wiputra.com

This site will no longer be updated as my personal site. Instead, please go to http://p.wiputra.com for my personal blog.

After much delay, I finally get a chance to post another entry in this blog. And trying to post for the first time from my trusty E63.

How did I manage to take some time off to take care of this business? After all, post-teens-camp in June 2009, I started sparing my Saturdays for the teenagers, while during weekdays the project in the office is starting to take off. So I have absolutely no time to sit in front of the computer to blog.

Well,… I’m sick today, my uric acid condition spiked up during the past week and it culminated into a swollen right foot and drug-induced sleepyness. That’s why druing this time off I would like to take care of the business that I have left afloat for 6 months.

By now, my Wordpress installation is over 1 year old. After this posting, it is time to update the installation. Adios!

Posted by Wordmobi

In Indonesia, if you want an event to start at 7pm, you better put the invitation for 6pm. If you put invitation for 7pm, most people will show up at 8pm. I have observed this over the course of 17 years that I managed to spend in my beloved country, and I’m sure many people will agree to pull such a stunt when organizing an event.

I’m not talking about being 5 or 15 minutes late. I’m talking about an hour, sometimes two, half a day, or they even forget about appointments altogether that the other party has to waste a whole day just waiting in vain while reading months-and-years-old magazines in the waiting room (yeah, personal experience while trying to get a pitch in a project)!

Some argue it’s a cultural thing. We as a nation are especially bad at keeping time, no matter what our race, religion, and/or other identities. My own family often arrives at wedding ceremonies over an hour late. I have witnessed an Indonesian diplomat abroad getting complaints for not being able to arrive on time for appointments. I have seen numerous times, one person putting an entire working team in jeopardy because he/she has “family matters” that he/she needs to take care of (yeah, people get away too easily with that reason, because their managers are ethically bound not to probe into personal matters). Even worse, I have seen one person hold an entire team so that he/she can have some time to eat or chat.

The other version of this scenario is that one person has become unavailable due to “family matters” or other issues that take higher priority. However, this person does not let his/her team know that he/she has become unavailable UNTIL the time of the appointment! And I’ve seen key persons do this too! Imagine 20+ people in a room, waiting for a key person. How much effort was wasted getting people together? Each person probably took some kind of transport, which costs money to operate and time to travel. Multiply that time over a whole nation, and you get how much time and money are being wasted! And that does not include any other amenities like food, or other opportunity costs.

I personally think it’s just a stupid bad habit that, over time, has become culturally ingrained. Every single person thinks the other person is going to be late, so he/she tends to relax and not keep time. This is especially true, too, if the person has “higher” rank in an organization (yeah, that’s the same person who made me wait for a whole day in the waiting room and read years-old Salvation Army bulletins).

If you’re reading this and think you’ve done some of the things I mentioned above, please, please I beg you, plead to not do it again. Indonesia deserves more prudent time keepers, otherwise this nation will always waste time (and therefore money) and will always fall behind the great powers of the world.

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Those 3 days of teens’ bible camp felt like one very long day with a couple of two-hour breaks in between 20+ hours of sessions.

But what was more important wasn’t the time I spent, but how I have witnessed empowerment from God, coming down in the form of somewhat rowdy but highly energetic teenagers of Surabaya, Bali, and Makassar. When I listened to them singing in sessions, accompanied by a hand-beaten drum and acoustic guitars… just the songs they sing are worth the fighting that we have all endured for the past 3+ months.

(The girls at work, at the preliminary fundraising subproject for the tri-city Teens’ Bible Camp 2009, way back in early April 2009)

Not to mention the extent and the topics of which the speakers discussed on. Their discussions are down to earth, and would have fit well even for adults.

(Ida briefing some of the group facilitators, just days before the camp. I was away taking care of the booklet with Gide)

I could not find great words to describe the experience. It was so exhilarating, that when I thought of the events leading to the camp itself, I’d say, well, I’ll do it all over again if I were given the opportunity.

(The large group picture, with the hills of Mount Bratan as backdrop, and with everyone wearing the signature yellow T-shirt, signifying ‘Be the Light’ theme – I must say well done to Gide for such a great picture)

One thing I regretted was not having enough time to socialize with the teenagers (other members of the work team enjoyed being amongst teenagers, because it’s what they were supposed to do). But in the midst of hectic and compressed schedule, it was hardly a priority. There were many, many other things to take care of.

There were, of course, little things that went out of control. We are not a perfect bunch. Nobody is. I told a story to the church attenders about me being left behind by the bus that was supposed to take me to the site, and how just five minutes after I learnt of my little oopsie, one of the speakers, Preacher Albert Rumbo, called me out of the blue to ask me to join him in his car. I arrived no later than 15 minutes after the kids arrived.

The projector screen was also left behind and only arrived with the last wave of the transportation. This led to the first session using a makeshift screen from white cardboards.

(Preacher Albert Rumbo speaking about being the light of the world. On the left / behind, one of the musicians worked together with a working team member to fix the makeshift projector screen made of white cardboards. The actual projector screen had just arrived prior to this picture being taken, and there was not enough time to install it properly)

But overall, all of the objectives of this camp were met. Many accepted Lord Jesus Christ as their saviour for the first time, many returned home with a promise to renew their lives, to forgive their parents, and with a strengthened desire to serve the Lord. The local Bali satellite was also grateful to welcome one of the teens who gets the calling from within to serve God full-time.

I am grateful for God’s constant presence throughout the preparation and the execution of the camp. In a way, the camp mega-project also strengthened me. Now there’s just a couple of sub-projects left to take care of… the presentation video and the conclusion and disbanding of the work team.

We are counting days towards the teens’ regional camp (Surabaya – Bali – Makassar). Despite some of our shortcomings, we have managed to keep the preparations underway, and I witnessed the energy level going up high tonight when the MC’s, singers, and musicians practiced.

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You’re my God
You’re altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me

I can’t say that the preparation has been straightforward. There were big moments of emotion, serious illnesses and ailments, cases of overlook, of personal confrontations, of lack of leadership projection (yeah, my mistake, I know… I still have a lot to learn as a leader), and the ever-broadening scope of the event. But thanks to God’s grace, we are now only 3 days away from the camp, and counting down.

I must say that during the music practice sessions I feel like I went backwards in time. It was a time when I just started serving the Lord, first through the beats I created, and later with guitar (I can’t believe it has been 11 years! No, 12!)

Despite all that scenery, laughter, and great great music, we are committed to one goal, and that is to empower the teenagers who are coming… so that they become the light of the world. But what we did not realize, is that we too, are becoming that light in the process. This preparation for camp has forced us to:

• Learn the contents of the Bible not so often ventured on during our Sunday masses.
• Establish contacts with new local businesses.
• Realize that the most resilient type of music is one that does not depend on electricity.
• Push ourselves to the limit in general.
• Last but probably the most important, it brought us together as one, and with our Lord J.C. a lot more often than usual.

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The busy schedule did not stop us from visiting our sick brothers and sisters. We, too, as brothers and sisters in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, must not forget that we will not be who we are without our friends and family. Even though they may be sick, but they are with us in their prayers.

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Thank you Lord, for my 28th birthday. Thank you for the opportunity to treat my friends to a pizza dinner, so they can be happy before going to the “war” that’s only 3 days away. Thank you for allowing me to witness Your grace while preparing for this camp. Thank you for the great teammates who can be depended upon. Thank you for the infusion of the Perkantas team. There are so many more thank-you’s to be prayed for…

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As of late, I have a lot of things flying and floating around in my brain, so rather than blabbering about the same stuff over and over again, I decided to write a lighter post today. Just a summary of thoughts:

• My girlfriend had a motor accident on Saturday. She’s fine now, apart from minor injuries and a sprained leg (or so it seems; we have been so busy going around to make ends meet for the Surabaya-Bali-Makassar GII Hok Im Tong teens’ camp (first large camp to be held outside Bandung, apparently) – so busy that we can not even find the time to go to the doctor and check up)
• Work has been drowning and droning… but that’s work.

(Day job: Getting rid of bugs – TFK (tukang foto keliling))

• The teens’ camp project is suffering from one classic project problem: scope creep, or what the computer industry knows as ‘creeping featurism’. It started as a Bali-only teens’ camp, but since we invited Surabaya and Makassar satellites, the size of the budget has ultimately gone up 3x fold from Rp 15 million to Rp 40 million – not including the subsidized plane tickets and pre-camp and post-camp accommodations, which can ultimately reach Rp 100 million. That’s a lot of undertaking for a n00b amateur event organizer like me…
• Met my ‘uncle’ from Canada (he is not related by blood, but he and my father used to be business partners and are now good friends) last Friday – and brought my girlfriend with me, too.

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(Honey, there’s a dog in my coffee! – mesinkopi.blogspot.com)

Mitrais provides seven condiments that the people can choose to their liking for their coffee/tea break:

• Tea (the Lipton yellow-label variety)
• Milk (your standard-issue Dancow variety)
• Instant Coffee (don’t know what brand, but most likely Nescafe)
• High-Grade Coffee (one with strong flavour and lots of grain – a local Balinese specialty)
• Sugar
• Chocolate (Milo)
• Non-dairy creamer

This is my personal mix:

• 2 tsp milk
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp chocolate
• 1/2 tsp instant coffee
• 1/2 tsp creamer
• Just enough water for a usual cup of coffee (175ml)

A rich and creamy blend that is perfect for relaxing a mind that has strained from coding… well, no fancy frothy bubbles, chocolate on top, or any accompanying chicken salad sandwich, but what can you expect from the office, anyway? (We go to the office to work, not to make coffee)

I try to keep it under two cups a day. If I want more, I usually take the tea instead.

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(YoBaMaH in action during our debut in Mitrais new building grand opening celebration – and first decent photograph of me playing saxophone, believe it or not)

I think YoBaMaH has successfully started a new Happy Hour trend in Mitrais: music entertainment. Last Friday was a happy and entertaining one, accompanied with great music, great requests, and features a great poem from a fine gentleman to a fine lady that he admires!

Next week we are hoping to bring in some dangdut elements, although to be honest I still have no idea how to operate the PSR-2000 so it can produce a dangdut routine. I have very little time left to do any decent information digging when out of the office.

The Telkomsel Flash service has deteriorated very badly as of late, too; perhaps a flock of migrating IM2 clients are back and jamming the network. That is certainly not helping, even if I can manage to slot in the time to do some research during my off-peak hours (not that I can – I could hardly find time to sleep even for the past couple of weeks. Thank God it’s Thursday and it’s the ascension day of Jesus Christ!).

And a 3-1/2″ floppy disk drive… who has a floppy disk drive these days? I need one. If you have one that you want to get rid of (a working one, obviously), please contact me.

Too bad this happy hour fun won’t last forever, as Bayu and I are being relocated to Sanur office.

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OK I’m off to prepare myself to go to an outdoor sermon, held yearly by GII Bali on the ascension day of Jesus Christ. Happy Thursday for those of you celebrating this extraordinary day.

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I often frown or smirk at people who insist on going to some kind of café or fancy restaurant for their weekend getaway, or places where one can spend his/her hard-earned money. Or people who insist on getting the latest mobile phone or MacBook Pro, even though their last one is still in like-new condition (believe me, people like this DO exist!). Or people who generally would sacrifice their savings for a little bit of prestige, or what Indonesians call gengsi. I don’t think these people have learnt the real value of identity (or money), and as a result, they probably will never get beyond what they already have (unless they can somehow find a rich significant other… but then, if the other guy/girl was even only slightly smart, he/she would run away as soon as these people approach them).

I had my dinner at Moro Seneng yesterday, a rather ordinary, streetside bakso/noodle shop that only offers bakso and mie ayam as their menu. You probably won’t find it in any Bali food map or other fancy restaurant reviews, but as simple as they may seem, they taste great. And guess what, I bet you will never find them in the streets of Sydney or Vancouver (or even if you manage to find something similar, they won’t taste half as good). Best of all, a bowl of noodles cost Rp 5000, a mere 50 cents in the land of Canada. Complementing is a glass of fresh-squeezed tangerine, served hot for those rainy evenings, priced right at Rp 2000 too.

Great noodles, great drink, great price. No gengsi, but who cares about prestige anyway? Sometimes a simple pleasure is best.

(Well, not the noodle dish that I mentioned above… this one was from circa 2003, back when I was still a student, with no money and lots of frozen veggies left over in the freezer. Great dish for those cold Vancouver winter evenings.)

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And instead of spending all of your hard-earned money to pamper yourself, why not donate it to a local charity? (Advertisement: Mitrais’ own YKIP.org takes both money and volunteers to help both victims of Bali bombings and the poor and undereducated children of Northern Bali… give some of your money or time for their cause, and you’ll get that loving warmth from your own glowing heart! – YKIP should pay me for this… haha…) You’ll be doing yourself a lot of good (do believe what your priest/pastor/imam/guru/other religious teacher says: too much money in your hands is not going to do you much good), and also spread the goodness to the people who actually do need the money. And you keep the wheels of economy turning too! (ironically, to get out of economic recession, people must be willing to spend money…)

No I’m not against going to cafeteria… I love going to cafés and restaurants. It’s just that I think some people have no idea what they are really after in life, that they end up barking on the wrong trees.

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You may not believe how many fronts I am active in. Last Friday I came home exhausted from work – I had agreed to become a speaker for a community designated for agile methodology and experience exchanges, for topics related to game development (although I am honestly relatively inexperienced in the world of software development, lest game development!).

I tried to prepare for the presentation days before, but I had been occupied with the preparation of the teens’ camp. I tried to start the slides on Thursday, but my brain refused to cooperate. I was exhausted.

There was also a bazaar at the church on Sunday, and we had to prepare for it on Saturday. But I was so tired from the Friday ordeal I just had to find myself a place to crash, and there I was, napping on the floor of the church, for about half an hour or so.

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I am covertly preparing for the next happy hour performance. I am looking for a book of printable lyrics. No, not websites. Printable books. It is surprising there is a wealth of information out in the Internet, but nobody has seriously bothered to create printable materials, perhaps like PDF. I think it is most likely an issue of copyright, traffic and stuff like that, or it can also be the fact that printable books cost human resources. (But come to think of it, if there was any human who gets this job, his/her job would be to just copy and paste from the website to a blank Word document… every day, for 8 hours a day. What a boring job!)

Why am I looking for books of lyrics? Well, so that people can sing along with the correct words, you know, just like karaoke! The worst thing to overcome from live performance is that we can not remember words… (that’s why karaoke is everywhere, I guess).

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And of course, work is as challenging as ever be. (Well, work HAS to be challenging, otherwise it’s probably not worth working for it)

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I know, I’m doing too many things. That’s one of the reasons I dropped photography for the time being. I just don’t have the time to walk around and take pictures any more, let alone arranging a photo session!

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I play guitar, keyboard, and saxophone (and possibly even more – I own a cheap Balinese flute too, but never learnt how to play it seriously – perhaps I should start). But out of all the instruments, I still choose saxophone. Why?

• Saxophone evolves. It started out as a band instrument, in the orchestra. But its true potential was realized in the 1920’s when it started being played in what was considered then as the roots of jazz. Very much like our lives, which has to evolve towards the better, not just for ourselves, but for others as well!
• Saxophone leads and depends. It can stand on its own when being played, but when playing in a band, it leads… and it depends on a great band to provide the base on which the sax melody can be heard out well.
• It may have a majestic body, be it gold, silver, black, or any other colour of your choosing, but like great women, the definition of the body does not define the sound; the heart of the instrument (the mouthpiece and reed) does!
• Saxophone is “low-maintenance”. You can forget about it when you are busy, but when you return to play it, you will still hug it and love it.

I currently own a Conn-Selmer tenor saxophone TS-700. I had a Polish-made Boosey & Hawkes alto but I sold it to get the TS-700 (I kinda regretted that move, actually… but I guess it’s for the better). I plan to expand my saxophone collection to contain the most popular triplet: tenor, alto, and soprano.

And yes, I still have no time to play it regularly.

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… and so it all started on Friday, 8pm. I had been looking for an issue in the code that I worked on. Turned out it was some kind of eisenbug, or perhaps a group of bugs collectively from my code and the libraries I was using. But I made it. A fully working web service, with database support, servlet, and GWT-based client. All in just three days of work. OK maybe more than three, strictly speaking, with 1 day being 8 hours of work. I know it may not be a big deal for the more senior developers, but I:

• never programmed a web service before, even though I know its architecture in theory
• never used GlassFish in my entire life before
• never programmed an Access database service before, even though I’ve done Oracle and MySQL
• never programmed JSP in my entire life
• so many more “never done it before”’s.

So yeah in the past three days I learnt quite a few things. Not bad, a few more things under my little black hat, perhaps soon there won’t be any part of this hat (read: hair) left

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… and then that performance with the all-acoustic band on Saturday afternoon. We came up with a weird name “YobamaH” – members’ names put together. We practiced once… they scheduled more practice, but I could not attend because of clash with other scheduled regular events. But after the performance on Saturday, I feel that I should spend more time with this band. We probably won’t go further than the walls of Mitrais, but who cares. This isn’t about fame. It’s about being able to enjoy music for what it is. It’s a chance to grow and nurture this one particular talent God has given me… well, even though I kinda dislike the fact that the other three members of the band smoke regularly.

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Then the discussion in the youth group of GII regarding post-modernism. Granted it was a far-and-wide topic, but the session made me curious and confused. So many elements in my life are somewhat already influenced by this “post-mo” movement; cleaning up is probably hard, if not impossible…… (but one has to stay optimistic, for he is led by God!)

I had to lead the pack for the teens’ camp, but I was already exhausted from the gruelling day (and I had no time to stop and rest). I crashed in my bed at 11pm, and did not wake up until 7:20am on Sunday.

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I had promised to go to the church on Sunday to help out preparing for the teens’ fundraising program. At exactly 7:30am, after a very quick shower, I took off on the Vario to the church. The ride was 15 minutes long, and I carried my Yamaha keyboard with me, as it was my turn to play at the teens’ worship service.

The worship finished at 11, but immediately I was invited into the church council meeting, to present the latest in the preparation for the three-state teens’ camp (Surabaya-Bali-Makassar; yeah it is quite a massive undertaking, never done before in our Bali church with limited human resources…). So the whole ordeal ended at around 2:30pm. I slept through the rest of Sunday, after two-and-a-half days of non-stop activities.

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… and some of you were still asking why I don’t blog much, or spend more than an hour on Facebook?