TianWaiTian Beijing Roast Duck

TianWaiTian Roast Duck
Established by Mr. Yin in 1990, Beijing Hongyun Tianwaitian Restaurant Company is a famous chain company in China with 18 branch restaurants in Beijing. It was famous for Beijing roast duck, Cantonese cuisine, and Hunan cuisine. Tianwaitian roast duck Restaurant Beijing has been very popular among Beijing locals who want to try Peking duck while ordering other famous Chinese cuisine and common dishes.

Nearby subway station:
Exit C, Haidian Huangzhuang station,

Subway Line 10/4

Nearby building:
Haidian Theater, Zhongguancun

Portuguese Leitao suckling pig

Was brought to a restaurant in the city of Trofa serving excellent suckling pig. The suckling pig is called Leitao in Portuguese. It is a roast pork (4 weeks old piglet) cost about 70€ for whole piglet.

The restaurant is close to Continental Mabor in Lousado. The name is Flor do Ave.

http://www.flordoave.com/

Port Elizabeth Dinner Steak

A great place to have steak for dinner in Port Elizabeth is The Coachman Restaurant.

http://www.coachmancatering.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

The address is

103 Cape Road

Port Elizabeth

Eastern Cape

South Africa

Telephone: 041 37 33 44 0

Fax: 041 37 37 137

I ordered 300 gr Fillet Steak. It is so tender and juicy.

Otrokovice Dining

I was brought to Czech Restaurant today for dinner. It is located slightly out of Zlin city center.

The restaurant is called UJohana. It has a hotel also. http://www.ujohana.cz/

The suckling pig has to be reserved 1 week ahead. There are a few BBQ menus that requires a few days advance reservation.

Restaurace U Johana

Vizovická 410
Zlín – Příluky, 760 01

GPS souřadnice:

Loc: 49°13'13.928"N, 17°42'30.319"E

Telefon:

+ 420 577 018 282 – rezervace

Hannover SchnitzelHaus (Pork Cutlet House)

Do you like all-you-can-eat Prawn buffet? You can go to Schnitzel Haus in Hannover.

Kramerstraße 19

30159 Hannover, Deutschland

Get Directions

0511 89979084

Pay 13.50 Euro and you can eat the prawn (called Gambas) until you drop dead. Basically, the prawns are stir-fried in garlic and butter. The buffet is available on Tuesday only.

Hannover Pancake

I am going to start blogging the nice restaurant to eat around the world. It is a pity that I have forgotten most of the places. Anyway, here is what I can remember. So start with Hannover.
Pfannkuchenhaus, a.k.a. Pancake House. It is located at Calenberger Str. 27, Calenberger Str. 27, Hannover 30169. Phone: 0511-17113. Open mostly for dinner only except weekends, which opens for lunch also. I like to order the New Zealand Pancake.

The uncertainties

Life is full of cross-junctions! At least it's true in my life. Am I just making my life more complicated than necessary? Maybe it's built-in...Can't help it. As of now, I decided to forgo my career preference and place-to-settle-down in place for someone. I made this decision a few weeks ago, but I hope I can stick to it. It's not easy for me to sacrifice for someone. In fact, this is going to be the first time I give in.

Here is the logic: I should be able to survive anywhere in the world and find a decent salary job, but I don't think I want to lose a girl whom has built a place in my heart. It's too painful to get rid of that place alone without help.

One may ask: Why not the other way round? Why can't she sacrifice her career for me?
We are both selfish.

Have I made the right decision? My heart beats faster...I need time...
Is this what people called love? Career and love...Why can't I get both at the place I want?

Saddest day

I had the saddest phone conversation yesterday with someone, someone I care the most other than my family. We have to go our separate ways due to different career paths. It's very sad. I grieved every minute...Which one is more important? Career or someone you care? Oh God, I hope I can go through this

Another milestone?

Finally, I am back to South East Asia...To be exact, I arrived in Alor Star, Malaysia for 2 yrs assignment on 28th March 2008. I was a bit homesick on the Lufthansa plane to Kuala Lumpur. And where is my home actually? Hannover....I love that city. It's an irony....Medan and Singapore are my homes, but I guess I must add one more to my list...I hope I can settle down quickly to Alor Star. Friends in SE Asia....I am just within 2-3 hours flight away from you.

Will you return US$ 2 million check?

There was a news about a guy returning 2 million dollars check today. He was holding the check on for 2 weeks, so he was millionaire for 2 weeks. I guess the check was from Treasury department or something like that. He returned the check in the end. So, if I am that guy, first question is if possible to cash in 2 million dollars check? I won't even question my honesty. If there won't be problem cashing in, I will cash in. But I don't think cashing in 2 million dollars check would be so simple. Bank normally notified and verified with the check writer before letting it pass.

So about being honest. Does it matter to be honest in this case? It's once in a lifetime kind of thing. Why just not enjoy it? I would have framed the check and hang it on the wall if my second thought didn't allow me to cash it in.

I am back

Man, I couldn't believe my latest blog was in May. So many things happened between May and now. Went to Paris, Vienna, Florence, Pisa, and Rome with ERC friends for 2 weeks. I actually wanted to blog good restaurants we had been to. Well, I only can remember the one near Termini station in Rome. The pasta and pizza restaurant in Florence is good and cheap too, but I can't remember the name. It's near the hotel we stayed. As for Paris, there was one Chinese restaurant we went to...again, I couldn't recall.

After that summer holiday, my business travel tour started. I went to Brazil for 2 weeks, followed by 3 weeks in Michigan and Mt. Vernon, IL. It's a fun business trip + holiday. Got a chance to see and climb up the Arch Gateway in St. Louis. Found out that US civil war started ard there.

I have been back to office for a good 5 weeks. My next trip out is this coming Thursday evening, flying to Singapore and Malaysia. I am so excited...

Anyway, also in between these 5 weeks, I also learn how to cook ox-tails soup successfully (indo style). Learnt how to make pancake, though it's kinda failed...

One week away (vienna, Prague, Otrokovice)

I was in Vienna, Prague, and Otrokovice...Each 2 days.
In Vienna, went to Spanish Riding School, watched orchestra performance, eat Sacher cake.
Tips: Vienna has 72 hours card that cost 18.50 euro with discount admission to many museums...I advised to buy cheaper version without discount admission. Because you won't have enough time to go into all museums in 72 hours to break even. Stayed at Hotel Boeck, outside vienna...abt 30 minutes tram ride into the heart of vienna. Cost 69 Euro per night without breakfast.

Prague, very beautiful as everyone knows. I went to change money at the other side of the Charles Bridge (nearer to the castle side). The money changer is right in front of a tram station. I will document the exact location later. The changer has pretty good rate when changing in higher volume. Also bought a ceramic chess-set with cute figures, etc etc. Stayed at hotel OYA...100 euro per night with free breakfast

Otrokovice (small industrial town where Conti plant is located in Czech Republic), stayed at hotel Rottal, the only good hotel in Otrokovice. Went to eat local Otro food. The food was dirt cheap. Overall, good experience...and total driven around for about 900 km using Ford Focus diesel black color rented from Hertz with Hertz' portable stupid navigation system.

German language

Two weeks in US really killed my German language. I couldn't remember all the German grammars like akkusativ, dativ, perfekt, adjecktiv, etc etc. My teacher will always said "Herr Wijaya, du hast alle vergessen!" (Mr. Wijaya, you have all forgotten). Anyway, it's kinda funny because she will pronounce my name Herr. Wiyaya....The germans dun know how to pronounce my last name correctly. Anyway, after 4 lessons of german since returning to US, my German is almost back on track. Start to erase English grammar now...As if it's either I run my brain with Windows XP or Mac OSX...no dual OS!

Back to Hannover

Yesterday was my first day of work after 2 weeks break. It's not too bad, just have to clear admin stuff for next business travels. The jetlag wasn't too bad. I need to travel to Slovakia and Czech Republic in 2 weeks time and I am looking forward to my next holiday in June-July.

Last days in Michigan

So, my vacations in Ann Arbor is coming to the end soon. It's a truly relaxing vacation. I celebrated my 27th birthday on Sunday evening with 16 people @ Sanpei. Kae made a chocolate bday cake for me. There was a Japanese cute waitress there actually, but too bad that she didn't handle our table. I took a glimpse at her and I must say she is pretty. I would have dine there more often if I live in Michigan.

Today(monday), I went out with Glen and her sister to eat mussels, calamaris, and escargots @ The Earles during happy hours. The environment is nice, next to the wine cellar. We grabbed ice-cream @ Kilwin. I chose "Ann Arbor Mud". It's an ok icecream, nothing special. I didn't know Kilwin although I stayed in Ann Arbor for 5.5 years. Well, sometimes it's good to revisit an old place. It makes you feel mature, grow-up, relaxed...Visiting Ann Arbor as a working adult allows me to look back and plan forward. I still remember most of the roads, the eating places, and the people. I ended my day with badminton. I played badly today and my whole body is aching now.

The Henry Ford

Yesterday I followed Glen to work...not to work, rather follow her to her office. Then I took her car to The Henry Ford. Initially, I was planning to go on the Rouge Plant Tour only, but then the old lady who was helping me in the ticket purchase gave me a free admission to Henry Ford Museum. Why? Because she could only offered me Tour ticket starting 11 am, but I want to have lunch with the "Ford Girls", so I told her that I would take the 1 pm tour. Then she asked me what I plan to do until my lunch appointment and gave me a "MBR" stamp on my left hand so that I could kill my time in the museum.

I went to the museum store to check out stuff. I was so hooked to the model airplane DC-3 Northwest Airlines sold there. It's sold for $40 with 20% discount. I really wanted to get it but I was afraid that I would have difficulty bringing it back to Germany. So I killed the idea of buying it. I bought the Henry Ford biography book in the end. I haven't read it, but I wanted to see why he failed 2 times before founding Ford Motor Company.

The Rouge Plant is too touristy. It's so clean and tourist friendly. But it's amazing to see the assembly line. Comparing the production line in Conti with Ford, I would say it's harder to make tires than to make F150. But I admire Ford Company for setting up this museum and plant tour. I will do the same thing next time when I own a manufacturing company.

The Ford Girls and I went to Memphis Smoke at Royal Oak for ribs. We carpooled there using Glenny's zoom zoom zoom. We walked around the town after the dinner. Real Thanks to Ford Girls who really made my Michigan holidays so enjoyable. One more week to go!!!

in Michigan

I am in Michigan for 2 weeks holiday from March 28th to April 1oth. So far so good, from the day I arrived till now, no jetlag and lots of activities. From playing badminton to winning a Ann Arbor Cup title yesterday for open Men's doubles. It was a tough fight between me & Kaisson and my old friends. I won by 2 points in 3 sets.
My toe nails cracked and my fingers got scratched as results from diving for the shuttles several times. My knee guard proved to be useful. It prevented my leg cramps to get worse. After the tournament, I went with friends Glenny, Miu, Kae, Yansen, etc to South East Asian Nite @ East Hall. I met new friends from my hometown Tini and Irwan there. I ate a lot there because my lunch Shrimp Mee Goreng was all eaten up by Kaisoon. After the SEA nite, Glen, Miu, and I went to watch James' performance at Michno's cafe...I think I will need Miu's help in pronouncing the cafe's name six months from now. We ended our day at ard 1 am plus. Thanks ladies for accompanying me!

Flying Blue...Go Blue

My US visa is finally approved and I got 5 yrs...leaving for Michigan in 2 weeks time with Air France...joined Flying Blue membership...So many airlines come up with various mileage program...I think it's time to design a card that can store various membership data so that we don't have to carry so many cards around. I think going to michigan will be like going back home.
It's funny because last time, I was always going home to asia from Michigan...And now, the comparison is between Germany and Michigan..So, it's more homely in Michigan than in Hannover. What should I do in Michigan? shopping I guess...

Chinese New Year

I got 2 hongpaos this year...One from my friend and one from a Buddhist temple. It's not bad after all celebrating chinese new year in Hannover. My friends and I were staying all night up yesterday. We went back home at 6 am just now. So, I have to work tomorrow...Happy Chinese New Year...Gong Xi Fa Cai...Xin Nian Kuai Le...Nian Nian You Yu...

google's Blogger now???

Eversince I have to sign in using google's account..I become lazy to blog...The stupid google login changes all my blogger setting to German language and I don't like German language! Anyway, tomorrow is chinese new year...Any celebration here? yeah, kind of...just disappointed that the western countries are not sensitive enough to other races...Why can't you give a day holiday?
Anyway, I am making my own holiday. Not going to office 3 days...hehehe. I think people in my office can already see that I don't want to work there anymore. But I am still doing my job very well.

So, lately, been busy with work and work. I don't understand why I need to work so hard to other people's company? I am not even offered a stock option in this company. So, hehehe...this year will be the first and last chinese new year in Germany for me. going to Berlin for US visa on tuesday...Hope everything goes well and then I can go away from Germany. No offense to germans, but your country looks/feels/seems a sad one.

18 days after returning from SEAsia

Time to put a timestamp on my blog. Didn't blog in Medan because the internet conn is too slow. Didn't blog in Singapore because it's too happening and hardly had time to sit still.
So..My trip back home was good, except I got food poisoining 2 days before returning to Hannover.
So, my trip started good and ended bad. This leads to the second point. After I return to office, I found I didn't have much work to do...I was actually wrong. I think I didn't know what/how to do things....I went to talk to a few managers and they assign me more work. After 1 week, I realized I have 3 concurrent projects running + 1 German class. That's tough to manage for 5 working days. And then, I met with my boss to discuss this year workload. And the discussion can be summarized as this: My german is still bad after 11 months and most of my projects started really good and ended bad/unfinished. I guess the plant people put high expectation on me because I am sent from the headquarter to learn quickly from them. Guys, I am a normal guy with moderate brain power...lower your expectation.

10 days to Home Sweet Home

The anticipation of boarding SIA plane to Singapore is building up. Meetings, lunches, dinners @ Singapore have been planned for one week in Singapore. Going home is always a fun thing. I don't know why? Maybe it's fun because I only have a short period stay in Asia.

But anyway, luggage is out from storage room already. Stuff begins to fill my luggage up. This time, there is a greater purpose of going home. I have to decide if I really want to stay in Germany after this hometrip. I never like staying in Germany...Never...Never...Never, but I like my job. So, the solution is that I am going to find or invent a job that I like in Asia. So I will like staying and working in Asia. Next year travel schedule is also planned. I want to go to the US and perhaps going back to Asia one more time for Chinese New Year, depending on my decision after this December hometrip.

Should I just go ahead and start my own company? A lot of people think that I have the potential, but I don't have the confidence. Criticisms like "Hendi, you are too pessimistic" have been arrowed towards me lately. Friends...Don't worry, I will make my decision by the end of this year...Be patient...

Bad Luck Hendi!!!

Last Saturday was the worst day of my life in 2006. I forgot to switch off my electric stove before going out for badminton match. I was heating up leftover soup, thinking of filling my stomach before badminton competition, but somehow I totally forgot about it and just left my apartment. So, the soup in a big pot got heated up for 12 hours. And I didn't realize it until I was in the tram on the way home. My soup is gone, my pot is gone too, and my whole apartment is stinky with burnt smell until now. But thank God, my apartment wasn't burnt down...

And having bad luck, I also lost in the tournament. I guess I wasn't fit to play 3 sets anymore. I could have won if I fought harder, but I guess I don't have desire to win on that day. The tournament was very badly organized. But what can I expect from the Germans? For those who like Germany, you must be one boring person!

It's all coming back to me

After working in Conti for 9 months, I realized that the knowledge/skill I learnt during my Master degree program is actually used in my Conti projects. When I handled traceability project, no one in the plant knows how to do it, but it's obvious to me because it was my research topic. Then, I am assigned to implement Balanced Score Card. Again, I learnt this topic in IOE class. So, to say that whatever you learnt in the college is just theorical and not practical is not entirely true.

People often said "you learn how to learn" in the college. I think this opinion is obsolete. In my opinion, we go to college to learn the newest trend in the world, the newest environment, the newest thinking, the newest type of human beings, and of course the newest knowledge/technology. In addition, you get a "sparring partner" in your competition to survive in the world. This is so true when you try to find a job after graduation. Our lives are full of challenges/competitions. Meritocracy rules!!!

So, to summarize....I feel like going back to university but I am not willing to pay 1 cent for my further studies? Is there any solution? We will see...

Everyone recovers

I was so occupied with work this week. My week was filled with meetings. My new project requires me to understand the plant operation, the production processes, and the financial calculations, and its organization structure. So I have to meet with various departmental managers to extract as much knowledge as possible...So every meeting I have has steep learning curve. By the end of the day, I was so tired that I fell asleep in the train on the way home.

But in a way, it's good that I drown myself with work. I can forget about her...Work and only work is my medicine to cure sadness. I think it's the best cure in the world. Working hard will also help me realizing my dreams faster...I am just so looking forward to going back to Asia...I hope I will be happier there for those 3 precious weeks...

My Dear

How powerful or meaningful is the word "dear"? We use it daily in email.
But when someone call you dear...do you interpret the meaning differently? For me, I do.
There is only one girl who calls me "my dear"...
I hope you are happier now...If you do, I will learn to let you go...and please don't call me "my dear" anymore...It's too painful to handle...

Heaven Knows
Rick Price

She's always on my mind
From the time I wake up 'til I close my eyes
She's everywhere I go
She's all I know

And though she's so far away
It just keeps gettin' stronger everyday
And even now she's gone
I'm still holding on
So tell me where do I start
'Cause it's breaking my heart
Don't wanna let her go

Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray
'Cause heaven knows

My friends keep tellin' me
That if you really love her
You've gotta set her free
And if she returns in kind
I'll know she's mine
So tell me where do I start
'Cause it's breakin' my heart
Don't wanna let her go

Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray
'Cause heaven knows

Why I live in despair
'Cause wide awake or dreaming
I know she's never there
And all this time I act so brave
I'm shaking inside
Why does it hurt me so

Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray

Maybe my love will come back some day
Only heaven knows
And maybe our hearts will find a way
Only heaven knows
And all I can do is hope and pray
'Cause heaven knows
Heaven knows
Heaven knows

Healing...

There are a couple of things that really cheered me up yesterday night and today.
When I was working as a machine operator last night making tyres, my machine partner suddenly bought me a bottle 0.5 l Coke. What a surprise...I thought it's because yesterday what my 2nd last day as a machine operator. But apparently, he told me that he was happy because his wife is pregnant....I was happy for him, but I don't know how to say Congrats in german...But i just said Congratulations!

Secondly, on yesterday night till today early morning, me and my machine partner broke a new record in the production volume. We made 175 tyres in 8 hours. Normal rate is 120 tyres in 8 hours. Our 2nd best record is 171 tyres. These are 2 things that really made me more focus on my work and try to forget about sadness.

After I came back from work at 6.30 am today, I went online and chatted with the girl...We chatted for sometime as if nothing happened. Still very good friends we are and will be...We ended our chat after 30 minutes. During the chat, I said to her, "Congrats! I am happy for you." And at one time, she said something like "You are a very good catch actually."
Thanks dear!! Just help me erase my feelings please....

Eternal Flame
The Bangles

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating
Do you understand
Do you feel the same
Am I only dreaming
Is this burning an eternal flame

I believe it's meant to be, darling
I watch you when you are sleeping
You belong with me
Do you feel the same
Am I only dreaming
Or is this burning an eternal flame

Say my name
sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely
And then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling

Say my name
sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely
And then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling

Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating
Do you understand
Do you feel the same
Am I only dreaming
But is this burning an eternal flame

Photo and Time

Photos are meant to be seen and remembered. I browsed through photos that I took from 2005 until now. I guess not much changes except that I looked older. What did you do when you have photos with the person you try to forget? Being a hi-tech person, I guess I can just zip them out and store the file at the very end corner of my harddisk...When you are sad, is it your heart that is sad or it is your brain that is sad?

The only happy thing I have today is that my paper(co-author with others) is published in IEEE journal...It's a significant thing, but the timing is wrong. It would have helped if I got it published when I was still a grad student. It's all about timing...

Only Time (Sweet November Soundtrack)
- Enya

Who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows?
Only time...

And who can say if your love grows,
As your heart chose?
Only time...

Who can say why your heart sighs,
As your love flies?
Only time...

And who can say why your heart cries,
When your love dies?
Only time...

Who can say when the roads meet,
That love might be,
In your heart.

And who can say when the day sleeps,
If the night keeps all your heart?
Night keeps all your heart...

Who can say if your love grows,
As your heart chose?
Only time...

And who can say where the road goes,
Where the day flows?
Only time...

Who knows?
Only time...

Who knows?
Only time...

It's hard to forget...

Sometimes, I wish I don't know many people...Maybe a few is enough.
I still think...what would have happened if I didn't come to Hannover? Would my life be different? Definitely...different in a better/worse way? I guess it's heaven's secret. Life is full of ones/zeros, yes/no, true/false. We can't have all of the above/none of the above.

It's a decision I made anyway to come to this boring Europe. No regret...The next move is: Should I return to Asia next year? It's another decision to make. From my judgement, I will go back to Asia next year in May latest. What or Who can change my decision? I don't know. But I will listen more carefully to others' opinions so that I don't have to be sad anymore...

By the way, Happy Halloween. And for tonight, I will drown in my sleep by remembering all the good memories. But I felt sad when we met most of the time...I didn't realize that until now.

Remember Me This Way
Jordan Hill

Every now and then
We find a special friend
Who never lets us down
Who understands it all
Reaches out each time you fall
You're the best friend that I've found
I know you can't stay
A part of you will never ever go away
Your heart will stay

* I'll make a wish for you
And hope it will come true
That life would just be kind
To such a gentle mind
If you lose your way
Think back on yesterday
Remember me this way
Remember me this way
Hmm……….. this way

I don't need eyes to see
The love you bring to me
No matter where I go
And I know that you'll be there
Forever more apart of time, you're everywhere
I'll always cares


And I'll be right behind your shoulder watching you
I'll be standing by your side and all you do
And I won't ever leave
As long as you believe
You just believe

The saddest day of 2006

Today is the saddest day in 2006. I know this kinda day is inevitable. Last November, I happened to be close to someone, someone whom I really like for long time already. Even my parents liked her so much. So much so that my parents asked me not to go to Germany. But being Hendi, I always go against their wish. Now, I don't know I come to Germany to forget about her or for my career...I am not sure

This year April, the girl asked me. "Hendi, what do you think of (a guy)?. I think he is going after me", said the girl. She also added,"I know you are going to tell me the truth."

Then I started thinking, do I tell her the truth about my opinion on the guy or the truth about my feeling? Then I told her, "He is a good catch. You should pay attention to him." I guess that's it. I have given her a wrong answer. But no regret, because I am still being honest to her in one way.

I send her birthday card and postcards from Germany from time to time, but the last postcard I sent this month has no reply...Well, I am gonna listen to a few songs to forget about today for the rest of this week...Tonight, I dedicate myself this song...

The last words you said
Sarah Brightman with Richard Marx

Somewhere in time I know,
Darling you'll come back to me.
Roses will bloom again,
But Spring feels like eternity.
In your kiss it wasn't goodbye.
You are still the reason why.

I can hear you whispering in the silence of my room,
My heart still surrenders like the sun to the moon.
I can barely stand this aching, burning endlessly.
"Love me now forever,"
Were the last words you said to me.

And when the morning comes,
My hands still reach out for you.
Some things remain the same,
There is nothing I can do.
I can barely get through the day
Ever since you went away.

I can hear you whispering in the silence of my room,
My heart still surrenders like the sun to the moon.
I can barely stand this aching, burning endlessly.
"Love me now forever,"
Were your last words to me ...

Heaven help us cross this endless sea
With starlight above to guide you to me.
Waves crashing on distant shores,
They're calling our names forever more.

And I still hear you whispering in the silence of my room,
My heart still surrenders like the sun to the moon.
I can barely stand this aching, burning endlessly.
"Love me now forever,"
Were the last words you said to me.

Wireless making me restless

For half week, I have been spending my time trying to connect 2 wireless access points together, and I failed. I have read so many forums in the internet but none can help me. I managed to setup the wireless APs by linking them together with a switch using ethernet cables. Up to this step, everything works wonderfully. I can ping any wireless devices in the network regardless of the AP that the devices associate to. The problem comes when a software running on one wireless device and it tries to get/send data to another wireless device thru the APs...I love computer technology...but Technology backfires me!!!

Pain

This week is labeled the pain week. First of all, my lowerback pain is back. Thanks to badminton on last Friday. I still can't believe I am getting old so far...Maybe I should get the One Ring. Anyway, my lowerback is in pain for the weekend.

Secondly, I was in pain because I had nothing much to do in the office. It's painful to wait and wait. All my tasks are completed and I am waiting for actions from others.

Lastly, the weather here in Hannover is getting hot. 27 degree celc this week...I prefer chilly weather than this hot weather, although my German friends disagreed with me.

Office politics

These past few days have been stressful ones. Working late because of system implementation. I designed the system from scratch and asked our developers to develop it. And as usual, first version of any system gives you the most headache. Things get worse when I am supposed to handover the system to them. There is this blardi old guy working in IT department and I am supposed to work with him. From the beginning of this project, he was already unhappy with me because I didn't involve him in the design phase...What the heck...This old guys is too proud to work under me, he has no initiative to attend my meetings...I am the project leader, so I decide who comes on board and who gets left behind. So obviously, I left him alone.

One month ago, a lot of people began to see amazing stuff my system can do. They like the system, but it is not yet stable. Then comes my boss saying that my time is almost up, I need to jump to another "ship" and start the engine (Another equally project). And I should delegate current project wrap-up to someone else. And of course, whoever is the most free in IT will have to wrap-up my project...and it is the old guy.

So, now this old guy and I have a lot of meetings. Do you know that there is one type of person in this world who only knows how to critisize, but never suggest a better idea???? He is exactly that type of person. He will only complain and complain. I can't understand why this company can have this type of old IT people. The closest fight that we had was 2 weeks ago. I was totally disagreed with his idea of integrating an external system to my system and I suggested another better solution for long term. We argued and argued, but I always stayed calm because I know my solution will beat his solution flat...In the end, he gave up and said "Hendi, your solution made my stomach sick!". Of course, I asked which part of my solution made his stomach sick. Then meeting adjourned. This is a typical problem for me. I am a new guy here and it's hard to get someone paying attention to my idea.

But as you know, I never gave up. I knew another IT person who is in charge of the external system. I told him my idea over the lunch. Then I modify my idea a little bit and at first, he shot down my new idea because of cost factor. But in the end, I told him that the old guy idea will cost the same as mine, just that my idea only needs one time integration work. His idea will need 2 times integration work when system changes.

In the end, I won...But as usual, older employees will never admit it. Every time, we have a meeting about the integration work, they will never ever mention that it's my idea. But oh well, IT people knows this is not their idea. It's from me, a plant engineer...

Thank you for the job

I told myself how boring my life will be in Europe if I don't have a daily job. I never complained going to work so far. Well, maybe I complained a little bit when the weather is bad, when I woke up late (like 8.20 am) or when I cycled darn fast to catch the train, and missed the blardi train by 3 steps. German people are rigid, including the train operators. They don't wait for the passenger-would-be running towards the train.

Why I always complain about Germany? Sigh... Maybe I am trying to like Germany and so far my effort is fruitless. But I don't complain about my job.

Next, have been back from Swiss for almost 3 weeks already. As for Swiss, I am impressed with Luzern and St. Gallen. If you go to Swiss, you have to go to Luzern and take bus number 1 to Pilatus. Pilatus is a place 2100+ meters above the sea and you need to ride on cable car for almost 45 minutes to reach the peak. In St. Gallen, the cathedral is the most beautiful one that I have seen so far in Europe. Europe is full of cathedrals and city-halls... For tourist, I think Europe is a nice place...For me, it's boring because you have to see so many cathedrals and city halls...

My project that I am leading is coming almost to an end. In 2 weeks time, I will be project advisor for one more project. After that, I will go into production line and work in shifts for 2 months. Should I get excited to work on 8 hours shift for 2 months? I am trying to stay positive here. Just keep telling myself I can learn a lot about tire quality when I am doing hand-ons tire building for 1 month and quality shift supervisor for another month.

I realized there isn't much to say in my blog since I moved to germany. There is nothing worth taking note for. But I will not forget my time/experience in Germany...The good time and of course the bad time.

Misc.

Recently, I have been working my ass off...Started from 7.30 am and leave office at 7 pm. Not to mention that i wake up by 6.30 am, rush to subway by 7 am and commute 30 min to office. But I have decided to stop hard working this week. I come to office at 8.30 am..well, i wake up at 7 am and take my own sweet time to come to work. I begin to lose energy to keep pushing people to do things for me....German beauracracy is just too much. From now onwards, I am going to take things slowly, no more rushing people or pleading people to put my request on top of the list...If they want to take weeks or months before the task can be completed, so be it. It's not my company anyway...So tired....

Good thing that I am going on vacation in 2 weeks time to Swiss and maybe a short stop to Milan. We will see...My colleague reminded me to take holidays. He warned me of losing friends if I work so hard everyday. It never came to my mind that I have been working and working, nothing else...But actually, do I have many friends in germany???

Well, I still have the reluctant feeling to meet up with ppl. In other words, I don't want to settle down fully. I guess I just dun like Europe. It's a sad place. Also, I want to return to Asia..where quality of life is so much better...

I walked past a Jaguar S-type just now. I missed the Jaguar that I drive in Singapore picking up pretty girls...It's just so different here...I have no car and no pretty girls to hang out...Isn't that sad? Well, Europe is thus a sad place...

No title

Why after started working, people tend not to update their blogs? i guess because the working people lives become so boring that nothing worth to be noted. So, here am I. I am blogging...but nothing to write except that i am going to Amsterdam over the coming long weekend

Germanization

Weather in Hannover is getting spring-ed. Trees start to grow leaves und mein Deustche is getting better and better...On my birthday, I got a German dictionary present. I have been carrying it around when I need to converse in Deutsche. Overall, the company is very supportive in helping the employees to learn Deutsche.

As spring comes, everything just looks lovely. The sky is bright by 5.30 am and that encourages me to wake up early. I hope the weather is not getting too hot. Yesterday, When I was in the tram heading home at 5.15 pm, the sunlight was scorching...Unbelievably hot. Back to work...

Still looking good

My decision to work in Germany turned out to be a pretty good one, well based on my current job and responsibilities...still looking good. I found out that I am considered quite young among the new trainees. Most of them are already 28 or 29...

I went to Lousado last week for business trip. Lousado is an industrial town in Portugal. I was recommended to stay in a hotel in Porto. The hotel name is Boa Vista. It's a nice hotel facing the Atlantic Ocean and I got a chance to watch the sun set. But it would be greater if I can watch with someone else together, right? Too lonely, huh? Well, not really for a business trip. The old town of Porto was amazingly beautiful in the evening...I think I will go back there again in the future with someone. I took Air Berlin to get there, and it turned out that AirBerlin is a nice low budget airline, nice compared to any US airlines. Also, as you know, Porto is famous for it's Porto wine. So, I bought myself a 10 years old porto red wine...It tastes superb, heck care about my alcohol allergy.

Pissed or is it her culture?

I was pissed for 300 seconds yesterday. I guess when I am pissed, the person who pissed me will get into my permanent blacklist...Can't help myself to get angry. Don't make me too powerful, or you will suffer in the future!

Anyway, I was talking to my company's employee (not my colleague though) while we were walking towards the tram in an interchange station. We were talking and talking and talking and then...suddenly she (not German, but from mainland China) just walked away from me and talked to her male colleague who was standing and waiting for the number 4. And she didn't even want to intro me to her colleague. Can you imagine how pissed I was? Does that mean she wasn't even listening to my talking. I reassured you that I didn't talk crap to her and I wasn't chippy at all. I felt insulted, I felt being looked down. I know she joined the company earlier and had just completed the training program, and I just joined for 1.25 months and haven't even started my training program, but blardi ass****, she doesn't have higher position than me. She just lost my respect!

Weekend

1. Can't miss Jon Stewart Daily Show. Like the part where he talked about Iraq War having its 4th anniversary/ entering senior year...not sophomore
2. The quest documentary on BBC about faith. When Dalai Lama was interviewed, I can relate very well with his thoughts. Well, I am Buddhist. He basically said that everything is about our mind. Religion is not the main issue here..secular. It's being mindful, shape how we thinking...
3. Then the interviewer went to talk to a Christian pastor. He disagreed totally with the secular thinking. He believed so strongly that only God can save us.
At first, when I listened to the pastor. I was quite perturbed because he sounded very stuck up with his religion. In Buddhism, it's all about Karma and our thoughts. As long as we are doing good for the mankind, as long as we elevate suffering, as long as no one gets angry with our actions or our actions clearly benefit a lot of people, then we are on the right track. I guess by saying so much about buddhism, I am quite stuck up with my belief too from the perspective of the pastor...Sigh, still quite confused...

The good thing is that I completed the most major hurdle for my Point of Sales (POS) system. I was quite happy that the major hurdle was tackled in less than 3 hours...hahaha...I smell success in the future. What will be my next project? Accounting system, maybe?

Can someone teach me other ways to relax during weekend? I relax by developing application...Some people said I am quite....crazy?

Lastly, what should I do if I decide to go back to Asia? Self-expectation is high, but I still can't see the "horizon"

Feels good

I met up with a guy in my workplace who did research on RFID. I wanted to learn more from him as I have done RFID research for 8 months back in Umich. To my surprise, his approach of RFID research is shockingly weird? Maybe mine is weird, not his...His results are mostly based on other companies' doings and he is sooo smaaaart to choose Walmart for case study. But can't blame him, he only spends 2 days on shopfloor. For me, my RFID research is more like how this technology evolves and how we can implement the technology at the lowest cost. So what's the difference? The difference is that I don't like to be a follower, I want to be a leader...Dude, we are in tire business, at least you choose an automotive company to do a case study?

Anyway, I become not convinced to join the training program. My boss is pretty correct when he prevented me from joining the April training program. I at first was disappointed, but now I understand why he stopped me from joining. Feels good when you know something more than other people...Blame on my birthday...based on numerology, my birthday results in magic number 1. 1 is for leader, selfish person...huahuahua...ok, too much crap...The End.

Why blogs

Lately, I read a lot of my friends' blogs...It seems that they talk more about what they observe, whereas I blogged more about my thoughts, my daily experiences. Does that mean that I don't observe my surroundings? Does that mean I don't really care about my surroundings? Oh well, based on numerology, my number is 1...Number one person is the don't care self-centered only want to lead type. Had a 5 minute online chat with friend from Amazon...He still wondered why I would want to go to Deutschland for a job. Well, my common generic answer with zero second delay would be for experience. Are there more answers to that question? I start pondering about that. Then he shot me with another statement that I wouldn't be able to get girlfriend till 2007 when I told him that I would head home by 2007. (Hopefully my Conti boss didn't read my blog). Should I worry about that statement? Honestly speaking, it bothers me a lot. Moreover, I am pretty choosy about getting partner. People are generally choosy already, but trust me, I am way more choosy than people in general. How many girlfriends I had so far? I can safely declare that I had none so far. What does that answer indicate? Am I stuck-up? choosy? perfectionist? or just simply not good enough in the "market"? Sometimes, I feel that I am running away from problems I can't solve....

There was a good reason why I am still single...It's the highschool 3 weeks lovestory...Let me tell you, my highschool lovestory is much more interesting that the Singapore's Teenage Textbooks story.... The 8 yrs old scar is way too deep, but I guess we have to stay positive and remember the good moments of any "adventures" we experienced.

High School Sweetheart

Ever wonder why we have a dream during our sleep sometimes? 3 days ago, I had a long night dream about my high school sweetheart. We were playing hide and seek around a park or somewhere? It's weird to have this dream because we haven't met each other for 7 years and we didn't even keep in touch. Moreover, she has a family already.
Life is good in Hannover. No complaint. I just keep working and working and working...

Hannover

Reached Hannover on Feb 16 morning 9 am. I have been working for 10 days since Feb 20. Life is reasoanably good here. As good as Ann Arbor's time minus the weekly badminton session. Well, not to mention the Ann Arbor people whom I miss. Right now, I am trying to learn as fast and much as possible about tire building. The plant I am working now is producing high performance tires. I am enjoying myself with my current project, the traceability project. There is nothing new about this project, but I think it's challenging to implement it in the tire plant.

Hectic Free

Spent one month in Indonesia always feels like spending only one week there. To say I was busy there wasn't totally true. But I didn't really have much free time in Indonesia too. Gained a few kg in Indonesia as usual. Leaving for Hannover soon. Finally, the verdict is out. I gotta go there. This decision is a pretty tough one. I have to leave dearest people behind. Sigh...See how it goes...

The rain effect

There is no day without raining in Singapore. It's a sunday today and I am supposed to be out to Orchard Road normally. I am wondering how the rain affects my lifestyle. Because of raining, I have decided not to go to Orchard Road so many times, which means I spend less. Because of raining, I cancelled my plan to go to bookstores so many times. Also, I eat at home more often. So overall, my spending is pretty much cut down. Thanks to the rain!

IT

The idea of starting a new IT company came up about 3 weeks ago. However, this idea didn't really develop because of intense competition in the market and lack of human resources. Anyway, I am learning more and more about Oracle 9i, especially this week. I think I can't run away from programming for too long. Back to programming...

=(

When you expect someone to treat you at a certain level of respect or with a certain amount of attention, and that person failed to do so, would you feel disappointed? Angry? I would say I have done my very best to this person in term of respect and attention. Oh well, in return, maybe I shouldn't have set high expectation...

Happy New Year 2006

Nothing special for this year count down. I came back home one hour before the count down (in Singapore, fyi). The Orchard area is crowded. I feel too old and weak to join the crowd. I thought about my new year resolution while on the way home. I will work hard to be the best employee with excellent career path. My friend told me about good date for getting married. 06-06-2006 looks cool...So for those who is getting of getting married, consider this date=) I am way too young for this

When things don't look so good......

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the two cups of coffee....

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with little green apples. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the apples. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students just laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The little green apples are the important things - God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions - and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the little green apples."

"The same goes for life," he continued, "If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit your grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and clear-out the gutters. Take care of the little green apples first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked," he said, "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

It's the beauty that killed the beast

I just came back from Jakarta 2 days ago, going to spore tomorrow. I was in Jakarta for 5 days for a few missions. About 2/3 of the missions are accomplished, 1/3 is aborted. I also watched King Kong @ TA. The movie is not too bad, but not excellent also. Before going to Jakarta, I had a weird stomach problem. I got headache for a few days and it was apparently caused by my stomach. It's getting better now though. It's 2 days to 2006. I am getting oooolder, getting impatient, getting weaker....I gotta decide soon...Germany or Asia.

Next Destination: Medan

After a few days in Spore, my skin is back to normal. My lips too!!! I had enough travelling this year. I am going back to Medan very soon. To me, going back to Medan is not considered travelling. After returning from Germany last time, I realized that I have been gaining weight. I thought I would be able to cut off a bit of the fat after Germany trip, but the Beijing trip made me gained even more weight. Imagine, eating 8 course or 10 course meal for every lunch and dinner.

The outlook to lose weight is not good when i go back to Medan. I will eat even more

Beijing Aftermath

I came back from Beijing 2 days ago. The whole trip was fun, witnessing the remains of structures built in 1400s. It's amazing to see the intelligence of Chinese people back then. If not because of Opium war, Chinese would have emerged as one of the superpowers in the world. Anyway, I will definitely visit China again. The only downside in China is shopping. The things there are so cheap. All the stores claim that they are the stores that supplies silk, jade, pearls to the imperial palaces. And you have to bargain the price. For example, I bought a purse for my mom, the opening price is 450 yuan and i managed to bargain down to 70 yuan.

Yesterday evening, as I drove in Jaguar down a street called Chancerry Lane, I recalled the memory of helping a good friend whom was stalked by another good friend of mine. It happened 6 years ago. As I drove past, I still see the same apartment block, the same bus stop, and coincidentally, the same bus number drove past me while I was waiting for green light at the junction. It's an interesting sweet but bitter affair to remember.

Random things

Guten Tag!
1. I recovered fully from jetlag
2. I weighed above 70 kg yesterday. Gotta start cutting down carbo consumption and resume badminton sessions
3. I got my china visa today. Looking forward to my first Beijing trip next weekend.
4. I bribed one official today...hahaha. I figure the bribe money is worth spent in order to save me from future travelling inconvenience and time wasted waiting for the document processing.
5. I found many old primary and secondary school friends in Medan through friendster. A few have kids already. I am "way behind schedule"...
6. I keep looking for a job in singapore, but it's quite tough to get one as it's near the end of year.
7. Start learning german language. Auf Wiedersehen!

Jetlag

Suffering worst jetlag ever on second day after returning from Europe. I never experienced such a bad jetlag for past 5 years when studying in the States. I am sleeping at the wrong time...Sleep in the afternoon after lunch time, and then sleep again after dinner time till 23.00, and I couldn't sleep after that. Other than jetlag, I should begin to create a checklist for preparation to relocate to Hannover. At the same time, going hunting for tour package to East Asia.

Back to Lion City

Finally, I am back to Singapore after 2 weeks of adventurous journey in Europe. There were just too many stories to tell from this trip. I will just summarize all the good ones. Well, I got a job offer from Continental AG finally! It's 7 months after graduation. Secondly, I gotta see Hannover, Berlin, Dresden, Prague, and Vienna. Thirdly, I am planning to go to Beijing as another vacation trip. Fourthly, if everything looks good, I will get to celebrate Chinese New Year with my fmaily for the first time after5 years of absence.

Also, I broke records of walking distance/day and the hours of train rides. For my Europe tour, on average, I walked at least 8 hours a day. That's a lot for a back problem person like me. I also took a lot of train rides. It's unbelievable. I counted that I took almost 30 hours of train rides in total for this trip. The longest ride lasted 12 hours from Hannover to Vienna. It's an overnight Euro Night (EN) first class train ride where I got my own compartment with my own sleeping bed. In addition, I also broke the record of the amount of alcohol drinks I consumed in this trip. But last but not least, all my travel expenses including the cost of the tour is fully reimbursed by my company!!! hahaha...I just can't believe it.

Hours before going Deutschland

Okay, everything related to pre-departure issues turns out to be good. Pretty much waiting for exact hour to hail a taxi and go to Changi Airport Terminal 2. I hope Singapore Airlines flight to Frankfurt will be a nice one. I will be away for 2 weeks. My future depends on my performance in the first week. Wish me luck, ok! Danke! Sign off...

It's fatal

A young man had been enjoying smooth sailing life until a fatal mistake he made yesterday. He overlooked a very important part and hell break loose. It's the biggest mistake he made this year. There is only one person possibly can save him, but he is preparing himself for the worst scenario. Not being able to sleep and eat. His heart beat is irregular. The condition is worse than the one when he was broken-hearted 6 years ago. Oh well, his life has been like a roller coaster...The life judgement will be made tomorrow.

It's a good day

I went for interview with a small company today. It' small but it's public listed company. When I went into the office, I was disappointed to see the office condition. It's very crowded and a bit dirty. The manufacturing factory is next to the office. I told myself that even if they rejected me immediately, I would be gladly to walk out.

However, it turned out that the GM whom interviewed me was such a friendly and frank guy. We could connect well. So, in the end, I felt good after the interview. I had done my best in the interview. If the company didn't want me, I am fine with it. I won't feel sad at all. At least, I am happy to see that interviewers in Singapore are not all bad people.

My interview with a research institute last month was okay. But the acting director seemed a bit unfriendly. That really turned me off. I studied in ACS (I) which is famous for snobbish kids. I hate the school so much. When I see this rather unfriendly director, I know I won't last long in this institute if I decided to take up the offer. The offer came to me 3 weeks after the interview. I was disappointed that the offer is below the market rate that research institutes in singapore would give. I didn't really bother pursuing the matter anymore. I tried asking for higher offer and, I thank God, they refused to make the offer better.

How picky can you be?

How one should live his/her life? Should one do what he/she likes to do? Or one should just take whatever presented in front of him/her? The more affluent we are, the higher is our expectation. Older generation said don't be so picky...It's not easy to get what you want...Well, my argument is if you just take whatever offered to you, you probably won't know how much higher you can aim...Is money the main issue in life? Maybe it's a stupid question to ask, but I think as long as we work and live happily, money will come by itself.

Re-defining Blogging

Spore govt never stops in amazing me...I mean it in a good way....Have to be careful here...Three kids were arrested for making racial remarks in their blogs. Isn't this interesting one? I wonder how many blogs the govt actually read on daily basis. Assuming 10% of the population of 4 million people blog, there should be 400K blogs active, assuming only 10% of 400K wrote their blogs daily. That left us with 40K to read on daily basis....That's not a small amount of blogs to monitor. Anyway, just be considerate when blogging. Making stupid remarks mostly likely will expose your own personality/thinking/behavior...Better keep your thoughts to yourselves if you still can keep them!

Branching One & Zero Decision

Life is full of ones and zeros...Yes or No...Want or Don't want...Love or Hate
I got a job offer. The problem seems simple. One (Take up the offer) or Zero (Turn down the offer). But if you execute branching decision. From Zero(Turn down the offer), you ask the next question, will I get another offer? Then you are back to One or Zero issue again. Probably there should be a third option MAYBE in between Yes or No, but computers can handle odd number of bits.

The Two I discovered

I was watching ChannelNewsAsia (Singapore's CNN) on stories of foreigners setting up restaurants in Singapore. There are 2 restaurants I am going to dine in this weekend. 1. French Stall near Fareer Park MRT and 2. Pho House in Suntec City.

Breaking News

Mandala Airlines crashed after taking off from my hometown Polonia airport. It crashed into the residential area. My home is about 15 minutes drive to the airport. It's actually on the flying path for Medan-Jakarta route. The plane crashed onto a major road and the wreckage spilled over to a residential area. My governor is killed in that plane crash. He is a nice guy.

I saw that Mandala plane last week when I flew to Singapore from Medan. That plane was behind Silk Air plane waiting for taking off. These two planes have same departure times: 09.40 am everyday.

My family and I pass that crowded road on weekend on the way to our highland resort retreat normally. That road is always crowded. Sigh...It's better to pay more and take better airlines like Garuda or Singapore Airlines or Silk Air to fly around South East Asia. Boeing 737 is just a bad airplane.

Just another story

A boy went to meet a girl for lunch yesterday, hoping to catch up with her after 5 years, and best if he can renew their friendship. The girl has grown up to be a very pretty girl, wearing yellow T-shirt and jeans, not to mention the long silky hair she has. She fits into the profile that the boy has been looking for. He liked this girl so much since their first encounter during a dance night 9 years ago. On that night, she actually refused to dance with the boy. The boy was disappointed once. But you all gotta believe love on first sight!

After 15 minutes of conversation, it turned out to be another disappointment to know that she has already been someone else's girlfriend since last year. The boy started thinking: What if I came back one year earlier? What if I didn't go overseas??... In the end, it doesn't matter. Life has to go on...I told the boy, "You can't have all the stuff that you want. She wouldn't choose you even you didn't go overseas." The boy actually still hope that the girl would give him another chance. However, the girl did describe to him how close she was with her boyfriend and his family. Hopefully, that boy can grow up to be a man and kill his disappointment on his dream girl, and get real one! The End.

Funasia

Back to Singapore and Indonesia. In Indo, I am still being treated like a guest...People always want to buy me dinner. I feel bad for the treat because first, I didn't bring back any souvenir. Second, they always bring me to expensive restaurants, third, because of first 2 reasons....Why? Why? Why?

Anyway, I have been eating good food in Medan. Tomorrow, I am returning to Singapore where the real battle begins.

New Beginning

I had dinner together with Jen & Jon today. We had a nice dinner in Novi...Jen & Jon are such a great couple. They plan to visit me next year in Singapore.=) I wish them all the best to their future endeavors!


Decided to change my blog a little bit....It's a new beginning, new 5 years plan, new strategies...
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One week left

F.R.I.E.N.D.S
The hardest part of being friends is saying goodbye...

Is it that hard?? I guess I dump friends in US and gain friends in Singapore.
So after all, there is a conservation of friendship.

The End

Every story has a beginning, but it doesn't truly have an ending...It's just another new beginning. Good luck to those who stay in US, I choose Asia for my new beginning.

Walleye!!!

I must blog that today, 10 July 2005, I got Walleye fish....I tell you, the feeling is like getting a trophy after a long badminton tournament season. The fish is 2 feet long. I got it around 2. 15 pm at a river in Ohio. All my friends said it's rare to get Walleye during this time in a river.

It's interesting to catch this fish. Normally, for that kinda fish, it will fight like hell and I had to reel hard. But today, this fish didn't fight. In fact, I thought it's a small fish when I reeled it in. I didn't even noticed my bait was eaten. After I reeled it in, it dropped from my hook. Instead of swimming away, the fish just stayed in that exact spot when it landed...I was actually panicking when the fish was off the hook, I threw away my fishing rod, and my friends came in to surround the fish, but hehehe...the fish stayed there...lucky us!

I got another 4 white sucker fish throughout those 3 hrs duration, but I let them go. With fishing license fee of 11 bucks, Ohio proves to be a cheap place to fish with high return on investment.

Still here

What a forgotten blog. I will stop blogging from now on. Dun want to keep any memories, especially the bad ones...Always look into the future. Forget abt the past. I wanna go home, leave everything behind in US and start new in Asia.

Lowest moment of the week

I began to feel really bored....Boring Ann Arbor!!!
I think it's time for me to move somewhere else. It's the fifth year in Ann Arbor. I never stayed in a same place for the sixth year.

I had a lot of nightmares over this weekend. They are not dreams....They are blardi nightmares.
My laziness kicked in. I watched Korean movies and slept and ate and slept again. Watching the korean movies caused me to feel heart-broken, feel in love, feel lonely...Sigh! I shouldn't have watched the movies in the first place.

I need to talk to someone...Someone I like, I guess...Hope next week will be a better one.

The jobless psychology

I sat down reflecting my life since young until now...I have actually experienced quite a lot of things...I fought with a friend in elementary school, I was the second smartest student in my school when I was in Grade 7. I worked as a waiter in a 4 start hotel before, I worked as an office boy before. I experienced the feeling of being poor (quite often). Also I experienced the feeling being rich (when I hang out with my rich cousin). Lastly, I experienced the true feeling of being jobless.

At this time, I wish I don't have interest in business at all...I am so eager to go back home and do some business. It is an internal fight within me in deciding to go back home and to stay in US to work. Nothing can attract me to stay in the US...Nothing at all. I just need to get mental support from my parents to go back...If they are behind me, I surely will feel better.

Wing Stop

I didn't sleep much today ( well, one hour after dinner time). I was rushing the DVD production for RFT. Somehow, I felt I overworked myself in RFT. I have to be more picky in my next assignment.

I went to Wing Stop with estwee. It's my first time there. The place is located in Ypsilanti next to Dynasty Buffet restaurant. It serves buffalo wings and the wings are definitely better than BW2. Just that it's much smaller in size. I ate about 15 buffalo wings and still felt hungry just now.

Mission Accomplished

Get all As for the classes this term?? Checked
Get a job offer?? Not checked
Get RFT demo done successfully?? Checked
Feel like going back to Asia for good?? Checked
Hate Ann Arbor?? Checked

My mom and sis just went back 2 days ago...we went for 2 weeks vacation ard US. It was a fun but tiring one. Now, back to reality...graduated, but jobless, has to cook meals, do laundry, work in research lab.

Do you know what I wish?

ERC Work

I am so dead tired...Have been working on ERC work for about 16 hours per day with 4-5 hours sleep per day since 6 days ago....I am surprised my body can handle this pressure...

Surprise...Surprise...Surprise

My day was filled with surprises...Were they good or bad surprises? Well, I would say they are ok. It's not life threatening ones. Neither they are making me really happy.

The only advice I told myself is that to go with my gut instincts. Most of the time, I can guess correctly. But oh well, I just couldn't believe some part of the surprises.

I sold one of my bikes today. I think it's a win-win deal. I get the price I want. I didn't expect that person to make the deal with me. The lesson learnt from today's transaction is that it's never wrong to give slightly higher price to your customers if you can be a friendly and helpful seller. Once businessman to be, always businessman to be! The hardest thing that I can't never do is to sell things to my friends...I don't have the heart to earn profit from them.

I guess fewer friends I have in business, the better my business will be.

Successful CEO

I attended a talk by Jack Welch, former CEO of GE. He came to Hale Auditorium to promote his second book titled "Winning". I actually dun care what book he writes. I have read quite a lot of bio books on famous people. It's all about risks, hard work, and guts.

I didn't know that he started as an engineer in GE. He said the need to score well in the work assigned by your boss.. When your boss asked you to do A, you should give him A+B, but be careful, you shouldn't outscore your boss. Instead, you should make your boss looks good.

Any point he brought up that I can sync with is the gut. The gut to make decision is very crucial. he honestly said that it's the gut that distincts him from other CEOs. Also, from the experience, he can make better decision with less data.

For me, the tough decision laying ahead of me is to whether to stay in US and look for a pathetic cubicle job or go back to Asia and do something. I can't find a compelling reason to stay here. I find I need to be different from other people. If the difference will make me become worse in term of income, i dun care. At least, I do what I strongly believe in.

Staying in Ann Arbor for 5 yrs is more than enough for me. I can kill 2 birds with one stone if I go back to Asia. I wont' be lonely there and also I can be an entrepreneur. I dun like to play safe!!! But I don't want to take stupid risks too!

Lastly, I wonder why there are so many people lining up until on the sidewalk of Tappan street after Jack's talk today to get his signature. Does having a signed book next to your bed will help you to become a successful person? I don't think so...I think those people are trapped by Jack's marketing. A lot of sweeping statements here...but who cares!

If there is no ERC work

I am so occupied with Java coding for my RFID system. I wonder what I will do if I don't work for ERC? I will be bored to death!!!

I am so glad that one of my singapore friends actually remembers my birthday. I feel so embarassed as I forget her exact birthday. But anyway, I know her bday now...It's easy to remember:)

Back to create my cup of Java!

Job or Work

Is there any difference between job and work?
I have heard from a lot of people that their jobs are so boring/routine. I went to visit the International Truck and Engine in Indiana last Friday. The moment I entered the office, I was disappointed to see all the cubicles. The people seem to be like "batteries powering up a company". I just didn't feel good in that company.

I really don't want to have 8 to 5 kinda job where you are thrown piles of work to finish, where you don't learn new thing much. I don't think I can survive long in that kinda environment. I rather have 8 to 8 kinda work where I have control over the direction of my work/company, where I can prioritize my work, where I have to make difficult decisions, where I get to try/learn new things.

My work in ERC, however, is not boring. The environment is very supportive. I guess it's the challenge that keeps me interested in my work. The vast of knowledge I have gotten so far is unbelievable, at the expense of a lot of my free time. The ambition to make myself to be indispensable in ERC has driven me to keep improving my performance. However, in the end, I know I have to leave ERC...

Courage under Pressure

My life has been really stressful this week, eventhough is my ultah this week.
Anyway, I have been writing Java programs for past few days.. Programs to control RFID system in RFT testbed. I was so stressed up just now realizing that my Java program couldn't handle 2 OPC server connections. After brainstorming for solutions for 1 hour, I managed to come out with a pretty decent solution:) I was so happy.

Before that, I went to TKWu for dinner with Snoppy. Both of us were so tired. Our order didn't come quite right. Snoppy's diet coke came with extra layer of grease on the top. My bubble tea came bubble-less. Our beef noodle soup should be called beef noodle sourly soup.

Came back home to watch the Apprentice...Disappointed with Trump for he didn't fire the person I wanted him to get rid of. Anyway, it's just a show...

There are so many things to be completed before April 22nd...I am going to hide in my dungeon from now onwards!

Another title for me

I won the Badminton Michigan Cup today. Well, I expect myself to win this tournament. The tournament was alright, but I had to wait for 3 hours to play my final match. The schedule is supposed to end by 3 pm, but in the end, I played my final match at 4 pm.

I am satisfied with my performance this term. Intramural title and Michigan Cup.
I am so dead tired now. Have a good one!

Downhill

Don't like today. I felt stupid, weak, stressed.
Stupid because my laptop is behaving weirdly and I couldn't solve it and therefore my programming output today is so minimal.

Weak because I get back pain after playing badminton. And I will have tournament in 8 hours time. I didn't play hard today because of tournament later. Lost most of my matches.

Stressed with school work. I don't like doing homework!!! It's a bad move to bring your office work to home. Once you started doing that, you won't be able to separate your free time from working time. You will be working 16 hrs on your office work.

Loved & Hated Month

Which month does you normally love and hate at the same time? For me, it's your birthday month. You love it because it is your birthday month. You hate it because it's time to renew your car license plate, time to pay for your insurance, and you are one year older.

Today I said good bye to my WIJAYA car license plate. I chose to get non-personalized car plate because it's cheaper and also it will make me less outstanding on the street.

I celebrated surprise birthdays for 2 people this weekend. The surprise effect of the second birthday party wasn't too great...I guess too many surprises are equal to no surprise. By the way, I got my camcorder last week, Panasonic 3CCD PV-GS150 which was released in early March 2005. It's going to be my ul-tah gift and graduation gift.

Work in ERC are getting demanding. That's because I set my own completion date to be March 31. But I guess it's good to be stressed now rather than in April 30th (My commencement date).
That reminds me to buy my graduation gown and hood...

My life is so planned until May 8...I exactly know what I need to do from now till May 8 (most of the days).

Million Dollar Baby

I went to watch Million Dollar Baby(MDB) today. As I have expected, this movie is a superb one. I went to watch not because of Oscar awards, but it's my instinct that it's gonna be a good one after watching the trailer.

Anyway, from today onwards, I have exactly one month to study. After that, I am certified as a Master degree holder from UM. This is one of the most significant part of my journey. Just like 10 yrs ago, I was at the busy cross junction fighting to get across Straits of Malacca for better education in Singapore. Now, I am at the cross junction again fighting to get a good career for better future.

I wonder when I will be satisfied with my achievements. I admired the character played by Hillary Swank in MDB. She wasn't greedy. Movies do play a lot of influence in my thinking. Though you may think that movies are just fantasies/virtual. I actually use movies' characters to benchmark myself to be a greater person.

Momentum

Today, I suddenly lost my momentum... my motivation to work towards my dreams. It happened when I drove back home from badminton. It began at the parking lot of the gym, I saw a girl whom seemed so familiar. Then I recalled things that occurred 2 years ago. I was so unmotivated and jobless. I also saw a girl, a different girl. And all these happened in March.

I gotta think positively, this will kill my future if I don't recover quickly. No pressure...

Why it is good to have a hobby?

Me and my colleague went to see my advisor's band performance just now. My advisor is darn talented in singing and playing musical instruments. Before I went to this bar to watch his band performing, I always think of him as a research scientist who only deals with academic stuff, intelligent, complicated stuff...After watching the performance, I can see that my advisor is not a nerd.

I guess it's important for every human being to have a hobby. Hobby in sports, or musics, or artistic things. In sports, I have no problem finding something to be passionate with. In musics, I plan to learn one musical instrument before 30 yrs old. I will play the musical instrument, maybe violin, for my girlfriend:) That's how I am going to impress a girl..hahaha

My last hobby will be having my own garden and keeping exotic fish and a puppy. These will be done in Asia before I reach 30 yrs old!

Closure

Is there a closure in a friendship?

a 5 yrs cycle

My thought...again...Can't stop thinking as long as I live. I looked back the past 10 yrs of my life.
I realized every 5 yrs, I have to face a big challenge. When I was 15 yrs old, I had to work hard for the ASEAN scholarship and I got it. When I was 20 yrs old, I have to decide between staying in Singapore and coming to Ann Arbor. It is not much of making decision, it is more like convincing my parents to let me come to Umich and here I am. And now, I am almost 25. I would say this is the biggest confusion/challenge I am facing. I can't find a job so far, I am thinking of going back to Singapore and Medan, but I am in doubt. What do I want actually?

Life never comes easy. When you see your friends, one by one, are getting employed, it just tell you that you are not good enough. Well, I am going to take different view. I know very clearly that I don't want to be an employee forever. So, I am constantly looking out for opportunities to be an employer.

I have Tivo??

I bought a TV tuner card and my PC now can behave just like Tivo. When you spend hundreds over dollars for Tivo, not to mention the yearly subscription, I spent 20 bucks to create one. Well, of course harddisk is needed. Should I sell my Sony TV away?

Titus back to life

The chain of my Titus watch broke a few months ago. When it happened, it was the saddest day in that week. This is the first watch I bought with my own money. My previous watch was bought by my parents 8 yrs ago when I got the ASEAN scholarship and it cost 38,000 rupiah only (abt US$4). Though it's a cheap watch, it never fail serving me so far. Anyway, I decided to fix the broken chain. One of the pins connecting each segment is missing, so I use a thin wire to replace the pin. Yes! My Titus is back to life! I have done 2 surgeries to this watch so far. The first one was replacing the battery.

If I have lived in Indonesia at the time my Titus broke, I would have gotten a new watch. I realized how different is my life in US and the one in Indonesia. Independence comes at a price. In US, I have to suffer by cooking my own meals, wash dishes, do laundry, etc; but I am independent. In Indonesia, I live my life like a prince but no freedom. My mom teased me sometimes about getting a gf to help me out in the chores:) Seemed like a win-win solution.
I am not sure if I prefer the US version of Handiest to the Indo version? What do you think? Don't think too much though...haha

Reflecting

Do you think journey in life is like writing a novel? I am almost done with one-fourth of my book. Scary, huh? Recalling what I just experienced 8 yrs ago; the glory of being a scholar, the 9 months pain of puppy love, the new chapter of life in Umich. The ups and downs seem to balanced each other out. It's like sine wave with constant amplitude. I am just not sure if I should hope for higher frequency because higher frequency will give me more failures, but on the other hand, my life will be more dynamic, with more encounters.

I consider my current life is at the lowest point. Things move slowly and are awfully bad. However, with the constant amplitude sine wave theory, I can smell next round of glory, but not being over-confident.

For past 2 years, since the start of graduate studies, I haven't been doing the things I like. For the past 5 years, I felt opting to study in US was a self-punishing decision. If I had stayed in Singapore for undergrad studies, I might have a good career and a good gf by now. These are the two things I want after my 2005 birthday.

I remembered I used to be a very confident boy in middle school. Failures couldn't disturb my record of achievements. My parents were proud of my success. Competitors would never get a peace in mind with my presence.

Failures in the US had affected me a lot. I developed a bad temperament but surprisingly good patience. I guess I had been patient enough in facing this slowdown, but things have to get better... The only good memories I have in US are the friendships I developed. I can get this far due to my friends' encouragement. Will I miss Umich and Ann Arbor? I guess I will not. It seems that it's time for me to move somewhere else, just like what I did in 2000...moving from Singapore to Ann Arbor....I have a strong feeling about making this decision. Just like the decision I made 5 yrs ago to study in UM instead of NUS.

Can you imagine me reading this blog again 10 years down the road? Will I live in a mansion or in a wooden hut reading this? Only one thing consoled me this week. I got a cute blue apron:)

What a dilemma

I grow up surrounded by smart friends...really smart friends...They really make me to become a competitive person...We compete healthily although they knew I won't pose much of a challenge to them. You are talking about perfect GPA students, students who finish homework before you blinked for the 20th time when you start doing your homework.

Always under constant pressure to perform, priortize among different things. Luckily, I have been given a lot of opportunities to fail. There are always something bailing me out when I am in deep shit. As my friend told me, everything happens for a reason.

Today, after watching The Apprentice, I spent 15 minutes analyzing if smart people can actually work well together. In The Apprentice, I just saw the total breakdown when everyone thinks he/she is smarter, can do better job...

I recalled my friends (we were scholars, roommates, classmates, and buddies) once told me it's just impossible for us to start a company together. It's because all of us are too smart to be controlled. If you argue that you dun need control in a company, you are wrong. Everyone wants to be the CEO, be the leader.

On the other hand, I always think of the brain power that my friends have. Can you imagine what kinda company you are building if you can get them to work with you? And I am not giving up in setting up a business with them. They know my character, who wants the control...Nobody wants to take a back seat.

Anyway, just a thought. Wanna join this scholarly wagon? Talk to me.

Passion vs Market Demand

I have a strong interest in
Teaching people about computers...a school, maybe?
Owning a supermerket....Well, let's start with minimarket
Writing programs to make life more efficient?

And Market Demand:
In my country, people still don't appreciate the power of computers. Hence, there is less interest in learning computers. But I still think that a lot of people in my country is learning outdated way of programming. Still have a chance!

Carrefour is big in South East Asia. Walmart keeps opening stores every week. Where do I stand a chance to crave a corner in the market for my minimarket? What competitive advantage I can provide? Sigh...Kinda hopeless to see those giants invading Asia.

I like to write programs whenever I am free. Not that I am super duper passionate about programming, but I always think that I can make processes more efficient with programming. There are giants in software market. Not to mention open source software market. What is my selling concept?

I was watching a documentary on Walmart. Why it can grow so big? I must come out with something before the giants arrive in my backyard! But all the ideas I have will be shot down by my family, my friends, etc...Probably I didn't have a good attack plan. Keep thinking, Handiest!

One fine day

I felt being a useful human being on every Friday...Sounds weird, huh? But that's me.
Every Friday, I dedicate my working hours for the good of ERC. I felt there are strong mutual benefits between me and ERC. The lab must be the most memorable place I have in UM. IF I own a big company next time, I will give the same opportunities to smart underprivileged students to participate in research. IF... Only IF... Only IF...I want to change it to WHEN...WHEN...WHEN...

I have been getting stomach pain lately. Probably because I haven't been taking care of myself well. I am getting lazy to cook my own meals...Anyone wants to cook a meal for me? I better look into this "bug" in my stomach. I have to debug it so that it doesn't need a service pack.

I managed to play one hour of badminton today. Only one hour because I had to leave for bowling at Colonial Lanes with the ERCians. My God, it was such a fun night!!! I wish ERCians can come together more often in such event.

I had a long talk with mom today. Kinda fun talk ranging from work to bgr....can you believe it? I talked about bgr with my mom? But both side agree that I am still young and I should open my eyes wider now for my only dream girl...Where are you? Don't hide too long, ok. I think I need to work on being a gentleman, being more diplomatic (a.k.a more faking, not too honest). I think girls are kinda scared of my brutal honesty. Good night, everyone!

Serendipity

What a good day today...Last exam in my life...At least for a while before I come back to school for MBA. My research work is going well.

I am watching serendipity now. Oh girl, Kate Beckinsale is just so attractive. British accent, my taste hairstyle. I wonder why some girls don't really care about their hair. If they said hairstyle is not important, it's like it's ok to fail exams. hahaha...easier to say than to do it. Well, the bottom line is that girls have to look pretty, attractive, not necessarily cute though. I can't stand cute girls...Because cute is 99.9% fake cute. So much expectation I have...man, no wonder I am still single.

Last exam

I am going to have my last exam on tuesday...it's 40%...It's my last exam for my career in academia. No motivation to study, but I want an A+. Alright, back to the notes!

Frustation

I sensed frustations among my software colleagues. I guess it is because of network problems. I am very frustated too, just that I don't want to show it in front of the rest. (Don't add oil to a burning fire).

I don't understand why the darn person-in-charge (no name revealed) is bloody goddamn slow in the progress of solving the VPN network problem!!! I have told you that it's so crucial to get this problem solved asap!!!! Argh! why? Can you dedicate your 100% of 1 week to solve this problem than taking 10% of 10 weeks? Didn't you see the sense of urgency here? If you think you are not up to the job, then don't take this responsibility! How can you ask a person to solve this problem who only comes in 2 days every week!

I work my ass off immediately if I smell (not even seeing it yet) a problem in my research. That's what I called Dedication, Priority, Responsibility!!!

Thank God it's friday now a.k.a Badminton day...The time I can destress!!!

So far so good

I went for hair cut yesterday, so my hair is back to short one:)
Also, I got last minute invitation for interview with Stryker Medical. The interview just now was okay. It's hard to establish that "clicked" because the interviewer is basically just a data collector. He has no power in reviewing my performance. Well, I won't expect anything from this interview because I don't have that "good feeling" after interview.

My work on RFID hardware sourcing is done! Yay! It had taken too much of my time. Now, it's at the hand of accounts office. I have decided to stay in Ann Arbor for spring break, save the money, and travel during summer...which will be more fun.

Pre-Valentines

You don't know what TV and Laptop can do to me. Since yesterday, I have been writing programming in my laptop and watching romantic movies on TV simultaneously. As for yesterday, I "clocked" 11 hours of programming and romantic movies. Today, I clocked 4 hours.

Talking about the movies I watched. They are all Meg Ryan's movies. I don't know if I would sacrifice for love. Probably it's hard to answer this until I found someone:) I always like girls with long hair. But after watching Meg Ryan's hairstyle in City of Angels and Kate & Leopold, I think short hair girl is not too bad too...hahaha

If you need help in Java Native Interface programming, I can share my knowledge with you.
Argh....My spine is complaining now...I gotta stop working for a while!

Have a good Valentines!

Work and Work

It's the second day of Chinese New Year. Normally, my family celebrates it for 15 days.
It's just the second day and I have been so workaholic. Well, I guess I am in US now and no one cares about Chinese New Year.

I had to drive around Ann Arbor for about an hour just to find a tap for my RFID project. I didn't know what was tap until Steve asked me to get one. It's for making a thread in a hole for a screw to screw into.

I recalled when I was hired 2 years ago, I had minuscule responsibility. What I did was to write a program to connect Java with Matlab. And now, I am the leader of RFID project, I have to monitor the progress of Software Infrastructure, on top of these, I have to collaborate with other students on other components. Sigh...I am tired.

I am going to claim 8 hrs of sleep tonight! hopefully...

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi! Gong Xi!
Wan Shi Ru Yi!

I had a netmeeting with my family just now. It's amazing what a computer engineering degree can do to my family. I am such a computer loving guy. This so called computer loving affair spread throughout my immediate family.

I am curious what an Industrial and Operations (IOE) degree is going to do to my life. Probably there won't be much change. Can't wait to get my degree!!!

I went to Great Lakes Restaurant to have dinner with a bunch of Indo friends. The dinner is alright. Mom's home cook is definitely better, or rather the best.

I have no class later. Should I work later? I can just stay at home and SLACK!!! It's Chinese New Year anyway! Have a good day!

Sleeping work

Sleep is a work to me. I have to think that way so that I didn't feel guilty for sleeping.
This weekend is a sleeping weekend to me. I just did NOTHING...

I am getting lazy? I guess so.
I am getting fat? Oh ya, for sure I am.

I think I am too tense most of the time. Gotta learn to stop worrying. Things will be fine in the end.
You know, things will reach steady state...

My Wish vs Reality

I wish I didn't fall asleep just now. Reality: I missed the medical investigation and the Apprentice.

I wish I can go home and start a retail business. Reality: No one will support my daring idea monetarily and spiritually

I wish I don't have to endure the pain of job searching. Reality: I was standing in a long queue waiting for the darn company rep to take my resume, knowing that this was not what I wanna do.

I wish my knowledge will be utilized after I graduate, especially Java and RFID. Reality: No job No talk.

I wish I can be more hardworking. Reality: Is it just too much work? or I am still lazy? Probably the later one.

I wish I can control myself better. Reality: I am out of control. I only do what I like to do.