See, observe, and (still) learn…

Found this on SlideShare.net (titled “The Last Powerpoint”) that links to a page in CMU (Link @ CMU). An inspirational lecture from CMU professor - Randy Pausch, who is fighting pancreatic cancer. A nice speech, about 76 minutes.

Six degrees of separation, we’re connected to each other.

Any of my action will generate a small ripple in the universe. Which if further amplified may generate waves. Or tsunami?

That’s why man must live in constant vigilance. Understanding that our action may potentially create a beneficial or adverse effect to others. May bring someone closer or farther to Zero Point.

Learn to live wisely!

Pernah main gasing waktu muda (waktu anak-anak maksudnya)? Beberapa hari yang lalu menemukan tukang jualan gasing [gangsingan] di depan Gd. Cyber.

Selain gasing, dia juga jual seruling bambu, tampaknya memang spesialis barang-barang bambu.

Beli satu (Rp 5000,-) dan dicoba di rumah malamnya.

Perlu mengingat-ingat lagi gimana caranya, krn awalnya nggak smooth… Ada tekniknya ternyata, misalnya talinya harus dililit clockwise atau counter-clockwise, terus gimana megang, narik talinya, melepasnya, dsb. Sekarang sih sudah lancar.

Anak-anak tentu saja senang, lucu: muter and bisa bunyi…

Besoknya mau beli lagi sebenarnya, tapi orangnya dicari-cari nggak ada. Sayang juga….

Setelah beli, malamnya aku berpikir, ngapain beli-beli ginian dan mengingat-ingat bahwa banyak banget mainan yang kami punyai sejak kecil (sampai sekarang)… it seems that toys and gadgets will always be an important part of my life

Dan ngomong soal mainan… Mainan tradisional sebenarnya yang agak lenyap sekarang, at least di kota besar. Digantikan oleh plastics (Lego, action figures, model cars, Barbie, …) and electronic toys (PSP dan Nintendo DS, say).

Dulu ada… ehm… apa ya… mobil-mobilan dari jeruk Bali atau kayu, kapal-kapalan dari daun & kertas, congklak, bola bekel, gundu atawa kelereng, catur Jawa (ping-ndol), hmm…

Belum lagi game tradisional e.g. gobak sodor (galasin?), bentengan, bola kasti, …

Anak sekarang kayaknya main di Time Zone dan Amazone

A not so simple job, turns out to be. It’s a function of how great your company is, how smart the recruitment methods are, how good your headhunter and networks are, how lucky you are… plus how good the job is advertised.

My the company is less known, then naturally we will attract less talent.Though working in a less known company is not a guarantee that the work is not rewarding or challenging.

I was then punished by not using the correct recruitment process. We are sorting through a CV submitted for different position (I’m looking for BD Eng in a stack of CV for ISP Admin/VAS Eng). Naturally, no one wants the job. We thought we are lucky enough and can get away by doing this. Got to change that.

Things are improving though, I got good networks… so a couple of friends are referring a couple f good candidates. Nice.

Now, just let’s see how lucky I am.

The job part, on the other hand, is somewhat under my control, manageable. I think I can sell it, put a bit marketing on the job, spice up the job description a little bit. We can always create an interesting job. (Hmm… probably almost right). And the job is really very interesting.

Creating a WOW factor in your job is an opportunity and a must. Making the job attractive - though it is in an unattractive company. Creating a job environment for the employee to learn and grow, to contribute to their best.

Could we base our life on “if only”’s?

If only I knew [this], I would not do [that] or do [these] instead.

replace [this], [that] and [these] with any of your favorite excuses, regrets or situations.

In short, we must learn to face the consequences of our actions. Any decisions, good or bad, have consequences. If we made a bad decision and nothing bad comes back, or someone else takes the heat, then it is called “grace”. Repent, learn and change, though, we still have to. Regret, probably, we should not.

A good intro of social media marketing. Found in Slideshare. The author explained two big points: what is social media (engagement and conversation v.s. advertisement, trust v.s. control) and how to get into it (open, engage, honest)

I think we really need to take this seriously, as the new element of marketing - going beyond the classic 4P/7P.

Iga Masak Saos Kopi

Originally uploaded by Andreas Surya

Memang orang Cina suka makan… apalagi kalau dagingnya yang ini. Imperial Kitchen @ EX Plaza Indonesia. Sedang promo selama bulan Juli, 50% off on weekdays.

Salah satu restoran di mall modern yang mempunyai dan mempromosikan “Pork Selection”…

Harganya sebenarnya agak mahal, sepiring seperti itu dihargai Rp 50k - Rp 60k++, kalau tidak discount 50% rasanya….

Rasa lumayan. Salah satu favorit adalah yg ini, dan juga Angsio Iga ala Peking. Juga Samcan Panggang Garing (yang sayangnya selalu out of stock - well, on the bright side it helps control my cholesterol level)…

Komik Wayang

Originally uploaded by Andreas Surya

Serasa nostalgia dari masa SD/SMP-ku…. kemarin jalan-jalan ke Alun-Alun Indonesia - di shopping mall Grand Indonesia. Salah satu tempat favorit untuk lihat-lihat buku dan kaset. Mereka suka jual koleksi buku and kaset Indonesia yang agak jarang.

Nah, yang ditemukan adalah komik wayang ini: Bharatayudha dan Pandawa Seda. (Mahabharata sedang out of stock). Langsung borong.

BTW, ini pelajaran wayangku di masa kecil…. maklum anak-anak sukanya baca komik. Sekarang sih kalo mau bisa google dan download itu cerita, text only, tebal, Inggris. Hmm… tempting, sih.

Satu lagi yang aku mau cari adalah komik Sie Djin Koei Tjeng Tang dan Tjeng See. Itu komik mantab…. salah satu cersil klasik yang keren!

It was approximately one year and a couple of month ago, there were four of us in this group. New boss. New company (sort of). New rules of the game.

S got sacked, due to “overlap in function”. (Bad choice) N, C, and I got to stay. Good package actually, but somehow this colleagued got another job in another department which is severely understaffed. (Irony).

Time lapsed… and up to today, the three that chosen to stay were all gone to pursue different careers. S stayed and flourished, and well respected. And the boss is ehm… in an unfavorable position now. (Irony II).

Life is difficult in the corporate world.

You’ll never know… how your people will behave / predict their inside/outside movement and consequently retain them… unless you’re trusted by them. We can’t judge people by a couple of meetings and small talks.

But again, there are those top strategists who take a look from 10k feet and make decision… (reminds me of myself, what I’ve been doing now…)

… sebuah lagu anak-anak mengingatkan, “di dalam dunia ada dua jalan…
yang lebar api jiwamu mati, tapi yang sempit Tuhan berkati.”

Mengingatkan bahwa kesusahan yang harus dijalani dalam memikul salib bukan sesuatu yang harus dihindari atau ditakuti. Toh beratnya dirancang supaya pas. Dan ada jaminan kita bisa menang. Plus dibimbing bagaimana cara melewatinya.

Aku rasa up and down dalam hidup adalah wajar, even for a devout Christian.

The only thing that grow up and up is your faith. Sisanya bisa deteriorate…