"I thought I was David Pleat running up the touchline when Lennon scored," smiled Redknapp. "I don't usually do that. Mind you, I don't have a suit or shoes that colour. I just worked on the players' confidence."
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Schadenfreude
Zero sum games occur when one person's gain is another's loss.
Certain pundits believe that harrowing losses in the finance industry mean that their ilk (socialist ideologues) and the poor (cos we all love the poor) will somehow gain.
This is wide of the mark.
Banks going under will directly hurt employees trying to support their families, and as a knock on effect, will probably reach into places like Indonesia and hurt the poor quite acutely.
Look at Indonesia's last monetary crisis in the 90s. Suharto's cronies were mainly hit in their pockets, while Indonesia's middle classes had to pull their kids out of college and its poor were left starving, many having to give their kids up for adoption, not a few dying in misery.
Few benefit from times like these, life will get very tough for many honest hard working people whether on Wall street or in the local kampung.
While some wring their hands in delight at the possibility of hand wavy new world orders, others are trying to put food on the tables for their families. Get real.
Certain pundits believe that harrowing losses in the finance industry mean that their ilk (socialist ideologues) and the poor (cos we all love the poor) will somehow gain.
This is wide of the mark.
Banks going under will directly hurt employees trying to support their families, and as a knock on effect, will probably reach into places like Indonesia and hurt the poor quite acutely.
Look at Indonesia's last monetary crisis in the 90s. Suharto's cronies were mainly hit in their pockets, while Indonesia's middle classes had to pull their kids out of college and its poor were left starving, many having to give their kids up for adoption, not a few dying in misery.
Few benefit from times like these, life will get very tough for many honest hard working people whether on Wall street or in the local kampung.
While some wring their hands in delight at the possibility of hand wavy new world orders, others are trying to put food on the tables for their families. Get real.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Pasrah
As I understand it, pasrah means to accept ones fate. No complaining just acceptance.
Maybe it helps sometimes, but I am sure also that sometimes it is not. This is a good article on curing blindness in Bali.
Maybe it helps sometimes, but I am sure also that sometimes it is not. This is a good article on curing blindness in Bali.
[...] the hardest part of building the cataract program was not the fund-raising for mobile buses to get operating clinics into the remote areas of Bali, but getting people on the bus for treatment. There is such a strong belief that cataract blindness is their fate.
Ashes of Time Redux
I saw Ashes of Time Redux by Wong Kar-Wai tonight, a complicated movie about regret.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Power
I haven't been following Indonesia much lately. But it i interesting to read in the Jakarta post that SBY is top of the polls again.
Interesting how a guy who hiked fuel prices is now back on top, huh? Not 100% sure what has happened in the intervening period, but the guy has guts. Think how powerful Suharto was for example. Hiking fuel prices were never a plausible option for him, cos he was scared shitless of the popular reaction (with good reason).
The Malaysian PM had a similar problem this year. SBY genuinely has a popular mandate however, and he's got real power - and now he's popular again too!
Interesting how a guy who hiked fuel prices is now back on top, huh? Not 100% sure what has happened in the intervening period, but the guy has guts. Think how powerful Suharto was for example. Hiking fuel prices were never a plausible option for him, cos he was scared shitless of the popular reaction (with good reason).
The Malaysian PM had a similar problem this year. SBY genuinely has a popular mandate however, and he's got real power - and now he's popular again too!
Moving
After reading the latest of Brandon's musings on immigrating, I thought I'd jot down some of my own experiences and thoughts.
I've moved countries three times.
First time was ten years ago. After school I went to college in Germany. It was probably the best decision I have made. Ever.
At 18 I picked up so many experiences that I otherwise would never have done. Living in communist era dorms. Meeting up with people from all around the world.
A guy telling me about stories from his home Sierra Leone and his family in Freetown while rebels where at the gates. Spine chilling stuff.
Partying with Bulgarians all decked out with Matrix style sun glasses. Listening to old Russian folk songs played on guitar. Cooking up fake Indonesian dishes with cat food and passing them off as authentic at faculty culturual gatherings (there were v few Indoensians in my faculty, so we could get away with it :)).
Indonesian, Ethiopian, Indian, Ukrainian and Chinese pals sharing food with me. I'll be forever grateful for those meals and their friendship (not that I didn't cook myself) but sharing food is a deep thing. Maybe we fell out in the years since, and one or two in particular have good reason for falling out with me. But I will always be grateful for their kindness and their friendship especially in those early years in Germany.
Towards the end of college, I found myself getting bored of Germany. Nothing new. I was slightly bored, but also slightly worried. I would need to find a job. I taught English through that latter years of college. It paid well, I loved my colleagues (as I end up doing in all my jobs it seems) and things were comfortable. But I had no interest in pursuing teaching English long term.
I decided to leave Germany in 2005, and come back to a booming vibrant Ireland - a stark contrast to the situation in Germany. I found myself an OK job. Thing was I left my girlfriend behind. I met Tika on my second or third day in Germany all those years ago. We were great friends for years and later went out and lived together.
Well I never settled in Ireland. My girlfriend, my friends were all back in Germany. Soon Tika and I would break up acrimoniously, as sometimes these things work out. I never gave Ireland much of a chance. Things were tough. I was looking for a way out.
I had this idea that moving away from Ireland would change "stuff". It's weird. Cos when you think about it, moving geographically shouldn't really have an impact psychologically, but humans are weird things, and traveling to a new place can throw new challenges at you. Breaks you out of your fenced in thinking.
So one year, I told my boss I wanted to leave and work for a charity in Jakarta. He gave me a raise and I stayed. Next year I said I was leaving to work for some micro-finance research group in Jakarta. He offered me the possibility of a more interesting job and a move to New York.
And here I am. 10 years after my move to Germany. Living just off Wall Street. My colleagues and my two flatmates, other than that i know no one here.
First move was a good one. Second move at least in the short term may well have been a mistake. Third move, who knows, early days.
Just like my thoughts before the first move, I feel I have little to lose now - and who knows what I have to gain from my time in New York. I'll just have to wait and see I suppose. And if things don't work out here - despite my best intentions - maybe I'll get to live in Indonesia sometime soon.
I've moved countries three times.
First time was ten years ago. After school I went to college in Germany. It was probably the best decision I have made. Ever.
At 18 I picked up so many experiences that I otherwise would never have done. Living in communist era dorms. Meeting up with people from all around the world.
A guy telling me about stories from his home Sierra Leone and his family in Freetown while rebels where at the gates. Spine chilling stuff.
Partying with Bulgarians all decked out with Matrix style sun glasses. Listening to old Russian folk songs played on guitar. Cooking up fake Indonesian dishes with cat food and passing them off as authentic at faculty culturual gatherings (there were v few Indoensians in my faculty, so we could get away with it :)).
Indonesian, Ethiopian, Indian, Ukrainian and Chinese pals sharing food with me. I'll be forever grateful for those meals and their friendship (not that I didn't cook myself) but sharing food is a deep thing. Maybe we fell out in the years since, and one or two in particular have good reason for falling out with me. But I will always be grateful for their kindness and their friendship especially in those early years in Germany.
Towards the end of college, I found myself getting bored of Germany. Nothing new. I was slightly bored, but also slightly worried. I would need to find a job. I taught English through that latter years of college. It paid well, I loved my colleagues (as I end up doing in all my jobs it seems) and things were comfortable. But I had no interest in pursuing teaching English long term.
I decided to leave Germany in 2005, and come back to a booming vibrant Ireland - a stark contrast to the situation in Germany. I found myself an OK job. Thing was I left my girlfriend behind. I met Tika on my second or third day in Germany all those years ago. We were great friends for years and later went out and lived together.
Well I never settled in Ireland. My girlfriend, my friends were all back in Germany. Soon Tika and I would break up acrimoniously, as sometimes these things work out. I never gave Ireland much of a chance. Things were tough. I was looking for a way out.
I had this idea that moving away from Ireland would change "stuff". It's weird. Cos when you think about it, moving geographically shouldn't really have an impact psychologically, but humans are weird things, and traveling to a new place can throw new challenges at you. Breaks you out of your fenced in thinking.
So one year, I told my boss I wanted to leave and work for a charity in Jakarta. He gave me a raise and I stayed. Next year I said I was leaving to work for some micro-finance research group in Jakarta. He offered me the possibility of a more interesting job and a move to New York.
And here I am. 10 years after my move to Germany. Living just off Wall Street. My colleagues and my two flatmates, other than that i know no one here.
First move was a good one. Second move at least in the short term may well have been a mistake. Third move, who knows, early days.
Just like my thoughts before the first move, I feel I have little to lose now - and who knows what I have to gain from my time in New York. I'll just have to wait and see I suppose. And if things don't work out here - despite my best intentions - maybe I'll get to live in Indonesia sometime soon.
Krismon II
Krismon II?
I reckon Indonesia is better placed than most to deal with this. It's learnt lessons from recent history -- which the US and Europe have yet to learn.
I reckon Indonesia is better placed than most to deal with this. It's learnt lessons from recent history -- which the US and Europe have yet to learn.
Mulia's Home
Mulia has been blogging on her travels, but now she's back it will be doubly interesting to hear how she copes in the Big Durian : )
Best of luck Mulia!! : )
Best of luck Mulia!! : )
Friday, October 17, 2008
New York 2
So last time people were astonished that I am in New York now. None more so than myself.
What am I doing? Working a hell of a lot. I am a financial risk analyst, so business is very good at the moment.
I am also eating too much take away food, in the office.... Not soul food, definitely not good for the soul...
Plus I am in the enviable position of having an apartment on 5th Avenue (soon to be given up, it's a corporate place) and a place off Wall Street at the moment. Still find it weird to be here...
I know so little about New York and the US in general, lots to learn and figure out!!
Hopefully I'll post up some pictures of last wknd's trip to San Francisco soon also, keep your eyes peeled! : )
What am I doing? Working a hell of a lot. I am a financial risk analyst, so business is very good at the moment.
I am also eating too much take away food, in the office.... Not soul food, definitely not good for the soul...
Plus I am in the enviable position of having an apartment on 5th Avenue (soon to be given up, it's a corporate place) and a place off Wall Street at the moment. Still find it weird to be here...
I know so little about New York and the US in general, lots to learn and figure out!!
Hopefully I'll post up some pictures of last wknd's trip to San Francisco soon also, keep your eyes peeled! : )
Sunday, September 28, 2008
New York
Been in New York almost a week.
It's a much more laid back and friendlier city then I thought it would be.
Things are also smaller than I imagined. More bitesize than I imagined. I like it.
Just hope I get my own flat soon!! : )
It's a much more laid back and friendlier city then I thought it would be.
Things are also smaller than I imagined. More bitesize than I imagined. I like it.
Just hope I get my own flat soon!! : )
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Girl in a Jilbab
A while back I admitted to dreaming about dating a "Jilbab girl".
Well, lo and behold, not long after posting, a girl asked me whether I'd like to go out with her!! : )
Her name is Tata, she's very sharp and not a little pretty.
We actually went on two dates while I was in Indonesia. Firstly to a discussion on homosexuality and spirituality which was organised by the Jakarta Q! festival at the Goethe institute in Menteng.
The people there were really friendly and welcoming. Only difficulty was that I am a straight atheist whose Indonesian wasn't up to scratch. But I got some good vibes from the whole meet up, and reckon that those events really help the participants that struggle with these issues.
Next date we tried to go bowling, but all the lanes were booked out. We ended up having a bite to eat, a juice and a Guinness (it's weird, but I think I'm starting to prefer Indonesian over Irish Guinness ; )).
I gotta say, apart from being excellent company, good fun and forthright; I was grateful that Tata took the time to talk a little about the whole Jilbab culture, what's expected of Jilbab wearers and why. It's certainly not always easy, but I suppose that's the point - if it was easy to wear and give that much commitment, there'd be little point to it.
Well, lo and behold, not long after posting, a girl asked me whether I'd like to go out with her!! : )
Her name is Tata, she's very sharp and not a little pretty.
We actually went on two dates while I was in Indonesia. Firstly to a discussion on homosexuality and spirituality which was organised by the Jakarta Q! festival at the Goethe institute in Menteng.
The people there were really friendly and welcoming. Only difficulty was that I am a straight atheist whose Indonesian wasn't up to scratch. But I got some good vibes from the whole meet up, and reckon that those events really help the participants that struggle with these issues.
Next date we tried to go bowling, but all the lanes were booked out. We ended up having a bite to eat, a juice and a Guinness (it's weird, but I think I'm starting to prefer Indonesian over Irish Guinness ; )).
I gotta say, apart from being excellent company, good fun and forthright; I was grateful that Tata took the time to talk a little about the whole Jilbab culture, what's expected of Jilbab wearers and why. It's certainly not always easy, but I suppose that's the point - if it was easy to wear and give that much commitment, there'd be little point to it.
Avoiding Crises
Last week the US government brought 50 percent of the US mortgage market under its wing by taking control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
In effect the US government is to spend billions of dollars on propping up the US real estate market and US financial firms which are tanking.
This is a colossal disaster which US tax payers will pay for for generations to come.
Could this have been foreseen, and if so, could something have been done to head of such a huge disaster?
Probably not.
Too many people were earning too much money from the profligacy and many /very/ smart people were backing them up saying that their business models were mathematically water tight. It reminds me of the emperor's new clothes story.
Hiroshima was another case. Air forces flattened many cities before Hiroshima, thing was it was only sometime after Hiroshima that people fully realised that the whole earth could be wiped out by a handful of these nuclear bombs.
Could 9/11 have been stopped due to some far sighted official looking for more stringent passenger checks on airlines, and foreseeing the possibility of a "plane bomb" scenario?
Many people did actually foresee such crises, but groups of people are slow to change, more often than not reacting after the horse has bolted.
Pearl Harbour, Hiroshima, krismon, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina; all completely preventable and yet pretty much inevitable due to people's mindsets.
The next 9/11 or krismon will also be preventable but it will be almost certainly something very different from what went before, and will slip through the cracks, nothing will be done until it's too late.
We learn history so we do not make the same mistakes made in the past, however often it is learnt too well.
In effect the US government is to spend billions of dollars on propping up the US real estate market and US financial firms which are tanking.
This is a colossal disaster which US tax payers will pay for for generations to come.
Could this have been foreseen, and if so, could something have been done to head of such a huge disaster?
Probably not.
Too many people were earning too much money from the profligacy and many /very/ smart people were backing them up saying that their business models were mathematically water tight. It reminds me of the emperor's new clothes story.
Hiroshima was another case. Air forces flattened many cities before Hiroshima, thing was it was only sometime after Hiroshima that people fully realised that the whole earth could be wiped out by a handful of these nuclear bombs.
Could 9/11 have been stopped due to some far sighted official looking for more stringent passenger checks on airlines, and foreseeing the possibility of a "plane bomb" scenario?
Many people did actually foresee such crises, but groups of people are slow to change, more often than not reacting after the horse has bolted.
Pearl Harbour, Hiroshima, krismon, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina; all completely preventable and yet pretty much inevitable due to people's mindsets.
The next 9/11 or krismon will also be preventable but it will be almost certainly something very different from what went before, and will slip through the cracks, nothing will be done until it's too late.
We learn history so we do not make the same mistakes made in the past, however often it is learnt too well.
Green activists 'are keeping Africa poor'
An interesting read.
When it comes to food there's often a science-cynical attitude, e.g. GM, artificial fertilisers, preservatives etc. Sometimes this attitude is deserved, often I suspect it is not.
Indonesia's green revolution in the 70s was acclaimed for providing cheap food to the masses, nowadays it's often seen as a chemically fueled binge.
There's a balance to be struck, but many people can't afford to be overly conservative when it comes to adopting new food technologies - especially when it comes to filling empty stomachs.
When it comes to food there's often a science-cynical attitude, e.g. GM, artificial fertilisers, preservatives etc. Sometimes this attitude is deserved, often I suspect it is not.
Indonesia's green revolution in the 70s was acclaimed for providing cheap food to the masses, nowadays it's often seen as a chemically fueled binge.
There's a balance to be struck, but many people can't afford to be overly conservative when it comes to adopting new food technologies - especially when it comes to filling empty stomachs.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Blogging
I receive quite a few comments about this blog via email, cos quite a few of my pals are kinda paranoid when it comes to the internet and having their opinions online.
Maybe I'm too naive, but so far, having a little bit of myself up on the net has led to me meeting up with so many great people, so far blogging has only been good to me.
Maybe I'm too naive, but so far, having a little bit of myself up on the net has led to me meeting up with so many great people, so far blogging has only been good to me.
Main Bank of China Is in Need of Capital.
Wowzers! Who saw that coming!
If you are shocked by that, find some comfort in Indonesia's central bank frittering away its money sending people to do the Haj.
I don't think anyone would care too much, if Indonesia's department for religion wasn't one of the most corrupt corners of government.
Wowzers! Who saw that coming!
If you are shocked by that, find some comfort in Indonesia's central bank frittering away its money sending people to do the Haj.
I don't think anyone would care too much, if Indonesia's department for religion wasn't one of the most corrupt corners of government.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
A Case for Luddism
Visit Indonesia, and there's one thing that pops out at you. People, lots and lots of people.
Buy a plane ticket for example. One person books the flight, one person swipes the credit card and one person painstakingly writes the details of your ticket onto the actual ticket. Oh and one or two other people sit in the background chatting or whatnot. Fascinating. In Ireland one person could do the whole lot in about the same time or less.
Let's take the "human printer" though. She spends her day carefully jotting down details into a ticket. It begs the question, wouldn't it be better for an employer to buy a cheapo Lexmark printer and do away with her services?
Probably not. Indonesians are pretty cheap to hire, and try asking a Lexmark printer (in painstakingly polite machine code) to fill in as a Visa card swiper!
Many wealthy Indonesian families have maids, drivers, gardeners, nannies etc. etc. Actually on the grand scale of things you don't have to be too wealthy - as servant wages are less than €50 a month (probably significantly less).
In the Ireland we don't do servants, we do microwavable meals, robotic lawn mowers, internet connected fridges, webcams in nurseries and auto-piloted BMWs. In other words we come up with ever more ingenious ways to make our busy lives more convenient -- as long as the batteries don't run out and the operating system doesn't crash.
People in Ireland (and most Western countries for that matter) are missing something -- your brand new coffee maker isn't going to make you freshly squeezed orange juice on a hot summer's day. And you feel like waffles? Well your gonna have to ditch your George Foreman - cos your house is probably already full of these bloody high tech gadgets!!
I'm a geek, the best technology to me is indiscernible from magic. That's why I love coding up small bits and bobs. However, a cook will serve infinitely more delicious meals than a microwave, and a maid will do a much more thorough job at ironing and folding shirts than any number of neural network controlled robots you care to throw at the problem!
I reckon Indonesian servants could earn at the very least 10 times their salary in Europe than at home, it's a such no brainer. Unfortunately Europeans are slightly dim when it comes to thinking outside the box and outside of Europe.
Buy a plane ticket for example. One person books the flight, one person swipes the credit card and one person painstakingly writes the details of your ticket onto the actual ticket. Oh and one or two other people sit in the background chatting or whatnot. Fascinating. In Ireland one person could do the whole lot in about the same time or less.
Let's take the "human printer" though. She spends her day carefully jotting down details into a ticket. It begs the question, wouldn't it be better for an employer to buy a cheapo Lexmark printer and do away with her services?
Probably not. Indonesians are pretty cheap to hire, and try asking a Lexmark printer (in painstakingly polite machine code) to fill in as a Visa card swiper!
Many wealthy Indonesian families have maids, drivers, gardeners, nannies etc. etc. Actually on the grand scale of things you don't have to be too wealthy - as servant wages are less than €50 a month (probably significantly less).
In the Ireland we don't do servants, we do microwavable meals, robotic lawn mowers, internet connected fridges, webcams in nurseries and auto-piloted BMWs. In other words we come up with ever more ingenious ways to make our busy lives more convenient -- as long as the batteries don't run out and the operating system doesn't crash.
People in Ireland (and most Western countries for that matter) are missing something -- your brand new coffee maker isn't going to make you freshly squeezed orange juice on a hot summer's day. And you feel like waffles? Well your gonna have to ditch your George Foreman - cos your house is probably already full of these bloody high tech gadgets!!
I'm a geek, the best technology to me is indiscernible from magic. That's why I love coding up small bits and bobs. However, a cook will serve infinitely more delicious meals than a microwave, and a maid will do a much more thorough job at ironing and folding shirts than any number of neural network controlled robots you care to throw at the problem!
I reckon Indonesian servants could earn at the very least 10 times their salary in Europe than at home, it's a such no brainer. Unfortunately Europeans are slightly dim when it comes to thinking outside the box and outside of Europe.
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