Taj Mahal

This is my 8th speech at the British Toastmasters Club:

Do you still remember when we're in elementary school, and our teachers taught us about the 7 wonders of the world? Currently 7 wonders of the world are symbols of 7 human virtues that were voted by people around the world. They include the Taj Mahal, the Colosseum, the statue of Christ Redeemer, Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China, and Petra. This evening I'd like to share with you a little bit of the Taj Mahal, the symbol of passion and love, without which our lives, relationships, and achievements have no meaning.

Taj Mahal, located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India is the pinnacle of Mughal architecture. Mughal emperors were descendants of Timurids, that is Muslim Persians, that ruled Indian subcontinent from 16th-mid 19th century. It was built by emperor Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar the great in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died after gftergiving birth to her 14th child. In her dying breath, she urged Shah Jehan to build a mausoleum that is more beautiful than any the world had seen before.

The focal point of Taj Mahal is the tomb, a large symmetrical building that stands on a square plinth with an arch-shaped doorway and topped by a large dome and finial. Unlike most Mughal buildings that were made of red sandstone, Shah Jahan used a revolutionary white marble. The base is a multi-chambered cube with chamfered corners, forming an octagon. On each side, a massive archway frames the iwan with arched balconies stacked on either side. The main chamber houses the false sarcopahagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The actual graves are located at a lower level. The dome is called amrud (guava dome or onion dome) with almost the same height with the base. The finial is placed to add height and has a shape of lotus and crescent moon that reflects the influence of Muslim and Hindu. The minarets were added for symmetry. The white marble walls and tomb were all adorned with precious and semi-precious gemstones, placed using intricate pietra dura technique. It is an incredible technique of creating a painting using very small highly polished stones. Inside, lapidary or shaped gemstones also decorate the interior.

Other than the tomb, Taj Mahal complex also holds a grand red sandstone building which is the mosque. On the eastern side, another building, created as the mirror of the mosque, is the jawab, an architectural balance that also served as a guest house.

The complex is set around a 100 thousand square mt of Mughal garden that symbolizes the paradise in Islam, where 4 rivers flowing from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west, south, and east. Amazingly, even though the tomb is not located at the center of the garden, it is actually put at the center if we include the Yamuna river as part of the architecture.

Soon after Shah Jahan finished building the Taj for 22 years, he was overthrown by his 3rd son and was put in house arrest at the nearby Agra Fort. Through the fort, the view of Taj Mahal was his only consolation. Now, a 10,400 square kms of Taj Trapezium Zone was set by the govt of India where strict emission standards are applied to reduce the impact of pollution and acid rain on the white marbles. This monument of eternal love and passion is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Suck it up and move on

Exactly what my expat boss said. And I like that. Suck it up and move on.
This is more elaboration from BNet on how we over complicate our own life every single day at work:

1. Not making enough money? Join the club. Nobody, I mean nobody makes enough money. Work hard, be smart, do great things, learn how to negotiate, and the money will come. That’s how it works.
2. Underappreciated, nobody loves you? Boss treats your co-worker better than you? Did you ever think maybe it’s you? Maybe you’re always whining. Maybe you treat them like crap. Maybe you never grew up. Who knows?
3. Your group gets no respect. IT is always getting dumped on. Sales and marketing has it easy. Guess what? The other group probably feels the same way. It’s called Silo behavior and it’s destructive, period. Grow up.
4. You have a psycho boss? An abusive self-hating jerk who acts out his childhood drama on poor unsuspecting employees. That sucks, but the unemployment rate is 9.5 percent, so you don’t get to pick your boss. Fighting battles you can’t win generates stress.
5. Too much work, too little time. This is usually self-imposed. Are you sure your deadlines are real and not just you feeling self-important, pushing yourself too hard because you haven’t got a life outside work? Slow down; what’s the worst that can happen?
6. Peer problems. There’s a coworker you just don’t get along with and it’s really stressful, right? Well, guess what? I’ll bet she feels the same way about you. It happens to everybody. Try a little detente. Offer an olive branch. Swallow your pride and give in. It won’t kill you.
7. Executive management doesn’t listen or care. Did it ever occur to you that executive managers are people too? They have their own issues and they’re not perfect. Some companies are well managed, some are managed by idiots. On the outside chance they’re not idiots, did you ever think that maybe, just maybe they know more than you do?
   

Or read it at the source

Change your thoughts and you change your world

Can't agree more with the recent article in BNet. Certainly not everyone should build her/his own business. Instead, help existing sustainable business ideas and support them! This is not a race, but a collaborative effort towards recovery!

Check out my 9th speech at the British Toastmasters Club:

Change your thoughts and you change your world.

Since Obama emerged to the political scene of the world, everyone is talking about change. How a change is coming and we should all be prepared for a change. It has also been discussed in this forum how change originated from ourselves and that we are the agent of change. So this evening I'd like to propose a thought, that can change the way we consume and change our world.

In the time of crisis like this, people are again repeating the same hymne that small and medium enterprises are the ones who survived the best. Also, with the low demand for Indonesian exported goods, suggestions to use Indonesian products are uttered by the ministers.

Definitely we need to support small and medium enterprises. But not any small and medium enterprise, in particular local small and medium enterprises. Why should we do this? First of all, small and medium enterprises are more flexible in taking decisions. Large multinational corporates have head office, branches, middle to top management executives that actually absorb a lot of money. Hence, they turned into machines with ridiculous bureaucracy and slow decision making process. It makes perfect sense that the small and medium entreprises managed by a small number of individuals become more efficient and competitive during global economic crises where faster decision making process is required to seek untapped opportunities and implement contingency plans.

Furthermore, producing things locally can lead to more efficient production, creating self-reliant local economies. Self reliant local economies in the end can turn their own wheel and minimize the need for government support. Hence, government can allocate the funds to improve infrastructure, health services and education, for example, instead of distributing direct cash support.

Local products use less natural resources when they are transferred from the producer to the consumer. Long distance shipping add to the global warming issue. Imported produce might cost more to the environment than its pricey price tag. Instead, pick fruits of the season that is grow locally.

Moreover, local manufacturers obtain its human resources from the community, creating jobs for the people.

So let's support local small and medium enterprises. And by local enterprises, I don't mean to get into the black-haired capitalism controversy. Regardless of the ownership, we have to be able to identify and support socially sustainable local businesses.

Our support can start from a mere purchase of their products and services. Pick local ones when we have to choose between local or imported products. Limit imports to goods we cannot produce locally. Don't look merely at the price tag but also to the environment and social cost.

If you're satisfied, refer the products to your friends. Many small local businesses lack the resources to advertise. Word of mouth is then a powerful tool to support them.

Next, open your eyes and ears, find prospective business ideas seeking fund to expand its business . Who knows you and friends can spare some money, creating community-support for the particular business to gain more money out of your real investments.

You don't need to go far to create a difference. Don't think that this ideal cannot work. Change your thoughts and you can change your world. Starting now.....

Mola-mola

Was just reading a friend's e-mail in the Biology mailing list I'm in. She was talking about a recent discovery of dying Mola mola near Thousand Island, Indonesia. I was curious, as I have never heard of this species of fish. Turns out it's also known as Sunfish, the largest bony fish alive. The size and shape is just amazing! In Indonesia, Mola mola often swim around Nusa Penida, Bali. Gee..I would want to see one of those myself! Certainly I need to learn to dive first, then spend a week in Bali, looking for the sight of this animal, in the right time of the year. One more item on my to do list. Here are some websites that cover Sunfish, scientifically and commercially:
http://www.earthwindow.com/mola.html
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=1732
http://www.oceansunfish.org/
http://www.mola-mola-sunfish-bali.com/
http://www.balisunfish.com/
http://www.mola-namibia.com/index.htm

Better management for Trans Jakarta Busway?

I've been regularly taking the Trans Jakarta bus way for over than 10 months now. Many a times I see people go running to get on the bus and the door closes right in front of their face. I also had the opportunity to be squeezed inside the bus because the door opened a little bit too long for the mass of people waiting on the bus stop getting on board (note that I didn't say lining up, coz there isn't usually any line) . So I've been wondering if there should be a timer for the door to open, just to make it fair. In more developed countries, modes of mass public transportation such as MRTs or subways' doors are opened for a certain period of time before a notification such as "door is closing" is given and the doors ultimately close. But in Indonesia, Trans Jakarta bus, the so-called best mode of land public transport in Jakarta for the time being, have no clear guidance on how long the door will be opened and when it will be closed.

This thought had been lingering on my mind for sometime, until yesterday (Friday) afternoon I experience one myself.

First of all, I may need to describe a little about the Karet bus stop. The bus stop stands between two lanes of the road. It is a platform with a ticketing office in front and a gate in front of the platform. You need to buy the plastic ticket and slit it into the small machine next to the gate before you can get onto the platform. Inside the platform there are 4 doors, two on the right and two on the left. The doors are supposed to be automatic, opening only when the bus arrives, but a lot of times the mechanism is broken and the door stays swung open at all times, endangering the waiting lot of passengers-to-be. Inside the bus there is always a doorman, since all industry in Indonesia need to be labor-intensive or because the system still need manual "control". The doorman's tasks are to give signals to the driver when to open or close the door and help some passengers with a pull or a push needed to get on or off the bus. A pull or a push? Ha!

Yesterday, I was still standing in front of the ticketing office when I saw the bus came rushing to the bus stop. I immediately accelerated my pace, pushed the card into the slit on the gate of the bus stop and rushed into the hallway when I saw two people (and only 2 people) who were standing in front of the opened door started to step on to the bus. I immediately ran into the opened door and flung myself into the bus, probably only a splitsecond after the hand of the doorman gave signal to the driver to close the door. I was able to get in safely. But immediately I heard the yelling of the doorman and the driver who believed I was endangering their reputation. They were afraid that I will got hurt and they would be the ones to blame. I yelled back of course, as I remorselessly apologized.

Ok, at some point I agree that I could have hurt myself if instead of successfully jumped onto the bus, I slammed into the closing door. But then again, the door was opened for such a short period of time, since there were only 2 people getting onto the bus. It will be much more efficient if they have this mechanism for opening the door for a clear, known period of time. It won't be difficult, just put a timer on the bus stop door, like the ones put on top of traffic light, so we know that the door is closing and will give reasonable window time for people getting off and on the bus. I hope I'm not having a wishful thinking, because certainly it's not the first time that poor government planning on public facilities endanger people.

2008 is behind me now

Wow! The year 2008 had been such a life-changing journey for me. But now it's over and a new page is laid open: 2009. Last year I wrote down a new year resolution, but not sure that I remembered it the very next day. So this year I'm just going to promise myself one single thing:
practice more self-control.

Despite all the fun I had, it's still clear in my mind when my emotions and my irrational thoughts got the best of me. It was a satisfying experience at the moment, but regrettable soon after. I don't want to look back with regrets, and since new year means new hopes, fresh beginnings, and second chances...so here I am making this promise. Then I promise to keep my promise.

Ah well, let's not start with worries.
Just one wish: a blessed new year for all of us.
Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2008!

December 11th, 2008

This is the speech I delivered on my MM graduation day:

Distinguished Members of Prasetiya Mulya Foundation.
Beloved and revered Faculty Members.
Our honoured Guest Prof. Charles Adams.
Fellow Graduates and Guests.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
A very good day to all.

I'm honoured to be standing here representing 6 classes: the 29th and 30th class of the Strategic Management Executive program, 11th and 12th class of the Business Management Executive program, and 33rd and 34th class of the Regular Magister in Management program.

First of all, on the behalf of all the graduates today, I would like to praise the Good Lord, God Almighty, for it is part of His plan that we are all here today.

We would also like to extend our utmost gratitude to our families, whose support is inseparable from our success in completing the MM program. Your dedication is beyond measure and we will cherish you always.

To our distinguished faculty members, you have been more than teachers for us. You have selflessly, empowered us day by day, reminded us of the power of dreams, encouraged us to make a difference, and shaped us into matured individuals. For that, we will forever be grateful. Your idealism is our inspiration.

To all of the supporting members, the people we have come to call friends, your kind assistance has made the system worked, and without your presence, our years in Prasetiya Mulya would have been chaos. So thank you very much for all your support.

Again, it is an honour for me to represent the graduates, I am far too young and inexperienced compared to many other graduates today, but please bear with me.

Let us reminisce our days in Prasetiya Mulya. I believe it was not easy for every one of us to complete this MBA program. For the Regular program students, it was about leaving whatever we had before, whether it was a job, or idle time after undergraduate school to discipline ourselves and start being a student again, full time. For the students of the Executive programs, it was even more challenging to juggle your work and career with evening classes. We salute your achievement.
In the program, we were constantly challenged by business cases and group works, which consumed far more energy than personal tasks. We came in with the vision and we managed to succeed. It has never been an easy task to pull through. Today we ought to be proud of ourselves. But far bigger challenges lie ahead and our success today should be a reminder of what we can achieve through hard work and commitment.

As I was preparing this speech, I was browsing through examples of commencement speeches made by famous individuals, and I found that all of them have one single message, which is: “to make a difference”. The world has reached its condition today not only thanks to the great inventors and leaders, but also due to the accumulation of greed and self-indulgence. The on-going global economy turbulence and the climate crisis are the impact of the dark side of human race. It might have been fair to say that the world places high hope on us, the new graduates, to make this world a better place.

So as we leave this place, let us not forget the values that have created the environment that we all love. The integrity, high ethical standards, work ethics, openness, determination, creativity, and mutual respect and support to other people, warmth, friendliness and humour. Now that we are graduated, there is no better opportunity for us to inject these values in our daily lives. We bear the name of Prasetiya Mulya on our shoulders, so let us help preserve the high moral standard that this name resonances so that the next generations can have the same pleasure as we have today.

Personally, having gone to Prasetiya Mulya is a fabulous experience that I will never forget. It has been more than a school; it has been a family to me. It has helped me to recognize my full potential and opened doors for my future endeavours.

There are so many things that I learned, one of them is to take things seriously.
For example, you can never imagine the amount of preparations for our presentation at the 2008 Global Social Venture Competition. But of course, it paid off.
This speech is no exception. The preparations have involved our beloved faculty members as well. So I hope it can also be a hit. (-->this is supposed to be the joke)

So by that, let me conclude my speech. The road ahead is not without pebbles and it is those pebbles that will teach us the wisdom that might be more important than the knowledge that we have learnt. So let us have no fear and let us believe that we can make a better world. Prasetiya Mulya is all about positivity, so let's spread the optimism and tell ourselves, "Yes We Can". May God bless us always.

Thank you.

Why not be consistent? Part 2

After I published my post on Indonesian consumers' consistency by taking the example of difference between what people say and what people do regarding pirated stuffs. My best friend responded immediately, mentioning an idea that I want to share here. It turns out that there is a facility that offer free music to download. But this one is not pirated. It is free because the songs distribution are sponsored. The sponsors place their ads in the beginning of the track. I might have been missing some news here. But I really think that it's a good idea. Reserve the pricey records for true fan and audiophile. For the rest of us who just want to hear the latest music once or twice at our own convenience, let us use this facility.
So there is a solution. If only there is a political will.

Picture from http://www.flickr.com/photos/ousby/48700851/

40s, 50s, 60s, what about 20s?

I watched Oprah this morning. She was talking about why people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s ought to be happier than ever, instead of having a mid-life crisis. It is because, despite the fact that their bodies are weakening, it is the time of their life when they have gain full knowledge of what they are and what they want. And the best thing is, people listen when they speak. I agree to some extent. Sometimes I look at my Mom and I think that being 40s or 50s today is easier than being 20s now. Mentally, people in their 40s and 50s should be happier than they were when they were 20s and 30s, because now they can say, "Yes" or "No" while actually meaning it. They can be unavailable for other people. They need not comply to other people's needs and messing their mind with other people's problems. This is the time for them to get the most of their lives, do what they have always wanted to do and achieve their hidden obsessions.
But then I think, why should this sense of life ownership and awareness come in the 40s, 50s, or 60s? Can't we, in our 20s, also gain the same realization and power to enjoy our lives to the fullest?

The answer comes down to a matter of struggle for survival. Like other living beings, human struggle for survival, probably even less subtle than other animals. We take jobs that are not our dream jobs but we stayed because we are uncertain of the odds of success in other place. Even if we think we have the right job, in workplace we do things for the sake of complying to other people's wants or to please other people. Why? Because in our society, conformance is the safe way and by conforming, we struggle less and save our energy. We try to fit to the environment to survive. The aim is to make it easier for us to pass our genetic materials to the next generation. To lay the foundation for our descendant's future. How many people get marry with the thought of having a partner in old days? The first aim is usually to develop a family, to have kids. It's shortsighted plan that most people have.

And then after the deed is done and we reach our old age, we see that we have not give a decent thought for our own happiness and now that we have nothing to lose, we feel free to do whatever we please. As if we have done our obligations and now it's time to take our rights.

I might have this all wrong. Probably this is not how most people behave. But the next question remains: How do we achieve our self-liberation in the 20s? Is it possible? Or are we destined to conform, for the sake of our future, our golden age, when we then free to liberate ourselves? Or is there any other way?

Pictures from The Sartorialist.

Why not be consistent?

Today I joined this course on Integrated New Product Development and Innovation. One of the lecturers, an experienced ethnographic researcher mentioned the fact that Indonesian consumers are not consistent people. What they say will most of the time different than what they do. Hence, survey methods through questionnaires will not be sufficient to uncover the true behavior of the consumers. What is also important, is an ethnographic observation.

Inconsistent. Cannot agree more.

I am talking about how people utter their sympathy on the loss of recording industry due to pirated stuffs. But the fact is, most people consume pirated stuffs without thinking twice.
Now that the campaign of "Change for The Better" is on TV, why don't we start from ourselves, by asking the same question and answering them the way we would have answered if the question is asked in front of public. "Will I use pirated stuffs? Will I deliberately endanger the local industry by stealing stuffs?" Try to answer the right answer, not the truth and then align ourselves with the right answer, so that we can change to the better.

I'll start with myself from now on.