December 31, 2010

Tentang tuhan di hati

Tidak kulihat wujud tuhanku diatas sana.
tidak pun kutemukan dalam kesunyian ibadah
tapi tuhanku,
kulihat dalam kau dan dia
Kurasakan kehadirannya
ketika kita tertawa bersama,
saat kedamaian menyapa.
Terima kasih untuk tahun indah yang berlalu,
Semoga kalian tak kunjung lelah jadi sesamaku,
sahabatku,
guruku,
tuhanku. 

Selamat tahun baru kepada para tuhan dihatiku..

December 28, 2010

A little self reminder

Wi, can you practice what you preach?
If this happens again and again,
can you still see the other side of the coin?

too cute :)

December 21, 2010

Ask not why Nietzsche announced the death of God in the West.
Ask instead, why Gods are alive and well in the East.
Ask not why families in the West are disunited,
but why families in the East remain united.
Ask not about the whys of modern terrorism,
...but about the whys of Western militarism.
Ask not if white will glister and black will fade.
Ask instead if the two will form a glorious pattern in light and shade

December 18, 2010

My pursuit of happiness

"There's a seed of god in all of us." said my dad, who is a devoted Buddhist. I do whole-heartedly agree on this.

I am not trying to promote atheism or anything. It's just that I can't really grasp the idea that our existence lies in God's hand.. that He determines everything, included our happiness. I don't know if there's heaven and hell after life.. Not that I care either.. What I believe is that heaven and hell are here on earth.. We just have to look into our heart to find them.

This always comes together with "Happiness comes from within."
I think our goal in looking for God, going to church etc is to experience that particular sense of peace. Now I'm wondering, why do we have to turn to external factors? Why can't peace come from within ourselves? Why do we always put our happiness in other people's hands?

The key of happiness (my own version).
- Stop making such a big fuss about everything
- Forgiving and forgetting
- Emotional detachment

It's all about our mindset, our point of view.
From what I saw, people are such drama kings sometimes.. And sadly, I have to admit, I'm one of them. How many times did we say,"Why is life so unfair?", "Why ME?", etc etc.
Maybe it's time for us to wake up and open our eyes.. seeing that it's not such a big deal and let's not make a fuss of it. The longer we dwell and focus on our problems, the more miserable we'll feel. It's natural to feel sad or disappointed, but what matters most is how long it takes to pull ourselves on our feet again.. How strong we are to bounce back up.

I was disappointed recently, and I said to myself,"It was an honest mistake, and it's not such a big deal either." Guess what, it worked! I forgave and forgot. I'm at peace with myself, and I think that's what matters.. How we create our own happiness and peace of mind, regardless of what people did or how badly they treated us. The more we think about what they did that harmed us or holding grudge against them, the more we torment ourselves. Why can't we free ourselves from that chain that's bearing us down?

Speaking of holding grudge, the german adjective for this is NACHTRAGEND. Nach means after. Tragen(d) means carry. How interesting if you think of it... Someone hurt us, and WE are the one who's carrying the burden after (or behind) them.. How stupid can we be? :)

Emotional detachment: hard as hell!
To be completely honest, I don't get along with my mom. She's such a moody person and if the bad mood strikes, she says things which hurt a lot and somehow I always take it personally..
After our last big fight, my dad said,"It upsets you because you took it to heart. Try to detach and don't let those words affect you."
I was like,"How??"

After some thinking, I can see that he's right.. If we take twisted criticism or harsh words with a grain of salt, then maybe it won't affect our soul balance. I'm still trying hard to get there, and I would have to say I haven't succeeded yet.

Another example..
A friend had a disagreement with a pastor last week. Unfortunately I do have to agree that this pastor is very close-minded, judgmental and arrogant. He invited my friend for a dialogue, but in the end, it turned out to be an indoctrination from his side, instead of a two-way dialogue. He didn't even listen to what my friend said or asked and keep bombarding my friend with his own opinions and theories. Long story short, my friend was very upset and irritated for days. Every time he thought about the 'incident', he kinda exploded and got mood swings. For me, as a spectator, this is very interesting... I mean, why can't he just take everything the pastor said with a grain of salt, shrug his shoulders and let it off his mind.. If I were he, I would probably just simply think,"The pastor is impossible. But it's his lost to be so close minded. None of my business anyway." In this case, he can't detach his emotion and he kinda let this stranger get the best of him. FYI, they are not even close acquintance.

But everything is better said than done.. I think he and I just need more patience and practice in detaching and keeping emotional distance. We are afterall just human beings in our own pursuit of happiness, aren't we?

December 17, 2010

One fine evening

Life is good.
I'm so going to miss Berlin, friends, laughters and everything this great city has to offer.


December 15, 2010

Seligkeit

Selig sind, die über sich selbst lachen können;
sie werden immer genug Unterhaltung finden.

Selig die, die einen Berg von einem Maulwurfshügel unterscheiden können;
sie werden sich viel Ärger ersparen.

Selig die, die fähig sind, sich auszuruhen und zu schlafen,
ohne dafür Entschuldigungen suchen; sie werden weise werden.

Selig die, die schweigen und zuhören können;
sie werden dabei viel Neues lernen.

Selig die, die intelligent genug sind, um sich selbst nicht ernst zu nehmen;
sie werden von ihren Mitmenschen geschätzt werden.

Selig die, die aufmerksam sind für die Winke der anderen,
ohne sich jedoch für unersetzlich zu halten; sie werden viel Freude säen.

Selig die, die lächeln können und kein böses Gesicht machen;
ihre Wege werden sonnenbeschienen sein.

Selig die, die fähig sind, das Verhalten der anderen mit Wohlwollen zu interpretieren;
sie werden zwar für naiv gehalten werden, aber das ist der Preis der Liebe.

Selig die, die denken, bevor sie handeln, und beten, ehe sie denken;
sie werden eine Menge Dummheiten vermeiden.

Selig die, die schweigen und lächeln können,
auch wenn man ihnen das Wort abschneidet oder auf die Zehen tritt;
sie sind dem Geist des Evangeliums sehr nahe.

Selig die, die den Herrn in allen Wesen erkennen und lieben;
sie werden Licht und Güte und Freude ausstrahlen.

(Nach einer Vorlage der Kleinen Schwestern/Paris)

December 11, 2010

Being different



Frankly, this commercial is overly cheesy and emotional for my taste. Too korean drama style..
But these lines are pretty nice...

0:50
Daughter : "Why am I different from others?"
Father : "Why do you have to be like others?"

.......
Just some food for thought ......

Awesome Cheapskate Coke



Coke does employ ingenious brains in marketing and advertisement!! It's simple yet brilliant.. They could use a handycam and didn't even need to spend a penny on actors in this commercial.

December 8, 2010

What you don't know can't hurt you

I used to ponder if I would do the same thing as Faust, trading his soul to learn more about the universal truth. But after having been through some rough patches in life, I've come to the conclusion that ignorance rules! Being naturally skeptical, curious and opinionated, I asked questions all the time. 'Why' and 'What' were my favorite words. Well, still are..

But I've learned the hard way that curiosity kills the cat.. Some things are better left unknown. How I used to love this particular phase of finding out about new knowledge in life. Now? I would love to just happily bask in oblivion and ignorance.

But things are beyond our control sometimes.. even if we'd made the effort of not asking and not telling. When the Pandora's box is opened and the truth's thrown in your face, the question is, how do you cope with it? Cry and deal with the pain? Or bolt out before the real damage is done? I guess the latter sounds more promising..

Well, I think I'd trade my soul afterall, but not like Goethe's version of enlightenment, mine was just a shallow Adam Sandler's remote control of life, with which you can push the buttons 'Pause', 'Rewind' and 'Erase'.

A Musing On Relativism of Morality

I recently found out that Haris, my 18-year-old brother wrote this.. Boy, he's grown up.. To think that I always looked at him as my dear younger sibling, a child who still needs to be protected.. I just hope he isn't as opinionated as me.. as I've learned that this trait is sometimes troublesome and tiring *sigh..
----------------------------------------------------

"All things are relative" - common saying

As we grow more and more modern and open in our thinking, many of us now espouse the idea that everything is relative. And by extension, so is morality. In this multicultural world, this is seen to be a natural progression to the rigid and outdated moral systems of the less enlightened times. Its tenets include "don't judge", "as long as it makes you happy", or "what is true for you isn't necessarily true for me". But the main phrase associated with this new ethical shift is "Everything is relative".

Immediately after writing this statement, I realized one fundamental error in it. It makes an absolute claim that everything is relative. If the statement is true, then shouldn't everything, including this statement, be relative? And therefore it is absolute that everything is relative, which refutes itself. It is like saying "the only truth is that there is no truth". While this may sound very Zen, I cannot quite grasp the logic and reasoning behind this. Besides, it is self evident that not everything is relative. 1+1=2, independent of any observer. There is always an absolute. I like to call it "Truth".

This faulty statement is used frequently concerning modern morality, especially in the more developed countries. For example, according to this new creed, we may not condemn others when they rob someone, because they may operate on different moral codes than us. Who are we to say they are wrong? On what grounds? Human decency? But is it not relative? The logical extreme of this is that Mother Teresa is just as good (or evil) as Hitler. I find this to be a chilling thought. The fact that this is just a logical extreme is no consolation. An extreme it may be, but it is still the logical conclusion of this thought. The fact is that nobody lives as though everything is relative. The end result of moral relativism seems to be the abolition of the notion "right" and "wrong". And when there is no right or wrong, "might makes right" often prevails. Food for thought.

This is just a slightly philosophical rambling inspired when I first thought about how 1+1 has only one true answer but infinite false answers. From the conclusion that "truth, by definition, is always absolute" to "moral relativism". Hmm, maybe I have too much time to waste.

Disclaimer: This note is by no means error-free. It is, after all, just a musing

December 4, 2010

Easy



A perfect chanson
Berlin's 8 PM darkness
Piles of blanket
A cup of green tea
Snow on rooftops outside the window

I do feel content of life...
:)

December 3, 2010

Es gibt nur zwei Meinungen. Meine und die Falsche!


"There are only two opinions. MINE and THE WRONG ONE!"

Someone gave me this as a present.. He knows me very well obviously -.-'

My Rules:

1. I am always right.
2. Just in case I am wrong see rule number 1.

This guy has a serious crush on me!

I met someone today and he obviously had a huge crush on me.

He: "You are a bed"
Me: "Why?"
He: "So I can sleep on you"

He: "You are a house"
Me: "Why?"
He: "So I can live in you"

--He held my hand and I let him..Well, to be honest, I kinda like him too--

He: "You are mini, you're a two-year-old"
Me: "Why?"
He: "Because I'm 6 years old"

Yes, he's a six-year-old boy, who's apparently going to be the next Don Juan, considering the fact that he started very young :D

December 2, 2010

Validation



This is a beautiful film, showing us how simple it is to make someone smile and how desperate we all are for some validation, acknowledgement, even from a stranger..
It will show you the unpredictability of life. How we should do things sincerely n passionately, maybe those things will somehow influence our lives in the future. Well, we'll just never know.

November 29, 2010

What goes around comes around

Du. ja Du da.
Du weisst sicherlich wer Du bist.
hast mich ausgestossen.
Ist mir auch wurst.
Auf die Nerven gehst Du mir leider nicht mehr.
nur armselig was für einen Narr Du bist.
lächerlich, diese Dummheit.
deine Unreife, deine Angst.
Deine Verstecksversuche.
Die Wahrheit habe ich seit Monaten erfahren.
Hätte ich geplant, alles zu verwüsten,
würde ich schon früher tun,
ohne Dir bescheid zu sagen.
Wenn Du schlauer wärst,
würdest Du es begreifen können.
Leider warst Du zu blind,
um zu sehen dass ich Dir nichts angetan habe,
obwohl ich es könnte.
So tief sinken wie Du werde ich nicht.
So übel wie Du kann ich nicht sein.
bin noch ein Mensch mit Herzen und Gewissen.
Die beide Worte sind Dir leider fremd.
Ach,,erbärmlich..
wie schwach ein Mann sein kann.
wie eingeklemmt dein Herz ist,
wie verdreht die Logik sein kann.
Ja, renne..
Renne von deiner Verantwortung..
Laufe von der Last der Vergangenheit.
Schliesse deine Augen von Fehlern.
Ich würde Dir auch nicht nachjagen.
Für jemanden, der in die Tonne getreten werden kann,
werde ich weder die Ruhe aufopfern,
noch die Kraft vergeuden.
Nun vergiss es aber nicht,
Alles rächt sich irgendwann.
Karma.

IN GOLD WE TRUST

A friend and I were discussing about the South-North Korean tension and the possibility that it would escalate to a full scale war. And if a war really outbroke, what would we buy?
I would say instant noodle (hey! it's essential, war or no war) and gold. Forget cash and government bonds. Post war, currency is bound to be hit by inflation, which means your thousand dollar cash would probably only buy you a loaf of bread. And bonds? Governments will collapse, power void and transition will prevail, meaning that your old bonds will go down with them. Well, if the worst comes to the worst, of course you can use the bonds as toilet paper if you can't afford any, thanks to the inflation. It's everybody's free choice actually, but since gold is the universal currency with the most steady value, invest in gold!! Forget God, it's the era of GoLd, baby!


or

your choice.

November 28, 2010


One day, you'll be just a memory for some people. Do your best to be a good one

November 22, 2010

Taiwanese inferiority complex

-Rant 2nd part
Refer to "Make up is magic"

Well, the anti korean sentiments are not that ungrounded apparently.. I suppose these come from envy and unhealthy competitive jealousy. As we all know Taiwan and South Korea are two of the four asian tigers together with Hong Kong and Singapore. And somehow I always got the impression that the taiwanese always wanted to be classified together with Korea and Japan as the three big north east asian power countries, leaving China behind. As we know, the taiwanese doesn't want to be associated with China because of those political reasons. So, having this image in mind, they think of South Korea as their biggest competitor, since both have some similarities.. Both have been influenced by Mainland China, have been colonized by the Japanese for decades, both export electronics goods, etc. And since Japan served as the 'mother land' and is much more developed than Taiwan, the Taiwanese curiously do not turn against the Japanese, in fact they even idolize the japanese culture and try to identify themselves with the japanese, maybe in attempt to further dissociate themselves from the Mainland chinese.

In my opinion, they have some serious identity crisis. They actually speak and write chinese, embracing chinese culture proudly, seeing theirselves more pure than their mainland counterparts, because they have traditional writing characters, whereas the mainland chinese has simplified characters dubbed by some 'puritants' as ugly, corrupted and used only by the uneducated. But in the same time they do not want to be associated as chinese, thus looking up at the Japanese, being proud of the history that they used to be colonized by the japanese, even identifying themselves with the Japanese. And the fact that the mainland chinese government keeps oppressing them by every mean, like putting pressure on Taiwan on international level (sport or political events, even the latest Japan film festival where they tried to force the japanese commitee to change the name TAIWAN to China Taiwan or China Taipei, even threatening to boycott the festival if the Japanese wouldn't budge), constantly threatening other countries to severe diplomatic ties with Taiwan doesn't help either. (My heart goes out to the Taiwanese on this matter, since I don't like the chinese aggresive foreign policy either).

I recall a funny anecdote.. I was tete a tete-ing with a Taiwanese and he was telling me proudly that they have more historical artefacts in their Taipei national museum than in Beijing forbidden city and how the mainland chinese desecrated many historical monuments, paintings, etc during the Mao Tze Tung's regime. He was also telling me about the history lessons he learned in school, the legend of the three kingdoms and the chinese dynasties.. The thing is, he said (and I quote),"WE have ... dynasties, etc etc."

And being a meanie, I asked him,"You guys speak and write chinese, learn the chinese history as your own, have all the chinese cultures, so it means you're a chinese, right?
*I know how sensitive they are on this matter, I was just trying to annoy him in purpose :p
Wow, did he get annoyed. "Of course not! If you say so, it means that the Singaporeans are chinese as well."
At this point I was confused. I do admit some Singaporeans are of chinese descent, but they have their own language, which is Singlish (Singaporean-english, please don't get me started on this.. hehe), and they learned the Singaporean/Melayu history in school and they would never say "WE had the legend of the three kingdoms etc".

To be honest, a part of me can relate to this identity confusion thing, though not as strongly as theirs. Only by having chinese blood, though living in Indonesia for generations, speaking Indonesian as my mother tounge, thinking as Indonesians, learning indonesian history, still throws me off the track sometimes.. So, I guess I can imagine how hard it's for them to embrace and distance themselves from the chinese culture at the same time.

Back to the rivalry with the Koreans. As I said, because they can't compete with Japan, they try to compete with Koreans as their closest neighbour of the North east countries.. But unfortunately, in the past decade Taiwan lagged behind S.Korea in the economic growth, sport, brand names, pop culture. South Korea has gone from a per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) just 77 percent of Taiwan's to pull even and ultimately surpass Taiwan's per-capita GDP by 26 percent. Samsung and LG (compared to taiwanese Acer or Asus) rule the world, if I may exaggerate a bit.. And let's not start on the K-wave, K-drama, etc.. I myself am not a fan of korean nor taiwanese pop culture, but how many girls out there go crazy over those Koreans? Speaking as an Indonesian who knows what she's talking about, I can say the indo. girls love the Koreans (more than the Taiwanese, if I may add again).

The funny thing is, while the Taiwanese tried so hard to beat the Koreans, the Koreans didn't even know where Taiwan is (Well, they do now after those anti K sentiments, flag burning, etc). They see only Japan (and China?) as their competitors. CMIW.

I once booked a flight from Seoul to Taipei on Korean air's website.. I tried to find Taipei under the category "North East Asia", but couldn't find it.. I found only Japan and China under this category. I was not sure if Korean Air does fly to Taipei. So I tried the category "South East Asia" to check on Jakarta, my hometown.. And guess what, Taipei is listed there. Again, under South East Asia. To make it clear, south east asian nations have the reputation of being poor, whereas the north east asians are the richer ones. Though it's not entirely true.. We still have Singapore! :D Well, as a South East Asian, I don't care about these labels. I know my home country is poor, so what? haha. But it's sad for the Taiwanese, isn't it? Esp. that they think that they are one of the rich North East Asian countries, but their neighbours don't even acknowledge them..

So now, I can only smile ironically if defeat plus inner inferiority complex make them play dirty like throwing eggs at korean school, putting up 'no Korean accepted' signs in some stores and restaurants, which reminds me so much of the Jews and Nazi, smashing Korean electronic and beauty products just because of a stupid taekwondo game in which the referee was a Filipino (of korean descent), the judges were from China, Kuwait, and Tajikistan, the opponent represented Vietnam, and the game took place in China.. Well, let them vend out their frustration.. There's a saying: Jealousy is the sign of incapability. Go figure!

*If you're reading this, please take it with a pinch of salt as I'm just a foreigner with my own subjective opinion with no relation whatsoever to Taiwan, Korea nor China.

Make up is magical

With make up technique nowadays, we don't need a fairy mother anymore.. Make up is magic itself!
As I was youtube-ing, I happened to stumble upon this 'before-after make up' show and my jaw dropped! This is so cool..



Yay!! Long live make up!!
Do the girls give private make up lessons? I'm so going to sign up!
BUT..
(and here goes the opinionated bitch with her rant....)
As much as I'm shocked by their transformations, I'm more disgusted by the moderator's comments. He's saying degrading things like,""If you get married and take off all your makeup, your husband will divorce you after seeing you without any." I know it was meant to be a joke, and I tried to not be a tight-ass, but that was so tasteless and downright rude! As if he was so good looking to begin with. He seriously needs a mirror. And to make things worse, he said this on a TV show aired nationally, imagine those little girls watching this and growing up with the idea of vanity.. This kind of show really promotes low self esteem.. No wonder they all suffer from inferiority complex which they've demonstrated really well on these illogical ungrounded anti korean sentiments.

--- This rant is to be continued
Refer to "Taiwanese inferiority complex"

November 21, 2010

An open letter to some taiwanese

It all began with the controversial disqualification of the taiwanese taekwondo athlete by a korean referee in the Asian game held in China. And the hell went loose. The taiwanese cursing the chinese and korean, burning korean flags, planning to boycott korean products, etc etc..
Seriously, how ignorant can you people be?

It doesn't have anything to do with the koreans in general.. It's the prerogative of the referee..Ok, maybe he was unfair, so? curse the referee, petition him, ask your government to send some official protest letters to have him fired. But unfairness in sport games happens everywhere. Remember the last world cup? How the referees did many controversial decisions? Did the national team's supporters lash out against the people of the specific nations, of which the referees come from?

I think the reason you guys lash out is because you guys are frustrated. You know you'll never beat the chinese and koreans. Come on? How many gold medals did you Taiwanese earn? Umm.. like 6 ?? And how many did the chinese and the koreans earn? Ok, before you guys start finding some banal reasons to justify your lost to the chinese by saying how the chinese must have cheated or how big the chinese population is, let me remind you.. They are indeed good at every international game..even the olympics. And if you're going to say how small Taiwan is, remember, South Korea is not that huge as well. And how many gold medals did they earn, in comparison to Taiwan? like 53 to 6 ??

Some Taiwanese wrote in a forum: "I never liked the koreans before. Now I hate them even more." Seriously, how many Koreans does he get to know in Taiwan? Growing up and living in Taiwan means you guys have practically NO foreign friends. This statement is so ignorant and judgmental.

Another girl wrote about boycotting korean products," Of course it has everything to do with the koreans. Let's say, I let a fruit seller sell his goods in front of my house. But he's unfriendly towards me. If I still buy his goods, then I'm stupid." Hey, then scold him, confront him if you want. But you condemn all fruit sellers? You know why? because you don't have enough power or courage to confront this fruit seller one on one, so you vend out your frustration at other sellers. How stupid is that?

Ok then, boycott the korean products, show your twisted nationalism.. But what's with the flag burning? Does the referee's decision have anything to do with the nation's policy or something? Be rational please, and you called yourself educated people? Let me tell you something, if I were to take side, I would take the chinese side instead of yours, although I don't like the chinese mentality as well. It's just the simple truth.. China is much stronger than you. That's just logical. Who would support the weak? Stop being idealistic, even utopistic.. Fair or not, what can you do? nothing! So stop that twisted frustrated hatred and move on people!!

November 19, 2010

Mr. W



a very smart adv :)

November 14, 2010

W talking shit

From The 3 Idiots! Love love love this movie!


It's sung originally in Hindi, and here's the english translation

When life goes out of control,
Draw back your lips,
Whistle and Exclaim!!
Aal Izz Well!!

How can a hen know the future of its egg?
Will it get life or get fried on a pan,

No one knows what our future will be.


So Draw back your lips,
Whistle and Exclaim,
Brother, Aal Izz Well!!
O Brother, Aal Izz Well!!
Uncle, Aal Izz Well!!

Nobody knows the solution
When a solution is found,
We lost the track of ‘What was the question?’

When your heart is restless everytime,
Keep a hand on your heart and console it,
The heart’s an idiot, knock sense into it with kindness

So Draw back your lips,
Whistle and Exclaim,
Brother, Aal Izz Well!!
O Brother, Aal Izz Well!!
Uncle, Aal Izz Well!!

I guzzled te liqour of scholarship,
but the despair, didn’t lessen.
The incense sticks burnt to ash,
But we didn’t see the God!!

How can a goat know what happens to it (life)?
Will it be skewered or will it be minced?

No one knows what our future will be.


So Draw back your lips,
Whistle and Exclaim,
Brother, Aal Izz Well!!
O Brother, Aal Izz Well!!
Uncle, Aal Izz Well!!
....................................................................................

The lyrics is funny and deep in the same time.
No one knows what lies in the future...
It reminds me of my fave childhood song, Que Sera Sera..

"When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.
Que Sera, Sera
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
What will be, will be."

I suppose that's the key to our inner peace, not worrying about the future and focusing on the present..
We all have so many questions about the future. Just some Qs on top of my list..
"Am I going to be successful?", "What am I going to do with my life?", etc.
Fear and worry about the uncertainties we will have to face.. or not..
They said the burden of the past and the worry of the future will bring even the strongest man down.
I guess the saying is true..

Some people believe in prophecy, fortune telling and superstition.. paying money to have their future predicted.. Frankly, I don't believe in fortune telling.. I do believe that our future is a mystery and is supposed to stay a mystery.

Let's take it this way..
I went to a fortune teller and supposedly she told me that I'm going to be hit by a car next year.. I would come home feeling depressed knowing that something bad's going to happen, and probably I would live in fear for one whole year, imagining the worst, not knowing exactly when it's going to happen.. What good would it do me? the fact that I'm going to spend the rest of my life worrying and being afraid?
Well, if we took it another way, let's say, I'd do things I'd never done before and seizing the chance to live my life fully while still preparing for the worst.. Yes, maybe it could be a good thing, but to do these things, I didn't need to know my future either, did I? That's just the whole meaning of "carpe diem" (Live life the fullest or seize the day). I just have to change my mindset without having to know what my future will look like.

I had a friend who bragged that he could predict the future using 3 ancient chinese coins. He'd throw these coins and depending on which side the coins landed, he'd fortune tell. He had this book, in which there're all possibilities of the coin's outcome and what it meant. For example, he would throw his 3 coins.... 2 coins showed tail and 1 coin showed head. He would check the book for the meaning. He even earned some money from people asking him to fortune tell.

I was skeptical at all this, and said that this coin throwing was all just a theory of possibility.. like throwing dice. Then I asked him to predict mine. He said, he couldn't, since I'm not a believer, it wouldn't come true. At this point I started questioning: the prediction would only come true if I believe? Well, it just shows that it's all just a self-fulfilling prophecy, isn't it? Some kind of placebo effect? It's just human nature, if we were afraid or excited about something, we would somehow accelerate the process and do anything unconsciously to make it come true.

If he told me I wouldn't pass my exam. I would feel depressed and unconfident of my intelligence.. And if we're unconfident, the chance that we succeed in anything will be slim.
And if he told me I would pass my exam, it would boost up my confidence and there's a big chance I would do good on the exam. We human beings need validation and confirmation to be self-assured.

Take another example.. I read my horoscope, and it said I would meet a great guy today. Most probably if I believed it, I would be happy.. If I were happy, I would smile a lot, which would make me more attractive.. Guys would find themselves to be attracted to me, wouldn't they? So, big possibility that I would indeed meet a guy today..
Turn it the other way around.. The Horoscope said I would have a bad day.. Then maybe I would be grumpy, and people would be bitchy to me as well right? Bad mood is contagious. Teehee..

Another reason why I don't approve of fortune telling.... Sometimes I think fortune telling are for people who are lazy, superstitious and need excuses for failures. If things didn't work out, they would simply say,"Well, it's pre-destined and not meant to be." So, in the end, they didn't really work hard to achieve something.. Call me judgmental or bitter, but I've got to know such people who think that everything is written on the stars and they do not need to make any efforts.. So, in the end, I would prefer not knowing my destiny, so I would try to realize my dreams and give my best, even without knowing if I'm going to succeed or not.

Anyway, back to the topic.. We can see how afraid we are of the future, and we deal with it differently, some pray, some fortune-tell, etc to the point that we all forgetting the fact that what we do today influences our future enormously.. and that we should be concentrating on today instead of the past or future.. And for the future? Well, let's take a deep breath, embracing the peace of living in the present and say "All is well.."

“The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift—that’s why they call it ‘the present’”

*Hey, who am I trying to fool here? myself? an acute control freak? Easier said than done apparently.. I suppose this is what they called "Talking sh*t" :D

November 13, 2010

I'm the girl, you're the boy. You text me first or we're not talking today

October 27, 2010

Pray for Indonesia

Heavy rain, landslides, flood, earthquake. tsunami in Mentawai, Merapi volcano eruption.

Maybe it's time for us to

October 23, 2010

You can't please everyone

1. You eat, you're fat. You don't eat, you're a freak!
2. You drink, you're an alcoholic. You don't drink, you're a pussy.
3. You read, you're a nerd. You don't read, you're stupid!
4..You smoke, you think you're cool. You don't smoke, you're a loser!
5. You tell a secret, you're an attention seeker. You don't tell a secret, you're still an attention seeker

6. You let someone in, you're easy. You don't let someone in, you're to up tight
7. You've had sex, you're a slut. You haven't had sex, your a frigid little bi*ch
8. You wear makeup, you're a slag. You don't wear makeup you're ugly!

The Lesson is: "YOU CANT PLEASE EVERYONE!

October 10, 2010

Schwarzfahrer



Catchy title.
Schwarzfahrer: black rider (someone who boards the train/bus without buying any tickets).

August 29, 2010

Zum ersten Weltkrieg kam es weil ein Österreicher erschossen wurde. Der Zweite weil kein Österreicher erschossen wurde.

Eltern

Eltern; die zwei Menschen, die nachts ständig geweckt werden und dennoch Träume haben

August 10, 2010

Begitulah selalu terjadi, hubungan manusia itu seperti kontrak, akan selalu berakhir suatu ketika entah kapan apapun sebabnya - Seno Gumira Ajidarma

August 3, 2010

3 idiots on tour

Ab nach Amsterdam!
Ankunft im Abendlicht, komm! Raus mit euch Kinder!
Hm, aber zuerst müssen wir einen Parkplatz suchen. Mal sehen wieviel es kostet.. Was?? 5€ pro Stunde! Heftig! ach nö.. wir gingen lieber das Risiko ein und kauften kein Parkticket.
Ok, Lass uns Wantansuppe essen und Rotlichtdistrikt ansehen!
"Hey Idiot 1! Die Eine mit silber Bikini ist hübsch, wahr? Was? Lieber ein Joint kaufen? Na gut... Komm!"
3 Idioten sitzten dann am Tisch und kifften zusammen. Aber alle 3 haben vergessen dass sie noch zum Hotel fahren mussten. Toll gemacht.
Lass uns zum Auto zurücklaufen.

Idiot 1 : Hey, die Pflastersteine bewegen sich! wie ein Videogame, cool! ich bin super Mario!! *tut tit tut. Jetzt fing der Idiot an, das Lied von Super mario bros zu singen , sprangen und tanzten herum.
Idiot 2 schleppten stölpernd hinterher, und meinte seine Beine seien wie Beton.
Idiot 3 konnte nur hysterisch lachen..

Jemand hat uns gefolgt!! meinte Idiot 2. Pass auf eure Tasche auf.. Idiot 1 fühlte sogar dass jemand auf seine Tasche gegriffen hat. Schrecklich. Aber immerhin war es so lustig dass wir immer noch lachten.

Wir hatten das Auto gefunden. Hey, was ist das? Ein Strafzettel! Geil!
Jetzt saßen wir fest im Auto. Niemand konnte fahren.
"Wenn ich das meiner Mutter erzähle. Wir können nicht heeeeime.
Weil zu viel Haschisch im Blut ist...
Zu viel Haschisch im Blut
ist nicht guuuuuuut. "
Idiot 1 ist plötzlich ostdeutscher Poet geworden!
Idiot 2 starrte nur blöd nach vorne.
Idiot 3 bereitete sich schon vor, die Nacht im Auto verbringen zu müssen und suchte schon möglichst bequeme Schlafstellungen.
Nach 2 Stunden Sitzen, wagten wir es, die Heimfahrt zu machen. Wir waren lebendig angekommen...... *pfiu..

-----------------------------------------------

Paris, nach dem Abendessen. Dieses mal dann nur 2 Idioten und 1 Faszinierte, die sehr fasziniert von der Dummheit der anderen Zwei war.

Faszinierte: Komm, fahren wir zum Eiffelturm!
Idiot 1 und 2: Ok!
(Idiot 1 gab irgendwas ein auf seinem Navi-system)
Fasz: Weisst du, wie man Eiffelturm buchstabiert?
Idiot 1: Natürlich !!!! (sehr sicher und überzeugend)
Faszinierte lehnte sich zurück und starrte aus dem Fenster.
Nach 10 Minuten waren die drei noch am Platz geblieben.
Faszinierte: Warum sind wir noch hier?
Idiot 1: Ich kann es nicht finden.. Blödes Navi!
Idiot 2: Komm, lass mich suchen.
Nach 5 Minuten Fummeln immer noch nicht gefunden...
Faszinierte fing an, ungeduldig zu sein.. Was macht ihr denn? Gib das Navi her!

EIFFELturm wurde als I-F-E-L und E-I-F-L-E buchstabiert...

Kein Wunder dass die Drei immer noch da stehen geblieben waren....
Vielleicht wenn sie zugelassen hätte dass die zwei Idioten weiter suchten, wären die Drei bis heute immer noch da sitzen geblieben.
Die Faszinierte hat sich für ca. 20 Minuten kaputt gelacht während sich die zwei Idioten geschämt hatten.. oder doch nicht? xD

-------------------------------------------

der Ifelturm



-------------------------------------

Idiot 3: "Ja, Frankreich hat den amerikanischen Freiheitskrieg unterstützt, und danach kam der General Lafayette zurück nach Frankreich und hat das Motto 'Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite' verbreitet und am Ende führte es zur französischen Revolution. Ach ja, und als Geschenk für Amerika hat die französische Regierung die Liberty Lady geschenkt.. Das weisst ihr doch oder?"
Idiot 1: "Ja! Liberty Lady! San Fransisco! Juhuuu!"
Idiot 3: "New York! du Trottel!"
*wünschte sich so sehr dass sie seinen Kopf hämmern konnte.*

--------------------------------------

Idiot 1:"Ich will mir eine Freundin suchen, die dummer ist als ich... Damit ich sie auslachen und ausnutzen kann."
.................. nach einer kurzen Pause sagte er..................
"Aber es ist schwierig jemanden zu suchen, der noch dummer ist als ich.. Da ich schon ganz unten bin... Sie wird ein richtiger Idiot sein, oder ein Esel."
....................
Idiot 3 dachte zu sich,"Ach,,, zum Glück hast du das selbst erkannt."

July 19, 2010

Wer will, daß die Welt so bleibt wie sie ist, der will nicht, daß sie bleibt -Erich Fried.

Vielleicht bin ich doch diejenige, die nicht will dass sie bleibt.

July 15, 2010

Decency

These past few days had been mentally exhausting.. I met lots of weird people. I'm actually wondering, am I being the weird one or is it them?

A few days ago I met a woman who's a bit brash. It's the first time I met her.
(shaking hands)
me: Hello, I'm W.
She: Hi, I'm F. So, you're W, I saw your photos with Efan on Facebook! You're that girl who's very flirtatious.. No, that's not the word, umm... coquettish! Wait, no! Wild !!
I was thinking like,"Um...Ok, is this supposed to be a compliment or an insult? We just met...And you're judging me based on those crazy photos we shot on purpose.."
So, I just smiled and said nothing.

After a few minutes she said,
"You're so fair! You must be afraid of the sun, right? I bet you avoid the sun all the time."
Me: "Um, not really, I want to be a bit tanned actually."
She: "Ah you liar! then why are you sitting here under the tree, instead of sunbathing there at the park!"
Me: "Because it's 39 degree today?"

And as I found out later from other friends, everybody's actually avoiding her because of her aggressiveness and how she makes fun of others.

The next day I went to work with a girl. It was also the first time that I met her. She also has this kind of aura about her.. this aggressiveness. But I said to myself, that I shouldn't be judgmental before I get to know this person.

At the end of the day, she and I were the only ones left, and there're still lots of work that needed to be done. But she said she's going home early because she's not in the mood to work that day. I said I wanted to stay behind and finish off the work. But the problem is that I didn't know how to operate the machines alone since I'm new. Then she said to me that I should go home because it's also useless if I stayed. The work was too much. So I went home with her.

The next day the boss called and scolded me for leaving work behind. And apparently this girl told the boss that she's the one that wanted to stay behind, and I was the one who forced her to go home. I was baffled.. When the boss asked me, I tried to cover up for her.. Never thought she could do such thing to me. Well, maybe I was too naive.. Anyway, apparently I'll lose my job since it's my word against hers. And I'm the new girl there.

In the same time I hosted a friend at my place. We had a history back then. I thought everything's fine now since he told me he has a new gf and how much he loves his gf. So I went to work, and when I got back from work, I found out he used my laptop, logging in into my facebook and email account, and checking on my private notes, photos and mails. He even checked on my ex bf's profile, although I'm not friends with him anymore on facebook. How creepy is that..

I found out about this accidentally. I was looking for a shopping website which I forgot in my browser's history and saw that someone checked on my accounts when I was supposed to be at work. For more than an hour! My tagged photos (I made em private), my hidden private notes, my current mails. Everything! So, it can't be an innocent mistake that he accidentally logged in or anything and he brought his own laptop as well. I felt so violated.. I hosted him and he did such things..

DECENCY, PEOPLE, QUESTION MARK.

"What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas
I think the whole worlds addicted to the drama
Only attracted to the things that bring you trauma"

Now... forgive and forget. Easier said than done.. Am trying to forgive, still need some time.. Such a weird week indeed.

July 7, 2010

fragile..

Tak sengaja temukan catatan seorang teman.
Kubaca..
Berpikir..
Merenung..

"with my life I have now and all the people around me, I know I shouldn't be sad anymore...
but there are still nights where I find it so hard to get through alone... and there's nothing I could do but cry... and I couldn't stop it..."
Posted by Ay..

Ini yang dia tulis.

Masih kuingat,
betapa si lelaki mencintainya.
Album foto berisi dia.
dengan catatan pinggir manis
"ay, smile, and please keep smilin', coz' I love the way you smile... "
atau
"u and me"

Tujuh tahun pasang surut.
Prang!
Hancur.
Sekejap mata.
Rapuhnya kehidupan
Kesementaraan yang membekukan.

Saat dia terbangun,
hanya dia sendiri disana.
dingin.
Betapa dia berharap bisa menghentikan waktu
atau punya mesin waktu dimana dia bisa menekan tombol
Pause, Rewind, Stop.

Ingin rasanya dia menjerit,
berilah aku kesempatan lagi,
berbaliklah cinta,
pandang aku..
peluk aku sekali lagi
Mengapa hanya kulihat punggungmu?
dan lenganmu yang merangkul perempuan itu?
Aku bisa membuatmu bahagia,
Tolong.........

Tapi si lelaki membisu.
Tidak ada lagi kesempatan bagimu,
semua sudah terlambat
Penyesalan kosong belaka.
Selamat tinggal.

Dia pun terduduk,
menulis,
"people would do just about anything for a glimpse of happiness
I let mine slipped away some time ago...
dear happiness, I promise now to hold on to you and never let you go."

Disinilah aku,
menitikkan air mata untuk seorang teman,
yang kehilangan kebahagiaannya.

July 5, 2010

another nice one

Wenn wir bedenken dass wir alle verrückt sind, ist das Leben erklärt - Mark Twain

Just like a star



A beautiful song

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands,
Honour to love you

Still I wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

You've got this look I can't describe,
You make me feel like I'm alive,
When everything else is au fait,
Without a doubt you're on my side,
Heaven has been away too long,
Can't find the words to write this song,
Oh...
Your love,

Still I wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

Now I have come to understand,
The way it is,
It's not a secret anymore,
'cause we've been through that before,
From tonight I know that you're the only one,
I've been confused and in the dark,
Now I understand,

I wonder why it is,
I don't argue like this,
With anyone but you,
I wonder why it is,
I wont let my guard down,
For anyone but you
We do it all the time,
Blowing out my mind,

Just like a star across my sky,
Just like an angel off the page,
You have appeared to my life,
Feel like I'll never be the same,
Just like a song in my heart,
Just like oil on my hands

June 20, 2010

Q: Why do bad things happened to us if there's God? If he's almighty, why doesn't He prevent those awful things from happening?

See it like this.
If you win 1 mio lotto and are going to buy your first house in Monte Carlo, are you going to speak to Him?
but if the boyfriend says,"I don't want to see you anymore.", you'll turn to Him xD

so true..

-Today's sermon.

June 4, 2010

Filosofi kopi / The coffee philosophy

Walau tidak ada yang sempurna
hidup ini indah begini adanya.

Although nothing is perfect
life is beautiful just the way it is.

About anger

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

May 17, 2010

Keiner ist nur immer schwach und keiner hat für alles Kraft

hab ein sehr schönes Lied gehört in der Kirche, das mich irgendwie sehr angesprochen hat, gehört.. Möchte mich immer daran erinnern, dass wir alle stärkere und auch schwächere Zeiten haben. Sogar ich.. Ein Mädchen das immer dachte dass sie immer stark sein konnte, aber doch auch nicht :)



Gut, daß wir einander haben, gut, daß wir einander sehn.

Sorgen, Freude, Kräfte teilen und auf einem Wege gehn. Gut, daß wir nicht uns nur haben,

daß der Kreis sich niemals schließt und daß Gott, von dem wir reden, hier in unsrer Mitte ist.

1. Keiner, der nur immer redet; keiner, der nur immer hört. Jedes Schweigen, jedes Hören, jedes Wort hat seinen Wert.

Keiner widerspricht nur immer; keiner paßt sich immer an. Und wir lernen, wie man streiten und sich dann noch lieben kann.

2. Keiner, der nur immer jubelt; Keiner, der nur immer weint. Oft schon hat uns Gott in unsrer Freude, unsrem Schmerz vereint.

Keiner trägt nur immer andre; keiner ist nur immer Last. Jedem wurde schon geholfen; Jeder hat schon angefaßt.

3. Keiner ist nur immer schwach, und keiner hat für alles Kraft. Jeder kann mit Gottes Gaben das tun, was kein andrer schafft.

Keiner, der noch alles braucht, und keiner, der schon alles hat. Jeder lebt von allen andern; Jeder macht die andern satt.

May 15, 2010

Wenn ein Lied meine Lippen verlässt

(nach 1 Flasche Wein + 3 Biere)

Erster Versuch:


Vergiss Töne oder Musikalität, und wir haben in der Mitte verkackt. Aber zu unserer Verteidigung waren wir stark alkoholisiert :p

Zweiter Versuch:


Umso schlimmer geworden.... aber immerhin ist es komplett gesungen (oder gebrüllt)!

May 12, 2010

Little Lauryn

Welcome to the world.

May 10, 2010

Dr. Müllers Aufklärungsbrief an seinen Kollegen

München, 06.05.1903

Sehr geehrter Herr.Dr. Dubois,
1891 entdeckten Sie Fossilien von Pithecanthropus Erectus. Ihre Meinung würde ich sehr zu schätzen wissen.
Vor einem Jahr hatten mein Team und ich zwei seltsame Arten von Höhlenmenschen entdeckt, lebendig. Sie verhielten sich komisch und vertrugen sich nicht gut. Von daher hatten wir die Beide in zwei verschiedenen Käfigen abgetrennt.
Wir haben bis jetzt versucht die beide Kreaturen unter normalen Menschen zu vergesellschaften. Es hat einigermaßen geklappt. Aber leider kommen die Beide bisher auch nicht klar miteinander.
Hier ist meine provisorische Analyse.

FRAGILUS AROGANENSIS

1. Was ist ein Fragilus Aroganensis?
ein fast ausgestorbenes Lebewesen, das unbewusst unter bipolarer Verwirrung leidet, das sich selbst und seine Mitmenschen gefährden kann.

2. Was sind die Symptome?
- furchtbare Stimmungsschwankungen
- niedrige Toleranz
- nulle Geduld
- ständiges Vorurteil
- unbewusste Kindlichkeit
- verwirrte Einstellung eigener Stärke
- Unflexibilität
- Mangel an Emotionskontrolle
- unerwarteter Wutausbruch
- und dadurch verursachte verletzende Wortauswahl
- unkontrollierte Arroganz
- Verneinung der Niederlage
- verdrehtes Selbstwertgefühl
- Labilität des Selbstvertrauens
- Angst vor Vergangenheit
- Unfähigkeit des Loslassens
- Kontrolle-Freak
- Unterschätzung der Mitmenschen
- rigide Unbeugsamkeit bzw. Härte
- akute Neugierde
- Vorliebe des Affentheaters
- asoziales Verhalten

3. Woran erkennt man ein Fragilus Aroganensis?
Ganz einfach.
Ein Fragilus Aroganensis verändert täglich seine Gesichter je nach seiner Laune. Es ernährt sich von Liebe anderer Menschen. Wenn dieses Ungeheuer hungrig ist, dann sucht es gern Streit nur damit es eine Anerkennung und Bestätigung bekommt dass es geliebt ist.

4. Wie wehrt man sich gegen dieses Ungeheuer?
Falls Sie diese Species jemals begegnen, sollen Sie sie einfach ignorieren. Diese Kreatur ist wie ein ängstlicher kleiner Hund, der bellt aber nicht beißt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

HOMO KINDERGARTENNENSIS

1. Was ist ein Homo Kindergartennensis?
Eine neu entdeckte Species, die die Gestalt eines erwachsenen Menschen annimmt, die aber die psychische Reife eines 6-jährigen Kindes hat.

2. Wie sehen die Symptome aus?
- Oberflächlichkeit
- verdrehtes Selbstbild
- Unfähigkeit der eigenen Fehlern zu erkennen
- Tendenz der Schiebung von Schuld auf andere Leute und Schicksal.
- akute Proskrastination
- Inkonsistenz
- Überschätzung eigener Intelligenz
- Beeinflussbarkeit bzw. keine eigene Meinung
- unbegreifliche Abhängigkeit von Freunden u. Familien
- nicht vorhandene Verantwortungsbereitschaft
- Sturheit und Dickköpfigkeit
- ignorante Selbstverletzung/Destruktion
- Abergläubigkeit
- Selbsthypnose
- 'Lug und Trug', sogar gegenüber sich selbst
- nulle Verzeihungsbereitschaft
- Abneigung des Erwachsenwerdens
- das Unwissen des wahren Ich
- pervertierte Logik und die dadurch verursachte unvernünftige Handlung

3. Woran erkennt man ein Homo Kindergartennensis?
Hier ist ein deutliches Beispiel. Ein Schnitt eines Gespräches zwischen einem normalen Menschen (Herr Z) und einem getarnten Homo Kindergartennensis (Herr A) in einer alltäglichen Situation.

Herr A wollte seinen Führerschein verlängern lassen. Herr Z hatte seinen schon verlängern lassen und wollte Herrn A die ganze Bürokratie ersparen.
Herr Z: "Gehen Sie zum Bürgeramt in Berlinerstr. Da sind die Beamte lockerer und sie arbeiten auch schneller."
Herr A: "Aber ich will zum anderen Bürgeramt gehen."
Herr Z: "Nö, glauben Sie mir, da ist echt unkomplizierter. Komm, ich begleite Sie dahin."

Herr A wurde jetzt gereizt und fühlte sich von Herrn Z gezwungen. Voller Wut zerriss er plötzlich seinen eigenen Führerschein, um Herr Z zu zeigen dass er seinen Rat nicht abschätzte und ihm nicht gehorchen wollte.

Ein anderes Beispiel.
Herr A wurde wegen Lungenkollaps im Krankenhaus aufgenommen. Nach dem Krankenhausaufenthalt fing er an Kohlenstoffdioxid zu inhalieren, die zu einem anderen Kollaps führen konnte. Vor lauter Sorgsamkeit warnte Herr Z vor, dass er mit der schlechten Gewöhnheit aufhören sollte. Daraufhin setzte Herr A ihn ab, atmete den giftigen Stoff ein ohne Rücksicht auf seine eigene Lungen und lachte frohlich vor seiner Nase.

4. Wie wehrt man sich gegen dieses Ungeheuer?
Falls Sie diese Species jemals begegnen, hier ist nur ein Wort der Warnung angebracht:
"Rennt Schatzie, rennt!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Dr. Karl Müller

No regret either




Non, je ne regrette rien

Non ! Rien de rien
Non ! Je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait
Ni le mal tout ça m'est bien égal !

Non ! Rien de rien
Non ! Je ne regrette rien
C'est payé, balayé, oublié
Je me fous du passé !

Avec mes souvenirs
J'ai allumé le feu
Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs
Je n'ai plus besoin d'eux !

Balayées les amours
Et tous leurs trémolos
Balayés pour toujours
Je repars à zéro

Non ! Rien de rien
Non ! Je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait
Ni le mal tout ça m'est bien égal !

NO, I REGRET NOTHING

No, nothing of nothing
No! I don't feel sorry about anything
Not the good things people have done to me
Not the bad things, it's all the same to me.

No, nothing of nothing
No! I don't feel sorry about anything
It's paid for, removed, forgotten,
I'm happy of the past

With my memories
I lit up the fire
My troubles, my pleasures
I don't need them anymore

Broomed away my love stories
And all their tremble
Broomed away for always
I start again from zero


May 7, 2010

Five Traits a Guy Should Have Before You Get Serious

Definitive research sheds light on the qualities that really matter in a dude when you're thinking long-term love.

Dating Trait #1: He Knows What He Wants
Any guy you're serious about should be able to articulate his long-term goals and passions (sorry, fantasy football and Xbox don't count). He can't ally himself with you until he has a sense of how he envisions his life in the future... and how you fit in. "If a man has no idea what he wants to be when he 'grows up,' then it will be impossible for him to commit to you," says Dobransky.
Don't assume he'll work things out, because when he does, you may realize his ambitions don't mesh with yours. "This mistake has contributed to the starter-marriage phenomenon, in which couples in their 20s and 30s suddenly realize they're going in different directions and divorce at an early age," says Dobransky. "It's preventable as long as you're both clear about your plans."
Dating Trait

#2: He Has a Sunny Outlook
A recent study led by the University of Oregon found that women who had upbeat partners felt more satisfied in their relationships and -- this is huge -- that the man's level of optimism determined the relationship's staying power. Not only is it nice to have someone help you see the silver lining of a situation that totally sucks, but cheerful guys are good at keeping things in perspective, so they don't let little conflicts get to them and can go with the flow.
Along with having an optimistic POV, it's also crucial that the guy you're seeing can make you laugh. "It's an important stress valve for any couple," says Les Parrott, PhD, coauthor of "Trading Places."
"Having a sense of humor helps you weather the rough patches that you'll inevitably encounter together." It shows that he is able to let loose and doesn't take things too seriously. Plus, you'll have a better time together if you can see the funny side of things.
Dating Trait

#3: He's Open to Changing for You
It's true you may not be able to change a man, but a guy should want to change for you. If a facet of his behavior irks you (for example, maybe he's not attentive enough in certain circumstances), he should be game to hear you out, listen to how you'd like him to do things differently, and then act on those suggestions. "When a guy is truly in love, he is more self-reflective and will work on the aspects of himself that bother you," says Diana Kirschner, PhD, author of "Love in 90 Days." "Studies have found that successful married couples change each other quite a bit over time."
More important, a man needs to have the capacity to transform and grow with you -- e.g., he takes an interest in going to art galleries with you, even if he's more of a couch-and-ESPN kind of guy. "If he's not willing to expand his interests to mesh with yours, you're going to outpace him," explains Kirschner. "It's likely you'll grow restless, and the relationship will become stale."
Dating Trait

#4: He's Still a Little Mysterious
The beginning of a relationship is always exciting because you're just getting to know each other. But even after the newness wears off, it's essential that a man keeps you guessing. "If you can never quite pin down what makes him tick, that's actually a healthy thing," says Kirschner. Although at first you might feel more bonded to a guy who shares tons of personal info with you, over time, you risk losing the intrigue that pulled you to him initially. You might start to see him as more of a friend than a romantic partner.
Of course, you want him to open up about topics like his family, but he should keep some boundaries too. Relating every detail of his life (think updates on his nasty toe fungus) is relationship-killing TMI. A good gauge in the early stages of coupledom: He doesn't spill all about his pals. "It's an indicator that he understands how to keep things private," says Kirschner.
Dating Trait

#5: He's Responsible with Money
Besides giving you a heads-up about money-related conflicts you might encounter in the future (one of the topics long-term couples argue about most), how a guy handles cash reveals a lot about his character. Positive signs: He keeps the receipt after paying for a meal, or you notice several credit-card offers in his stack of mail (it may indicate he has good credit).
"A man who doesn't track his money shows a lack of patience and self-control," says Dobransky. "In fact, guys who are financially reckless share many traits with men who cheat." But you also don't want to be with a tightwad. If a dude doesn't splurge now and then, it may mean he'll be stingy in other ways, such as compromising during a fight.

By dating blogger Mina Azodi for Cosmopolitan

May 6, 2010

Priests on a Hawaii vacation

Two Priests decided to go to Hawaii on vacation.






They were determined to make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy. As soon as the plane landed they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, sandals, sunglasses, etc.

The next morning they went to the beach dressed in their "tourist" garb. They were sitting on beach chairs,


enjoying a drink, the sunshine and the scenery when a "drop dead gorgeous" blonde in a topless bikini came walking straight towards them. They couldn't help but stare.


As the blonde passed them she smiled and said "Good Morning, Father ~ Good Morning, Father," nodding and addressing each of them individually, then she passed on by. They were both stunned. How in the world did she know they were priests? So the next day, they went back to the store and bought even more outrageous outfits.



These were so loud you could hear them before you even saw them! Once again, in their new attire, they settled down in their chairs to enjoy the sunshine. After a little while, the same gorgeous blonde, wearing a different coloured topless bikini, taking her sweet time, came walking toward them. Again she nodded at each of them, said


"Good morning, Father ~ Good morning, Father," and started to walk away.
One of the Priests couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Just a minute, young lady."

"Yes, Father?"

"We are Priests and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world do you know we are priests, dressed as we are?"

She replied,



"Father, it's me, Sister Kathleen".

May 2, 2010

Le Soleil et La Luna



Ein gute-laune Song über die Sonne und den Mond.
Ach apropos Sonne..
Anomalie der deutschen Sprache.

Vor zwei Tagen war ich mit einem Deutschen und zwei Italienern ausgegangen, und irgendwie waren wir auf das thema der deutschen Sprache gekommen, wie schwierig es war, sich an die ganze schwachsinnige Artikel zu erinnern. Daraufhin haben wir plötzlich eine Anomalie festgestellt: nur auf Deutsch sagt man DIE Sonne und DER Mond. Auf Französisch und Italienisch ist Sonne immer maskulin und Mond feminin. Tja, ich kann leider für die andere Sprachen keine Aussage geben, da meine Sprachkenntnisse ziemlich begrenzt sind..

Aber seit der antiken Zeit ist die Sicht schon immer einigermaßen so, nicht wahr? Die Römer und die Griechen glaubten z.B an Apollo, der Sonnengott und Diana, die Mondgöttin.
Für die Ägypter war Ra der Sonnengott und Isis die Mondgöttin.

Wir gingen davon aus dass die Deutschen wahrscheinlich bei der Übersetzung vermasselt hatten (unsere bekloppte ignorante ausländische Zusammenfassung :p), oder dass es vlt. an der feministischen Bewegung in DE lag (die kuriose Idee von dem skurrilen deutschen Freund) :D Hat jemand vlt. irgendwelche logischere Erklärung für diese Anomalie?
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Ich weiss schon bescheid!!!!
Ich wusste schon längst dass die deutsche Sprache doch eine andere Sprachwurzel hat als die französische oder italienische Sprache. Aber ich wusste nie welche Gottheiten die antike germanische/nordische Kulturkreisen verehrten.. Von daher hab ich ein bisschen gegoogled, und Voila!!! DIE germanische SonnengöttIN heisst Sol, und DER MondGOTT heisst Mani. Yes! Puzzle solved! Endlich kann ich jetzt wieder mal ruhig einschlafen. Haha.

May 1, 2010

Cowboys in Paradise



Cowboys in Paradise is a recent documentary film about life of balinese beach boys directed by Amit Virmani, an Indian growing up in India, Indonesia, and Hong Kong and currently living in Singapore. This film is quite controversial in Indonesia, as the Indonesian government was enraged, and started raiding the famous Kuta Beach and arrested 24 guys suspected as gigolos.

Bali's governor said," This is devastating. We will do something to ensure that Bali's image as a spiritual island remains unaffected." The Balinese said," IF there were gigolos in Bali, those are definitely not the locals."
The local government is even planning to sue the film director.. If I'm not mistaken, under pretense of not obtaining a license prior to the film shooting in Bali.

As the Germans would say,"Die spinnen, die Indonesier." or "They're nuts, the Indonesians."
Hey, I have the right to say this since I'm one of them :D

All these curious news brought me back to a nice sunny afternoon with a friendly guy in Bali.

Bali, Tanjung Benoa. September 2008
Wi's sitting on the beach, waiting for her parasailing's turn, chit-chatting in Indonesian (her native tongue) with a Balinese middle-aged guy (her parasailing tutor). Then she saw three beach boys sitting not so far away from her. She said to her chat companion:

W: "Wow, they have great bodies and dark skin!"

Mr. Tutor: "Yep, and they're very popular among the japanese and western women."

W: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Mr. Tutor: "They're some sort of gigolos, buy them nice things, dinner, and they'll accompany you for the night or the rest of your vacation here in Bali. Some women even fall in love with them and take them home to Japan or Europe. I was one of them back then when I was young. I had a japanese 'girlfriend', and she took me home with her. I lived in Japan for about three years, until I missed my homeland and decided to pack up and head back home, where the sun always shines and the beaches are so inviting."

Wi: "Seriously? So they'll approach women on the beach and offer them their 'service'?

Mr. Tutor: "Nope, they don't need to. They just have to sit there, and the women will come to them. Personally, I prefer the japanese women to the westerners. They're far more generous with their money. Hahaha. Just watch, here come a group of japanese girls."

A group of japanese girls were coming to do some parasailing, and Wi just couldn't believe her eyes... They actually did approach those beach boys. She and mr. Tutor giggled together.

Hm, isn't life beautiful? How you could just sit with a stranger and start having tete a tete which leads to a horizon broadening or sometimes even enlightenment? I really think, those people we met along the way are the best teachers, no matter who they are or what they do.

And now in front of the computer, I smile ironically.. What's the big deal about all these 'cowboys/beach boys/gigolos' things? I honestly think it's just some natural economic law (a bit twisted, I admit). "Where there's demand, there's supply."

P.S : As I watched this trailer, I felt a pang of homesickness.. Just realized how I missed my homeland. And the music in the video (played on the traditional balinese gamelan) is just HEAVENLY!!