Ouch... It's been a while since my last update. Sorry. Blame it to my heavy work load. Haha.
Anyway, those of you who likes to play Nintendo Wii and live aroung Brooklyn might wanna take a look at this :
Wiimbledon : A Wii Tennis Tournament
Wii Sports : Tennis + Beer? Hmmm... Sounds good. Hahaha.
Me? I'm still busy playing Super Paper Mario. Wanna have some fun with your friends? Here's my compiled list of best party games according to me :
1. Mario Party 8 (I wish the minigames used more of the wii remote potential. But it's already good though)
2. Rayman : Ravving Rabbits
3. Warioware : Smooth Moves
4. Sonic : Secret Rings
5. Super Monkey Ball : Banana Blitz
6. Wii Sports
How about just the two of you? Basically, all of the above party games is also suitable for 2 players. Some of the addition :
1. Cooking Mama : Cook Off
2. Kororinpa (Yeah, I know... lame one... But I still recall one of my friend who had trouble adjusting his 3D perspective. Hahahaha. It was hell of a laugh)
Can't wait for Big Brain Academy : Wii Degree and Rayman : Ravving Rabbids 2 (Still long way to go).
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
Worse Than Failure
Just recently found this interesting website :
Worse Than Failure
You think you're bad in programming? Make lots of bugs? Doing stupid logics to solve problems? GOOD!! You can now enter this unique contest :
OMG WTF (Olympiad of Misguided Geeks - Worse Than Failure)
Very interesting. All you have to do is make a program of C/C++ which meets one of the following criteria :
Worse Than Failure
You think you're bad in programming? Make lots of bugs? Doing stupid logics to solve problems? GOOD!! You can now enter this unique contest :
OMG WTF (Olympiad of Misguided Geeks - Worse Than Failure)
Very interesting. All you have to do is make a program of C/C++ which meets one of the following criteria :
- Ugly code (Unreadable, difficult to understand)
- Buggy code (you know what this is :p)
- Clever code (Unconventional or uncommon way to solve problem)
So? What are you waiting for? Put up your worst ever made program now, and get a chance to win a 15" Mac Book Pro or a Sony VAIO VGN-SZ430N/B.
null pointer exception
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Sushi Etiquette
Sushi! Some of you might love to eat sushi, some may don't. But do you know the etiquette of eating sushi in a Japanese restaurant or Sushi Bar? Here's some steps and tips taken from WikiHow :
1. Place chopsticks properly. If at a sushi bar, place the chopsticks in front of you, parallel to the edge of the bar, with the narrow ends on the hashi oki (chopstick rest). While it is not as polite to place them on the plate, if you do, place your chopsticks across your plate, not leaning on your plate.
2. Use the broad end of your chopsticks to pick up sushi from a communal platter.
3. Don't pass food from one set of chopsticks to another. As part of a Japanese funeral ritual, family members pass bones of the deceased to each other by chopsticks. Passing food from one set of chopsticks to another mimics this ritual, and is therefore considered extremely impolite and offensive. If you must pass something to another person, pick it up, and place it on their dish. They can then pick it up with their own chopsticks.
4. Know the difference between "nigiri," (pieces of fish, shellfish, or fish roe over rice balls), "makizushi (rolled in seaweed)," "temaki (hand rolls)" and "sashimi" (sliced/chilled raw fish without rice).
5. Always place your "nigiri-sushi" upside-down in the soy sauce and eat it "rice-side up." Don't pinch it too hard, and place it so the fish touches your tongue. (The soy sauce will cause the rice to fall apart.)
6. Sushi should be eaten in one bite if possible, but two bites is generally acceptable. However, don't put the sushi back on the plate if you bit it in half already. Once you pick it up, eat all of it.
7. Feel free to use your fingers as utensils. Wipe your hands on a damp towel, if they provide you with one. But generally, use your fingers for sushi, and use chopsticks for sashimi.
8. Clean off your plate. It is impolite to leave a grain of rice on your plate.
9. Ask the chef what's good, and let him pick for you, especially if it's your first time eating sushi. This shows your respect for what he does, and maybe you'll get a good snack. If you're in Japan, buy the chef a drink, like sake or beer, as a compliment.
10. Learn a few polite Japanese words and phrases, like:
Say thank you, or even better, Arigato gozaimasu (ah-ree-gah-toh go-zah-ee*-mahss) which means thank you very much.
Before eating, say "Itadakimasu!" (ee-tah-dah-kee-mahss) and when you're done, say 'Gochisousama deshita!" (Goch-sou-sah-mah-desh-tah). This is what Japanese say before and after they eat.
When asking for a waiter/waitress say "Sumimasen" (su-mee-mah-sen). This is the equivalent of saying "excuse me"
(Note on pronunciation: in Japanese, all syllables receive equal stress)
11. If you order a "teishoku" or set item which includes soup, ask to have the soup served with the sushi as an accompaniment, rather than before the sushi as an appetizer.
12. If there is tea available, drink it with one hand holding it, and the other hand supporting it from underneath, using two hands to hold the cup. (Men don't have to do this.)
13. If there is sake for drinking, it boorish to pour sake for yourself. Pour some into cups for others, and let your companions pour sake for you.
14. The purpose of the soy sauce is to flavor the fish, not the rice.
15. Avoid playing with your chopsticks.
16. Use a scant amount of soy sauce, it's impolite to fill up your dish with excess soy sauce.
17. It's just fine to put a a small amount of wasabi on your sushi; likewise, it's fine to tell the chef (itamae-san) that you don't want any wasabi--it will never be taken as an insult. Just use the phrase "wasabi nuki de." Some folks just don't like wasabi, and the customer is king--or "god" as they say in Japanese "okyaku-sama wa kami-sama desu."
18. Don't expect the chef to handle the money. Have another employee assist you. People who handle the food never touch the money.
19. Don't ask for knives, as sushi is not that tough to eat!
20. Never stick your chopsticks in food, standing upright. This is rude, and resembles the incense at a funeral.
21. Always use even/matching chopsticks. People use uneven chopsticks to express sorrow and pass cremated remains (see #3).
Now that you know all the hassles. Now start eating! Enjoy!
1. Place chopsticks properly. If at a sushi bar, place the chopsticks in front of you, parallel to the edge of the bar, with the narrow ends on the hashi oki (chopstick rest). While it is not as polite to place them on the plate, if you do, place your chopsticks across your plate, not leaning on your plate.
2. Use the broad end of your chopsticks to pick up sushi from a communal platter.
3. Don't pass food from one set of chopsticks to another. As part of a Japanese funeral ritual, family members pass bones of the deceased to each other by chopsticks. Passing food from one set of chopsticks to another mimics this ritual, and is therefore considered extremely impolite and offensive. If you must pass something to another person, pick it up, and place it on their dish. They can then pick it up with their own chopsticks.
4. Know the difference between "nigiri," (pieces of fish, shellfish, or fish roe over rice balls), "makizushi (rolled in seaweed)," "temaki (hand rolls)" and "sashimi" (sliced/chilled raw fish without rice).
5. Always place your "nigiri-sushi" upside-down in the soy sauce and eat it "rice-side up." Don't pinch it too hard, and place it so the fish touches your tongue. (The soy sauce will cause the rice to fall apart.)
6. Sushi should be eaten in one bite if possible, but two bites is generally acceptable. However, don't put the sushi back on the plate if you bit it in half already. Once you pick it up, eat all of it.
7. Feel free to use your fingers as utensils. Wipe your hands on a damp towel, if they provide you with one. But generally, use your fingers for sushi, and use chopsticks for sashimi.
8. Clean off your plate. It is impolite to leave a grain of rice on your plate.
9. Ask the chef what's good, and let him pick for you, especially if it's your first time eating sushi. This shows your respect for what he does, and maybe you'll get a good snack. If you're in Japan, buy the chef a drink, like sake or beer, as a compliment.
10. Learn a few polite Japanese words and phrases, like:
Say thank you, or even better, Arigato gozaimasu (ah-ree-gah-toh go-zah-ee*-mahss) which means thank you very much.
Before eating, say "Itadakimasu!" (ee-tah-dah-kee-mahss) and when you're done, say 'Gochisousama deshita!" (Goch-sou-sah-mah-desh-tah). This is what Japanese say before and after they eat.
When asking for a waiter/waitress say "Sumimasen" (su-mee-mah-sen). This is the equivalent of saying "excuse me"
(Note on pronunciation: in Japanese, all syllables receive equal stress)
11. If you order a "teishoku" or set item which includes soup, ask to have the soup served with the sushi as an accompaniment, rather than before the sushi as an appetizer.
12. If there is tea available, drink it with one hand holding it, and the other hand supporting it from underneath, using two hands to hold the cup. (Men don't have to do this.)
13. If there is sake for drinking, it boorish to pour sake for yourself. Pour some into cups for others, and let your companions pour sake for you.
14. The purpose of the soy sauce is to flavor the fish, not the rice.
15. Avoid playing with your chopsticks.
16. Use a scant amount of soy sauce, it's impolite to fill up your dish with excess soy sauce.
17. It's just fine to put a a small amount of wasabi on your sushi; likewise, it's fine to tell the chef (itamae-san) that you don't want any wasabi--it will never be taken as an insult. Just use the phrase "wasabi nuki de." Some folks just don't like wasabi, and the customer is king--or "god" as they say in Japanese "okyaku-sama wa kami-sama desu."
18. Don't expect the chef to handle the money. Have another employee assist you. People who handle the food never touch the money.
19. Don't ask for knives, as sushi is not that tough to eat!
20. Never stick your chopsticks in food, standing upright. This is rude, and resembles the incense at a funeral.
21. Always use even/matching chopsticks. People use uneven chopsticks to express sorrow and pass cremated remains (see #3).
Now that you know all the hassles. Now start eating! Enjoy!
Tongue Twister
How many of you enjoys tongue twister? Either you love it or not, tongue twister can actually improve your English pronunciation a lot if you practise over and over. Here's several tongue twister to prove what I meant.
Mr. Fister's Tongue Twister
Read this story aloud. You won't believe what happens. Mr. Fister's sister Sue enjoys tongue twisters. She should! Sue sells sea shells. The store Sue sells sea shell in is near the seashore. It's simply called Sue's Seashore Sea Shell Store.
Naturally, Sue searches the seashore for the seashells she sells. Some say Sue's silly for selling sea shells in a seashore store. But Sue's smart. She smiles.
Sometimes, Mr. Fister helps his sister Sue search for sea shells on the seashore. He enjoys tongue twisters too. But he doesn't sell sea shells. He sells silk sheets. The store he sells silk sheets in is near Sue's Seashore Sea Shell Store.
It's called Mr. Fister's Seashore Silk Sheets Store. One day, Mr. Fister told his sister Sue, "I sold six silk sheets to six sheiks who came into my Seashore Silk Sheets Store!"
Mr. Fister's sister Sue shrieked. "Those must be the same six sheiks I sold sixty sea shells!"
"Shucks," said Mr. Fister, "the same six sheiks must have visited your Seashore Sea Shell Store after buying six silk sheets in my store." "Yesh," smiled Sue. Mr. Fister chuckled. "Selling shix silk seets to the shame six sheiks who bought shixty she sells seems to have twisted your tongue, my dear Shue!".
And that was Mr. Fister's tongue twister.
p.s. The words in bold show common mistakes made when reading the story
How's that? Need some more? Here goes :
Betty Botter had some butter,"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.If I bake this bitter butter,it would make my batter bitter.But a bit of better butter--that would make my batter better."So she bought a bit of butter,better than her bitter butter,and she baked it in her batter,and the batter was not bitter.So 'twas better Betty Botterbought a bit of better butter.
Sarah sitting in her Chevrolet, all she does is sits and shifts, all she does is sits and shifts.
Sixish! (say it 10 times)
Still need some more? Head on to :
The 1st International Collection of Tongue Twisters
While you're at it there's a movie showing a crazy and wacky Japanese Tongue Twister game. Boys? Are you up to the challenge?
Web Technology News
Are you interested in knowing latest news in web technology? A friend of mine gave me this link, and I do think it's very interesting. It provides quite detailed reviews of latest websites, technologies and features where it is grouped to several category.
Here's the link :
World Tech Logic
Here's the link :
World Tech Logic
Get Clicky
I've been using this web analytic tool for quite awhile from my friend's referrence. You can add it to your blog or website for tracking your visitors. I find it very useful, and most of all, it's also free for non premium user. The difference between free user and premium user lies on additional feature such as rssfeed, spy. If you do need such feature, the price is also quite reasonable for 14.99$/year. Unfortunately, all payment can only be done using PayPal at the moment.
Compared to other free web analytic tools, get clicky provides better range of service, including dashboard, integration with google map, clean and user friendly interface, and many more. You can view the complete comparison from the website link below.
For more features and registration, you can click on here
Get Clicky Website
Compared to other free web analytic tools, get clicky provides better range of service, including dashboard, integration with google map, clean and user friendly interface, and many more. You can view the complete comparison from the website link below.
For more features and registration, you can click on here
Get Clicky Website
Thursday, April 12, 2007
52 Gaming Similes To Describe Your Relationship
Found this interesting article at : http://www.mathewkumar.com/2007/04/10/320/
Here goes :
Here goes :
Our relationship is like…
1. Killer 7. I don’t understand what you’re saying, and I don’t even know who I am any more.
2. Resident Evil 4. I’m protecting you from all the world’s evils, and you won’t even let me look at your pants.
3. Super Mario Kart. I’m sabotaging the progress of others to reach the rainbow road.
4. Tetris. Shit keeps piling up.
5. Bust A Move. You keep bursting my bubble.
6. Rayman: Raving Rabbids. I’m being put through a series of bizarre trials with little hope of success.
7. Red Steel. I’m just waving my hands in the air and nothing is happening.
8. Harvest Moon. I must always tend our crops to reap a magical harvest.
9. The Sims. Everything keeps breaking down.
10. Shadows of the Colossus. The cost is so great, I’m not sure I even want it any more.
11. Nintendogs. We never really go anywhere, and all I do is clean up your shit.
12. Super Mario Bros. I keep hitting my head against the ceiling and falling down holes.
13. Katamari Damacy. I want to roll you up into my life.
14. The Legend of Zelda. We just keep doing the same things over and over again, just in slightly different ways.
15. Animal Crossing. All my letters and gifts won’t guarantee that you’ll stay.
16. Silent Hill. I’ve never got a clear view of things.
17. Guitar Hero. We have poor timing.
18. Hotel Dusk: Room 215. You never answer a question straight.
19. Sonic The Hedgehog. I’m always running blindly into danger, and I never seem to have any rings for you.
20. Lemmings. I’m trying to save it, but I really just want to hit the nuke button.
21. Dance Dance Revolution. I keep tripping over myself.
22. Chibi Robo. I can never get our house clean.
23. World of Warcraft. I think I’m having fun, but it’s really just a grind.
24. Track and Field. I never seem to rub your buttons fast enough.
25. Gears of War. Even with all my macho posturing, you still don’t take me seriously.
26. Paper Mario. Some people might think it’s flat and lifeless, but they’re not looking at it from the right angle.
27. Kirby’s Dream Land. No matter how hard I suck, I can’t get you all in my mouth.
28. Paperboy. You don’t want what I’m trying to deliver.
29. Wario Ware. Every three seconds, it changes.
30. Wii Sports. It was fun at first, but now my shoulders hurt.
31. Ico. You’re completely helpless, and I’m sick of dragging you around everywhere.
32. Trauma Center: Under the Knife. The operation that would be required to save it is utterly ludicrous.
33. Parappa the Rapper. Perfect rhythm, bright colours.
34. Super Princess Peach. I’m pushing all your emotional buttons, but you’d rather I just left you alone with your vibe-scepter.
35. Grand Theft Auto. I think it’s full of possibility, but you’ll only let me progress if I do it your way.
36. Tie Fighter. I’m having more fun being the bad guy.
37. Punch-Out. I hit you a lot, but you never seem to go down for me.
38. Electroplankton. I’m never going to have anything to show for my time.
39. Mortal Kombat. I used to think you were so cool. Now I have no idea what I was thinking.
40. Ghouls and Ghosts. Punishing.
41. Bomberman. My plans always seem to blow up in my own face.
42. Oregon Trail. It’s dying of dysentery.
43. Street Fighter II. Once you start slapping me, I don’t know what to do to make you stop.
44. Ultima VII. You think I’m a symbol of perfection, but really I’m a sociopathic, thieving bastard.
45. Metal Gear Solid. You just won’t shut up.
46. Pokemon. I’m supposed to be your best friend, and yet you keep throwing me into battles against my will.
47. Final Fantasy. No matter what we go through, we’re fully refreshed after a good night’s sleep.
48. Pro Evolution Soccer. It’s the same thing every time I come back, but it seems to get worse as we go on.
49. Space Invaders. We’ve got a lot of fond memories of it, but we can’t go back.
50. Pac-Man. You keep stuffing your face and trying to avoid old ghosts.
51. Crackdown. I feel like Superman.
52. Duke Nukem Forever. I don’t think it’s ever going to start, is it?So which game describes your relationship the most? :)
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Puzzles & Quizes
I've just recently stumbled upon some of internet quizes and puzzles. It's quite nice to exercise your mind how to think or maybe pay attention to smallest details.
God Tower : Skill of God (http://www.godtower.com)
Consists of 99 levels. Puzzle solving mostly by looking at the picture, hint, then guess what's the keyword being asked. Quite challenging. Actually this site has been up since years ago. I personally still in level 7 due to work load :(. Maybe we can post hints or clues so we can solve the puzzle in a faster way? But spoiling the answer would make us miss what's best in it, of course.
Tktq (http://www.tktq.net)
Indonesian version puzzle. You have to submit the answer in the address bar instead of filling it in a text box. Requires technical knowledge in internet explorer or other internet browser to solve some of the puzzles.
Freedom (http://freedom.altroz.net)
Similar to Tktq, but in English. Haven't done it all yet.
So? Start thinking!
God Tower : Skill of God (http://www.godtower.com)
Consists of 99 levels. Puzzle solving mostly by looking at the picture, hint, then guess what's the keyword being asked. Quite challenging. Actually this site has been up since years ago. I personally still in level 7 due to work load :(. Maybe we can post hints or clues so we can solve the puzzle in a faster way? But spoiling the answer would make us miss what's best in it, of course.
Tktq (http://www.tktq.net)
Indonesian version puzzle. You have to submit the answer in the address bar instead of filling it in a text box. Requires technical knowledge in internet explorer or other internet browser to solve some of the puzzles.
Freedom (http://freedom.altroz.net)
Similar to Tktq, but in English. Haven't done it all yet.
So? Start thinking!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Let's Explore The Culinary World
I was used to be an adventurous guy in culinary world, but has taken off the course recently due to my extraordinary size. But hey, you can never resist a good food ;)
Anyway... Recently my friend asked me about the location of "Babi Guling Ibu Oka", or Balinese Suckling Pig Mrs. Oka. It is originally a very famous restaurant in Ubud, Bali, but he recently saw a review in one of the local television that it opened a branch somewhere in Jakarta (Kelapa Gading he said). Can any of you help him (us :p) locate the restaurant?
Here's a link about the restaurant review :
http://www.jenzcorner.com/weblog/archives/2006/10/babi_guling_bu.html
Actually, this blog also provide quite an interesting review about restaurants around Indonesia. Have a look in the food section.
Jenzcorner.com
Anyway... Recently my friend asked me about the location of "Babi Guling Ibu Oka", or Balinese Suckling Pig Mrs. Oka. It is originally a very famous restaurant in Ubud, Bali, but he recently saw a review in one of the local television that it opened a branch somewhere in Jakarta (Kelapa Gading he said). Can any of you help him (us :p) locate the restaurant?
Here's a link about the restaurant review :
http://www.jenzcorner.com/weblog/archives/2006/10/babi_guling_bu.html
Actually, this blog also provide quite an interesting review about restaurants around Indonesia. Have a look in the food section.
Jenzcorner.com
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Universal Facts
You know what? There's actually a blogger who shares same interest with me. Very interesting indeed.
Universal Facts (http://www.universalfacts.blogspot.com)
But instead of posting all about facts, I prefer to post wider range of interesting topics. Just wait for more ;)
Universal Facts (http://www.universalfacts.blogspot.com)
But instead of posting all about facts, I prefer to post wider range of interesting topics. Just wait for more ;)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Company Name Etymologies
I'm sure you all know that famous brands and company names have stories behind it. Some never even cross our mind.
For a full list, visit :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_company_name_etymologies
I took some that I think pretty interesting :
20th Century Fox — film studio formed in 1935 following the merger of William Fox's Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures.
7-Eleven — this chain of convenience stores started in 1927 as U-Tote'm (so called because customers "toted" away their purchases). In 1946, U-Tote'm became 7-Eleven to reflect the stores' new, extended hours — 7am until 11pm, seven days a week. (The store hours are now different around the world. For example, the 7-Eleven stores in the USA, Hong Kong, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and Australia operate 24 hours a day.)
A&W — In 1919, Roy Allen set up a roadside stand to offer a new drink, root beer. He went into partnership with Frank Wright, and in 1922, they combined their initials to name the beverage A&W Root Beer.
Adidas — from the name of the founder Adolf (Adi) Dassler.
Adobe — from the name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the houses of founders John Warnock and Chuck Geschke.
Alfa Romeo — the company was originally known as ALFA, an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. When Nicola Romeo bought ALFA in 1915, his surname was appended.
Amazon.com — founder Jeff Bezos renamed the company Amazon (from the earlier name of Cadabra.com) after the world's most voluminous river, the Amazon. He saw the potential for a larger volume of sales in an online (as opposed to a bricks and mortar) bookstore. (Alternative: Amazon was chosen to cash in on the popularity of Yahoo, which listed entries alphabetically.)
Apple — for the favourite fruit of co-founder Steve Jobs and/or for the time he worked at an apple orchard. Apple wanted to distance itself from the cold, unapproachable, complicated imagery created by other computer companies at the time — which had names such as IBM, DEC, Cincom and Tesseract — in order to get people to use them at home. They looked for a name that supported a brand positioning strategy that was to be perceived as simple, warm, human, approachable and different. Note: Apple had to get approval from the Beatle's Apple Corps to use the name 'Apple' and paid a one-time royalty of $100,000 to McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., a maker of high-end audio equipment, to use the derivative name 'Macintosh' ('Mac').
ASICS — an acronym for Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, which, translated from Latin, means "Healthy soul in a healthy body". Originally the citation is mens sana in corpore sano, but MSICS does not sound as good. (This is a shoe brand, just in case you don't know)
Aston Martin — from the "Aston Hill" races (near Aston Clinton) where the company was founded, and the surname of Lionel Martin, the company's founder.
Audi — Latin translation of the German name 'Horch'. The founder August Horch left the company after five years, but still wanted to manufacture cars. Since the original 'Horch' company was still there, he called his new company Audi, the Latin form of his last name. In English it is: "hark!".
BenQ — Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life
Bridgestone — named after founder Shojiro Ishibashi. The surname Ishibashi (石橋) means "stone bridge", or "bridge of stone".
Carrefour — chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets which started with a store near a crossroads (carrefour in French) in Annecy. (That's also why they make Carrefour stores near crossroads)
Casio — from the name of its founder, Kashio Tadao, who had set up the company Kashio Seisakujo as a subcontractor factory.
Coca-Cola — derived from the coca leaves and kola nuts used as flavoring. Coca-Cola creator John S. Pemberton changed the 'K' of kola to 'C' to make the name look better.
Daewoo — company founder Kim Woo Chong called it Daewoo which means "Great House" or "Great Universe" in Korean.
Daihatsu — from Japanese Kanji, where Dai means "first" and Hatsu means "car".
DHL — named after its founders, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn.
Eidos — named from a Greek word meaning "species". The company became well known for its Tomb Raider series of games.
Epson — Epson Seiko Corporation, the Japanese printer and peripheral manufacturer, was named from "Son of Electronic Printer"
Hitachi — old place name, literally "sunrise"
IKEA — A composite of the first letters in the Swedish founder Ingvar Kamprad's name in addition to the first letters of the names of the property and the village in which he grew up: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.
Kia Motors — The name "Kia" (起亞) roughly translates as "Rising from Asia" in Hanja.
LEGO — combination of the Danish "leg godt", which means to "play well." Lego also means "I put together" in Latin, but LEGO Group claims this is only a coincidence and the etymology of the word is entirely Danish. Years before the little plastic brick was invented, LEGO manufactured wooden toys.
Mazda Motor Corporation — the company was founded as Toyo Kogyo, started manufacturing Mazda brand cars in 1931, and changed its name to Mazda in 1984. The cars were named after Ahura Mazda, the chief deity of the Zoroastrians. It is also said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder's name, Jujiro Matsuda.
Nero — Nero Burning ROM named after Nero burning Rome.
Nintendo — Nintendo is composed of three Japanese Kanji characters, Nin-ten-do. The first two can be translated to "Heaven blesses hard work"; do is a common ending for any store.
Nike — named for the Greek goddess of victory.
Nikon — the original name was Nippon Kogaku, meaning "Japanese Optical".
Nissan — the company was earlier known by the name Nippon Sangyo which means "Japanese industry".
Nokia — started as a wood-pulp mill, the company expanded into producing rubber products in the Finnish city of Nokia. The company later adopted the city's name.
Pepsi — named from the digestive enzyme pepsin.
Samsung — meaning three stars in Korean.
SEGA — Service Games of Japan was founded by Marty Bromley (an American) to import pinball games to Japan for use on American military bases.
Seiko — Seiko, now referred to in katakana as セイコー("seiko"), was originally named in kanji as 精工(also "seiko"). The two characters were taken from the phrase 「精巧で精密な時計の生産に成功する工場」, the company's vision which roughly translates to "a factory（工場:kojyo）that successfully（成功:seiko）produces（生産:seisan）exquisit（精巧:seiko）and precise（精密:seimitsu）watches." — According to Seiko's official company history, titled A Journey In Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko (2003), Seiko is a Japanese word for "exquisite" or "minute" (both spelled 精巧), as well as a word for "success" (spelled 成功).
Shell — Royal Dutch/Shell was established in 1907, when the Royal Dutch Petrol Society Plc. and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd. merged their operations. The Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd had been established at the end of the 19th century by commercial firm Samuel & Co (founded in 1830). Samuel & Co were already importing Japanese shells when they set up an oil company, so the oil company was named after the shells.
Sony — from the Latin word 'sonus' meaning sound, and 'sonny' a slang word used by Americans to refer to a bright youngster, "since we were sonny boys working in sound and vision", said Akio Morita. The company was founded as Tokyo Tsoshiu Kogyo KK (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) in 1946, and changed its name to Sony in 1958. Sony was chosen as it could be pronounced easily in many languages.
Subaru — from the Japanese name for the constellation known to Westerners as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. Subaru was formed from a merger of seven other companies, and the constellation is featured on the company's logo.
Verizon — A portmanteau of veritas (Latin for truth) and horizon.
Volvo — from the Latin word volvo, which means "I roll". It was originally a name for a ball bearing being developed by SKF.
Yahoo! — a backronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle. The word Yahoo was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book Gulliver's Travels. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and barely human. Yahoo! founders David Filo and Jerry Yang jokingly considered themselves yahoos. It's also an interjection sometimes associated with United States Southerners' and Westerners' expression of joy, as alluded to in Yahoo.com commercials that ends with someone singing the word "yahoo".
For a full list, visit :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_company_name_etymologies
I took some that I think pretty interesting :
20th Century Fox — film studio formed in 1935 following the merger of William Fox's Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures.
7-Eleven — this chain of convenience stores started in 1927 as U-Tote'm (so called because customers "toted" away their purchases). In 1946, U-Tote'm became 7-Eleven to reflect the stores' new, extended hours — 7am until 11pm, seven days a week. (The store hours are now different around the world. For example, the 7-Eleven stores in the USA, Hong Kong, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey and Australia operate 24 hours a day.)
A&W — In 1919, Roy Allen set up a roadside stand to offer a new drink, root beer. He went into partnership with Frank Wright, and in 1922, they combined their initials to name the beverage A&W Root Beer.
Adidas — from the name of the founder Adolf (Adi) Dassler.
Adobe — from the name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the houses of founders John Warnock and Chuck Geschke.
Alfa Romeo — the company was originally known as ALFA, an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. When Nicola Romeo bought ALFA in 1915, his surname was appended.
Amazon.com — founder Jeff Bezos renamed the company Amazon (from the earlier name of Cadabra.com) after the world's most voluminous river, the Amazon. He saw the potential for a larger volume of sales in an online (as opposed to a bricks and mortar) bookstore. (Alternative: Amazon was chosen to cash in on the popularity of Yahoo, which listed entries alphabetically.)
Apple — for the favourite fruit of co-founder Steve Jobs and/or for the time he worked at an apple orchard. Apple wanted to distance itself from the cold, unapproachable, complicated imagery created by other computer companies at the time — which had names such as IBM, DEC, Cincom and Tesseract — in order to get people to use them at home. They looked for a name that supported a brand positioning strategy that was to be perceived as simple, warm, human, approachable and different. Note: Apple had to get approval from the Beatle's Apple Corps to use the name 'Apple' and paid a one-time royalty of $100,000 to McIntosh Laboratory, Inc., a maker of high-end audio equipment, to use the derivative name 'Macintosh' ('Mac').
ASICS — an acronym for Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, which, translated from Latin, means "Healthy soul in a healthy body". Originally the citation is mens sana in corpore sano, but MSICS does not sound as good. (This is a shoe brand, just in case you don't know)
Aston Martin — from the "Aston Hill" races (near Aston Clinton) where the company was founded, and the surname of Lionel Martin, the company's founder.
Audi — Latin translation of the German name 'Horch'. The founder August Horch left the company after five years, but still wanted to manufacture cars. Since the original 'Horch' company was still there, he called his new company Audi, the Latin form of his last name. In English it is: "hark!".
BenQ — Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life
Bridgestone — named after founder Shojiro Ishibashi. The surname Ishibashi (石橋) means "stone bridge", or "bridge of stone".
Carrefour — chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets which started with a store near a crossroads (carrefour in French) in Annecy. (That's also why they make Carrefour stores near crossroads)
Casio — from the name of its founder, Kashio Tadao, who had set up the company Kashio Seisakujo as a subcontractor factory.
Coca-Cola — derived from the coca leaves and kola nuts used as flavoring. Coca-Cola creator John S. Pemberton changed the 'K' of kola to 'C' to make the name look better.
Daewoo — company founder Kim Woo Chong called it Daewoo which means "Great House" or "Great Universe" in Korean.
Daihatsu — from Japanese Kanji, where Dai means "first" and Hatsu means "car".
DHL — named after its founders, Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom, and Robert Lynn.
Eidos — named from a Greek word meaning "species". The company became well known for its Tomb Raider series of games.
Epson — Epson Seiko Corporation, the Japanese printer and peripheral manufacturer, was named from "Son of Electronic Printer"
Hitachi — old place name, literally "sunrise"
IKEA — A composite of the first letters in the Swedish founder Ingvar Kamprad's name in addition to the first letters of the names of the property and the village in which he grew up: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.
Kia Motors — The name "Kia" (起亞) roughly translates as "Rising from Asia" in Hanja.
LEGO — combination of the Danish "leg godt", which means to "play well." Lego also means "I put together" in Latin, but LEGO Group claims this is only a coincidence and the etymology of the word is entirely Danish. Years before the little plastic brick was invented, LEGO manufactured wooden toys.
Mazda Motor Corporation — the company was founded as Toyo Kogyo, started manufacturing Mazda brand cars in 1931, and changed its name to Mazda in 1984. The cars were named after Ahura Mazda, the chief deity of the Zoroastrians. It is also said that Mazda coincides with the anglicized pronunciation of the founder's name, Jujiro Matsuda.
Nero — Nero Burning ROM named after Nero burning Rome.
Nintendo — Nintendo is composed of three Japanese Kanji characters, Nin-ten-do. The first two can be translated to "Heaven blesses hard work"; do is a common ending for any store.
Nike — named for the Greek goddess of victory.
Nikon — the original name was Nippon Kogaku, meaning "Japanese Optical".
Nissan — the company was earlier known by the name Nippon Sangyo which means "Japanese industry".
Nokia — started as a wood-pulp mill, the company expanded into producing rubber products in the Finnish city of Nokia. The company later adopted the city's name.
Pepsi — named from the digestive enzyme pepsin.
Samsung — meaning three stars in Korean.
SEGA — Service Games of Japan was founded by Marty Bromley (an American) to import pinball games to Japan for use on American military bases.
Seiko — Seiko, now referred to in katakana as セイコー("seiko"), was originally named in kanji as 精工(also "seiko"). The two characters were taken from the phrase 「精巧で精密な時計の生産に成功する工場」, the company's vision which roughly translates to "a factory（工場:kojyo）that successfully（成功:seiko）produces（生産:seisan）exquisit（精巧:seiko）and precise（精密:seimitsu）watches." — According to Seiko's official company history, titled A Journey In Time: The Remarkable Story of Seiko (2003), Seiko is a Japanese word for "exquisite" or "minute" (both spelled 精巧), as well as a word for "success" (spelled 成功).
Shell — Royal Dutch/Shell was established in 1907, when the Royal Dutch Petrol Society Plc. and the Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd. merged their operations. The Shell Transport and Trading Company Ltd had been established at the end of the 19th century by commercial firm Samuel & Co (founded in 1830). Samuel & Co were already importing Japanese shells when they set up an oil company, so the oil company was named after the shells.
Sony — from the Latin word 'sonus' meaning sound, and 'sonny' a slang word used by Americans to refer to a bright youngster, "since we were sonny boys working in sound and vision", said Akio Morita. The company was founded as Tokyo Tsoshiu Kogyo KK (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) in 1946, and changed its name to Sony in 1958. Sony was chosen as it could be pronounced easily in many languages.
Subaru — from the Japanese name for the constellation known to Westerners as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. Subaru was formed from a merger of seven other companies, and the constellation is featured on the company's logo.
Verizon — A portmanteau of veritas (Latin for truth) and horizon.
Volvo — from the Latin word volvo, which means "I roll". It was originally a name for a ball bearing being developed by SKF.
Yahoo! — a backronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle. The word Yahoo was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book Gulliver's Travels. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and barely human. Yahoo! founders David Filo and Jerry Yang jokingly considered themselves yahoos. It's also an interjection sometimes associated with United States Southerners' and Westerners' expression of joy, as alluded to in Yahoo.com commercials that ends with someone singing the word "yahoo".
RSS Feed
If you love browsing the net, I'm pretty sure that you will encounter lots of links nams RSS feed, XML syndication, or just simply RSS. It is usually displayed with following icons.
If you try to open the RSS link from Internet Explorer, it will only show article data in XML format. We have to use RSS feeder or RSS aggregator program to actually view those data in more presentable way. There are lots of free RSS reader around the web, and I use one that I think pretty easy to use, Snarfer. This program supports tabbed browsing, like when you’re reading a news or article and you want to open links or anything on different tab (same with IE 7, Firefox and others), nice looking interface. More over, Snarfer is a freeware. For more information on Snarfer, head to http://www.snarfware.com
First, what is RSS? RSS is abbreviated from Really Simple Syndication. What does RSS do? It usually provides list of articles and updates in simplified format, whether it is a full article or only summary. So why should we utilize the RSS feed? Well, you can view article updates on certain websites without needing to open the web itself. Thus you can save time reading the article update and you can select the article you wish to read thoroughly. Moreover, the RSS feed usually does not use fancy web designs, which of course requires less bandwidth to open and is generally very fast.
If you try to open the RSS link from Internet Explorer, it will only show article data in XML format. We have to use RSS feeder or RSS aggregator program to actually view those data in more presentable way. There are lots of free RSS reader around the web, and I use one that I think pretty easy to use, Snarfer. This program supports tabbed browsing, like when you’re reading a news or article and you want to open links or anything on different tab (same with IE 7, Firefox and others), nice looking interface. More over, Snarfer is a freeware. For more information on Snarfer, head to http://www.snarfware.com
This is a screenshot of my Snarfware in action.
Monday, January 15, 2007
The Pirate Bay
How many of you know The Pirate Bay (TPB)? It’s one of the most popular torrent tracking website which was raided by police sometime ago eventhough they hosted in Sweden. It seems that they are eyeing a new place to host the website. Want to know where? Here’s an article I quoted from Engadget
"While Sweden (and Russia, to name a few) has long been a country of choice when it came to hosting less-than-upstanding websites, the head honchos around the globe looking out for their precious content have somehow reached The Pirate Bay, and now the popular torrent tracking site is eying the micronation of Sealand as a safe haven for its dubious hosting needs. Sealand, which is loosely claimed as a principality, features its own flag, coat of arms, currency, stamps, passports, and most importantly, a quasi-coat of armor from any nation's laws. Although the background of 5,920-square foot man-made installation off the shore of Suffolk, England is quite remarkable, TPB sees its two massive columns as a perfect place for future hosting duties. Formerly the home of HavenCo, an off-shore hosting company that housed gambling sites, money transferring liaisons, and any other operation looking for internet freedom, Sealand could be a potential sanctuary from the claws of the RIAA, MPAA, and other content "owners." Although a principality can't legally (saywha?) be "sold," the family in possession of it recently began accepting offers "upwards of eight figures" for a transfer of ownership after (quite literally) holding down the fort since 1967, and while we highly doubt a fundraiser can scrape up that kind of loot anytime soon, nor do we believe it'd stop the barrage of content guardians, we must say the location looks like an excellent place to just get away from it all (including lawyers) -- if only for awhile.”
Here's a picture of the actual Sealand :
Nice, eh?
For more information on this Sealand, visit this link :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealand
Pac-Man
Who in the world have never played Pac-man? Eventhough Pac-man is not the oldest game, but hey, it’s one of the greatest hits in 80’s.Pac-man was originally came from the word “Pakku-man” where it was inspired by the word “Paku-Paku” in Japanese, meaning the sound / noise : Chomp chomp. It was developed by Midway (Namco), and published in Japan on 1979 with the name “Puck-Man”. When it was released in United States, the name was changed to Pac-Man, fearing that by simply replacing P with an F will create a mockery.
If you’re willing to develop a clone of Pac-Man game, for your assignments or anything, head on to the Wiki page of Pac-Man. You can find various rules and ghost’s behaviour, as well as bonus, scores, and other stuff.
Inset : Original poster of Puck-Man, back in 80's
Compiled from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man
Compiled from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man
Myers-Briggs Personality Type Test
As I was browsing to my friend's blog today. I found an interesting psychological test known as "Myers Briggs Personality Type Test".
Taken from his blog :
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test designed to assist a person in identifying some significant personal preferences. Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers developed the Indicator during World War II, and its criteria follow from Carl Jung's theories in his work Psychological Types.
After taking the test, my result is :
ESTJ- Military, business administrators, managers, police/detective work, judges, financial officers, teachers, sales representatives, government workers, insurance agents, underwriters, nursing administrators, trade and technical teachers, mafia dons. Natural leaders, they work best when they are in charge and enforcing the rules.
For those of you who wants to take the test, visit the following link and don't forget to share your result.
Take the test
Taken from his blog :
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test designed to assist a person in identifying some significant personal preferences. Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers developed the Indicator during World War II, and its criteria follow from Carl Jung's theories in his work Psychological Types.
After taking the test, my result is :
ESTJ- Military, business administrators, managers, police/detective work, judges, financial officers, teachers, sales representatives, government workers, insurance agents, underwriters, nursing administrators, trade and technical teachers, mafia dons. Natural leaders, they work best when they are in charge and enforcing the rules.
For those of you who wants to take the test, visit the following link and don't forget to share your result.
Take the test
Sunday, January 07, 2007
What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?
Do you know the word "cat got your tongue"? It's being said when someone are unable to talk or will not talk. Have you ever wondered where this idiom comes from?
As usual, I did my homework and I found some interesting facts behind it. It appears that during the middle ages, when witches were feared, the witch's cat were doing all the dirty works. It was back then where the witch hunts became popular, when those who marked as witches are ment to be dead. It was believed that if you saw a witch, his/her cat will steal your tongue or otherwise control it to prevent you from spilling the secrets. Interesting, eh?
From the references that I have found, there are also some interesting story behind why the cats are said to have 9 lives, why there's a word scaredey cat. Have a look by your self :)
http://www.penmarric.ns.ca/cattails/prose.htm
http://www.trussel.com/jap/cats.htm
http://www.word-detective.com/110598.html
As usual, I did my homework and I found some interesting facts behind it. It appears that during the middle ages, when witches were feared, the witch's cat were doing all the dirty works. It was back then where the witch hunts became popular, when those who marked as witches are ment to be dead. It was believed that if you saw a witch, his/her cat will steal your tongue or otherwise control it to prevent you from spilling the secrets. Interesting, eh?
From the references that I have found, there are also some interesting story behind why the cats are said to have 9 lives, why there's a word scaredey cat. Have a look by your self :)
http://www.penmarric.ns.ca/cattails/prose.htm
http://www.trussel.com/jap/cats.htm
http://www.word-detective.com/110598.html
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Christmas!!! In Japan?
Gosh... It's near Christmas already. Another year has gone by so fast =). Anyway, with the spirit of Christmas, deep inside my heart I am always wondering, why do Japanese celebrate Christmas? The fact is 99% of Japanese people are non Christian. So I did my home work and googled it up. I found some interesting articles about it. Check it out if you also want to know :
http://www.tanutech.com/japan/jxmas.html
http://www.christmasarchives.com/wjapan.html
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/celebrations.html
http://www.tanutech.com/japan/jxmas.html
http://www.christmasarchives.com/wjapan.html
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/celebrations.html
Ichi Rittoru No Namida ( 1 Litre of Tears )
I know that there’s a lot of people already make reviews on this Japanese TV Drama series, but I think I’d like to create my very own. It’s actually one of the best J-Dorama I’ve ever seen so far. It is exceeds beyond my first expectation through the first 3 episodes. Please be reminded that this blog may contain spoilers. I hope you’re okay with that. After watching the first episode, you can already tell what the ending would be. But that’s not the whole point at all. Situations and story plot that is developed by each episodes what makes it really great as it is really touching.
Story
The story itself tells us about a life of a highscool girl named Ikeuchi Aya (Performed by Sawajiri Erika) who got a genetical disease named SCD (Spinocerreblar Ataxia). There is no known cure for disease even until this very moment. This drama is based on a true story of Kito Aya (July 19, 1962 – May 23, 1988). The title 1 Litre of Tears is originally a published novel of Kito Aya’s diary shortly before her death, where you can find quotes from her diary in the end of each episodes. In the story, Ikeuchi Aya lives in a family of 6. Aside from her mother (Ikeuchi Shioka, performed by Yakushimaru Hiroko) and father (Ikeuchi Mizuo, performed by Jinnai Takanori), there’re also her younger sister (Ikeuchi Ako, performed by Narumi Riko), younger brother (Ikeuchi Hiroki, performed by Sanada Yuma) and youngest sister (Ikeuchi Rika, performed by Miyoshi Ani).
Throughout 11 episodes, this drama tells about Aya’s life from where she was diagnosed, how she struggled with daily activities and social life. Each of the character has a very strong role in this drama with each of their own personalities such as her father who is a hard worker, optimistic and also very sensitive, her mother who is caring, strong, and very supporting, her sister who is kinda annoying and childish at first and later on developed to a more mature character, her brother who is ashamed because of Aya’s condition at first and also her youngest sister, a cute and innocent kindergarten girl. There’re also characters from outside their family like her doctor (Mizuno Hiroshi, performed by Fujiki Naohito), her best friends and also a guy who at first thinks pessimistically of human life (Asou Haruto, performed by Nishikido Ryo). All of the character grows throughout the story due to Aya’s influence, and this is what’s best from this drama.
What’s more, the acting skill of each characters fits very well and performed beautifully, especially Sawajiri Erika, who able to bring out the Aya character to it’s fullest as well as Jinnai Takanori and Yakushimaru Hiroko as her parents.
One thing that I felt a bit awkward is in the last episode where the story suddenly leaps 5 years ahead. It felt like the ending was pushed and squeezed in the last 10 - 15 minutes where I think it can be better if there’s also a coverage of other characters such as her brother and sisters, her friends. But hey… it’s just me. After all, I think the ending is already quite good.
Musical
What’s even more important in a movie is it’s musical scores and arrangements. In Ichi Rttoru no Namida, it has successfully created an emotional bond through the musics, thanks to musical arrangement by Susumu Ueda. The inset song, Konayuki, sung by Remioromen and also the theme song, Only Human, sung by K also matched very well with the drama. There’s also another song sung by the whole Aya’s classmates during the festival, 9 March. In the OST this song was brought by Remioromen. I personally like these 3 songs very much.
Before watching this drama, actually I was pretty annoyed by the way my friend Teddy played “Konayuki” over and over, because it’s quite irritating and I can’t understand the lyrics as well. But after that I changed my opinion completely, because this is the song that is somewhat like encouraging the main character when she was feeling down or having troubles. Ted, now I see your point =).
Overall
In all, as I have said before, this is one of the best movie I have ever seen so far and I strongly recommend all of you to watch this beautiful drama. Not only because of the story plot, but also because it makes us realize how grateful we should be by being healthy and able to do many things that we like, and also to treasure every moment and live our life to the fullest. Fuji TV as official broadcaster did a great job in delivering just a simple wish of Aya through this drama : “Just being alive is such a lovely and wonderful thing”. For those of you with sensitive heart, be prepared as you will encounter numerous times where it felt like your heart is being torn apart.
Thanks to Teddy for lending me this very special j-dorama.
Links
Overview :
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Ichi_Ritoru_no_Namida
Episode Synopsis :
http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Ichi_Ritoru_no_Namida/SynopsisEpisode
Aya’s Diary, English Translation :
http://www.xanga.com/onelitre
Official Site
http://www.fujitv.co.jp/tears/pre_top.html
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Elder Scroll IV : Oblivion - Vampiric Cure
I've spent quite sometime playing Elderscroll IV : Oblivion. I am currently searching for vampiric cure ingredients. For those of you who played Elderscroll IV : Oblivion and also in search for this cure, I found something that might a help a bit.
You might notice that the witch demanded 5 grand soul gems before she wanted to help you out. Unfortunately, these soul gems have to be the grand one (petty, common, or greater soul gems won't do). You can basically buy this grand soul gems on every mage's guild, but it's gonna cost you about 300 - 350 golds each depending on your haggle skill. I've found a trick that able to give you 3 - 4 soul gems in one row. Head to the mage's guild in Anvil. Wait till late at night when everybody falls asleep. Look for the showcases, there should be two showcases containing several soul gems. This will require hard to very hard lock picking skills, so quick save and load if you screw up. Also note that this is considered stealing, so make sure to use sneak and ensure that nobody sees you. If you save some gold, you should be able to buy at least 1 or 2 grand soul gems from other mage's guild.
You might notice that the witch demanded 5 grand soul gems before she wanted to help you out. Unfortunately, these soul gems have to be the grand one (petty, common, or greater soul gems won't do). You can basically buy this grand soul gems on every mage's guild, but it's gonna cost you about 300 - 350 golds each depending on your haggle skill. I've found a trick that able to give you 3 - 4 soul gems in one row. Head to the mage's guild in Anvil. Wait till late at night when everybody falls asleep. Look for the showcases, there should be two showcases containing several soul gems. This will require hard to very hard lock picking skills, so quick save and load if you screw up. Also note that this is considered stealing, so make sure to use sneak and ensure that nobody sees you. If you save some gold, you should be able to buy at least 1 or 2 grand soul gems from other mage's guild.
Friday, April 22, 2005
For those who are married
Phew... I just had a chance to update my blog again today.... Pretty tired today, because even after playing tennis, I still went for an evening jogging with Rio. Hehe. Well, I just read an interesting email. Well, this happen a lot to all newly weds, and it's quite common. Have fun reading. And... I want to apologize for my lazyness not to edit this post again... I just copied and pasted it =)
Generasi Kita Bukanlah di Tangan PRT
============================
Pengalaman nyata yang dialami oleh rekan sahabat saya patut jadi bahanpertimbangan para pembaca. Hal ini memang simple tapi menyangkutgenerasi-generasi kita ke depan nanti.Tommy dan Cindy (masing-masing bukanlah nama mereka yang sebenarnya)adalahsepasang suami istri yang baru mempunyai si buah hati yang mungil dan lucuberusia sekitar 9 bulanan begitulah kira-kira. Kedua-duanya seorang pekerjadi perusahaan yang sama dan dulunya mereka berkenalan dan menemukanperjodohan di perusahaan tersebut. Mereka berdomisili di kota Jakarta dantinggal di perumahan yang cukup mewah, tentu saja mereka peroleh dari thebest company yang ada di Indonesia yang menyediakan fasilitas-fasilitasyang memuaskan bagi para employer apalagi bagi yang punya jabatan hebat diperusahaan itu.
Mereka berdua meng-hire seorang baby sitter yang merangkap membantu RTmereka. Dari segi ekonomi sebenarnya mereka sanggup meng-hire baby sitterkhusus, PRT khusus dan seorang gardener. Namun karena kalkulasinya terlalungirit semuanya pekerjaan RT hampir dirangkap si Mira(begitulah kira-kiranama sang pembantu tersebut maaf tanpa bermaksud menyinggung perasaan yanglain).Mungkin karena lelah dan gaji yang tidak balance dengan apa yangditanggung oleh si Mira maka sering terjadilah hal-hal yang tidakmenyenangkan ini.Kebiasaan si Mira rupanya punya koneksi dengan para gelandangan yangsering mejeng meminta-minta di lampu-lampu merah kota tersebut. Ataumungkin dulunya sang agen mengambil para pembantu dari kalangan ini.Hubungan si Mira dan si Minah(nama gelandangan itu) samakin lancar-lancarsaja karena sang majikan pun belum mengetahuinya saat itu.Suatu saat entah kenapa si Tommy dan Cindy lekas pulang dari kantornya.Tiba-tiba di perempatan lampu merah tentu saja mobil yang di kendarai elehpasangan yang bahagia ini berhenti oleh rambu-rambu jalan itu. Tiba-tiba yang namanya sang ibu yang nalurinya lebih tajam dari sang bapakdikejuntukan oleh suatu hal yang membutanya agak shock. Dari balik kacamobil yang agak gelap ala reben BMW itu dia lihat kok gelandangan wanitaitu memangku seseorang yang mirip sekali dengan buan hatinya. Kebetulanrambu-rambu merah itu agak lama, maka sempatlah lama dan puas sekali diamemandangin si buah hatinya yang wajahnya agak dicoreng moreng agarkelihatan lebih dekil sedikit. Dia tidak buka kaca mobil dan tidak langsungturun dan tidak beritahu pada suaminya yang pada saat itu mungkin sedangmengalihkan pandangan yang lain.Sesampainya di rumah dia sengaja tidak langsung tanya pada si Mira.Ditariknya suaminya ke kamar mereka yang saat itu memang master bad roomberada di lantai ke 2 karna rumah tersebut dalam bentuk two story,sementara kamar baby di lantai pertama berseberangan dengan kamar si Mira untuk memudahkan si Mira bergerak kesana kemari kalau ada apa-apa.Cindy pada saat itu berusaha menunjukkan wajah yang setenang mungkin thdMira.
Dia masih sempat pura-pura bertanya pada Mira apakah si baby mungilitu sedang tidur jadi dia seolah-olah tak perlu mengganggunya untuksementara atau mengecek ke kamar si baby, padahal nun jauh di hati Cindykalau dia begitu GERRRAMMM SEKALI dan ingin MENAMPAR, MENUNJANG, MENJAMBAK,MENG-INJEK-INJEK dan MENGUSIR si Mira PRTnya itu.Wajah si Mira yang pada awalnya agak shock menyambut kedua pasangan suamiistri yang datangnya 1 jam lebih cepat dari yang biasanya tersebut kinikilihatan agak aman setelah melihat Cindy dan Tommy beranjak menuju kemarmereka yang di lantai atas.Cindy menceritakan pada sang suami akan apa yang dia lihat dan diacurigakan.Tentu saja yang namanya lelaki ingin langsung menubruk ke kamarsang baby ingin membuktikan dengan segera. Cindy memaksa dan membujuk sangsuami dan menerangkan dengan kepala dingin. Bila seandainya dia turun diperempatan lampu merah dan merebut buah hatinya itu, sudah barang tentusang gelandangan akan membela hak nya. Orang lain tak akan semudah itumempercayainya, hal ini bisa menjadi umpan balik padanya, malah dia yangbisa di borgol tuk sementara sebelum proses pengadilan dan test DNAdilanjudkan. Dalam hal ini prosesnya akan memakan waktu yang panjang.Bila dia langsung marah pada Mira dan melihat ke kamar si baby dan melihatternyata si baby tak ada di dalam kamar dia pikir bisa saja si Miraberbohong mungkin ada penculik yang masuk nyelonong dari pagar rumahtersebut ketika si Mira sedang melakukan pekerjaan yang lain-lain.Bisa saja si Mira membuat strategi yang lain-lain jauh sebelumnya apa bilaterjadi hal-hal manakala si Cindy dan Tommy datang pada saat yang mendadak.Halitulah yang menerangkan dalam benak Cindy yang sebenarnya sedang kalangkabut.Tommy berusaha menenangkan pikirannya yang turut kacau dan hampir takpercaya itu. Cindy mengamarkan pada sang suami bahwa lebih baik kita tunggukira-kira satu jam lagi sambil mengintip perlahan-lahan dan berjaga-jagadari balik gorden kamar lantai atas tersebut tuk memandang ke pekarangandepan di balik gerbang pagar besi sambil berharap munkin dari arah pintugerbang pagar besi itu sang gelandangan akan mengantar anaknya kembalitepat sebelum jam-jam sang majikan pulang. Kelihatan-nya schedule memangsudah diatur sedemikian rupa dan hal ini mungkin sudah sering dilakukan,begitulah kira-kira dalam benak Cindy.Analisa dan logika Cindy memang benar-benar tidak meleset. Kira-kirasekitar satu jam memang sang gelandangan mengantar sang buah hatinya.Mira sambil tergesa-gesa dan memberi isyarat pada gelandangan tersebutkalau sang majikan datang lebih awal dari yang biasanya sambilmenunjuk-nunjuk ke arah jendela kamar atas sang majikan yang keduanyatidak menyadari kalau pasangan suami istri tersebut sedang mengamati dansudah tidak kuat menahan GERRRAMM sambil menggigit bibir merakamasing-masing. Sang gelandangang kabur secepatnya sambil memberikansebahagian hasil minta-mintanya pada Mira, karna rupanya anak itu memangsudah sering di boking sang gelandangan sebagai variasi dalam menambah ibabagi para pemberi sedekah yang lalu lalang di lokasi itu.Mira pikir dia akan aman dan menarik nafas sembari mau membersihkan sibaby mungil itu, tapi tiba-tiba apa yang terjadi?
Dunia berguncang, bumi pun bergetar pada saat tamparan demi tamparan, jambakan demi jambakan danhampir-hampir saja kedua pasang suami istri naik pitam dan membunuhnya.Sampai akhirnya di ketahui para tetangga yang berdatangan dan akhirnyamelerai peristiwa itu dan menyelesaikan dengan kepala dingin pula.Miraminta maaf sambil menyembah-nyembah kaki sang majikan karna dia yakinkalau dia tidak akan pernah kerja lagi di rumah itu. Bagi dia itu takmasalah, tapi yang dia takutin adalah PENJARA dimana dia akan segeradi-kurung disana. Singkat cerita yang namanya Mira tetap menjalani kurunganpenjara itu.Dengan adanya trauma yang dasyat itu Cindy dan Tommy berjanji tidak maujauh dari sang buah hatinya. Kini Cindy dengan ikhlas mengorbankanjabatannya untuk merawat si mungil sendiri dan urusan yang lain-lain merakameng-hire PRT yang tentunya sudah lebih diseleksi.
Begitulah kejadian yang disampaikan oleh sahabatku yang saat itu buru-buru pulang ke Bandung membawa anak-anaknya karena kejadian rekan sekerjanyasahabatku ini pindah ke Bandung dan tinggal kembali bersama mertua yangkebetulan memang cukup baik dalam membantu mendidik anak-anak sahabatkuyang masih kecil itu.Di abad mordern ini banyak kaum wanita merasa malu kalau mereka statusnyasebagai ibu rumah tangga, bahkan banyak para suamipun mengharapkan kalaupara istri turut berperan menjadi TOTAL FOOT BALL dalam menambahpenghasilan rumah tangga. Wanita yang tradisionil sangat langka pada masakini.Pendidikan untuk generasi mendatang berfokus dalam rumah tangga.Wanita,istri sebenarnya berperan aktif sebagai ujung tombak pendidikandalam rumah tangga apa lagi dalam mendukung karier suami. Istri bisa sajaberpendidikan tinggi, namun apabila sang buah hatinya lahir relakanwaktumu, sentuhanmu, emosimu tuk memelihara sang buah hatimu. Waktu yangdibutuhkan memang tidak lama, 7 tahun sampai dia mulai memasuki SD, kalauboleh ambil keluarga terdekat adik atau sepupuh yang dipercaya untukmenemani sang bocah pabila si ibu sudah tidak tahan meneruskan keriernyakembali di kantoran.Tapi banyak orang-orang sekarang menyuruh ibu(nenek kakeknya)memeliharabayi-bayi meraka. Wah...sudah orang tua capek-capek, melahirkan, mengurusatau mendidik kita namun mereka tidak pernah pensiun dalam hal ini.Memanghal sperti ini better than nothing, tapi sepertinya dijaman modern ini adatempat penitipan bayi-bayi tuk wanita-wanita yang berperan sebagai TOTALFOOT BALL yang jelas ini pun tidak menjamin seratus persen.Dari hasil riset yang kami peroleh bahwa anak-anak yang dititip sepertiini menjadi hyper aktif dan over dosis dalam pergaulan.TOTAL FOOT BALL bisa membuat gawang kebobolan. Bila sang ibu cenderungseperti itu contoh hasil pengalaman sahabat kami bisa terjadi,kecenderungan anak-anak yang suka membuat RETORICAL QUESTIONS yang harusnyathd orang tuanya kini dijawab sang PRT atau orang lain yang kita titip. Halini bukan saja mengancam masa kecilnya namun sekaligus menghancurkan masadepannya dan gawang keluargapun KEBOBOLAN, generasi mendatang pun pudar.
Camkanlah ini.
Penulis pernah bekerja sama dalam bidang pendidikan anak-anak kecil pada saat di Indonesia dan di US pernah bergabung dengan AARC(Assocasion AsianResource Centre)
Generasi Kita Bukanlah di Tangan PRT
============================
Pengalaman nyata yang dialami oleh rekan sahabat saya patut jadi bahanpertimbangan para pembaca. Hal ini memang simple tapi menyangkutgenerasi-generasi kita ke depan nanti.Tommy dan Cindy (masing-masing bukanlah nama mereka yang sebenarnya)adalahsepasang suami istri yang baru mempunyai si buah hati yang mungil dan lucuberusia sekitar 9 bulanan begitulah kira-kira. Kedua-duanya seorang pekerjadi perusahaan yang sama dan dulunya mereka berkenalan dan menemukanperjodohan di perusahaan tersebut. Mereka berdomisili di kota Jakarta dantinggal di perumahan yang cukup mewah, tentu saja mereka peroleh dari thebest company yang ada di Indonesia yang menyediakan fasilitas-fasilitasyang memuaskan bagi para employer apalagi bagi yang punya jabatan hebat diperusahaan itu.
Mereka berdua meng-hire seorang baby sitter yang merangkap membantu RTmereka. Dari segi ekonomi sebenarnya mereka sanggup meng-hire baby sitterkhusus, PRT khusus dan seorang gardener. Namun karena kalkulasinya terlalungirit semuanya pekerjaan RT hampir dirangkap si Mira(begitulah kira-kiranama sang pembantu tersebut maaf tanpa bermaksud menyinggung perasaan yanglain).Mungkin karena lelah dan gaji yang tidak balance dengan apa yangditanggung oleh si Mira maka sering terjadilah hal-hal yang tidakmenyenangkan ini.Kebiasaan si Mira rupanya punya koneksi dengan para gelandangan yangsering mejeng meminta-minta di lampu-lampu merah kota tersebut. Ataumungkin dulunya sang agen mengambil para pembantu dari kalangan ini.Hubungan si Mira dan si Minah(nama gelandangan itu) samakin lancar-lancarsaja karena sang majikan pun belum mengetahuinya saat itu.Suatu saat entah kenapa si Tommy dan Cindy lekas pulang dari kantornya.Tiba-tiba di perempatan lampu merah tentu saja mobil yang di kendarai elehpasangan yang bahagia ini berhenti oleh rambu-rambu jalan itu. Tiba-tiba yang namanya sang ibu yang nalurinya lebih tajam dari sang bapakdikejuntukan oleh suatu hal yang membutanya agak shock. Dari balik kacamobil yang agak gelap ala reben BMW itu dia lihat kok gelandangan wanitaitu memangku seseorang yang mirip sekali dengan buan hatinya. Kebetulanrambu-rambu merah itu agak lama, maka sempatlah lama dan puas sekali diamemandangin si buah hatinya yang wajahnya agak dicoreng moreng agarkelihatan lebih dekil sedikit. Dia tidak buka kaca mobil dan tidak langsungturun dan tidak beritahu pada suaminya yang pada saat itu mungkin sedangmengalihkan pandangan yang lain.Sesampainya di rumah dia sengaja tidak langsung tanya pada si Mira.Ditariknya suaminya ke kamar mereka yang saat itu memang master bad roomberada di lantai ke 2 karna rumah tersebut dalam bentuk two story,sementara kamar baby di lantai pertama berseberangan dengan kamar si Mira untuk memudahkan si Mira bergerak kesana kemari kalau ada apa-apa.Cindy pada saat itu berusaha menunjukkan wajah yang setenang mungkin thdMira.
Dia masih sempat pura-pura bertanya pada Mira apakah si baby mungilitu sedang tidur jadi dia seolah-olah tak perlu mengganggunya untuksementara atau mengecek ke kamar si baby, padahal nun jauh di hati Cindykalau dia begitu GERRRAMMM SEKALI dan ingin MENAMPAR, MENUNJANG, MENJAMBAK,MENG-INJEK-INJEK dan MENGUSIR si Mira PRTnya itu.Wajah si Mira yang pada awalnya agak shock menyambut kedua pasangan suamiistri yang datangnya 1 jam lebih cepat dari yang biasanya tersebut kinikilihatan agak aman setelah melihat Cindy dan Tommy beranjak menuju kemarmereka yang di lantai atas.Cindy menceritakan pada sang suami akan apa yang dia lihat dan diacurigakan.Tentu saja yang namanya lelaki ingin langsung menubruk ke kamarsang baby ingin membuktikan dengan segera. Cindy memaksa dan membujuk sangsuami dan menerangkan dengan kepala dingin. Bila seandainya dia turun diperempatan lampu merah dan merebut buah hatinya itu, sudah barang tentusang gelandangan akan membela hak nya. Orang lain tak akan semudah itumempercayainya, hal ini bisa menjadi umpan balik padanya, malah dia yangbisa di borgol tuk sementara sebelum proses pengadilan dan test DNAdilanjudkan. Dalam hal ini prosesnya akan memakan waktu yang panjang.Bila dia langsung marah pada Mira dan melihat ke kamar si baby dan melihatternyata si baby tak ada di dalam kamar dia pikir bisa saja si Miraberbohong mungkin ada penculik yang masuk nyelonong dari pagar rumahtersebut ketika si Mira sedang melakukan pekerjaan yang lain-lain.Bisa saja si Mira membuat strategi yang lain-lain jauh sebelumnya apa bilaterjadi hal-hal manakala si Cindy dan Tommy datang pada saat yang mendadak.Halitulah yang menerangkan dalam benak Cindy yang sebenarnya sedang kalangkabut.Tommy berusaha menenangkan pikirannya yang turut kacau dan hampir takpercaya itu. Cindy mengamarkan pada sang suami bahwa lebih baik kita tunggukira-kira satu jam lagi sambil mengintip perlahan-lahan dan berjaga-jagadari balik gorden kamar lantai atas tersebut tuk memandang ke pekarangandepan di balik gerbang pagar besi sambil berharap munkin dari arah pintugerbang pagar besi itu sang gelandangan akan mengantar anaknya kembalitepat sebelum jam-jam sang majikan pulang. Kelihatan-nya schedule memangsudah diatur sedemikian rupa dan hal ini mungkin sudah sering dilakukan,begitulah kira-kira dalam benak Cindy.Analisa dan logika Cindy memang benar-benar tidak meleset. Kira-kirasekitar satu jam memang sang gelandangan mengantar sang buah hatinya.Mira sambil tergesa-gesa dan memberi isyarat pada gelandangan tersebutkalau sang majikan datang lebih awal dari yang biasanya sambilmenunjuk-nunjuk ke arah jendela kamar atas sang majikan yang keduanyatidak menyadari kalau pasangan suami istri tersebut sedang mengamati dansudah tidak kuat menahan GERRRAMM sambil menggigit bibir merakamasing-masing. Sang gelandangang kabur secepatnya sambil memberikansebahagian hasil minta-mintanya pada Mira, karna rupanya anak itu memangsudah sering di boking sang gelandangan sebagai variasi dalam menambah ibabagi para pemberi sedekah yang lalu lalang di lokasi itu.Mira pikir dia akan aman dan menarik nafas sembari mau membersihkan sibaby mungil itu, tapi tiba-tiba apa yang terjadi?
Dunia berguncang, bumi pun bergetar pada saat tamparan demi tamparan, jambakan demi jambakan danhampir-hampir saja kedua pasang suami istri naik pitam dan membunuhnya.Sampai akhirnya di ketahui para tetangga yang berdatangan dan akhirnyamelerai peristiwa itu dan menyelesaikan dengan kepala dingin pula.Miraminta maaf sambil menyembah-nyembah kaki sang majikan karna dia yakinkalau dia tidak akan pernah kerja lagi di rumah itu. Bagi dia itu takmasalah, tapi yang dia takutin adalah PENJARA dimana dia akan segeradi-kurung disana. Singkat cerita yang namanya Mira tetap menjalani kurunganpenjara itu.Dengan adanya trauma yang dasyat itu Cindy dan Tommy berjanji tidak maujauh dari sang buah hatinya. Kini Cindy dengan ikhlas mengorbankanjabatannya untuk merawat si mungil sendiri dan urusan yang lain-lain merakameng-hire PRT yang tentunya sudah lebih diseleksi.
Begitulah kejadian yang disampaikan oleh sahabatku yang saat itu buru-buru pulang ke Bandung membawa anak-anaknya karena kejadian rekan sekerjanyasahabatku ini pindah ke Bandung dan tinggal kembali bersama mertua yangkebetulan memang cukup baik dalam membantu mendidik anak-anak sahabatkuyang masih kecil itu.Di abad mordern ini banyak kaum wanita merasa malu kalau mereka statusnyasebagai ibu rumah tangga, bahkan banyak para suamipun mengharapkan kalaupara istri turut berperan menjadi TOTAL FOOT BALL dalam menambahpenghasilan rumah tangga. Wanita yang tradisionil sangat langka pada masakini.Pendidikan untuk generasi mendatang berfokus dalam rumah tangga.Wanita,istri sebenarnya berperan aktif sebagai ujung tombak pendidikandalam rumah tangga apa lagi dalam mendukung karier suami. Istri bisa sajaberpendidikan tinggi, namun apabila sang buah hatinya lahir relakanwaktumu, sentuhanmu, emosimu tuk memelihara sang buah hatimu. Waktu yangdibutuhkan memang tidak lama, 7 tahun sampai dia mulai memasuki SD, kalauboleh ambil keluarga terdekat adik atau sepupuh yang dipercaya untukmenemani sang bocah pabila si ibu sudah tidak tahan meneruskan keriernyakembali di kantoran.Tapi banyak orang-orang sekarang menyuruh ibu(nenek kakeknya)memeliharabayi-bayi meraka. Wah...sudah orang tua capek-capek, melahirkan, mengurusatau mendidik kita namun mereka tidak pernah pensiun dalam hal ini.Memanghal sperti ini better than nothing, tapi sepertinya dijaman modern ini adatempat penitipan bayi-bayi tuk wanita-wanita yang berperan sebagai TOTALFOOT BALL yang jelas ini pun tidak menjamin seratus persen.Dari hasil riset yang kami peroleh bahwa anak-anak yang dititip sepertiini menjadi hyper aktif dan over dosis dalam pergaulan.TOTAL FOOT BALL bisa membuat gawang kebobolan. Bila sang ibu cenderungseperti itu contoh hasil pengalaman sahabat kami bisa terjadi,kecenderungan anak-anak yang suka membuat RETORICAL QUESTIONS yang harusnyathd orang tuanya kini dijawab sang PRT atau orang lain yang kita titip. Halini bukan saja mengancam masa kecilnya namun sekaligus menghancurkan masadepannya dan gawang keluargapun KEBOBOLAN, generasi mendatang pun pudar.
Camkanlah ini.
Penulis pernah bekerja sama dalam bidang pendidikan anak-anak kecil pada saat di Indonesia dan di US pernah bergabung dengan AARC(Assocasion AsianResource Centre)
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