A Christmas Note

Christmas is imminent. For me, this is the best time of the year; a joyous and lovely moment, full of meticulous and festive decoration on every corner. I truly enjoy watching the colorful and soothing Christmas light, giving colour to the dark around them. My heart sings blithely following the harmonious Christmas Carol. Not to forget, the feeling of peace and tranquility that the falling snow evokes. 

taken from http://flickr.com/photos/laffy4k/310048508/

But there is more to Christmas. It is the time to listen to the sound of your heart and your Creator; It is the time to filter all noise and sit still in a reflective state. Like a little kid asking whether he's been good this year, I throw the same question: have I been good this year? 

Like the three wise men

Bringing the gift wide open

Let me not merely celebrate this moment

With presents, carol or temporary ornament

Lord, remind me of your sacrifice

Paid with such a price

For that little child sleeping in the manger

What do I wanna give this year? 

I'm Thirsty

It's still fresh and warm in my mind what my primary school teacher once said, "water is inexhaustible resources, look at the vast ocean, we will never run out of water". NOTTT. Sorry to add another problem to your already problematic life, but oil is an old dilemma and the hot seat is now reserved for water shortage problem.

It may seem unlikely to imagine our blue and watery planet, whose almost three-quarters of its surface is covered by water, is facing water shortage. Well, this is possible because big portion of it is salt water, and that leaves us with only 1% of potable water.

And even with the sparse 1%, we are acting as if we can have it forever for free (there's an ongoing debate about putting a price on water; in Las Vegas, people can only sprinkle their garden during certain amount of time). And when the world's population grow to 9 billion by 2050 from 6.7 billion today and consume (read: waste) as much as we are, the world will literally collapse. Worse, this fact holds true not only for water, but also for all environmental components - energy, forest, food, you name it.

It is true that technology and massive projects (like the "Big Straw" project and the "Three Gorges Dam" in China) are favorable, but they are too costly and experts still believe water conservation is the most effective action.

So What? Why is this problem important?

Again, this calls for great attention because we, most of the time, turn a blind eye to this issue. We are wasting clean water and do not feel the slightest regret about our consumption while our brothers in India are waking up restlessly each morning, in fear whether the tap is going to run. For those who are from Indonesia, I believe we are familiar with the images of street children dancing and mother 'laundrying' on a water fountain. Or those drivers who instinctively clean their rickshaw or bajaj simply at the occurrence of flood. And we still dare to say that this is not desperate?

http://worldlearningnow.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/bearing-the-brunt-of-global-warming/

I'm not arguing for us to cut that 30 minutes shower and start to collect rain water for your garden, I'm just simply bringing this dire need to your attention. Let's take a bird's eye view : some of us may not live long enough to see the ramifications of this problem, but our next generation will have to live through it - if actions are not taken. I believe it won't hurt us to let this idea sinks in and, in our own capacity, take some visible and simple actions. Maybe as simple as not letting the tap running unnecessarily. Or for some of us, maybe spending less time in shower actually spares you more beneficial times.

http://www.freewebs.com/hoseo_environmental_club/globalwarming.htm

So, living as a human in this inter-related world, we should realize that the world is not for us to exploit. As much as we want to have clean running water every time we open the tap, I believe, at the very least, our children deserve to get the same quality of water to refresh their face after a long day at work cleaning all other problems that our generation has inherited to them.

Singing Analytically: Love VS Justice (Part 2)

(to see the first part of this entry, click part 1)

Reason-to-Believe

I know that everything sound hypothetical without valid supports so let me build my case. Does the tragedy in Eden come to mind? A would-be Cinderella story had they obey God's command to stay away from the tree. Or the Israelite's unnecessary 40 years journey rounding the dessert had they obey God's command to be faithful? There are myriad of examples from both the Old and New Testament that strongly prove my point, nonetheless, I will deliver my final blow with these verses from the book of Haggai.

Disobedience

• The process of rebuilding the House of the Lord was abandoned by the people
• Instead, they were too preoccupied in accumulating wealth and building their own house.
• Consequences: God blew their wealth away, their hard labor and toil were fruitless. 

"Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." - Haggai 1:5-6

• Why? Because they disobeyed God's command to rebuild His House.

"What you brought home, I blew away. Why? Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house." - Haggai 1:9

Obedience

• Once they realized their misdeeds and started to rebuild the House of the Lord, their future is, once again, reassured.

"From this day on I will bless you." - Haggai 2:19

• Simple interpretation can be deduced: There is a strong correlation between (1) obedience and reward and (2) disobedience and punishment
  

So-What?

I'm not saying that we can earn God's love by obeying him. No, and I reiterate, God loved us first regardless of our deeds. But, there is another spectrum to God's nature: justice. When humans have gone wayward, God's love translate into a mean to bring us back. And most of the time, it involves pain.

That said, let's interpret the song in that light. Although it is true that God cannot repudiate his loving nature even when we "ignore the hand that fed me (us), or if "we forget to confess", that fact should not lead us to think that we can continue to indulge in our sinful nature. Beware that sins and God's discipline go in tandem and although God's reservoir for forgiveness is boundless, so does His punishments. 

Singing Analytically: Love VS Justice (Part 1)

In this post-modernization world, theological doctrine can be easily skewed towards one direction and tailored towards one's specific need. It is very tempting to pull out a statement from The Bible and torture it with free-interpretation. This symptom can be prevalently found in music and it's lyric. Why? I'll spare you that question since I'm more interested in encouraging all of us to put on, not just our barely two-octave voice, but also a critical mind while singing. Thus, there you have the title: Singing Analytically. 

Before I start, let me remind you that this blog is an open space for opinions, both mine and yours. Opposing views, criticisms, and laudations are encouraged. So, let's lift our voice and share our opinion!

So, my first pick for the Singing Analytically series is "What If" by Jadon Lavik (click here for the lyric). The essence of this song is God's unconditional love - no matter how good or how bad we are, his love remains unchanged. There is no correlation between God's love and humans deeds. True? Absolutely! However, I would argue that this is an incomplete picture of God's nature - the loving God who died on the cross is the same God who will come & judge the earth. To eliminate either side of His nature is to give a misleading truth; both natures - love and justice - are inseparable. And with the song's lopsided emphasis on God's love, serious misunderstanding and careless interpretation of a loving God who is incapable of disciplining his children can be easily drawn. 

First, God's Love.

One inarguable truth: His love goes beyond our comprehension. This is unconditional love, meaning God loves us regardless of our iniquities, he loves us just the way we are and there is nothing, good or bad, that we can do to earn His love. The unconditional love precede our existence and thus, our current deeds have absolutely zero effect or impact on the love that was and is showered upon us. Good news? Definitely. But, that is only part of the story. 

Second, God's Justice

Simple way to illustrate this point is to imagine God as your parent; Yes, imagine your mom and dad. There's no doubt that they love you genuinely, but, it does not mean that they let you off the hook when you disobey and misbehave (remember all those stupid pranks we've committed in elementary school.). In brief, good and loving parents discipline their children, with their weapon of choice: timeouts, spanking, slapping, etc. 

Discipline can take many forms in God's vocabulary and I believe that reward-punishment is God's favorite method. This means whenever you obey and uphold his commands, you'll get a pat on your back. Enjoy the carrot. Fail to do that, you'll receive all sorts of negative consequences, ranging from a friendly slap on your wrist to a vigorous belt's strike. Fair enough?

(to continue reading, click part 2)

Obama's Promises, that We Believe In

Seriously, you wouldn't think that I would miss the privelege to write an entry about this historical political moment right? Although I'm in the middle of burying my head in this mountainous papers for tomorrow's 620 midterm, I cannot help not to define this defining moment. Thus, sit back and relax, this entry won't be long.

First, and I would not be redundant in proclaiming a message that everybody already know, Barack Obama is America's 44th president. So what? These are the things that you should expect to happen in his presidency.

Economy: middle class will taste more tax relief and big business will stare at disbelief when their taxes are raised significantly. Personal opinion: The economy is in dire need of attention and this is definitely the first thing that Obama will do on his first day. Why? Because everything greatly hinge on the economy and without appropriate budget, no matter how great your policy is, nothing can be carried out. Is it going to fly? Still a question mark for me. 

Energy: invest heavily in green renewable energy. His main focus is to end the U.S.'s dependency on foreign oil. Cap & Trade system is enforced; say Hi to the blue sky.

Health care: employers will have to cover their's employee health care. Obama's plan is to free Americans from high medical cost set by either government or insurance companies. It's all about expanding coverage. What I like from his health-care plan: Universal health care for children. It's about time.

Well, those are three issues that I hold most dearly. I am an Indonesian, correct, but this election is not merely about being Indonesian or Americans. It is about people and any effort by any country to make this world a better place deserves an attention. I always believe that developing societies like Indonesia is always one step behind developed societies; at least the changes that we hope will take place in America will serve as great lessons for Indonesia's government to value its people and to realize that changes are also on the horizon for Indonesia.

Branding Your Life

Every marketing students know that identifying your brand's core values is critical in the competition. Before you even start with the marketing strategy planning, you need to evaluate whether those strategies are nicely aligned with your brand identity or values. Fail to do that, your message would easily miss the bullseye and the customers would not be able to identify themselves with the brand.

Can you imagine McDonalds uses Tyra Banks as endorser? Tyra Banks, eating those 400 calories burgers and standing side-by-side with Ronald McDonalds?? Hei, what are you trying to communicate to all the children out there? Are you now a modelling agency which, uhm, serves burger? This 'go-off-on-a-tangent' symptom is what marketers called "off-brand"

The same concept holds true for human. It is important for us to be "on-brand"; to persistently dig in to our core values and identity, and aligned our day-to-day activities and interests around those values. To use a simpler term: don't try to be someone you're not. Why? because you're better.  

Too often what happen is, we cherry-pick activities that we consider "in". We blindly imitate and follow the vogue, without evaluating whether these fit with our values and goals. We look up to this funky buff up guy and think if we're as outgoing or as lean as him, we would be better. We naively think that if we could afford eating a sumptuous meal, we would be better. When in fact, we are not - we are conforming to others - and sometimes inauthentic - identity. 

Consequences are, first, our friends fail to relate to us. We are, suddenly, sending this inconsistent message about ourselves and they will wonder "Who is this guy, it is as if I don't know him?" Second, in a fight between temporary hype and true nature, the latter will prevail eventually. How long can we stand being someone we're not? The faking will eat us slowly and one day, we're going down with all our guards and pretense. 

So, just like McDonalds who knows their values and personality, you may also want to cherish them and make them your treasured assets. It is in you, your hallmark, and we love you for that. Just like we don't want to see Tyra's smile the next time we order Happy Meal #1

My friend, this entry is for you. I understand what you're going through, but please, hang on there. I pray that God will show His way and that you will involve God in every decision that you are trying to make. Again, we love you and we'll always ready to extent our hands everytime you need one. 

No, I'm not kidding, It's Slank!

If there is one good news in the midst of all the heart-breaking chaotic headlines, it is the unprecedented Slank concert, here in Columbus. Wuooh, I can already sense some hysterical outcries amongst you; Are you serious? Really, Slank?

Yes, and I reiterate, yes!! Slank is coming to town and Permias Columbus has the honor to host the event. In the effort of promoting their first world-wide English-language album "Anthem for the Broken Hearted", they have agreed to share their music with all Slankers in Columbus, the small off-the-radar town but richly populated with Indonesians.

What so unique about Slank, beside their outstanding reputation and best-selling album in home front, is their message of Peace Love Unity and Respect. On the top of my mind, I can only come up with a handful of bands who are courageous enough to make universal peace and unity as their theme/selling points. And Slank is one of the few.

So guys, let's cut the boring appetizer and go straight to the meat. For all Slankers in Columbus, here you go: Indigo featuring Slank

                         click here to purchase the ticket. 

Economic 101 for Dummies

I know the word 'dummies' may raise your eyebrow but let me clarify that I am one of those dummies, or should I say, I am one of those who do not understand what is happening to the economy at this particular point in time. And also let me clarify that if you scratch your head trying to unravel the mysterious thread of the economy, you're not alone. And I really understand the frustration of trying to understand and read articles from Times or even The Economists which full of lingo and in the end, still leaving us clueless. Because of this, I took great effort to fathom this mayhem and initiated to write an entry explaining the crisis in laymen terms. So, for the clueless, enjoy it, but bear with me guys, I am not an expert but I hope this rudimentary explanation would, at the very least, give you the 'Aha'

First, let start with the heart of the problem: sub-prime mortgage. It is a loan that is given to unqualified borrowers, a loan that is not supposed to be given at the first place. When the housing price plummeted, the borrowers were running frantically since their house was not as valuable as before. Overall economy was performing badly as well, hitting the unqualified borrowers' ability to pay their mortgage loan. In consequence, mortgage company suffered from loss.

Second, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were those which were greatly affected by this blow. They were not mortgage companies, but they provided financing for banks who issued mortgage. The initial purpose of these companies was to boost people's confidence in taking loans and buying their own house, giving the impression that borrower's loan were safely backed up by the government,when in fact it was not. National Public Radio (NPR) describes them as a mortgage wholesaler for investment banks.

Again, because of the housing slump and borrower's delinquency, their capital were greatly hurt and the government decided to save them from going down. The reasons: they are the world's largest company in terms of the amount of debt issued. Thus, letting these companies go down will crush the financial economy into pieces. So, there you go, $200billion bailout.

Third, AIG's bailout. The reason why AIG was saved (while Lehman not) is because AIG sells credit-default swaps (CDS). This illustration will hopefully help you to understand. If you buy a bond from company A, you might want to protect your investment by buying CDS from AIG. With this, when company A fails to meet its obligation, AIG guarantees that you will get your money back. Put it simply, CDS is your insurance.

To make sure the system works, AIG has to post collateral and the collateral depends on rating given by rating agencies like Moody's and Standard & Poor's. What happened was the agencies sharply downgraded AIG's rating. This means AIG has to post significant amount of collateral - $250 billion in a night - which obviously AIG did not has.

The government realizes that letting AIG goes down means letting all the CDS holders (who think that their fund is protected) go down as well. The ripple effect is unthinkable; other firms will also fail which will lead to more firm failing which will then lead to a financial catastrophe. All hells break loose. Thus, there you go, $85 billion bailout.

Fourth and last point, if all the venerable investment companies were failing, is there any company big enough to withstand the blow? Apparently not, that is why the government was proposing a $700 billion bailout plan, which btw, was rejected by the House. So, what's the next plan? I don't know but the officials are, I believe, working around the clock to solve this problem.

But for sure, this is a historic moment guys, let's try to turn our attention to the news. I hope I have set some basic foundations to help you guys understand the issue further. For those of you who know better, please please please correct me for any wrong statement. I am indeed still learning about the issue and any comment / suggestion would be highly appreciated and anticipated. Lastly, I should give Cheap (aka Stephanus Saputra) the credit for answering my questions, and also to Time Magazine (The Price of Greed by Serwer and Sloan) and NPR's Talk of the Nation for their excellent coverage on the topic.