Arti rapat diluar

Menurut survey oleh Genesys Conferencing di Inggris Raya sana, seringkali para pekerja disana berdalih rapat di luar pada hari Jumat sore demi kencan dengan pasangannya atau pergi belanja. Sementara hari Senin pagi pas untuk membolos demi mengurus anak. Lain lagi dalih rapat di hari Rabu, biasanya alasan ini dipakai untuk pergi ke wawancara kerja di tempat lain.

Entah di Belanda atau di Indonesia, apakah juga kira² trendnya sama?

Yang jelas saya jadi ingat akan seseorang yang tiap hari Rabu pergi minum² dalam rangka pendekatan, entah sengaja atau tidak, tapi kalau dipikir-pikir pendekatan kan mirip wawancara kerja juga ya:)

Burung Gereja

Kadang kala saya tidak habis pikir bila membaca berita tentang para pecinta binatang. Contohnya apa yang terjadi di Belanda minggu lalu. Ceritanya begini, stasiun TV SBS6 menjadwalkan pada hari Jumat lalu acara Domino Day, memecahkan rekor dunia menjatuhkan domino. Nah selama berbulan-bulan puluhan sukarelawan bekerja mengatur jutaan domino. Tapi rupanya selama persiapan itu ada seekor burung gereja yang jail, yang menjatuhkan ribuan domino yang telah disusun dengan susah payah.

Setelah diusahakan dengan berbagai cara untuk mengusir si burung yang tidak juga mau berhenti jail, maka diputuskan untuk menembak burung tersebut dengan peluru karet. DOR! Dan matilah ia.

Tapi rupanya urusan dengan si burung tidak berhenti sampai disitu, banyak organisasi pecinta hewan protes, bahkan gosipnya ada yang akan balas dendam segala. Bayangin aja, cuma karena burung gereja satu kesannya seluruh Belanda jadi gonjang ganjing. Sampai² perusahaan Endomol yang punya hajat memutuskan untuk membuat sebagian porsi acara Dominoday untuk memperingati matinya si burung jail! Belum lagi ada site yang dibuat untuk mengucapkan belasungkawa atas kematian ini.

Yang bagi saya konyol dan tidak bisa dimengerti, beberapa waktu lalu di Rotterdam ada seorang anak yang dibunuh semena-mena tapi kayaknya koq Belanda adem ayem saja, orang tidak ribut beropini seperti kasus burung ini. Apa sekarang harga seorang anak manusia sudah sedemikian terdevaluasi sehingga orang lebih perduli akan seekor burung gereja jail?

Word(s) of the week 46

Ok, I am going to tell you some Russian slang that I was told not to be use by a nice girl ;)

Pizdato (adv): (f**king) good; fantastic
khue"vo (adv): (f**king) terrible

example:
kak dela? how are you? (this part is still polite)
+pizdato (f**king) fantastic
-khue"vo (f**king)terrible

An email I wouldn't want to receive... EVER!

I was browsing at futureme.org when I stumbled across the most disturbing email I've ever seen:


Yes, it's a suicide note. According to the dates, it was written more than a year ago, and was delivered last summer. So it's a done deal.

I kept on wondering, was it really true, I mean did that guy really mean every words he wrote? Did he manage to end his life? How would his mom react when she got his email? G_d, I wouldn't wish my arch enemy to experience such a thing! As the admin of that website had access to his email, and if (s)he happened to read it on the day it was written, what would that person do with that information? What would you do if you were the admin?

Banking with the government

I've noticed years ago that if you didn’t file your tax return in the same year, you get more money from the Dutch Treasury. The interest at 5% is much higher than from the commercial banks (around 3.25% at this moment).

It seems that some of Dutch firms realized this loophole, and started paying too much tax in order to get more return by 'banking with the government'.

Now, Dutch Finance Minister, Zalm, said in his weblog that this kind of practice needed to be stopped as quickly as possible. Judging by the rate of bureaucracy in Holland, I don’t think He can put a stop to it within this tax-year.

Blast from the past

Folks at futureme.org have a neat idea: sending email to the future.
You can send your future-self, or anyone you want in the future for the next 35 years!
(Forbes also has more or less the same service, but you can’t sending it to a specific date)

Most of the emails I’ve read are birthday wishes, New Year wishes or full of encouragement. I found one email from a guy confessing his feeling to a classmate to be sent in 2007! Imagine by the time that girl receive the mail, there’s a chance that he would probably feels differently about her… but I guess at least he got it off his chest. More power to him. I don’t think I would have the guts to do it.

I wish there’s a way of emailing to the past me. Because I definitely would send my past-self emails full of dos and don’ts, advice who or what I should care and not care about. But then again, maybe sending email to my futureme would remind me where I’ve been… as my memory fails.

Back Dorm Boys!

Thanks to Shinta I saw this videoclip of Back Dorm Boys this morning, and it just made my day!

These two Chinese lip-synching students (Wei wei 189cm and Huang Yi Xin 173cm), along with their roommate (Xiao Jing) who always plays computer games (Counter strike?) in the background are majoring in sculpture at Guangzhou Arts Institute. It is said that Motorola China use one of their spoof video to promote their product!

I, for one, think they are talented, and very funny. Their performance are even better then the real Backstreet Boys:) Just look at those faces... need I say more?

It's in the eyes

I was at a Chinese doctor's office for hours the other day. It was my second time meeting the doctor, and in both meetings she asked me where I am coming from. When I said I am from Indonesia, she said, “You are pretty, and looked like a Chinese girl". I am not kidding, that's what she said; I apparently looked like a CHINESE! I think it's the first time I heard it from a Chinese person. Before, some people (read: European, African or Middle Eastern) think that I am from Thailand, or The Philippines, and occasionally they think I am Chinese.

Granted I have slightly slanted, almond-shaped eyes that are getting narrower each time my glasses are getting thicker, and almost straight hair. But my skin is not yellowish like (most of) Chinese. Mine is more like the color of biscuits, at least that's how I see it :) The color goes darker in the summer as I get burn rather easily and it turns lighter during winter months. I know some of you who have seen me in person would argue about it, well, you can call it whatever you want, mocha, chocolate milk, anything... for me: it's biscuits. You know, it looks sometimes like burned biscuit, and sometimes like proper Verkade biscuit you bought at your local supermarket. :D

I found her comment quite interesting, especially for as long as I can remember I was always teased by friends and family as 'Hitam' (Indonesian for black). So, being told that I am looking like Chinese is whole new experience even though my dear friend teased me that yes, I looked like Chinese, the one from countryside :)

Finally...

...it's already November. Phew! If only I could skipped October....