Tribute to Pretty Badminton Players!! ;)

We have tennis players like Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, and Anna Kournikova who are blessed with not only talent in tennis but also pretty face.

The good news is.. in badminton, we also have!!

Let's start with these 2 girls, Kumiko Agura and Reiko Shiota

No wonder badminton in Japan is so popular nowadays... There must be other reason to watch a badminton match! :)

Who says we can't have a blonde in Asian-dominated badminton?

Karin Schnaase, a German... she is hot, isn't she?


Back to Japan.. Eriko Hirose, one of Japan's top players

Indonesia's Greysia Polii is not traditionally pretty, but she has fantastic sense of humour :D




So innocent!!! :) Guys, according to her friendster, she is still single.. (at least she claims to be so). I will DIE to get a girl like that. I mean, die happy :D

and this photo...

Hey, who is that handsome guy?? =P



However, noone beats Xie Xingfang..


More!


More please!



Gosh, with body and face like that, she could easily become a model anytime she is bored playing badminton... But I think that won't happen so soon because she is currently world number 1. Don't you think life is a little bit unfair? =P

Uber Cup Updates: Standing Ovation for Indonesia!

As I said before this match, it's going to be David versus Goliath... With China's singles are ranked world number 1, 2, and 4 (and the 3rd rank is also a Chinese but she doesn't participate in this tournament), and doubles rank 1, 2, and 3... we need a miracle, a big one, to beat this giant.

I didn't watch the first match because I went to church tonight. I heard from my friend that Xie Xingfang, world number 1 from China crushed Maria Kristin from Indonesia quite comfortably. No surprise at all.

I watched Indonesia's best doubles, Lilyana Natsir / Vita Marissa battled against world number 1 Yang Wei / Zhang Jiewen. Natsir / Marissa finally lost, but after an extraordinary battle. Even the commentator mentioned that was the greatest women's doubles match he has ever seen. My friends and I were absolutely mesmerized with every movement made by our doubles.

This is the best video I can find in the entire youtube, but I must tell you... the real playing is definitely much better than this.



If they play like this in every tournament they participate, I would be really surprised if they can't make it into world's top 5 women doubles.

Yup, you might notice that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesian president was there.

Well done Indonesia's Uber Cup team... You have done us proud!!!!

Getting Married, NTU students?

In our university's public folder, we can find.. well, almost everything. From tuition assignment to buy-and-sell computers. From jokes to lost-and-found.

But it's the first time I found a service like this...



Getting married, anyone?? :)

Thomas Cup updates: It has been a dark day for the Indonesians...

What can I say? I watched almost every second of the matches, and I felt that Indonesian players are not less talented, not at all. However, I think they lacked of drive to win, and lack of luck also.

Sony DK put a great show. Everyone knows it's not easy to be the first single of the day, a place that is usually reserved for Taufik Hidayat.

Markis / Hendra, world number 1 were terrific in the first two sets. However, they somehow deteriorated in the last set, which is the most crucial set of all. We all expected them to win, but again, they lost.

I have nothing against Taufik. He was as talented as ever before. However, I saw with my very own eyes how he has changed from Olympics 2004 to now. He was not hungry anymore with winning, titles, trophies. Yes, he has got everything. A successful career, a beautiful wife, a kid, and rich in-laws. That's why I always feel it's very scary if a sports player loses his/her hunger to win. Yes, if you read news, Justine Henin retires from professional tennis as world number 1, because she just doesn't have the appetite to win anymore.


Yup, what do you call a person with loads of talent, but lacks of drive to win? A Taufik Hidayat.




It's definitely painful for any Indonesian who still loves our country. We still hope that our Uber cup team will do us proud in the final round tomorrow. (Although they have already done us proud by going to the final). I know, it's David against Goliath, but we don't lose hope until the last breath.

Thomas-Uber Cup updates: We are through!!!

I am not usually very excited watching Indonesia's Uber Cup team after 2000. Yes because China dominates the women badminton for too long and their players are just too good. However, this year is definitely different.

1. We managed to hire Susi Susanti as our Uber manager. Yes, you're right, THAT Susi Susanti, probably the greatest female badminton player of all time. If Jose Mourinho can turn a mediocre club like Porto to win the Champions League, there's no reason for a Susi Susanti to fail to deliver.

2. We have got 2 good doubles. Forget about world's rankings for a while. Vita/Natsir and Jo/Polii are only ranked 9 and 18 in the world respectively (China's women's doubles are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd... and counting). Nevertheless, they're good doubles, comparable with those of China and Korea.

Lilyana Natsir / Vita Marisa, Indonesia's best women doubles, sometimes referred as "duo tomboy". You judge.. :)

3. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Jakarta, where people shout, cheer, and smile happily despite increase in BBM price (Bahan Bakar Minyak = petrol etc). We are behind our Thomas and Uber Cup teams, all the way.

Well, forget about that for a moment. THIS IS THOMAS-UBER CUP!!!

And we are reaching our first final since 1998, by beating Germany 3-1 in the semi-final. What?? Germany?! Yes, I guess before this competition started, not many people would expect Germany to go all the way to semi-final. However, they are good, and they know when to fight and when to have fun.

It's China, favourite, defending champion 2 years ago, 4 years ago, 6 years ago (and yeah, counting) versus Indonesia (plus all its supporters).

My prediction? Well, China is stronger definitely. However, Indonesia will definitely give an excellent fight in the final. China - Indonesia 3-2 (I guess we will score points from at least one double and probably one single). No worries though, we were expected to go into semi-final and now we are in the final match already.

China's winning team 2 years ago. I told you, they are good. They are good.

As for Thomas Cup, despite unimpressive performance by Sony DK and Olympic gold medalist Taufik Hidayat, I still believe we have what it takes to reach the final. I would expect Taufik to win and at least 1 point either from Sony or Simon Santoso. As for doubles, it won't be easy for Markis Kido / Hendra Setiawan, but I think they are gonna beat, most probably Jung Jae Sung / Lee Yong Dae. OK Indonesian ladies, I know Lee Yong Dae has a cute face, and he can be a movie star if he doesn't choose to play badminton, but please support our country =D

Oops wrong photo, but don't you think Lee Yong Dae resembles Rain, the Korean superstar?

Yes Ladies.. I have already warned you ;)

So, I would expect 3-2 or 3-1 to Indonesia depending on which player (s) play first.

It's gonna be Indo versus China also in the Thomas cup final. It's gonna be very interesting! I shall postpone all my to-do list to watch the final! hehehe...

Like Mrs Clinton said, we are going strong, we are going through, we are going ALL THE WAY.

Indonesia, KAMU BISA!!!!!

Happy Mother Day!

MOM,
Thanks for always accompanying me whenever I am down,
Thanks for always be there for me when I fall,
Thanks for teaching me the importance of hardwork and persistence,
Thanks for having so much trust and faith in me,
Thanks for teaching me to be honest in life,
Thanks for working so hard for us, your children,
Thanks for teaching me not to complain,
Thanks for giving examples how we must respect people,
Thanks for always reminding me to pray everytime, and to go to church everyweek

MOM,
Thanks for being my number one HERO. You will always be!



I may not have the best house,
I may not have the best clothes,
I may not have the best car,
I may not have the best brain,
I may not have the best job,
I may not have the best face,

BUT I know... I have the best MOM in the world.

MOM, Happy Mother Day!

You get PAID by sleeping. This is true!

Pack your bags for Houston because NASA wants to pay you $17,000 to stay in bed for 90 straight days.

Participants will spend 90 days lying in bed, (except for limited times for specific tests) with their body slightly tilted downward (head down, feet up). Every day, they will be awake for 16 hours and lights out (asleep) for 8 hours.

So, if you find difficulty waking up in the morning or you always feel sleepy during your work, maybe this is THE job for you :D

I thought only Angelina Jolie who can get paid by sleeping (Well, she get paid by doing literally anything. lol...)

This world is getting more and more interesting everyday.

Link here.

Joke of the day: You Jump, I don't =P

10 FAQs for My Blog

1. How much do you love reading?
I once told my friend, it’s very easy to entertain me. Just leave me in a bookstore, and I will be alright. I once spent my whole day in the library, picking up books and read while drinking coffee in the café. The café lady must be really mad because I only drink 1 cup of coffee for hours.

2. Did you really cry while watching that Japanese drama “1 Litre of Tears” (Ichi Rittoru no Namida)?

Let me ask you first, what’s wrong with that? Boys do cry although they shouldn’t. I am generally very very strong, but I can be very sensitive when it comes to mushy things like that. I don’t cry in public though, that’s taboo for me.

3. Are the stories in your blog true? Or maybe semi-true?
I wish. But they aren’t. They are 100% fiction which comes out from my wild, wet and wondrous imagination.

4. How about your posts other than those stories, are they true?
I can assure you, they are 100% true. I am not interested in being liked, I am only interested in being right.

5. You seem to like writing a lot. Ever thought of becoming a journalist?
I am currently pursuing part-time diploma in freelance journalism, so I know I am going to get quite serious in writing in the future. However, for the time being, I just write for fun.

6. You seem to write about Christian stuffs quite often, tell me exactly, how holy are you?
1000 miles from that. I do sins often, and often when I reflect on them, I am too ashamed to admit that I am a Christian. But I try to be better everyday.

7. You are not like those typical engineers.
I know. I think movie actor profession suits me better *oops*
I never fall in love with Engineering although I got a bit of brain for Math and Science. If I could redo my degree again, I would choose law, business, or education.

8. How you get ideas for your blog?
I got them from newspapers (I read it everyday), my friends’ blogs, my own experience, or just straight from my imagination.

9. You seem to admire Jose Mourinho so much. I hate him!!!!

Same here. Anybody in his right mind should hate him. However, he got result to show and in soccer, result is what matters at the end of the day… unless you got face as handsome as David Beckham of course.

10. Any regret in life?
We can’t turn back the time, so why regret? Life is too short and too exciting for us to regret something in the past. My life is not perfect, it will never be, but the show must go on.

Kaka: I Belong to Jesus

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Kaka); born April 22, 1982 in Brasilia, is a Brazilian midfielder who plays for Italian Serie A club A.C. Milan and Brazilian national team.

He won 2006-07 Champions League triumph with A.C. Milan, the highest supremacy in football and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007.




Lately, he was named in the 2008 Time 100, the annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world selected by Time magazine. The list includes people like George W. Bush, Pope Benedict XVI, The Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Oprah Winfrey. Even David Beckham is not in the list, makes Kaka the only footballer there.


“I might question whether soccer stadiums are the right venue for promoting religion, but in an age in which many professional athletes care more about cars, women and controversy, it's refreshing to see one who is committed to having a positive impact on the world around him.” – Kasey Killer

A devout christian, Kaká became engrossed in religion at the age of 12. "I learnt that it is faith that decides something will happen or not." He is well-known for revealing his "I Belong to Jesus" T-Shirt in many occasions, including after A.C. Milan beat Liverpool to claim their championship title.


Blessed with extraordinary physical beauty, I think he could easily be the next David Beckham, don't ya think so?



BUT NO. Kaka said, football is the most popular sport in the world, and therefore, it's his responsibility to show good values to the world through soccer.



Yes, like Kaka, I also Belong to Jesus! Do you belong to Jesus?

Finish my exam! YAYYYYYYYYY!!!

Tangible Cost
Extra supper 5 x $2.50 = $12.50
Red Bull = 12 x $1.20 = $14.40
Canned Coffee bought from overpriced vending machine = 7 x $1.00 = $7.00
Extra snack = $21.2

SUBTOTAL = $55.1

Intangible Cost
Weight gained = 1.5 kg x $50 = $75 (Stress makes you fat!)
Sleep loss = 33 hours x $20 = $660
Hair loss, pimples, wrinkles = $100
Stressful days = 14 days x $100 = $1400

SUBTOTAL = $2235

TOTAL COST INCURRED = $2286.10

Benefit

Feeling GREAT after finish exam = PRICELESS



IT IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfect answers for our problems.

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible(Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"

God says: I will give you rest(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you(John 3:1 6 & John3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"

God says: I will direct your steps(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things(Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"

God says: I am able(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it(Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"

God says: I will supply all your needs(Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME(I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"

God says: I will never leave you or forsake you.(Hebrews 13:5)

Taken from this blog. Thanks so much Gibran! :)

Help, I am addicted to Red Bull!

Yea I know it's bad for health. Yea I know I am gonna have sleepless nights. But I ask ya, who can resist its temptation? If you only sleep for 3 hours then drinking a can of Red Bull can make you feel like you have just had an uninterrupted 8 hours high quality sleep plus spa treatment.

It's been 5 days in a row I sleep less than 5 1/2 hours a day. It's not that I intentionally want to lose some sleep, but I just can't sleep more than that. And I feel OK. Red Bull is the best! hahahah.

ANYWAYS...
My prediction before that Manchester Utd will face Chelsea in the final is absolutely correct! Btw, I made that prediction before the first leg of semi-final. SO, Anyone who is betting on soccer can approach me. I charge minimal consultation fee! :D

Manchester Utd versus Chelsea in Champions League Final. Manchester Utd versus Chelsea in EPL. Boring!
But who can argue that they are currently among the best football teams..

OK, Go back to study.

Tuesdays with Benny (29 April) - Ask and You Shall Receive!

Since I am the Chief Writer of http://www.gratiworld.com/, and I have my own column there (Tuesdays with Benny), I am gonna post my article here as well. Please do support http://www.gratiworld.com/, that's indeed a very nice forum for people who want to learn how to be grateful with their life (not to mention, very cute bunny as its logo :D)

I found it amusing that people, especially Asians quite often don't ask for what they want. And they are wondering why people are not so supportive.

I receive countless of things as the result of simply asking. Last time when I needed some pocket money, I didn’t wait for the money to drop from the sky (although I really wish that will happen.). What I did was... I called a language centre, and I asked them whether they need someone to be their bahasa Indonesia tutor. They didn’t even advertise the position; I was the one who asked for it. Two weeks after that, I started teaching.

I bought a ticket for an event, but unfortunately, I couldn’t attend the event, so I must sell it to someone. I put it on ebay, but no one was interested. Instead of just giving up, I sent some sms-es to my friends who might be interested. As the result, I managed to sell the ticket to my friend. I never knew that he really wanted to go to the event until I asked about that. It was perfectly done by simply... yeah right, asking!

If you read life story of great salespersons, I am sure they will directly or indirectly tell you that their key to success is asking the right questions to the right people. If you noticed great politicians, you will realize that they aren’t afraid to look dumb or humiliated by asking questions. I have never remembered any doctor except this lady. She isn’t the smartest doctor; in fact she is still quite young. However, what impressed me the most is the fact that she asked lots of questions before she decided what medicine I should take.

What is holding you back? Are you the kind of person who never goes on a date because you are too shy to ask a girl out? Are you the kind of students who always have a bad time in library because people beside you make too much noise and you don’t dare to say “Sorry, could you please lower down your voice?” Are you a mediocre salesperson who is loved by your customers but seems to never produce outstanding sales figure just because you are too afraid to ask your customers to buy more from you? Are you a miserable wife who curses your husband everyday instead of just telling him “Honey, we need to talk. We need to save this marriage.”?

If you don’t lose too much by asking, by any means, ask for it. You will never know if your girlfriend of 8 years has been waiting for you to tell her “Please marry me.” You will never know if your boss has some budget to raise your salary. You will never know if your customers want to buy more, but they are simply confused what to buy. You will never know!!

Will you be always successful in getting something you ask? If that’s the case, I would ask Paris Hilton to marry me. NO, sometimes you get what you ask for, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you get some of what you ask for. However, you stand a chance to get it, unlike when you never ask for it at all.

Yes, you will never know, until YOU ASK.

^#@%($^^@^$^@^&%@)^)^#)^@$@%*(@$!@)*_@^%$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While lots of NTU students have finished their exam or only have 1 more exam to go, I still have THREE killer modules to go. I started my exam very late, so yeah. Doesn't matter.

I know, studying for 3 super-difficult modules which maybe will never be used anymore for the rest of my life is a bit stupid (coz there's only very little chance I will be working in Engineering field after graduation). ANYWAYS.. I will kill those modules!!!! Yeah!!! (pump my fist to the air while holding Red Bull... Red Bull, you're the best!)

This month has been amazing for my lovely blog. 23 posts in a month, and counting. The best part is... this month is probably, the busiest month in my life so far. Amazing huh? It proves one point... we, human need some kind of platform to release all our stress, our frustration, and our madness.. like this ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great, feeling happy now. Go back to my study.

My first experience teaching in a classroom!

I have just come back from teaching bahasa Indonesia - totally tired but completely satisfied.

Yes, this is the first time I teach in a classroom (before this, I gave private tuition). The class is not so big, there are only 9 students in the class... but still that is really a new experience for me, especially when the youngest person in the classroom is the teacher.

How much do I love teaching? It's at least as much as I love chocolate. In my college days, I used to have a whiteboard inside my room, and sometimes, I learned my modules by pretending to teach an imaginary student there :) Then quite often, some of my friends asked me to teach Maths or Physics in my room. I simply LOVE the feeling to be able to share my knowledge. I simply fell in LOVE with teaching at the first sight!

6 years after that, I got the chance to teach in a classroom, and am being paid well. What else could I probably ask?

Asian Dramas are NOT ridiculous!!!!!

Please stop saying that Korean or Taiwanese dramas are ridiculous! THEY ARE NOT!!!


Starting from the ever-famous Meteor Garden (Taiwan), Full House (Korea), My Girl (Korea)... all the way to Romantic Princess (Taiwan) and now It Started With a Kiss (Taiwan).

All the stories can be summarized into:

Love story between a guy and a girl. The man has everything. He is rich, unbelievably handsome, athletic, cool, smart, and successful. The girl is very ordinary. Although there is a much better girl who loves him, the man somehow falling in love with that ordinary girl. They live together happily ever after.

Ridiculous?

Not at all.

We, men have pride and at least for me, I won't fall for someone who is better than me (be it smarter, more popular, or more successful). That's why, I would definitely prefer a very ordinary girl who always supports me no matter how much success or failure I achieve.

Men need trust, not judgement. We need adoration, not skepticism. We don't want to be part of your life, we want to be YOUR life. Call me insecure, but if that's the case, MOST men are insecure.

I know I am random, but yeah, this is exam period and I should be forgiven.

A closer look of The Best Hotel in the World

There is only one thing that could steal my attention from an interesting book or Maria Sharapova without fail, beautiful architecture.

I LOVE beautiful buildings, be it a house, a hotel, or a museum. I can enjoy a beautiful house for a really long time, from corner to corner. I feel sense of peace and amazement whenever I admire a wonderfully-made building.

It's difficult to talk about beautiful buildings without mentioning Burj Al Arab Hotel (Dubai), which was chosen as The Best Hotel in the world in World Travel Awards 2007. Before you show skepticism "How good can it be???", why not you just enjoy some pictures below.

If you are like me, the ultimate question you will ask is "How Much?"

Well, Spending one night in this 7-star hotel will make you poorer by AED 9250 (equals SGD 3400). As comparison, the best hotel in Singapore, The Ritz-Carlton will "only" charge you SGD 1050 for the same kind of room.

Nothing luxurious comes cheap, indeed.

Imagine a conversation like this in the future.

Guy : "Hey, money can't buy everything. It can buy a house, but not a home"

Girl : "Well, if we have money, at least we can stay at Burj Al Arab Hotel!"

Guy : "....."

Six Lessons from Sukanto Tanoto, the richest Indonesian

Sukanto Tanoto is the richest Indonesian according to Forbes Magazine, with total net-worth of US$ 3.8 billion. His current business vehicle is Raja Garuda Mas International with its activities ranging from paper, palm oil, construction, and energy business sectors.

What can we learn from him?

1. Ability to spot business opportunity

Mr. Tanoto realized that Indonesia was exporting logs to be converted to plywood in Japan and Taiwan, and then imported back at higher costs. Mr. Tanoto believed that he could process the logs locally. In 1973, he set up RGM to enter the plywood business.

Air Asia, Now Everyone Can Fly...

2. Always under promise and over deliver, not the other way around

He convinced the Minister for Industries to give him a special permit required to build a plywood factory. The factory was completed with 10 months - more than four months ahead of schedule. The minister was impressed, to the point of alerting Indonesia's then-President.

3. The importance of education

Sukanto Tanoto regretted his interrupted formal education. He was aware that English skills and global exposure would be important if he wanted to expand globally. This determination motivated him to learn English word-by-word, using a Chinese-English dictionary against 3 American magazines - Life, Readers' Digest and Newsweek.

With a voracious appetite for more education, he left for Jakarta for business studies in the mid-1970s, when his enterprise had stabilized. Mr. Tanoto went as far as pursuing management courses abroad, from prestigious schools which included INSEAD, Harvard, Wharton, and Carnegie Mellon.


4. Time management is critical to success, know how to utilize spare time

He is also known for maximizing his time in the plane when traveling on business trips reading up on history and economics.

5. Business is not about making money, it's way beyond that.

Mr. Tanoto's pulp & paper company, Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL), has a well-planned CSR program and operates based on a simple motto - people, planet and profits.

It is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, which promotes responsible corporate citizenship, the corporate partner of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Champions of the Earth Awards, and is also the only Indonesian company that is a member of World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which is dedicated to sustainable development through economic growth, ecological balance and social progress.

6. Finally, Don't forget to give back to society


Mr. Tanoto and his family have also formed the Tanoto Foundation in 2001, with the aim of helping reduce poverty and advancing human achievement. Working primarily in the areas of education, healthcare and disaster relief, the Foundation makes available scholarships to students, provides honorariums to teachers and upgrades their skills, builds schools and supplies equipment and books as well as providing healthcare in remote areas and rapid response assistance in earthquakes and other natural calamities.

Source: http://www.sukantotanoto.net/