Don’t Judge a Book from Its Cover but from Its Price

“How easy is it to judge other people? How often do we do it?”

Actually these questions came across my mind after watching Lima Elang the movie (Lima Elang means Five Eagles in English). The movie describes how five elementary school students coming from different background and get together at the end as a solid team. This article is not about the movie. Instead, what messages the movie has sent to the audience.

One thing I have learnt from the movie is that everybody has their own story. Nobody knows exactly what journey one has been into, even their closest family or friends. A person who always looks happy among friends might be the saddest person on earth. A man who looks tough might be the most vulnerable person. My point is that we cannot be 24/7 with another person and know exactly what really happens to him or her.

Nonetheless, we often judge other people as if we know exactly who he or she is, what he or she does do, what he or she really thinks and feels and what he or she has been through. Why do we do that?

We actually simply want other people do and think the same way as we do. We do not easily accept difference. Once they do different thing, we judge them as if they are wrong.

We can always learn from others regardless their ages, their experience, their background. One thing that I would like to remind us is that we are not always right. So never judge people.

Photo: bdlawhouse.blogspot.com

K.I.D.Z.

“They’re just kids. What do they know?”

Some might say that children cannot do anything as good as the adults. They are in the learning phase and that is why their skills are below the adults.

However, I found it was not entirely true. Recently, I watched Australia Junior Masterchef. It was an Australian TV show, a cooking competition among children age 8-12. In the competition, they were expected to do several challenges from Australian famous chefs and be creative in inventing their own signature dishes. Those children who age 8 to 12 proved that they were as good as adult chef. They cooked professionally and their dishes looked well prepared. I was so amused by their performances.

This show has taught me that we can really learn from everybody. What I learned from the Junior Masterchef children is that they are always positive and have strong can-do attitude. They always finish the challenges they have been assigned to. They always support each other even give compliments to their competitors. How many of us would do that in real life? Some of us could say it is being acted in the show. However the message is still there. We can win competitions without having to beating our competitors all the time (win-win situation).

Also, I learned from the show is that children need positive encouragement, instead of criticism. It will give much better impact on them. I realize that it is much much easier to criticize people especially children than to motivate them. Why do not we start right now? Hopefully to make their lives better and our lives better, too…

Photo: news.com.au

TGIE (Thank God It's Everyday)

And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, my punishment is severe.' (Ibrahim: 7)

It is said that our Lord will add more things we enjoy in this world if we are being grateful. We never doubt on that. Yet, almost every day there are too many times we complain on practically everything.

“I hate waking up early in the morning especially Monday morning”

“Gosh, why are we stuck in this darn traffic jam?”

“Well he just got promoted. Why didn’t I? I have helped this company a lot in achieving its foals. The management is not fair.”

“Why didn’t my husband work harder so we can get more money?”

“Why does my wife keep nagging at me about money? Don’t we just have enough?”

“Oooh our national soccer team sucks. They played very bad. How can we compete in the World Cup?”

“I am too fat. Why can’t I be just thin as she is?”

“When will I recover? I hate being sick.”

“I have done my best to provide good education for my kids. Why aren’t they getting good grades?”

….and the list continues…

Complaining is a piece of cake. We can do it whenever we want and to whomever we want. There are plenty reasons why we should complain. Nevertheless, do we feel better after complaining? Do we really solve our problems by complaining? Does complaining make our world better? The answer could be yes or no but I am pretty sure that most of us answer no.

In my opinion, why we complain is because we always want to look for better things. We always wonder what it has been like if….what it feels like if… We are never satisfied. Some say it is natural for human not feeling satisfied.

However, if we really believe in the Quran verse I quote earlier, we should be grateful for everything we have had. There is always positive thing in everything. Silver lining lies behind the dark clouds we encounter in our lives. Therefore, stay positive no matter how hard it is. Stay strong for you and your family. Happiness is just around the corner.

Photo: idrischasbiy.blogspot.com

Speaking in public is scary...not

Imagine....a room, full of strangers waiting to listen what you are going to say. They can look attentively, bored or agitated. There you are standing in front of the room. Your heart is beating so fast. Your palms are sweating like a p*g. Can you imagine how you feel?

Yes, I might have just dramatized the situation. However, how many of you have ever been in similar situation? I believe there some of you, if not many, say "yes I have been there" or "yeah that is me."

What exactly are we afraid of? What is the worst thing can happen to you?

Some of us might answer "The audience might eat us alive (a bit of exaggeration)" or "What if I say wrong words? The audience can laugh at me" or "Nobody listens to me and I will be laughing stock."

Actually the real situation will not be that bad...as long as...we have good preparation.

Here are few tips of presentation I have from a great presentation skill training.

• Know your audience
• Know the purpose of your presentation
• Enter with a catchy opening
• Keep your eye contact with audience
• Rephrase questions from audience to understand them
• Give simple and concise answer
• Use words that can be understood by the audience
• Exit with a catchy closing
• Smile

These tips help me a lot in my presentations. Hope they work well for you too...:)

How, What and Why?

"Do I know the real meaning of my prayers?"

For the last 28 years, to be honest, I did not know the real meaning of my prayers. I just did what I had been told. I thought as long as I did it, I would be fine.

Lately, I was wondering what if my future children ask me "why do I have to say prayers? what does it mean?" A father does not know the answer to that significant question. That would be trouble for me, let alone my children.

Fortunately, my dearest grandparents gave a book for my wedding present. After sitting down on the shelf for three months, the book sent its knowledge to me. It does not tell me what to do. Instead, it gives several perspectives on 'why,' 'what' and 'how.'

Believe me it is not easy to understand. However, I have decided to learn step by step. Now I can say that if people really know the meaning of their prayers, they will be wiser and more peaceful than they are now.

Hope people in my country and around the world understand the real meaning of their prayers.... what about you? have you?

Go Get 'em, Heroes !!

Today..

It is one of remarkable moments for Indonesian badminton lovers. The final of Thomas Cup 2010. Indonesia vs China. Some of us might think that this is a one-sided game (for China). Some of us might not care about this event at all (and that is fine, I guess). Others might still hope that the Indonesian team can win this event.

I am one of the latest group of people. Based on historical events, The team have lots of skills and experience needed to win this game. The spirit and/or motivation might be down sometimes when facing very challenging teams such as China, South Korea, Denmark, even Malaysia.

Therefore it is up to us to bring up the spirit and hope for the best. Let's give huge appreciation to our Badminton team or shall I say our heroes. They (winning or losing) have done their best to fight for our country.

Knock on wood, if they did not win in the end, we should never disrespect or mock them. Imagine....how it feels to be mocked after you fight until the last drop for your country...it will be very bad...

Very bad....and you yourself do not want to feel that way, do you?

Alrighty, that is enough from me. Go get 'em, Heroes !!

Pic: http://www.pb-pbsi.org

Lesson of Life (from a taxi driver)

Everybody can be a teacher to others!

Yes, we can always learn from other people; no matter who they are. A few weeks ago, I took a taxi to go home because it was late. The taxi driver was around 50ish years old. Then, we had light conversation along the way. After 10 minutes chit-chatting with him, I asked a simple question -How can he always be happy with his job or life. These are his answers.

I have keys to my happiness in life, which are the 5 I-s:
#1 Impian (dream)
We have to set our dream first to reach our happiness. Dream here means stages or conditions that describe our happiness.

#2 Ikhtiar (endeavor)
We must put our best effort in every action to achieve our dream.

#3 Ibadah (prayer)
Human can only strive for the best. Eventually God decides the result is.

#4 Istiqamah (persistence)
Persistence is important in giving our best endeavor. Happiness or success does not come easily. It has to be earned.

#5 Ikhlas (still cannot find the suitable English word for this one)
Human strives and God decides! We have to believe in it. Ikhlas means we can accept whatever the result is although it is unfavorable for us. God knows what the best for us is. Ikhlas is always easier said than done. Still, it is the key of every single action of ours.

I really thank that Taxi driver who did teach me about life. God bless him!

God's Blessings

Having no jobs is difficult to most people, including me. Lately, I just whined over myself about how incompetent I am. Earning master's degree from the States and having lived in New York sounds very promising at least for some people. I have been attending job interviews at excellent multinational companies. I rejected an offer from a company and another company rejected me. Sometimes, I have doubt that I have made the right decision. Am I aiming way over the moon?
However, last night, there was a moment when I realized how lucky I am. Why lucky? I have wonderful parents and a sister who help me through this life providing a 'shelter' protecting me. Also, a person who always supports me and listens to my problem has been around. Geez, I always complain but actually God already bless me with all people I need.
So from now on, I will try my best always to thank God for what God has given to me...

Questionable

9 months ago was the last time I wrote on this blog. Consistency does not get along with my writing passion. That is why I do not have a fully-written diary. It is more like compilation of random notes.
Within the last two months, I have been through lots of questions in my life. Not all of them have not been answered. I sought the answers by myself mostly. What comes into my mind are these questions "Should I look for all the answers? Will I be happy if every question is answered? What will I do if have got all the answers?"
Recently, I have found out that the more I search the answers the more I create another question. It makes me wanting more and I end up unsatisfied. Maybe I start realizing that not everything in this life has to be crystal clear. Some of them are meant to be vague. Then, my life could be more exciting than before.

Image source:
http:/192.107.108.56/portfolios/m/murray_k/final/QUESTION.GIF

Living in NY

Hmm it's good to be back to the blog world where everybody can speak their mind. Two months ago I moved to NYC from good ol' Maryville. I have never thought that I will miss Maryville this much. Having moved back to a big city (I grew up in a big city then went to school in a small town) makes me wondered if I want to live in it for good.
People here, the New Yorkers, always say that their city is the best place to live which I find it is not hard to believe. NYC offers a lot of entertainment or you can say "you will find everything in NYC" (except "ojek" LOL, sorry this joke is for Indonesians only). For foreigners, NYC is also the best place to visit. It is very multicultural melting pot. There are several places which are specifically cultured such as Little Italy, Chinatown, Flushing (dominantly inhabited by Chinese and Koreans), Jamaica, etc. As you visit these areas, you can feel the difference of atmosphere amongst them.
Nonetheless what I miss from a small college town is its hospitality. It is one thing that NYC does not offer to anybody. Then, what tickles, if not bothers, me a lot is that some people can be very judgmental here in NY. I think I have been culturally-stereotyped at least once a week since I resided here. For example, one of my supervisors yelled at me for about 2 minutes in Spanish. I kept silent because I did not know anything about Spanish except Que Pasa and Hola :) Then, he realized the fact I did not speak Spanish. The funny thing was his reaction when I told him that I was originally from Indonesia. He said "Oh you are from Asia. So do you speak Chinese?" If he was not my boss, I would have laughed out loud in front of him. In my mind I told him "Just because I am from Asia, it does not mean I automatically speak Chinese. Duh!" Well at that time, I succesfully restrained myself from saying that.
One day, one of my colleagues thought that I was from India. He was telling a joke in Hindi to me and he did laugh by himself. He was kind of disappointed that I did not laugh with him and murmured. Once I explained to him about my origin, then he understood.
Anyways, that's two of my stories of me being stereotyped. It is fine by me but still annoying. Hope the New Yorkers (especially the immigrants) realize that we are one race, HUMAN.

Don't be arrogant! There is material that is harder than diamond.

Probably, until now, there are some of us who think that diamond is the hardest material on the earth. Guess what? It is not. Recently, some German scientists have found a new material called Aggregated Carbon Nanorods (ACNR). In their experiment, ACNR could scratch diamond. If it can scratch, it is believed that it can cut the diamond. Of course, they have to do follow-up experiments about it.
After reading this article in www.kompas.com, i suddenly thought of arrogant people. They are who think they are better than others and underestimate others because of that. By metaphore, they think they're like diamond and they're superior. The article actually can make us realize that being arrogant is useless. Why? Because there are always people who are better than you. There is sky above the sky. All you have to do is do your best not be the best. And if you do better than others, do not underestimate them. Coz someday they might do better than you.
Ultimately, we know that God is the Almighty. He should be the One who can be arrogant because of His power. But is God arrogant? A big NO. So, why should human be arrogant?

Gratitude for those who responded my question :)

Hello guys. Thank you for responding my questions. I just wanna say Hello to each of you. Hope the world gets connected easily by this way. I received comments from people all around the world, i.e. Canada, USA, Indonesia, so on and so forth.
The basic idea of this question is that we can learn history from other people without reading boring thick books. Maybe there are some people thinking that it's just my way to get readership. That isn't necessarily wrong but there is a lot more behind it. What can i say? People have different opinion.
Thanks for Mark Thomas who had this idea. Take care, y'all :)

If you could meet any person in history...

Simple question:
If you could meet any person in history, who would it be and why?
Cheers..

Another hero comes along

Few hours ago, one of the best Indonesian boxers, Chrisjon, succesfully retained his title, which is WBA Featherweight world champion. He defeated Tommy Browne in Sydney, Australia. I was wondering whether Chris will get any decent ovation from Indonesian people when he comes back. As I recall, when he got the title, there was no Indonesian news station at all which broadcasted his fight. Hopefully, this time, Indonesian people would respect their heroes more than the other nation do. Bravo, Chrisjon! We're proud of you.
pic: www.dnet.net.id

Saturday a.k.a Sabtu a.k.a Sabado

Oh it's so nice to be on Saturday again. Saturday means chillin' time ;) It also means not doing anything related to study. The sad thing is that i don't have anything exciting to do besides weekly shopping (food shopping :)
So being couch potato is not a bad thing :) I know it sounds lazy but after rough weekdays, I think I deserve some leisure time.
By the way, some time in this week, I read news in the Internet that South Korean researchers successfully cloned a dog. After tadpole, sheep, goat, cow, mice, pig, cat, rabbit, gaur, and now a dog, do you think the researchers will clone human successfully? Next question is whether human cloning is ethical. Some people argue that cloning can be used in efforts of finding cure for rare disease. From the other standpoint, it is unethical because it threatens human individuality, deliberately saddling the clone with the genetic makeup of a person who has already lived (www.nrlc.org/news/2002/NRL03/ex.html). What's your opinion about it?
pic: bioteach.ubc.ca

If you were.....

Maybe you have a thought about this :)

If you were a ruler of a country, what would be the first thing from it you want to change?

If you are confused, you might want to borrow the thinking cap for a while ^_^

pic: www.mysterynet.mb.ca

Half way through

These past four days would probably be the busiest days in Summer. I am taking class on the 4th block of Summer session. It only lasts for 2 weeks. Apparently it's not a 2-weeks-class, instead of 8-days-class. Can you imagine how to finish a class within 8 days? It's not easy for the students as well as the teacher. We have case studies everyday. In the end of the class, there will be group cases and individual cases to be presented infront of class.
Despite the density, this class doesn't have any exams. Yippi !!! Still, I want to finish it as good as I could do. Hang on there, Andhyka. It's 4 days left and you'll be done this summer. Colorado, here I come :)

Unpopular hero

Have you ever heard this name, Agung Etti Hendrawati? Maybe few of us heard of her but I am sure not too many people know her. She is one of the marvelous athletes that Indonesia ever have. Etti recently just set a new WORLD record of Speed Rock Climbing in Italy in 2005. What made it more astonishing is that the old world record was also HERS.
I know that rock climbing is not a popular sport in Indonesia. Soccer and badminton are the most dominant sport played. Many people are so into those sports. Unfortunately, our national soccer and badminton atlhetes are not in their best form these recent years. That condition creates an image of the fall of Indonesian sports. Eventually it leads to the declining of confidence of the athletes in particular, the nation in general.
Nonetheless, there are still some athletes that makes remarkable achievements. Thus, in lieu of complaining about our soccer national team's weakness, why don't we support or at least pay attention to other athletes, for instance Etti, Chrisjon, so on and so forth?
Personally, I still believe that our national atheletes will again make great achievements. I could be wrong. But if there is no one supports them, how can we expect them to win and make us proud? It won't happen if we always complain about them without any solution. Viva Indonesian athletes...!
pic: www.theage.com.au

One of the historical coins

This coin was very popular in 1995 (if I'm not mistaken). Actually it's just an ordinary coin but rumours about this coin was so incredible. At that time, it was believed that 100 Rupiah coin made in 1991 contained valuable metal. Some people changed it into a ring. Believe it or not, they sold the ring with way up high price (much more than Rp.100). Unbelievable.....
Some of you probably would say I just made the story. Nope, this is true.

This is even cooler....:)

Do you know what the postcard looked like in the late 1800's? The pic above is a postcard sent from Yokohama, Japan to Buitenzorg, Indonesia. Buitenzorg now is called Bogor a.k.a the "Rain City."