How to Spot a Drama King/Queen?

You know this person. He always seem to make mountains out of a pile of grass. She always manages to be stressed by small events.

Interacting with this person is very exhausting, you often mumble or comment something like:
"I wish he wasn't such a drama king" or "there she goes again...sweating over small stuff"

Or probably you ARE the one receiving such comments from your friends and family? :)


How to tell if someone or YOURSELF is a drama king or queen?

1. This person can't seem to control her emotion. Always make a big deal out of everything.

2. Every words coming from his mouth is all about him, he thinks he's all that! All that he ever talks about is himself, being the coolest person on earth.

3. This human species always panicking all the time and the next morning seem to having a permanent memory loss of the previous day incident of having burden everyone with his problem.

4. A self-consumed man who likes to stir up drama. For instance: he might like to cause cat fights between two women for the pleasure derived from seeing two women fight over him.
Now, here's the difference between Drama King and Drama Queen: A Drama Queen overreacts over anything. A Drama King enjoys drawing these traits out in those around him. Especially if it can draw more attention to himself. In other words: a self obsessed SOB. The girls are screaming at each other! And Look at the drama king. He is just eating this up.

5. He or She is an attention whore, narcissist, self-centered and self-absorbed person (in today words: banci tampil).

6. Always complaining on everything! I mean EVERYTHING is always the worst to him/her. This is the worst day EVER. This is the worst coffee EVER. This is the crappiest movie EVER.

7. He thinks his life is on a crisis proportion, way bigger that the Palestinian. Puhleez!!! Get over yourself.

Hey Drama King/Queen, you are toxic to me, to us..and you know what....the complaint department is closed!

You dramatic narcissist weirdo! :p

Is My Playlist Harming (the ears of) My Colleagues?

Where I work, we are juggled into a not so big room consist of 8 persons (including me). With the pint size room, we can hear others speak, or sometimes if we really concentrate to eavesdropped, we can even hear someone whispers. Neat right?!

Someone - or is it everyone? - once mentioned that there is no secret in that room. This can be beneficial AND damaging sometimes. Meaning we know our friend's personal conversation, personal argument, personal problem, even down to the romance department. But, let's discuss this some other time.

When arriving @ the office we used to race on who will be the first to play music on their computer. Most of the time that person is me. Music plays an important driver to my work, just like coffee.

When arrive at the office the first thing I do is turn on the computer, and while waiting for it to start I make myself a cup of coffee. A moment later, coffee is ready and so is the computer. Then I turn on my secretary (Ms. Outlook), to refresh my calendar and emails. While waiting for my emails to load, I click the music application and select songs that I would be playing for the rest of the day.


The Playlist

Selecting the playlist can be flattering (or harmful) to my colleagues ears. But you know how each person is different right? How each person is individualistic depending on their own nature and character, my playlist is probably a reflection of my character. Again... let's not discuss character. Let's play it safe by discussing what songs/artists are usually (and most of the time) IN my playlist.

1. Acoustic. I am a big fan of Jack Johnson (the complete albums), so I frequently play his songs. One friend comment that he never realize what a big fan of reggae I am until he hears Jack around the clock (I sometimes play the complete discography the whole day - all 80 songs). By the way, Jack's music is TOTALLY NOT REGGAE!! It's called acoustic, people. Let's not forget Ben Harper, Matt Costa and Mason Jennings... they are all part of this genre.


2. The Quirky Tree Girls. Tori (Amos), Fiona (Apple) and Joni (Mitchell). Also have the complete albums and even DVD collections. I've been a fan of the ladies for a long time. Actually I like Joni first and I find that Tori and Fiona has similar music so, naturally I adore them as well. Try to listen to them and you'll fall madly in love as well. Not sure my roomies (at the office) would though.



3. The Alternative Genre. Started listen to this at the same time Pearl Jam release its first album. Pearl Jam, DMB, Soundgarden, Green Day, Gin Blossoms, Collective Soul, etc. One more thing, Even though Soundgarden is officially dead, Chris (Cornell) is still productive (be it Audioslave or going solo).


4. The Brits. The Beatles, U2, KT Tunstall, Lily Allen, Mika and Mark Ronson. My friends used to comments every time I play Ronson's Version. They said his songs are like anthems of police movies (the scene where criminals being chased by police in a car race).



5. Indie. Peter Bjorn and John is my new thing here, along with The Decemberists and The Hush Sound. So yes, I play them around the clock also (occasionally). One friend comment that he can tolerate some of Peter Bjorn and John's songs.



6. Actually I am not into R & B, but I make an exception for John Legend. He is just awesome and keeps getting better and better, don't you think? You should listen to his new album Evolver.

7. The Locals. Recurring playlist members are: Benyamin Sueb. Been trying to transfer my Ebiet G. Ade Collection to my office computer. I also enjoy Dewa (before Dhani's big mouth happen). I don't really like current and happenning local music, except for Andra's Sempurna - which I played around the clock and drove my friends crazy.




8. The Obvious. Miscellaneous Genre. I still consider myself a jazz and pop fan. I can listen to music from Sarah Brightman to Christina Aguillera. From Andrea Bocelli to Jason Mraz. Call me tasteless. Fine with it, as I don't adore a specific genre.

There you go.... will your ears hurt if you're in the same office room as me?
Probably yes, or probably yours even quirkier than mine.

Anti Smoking or Anti Smoker Campaign?

If you think this is cool, think again!

My dad and mum used to be smokers, but they quit like a over decade ago. Being a heavy smoker for like 20 years, my dad quit soon after finding out he has a heart disease and my mum (being the supportive wife) follows not long after. I still have a task of persuading (and threaten if have to) my brother to quit. Surely, no need to mention the serious implications to himself and others. Forget the environment for a moment.

This is about smokers and non-smokers.

Seriously......this is my third post about smoking and eventually I have to decide whether to post about the people who are actually DOING the smoking part.

They are called SMOKERS.

Personally I have nothing against them.....

Nope. Wrong! My mistake.
But...to think of it... it is kind of personal to me.




What's wrong with being personal?

It is personal when you feel like breathing (which is kind of your natural habit) to the already-not-so-fresh Jakarta air that has just been burdened by another pollutant.

It is personal to me when I sip into a nice cup of tea (that's right TEA, instead of coffee, as I'm trying to limit my caffeine intake) @ the warung kopi in Cikini with some friends and "accidentally" inhale some large amount of smoke release by a certain person into my lung.

This person is a very beautiful young lady (I have to say not yet reach to her 25th birthday) that decidedly with a mind of her own trying to shorten the life span of her amazing and soft skin (she was sitting quite near to me so I can see that she has great skin).



It is personal to me when a friend of mine arrive with a baby and decide to get another seat after seeing the young lady sitting next to me. Not because she felt threatened by her beauty (of course) but mostly because being the responsible mother that she is, it is impossible that she would let her 1 year old daughter breath that polluted air.

It is personal to me when that friend decided to get another (less comfortable) seat and table as far away as possible from that beautiful young lady.

It is VERY personal to me that I breath the polluted air (=smoke) that was released from her pretty mouth. I feel like receiving a CPR from her (with extra smoke).

Lastly.......I have nothing against smokers. Naaah.... I have EVERYTHING against smokers.

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Have You Ever Experienced Blogger's Block?

I don't consider myself as a writer, at least a qualify one. Never in my mind to think of myself as writer. For Jack's sake, I was just starting my own blog for a little over 9 months. So... I consider myself a newborn. Newborn baby can't see a thing (except for angels).

As a newborn blogger (after in practice for 9 months), I can't seem to force myself to type/write something. It's been almost 2 months. I don't consider my last post (about a month ago) as an actual post, as I was wishing everyone 'eid mubarak', it was an easy one. Just about anyone can post something like that. I guess this is what they call "writer's block" or in my case "blogger's block".


Believe me, I've tried everything to overcome this condition. From planning an interesting topic, creating a supportive environment in my room, reading many topics, exploring other blogs, playing an interesting music, watching indie movies, reading a cutting edge book, writing down ideas, you name them. Nothing. None. Zero.


The Blockers

Where do ideas come from? Not sure. They just sort of pop out. Lately I just seem to have none, when it comes to blogging. Well.... I blame these things:

1. TV Series

• All interesting series I follow just beginning to start a new season (Heroes, House, Life, Samantha Who, Grey's Anatomy, and my guilty pleasures I'm ashamed to admit: Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl and Dirty Sexy Money).
• TV stations are playing new interesting series: True Blood, Fringe, The Mentalist.

2. Baking, my new hobby
I seem to have a new budding interest over cooking (yay!), believe me during Ramadhan I've baked several cakes and they turned out to be good (meaning: nobody dies while eating them and they actually tasted ..... delicious - this is based from actual people who were actually eating them). Here's a picture of one of my baked products. Yummy huh!?




3. Office Work
There's a new pressure at the office, to say the least. The pressure to perform is entering a new era of backstabbing that I should be aware of. Hope I can come out alive.


4. The Twilight Saga
Yeah....I know I may sound a little bit teenish, compared to my actual age, but I like the first book and it keep me occupy for a while (finished the book, looking for the next books and counting on the days until the film actually on theaters - which is 12122008)



Excuses, Excuses

I know I may sound like a whiner or an escapist, I prefer the latter. But, today after sipping a cup of coffee with some friends @ Bakkoel Koffie and bringing my "book of ideas" with me, I finally decide to post. Accompany by The Decemberists (my new favorite band - not actually a feel good band, but they rock!) and a very very strong will, here I am. Back with a ..... (I would like to say '"vengeance", but the word would be too mambo jumbo)....post.

By the way.... back to the post title:
Have You Ever Experienced Blogger's Block? How do you battle with it?

Eid Mubarak!

The Eid al-Fitr is the “Festival of Breaking the Saum/fast. ”It is one of two major Islamic holidays which marks the end of Ramadan, the holy month in which Muslims saum from sunrise to sunset. It is a festive celebration that occurs during the first three days of Shawwal, the month following Ramadan.

The Eid preparations in Indonesia particularly, begin days in advance. Each household donates food or money to buy food for those in need so that everyone can have a holiday meal and share in the celebration. Family members participate in the making of sweets and specialties. Houses are cleaned and decorated, new clothes for most children and many adults. To put it simple, Eid al-Fitr is creating a festive environment for the celebration and influx of guests soon to come.

Muslims, dressed in their best attire, begin the first day of the Eid with special prayers performed at the local masjid or at large indoor or outdoor gatherings. A sermon is given after the completion of Eid prayers. Muslims then greet their fellow worshipers with “Eid Mubarak,” meaning “May your holiday be blessed.”

The "eid mubarak" term usually follows with "maaf lahir batin" or "sorry for every wrong doings and misbehavings in the past". Why apologize? This is one tough question, but like it or not the "sorry" part remain as it is. In my case, better ask for forgiveness from family and friends anually than not. No serious discussion on why we apologize or not, simply let me wish all Muslim readers of this blog:

Eid Mubarak!

Sorry for all the wrongdoings and misbehavings in the past.

May your holidays be blessed.

While for non-Muslim readers:

Happy Holiday and enjoy the quiet ambience and street of Jakarta while some of us are "mudik", or "pulang kampung" or "back to their hometown".

Can we hope for a "greener" Indonesia?

Indonesia's environmental problem is considered large. From illegal logging that causing the destruction of our rain forest, poor environmental law enforcement, floods, landslides, toxic garbage, air pollution, high level of emission from industry and motor vehicles, and the corrupting quality of our water supplies. There are several indicators that can be used to measure how big exactly our problem is.

Environmental Performance Index

There are several environmental indicators we can use to see how serious our problem is. n this post, I am using EPI (Environmental Performance Index) as a barometer. EPI is an index to environmental performance of countries around the globe, produced by Yale University.

EPI is not without flaws. The weighting is considered bias to more advanced and wealthy countries. EPI has several categories. For in stance, environmental health was given a 50% weight while climate change only 25%.

Being more well equipped (with finance and technology) the more advanced countries thus have more capacity in preventing environmental pollution to their nation’s health compared to developing or even under developed countries. On the other side, advanced countries have the largest portion of energy consumption and therefore contribute the highest to global climate shifting. This aspect was given a smaller weighting. There are several other reasons why the EPI is considered bias.

Though considered bias, at least it’s a start and basic to see whether a country’s policies are environmental friendly, especially to those that have yet established similar indicators, while waiting for a far better and improved index than EPI.

According to EPI, two largest problems (amongst many) we are facing right now is air pollution and water supply quality.

Air Pollution

Air pollution is perhaps our most serious problem. Air pollution imposes costs of at least $400 million to Indonesian economy every year (World Bank). It also has very a serious impact on public health.

Motor vehicle is the largest contributor of air pollution in Indonesia. Many of these vehicles are motorcycles or scooters, which lack the catalytic converters required for cleaner emissions. Moreover, almost no motor vehicles in Indonesia use unleaded gasoline.



Jakarta's air remains among the dirtiest in the world. Forest fires also contribute to Indonesian air pollution. Often these fires result from illegal logging of Indonesia's rain forests. Indonesia's industrial sector, which contains chemical, petroleum, coal, plastic and rubber products, and food industries, also is a significant polluter. Unfortunately, there is limited quantitative data on their overall impact.

Water Supply

Water supply and sanitation in Indonesia is characterized by poor levels of access and service quality. Over 100 million people lack access to safe water and more than 70 percent of the country’s 220 million population relies on water obtained from potentially contaminated source. With only 2% access to sewerage in urban areas is one of the lowest in the world among middle-income countries. Pollution is widespread on Bali and Java. Women in Jakarta reportedly spending US$ 11 per month on boiling water, implying a significant burden for the poor (ADB).

There is another effective yet simple indicator to see how big our problem is. Just google Indonesia and environment in the same sentence and you will be amazed that problems are 90% of the search result. I also conduct some searching in "environmental graffiti" and find a similar match. In the environmental department, Indonesia is mainly famous of its problems and poor environment quality.

We CAN change those results into a more positive ones. How can we change that?!

Should I Ditch Firefox/Flock for Google Chrome?

What browser are you currently using?

Mozilla Firefox and Flock Eco Edition (also from Firefox) are my favorite ones.

Mozilla Firefox 3

Flock Eco Edition

I have them both installed on my machine. I force myself to keep the windows default browser (internet explorer), though I really hate it.


I've also tried Opera and though many people seem to think that Opera is cool, I think the other way around as I don't feel comfortable using it.

Opera 9.51

Welcome Google Chrome

Now we all have to welcome Google Chrome, a new browser produced by Google. Chrome was launched for the first time on September 1. The launched of Chrome was rather unique, by publishing a comic book created by Scott McCloud (you can download it here).

Beta version of Chrome was released on September 2 in over 100 countries. Google claims Chrome to be faster, safer and more stable than its competitors. (read it in Google Official Blog here).

Google Chrome also allows tab browsing like the others. The difference is, the tab was located outside the window, instead of inside the window like others located. Chrome also equipped with Task Manager to manage these tabs.

Here's what it looks like.

Download here to test for yourself.

Speed Test

Google's Chrome overpowers the other browsers on the five subtests by which Google measures its browser's JavaScript performance. (Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News). Lars Bak, the Google engineer who was the technical leader for Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, said at the launch event Tuesday he's confident Chrome is "many times faster" than the rivals at running JavaScript, the programming language that powers Google Docs, Gmail, and many other Web applications.

Google Chrome vs Mozilla Firefox

Google is the default search egine for Mozilla Firefox. From what I find out, the ads from Firefox Search Usage is the largest chunk of Mozilla's income, up to85%. Contract between Google and Mozilla will end in November this year and we can expect Google to appear as the default search engine of Chrome (duh!).

With Google search as the default search engine, can Chrome lure me to leave Firefox and Flock? Let's see.

Anti Smoking Ads

Continuing from my previous post on smoking, I can't help post these really interesting anti-smoking advertisements....

Here is the benefit of passive smoking

Yet another famous ad describe the effect of passive smokers so well...
A confused smoker (the Marlboro Man) weeping over his dead horse
(died of passive smoking)

Here's another 'benefit' of smoking... premature aging
(the process that frightened by both men AND women).

In the end.... before rushing in to your next destination here......

Or even here.....



That can end up here....

You really should give quitting a shot.....it kills not only you but US.

All images in this post are courtesy of http://adoholik.com

Thank You for Smoking!

Do you smoke cigarettes?

If not currently, have you ever smoked? I’m particularly interested to hear any news on how heavy smokers quit smoking. Both my parents were heavy smokers. My dad quit smoking after finding out he has heart problems and my mum soon follows. They quit smoking in 1996.

My brother is a very heavy smoker and never intended to quit. I sometimes worry so much about what he is doing to his body. I wish I could find a way to make him stop. To make him WANT to quit smoking.


Me? I tried smoking, 2 or 3 times during my university years. My "Kost mate" back then was a very heavy smoker. She smoked about a pack a day. I try to be a smoker for about a week but I actually hate it. My throat was burning and the taste in my mouth was horrible.

Let’s just say it wasn’t a positive experience.

Thankfully, that single bad experience turned me off smoking for good.

Now... a smoker is slowly becoming uncool, thank God. As this country ban people from smoking in public places, including restaurants, cafes, and office buildings. The vast majority of citizens are in favor of the ban, with almost 80% saying they supported a public smoking ban in a recent survey.

So how has the environment been affected? You’d think, or hope, that a smoking ban would be good for the environment. In theory, less people would be smoking because it’s more difficult. This would mean less smoke being emitted, at least.

A new study says that’s just not happening. It argues that the smoking ban has actually caused far more harm than good, at least in environmental terms.

The main reason the ban has been bad for the environment is because of cafes' and restaurants' efforts to make smokers more comfortable when they head outside to light up. There has been a significant increase in the number of exhausts in bars, pubs, restaurants and even office buildings! Can you believe that?

Smoking ban impacts are supposed to be positive and therefore shouldn't be causing more problems to environment AND other people. I say this wholeheartedly to all you smokers out there: "Please give up smoking, or simply buy yourself a jumpsuit and an astronaut-like mask."

:)

PS: The post title was taken from a black comedy-satire movie with the same title, starring Aaron Eckhart and Katie Holmes.

All Images in this post are courtesy of Irene Mueller (http://www.pbase.com/daria90/smoke)

How Did You Celebrate Independence Day (iii)

Here's an interesting self experience by my new blogger friend.

Erick Ahmad (http://erickahmad.wordpress.com)

Hmm...i feel like...i am reborn!

Indonesia is truly a diverse nation made up of dynamic and somehow difficult people. Each year on Aug 17, I celebrate that freedom and independence with raising flags, watching the UPACARA BENDERA on TV, and family gatherings. I feel like i want to bring the world closer to Indonesia with more good understanding and better-off knowledge.

I feel like i want to invite all nations to celebrate with Indonesians, here...in my homeland...

Happy Birthday, INDONESIA!

How Did You Celebrate Independence Day?

Indonesians experience different ways of celebrating their country's independence, here's the first reply I've got (surely won't be the last).

Akhyari Hananto (Good News from Indonesia: http://akhyari.blogspot.com)

1. I raise my old merah-putih flag at a tall flagpole, normally 1-2 meters taller than my neighbor's flagpole.
2. I turn on TVs, tune on my favourite program, UPACARA PENGIBARAN SANG MERAH PUTIH.
3. I drive around and see my country men "celebrating" the so-called Independence day. I love to see the flags along the way.
4. I write something about my country, and what has been done and what has to be done.