Why Phi?

Today I'm sitting with Vira at Aksara Bookstore, doing what we used to do a long time ago: sit back at a free wi-fi place and browse the internet (blog, chat, what say you) on our laptops. Before we ate at Hoka Hoka Bento across the street before heading here (because the cafe was still closed anyway). Today was marked by me inadvertantly erasing 90% of Vira's phonebook on her mobile when I tried to sync it with her Powerbook (I still don't know what went wrong)...

Anyway, it's nice to be able to go on the Net and do stuff in an environment which is other than office or home...

Meebo Me!

Check out the new Meebo feature on the side bar, it's basically a shoutbox, but it's linked to the powerfull Meebo site, which brings IM to the web, and helps IM-deprived environments like my office stay in touch through Yahoo! Messenger and other IM clients. Let's see how it works lah...
Also new, is that this blog has migrated to the new Google-powered-and-linked system... but I have yet to find out what new features it has.

Since I'm reporting a lot of new stuff, I should report in my new room layout! Pictures coming soon, I have to take pictures with my new Motorola RAZR V3x, bought specially to dabble in the new 3G technologies coming online here. Alas, my only video call friend is Saskia, but I guess she's the only one that counts, anyway ;)

Other than these new points, everything else is still basically the same. Well... not really the same... but.. maybe I'll write some time later. I have to go to a "meeting".

Fiddling (No, Not With The Instrument)

I'm Fiddling (as in tweaking, working it out, not playing a fiddle) with the Google Blogger widget; I must say the interface is much better than the previous Blogger widget that I used previously. Since this one is the one published by Google anyway, the look and feel is almost exactly the same as what I would get if I logged on to Blogger. 
So say goodbye to long logins on the web page (because of my slow internet connection); now I can just type my post on this widget and publish!

Redirect, Your Honor?

I wonder, does anybody remember this post?

Well... it's party still true. You never get what you really want... but you always get something better for you in the long run....

Days Breezing Past

I used to write in this blog every day, then almost every day, then not really every day... days to weeks, almost to months (although I never let it go over a month)...
Yes, I've been busy as usual, and moments that previously were used to fill this blog, are now better spent with the loved one... not undermining this blog, and how it states things about me, but it seems that the theraputic effect of writing has finally kind of finished its phase (although I would think not entirely, never entirely), and I have moved to a new stage in life: stop writing and start living. Perhaps when I've got the 'living' part done, I can enter a new phase of my writing... I'll just have to get through this first.
It's the fasting season, yet it has gone by much, much faster than previous years. The level of activity at work really has risen; although I have one assistant to help me out with some specific tasks, it seems that my work still seems endless. I'm curious on how I pulled it of for the first 2 years on the job...

I am happy, and hopefully generally happy for a long time...

Two Years Later...

October 6th, 2008.

I am writing this while I am waiting for my plane to take me back home. I always try to get to the airport early, but the airline I'm taking always manages to delay their flight by an hour at least. At least the airport has free wifi, so I've been browsing and chatting the hour away (and of course, writing this post), stuff I wouldn't be able to do on an average working day.

I really want to get back home soon because my wife is coming close to her delivery date; it's such a strange feeling! I can't describe it; a mix of anticipation and anxiety, excitement with a tad of fear that I'll screw things up. Oh well, I guess that's how all fathers-to-be would feel. Looking forward, I just hope I'm not too old to play basketball or something with my son when he's older (and I start greying hair). But something tells me that it's a girl; I've always wanted a daugther, being a man who loves women, hehe... but my wife insists that it's a boy. Well, whether it will be a boy or a girl, I'm pretty sure my enamour with gadgets will definitely pass on :D. God knows, the house is filled with stuff to play with...

Work is terrible, as always, but terrible in a sort of good way. The workloads and deadlines never end, but that's always good for a small company. Growth has levelled off a bit in Indonesia, but we're anticipating that with a few more tricks up our sleeve, and my parent company has asked us to assist forming similar companies in the other territories. Consulting comes with a price, of course, and it's a bit ironic that my own parent company is now my client in other countries. So... I think we have some comfortable targets to reach for 2009.

It's unfortunate that I had to cut my Lebaran holiday short for this trip, although it was only for a few days, but business is business, and not everything can be done on weekdays. We hammered most of the details over the weekend (over good food, of course) and this morning we spat out all the emails and communications needed to get the ball rolling, so the local guys can run it from there. I just miss my wife a lot; and as trying as the days have been during her pregnancy, at the end of the day I swallow my pride and hold her hand; and when she smiles back and holds my hand tighter, all becomes right with the world. I had time to shop here but I refrained myself from buying unecessary baby stuff, as the accumulation of whim purchases is already overwhelming, haha... but I'm sure I can justify some of the purchases to my wife :D.

Oh, there's the call for the plane. I'll SMS my wife on the plane and call the office driver to confirm picking me up at the airport...

[This fictious post is to commemorate 2 years of my working with this company, with its ups and downs, crazy work, and implications on all other aspects of my life. All that I am grateful for today.]

New Things, New Steps

Hey guys... it's been pretty busy, so I've had no time to update my blog (not to mention that my computer is still being used routinely for some office work). So.... here are some updates, as clear as they get, no funny words or long sentences, just pure crystal facts.

- cancelled the move to another company. Reason: didn't feel like the right thing to do, although I sort of forced myself onto the new challenge. Lesson: always, always listen to your heart. Outcome: I am still with my previous company, having turned down yet another prestigious job offer.
- have been keeping up with the Mac mailing lists more often lately. Reason: a new computer, finally! It's a black Macbook, and although it definitely needs more RAM, it is sufficiently powerful for producing some audio work for office business. Lesson: be grateful for what you've got. Outcome: I have renewed enthusiasm for the computer experience. The downside is, I have almost officially lost all my Windows troubleshooting skills, now that I am spoilt with Mac OS stability.
- we (Dad, Mom, and especially me) decided to buy back the old Corona that I used to drive in college. I have been mulling over buying a car (new or used) for at least a year, and the neighbor who bought the car from us sold it back for a good price, in a fairly better condition (hint: it's cold inside now). I will be using the car daily. Reason: there are two parts; first is cost saving (since between Saskia and myself, we use taxis a lot to go everywhere, and it's starting to pinch our pockets), and another step towards independence. Lesson: responsibility, personal finance management, future planning. It's better for me to keep the old thing going but to buy it outright (rather than pay 4 year installments on a new car), so when I do have the money, I spend it on a house or apartement (which value rises over time, as opposed to a car). Outcome: I have joined the fleet of commuters that go to and fro from the Sudirman area; luckily my office building is located where I don't have to go through the 3-in-1 area.

Things have been going so well lately, I must always remind myself to be grateful and say thanks to the Big Guy above looking out for me. We should all do that more often...