About Life

A day in a life of people is very different, people have different standards of what a good life is, the richer you are, the higher the standard, the poorer you are, the lower the standard. And what about me?, some one who is living an above average life in a world of people that are rich. it sometimes make you envy them, with their million bank accounts, posh cars and freedom, but is it all worth it?

The life I am living now, to many people standards is good enough, I have my own transporttion although i often get wet during the rainy season, i go to very expensive university (but if you compare to SBM ITB, it's practically nothing), I have a house, my own room, a computer an access to the internet. I should be great full (and I am), but If you look up to the people in my community, then you become ungreatfull. You think that your living the average life, cuz every body has more than you have, and then you start to envy them, and wished you'd live like them. I have a cousin that i envy, he has a nearly perfect life. He went to all the top school, he got execpted at a prestigeeous faculty in one of Indonesia's top University (which was my ambition but it failed), he doesn't get wet when going on dates with his girl friend who is presently abroad, and he has lots of money to spare. Isn't that nice??

It's not that I am ungreatfull its just that I envy him, and I start to think why life is so unfair, you think, how come he get everything he wants and i don't? And the thought of that sometimes make me not able to sleep and feel pity for my self. Then you start to think that you have a life that is unworth living, although there is nothing wrong with it.

But, it's wrong to think like that. It's wrong to be ungreatfull to the lord who has given us a life that we live now. I know this because I have seen people living in conditions a lot worst than me, People who live in 3m x 4m houses with 12 people in it. Or even worst, people who are homeless. Than you see the irony and the way you think is totally wrong. Never see people above you, but always see the ones below, because if you look up, there is no bench mark for what up is, it just goes on and on and on, same as if you look down. You think that beggers are living a harsh life, imagine what life a blind begger lives. Not enough for you? Than imagine what a blind and arm less begger life is like. It just goes down and down and down. Till you hit rock bottom which is who knows where is.

The point is, that we must be greatfull with what life we are given whether we like it or not, I know it's hard, its really hard not to envy other people. I usually think that rich people are usually spoilt and useless at life, like they don't know how to turn cooker because they usually have their food cooked by their maid, and they don't know how to use public transport because they use their cars with their drivers and air conditioning. The thought of this makes me think straight again and stops me from complaining (but not all rich people are spoilt and useless, some are very kind and very nice people though) Their useless ness and spoilt ness will do no good in the future, because life is getting harder. So be greatfull at what you are, its the right way to live......

Pendapat saya tetntang abad kesembilan belas

Abad ke sembilan belas merupakan suatu abad yang dimana pikiran serta teknologi manusia berkembang secara pesat dalam tempo waktu yang sangat singkat. Manusia belajar untuk membunuh dengan cara-cara lebih kejam serta lebih cepat. Manusia menciptakan alat yang dapat pergi ke bulan (walaupun ada beberapa pihak yang mengatakan kalau itu adalah kebohongan) dan manusia belajar untuk menyaikiti dirinya sendiri dengan membuat rokok dan narkoba yang di produksi dalam skala besar dengan harga yang murah.

Abad ke sembialn belah merupakan abad yang menarik untuk di lihat lalu di komentari. di bandingkan dengan abad- abad sebelumnya dimana manusia tidak belajar susuatu yang significant melainkan para penemu menciptakan rumus-rumus matematika dan fisika yang membuat kita menderita di SMP dan SMA dan manusia mengetahui bahwa bumi itu bulat dan matahari merupakan pusat dari sistem tata surya, dan? ya revolusi industri, renaisance dan banyak hal yang penting, tapi menurut saya kurang menarik.

Sebagai contoh sederhana, wright bersaudara pertama kali enciptakan pesawat terbang pada pembuka awal ke sembilan belas. Pesawat mereka merupakan pesawat yang sederhana yang tidak dapat terbang untuk jarak yang jauh dan pesawat yang rapuh. 20 tahun kemudian manusia sudah dapat membuat pesawat yang digunakan untuk membunuh manusia lagi dengan membawa senjata dan bom (pada perang dunia 1). Lalu kita tambahkan 40 tahun, manusia sudah dapat menciptakan pesawat dengan kecepatan hampir sama dengan kecepatan suara, mereka menciptakan pesawat yang bisa membawa tentara sekutu dari amerka ke dataran eropa menyeberangi samudra atlantik demi menyerang hitler dan kawan-kawanya. Lalu kita tambahkan 60 tahun dari sejak wright bersaudara membuat pesawat terbang mereka, manusia sudah bisa menciptakan pesawat tempur bermesin jet yang bisa melampaui kecepata suara hingga 2 kali. Pesawat SR-71 Black Bird, taukan anda akan pesawat ini? pesawat tercepat di dunia yang di gunakan Amerika Serikat untuk memata-matai Uni Sovyet di saat perang dingin. Pesawat ini dapat mencapai kecepatan 3000km/jam dan dibuat seluruh panelnya dari titanium. Pesawat ini tidak di lengakapi dengan senjata apapun, karena tidak ada rudal (pada masa itu) yang dapat menyamai kecepatan pesawat Blackbird. Bayangkan, ini semua hanya terjadi dalam kurun waktu 60-70 tahun sejak pesawat pertama diciptakan.

Terjadi kemajuan yang pesat juga di bidang teknologi komunikasi. Pernahkah anda menyaksikan film startrek yang pertama kali diluncurkan hollywood? Dimana di film tersebut terdapat sebuah alat komunikasi portable yang bisa di bawa-bawa. Sadarkan anda, bahwa itu merupakan telepon genggam atau handphone yang di gambarkan secaea eksplisit oleh film startrek. Dalam waktu kurang dari 30 tahun, manusia sudah dapat membuat ide tersebut menjadi sebuah kenyataan.

Sehingga bila anda berpikir, lalu bertanya, kemanakan akal pikiran serta teknologi manusia sebelum abad ke sembilan belas? mengapa kok pada abad kesembilan belaslah terjadi lompatan perkembangan akal pikiran manusia yang begitu dasyat? saya pun tidak tau jawabanya....

Namun, yang ingin saya katakan dalam artikel yang tidak menarik ini adalah, bahwa abad ke sembilan belas merupakan abad yang dimana terjai hal-hal aneh yang menunjang kehidupan manusia untuk masa sekarang dan 1000 tahun yang akan datang. Bayangkan saja bila kita tidak pernah mengalami abad ke sembilan belas?, Mobil, pesawat terbang, telephone genggam, internet komputer bahkan TV tidak akan pernah ada di dalam kehidupan kita.....

Opini saya tentang mobil kijang

Tidak biasanya saya menulis dalam bahasa Indonesia (I should have done it on my post about keroncong) tapi yasudahlah, karena malam ini saya ongin membahasa tentang salah satu ikon otomotif di Indonesia. Sebuah mobil yang telah menjadi primadona di keluarga Indonesia. Mobil itu adalah toyota kijang.

Pertrama kali Kijang itu diluncurkan oleh pabrikan mobil Toyota pada tahun 1977, konsep awalnya bukan sebagai "people carier" melainkan mobil bak terbuka untuk menyaingi pasar yang pada kurun waktu itu di kuasai oleh mitsubhi colt. Mesinya menggunaakan mesin 1200cc yang juga digunakan oleh Toyota corrolla., sasis dan bodi mobil ini sangat sederhana, dan tidak terkesan "well built", kijang generasi awal ini dikenal dengan istilah kijang buaya, dikarenakan bentuk mobil ketika kap mesin dibuka menyerupai buaya.

Menyadari antusiasme masyarakat yang tinggi, toyota pun membuat kijang generasi kedua. Kijang ini dikenal dengan istilah "kijang Doyok" dengan kode rangka KF 20 dan kode mesin 4K, berkapasitas 1300cc . Memiliki suspensi double wishbone dan menggunakan per daun untuk bagian depan dan velakang mobil. Kijang ini pun terlihat lebih manis karena di buat bukan sebagai mobil bak saja, melainkan juga sebagai mobil penumpang (people carrier).

Generasi ke 3 pun akhirnya keluar pada tahun 1986, kijang ini di kenal dengan istilah "kijang comandao", mengusung mesin 5K, 1500cc lebih bertenaga dan mengalami transformasi bentuk dari bentukan kijang doyok, menjadi kijang yang banyak masih berkeliaran di kota-kota di Indonesia.Kijang comando pun mengalami 2 tahap perubahan, dari kijang comando 3 pintu menjadi kijang comando 4 pintu. Kijang generasi ketiga ini sudah memilik beberapa variasi seperti comando SX (short xtra) atau yang comando LX (long xtra) mengunakan mesin 5 k dan bertransmisi 4 gigi maju. Selain Comando yang sx dan lx ada juga Comanda yang bertrasmisi 5 gigi maju serta memiliki perlengkapan interior seperti ac dan daouble blower. Dengan model ini kijang sudah mulai merambah ke konsumen kelas atas.

Pada tahun 1992 kijang ini pun mengalami perubahan, dari ber pintu 4 ke pintu 5. Kijang mengusung "toyota original body" (sebelumnya menggunakan toyota full pressed body), metode pembuatan body dengan menggunakan mesin press dan las titik sehingga toyota kijang bebas dari dempul. Pada periode ini juga kijang mempekenalkan mesin 7K yaitu mesin berkapasitas 1800cc, mesin ini digunakan pada model grand extra. namun mesin 5k masih digunakan dalam model sx, lx, ssx dan lsx. Namum untuk model lgx dan sgx menggunakan mesin 7K.

Generasi 4 dari Toyota Kijang (1997- 2004) memperkenalkan model kijang yang lebih halus dan lebih modern dengan sebutan kijang capsule. Kijang model ini masih mengusung mesin 7K (untuk semua model,)namun perbedaanya adalah model sx dan lx menggunakan gearbox bertrasmisi 4 gigi. Selain mesin bensin toyota juga mengeluarkan versi mesin diesel berkapasitas 2500cc dengan kode mesin 2L. Barulah pada tahun 2000, Toyota mengeluarkan tipe mesin EFI (Electronoc fuel injection) dengan mesin 7K-E (berkapasitas 1800cc dan 1-RZE.

Kijang pun sekarang sudah mengalami face lift yang cukup significant yaitu pada tahun 2004 munculah kijang Inova, kijang yang kita kenal saat ini.

Tadi merupakan sedikit tentang sejarah (fakta) tentang ikon primadona mobil keluarga di Indonesia. pada bagian ini saya ingin mengekspresikan perasaan saya (opini) terhadap mobil ini.

Mungkin dapat dikatakan tidak rasional bagi anak muda untuk meng angan-angankan memiliki sebuah mobil kijang. Mobil ini terkesan mobil om-om, atau mobil keluarga yang sangat tidak cocok dengan anak muda. Banyak merek mobil lain seperti toyota twin cam, ataupun suzuki jimny atau honda civic wonder dan banyak lagi yang bisa cocok untuk lifestyle gaul anak muda (hahahaha).

Namun, bila dilihat dari pemikiran saya, mobil2 tersebut terutama sedan memang sangat nyaman (karena tidak menggunakan per daun0 namun berhubung saya tinggal di Bandung, sebuah kota yang ketika musim hujan menjadi sebuah danau dan pada musim kemarau serasa seperti jalan-jalan di zimbabwe yang belum diaspal, mobil sedan sangat tidak cocok. Kondisi alam seperti ini hanya akan mempercepat kerusakan komponen suspensi dan kaki kaki pada mobil.

Ok, bagai mana dengan Jimny atau taft atau feroza. Saya mulai dengan Suzuki Jimny. Mobil ini memang tinggi dan memang murah, akan tetapi the lack of power yang dimiliki mobil ini sangat menyedihkan. Mobil ini mengusung mesin berkapasitas 970cc dan 3 silinder. Untuk mencapai kecepatan 50kmh itu sudah sangat susah. Lepas dari masalah mesin, cabin mobil sangat sempit dan susah untuk membawa penumpang lebih dari 3, dan rak lupa suspensi mobil ini yang sangat keras, terasa seperti batu. Bagaimana dengan taft atau feroza. yaaaa, mobil ini memang lebih bagus dari jimny (menurut saya) namun bandrol harga untuk taft tahun 90'an itu sudah seharga mobil blazer bekas (70 jutaan) dan berhubung dompet saya tipis (tipis tidak berisi) harga seperti itu terasa sangat membebani.

Dengan kemampuan financial 40 juta rupiah, adakah mobil yang bukan sedan yang dapat dibeli berkisaran tahun 85-90? opisinya kalau sedan banyak (tapikan ini tidak masuk dalam kategori) mungkin suzuki carry, Dauhatsu zebra, Suzuki Jimny, Taft (model lama) dan Kijang. Pilihan saya tenetu jatuh pada suzuki carry (kalau saya punya usaha ternak kambing,atau jasa logistik), namun saya kan mashasiswa jadi buat apa punya mobil seperti itu. Kijanglah pilihanya. dengan harga 40 juta, anda suadah dapat mesin 1500cc suspensi yang lebih empuk (daripada jimny) bentuk yang lebih bagus (daripada carry) dan bisa bawa teman2 atau bawa babi (kalau anda pelihara babi). Kijang merupakan pilihan tepat bagi orang yang yang peduli akan kemudahan berkendara. Hampir di seluruh Indonesia semua montir mengerti mesin Kijang, dan juga spare part yang terjangkau dan tersedia.

Jadi kita bisa berkesimpulan, bahwa mobil yang bukan sedan yang cocok untuk orang yang berpikiran agak aneh (seperti saya) dan memiliki kemampuan finansial yang kurang bagus adalah kijang.

-Sejarah kijang disadur dengan pengubahan dari http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Kijang-

-Gambar diatas bukan Kijang punya saya melainkan gambar bebas dari google-

My opinion on Keroncong

Awam lembayung.. menghiasi bandar indah permai
Aman terlindung.. oleh pulau s'ribu melambai

Melambai, rona merona
Mengembang layar laju perahu nelayan
Memecah buih menyusur pantai
M'nuju Teluk Jakarta

Indah lukisan alam
Kala senja.. menjelang pelukan malam
Burung putih menyampaikan salam
Kata selamat malam..

(Bandar Jakarta, Ismail Marzuki)

The lyrics above are from the song Bandar Jakarta. I guess you readers wouldn't know the song because your tp young whilst I'm nearing the age of 70 that's why I know.

Maybe the lyrics sounds cheezy, or it doesn't have any substancial meaning or you may think that the lyric aren't as cool as cold play's or as kangen bands lyrics. Maybe it's to monotone and so on and so forth.I'm a big fan of keroncong (i guess you may seem that to be a bit strange) but to be honest with you, keroncong is really nice to hear. I first heard keroncong whilst eating bakmi ini a little warung in Jogja, they played it live with the tenor singers and viola, violin, cello base guitar and flute. At that instant i directly fell in love with it. Keroncong first came with the portuguese settlers from west Indonesia, than it gradually grew to become one of Indonesia traditional music.

The melody of keroncong is magical, it takes you back 50 years to when Indonesia was still a young country and after the revolution. And then you hear the keroncong's guitar melody which like no other music, it has a very distinct melody. Besides the guitar melody, there is also the distinct sound of flute and not forgetting the singer. Usually a woman with a very high voice, or a male with a very low bass voice. I

Sadly now, keroncong, like other Indonesia culture is being buldozed by western and japanese culture like anime (which i think is crap) and other western influences. It will be such a pity if in 10 or 20 years time, keroncong will have vanished like other cultures such as tanjidor (originates from Jakarta).

You may think that this blog is a bit naif, because i usually make fun of things than write what the benefit of something is, but for keroncong is different.I strongly recomend that you take your time to listen to it, and try to enjoy and imagine that you have gone 50 or 60 years back in time to a time where the air is still fresh and there are no traffic jams.

New and modern songs can also be played with the melody of keroncong, i will give you 2 links of video clips from you tube that perform keroncong as a traditional and modern melody of music.

so enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdewXRfCSdM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWMZFU8voHI

My opinion on traffic jams

I'll start with a question,

Do you like traffic jams?

It's an easy one, isn't it. If you are sane, than the answer is NO, but if you are crazy and rich and can buy time with your swiss bank accounts, then maybe yes, you do like traffic jams. We'll I don't i hate traffic jams it make you unproductive, it some times makes you wet (bare with me, i don't have a car, i am not rich enough to buy one) the point is, traffic jams piss you off.

Well, Do you know what causes traffic jams? Well in my opinion there are a couple of reasons, lets start with the first one :

1. The Humble City transport (angkot)

It's is a cheap form of mass transportation, but i guess it's to cheap because the drivers (not all of them) are idiots. They are colour blind and some times they are also illiterate. It seems to them that the colours on traffic lights have no meaning, they are there just to make the road bright or just to be as a decoration so that people don't get bored while driving. They are egoistic people that only think for them selves and not think for other road user. They think that they are the king of the road and they own the road, but i bet you they don't pay the income tax, so they have no bloody right to use the roads.

2. People from Jakarta (They come at week ends and cause havoc on our roads)

Every saturday or sunday or at any given week end there will be lots of people from Jakarta coming to Bandung. Their sole purpose is to cause traffic jams and buy clothes and eat batagor, and get there cars trashed by viking supporters. Don't they realize that the only thing they do is just make a bloody traffic jam. If they make traffic jams and give me money thats okay, but they don't. They come with their posh and expensive cars. From Alphards To S klasse to Z4, all they do is make a nuisance, so please Jakarta people, GO HOME!!, By your bloody clothes and batagor some where else. I'm sure that there are better and more EXPENSIVE boutiques to buy your clothes. Go some where else, like Sukabumi or Subang.

There are also more reason for the traffic jam cause, but i won't mention them because our goverment has very strict and stupid laws about what is allowed and what is not allowed to written (fell like I'm living in Iran or maybe a communistic country where every thing has a law). And one more thing traffic jams causes global warming which, I quote from CInta Laura "Global Warming is Kool" hahaha

good night..

My opinion on Money.

Money money money, always sunny
in a rich mans world..

The lyrics from one of the song sang by ABBA. Money. If you can touch it, then you can count it. If you can count it than you can never have enough of it. Money is the sum of all evil, money is what makes the world go round or the world stop and have an apocalyps or have an armagedon.

Before there was money, people use to trade stuff like trade rice for rabbits or rabbits for sugar or cats for cockroach, then came the money and everything went wrong. People started stealing money from the money shops (we call banks today) and the there cam inflation where the prices of the good when very high that everybody went poor and can only eat cheap rice and cheap corn. No wonder they call money, the sum of all evil

About last week, i went to a hard ware store in the central part of Bandung, and i saw a bike that costs RP 48.0000.0000,- that about $4800 (well roughly). It may sound normal to you foreigners but for us "native" people, that price is crazy, its ridiculous, just for a stupid bike you have to pay forty eight million, think of what kind of stuff you can bloody buy for that amount of money. You can pay mortgage for a loan to buy a house, for god sake. And who is the idiot that will buy a two wheel contraption for that kind of price? certainly I won't, It's not worth it. You can get a bike for about RP 300.000,- near pasar kosambi (thats around $30). beside bike they also sell barbeque cookers or stove for RP 43.000.000,- (do the conversions yourself) it's crazy. Just to cook an egg or meat on a cooker that expensive. Thats what i call inflation. Just imagine, if a bicycle cost that expensive, how much could a standard ball point cost? Rp 100.000,-? its just crazy.

People too are becoming crazy, spending Rp 1.000.000,- on clothes or shoes or on things that are not worth spending on. They buy it because of the prestige and not because of the use. There are many people that earn 1 million rupiah per month and they have to use it for their living needs. Whilst some people in Jakarta or Bandung use it to but shushi or to buy some under wear. I just think its not worth it.

So please, spend your money wisely and buy a pack of cigarettes....

My opinion on smoking

hmmm

The smell of cigarettes always broads my mind. It has become not just a habit but a tradition for most Indonesians. More than 50% of Indonesian population smokes, and mostly the people that smoke (within the 50% of Indonesia citizens ) are poor, or they live below the average line.

Then, you may ask, why do they have money to buy a pack of cigarettes and not have money to pay for their child's education fee? or maybe for their monthly lively hood??
well, I really don't know, you should ask them..

I've been a smoker for 4 years know, and i admit its a stupid thing to start, because smoking is a serius thing to stop. Once the nicotine gets into your system, it's like grease on teflon, or molten cheese on a hot fry pan, It's very hard to let go, and very hard to stop.

There are no benefits of smoking, like we all know. It says it clearly on the cigarette box. Or as people say smoking kills. And it does. There are more than a 100 poisonous substances in a stick of cigarette, and people will argue that a cigarette contains the same substance as rocket fuel (which i dont believe, and it contains a substance that is also found in mosquito repelent). But if you are a smoker, you would igonore the facts and say, what the hell.I'm not writing this article to encourage people to stop smoking, remember its just my opinion.

I've tried many brand of cigarettes from gudang garam, to Djarum Super, Dji samsoe (kretek filter), malrboro, lucky strike, marco polo, pall mall, dun hill, raison, esse, sampoerna, u-mild, classmild, x-mild, djarum black (tea and capuchiono), benson and hedges, phil, duffyduff, muld seven, wismilak,broen, somperna hijaun,djarum coklat, local made cigarettes such as gudang ganam, bintang buana, djeruk, rokok linting, kraton dalem, and many more. For me it's not because i'am an ash tray, but it's because every cigarette has its own character. Like people who do very hard labour usually smoke djarum coklat or sompoerna hijau or maybe dji samsoe. The taste it's not that good, execpt for dji sam soe (of course), but the nicotine a tar level is quite high. Maybe thats what they need.

For people who have "money" (middle class) they may smoke anything from "millds" (class milds etc) to kretek filter (Gudang garam, super) to marlboro, lucky strikes. Usually girls tend to smoke "milds" or menthol, but some extreme cases they will smoke djarum super or maybe Sam soe.

I at the present moment smoke marlboro lights. Its not the best but its may way of decreasing the nicotine. I use to smoke Dji sam soe (magnum Filter). That is like buying death. THe nicotine and tar level out run other cigarette brands. But the smoking sensations is uncomparable. It's one of the best tasting cigarettes that i ever tried.

In the long run, smoking will make your life miserable, but in the short term it gives a sensation of satisfaction that can only be felt by smokers....

as posted on face book 16/03/2010