The Husband Returns

Indonesian Mutual Fund Historical Performance Data

2007-09-03T14:42:00.000+07:00

yes, finally... the same title is published again, but this time the website on complete mutual fund historical performance data is now back online. I have decided to do an overhaul on the website to enable more features without too many efforts in coding. It is still "beta", but the data already updated daily.

there's more to come in this website, more details please visit:
http://www.portalreksadana.com

All of these features and information will still be available for FREE. portalreksadana.com aims to be the most comprehensive mutual fund information provider in Indonesia, enabling access of information to everyone for FREE.

Comments and suggestions are welcome...

Pawel Brodzinski on Software Project Management: OpenProj Review

2007-08-18T11:11:00.000+07:00

Pawel Brodzinski on Software Project Management: OpenProj Review

Wordpress.com is Down!

2007-08-17T13:51:00.000+07:00

Happened in 13.50 local time Indonesia, exactly on Indonesia's Independence Day, Wordpress.com experiencing error. Every wordpress.com website is inaccessible...

anyway, approximately at 14:20, wordpress.com is Up again. here are some of the error messages...

Whoops!

There was a small systems error. Please try refreshing the page and if the error is still there drop us a note and let us know.

Goshdarnit!

Something has gone wrong with our servers. It’s probably Matt’s fault.

We’ve just been notified of the problem.

Hopefully this should be fixed ASAP, so kindly reload in a minute and things should be back to normal.

The Husband is now Unleashed

2007-08-13T08:34:00.001+07:00

Inspired by the growing trends of blogging, I have decided to create another blog as a media to express my personal thoughts on IT related stuffs.

It is launched in http://autogebet.wordpress.com, see you all there :)

The Game of Pride

2007-07-23T07:34:00.000+07:00

Apparently, I enjoyed sports which “compete with someone” instead of “compete with myself”. Since recent months, I have been enjoying table tennis (or “ping pong” in Bahasa). Well, by competing with someone, you will definitely got “Pride” involved.

I recalled years ago, when I was in junior highschool, I was completely beaten by a friend of mine in table tennis. At that moment, my pride was lost. So I have never played table tennis ever since.

Just few months ago, I feel like trying table tennis again. So, I embrace myself to play with a friend of mine, here in my workplace. Well, as what happened years ago, once again I got completely beaten (and my Pride once again lost). But this time, I don’t quit. I learn table tennis techniques from many friends here. I also played a lot, with many opponents, hoping I would play better than before.

I am currently undergone a table tennis tournament. I have had hard and intensive table tennis trainings for a few months, hoping this time I would be able to regain my Pride.

You can see the pics here some of my “style” while playing table tennis. Yesterday, I played 7 games with my sparring partner. It was a very rough game, because my thumb is injured :p

Transformers, Two thumbs up! 5-star Ratings!

2007-07-01T09:43:00.000+07:00

This movie is highly recommended! You really can’t missed this one!

I really impressed with this movie! Although I’m not much a fan of the cartoon series of Transformers, I really surprised with the story and the marvellous 3D animation. I would say, this movie outrank Fantastic Four: Return of the Silver Surfer and Spiderman 3.

Non-stop action starts from the beginning. You will see many fully-loaded action scenes. You can really feel the excitement boosting your adrenaline. I have never seen such realistic 3D animation. The animation looks very much real, blends perfectly with real world objects. As said by Cinemags, the rendering took 36 hours to create super-realistic 3D objects. The movie Toy Story (or was it Cars) only took 2-3 hours rendering.

Besides the impressive 3D animation, I really love the U.S. military’s chain-of-command and technology. I love it how every military commands given by top authority get executed very efficiently, especially in infantry units. Cinemags said that US. Dept of Defense really involved in the making of Transformers, especially showing off the prototype of next generation fighter jets: F-22 Raptor. I also love it when A-10 Thunderbolts gives stunning action very early in the movie.

Just as in Spiderman 3, this movie gives not only superb cinematic experience, but also words of wisdom. Some of which I recall was “one shall stand, one shall fall”, “no sacrifice, no victory”. Optimus Prime is not only the strongest autobots, but also a charismatic leader who is willing to sacrifice itself to achieve victory.

A bit out-of-topic, you will definitely notice many sponsors in the movie, such as: eBay, the military communication equipment has Cisco logo (the IP telephone), Nokia handphone get destroyed, the Japanese got many credits in robotics, and some others which unfortunately I have forgotten. I really want to see the movie again, just to enjoy the animation, and to take note of the complete sponsors :p

Thanks to mr.Neofreko, I finally got some pictures of Transformers. Complete pictures available from http://movie.yahoo.com/ ^_^

I just got a very nice article on "The Making of Transformers Movie". It spells out everything I wrote here, about how they design the robots, the military involvement, the selection of cards, and many more. Enjoy the article here ^_^

One Man Can Make a Difference

2007-05-07T07:56:00.000+07:00

It’s an awesome movie. It’s really worth the effort where I had to stand in line for 45 minutes just to buy 2 tickets on Saturday night (and I got the seat for Sunday night… hahaha).

This sequel is definitely the best among the previous one. The movie duration is only 2 hours, but it felt like 2,5 or 3 hours. The movie not only gives you super amazing special effects, but also inspiring. Spiderman 3 had a really nice drama plot, showing the transition of Parker’s emotional and behavioural trait when wearing black-alien spidey suit. We can nicely see how Parker gradually undergone conflict of relationship with MJ, and of course, the best part of it, they got back together again (ohhh so heroic…).

Spiderman 3 is inspiring. Many wisdom scattered around the plot. I especially love the tag “One Man Can Make a Difference”. I also love it when there was a “deep forgiving” for Sandman.

All I can say, you definitely had to see it for yourself. Marvellous!

Lala's Birthday

2007-05-07T07:53:00.000+07:00

May 4th, 2007, is the happiest moment ever. Lala is very happy on her birthday, the sweetest moment ever. Here are the pics, there also a picture of mine who was "happy" also :)

Core Duo

2007-04-28T08:29:00.000+07:00

Let me share you the pics on my birthday few days ago. the Super Cake was from Bunda Lala :)
You can see me eager to eat the Super Cake :p

Here's another pic of me with Master Yuda. Yes, we BOTH celebrate birthday at the same day. Master Yuda is the director of Inspira, which recently launched Jogja Early Warning System and Jogja Mobile City.

The Legendary Dopod 900

2007-04-28T08:21:00.000+07:00

Since few weeks ago, I was in search of a new gadget to replace my Dopod 900 since it has shown signs of malfunction (the red cancel button need to be pressed few times just to disconnect active phone calls).

After an exhaustive search, I conclude that there is no product as compelling as my Dopod 900. The Nokia high-end series (9300, 9500, etc), which many people regarded as prestigious or exclusive gadget, just don’t have touch screen. Samsung’s dual standby handphone, W579, was really compelling. It has touchscreen and eliminates the need of another CDMA phone. But unfortunately, although set at premium price, W579 just don’t have Wifi feature. In short, there is no match for Dopod 900 which had the widest screen, rotated screen, built-in keyboard, Wifi and 3G, all in one gadget.

Dopod recently has launched its 900 successor, the U1000. I have tried the product myself. It really really compelling, combining 3.5G, GPS, 3MP Camera and a VGA/TV-Out (yes, impress your client just simply connect U1000 to viewer). For a plain businessperson like me, I’d say this U1000 is a state-of-the-art, really no match with Nokia.

On the counterpart, I can sense some drawbacks: to quickly write SMS without touch-screen, you need to take and plug the keyboard (it is really quick on Dopod 900 since keyboard is already built-in). to make phonecalls, you cannot tap it on your ears just like Dopod 900, you must always bring the bluetooth headset.

Mahi Mahi is Not Recommended

2007-03-20T08:22:00.000+07:00

On my last weekend, we decided to try to have lunch in new place. So, as many friends suggests, “Try Mahi Mahi, the seafood is good.”

Well, Mahi Mahi is not that good. The place itself is good, it is designed much like Jimbaran, I’m sure its cozy at night. There is also beach sands as kid’s playground. But first thing that counts is the food, and unfortunately the food is tasteless. If you previously had tried Mang Engking, Mahi Mahi is really not a comparable one, in price as well as taste. For example: the legendary honey-fried shrimp (udang bakar madu) costs Rp. 250.000 in Mahi Mahi, while you can get the best one for Rp. 90.000 in Mang Engking.

Lala’s First Day in Playgroup

2007-03-20T08:09:00.000+07:00

Lala was very happy and excited when she first knew that she would be going to school. She was happily tried out the outfit, even she use the outfit all night long. I really felt happy as well, hopefully she would learn many things in school. Checkout the pics here.

The Beta Release of portalreksadana.com

2007-03-11T09:46:00.000+07:00

alhamdulilah... after a long wait, the beta release of portalreksadana.com is finally up and running... checkout the snapshot below.

The portal has the most comprehensive mutual fund historical data in Indonesia. It covers mutual fund data from 2005 until 2007 (so far: March 4, daily update feature will soon be available), I just need more time to collect the 2003-2004 data. The database size is 15MB, containing over 180 thousands records. It took over 12 hours to get all of those data from Bapepam, and of course, a blazing speed of internet connection.

The portal had a long development roadmap. In the near future, this portal will be upgraded with useful features for registered members. for example: portfolio tracker will help investors in managing their net investment value in multiple accounts. registered members will also have access and download to raw data (not only mutual funds, but also indexes data from JSX), to be further processed with other applications.

Yes, all of these features and information will still be available for FREE. portalreksadana.com aims to be the most comprehensive mutual fund information provider in Indonesia, enabling access to everyone for FREE.

I'm open for comments and ideas, keep up the spirit of investing!

Bunda Lala's Birthday

2007-02-04T07:06:00.000+07:00

February 3th, its Bunda Lala's birthday!

checkout the pics, we had a super wonderful moments dining at Mang Engking...

The Wonderful 2 Hours Saturday Night

2007-01-28T08:09:00.000+07:00

we had a wonderful dining at Hartz Chicken, the whole family had wonderful dining experience. we were dining for almost over 2 hours, we enjoyed the pleasant service, cozy place, and a movie projected on the screen.

here we are:

of course, what makes the event so special, is LALA. she loves the place, she enjoyed meeting and talking with people, she played everywhere with everyone. checkout the pic here, she introduced herself to a cute foreigner. she also got really acquainted with the restaurant manager. :)

The Power of GTFW

2007-01-15T12:04:00.000+07:00

I am impressed with the power of GTFW!
GTFW stands for "Gamatechno Framework". It is very easy to use, and far much more advance compared to other framework I knew before. Even a novice like me found GTFW very easy to use. GTFW is one of the masterpiece of Gamatechno, developed primarily by sicopak, neofreko, Ageng, Pakdhe Paydjo, heribertus, teguh, trias, widodo.

You can crosscheck with pak Endar, he saw me creates new project only in seconds, and within 3-4 hours I was able to fetch data from JSX (Jakarta Stock Exchange). I have fetched all of the market index data, everything from 2004 up until today. I really need those data (related with my previous article), but JSX has the same characteristic with Bapepam: they don’t provide a user friendly interface. By now, if I need JCI (IHSG) data, I don’t have to go to the Faculty of Economics.

Soon, I will publish the data, for free… *winking to momon* :)
Here is the the snapshot, showing my customizations from the default GTFW template.

I Really Hate Pocket Cameras...

2007-01-13T07:55:00.000+07:00

the last several days, you can see Mt.Merapi clearly, one of the most beautiful view ever. the blue sky is everywhere, clear from clouds. it really challenges my "photographic sense".

but as you can see from the pictures, pocket (or automatic) cameras can't reproduce picture as it seen from our eyes. i really missed my old professional camera, with its filters, I'm sure I can freely set the camera so it will reproduce the best picture as our eye can see.

*sigh*

The Fresh New Vista Fonts

2007-01-11T08:31:00.000+07:00

impressed by the presentation made by a colleague of mine, I curiously hunt for the new vista fonts, the new fonts which gives much better clarity and readibility in documents or web pages. try it in your presentations, and you will definitely want it.

review and snapshots about these fonts is available from Poynter. the next picture is a a replacement for Arial: Calibri and Corbel.

the next picture is a replacement for Times New Roman: Constantia (a great complement for Georgia also).

if you need these fonts, you can download it here.

The Wedding Week

2007-01-08T07:41:00.000+07:00

Last weekend was a happy and adventurous week. There was a total of 5 couple engaged in a wedding, uniting them into unbreakable family bonds. Of course, five is the number where we got invited. I’m sure there’s plenty more couples getting married in early January 2007.

We travel from Yogya to Tegal, and then crossing the Java Island through Cilacap back to Yogya. The first wedding was my own younger brother, held in Tegal. The second was the wedding of a very good friend of mine, Haris (also a fellow colleague at Gamatechno), held somewhere near Cilacap (this is where the adventure begins, keep reading). The rest is a subsequest wedding namely Hesti (my fellow colleague at Inspira), Hoki (my postgraduate friend) and Wuri (one of my wife’s colleague during in Trijaya).

The travel was adventurous, because we got lost during the search of the second wedding location. Haris should have guided me using a much more accurate map, such as Google Earth. He misestimated a lot. We departed from Tegal at 14.30, we already in Kondangan suit (batik) because we should have reach the location within one or two hours (as estimated by Haris). Well, in fact, during the search of Wangon intersection, we got lost somewhere around Ajibarang, Rowulu and Maos and Cilacap. The tense and stress even higher, because there was a full blackout (mati lampu) after Wangon, and we still had to travel all the way through the pine forest (yes, again, Haris also forgot to mention this), alone in the complete darkness. Alhamdulilah, we arrive in location at 19.30, after a total of 5 hours driving. Due to the misestimation, we were facing another threat: nearly out of gasoline. Luckily, there were many bottled gasoline retailers nearby. After having a full meal, we departed back home, another 5 hours drive to Yogya. We arrived at 02.00 a.m. in the morning, completely exhausted. anyway, it was a very challenging and fun adventure :)

Enough for the short story, enjoy the pics.

Indonesian Mutual Fund Historical Performance Data

2006-12-26T09:31:00.000+07:00

Finally… I have completed the beta development of “Mutual Fund Manager” (“Reksadana Manager”). With this application, I can have historical performance data on every mutual funds available in Indonesia. You can rely on this data, because it is originated from from Bapepam itself, the Indonesian Capital Market Supervisory Agency.

When I decided to enter the mutual fund market, I personally got stressed because I could not found sufficient historical performance data as one of the basis of my decisions. It is very contrast with overseas financial information provider, such as MSN MoneyCentral or marketwatch.com. Unlike stocks, information for mutual funds were very hard to find. Previously, I found e-samuel.com and bisnis.com were one of the most up-to-date information. But later I found out that they don’t provide sufficient historical data. E-samuel.com came up with the historical data available in charts, but their data is incomplete, they don’t have data on every mutual funds available in Indonesia. Even JSX and SSX (Surabaya Stock Exchange) don’t have the information I need.

Finally I got the most representative source of information, the Bapepam (www.bapepam.go.id). Although they got details on every mutual funds available in Indonesia, but the user interface is not convenient for users who needed daily data. I had to do multiple clicks, and copy-paste the screen to Excel (not to mention reformatting and adding more columns). So again, I decided to automate these tasks, get myself back with Delphi to develop the application I needed. Checkout the snapshot.

There would be many improvement for the next release. One which need improvement is the synchronization process, I need to upgrade it by using threads. More features will be available to make this application as a personal mutual fund manager, e.g. you can check how much your investment worth at any time. I look forward for your comments and suggestions.

You also need this application? Contact me, and I’ll send it to you, its free. Of course, you should be patient to wait until a stable version is available.

Overheated!

2006-12-11T08:57:00.000+07:00

4 days ago, I got overheated so that you can see some light smoke fades away from my body. It happened after a fresh another 1-hour-walk in the morning. Apparently, this phenomena is an early warning system, it indicates that I will be sick, or requires substantial bedrest.

This had happened about at my early years of college (around 10 years ago). At that moment, I was so excited in hiking. I always smoked after several intensive activities, my brother and relatives noticed also. Few days afterwards, I got hospitalized for 10 days, undergone treatment for typhus.

Just happened 3 days ago, I was in a full bedrest. The early simptoms was severe breathing problem (sesak napas), always occured in everything I did, even a minor one. At night, the simptoms enriched with high fever. Gladly, the fever lasted only for one night. Surprisingly, after a delicious dinner in Bakmi Kadin, the simptoms I mentioned before has gone completely, no more breathing problem. But at that moment, new simptoms emerged, and Bunda Lala positively identified it as gastritis (maag). Oh dear… I never had gastritis before… all night long I had my stomach twisted, going back and forth to the washroom. Again, gladly, this inconvenience lasted only for one night.

After another boring bedrest in Sunday, I am back with my 1-hour-walk this morning. As always, such as after a hard exercise, I felt much energized than before. From a positive perspective, I think this body has been “upgraded” to the next level.

Of course, there is a always cause or trigger for every simptoms. 10 years ago, It was caused by non-hygienic foods. What happened recently, would be most likely a psychological cause (e.g. stressed). By correctly identified the cause, you can identify your body’s limitations. Therefore, you will know how much you can push yourself to the limit. But don’t forget, as time passess, the limit always “grows” fulfilling the challenge of time.

Power Up!

The One Hour Walk

2006-11-22T08:03:00.000+07:00

Hosh... I have been doing this one hour morning walk nearly for the last 3 weeks. I started this as my new sports ever since Novotel's fitness membership fee has become too expensive. I had to find an alternative which is affordable. so here I am, back to my old sports, the morning walk. Back in the old days, the walk usually only half hour (because school hour starts very early). Now, its time for the next level, the walk will be conducted at least one hour.

Doing the walk is FUN. the fun raises when you listens favourite musics along the walk. I thought I was going to be bored with walking, especially for a long one hour. The strategy is to have several route alternatives. Don't worry when you misestimate a route (or probably get lost somewhere). You'll be challenged to survive, and when you done it, you really achieve the next level. Of course, just in case you ran out of energy, always gear up with a bottle of drink, some small amount of cash (don't need to bring fully-packed wallet with credit cards), and don't left your handphone at home :p

I really enjoy this morning walk, it really brings back the good old days (right Sam? hehe). I always sleep early (after maghrib) and woke up around 2 or -3 a.m. The walk starts after shubuh, around 4.30, and finishes at 5.30 (can be at 06.00 if you misestimate a route). The walk currently scheduled three times a week, with another special walk on Sunday morning. Yes, a walk to UGM from home, it took a perfect one hour walk. At first I was planning to walk to the office, but Bunda Lala did not agree since it would not be practical (bathing in the office, bring breakfast+lunch box, etc).

Looking forward to get started? I suggests doing a walk gradually, starting with half hour first. You will feel muscle pain around your waist and hip. This would conditions your mind and body, especially to reduce the sleepy feeling after walking. After two or three walk, you won't feel sleepy again, just make sure you get enough rest.

If i ever get bored, and switching to another sports, you'll be the first to know. You might also interested what Lala is doing in the morning :)

The Canadians Like My Hair

2006-11-21T08:02:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I had a presentation on "Improving OSS Customers Experience" to the officials of CIDA (Canada International Development Agency) and TAF (The Asia Foundation). The presentation which was conducted in English, gladly, was a successful one. The CIDA officials was very much impressed.

I really love the habit of the foreigners (more specific: americans). It is the habit of appreciating people even in the simplest form such as SMS. to Mr. Adam Day (TAF) and Mr. Robert Langevin (CIDA), thank you for the appreciation.

By the way, there was also an interesting small talks. Mr. Robert said very early before i began the presentation that he really like my hair. He also said that I looked very much "an IT guy". That was not the first time I heard that, many people said similar. I still don't have the clue which cause that impression, was it because of my hair, my face or my cool IT gadgets (notebook and PDA). ha..ha..ha..

I was accompanied by pak Nanang, but the canadians has a quite different impression on him. The canadians said that pak Nanang looked very much "a government guy". (me, laughing at the floor. pak Nanang, peace yo..).

The Sixth Sense of Lala

2006-11-17T07:42:00.001+07:00

oh my...
it happened again, Lala saw "the invinsible" last night. i was not there at the moment, i just tell you the details from Bunda Lala.

last night, Lala wanted to play with our maid, which was already aslept in her room. her room is upstairs (backside of our house), just above the bathroom. Lala ran just in front of the stairs, starts calling her name, "mbak Atul..." repeatedly. Bunda Lala and her mother (Oma) just stay still in front of the tv.

suddenly, the calling stopped. Lala ran quickly to Oma saying, "takuuuut, itu di kotak mainan, mbak Atul bukan ya?". Oma and Bunda Lala stunned, because definitely there is no one there (kotak mainan is just beside the stairs). Lala herself didn't seems to be afraid very much. She asked Oma, "ayuuk Oma, ayo ikut lihat...". of course Oma did not wanted to see such sightings :)

well, it happened again. Lala's sixth sense again detects the invinsible, but this time Lala has been very good in combining sentences. when it happened, it will surely scares Bunda Lala :)

The Wonderful Lebaran

2006-11-03T08:05:00.000+07:00

Lebaran is surely wonderful. Bunda Lala's parents are visiting us here in Yogyakarta. so, here are the pictures of joy from them. also, there is a picture of my sister in law, and of course: LALA.

Best Friend Forever

2006-11-03T07:47:00.001+07:00

here is the picture of Lala and Keisha. they always unexpectedly meet each other in many places. I think they will be best friend forever.

Smartcard PC/SC Programming with C# .NET

2006-10-09T08:12:00.000+07:00

I am so overwhelmed with smartcards!

last midnight, I finally fulfilled my quest on how to communicate with smartcard through PC/SC (not by direct access through the serial ports). I previously did intensive research on OpenSC and OCF (Open Card Framework). With OpenSC, I'm stuck because of all of my cards were unsupported (my card is Gemplus Xpresso and Oberthur). With OCF, well, the framework in Java took quite some efforts for me to implement it :)

Since the last several weeks, I have been intensively also in learning .NET, especially with C#. so why didn't I explore this PC/SC access with C#. C# is my future coding skills, I intend to be really good with C# (as I did with Delphi). After a long quest, thanks to Mike Yeager who contributes a code samples of interfacing PC/SC with C#.

Let me give you the snapshot here, it is still a very simple example. the quest of smartcard with .NET continues... :)

Another Lala's Adventure

2006-10-09T07:59:00.000+07:00

I have some pictures of Lala, but the events occured quite some time ago (I haven't got the time to upload it). the first is on Kebun Raya Bogor, when I took a long holiday on Independence Day. Secondly, Lala loves singing very much, picture taken when my health councellor finally celebrates his most wonderful day of his life. enjoy :)

Avanza Returns

2006-09-18T13:04:00.000+07:00

you can see in the pic, my car is now restored in its original condition. thanks to Wawan H. Prabowo, a KOMPAS reporter, who has a great gentlemanship. he is the one which made this repairs possible.

you might curious to know where he made the repairs. it was a "classic" workshop, but the owner has a special technique on mixing car paints. the workshop named "Janto", located in Gedong Kuning, just south of Rejowinangun intersection, in front of Fajar Mobil. the repair costs around Rp. 450.000 (so does Nascomo, Astra), but the paint quality is exceptionally good. the new paint match exactly as the previous one.

feel free to talk to the owner, he is a nice fellow to talk to. as the idiom said, "never judge a book by its cover". the idiom describes this workshop very well.

Overwhelmed with Handbags!

2006-09-15T08:06:00.000+07:00

yesterday afternoon, one cabinet-sized package has just arrived. oh dear, it was one of the biggest package fully loaded with handbags. as you can see in the pic, I was quite "overwhelmed" with the handbags. processing on each item is quite time-consuming, I even hadn't had the chance to take pictures on those items.

curious on the items? I shall have it uploaded to Prestise by tomorrow.

E-Government Summit 2006

2006-09-15T08:01:00.000+07:00

It was a great annual event, held by Warta Ekonomi on September 14, 2006, in Inna Garuda Hotel Yogyakarta. I was very much looking forward for this event, because it (originally) presents the Governor of DIY Province and Fadel Muhammad (governor of Gorontalo Province). I also love the theme, "Reformasi Birokrasi dengan Teknologi Informasi". unfortunately, Fadel Muhammad was not present. yes, I'm not saying this event is great because of the food :)

Despite of the boring beginning, it has a very glamorous ending, which is the ceremonial of e-government award. It has great lighting effect, and great soundsystem (they use Rocky's soundtrack). This was the first time I saw Jaya Suprana as the master of ceremony. he conducted in a fun and relaxed manner, filled with small jokes.

on my way out, they give away merchandises. they give away the most recent Warta Ekonomi magazine, and also a Cisco t-shirt. again, unfortunately, the shirt is not suited for my size :D

The Haircut

2006-09-09T08:31:00.000+07:00

Lala is having her pony cut. she is enjoying every step of the process. checkout the pic. the pic is taken through the mirror, so you can guess where the haircut is done :)

Wonderful Weekend

2006-09-04T12:28:00.000+07:00

I just had one of the most wonderful weekend. on Saturday, I started my long delayed hobby, Fitness and Swimming! Bunda Lala is now joining the fitness club in Novotel also. Since Lala will be in school until afternoon, we will be freely enjoying doing fitness together :)

as always, on Monday we spend half of the day in UGM, accompanying Bunda Lala selling the handbags. of course, my task was to accompany Lala. Its not "a walk in UGM", since I have to carry her :) I had a very stiff muscles, but it felt great, because Lala was very happy, not even cried or upset.

in the afternoon, we were back again in Novotel. but this time, its swimming time for Lala! checkout the pictures, she was very happy and excited to get started. at first, she's happy playing with the water, but unfortunately, the water is very cold, she is freezing. she finished very early. after the swim, suprisingly, Lala ate plenty of food. I guess the swim made her very hungry.

Its another great weekend, looking forward to swim again with Lala next week.

The Icon of Prestise Handbags

2006-09-04T12:23:00.000+07:00

The Renovation

2006-08-24T08:13:00.000+07:00

Huff,
the long weekend has been full of excitement. we are doing a renovation in our home. the primary objective is to create a "mini boutique" in the livingroom. yes, we are doing this as the first step prior to setup a true store downtown :)

besides of the livingroom, my bedroom is also "upgraded". i now have a working table, which was previously used as a dining table :))

checkout the pic below, its my new livingroom :)

we are having a Grand Opening, more details available here. I welcome you all in my home :)

Lookout! Nagrek Driver in Action!

2006-08-22T10:56:00.000+07:00

we travel to Jakarta through the south route. last 2 years, we select the north route (pantura), so we think its okay to select south route for now. i myself has traveled through this route using motorbike. well, apparently, the south route is not just another "ordinary" route. the area named "Nagrek" has its uniqueness :)

Travelling through Nagrek is very challenging. the path is inclining 45 degrees, the road is bumpy, and full of heavy vehicles (bus, puso, double-trailer, container trucks, etc). those trucks moved very slow because of the heavy load. danger will happen if the trucks don't have enough power to climb, engine will shut down, so do their brakes. one said that, brakes system in diesel vehicles relies on its power source from the engine. please correct me if i'm wrong.

so, there is was, becoming a Nagrek driver for over an hour. I race with the trucks. I had to keep my RPMs high, so that I can make quick maneuvers any time if I have to overrun the trucks, or if something happened with the trucks in front of me. The adrenaline is high along the route, so I passed Nagrek without I even noticed.

travelling through Nagrek consumes many energy, and very stressful. so we prefer it would be better to take the pantura route. I also think timing is essential. if you travel from Yogyakarta in early morning, avoid the south route, because it will be dark when you reach Nagrek. most of the heavy vehicles travel at night, so you will need to compete against this.

so, next time you meet me, I am a "certified" Nagrek driver :)

The Harsh of Jakarta

2006-08-22T10:26:00.000+07:00

my first day of vacation in jakarta was not a good one. after a full 12 hour drive from Yogyakarta, i had not get enough rest. I slept only probably 1 hour, because Lala was "rewel", tired. after shopping full day long, i got stuck in a full traffic jam. i was somewhere near "three-in-one" restriction area, so everyone is trying to get into a "safe" alternate routes. it was a very very very very very very very terrible traffic jam. i experienced the worst frustration ever. i think everyone frustrated and loaded with anger.

at that moment, i remember that this was one of the reason why i don't want to live in jakarta. i made a commitment that i will never travel if i had never been there before. trust me, you don't want to get cought in jakarta's famous traffic jam.

jakarta is really not suitable for living. jakarta is only good for a short vacation or shopping. a consultant once said, jakarta is worth living only if your earning is rp. 15jt monthly :)

"Teroris Juga Manusia"

2006-08-07T13:01:00.000+07:00

i could not find the proper english-version of "teroris juga manusia". LALA has always been a "terrorist", especially in the afternoon until midnight :) she always play-around on many things (also destroyed many stuffs), interact with her parents, and so on.

checkout the picture here. it was taken on yesterday morning, when we were in gadjah mada, accompanying Bunda LALA (she is selling the bags). during the period, LALA is very happy wondering around, seeing many things. Of course, as I expected, Lala became tired (so do I) and fell asleep in my lap (=pangkuan).

at that moment, the "terrorist" turned into an angel. Embracing Lala suddenly lifts all of the fatigue within me. My feeling turned into happiness as I see her face sleeping beautifully.

thats it. I cannot describe feelings well enough in english. so i hope you get the picture :)

Not Quite 2 Years Old

2006-08-07T07:22:00.000+07:00

checkout this pics. is a 2 years old child can show such pose?

Another Bad Presentation

2006-07-02T17:06:00.000+07:00

I done it again: another bad presentation.
I have done many many presentations, even to foreigners. but I still get nervous on each presentation.

On my Business Communications class, I was the only one who conduct the presentation in english. but because I'm not preparing myself well enough, I did it badly. My voice are trembling and mumbling, I can't even control my breathing. One plus point, no other did it in english besides me, but I should be better next time.

Tips on Taking TPA Exam

2006-07-02T16:15:00.000+07:00

I am very grateful that my revised TPA (Test Potensi Akademik) score is 593,86. The passing score is 500, so I passed the test. I was lucky that my score was above average. But as always, there is some fellow who achieved over 600. Gosh, how could he have done it...

ok, actually this is the score for my second TPA. I joined the TPA Score Improvement program held by MM GMU. there I got quite some useful tips and strategy on how to complete the test successfully. Here is some of the most useful tips:
1. Memorize the fraction list, and the procentage equivalent. eg: 1/8=0,125=12,5%. memorize it from 1/2,3/5,1/6 and so on until 8/9. trust me, this is VERY USEFUL.
2. Memorize the square of prime numbers. most preferebly, memorize ALL of the squares from 10 to 30. you will surely benefit from this when you're dealing with sequencing problems.
3. Problems repeated. Bapenas don't have the time to recreate new problems, so you will most likely find similar problems as you would find in many TPA guides. You should AT LEAST exercise every types of problems. You will definitely get at least two benefits: First, enhanced ways of problem solving, and secondly, of course the answer to the problem :)
4. Although you wanted to achieve more on your arithmatic part of the test, don't oversee the rest of the test. What will help you boost the score is the first (verbal) and last part (spatial) of the test. You will MOST LIKELY encounter very similar problems in TPA guides (a 100% match). so searching for the answers would be invaluable.
5. Lastly, don't get overexcited on solving for one problem (especially arithmatics). If you can't finish it in 1 minutes, GUESS IT. My mentor said, random guessing is not good. You should be consistent in guessing answers, stick to one choice (eg: A) for the unfinished problems.

For the #1 and #2 tips, if you're able to finish the first part of the test, write down EVERYTHING you have memorized on the problem sheet. this greatly reduced the time to recalling the numbers. You simply just flip the paper and got the numbers. On my first attempt of test, I don't do these tips. This is why I failed. hope you will be better than me.

Oh one more thing, the cost for this score improvement program is Rp. 500.000. it is quite a lot of money. but the terms follows: full refund will be given for students who attend the program and passed the test. hehe, this is really challenging, the saiyan-super within me is overwhelmed with the spirit to pass the test... :)

As always, Tetap Semangat!

Edinia Prestise

2006-06-25T17:35:00.000+07:00

The business has been moved to a newly created blog, named Edinia "Prestise". All updates on items are now available at http://prestise.blogspot.com

Looking forward to see you all there :)

Edinia is Back in Business

2006-06-21T07:27:00.000+07:00

Bunda Lala has overwhelmed excitement on starting a new business. actually she already start doing this business since she was in college. and now, she's unleashing her power, fulfilling her long suspended dreams...

okay, now lets talk business. you can find the items (along with retail price) in the pics below. we already ship some of these items to Padang and Payakumbuh, her hometown where demand is high and the price is good.

special offer from Bunda Lala: items are subject to a maximum of twice instalment (= dicicil 2x). in other words, full payment can be made at maximum of two months. if you paid in full, you will have 10% discount :)

if you interested in some items, don't hesitate to contact Bunda Lala, and she will visit you and deliver the actual goods. You may contact Bunda Lala through YM by clicking here, or by phone 0818271094.

Bunda Lala's status is

enjoy :)

Lala and Her New Eyeglass

2006-06-19T11:25:00.000+07:00

checkout the picture,

LALA is very happy with her new eyeglass. she proudly walked in the shopping area, showing her glassess.

fyi; the eyeglass lasted only 2 days. she always broke every stuff she owns :)

The Power of Statistics!

2006-06-15T17:31:00.000+07:00

I can't describe you excited I am on Statistics. The feeling is overwhelming! I am enlightened by Statistics! When I studied one in college, I practically *hate* Statistics. But now, I LOVE STATISTICS!

I learned Statistics as one of the course in my MM study. The course uses the book "Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics", it was a great book. unlike other statistics book, this one presented statistics in a practical approach. I personally recommends this book!

despite of the book, among all other things, it is my lecturer who presents the best approach/methods for applying Statistics in common business usages. He is Drs. Catur Sugianto, M.A., Ph.D.

to Mr.Catur, thankyou for the enlightment.

The Photosession

2006-05-15T07:49:00.000+07:00

since we need to send the most recent photograph of LALA to her grandmothers, so we decided to create our own photosession. the session took place in my favourite site: the macD bridge (actually owned by pascasarjana ugm). of course i have taken many photoshooting here also :)

the session was very exhaustive, very challenging. it is very hard to take a still photos of LALA which always running around. but i hope the pics here would be entertaining :)

Lala's Birthay

2006-05-04T11:05:00.000+07:00

today, Lala is now 2 years old. time surely passed so quickly, Lala is a big girl now. please refresh your memory from the pics, see the differences now.

Lala's First Public Appearance

2006-04-28T14:50:00.000+07:00

I don't have much time to write long stories, but i hope the picture can say thousand words.

btw; LALA did not won the contest :P

My Sister In Law

2006-04-28T14:41:00.000+07:00

this is my sister in law (updated photos), this is her own request, i'm just doing the favor :)

The Legendary Tofu and Tempe

2006-02-18T13:05:00.000+07:00

i am proudly presents, the Legendary Tofu and Tempe is back!

i'd like to write more why it is said as "legendary"... but later yah, in the mean time please enjoy the pics. :)

Sleeping Child

2006-02-15T08:53:00.000+07:00

through these picture, hoping I could share my feeling of happiness... :)

Me and The Beast

2006-02-11T08:33:00.000+07:00

the swiss delegates invited us to have dinner in Melia Purosani Hotel, as a gratitude to a good welcoming events. suprisingly, there is also a live show of "sendratari ramayana". ever since i lived in yogya, i had never seen this legendary show.

in the end, please enjoy the pictures of me and "the beast". the audience laughed out loud when i took the pose with them. i think a give a good and memorable ending to the delegates.

Certified Project Manager

2006-01-30T08:35:00.000+07:00

Alhamdulilah. I finally succeeced in achieving the title "Certified Project Manager". although it is only a certification from Brainbench (and free!), the feeling of success is overwhelming.

I tried to prepare myself very well before the test. I study the official guide on project management published by The Project Management Institute. I probably has quite a number of experience in project management, but I tried have a comprehensive understanding on the official concepts. After comprehensively studying it, I can see "project management" in a much holistic perspective.

During the study, I sacrifice my holiday (and of course skipping the adventures with Lala), but the reward really worth it. Although my score is only 3,69 (max score is 5), but I am the 8th best achiever in Indonesia. Again, alhamdulilah.

Of course, certification only certifies my understanding of its concepts. True knowledge should be proficiently demonstrated in real world cases.

The Next Level of Sports

2006-01-30T08:31:00.000+07:00

if you ever think that golf is easy, you are wrong :)
If you don't agree that golf is a sport, then you are wrong also :P

I have been playing this high-class sport for about 6 sessions in Hyatt's Driving Range. 6 sessions equals to 600 balls, and 6 hours of practicing. It is said, "practice makes perfect", now my techniques is getting better and better, and my rate of "good hit" is quite high (8 from 10 hit are good).

Actually, I am not good with sports requiring good techniques, such as basketball, soccer, badminton, etc. My body don't have the required agility.. hahaha. That is why I prefer fitness, jogging or bicycling. Golf, is one kind of sport which requires good technique. It was quite difficult to swing my own body, even I hurt my shoulder. Most It hurts my back, because I have to stand in a stiff position.

When I played golf, I always sweated as much as if I had jogging for 30 minutes or more. It is also surprised me, what has made the sweat even what I do is only standing and swinging. Anyway, I don't use sweat as my indicator. My preliminary analysis concluded that cardiovascular effects (recall the definition here) probably not as good as jogging. Of course, you cannot expect any muscle development by doing golf. But by doing golf, you will maintain (even increase) the muscle and skeleton flexibility.

Enough writing. If you don't believe me, then try it yourself :)

My Brother's Graduation Day

2006-01-26T08:26:00.000+07:00

my brother (Bima Kurnianto) is now a master of management in finance, with GPA 3,6. if anyone needs his expertise, just let me know :)

the graduation day was great! you can see in the pictures below, the grand ceremony presents Helena Indonesian Idol! I don't know much about Indonesian Idol superstars, but Bunda Lala does.

of course, besides the superstar show, you can see the other "fun" pictures. enjoy :)

The Cute Lala

2006-01-18T17:53:00.000+07:00

here's another cute lala...

Lala and The Ducks...

2006-01-18T17:08:00.000+07:00

here's another adventure of Lala. she's very happy being around the ducks.

Summary of Lala's Adventure

2006-01-18T16:54:00.000+07:00

too many skipped adventures... here's a summary.

The Adventure of LALA !

2005-11-17T08:56:00.000+07:00

gosh, http://lala.edinia.net is down!
from now on, I will regularly upload LALA's newest adventures here. This is LALA at the age of 1,5 years. enjoy the pics!

The Aura

2005-11-14T07:54:00.000+07:00

I wanted to write about this since weeks ago. It is about the fact that I am "different" from the metaphysics perspective. This is said by a friend of Bunda Lala, a staff at Bapeda DIY named Yudi. Suprisingly, a friend of my brother in-law also said the same months ago (perhaps last year). Of course my parents were also surprised, and revealed much more interesting related past stories about my father. The two fact spoken by different person encourages me to write about this. Here goes the long full story...

White and Yellow Aura

As we get acquinted each other through YahooMessenger, Yudi visited us at home. After a short small talks, he said that I am different from the perspective of metaphysics. Moreover, he said that I have a a thick white-yellow "aura" surrounding me. White color means that the person is quite religious. Black color represents the opposite. Toward white color is Yellow and Red, where Red represents the highest level of aura. Person such as saints (orang suci seperti ulama) and people who has healing capabilities has this Red aura. My fact finding through googling also match with what is said by Yudi, that aura colors are in sequence: black, white, yellow, red.

Yudi was quite suprised "seeing" me for the first time. He thought I have some kind of amulet (jimat), but of course I don't have any. He said that I have an occasional (infrequent) "invinsible companion". The companion just come and go, because I had not realize its presence. Its presence are for good purposes, brings protection for me. According to Yudi, it came from someone (a saint or orang sakti) existed many generations before my father. As told by my father, the companion once with him, but it is with me now. You will find more about what is told by my father later.

Yudi said that at the age of 40, the aura will be thicker and I will experience the need of its presence. Wihh... Spooky... Later on, he also said (via YM) that I should not carelessly use my hand for punching and mencubit. If other normal person's hand weighed 1 Kg, then mine would be 10 Kg (It is what Yudi said. I know I already weighed over 100 Kg, my hand would already heavier that others... hahaha). In my hands, there are enormous energy which could have negative effect on Lala if used carelessly. Cool... its like the Dragon Ball Legends. But thats it, I don't have much detail about it from Yudi.

The Untold Stories

Knowing that there were two identical fact spoken by different person, my mother urges father to reveal the untold stories. There were two stories, both occured when we live in Bali (I was about 5 years old).

This is the first story. When me and mother walked together, there was a Balinese told my mother that there was "something" following me. But mother ignored it because of the irrelevance with our religion.

Second story is about my father. Father accidentally once also had "an accompanion". Said to be accidental because my father practiced regular dzikir taught by someone without any intention but to worship Allah, but later the dzikir was known to attract "companion". Father then no longer continued that dzikir before he went to Mekkah, because friend of him remind him that "if you need any kind of protection, then ask for it directly to Allah, no need for perantara". Father assumed, perhaps his companion was then moved to me...

Third story from father, confirming that there was someone (a saint or orang sakti) from few generations beyond my grandmother (great great great great grandmother, etc).

Morale of The Story

I appreciate what have been told by Yudi, it updates my knowledge about the metaphysics side of myself. But I was never realize it anyway, so I was also never ask anything (protection, rejeki, or else) to this "invinsible companion". Hopefully this will make myself a much humble servant to the Great Al Mighty Allah. Amin.

Home Decorating...

2005-11-13T04:04:00.000+07:00

During my last days off my work, I mostly spend hours in decorating my home. As said by Bunda Lala, gardening is included as part of home decorating. It is a very exciting, and it felt almost like doing fitness (pushing myself to the limit until sweating all out).

In the end, I feel happy. I was wondering why I did not have the same excitement on regular weekends (Sunday). I think it is because of my long day off my work. Long holidays made me wanted to do something with my home. On regular Sunday, I was spending the day refreshing myself after a week at the office. At that time, home decorating was not on my plan.

Let me share some of my excitement. My first excitement is the sunflower seed! I got it in Ace Hardware shop at Artha Gading Mall Jakarta. As you know, my quest for sunflower has not been a satisfactory. So, if the sunflower is hard ot find, then I intend to create a farm of sunflowers! Ace Hardware actually has three type of sunflower seed with beauty and uniqueness of each own, but firstly I will try this one (Autumn Beauty).

The second excitement is an indoor sculpture fountain (I don't have the official name). It is a stone curved in such an artistic style with water flowing from top. Most models have stone balls rotating on top of it (over the flowing water). We thought it would be nice to have the sound of rippling water in our home. It would bring the relaxing sound of water. This is also inspired in Ace Hardware shop. What excites me is the hunt for sculpture fountain. In Ace Hardware, the price is quite enormous, one item priced Rp. 900.000. Bunda Lala said that she once knew that Mirota Batik has the same item, but only priced one-third. As we got to Mirota Batik, the item is still expensive, priced Rp. 700.000, not to mention the lack of models. So the hunt continued to Kasongan area. There we found many model of sculpture fountain, and of course with only one-third price from Ace Hardware shop... hehehe...

The Harsh of Jakarta

2005-11-11T11:28:00.000+07:00

Well, a couple of days in Jakarta, has not change my impression about Jakarta. Jakarta is still a harsh place to live in. As said by Bunda Lala, Jakarta is only good for shopping or a short time living.

When you're on the road, you can feel that the "atmosphere" is negative. Busses and cars are always competing, traffic is heavy. Imagine if I have to live in Jakarta longer... Arrgh!

In fact, during her study (diklat) last month, Bunda Lala also experienced a harsh moments when she and her friend in a cab. There was an incident among cabs, the other cab accidently scratch the cab which Bunda Lala inside. The mistake was on other cab driver, but he got angry and chased Bunda Lala's cab. She said, it was like in the movies, a downtown chase until they all stopped because of the traffic jam. The other driver stepped down and went forward Bunda Lala's cab with "Parang/Golok". Bunda Lala escaped the cab, ran away from the fight among cab driver. She don't know what happened to the poor cab driver...

Edan!

Gas Station with 67 Toilets!

2005-11-11T11:27:00.000+07:00

You would not believe this... on our way back to Yogyakarta, we stop by at Tegal to refuel. There we found a Gas Station with 67 toilets! The banner said they have achieved recognition from MURI (Museum Rekor Indonesia). Surely we would not miss that unique gas station.

Beside the toilets, the gas station also has cafe, prayer room, changing diapers area (babies stuffs) and quite a number of rooms for the travellers to rest or taking a nap. Suprisingly, the toilets were very very clean and neat. The women's toilet was equipped with newspapers to wrap "pembalut" neatly. The rest area was also equipped with CCTV pointing at the parking area, so that travellers can always monitor their cars. The bed is for rent, Rp. 20.000 for 5 hours of nap.

The owner pick the right place for the gas station. Tegal is in the middle of Jakarta and Yogyakarta, so people would most likely need to refuel, rest and lunch. If any other mall has the concept of "one stop shopping", I think the gas station applying the concept of "one stop resting".

It was a very cozy gas station. Checkout the pictures yourself. I would definitely go back there again next year.

Bone Investment Starts Now!

2005-10-26T08:40:00.000+07:00

this is a great article! written by my favourite sports-medicine author, Sadoso Sumosardjuno! I completely rewrote the whole article, so that I could publish it here. The article remains in Indonesian, though.

Its quite a long article, but I can tell you the summary. It's about the bone density. It appears that bone density increase along with the mechanic-stress or activity done by the bone. This means that people who had sports regularly, also had a much better bone density. When the bone receives mechanical stress, it triggers the intake of Calcium ions. Again, this means that drinking calcium-milk must always followed by exercise regularly.

enough for the summary, enjoy the fulltext below. :)
---

Olahraga untuk Atasi Osteoporosis
Oleh: Dr. H. RM. Sadoso Sumosardjuno, SPKO

Kompas, 21 Oktober 2005

Tulang adalah jaringan dinamis yang diatur oleh faktor endokrin, nutrisi dan aktivitas fisik. Biasanya penanganan gangguan tulang – terutama osteoporosis – hanya fokus pada masalah hormon dan kalsium, jarang dikaitkan dengan olahraga. Padahal, Wolff sejak 1892 menyarankan bahwa olahraga sangatlah penting.

Osteoporosis (kekeroposan tulang) adalah proses degenerasi pada tulang, Mereka yang sudah terkena perlu berolahraga atau beraktivitas fisik sebagai bagian dari pengobatan. Olahraga teratur dan cukup takarannya tidak hanya membentuk otot, melainkan juga memelihara dan meningkatkan kekuatan tulang. Dengan demikian, latihan olahraga dapat mengurangi resiko jatuh yang dapat memicu fraktur (patah tulang).

Olahraga, obat-obatan, dan pengaturan makanan yang baik merupakan kombinasi yang baik untuk menanggulangi osteoporosis dibandingkan dengan pengobatan atau pengaturan makan saja. Perlu disadari bahwa tidak ada istilah terlalu tua untuk olahraga.

Mereka yang berolahraga teratur kepadatan tulangnya lebih baik daripada mereka yang tidak beraktivitas fisik. Tingkat kepadatan tulang ini terkait dengan beban aktivitasnya. Jadi, atlet angkat besi memiliki tingkat kepadatan tulang tertinggi dan perenang paling rendah.

Walau begitu, tingkat kepadatan tulang atlet renang dan mereka yang mulai berolahraga renang pada usia lanjut tetap lebih tinggi kepadatan tulangnya pada kedua lengan dan ruas tulang belakangnya daripada yang tidak olahraga sama sekali pada usia yang sama. Mereka yang tidak beraktivitas fisik akan menurun kepadatan tulangnya.

Dampak Latihan

Olahraga meningkatkan kepadatan tulang pada bagian badan yang mengalami pembebanan. Pengukuran pada petenis pria usia lanjut (rata-rata 64 tahun) menunjukkan, ada perbedaan mencolok antara besarnya tulang pada anggota badan yang dominan (lengan) dibandingkan dengan bagian tubuh lainnya.

Penelitian Dalen dan Olsson pada pelari lintas alam pria usia lanjut menunjukkan perbedaan yang mencolok pada massa tulang: massa tulang pada kakinya 20 persen lebih padat daripada yang bukan pelari dan tulang-tulang pinggangnya 10 persen lebih padat daripada yang bukan pelari.

Smith dan teman-teman meneliti 30 perempuan usia lanjut dengan rata-rata usia 84 tahun. Mreka dibagi daam 2 kelompok sesuai usia, berat dan kemampuan jalan. Satu kelompok mendapat program olahraga selama 30 menit, 3 hari per minggu, selama 3 tahun. Kelompok lainya tidak berolahraga.

Pada akhir penelitian terdapat perbedaan kadar mineral 5,6 persen. Ada peningkatan 2,3 persen pada yang berlatih dan penurunan 3,3 persen pada yang tidak berlatih. Selain itu, terlihat kenaikan kadar kalsium yang mencolok pada yang terus berolahraga, sedangkan yang tidak kadar kalsium total dalam tubuhnya menurun.

Pada penelitian selanjutnya, latihan beban dinamis pada lengan bawah perempuan yang telah menopause (53-74 tahun) menaikkan kepadatan tulang 3,8 persen setelah 5 bulan latihan 3 kali per minggu dan sekali berlatih 50 menit. Yang tidak berlatih kepadatan tulangnya terus menurun.

Ada teori yang menyebutkan bahwa tulang merespons secara lokal pada tempat yang mendapat beban dan terjadilah pertumbuhan tulang (osteogenesis). Teori lain adalah sel-sel tulang yang terkena tarikan mekanis lewat latihan dan olahraga memicu masuknya ion-ion Ca ke dalam sel diikuti oleh produksi prostaglandin dan oksida nitrit. Maka aktivitas enzim yang memicu hormon pertumbuhan meningkat. Terjadilah remodelling tulang.

Program Pencegahan

Berbagai penelitian telah menunjukkan bahwa tulang memerlukan sejumlah pembebanan seumur hidup agar selalu kuat dan sehat. Jadi mitos bahwa makin tua makin perlu pengurangan latihan olahraga adalah tidak benar. Justru mereka yang berusia tengah baya dan lanjut usia harus teratur berlatih, yang programnya secara bertahap harus ditingkatkan.

Aktivitas latihan termasuk peregangan dan relaksasi. Namun, para peserta perlu diperiksa dulu sebelum ikut program pelatihan agar porsinya sesuai dengan kemampuan. Program yang baik untuk osteoporosis adalah kombinasi antara lima tipe latihan-latihan olahraga, yaitu aerobik yang terbebani berat badan, latihan dengan benturan keras, latihan untuk kekuatan, perimbangan dan kelenturan.

Aktivitas aerobik berbeban berat badan adalah jalan kaki perlahan, cepat, atau jogging. Tulang-tulang pada pinggul, punggung dan pinggang akan mendapat banyak manfaat dari latihan ini.

Latihan dengan benturan keras adalah tenis, bola voli, bola basket, lompat tali, lompat vertikal yang dapat meningkatkan kepadatan tulang jauh lebih cepat. Pada latihan ini tulang mendapat pembebanan 3-6 kali berat badan. Kelemahannya adalah beratnya pembebanan pada sendi sehingga kurang aman bagi yang telah osteoporosis.

Penelitian Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D dalam Journal of The American Medical Association (1994) menunjukkan bahwa latihan kekuatan – misalnya angkat beban – dua kali seminggu dapat mengurangi resiko fraktur pada wanita pascamenopause.

Latihan untuk perimbangan tidak meningkatkan kepadatan tulang, tetapi menjaga agar tidak mudah jatuh. Soalnya, perimbangan biasanya bagus pada usia dibawah 50 tahun dan setelah itu menurun.

Program Latihan

Bagi mereka yang telah terkena osteoporosis, pola latihannya berbeda dengan program pencegahan dan harus dilakukan dengan benar, hati-hati, dan perlahan. Pada tahap awal, latihan diutamakan pada kelenturan sendiri dan secara bertahap ditingkatkan dengan pelatihan kekuatan dan anggota badan. Bila kekuatan dan daya tahan telah meningkat, waktu latihan harus ditambah.

Pembedaan pola ini penting karena latihan tertentu dapat meningkatkan resiko fraktur, misalnya lompat tali, jogging, senam aerobik benturan keras, senam dingklik (step robic), jalan dengan beban di pergelangan kaki atau pergelangan tangan, dan sebagainya.

Seseirang yang pernah mengalami fraktur karena osteoporosis mungkin masih sering sakit waktu mulai berlatih. Karena itu, Anda yang mengalami fraktur tulang belakang pada enam bulan terakhir dan masih sering merasa sakit saat beraktivitas fisik mulai saja berlatih pelan-pelan.

Demikian pula bagi yang beresiko terkena fraktur walau belum pernah terjadi fraktur. Soalnya, berkurangnya massa tulang (yang meningkatkan resiko untuk mengalami fraktur) akan meningkat jika seseorang tidak aktif dan terlalu lama beristirahat di tempat tidur.

Latihan yang Aman

Agar aman bagi yang sudah terkena osteoporosis, jangan berolahraga yang memberikan benturan dan pembebanan pada tulang punggung. Ini berarti jangan melompat, senam aerobik benturan keras (high impact aerobics), dan joging atau lari.

Jangan berolahraga atau beraktivitas fisik yang mengharuskan Anda membongkok ke depan dari pinggang dengan punggung melengkung. Ini berarti jangan sit up, crunch, meraih jari-jari kaki, atau berlatih dengan mesin dayung.

Jangan pula beraktivitas yang mudah menyebabkan jatuh. Jadi jangan berlatih dengan trampolin atau senam dingklik, berlatih di lantai yang licin, atau menggunakan sepatu yang solnya keras atau licin.

Jangan beraktivitas fisik yang memerlukan Anda menggerakkan kaki ke segala arah dengan beban. Pinggul yang telah melemah akan lebih mudah patah tulang lewat latihan ini.

Latihan yang aman adalah olahraga jalan kaki. Berjalankah paling sedikit dengan kecepatan 4,5 kilometer per jam selama 50 menit, 5 hari dalam seminggu. Tentunya ini dilakukan secara bertahap.

Pada kebanyakan orang yang osteoporosis, jalan sangatlah ideal. Meningkatkan daya tahan (endurance), kelincahan (agility), mengurangi kemungkinan jatuh, dengan resiko cedera yang kecil pula. Anda juga dapat mengangkat beban, baik perempuan maupun laki-laki, dari beban bebas (dumbel kecil) hingga mesin latihan beban. Terutama ditekankan pada latihan-latihan pinggul, paha, pinggang, lengan dan bahu.

Latihan sebaiknya untuk meningkatkan keseimbangan dan kelincahan, juga ekstensi punggung. Ini berlawanan dengan gerakan fleksi punggung, yang harus dihindari. Latihan ekstensi punggung dilakukan dengan melengkungkan punggung dan cukup aman.

Latihan dapat dilakukan dengan duduk di kursi dengan atau tanpa beban, dengan dasar gerakan melengkungkan punggung. Latihan-latihan ini menguatkan otot-otot besar yang menahan agar tulang punggung lurus, mengurangi kemungkinan bongkok, mengurangi rasa capai di punggung dan menguatkannya.

The Husband Returns...

2005-09-26T08:22:00.000+07:00

Bunda Lala has returned home! she returned with outstanding achievement and many exciting stories!

she achieved the best score among other participants, even excel many of the seniors and officials. she has difficult times there, but alhamdulilah she made it very well. i'm very proud of her...

and now,
this blog is now changing callsign into "The Husband Returns"...

of course, i should mention this, we've just had one of the most wonderful honeymoon ever... *wink*

Lirik "Tak Bisakah", Peterpan

2005-09-19T22:12:00.000+07:00

I was deeply in love with this NEW song from Peterpan, "Tak Bisakah", taken from the album "Alexandria". I dont know why, I just loved the arrangements, I played the song all and all over again (hope my fellow here don't get bored). Oh one other thing, the male voice (ariel) *matched* with my voice, the deep voice of him... hehehe...

I searched the net (googling), I was unable to find the lyric anywhere... surely, it was just launched last night. so be it, let me be the first to document the lyric.

I think this would also be a nice ending to my blog. this song will be the closing theme song... mellow sekaleee...

here it is (revisions are welcome) :

---
Hatiku bimbang dengan tetap pikirkanmu
selalu... slalu dalam hatiku
kumelangkah sejauh apapun itu
selalu... kau di dalam hatiku

aaa... aa...
aaa... aa...

kuberjalan berjalan memutar waktumu
berharap temukan sisa hatimu
mengertilah ku ingin engkau begitu
mengerti... kau di di dalam hatiku

reff:

tak bisakah kau menungguku
hingga nanti kita menunggu

tak bisakah kau menuntunku
menemani dalam hidupku

oo...
(instruments playing)

kuberjalan berjalan memutar waktumu
berharap temukan sisa hatimu
mengertilah ku ingin engkau begitu
mengerti... kau di dalam hatiku

karna kau menjadi hidupku
kemana kau tahu isi hatiku
tung... gu sejenak aku disitu u
jalanku... jalan menemukanmu

back to reff...

Good Living

2005-09-19T08:06:00.000+07:00

Alhamdulilah. simply spoken for myself, for all of the goodness what I have been given up until now.

"Good Living", a word that I always said after having finished my hard workout. Doing workout in a hotel, having having a nice shower with warm water, still had the time do other 'lifestyle' stuffs. It is a good living. Alhamdulilah.

it is only a matter of days now, until Bunda Lala returned home. She would be home on the next Sunday (Sept 25th). I have prepared everything, especially myself. I have done hard workout to present her a surprise: the new 'super' me. (super = perkasa, bukan supermie lho).

tanpa terasa (gmn inggrisnya nih),
time has passed six weeks since Bunda Lala left for duty. this blog has been a record of every good thing on me while she left. it is nice to have this new experience, writing 'diary' in the internet. thank you also to friends who had been contributing here. sadly, this blog would probably also be terminated by the time Bunda Lala returned home.

*smiling*

Landak...

2005-09-14T11:57:00.000+07:00

not much to say... it's me with the hair standing straight... it's my tipical hair, if its too short, then it would "njegrak" like a hedgehog. [:P]

The Last Samurai...

2005-09-11T07:52:00.000+07:00

"The Last Samurai", it was an unbelievable great movie. I weep while watching the last part of it. It was a movie about honour, dignity ...and many other I could not write here (because what I felt is rumbling). The essence was more like the movie "Last of the Mohicans". I'd really like to have the DVD.

It was worth the struggle. When the movie at its intense moment, I was in the middle of my workout, all sweating out, but the officers in the Novotel's gym just would not even assisted me to facilitate me praying. I had to take a bath, then went to the basement. Luckily, the movie has not ended, and I still get the chance to watch the last part. again it was worth the struggle.

After a rethought, I might have been "reminded" by God, not to prioritize the movie instead. The situation was conditioned so that I could not pray in the gym, I should be bathing rightaway and pray in the appropriate place. Speechless to say, but it gave a nice ending in this afternoon.

The TOEFL Challenge...

2005-09-11T01:10:00.000+07:00

this morning, I had a TOEFL prediction test. I did not quite prepare myself. After attended the alumni event help by MIPA Faculty last saturday, Pak Nurrohman (head of the computer science department) took us to dinner at "Sendang Ayu". It was a great saturday night with Anjar (and his future wife) and Mekom, but I got home very very tired. Even I tried hard to study at dawn, I could not withstand the drowziness. I fell asleep, but I managed to study a bit in before the test.

I was very eager to get good scores on this. If I achieved the highest score over 600, I could have a handphone as present from the test provider (Pusat Bahasa in Faculty of Economics). It was very challenging. If I don't made it, then I just have to retake the test somewhere after September. Test results would be available by tomorrow... I was anxious and nervous... Will I made it...

About High Intensity Workout...

2005-09-04T17:57:00.000+07:00

Friends often asked and wondered, why I always had muscle-injuries after I done some workout at Novotel. Am I trying to reduce weight? Am I trying to shape-up?

Sports has been part of my lifestyle since junior high school. I even studied one book title "Sports Medicine" intensively. It was a great book, but I cannot find it anywhere now.

anyway, back to topic. How we do workout would depends on the goal. Goal setting in sports can be achieving one of the following: 1). Power, 2). Endurance, 3). Vitality (kebugaran). Goal for Power; means increasing muscle strength, enabling the body to lift heavier load. Goal for Endurance; means increasing the cardiovascular (kemampuan pompa jantung, efisiensi paru-paru dan peredaran darah) capacity and capability, enabling the body to withstand activities in the long run. While the goal for Vitality simply maintains current health and cardiovascular conditions, preventing from degradation as result of the aging process.

Of course, every goal has its own workout programme. Focus on Power, the workout programme would maintain less repetition (as the weight load increase) and less frequency. Focus on Endurance would maintain light weight load, but higher frequency and repetition. One important thing, you will gain Power or Endurance only if you increase the intensity on every workout. If you don't then you would simply maintain optimum Vitality.

Between workout sessions, it is quite normal if your body experience muscle-injuries. High intensity workout would "torn" some of the muscles, especially on the muscle's surface. It is normal, because our body has been given capability of adaptation. Torn muscles will heal, and the body will create stronger muscle-cells afterwards in order to prevent muscle-injuries, also compensating higher weight load for future workout. We should be thankful to God, for this wonderful gift. It is amazing how God created our body. Subhanallah...

How our physical body change, is just a side-effect of workout. It is up to us what we want to do with our body. Either shaping-up or reduce-weight, it's your call. In average, body impacts would be seen after 8 weeks of workout.

Personally, I always strive to reach beyond my limit. It felt great knowing you can surpass yourself, becoming stronger than before. It was inspired from the Dragon Ball legends... :D

Power Overwhelming!

My Research on Smartcard

2005-09-04T02:39:00.000+07:00

friends keep asking me, what are you doing all night long in the office? what is so good about Gamacard? what does it relate to SSL (secure socket layer)?

this post will be the answer to those questions. I wrote this so that I dont have to repeat the same answers to different persons all over again :D

The root of the answer lies back in the theory of "computer securities" (as what i tought in UAD). Some of the aspects of security are: Authenticity, Privacy and Integrity. Each aspect is solved by applying different technology.

Aspect of Privacy concerns to ensure that the message is read by the intended recipient, not by other people. This relates to Public-Key Cryptography.

Aspect of Integrity concerns that the received message is not altered (modified) during the transmission. This relates to Digital Signature.

Aspect of Authenticity concerns how we can be sure that the user (sender of the message) is authentic (not someone pretending to be the sender). Authenticity can be based on one of three things:
1). based on what we KNOW (such as username/pass, PIN),
2). based on what we HAVE (such as tokens, smartcards),
3). based on what we ARE (biometrics, such as fingerprint),
the more combination we have, the more we can be assured that the user is authentic.

How does this theory relates to Portal Akademik and Gamacard? as you might have aware, traditional user login involves sending the username/password across network to be authenticated by the server. it is sent in plaintext, someone could intercept and read it. my research focus on: 1). how we can have a secure transmission (encrypted) between browser and server, and also 2). how we can be sure that whoever logged-in is truly a legitimate student (not someone pretending to be student).

my first goal is done by setting up an OpenSSL (and the related certificates) in the webserver. Setting up OpenSSL is quite straightforward (as long as your linux-box have all the required libraries). You will end up having a HTTPS server :D Transmission between browser and server will automatically be encrypted. There are concerns from my friends, that HTTPS would result in a slower response. I said, lets give it a try, since our webserver is a dual-xeon processor with 2GB of RAM :D

the second goal involves Gamacard. Gamacard plays a vital role in enforcing user authenticity. Of course, the system would run just fine without Gamacard, but lacks the aspect of Authenticity. The nice part is, according to many references, when browser make a HTTPS request (therefore browser should respond with a valid certificate stored in the computer), browser can "automatically connect and read certificate stored on smartcards". To do so, you don't have to create a specialized plugins or other. All you have to do is to create a PKCS#11 file structure on the smartcard, and store the certificate inside. That is what I have been trying to do during the past days. I am trying to create a PKCS#11 compliance smartcards.

Imagine, if UGM becomes the first university who adopted DigitalID, where everyone needs only ONE CARD to access every digital services at UGM. Its my dream.

Another Saturday Night Sadness...

2005-09-04T00:35:00.000+07:00

It happened again... the same thing happened as were what happened last week... the feeling of sadness raised again...

what triggered it was quite strange. i was doing my hard workout at novotel, when Indri AFI (in indosiar) sang "Jangan Pergi Dariku" by Krisdayanti. all of the sudden, i started to cry. my tears wet my eyes. in a hurry, I sent a SMS to Bunda Lala. suprisingly, she replied that she was also compassionate by the song. we were linked.

it was quite odd... I started to cry as soon as the song began. I never had this experience before. Krisdayanti is Bunda Lala's favourite singer. Long ago, I once given her an original KD compact-disc as birthday present. Although we never played the CD (because we didn't have any CD player), we had quite plenty of lovely memories with the song.

I continued my hard workout until 21.30. I tried hard to let go my sad feelings. Due to the hard workout, I experienced almost a complete fatigue. When I got back to the office, I even still breathe quick and short, I easily felt "ngos2an".

Eventually, this sadness will make me even more powerful and "slim"...

Power Overwhelming!

2005-09-04T00:07:00.000+07:00

Alhamdulilah. We finally succeeded! After days of research and spending the night at the office, we finally made it! It felt great and overwhelming!

It was Bayu who made a nice tune-up on what I have researched. Before I went to novotel this afternoon, I was already given up on my research. I have spent days of studying and doing experiments, but results were not satisfying. I didn't even know that my last configuration was a successful one, until Bayu made a few tune-up.

Kudos to Bayu!
It worth the effort. What we have learn on smartcard application development will create a much more possibilities in the future. After tonight, we are energized and ready to do the next research.

an Awful Drink... M150

2005-09-02T13:08:00.000+07:00

this afternoon, I and Bayu took the Friday prayer at Masjid Kampus. At the moment, there was an M150 (the super drink promoted by Jackie Chan) promotion. the sales girl give away M150 for free.

do you know... M150 is the worst supplement drink among all. It tasted BAD! Too much bitter. M150 made my throat dry (I think it used too many synthetic sugar, like aspartame). it felt awful in my throat. Even worse... My face spontaneously crinkled, my worst face expression I ever had.

I still wait for the "other" effects. Will M150 give enormous energy and spirit? will it boosts my productivity? will the "energy" lasts througout the day? Will my heart beats faster? Will it makes me shaking?

anyway, despite of the "other" effects, I would simply NOT recommend any of you to drink M150. Hatred at first sight...

One Happy Bachelor...

2005-09-01T22:07:00.000+07:00

this evening, I (and also the other bachelors) was invited by Andi to celebrate his birthday. The vote goes to Papa Ron's Pizza. It was my first time visit, so did Andi.

At first, Andi was quite unsure about the place. Deep inside, he prefer Pizza Hut than Papa Ron. Papa Ron's interior was not too stylish and comfortable. Of course, most of all, he was worried if Papa Ron tasted bad.

Apparently, things were not that bad. In my opinion, Papa Ron turned out great. It tasted delicious. The lasagna was soft, creamy and delicious. The Loaded-to-the-Max pizza was thicker (filled with cheese and stuffs), much more tasty and delicious compared to Pizza Hut. We were all happy and satisfied (of course with stomach full of pizza). Checkout the pic!

All in all, it was one of a great bachelor night. Andi is indeed the bachelor-of-the-day. Thanks again Andi, hope someday you will soon no longer becoming a bachelor :D

Awakening the true power of Gamacard...

2005-08-30T22:55:00.000+07:00

Alhamdulilah. tonight, I have done my research on how to integrate Gamacard with SIA UGM (academic information system). Since few days ago, I was so amazed on what so called, "public key infrastructure". I spent all night wondering and studying on the subject: smartcards, internet explorer, HTTP over SSL, X.509 certificate, DES/3DES/IDEA. Now, it is complete. What I felt was great, knowing how things related to each other.

Thanks to mr.Bayu (he's the manager of research and development. And "yes", he is HERE at the office working on a patch to the GCP's SMS Server), I have got confirmation that the solutions would be feasible. What needs to be done is setting up a much detailed plan of research, transforming concept to concrete.

Unfortunately, I was unable to fulfil my promise to Isaam. I promised him to write more about the true power of Gamacard. I was really beat after some hard exercise at novotel this evening. Let me do it tomorrow ya. This is almost midnight, I really need some rest. My muscle still hurts...

The Dragon Ball Legends...

2005-08-28T11:01:00.000+07:00

oh btw (same day post, but on a different topic);
I spend the night at the office. Its the first time I slept here. Please don't think of me doing nothing useful. I was downloading the Dragon Ball movie series. I finally got the chance to have the complete Dragon Ball series, thanks to Mang Pidi for the great site (and the login account) !

I have dreamed this years ago. Someday, together with my children and grandchildren, I shall tell stories of the Dragon Ball legends, watching the Dragon Ball movie together, teaches important character virtues such as teamwork, loyalty, trustworthiness, sthriving not only to survive but to win! (Bayu, we agree on this, right?), etc...

the movies were in RM format (RealMedia), dubbed in English with no sub-title. The dubbing was great, expresses emotions very well in English. It will be be a great media to teach English to my children. There is only one drawback, downloads can only be done one at a time. Use of downloader also prohibited. Downloading these movies can take years to complete!

fear nothing... the legendary journey has just started...

a Morning Walk

2005-08-28T09:45:00.000+07:00

This is sunday morning, a great sunday morning with blue skies and the crowd of people walking in gadjah mada campus area. Bayu and I took a walk (he was jogging actually) together. He enjoyed taking pictures. I think his sense of photoshooting has improved well. He has got the basic skills of composition. Checkout my pic, even he had to jump over the fence in order to get the right angle. Even myself had never thought of that angle. Hope you did not notice the "annoying" man in front of the leftmost curved pillar. Of course, as a credit to the new photographer, I also posted his pic. Kudos to Bayu! :D

While I was writing this blog, I suddenly felt "energized", wanting to learn TOEFL asap (how do you say "kepengen banget"). At the time of writing, I was quite sweating and smelly. Thanks to the air conditioner, the sweat has gone, but of course left the smells intact. I have stated to myself; today I will write blog with formal grammar rules (I am going back and forth referring to the pages of my TOEFL book). Was this an effect of Naturade GOLD? Or was it because I have the feeling of "unworthy" or "not doing anything useful" lately?

Last night on the telephone Bunda Lala said I was "kebablasan", but friends said that my actions here are completely understood and quite "human". My friend Teguh said, "Masking the sadness with happiness and cheerfulness".

From now on, I will no longer spend my time with useless actions. I will sthrive for what I have dreamed of (Bayu, this will be our words of everlasting bonds, agree?). I will be a completely different person (becoming supersaiyan!) when Bunda Lala returns home.

Another Crazy Bachelor Night...

2005-08-27T21:48:00.000+07:00

oh my god... we done it again, this night, 8 bachlor went dining together at Cak Koting (in front of Mataram theatre)...

the parking lot was full with cars, the food court was so crowded. we later knew what made this food place so "legendary" (laughing out loud). that was the first time I ate "Burung Dara" (was it fried pigeons?), it was sooooo tasty, much tastier than ducks.

we spent over an hours in Cak Koting, we just watched people come and go. of course, the 8 bachelors acted as if they were a true "bachelors" (laughing out loud, but I can't tell you all the details here...)

Bachelor Beach

2005-08-21T13:23:00.000+07:00

I have recovered from my feeling of loneliness, i'm now back with friends!
This sunday, we visited "Tempat Pelelangan Ikan" at Depok Beach. the beach was next to Parangtritis beach.

It was a very nice beach, the wind was fast and fresh. After what we have done there, I named it "Bachelor Beach".

The place where we had lunch was cozy and relaxing, the food was also great! can u imagine, with only rp. 20rb, u could have ur stomach filled with plenty of fish (drinks included).

checkout the pic!
I was not there in the pic (because I done the snapshot). It is nice knowing that I still have the photographic-senses.

In short,
Great fishes with great friends at Bachelor Beach!

Loneliness and Sadness...

2005-08-20T13:24:00.000+07:00

Akhirnya terjadilah sudah...
Akhirnya aku tidak bisa menahan lagi perasaan terpendamku...
Aku rindu Bunda Lala dan LALA... aku menangis...

Hari ini aku mengajak teman2 kantor utk ke Novotel, tapi tidak ada yang bisa. Mereka semua ada acara. Tentu saja, ini "malam minggu". Ketika rapat conference via ym pun aku hanya bisa ngerecokin... *sigh*
Pada saat itu terjadilah... aku menangis...

"bachelor" stuffs ini ternyata benar2 hanya mengalihkan perasaanku untuk sementara saja. Jauh di dalam hati, terasa rindu dan sedih...

Ya Allah, berikanlah kesehatan, kekuatan dan kesabaran bagi Bunda Lala yang sedang berada jauh dariku. Cukupkanlah segala kebutuhannya, tentramkanlah hatinya dengan hidayah-Mu. Amin.

Full Moon...

2005-08-20T08:37:00.000+07:00

Day 4:

i spent my night mostly with Mr.Nugie. After having dinner with Tony and Sicopak (also with great Nasi Uduk! huzzah!), we shop together at Mirota Kampus, buying household stuffs.

that night at Mirota, as i watch people walking around...
i noticed that male shopper always accompanied by a lady. poor us, we were much like a "lost kitten" (do I look like a KITTEN?!). looking around for things... even Mr.Nugie knew where the location of Queju cheese.

lastly,
i drove Mr.Nugie back home, delivered directly to her wife. Mr.Nugie's motorbike was down (how do you write 'mogok' ?), so i decided to enjoy the full moon with him... check out the pic, its ginger drink! yummy...

Bachelor Awakening

2005-08-19T11:30:00.000+07:00

This evening, I decided to take the challenge from Tony. He challenged me to start my own blog. At first, I was worried about my time, I’m not quite sure I have that much time to express myself.

Then again… after I think over and over again…
I DO have the time. Since my wife and that sweet little terrorist named Lala would have been away for the next two months. Bunda Lala is away for a short course, selected as a representative from DIY province. Lala, of course, has to be taken care by a specialist. I AM a specialist, but this month I’m quite occupied with ongoing projects (going home late, leave very early in the morning, etc…) in GMU. Bunda Lala can’t stand having me will be troubled day and night with the little terrorist. So, Lala is sent to Payakumbuh with my sister in law. Huzzah (quoted from Tony), even we never got the chance to go back to Payakumbuh…

Why we called Lala a “terrorist”. It was only a figure of speech, not reflecting any negative attitude or anything bad. It was inspired from the movie drama “Desperate Housewives” late at night (you should watch it sometimes, its addicting… hehehe). There was a couple who had a verrry troubled twins. The husband ALWAYS busy at the office, while his wife always babysitting the twins everyday. When the situation turned around (husband doing the babysitting), he said “honey, we grew up a terrorists…!”.

Okay, back to topic…
Tony and Fadel has the same idea. They recommended that I should write about my day-to-day activity as a “bachelor”. At first, I seems weird, knowing that what I do is known by others. Even horrifying, what if Bunda Lala sees this blog… Arrgh!

Well then…
I decided that I should take this challenge, and take advantage of the positive values. This blog would be a good media to practice my English. Fyi; I will take a TOEFL test somewhere in the late October. When Bunda Lala gets back, I would present her a TOEFL score of 650! (Insya Allah, may I be given the strength, patience and ability to be the best…).

That’s it. The challenge has begun. If you lucky, you will see my posts daily. If not, then I would probably been verry verry busy (or verry verry tired after spending my day at Novotel). Oh one other thing, this blog might only existed for the next 2 months. I cannot see myself in the future having the time to express this long writings, after life gets back to normal. But who knows… may all the good lasts forever, and let other vanished in time…

Oh, the other thing is: this blog will try to hinder my emptiness. So I will not write about Lala, Bunda Lala, or anything that will rise the feeling of loneliness. This blog is about “The Bachelor Returns”…

To get this blog started up and running, I’d like to summarize what happened during the last days…

Day 1 : Having a great Nasi Uduk with great friends! Every hour I spend the night, brings back the feeling of those good old days. Piece by piece, my memories recalled. I recalled how wonderful going out together with friends (male friends). Hmmm… It was a long-long time ago since I hang-out with friends. You should read what Tony wrote about what happened that night in his blog. It’s the first time he mentioned me :D thankyou.

I spend the night by working in the office until midnight, doing software testing :P Everyone in the office keep saying “Jadi bujang nih Pak?” or “Hidup bujang!” or “Besok masih bujang kan? Makan2 lagi dong!”. although completed my work, I was very very sleeeeepy (I’m not used to it. It was long ago when I waken till morning). So for the first time in the history of Gamatechno, I went home at midnight.

Day 2: Started my TOEFL lessons, and confused where to find dinner… Waken up at dawn, back again with TOEFL lessons… not forget to mention, I washed dishes and watered the garden.

Day 3: is tonight! Exercising myself, starts after Maghrib until 20.00, without dinner, only with Naturade GoldTM. After the exercise, I hardly walked or even I’m totally beat. Even in complete fatigue, I still have the strength to write this long, or is this the effect of Naturade Gold(TM) … huzzah! (TM)