First days at Singapore

Here are some (stupid) things I’ve done while in Singapore :

1. Getting lost in Changi!

2. Running (yea running in its real meaning!) back and forth to Esplanade craving for free tickets of Titian Budaya featuring Jaclyn Victor.

3. Tapped the MRT card on the screen (TWICE!) and wondering what the heck was going on with the machine.

4. Tapped the MRT card or any smart card directly using the card, not knowing that actually you could just tap it along with your wallet, saving the necessity to draw your card everytime you’re taping it.

5. Stopped at the bus station too early or too far and finally had to compensate by walking

6. Killed my feet of too many walking (with sandal) :-s, and I almost barely able to feel my feet now. Route : bedok - city hall - marina square - esplanade - merlion - esplanade - city hall - orchard - takashimaya - orchard - botanic garden - esplanade - city hall - clarke quay - bedok

7. Walking around the foodcourt of Takashimaya to grab the free tester-cake (cheapskate :p).

8. Wanted to buy a drink sample at the drink booth at Merlion instead of picking the one in the freezer cuz being afraid of the price difference (in Indomart refrigerated can drinks are usually more expensive).

9. Ordered random food cuz my lack of ability in Mandarin and finally got wasted by the random test grrr.

10.  Getting scold of taking pictures at Esplanade’s Art Gallery (not like it’s a new thing, happened too often in Indonesia with me :p)

11.  Wet my own Trousers due to sitting on the wet grass of Botanic garden.

12. Telling the story of me getting lost in Changi to my colleague at DS (now it’s going to be a never ending gossip)!!

13. UPDATED : Got confused over a vending machine! Also confused on how to operate a washing machine!

Anyway do you know any more place to visit excluding : Merlion (Marina Square and Esplanade), Orchard, Botanic Garden, Clarke Quay - Riverside -, National Library, Bugis Junction, and IKEA? Please recommend me thanks!

I Want to Capture that Cloud!

It’s been a while since the last time I posted something in my dearest blog. A little of bit of losing my mood, a little bit of being too busy, but to sum it all in an easy sentence : I’ve just been lazy.

This post is posted from Bedok Apartment, Singapore giving so many firsts today :

1. First entry of blog from somewhere not Indonesia

2. First time on a real field assignment from the office (has been to HPI, but this is more bigger scaled) : Intensive Support for Duty Free Shop (DFS)

3. First time going abroad alone. ( Poor me )

4. First time going to Singapore ( I must see Marina Bay and the Singa statue!)

5. First time getting lost at an airport OMG!!! (Changi is just so damn big!).

6. First time getting so nervous on a trip (since it’s a business trip, I don’t want to mess this one and put the money spent on me in vain ).

7. First time buying a liquor (red wine) due to the request of a colleague at DFS, one step closer to adulthood?

8. First time boarding an aeroplane with an e-ticket ( VALUAIR VF508, seat 11A )

9. First time experiencing such a bloody hell fast internet yuhuu!!

.. and also the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful view up in the skies. I’ve often and often boarded a plane but none of those trips have allowed me to see the furball of unbeliavebly astonishing mountainous rainy yellowish afternoon clouds. What a pity I can’t turn on my cellphone to take the moment. I know it’s something that I’ll always regret since maybe it’s one of the rare chance in life time to see such scenery. Thinking badly of getting myself a Digicam!

In anyway, please wish me luck and hopefully I can do my best here! I know there’ll be lots of more firsts coming up just in a few weeks straight ahead.

Apology, the hardest thing in the world

If you’re ever asked a question, a question about the hardest thing to ask and give in the world, maybe this is an answer you can consider to give: an apology.

When we quarrel, debate, fight over something, provokes and spit the harshest words ever known in history in a very high temper to your dearest one, your closest friends, apology instead seems would be an abstract word that’s not known in the dictionary. Even once the quarrel is over, once your reason to fight has been defeated, apology often will stay as concept in your brain, nothing more than consideration. In the end, it’s the thought “Why should I ask for it, he was the one who started it” that often popped up, a way to defending one’s self esteem. Nothing resolves, even when the original dispute has been so meaningless now since no one has the initiative to say even the simplest of “I’m sorry!”

But if you really think about it, “I’m sorry” doesn’t always mean you had the wrong idea. I’m sure both of the quarelling party believe that they’re right. It’s an apology because the pain of the quarrel and all the bad words that you’ve thrown to the other end. Essentially, an apology could be asked more easily if you realize how much you have hurt the other end. and it doesn’t mean at all that you throw your self-esteem or you lose the game. In fact, you kept your ideal while softening the situation, far more intelligent that an endless quarrel.

How beautiful the world will be if we can fight and then recoup on the next day just like the mind of little kids, leaving all the adult’s self esteem and complexity. No need for that long and weary quarrel. Leave aside the solid rock mind of refusal of asking for an apology. I myself had been there, and eventually I knew how dumb it had been. Even so, Perhaps, often I’ll still be there. On that occasion, please just kindly remind me that “Apology doesn’t mean that you lose instead it’s how you can win the heart of your dearest one, lover, family, friends, everyone!” Good day :).

The Fruits of Thoughts

Wandering alone today in the mall, reading another part of The Trump’s Way, the book I read bit by bit every week in Gramedia because I’m such a cheapskate, brought me to another realm of thinking today. I was starting to think bit by bit, what i lack of in my life in order to stand against the world. I came up with some little conclusions that I may actually lack so many things in my life.

I need more enthusiasm and target in my life. I talk too fast, often explain things while I’m actually beating around the bush, preventing my true intention to reach the people who heard. Who wanted to actually listen to a long monologue speech of knowledge demonstration who can actually be delivered in 10secs by the right person without reducing its intended information? Very hard to change indeed, since it’s really my inner characteristic. I tried to, but often failed as my lack of enthusiasm and motivation surfaced.

I also don’t have target in my life which keeps me going through my day aimlessly. I’ll do as what i encounter today. I also don’t have anything to control my expense besides general figures on the limit I should spend a day which can be broken easily by impulse that led me to often not knowing where my money had flown to.

In the end, I really need to change even bit by bit and overcome my tons of weaknesses. But luckily even though i am still this motivation-less me, I am quite stubborn as well. Wishfully, I will make it, one day!

Tips of today :
Don’t make too long speech and explanation. People tend to get bored and lost focus with long speech and often get confused in the end by the unneeded additional information. – The Trump’s Way -

Open Letter to SBY

It began with this IM,

“Ivan Pranata: http://kontak.presidensby.info:8000/index.php PS: use proper words… buat mlsh pemblockan situs2 d indo ..terutama google…for example : tolong lebih di perhatikan hal pemblockan google… dengan apa masyarakat indo bisa mendapat informasi internasional/lokal yang tidak di berikan dari media2 yang lain…jangan membodohi masyarakat indonesia lagi…kita sudah cukup di jajah 350thn jgn menjajah lg bangsa kita sendiri dengan ketertutupan informasi….”

I dunno but I took this IM really serious since I’ve been in a while taken a very serious attention regarding this matter. I clicked the site without further delay and typed a-not-well-composed letter and sent it.

From : Adrian Istani

Email : xxxxx@yahoo.com

Profession : IT Consultant

Mr. SBY, all this way long I’ve always admired you as a very dedicated president and has done very well in managing this country in many difficult times like Aceh Tsunami, Bali Bomb and etc. But unfortunately ur very decision to remove access to youtube, rapidshare, and all other informative websites have been your one and most controversial decision all this while. For me and lots of indonesians, this is plain useless.

Youtube and stuffs deliver lots of access to information, not only those illegal materials. Why would you turn a blind eye against those information for only a movie which in reality has never get any acknowlegdement from the world that it resembles the fact about Islam.

As the real result actually, yes it may in some ways prevent bad materials from reaching our citizens, but as its counter edge it also prohibits our citizen greatly from resources, information, entertainment that may come out of it with highly greater ratio.You’re sacrificing more important things to this one plain stupid movie. Are we giving up that much? If I put a stupid comical act about you in the news paper then nexy day you’ll ban the news paper because of my stupid cartoon? You see my point that what you achieve has never been able to even get close to exceeding what you lost.

Please kindly reconsider this decision, since i’m sorry but this time ur decision IMO has been far to illogical if not only come out of impulse. And as a consideration in your minimum leisure time you may try to browse on the you tube that it doesn’t only offers jokes, entertainment, bad materials, but also vast information that you’ll never find on other webs. Good decision doesn’t materialize without intensive research, does it?

Thank you,

Adrian Istani

I know it’s not at all intelligent but I really hope that I made my point since it’s frustrating to see how this country is brought to abyss.