..my battle stance..

This Mickey guy is indeed a brilliant guy! Nothing can take the place of persistence. Below excerpt taken from and belong to this link: http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2012/09/features/man-on-a-mission?page=2 When Rakuten Ichiba opened for business on May 1, 1997, it had just 13 shops, most of which were owned by Mikitani's friends. It took a year of hard work to sign up 100. "Every day I would roll up my sleeves and pound the pavement in search of a little mom-and-pop shop to bring in," he writes in Principles for Success . "Whenever a potential target came into sight, I would pump my arms and legs up and down or do some quick push-ups so I could work up a sweat. Then I would burst into the store all out of breath. I knew that I would gain a more sympathetic ear if I came across as a regular guy who spoke from the heart, as opposed to a sharply dressed salesman." "If you just want to make money, go to Goldman Sachs," he says. "T...

There is this theory that.. no matter what field it is ( be it painting, playing music instrument, language, etc).. as long as you invest one hour on it every day.. you will be a master in 5 years time. I would like to put this theory to test.

Last week was winkazo's housewarming. I kinda expect some friends but I did not expect the house to be packed hah. but isn't it great for housewarming? And of course, it was full of happy noises too. toddlers were in full force. the new born, the walking ones, and then there was Farrell too, who was like the big brother among the rest. He just quietly and intelligently watched the TV. I guess he thought, "why the hell are all these kids so immature? can't they just sit still and enjoy the show?" At that age, kids grow at exponential pace. Every new trick they learn is a great accomplishment. And you could really tell which are the more senior kids. By their height, size, speech ability, level of understanding, walking ability, etc. And even though we have no idea how these kids learn to talk.. it just happens. I still don't understand how my toddler cousin could speak in Mandarin, Hokkian, English and Indo interchangeably. Most kids would instinct...

the world has gone crazy. there was time when lance armstrong's live strong wristbands were trending worldwide. and his story was almost like a legend, like one of those too good to be true movie. he was the very definition of determination. he was the symbol of hope. well.. like many i do not know whether or not he cheated. but whatever drug it was, if he did use them, it must be one helluva drug that could win him 7 titles of tour de france. i am on the camp that lean towards believing his side of story. but that's not the point i am thinking about now. i am simply pondering.. the very definition of success. is he a successful man? (setting aside the allegations) in terms of how he survived cancer and won tour de france, of course that was a great, great success story. but really.. without wanting to point on anything specific (you can check out wikipedia for the general story of his life).. has he led a meaningful and successful life?

I could never get used to this miserable feeling of missing you. That's something I was never designed for.

Merdeka!!! Let's start with that hah. Our independence day. 67 years of history as one nation. I came across this book by one of Sukarno's daughters on Soeharto's premeditated coup de tat. The infamous 'truth' of G30S PKI. The 60s. I imagine it must have been such a dangerous era to grow up in. And yet.. it was such a happening era. And then we had the relatively stabler 70s and 80s. My fond memory of this era are those Indonesian movies which always have some of these things: - scene of cars circling Bunderan HI - protagonists with sunglasses and nice white shoes (dan sisir yg muncul sedikit dr saku belakang celana) - in case of horror movies.. one word: Suzanna. She was simply the Queen of Horror. And I loved watching her movies late night alone while studying. - and of course... Warkop DKI!! Believe it or not.. they meant a lot to my memories of my childhood haa. 90s.. It started well. We had news of gulf war bla bla bla but our country seemed to b...

when you discover that love could go so much deeper than you thought it could.

what? ........

can't think of a more creative title. i suppose my life, almost everything and almost everyone significant in it, has been in one way or another related to the little red dot. in one way or another, Singapore has played a part. so.. thank you Singapore. I, for one, can never join those opposition parties who scorn the incumbent for dishing out scholarships to foreign students. Yeah.. we are all biased and self-centered, aren't we? for without those scholarships, I would not have made it to Singapore. It doesn't necessarily mean I would have been poorer or doomed today had I not gone to NUS 12 years ago. It could have been the opposite. But either way, I am eternally grateful for the 12 years journey. Part of what I received there is what I would keep for eternity.Knowledge of Christ. And another thing I treasure is the thing called 'perspective'. And for those foreign talent haters out there.. I believe my 7-8 yrs of working there have somewhat contri...

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream – and not make dreams your master; If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your t...

current fave songs! Love Song, the 2nd song, is particularly.. hmm.. how do I put it?

Fukuyama Masaharu-  Kazoku Ni Narou shiawase ni narou yo...

I was happily exploring my new S3 while the guy couple of my seats to my left was busy with his ipad. Typical good looking young professional with some snobbish attitude. Kinda remind me of someone who married one of our friends hah. And beside him was a lady in her 20s. A typical Indonesian Chinese, fair and sweet. The lady was talking to him about someone. He was quick to point out that he disliked that person. In a snobbish tone, while keeping his eyes fixed on his ipad. And then they had more conversation which I didn't bother to pay attention to. At one point, the lady caught my attention as she suddenly spoke in a loud voice. She was pointing at his head in a caring way while uttering, "Dari mana siii otak sejahat iniii??" Yeah, with a caring, loving tone of course. She couldn't believe that her boyfriend (or spouse) could have such an evil thought in his mind. Yet.. it didn't seem to matter much for her. I guess.. as long as he cared for he...

somehow my friend's words keep ringing inside my head. he said.. 'enjoy all these while you can.. " by 'these'.. he meant, all those things that may seem like troublesome tests at the moment but will eventually turn into precious memories by the time we 'graduate'. in this context.. marriage is the graduation day. it's like how I would speak to some of our juniors in the past. how I would tell them to enjoy those exams they were wishing to get rid of. how we kept telling them that they would definitely miss their school days. my friend misses his pre-married days. so when he watched 'Friends with Kids' movie, he thought, "hey, this is perfect!!" and he told his wife that heh. he was really upset when the guy ended up marrying the girl in the movie. i couldn't really agree with him on that part. but at the same time.. well in the context of relationship.. i just feel there is too much bullshit that we tend to be...

there used to be a bestselling book with that title. a far cry from today's motivational or success coaching books. chicken soup was simple and rather than altering our mind, it nourishes our soul. such was my conversation with someone I could call a 'good friend' tonight. maybe I have been too proud to admit that I need such a conversation. to admit that I have been fooling myself and I need some trashing. well.. some good trashing from a true friend. i almost missed out this meeting, and am glad i didn't. God does have everything under his control. the talk affirmed so many things I have been afraid to admit. aren't you glad for such a friend? in my friend's words, I need someone who is willing to break into the walls I build up in order to find the true me. in my words, that would be the true me, along with all my vulnerabilities and stupidity. to me a true friend is not just someone who is there to support, but that person is there to do the ...

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) I have been to a "Reform" type of church last weekend. As expected, the teaching was almost an opposite of what we are hearing from people like Joseph Prince and Joel Osteen. A good sharing to ponder on, nonetheless. Because any of us who seriously consider how we should live to imitate Christ will undoubtedly feel the pull from both side of the camp. But somewhere, somehow.. I believe lies the answer to this struggle. Between the so-called 'prosperity gospel' and the..er.. I dunno what the opposite camp is called. But irregardless of which camp we side with, or maybe we stand somewhere in between.. I suppose we must always remind ourselves that our gospel is not defined by the visibles. Neither the abundance of wealth nor the lack of it. Neither the existence of suffering nor the absence of it. I suppose.. our gospel and...

gua deg2an kalo lg bertemu dgn peluang bisnis yg..kalo org medan bilang.. 'ngeri ngeri sedap'. tidak lain tidak bukan, adalah bisnis berbau ponzi scheme. ngga tau napa, sering ditawarin bisnis ky gini. gua pikir biasa yg suka ditarget-in itu ibu2 rumah tangga -__- trakhir wkt itu ya si bisnis emas 'gen ne va' itu. yg mana byk bgt yg curiga, tp byk jg org sekitar yg bnrnya diem2 uda taroh duid disana :P biasa kl 'ponzi' itu kan dlm 1-2 taon si pelaku bakal kabur. nah tp sampe hari ini si bisnis emas ini masi berjalan. mskipun sgt disayangkan gua ga punya cukup byk duid utk diparkir disana. utk yg si emas gen ne va ini, gua rasa intinya si dia bkn ponzi. tp pastinya dia punya resiko gede dlm bisnis dia. jd, know the risk before you play the game lah ya. hasil 2% per bulan itu uda trdgr sgt gila kan. cuman kalah sedikit sm untung nya ah long. hrsnya para ah long bertobat aja dan taroh duid di sini. ga perlu manpower, ga perlu modal cat, ga perl...

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,    the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—    the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember,    and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God's loyal love couldn't have run out,    his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning.    How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).    He's all I've got left.  (Lamentations 3:19-24) I believe in Him who breathes life into the dead. He who breathes spring into the freezing winter. He who takes and breaks and molds and makes new.. the Potter, the Director, the Creator. Even when I am crushed to the bottom of the valley, I know I can still look up to Him, hold on to His Words, and call on the Name that is above it all.. Jesus.

I promise you this, trust me. So.. Let's start with some background here. Arsenal- a football club in England for the rest of us (who don't support Man U). Just like Apple, the computer for the rest of us (who don't support Windows). Gunners- terms for Arsenal football player. Gooners- terms for Arsenal football fans. so finally it comes. the news that break the hearts of, literally, millions of gooners. we are on the verge of losing our best player, again. on top of that, our captain. the man who we think, may be different from the rest of them who left earlier. Last year I wrote something about Cesc Fabregas, my then all time favorite Gunner. He left for the club that must not be named. He was captain too, then. I thought he was different too, then. Now it's Robin van Persie (RVP). His no.10 shirt was once worn by a Dutch maestro called Dennis Bergkamp. Just like Dennis, we brought RVP from a club where he failed to shine despite his talent. Just l...