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Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Clan

Yay... I have joined a WarCraft clan :P. Last Friday night, I went to Interville (that's the name of the game center in my apartment) playing DotA. I have been there twice. I used Demon Witch all the time, and as usual my killing stats were pretty good :). Then on midnight, there's a clan versus clan game, and I quit because they usually want a private game. But surprisingly I was invited by Ronald (the clan leader) to join them because they need one more person. By the way, in DotA game, a team consists of 5 peoples. So I joined them. I used Ezalor, and bought my teammates lots of stuff. Although our team was defeated, but it was a good fight. Ronald then offered me to join their clan :).

So, yesterday night I was with them practicing in Interville. I used Sand King for the first time. Because previously I always use Demon Witch, which requires great micro-control, then using Sand King was quite easy. But I still need more practice to get the 'right feeling' when to charge, when to hold position, and when to run away. We won the game quite easily (my team mates were very solid). Then we switched side. Now I'm on Sentinel side, and I chose Crystal Maiden. Our strategy is "Vengeful Spirit - Crystal Maiden duet": Vengeful Spirit will swap with an enemy hero, and then we both use our stun on that unlucky hero and usually got an easy kill. There were only three of us versus four. It's quite imbalance at first, our base tower got destroyed. But after we all got the "Black King Bar" item (that's an item that makes you invulnerable to magic for 10 seconds), we could fight back, and finally won the game :), yippeee... So I came home at 00.30 AM exhausted but very satisfied :). Last night, I have learned much being part of a team. I learned how to charge together, retreat together, buy a friend the items he needed, and sometimes die for the sake of your team.

We were challenged by a clan on this Thursday night, and another clan (the more powerful one) on Friday night, and I was invited to join them to defeat these clans. I can't wait to see what happens. Please pray for my "first career" in clan, will ya? Hehehe...

Friday, September 23, 2005

Why Men Don't Listen & Women Can't Read Map

Hmmm... Interesting theories :)...

Inti dari buku ini adalah bahwa cowok dan cewek itu sebenernya telah berevolusi secara fisik tapi masih membawa kebiasaan dari cowok-cewek jaman purba. Pas jaman purba kan cowok berburu, cewek tinggal di gua. Cowok melindungi, cewek mengurus anak. Sebagai akibatnya, tubuh dan otaknya pun berkembang mengikuti kebiasaan jaman purba ini.

Selama jutaan tahun, struktur otak cowok dan cewek terus berubah dengan caranya masing-masing. Sampailah kita pada jaman modern ini, di mana ternyata cowok dan cewek itu berbeda dalam memproses informasi yang masuk ke otaknya. Jalan pikirannya memang berbeda. Pengertiannya akan suatu hal pun berbeda. Persepsi, prioritas dan tingkah lakunya juga beda.

Kasus mentega di kulkas
---
Setiap cewek di dunia pasti pernah mengalami ini. Kisahnya berawal dari cowok yang berdiri di depan kulkas yang terbuka...

Cowok : "Menteganya mana ya?"
Cewek : "Di dalem kulkas"
Cowok : "Nggak ada tuh" - sambil celingak-celinguk ke dalem kulkas...
Cewek : "Kok bisa nggak ada? Dari dulu juga ditaruh di kulkas"
Cowok : "Mana? Nggak ada. Gue udah cari. Nggak ada apa-apa tuh di kulkas"

Terus si Cewek akhirnya harus ikutan ke dapur ikutan ngelongok ke kulkas dan ... secara ajaib bin sulap, tangannya udah megang mentega. Apa komentar selanjutnya dari si Cowok? "Ditaruhnya di situ sih... terang aja tadi nggak keliatan!"

Kejadian semacam ini juga terulang kembali, ketika si cowok mencari selai Strawberry dan tidak ketemu. Dia hanya menemukan selai Nanas, padahal selai Strawberry itu ada di belakang selai Nanas... Cowok kadang ngerasa cewek suka ngerjain mereka dengan cara ngumpetin barang-barang di laci atau lemari. Baik itu mentega, selai, gunting, handphone, kunci mobil, kunci rumah, dompet - semuanya sih sebenernya ada di situ. Tapi entah kenapa mata cowok kayaknya nggak bisa ngeliat.

Alasan sebenarnya adalah karena cewek punya jangkauan sudut pandangan yang lebih besar daripada cowok. Bila diukur dari hidung, bisa mencapai 45° ke arah kiri-kanan-atas-bawah, bahkan ada yang mencapai 180°. Jadi cewek bisa liat isi kulkas atau lemari tanpa menggerakkan kepalanya. Sementara cowok kalo ngeliat sesuatu lebih terfokus dan otaknya memproses seolah mereka ngeliat dalam terowongan yang panjang. Alhasil, mereka bisa ngeliat jelas dan akurat apa yang ada tepat di depan mata dan jaraknya lebih jauh, hampir mirip seperti ngeliat lewat teropong.

Penelitian lain juga mengungkapkan bahwa otak cowok mencari kata M-E-N-T-E-G-A atau S-T-R-A-W-B-E-R-R-Y di kulkas. Kalo kotak mentega atau botol selainya salah arah, udah nggak keliatan deh. Makanya selama mencari kepalanya celingukan terus karena berusaha menemukan benda yang 'hilang' tersebut.

Sebenernya ada implikasi lain dari perbedaan besar sudut pandang ini. Dengan sudut pandang yang jauh lebih besar dari cowok, mata cewek bisa ngelaba tanpa perlu takut ketahuan. Sementara kalo cowok, udah pasti kena tuduh atau ketangkep basah kalo matanya lagi jelalatan. Penelitian mengungkapkan bahwa: mata cewek ngeliat bodi-bodi cowok sama seringnya, bahkan lebih sering, daripada cowok ngeliatin bodi-bodi cewek. Tapi, dengan daya pandang yang jauh lebih superior, cewek jarang ketahuan...

Kenapa Cewek Bisa Ngomong Terus ?
---
Dalam struktur otak cewek, kemampuan cewek untuk berbicara terutama ada dibagian depan otak kiri dan sebagian kecil di otak sebelah kanan. Sementara buat cowok, kemampuan berbicara dan bahasa itu bukan kemampuan otak yang kritis. Adanya pun cuma di otak kiri dan tidak ada area yang spesifik. Jadi jangan heran kalau cewek seneng ngomong dan banyak pula yang diomongin, karena kedua belah otaknya mampu bekerja sekaligus.

Otak cowok itu terkotak-kotak dan mampu memilah-milah informasi yang masuk. Di malam hari, setelah seharian penuh aktivitas, cowok bisa menyimpan semuanya di otaknya. Sementara otak cewek tidak bekerja seperti itu - informasi atau masalah yang diterimanya akan terus berputar-putar dalam otaknya. Dan ini nggak akan berhenti sampe dia bisa mencurahkan isi otaknya alias curhat. Oleh sebab itu, kalo cewek bicara, tujuannya adalah untuk mengeluarkan uneg-unegnya, bukan untuk mencari kesimpulan atau solusi.

Cewek juga berusaha membangun hubungan lewat pembicaraan. Rata-rata cewek bisa bicara 20 ribu kata dalam sehari. Sementara cowok hanya sekitar 7 ribu kata sehari. Perbedaan ini kelihatan jelas ketika jam makan malam tiba. Cowok sudah menghabiskan 7 ribu katanya dan nggak mood untuk bicara lebih lanjut. Persediaan si cewek tergantung dari apa yang sudah ia lakukan sepanjang hari. Kalau dia sudah banyak berbicara dengan orang lain hari itu, dia pun akan sedikit berbicara. Kalau dia tinggal di rumah saja, mungkin ia sudah menggunakan 3 ribuan kata. Masih ada 17 ribu lagi!

Cowok cuman bisa melakukan satu hal pada suatu waktu! Semua penelitian yang ada menemukan bahwa otak cowok lebih terspesialiasi, terbagi-bagi. Otak cowok berkembang sedemikian sehingga mereka hanya dapat berkonsentrasi pada satu hal yang spesifik pada suatu saat, sehingga sering mereka bilang mereka bisa ngerjain semuanya tapi 'satu-satu donk'.

Kalo cowok minggirin mobil untuk baca peta, biasanya dia juga akan ngecilin suara radio atau tape. Banyak cewek yang bingung kenapa. Kan bisa aja baca peta sambil denger radio dan bicara. Kenapa cowok bersikeras ngecilin suara TV kalo ada telepon? Atau kadang cewek suka bingung "Kalo dia lagi baca koran atau nonton TV, kok dia nggak bisa denger tadi gue bilang apa?"

Jawabannya adalah karena sedikit sekali jaringan yang menghubungkan otak kiri dan kanan cowok, sehingga kalo cowok yang lagi baca koran atau nonton TV di-scan otaknya, kita bakal tau bahwa dia seketika itu juga jadi tuli. Sementara otak cewek punya konstruksi yang memungkinkan cewek melakukan banyak hal sekaligus.

Cewek bisa melakukan banyak hal yang sama sekali nggak berhubungan pada waktu bersamaan, dan otaknya nggak pernah putus, selalu aktif! Cewek bisa bicara di telpon, pada saat yang sama masak di dapur dan nonton TV. Atau dia bisa nyetir, dandan, dengerin radio dan bicara lewat hands-free. Bayangin aza si Epe yang lagi telp pake HP-nya terus sambil melakukan sesuatu yang laen (misalnya makan atau masak). Kalo dia cuma bisa melakukan 1 hal pada suatu waktu, wah gawat, bisa kebakaran jenggot kali, nanti kerjanya cuma telpon terus dong, he he.

Lain halnya dengan cowok, pernah terjadi juga kejadian begini. Si Cowok emang udah lapar banget dan dia makan dengan lahapnya di meja makan. Nah, kebetulan di atas meja itu ada beberapa surat yang hari itu dikirim untuk setiap penghuni flat. Sambil si Cowok makan,tangannya membuka satu amplop surat, maksudnya ingin makan sambil baca surat miliknya... tapi apa yang terjadi, cowok itu salah buka surat, dia buka surat orang lain, he he he, bener-bener dah terbukti kalo "Man can't do more than one task at the same time".

Tapi karena cewek bisa pakai 2 sisi otaknya secara bersamaan, banyak cewek yang bingung ngebedain kanan dari kiri. Sekitar 50% cewek nggak bisa secara langsung nunjuk mana kanan dan mana kiri kalau ditanya. Tapi cowok bisa secara langsung mengidentifikasi kanan dari kiri. Sebagai akibatnya, cewek sering dimarahin cowok karena nyuruh mereka belokin mobilnya ke kanan padahal maksud mereka sebenernya adalah belok kiri.

Strategi 'Sepatu Biru atau Emas'
---
Alkisah Bambang dan Fenny sedang siap-siap untuk pergi ke pesta. Fenny baru aja beli baju baru dan pengen banget keliatan cantik. Dia pegang 2 pasang sepatu, sepasang warna biru, sepasang warna emas. Lalu dia bertanya ke Bambang, dengan pertanyaan yang paling ditakutin cowok, "Bang, yang mana yang musti Fenny pake dengan baju ini ya?" Keringet dingin Bambang mulai keluar. Dia sadar sebentar lagi bisa muncul salah. "Ahh... umm... yang mana aja yang kamu suka Sayang," gitu jawab Bambang. "Ayo donk Bang," kata Fenny lagi,nggak sabaran, "Yang mana yang keliatan lebih bagus ... yang biru atau yang emas?" "Kayaknya yang emas deh!" jawab Bambang, dengan gugup. "Emangnya yang biru kenapa?" tuntut Fenny. "Kamu emang dari dulu nggak pernah suka sama yang Biru! Aku beli mahal-mahal dan kamu nggak suka, kan?". Bambang dalem hatinya mungkin udah dongkol, "Kalo nggak mau denger pendapatku, kok tadi nanya!". Bambang pikir tadi dia disuruh menyelesaikan suatu masalah, tapi ketika masalahnya sudah ia selesaikan, Fenny malah kesel. Fenny sebenarnya sedang menggunakan bahasa yang tipikal cewek alias cuman cewek yang ngerti: bahasa tidak langsung atau kerennya indirect speech.

Fenny sebenernya udah mutusin mo pake sepatu yang mana dan tidak sedang minta pendapat; yang dia inginkan adalah konfirmasi dari Bambang bahwa ia terlihat cantik.

Memang cewek kalo ngomong biasanya menggunakan indirect speech alias memberikan isyarat tentang apa yang sebenarnya dia inginkan. Tujuannya adalah untuk menghindari konflik atau konfrontasi sehingga bisa terjalin hubungan yang harmonis satu sama lain. Indirect speech biasanya menggunakan kata-kata seperti: 'kayaknya', 'sepertinya' dan sebagainya.

Ketika cewek bicara menggunakan indirect speech ke cewek lain, tidak pernah ada masalah - cewek lain cukup sensitif untuk mengerti maksud sebenarnya. Tapi, bila dipakai untuk bicara dengan cowok, bisa berakibat fatal.

Cowok menggunakan bahasa langsung atau direct speech dan mereka mengambil makna sebenarnya dari apa yang orang lain katakan. Tapi sebetulnya dengan sedikit kesabaran dan banyak latihan, cowok dan cewek bisa kok belajar untuk mengerti satu sama lain.

Jadi kembali ke persoalan sepatu biru atau emas, bagaimana solusinya untuk kaum cowok? Sangatlah penting bagi kaum cowok untuk tidak memberikan jawaban secara langsung. Bila kita re-wind situasi tadi, Bambang harusnya bertanya, "Kamu udah milih yang mana, Sayang?" Dan jawaban berikutnya biasanya, "Ehm... Aku pikir aku bisa pake yang emas ..." karena memang pada kenyataannya Fenny udah milih yang emas. "Kenapa yang emas?" tanya Bambang, sambil tersenyum cerdik. "Soalnya aku bakal pake asesoris warna emas dan bajuku ada pola keemasannya", demikian jawab Fenny. Bambang kemudian dengan yakin akan bisa menjawab, "Wow! Pilihan kamu bagus tuh Fen! Kamu bakal keliatan paling cantik nanti!" Dijamin malam itu Bambang akan sangat bahagia. Masih inget kan betapa frustasinya manusia terhadap pasangan lain jenisnya?? Nah tapi sebetulnya dalam hati kita tuh masih butuh pasangan loh.

Apalagi Tuhan sendiri kan yang pernah bilang "Tidak baik kalau manusia sendirian saja." Jadi dalam perjalanan hidupnya manusia terus mencari siapa pasangan yang paling cocok untuk dirinya, supaya bisa terus bersama-sama dalam jangka waktu yang panjang alias seumur hidup...

Sebetulnya apa sih yang kita inginkan?
---
Dalam suatu survey yang melibatkan lebih dari 15 ribu cewek dan cowok umur 17 - 60 tahun, terungkap apa yang cewek inginkan dari partner long-termnya dan apa yang cowok pikir cewek inginkan.

A. Yang cewek inginkan:
1. Kepribadian
2. Humor
3. Sensitivitas
4. Kepandaian
5. Bodi yang bagus

B. Yang cowok pikir cewek inginkan:
1. Kepribadian
2. Bodi yang bagus
3. Humor
4. Sensitivitas
5. Wajah yang tampan

Studi ini menunjukkan bahwa cowok sebenernya cukup mengerti apa yang cewek-cewek inginkan. Sekarang kita lihat apa yang cowok inginkan dan apa yang cewek pikir cowok inginkan.

C. Yang cowok inginkan:
1. Kepribadian
2. Wajah yang cantik
3. Kepandaian
4. Humor
5. Bodi yang bagus

D. Yang cewek pikir cowok inginkan:
1. Wajah yang cantik
2. Bodi yang bagus
3. Dada yang besar
4. Pantat yang ok
5. Kepribadian

Ternyata cewek kurang tahu kriteria yang cowok-cowok inginkan sebagai partner hidupnya. Cewek membuat asumsi berdasarkan tingkah laku yang mereka lihat atau dengar tentang cowok, yaitu cowok yang matanya terbelalak dan mulutnya terbuka kalau melihat bodi cewek.

Daftar A adalah kriteria jangka pendek dan panjang dari apa yang cewek inginkan dari pasangannya. Sementara untuk cowok, daftar D adalah apa yang dia cari pertama kali ketika bertemu dengan cewek, tapi daftar C adalah apa yang dia cari untuk hubungan jangka-panjang. Jadi gimana donk???

Jadi bisa disimpulkan kalo cowok-cewek itu memang makhluk paling unik yang Tuhan ciptakan, dan butuh pengertian dari kedua pihak supaya komunikasi dan hubungan cintanya bisa langgeng. Ada beberapa tips khusus nih:

Buat Cowok:
1. Buatlah lingkungan yang nyaman kalo lagi pengen mesra-mesraan. Cewek sensitif terhadap lingkungannya dan hormon estrogennya membuatnya sensitif terhadap cahaya. Ruangan yang agak redup membuat pupil mata mengecil, jadi orang bisa terlihat lebih menarik dan kulit-kulit yang kurang mulus atau berjerawat tidak jelas terlihat. Pendengaran cewek yang tajam berarti perlu musik yang tepat. Tempatnya pun harus bersih, yang tidak mudah diinterupsi orang lain.

2. Ajak makan, Sejak jaman purbakala cowok sudah bertindak sebagai pencari makan, maka sewajarnyalah membawa cewek pergi makan bisa membangkitkan perasaan cewek. Mengajak cewek makan malam adalah peristiwa penting untuk cewek, walaupun dia sebenarnya nggak laper atau belaga nggak laper (kan lagi diet!), karena penyediaan makanan menunjukkan perhatian cowok terhadap kesejahteraan dan kelangsungan hidupnya.

3. Bawalah bunga, Kebanyakan cowok tidak mengerti kekuatan dari seikat bunga segar. Mereka pikir, "Ngapain ngeluarin uang untuk sesuatu yang bakal mati dan dibuang dalam beberapa hari?" Lebih logis buat cowok untuk memberikan pohon dalam pot karena, dengan perhatian dan perawatan, pohon akan hidup - bahkan bisa dapet untung lagi! Seperti jualan mangga, duren, dsb. Tapi, cewek tidak melihatnya seperti ini - dia pengen seikat bunga segar sebagai tanda bahwa si cowok punya perhatian untuknya. Setelah beberapa hari, memang bunganya akan mati dan dibuang, tapi ini memberikan kesempatan untuk si cowok membeli seikat lagi dan memberikan perhatian lagi ke ceweknya.

4. Bahasa tidak langsung. Indirect speech adalah bagian dari cewek dan untuk membangun hubungan dengan cewek, cowok perlu mendengarkan dengan efektif, sambil mengeluarkan 'bunyi mendengarkan' seperti "O...,", "Ehm", dan bahasa tubuh yang tepat. Tidak usah memberikan pendapat atau solusi atau kelihatan bingung. Kalau cewek pengen curhat karena punya masalah, teknik yang harus dipakai cowok adalah dengan bertanya, "Kamu mau aku mendengar sebagai cowok atau cewek?" kalau dia bilang sebagai cewek, dengarkan aja dan beri dukungan moral. Kalau dia bilang sebagai cowok, bolehlah tawarkan beberapa solusi.

Buat Cewek:
1. Jangan interupsi kalau cowok lagi ngomong. Kalau ingin berkomunikasi dengan cowok, strategi jitunya adalah jangan menginterupsi kalau dia sedang berbicara. Sebenarnya ini sulit sekali untuk cewek, karena buat cewek ngomong rame-rame itu membangun hubungan dengan sesama dan menunjukkan partisipasi. Cewek juga terdorong untuk mengalihkan pembicaraan supaya si cowok kagum dengan pengetahuannya yang luas atau untuk membuat cowok merasa penting. Padahal kalimat-kalimat yang dikatakan cowok biasanya berorientasi pada suatu solusi dan dia perlu menyelesaikan kalimatnya, kalau tidak pembicaraan tersebut akan kehilangan
maknanya.

2. Bahasa langsung. Supaya mendapat perhatian dari cowok, beritahukan apa yang ingin dibicarakan dan kapan, dengan kata lain buatlah agenda. Contohnya: "Aku ingin bicara sama kamu soal menangani masalah dengan bosku di kantor. Apakah kita bisa bicara setelah makan jam 7 malam nanti?". Ini lebih menarik untuk cowok, membuatnya merasa dihargai! Diam saja atau mengggunakan bahasa tidak langsung hanya akan membuat cowok merasa disalahkan dan mereka menjadi defensif.

3. Bagaimana memotivasi cowok, Cewek biasanya menggunakan kata "bisa": "Kamu bisa telpon aku nanti malam?" "Kamu bisa jemput aku?". Ini akan diterjemahkan cowok sebagai tantangan apakah dia bisa melakukannya atau tidak, tapi sama sekali tidak ada komitmen untuk melakukannya. Mereka kadang merasa dimanipulasi dan terpaksa memberikan jawaban "ya". Untuk memotivasi cowok, gunakan pertanyaan langsung untuk mendapatkan komitmennya. Contohnya, "Nanti malam kamu telpon aku kan?" menuntut komitmen untuk malam ini dan cowok harus menjawab "ya" atau "Tidak".

4. Cowok tidak suka diberi nasihat, Cowok perlu merasa bahwa ia mampu memecahkan masalahnya sendiri. Mendiskusikan masalah dengan orang lain akan membebani orang tersebut. Dia bahkan tidak akan menceritakan masalahnya dengan temannya, kecuali jika dia pikir temannya punya solusi yang lebih baik. Ketika cewek berusaha membuat cowok menceritakan masalahnya, cowok menolak karena ia melihatnya sebagai sikap mengkritik, atau ia merasa bahwa cewek itu menganggapnya tidak kompeten dan ia punya solusi yang lebih baik dari si cowok. Padahal kenyataannya, maksud si cewek adalah untuk membuatnya merasa lebih baik dan sama sekali bukan tanda-tanda kelemahan. Jadi jangan beri nasihat ke cowok kecuali diminta. Katakan saja bahwa kamu yakin dia mampu menyelesaikan masalahnya.

Catatan kecil:
Walaupun penulis artikel ini cewek, artikel ini ditulis dengan bahasa langsung, tidak ada maksud-maksud terselubung di baliknya. Nama-nama yang disebut di atas adalah fiktif, kesamaan nama dan tempat hanyalah kebetulan belaka. Isinya jangan 100% dianggap benar, terutama tipsnya, karena ini semua tergantung pada species cowok - cewek yang lagi didekati. Dan setiap penggunaan kata cowok atau cewek maksudnya adalah cowok dan cewek pada umumnya.

Kalau ngerasa nggak seperti yang dideskripsikan, patut bersyukur donk, berarti anda memang unik dibanding yang lain.

- Di sadur dari: "Why Men Don't Listen & Women Can't Read Map" by Allan & Barbara Pease

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Wasting Leave

Today we're supposed to hanging around Puncak or Bandung. We have planned it last week. Since Astri was busy being tortured by her boss, she couldn't make it. And Ario suddenly has to make some preparation for his sport organizer. That leaves Listi and me, already taken a day off, do nothing hiks... So I just spent it sleeping 16 hours, haha I think no one could beat me in amount of time spent on sleeping. Back in the last couple of years, I could sleep almost two third of my trip on bus, and that's about um 3 days of sleeping hehe...

Got up at 7 pm, make dinner, then go to Game Center near my home. Right now, I'm waiting for the current game to finish, then I could join the next game :).

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Chrno Crusade

Finally, I've watched all episodes of Chrno Crusade.

Here's the introduction story if you haven't seen it:
"The story begins in New York in 1924. Sister Rosette Christopher, a young novice nun from the Magdalan Order, a religious militaristic organization, and her assistant and best friend Chrno, a patient and kind hearted demon, are sent to different missions, consisting mostly in fighting the many different monsters that lurk in the shadows. During one of their missions, they met Azmaria Hendrick, a young girl with supernatural powers that is somehow connected to Joshua Christopher, Rosette's younger brother who was kidnapped several years ago by Aion, a former comrade of Chrno. Aion is an overly ambitious demon that has big plans for the future of the entire world and will go to any lengths to achieve his great "dream of freedom". To do this, he needs the help of 7 very special people. What exactly are Aion's plans, and what does he intend to do with Joshua and Azmaria's powers? Rosette and Chrno, along with Satella, a jewel witch who is also targeting Aion for personal reasons, are determined to find out, but they will have to face the dark shadow of Chrno's past first, a past that is now coming back to torment him and could separate Rosette and Chrno forever. Will the strong bond they share be able to survive the test? Will they be willing to pay a very high price in order to stop Aion and rescue Joshua and everybody else?" - www.chrno-crusade.com

And here's one "analysis" about the relationship between Rosette and Chrno I found interesting:
"I was very moved by the author's portrayal of their relationship. Unlike many shoujo or shounen mangakas I know, who equal love with sex or romance, Daisuke Moriyama (the author) seems to have a pretty good understanding of what love is really is. Indeed, the relationship between Rosette and Chrno is based on friendship and self-sacrifice rather than mutual attraction or idealistic "love at first sight" scenarios. Their love for each other also changes over time. It starts as a friendship between a lonely demon and a caring, innocent girl, but it grows deeper and deeper as the two of them mature and learn to trust each other. They are very different, and their relationship is not without faults, caused mostly by their nearly opposite personalities and their radically different backgrounds, yet they accept each other as they are and slowly learn to overcome their differences. Their relationship also evolves in a very natural way, without cheesy love scenes or sugary-coated dialogues. One of the main things that made me fall in love with this manga, in late 2001, besides the mixture of humor, action and drama of the first volume, was the personalities of Rosette and Chrno, the two main characters, and the way they interacted with each other. It was immediately clear to me that these two had something going on between them that was not mentioned in the first chapters, but I was rather surprised when I found out exactly what it was. These two obviously cared a lot for each other, despite their constant fights, but the bond between them proved to be a lot stronger than I imagined at first. For Rosette to be able to literally give her life to Chrno, and for Chrno to treasure it so preciously as to actually humiliate himself to remain in the form of a child and serve her unconditionally, despite being a powerful demon, requires an incredible amount of trust, generosity and most of all, love." - www.chrno-crusade.com

My comments:
The story takes place in the 20s of America where lots of ghosts and evil spirits terrorizing the major towns of America. Rosette, a nun from Magdalan Order, strives to help her brother that had been taken by Aion, the evil leader. Most people doesn't know about the Order that there's a demon working in the Order. His name is Chrno, and become the best friend of Rosette. Along their journey, they make friend with the adorable apostle, Azmaria. When we get to episode 7, suddenly everything goes into chaos, with the appearance of Aion. And in the last 3 episodes, when we finally reveal the story behind all of the characters there, you'll find it really takes your heart away, it's very sad. You must see by yourself!

Monday, September 19, 2005

Dreadful Days

Have you ever feels like you are going to the lowest point in your life? That no matter what you do, you can't make it right. You tried something, and it fails. You would like to move on, but you don't know which path to choose. You have something on yourself you would very much like to change, but unable to do anything about it.

Currently listening to an old song from Alanis...

"That I Would Be Good"

that i would be good, even if i did nothing
that i would be good, even if i got the thumbs down
that i would be good, even if i got and stayed sick
that i would be good, even if i gained ten pounds

that i would be fine, even if i went bankrupt
that i would be good, if i lost my hair and my youth
that i would be great, if i lost no longer crying
that i would be grand, if i was not all knowing

that i would be loved, even when i numb myself
that i would be good, even when i am overwelmed
that i would be loved, even when i was fuming
that i would be good, even if i was clingy

that i would be good, even if i losin' you
that i would be good, whether with or without you

- Alanis Morissette

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Spirited Away

Yesterday night, I watched Spirited Away with my friend, Erwin Rasad. To my surprise, he liked it. I myself has watched it like two or three times, and still find myself enchanted in the story.

The story is about a spoiled little girl Chihiro that about to move to her new home with her parents. In the middle of their journey, they trapped in a sort of "spirit world". In this world, she must save her parents that have been transformed into pigs. Chihiro is frightened and run off. When a boy finds her, he tells her that she must get a job at "The Bath House", a sort of bath house for god spirits. But to do this, she must speak with Yubaba, the witch who rules the bath house. After Yubaba agrees to give Chihiro some work, she takes her name away from her. And she is then called "Sen". While she's at the bath house, she is put under very hard work. And I won't tell you what's next :b.

It's an enchanting and heartwarming story. By the way, it won the Oscar in 2003 for the best animated feature. And got many other awards for the film, music score, and director. If you had not see this anime, you must see it yourself!!

If you have watched the movie and would like to find out what's your character in the movie, go to: http://guru.theotaku.com/view.php?action=retrieve&id=75. My character is Chihiro by the way, I guess I'm as lazy as her haha :b.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Minggu Ini

1. lo berapa bersodara?
>> 3

2. pernah broken HomE?
>> ga

3. loe punya kakak?
>> punya satu

4. lo manja ga si?
>> ga

6. yanG bikin lo happY?
>> game pasti!!!

7. sekaraNg lo nGrasain sesUatU?apa?
>> kok di sini dingin bgt ya? apa gara2 orang2 pada ga ada semua?!

8. sekarang lagi ngapain?
>> lagi di toilet *plak*, ya ga mungkin lah... di depan komputer pasti, ngetik ini *doh*

9. lo Pernah kEhilangan hp?
>> sekali. hiks... untung dah ada backup address book *fyuh*

10. yang paling mEnarik bagian kamaR loe?
>> hmm... tempat tidur, menarik bgt tuh sampe bisa tidur 16 jam kalo pas libur kekeke..

11. loe suka marah tanpa sebab?
>> ga lah, ngapain coba marah tanpa sebab?!

12. loE lagi nunggu syapa?
>> nunggu orang masuk, supaya bisa cepet2 switch ke "work mode" hahaha..

13. loE kalo tiDur jam berapa?
>> jam 12

14. bangun jam bRapa?
>> senin - jumat: 8 pagi, sabtu: 8 pagi juga (mau ke nexus soalnya ^_^), minggu: 6 malam (lho hahaha.. figure it out guys!)

15. loE udah pengen maRriEd?
>> belum

16. loE enjoy ama diri loe yang sekaraNg?
>> alhamdulillah

17. pengen ga si Punya cowo/cewe ?
>> belum

18. loe pUnya Pet's?
>> pernah punya ikan hias, tapi males ngurusinnya sampe jadi mirip aquarium lumut hias, maafkan ikan2-ku..

20. ngapain aja kalo dirumah lagi bete?
>> nonton dvd

21. kejadian akHir2 ni gimana?
>> ditinggal sendiri mengerjakan pekerjaan 5 orang di business development waaaaaa T_T

22. 1minGGu ini ada yaNg buat lo sakit hati?
>> lihat nomor 21 T_T

23. minggu ni gimana kEluarga lO?
>> baik2 aja

24.minggu ini hubungan dgn temen2 loe?
>> baik2 aja, cuman sibuk bgt sampe tadi kelupaan makan siang bareng, untung ada "delivery service" bu astri kekeke (sorry as, hehehe makasih banyak lho...)

25. kEhidupan cinta loE?
>> -_-

27. 1minggu ni yang paling lo seneng?
>> apa ya?? dapet "monster kill" ngebunuh 26 hero dalam satu game dota haha seru bgt tuh..

28. temEn2 lo pada Ngedukung geBetan/pacaR?
>> masalahnya siapa yang mau didukung nich hahaha...

29. 1minggU ni ada yang nEmbak lo?
>> hahaha untungnya tidak ;)

30. terima ga?
>> *gubrak* buset dah, lihat no 29

31. 1minggu ni loe sempet benci sesEorang?
>> ga

32. 1minggU ini kemana ajah?klo hari ini?
>> di kantor aja.. kalo hari ini ga makan siang keluar T_T, padahal makan siang itu saat yang paling ditunggu2 selama di kantor :(

33. 1minggu ni orang yang bikin lo senEng?
>> ga ketemu dg dia hiks

34. 1minggU ni temen yang paling deket ma sp?
>> temen sekantor, ketemu tiap makan siang dan pulang :)

35. kEjadian paling seRU?
>> dikasih setumpuk kerjaan yang harus dikerjain sendiri karena ga ada siapa2 yang bantuin huhuhu T_T

36. 1minGGu ni senEng dengerin lagu?
>> yup, pilih2in lagu buat ditaruh di blog

37. 1 miNGgu ini ManDi ga?
>> emang kuda?! ya mandi lah *plak*

38. 1minggu ni kEnangan paling indah?
>> nonton "one fine day" with my mom :)

39. 1minggu ni kepengen apa?
>> pengen tidur panjaaaaang, ga ngerjain apa2, trus nonton dvd sambil minum susu coklat hangat dibawah selimut *waaa... pengeen...*

40. 1minggu ni kEtemuan ma syapa?
>> ketemu dengan orang2 yang mengejar2 pekerjaanku T_T

41. 1minggu ni ngapain aja?
>> weekend ke nexus, minggunya ditempat temen, sisanya di kantor

42. 1minggu ni lagi jatUh cinta ga?
>> ga

43. 1minggu ni apa aja yang mEnarik bWt lo?
>> update blog bwahahaha...

44. tahUn baru kemaren kEmana?
>> 1 jan 2005: datang ke kantor client di kjo troubleshoot problem backup T_T

45. pUnya cewe/cowo ga'?
>> lagi maless

46. apa yang ada dalam oTak Lo saat denGeeer
kata "hot"?
>> kipassss!!! --> haha setuju durby

47. no. sepatu lo brapa?
>> 42

48. makanan paling Enak mEnurut lo?
>> fried chicken *nyam*

Men and Women

1. A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't want.

2. A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

3. A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

4. To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot & love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot & not try to understand her at all.

5. Married men live longer than single men - but married men are a lot more willing to die.

6. Any married man should forget his mistakes - there's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

7. Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed. Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

8. A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change & she does.

9. A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

10. There are 2 times when a man doesn't understand a woman - before marriage & after marriage.

My comments: Omg, it's very true... wkwkwk :)

Monday, September 12, 2005

Xian

Last Saturday, John and I didn't spend the night in Nexus. We stayed in Nexus until about 8 pm, then I came to John's house and stayed over. John showed me his favorite online game, Xian. He showed me the battle mode, the quests, the cities of Xian (they use the actual towns' name in China, Korean, and Japan by the way), and the trading mode.

On Sunday, when I got up, John had already started playing Xian. He did the trading and got 2 millions zin (that's the name of the currency in Xian). Although I didn't want to try it at first, John kind of forced me to try it T_T. Reluctantly I set up a Chinese character I named "JunZhu" (JunZhu is a chinese man worked across my workplace hahaha) and played about 4 hours while John was taking a nap. I did the massive trade with 5 cart-man, and have succeeded to gain 1 million zin just from 10,000 zin at the beginning (I got lucky haha...). I worked in other people's shop at first, then sold some fruits, and after I got enough money then I sold wooden ring and got many zin from it ;). I didn't know that all of them need food *doh*, and I didn't buy my hero a sword, that's why he died so often in the battlefield hahaha...

It's a quite exciting game, but I don't think I could continue playing it since I don't have online connection at home, so John please take care my character ok? hehe...

Oh by the way, if you'd like to try the Indonesian version of Xian, you could try download the game and play it for free (yes, there's no need for voucher or anything) on http://xian.boleh.com/. Piq, wanna try it? Yuks2 :)...

Friday, September 09, 2005

Karenai Hana

I've just put this song in my music collections. The song is one of the OST of Full Metal Panic anim. If you'd like to sing the song out loud :D, here's the lyrics:

"Karenai Hana"

Kokoro ni, chiisana, hana ga, saiteru,
Kimi kara, moratta, karenai hana ga,
Shinjiru koto mo, kowagaranai kurai,
Tsuyoku nareta kara...

* Kimi ni aete, ureshikatta...
Tsunaida te ga, hokoridatta,
Ima wa, betsubetsu no sora, miagete itemo,
Hora, arukeru...hitori demo...

Kanashii, toki hodo, warau, watashi o,
Nani mo, iwanai de, daite kureta ne,
Koori tsuita douaga, sotto hiraku you na,
Sonna, kigashita yo...

Kimi ni aete, ureshikatta...
Kodoku sae mo, wakachi aeta,
Ima mo, kono sora no shita, tsunagatte iru to,
Sou, omoeru...hanarete mo...

Arigato mo, ienakatta...
Yakusoku sae, dekinakatta,
Dakedo, ano hi to onaji, kaze ga fuitara,
Mata, kanarazu...aeru yo ne...

Repeat *


And here's the translations (it's kinda encouraging, don't you think?):

"Unwithering Flower"

A small flower is blooming inside my heart,
The unwithering flower you gave to me,
I was able to believe strongly enough in myself,
So I'm not afraid anymore...

* I was happy meeting you,
And proud of our holding hands,
Even though we look up to different skies now,
See? I can walk on my own now...

I laugh more during sad times,
To hide the pain I feel inside,
But you hugged me gently without saying a thing
I felt as if it were like opening a door frozen in ice...

I was happy meeting you,
Even though I could only share my loneliness,
Even though we're separated now,
I still feel that we're somehow connected under this sky...

I didn't say thank you...
I couldn't even promise...
However, like on that day, if the wind blows
Then I know we will surely meet again...

Repeat *

Continue study?

Yay, I've just got back from swimming with my friend, Imam, and his gf. She'll go to Japan tomorrow to continue her study in IUJ Japan majoring in MBA. She encouraged me to apply to universities and search the scholarship like her. And just last night, my mom told me to contact a friend of hers to ask information about scholarship in Malaysia. My parents seemed support me to continue my study. Hmmm... Maybe it's not a bad idea to improve myself a bit, step aside from work for a while, and continue my study. I don't know, I'll think about it.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

WarCraft DotA Fan Art

Hahaha... Very funny! If you played DotA then you know what I mean :).

"Aww, look at the cute kitty"


"Pudge and Techies"


"Bane and Tiny"


"Sand King n Shaggy Dog"


"The downside of Perma-invisibility"


"Conversation between Gondar and Clinkz under Windwalk"


Source: DotaPortal.com Fan Art

Personality Tests

===
Dominant Intelligence Quiz
http://www.blogthings.com/intelligencequiz.html

Your Dominant Intelligence is Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

You are great at finding patterns and relationships between things.
Always curious about how things work, you love to set up experiments.
You need for the world to make sense - and are good at making sense of it.
You have a head for numbers and math ... and you can solve almost any logic puzzle.

You would make a great scientist, engineer, computer programmer, researcher, accountant, or mathematician.

My comments: Whattt? I wish I could be a great gamers :(.

===
The World's Shortest Personality Test
http://www.blogthings.com/worldsshortestpersonalitytest/

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.
Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.
You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs.

For you, comfort and calm are very important.
You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.
You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

===
What's Your Hidden Talent?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourhiddentalentquiz/

You're super sensitive and easily able to understand situations.
You tend to solve complex problems in a flash, without needing a lot of facts.
Decision making is easy for you. You have killer intuition.
The right path is always clear, and you're a bit of a visionary.

My comments: At last... Killer intuition... I hope that's literally words, I want to kill those weak heroes kyahahahahahaha (evil laugh)... Can't wait this Saturday to play games :(

Monday, September 05, 2005

100 questions

Hmmmph... I'll try to answer these 100 questions from Avin. Better fill this than doing nothing at the office heheheh... *devilish grin*

01.Your name?
* kevin
02. Hobbies?
* programming (used to), playing piano, and now... games, games, and games!! *lol*
03. Gender?
* male
04. Primary school?
* sd muhammadiyah 01 medan
05. Height?
* 5 feet 9
06. Horoscope?
* aquarius
07. Secondary school?
* smpn 01 medan
08. Address?
* mediterania garden apt.
09. Email add?
* haritmonds at yahoo.com
10. Hair?
* short
11. Eye colour?
* very dark brown
12. Hair colour?
* black
13. Right or left handed?
* right
14. Marital status?
* "it's complicated" (says friendster)
15. Siblings?
* 1 older sister and 1 little sister
16. Last 4 digits of your mobile no?
* 9333
17. When's your Birthday?
* feb 16
18. Do you have a Car?
* still joki hehehe...
=====================
*Have you...*
21. Tried smoking?
* once a long time ago, but don't really like it
22. Drink alcohol?
* nope
23. Been hurt emotionally?
* yesss *boohooo*
24 kept a secret from anyone?
* yes
25. Been on stage?
* nope
=====================
*Favourites*
26. Color? dark blue
27. Food? fried chicken *yum*
28. Drinks? coke
29. Number? 16
30. Cartoons? see my friendster's profile
32. Song? see my friendster's profile
33. Movie? see my friendster's profile
34. Subject? math
=====================
*Right now*
36. Wearing? shirt
37. Hairstyle? i need a haircut now!!
38. Looking at? what else?! this questionaire of course, jeez...
39. Thinking of? dinner, i'm starved to death now grrr...
40. Listening to? chrno crusade soundtracks
=====================
*Do you believe in...*
41. Love? ... used to
42. Faith? ...yes
43. Yourself? ...yes
44. Ghosts? ...yes
45. Angels? ....yes
=====================
*In the last 24hrs...*
46. Worn jeans? no
47. Cleaned your room? hwaaa... i clean my room once a week hahaha...
48. Cried? no
49. Met someone new? no
50. Last person I talk to on the phone? this account manager from dumai
=====================
*Love life*
51. Do you have a GF/BF? nope
52. Have a secret admirer? hmmm... dunno, maybe *bwahahahaha* (just kidding)
53. Do you wanna get married ? not now :D
54. Do you plan on having kids? yes
55. How old you wanna be when you get married? i dunno, honestly
56. How old you wanna be when you have your child? 25?? DUNNO!!
57. How many kids do you want? 2
58. Would you have kids before marriage? nggg... tempting, but no thanks :)
59. Do you have a Crush? yessh
60. What do you want most in a Relationship? unconditional love
=====================
*Either one*
61. Pink or Black? black
62. Kiss or hug? both *big grin*
63. Summer or winter? winter
64. Sunny or rainy? snowy!
65. Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate
66. Hanging out or chillin`? chillin
67. Music or TV? music
68. Hamburger or Pizza? burger
69. Smile or Laughing? laugh
70. Sleeping or eating? sleep
71. Mc Donald's or KFC? KFC
72. Silver or gold? gold
73. Sunset or sunrise? sunset
74. On phone or in person? person
75. Diamonds or Pearls? diamonds
76. Adidas or puma? adidas
77. Band members or models? neither
78. slank - naif? GOD! NEITHER OF THEM!
79. sneakers - boots? sneakers
80. Jack daniels - Chivas regal? why??? do you have coke?
81. Citos - PS? PS
82. clubbing - live music? live music
83. Johnny Depp - Brad Pitt? hmm.. *shrug*
84. Angelina Jolie - Kate Hudson? angelina jolie
85. Kolosal/epic - romantic comedy? romantic comedy for sure *big grin*
86. sexy/naughty - kind/plain? sexy naughty *wakaka... these questions started to get out of line*
87. BMW - Mercedes? bmw
88. incubus - maroon 5? neither
89. Montreal - Toronto? none, i like more of mountainous places
90. long haired - bald? in between
91. pop - rock? pop
92. beach - mountain? mountain!! it's cold, a very nice place to relax yourself...
93. Pepsi - Coke? coke
94. DVD - cinema? dvd, but for some very cool special effect movies i prefer cinema
95. nokia - ericsson? nggg... xda?
96. 311 - hoobastank? neither
97. Asia - America? whatever
98. tattoo - piercing? ouch.. pass
99. american idol - canadian idol? neither
100.asking - answering? asking, then i don't have to answer heheheh

Happy Sweet Seventeen sis...

Two days ago, my little sister had her 17th birthday. They said that this is the age where you begin to start to be grown up. Congratulations sis, you're closer to become a "baba" hahaha! Hmmm... I'm thinking of finding a present for her. Maybe I'll buy the Studio Ghibli DVD collections, because she's a freak of Japanese Anime. We'll go to Ambassador today, so I'll search it there.

By the way, yesterday I watched Chrno Crusade episode 1 - 12. I borrowed it from John, the "anime leacher" of mine. The stories is about ghosts hunter from an elite organization, and our hero is this little girl who has the ability to hunt down the ghosts with her accurate shot. She made a friend with a demon boy, and an angel girl. The two of them always accompany and help her on her missions. The story is quite nice, I kind of like it.

Hmmm... what else?! Oh, John and I were going to Nexus again on the last Saturday. We played as a team at last. I used Crystal Maiden and Demon Witch as my heroes, and John used Skeleton King and that snake-like thingie hero (forget its name). We've won most of the games, and several times we lose but with a very good fight. So I'm quite in a good mood today haha...

I'm going to Ambassador now. See you later!

Friday, September 02, 2005

Movies

I'm sooo bored. Hmmm let's fill out some questionaires about movies (from avin):

+film terakhir yang loe tonton di bioskop?
stealth (one of the suck movies i've watched)

+film terakhir nonton di vcd/dvd player?
the sound of music (with my mom)

+film pertama nonton di bioskop?
jurassic park (during junior high)

+film pertama nonton bersama kel di bioskop?
jurassic park

+lebih suka nonton di bioskop or di rumah?
rumah. bisa lebih fokus soalnya.

+berapa kali dalam sebulan nonton di bioskop?
ga sering sih. kalo kebetulan barengan teman2 ya nonton, kalo gak ya gak (apa sih?!)

+bioskop fav loe?
eX

+lebih suka nonton or baca?
lebih suka nonton, dalam dua jam udah tau semua ceritanya kekeke... kalo baca mah bisa berhari2 baru kelar :).

+film fav loe sampai sekarang?
lihat profile friendster

+jenis film yg loe suka?
yang jenis film keluarga dan drama. soalnya biasanya karakternya bagus dan ceritanya bermakna (apa coba?!)

+film action terbaik versi loe?
lord of the rings

+drama terbaik versi loe?
dear frankie

+perang terbaik?
lord of the rings 2 (the two towers)

+komedi terbaik?
friends

+thriller terbaik?
hmm... ga terlalu suka nonton thriller...

+romantic comedy terbaik?
city of angels *tersedu*

+serial terbaik?
star trek voyager pasti!

+kartun terbaik?
disney's mulan 1

+musikal terbaik?
the sound of music, les choristes (the chorus)

+horror terbaik?
the ring trilogy versi jepang *waaaa seraaaaam*

+sci-fi terbaik?
star trek

+selain film2 yg isinya cerita, loe nonton film
apa aja?
film dokumenter bbc

+aktor fav?
tom hanks

+aktris fav?
liv tyler *love you liv*

+adegan fav? pada film apa?
di lord of the rings 3 (the return of the king):
- Theoden: Ride now... Ride now... Ride. Ride for ruin and the world's ending.
[He stops and prepares to face Sauron's army]
- Theoden: Death.
- Rohirrim: Death.
- Theoden: Death.
- Rohirrim: Death.
- Theoden: DEATH.
- Eowyn, Merry: Death.
- Theoden: Forth, Eorlingas.
*gila, keren bgt tuh yellnya!!*

+soundtrack film fav loe?
reflections (mulan)

+saat loe nonton or memilih film, hal apa yg
paling loe perhatikan?
teks-nya hahaha, selain itu ya karakter filmnya harus ada dan konsisten, jalan ceritanya logis, ada sesuatu yg bisa diambil dari film tsb buat kehidupan kita (wayyah)... udah ngelantur neh, dah jam 6 pagi, belum tidur. pulang ahh...

In Nexus

Now it's 5.40 AM. I've lost several last games to the sl@m team hiks... John always wanted to join the winning team (the sl@m team), darn! Aaargh, now I must go home defeated, hiks...