Small Achievements is the milestone to the Big Achievements

When we are in the work of planning something or even anything, we always trying to set a goal at the end of the things that we try to accomplish, the level of accomplishment will be the standard of our success. That is in the business life, but even in the real life that out of business and economical thought , that particular methods still taken place in our daily life. Let us discussed a little bit about this interesting matter, shall we!!
When we are in the work of planning something or even anything, we always trying to set a goal at the end of the things that we try to accomplish, the level of accomplishment will be the standard of our success. That is in the business life, but even in the real life that out of business and economical thought , that particular methods still taken place in our daily life. Let us discussed a little bit about this interesting matter, shall we!!
The “Why” factor we plan our life will decide the next factors, that is the ”How, what, when, where”. The basic reason we live our life in fact indeed will describe the whole blueprint of our entire life, just for example..when you set your basic reason of life to achieve richness, then the next factors will be all in the measures to achieve the goal of the reason, it’s like... How to achieve it, what way to achieve it, where the perfect place to take it, and when will it be the time to run the plan to be rich. So once you discover the reasoning of why you live your life, from that certain point all of your thought and conduct will be focused to the particular path to the achievement that you have set mentally in your mind. All the theories and course based on management of mind and how to focus our mind has been in and out of our head, so based on all of the theoretical thingy, I think we had enough of it!! And we should step forward, that will come to the next million dollar question which is.....are we able, willing, wanting enough to “walk the talk” and keep on moving forward to get the dreams, or just “talk the walk” and stay forever stationary in the place that we think already comfortable and the level that stagnant and boring in our life. Maybe it work for most of the guys, but certainly not me...there’s always a new things awaiting to be discovered and conquered, and there are even a lot more things out there to be learned, because compare to the whole knowledge that provided by the universe, what we know is just a simple drop of water in the ocean, a single tiny grains of sand in a desert. Like the Noble Prophet have said that we should apprehend the knowledge until the end of time given to us, the time we lay to rest forever.
In my daily dictionary, that today should be better than yesterday, tomorrow should be better than today, in other terms that is means that what we do should end in some result and that better be in positive kind of way. And I look after myself before taking care of others, while we are busy with ourselves there will be no time for us to see the useless in others, with that I can push myself for the betterment of me and eventually my surroundings. On the contrary when we pay our attention to the others than our own, it will result to the waste of energy by looking and exaggerating other people business instead of taking care of our own unfinished business, and by the end of it ...we will stay apathetic as it was before with no achievements whatsoever.
I always trying to set a small goal in between along the path just to make sure that I am in the right track to the final destination that I have planned all along, from time to time this small achievements will assure myself that I have something that really work indeed and reminding me that there’s still a long path to be walk, I try not to easily satisfied by one achieved goal to another, because in my mind when we are easily amused by the small achievements, it will drag us apart from the real goal, and the more we feel comfort of the small stuff it will add the distance to the big one, So I always trying to keep in mind that what I have done is nothing compare to all the conduct have been done by so many peoples, in other word is “Despite of so many things we have done, never ever nor even across in our mind, that we are better than anyone” Because there are always someone better than someone else, we just have to keep that always in mind. Maybe from time to time we can be and should be proud of what we have done, but let just keep it to ourselves, make it as a fuel that can boost us up to the next level, with the thought that we are willing, able and capable..if others can do it why can’t I !! instead of bragging it out to everyone, since it will prove nothing, because the old proverbs said that “only an empty cans that sound louder than others!”. Just do our best with our own fuel of motivation and let our action do all the publicity works and I quote that “Action speaks louder than words!”, People will notice indeed....so they will! Insya Allah.
As I have said before that when we have the reason to do something, then automatically all the factors in behind will come to follow to sum up to the final result, as we know with “Pyramidal balancing effect” the power of focused mind will bring us wherever we want to go by any means we want to, and when we believe that it will happens...It will Indeed, since we send the echoes of our mind to the universe, the universe will respond back with the same echoes just like the one that we have sent. In my religious terms this Universe none other is Allah Himself, He answer our beliefs and our prayers with the results that we believed in. In Islam when we have a positive feeling towards Him, Allah will respond back just as the same as the one we have sent Him. Apart of our beliefs in human theories we should include in the X-factor of Divine in our dictionary of life, because without it we will lost the guidance, and I quote this as a closure “Knowledge without religion will be blind, and Religion without knowledge will be paralyzed”.


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The life can never be predicted but we can try to achieve it

This is the phrase that I made up by myself based on the condition that I believe I have and accordance to some sources most people talk about recently, and that source I believe most people had read it..that is “The Secret”
This is the phrase that I made up by myself based on the condition that I believe I have and accordance to some sources most people talk about recently, and that source I believe most people had read it..that is “The Secret” , “Law of Attraction” and for Indonesian..you may know the book “Quantum Ikhlas”. So there I was listening this musical instrument taken from the movie “Eiffel I’m in Love” and by watching this fabulous tower of Paris..the Eiffel tower. Indeed I have this dream back then that somehow I’ll come to visit this Legen.....wait for it!! ..dary ..yeah LEGENDARY!! Place that become the most destined place for tourism in the world, every single man that know this place surely want to come and have a walk in the famous boulevard of Champ Elysée and walk to the Louvre museum where is kept the painting of a chubby lady whose smile fascinate the world, she’s called “La Jaconde” or in English we know her as “Monalisa”. I have this longing attraction toward France and the culture that they have...and since then I have always dreaming to go there someday...as start when I was in the Academy I eagerly want to take this French course that paid by the Academy (of course!! Who doesn’t want free course) though after I graduate from the academy I couldn’t continue but still believe someday I will step my foot there . So years pass by and I saw this film of Eiffel I’m in love ..well I’m also in love with the city of love...some might say!! And the spirit rise once again...after that I really want to learn the language and in 2006 the chance just come to me without I even notice...I really think that is the way given by the universe a.k.a God for the wish that I said long time ago. And there were this program of the Navy that able the participants to go to France..well that’s it then..It is my aim, so I always have all my effort towards it however hard it might be, I can’t say it was easy!! somehow the universe give us his own exam and series of tests that we must deal and overcome before it can be a reality, after all that I’ve done ..I don’t want to be a loser and after all the long walk I don’t want anything that can get into my way can failed me, so despite of looking and holding the Eiffel keychain given by my French friends and imagine the picture of the tower in my mind like ..all the time!! Yes I have this troubled time when the chance just in the front of your eyes. So let me tell you something that I heard the chance to have the enrollment to the program..it was when I’m in the middle of naval operations in the area of island of Riau, so I’m not even near the base back at that time, but when you have a goal you should fight for it, whatever cost you may take, the worse part it just you failed but you know you’ve tried, and take my words that you have to do it clean..and jerk, because somehow cleanliness is make the count!!trust me!! Be honest and simple. So there I was again having very doubtful moment when someone coming up from nowhere risking my chance to have my dream, well I don’t know exactly what happen and why this person suddenly come up to the surface...but in the end I know that he played harshly and not even near to clean..in fact it was a filthy move that he took. But somehow I believe that I’m gonna get it, it was when I have the Friday prayer when I feel very doubtful and confused and all of a sudden there was a very unusual cool wind, somehow it makes me calm and comfort, and after I feel that I will get this chance of mine. And the end ..yes I got it. And here I am floating around in the dream come true of mine, and somehow it just getting better day by day despite of the big waves and strange food that doesn’t feel right in my tongue..ha ha I should laugh about it since my tongue is an Indonesian tongue that accustomed to spices and chilies, but here in France everyone eat everything that tasteless on my tongue opinion of course, and sometimes I found it bizarre, but anyhow here I am again living my chance big and alive!!


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The Nation In Denial

As I was raised as a child in the culture of Patrilineal which respect the elders, we have to be polite and honor them all of the time and to believe whatever their teaching might be, I agree absolutely with the part that we have to act polite and honor their position in the society, but I’m not all heartedly with the second one that we have to believe whatever their teaching might be, because somehow even though it seems wise and philosophical in kind of speaking, but it doesn’t have to be necessarily always become the truth of all time. This is the case that happen to all of us or most of us right now, ‘Us’ as in all Indonesian People, by this I want to emphasized the belief that trusted by many of us, that our country is an ‘agricultural’ country instead the geographical fact that our country is indeed is in the form of enormous archipelagic country (even a blind man knows that!),in the term of Mr. Dummy “Archipelago country is a country which consist of a groups of chained islands and connected by the watery parts and mainly is the sea”, and please underlined the part that mainly the country consist of sea, so it is very based on the fact and logical thinking if we called our country as a maritime country instead of land based country a.k.a agricultural, and isn’t it logic if an archipelago country is a maritime country because of the watery area that larger than the land?! it’s not that I’m against all the agricultural stuff, it is good, very good in fact!! but we leave all of it in such unbalanced proportion, when we exploit the land but we leave the sea nearly untouched or the exact term will be “poorly managed”. And we have all of this agricultural teaching in the schools and from our parents without knowing when and where it was started, maybe the change of the mindset was started when our country was colonialized or maybe after that. Now the important part of all is that our mindset is heading at the wrong direction, and it is the obligation for the navigation officer to make it straight and proper, but actually it’s the obligation for all the people who has the better mindset than me and maybe a bigger power to change the situation to the better. The change should start now and like what they said “It’s now or never!” we really have rush it, because to make a slightest change in the mindset of the peoples, it could take a decade or even more to see the result of the change! I personally insist the revolution of our mindset, unless we want to see this great nation falling apart because the misdirection and grave mismanagement.
When we talk about the characteristic of a maritime nation, we will then talk about it’s maritime policy, and that will include all the field of operations from the field of economy, social, politics, laws and to the field of defense. The nation’s policy will reflect their orientation on the development, and one’s policy should be based on the natural and geographical characteristic in order to get the best result on the nation’s progress, and when we get back to the maritime nation, we should see the policy that reflect the attention of the government on the maritime issues, since it should be the fundamental element that should make the count on the making of progression of the nation itself. Now I will tell you the fact that I found recently from all of the discussion and reference that I have when I’m doing my course onboard of the ship FS Jeanne d’Arc. The Europe communities especially the France in particularly consider that in Asia there’s two big nation with the power that came naturally because of their large extent and the number of their people, and those are India and China!! at first I was surprised why Indonesia which has the extent of area and the number of people not far behind from those two nations are not even on the list of the nation with natural power, and it makes me think hard!! What factor from those two nations that we don’t have and make the other country consider Indonesia not as a country that should make the count, and I came to the conclusion that our country is like a lion who has no teeth and claws, it’s only the appearance that is enormous and looks scary but they consider it as a kitty cat that tamed and can’t even defend itself. And it’s all because the grave mismanagement of our nation’s goal and the methods used to get there, it will bring us back to the very basic things to consider, what are we as a nation want to make of ourselves in the future?? As a land based nation (continental) or a water based nation (maritime), as far as I can see in my personal point of view and probably most of Indonesian people will think the same, that this nation’s policy still focusing on the land based policy, despite of the complexity of the development in Indonesia, still it doesn’t exonerate the obligation that the development should have a balanced progress in all the field component. And as a maritime nation (undoubtful fact!!) we should a strong maritime foundation in the structure as well as in infrastructure and the policy to support it, from there we can step even further to the other area that need the attention, but when we have the wrong foundation then whoever in charge of the government, it won’t get anywhere! It sounds strong but indeed it is the fact that we can’t argued, and still there are plenty of stubborn big headed who thinks “their thought is the best of all and others is wrong” that sit in their comfy chair as our representative and as the policy maker of the government that thinks that we are on the right direction. I should say that our nation is in their denial, deny that this nation is a great maritime nation and not a continental nation that have all the focus on the land power instead of the sea power. Indonesia is a great maritime nation that should focus their greatness of power in the sea and the land of the support. As long as we still in denial, the focus of the country will get nowhere, and the progress that we expect that could bring back all the teeth in the lion’s mouth will not occurred.



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Indonesia, I’m Proud of You

The homeland is always be the best despite all the goodness offer by other country but eventually you will be back and remember that you are not belong to stay in other lands beside Indonesia, the very place where I was born and raised.The homeland is always be the best despite all the goodness offer by other country but eventually you will be back and remember that you are not belong to stay in other lands beside Indonesia, the very place where I was born and raised. And despite of the enormous mismanagement and the corruption here and there in the body of government and all institution in this beautiful country, including the Judicative institution that supposed to uphold and bring the enforcement to the law, and the underestimation of education in any level that brought the people into the level of workers only that we are called as the nation of coolies by the colonialist in the old day and because of the colonialism we as the Indonesian have forget the real identity of our people and country as the maritime and archipelagic country with a million of undiscovered and hidden beauties that awaiting to be revealed, yes despite all of those terrible..terrible things, well Indonesia is a sleeping beauty giant of the equator that awaits to be awaken in the right moment by the right person and the person who cares about her, by letting her always sleeping that’s mean that we are letting her get raped all the time by those antagonist within our own people and the outsider who knows the beauty and treasures of this splendid country. So people we have to act now, starting from ourselves, and from a small things.
Right now I’m in France conducting the course with the French Navy, and from my experience so far in this country that many people dreams to come and to live in, it by far so uncomfortable from my country, Indonesia, except maybe...for those who adore hedonism and materialism, and individualism. I didn’t found the value that I found in Indonesia, the value of respect, friendship, caring, and warmth, maybe a very small part of the peoples but most of them are drowned in the way of life that they have made, here people are living without purpose and destination of life, what they do is how to survive, earn a lot of money, spend it with their own way and back to work, It seems there’s a big emptiness within inside of each of those people, it’s not like what I felt when I’m still in Indonesia, all the people maybe not knowing for sure what they’re looking for, but one thing for sure, that there are their friends and family who really care of each other and they won’t let one of their important parts of life just ruined without any help. Knowing that, I really cherish my life in Indonesia, despite of all trouble and difficulties that the people has to experienced and witnessed because of the elites politics fighting for their own cookies and candies for their own interest but disgustingly taking the name of the people in so doing their action. So yes there no question if you asked me whether I’m willing to fight for my homeland, and does it worthed....the answer is definitely!!
So guys, when you feel that you are not belong in Indonesia, well you are wrong damn you are wrong!! whatever race or color you are and wherever place you come from, when you feel that Indonesia is your home then that only mean one thing! That you are Indonesian by blood and heart. Never feel like leaving Indonesia forever, this is your true home, if you want to go out, we...the people are waiting for your return, we have to wake our truly beautiful sleeping giant to arise and claim back her rights and position in the eye of those once despised and raped her. If you see injustice in our country don’t runaway, instead fight with us to build a new nation together, we are always need another arms of the compatriots that willing to hand to hand build our beloved country in order to awaken the sleeping beauty. Let us say it loud and clear for those in the world end to hear that we are beautiful and the diamond of the equator but we are sleeping no more, Indeed we are awaken now!!can I get a hell ya for that!!


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A perfect couple

A couple is perfect for their couple and yes there is a perfect couple for each person, all you need is to believe and ..to act! There are some peoples thinks that there is no such things as a perfect man/women and from what I think this kind of peoples is a skeptic and in denial, because there is...and in this terms “perfect” not in such definition that this person has no flaws and totally perfect in physical (handsome, beautiful etc) or inner perfectness (kind, patient etc), but perfect in the definition of relativity...what I consider perfect maybe has a lot of flaws in your eyes, but when you really love someone, the whole flaws is just becoming one big perfectness for each couple.
A couple is perfect for their couple and yes there is a perfect couple for each person, all you need is to believe and ..to act! There are some peoples thinks that there is no such things as a perfect man/women and from what I think this kind of peoples is a skeptic and in denial, because there is...and in this terms “perfect” not in such definition that this person has no flaws and totally perfect in physical (handsome, beautiful etc) or inner perfectness (kind, patient etc), but perfect in the definition of relativity...what I consider perfect maybe has a lot of flaws in your eyes, but when you really love someone, the whole flaws is just becoming one big perfectness for each couple.
Recently I just had this conversation with one of my friend, and when I throw the subject that there is a perfect person for each person out there, she instantly respond that nobody is perfect and she’s not dare to hope since she is also definitely not perfect in some way, then I corrected her and tell her that this perfectness is in relative way, when a person consider that their partner is their soul mate then this person is a perfect to each others, when you think that someone is perfect you will see no flaws in him/her and you will forgive whatever wrong conduct that might have been done by this person.
And here it is that I also told myself that there is a right woman out there for me, and she is going to be my miss perfect, that I want to love her not because her possession both physically and mentally but just because for one reason that “I love her”, despite of all her good quality or even her bad quality, this woman will make my gloomy day back to cheers and hopeful day, every time I get to near her it always making me comfort and secure (secure it’s not only the monopoly for women to seek FYI), she will make me always “be positive” in every way even though it’s rough and tough out there, but when you enter the house and you find this woman inside of your house and welcoming you with her radiant faces and very warm smile, the world is becoming very...very nice and humble before your eyes, you will get the energy back to and more than that you even get an extra energy to have a rough journey within your day, and you won’t hesitate at all to struggle the day for you know you have the source of your energy in your home, that always give you the spirit and support, even when you are losing the days, she will think that you are the actual winner in life. And that is what I’m looking for, so tell me is that a very high standard to set, to expect someone that can be your source of energy, to be a wife, to be a friend, and to be a reliable partner that you can trust even your life in her hands?? I guess not, since so many of my friends think that I have a high standard to leveled in the matter of woman in life. Well it just because I’m not looking only for a wife, I’m looking a partner in life, and I hope it will be only one time, and spending the rest of your life with someone it’s not a chit chat things, it’s huge and enormous step to make, so I choose to do it very careful. I remember one simple but quite catchy advice...”If you want to go to your destination, go with the right bus and get to your destination safe and sound, don’t take whatever bus you see because you want to rush it, just take your time, believe and wait that your bus is coming in a very short time”
So I’m telling and believe in myself that my right partner will come in a very short time, and I won’t stand still when this ‘D’ Day happens, I’ll take the action to jump into the bus and hoping that this one will take me to the destination of destiny. On the meantime I dare myself to take the time and believe, even when the time is very short when everyone around you seems very hoping that you ride a bus soon. Well in my religion we believe in three big mystery, they are birth, death, and marriage, so I rely myself on The BIG GUY to make the whole arrangement, and we pray for the best it’s for sure that HE will give you the best, can I get an Amen to that?? and I’m praying that from a billion women that HE created, can HE give me just one woman to accompany me to have a beautiful life together until we meet HIM again in grace.


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Naval diplomacy, An Option or A necessity??

If we willing to look back into the history, we will see the fact that the action of diplomacy that conduct by the naval force is not a new things, in fact it has been around almost just after the birth of Naval force into the world. At first there’s only land force or what we called the army, but when there’s a line of commerce connecting the nations that using the medium of water (in this case the sea), and at the same time it came the necessity to create a ships that had the capability to fight and to defend the commerce ships and protect the line of commerce and the nation’s interest at sea. And that was when the Navy force has been born.
The further use of the ships that has destruction capability had been continue evolving not only as the protector of the merchant ships, but it begun to act as the power of one nation at sea, to fight and defend the sovereignty of a nation at sea from the incoming enemy that use the sea as the media to launch an attack.
When it continue to evolve with the demands of the growing civilization, we have seen a lot of the use of the naval force as a power of diplomacy or what we know as the “Gunboat Diplomacy” and even a strength to defeat the opponents, In the 19th century the what so called as the “gunboat diplomacy” is the term known as the way of the colonialist to intimidate and give a warning to the enemy in the matter to open a new colony and a new region. One of the well known event of the history on the use of gunboat diplomacy is the opening Japan famous blockade from outside influence that conduct by the U.S Navy led by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry in 1854 that caused another historical event in Japan history which is “The Meiji restoration” that bring to the end the era of “Samurai”.
In the present days, the gunboat diplomacy has been expanding, is much more than just an action to give a warning and to intimidate the opponents at sea, but it’s more than that, the diplomacy is another way to make a relationship with another nation with a goodwill mission which also known as the “Naval presence” , in this case naval presence can’t be leveled with gunboat diplomacy, there are more than meet the eye for it, naval presence have the tendency to warn the other parties as for the existence of the navy in the area concerned, though is not always friendly, but the action does not include the use of the gun force. One of the form of naval presence is the port visit that conducted by a warship to other country port to prove the existence of the navy within certain region, and with a distinct aim is to form a public opinion in the area visited about the country concerned. Naval diplomacy concept is divided into two parts, which is the “Naval influence politics” that include the naval aid, operational conduct, port visit, and a joint exercise. The other is “Naval Power Politics“ which include the naval power demonstration, and operational movement with a special reason, which has the coercive character (gun power tendency). This coercive approach is what we know as the gunboat diplomacy.
The Navy is the one and only force that can bring the image of the sovereignty of one country directly to the heart of another country, by that reason is a potential force of diplomacy that can be used by the nation, and also for the same reason that is become a necessity for the Navy to be the more advance than the army and air force, because of the complexity of the Naval task has to be done. The Navy with the warships is a standalone military unit that can be projected directly to the heart of the destination country, with the reason that mostly the most important cities of a country is located in the coast of the nation. The warships in single unit or a bigger division has the capability of conducting the tasks with the characteristic of social, humanitarian or even politics, and off course the military character. The non-territorial character in the media used by the warships give the navy an advance with two other forces. A warship not only able to mobile, but also has the ability to carry the artillery, weaponry, troops, military vehicle and others military equipment needed for operational causes, and so for this cause has made the navy as a perfect instrument for diplomacy.
Naval diplomacy has been and always conducted by the navy of the nations that has a large part of their territory is the sea or largely part of the area is the aquatic, for example United Kingdom, Unites States of America, France, India and many others. And the correlation with that, we suppose that Indonesia as the biggest archipelago country in the world should realize that the use of the naval force as the ultimate line of defense is inevitable and has always been like that, it just a matter of the peoples to see and act based on it, and so for that the use of naval diplomacy should be include in the statement of the defense policy of the blueprint of the defense in the future. It would be very ironic for the future of the nation when the biggest archipelago country has the main concern of the defense is more to the continent and abandon the true characteristic of the country, meanwhile ¾ parts of the nation itself is an aquatic areas, by that reason alone we have lost some parts of our country that we have to forcedly let go to our neighboring country, it just a matter of time to realize that if we not set the mind of defense at sea and change our mentality in general to it, one by one the region of our country will be diminished, so....it’s about time for all of us the people of the beloved country of Indonesia to act and set our mind as the maritime people instead of continent people. Let no time be wasted!!


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Obama, Expecting the new face of USA??

So we have heard that the 44th president of the United states of America is Barrack Hussein Obama, the man that will last in the history perhaps a hundred years after. Some might say that this is the most anticipated U.S. presidential election ever, since he is the first Afro-American to be president in United States that has a long history struggling with racism. And he will be the man that write the history with a golden ink if all the expectation that not only the Americans count him for but most of the people all over the world hoping that he will make the change that everyone is wishing for, can be realize in his era of presidency. And me, personally would like to congratulate him since I’m also one of those people that expecting a significant change would be made by his leadership in the years to come.
The winning of Obama has definitely change the face of the world, not just because he is the first Afro-American to be elected to be president of U.S.A but there are more than meet the eye, most of the people consider him as the symbol of change not only American but rest of the world too. The citizen of the world expecting the new era of America that end the arrogance and selfishness that shown by the U.S international policies all this time in the leadership of the US presidents before him. Even the Iran leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulate Obama in person, has shown that the elected Obama has change the grand wave of the International affairs and politics among nations that all of this time consider to have a rivalry.
In France more than 80% of the people would vote for him in the election if they able to do so, and in Indonesia maybe more than 90% of Indonesian will do the same things (according to the pooling done by one of the Indonesian internet site), some because the rational and educated reason such as Obama will bring the change to the face of America to the world, and others because Obama is the symbol of new era of America. But some others would vote for him because a simple and sometimes a funny reason such as his father is a moslem and others for the reason that Obama was raised and have a history with Indonesia when he was just a little child. Well that is Indonesian, sometimes can make us very proud but some other times can make us laugh for something irrational.
Is it the right thing to do to believe in the change that will be brought by Obama? Well his campaign motto is “Obama, The change we can believe in” so let us wait in peace to see the change that will be made by Obama, but somehow I can believe in one thing that the change already been made by his presidential winning, as the first Afro-American to be the president that is already a great change made, so...yeah I can wait to next change will be made, and the motto going to be “We can believe in the changed by Obama!”



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Lost in Paris

Ehm I suppose that everbody looking forward to get lost in some place exotique or romantique...and hopefully with someone special and a lot of money in the pocket to spend on, but from those three requirements, I'm only lucky enough to fullfill one requirement..and that is getting stranded in the world's most anticipated place for tourism...Paris!!! and for others requirements, well to have someone special with...not that lucky, and to have a mega bucks in the pocket...haha not that rich,I should be gratefull to get stranded in a very beautiful city like Paris...especially I'm there to celebrate the Idul Fitri in the embassy of Indonesia in Paris. My main goal is to seek if there is any rice and cuisine with Indonesian taste...because I have an original Indonesian tummy that need to recharge with some "opor ayam" and "ketupat". And frankly speaking I let myself get stranded...trully:) So the journey began when I left the class and take the train to Paris, well it's not a direct train, first we have to take the corail intercites from Rochefort to Nantes, and at nantes we have to wait for about 20 minutes before we can catch the TGC to Paris, so I arrived in the station Paris Montparnasse at 20.30, luckily my whole plan to strand myself apparently doesn't work as I plan it at first, there at the station had been waiting for me, my friends, Indonesians and Frenchs, they invite me to stay in their small apartment as long as I'm in Paris.it was 30 September 2008
So the next day, as I planned before, we go to the Indonesian embassy to do the pray "Idul Fitri" and also to find some rice! but the expectation just flying to high. but of course the main goal is to pray and to find a piece of home in the land of stranger, it was because the visits of Indonesian vice president in France to attend the ceremony of Nobel Peace prize that goes to ex Finnish president Marti Ahtissari for his effort to resolve the International dispute over 30 years, for the Indonesians, he was a very important person realted to the Aceh peace process between the Indonesian government and the Aceh Freedom Movement (That hopefully no longer exists for real). Ok so much for that. So to honour the vice president, the banquet is moved to the day after, no big deal, I can always come for the next day to meet and talk to my compatriot Indonesians. It was 1st October 2008
On 2 October 2008, I had planned to walk myself to the heart of Paris, that's mean the center of the city, so there I am starting my long march by taking a subway (metro)from mairie-clichy to the Charles de Gaulle subway station and take the Arc de Triomphe, I consider that to be the point where the journey to victory had begun. So there I go discovering Paris in a small steps with broken shoes starting from Arc de Triomphe and walking along the Champ Elysees, at first with a wrong direction instead of taking the direction of Place Concorde, I was taking the direction to the Grande Arche La defense, for your information the Grande Arche is in a line with the Arc de Triomphe, Place Concorde, and the Pyramid of the Louvre museum. So I have to make turn to the direction of Place Concorde, and I suddenly I just realize I have to pee, and there's no place to find that I can pee. Thanks God that I found a park with a small toilet in the middle..so for you guys that lost in the middle of -unfriendly city to the person who has strong desire to pee- and wanna pee, just look for the park, they are not that cruel to eliminate all the toilet in everyplaces haha. So after the call of nature, here I go again with a small steps continuing marching to the Place Concorde, in this place there are an obelisk that originally transported from Egypt as a gift to the France, and in this very place is the place where the beheading of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were taken place with the 'Guilotine, from there I continue the march to the Louvre museum, there it's suddenly raining for a short time, from there I decided to go to the famous Cathedrale Notre Dame (Our mother), and just in front of the cathedral there is the point zero of the France, from there I'm headed to the ultimate destination in Paris, The Eiffel tower, and while headed there I'm passed the Palais Justice, Musee d'Orsay, Hotel Invalides, and finally from the distance I saw the Eiffel Tower, and just in the front of the tower there were the Ecole Militaire, the military school that once was the school of Napoleon Bonaparte, hopefully one day I can be there too. So the final touch is in the tower, because your presence in France is not complete before you go to the Eiffel Tower. From the tower I take the metro in Trocadero just half kilometer from the tower to go back to the apartment.
The rest of the days I spent at firts at the banquet with the vice president, and the next days there are an invitation to the house of one of the Indonesian that having a party well we can call it 'syukuran' for the coming of Idul Fitri. I gratefull for this is one experience not everyone could have, get lost in a very beautiful city, with convivial friends, and unknown things that will happen aftter, doesn't it just give you the rush.....cheers for the rush and the flow of adrenaline!

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Museum-trace of civilisation

All across the Europe from 20-21 September is known as the "heritage Day" or what the french say as 'Journée Européenne du Patrimoine ' this is a special day where all the heritage or legacy of the past that we could still find in the present day, and that will include museums, monuments, historical sites, and many things that consider to be having historical value, and of all those things mentioned above is open for public for free..yes for 2 full day, so we don't have to pay to get into a famous museum or other places that contain a historical values. And I use this valuable times to visit two sites here in Rochefort that considered to be historical by local people or maybe by the whole people all over France, the first will be the house of Pierre Lotti (La Maison de Pierre Loti) and the second is The Transporter Bridge (Le Pont Transbordeur)both of those location is sited in the small city of Rochefort, which is situated in western of France. And now let get into the interesting part of the story, for the first place is the house of Pierre Lotti, for those who have no idea who this person is.. this is a very well known writer of modern France, he is also a voyager and a French navy (Marine nationale), after he finished his journey mainly to the pacific and region Maghribi (arab), he dedicated his house as a place of attraction and latter as a museum, this house is not too big just as size of medium house in France..but this is something that surprised me...the visitor that came that day is...we could say fully reserved...and we have to make a reservation a day in advance before we can get into the house (in addition we could not take any picture inside of the house..so sad), infact there are 5 of our friends that came a little late are not allowed to get in because they already give the seats to another visitor who happens to be in line to enter that particular house...so you can imagine, how high is the level of appreciation being given by the Frenchs to an old fashioned house that filled with personal belongings, and the past owner happen to be a very well known writer. The second will be the transporter bridge that some of us will think that this bridge have a unique..if we can't say bizzare structure and architecture, it has a gondola below of the main structure that used to carry many things from peoples to a vehicles,and it is moving from one side of the river to another back and forth..so the river still can be used as a traffic for a passing ships that toward the sea or back from it, but then again it's historical and have a very high value in the history, it was built before the World War I, and now the function of this odd bridge has been replaced by the new viaduct that across not far from the historical bridge, and in this particular day peoples are coming there for just a sightseeing and visiting the small museum dedicated to the bridge that contain the whole history of the bridge, and once again I was stunned of the appreciation of the peoples that came to that site, there's a whole bunch of people were coming just to take a walk or passing time with family and friends. And now we are coming to the ironic part of this story..when we compare it to the heritage in our beloved country Indonesia...maybe without further explanation we all already know what happen to the heritage in Indonesia how the peoples' appreciation towards it, do you see a museum full of people? do you see a place which has a historical background visited oftenly by peoples..okay maybe there are some visitors but if they aren't some students doing their research or it could a small part of people who really appreciate the values,and that mostly in a place that very popular such as the temple of Borobudur and the palace of Yogyakarta hadiningrat, but in general the level of appreciation is not high enough because there are more sites that unknown by most of our own people...such as (bet most of you don't know this site....) the antropologic site of Sangiran, the candi arjuna in Dieng, and the museum of Trowulan Mojokerto, and there's even more historical sites that hasn't been updated and listed by the historical service of Indonesia, okay that is the ancient heritage now..I don't want to get too far let just say the house of Bung Karno in Blitar that nearly sold by the family, and how about the house of Bung Hatta...anyone know what is the condition right now??so it's Ironic when we say all the time to ourselves that our nation is a great nation that appreciate their heroes...Then let me take you back to the house of Pierre Loti..he is not even a countryman nor politician of France..he just a famous writer and happen to be a great voyager with a whole lot of story and imagination on his mind..but see what happen to his house, it has become of the museum very well known in France..where many people come every time just to see what is in that particular house and they protect the house from any other interest such as bussiness interest etc. While in our country..a historical site is not more important than a new shopping center that densely crowded the city with another mall that already have a numberous amount of them, an example to be taken..in Surabaya just nearby the Heroes Monument there are an ancient hospital building that was build in the time of colonial and now being converted to a particular mall, and this has becoming a trend that slowly eaten the historical sites and values that still remaining. Don't let ourselves get panic when there are nothing left for us to cry, when everything has been vanished...left us to cry why we don't have the awareness to protect it from the beginning.
Okay enough for the irony...let me take you back across to France, so there I am after the visit I get the chance to see the news and it said that there are a enormous increase in numbers of the visitor to the museum (maybe they are similar to Indonesians which used the "free of charge" chances to visit the places that used to be charged!!hehe all the peoples across the worlds is just the same)and it even breaking the records of the number of visitor coming to the museums all across France....isn't that just incredible how the people of France appreciating their heritage and remembering what kind of greatness they have in the past, and keep them alive with the one of the greatest civilization on earth. I wish that our people can grow such awareness...wer are too will be a great nation indeed.

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Dreams do come true..!!

“Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous ?
Actually,
Who are you not to be
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us
And as we let our own light shine
We unconsciously give other people permission
to do the same”.

This has become my motto and ever since I always believe that me...everyone could be what they want to be almost unlimited and the only limit is when Allah has destined us to stop dreaming, stop achieving, and stop breathing...untill that day come...our achievement is only limited by our own dream and imagination....how wild is your imagination, how big is your dreams and how far your mind travel...the answer is unlimited the only problem is that we ourselves that limit our dream by saying I can't, no..it's just not for me etc and other bullshits.
so dream while you still can, it's dreams that make Galileo can invent so many things, it's dreams that make Alfa edison invent lamps and we are not living in darkness now.

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