

Big conference room, was full of kids. Rite next to that room is Mr. CT's office (highest hierarchy in our office -> boss of our bosses at this office). Smiled and wondered how he worked with all those kids being loud in the room next to his office. Hihihihi...

Colleague R worked with his daughter asking questions beside him.Colleague R introduced me to his 10-yrs-old daugther. Her name is A and she's about to be in 5th grade. Colleague R introduced me as another engineer who can review documents he creates.

Another time I passed by the small conference room and found Colleague G who's in town, having fun with the kids. Glanced at the Erlenmeyer Flask the kids were holding and our little glass heat exchanger set on the stand. Wonder what Colleague G presented to these kids. He later said that he explained the concept of what our office does with easter egg dye, heater, heat exchanger, and erlenmeyer flask. They seemed to like it.

One time Colleague B's daughter came and asked,"Daddy, whom did you just talk to?". Colleague B answered "Colleague J, he's an engineer across that helps me a whole lot of time." Little girl asked again "Why does he help you?" Colleague B just said "Huh?" Hehehe...

One time all of them were about to play 'throw bean bag to the hole' and they said "we wanna play against the grown up!". I giggled, they were so cute. Then I dunno why, Mr. CD and Colleague M already lined up behind them... I didn't wanna be seen and escaped to get my lunch.

Last time I passed by the big conference room, I saw the kids were video conferencing with the kids in our Headquarter in Pennsylvania. I heard they were asking each other what time the other kids appearing in the big flat TV were at. Hehehehe...

At last I heard Colleague E who is single and doesn't have any kids said "this week is the weirdest week at work." Week was full of meetings for us and suddenly today we had lotsa kids in the office, which is becoming more weird for him since he usually doesn't face one at his own home. Hehehehe...

Today is indeed the funniest day at work.

Little Wonders

2009-04-16T00:05:00.002-05:00

Once Walt Disney said : "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

"Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulder
Don't you know the hardest part is over
Let it in,
Let your clarity define you
In the end we will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made in these small hours
These little wonders, these twists & turns of fate
Time falls away,
But these small hours, These small hours still remain

Let it slide,
Let your troubles fall behind you
Let it shine until you feel it all around you
And i don't mind if it's me you need to turn to
We'll get by,
It's the heart that really matters in the end"

~as sung by Rob Thomas for animated picture Meet The Robinsons.

Guppy Fry born

2009-04-14T23:08:00.002-05:00

Today, they were born, all the 46 guppy fry, from the guppy-mommy that was kindly given by Wei to me and transported to Sussex from Madison Saturday afternoon. Hehehe... She gave the pregnant guppy about 2 weeks ago and today she gave birth to the fry.

Picture is included :
http://twitpic.com/3c46c

I'm so proud of the guppy-mom. :D

Texas lawmaker: Asians should change their names to make them easier for Americans to deal with

2009-04-09T21:36:00.002-05:00

(From http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/09/brown-asian-names/)

On Tuesday, State Rep. Betty Brown (R) caused a firestorm during House testimony on voter identification legislation when she said that Asian-Americans should change their names because they’re too hard to pronounce:

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

The more important stuff is prolly the comments responding to this news... Credit goes to creative and funny peeps out there :D

"I suppose that she thinks that they should all get plastic surgery so that they look more like us…"

"and most Chinese DO have an English name for idiots who can’t pronounce anything over 1 syllable. You just have to be polite enough to ASK."

"Ahhh, the boundless intellectual curiosity of Republican state legislators, from Texas no less!!!"

"Given the amount of the national debt that BushCo off-loaded on China, maybe we will be changing our names soon."

"There’s dumb and then there’s Texas dumb."

"My first girlfriend’s last name was Jaroszenko. The second one was Theodossiades. The third was Li. Tell me which one is easiest to pronounce."

"Rep. Brown: a living example of the dumbing down of America."

"Stay classy Texas!"

"So, she wants all Texas asians to adopt an alias, and have an “AKA” after their name, on official documents? Texas law-enforcement officials would just love that, I’ll bet. It would make their jobs so much easier."

"Actually, Texas is no dumber than any other state. They’re just prouder of it?"

"Up here in Minnesota we thought nobody could be as stupid as Bachmann, and then along comes Betty Brown. Stupid sure loves company."

"Wow…how’s that campaign to win hearts and minds goin’ there Repubs? This woman is the epitome of ugly American."

"Rep. Brown, Change yours. “Betty Cracker”."

"We should be changing our European names to Native American names instead. This is why many years ago I changed my name to Fixes Paper Jams."

"You could say, if you’re Vietnames, at least, that what Betty Brown is proposing is a “no Nguyen” situation, I suppose…"

"Ah, Texas! That’s why I left ya!"

"How will they translate all the chinese food menus?Does “Moo Goo Gia Pan” become “Cow Sticky Male Cooking Utensil”?"

"Next she’ll suggest that all the asians come in and get a barcode tattooed on their arms so the real americans don’t even have to bother with their complex names. Or “let’s just give them a number for identification purposes”."

"Oops there goes the asian voter block for the republicans. These guys are good."

"Considering who the president had been the last 8 years, this comment does not surprise me coming from another Texas politician."

"I guess Betty believes that many Americans are too lazy, callous and intellectually challenged to make an attempt. By her suggestion, it seems that she endorses this standing."

"Wow. Well, can we also please stop white people from naming their kids things like Pilot Inspektor and Bronx Mowgli? We shouldn’t be racist on top of ignorant."

"Her comments are illogical and ludicrous. I Have worked at voting polls and trust me the last thing a poll worker or a voter thinks about is mis-pronouncing an Asian name. Ms. Brown apparently has lost her focus and stopped realizing that most Americans are not named Brown, Smith and Jones. How do these people get elected?"

"Way to represent where you’re from, Betty, as if George Bush wasn’t enough."

"I currently live in Texas and every year it gets more and more embarrassing to admit that. I can’t wait to leave this state where this is an accepted view by a political figure."

"My name is Van Bever. I should really have it changed to something simple like Smith or Li…oh wait. Betty Brown makes Palin look like an absolute genius!"

"My last name is two letters long, if you can’t pronounce “Wu” then gtfo."

HAHAHAHAHA, PEOPLE YOU ALL ARE HILARIOUS! seriously...

Farewell to a friend

2009-04-08T23:11:00.004-05:00

To a very good friend, with whom I experienced lotsa things.
It was June 2004 when I met you. Now it's April 2009. 5 years of laughter and tears, and all others in between.
Thank you for being my good friend.
In fact you're THAT VERY PERSON who first help made Madison be my hometown pretty much.
Now that you're leaving Wisconsin, (I believe we'll meet in the future again though), I wish you good luck with the next step of your life. I know you'll do well, just like usual.
For the memories of teaching piano, learning how to drive a car, singing Karaoke Revolution to beat the latest score for that particular song, for a hug that I needed, and all others too many to mention, really, THANK YOU.
Farewell is never easy and yours is no exclusion, but I always keep in mind that this is a celebration for you, that you have an exciting journey ahead.
Keep us always in your mind, since we'll definitely always remember you.

Connie and Fish

2009-04-08T00:11:00.003-05:00

OK, as a Madisonian (or expat I can say), I listen to Z104 sometimes. As I start working exactly 9 months ago, the frequency of this activity is increasing significantly. The show by Connie and Fish duo (sometimes "trio" if the show's producer known as "Simple Greg" is also in the show) has been my best friend in the morning when driving the 10 miles.

Sometimes made me giggle, sometimes gave me big trouble holding my laughter from bursting in my cubicle. Seriously!

If you're 'Connie and Fish'-virgin, you can click on these podcasts to get some perspective ;>

Who on the show, Connie, Fish, or Simple Greg would you like to live with?

Connie, Fish, and Simple Greg recap the events of their New Year's Eve experience in Fish's hot tub

Have you ever laughed or coughed so hard that you peed your pants?

If you decide that you like them, listen to them on Monday-Friday 5:30 am -10 am Central Time at Z104 (104.1) in Madison, WI or listen live (stream) at z104fm.com. More podcasts can be found here.

OK side note : I'm pretty happy that my twitter site is at last set up. Yeay! :D

It's snowing spring

2009-03-31T07:54:00.002-05:00

Fresh with that kinda feeling after a good warm shower
Last snow in March, not so fun
Minor stuffs run through mind swiftly; nothing stays
I wanna sleep in today

Is Speeding Ticket Infectious?

2009-03-23T18:58:00.004-05:00

Dear guys and girls,

yesterday my dear friend RAY, told me that he just got a speeding ticket for running 78 (he was sure he ran at 74 though) at 65-er. He was fined x dollars and got x points for it.

today, I was driving from work, a lil bit relaxed but not really since right after I got home I hurried to the toilet to do #1. Anyway, a policeman lit his light on me and I was ticketed for running 50 at 35. I swear, about a quarter of a mile in front of me was the 45 zone and about another quarter mile after it was the 55 zone! Dang it! I decided not to mention it to the officer as a mean of defense since I sensed that he would also ticket me for being unaware of the current speed limit. So I kept my mouth shut and just gave him my license. Luckily today I was in the mood of wearing my glasses (I have to wear them when driving, it is stated in my driving license anyway). Ticket's $84 and I definitely got lotsa points!

Court date is May 1st at 8:15 AM. Should I go to the court? If it can reduce the points maybe it worths the trip to Oconomowoc. I definitely should research the amount of points I'm supposed to get for speeding in that region. In the other hand, reasons that I should just mail the check for the ticket are :
1. May 1st is a Friday. I have to take vacation day. A work day definitely worths more than $84! I still can't loose that and get $84 in return (if I win the case, that is, otherwise the lost would be $84 + a work day).
2. Maybe I can't even wake up that early for the court.
3. The speedometer showed 50. I should be able to plead 'not guilty' in the court. Can I do it?

RAY, everything in you is infectious! Your flu, and even your speeding ticket! Definitely bad...

Sigh... I'll wait 12 months to clear it up (if I decided not to go to court)

Come On Get Higher

2009-03-11T00:17:00.001-05:00

I miss the sound of your voice
And I miss the rush of your skin
And I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in

If I could walk on water
If I could tell you what's next
make you believe, make you forget

So come on, get higher, loosen my lips
Faith and desire and the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard and drown me in love

I miss the sound of your voice
The loudest thing in my head
And I ache to remember
All the violent, sweet perfect words that you said

I miss the pull of your heart
I taste the sparks on your tongue
I see angels and devils
And God, when you come on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on

So wrong, so wrong,
so right
So come on, get higher
Come on, get higher
'Cause everything works, love
Everything works in your arms

~As sung by Matt Nathanson

Deep Condolence

2009-03-04T22:44:00.002-06:00

To a friend who's like an elder brother I never have,

When I was flooded with tears you hugged me and offered me your shoulder to cry on.
I really regret I cannot be there for you and hold your arms when you need a support the most.
I know things can hardly go better and I cannot do anything
but I do wish you and your family to be ok
Please know that my and all your other friends' prayer goes out to you and your family.

A grieving friend/sister

Sleeping is my new primary activity

2009-03-04T07:43:00.004-06:00

Last night I slept at 8:30 and today I woke up at 7.
It feels nice; I was awake less long.
Maybe I should go home, skip dinner and proceed right away to sleeping today...
Then I will wake up at 7 again tomorrow.
Either work or sleep.
Should be one marvelous day!

Nothing I wanna do

2009-03-03T20:15:00.002-06:00

Have you ever been in a situation where you simply don't want to do anything?
You're hesitant to pay any attention
You wonder why you even woke up this morning
You don't like to talk with or laugh with people
You want to cry but you aren't sure if anything worths the tears
You stop doing things you used to love
You want to be forever silent and still
You lack the will to move and be jolly
You think that under the shadow is where you are supposed to be
You refuse and hate to see the bright side of everything
You don't care your own or other people's well being
You continuously feel and are cold
You sit and stare blankly
You shower and stare blankly
You brush your teeth and stare blankly
You turn on your tv and stare blankly
If you could, you want to tear off every single happy pages of your life
Burn them down to ashes, and yet still stare blankly
You hear and sense nothing
You are afraid and angry all at the same time
You just want to sleep
Because you know your dream is the only place you can smile sincerely
Where you can do random things just because you can
Where you can do everything without having to have a reason
it's the only part of your life left in which you can do every single things by your own rules

The day I hate almost everything

2009-03-02T18:58:00.002-06:00

I don't usually like to hate things,
hatred's a burden pretty much,
Except for things that are easily stupid beyond imagination or simply cruel or in any forms of injustice (additionally phishing in the last post and those peeps who drive extraordinarily slow on the road, also fall into the hated category)

Today, though, I simply hate almost everything
However, let's start the post with the "almost" part, being positive to start things
I finished the 5-components mixture Thermo calculation, within 2.5 hours, by Excel only (no flashy chem softwares)
Pretty happy and proud about it... Coz the task giver actually joked "try giving me the answer in 1.5 hour" So hey, it's not really that bad. I thought it's a 1-2 days kinda task.
Also the smiling Noodles & Co employee... He's nice. I think he knows I always come for the Japanese Pan Noodle. Tastes really good.
Work was otherwise pretty good. The 6.5 hours left were spent doing meeting, and other necessary things.

Unfortunately those are the only things that I don't hate today.
The fact that I have to clean up my house slightly annoys me. But that's fine. I messed up, I clean. No genius maths here.
I hate my dream last night. It was too weird. The fact that I dreamed of it is painfully annoying. The fact that I cannot tell anybody about the details of the dream adds the torture, but not by much.
I'm unhappy (I guess it's not hate) that my colleague is sick. Kinda feel sad actually for him. Sincerely wish him soon recovery.
I hate that I was not in the full mode of working today. The only thing I wanted to do was sleeping at home. I wanted to do nothing. Of course I couldn't do that. But this with the point above add up to a bad working atmosphere.
As I wrote above, I hate that person constantly driving 15 mph in 30 mph zone. DUDE, ARE YOU SLEEPING THERE??!?!
I hate things that much I don't wanna talk to anybody today, or also maybe tomorrow, who knows? If I could, I would definitely prefer sleeping all day tomorrow, too.
I hate that I literally didn't smile the whole day, not even to the Noodles & Co guy who is very kind and who I usually without hesitant smile back to. All I have is anger. Period.

I don't think I'm that kind of person who needs to go to anger management program. I'm that person who usually easily smiles and laughs and enjoys life. I don't usually get feedbacks as an impatient person. I did in fact get several feedbacks from peeps that say that they are happy to find me as one of the very few people who can stand them long enough no matter how annoying they can be sometimes.

Sigh... Maybe currently I just need time and my own space, until indefinite time.

Freakin Discover Card Guy

2009-02-17T20:45:00.003-06:00

OK, sometimes I pity sales guys who have to call peeps to offer things, but sometimes I just can't stand 'em. Well, if this is a phishin call, then I shouldn't feel that bad...

Dude : (I guess he's Asian from the accent) Hi can I talk to ...?
gw : (sialan gw pikir nyokap gw) Can I know who's talking?
Dude : This is ... from Discover Card. Can I talk to ... please?
gw : This is she.
Dude : Good. We want to offer you bla bla bla... Are you still residing at bla bla bla?
gw : (Mikir cepet...) Yes, but I will be going to my home country for good next month.
Dude : I see... That's ok. The card should come in 2 weeks anyway.
gw : (dalem ati : wth?)
Dude : So... Are you employed miss?
gw : I was, that's the reason I'm going home to my home country.
Dude : That's ok, we are indiscriminate towards the status of our future cardholders.
gw : (dalem ati : wth?)
Dude : It's up to you, whether to return the application via mail or not. However there are some questions so that we can verify your application in our database. And you also need to be over 18 to be able to apply for the card. Could you please let me know your date of birth starting with the month, the date and the year?
gw : I don't want to be pre-approved. Could you please just send me the offer via mail, I will return it as I like.
Dude : Sure, sure, but we have to know that you're above 18. Could you please provide your birthday miss? Also, this information will be the way to cross check your application on the our database, that it's indeed your application and no one else's.
gw : (mulai naik darah) I don't feel comfortable doing so. Just send me the offer via mail, I'll take care of it from there.
Dude : That's fine, but we can't send it if we can't verify you're older than 18 years old.
gw : (grrrrrrr) Can I just tell you the year then?
Dude : Sure
gw : 1985.
Dude : OK... and what's the month?
gw : Excuse me?!?! (Berusaha tahan marah) Can I even know if your card is commonly used in my home country? I'm going home in a month and what's the point of having the card if I can't use it? (dalem ati : COME ONNNN LEAVE ME ALONE!!!)
Dude : Sure, if you see the sign on the store that it accepts Discover card, you could definitely use it.
gw : (inget2 Debit BCA dimana2) I'm not sure. I'm not even sure that Mastercard is widely used in my country!
Dude : Can I know what your homecountry is?
gw : IDN!
Dude : If you see the Discover sticker on restaurants or shops, you can use the card there.
gw : (dalem ati : Ni orang bener2 ga kaya kerja di Discover, masa negara2 yang pake Discover aje dia ga tau) SURE, OF COURSE I KNOW THAT! (hampir abis kesabaran). It's just I'm not sure Discover is widely used, I can just use whatever cards I have now.
Dude : But we have to have a way match our database once you return the application miss. Can you please let me know your birthdate. Please let me know the month and the year?
gw : (abis suda kesabaran gw) I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND ME. I AM NOT GIVING YOU MY BIRTHDAY OR WHATSOEVER INFORMATION, ESPECIALLY ON THE PHONE. Just send me the pre-approved offer like usual, like it ALWAYS junk my mailbox anyway, and I will return it back to you if I'm interested. DO YOU GET ME??!?!!!!!
Dude : OK, that's fine if you don't feel comfortable giving me your birthday. We can verify with another information. Could you please give me your mother's maiden name? It's the name of your mother before she was marr...

*click*

(I totally ran out of patience)

I'm sorry, you're just the most annoying thing I've pitifully experienced in the last couple months. I feel I'm a good enough person to even talk to you that long! Try bug somebody else!

Conversations of the Trip

2009-02-12T22:18:00.003-06:00

Senen sampe Kamis kemaren ini, gw ke Southern Calif buat meeting sama client. Berikut adalah conversations of the trip...

T : Baru2 ini istri gw beli Wii. Dia beli Wii Fit.
Yang laen : Oh iya gw baca tuh akhir2 ini... Itu gimana ya?
T : Basically eloe bisa specify mo loose berapa pound berapa hari, eloe ikutin instruksi dari latian2 yang dia dah bikin buat eloe. Yang paling nyebelinnya awal2 dia suruh eloe naek ke atasnya buat ukur BMI segala, pas gw pertama naek, tes keseimbangan, si Wii Fit-nya tanya "T, apakah eloe punya masalah berjalan tanpa jatoh2?"

Colleage M : Oh eloe belom ketemu sih istri gw! Gw punya Life Insurance yang mayan bagus. Dan dia masi punya ambisi, masi punya impian, dia masi pengen travelling...
gw : *Startled...* Hahahahaha... (serem juga)

Colleage M : Gw baru beli mobil, taon 2007.
Bos gw : Uh-huh... Akhirnya beli juga tuh mobil? Dah dapet mobilnya?
Colleage M : Istri gw masi battling sama yang jual.
Bos gw : Loh gw pikir dah kelar tinggal ambil?
Colleage M : Istri gw kemaren2 lagi liat websitenya terus itu mobil belom diremove dari listingnya, dan harganya diturunin 1000 dollar. Skrg dia lagi battling 1000 dollar itu.
gw : Hehehehe... (padahal sore ini tu mobil dah bakal dianter).

Lesson learned trip kali ini :
1. Hindari istrinya Colleage M, dia menyeramkan.
2. Jangan jalan deket2 si T, tiba2 dia jato bisa nimpa orang.

Break Even Point

2009-02-04T19:27:00.003-06:00

OK, sudah gw itung2 Break Even Point nya Espresso Machine + Grinder gw vs beli Starbucks teros.

Beli Starbucks :
4 x seminggu
$4 sekali beli
Seminggu = $16
8 minggu = $128

Brew sendiri
Espresso Machine = $60
Grinder = $20
Espresso Roast Starbucks bean = $10 (tahan 8 minggu, pemakaian 4 kali seminggu)
Syrup Vanilla Starbucks = $10 (tahan 4 minggu)
Susu = kira2 $6 (tahan 2 minggu)
Total tanpa modal tiap 8 minggu = $54

Tiap 8 minggu gw ngebrew instead of beli, gw save $74. Dengan demikian Break Even Point akan dicapai dalam waktu kurang dari 17 minggu. Gw beli Espresso Machine kira2 6 minggu yang lalu... Hehehe... Dalam 11 minggu gw akan mulai merasa lebih kaya... Cihuy! :p

Anyway, quote of the week oleh temen gw si Dzane :
gw : Gimana tuh Schrödinger?
Dzane : Dah ke laot aje. Kalo masi idup tu orang dah gw racunin!
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA...
Dzane, I miss you!

A love of my own

2009-02-01T00:36:00.002-06:00

All I want is a love of my own
Not some fairy tale I heard from other stories
My own style, my own thing, my own secrets
I want love in which somewhere here and there between the words I get butterflies in my belly
One that brings in the feeling that I won't survive the world without,
making me a never ending addict.
I want love that has the capability of making me both happy and teary, all in good ways,
One that leads me through the day and shines through the night,
until I can recognize the meaning of "lonely" no more.
I want one that makes me realize just how precious it is before I even lose it,
I want one that takes up to years to find, but lasts infinitely.

I want a love of my own,
so bad that I prefer not having 'just another something' that is not.

Sometimes When We Touch

2009-01-28T19:01:00.001-06:00

And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I wanna hold you til I die
Til we both break down and cry
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides

~ As sung by Dan Hill

Today's Conversation

2009-01-26T20:47:00.002-06:00

On nastar made by my mom :
Colleague J : What is this? What is it called? It looks familiar... Hmm, your mom made this? Wow is this for the Chinese New Year? Oh btw, Happy Chinese New Year! Hehehhe...
Colleague R : Sure, I wanna try that...
later on...
Colleague R : Hey, I like that little yellow ball!

At lunch hour :
Panera guy : I should be able to remember your name... (keseringan dateng tiap ke Panera ditanyain namanya).
Starbucks guy : Heeeey, how are you? Lemme guess, grande Vanilla Latte? Oh okay, Venti this time. Yeaaa, I just got my hair cut yesterday. (keseringan dateng sampe betemen...)

*My life in a glance*

Anyway, Happy Lunar New Year! :)

Civic Musical Road

2009-01-20T22:56:00.002-06:00

Buset lama juga ye gw ga ngepost. Gw lagi nonton How it's made di tipi gw, terus tiba2 ada 1 iklan baru pernah liat lucu juga... Judulnya Civic Musical Road. Ternyata jalanan ini bener2 ada, yaitu adalah Avenue K di Lancaster, CA. Kalo eloe dah mo masukin segmen musicalnya, bakal ada tulisannya gitu "Civic Musical Road". Buat yang penasaran apaan itu musical road, silakan klik di sini.

Hidup Civic! :D

My life is not 24 hrs a day

2009-01-07T22:11:00.004-06:00

8 jam tidur (kalo bisa)
9 jam di kantor + lunch
1 jam buat pulang pergi ke kantor (2 x 30 mins pake panasin mobil --> Dingin tau!)
1 jam getting ready ke kantor (termasuk bikin oatmeal, bikin Vanilla Latte dan siapin baju serta rapi2).
1.5 jam buat dinner dan preparationnya + mandi pagi dan malem + urusan wc lainnya

Ternyata idup gw cuma 3.5 jam tiap ari (untung ga dandanan ke kantor, kalo iya, kurangin lagi 10 menit), itu dah termasuk cuci piring, cuci baju, beresin rumah, chat sebentar ma temen to catch up, browsing internet, maen piano, photoshopping mungkin, grocery buat frozens, dan baca berita.

And btw, happy new year 2009.
My personal resolution (already coming true) : Brew Espresso and make my own Grande Starbucks' Vanilla Latte everyday for work. New year = saving $! :D
Colleague G says : Are you decommissioning your Starbucks Gold card? lol...

Back from CA Dec 2008

2008-12-29T21:00:00.002-06:00

Some simple things amazed me yesterday.

My plane was 3rd on the line to take off at ORD to MKE. The plane before our plane was the big mighty British Airways, an international flight I guess, looking at how big the vessel was. Then it started to head straight down to the runway. It started moving then it ran faster and faster... My heart also beat faster and faster, waiting for it to really take off. And at last it did, majestically. I witnessed the cleverly designed piece of metal slowly becoming airborne. Didn't even realize that I smiled as it left the ground.

Another smaller plane took off then my plane aligned itself to the beginning of the runway. We sped up. I looked through the window, counting how many other planes were waiting in the line after my plane that time, waiting to fly to the Chicagoan nite sky. 1, 2, 3... Eleven planes! So cute, they lined up like cars.

Not even 30 minutes has passed, the pilot announced that we were about to touchdown. I looked to the southern sky, there, not so far away, I still saw the place I departed from, yet I was in the Milwaukee sky already. Didn't realize the 2 cities are so close to each other. Then I saw the big line, Interstate 94.

The landing was smooth, not the smoothest I've ever had, but smooth enough to make me smile again.

Dunno why I was so amazed with this flight.

Security Checkpoint at ORD

2008-12-24T13:24:00.003-06:00

I'm at ORD now, waiting for my delayed flight from ORD to LAX. Supposed to fly at 2:10 but flying at 2:50 now. Thanx to Starbucks, hookin me up with AT&T WiFi, now I can be online at no extra cost at ORD. I had my Grande Vanilla Latte too. The delay does seem a lot more bearable now. Hehehe...

Anyway, a funny thing at the security checkpoint, baru kali ini gw ngerasa orang di security checkpoint di ORD bisa friendly.

SecChckPt1 : Do you wear a Tshirt underneath the sweatshirt?
(gw lagi pake Sweatshirt Wisconsin merah)
gw : Yes.
SecChckPt1 : Could you take the sweatshirt off please?
SecChckPt2 : Coz she's a Badger Fans! Hehehehe... (Refering to my Sweatshirt).
gw : *senyum2* Hehehe... Is that why (I have to take my sweatshirt off)? --> We're in Illinois here.
SecChckPt1 : *senyum2* Hehehehe... No, it's just everybody has to do it.
gw : *lepasin Sweatshirt Badger gw*... T-shirt yang gw pake "Wisconsin Alumni" yang warna merah. Serius ini ga disengajain!
SecChckPt2 : Now it gets better... She's also a Badger Alumni!
gw + SecChckPt1+2+3 : Hehehehehe...
gw : Yea... I'm Badgers to the core.

Security checkpoint pun berlangsung tanpa masalah... Baru kali ini orang2 Security Checkpoint tidak cemberut doank...

gw : Happy Holiday, guys! :D *sambil beresin laptop, boots, serta Sweatshirt Wisconsin gw yang merah lalu cabut*

Christmas with the Lins and my bro

2008-12-23T20:15:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow gonna leave WI for LA. My kind colleague, Colleague J, is gonna drive me off to the bus station to General Mitchell airport in the morning. Transit at ORD for 3.5 hrs and will resume to LAX. Hope for a good and warmer Christmas Eve (I don't dream of White Christmas anymore since the snow has been at annoying level).

Anyway, wanna say :

Merry Christmas 2008 and Happy New Year 2009 to everybody celebrating it. Have a safe and happy holiday. Keep yerself warm, wherever you are! :D

Post in the middle of snow storm

2008-12-19T10:00:00.006-06:00

7:57 am : Bos gw telpon ke rumah, gw lagi mandi tidak dengar, missed call.
8:15 am : Bos gw telpon, gw angkat. Katanya "Di rumah aja! Jangan ke kantor hari ini! Jalanan bahaya!"

Emank si, dari kemaren jam 9 malme sampe ntar jam 4 sore expected 12 inches of snow. Skrg di luar masi snow-storming dan gw dah ga bisa keluar. Ga ada yang bersiin snownya. Gw ga bisa keluar, mobil juga ga bisa keluar. Therefore hari inikerjaan gw adalah bebersih ruma (mgkn emank sudah pertanda). Untung di ruma ada makanan.

Nasib tinggal di Wisconsin...

Random ramblings on things yesterday

2008-12-17T00:08:00.004-06:00

Ternyata... "Venti" pada Starbucks artinya 20, which refers to 20.05 oz.

Ternyata saya memang sukanya Vanilla Latte, bukan Hazelnut Latte. (Hazelnut Latte baunya emank enak, tapi rasanya kurang pait2nya Vanilla Latte).

Sudah punya tire pressure gauge dan senter buat mobil serta timbangan berat badan digital hari ini. Happy... Hahaha... Rasanya hidup lebi lengkap.

I hate snow and I love my ABS! YEEHAAA! Long live ABS! To my friends who hate walkin thru the snow, I dig you and I've been there, but believe me, it doesn't suck as much as driving thru one. I really hate exiting the I-94 when the snow is thick already and nobody plows it yet... You're not sure where the exit is, and when you are you have to really slow down coz the exit ramp is at a declining slope. I dunno if it's still snowing now, but it's -6 C rite now outside. Pretty good, eh, considering we had colder than -17 C just 2 days ago. To Minnesotans, I feel yer pain...

Anyway, ngantuk skrg, bobo daholo... Semoga besok hari yang lebih hangat! :D (ngimpi aje loe, Ka!)

Mr. MS and me

2008-12-15T00:01:00.003-06:00

Things that can only happen if you stay at KP.

MS : *buka kulkas* Hah? Ternyata gw masi ada ini... (pegang2 coklat Crunch)
gw : Ha? CRUNCH YA?
MS : *langsung nyembunyiin Crunchnya* ga bole, ini punya gw! Asssiiiiik masi ada Crunch...
gw : HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA...

MS : *teriak dari kamarnya* Eh ini (gw lupa waktu itu lagi ngomongin apaan)-nya begini?
gw : *nyamperin ke kamarnya...* Ha? Paan?
MS : *teriak2 dari dalem kamar* WOYYY GW MASI BUGIL JANGAN MASUK!
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH... geblek...

gw : *lagi mo ke living room*
MS : *baru keluar dari kamar mandi* MAAP MAAP, GW GA PAKE BAJU...
gw : *Startled ngeliat tu orang ngibrit masuk ke kamar dia*... HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA...
(Tenang kawan2 dia pake celana).

MS : *tiba2* Ka, eloe tadi terakhir mandi pake anduk gw ye?!?!?
gw : HAAA??? Engga koqqq... Gw pake anduk gw sendiri biru warnanya, lagi digantung di pintu kloset. Gw yakin banget gw pake anduk biru gw.
MS : Koq anduk gw ga ada di wc? Adanya di deket tempat baju loe?
gw : HA? HAHAHAHAHAHA... *kebayang ni orang kelar mandi liat gantung anduk, anduknya ga ada, badan dah keburu basah kuyup* Gw yakin banget koq kalo gw pake anduk gw! Kecuali kalo anduk biru gw ada di wc, artinya gw ambil anduk loe. Soalnya gw yakin banget dah bawa anduk biru gw tadi ke wc.
MS : Hmmm ya udahlah.
Hahahahahahhahaa... Gelo...

gw : Sini deh, coba ini tebak siapa? (lagi liatin si MS poto facebook AAG pas lagi kecil yang baru2 ini dipost di facebook). *sambil tutupin yang di-tag sama "uploaded by AAG"*
MS : AAG.
gw : *startled* HA? Jago banget koq bisa tau?
MS : *tunjuk ke judul windownya, ada tulisannya jelas2 "AAG"* Neh?
gw : SIALAAAANNNN...
MS : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA... Ini lucunya kelewatan si... Hahahahahahahhahahaha...
gw : *sebel*
ga lama kemudian...
MS : Ka, eloe dah ceritain belom ke si AP yang foto kecilnya AAG?
gw : OGAH SIALAN MEMALUKAN!
MS : HUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA... Lucu abis si sumpah musti dikasi tau.
AP : Ha? Apaan si?
gw : Suruh si MS tu ceritain! *sambil ngedumel sebel*
Sehabis si MS ceritain...
gw : Sialan loe, gw jadi teringat pas dulu gw angel2an sama eloe. Yang tag harga coffeemaker...
MS : HAHAHAHAHAHHA... Baek cukup sekali, Ka, yang ini kelewat lucu si untuk dilewatkan...
gw : Sial...

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

2008-12-14T22:44:00.004-06:00

A Venti Vanilla Latte
Yo-Yo Ma songs
Dearest laptop
Scientific calculator
Brown fleece throw
Engineering design manual
Black fuzzy slippers
Scrap papers
Calculations and analysis
Scent of Bath & Body Work's Enchanted Orchid
Olive Garden's Tiramisu
Rain outside the window
Cell, a birthday gift from loving friends
Bath & Body Work's white lambie.
Comfy long sleeved shirt saying "Save water, drink beer!"

~ A certain way of life ~

Sick and tired of this

2008-12-11T03:02:00.002-06:00

I live in a world where I see two opposing parties try to kill each other. See them then and see them now.

To both of you : I'm tired of this issue and what you are trying to do, coz I can see all of them clearly from faraway. Please, do help yourself coz whatever you BOTH are doin, it's crystal clear to me what you're trying to do. Kinda a disgrace if I may say. I'm shouting that I will NOT fight somebody else's fight. I agree this is what most of your friends also think if they realize it. So stop doin what you're doin!

I have my own life and need it to be more peaceful. I cannot care less about this issue. I'm neutral now to both of you, unless you start bringin this topic to my attention again, then I would say I'm not in the best mood to talk to you. I have my own life and I want it to be with less problem.

I'm so outta here from now on, and this also means that I would erase any comments to this post, regardless the entry item they're posted on.

Things you don't do if you don't own a car

2008-12-10T19:29:00.003-06:00

1. Pay for yer own car (purchasing).
2. Get yer car an insurance, and pay for it semi-annually.
3. Fill in yer gas tank, and pay for it.
4. Make sure that yer car has a place to park.
5. Scrap snow and ice off yer own car (you also need to live in a place where it experiences 4 seasons effectively).
6. Get yer oil changed, and pay for it.
7. Check yer tires' pressure, all 4 of 'em (sometimes when it's very wintry outside).
8. Fill air into yer car's tires (sometimes when it's very wintry outside).
9. Realize that yer car's out of windshield solution, get a stock of one, and pay for it.
10. Fill windshield solution into yer car.
11. (Of course) Crash yer own car if you're a tad unlucky.
12. Pay for the deductible of yer car's insurance if you're judged to be the one needing to pay (if #11 happens).
13. Wash yer own car, and pay for it, except if you're doin all by hand.
14. Waiting yer car to heat up in the winter or whenever it's unusually cold, again you also need to live in a place where it experiences 4 seasons effectively.

The following is waiting though not really looked forward to :
- Change yer car's tire in emergency. (Did this once, but not my own car so it's doesn't really count).
- Jump start yer car if the battery dies on you.

The Beers Prayer

2008-12-02T07:54:00.003-06:00

Our Lager,
Which arts in barrels,
hallowed be thy drink.
Thy will be drunk (and I will be drunk)
At home as in tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head
And forgive us our spillages
As we forgive those that spill against us
And lead us not to incarceration
But deliver us from hangovers.
For thine is the beer,
the bitter and the lager
Forever and ever,
Barmen!

Looked at it this morning and smiled...

When I Fall in Love, a Classic

2008-12-01T22:09:00.002-06:00

When I fall in love it will be forever or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is love is ended before it's begun
And too many moonlight kisses seem to cool in the warmth of the sun

When I give my heart it will be completely or I'll never give my heart
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too is when I fall in love with you.

~ Edward Heyman

*Feeling somehow a lot warmer this December.

Mi hermana y yo

2008-11-23T21:17:00.003-06:00

AR : Ka gw dah nonton tuh Sisterhood of Travelling Pants 2 di dvd.
(kita dah janjian nonton dari kapan2).
gw : Ha? Serius loe? Eloe kapan nontonnya?
AR : Rabu deh gitu.
gw : Jeng... gw Kamis baru nonton... Hahahahaha...
AR : Menurut gw kebanyakan ga sih yang ga jelas, kepotong2 gitu...
gw : Iya kayanya, soalnya dia pengen show the lives of 4 people equally gitu kan, susah banget, waktunya dikit. Sialan tuh makin pengen ke Greece aje.
AR : Iya! Gilaaa... gw liat gitu sih, siapa juga yang ga mo ke sana?
gw : Iya, itu gw benci banget tuh, satu scenenya yang dia malem2 ga bisa tidur terus the full moon is over the sea... Bener2 bikin pengen ke sana tau ga!
AR : IYAAAAAAAAA... gw juga pengen tuh cowo ada boat segala di sana... Keren banget... Wuaaaaa...
gw : Kurang ajar bener2... Terus gimana si Kostos, Man?
AR : Keren tapi akhirnya kurang jelas ga si mereka?
gw : Iya. Ga jelas gimana akhirnya... Cuma kayanya begitu doank. Mereka bareng ato ga juga ga tau. Terus tu cowo Inggris gimana?
AR : Mukanya si mayan lah, tapi koq...
gw : PERUTNYA KAN!
AR : IYAAAAA
gw + AR : Hahahahahahaa... *sama gini yang diperhatiin*
gw : Mgkn bakal lanjut kali? Tapi gimana tu, itu celana kan dah ilang?
AR : err... Sisterhood of Travelling T-shirt...
gw + AR : ... One?! Hahahahaa...

Yeaaa, we spent too much time together already that we think and observe similarly.

Email pagi ini

2008-11-20T23:30:00.002-06:00

Saya dateng ke kantor, buka Microsoft Outlook...
Jeng... ada 1 email... Dari si Colleague G... Dikasi kerjaan kah?
Subjectnya : Joke of the Day... Okeeeee.... -_-'
Isi emailnya cuma sebaris : "What does snowman smell if the skunk passes by?"
...
...
Ini... mentor gw pagi2... ga ada kerjaan ya? Mo ngerjain gw ye? Kalo ga dibales dia bete sendiri ga ya? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Dicuekin murid, lucu juga tu kan...

Lalu karena muridnya gebleg juga, dibaleslah juga sebaris "He doesn't smell anything since he doesn't have a nose. But anyway if he does, he won't smell a Starbucks coffee I need right now." *send!*

10 menit kemudian, dateng lagi balesannya (gw makin yakin tadi pagi dia kurang kerjaan) "The first step to be out of an addiction is to admit it. Admit it! You're addicted to it. I was just asking about snowman and you're dreaming about it already!"
Terus di bawahnya : "PS : What is your favorite?"

-_-'

Gw baleslah "Vanilla Latte (though I think it does have more calories than caffeine for a latte). I knooow, I should stop making Mr. Schultz richer, but I failed my attempt as I enrolled to Starbucks Gold 2 weeks ago. Even Colleague J and I already made a calculation of how much coffee I should buy from them to breakeven the annual membership fee. So, I will try to stop the addiction sometimes within the next 50 weeks." *send!*

15 menit kemudian : "hahahaha... I'm happy you and Colleague J has made that analysis already. Starbucks, it's the smile of a newborn baby, just that dew in a hot summer day (how's that for an ad?)"

Gelo.

Sorenya jam 4, pas gw telpon tu orang...

Colleague G : So, did you get your Starbucks dosing today?
saya : err... Yea, I did... *bener2 malu, sialan ketahuan gini!*
Colleague G : You did???!? Hahahahahaha...
saya : Wew, the guy at Starbucks at Delafield already knows what I always want... I come too often.... Colleague G, I'm so weak... T_T
Colleague G : Hahahahaha... That's ok, you're just being cost effective with your membership fee.
saya : Yeaaa... but still, I spend money on every purchase of it! T_T

An answer for "Just When"

2008-11-19T20:10:00.003-06:00

Hmm sometimes it's just as easy as that, even if we keep denying it and think that it's far more complicated than that :

My heart is beating for another heart who is also beating for mine.
She just wants to find the other half.

:')

This is an answer to the previous post, "Just When".

Just when

2008-11-14T19:04:00.002-06:00

It's amazing that one time you realize that your heart doesn't only beat for yourself.
It also beats and it longs for another person.
The hardest part is that when you cannot say for sure whom it's beating for.
:'(

This post was made while sipping a cup of Vanilla Latte in Starbucks at home, Madison. Thanx to AT&T Wi-Fi and Starbucks Gold. A cozy warm November when everything else is just cold and dark.

The Diagram

2008-11-13T19:07:00.004-06:00

Should construct the Control Philosophy later...

"The Moon Is A Magnet"

2008-11-10T18:47:00.002-06:00

It says...
"Love is a sadness, love is a madness, we are the addicts.
What are we if we're not in love?"

I'm figurin myself out.
Gw tau pikiran ga paralel sama perasaan. Karena kepala gw terlalu bising dengan lalu lintasnya sendiri.
Sebenernya gw tau, kalo gw berteriak sekencang2nya, dengan jujur, tentang perasaan, gw tau apa yang bakal gw teriakkan.
Tapi sudah terlalu sering gw percayain semuanya pada kepala.
A lil bit numb, too...
Ingatkan gw lagi gimana caranya untuk jujur.
Tolong?

A** Holiday Party

2008-11-09T19:37:00.005-06:00

Company gw (A**) kemaren ngadain Holiday Party. Yang bole dateng adalah pegawai dan keluarga serta teman2nya. Sebagai pegawai yang berbudi dan beriman, gw dateng.

Masi teringat hal2 lucu kemaren... Saat game, musti jawab cepet2an, musti pencet bell sebelom the other group has it.

Host : Siapa di kantor kita yang selalu ngambil 2 spot tiap kali parkir?
Semua : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...
Grup A : *ga bisa jawab*
Grup B : *ga bisa jawab*
Host : Lempar ke penonton? (kalo penonton bisa jawab, dapet raffle ticket).
Grup B : Kita ambil kesempatan deh untuk lempar ke penonton.
Semua : *liat penonton ada yang angkat tangan ga...*
S.Kl : *Angkat tangan dengan gembira karena tau jawabannya dan bisa dapet raffle ticket*
Host : Ya anda yang di belakang sana. Siapa jawabannya?
S.Kl : SAYA SENDIRI!!!
Semua : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...
Host : Dan nama anda?
S.Kl : S.Kl.
Host : Yak benar! Grup B dapet poin.
Lama setelah itu...
gw : Gw ga pernah tau anda parkir selalu ambil 2 spot.
S.Kl : Iya itu salah satu motto gw : gw parkir bisa dimana saja!
gw : Hahahahahaha... (dalem ati : Ni sala satu Orang Amrik yang si BOP pasti ga suka... Hahahaha...)

Babak final
Host : Ini babak final. Sebelomnya, apa pesan yang ingin anda sampaikan ke grup lawan?
Bos gw (di Grup A) : *ngeliat ke grup B dengan muka serius* There will be pain!
S.Kl (di Grup B) : That comes from Vikings fans. (Bos gw supporter Minnesota Viking dan sekantor rada2 sebel sama mug ungu Vikingsnya itu).
Semua : HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA...
Grup B : *nyautin* Therefore the bar will be opened until quite late today! Be ready.

Tapi yang paling lucu tuh ini...
Host : Apa motto dari company A**?
Grup A : *pencet tombol bell*
Host : Yak, Grup A, apa jawabannya?
Yang tadi mencet bell di Grup A : Apa, jawabannya, Pa? *nengok bokapnya, yang sungguh kebetulan adalah bos gw sendiri* (Tampaknya bos gw sudah bilang sama anaknya untuk pencet apapun pertanyaan yang berhubungan dengan kantor kita karena dia yakin pasti dah tau jawabannya.)
Bos gw : *tampak bingung dan tidak langsung menjawab*
Semua : HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
gw (dari tempat duduk gw) : Uh-oh... This doesn't look good... HAHAHAHAHAHHAA...
Host : Jadi apa motto company ini?
Bos gw : *dengan muka lurus* "In God We Trust". (Klik sini untuk keterangan)
Semua : HUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA...
Host : Yak! Salah... Grup B?
Grup B : *ga ada yang bisa jawab*
Host (yang bukan pegawai kita, cuma dihire buat acara ini) : Sebenernya di sini ada yang kerja buat A** ga sih?
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA...
Grup B : Lempar ke penonton deh...
Akhirnya ada 1 orang di penonton yang tau jawabannya. Hahahahahaha... (dan itu bukan gw! Hehehehe...)

Bos saya memang lucu... :')

Tadi pagi kagetan

2008-11-05T19:39:00.003-06:00

Jam 7 pagi ada orang ketok2 pintu gw, cuekin ga ya? Terus ting tong ting tong... Aduh bangun juga lah, samperin, siapa sih...

Orang itu : Hi! I'm from ... (sambil tunjukkin badge dia). I'm sorry to wake you up but have you ever seen this guy? *Nunjukkin foto, orang item gitu*
gw : Err... No. What's wrong with him? *sambil ngantuk2 ga mudeng*
Orang itu : We're searching for him. He's a very violent man.
gw : *Ngangguk2* I see... (mikir : Serem juga, tapi koq carinya di sekitar sini ya?)
Orang itu : We got a clue that he made a telephone call from this address, this building.
gw : *langung bangun & melek!* EXCUSE ME?!? (Apartment yang alamatnya sama kaya gw palingan cuma 7 ato 8 unit termasuk ruma gw). (Mikir : Sussex gw baru tinggal seminggu kurang ada orang beginian lepas?!? WTH??!?!)
Orang itu : Yea, there was a phone call made from this building's address, unfortunately we don't know the apartment number. Do you know who's living in this unit? *nunjuk pintu ke tetangga atas gw*.
gw : He lives upstairs, but I recall he's... err... racially different. *Tetangga gw yang atas orang puti kayanya*.
Orang itu : Ah I see... I understand, he's not black.
gw : *ngangguk2*
Orang itu : Okay then, I'll get goin. Once again, I'm really sorry to wake you up.

Tutup pintu...

gw (dalem apartment gw) : *Langsung gw buka2in semua pintu kloset gw, ngecek ga ada apa2 --> Takut ada orang sembunyi ato gimana(parno mode on)*

Ga di Puerto Rico, ga di ruma sendiri, paranoid deh gw lama2... Mana gw ga ada rumet lagi...

Puerto Rico 08

2008-11-04T19:12:00.011-06:00

, my first Carribean experience (After this I'm sure I'll have more than one :D )was industrious and heavily mosquito infested, just like in other tropical countries.

Was in that island for almost a week and spent not a day on the beach. Very tiring, very rewarding, very eyes opening, very fun, very liberating. Polished my Spanish a bit.

Spent more than 12 hrs daily in the site. It was a very fun playground though :) Juga, satu2nya tempat bisa dengerin Salsa sambil kerja...

Travelled with one of the funniest guys at work, Colleague G. It was a very fun blast! You would never expect whatever comes out of his mouth. Hahahaha... Berikut adalah hal2 yang gw inget kita alami di Puerto Rico...

Pas di airport.
Colleague G : Stephanie, is that all that you bring?
gw : No it's my laptop carry on only. I still have a baggage checked in. You?
Colleague G : I only bring this. It contains only my swimsuit and beach towel.
gw : Hehehe...

Di pesawat
Colleague G : Do you wanna borrow this from me?
gw : *ngeliat : board how to learn Spanish* Hahaha... Sure, I'm borrowin it now.
Pas ke wc lewatin Colleague G. Nih orang dari tadi sibuk banget baca buku, dah ada 3 jam kali... Gw pikir dia baca novel... Ternyata waktu lewat baru keliatan : NIH ORANG LAGI CRAMMING BACA BUKU KELAS SPANISHNYA DARI HIGH SCHOOL! Hahahahahahahaha... *susah nahan ketawa...*

gw : Colleague G, where are we staying?
Colleague G : In a hotel.
gw : I see... Why don't we stay at Colleague A's staying?
Colleage G : Yea it's so very unfortunate, isn't it... They don't allow us stay for only 5 nites.
*jeng jeng... pas sampe... terang benderang... "Four Point by Sheraton, HOTEL AND CASINO!"*
Colleague G : Don't let D (our boss) know about this.
gw : Hahahaha... Sure, sure... *Unfortunate apanyah?!?*
(Setelah 2 hari kita pindah ke tempatnya Colleague A).

Colleague G : I wanna move from our hotel. It's way expensive. How's your place, A?
Colleague A : It's a nice apartment complex, we have to ask whether you can stay only for 3 nites though. It's owned by Chichi Rodriguez.
Colleague G : *Eyes widened* Are you kiddin me? The golfer?
Colleague A : Yea, I talked to him several times.
Colleague G : No way! I wanna stay in your place!
Colleage A : Do you golf?
Colleague G : Love it. Let's move in tomorrow?
gw : *dalem ati : There goes our Hotel and Casino, all in Colleague G's hand...*

Pas pengen booking di apartment...
Colleague G : Stephanie, do you have your camera with you?
gw : For taking picture of you and Chichi?
Colleague G : *smiling...* yeaaaa... Do you guys know how many times that guy won the PGA?
Colleage A : 10?
gw : a hundred? *keep shooting random numbers*
Colleague G : I dunno too. I thought you guys know.
gw : -_- '

Lagi ngelewatin Toll di highway...
Colleague G : That guy behind us is our friend, Stephanie.
gw : *ngeliat blkg* Huh? Who is it?
Colleague G : It's the Doritos Truck guy.
gw : ??
Colleague G : Hola! Can I pay for that guy too? He's my friend.
Tollway girl : Who? *Muka heran*
Colleague G : That guy just behind us, with the white truck.
Tollway girl : That one? *point at the oncoming truck just behind us*
Colleague G : Yes. How much is it for a truck?
Tollway girl : $1 please.
Colleague G : Ok, here you go. Tell him that I paid for him already.
Lewatin Tollway...
Colleague G : I can't imagine the truck driver's face when she told him that we paid for him already.
gw : I don't know which one wonders more, the truck driver or the tollway girl. You shouldave seen her face! I bet that truck driver doesn't wanna drive close to us now. Hahahahaha... Kinda afraid.
Colleague G : *high five ma gw* Yeaaah to bringin the prank down to Puerto Rico!
gw : *high five* Hahahahahahaha...

Colleague G : Stephanie?
gw : Yes?
Colleague G : Have you started dreaming about our evaporator?
gw : HA?! Noooo... Hahahahahahaha... Have you?
Colleague G : Yesterday nite, I had a very weird dream...

gw : Are we still goin at 8:45?
Colleague G : Sorry I overslept.
gw : That's ok.
9:10
*knock2*
Colleague G : Come on, I'm tired waiting on you.
gw : *err...?*

Colleague G : A, have you ever snorkled since you're here?
Colleague A : No, I've never. We're busy all the time with the plant...
Colleague G : Do you know where we can?
gw : *dalem ati : Alaaah... gw tau dia pasti ga bawa swimsuit!*
Colleague A : I will ask somebody later, I know this guy who goes with boat sometimes...
Colleague G : I'm just kidding, I just wanna know if you've ever done it here.

Colleague A : Too bad you guys are here and never went to the beach.
Colleague G : A, you have to sabotage something before you left, so that I will have the chance to come back here again and help resolve. Sabotage the pump!
gw : ??!? Hahahahahaha...

Colleague A : What time will you come tomorrow? When's yer flight tomorrow?
Colleage G : Do you want us to come back again tomorrow? We have some other things to do. I don't see anything more we can help you with.
gw : *dalem ati : Seinget kita besok ga ada acara selaen balik ke airport...*
Colleague G : A, I promise you, we're not goin snorkling...
gw : HAHAHAHAHHAA...

Ordering Wendy's, drive thru...
Wendy's Chica : Hola! Bla bla bla... (Indo : Gimana bisa dibantu?)
gw : Hmm Can I have an Enormous Omelette? (Sumpah menunya bahasa Inggris!)
Wendy's Chica : No habla Inglés. Habla Español, por favor.
gw : *dalem ati : Shoot!* Err... *mikir2 lama...* Un... Enormous Omelette? (Bis gimana lagi? Menunya namanya begitu!)
Colleague G : HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA...
gw : *dalem ati : Sialan ni orang bukannya bantuin gw...* What should I say to her? Omelette Grande? (sambil ketawa2 sambil dongkol).
abis dikasi semuanya, ga yakin dah kelar apa belom...
gw : Esperamos mas? (Do we wait for more? --> or that's it?)
Wendy's Chica : No, es todo.
Cabut dari jendela Wendy's...
Colleague G : Wow what does that mean?
gw : "Do we wait for more?"
Colleague G : Wow Stephanie, that really inspires me to practice my Spanish more...
gw : Ha?!

Colleage G : Look at our apartment, look at that pool over there... It's waiting for our pool party tonite.
gw : Hahahaha... *dalem ati : Yeaaa rite, gw tau ntar malem pasti di plant sampe malem lagi*
Colleague G : A, do you have swimsuit?
Colleague A : No.
Colleague G :We have to get you one. I don't think you'll fit in my Spandex.
gw : omg... Hahahahaha...

Ordering fastfood at McD drive thru...
McD chica : Hola! Bla bla bla... (English : How can I help you with your order?)
Colleague G : *ngeliat gw, mukanya : Cilaka, ni orang ga ngomong Inggris*
then we started teaming up together with Spanish yang dua2nya sungguh pas2an, bahu membahu demi mengisi perut yang kosong abis kerja. Percakapan sering harus diulang karena dia kurang ngerti kita...
McD Chica : What do you want as drink?
Colleague G : *ngeliat gw, mukanya : Sialan, dari tadi keq ngomong Inggris?!?!*
gw : *ngerti mukanya* Maybe she's just not confident with her English... (walopun keki juga, soalnya dah laper, dan "gw + laper = sebel").
Sampe di jendelanya...
Colleague G : You shouldave spoken English since the first time. Your English is good. It's far better than our Spanish combined.
gw : Yeaaa! Be more confident! :D
McD Chica : *Senyum2 malu2...*
Dah cabut...
gw : Dang, Colleague G, I think it was really a survival game. Which one give up first, she or we...

Colleague A : I wanna leave soon.
Colleague G : What are you talking about? You're in Puerto Rico!
Colleague A : A lil bit too long in heaven is not good, you know?
Colleague G + gw : HAHAHAHAHAHA...

gw : I see a stand selling Plaintains there! I like plaintains!
Colleague G : I hate it, avoid it... avoid it...
next time that day...
Colleague G : I kinda feel like having those fried plaintains tomorrow.
gw : No you're not! I know they are your ultimate Puerto Rican enemy...

Colleague G : Dang, it's amazing how the birds here just appear right after sunset.
gw : Huh?!
Colleague G : The mosquito...
gw : ... HAHAHAHAHAHA... *tampaknya tuh orang dah sebel banget sama nyamuk selama di sana...*

The end of the plant visit...
Colleague A : Is there any other issues we hit on while you are here that I miss in the list?
Colleague G : Actually there is... You don't like my hair cut.
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...
Colleague A : Yea I think it should be trimmed. Also another item in the list is that you don't like Puerto Rican food.
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

The Puerto Rico trip was lack of beach visit, but it was one hellufa fun trip for us. :') It makes missing Halloween in Madison a lot more bearable.
Yeay to teamin up when ordering foods in the restaurant in Spanish! We survived those order-takers!

These pictures are as Puerto Rican as we can be in the trip.

In the Hotel... The magazine says "Welcome" :D *warm feeling*

The closest we got to a beach, was behind a restaurant. Nope, we didn't even get into the sand. We had to go back to the plant rite after the lunch. I swear that hammock has my name on it.

The only Puerto Rican food I had in the whole trip : Paella Marinera, side of fried Plaintains. Yummy!

Backyard of my apartment.

Front yard of my apartment.

And the very sad pool we never got the pool party in.

Front face of the apartment, "El Legado"

Backyard of the plant, taken from 4th level above the ground. Reminds me of summer lab...

Our Rental Car, thanx to Budget.

Dia dan janjinya

2008-10-28T21:23:00.006-05:00

Hari itu...

dia : Ka, eloe bulan x taon depan bakal sibuk ga?
gw : Ga. Kenapa?
dia : Hmm... Mgkn gw mo dateng. Kalo lancar2 bisa... Semoga lancar.
gw : HOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Asik, ya udah, kita jalan2 deh... Ke NY?
dia : Kalo bisa ke tempatnya si J di LA kan mayan tuh dah lama ga liat dia...
gw : Eh bener banget tuh! Kita ngirit duit dulu deh ya?
dia : Ok. Gw pengen cepet2 urusin nih. Kalo bisa bulan depan gw ng-antrag visa.

*...ngomong3...*

dia : Err... gw gpp sih kalo misalnya kaga ke tempat dia. Kan tadi cuma ide.
gw : Ya gpp laah, ayo lah, kapan lagi kan eloe ga sering2 ke sini juga, dah lama ga ketemu dia lagi, mendingan kita datengin lah!
dia : Iya tapi gpp lah. Gw yang penting ya ada eloe, gw gpp.
gw *dalem ati : aww... so sweet...* : Iya tapi kan kalo kita bisa datengin kenapa ga? Lagian kita jadi bisa ke Disneyland! Deket koq dari tempatnya si J...
dia : Udah lah kalo susah gpp. Di Paris juga ada...
gw *dalem ati : aww... so sweet... again...* : Iya tapi masa eloe ke sini bayangan eloe tentang Amrik tuh Sussex dan Chicago? Kesian bener... (gw juga GA setuju kalo Sussex dan Chicago merepresentasikan Amrik buat dia!!!).
dia : Tapi eloe jangan jadian dulu ye sampe gw dateng.
gw : Ha?
dia : Eh, serius neh gw!
gw : Hehehehe? (dalem ati : Sialan, gw ngerti maksud loe, supaya kalo eloe dateng tetep bisa nebeng tempat gw tanpa was2 bakal diomel2in orang kan? Hahahaha... Ketahuan gitu... DASAR LOE YEEE!)

Di lain saat, masi hari itu juga...

*ngomong3...*
dia : AH DAH CAPE AH NGOMONG SAMA ELOE, LAMBAT BENER... lemotnya... GIMANA DONK, GW SAMPE STRESS EMOSIONAL.
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA...

Dude, asli loe lucu banget pas mara2 itu, hahahaha... Saat habis kesabaran, you're beyond sweet... hehehe... Anyway, I'm too excited and can't wait til you really come. Make it happen, pretty please?
J, kalo eloe baca ini, mari kita tarik dia buat visit... Hehehehe...

Laskar Pelangi

2008-10-27T21:41:00.003-05:00

One of those very few Indonesian songs that have a quality lyric.
To all those out there feeling so tired of life.

***

Mimpi adalah kunci
Untuk kita menaklukkan dunia
Berlarilah tanpa lelah
Sampai engkau meraihnya

Laskar pelangi
Takkan terikat waktu
Bebaskan mimpimu di angkasa
Warnai bintang di jiwa

Menarilah dan terus tertawa
Walau dunia tak seindah surga
Bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa :
Cinta kita di dunia selamanya.

Cinta kepada hidup
Memberikan senyuman abadi
Walau ini kadang tak adil
Tapi cinta lengkapi kita

Laskar pelangi
Takkan terikat waktu
Jangan berhenti mewarnai
Jutaan mimpi di bumi

~ as sung by Nidji

Numb

2008-10-26T19:36:00.002-05:00

Have you ever tried to numb yourself against everything?

This is what I've been doing, a lot. Blocking away everything that is not in the category of "Happiness" or other positive things.

The product? You choose to be sad or not, and to cry or not to some extent. Dunno if this gets too far already or not.

RIP both Si Oren dan si Kuning.
No tears yet, I am not even sure what I'm supposed to feel. All that I can think of is that at least this time I think I know what was wrong.
Thank you Si Oren and Kuning, you've always made me happy. Nothing a lil less. You guys are always in my heart and I hope you arrive at that better place very soon.

Happier Life

2008-10-26T01:13:00.002-05:00

1. Badger menang 27-17 vs Fighting Illini (Rasanya senang sekali karena taon lalu kalah sebal sekali), plus ini Homecoming, gw nonton juga akhirnya season ini. Daaaan memori2 indah gw tersimpan karena tiap nonton di Camp Randall ga perna kalah...

2. Rekor tercepat dari mulut rumah di Sussex ke daerah kampus UW Madison. Biasanya : 1.5 jam. Hari ini : 1 jam, udah termasuk macet di I94 karena arus Homecoming dan di Madisonnya sendiri (karena football game frenzy). Tanpa ketangkep polisi.

3. Akhirnya ketemu sama temen gw lagi. Dah mayan lama dan akhirnya yang dia janjiin kesampean : "We'll meet up soon I promise." Makasi udah beneran dateng. Too bad I can't meet you up again next week. I had fun, hopefully you did, too.

Tapi dari semuanya itu yang paling berperan dalam membuat hidup gw blkgan ini bahagia dan tidak depresi, seberapa menantangnya itu... adalah pikiran yang tidak terbelit masalah apa2 (ato berusaha untuk tidak terbelit masalah sendiri). Gw orang yang lebih bebas dan tidak terbeban. Keep it simple. Keep less variables.

Kata orang everything happens for reason. Walopun ga gitu sependapat dengan pernyataan tersebut, kalo apa yang gw renungkan benar, mungkin itulah alesan kenapa gw begini. And if this is the best way to be ever happy and out of sorrow, maybe I should be.

Near horror experience

2008-10-25T00:10:00.007-05:00

31 miles from home (10:45 PM) : Hmm tadi pas ke sini kayanya bensin masi ada 4 strip. Ke Madison 60+ miles aje cuma ilang 2 strip. OK, jalaaaannn... Dah malem juga, ga ketemu pom bensin, aaah I'll be fine.

27 miles from home : La la la... (bernyanyi2 riang)... lalu... S**T!! What the heck? Strip tinggal 3?? Masi ada 27 miles lagi... Hmmm perlu kuatir ga si?... hmmm... La la la...

20 miles from home : HA?? SEJAK KAPAN STRIP TINGGAL 2? Tenang tenang... *tapi tau sebenernya di antara ruma sama gw skrg ini kalo nyari2 bensin bener2 ngabisin bensin, mendingan stay aje highway terus lebi cepet sampe ruma...* Paling isi di pom bensin bp sebrang ruma... Emank si harusnya ga tenang tapi emank ga bisa ngapa2in juga, ya udahlah ya ga usah pake stress.

12 miles from home, raining cats and dogs outside, 11:10 PM, a-l-o-n-e : STRIP TINGGAL 1!!!! LAMPU KUNING2 (artinya bensin dah tipis abis) DAH NYALA... Mulai ngitung2... Dalam 7-8 miles ilang 1 strip... Hmmm will I reach home tonite? Masi jauh lagi tuh pom bensin. Mulai berlarian di kepala : scene2 dimana si Barry dan Steven lagi semobil, lampu juga dah nyala dari tadi tapi Steven masi tenang2 sambil bilang "Believe!" saat Barry dah nervous banget dan masi jauh dari tujuan, pom bensin tak terlihat... Mulai mikirin apa yang terjadi kalo beneran mogok : dah deket ruma tapi musti tow.

6 miles from home, still raining cats and dogs outside, 11:15 PM : YES ADA MOBIL!!! SAYA CINTA MOBIL!! ISI 2 GALON BUAT PULANG KE RUMA! (Gw tetep masi pengen isi bp sebrang ruma karena bedanya 10 cents / gallon, dan saya selalu isi di bp, serta saya ingin isi besok sebelom ke Madison). Strip naik lagi dari 1 jadi 5. Hati tenang hidup tentram.

2 miles from home, still raining cats and dogs outside, 11:20 PM : CONFIRMED! *Unlike the previous finding, perihal Strip berkurang kali ini ditunggu2 instead of kagetan* Strip dari 5 turun jadi 4... Artinya... Assuming the engine really stops running when the stripe hits zero, kalo gw tadi ga isi, I would be stranded alone, so close to home, but stuck in the rain in the middle of the nite. Wew... things couldave been very fugly...

Lesson learned : Believe, and keep the gas tank level sufficient at all times.

The day I forgot my cell...

2008-10-23T20:49:00.003-05:00

... I went alone to Brookfield Mall! Hehehehe... Just for fun... hehehe...

Dari kantor langsung... Jalan2 bentar... Terus laper, hmmm makan... di Food court saja...

Pas ngantri, ada bapak2 yang mempersilakan gw bayar duluan... Waaa... keren...
Duduk, makan...

Mulai deh, pikiran melayang...
Tadi siang ga ngomong banyak sama semua orang, mana Colleague J lagi sakit lagi... Well sebenernya the whole process engineer wing are sick, kecuali gw, semoga bukan masalah waktu gw belom sakit. Si Colleague J lagi flu, si Colleague E batuk seharian, si Colleague B idung mampet seharian. Colleague G sama Colleague R lagi cabut ke luar US. Minggu depan lebi para, di wing ini tinggal Colleague E sama Colleague J... Hehehe... Tadi si Colleague M sampe bilang "Minggu depan office kita deserted, vendor ga bole dateng." hahahaha... Para...
Btw back to Colleague J, itu gw juga taunya dia sakit dari email2an di kantor tadi siang (padahal cubiclenya bener2 blkg cubicle gw, literally)... Tampaknya dia kemaren malem ga bisa tidur dan tadi siang sibuknya stenga mati, kesian bener... Sebagai colleague dan teman yang baik tentunya, gw kasi suggestion buat minum alkohol, bukan obat pilek. Hehehe... Lengkap dengan defense2 gw seperti biasa, dunno if he buys my arguments. Hehehehe...

OK, nyam nyam nyam, ngeliat orang arah jam 12... Bapak2 lagi... Mgkn awal 50an... Baju kerja rapi, ada dasi ada suitnya...
Gw liat jem tangan, hmmm jam 8 malem... Itu orang koq ga pulang ke ruma? Ga ada yang tungguin di ruma? Hmmm ada cincin koq di tangan kanannya...
Baca2 kertas2 yang penting (kayanya) sambil makan, terus pake stempelnya ngecap kertas2...
Jangan bilang PE stamp... Ga di kantor ga di ruma, ketemu yang beginian... Males bener... Errggh!

Which reminds me, JENG, itu bocah dua nungguin gw di ruma, malem2 belom makan malem! (Si Oren dan si Kuning). BALIK, BALIK KE RUMA!!!

Pas keluar dari Food Court ketemu bapak2 yang pertama tadi... Tiba2 dia ngomong ke gw "Oriental People are honorable" sambil senyum. Kalo ga ada insiden pertama, gw pasti "HEH?" Tapi gw malah senyum terus sampe pulang... Herannya itu sala satu senyum gw yang tulus setulus2nya... *Ya iyalah ya kalo dia tiba2 bilangnya Oriental People are ga tau aturan gw pasti ga senyum tapi refleks ngejitak!* Dipikir2 lagi (melayang lagi), I'm a simple person. Gitu aje senyum2 lama... What makes my day is simply laughin in the morning gara2 temen2 gwelo gw (baca : EK, NV, YKD dan RJ) pada seru di Facebook wall... Another that makes me smile is simply a good friend RJ says "I'll watch it, I promise" waktu gw bilang "Percaya deh eloe musti nonton nih film, lucu banget, gw barusan nonton ketawa2 terus hahahaha"... What a simple person I am and I smile because of simple things. My smile is sincere too because I befriend loneliness too long that when I smile, I smile alone, not for others.

Nyetir ngebut balik, sampe2 kasi makan Si Oren dan si Kuning. Sampe skrg belom ngomong sama siapa2... Maybe I keep quiet but I'll play my piano later...

Liat hape, some peeps missed called, some texted, at least from 3 different states of America. One makes me smile just because he said "I miss you too! We'll meet up soon I promise!" Another smile today, but yet I say nothing.

Yeaa, the day I forgot my cell... I went on a serious mission for a sweater (trust me it's serious, though it's not mentioned anywhere in the post) and went back home for a serious mission (I don't want goin back home finding Si Oren dan si Kuning dah melayang2 kelaperan...)

It's also the day when traffic inside my head is more heavy than usual...

and is also the day when I start appreciating those peeps wearing contact lenses more, since pertama kalinya gw bener2 berusaha pake visine tetes mata, susa banget takut kecolok... Tiap ketetes mata lagi merem, ga efektif... Bisa2 sebotol abis mata tetep kering... (Pagi siang malem liat monitor komputer)...

Missing out Halloween 2008

2008-10-22T19:05:00.002-05:00

OK taon lalu Halloween kaga di Madison. Taon ini, kayanya LAGI2 GA DI MADISON!!! Hueeee... 2 TAON BETURUT2 KAGA DI MADISON BWAT HALLOWEEN??!?! Jeng... Hix!
Padahal hal2 menarik yang bisa didatengin banyak wiken Halloween ini...

31 Okt :
- Cornmaze ma anak2.
- Salsa Meetup di Milwaukee with live Salsa band. (well kalo bisa juga most likely yang bakal gw miss yang ini si).
- UWMBDA Halloween dance.

1 Nov :
- Permias Halloween.
- Freakfest 2008.

1 weekend, packed with activities, ga ada yang bisa kesampean... Memilih aje tak boleh...

Gw makin ga ngerti, itu coworker gw alumni UW macem paan, masa Halloween mala pili ngunjungin plant?!? Mana sebenernya itu kostum dah ada lagi (dari kapan2)... Teganya teganya teganya... (Kalo kebaca dia, dan miraculously dia ngerti artinya, I'm so dead.)

*tapi dipikir2, memang manusia ga ada yang puas...*

Guess tunggu rayain taon depan de ye?

Restless

2008-10-20T00:16:00.002-05:00

No, I'm not stressed out, and I'm not depressed. I'm just restless. Just so many things to worry about.
Tired, too.

Could I just not care about things?

Grant me a single nite when I can just sleep and I don't need to think about anything. I would be infinitely grateful.

Amen.

*Really, sometimes I wonder whether just being a person with a blank mind is any better than this... Sigh... *

Sehelai rambut yang memanjang

2008-10-16T22:04:00.002-05:00

Persahabatan,
apakah hanya sepanjang sehelai rambut yang memanjang saja lamanya?
Panjangkan hingga sebahu? Sepinggang? Semata kaki?
Ketika saatnya dipotong lagi, itukah akhirnya?

Small things we learn in life

2008-10-15T19:37:00.002-05:00

Kemaren si AAG chatting sama gw, tumben... Terus dia bilang something yang gw sempet hampir lupa for a while... "Hehe niat sih, tapi seru2, banyak mencoba". Yep, blkgan ini sibuk sama lotsa random things sampe kelupa hal2 kecil... yang sebenernya "gw" banget.

Gw, suka mencoba, dan suka belajar, gw suka achieve something new.

Contoh :
- Gw, umur 23 (baru 2 minggu), belajar knitting dan miara goldfish ga mati (termasuk nguras2nya, kapan ngasi makannya dll).
- Gw, umur 22 : Salsa, Chacha, Tango, Swing, Merengue, Waltz (ini walopun banyak gini tapi belajarnya 1-1 tetep menantang neh), Soprano Saxophone, nyetir mobil saat summer (plus licensenya), Adobe Creative Suite 3 softwares enhancing my web desiginin dictionary (keliatannya cuma software2 doank, tapi gini2an yang malah bisa stick for good, bukannya things yang sekali belajar lupa kaya di kelas2 tiap ari), reaching full independency financially.
- Gw, umur 21 : Spanish (termasuk musti berhadapan sama native yang ga bisa ngomong Inggris dan Indo), Camping (hahahaha, masi kebayang tidur di tenda segitiga dari terpal), kerja di chemical plant (short phrase, loaded meaning), Summer Lab (bener2 achievement, and all travels included, all arranged by moi from beginning to the end including apply visa, tuker duit euro, ngejer Eurotrail beli tiket bahasa Itali, dst).
- Gw, umur 20 : Ga inget2 banget small things tapi gw yakin I learned and achieved some more.

Too many things too interesting to miss... Surfing is on the list (adik gw sudah mendahului gw dalam hal ini). Interesting aje, as you get older, there should be more and more things that you can say "I can do that" to. I'm lucky for the opportunity and I'm aware not all people are that lucky.

Hmm let's say that I'm learning to like onion is slim to impossibility, definitely not on my to do list at any point of time in the future. Lol...

Terus tiba2 keinget, baru2 ini nyokap gw kasi tau ada temen smu seangkatan gw blkgan ini telpon ke ruma di Indo, katanya ngundang kawinan November... Wew... Hmmm mgkn trend baru kali ya, cewe2 Indo umur segini dah pada (mikirin) nikah. Masi jauh buat gw... I don't wanna miss a thing. There are things that can definitely only be achieved when you don't have any worries (or somebody worrying you) all the time, plus then maybe you won't even have the time anymore and life would be just "passing the time" activity. Offer me more!

Fun Fact #sekian

2008-10-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Fun Fact :

It's weird that it takes a long time to love somebody, but it takes a lil less than half a minute to hate him.

Ever thought of that?

Welcome to my world, si Kuning!

2008-10-09T22:33:00.003-05:00

OK, got myself another nu friend since I kinda succeed raising Si Oren. This time I called him/her (I think it's a her) Si Kuning karena warnanya lebi kuning dibanding si Oren (lebi pale). Yea, I know, I got uncreativity issue. Anyway, here is a picture of si Oren and her (I also think it's a her) nu friend swimming together, hehehe... Aren't they cute? Now Si Oren is no more lonely. Si Kuning is a smaller than si Oren but I'm pretty sure Si Oren will be a gentle bigger fish! :D Today is si Kuning's Birthday! Yeay...

*ngelirik Colleague J : J, if I really travel anywhere for business, could you please feed both of them while I'm gone? Hehehe...*

A good indication that your colleague knows you well enough

2008-10-08T20:54:00.003-05:00

Last Monday @ Thai restaurant in Brookfield for my birthday

Waitress : Ready to order?
Colleague J : Yes. Could we have the green curry and beef stir fry? No onion on both?
Me : Hehehehe...

Today's Potluck @ Work

Me : Yeay! Chicken Tikka Masala! And with Nan, too!
Colleague J : Wow, they even have different kinds of Nan.
Me : Yup. I'm gonna have this one... (plain one)
Colleague J : Err... Try this one *pointing at another kind of Nan*!
Me : Err...
Colleague J : Why...? Ohhh! Onion! HAHAHAHAHAHA... *seriously burst into laughter*
Me : Hahahahahahaha... Shut up, hehehehehe... *D, our boss, was confused behind Colleague J*

Lol... So unfair, why is it always on my part? I'll make it up to you next time. Lol... Btw, just a brief information, I run out of Milo (at last), that's why I don't bring any anymore lately. Hahahahaha... Gonna go back to Asian to get some more next time I'm in Mad. I'll bring some for you if I have it in stock again. :p

Ordinary People : Revisited

2008-10-07T23:56:00.003-05:00

Lagi browsing2, terus stumbled upon John Legend's Ordinary People. Hmmm dah lama ga dengerin lagu ini lagi... Ternyata video clip dia dan Badlwin-nya lebi keren daripada mp3 yang gw punya. Terus denger2in lagi, there're lotsa 'interesting things' in the lyrics. Lotsa things that are good to think about.

Yang paling menarik adalah...

"And though love sometimes hurts, I still put you first"

Again, stumbled upon...
Apparently that's impractical to the most, but surprisingly it even applies to me.

A good video could be find here.

Aku

2008-10-06T19:29:00.001-05:00

"...Luka dan bisa kubawa berlari
Berlari hingga hilang pedih peri
Dan aku akan lebih tidak perduli..."

Aku
Chairil Anwar
Maret 1943.

My nu friend

2008-10-02T00:28:00.004-05:00

I have no names for him/her yet, but so far I've been calling him/her "si Oren".
Si Oren's birthday would be today, Oct 1 2008.

Welcome to my life, Si Oren! :)
Hope we'll be happy together forever! :D
I promise I'll feed you daily. ;)

(Image taken with new LG cell from Amanda, Reggie, Agatha, Renat, Rendy, Adeline, Andhika, Jojo, Barry, Bertha, Davin, Felix, Arthya, Ilen and the other 3 people that I never knew --> siapa sih Man?, Thanxalot guys, I've been loving the gift.)

Bangun Senin Ini

2008-09-29T21:32:00.002-05:00

Hari ini bangun kurang tidur, tapi bukan itu hal pertama yang ada di kepala pas buka mata. Hari ini bangun dengan janji yang baru, janji yang masih bayi dan belum yakin tapi harus. Memulai yang tidak dikehendaki.

Hmmm berjanji untuk melakukan sesuatu yang tidak dikehendaki... Aneh ya?
Ga, ga sama kaya berjanji untuk rajin belajar, atau berjanji untuk makan yang lebih sehat, atau berjanji untuk ga minum alkohol lagi. Sebenernya sampe sekarang masih ga yakin ini yang terbaik, tapi semua janji yang lebih mendahulukan orang lain mungkin memang wajib.

Sepenting janji buat menahan atau menghembuskan nafas.
Seringan janji buat tersenyum atau membuat sepertinya tersenyum.
Serumit janji buat menjaga atau mengacuhkan.
Secantik janji buat menatap bintang atau membuang muka.
Semudah janji buat melompat dan jatuh atau diam dan tetap jatuh.
Sesulit janji buat menyibak tirai batin atau menolak berperasaan.

Nyatanya semua relatif.
Nyatanya kadang perlu waktu sebanyak berbulan-bulan untuk berpendirian.
Nyatanya susah disiplin pada satu keputusan bila tidak datang dari diri.

Hari ini awal minggu.
Akhir pekan sudah lewat.
Gw punya sebuah janji yang menanti untuk ditepati.

Anyway, aside from "Bangun Senin Ini", this is voted the best bday wish this year, lol :
"Elka ! Happy belated birthday!
Wishing you healthy grandchildren with intelligence as high as yours.

Lacking internet connection latety,
S."
As witty as ever, eh? Hahahahahaha...

Yesterday's Birthday Girl

2008-09-28T10:29:00.010-05:00

I was a birthday girl yesterday and yesterday was one of the most difficult birthdays I've ever had. Mixed feelings.

Gw terharu banyak banget orang yang pengen stay di Apt E (thank you Agatha dan Venny!) sampe jam 3:15 pagi buat just stay longer with me. Lotsa listening and lotsa thinking...

Amanda : Thank you for arranging all these and initiating the great gift and the cake and spending the whole day with the birthday girl. You're always that great sis who tries her best. PS : The cake has the most perfect alcohol content! :) Gw setuju ini your best creation and you should be proud of it.

Adeline : A very very good friend of mine. Glad that you ever told us that you joined the choir because I was leadin it, otherwise I would never even know. To be very honest, gw bener2 enjoy saat2 kita email2an ga jelas waktu gw di Spain sama waktu kita co-op. Kita dah ngalamin banyak banget bareng2, dari kita bareng2 register buat ECS, sampe co-op bareng... I wish we'll be good friends forever. Thank you for coming, really appreciate it.

Agatha : Thank you buat tempatnya. Semoga malem itu eloe tetep bisa tidur walopun itu tiramisu banyak kopinya. Hahaha... Gw juga seneng koq malem2 ngobrol sama eloe sampe cape, tahan2 ketawa, hehehe... It's ok eloe kemaren ga bisa spend the day with me gw ngerti, not being able to spend the birthday with me doesn't mean you're not a good friend. But do promise me you have all the tasks and studying done well. :D

Arthya : Thank you for helping with the cake. It's a great creation. Thank you juga for ngiasuing on Friday to spend the day yesterday with me. Really appreciate it. Don't get too worried about 250, it'll be a breeze. Thank you for everything you help me with. Go mariachi! Hahahahaha... Similar to you, weekend is always something to look forward to, and you guys are all the reason why.

Barry : The person I know the longest di Madison di list ini... Things have been fun all these years, sampe saat gw dah ga tinggal di Madison, we're still friends. It's a very good thing. Semoga kita bisa tetep bertemen terus long time from now. Thanx for coming to celebrate.

Davin : Davin, orang yang sering banget diledekin, you're always a source of happiness buat kita2. Jangan sakit hati ya, kita ledekin eloe karena kita sayang sama eloe! :D Thank you dah dateng, walopun eloe dateng telat yang midnite itu, gw tetep appreciate eloe tetep dateng instead of "udah laaah, dah telat ini... bolos aje gitu".

Eileen : Thank you buat dateng Leen, you've been a great company too.

Felix : Always a good friend indeed, ga di gym, ga gw di Louisiana (inget ga loe gw minta bantuin transfer duit? Hahahaha), ga eloenya di Indo (titip cd photoshop), ga di ic, ga pas bantuin ngajarin gw nyetir, ga pas nemenin gw ganti oli pas eloe masi ngantuk banget... Dimana2!!! Always a good friend, always a good lil brother. SO VERY BLESSED to have a friend like you.

Freddy : Thank you dah dateng... 4 taon ya Fred kita berjuang barengan... Hahahhaa, dan still tempat favorit gw buat belajar nomor 1 masi Terrace @ Lake Mendota, nomor 2 tuh tempat eloe, soalnya pas belajar bisa ada champagne lah, bisa ada permen2 Yupi burger lah, whatever parah banget... Hahahaha... Kalo ga ada eloe mgkn gw ga bisa stay sane selama 4 taon itu, karena tanpa eloe level frustasi gw ga mgkn berkurang setiap ngakak ngeliatin eloe. Hahahaha...

Jojo : Gpp Jo eloe miss yang midnite itu, kayanya eloe emank keliatannya dah cape banget sih pas bukain gw Jumat sore itu. Hahaha... At least you came to the dinner, which was great. Hehehe... Thank you ya Jo...

Kolek : Thank you Kolek dah temenin ganti oli on the birthday girl's day. Hehehe... Makan bareng breakfast pagi2, kayanya wiken biasa ga mgkn deh sama eloe. Hahahaha... Susahnya stenga mati dicari... Kartu dari eloe sama Manda lucu banget... Sayang sekali eloe ga dateng midnitenya, padahal kalo eloe dateng dan bawa miras, akan gw ladenin khusus hari itu gw bakalan ga pantang minum. Hahaha... Anyway, you're always been my bro yang gw sayang banget.

Matthew : It's funny coz gw juga pikir eloe sala satu orang yang sincere di Madison. I'm glad that you think I'm a good person. Seneng bisa kenal eloe, terus optimis di CBE department, eloe pasti bisa. Kalo ada pertanyaan apa2 jangan ragu buat tanya, kalo gw bisa bantuin pasti gw bantuin. Keep up with the faith! ;) Btw laen kali kalo eloe nebeng mobil gw, gw yakinkan eloe ga takut lagi deh. Hahahhaa...

Reggie : Thank you for sparing the whole day Saturday walopun gw tau eloe sibuknya stenga mati. Really appreciate it. Terus terang gw ga bakal mgkn lupa that day, my first day gw diculik sama eloe dan Hans, ada maen pool segala di Mem U gitu malem2... 4.5 years, it's been fun. Really hope gw tetep jadi orang yang pertama eloe kasi tau if you get nu good music. And anyway, you're the best driving teacher, and be relieved since yang ngebuat gw tancep gas pas merah dan stop pas ijo itu adalah kombinasi gw dan Matthew, bukannya gurunya.

Renat : Thank you doain buat gw pas ngumpul2. Keep being that person yang bikin gw simpen seminggu punya jatah ketawa... Hahahaha... I will still remember for a long time : gw plontosin eloe pake clipper di hari ultah gw kali ini! Hahahaha...

Rendy + Feli : Thank you banget dah dateng dari Milwaukee just for the midnite thingy. Really really appreciate it. Too bad kita ga bisa bangun buat breakfastnya, next time I'll make it up to you guys. Hehehe...

Suwandi : Thank you Su dateng for the dinner. Really appreciate it. Gw bakal bener2 sedih sih kalo mobil eloe ended up ga bisa jalan dan eloe beneran ga bisa dateng... Gw juga belajar something new : Google Earthing, hahahahaha... Never really did it... Thanx for the pretty blue lamp, I love it. I'll put it rite next to my bed! :)

Venny : Thank you buat tempatnya. Hmm eloe temen yang ok banget koq kalo buat ngomongin Photoshop and stuffs soalnya gw find hal yang loe lakuin banyak yang gw suka juga, jadi nyambung banget. Hahahaha... Btw, next time gw ke Madison (might be 2 minggu lagi) eloe musti liat the new hp, skrg dah lagi di FedEx nih, so excited. Hahahaha... Kita explore tuh tablet bareng, ok? Hahahaha... Keep the computer-savvy-ness, jadinya kita selalu bisa tuker2 info. Hahahaha...

William : Thank you for coming. Gw tau eloe ga gitu sering hang out sama gw, but keep up the spirit of learning how to ballroom dance. One time we can salsa or chacha or tango together! :D

For all other people yang ga physically ada di Madison, thank you so very much for all your texts, emails, messages on facebook and friendster. I totally know who you are, and you know who you are. Thank you for even go that extra mile to send your messages for me.

Anyway, a birthday gift from M (M, it's as cute as ever, thank you, gurl! :D )

I see trees are green, red roses too...

2008-09-24T18:57:00.005-05:00

Tadi siang abis lunch : Ngantuk banget, miserable, kebelet no 2 terus, pengen pulang istirahat tapi musti balik kantor.

Tadi sore abis training : LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. Hahahahahaha...

Setelah seru bersedih2 selama beberapa minggu, akhirnya bisa menemukan kembali sisi cheerfulnya hidup... Di kantor lagi ngelamun, terus tiba2 ngeliat poster yang diprint terus ditempel di cubicle sendiri. Keliatan deh : my 11 Commandments (di post ini). Terus ngerasa terjawab, pantesan aje sedi teruuus... Saya telah melanggar Commandment nomor 7 (mengacu kepada posting yang ini). Hehehehehe... Merasa murtad karena telah melanggar habis2an dan membuat hidup jadi merana... Setelah itu bertekad berusaha sungguh2 untuk kembali ke jalan yang benar... Huahuahuahauhuahuhaua...

Hari ini, Colleague G yang tinggal di kota EC lagi dateng ke kantor... Hehehe... Seperti biasa, kalo dia dateng, engineer2 mudanya jadi lengkap dan bisa ketawa2, soalnya nih orang lucu banget. Sore2, dia panggil gw dan si Colleague J buat training...

Sampe2 di ruangan training,
gw : Gimana kabar anjing loe? Siapa ya namanya? P bukan si?
Colleague G : P? Baik2 aja, dia seneng banget tuh gw skrg di ruma mulu...
gw : I see... Istri loe gimana di tempat kerja barunya? Seneng ga? Aduh sorry nih gw bener2 lupa namanya...
Colleague G : Err... Istri gw namanya J, dia doing well sih, kayanya kerjaan dia ok deh, sibuk terus gitu (istrinya dokter gigi)... bla bla bla... Tapi gw ngerti koq kalo eloe ga inget nama istri gw, soalnya eloe kan ga pernah ketemu sama dia. (Ngomongnya sambil senyam senyum, gw tau di pikiran dia : 1. Tanyain anjingnya duluan dibanding istrinya, 2. Lebi inget nama anjingnya daripada istrinya... Gw juga senyum2 aja deh)

Selaen emank lucu karena kita bertiga kalo ngumpul rasanya lucu2 terus, gw ngerasa banget gw improve dari sebulan yang lalu pas gw training sama dia. Sebulan yang lalu gw lebi banyak jadi orang yang belajar, diem dan berusaha ngertiin aje sepanjang training. Kali ini, gw bisa tanya2, bisa kasi argumen, bisa lebi kritis. Mungkin si Colleague G juga sadar. Jadi makin happy, gw tau gw ada kemajuan mayan... Dan ini diskusinya selalu kritis sih bikin mikir, seru... Walopun keluar training dah lewat dari jam pulang, gw definitely lebih seneng selese kerja kaya gini daripada bosen tungguin kelar.

Dan ada komentar2 laen dari orang2 tempat kerja yang lucu2 tadi... Bikin makin happy...

Pulang kerja, running 60 on 45's, and literally smiling all the way to Walmart and home... Seems like ga ada yang bisa bikin gw sebel saat itu (kecuali tiba2 polisi dateng dan niket gw, yang untungnya gw dah spot polisi itu tadi dan sempet reduce speed on timely manner hahahaha... --> Makin senyum2 ga jelas di mobil.)

*Terus terngiang2 di kepala lagunya si Louis Armstrong... Hehehehe...*

Short prayer

2008-09-24T01:01:00.004-05:00

Give me clarity of mind and peace at heart.

Grant me understanding and willingness to accept.

Lead me.

I dare you to find a friend better than this

2008-09-21T19:12:00.004-05:00

Ada waktunya cengengesan.
Ada waktunya musti nangis tapi terlalu arogan buat nangis.
Ada waktunya seorang temen ngerelain pundaknya buat tempat nangis.
Ada waktunya akhirnya yang pengen dilakuin cuma nangis.
Ada waktunya buat seorang teman untuk menyadari ternyata selama ini cengengesan itu bukan selalu artinya senang.

Buat seorang teman, yang rela ngedengerin secuil dari semesta pikiran, terima kasih. Gw tau eloe ga pernah ngeliat gw nangis, gw tau gw selalu cengengesan, gw tau gw ga bisa ditebak, dan sampe sekarang pun eloe masi tetep ga tau hal2. Sengsara sendiri itu bukan cuma biasa, tapi keharusan. Tentu aja, semua orang juga pasti punya masalah. Sama aja, gw ga lebih spesial dibanding orang laen. Tapi ada waktunya gw pengen sedetik aja bahagia, ngelepas sedikit aja dan lega, dan bisa senyum karena ingin tersenyum. Gw rasa setiap orang berhak ngerasa bahagia sesebentar apapun itu.

Gw tau gw make mayan banyak persediaan tissue loe (being not so an environmentalist), untuk hal ini gw bilang maap. Gw tau gw ga bisa cerita banyak ke eloe, dan eloe tetep di situ sabar tungguin gw sampe gw tenang walopun yang eloe tau begitu sedikit. Maap juga ngebuat a supposedly easy Saturday morning ruined. Maap, maap, maap. Tapi terima kasih udah jadi seorang teman yang ada di situ, sabar ngeliat gw di saat yang begitu rapuh. Terima kasih, terima kasih, terima kasih.

I let you know this, dunno if this even means anything to you : It was a good cry, I felt a lot better after that.

My favorite Verse

2008-09-18T18:06:00.009-05:00

Favorite verse in the "Great B" so far because it's beautiful and it kinda reminds me of my mom.

Love is long suffering,
love is kind,
it is not jealous,
love does not boast,
it is not inflated.

It is not discourteous,
it is not selfish,
it is not irritable,
it does not enumerate the evil.
It does not rejoice over the wrong, but rejoices in the truth

It covers all things,
it has faith for all things,
it hopes in all things,
it endures in all things.

(First person who introduced me to this verse is PM T. Blair on Lady Di's mass. Then my mom told me that this was 1 Corinthians 13. I wonder if it's bad to trust Love a lil bit too much...)

The Office Season 1 Episode 3

2008-09-18T18:06:00.006-05:00

Scene 1 : Tempat parkir
Pulang sore hari, kluar2 dari kantor di tempat parkir ngeliat bos gw lagi berusaha jump start mobilnya... Jeng... Terus ditanyain dia cengengesan... Lagi disetrum pake mobilnya si John O... Terus mereka berdua bergumam terus "Merah positif..." Pengen ketawa kenceng takut dipecat... Cuma bisa senyum2 doank.

Scene 2 : Di telpon sama orang laen, pas2an gw lagi di kantornya
Colleague R : OK2.. Ciao ciao! Good nite!
Colleague R : Have a nice weekend.
Colleague R : What? No... I'll be here tomorrow, but you won't call me again tomorrow, will you?
gw : hahahahahahaha...
(abis tutup telponnya)
Colleague R : I know I'm a bad example for you on how to talk to other people in the company...

Scene 3 : Gw lagi di koridor, jalan2 keliling2 kantor ga ada kerjaan kaya anak ilang, liat2 orang lagi pada ngapain sambil bawa Sour S'getti (yang dikasi sekantong sama si Colleague J).
gw : Colleague J, do you want some?
Colleague J : sure... *tangannya ngerogoh ke bungkusannya*
(si Colleague E lewat)
gw : Colleague E, want some? I have too much.
Colleague E : OK! *tangannya ikut2an ngerogoh ke bungkusannya* I like these, these are good! Where did you get them?
gw : Colleague J gave a pack for me. I think he has too much too at his home...
(si C lewat)
gw : C, do you want sour s'getti?
C : Sure! I love sour treats. I know this one named Strawberry Icebreaker... *tangannya juga ngerogoh ke bungkusannya*
(si Colleague B lewat)
gw : Colleague B, have you gotten sour s'getti?
Colleague B : No but I'd like to have one! *tangannya lalu juga ikut2an ngerogoh ke bungkusannya*
Then all of a sudden the corridor was full of people chewing sour s'getti...

Scene 4 : Lagi ngumpulin kerjaan gw kemaren yang bikin bingung.
Colleague R : It's generally good, Stephanie, except for 1 thing... Why don't you think this operating condition makes sense? x - y degrees Celcius.
gw : ? *dalem ati : Mati, miss yang mana gw*
Colleague R : ...
gw : *nepuk kepala!* It's a pressure indicator! Sorry got mixed up, there're so many indicators!
Jeng... Serius deh, ngerasa bego banget, untung cuma 1...

Scene 5 : Masi lagi ngumpulin kerjaan gw kemaren...
gw : Did you have the opportunity to be taught by any of the BSL?
Colleague R : Bird, Steward, Lightfoot?
gw : Uh-hum.
Colleague R : Yea, I got Lightfoot.
Colleague B (nimbrung dari cubicle dia) : I got Bird. I think he's one of the better teachers they had at the department that time.
Colleague R : Did you get Crosby? *senyum2*
Colleague B : Noooo, I didn't get Crosby. Lucky me.
gw : Who's Crosby? I've never heard of him.
Colleague R : I got him for mass transfer.
Colleague B : I don't even remember who I got for mass transfer anymore. What's mass transfer?
gw : 426.
Colleague B: Does it use McCabe?
gw : Dat's the one.
Colleague R : Anyway Crosby's exam was 1 problem exam.
gw : *Dalem ati : MATI GA SIH 2 JAM EXAM CHEM E, SOALNYA CUMA 1, SUSAHNYA KAYA COBA TUH PANTESAN PADA GA MAU!*
Colleague R : I think he passed away not long after I graduated... It was 20 yrs ago?
gw : Did one of the students kill him?
Begitulah ceritanya kalo semua process dari UW (kecuali Colleague E, but we still talk to him :p ).

When bored at office

2008-09-17T18:14:00.001-05:00

Click here to show encrypted text

A week ago

2008-09-17T08:06:00.004-05:00

This day a week ago, welcoming section of the hotel :

Colleague M : Stephanie, take some wine.
gw : Thanx, but I don't drink wine.
Colleague M : Really? They have beers too!
gw : Actually, I don't drink alcohols anymore. I quit drinkin already.
Colleague M : Why?
gw : Just because.
Colleague M : Even small amount?
gw : That's funny because John also seems unhappy that I don't drink anymore.
Colleague M : Who's John? Yer boyfriend?
gw : Lol... No! John O! (orang kantor). He doesn't understand why a fresh college graduate from Madison doesn't drink.
Colleague M : Yeaa I don't get that part either.
gw : Hahahaha... I had my share, M. Now I stop.

Wow... time really flew. The only difference between last week and now are the place I'm in and I was, and the amount of sleep I have and had the night before.

Decision

2008-09-15T21:21:00.008-05:00

In a day we make several decisions, important or not. What to wear, what to eat, which path to walk, etc.

Today I made a very important one and it's not deciding whether to join 401k at work or not (dang it I hate those 401k forms, very misleading to engineers!). Well not to say 401k is unimportant, but different kinda importance.

I was not sure how correct it is and I should admit it was one of those decisions taking longer time for me to make (and nope, no matter how difficult deciding to spare belly for dessert or not is, it's nowhere as difficult as this! lol...). I did it anyway, and until now I'm not sure I did the rite thing this afternoon.

At least now I can hope to sleep better tonite...

To Hr. Giotto (hopefully you read this though you're geographically supposed to have fun and not sitting in front of your computer):
Er weiß schon, dass ich ihn möge, weil ich mit ihm darüber gesprochen haben. Ich bin zu müde gewesen. Ich wünschte, jetzt wärest du hier bei mir. Ich möchte viele dich zu erzählen. Ich bin ein bisschen traurig und brauche eine sehr gute Umarmung.

To Whom It Concerns

2008-09-14T22:44:00.010-05:00

*Once I promised to myself that I will never use encrypted post. I just broke my promise for a real good reason.*

To Whom It concerns,
I'll once let you know how to read this post when I feel like it.

Click here to show encrypted text

12 Proper phrases/words

2008-09-14T21:14:00.003-05:00

Silent sadness.
Puzzle piece that doesn't fit.
Waterless tears.
Constantly whispering headache.
Repeating history.
Despairing hope.
Lonely insomniac.
Pulverized patience.
Envy.
Self-blaming.
Arrogant apology.
Thirst for my own sincere smile.

I'M MORE THAN TIRED!!!!

My 1st business trip

2008-09-11T14:30:00.003-05:00

OK guys, posting while in the Orange County, CA. Kmaren gw sampe buat business trip pertama gw. Now the meeting (with Atun's company which name is not gonna be pronounced here) is done, everybody was happy. The hotel's bed is nice and that was the first time in a long time I was able to sleep for 8 hours straight, though it was kinda hard to start it since I didn't bring "Si Gajah". The departure flight from Milwaukee was very bad. We got delayed for more than 3 hours because of mechanical problem but it's a lot better than if they tell us while airborne.

Food was great, weather is nice, ocean is pretty and I don't even know why I decided to go back to WI this afternoon. Dinner gw kemaren di resto by the ocean pier, very - very - very gorgeous. Sitting there (with no wine or alcohols whatsoever because I'm being loyal to my oath), with the sea breeze, with the Pacific wave a coupla feet under my feet, with the great tasting broiled Halibut and Clam Chowder, and lastly with the super beautiful sunset... I almost believe my life was perfect. AND YET, today I chose voluntarily to go back to Wisconsin... Madisonians'd better love me much... (just typing this makes me think twice about goin back this afternoon, lol).

Anyway, the meeting was all smooth, which was great.

Though I think I need to write up the funny stuffs in the trip.

J (Atun's company) : Ini siapa yang bikin sih? Oh mgkn si Wakeem, gw musti tanya dia.
M (Atun's company) : Wakeem? *semua yang dari Atun's company liat2an satu sama laen* Ga ada... Oooh! Joachim??
J ( Atun's company) : Oh namanya Joachim? Mirip laaah...
M ( Atun's company) : *dengan nada ngeledek* Well well well, gw bakal telpon si WAKEEM buat make sure kalo gitu... Siapa tau si WAKEEM ngerti, dan si WAKEEM bakal jelasin semuanya.
Semua (Atun's and my company) : HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA...
J (Atun's company) : Well, kadang2 kita musti punya kreativitas...

Saat semua orang lagi stabilo2 gambar pake warna kuning dan pink...
M (Atun's Company) : Ini... yang ungu artinya apa ya?
semua (Atun's and my company) : *liat2an...* ...
J ( Atun's company) : Ungu?Err... Ga ada warna ungu...
M (Atun's Company) : Ha? Masak sih? Ini garis warna apa?
kita semua (Atun's and my company) : PINK!!!
jeng jeng...
J ( Atun's company) : gw mulai concern dengan kemungkinan butawarna.
semua ( Atun's and my company) : HAHAHAHAHAHHA...

Lagi naek mobil ber5, gw di blkg bertiga. Gw paling kanan, si V di tenga, si T di kiri. Pake seat belt... Si V lagi ngobrol sama gw... si T lagi ngobrol sama yang duduk di depan.
V : Seatbelt kekencengan nih jadinya pengen dilepas...
gw : Oh ok...
(ga lama kemudian si V nengok ke gw sambil ketawa kecil2, makin lucu karena dia orangnya kurus2 gitu, orang India gitu).
V: Hihihihihihihihihi... *evil banget nih ketawa*
gw : Ha?
V : Gw berusaha buka seat belt ga bisa.
gw : Ha? (terus ngapain ketawa?)
V : Gw sala buka, gw pencet si T punya, jadi skrg dia punya kebuka... Hihihihihihihiiii...
gw : *ngeliat si T kaya ga sadar, ngobrol terus sama orang depan* Ha? Si T nya sadar ga seat beltnya dah lepas?
V : Hihihihihihihihihih... ENGGA!
gw + V : Hahahahahahahahahahhahahaa... *lalu kita tungguin sampe si T sadar sambil cengengesan*
Lama kemudian...
T : *stop ngobrol sama orang depan...* V, ELOE APAIN NIH SEAT BELT GW HA?
gw + V : HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA...

11:50 PM and still awake

2008-09-09T23:50:00.002-05:00

Besok musti bangun jam stenga 4 buat flight ke Calif. And still not knowing when I will go back to WI. This is weird. I'm gonna be in a very bad shape for tomorrow's meeting.

Wish me luck peeps.

I really really need to try to get some sleep...

I hate insomnia.

Young engineer's dilemma

2008-09-08T22:04:00.006-05:00

Konteks : Tadinya meeting Rabu dan Kamis seharian di Calif. Jumat harusnya travelling day balik ke Wisconsin tapi gw stay sampe Minggu. Minggu balik dari Calif. Bayar hotel sendiri extra 2 malem (Jumat malem dan Sabtu malem).

Problem : Ternyata meetingnya hari Kamis cuma sampe jam 9 pagi. Colleague yang pergi bareng gw bakal balik ke Wisconsin Kamis itu juga jam 4 sore.

Dilemma : Ikutan balik Kamis sama dia terus nongol lagi di kantor buat kerja hari Jumat, ato tetep balik hari Minggu?

Pro balik Minggu :
- Pindahin tiket pesawat hari Minggu ke Kamis mahal (mungkin).
- Bisa ketemu si Jessie dkk setela 5 taon tak bertemu karena pas gw ke Berlin taon lalu tuh anak dah balik Indo. Ke pantai, Disney downtown serta UCLA bareng.
- Spend waktu di Laguna Beach sebagian besar hari Jumat (akan memakai sun screen SPF 50 biar tidak kanker kulit ato sunburnt) sampe si Jessie kelar kerja, dengan gaya serta membaca buku2 yang dari dulu pengen dibacain tapi ga punya waktu sambil berjemur. YES!!!
- Koper "si Merah" kemaren dah beli sized buat 5 hari punya baju, bukan 1 malam. (Ini alesan valid tau!)
- Potluck IC musti masak pusing. Balik MKE hari Kamis tenga malem, ga kuat masak. Besok paginya kerja, malemnya balik Madison. KAGA SEMPET MASAK.
- Boba di LA... *Menggiurkan...*

Kontra balik Minggu :
- Ga ada excuse ga kerja Jumat, karena colleague gw yang jauh lebih senior itu dah masuk kerja lagi Jumat. Nasib pegawai baru... Tidak enak diomongin sama colleague2 laen yang lebi senior dari gw.
- Bayar hotel yang 2 malem extra, plus mgkn skrg malah jadi 3 malem karena gw harusnya bisa balik Kamis bareng colleague gw yang balik itu (ya company gw ngapain bayarin lah ya?).
- Analogous ke point sebelomnya, gw musti bayar parkir Señorita di MKE airport extra.
- Kemaren harusnya yang laen balik Jumat aje, gw dah ditanyain sama orang yang sepantaran bos gw "Ngunjungin relative ya balik Minggu?" apalagi kalo harusnya balik Kamis... "Nih anak kecil satu ngilang kemana Jumat kan harusnya jadi hari kerja??!?!" --> dimana in fact gw kalo balik Minggu, hari Jumat akan dihabiskan dengan... (baca"Pro balik Minggu" point ke-3).
- Picara Mayonnaise (si Art dah janji kalo gw balik hehehehe, asiiik). Ini definitely lebi menarik daripada "Pro balik Minggu" point ke-6. Hehehehe...

One great hug

2008-09-08T00:02:00.002-05:00

I just had one of the those hugs I will always remember.

There was a split second when I wish it never ended and there are two reasons for this :
1. It was one of best hugs I've ever had.
2. I knew once it ended I would be launched back to a far away oblivion.

Oblivion (n) : The condition or state of being forgotten or unknown. (www.m-w.com)

Anyway, thank you. It does always mean a lot to me.

Things that made me giggle when taking shower

2008-09-04T19:31:00.005-05:00

Manda
Gw lagi nginep tempat Manda,pagi2 banget lagi tidur kaki gw ditendang.
gw : Hah? Kenapa Man?
Manda : Iseng...
Jawaban ga koheren...

Reginald
gw : Before I met those men, my life was peaceful! Dang it, where did all these men come from?!!
Reg : Hahahaha... Ka, before all these men appeared in your life, YOU WERE A KID!
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... *lol* Sial loe!

Rizal
Rizal : Tuh orang sih bikin pusing, oppositenya cewe. Kalo cewe kita ga ketemu ya kita pikirin tuh cewe... Kalo itu orang, begitu ketemu jadi musti mikir, susa banget sih! Kalo ga ketemu ga usah dipikirin.

Atun
Atun : (jam 3 pagi ketok kamar gw) Ka, bole nginep tempat eloe ga pagi ini?
gw : *masi kucek2 mata dibangunin* Ha? Ada apa Tun?
Atun : Kunci apartemen gw ketinggalan di kantor gw, cubicle gw dah dikunci sama cubemate gw.

Colleague M
Colleague M : Stephanie, as a green engineer, do as I say, don't do as I do.

Colleague J
Di potluck kantor...
gw : How does the drink smell like?
Colleague J : It smells like Minyak angin.
gw : I think it smells like Obat Batuk.
konteks : di kantor cuma gw sama Colleague J yang ngerti Melayu. Yang bawa minumannya Colleague C (semoga post ini ga pernah kebaca sama Colleague C).

Youknowwhoyouare
dia : Segitu cintanya... sama gw gak segitunya
gw : hahahaha you had yer share
dia : hahaha, yeaaa i had my chance
dia : Besok pagi sampe sore salsa.
gw : Idiih, gw juga pengen.
dia : Gini ka, kita ketemu di tenga. Apa tenga2nya Jerman sama Amerika? *mencari google* yak betul... Lautan Pasifik. Huahahahahaha...
Gendeng...
dia : ya udah gw offline dulu. Mi amor como estas la offline
gw : Ga ngerti banget...
dia : Ra weruh opo artine
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA...

Mike
GPS : Turn right.
Mike : *nengok kanan, ngeliat gang kecil*. Mati lah ini GPS kira mobil gw sepeda.
---
GPS : Turn right in 200 ft.
Mike : Belok sini ya?
Punya GPS ga punya GPS sama aje, tetep nyasar. Belom disuru belok mo maen belok aja.
Shari : Gimana tuh orang, ga diikutin GPSnya ngomong apa gitu...
---
gw : Mike eloe mah percuma punya GPS, ganti lah tuh GPS loe. Jagonya nyasar eloe mah! Dah diganti belom tuh?
Mike : Belom, sekarang makin gawat. GPS gw ga ngeluarin suara lagi, speakernya rusak. Ga denger apa2, tiba2 dah disuruh recalculate.
gw : HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Bisa teriak aje tuh GPS tetep nyasar apalagi ga ada suara??!? Hahahahahahha... *ketawa literally sampe nangis*

Felix
gw : Aduuuh si Kolek lama banget lagi ga bales2 di msn.
Felix : Sambil chatting sambil ngegym kali tuh orang?

Andhika
gw : Ha? Andhika spion mobil loe mana?
Andhika : kemaren gw lagi mundur terus ga liat spion nabrak tiang. Retak sambungannya. Karena geter2 terus di highway, gw putusin sekalian.

Suwandi
Bank teller : We don't do this anymore
Suwandi : What do you mean? I use to do this with no problem.
Bank teller : It's pay to the order of "siduahuruf" instead of you
Suwandi : *Startled* Ok, wait a sec... *And he never comes back*
Pas ketemu gw...
Suwandi : Nih liat nih cek eloe, tulis nama ga bener, 35 dollar ga bisa dicairin!!!
gw : Hahahaha...
konteks : gw musti bayar Suwandi buat karaokean di Chicago pake cek. Karena tulisnya ceknya cepet2 pas kabur dari nginep di apartemen dia karena bonyoknya dah dateng di airport Chicago dari Indo, jadi tulisnya ngaco.

Agatha & Renato (ga bisa gw separate)
Renato : Aduh laper nih...
Agatha : TUH MAKAN TUH HOT POCKET DI RUMA GW MASI BANYAK GA ABIS2 GA ADA YANG MAKANIN!!!
Renato : *startled* Err... Jadi sala gw gitu, hot pocket ga abis2?
konteks : Renato bingung lagi ditawarin ato dimarain...

Agatha & Felix (ga bisa ga gw masukin jadi 2 kali deh Agathanya)
Agatha : *Di mobil Felix, liat ke radio* HA? Dah jam 10:41 malem? Mati gw, dah malem belom ngapa2in!
Felix : *ngeliat arlojinya, terus ngeliat ke radio mobilnya* HAHAHAHA... Itu Z104 (radio station yang FM 104.1)!!! Gw musti kasi tau Elka nih abis ini!

Yosa, adik gw
Survey online "How well do you know siduahuruf" : How many siblings does she have?
Yosa, adik gw : 2
konteks : Dari 10 pertanyaan survey, dia fail yang ini...

How I miss you guys... :')

St Louis : First for some things

2008-09-02T23:02:00.003-05:00

They say there's always a start for some things. On Labor Day Weekend 2008, Amanda and I drove to St. Louis and stayed for 2.5 days there. Went to several places:
- Gateway Arch
- Top of the Riverfront
- History Museum
- City Museum
- Art Museum
- Science Museum and Planetarium
- Grand Basin & Forest Park Area
- Botanical Garden (where they had a Japanese Festival)
- St. Louis Union Station
- Cathedral Basilica

2.5 was packed with activities.

Here's the list of my first times during the trip :
1. Riding a non vertical elevator (in the Gateway Arch).
2. Having dinner (pre and during sunset) on the 28th floor in a revolving restaurant (Top of the Riverfront).
3. Riding Segway (Science Center)
4. Be afraid in a museum (City Center) and in a botanical garden
5. Wearing Yukata
6. Experiencing again that feeling of entering a European church, in the States (Cathedral Basilica is definitely a shortcut to Rome).

Was a unique journey.

All pictures are courtesy of Amanda Ryadi.

Riding the capsule to the top of Gateway Arch

On the top of the Gateway Arch

In "Top of the Riverfront"

In the Science Museum

Riding Segway in the Science Museum

In the Botanical Garden

Wearing Yukata

Cathedral Basilica

This really sux

2008-09-01T22:33:00.001-05:00

Ich darf nicht ihn mögen.

@ UrbanMonkey

2008-08-27T23:54:00.003-05:00

@ UrbanMonkey :

As I lay down and hope to fall asleep, I do my nitely routine : I think of things. Then I get up again and approach my computer just to post this sentence. This is my response (to the fact that yer parents are remindin you that you're almost 30, lol!).

"I wanna FALL in love, not hope and see whether I would love"

You get what I mean.

Those Split Seconds

2008-08-24T23:09:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine says that if you're in a great danger, your eyes are forced to capture things quicker than most of the times. I would assume you will also think in the same manner.

There are those split-seconds in your life, when you think that you're that close to that finish line you start thinkin whether it is really that line, or "this too shall pass and we all will learn". Situation can include being in a car crash (or almost in a car crash), being in very violent airplane turbulence (including when you're in the air and suddenly the pilot says that you have a mechanical problem and need to land immediately), or as simply as almost drowning in a swimming pool, and definitely excludes adrenaline inducing rides in 6 Flags or any similar theme parks.

Usually in those split-seconds we start thinking (of course quickly, also) of :
- things we haven't done
- things we haven't said
- things we haven't even had the chance to say (such as "I'm the CEO of XX company", lol)
etc, etc, etc.

Learning that those split-seconds can happen anytime, maybe it ain't a bad idea afterall to start thinking too in all times of things we haven't achieved, things we haven't said, or even things we have but we never treasure. So that next time we are in those 'split-seconds' again, even as unexpectedly as it can be, we have less things to think of quickly, minus all the regrets. Even if those particular 'split-seconds' are your very last one, you deserve to leave those seconds in a better way.

11 Commandments

2008-08-20T23:32:00.004-05:00

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.
~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Though some of these are forgotten by lotsa people sometimes, this is definitely a perfect fit for my 11 Commandments in life.

Of course, these additions are also a perfect fit to the commandments:
- Thou shall not use English Units
- Thou shall not bring work things to home
- Thou shall not attempt to go to work place on holidays

It's all me

2008-08-19T22:26:00.003-05:00

On tragedies, I learned that I'm as sad as I let myself be.
On lost love, I learned that I'm as lonely as I let myself be.
On being under pressure, I learned that I'm depressed as I let myself be.
On being self-conscious, I learned that I'm as ugly as I let myself be.
On comparison with great people, I learned that I'm as small as I let myself be.

On being heard, I learned that I'm as confident as I make myself be.
On making promises, I learned that I'm as wise as I make myself be.
On facing problems, I learned that I'm as mature and as professional as I make myself be.
On enjoying the beauty of life, I learned that I'm as satisfied as I make myself be.
On memorable events, I learned that I'm as delighted as I make myself be.

On finding that slot in the world allocated for me, I learned that it actually depends on me.

The Office Season 1 Episode 2

2008-08-18T18:32:00.004-05:00

J : Stephanie, come here. It's all your fault!
gw : ??!?!?
J : Why didn't you warn me? I was tortured Saturday!
gw : Hahahahaha... Sorry, J.

(J took part in the notorious apartment moving madness in Madison on Aug 16th 2008. His oldest daughter is a UW Sophomore who moved into an apartment together with several other girls after 1 whole academic year living in dorm. He complained that the apartment wasn't clean when they moved in. That is understandable since the previous tenant left on Aug 14th 2008, 2 days before he moved in. Plus he thinks that his daughter and his daughter's roomies' mothers were in the effort of driving him crazy. Shortly, Saturday he felt tortured. And he's blamin it all on me, that I didn't warn him that it's going to be bad.)

See The Office Season 1 Episode 1

Well done, China! Nothing can go this low!

2008-08-12T19:31:00.004-05:00

Ok, gw kadang suka sebel kebangsaan gw Indo. Pergi kemana2 susah. 3rd world country… Musti apply visa buat apa2, ga dianggep setara sama negara2 laen.
Tapi saat ini gw bersyukur gw bukan orang Cina.

Olimpiade 2008 :
- Buat persiapan, gembar-gemborin berusaha ngurangin polusi, urusan Tibet ga diberes2in.
- Denger2 dari temen gw di Beijingnya sendiri, udah sampe muak sama gembar-gembornya Olimpiade. Ternyata semua yang jelek2 ditutup2in dari dunia luar, internet dibatesin. Waktu itu gw baca katanya banyak kalo berusaha search yang negatif2 gitu bisa keblok internetnya. (URL aslinya liat sini)
- Itu penyanyi Olimpiade ga nampil karena dinilai kurang attractive. Lip sync yang penontonnya seluruh dunia, di pembukaan Olimpiade. Ada lagi blogger Cina yang malu katanya “Kalo ketahuan orang luar, mereka pikir kita bahkan ga punya orang yang both imut dan bisa nyanyi.” Gila bung! Masalahnya bukan itu, tapi masalah moral! Ketemu ga ketemu sih bukan urusan. Anak umur 9 taon disuruh lip sync, disuruh boong. Gila. RENDAH! (URL aslinya liat sini). Baru aje dipublish hari ini, artikel serupa gw bisa temuin di google pake in French and Spanish so far.
- Supaya keliatan lebih dramatis gambar fireworknya Bird’s Nest di-computer modified pake prerecorded footage. Omigot… In the first place harusnya event segedeini ga bole disabotase pake prerecorded footage! (URL aslinya liat sini)

And I thought the once-in-an-Olympiad summer Olympics is supposed to be historical, where everything is just whatever it is.

Bisa expect laen kali nambah listnya (yang ketahuan)…

Ada lagi baru2 ini mp3 yang bentuknya Bird’s Nest 4 GB, what a gimmick! Terus gw ketawa pas baca komentar orang “I wonder why it doesn’t come in 8 GB? Seems like they love that number to death” LOL!!!

Image dipikirin, moral pembohong.
Literally, trying to lie to the whole world. Tsk tsk tsk…
Look at your image now, guess it's not in your plan, huh?

The Office Season 1 Episode 1

2008-08-11T22:15:00.002-05:00

1. (di telepon)
gw : Hello? M?
M : Morning! What can I do for you?
gw : *ngeliat jam dah jam 2 siang* Morning? It's afternoon!
M : It's morning my time. We're on different time zone. (jelas2 sekantor! belok koprol 2 kali sampe).
gw : Err... ok...

2. sejam kemudian
gw : Hello? M?
M : Afternoon!
gw : It's afternoon already?
M : Yeah, now it's afternoon. What can I do for you?
gw : Err... ok...

3. 1 belok dan 2 koprol kemudian...
gw : M! Now I'm at your office! We're on the same time zone! Good afternoon!
M : Hi Steph. Good afternoon! What can I do for you?

4. (di email sore tadi dah mo pulang)
Colleague J : Subject "Stephanie HHHELP!!!" Email body : "Can I tag along with you after work? I need a ride back home."
gw : Subject "Stephanie's home already" Email body : "Auto reply : I'm sorry but I'm currently out of the office. I will be back on Tuesday Aug 12th. I will soon read your messages once I'm back. For immediate needs, I don't know what will be a good solution for you."

Colleagues' Chat

2008-08-05T21:05:00.005-05:00

Hari ini dikasi tugas sama colleague G, disuruh bikin report project buat dikasi ke client. Dikasi siang tadi. Hm... Ternyata banyak yang musti direserach dulu... Kapan deadlinenya ye?
Pas mo tanya duenya kapan, orangnya lagi hang out di cubicle colleague R. Datengin... Pas dateng, loh, Colleague J juga lagi di situ... Berarti dengan datangnya gw, semua process engineer yang ada di kantor hari ini lagi pada hang out semua di situ... Jreng jreng jreng...

gw : Colleague G, ini duenya kapan ya reportnya?
Colleague R (yang bener2 ga tau apa2 tentang report ini) : Kemaren!
Semua : *lookin at each other...* hehehehehe...
Baru juga dikasi tadi siang... lol...
Colleague R : Itu kan selalu jawaban yang baik pada pertanyaan itu...
Colleague G : Wah musti punya mesin waktu... Tapi ini due Kamis pagi, soalnya Kamis pagi gw dah mo kirim ke orangnya.
gw (dalem ati) : Summer Lab aje waktunya kalah singkat... Summer lab seengganya tiap 2 hari yang due 1 report, soalnya ini tepat sebelom ikutan hang out di Cubiclenya si R, si M minta bantuin kerjain something yang duenya sore ini juga...

Horeee banyak kerjaan. Hehehe, cape, tapi bagus deh. Ingetin ke saat2 jadi ChE student... Hehehe...

Di MSN :
gw : I really wanna prank on (boss kita)... I don't know if it will get me fired or not though. That consideration has been the reason why I didn't do it yet. I thought of a plan already. I will pick a drawer in his desk and replace all the files with peanut styrofoams. Hehehehe... Wait til he gets back... If I did that, what do you think is the probability of getting fired?
Colleague J : ermmm close to getting fired hahaha.. not sure, haven't done it before. U have to ask Colleague G the last time he did it.

Asiiik besok Salsa lesson. Hihihihihi...

Me gusta Salsa y me gusta mi vida! :D

2008-08-01T22:27:00.003-05:00

OK guys just did one of the most random / fun things...

Kemaren gw kangen banget sama ballroom dancing (it's been more than 2 months since my last dance), lalu iseng2 gw google, ballroom dancing in milwaukee. Lol... Random banget. Keluar lah ini grup di meetup.com. (Bener2 ngasal banget). Next meeting : hari ini! Wah pas soalnya gw balik ke Madison hari Sabtu malem... Jreng... Unbelievably dengan pedenya, gw langsung join itu grup online, terus email tanya ke yang ngajar "bole ikutan ga kalo masi beginner? Maap saya ga pernah nyalsa sama sekali". Terus ternyata orangnya baik "We welcome all people from all level." Friendly gitu. Datenglah tadi gw ke sana... (Plus emank dari dulu pengen belajar salsa ga pernah kesampean).

Lalu tadi gw beneran dateng... Banyakan orang Hispanic (90%) gitu kan, BAGUS! ORIGINAL BENER TUH SALSA! lol... Bisa denger kanan kiri orang ngomong Spanish gitu kan, BAGUS! LATIAN SPANISH GW YANG SUDAH TERKUBUR LAMA! Hehehehe... Bener2 orang baru semua, ga pernah kenal, tapi mereka semua baik sih mo ngajarin kalo kita belom bisa.

Akhirnya gw mostly dance sama nih satu orang; dia jago banget, gwnya first timer, terus diajarin combo2 yang pusingin (menurut gw soalnya gw ga pernah nyalsa sama sekali). Tampaknya tuh orang ga aware gw ga pernah nyalsa, gw cuma cengengesan aje kalo dia puter gw kemana, gw suka kurang responsive... Diputer ke kiri, gw muter ke kanan... Kadang2 lebi parah : Dia puter ke kiri, gw ga ngeh kalo dia lagi kasi sinyal buat gw muter, jadi gw diem. Lol... Macem2 deh skenario2 disconnect-nya... Intinya gw belom gitu ngerti. Jadinya gw ngulang terus bilang "Sorry, gw ga dapet sinyal eloe!" gitu hahahaha... Tapi dia selalu baik dan bilang "kenapa Sorry? Ga usah sorry!" Akhir2nya baru gw kasi tau "Gw first timer nih..." Gantian dia yang cengo... Jreng... Bagus deh artinya gw ga bego2 amat.

Intinya gw bakal start goin to Salsa lesson tiap Rabu malem, mulai minggu depan. Horeee... Tapi seengganya, I'm meeting new peeps. Dan... the good thing about social dancing is, eloe pengen kenal deket orangnya ato ga, terserah eloe. It can always be 1 dance and that's it, then change partners... Kalo mo temenan, yaaaa terserah juga.

Gw pikir2 lagi, idup gw lagi semuanya pas. An engineer, single, young (and fab! :p ) and enjoying life:
- di ruma dah ada piano, bosen tinggal maen
- tiap Rabu ada Salsa lesson, kalo mo ikutan social dancenya Jumat malem. Mayan buat gerakin badan... Cape banget bo!
- Meeting new peeps, and still holding on to my "life without Alcohol but still fun" self-policy.
- Ada kemungkinan jalan2 (ceritanya sih buat kerja) akhir bulan depan, masalahnya cuma pada visa application... Kalo ga jadi yaaaa gara2 visa nya belom selese diproses. Yaah liat lah.

Not asking for more yet now.
I'm loving life.
Grateful.

PS : Buat youknowwhoyouare, next we meet again, we'll definitely salsa, for sure. Another oath of mine. Lol... Btw, just remindin gila bo, dah mo setaon dari kita ketemu terakhir itu...

PSS : Thinking about plotting a prank to my boss with my 2 young colleagues... Lol... Selaen itu, karena semua orang lagi pada travel minggu depan kecuali kita bertiga, ada ide buat taro disco ball in the middle of the office, we're gonna have our real version of "The Office" then. Lol...

Mr Wok

2008-07-29T19:46:00.003-05:00

Gw ga pernah tau namanya, tapi kayanya dia yang punya Mr. Wok deh. Jadi gw panggil aje dia Mr. W. Gw kenal Mr. W 2 minggu yang lalu, setelah si Rendy bilang rendangnya enak. Gw datengin deh restaurant-nya. Karena hari pertama lapar, gw beli roti canai, kangkung blacan, mapo tofu, chicken rendang, dan laksa. Yang tiga terakhir makan di ruma buat beberapa hari ke depan (sekalian bekalin makan siang di kantor). Karena lagi ga gitu sibuk, dan pelanggannya ini tumben2an orang Asia ~~yang makannya kayanya banyak~~ (bener2 dikit loh orang Asia daerah tempat gw tinggal skrg ini), diajak ngobrol lah gw dengan bahasa Mandarin. Alhasil cengo.

Bahasa Inggrisnya ga gitu lancar, dan bener2 ketara aksennya. Mr. W asalnya dari HK. Ditanyain gw dateng darimana? Gw bilang gw orang Indo. Terus kagetnya dia pernah ke Jakarta, awal taon 1990an. (Gw ga berani menaksir umur si Mr. W, tapi amannya let's say he's at least in his late 50es). Jreng... Tumben2an ada orang tau Jakarta...

Kedua kali gw dateng ke sana, gw bawa temen kerja Malaysia gw. Karena gw bilang rendangnya enak, dia beli beef rendang. (Kalo ternyata ga enak, gw terancam ga dibantuin lagi nih, maklum masi pegawai baru, gawat). To my surprise lagi, dia langsung lancar aje ngomong Cantonese sama temen kerja gw itu. Hmmm pernah ke Malaysia juga. Besokannya temen gw bilang "I'm surprised it tastes pretty close to one in Malaysia." (Bagus2, artinya dia bakal tetep bantuin gw di masa depan, hihihihi).

Hari ini udah hari ketiga gw dateng ke Mr. W. Hari ini beli bawa pulang : Laksa sama rendang. Dah 3 kali ke sini, lama2 si Mr. W bisa jadi temen ngobrol... Walopun deket situ ada resto Chinese laen yang kayanya mayan bonafit, gw tetep aje datengnya ke Mr. W. Hari ini ada something yang bener2 nempel di otak ttg Mr. W.

Mr. W : eloe suka jalan2 ga, di luar Amrik maksudnya?
gw : Lumayan... (Bukan dengan nada "maayaaann..." gw itu yang bikin males!)
Mr. W : Eloe masi muda! Eloe musti banyak jalan2!
gw : (dalem ati) Ha?
Mr. W : eloe liat orang2 di Amrik, mereka ngerasa selalu nomor 1, ga mikir di tempat laen banyak hal2 yang bisa dipelajarin. Waktu gw muda dulu gw keliling Itali pake kereta, cuma berdua sama istri gw doank, modal peta aja. Dateng2 di kota itu baru cari hotel, ga pernah book sebelomnya. Kita pergi taon 1960an. Kita pernah ke sini, situ,... (list goes on).
gw : *terkesima...* (dalem ati : He's my idol! Perjalanan gw sendirian dulu ke Madison Thanxgivin 2003, masi ga ada apa2nya dibandingin nih orang... Yaah mgkn jaman skrg emank ga memungkinkan gw jalan2 ke Eropa sendirian tanpa book apa2 dulu ga kaya puluhan taon yang lalu).

Di mata gw emank seorang Mr. W yang badannya emank sudah menua, ga gagah lagi, tapi keliatan dia orang yang punya achievement di masa lalunya. Walopun dia udah tua, dia orangnya lumayan observant dengan isu2 jaman sekarang. Dan juga, dia ngerasa idupnya worth it. Sekarang emank dia buka restaurant, tapi memang dia dah ngalamin banyak hal, yang susah ato seneng, di dalem hidupnya. Mr. W bilang dia ga pengen punya anak (dan buktinya dia ga punya anak sampe sekarang!). Mr. W orang yang beda dari mainstream, setelah visit ketiga baru sadar, orang ini, apa2 aja yang dia dah alamin ga bakal pernah tersirat dari penampilannya. But he does contain something. Walopun gw punya youth gw, dan gw ngerasa gw udah lebih beruntung dari banyak orang seumuran gw, Mr. W yang sudah kehilangan kemudaannya masih lebih beruntung dari gw. Tapi lalu gw tersenyum, coz I know my time will come.

Terus teringat tiba2, sama kata2nya Pausch "Dreams come from broadening your horizons and rubbing elbows with different kinds of people." Walopun gw pengen banget rasain sendiri, liat yang ga pernah gw liat, hirup udara yang ga pernah gw hirup, makan makanan yang belom pernah gw makan, jalan di jalan2 yang belom pernah dijalanin, ketemu orang yang unik2, belajar culture yang ga ada di tempat laen, tapi dengan ketemu Mr. W aja, walopun ga keliatan dari awal kenal dia, tapi dengan ngeliat binar matanya waktu cerita idupnya dan masa mudanya, itu kaya jendela kecil tempat melongok keluar, ke dunia yang luas, lalu kita tau betapa banyak keragaman yang udah ngebentuk dia yang sekarang. And I think it's alright to say that Dream is a good drive in life.

Yep, my time will come. One day I should be able to be like him, when I know that I didn't miss any single thing life has to offer.

You're a chemical engineer if...

2008-07-28T00:13:00.000-05:00

You have a favorite pump manufacturer
You can size distillation columns in your head, but need a pencil and paper to figure the tip on a $45 restaurant bill... ...and think that spending $45 for dinner is exorbitant
You see a good design and still have to change it
You can remember 7 computer passwords but not your anniversary
You've modified your can-opener to be microprocessor driven
You think "cuddling" is simply an unproductive application of heat exchange
You've actually used every single function on your graphing calculator
You've ever described your spouse in terms of MTBF
You stare at an orange juice container because it says CONCENTRATE
You've ever considered installing a scrubber on your chimney
Your idea of good interpersonal communication means getting the decimal point in the right place
You automatically associate the words "sexy," "beautiful" and "new butterfly valve"
You have any of the following personalized items: Hard hat, Safety goggles, Calculator case, Slide rule
You carry on a one-hour debate over the expected results of a test that actually takes five minutes to run
You think the value of a book is directly proportionate to the amount of tables, charts and graphs it contains
You'd really like to have a T-shirt that says "Chemical Engineers Do It In Fluidized Beds"
You think that when people around you yawn, its because they didn't get enough sleep
Your spouse hasn't the foggiest idea what you do at work
Your three-year-old son asks why the sky is blue and you try to explain atmospheric absorption theory
You have no life - and you can PROVE it mathematically
You've explained your position in the company to a junior engineer as "I am a vast oasis of knowledge in a desert of ignorance".
You lost your wedding ring for six months and found it in a box of brass tubing fittings in your desk
You refer to your children as your "pilot units".
You think of the Carnot cycle every time you turn on your AC unit.
When you look at objects in the distance, you think of mean free path.
You refer to your spouse as my.spouse@home.com
You have ever thought about how coffee changes color in the body.
You try to explain entropy to strangers at your table during casual dinner conversation.
You KNOW you are a chemical engineer if you've actually read this whole damn message beginning to end!!!!

Recipe book for engineers

2008-07-25T19:32:00.002-05:00

Akhirnya, resep pertama dari buku yang gw tunggu2 : Recipe Book for Engineers!!! Hehehe... Silakan dicoba.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:
1.) 532.35 cm³ gluten
2.) 4.9 cm³ NaHCO₃
3.) 4.9 cm³ refined halite
4.) 236.6 cm³ partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride
5.) 177.45 cm³ crystalline C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁
6.) 177.45 cm³ unrefined C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁
7.) 4.9 cm³ methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde
8.) Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein
9.) 473.2 cm³ theobroma cacao
10.) 236.6 cm³ de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)

To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft²-hr, add ingredients one, two and three with constant agitation.
In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm, add ingredients four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogenous.
To reactor #2, add ingredient eight, followed by three equal volumes of the homogenous mixture in reactor #1.
Additionally, add ingredient nine and ten slowly, with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction.
Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer, place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm).
Heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown.
Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25 ^oC heat-transfer table, allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

2 minggu kerja

2008-07-22T22:16:00.002-05:00

Yang gw apal tuh jalan ke :
1. Ke Madison dan balik ke sini.
2. Ke Walmart dan manapun sepanjang I164.
3. ke USBank dan Blockbuster deket rumah.
4. Ke Kantor dan baliknya.
5. Ke tempatnya coworker gw dan baliknya.
6. Ke Qdoba Hartland.
Selaen itu, sayang2 si GPS...

Yang dah gw kangenin :
1. Lake Mendota
2. Gegilaan sama anak2 Madison (tiap wiken balik buat jatah ketawa seminggu)
3. Malem2 ngumpul rame2 ga jelas di OUP #224
4. Ballroom dancing
5. Liat bintang
6. Pake dress summer
7. Lari / berenang
8. West Towne Mall (Sussex ga ada Mall).
9. Hari2 biasa dimana bisa bangun tanpa weker, dan bisa pake T-Shirt serta celana capri santai.
10. Ketiduran siang hari (tanpa takut dipecat).
11. Perasaan tenang karena bisa jalan2 kemana aja (asal duit sanggupin).
12. Korean food.

Definition of a sister

2008-07-20T22:55:00.004-05:00

Some other additions to definition of a sister :

- a person you can turn to when you have nitemares and not feelin rite. You can call her and knock her door so that you won't sleep alone, scared to death.

- a person who shopped with you on Maxwell St day, and jammed with you on the line when the "$1 scream" was on.

Thank you, Siz! :D
Hope the Tiger Lilies clothes work out for you. Hahaha...