Wednesday, May 16, 2007

life lie - an email from a friend


Achieve Happiness by Creating a Life Lie


Reality, when looked at truthfully, is quite depressing. We’re all doomed to tumultuous lives filled with toil and frustration. Most of us won’t live up to our potential. Most of our hopes and dreams will never be realized. Most of us will never become rich or famous or successful.


Just when you think a problem is solved, an uglier one replaces it. The cycle of desperation continues as our faculties decline. We lose our strength and beauty. We become shells of our former selves and eventually die.


Fortunately, thinking about the nasty truth can be averted with a well crafted Life Lie.


How? Luckily it’s easy. If you are relatively happy person, my guess is you already have one.


A Life Lie is a story we tell ourselves. A story we actually believe about our lives that lets us ignore reality and focus on a glorious future. Allow me to provide a background story.


I first learned about the Life Lie (in explicit terms) from reading a play; The Wild Duck by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The main character of The Wild Duck is a man named Hjalmar. By all accounts, Hjalmar is pathetic. His father was ruined by a shady business deal and he’s lived his entire life in shame. His poor family makes a living from a photography business. A business that his father’s arch enemy gave to him out of pity and that his wife runs for all practical purposes.


Useless old Hjalmar should be miserable, but in fact he’s quite the opposite. Despite his pathetic life, Hjalmar is happy because he’s created a beautiful Life Lie.


Hjalmar’s Life Lie is ingenious. He truly believes that he’s going to invent an incredible machine that will make his family wealthy and erase his shame. He doesn’t just tell himself this lie, he actually lives it. Each day he goes off on his own for a few hours, supposedly working on the invention.


What is he really doing? No one knows. It truth, it’s irrelevant. Each day he comes back in high spirits, believing he’s on the cusp of completing the invention and elevating his family.


This is the key to a great Life Life. You can’t just tell yourself a beautiful story. You really have to live the delusion.


After learning about Life Lies, I immediately identified with the concept. Despite myself, I tried to deny it.


I’m different, I thought. I’m no washed up old coot. All my hopes and dreams will come true. Or so I thought. Eventually I realized that it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is being happy, and a great Life Lie accomplishes that.


My Life Lie really isn’t that much different than Hjalmar’s. I believe that if I keep working hard, this blog will become incredibly popular or that I’ll come up with a great idea to make money online. Once I have the money problem taken care of, I’ll be free to indulge my passions for the rest of my life.


I don’t just tell myself this. Every day after work, I come home, boot up my personal computer, and start working on the next blog entry, Photoshop tutorial, redesign, or traffic building activity.


Let’s be real. Is my Life Lie really going to happen? Maybe. It’s not impossible, other people have done it, but success is far from certain. The odds are probably against it.


But that isn’t important. Believing a Life Lie gives my mind something to focus on. I can ignore the pain and uncertainty of life and work towards a goal. I sleep better at night because I know I’ve done my part. If it doesn’t happen, that’s fate.


Sometimes I lose my Life Lie. Reality sets in and it’s incredibly depressing. I feel my smallness, weakness, and the lack of control I have over my life. It’s almost unbearable. Fortunately, I always come up with a new Life Lie.


If you want to be happier, create a fantastic Life Lie for yourself. Don’t worry about what other people think. Convince yourself and start living it. If you’re already happy, keep living the lie.


If you lose faith in your Life Lie, don’t panic. Think about what really makes you happy, create a plan to achieve that happiness, and start working towards the plan. A Life Lie is merely a more accurate description of a life dream.


Thomas Jefferson said that the greater part of our happiness and suffering is caused, not by physical pain or pleasure, but by our hopes and fears. Knowing this, you can make yourself happy and avoid suffering.


By creating a beautiful Life Lie you can fill your life with hope and purpose. You can avert the paralyzing uncertainty of reality. You can live a life of ignorant bliss.Even if your Life Lie isn’t real, your happiness is. In the end that’s all that matters.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

need AA for my addiction!!

Once upon a time there was Meteor Garden..then the likes of Queer as Folks, The OC, Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives, Entourage, Vegas, Prison Break, etc. etc....

As I thought the DVD series epidemic had passed...my dear mother introduced me to a Korean (I thought I would never ever like the Korean ones!!!) drama series..."Jumong - Prince of the Legend". At first I thought it was silly...but now I have to admit that I'm addicted to this Jumong...in our house it's THE dinner time conversation..and believe it or not..even for my dad!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen...allow me to introduce to you all..."JUMONG" - hope to spread the addiction... - I kinda need a friend to go to (KD)AA (Korean Drama Addiction Anonymous).
WARNING: IT'S 80 HIGHLY ADDICTIVE EPISODE!!! - DON'T MOCK! IT MAY BACKFIRE!!
Title: Jumong - Prince of The Legend
Broadcast network: MBC
Broadcast period: 2006/05/15
Episode : 80
Director : Lee Ju-hwan, Kim Gun-hong Lee Ju-hwan, Kim Gun-hong
Writer: Choi Wan-kyu, Jung Hyung-soo
Main Cast:-
Han Hye Jin as Soh Suh No
Song Il Gook as Ju-Mong
Kim Seung Soo as Dae-So
Hu Joon Ho as Hae Mo
SuKyun Mi Ri (견미리) as QueenOh
Yun Soo (오연수) as Lady Yoo
HwaJun Kwang Ryul as King Geum
WaSong Ji Hyo as Madam Yhe (Yesoya)
Park Tam Hee as Seolran
Synopsis:
“Magnitude is about to start.”

You are about to go back to the time of Goguryeo, a time which was bigger than now.‘A time when our nation was the most beautiful’, ‘A time when our nation was the center of the world’. Have you ever met such a time?! dares to journey into a time no one has ever gone back to. The most surprising time in history has come back 2000 years later, a time when the nation made China fall down to their knees and when we fought other nations without any fear.
Meet a hero bigger than the myth.Alexander, Genghis Khan, we have the hero who overwhelmed his generation and changed history, Jumong! Up to now we have been used to dramas dealing with the history of kings and knights but now we are about to challenge in creating a drama with the birth of a true hero. A name only remembered as a myth. Get ready to meet Jumong, the hero who opened up the skies of the Old Joseon, which was once ours, by fighting thousands and thousands of armies.
Meet the love even bigger than the history.‘Love’ seems to be the one common denominator across people of all generations and nations. ‘Love’ gets swept away with the waves of time and also gets hurt with biased views in societies, but it also creates a new kind of history by wrestling against adversity and the trials of time. True love, which is uncommonly seen in history, is re-drawn through the drama of our once forgotten history.Through the wisdom and courage of Korea’s first queen So Seo-no…

my baby brother, a man now



The wedding was 24 March 2007...the honeymoon's done..the moving house's done...and now, they are going to have a baby...Dini's pregnant!!!!

Boy or girl? - our family wants a girl since we are male dominated...the other side wants a boy since they are female dominated...all daugthers and a grand daughter...

Can't wait to shop for baby stuff....

Good luck bro!!!

Saturday, May 12, 2007

a wish...a hope...dream come true...


"All I ask of you..."

Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Lyrics: Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe

Show: "The phantom of the opera" (1986).


Raoul:

No more talk of darkness,forget these wide-eyed fears;I'm here, nothing can harm you,my words will warm and calm you.Let me be your freedom,let daylight dry your tears;I'm here, with you, beside you,to guard you and to guide you.


Christine:

Say you'll love me ev'ry waking moment;turn my head with talk of summertime.Say you need me with you now and always;promise me that all you say is true,that's all I ask of you.


Raoul:
Let me be your shelter,let me be your light;you're safe, no one will find you,your fears are far behind you.


Christine:
All I want is freedom,a world with no more night;and you, always beside me,to hold me and to hide me.


Raoul:
Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime;let me lead you from your solitude.Say you want me with you, here beside you,anywhere you go, let me go too,that's all I ask of you.


Christine:
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime.


Together:
Say the word and I will follow you.Share each day with me, each night, each morning.Christine
Say you love me ...


Raoul:
You know I do.


Together:
Love me, that's all I ask of you ...
Love me, that's all I ask of you.

me in SWA

Lia Sunarjo
Kamis, 15 Februari 2007
Oleh : Farida Nawang Nurini.

Sejak Lia Sunarjo menjabat General Manager awal 2005, kinerja Young & Rubicam Wunderman – agensi periklanan multinasional – semakin kinclong. Perusahaan yang hadir di Indonesia sejak 2004 ini langsung masuk peringkat 12 dan tumbuh 40% dari tahun 2005-2006. “Target pendapatan kami tahun 2007 tumbuh minimum 27%,” katanya. Bahkan, ia optimistis bisa lebih dari angka itu. Kuncinya? “Tetap kerja keras dan komitmen dengan klien. Kami belum pernah kehilangan klien,” kata ibu dari Reihan ini.
Kelahiran Sydney, 7 Januari 1972 ini memang selalu serius membina hubungan dan kemitraan dengan klien. Prinsipnya dalam membina hubungan – seperti dinasihatkan ayahnya – harus selalu memberi nilai tambah. “Selain bekerja dengan passion, kami selalu berusaha memberikan solusi atas tiap problem. Kami ingin mereka bukan hanya good for the brand tapi juga good for the growth of business,” papar pendiri Yayasan Aprecac ini. Agar dipercaya klien, ia berprinsip tidak serakah dan menipu. Dengan cara ini, ia mengaku hubungan dengan klien dekat sekali; dan klien seperti Holcim, Ford, Singapore Tourism Board, Caltex, Good Year dan lain-lain tetap loyal. Sebelum terjun di periklanan, Lia pernah malang melintang di dunia perhotelan dari bekerja di Hotel Hyatt Singapura, Shangri-La Jakarta, Hotel Mulia Senayan dan salah satu resor di Bali. Ia pernah menjadi Manajer PR dan Eksekutif PR terbaik. “Tapi ternyata di industri ini saya tidak bisa berkreasi, padahal saya termasuk orang yang meledak-ledak kreativitasnya,” ucap Lia. Untung, ia diajak bergabung dengan Euro RSCG AdWork, akhir 1999. “Saya menemukan dunia saya,” ujar Lia. Seperti mendapat energi baru, kariernya pun langsung menanjak dari sebagai Manajer Senior Account, Direktur Account sampai General Manager pada 2003. (swa)

why I love them both...

Marc Jacobs and Prada...do you actually still need a reason why?




who can pass all of this great fashion???



It always feels good to talk about fashion...well, at least for moi...
but besides this 2 designers..I have a couple of things that makes me happy..especially during the "shopping fund" low season...
Chilly Crab at "My mum's cuisine" at Paragon, Singapore...Ben's & Jerry's ice cream...

....a chilled glass of Cosmo...proven to cure all negative emotional turbulence within one's soul....



a great book or movie (below are my fave - worth to check out guys!!) will take my mind off the low "shopping fund" season...plus anything from Ken Hirai on my Ipod...

Monday, May 7, 2007

24 hours in Singapore - what to do?????

I discovered that there are allot of things you can do in Singapore...and you don't actually feel exhausted caused you're not being rushed. Actually, it felt more like you've been there for 4 days. See how 2 working mom's managed to squeeze "a girls weekend out" in their hectic business schedule.

The plan was to watch the famous "Phantom of the Opera" at Esplanade. Buying the tickets for the show was an experience by itself. I bought my first e-ticket through SISTIC. It's really easy!!..no need travel agent laaaaa...(even though I didn't care about the price or even the seating's as I just wanted to ensure that I get tickets for me and Febby - she will meet me straight from her biz trip in Mumbai - I can't fail!!!). I also bought my first SQ ticket through the web!!! Fantastic!! No hassle at all..a bit more expensive but its OK. Only the hotel I booked via travel agent..the very helpful and friendly "Shilla Tour".

I arrived at Changi Airport at noon on Saturday...checked in..surf the net and at around 4pm went out to Takashimaya to just look around and at 6pm took a cab to pick up Feb at Changi...

She arrived at 7pm..we went straight to Red House at East Coast Seafood Center..yum!!..we ordered Chilly Crab, Baby Squid, Prawns and Kangkung..plus mantao..totally yum!!


After feeling completely happy and full, we went to the hotel as Feb needed to take a shower after her India trip.

Soon after, at around 10.30pm we went down to Mustafa where Feb bought the Sony Cybershot camera that she wanted to buy at Changi but was sold out. It was kinda our first time in Mustafa. Great bargain!! as we managed to get the camera at a price of USD 70 cheaper than in Jakarta. Mustafa is a unique shopping mall...it's 24 hours...and the stuff are cheap and basically you can find anything you want from electronics till groceries. Unbelievable!

At 1.30am we went back to the hotel..ordered wine and my fave cosmopolitan...and took a shower..and zzzzzzzz...

We woke up at 8am the next day and went out to eat breakfast the local style. A taxi driver took us to a hawker center behind IKEA. We ordered roti prata, roti kaya, and coffee..we only spent S$7 for both of us...yum..



We shopped at IKEA till about 11pm..checked out at 12pm..and left the hotel for Esplanade at 12.30pm.


Voila!!! The Esplanade...






We had tea first before the show at this posh tea room "V"...

"Phantom of the Opera" is a fantastic show...no words can even describe it...it's brilliant!!

After the show, we took an MRT to Paragon as the taxi stand queue was !@#$#^&*...the stroll to the station was great.

We met up with a friend of ours at "My mum's cuisine"...and ordered the best chilly crab ever..plus kangkung belacan and prawns....see the photo's and you'll believe how great the crab tasted...




We tried chilly crabs at "No sign board", "Red House", "Jumbo"...and "My mum's cuisine" tops them all...it's heaven!!! - and the cute thing about this restaurant located at the basement of the Paragon, is the design...it's totally retro..






We had everything we wanted...so now it's time to call Mr. David our taxi driver to take us to the airport...but of course get our bags at the hotel concierge...(it's always nice to have a taxi driver that you can trust)





See..if you have only 24hours to spend in Singapore...don't worry, it is possible..and it's definitely fun!..but make sure you plan your itinerary in advance and know exactly what you want...try it!! - at 10pm we were back home..in Jakarta..

Well, Febby told me that it was her best 24hours she had experienced in her life!!!