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.

5 days & 4 nights over Fall Break 2008

Some pictures from my recent trip to New York & Boston with Marcel, Johan and William. It was a great trip overall and an eye-opening experience for William personally. haha. New York? Great city with great diversity. Boston? Beautiful historical city with great restaurants. Personal preference? Boston, by farrrr... 

View from Brooklyn Bridge: something missing, if only the trip was not with four guys. hehe. 


Successfully manage not to smile in this picture. It was Sept 11 2008 when this picture was taken and people were commemorating the tragedy.


The Charging Bull, it does not look so 'bullish' at this critical moment in time.


In the inside of United Nation main meeting hall; dream job? probably.


After struggling through some "disagreements", here we are at MIT.


Boston, I'm in love. Right view with the right person. lol.


Finally, there were girlsss. minus Melissa, the photographer.


Happy Ending (not forgetting the super long walk though): O-H-I-O

Us Against the World

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;

forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true friends;

succeed anyway

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

be honest and frank anyway

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

be happy anyway

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

do good anyway

Give the world your best anyway

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

it was never between you and them anyway

MOTHER TERESSA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I cannot put this better than Mother Teressa. It rings really true that people (even those we swear "friendship forever" with) fail us occasionally, job security disappears at a flick (employees at the impregnable Bear Stearns & Lehman Brothers learn it the hard way), and good intention begets skepticism most of the time (just give Al Gore and his opponents a call).

So do we stop there? No, because if everyone simply stops at every stop signs, India would not gain its independence, Apartheid & Segregation would not be abolished, and Salvation would not be given to mankind. 

History told us, through Mohammad Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, and Jesus Christ, that something revolutionary happens not when we try to gain people's acceptance but when we love people more than their opinion, when we hate injustice/sins more than the corrupted individual/society.

Those role-models made it because, no matter how big the resistance or dissent was, they did it anyway. To borrow Harriet Tubman's advise (which Hillary Clinton also used on her speech),"If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they're shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going."

Yes. Because, in the end, people's opinion and acceptance are absurd. It was never about them nor about the perfect society, it is less about the temporal and more about the eternal. In the final line, it is just about you and God. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dahsyat" in Metamorphosis

Have been planning to write an entry about my new house and its transformation so, I have taken before-and-after pictures of the new house to compare how destructive it was and how neatly and meticulously it is arranged now. Plus, to show the world (and to those 'neat-freak' girls out there) that even six guys living together can turn an old and almost dilapidated house to a ... hmmmm.. (I am having a hard time finding the right words here) warm and fuzzy house? 

Brief background story: There are six of us in this house (JoI, Richard, Hendy, Andika, Johan and Me) and for some random stupid reasons, we call ourselves "The Dahsyat". Online dictionary, Kamus Orisinil, defines 'dahsyat' as horrifying or awe-inspiring. Judging from the pictures below, I guess all of us will shout in accord that we are way far from horrifying creatures. So, let's go with the latter definition: Awe Inspiring. Unlike "horrifying", "Awe Inspiring" cannot be judged simply from a photograph. So, even if the definition contains an untrue declaration, no one is going to notice :p

Below are two shots at our living room and my study room. Please pardon the discrepancies in angle or color or picture quality and please turn your focus to the metamorphosis that has taken place. If this is one of those games we play at Dave & Buster, I'm sure you can point out myriad differences in those two pictures. 

Last remark, I hope these pictures overturn the common belief that six guys living together in a house is a nightmare. Well, The Dahsyat has proven that it is untrue, at least so far. (Or.... as long as I am one of the six guys, lol)

Juice and Bruise

For those of you who haven't noticed, there is a new game in town for college students. Imagine this, an online forum where you can make fun, ridicule, mock, or (in a more positive term) voice your opinion anonymously. Yes, total anonymity and 100% guaranteed privacy. Further, to make sure this policy is being served, the forum even provides software that protects web user's IP address from being tracked. It's slogan: Always Anonymous, Always Juicy

Ring a bell? Yes, I'm referring to Juicy Campus. Now, not only college students can rate their professors, they also have the freedom to throw demeaning racial insults or vicious homophobic comments without any fear of being caught, totally oblivious about the negative psychological and social effects that the subject matter will have to carry. 

Imagine if you are the promiscuous, ugliest or 'nasty whore' whose post ranked no 1 in the 'most discussed' section. Imagine if it is your name that is listed on a discussion about the 'most disgusting person in Columbus'. Imagine what your reaction would be when there is a post about you having a Sexually Transmitted Disease. 

Now, it's my turn to voice my opinion freely. This is a major misinterpretation and degradation of The First Amendment: the freedom of speech. I believe what the founding fathers had in mind was not about the freedom to express your hatred to a girl who dumped you, nor it was as trivial as so-and-so has the smallest or the biggest dick. It is about the freedom to voice a sounded grievance and annoyance to the government without fear of being persecuted or imprisoned. It is a practical form of democracy.

Then, when the meaning is diluted, this is exactly what happens: an irreverent generation who does not respect what it took to get them the freedom and a coward generation who hide behind the mask of anonymity. Irreverent because the once national-matter issues are now downgraded to featherweight issues. Coward because it teaches college students that consequences can be avoided or even discounted; the whole idea of responsibility is reduced to insignificant. It also gives the impression that someone's reputation is secondary compared to the rights to speak; The rights is absolute and irrevocable, social harmony and people's feeling can be taken care later. 

I'm not saying that the concept of juicy campus is totally bad since there are quite a number of informative posts, but the fact that libelous comment is the most viewed and discussed post creates the problem. It is defamatory. Also, the main purpose of the forum is not to share information but purely to gossip, "C'mon, give me the juice". And to ensure the juiciest gossip is posted, no moderator exists. This is a heaven for gossipers. It's free, anonymous and uncensored. How better could you get? 

Any comment or opinion?