We the people

What makes a nation? shared history, shared culture, shared language, shared values, if these are the elements that makes a country there are many that no longer fits the definition. If there is one factor that is true in all citizens of any country is that each one of us hope for a better life. Many move away from the country of their origins to another for better security, better treatment, better jobs, better life but in the end that is what we all want.

We do share one value, we value a good life and the ability to live as we see fit, yet here we are segmented, separated by our fears, hatred and pettiness. We carve out borders to exclude others, we huddle with our own kind out of hatred and we reject foreign values out of fear.

Humanity is one but diverse, yet its diversity is what separates us.

So I ask again, what makes a nation? I say it is fear.

計画通り

"for everyone of us you kill there will be thousands more to replace us"

now see there's the problem, the strategy is never about submission it's about suffocation and once you're all tired fighting amongst yourselves we'll just drop by and do as we please, guess what, it worked

Fe E

so what is irony?
I see irony in many things
Being hit by an ambulance that was meant to take you to the hospital
Going to war to make peace
Getting sick from a medicine

I also find irony in being able to access things easier after a system is set up to prevent access to it.

or shall I say, well done sir you just wasted much needed resources on something that is guaranteed to not work intended.

To movie goers

and by that I mean anyone who goes to the cinema to watch movies.

Ringing cellphones are irritating please switch it off or switch it to silent mode, if you do need to pick the phone step outside the cinema.

Keep your mouth closed when you chew, in fact close your mouth when you chew regardless where you are, it's disgusting, nobody wants to hear you eat.

Shut up and watch, pay attention to the story, understand the context, you can ask or discuss about the movie after it's over if you want to talk about it, it's what sane people do, unless it's a comedy in which you're allowed to laugh.

I pay money to watch a movie, not to listen to retards.

abide by this simple guideline and I will not accidentally tip my super-sized soda/popcorn to your person or cause harm to your mobile phone.

*this rule also applies to classical concerts and stage plays

go vote

Silver linings

For every bad news, disaster or calamity positivist encourage others to look at the silver lining, the gain instead of the loss. This is like focusing on the nutritional value of eating a plate of human excrement. OK I might be exaggerating, it's really not that bad, it's like not having to pay income tax after you lost your job not to mention the amount of time you get to spend with your family or yourself, or not having to pay for your child's tuition fees after he or she was run over by a truck (and think of the possible compensation payout you might get from that) and think about the job opportunities you might get after a disaster that wipe out half of the human population on the planet and if you do get the short end of the stick on the general population reduction measure you gain more than you've lost, the only thing that you've lost is your life and all earthly bonds but you get to see the afterlife and god, maybe some old friends and relatives. If you don't believe in the afterlife you can always be glad for not having to worry about getting a job, pay taxes, in fact you don't personally have to pay for anything.

So yes, if you come to me and tell me to look at the silver lining from a bad thing that happen to me I'm going make you do the same the next time it happens to you.

Time to bail!

It has been several days since the US bailout plan was approved and less than 2 days since the UK plan was approved and we can already see the immediate effect on the stock markets, everything is up, the DOW, the NASDAQ , FTSE, you name it. Does this mean the economy is improving? it seems like it, will it regain public trust in banks? probably not but the banks will still making money regardless.

So what have we learned from this economic roller coaster experience? for one thing we know that the market, like god, works in a mysterious but predictable way, also, like god when the market makes a turn for the worst it's the less fortunate that gets the short end of the stick and then forced to look at a non existent silver lining. Another thing that we can take out from this learning experience is that if you're big enough it you will never have to be accountable for your mistakes no matter how big that mistake is, in fact it's more likely that you will be rewarded for it with a slap on the wrist as the worst consequence you'll receive.

700 billion

I'm not going to talk about the irony of a Republican government nationalizing companies, I think that horse is dead and beaten, instead I will talk about the numbers. I can say with a degree of certainty that most of us have never dealt with numbers that high in any field, especially when we talk about money. 

The recent move by the US government to bailout failing major financial institutions is costing the American taxpayers around $700 billion, to some the move may seem like elitist socialism but in the end the American public gets to own one some of the most well known financial institution in history (at least technically), so congratulations Americans you're now the (technical) owner of one of the most prestigious financial institution in the world. 

Let's look at that number again, 700 billion. Now let's take a look at the population in New York City, 8 million, now we move further back and look at the population of the US, it's estimated to be around 305,226,110, now lets move even further back and see the world's population, 6,725,295,014. Technically they could give away $2 million dollars to every person on the face of the earth and still have plenty more to spend, of course it would bring the world economy into financial ruin but seeing how things are going now I don't see the difference. 

So here's my proposal, invest in people, give everyone $2 million dollars and hope they'd spend it, and if you're loosing or have lost your home because of the mortgage crisis I'm sure you'd like to buy that dream home you just lost.

a tribute...

and now I give to you the symbol of Jakarta and the spirit of its people......

it's called monumental failure

it's HUGE!

Putting all other rants aside I now present to you something so hideous it's mesmerizing, the Giant Can:

It's filled with 960 ml of barely tea, yes that's right, 960 ml, only 40 ml short of a whole liter 

Here we go again

I have nothing against people who make movies about THE holocaust, I do however have a lot against the amount of it.

Yes it was a terrible event and yes it DID happen and yes it is necessary for people to be made aware of such atrocities through popular art, literature and cinema but why does it almost always focus on THE holocaust? why isn't there more movies about
massacres that happened more recently?

I don't think there are anyone in the "Western" world who has not heard of the systematic racial purge that happened in the Second World War but while we watch and study the history of the Holocaust most of us ignore the fact that many of the refugees arriving in the developed countries came from places where genocide are not seen in their history books but is happening in front of their eyes.

Do we not owe them our attention by making others aware of their condition as well?
or are they not relevant enough because they do not share the same history as we do?

Righty ho then

やっとここに着いた、後戻りはない

Waiting

As the clock ticks I wait until the my final day comes, as I wait I can't help but think of the date and one sentence said many years ago on, "You are about to embark on a great crusade", while I do not equate myself to those whom these words are addressed to these words still ring true, if I loose this one last push I will be left with nothing.

Departing....again

As I pack my bags again I realized that I have to leave a few things behind, then as I look around those things my thoughts wander to my former work colleagues, my niece, my cats, friends and other people that I will leave behind. This isn't the first and it wouldn't be my last time....One last look. 

Chapter 3

So I was told my student visa was granted today, suffice to say I was relieved, soon I won't have to deal with religious ignoramus shouting over the speaker, traffic jams, and smog filled air. Will there be anything I miss? naturally, the cheap prices of some things and a handful of people but other than that I'm glad.

This will be a new chapter for me in this journey called life, it will be different and it will be the same, I will meet with new people and familiar faces, somethings I will do differently and others will be the same but one thing for sure it's going to be something.

You Habla Engrish!?

From a figure manufacturing website

Fact

I don't get upset often but if I do  and it's caused by someone else other than myself I suggest you keep your distance. Apologies mean next to nothing to me and I hold a grudges, if want to say you're sorry be sorry for your existence and fix that error.

Yes I'm not a very nice guy but if you know me you already know that.

Percentages

Less people die from self inflicted gunshot wound or jumping off buildings than those who smoke, yet chain smokers are not arrested for attempt to commit suicide (which is illegal in some countries).  Ok there's the issue of intent but with the various warnings on smoking that's about as intentional as standing on a train track while being warned that they'll get hit by a train.

Then again what do I care, the more people die due to their own stupidity the better it is for the rest of us.

Oh great.....

(Insert caption here)

I like attics.

A bigot is a person who is prejudiced against anyone outside his/her own kind, don't be picky hate everything, at least that way you'd be fair.

GEEK!

"How a about a JLA movie?" asked a person. I'm very skeptic about comic book super hero movies, I blame the 70's and 80's for it, the horrid tunes from Batman and Spider Man TV series still haunts me like a bad jingle. To be honest I was even skeptic of X-Men when I first heard of it, the only super hero movies I had faith was Batman and Superman (even they turned out silly after a several sequels, which then required a "restart").  

Coming back to the question of a JLA (Justice League of America) movie, you have....just on top of my head......Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Batman and Seaman...I mean Aquaman....forget about the rest of them. That's 6 major characters with 2 already having major box offices. So you'd understand why I'm being skeptic.

Insignificant

Is the month half passed or half remaining? 

post count....+1

...I think not!

I just watched the pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles suffice to say I'm interested.

"I'm your substitute, my name is Cromartie"

Break it down!

Why do I do this? I blame myself for it but here goes,

First off I'm not part of any religion or cult, in fact the amount of  dedication a person spends in one rather disturbs me but by this I'm not in anyway saying I'm not biased, I am, against stupidity and badly made films.  

I have this new habit of not saying anything about something without knowing it. So. Having actually seen that sad excuse of that short movie about the threat of Islam (Fitna) I have to say.... it's a sad excuse for a movie, even a short one. Being Dutch isn't an excuse for making a bad movie, I know it may seem like a trait but no, it's not an excuse. 

OK so you picked up a few passages you find disturbing or don't like from someone else's Holy Book and superimpose them on some violent image, great, well done you've just passed Propaganda 101....NOT, what you've done is make people curious and look for more and when they find out it's not exactly as you say it is they point and laugh at you, unless you were relying on your viewers to accept it word for word. LRN2RSRCH! Until then go back to smoking weed and making porn.

Granted that morons exist in any and every culture and society why discount the Muslim community too? Morons and idiots exist in that society too (there just seem to be more on this side of the world) and you pick their understanding of what is? that's like taking the KKK's interpretation of the Bible or some conspiracy theorists idea of how the world is run (the part about Dick Cheney is an alien robot....that's true though).

The accuracy of the movie is as accurate as Colin Powell's report on the existence of WMD in Iraq.

It's kids stuff

Ok today I went to youtube to watch one of those caramelldansen clips (yes ok I'm rather retarded that way) and enka videos only to find it inaccessible, thinking it was down for a bit I tried again a few hours later only to hear that it was blocked over some video the Indonesian Government found offensive. This may sound odd to those who know me but I'm going to try and be neutral here.

I think they're missing the big picture here, they spend enough time talking about and deciding to ban some website and ignoring the real issue the country's facing, like lack of widespread education or the widespread malnutrition for example. This youtube thing is a non issue and it should stay as a non issue, any call to pull the video down just shows the inability to take crass, offhanded criticism like an adult.

I just hope this is just a knee-jerk reaction like all those other times otherwise they can continue the ban and stop calling themselves a democratic country at least that way they'd be honest.

for those with simpler minds: If you don't like it, don't buy it!

'tis a happy box

For some reason this reminds me of Futurama.

Stagnant

I sit in my room with nothing to do listening to the continuous "tick-tock" from my clock, it's irritating.

Lovely day eh?

So I was talking to my brother when he said his classes were cancelled for the day due to strong winds... he failed to mention that it was 130 km/h strong.....and they say talking about the whether is boring, my favorite quite from the article was; 

The bureau's severe weather expert, Kevin Parkyn, said the magnitude of the storms was unusual for the time of year.

I'm surprised someone still find something 'unusual' in Melbourne's weather, I guess I'll go ahead and bring my flood boots.

ヤ〜レンソ〜ランソ〜ラン...

This is why I like watching Japanese TV

Self realization

There are a things that people have as a result of a certain trait they possess or lack and there are things that people will not have because of the same reasons. After studying so long about human and social behavior I'm able to objectively judge myself as an individual and realized a few things about myself; my character flaws, strength and all that revolves around myself as a person and have come to this conclusion.

Denying a possibility is much less disappointing than being denied the possibility

Because some risks are just not worth taking and when it comes down to it I'm a little more possessive than most.

"Because it sells"

The more I go out the more I dislike marketing people, sure they'll say without them nothing will sell, ok they're half right they make shitty things popular but that's not my main gripe.

As I walked in a shoe store I looked at the regular shoe placement, sports shoes, walking shoes, running shoes, etc. then I saw it.... Lifestyle shoes.... here's my gripe;

lifestyle |ˈlīfˌstīl|

noun
the way in which a person or group lives 

The misuse of the term lifestyle and any word used improperly here is what I find annoying and I only have a group of people to blame for this, marketing people. Re-inventing definition of a word to fulfill their marketing pitch at the cost of a clearly defined word. If you think it's bad in an English speaking country try and have a look at places that uses English because "it sounds cool" without a good understanding of it.

Prawns on the Barbie

It's Easter

Hi everyone I almost forgot it's Easter, not that I personally celebrate it but it's a good time for everyone to just sit back with your family and friends and have a cup of Joe, Happy Easter people

Smoten?

Smitten, a past participle of the word smite, is more commonly used to describe infatuation with something, or in most cases someone, but when you look back at the root of the word it relates more to being on the receiving end of a fast moving, powerful force or object.

Let's take a look at the usage;

"He smote me with a hammer" Here the word smote (past tense of smite) connotes that the subject was violently struck by a hammer.

One the other hand

"I was smitten by her looks"  Does NOT indicate at any point that the speaker was violently struck by the subject, here (and in general) the word is used to describe something more positive

Yet when we switch the condition of the 1st and 2nd sentences it becomes:

"I was smitten by the hammer" and "She smote me with her looks" where the condition in both situation becomes quite humorous.

IT'S A BEAR!

Name: Ame

Age: Old

Gender: Male

Species: Catbear

Size: Huge!

Weight: Heavy!

Hobby: Eating, Lazing around 

Likes: Following people, tummy rubs

Dislikes: YOU! (note the face)

little green blobs

I like food in general but I'm not a big fan of vegetables, sure I eat few like cucumbers or lettuce with the right salsa fresh tomatoes, carrots and a few others, if prepared in a certain manner but in general I don't like it but there are few that stands disgustingly above the rest. Like most vegetables it's green and like most vegetables I don't like it, not as a side dish or on it's own, I'm talking about peas, yes little green peas that destroys the flavor of a perfectly good food, they destroy the flavor in mashed potatoes, fried rice, steak and just about any food I can think of. 

Peas has an extremely overpowering smell and flavor which causes any food too loose it's distinct taste, it doesn't enhance the flavor it kills it, like what chlorine does to people in confined spaces. In fact any food that requires peas in its recipe probably has no taste or it was too awful to begin with.

Yes I hate peas, I hate peas like I hate ultra right-wing conservatives in fact I think they're somehow related.

Another weekend

It's Saturday and I have nothing else to do so here's something for your viewing pleasure.

yes it's a black cat, you got a problem?

The weekender

Just two things, first, Francis Ford Coppola made a couple of movies and second , Moe anthropomorphism.

Have a good week people!

May I have your attention please...

I can has Internets!!

In all seriousness, I'm finally connected to a proper internet at home, no long dangly cables, no more going to internet cafes and most importantly no more constant dial-up disconnection, ok so it still has limited download limit but it sure as hell beats 20 minutes to download a 1 mb file, so now I have less reason to go out of the house and in a very short period of time I will be able to describe myself as the 21st century version of a caveman.

As I always say, increased technological access means decreased mobility (or the need to be in this case)

Long Awaited

Hey look what I made!

What's in a name?

I don't follow Indonesian party politics closely but when something interesting comes up I'm inclined to make a comment about it, this time it's about a the name of a certain political party. For those who follow Indonesian political parties (the group one not the one with funny hats and alcohol...wait.....) they tend to have odd and even bizarre names like this one for example Partai Bintang Reformasi (Reform Star Party) and that's one of the less ridiculous one.

The one that caught my eye was this one party, Partai Hati Nurani Rakyat (People's Conscience Party) abbreviated to HANURA, I admit it makes an impact when a large group of people start chanting the name on the streets but at the same time it sounds to me like they're calling for this:

Which really isn't that different when you think about it

One hundred and one dancing yellow daffodils

I've been in virtual solitary confinement for the last couple of months with only less than a handful of people to interact with, my computer, Cable TV and a recently bought Nintendo DS. I have this to say, I've slipped my mind, I've gone over the edge and not in a humorous way, I caught myself staring into nothing, not wanting to interact with people in general, unable to comprehend the most basic concepts and the overwhelming urge to walk in front of a speeding train amongst other things.

Funny when you thought you have done everything you wanted to do and have everything that really matters everything else becomes moot and when it happens in your mid 20s it's a dangerous thing.

Turning into a tree

Thinking it would be a fun thing to do to pass the day I watched one episode each of the following series; Sakigake Cromartie Koukou, Pani Poni Dash, Lucky Star, Galaxy Angel, Akahori Gedou Hour, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Azumanga Daioh and Excel Saga. I mean it's only about 1 and a half hour of random insanity, slapstick humor and puns what harm can be done?

As it turns out by the end of it I can conclude that if you worry you'll become a tree! (心配したら木になる!)

Technical issues

WYSIWYG!? WYSIWYG YOU SAY!? I'LL WYSIWYG YOUR ASS IF YOU DON'T START PRINTING PROPERLY!

Movie Marathon

I went to watch several movies last month and bought 4 DVD's the other day because I ran out of things to do and here's my short opinion on each of them.

Alien Vs Predator 2: Worst movie of the year, that says a lot since it was out in January
Golden Compass: Could have been better, much better if not for the crappy progression and movie time constraint.
American Gangster: Not the best gangster movie I've seen but not bad, it would have been better if the morons sitting next to me would just stop talking (I had to spill my soda on them on my way out).
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: Magical living toy store, I enjoyed it.
John Rambo: The eternal search for the highest on screen body count.
3:10 to Yuma: Can't ask for more, it's typical western.
The Contract: I bought it thinking it was something else, it was meh.
Charlie Wilson's War: I have to admit, this one was pretty good I enjoyed it.
Bobby: This one takes the cake, probably one of the best movies I've seen so far.

There you go my brief thoughts on the movies I've seen in the last 30 days.

Dog tricks

Piano is hard

Fragmentation

They say a dry spaghetti always snaps into 3 pieces or more when you bend it, supposedly due to a cascading effect. The diagram below shows that it is possible to snap a spaghetti in 2. The red circle indicates the broken areas on the spaghetti as indicated on the diagram 1 strand out of 3 is broken in only 1 section instead of 2 or more, although it is not broken evenly in half the diagram indicates that it is very close to it. 

Just before you say anything I didn't use any equipment but my two hands, I didn't break it in any special method, I snapped them one at a time and it was done in room temperature in the same room.

人形遊び

I remember talking about the possibility of this with my brother some months ago while walking down the streets of Melbourne after discovering some really odd item in tora no ana.....I really should stop speculating..... well, it's not like it exist after I said it the report did say they guy had been collecting it for about a decade, unlike some other things I've said before.

Well this really puts a new meaning to playing with dolls

グーゼン

Well would you look at that, last year's post count is exactly the same as 2005, what a coincidence... 

Oh and here's something completely different

It'll be a blast!

Look people I'm still alive! (despite the wishes of most people).....September.... yes it seems like a while ago since I blogged but enough of that let's get into the good stuff, here's what I found today while browsing The Age's tech section.  Yes I'm an easily amused person.

With regards to the U.S presidential race I only have this to say......"Ah McCain, you've done it again..."