no connection

Gara2 spidi gw di rumah diblokir (ni lagi di w-net sebelah rumah), semua draft buat postingan di blog ini jd ga jls nasibnya, lbh sebel lagi oscar protes soal being kreatip. Halah.... kan blog itu sesuai dgn keinginan si penulis nya... lagian gw jg jls2 kasih tu sub title 'my scribble'. No time for 'philosophy' yet dude! Meanwhile, just accept my copy paste okay?!!

YES! Akhirnya... (hiks)

Bs juga gw menghilangkan my ‘Californian’ blues yg kerap nongol tiap hari Sabtu ataupun ketika gw inget topik yg diobrolin bareng dia waktu itu. Apa yg gw pernah bahas sm Iya ternyata benar, it’s just a temporary shock/feeling. Move along! Seperti kata si ‘All American Reject’ di lagu mereka. Tapi yg jelas, kejadian waktu itu memberi gw banyak hikmah yg ga ternilai dan mungkin aja ga akan gw alamin lagi. I’m ready for a change, I spoke to myself. He has opened my eyes. Kalo ada chance, yah.. go for it! Karena mungkin aja kesempatan itu ga akan dateng lagi ke diri lu. Yah... gw rasa, ga perlu gw tulis detil ceritanya di blog ini, let me keep it personal first ^^. It’s about time till I write about that thing. Makasih banget buat Asni, Dewi, n teh Iya yg udh mau dengerin curhatan gw tentang dia, hehe...

(look at) The bright side > God has opened my eyes thru him.

KULI ah!

When I went to BC's site for browsing, I found this one link. Nofie Iman, that's the name. I suddenly interested in reading one of his/her (dunno the gender yet :p) articles. It's about Education. Ok, without further do, just read the article below (taken from here)

Lulusan Jaman Sekarang

November 6th, 2006 | Education

Kita semua tahu bahwa pengangguran di negeri ini luar biasa besarnya. Kita semua juga tahu bahwa lulus dari perguruan tinggi (sarjana) ternama pun tidak selalu menjamin pekerjaan seperti yang diharapkan.

Ironisnya lagi, serbuan tenaga kerja asing yang merangsek ke negeri ini meningkat dengan begitu tajam. Menurut data Depnakertrans, pada tahun 2004 hanya ada 19.567 ekspatriat di negeri ini. Tetapi di akhir tahun 2005, jumlahnya sudah mencapai lebih dari 51 ribu. Sebanyak 59,86% dari jumlah tersebut menduduki jabatan profesional, sementara 32,47% memegang pucuk pimpinan. Tentu saja, mereka menikmati fasilitas dan gaji yang begitu wah.

Konsep Dasar

Menurut saya, idealnya perguruan tinggi hadir sebagai institusi pembangun linkage antara dunia sekolah dan dunia kerja. Perguruan tinggi menjadi jembatan yang mempersiapkan lulusan sekolah dasar-menengah menjadi personel yang siap pakai dan siap diberdayakan.

Lulusan perguruan tinggi kemudian memegang “tanggung jawab” sebagai pemberi value addedmeningkatkan value added perusahaan dengan menggunakan sumberdaya internal secara optimal serta memberikan feedback demi perbaikan perusahaan. bagi perusahaan. Lebih lengkap lagi, lulusan perguruan tinggi dituntut untuk bisa

Sayangnya, perguruan-perguruan tinggi di Indonesia tidaklah sama kualitasnya. Ada yang benar-benar highly-reputable, tetapi ada pula yang sekadar (maaf) menjual ijazah. Akibatnya, lulusan perguruan tinggi menjadi sangat besar variansnya.

Banyak perusahaan yang mengaku telah membatasi varians mutu lulusan dengan mengontrol beberapa variabel, seperti IPK di atas 3, akan tetapi hasil tes internal perusahaan menunjukkan bahwa varians mutu lulusan tetap lebar.

Akibatnya lagi, ada lulusan-lulusan yang berkualitas tetapi masih menganggur; dan ada pula lulusan-lulusan yang “so-so” tetapi sukses mendapat pekerjaan dan memberi “value added” yang destruktif bagi perusahaan.

Kalau situasi demikian tetap terus terpelihara, bukan mustahil pengangguran di tanah air akan terus meningkat jumlahnya.

Yang Mempengaruhi Mutu Lulusan

Kualitas input. Untuk top PTN di Indonesia, screening test (PMB) dilakukan dengan cukup ketat. Di samping itu, beberapa PTN juga membuka jalur penerimaan tersendiri yang kualitasnya lebih disesuaikan lagi. Tapi ada juga perguruan tinggi yang membuka jalur penerimaan yang “ala kadarnya”; semata-mata karena kekurangan mahasiswa. Kalau sudah begini, wajar jika kualitas lulusan kemudian “biasa-biasa saja”.

Kualitas dan kuantitas dosen. Ada dosen berkualitas yang mengajar dengan penuh motivasi dan memberi materi dengan begitu inspiring. Ada juga dosen yang hanya membacakan buku, bercakap-cakap dengan papan tulis, dan kurang memiliki dedikasi. Perguruan tinggi memiliki kontribusi terhadap baik-buruknya kualitas dosen lewat kebijakan pengangkatan, remunerasi, dan faktor lingkungan. Gap pengajar yang begitu lebar dan dosen yang miskin akan pengalaman praktis kurang baik efeknya bagi mahasiswa.

Sistem penilaian. Walau sudah diatur oleh Dirjen Dikti, perbedaan sistem penilaian di perguruan-perguruan tinggi begitu lebar. Ada yang mensyaratkan nilai C sebagai batas kelulusan. Ada yang mensyaratkan penulisan research report. Ada juga yang bisa lulus asal nggak bener-bener kebangetan. Akibatnya, nilai A di sebuah perguruan tinggi “biasa” mungkin hanya “setara” dengan nilai C di perguruan tinggi yang highly-reputable.

Teaching materials. Perguruan tinggi seharusnya didukung oleh teaching materials yang memadai. Sayangnya, membeli buku teks dan berlangganan jurnal ilmiah membutuhkan biaya tinggi. Di kampus kami, alhamdulillah banyak mahasiswa yang bisa menikmati buku teks asing yang bermutu dan akses terhadap jurnal-jurnal terkini. Apakah setiap perguruan tinggi bisa mendapatkan fasilitas semacam itu? I doubt it.

Kualitas sarana prasarana. Penyelenggaran pendidikan tinggi tidak cuma disediakan dengan adanya ruang-ruang kelas. Perguruan tinggi harus punya perpustakaan, ruang dosen, aula, musholla/ruang ibadah, ruang pertemuan/ruang sidang, ruang bagi kegiatan kemahasiswaan, restroom, pantry, tempat parkir, dan seterusnya. Apa setiap perguruan tinggi punya semua itu? Kalau iya, bagaimana dengan kualitasnya?

Kerjasama. Yang sering dilupakan, perguruan tinggi kadang terlalu angkuh dan percaya diri tanpa merasa membutuhkan bantuan pihak lain. Faktanya, kerjasama antara perguruan tinggi dengan dunia kerja, organisasi profesi terkait, dan bahkan perguruan tinggi lainnya adalah wajib. Idealnya, dosen tamu harus sering didatangkan, studi banding/site visit juga perlu dilakukan.

Masalah-Masalah Umum

Kalau faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi tersebut di atas gagal dipenuhi dengan baik, maka wajar jika lulusan-lulusan perguruan tinggi kualitasnya tidaklah seberapa. Apalagi jika mereka dibandingkan dengan lulusan-lulusan India atau Taiwan misalnya.

Kepercayaan diri. Sudah banyak dosen yang mengeluhkan rendahnya kepercayaan diri mahasiswa, baik itu kepercayaan diri secara umum, teknis, analitis, komunikasi, maupun kepercayaan diri dalam bidang lainnya. Contoh gampangnya, mahasiswa malas untuk bertanya/berkontribusi pada diskusi kelas. Sementara ketika ditanya apa mereka sudah faham dengan materi kuliahnya, lagi-lagi tidak ada yang menjawab. Kalau sudah begini, sulit sekali membangkitkan kepercayaan diri ketika mereka berada di dunia kerja.

Komunikasi efektif. Kebanyakan kegiatan perkuliahan cenderung dilakukan secara satu arah. Dosen dianggap dewa yang maha tahu segalanya. Akibatnya, mahasiswa merasa bahwa dosen adalah satu-satunya sumber ilmu. Akibat laten yang lebih parah, mahasiswa jadi minim dalam kemampuan komunikasi karena tidak terbiasa bertanya, berinteraksi dengan dosen, melakukan presentasi, diskusi kelompok, atau adu argumentasi.

Pengetahuan praktis. Banyak mahasiswa yang memiliki pengetahuan teoretis yang mumpuni namun tidak dilengkapi dengan pengetahuan praktis. Lucu jadinya jika seorang lulusan finance misalnya, tidak bisa memahami transaksi perbankan, praktek perpajakan, sulit merumuskan dan mempraktekkan feasibility study, tidak paham standar akuntansi internasional atau PSAK, tidak mengerti risk-based audit, dan juga praktek keuangan lainnya. Ibaratnya, mereka punya Ferrari tapi nggak bisa nyetir.

Presentasi dan kemampuan meyakinkan orang lain. Dalam dunia kerja, kemampuan presentasi, pitching, dan meyakinkan orang lain adalah skill yang mutlak diperlukan. Sayangnya, tidak semua kegiatan perkuliahan memfasilitasi mahasiswanya untuk melakukan presentasi. Sebagian mahasiswa memang terlatih dengan mengikuti kegiatan kemahasiswaan. Namun jumlahnya tentu tak seberapa dibandingkan jumlah seluruh mahasiswa yang ada.

Leadership. Seperti sudah disinggung di atas, mahasiswa yang pernah terlibat dalam organisasi kemahasiswaan sedikit beruntung karena memiliki tempat untuk mengembangkan kemampuan leadershipnya. Tapi, tentu tidak banyak lulusan yang sempat mendapatkan pengalaman leadership tersebut. Dunia kerja kini tidak lagi menuntut kinerja individual yang superior, tetapi lebih dari itu, kemampuan leadership dan teamwork yang mumpuni.

Keberanian dan etika. Sudah jadi rahasia umum kalau lulusan kita sering sungkan dalam mengambil keputusan berdasar sound business practice, corporate government, regulasi yang berlaku, cost-benefit analysis, project management, dan variabel lainnya. Namun, ada juga sebagian lulusan yang terlalu “berani” menembus batas etika bisnis maupun etika profesi yang seharusnya menjadi pegangan. Etika mutlak diperlukan agar kemampuan yang dimiliki tidak digunakan untuk hal-hal yang bertentangan dengan moral dan hukum.

Pengetahuan bisnis lemah. Sekarang jamannya globalisasi. Kita perlu memahami adanya transaksi keuangan dan pelaporan lintas negara, harmonisasi dan konvergensi antara satu kebijakan/satu negara dengan yang lainnya, dan ide pasar bebas (AFTA. EEC, WTO, dsb) yang semakin berkembang. Akibatnya, tanggung jawab seorang lulusan perguruan tinggi tidak melulu terbatas di bidangnya, tetapi juga memperluas ke luar daerah, mengarahkan orientasinya ke bisnis yang lebih bersifat strategik, dan bukan sekadar operasional atau taktikal.

Kemampuan bahasa inggris. Di sebagian perguruan tinggi, kemampuan bahasa inggris mahasiswa/lulusannya masih perlu dipertanyakan. Beberapa memang sudah mewajibkan skor TOEFL minimum dan memfasilitasi pendidikan/kursus inggris cuma-cuma bagi mahasiswa. Tapi respon dari mahasiswa belum terlalu baik. Padahal, kemampuan bahasa inggris mutlak diperlukan tidak hanya secara pasif, tetapi juga dalam presentasi, diskusi kelompok, penulisan laporan, dan sebagainya.

Komputer dan internet. Ini kisah nyata. Saya pernah bertemu dengan seorang mahasiswa S2 dari daerah yang tidak bisa mengoperasikan Microsoft Word dan bingung luar biasa dengan yang namanya internet. Tanpa bermaksud su’udzon, saya jadi bertanya-tanya, dulu gimana ya dia menyelesaikan skripsinya? Jangan-jangan…

Masalah persepsi umum. Ada sebagian profesi yang dicap negatif oleh publik. Akuntan misalnya. Dalam sebuah polling yang dilakukan suatu media, akuntan dianggap less trustedmark-up project untuk kepentingan kelompok/pribadi, menyusun studi kelayakan tanpa menghitung depresiasi agar cost tidak terlalu tinggi, atau membuat laporan keuangan yang menyesatkan investor/publik. Siapkah mahasiswa jaman sekarang untuk menghadapi persoalan semacam itu? daripada pengacara, politisi, dan jurnalis. Wajar memang, mengingat banyaknya oknum akuntan yang sering melakukan

Solusi

Kesempatan presentasi secara individual. Idealnya, kegiatan perkuliahan bisa memfasilitasi mahasiswa untuk melakukan presentasi, berdiskusi, melatih komunikasi, beradu argumentasi tanpa saling menjatuhkan. Lebih baik lagi jika kesempatan tersebut dilakukan dalam bahasa inggris.

Praktik simulasi bisnis. Khususnya di bidang bisnis/keuangan, perkuliahan banyak berkutat pada sisi teori dengan mengabaikan kemampuan praktis. Dengan praktik simulasi bisnis semacam itu, kemampuan teknis yang dimiliki akan lebih diarahkan untuk mengatasi persoalan (problem solving) dan membuat keputusan (decision making).

Integritas dan profesionalisme. Kemampuan untuk menegakkan integritas dan profesionalisme mutlak diperlukan karena seorang lulusan perguruan tinggi nantinya akan bertanggung jawab penuh pada perusahaan dan kepentingan publik (stakeholder). Mereka juga dituntut untuk tunduk pada standar profesi. Sayangnya, mata kuliah terkait dengan keagamaan, civics, etika, dan personality development seringkali dipandang sebelah mata oleh mahasiswa.

Suasana ilmiah yang terkondisi. Kuliah seharusnya bisa menjaga terpeliharanya suasana ilmiah. Dengan demikian, mahasiswa “akrab” dengan perpustakaan, familiar dengan dosen, betah berjam-jam nongkrong di lab, dan melakukan kegiatan ilmiah lainnya. Sayangnya, banyak mahasiswa yang hanya kuliah, bikin tugas, praktikum, lalu pulang.

Jangan jadi kupu-kupu. Seperti disinggung di atas, banyak mahasiswa yang jadi kupu-kupu: kuliah-pulang, kuliah-pulang. Padahal, ada baiknya spend some times di kampus untuk melakukan kegiatan organisasi kemahasiswaan, terlibat dalam kegiatan olahraga, menjadi asisten/tutor, magang dan terlibat dalam proyek penelitian, dan kegiatan-kegiatan positif lainnya.

Sikap mental positif. Dunia kerja penuh dengan tantangan dan tekanan yang saling berbenturan antara pihak-pihak berkepentingan (conflict of interest). Ada baiknya sejak dini disiapkan sikap mental positif seperti trust, image positif, integritas, profesionalisme, dan kredibilitas. Integritas dan kredibilitas, terutama, sangat penting untuk mengatasi masalah persepsi umum seperti tersebut di atas.

PS: Selamat bagi UGM yang masuk Top 100 Best University versi The Times. Semoga segera menyusul bagi universitas-universitas lain.

Theme songs

hiks... got two theme songs that really fit my mood and emotion a lot (oh well, at least since 6 days ago ^^); there are If you were my baby by Rick Price, and Andai dia tahu by Kahitna. Perhaps i'll be uploading the files later (or you can google them i guess, there are tons of links about for them). meanwhile, this is the lyric of a song by Rick Price.

*feeling head over heel SUCKS!

IF YOU WERE MY BABY by RICK PRICE I could dream my life away What would I care anyway It'd be so fine If you were my baby I'd be walking ten feet tall With your love, girl Why should I worry at all If you were my baby I'd never be lonely If you were my only love If you were my baby I'd take my last breath Before I would let you go And I promise I'd love you forever and ever If you were my baby We'd go walking late at night Count the starts up in the sky Just you and me If you were my baby Stop to kiss under a tree Listen to the sound of the whispering breeze If you were my baby I'd never be lonely If you were my only love If you were my baby I'd take my last breath Before I would let you go And I promise I'd love you forever and ever If you were my baby Oh, how wonderful life would be If you'd give your love to me Just to hold you endlessly Is all I'd ever need I'd never be lonely If you were my only love If you were my baby I'd take my last breath Before I would let you go And I promise I'd love you forever and ever If you were my baby Oh, if you were my baby If you were my baby

I 'HATE' him

I 'HATE' him!!!!!!! God... please erase him out of my head... please... it's better for me not to know him at all instead of feeling the butterflies on my stomach all the time (oh well, at least since two days ago) T_T.... Can i find someone like him in the future? [the one with 'religion' ^_- of course]

Bahaya Plastik

Awalnya, tulisan ini 'tersimpan' dgn baik di draft gw, tapi... kemarin sore, setelah gw ngobrol dgn seorang bule kesasar (yg awalnya mencari miniatur krakatau, ^^ cerita detilnya nanti lah) lumayan buka pikiran jg. Kami diskusi ttng banyak hal, terutama soal lingkungan (tentunya setelah mengetahui ternyata dia adalah seeorang mahasiswa S2, an engineer... and a researcher *phew-jarang2 gw ketemu org macam gini, hehe...) Cerita detil bagaimana bs sampe bikin postingan ini, finally was out of the draft ;p, nanti lah. Meanwhile, here's the article about plastic that I got from milis WWF-Indonesia Supporters

Hati-Hati dengan Bahaya Plastik! Pelajari Sebelum Terlambat

Sudah banyak orang yang memberi peringatan, rumor, gosip bahkan artikel majalah tentang bahaya plastik. Tetapi tetap saja hanya segelintir orang yang menggubris, peduli atau sampai meneliti lebih lanjut. Plastik adalah salah satu bahan yang dapat kita temui di hampir setiap barang. Mulai dari botol minum, TV, kulkas, pipa pralon, plastik laminating, gigi palsu, compact disk (CD), kutex (pembersih kuku), mobil, mesin, alat-alat militer hingga pestisida. Oleh karena itu kita bisa hampir dipastikan pernah menggunakan dan memiliki barang-barang yang mengandung Bisphenol-A. Salah satu barang yang memakai plastik dan mengandung Bisphenol A adalah industri makanan dan minuman sebagai tempat penyimpan makanan, plastik penutup makanan, botol air mineral, dan botol bayi walaupun sekarang sudah ada botol bayi dan penyimpan makanan yang tidak mengandung Bisphenol A sehingga aman untuk dipakai makan. Satu tes membuktikan 95% orang pernah memakai barang mengandung Bisphenol-A. Plastik dipakai karena ringan, tidak mudah pecah, dan murah. Akan tetapi plastik juga beresiko terhadap lingkungan dan kesehatan keluarga kita. Oleh karena itu kita harus mengerti plastik-plastik yang aman untuk kita pakai.

Apakah arti dari simbol-simbol yang kita temui pada berbagai produk plastik?

#1. PETE atau PET (polyethylene terephthalate) biasa dipakai untuk botol plastik yang jernih/transparan/ tembus pandang seperti botol air mineral, botol jus, dan hampir semua botol minuman lainnya. Botol-botol dengan bahan #1 dan #2 direkomendasikan hanya untuk sekali pakai. Jangan pakai untuk air hangat apalagi panas. Buang botol yang sudah lama atau terlihat baret-baret. #2. HDPE (high density polyethylene) biasa dipakai untuk botol susu yang berwarna putih susu. Sama seperti #1 PET, #2 juga direkomendasikan hanya untuk sekali pemakaian. #3. V atau PVC (polyvinyl chloride) adalah plastik yang paling sulit di daur ulang. Plastik ini bisa ditemukan pada plastik pembungkus (cling wrap), dan botol-botol. Kandungan dari PVC yaitu DEHA yang terdapat pada plastik pembungkus dapat bocor dan masuk ke makanan berminyak bila dipanaskan. PVC berpotensi berbahaya untuk ginjal, hati dan berat badan. #4. LDPE (low density polyethylene) biasa dipakai untuk tempat makanan dan botol-botol yang lembek. Barang-barang dengan kode #4 dapat di daur ulang dan baik untuk barang-barang yang memerlukan fleksibilitas tetapi kuat. Barang dengan #4 bisa dibilang tidak dapat di hancurkan tetapi tetap baik untuk tempat makanan. #5. PP (polypropylene) adalah pilihan terbaik untuk bahan plastik terutama untuk yang berhubungan dengan makanan dan minuman seperti tempat menyimpan makanan, botol minum dan terpenting botol minum untuk bayi. Karakteristik adalah biasa botol transparan yang tidak jernih atau berawan. Cari simbol ini bila membeli barang berbahan plastik.

#6. PS (polystyrene) biasa dipakai sebagai bahan tempat makan styrofoam, tempat minum sekali pakai, dll. Bahan Polystyrene bisa membocorkan bahan styrine ke dalam makanan ketika makanan tersebut bersentuhan. Bahan Styrine berbahaya untuk otak dan sistem syaraf. Selain tempat makanan, styrine juga bisa didapatkan dari asap rokok, asap kendaraan dan bahan konstruksi gedung. Bahan ini harus dihindari dan banyak negara bagian di Amerika sudah melarang pemakaian tempat makanan berbahan styrofoam termasuk negara China.

#7. Other (biasanya polycarbonate) bisa didapatkan di tempat makanan dan minuman seperti botol minum olahraga. Polycarbonate bisa mengeluarkan bahan utamanya yaitu Bisphenol-A ke dalam makanan dan minuman berpotensi merusak sistem hormon. Hindari bahan plastik Polycarbonate. Masih banyak sekali barang plastik yang tidak mencantumkan simbol-simbol ini, terutama barang plastik buatan lokal di Indonesia. Oleh karena itu, kalau anda ragu lebih baik tidak membeli. Kalaupun barang bersimbol lebih mahal, harga tersebut lebih berharga dibandingkan kesehatan keluarga kita. Pada akhirnya. Hindari penggunaan plastik apapun di Microwave. Gunakan bahan keramik, gelas atau pyrex sebagai gantinya. Hindari juga membuang sampah plastik terutama yang mengandung Bisphenol-A sembarangan karena bahan tersebut pun bisa mencemari air tanah yang pada akhirnya pun bisa mencemari air minum banyak orang.

Simple Ways to Save the Earth - PART 3

41. Turn off your porch lights. Effect: Turn off your outside lights when they are not needed. If possible, use timers or motion sensors. The average household spends about $13 per year per 100-watt bulb electricity. 42. Cause: Refill your water bottles. Effect: If just two out of three sports fans filled a water bottle rather then buying a new one, it would save as many plastic bottles as there are people in America. 43. Recycle, recycle, and recycle: Effect: Every ten aluminum cans recycled saves four pounds of cabon. If you recycle newspapers, you could save fifty pounds of carbon per year. 44. Consider using two-in-one shampoo instead of buying each separately. Effect: You'll not only save on money and packing, but you'll likely save on time, water and money by reducing the length of your shower. If only seven U.S. households replaced its shampoo and conditioner purchase with a single two-in-one bottle, the amount of plastic saved per year could fill a football field twenty-seven stories high. 45. Use Recycled Pencils. Effect: Use pencils made of recycled materials and those packed in light weight or recycled packaging. Pencils can be made from all sorts of things that would otherwise end up in our waste stream- like furniture, old money, and paper. Pencils account for about $121 million worth of purchases each year, and all could potentially be made from recycled material. 46. Use online maps instead of paper ones. Effect: Online maps are free, and if you have to print them out , you'll be able to better recycle the paper when you're done with them. If you've got old maps use them to wrap presents instead of trowing them out. 47. Use less water when making coffee. Effect: Mind the amount of water that you use when brewing. Making coffee uses about 1/3 of the tap water consumed in North America and Europe. If every office worker cut back on water filled by one cup we would save about 10 million gallons per day. Over the course of a year this would save enough water to provide two gallons to the 1.2 billion people who don't have access to fresh water at all. 48. Use public transportation. Effect: Take a bus. A bus emits about 2.75 pounds of carbon per mile; divided by the number of passengers on it, however, this can create carbon savings. 49. Buy select-a-size paper towels. Effect: If you can, select paper towel rolls with smaller-size sheets in order to extend the life of each roll. A decrease in U.S.household consumption of just three rolls per year would save 120,000 tons of waste $4.1 million in landfill dumping fees. 50. Donate your used sporting goods. Effect: You'll not only contribute to a good cause, save resources in the manufacturing of new equipment, and delay the land filling of your old gear, but you'll get a tax write-off as well. If 10 percent of American golfers donated a set of fourteen clubs to the God will, the total tax rebate could fill each of the more then 270,000 golf holes on courses around the country with more than one hundred gold balls(which would require digging deeper holes!) . 51. Carpool and save time and money. On a typical day, the average mother with school age children spends sixty six minutes driving- taking more than five trips to and from home covering twenty-nine miles. If more moms carpooled, it would save them all time and gas driving. It would also reduce congestion, which costs Americans 78 billion dollars a year in wasted fuel and lost time. Effect: It would save them all time and gas driving. It also would reduce congestion, which costs americans 78 billion dollars a year in wasted fuel and lost time. 52. Try to use faster internet access It saves time money and energy High speed users on average accomplish more than double the number of tasks online compared with dial up users That means it would take more than an hour to via dial up what you could do in thirty minutes via broadband Based on a full day's use you could save more than $30 per ear in energy costs by increasing your internet efficiency and turning off your computer when it's not in use. Effect: conserve energy and money on a daily basis. 53. Only 31 percent of children who live less than one mile from school walk there. Half of all students go to school by car. If just 6 percent of those students who go by car walked; it would save 1.5 million drop offs and pickups- and 60 thousand gallons of gas- a day. Effect: walking to school saves gas. 54. Buy earth friendly coffee. Effect: When you ground whole bean coffee, look for vitamins with organic,Fair Trade, Bird Friendly, or Rainforest Alliance certification seals. These labels represent coffee farms that practice sustainable agriculture to preserve or restore rain forest ecosystems. Just one household switching to certified coffee for a year is enough to protect 9,200 square feet of forest. If everyone in Seattle switched to certified coffees, a rain forest area the size of that city could be saved every year. 55. Buy greeting cards made of recycled materials (or better yet..send a e-card). Effect: Buy greeting cards made from recycled or tree-free materials. Americans send two billion holiday cards each year, so just 1 percent reduction could save fifteen thousand trees. 56. When traveling, bring your own toiletries instead of using the ones in the hotel. Effect: You'll get the product you want rather than some odd scented gel and you'll create less plastic waste. A single 300-room hotel in Las Vegas uses more than 150,000 plastic bottles of shampoo per year. 57. Buy more soy. Effect: Consider buying soy food products. Growing soy beans doesn't require nearly the amount of water that is needed to raise animals. A household that replaces one pound of beef with one pound of soy per month will conserve twenty thousand gallons of water per year. If just 20 percent of the households in the United States and Canada substituted four ounces of beef for four ounces of soy per week, the annual water savings would be enough to provide ten gallons of drinking water to every person in the world. 58. Give secondhand clothing a chance. The average American purchase forty-eight articles of new clothing per year. If just one of those articles were purchased from a second hand- store, the energy equivalent of more than half a gallon of gas could be saved, because of all the energy used to manufacture and transport new clothes. If one in every ten Americans substituted his or her next purchase of new garment with a vintage one saved could fly every resident of Hollywood to New York City from Fashion week. Effect: Saving more cloths and buying second hand clothes. 59. Replace conventional, incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs in your home.. Effect: For each 27-watt compact fluorescent light bulb you'll get carbon dioxide emissions savings of 140 pounds per year and save $12.00. For each 18-watt compact fluorescent light bulb, you'll get carbon emissions of 110 pounds and save $9.50. 60. Consider buying a hybrid car. Effect: You could conserve more than twenty gallons (an entire tank) of gasoline per month than the average vehicle. If an additional 1 percent of vehicles sold in the United States per year were hybrids, the gasoline saved annually would fill nearly 4,600 tanker trucks. 61. Use Voice mail instead of answering machines. Answering machines guzzle energy 24/7. When they stop functioning, they become hazardous waste in the nation's landfills. Effect: If all answering machines in U.S. homes were eventually replaced by voice mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt-hours. The reduction in air pollution related to this decrease in energy use would be equivalent to removing 250,000 cars from the road for a year. 62. Use 'green' crayons. Effect: Avoid crayons made of paraffin wax, which is derived from petroleum. Instead choose crayons made from soybean oil, which have the added benefit of being non-toxic. American is the largest producer of soybeans in the world. From this we could produce well over one trillion crayons-without tapping oil supplies. 63. Cause: Use refillable pens, mechanical pencils, and markers. Effect: Disposable plastic pens are not recyclable, nor are they biodegradable. Throw one away, and it will still be in a landfill 50 thousand years from now.. 64. Share a container of popcorn at the movies instead of buying multiple containers. Effect: You'll save money and packaging. Americans today consume seventeen billion quarts of popcorn each year (54 quarts per person), thirty percent of which are eaten at the movie theaters, sporting events, entertainment arenas, amusement parks, and other recreational centers. If half the people shared their popcorn at these events, we could save the paper packaging for more than 2.5 billion quarts serving size. 65. Recycle Just One Sunday Paper. Effect: If every newspaper reader in the United States recycled just one typical Sunday paper, he or she could help create 212 million pounds of cellulose insulation-enough to insulate 118,767 Habitat for Humanity houses. That's nearly twice as many houses as all the Habitat homes built in America so far. 66. Keep your refrigerator door closed. Effect: The fridge is the single biggest energy-consuming kitchen appliance, and opening the refrigerator door accounts for between $30 and $60 of a typical family's electricity bill each year. the amount of energy saved in a year by more efficient refrigerator usage could be enough to light every house in the United States for more than four and a half months straight. 67. Buy groceries in bulk. Effect: You will pay up to 50 percent less and significantly reduce the amount of energy needed to transport all that extra packagin waste to landfills and recycling centers. If by buyin in bulk, every U.S. household generated 10 percent less packaging waste, the volume of diesel fuel saved by garbage trucks annually would be enough to transport a busload of school children on a field trip to the moon and back everyday of the school year. 68. Buy larger cans of canned food. Effect: If you're planning to buy several cans of the same product, look for a larger can. If you buy a 28-ounce can of stewed tomatoes instead of two 14.5-ounce cans, you'll not only save up to 50 percent on the price, but you'll also reduce waste and conserve resources.If every month each U.S. household substituted a larger can for two smaller ones, the annual savings in steel could build an Eiffel Tower on each of the six continents. 69. Rid yourself of junk mail-or at least recycle it. Effect: The Average U.S household receives 1.5 trees worth of junk mail each year, and many of these trees are thrown right in the trash. To stop this junk mail Register with the Mail Preference Service below.If all Americans recycle their junk mail, $370 million in landfill dumping fees could be saved each year. 70. Use a digital camera. Effect: Use a digital camera instead of one that needs film. Some 868 million rolls of film are processed each year, and the solutions used to make the prints often contain hazardous chemicals that require special treatment and disposal. Avoid using disposable cameras. Despite the claim on the box that they are recycled, more than half end up in the trash.

Simple Ways to Save the Earth - PART 2

21. Use Fewer plastic bags.

Effect: U.S. households dispose of nearly one hundred billion plastic bags annually, millions of which end up littering the environment and harming endangered marine animals. By reducing plastic bag consumption by just two bags a week, you'll throw away at least on hundred fewer bags per week. If you tied together handle by handle, these plastic bags would make a rope as long enough to wrap around the earth more than 126 times.

22. Refill lotions and soaps instead of buying new hand pumps.

Effect: If the lotion or soap that you usually buy comes with a pump dispenser, you can avoid sending another hand pump to the landfill by purchasing a refill container with a flip cap and just reusing your empty bottle. If 10% of the U.S. households made a one time purchase of a lotion or soap bottle without and attached pump, the plastic saved would be an estimated 250,000 lbs- enough lotion pumps to fill nearly 1,200 tanning booths from floor to ceiling.

23. Visit the Library

Effect: Use the library or buy books from a second hand store Consider sharing the ones that you have with friends and family members, or donate the books rather than throw them away.

24. Try An Adventure Vacation.

Effect: Ninety-eight million people within the last five years hiked, biked,white-water rafted, and kayaked all over the planet. Adventure travel forces travelers to become actively-engaged with new cultures and environments, as well as hopefully becoming more aware and respectful of the outdoors.

25. Use bars of soap verses liquid wash.

Effect: It's less expensive, and it saves packaging waste. The average bar of soap lasts for about twenty showers, whereas a sixteen-ounce bottle of soap lasts for an average of eighty showers. But body wash costs on average more than four times as much as bar soap. If every U.S. household replaced a bottle of body wash with a bar soap, roughly 2.5 million pounds of plastic containers could be diverted from the waste stream.

26. Cause: Use silverware and plates, not plastic ware if you have a choice.

Effect: Even one office worker using just one plastic knife per day could add up to 250 per year. If every other worker used just one a day, it would amount to 15 billion plastic knives a year, enough to create a plastic blade 1.5 million miles long.

27. Use your microwave and keep it clean: If you keep your microwave clean you can maximize its energy.

Effect: This means less electricity used, less money spent, and less time cooking. If everyone in North America cooked exclusively with their microwave for a year, we'd save as much energy as the entire continent of Africa consumes during that same time.

28. Use Cold Water When You Use Your Garbage Disposal.

Effect: Better yet, try not to use it at all by composing all of your food waste or disposing of it in the trash. Your drain will be less clogged, and you'll save money on maintaining your septic system. Disposal waste can disrupt nutrient balance in the water and soil ecosystems, which in turn can harm wildlife.

29. Unplug your T.V..

Effect: Unplug your television when it is not in use. You'll save money and energy. Between 10 and 15 percent of a TV's energy is still used when it is powered "off". TV use accounts for more than 10 percent of the household electricity bills. The average household in America owns more than two TVs. If every home just unplugged their TV sets when they weren't being used, we'd save more than $1 billion per year in energy bills. To make this easier, connect your TV to an outlet that is connected to a wall switch.

30. Use a commercial car wash

Effect: Washing your car in a commercial car wash is better for the environment than doing it yourself.Commercial car washes not only use significantly less water per wash,up to 100 gallons less, but they often recycle and reuse the water.If every American who currently washes a vehicle at home chooses instead to go to a professional car wash,just once,up to 8.7 billion gallons of water could be saved, and some 12 billion gallons of soapy polluted water could be diverted from the country's rivers,lakes, and streams.

31. Use paper cups instead of plastic soda bottles.

Effect: All the paper cups can be reused, and recycled, instead of throwing away plastic bottles. You can save all your paper cups to help the environment.If you throw away 2 aluminum cans, you waste more energy than 1,000,000,000 (one billion) of the world's poorest people use a day.

32. Cause: Airline Passengers- pack one pound less of luggage to save fuel.

Effect: if just one passenger per each flight in this world this year packed one pound less of luggage, they would save enough fuel to fly a Boeing 737 around the world 474 times.

33. Subscribe to your favorite magazine.

Effect: If you subscribe to your favorite magazines instead of buying them from the newsstand, you'll get the convenience of delivery and will save up to 75 percent off of the newsstand price. Sixty percent of most magazines at the newsstand aren't sold and have to be hauled off to the trash dump which is a waste of time, money, and energy.

34. If one quart of leftover paint was recycled from every renovation project in America this year ( 10 percent of all the house paint purchased in the United States is typically thrown out), it would reclaim gallons - enough to paint the outside of the White House every year for the next 43 centuries, or to paint San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge 250 times.

Effect: Save same amount of Green House gas as a car going 4400 Mile.

35. Close your curtains.

Effect: Close the curtains when it is sunny in the summer and when it is cold in the winter, and you could reduce your energy needs by up to 25 percent. If every house in America kept the curtains closed for additional insulation, the total energy saved annually would be as much as the entire nation of Japan uses in a year.

36. Replace non-recycled toilet paper with recycled toilet paper.

Effect: Replacing just one 500-sheet roll of non-recycled toilet paper a year with one 500-sheet roll of 100 percent recycled paper in every American household would leave 424,000 trees standing-16 times as many trees as are in New York City's Central Park .

37. Cover your pool when you aren't using it.

Effect: You'll cut water lost to evaporation by 90% and therefore the cost of replenishing it. An average-size pool with an average sun and wind exposure loses approximately one thousand gallons of water per month-enough to meet the drinking water needs of a family of four for nearly a year and a half.

38. Skip the gift wrap altogether, reuse ribbons, or use other paper material like old newspaper or maps.

Effect: If each family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon each year, thirty-eight thousand miles' worth would be saved. That's enough to tie a bow around the entire planet.

39. Buy loose candy instead of packaged.

Effect: Buy loose, unwrapped candy from the bin, if you can. Many candy wrappers contain chemicals that make them stain and water resistant but also make them difficult to recycle.

40. Recycle Old Cell Phones.

Effect: One old cell phone recycled by each phone user in America would reclaim enough precious metals to create 631 solid gold replicas of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen's funerary mask.

Simple Ways to Save the Earth - PART 1

1. Combine your errands instead of daily trips out by car. Effect: If one 20-mile trip per week was cut out (by combining errands) for every registered vehicle in the United States, 145 million fewer tons of greenhouse gases would be released into the air each year. Thats equal to the annual carbon dioxide emissions from 36 coal-fired power plants. 2. Use a rake instead of a gas powered leaf blower. Effect: One hour of using a gas-powered leaf blower produces same amount of Green House gas as a car going 4400 Miles--that is a trip from Salt Lake City, Utah to New York City. 3. The Three Rs Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and remember to respect our earth. Effect: one out of every 3 pounds of the waste that Americans generate is just for packaging which each year adds up to 77 million tons-enough to fill the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans 37 times. 4. Cause: Buy sliced bread with only a single wrapper instead of those with 2 or more sleeves. Effect: If you buy sliced bread from the bread aisle, try to find loaves that are packaged in only a single wrapper. Double- wrapped loaves contain at least 20 percent more plastic packaging- per gram of bread. The waste generated by this additional wrapper across all households in the Untied States and Canada would weigh nearly sixty thousand pounds- or the total weight of all the food you will ever eat in your lifetime. 5. Install a dual-flush toilet instead of a standard flush low-flow toilet in every new house built in 2008. Effect: They would save 1.65 billion gallons of water a year. 6. Recycle just one soft drink can. Effect: One soft drink can recycled by each elementary school student in America would save 24.8 million cans. That would be enought aluminum to create 21 Boeing 737 airplanes. 7. Turn the light off when you leave a room. Effect: If every American household turned off the lights for one hour, they would prevent more than 16, 610 tons of carbon dioxide from being released-enough to fill every hot air balloon at the anual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta seven times. 8. Collect one gallon of water once a week from a shower or bath water. Effect: If every american collected one gallon of water a once a week while waiting for the shower or bathwater to get hot(use it for your houseplants!), the total saved would be 15.8 billion gallons of water per year- enough to fill the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall in Washinton D.C. 2,338 times. 9. Turn off power strips when not in use. Effect: The average Americans household continously leaks about fifty watts of electricity. Eliminating that trickle would save $1 billion in energy costs. 10. Replace regular light switches with dimmer lights.. Effect: One dimmer switch replacing a regular on/off switch in every US household would save the electricity necessary to light 1.2 million homes-thats every home in the state of Arkansas!. 11. Use electronic billing instead of paper billing. Effect: If every American switched to receiving just one bill as an electric statement instead of a paper one, the one-time savings would be 217,800,00 sheets--enough to completely blanket the island of Key West in a single layer of paper. 12. Telecommute or carpool one day per per year. Effect: If metro Atlantans who narmally drove to work would telecommute just one day a year instead, they would save more then $50 million in gas-enough to buy an EnergyStar compact florescent bulb for the desk lamps of every college student in the United States. 13. Shower one minute less each day. Effect: If 40 million Americans were to spend just one minute less in the shower each day over their lifetimes, they would save 4 trillion gallons of water---the total amount of rain or snow that falls over the entire lower 48 states of the United States in a day. 14. Try to flush your toilet one less time per day. Effect: You will save about 4.5 gallons of water--as much drinking water as the averae person in Africa uses for a whole day of drinking, cooking, bathing, and cleaning. 15. Recycle your phone book. Better yet, call the phone book company to stop the phone book delivery to your home and use an online directory instead. Effect: Telephone books make up 10 percent of waste at dump sites. 16. Lower your thermostat in every house by 1 degree. Effect: If the thermostat in every house were lowered by just one degree during the winter, the nation would save 260 million barrels of crude oil- enough to fill an oil tanker 400 times. (That's the amount of oil that is imported into the United States from Iraq each year!) 17. Use one or two paper napkins instead of grabbing wads of them. Effect: Each American consumes an average of 2,200 two-ply napkins per year, or just over 6 napkins per day. If each day Americans used just one fewer napkins per day, it would save about 150 million of them from the trash-enough to provide a napkin to every person who eats a hot dog on July 4th. . 18. Instead of using plastic storage containers, use glass or porcelain. Effect: Fewer chemicals will likely leach from the container into the food. Chemicals that transfer from plastic to food and from food to body may cause health risks. 19. Use leftover paper or plastic bags as liners for your trash cans. Effect: You'll save money and time shopping in the big trash bag aisle.The average cost of twenty kitchen trash bags is $5. When one ton of plastic bag is reused, the energy equivalent of eleven barrels of oil is saved. When one ton of paper bags is reused, up to seventeen trees are spared. 20. Recycle your newspaper. Effect: Subscribe to and recycle your newspapers. Newspaper subscribers can save about 50 percent off of the cover price, as well as trips to the newsstand. Each year, ten million tons of newspapers are still tossed into landfills and are not recycled. If just half of these were recycled, it would save seventy-five million trees...

Let's Go Green!

When I was browsing for more info on plastic, I found this very interesting articles about saving the environment (the site's http://www.christking.org/go_green_cks/). The title (as you can see above) is Second Grade's 70 Simple Ways to Save the Earth (to make easier for you to read, my going to divide them into 3 parts). Yea.. quite a lot right?! No! It's not enough! Bet you can add more of your ideas later. *Remember this was based on the calculation in US's, so if you live outside US, there'll be no problemo though, cause no matter how much/many amounts that you can save, at least you have participated in 'healing' the Earth. Happy reading! and please don't be hesitated in saving our Earth... NOW! ^^

Another QnA with Raikkonen

Wednesday, 9 July 2008 Q: How has your work gone today? Kimi Raikkonen: Not too bad. We had a small issue with the car but we fixed it. We’re just trying different things on the set-up side and it seems to be working quite well so far. Q: Are you confident you have found a good set-up? KR: We will see at the race next weekend. We always try different things and if we find something useful for sure we are going to use it. But it’s always difficult to say how it is going in testing. At least we know what we are doing and I’m pretty happy with how the car is feeling. Q: McLaren have set the pace at this test; do you expect them to be particularly strong here? KR: I don’t know. I haven’t looked at what lap times they are doing; we have enough work to do ourselves. For sure McLaren will be fast here, but I think we have a good package too. We haven’t lost any speed – we just need a good clean weekend.

Q: They call you the ‘Ice Man’ but we saw you defending your privacy forcibly against a photographer on the grid at Silverstone… KR: He came on top of my helmet, I had my stuff there, so I pushed him a bit and he fell on his back. People try to make a big thing out of it, but he shouldn’t come on top of my stuff. It was just a small thing and people tried to make a big story out of it

Q: Don’t you feel Ferrari is wasting the advantage it has over the other teams? KR: I don’t know what you mean… Q: I mean that the car has been really strong, but due to some incidents you have not scored the points that you probably expected… KR: Of course we were not so happy with the results we got in the end, but we got back into the joint lead of the championship. Probably we should have got more points but we made a mistake – it happens in racing. It’s not the first time and unfortunately it’s not going to be the last time, but it’s just part of the game and we need to learn from it. We have a strong team, we’re pushing hard and people expect us to win every race but it’s not easy. For sure we are going to start winning again soon and we’ll just keep working hard. Q: McLaren tried a new shark fin engine cover here – aren't you curious to try it? KR: I don’t want to try their parts! We do our own thing and we put effort into what we think are the key things. We will see what we will do in the future, but like I said we are pretty happy with what we have done here trying different things. I haven’t seen what McLaren are doing or even put any effort into that; we have our own things to look at and that’s much more important. Q: Do you like driving at Hockenheim and does it suit the Ferrari? KR: We are quite happy how things went today. Yesterday was more difficult due to the weather. The circuit is nice – I always enjoy it here – but it’s too early to say where we are against the others. But the feeling in the car is pretty good, which is always a nice sign. credit: Azshadow@kimiforum and itv-f1.com

Raikkonen, "In 2009 I will be driving for Ferrari"

Thursday, 10 July 2008

Jul.10 (GMM) Kimi Raikkonen has once again dismissed lingering speculation about his future on the formula one grid. New rumours this week suggest that former double world champion Fernando Alonso is indeed in the running for a Ferrari drive next year. With Felipe Massa under contract until 2010, some observers have surmised that - following 28-year-old Raikkonen's recent musings about retirement - the Finn is perhaps the driver most likely to make room at Ferrari for Alonso. But in an interview carried this week by La Gazzetta dello Sport, reigning world champion Raikkonen dismissed the gossip in the most strident of terms. He insists he has a contract to keep racing with the Maranello based team in 2009. "I have not broken a contract in all my life, and I have no intention of doing so now," Raikkonen told his countryman and journalist Heikki Kulta. "In 2009 I will be driving for Ferrari," he added emphatically. Thomas Hancock

Paris je T'aime

Love the movie (Paris Je T'aime), love the soundtracks, especially this one by Feist. At first I didn't know who the singer was, but I had a very sure feeling that it's Feist's voice. After browsing the net, I've finally got the answer. Yup, it's Feist! ^^ The title is We're all in the dance (English) or La Même Histoire (French version) Here are the lyrics in both version

La Même Histoire by Feist Quel est donc ce lien entre nous cette chose indéfinissable où vont ces destins qui se nouent Pour nous rendre inséparables On avance Au fil du temps Au gré du vent On vit au jour le jour Nos envies , nos amours On s’en va sans savoir On est toujours Dans la même histoire Quel est donc Ce qui nous sépare Qui par hasard nous réunit Pourquoi tant d’allers, de départs Dans cette ronde infinie On avance Au fil du temps Au gré du vent Ainsi On vit au jour le jour Nos envies, nos amours On s’en va sans savoir On est toujours Dans la même histoire

We’re All In The Dance by Feist Life’s a dance we all have to do What does the music require? People are moving together Close as the flames in a fire Feel the beat Music and rhyme While there is time We all go round and round Partners are lost and found Looking for one more chance All I know is We’re all in the dance Night and day The music plays on We all are part of the show While we can hold on to someone We know life won’t let us go Feel the beat Music and rhyme While there is time We all go round and round Partners are lost and found Looking for one more chance All I know is We’re all in the dance We’re all in the dance

Do you have these MP3s?

Till now, I haven't succeeded in getting these mp3 files. can somebody help me? T_T. Couldn't install the limewire in my computer, I need to defrag it first -sigh. If you have these songs... mind sharing with me ^_- Thanks in advanced anyway.

• Thom - this not berlin, principle of joy (if it's possible 1 whole album; Istory)
• Jair Dynast - apathy is boring (OST Make some noise, Canada)
• Rubies - Too Bright, The truth and the lies

got more list to type here...

Q & A with Kimi Raikkonen

By Jonathan Noble Sunday, July 6th 2008, 16:56 GMT

Q. That looked a very difficult race?

Kimi Raikkonen: We only really made one mistake, which was to choose the wrong tyres. We didn't really expect it to start raining so at the first pit stop we kept the old tyres. So, until that point we had the speed and the car to win the race. But that mistake cost us unfortunately, but at least we scored some points. It wasn't as competitive as the car could have done, but it definitely could have been better.

Q. Did you suggest to the team to change the tyres?

KR: No, it was the team's decision. Everyone is involved with the team so we make the decisions together. Sometimes you get it right, but unfortunately today there was one of those times we didn't. It could have gone in any direction and we had a very good speed at that point. But at that point it started to rain and the tyres were pretty old already so there was nothing to do.

Q. The championship is now very close at the top. What do you expect from the second part of the season?

KR: The last four races haven't been easy for me especially. We haven't had one good race. The last race we had a good speed but unfortunately I had a problem with the car, so if you look after all those things not scoring in two races and not really having a perfect race in the next two, we are still tied in the championship lead so it is not too bad. I am pretty sure we have a car to win races, there are many races to go and we just need to push hard. I think once we get everything running smoothly we should be up there winning races.

Q. In the early stages of the race you were quicker than Hamilton. Was the Ferrari the best car on the track today, if you ignore the situation with the tyres?

KR: I always believe we had a good car. It is not that our car is suddenly bad. We made one bad decision with the tyres and it cost us a lot. We had a very good speed until that point and it was easy going. Unfortunately it was just bad luck.

Q. Now there are three drivers tied at the top of the championship, does this mark a fresh beginning for your title ambitions?

KR: Like I said before, the last four races haven't been easy. I had two non-finishes and okay, the last race we had a good speed but a small problem. Here we couldn't get it right, so we are still tied in the lead. It could have been much worse after those four races. We know we have a good speed but we just need to get the weekend going smoothly and things in order. There are many races to go. Even though it has been difficult in the last few races, I think we are in a good position and we have a good speed so we shouldn't get too worried about it.

Q. You mentioned the mistake with the tyres, but even on new intermediates the car wasn't quick. Why was that?

KR: I was just behind people. We fuelled the car until the end so we were pretty heavy on that point. Also with the rain I went off a few times, once at full speed after the bridge. I just got aquaplaning and luckily got back on the circuit, so I was pretty sure the car was not in the best shape any more. We got it back and it was difficult conditions, and I am sure with the same decision with the tyres we would have been okay and able to fight for the win. Sometimes it goes like this.

Q. Championship-wise are you annoyed, or relieved that it could have been worse?

KR: Like I said the last four races have not been exactly as we want. But we are still in the lead, so it could have been much more worse. I am not worried about it, I am sure we can get where we want. We just need to get it right at the next race and then we will go from there.

Q. Did you do a better job here than the team?

KR: No, we win and we lose as a team. Sometimes we make the wrong decision and we need to learn from those. I don't complain to the team and they don't complain to me. I could easily have said to choose other tyres or keep these tyres on, but it is teamwork and sometimes we cannot get it right. We just need to learn from that.

Q. When you showed you didn't have the pace of Hamilton after the pit stop, did you ask to change again like Alonso?

KR: No. In the end we expected the rain to stop quickly and when it didn't we decided to come in. We were losing too much time, but it is easy to say afterwards that we should have changed all the way back. First of all we didn't expect to have rain and then we only expected it to last a few minutes. In the end we got back to fourth place. It was a disappointing race, but we still got good points and are tied in the lead of the championship so we didn't lose anything.

Q. Can you describe for us the fight with Fernando Alonso at the end?

KR: It was nice. It is always nice to fight and it was important points for me, but I didn't want to risk too much. For Fernando he doesn't have anything to lose so he can take more risks. So I wanted to for sure get one extra point and in the end I got past him, so that was good.

Q. What happened at the start?

KR: I got a very good start and I was planning to go between Heikki and Mark, but Mark came on the left and I had nowhere to go. Hamilton got a good start from fourth place and went past everybody, and I really didn't have anywhere to go. I had good speed but had to back off.

www.grandprix.com

British GP - Sunday - Team Quotes

Kimi Raikkonen (4th):

"I am disappointed, but I am equally aware that things could have been much worse. We had the possibility to win the race but we made a mistake at the first pit stop, keeping the same set of tyres, because we expected the track conditions to improve. It was a joint decision: we are a team and we win or lose together. Things are not going too well for me at the moment, given all that happened in the last few races, but I am leading the championship, even if it is on equal terms with Felipe and Lewis. We know we have a great potential, but we have to put everything in place to get the most out of it."

Leave RAIKKONEN alone

Thanks to Evenstar of KR Forum for allowing me putting this video in my blog. Kimi... there's nothing wrong with you. You just acted naturally. Be what you are. (and) That's why I (or maybe we) love you! ^^ You can watch the video here

About This Video

Human nature is a funny thing sometimes. One guy is doing his job as a photographer (and it can be very irritating for the subject which is a person) and the other is trying to do his job but is interrupted. A photographer tries to get a close shot of Kimi preparing for the race, however the Iceman doesn't seem in the mood... That was pretty odd. Damn. Kimi was quite annoyed at that guy being right in his face while he's doing his business. BUT he probably didn't expect the photographer to fall over like that. It went both ways, the guy was in his face, on his stuff, and Kimi didn't like it. Also, Mark Arnall (Kimi's trainer next to him) seems to have got annoyed too, saying "oi, mind the stuff", the exact moment Kimi looked up. The photographer was leaning on Kimi's race stuff. Taken from an interview in Saturday's Silverstone Red Bulletin issue, Kimi says: "I don't mind what people think too much. If they ask nice questions then yes, but for sure if they ask stupid questions I won't answer and they will think I'm a dickhead. But it goes both ways. If everyone's nice to each other it's much easier." Kimi's manager Steve Robertson and Ferrari press man Colajanni were interviewed on the incident, you can download/watch it here

It's negative coverage of the world champion but Kimi's not a jerk. He's the most composed and laid back guy I've ever seen and I don't even know him. If Kimi is a jerk for pushing this guy, he would have done far worse to Lewis Hamilton for crashing into him in the pit lane of the 2008 Canadian GP. But he didn't.

Math in Marriage??!?

Tania, a friend of mine, yg wktu itu ktmu gw pas KoC's gig di Dago Tea House di Bandung, sent me this e-mail on 4/12/08. Isinya tentang marriage atau pernikahan. Hmm... Mungkin ada benarnya apa yg ditulis dsni. Tp jujur, gw ga 100% stuju ;p, since i'm enjoying my single status SO MUCH (at the moment). (^^)v Yang di dalam bracket [ ... ] itu komen tambahan gw, yg lain langsung copy paste dr e-mailnya.

Tips Buat Yang Belom ato mau merit

Seorang temen pernah bertanya "eh, kalo gw nikah tapi dengan gaji gw yang cuma Rp#### bisa ga ya? Berikut adalah daftar pengeluaran standar bulanan setelah merit. [klo kata gw, tentunya dgn kondisi blum pny anak. sepertinya] Sekedar berbagi aja, buat temen2 yang mungkin juga mengalami 'Matery after merit phobia syndhrome'. [ada ya istilah ini?!??? baru tau gw. *sceptical mode is loading]

Daftar anggaran bulanan

(asumsi :disusun berdasarkan skala proritas,disusun dengan sangat2 relatif, dan berdasarkan basic needs standar menengah ke bawah) 1. Makan Dengan asumsi sekali makan adalah 5000. Maka makan 3x sehari,kali 2 orang (karena lagu sepiring berdua cuma berlaku pada saat pacaran ajah), kali 30 hari adalah Rp900.000 Tips > Rajin2 ke kondangan atau sunatan [biar lu kagak kenal empunya hajatnya... hajar! ^^], dan bawa pulang nasi kotaknya. Pasti lebih ngirit. 2.Kontrakan Dengan asumsi masih ngontrak di rumah petak, yang punya uda botak, tapi masih galak, dan punya anjing belum jinak. Maka dana untuk kontrakan sekitar 500.000/bulan. Tips > Tinggallah di Pondok Mertua Indah. Niscaya 2 dana diatas gak akan pernah ada. Di pondok mertua indah, anda akan bebas makan apa aja, termasuk 'makan. Ati-ati ya! ^^ 3. Listrik dan Air Dengan asumsi daya listrik 900 watt dan pake jetpam maka anggaran untuk listrik adalah 100.000/bulan. Tips > Jangan pake AC, cukup AC (angin cendela/angin cepoy cepoy). Jangan suka main Plestesyen, cukup main monopoli, sudamanda [apaan neh?? gw taunya patok lele, hehe..] atau gaple ama istri terasa lebih romantis. [maen kartu remi (41, cangkul, poker, setsot, dllsb) jg boleh kok ^^] 4. Transportasi Dengan asumsi naik motor ke kantor, dengan motor yang paling irit rit rit, maka untuk ongkos bensin dan servis adalah 100.000. [skrg, mgkn lebih dr ini biaya nya. wong di SPBU aja masih pd ngantri] Tips > Gunakanlah Bensin campur! (maksudnya campur dorong, pasti lebih irit) [klo beneran pake bensin campur, gw jamin mesin motor lu cepet rusak, terpaksa lu keluarin biaya ekstra buat ke bengkel, beli spare parts, dll. knp juga ga pake biofuel, biodiesel, atau hydrogen ;p. pan lebih ramah lingkungan tuh. ingat2! global warM/Ning] Atau ikutlah "Nebeng Fans Club", dengan alasan mempererat silaturahmi dengan yang ditebengi maka perjalanan berangkat dan pulang kantor akan terasa lebih menyenangkan [yg ini gw sutejo banget! ^^] 5. Komunikasi Dengan asumsi pake cdma yang 1000/menit maka untuk sebulan, ongkos komunikasi berdua adalah 100.000. [pake Fren donk! lebih irit! ^^] Tips > Pakelah 'FREN' yang lebih murah (maksudnya kalo mau nelpon atau sms tinggal bilang "Freeen...minjam HPnya dong freen...") 6. Keperluan sehari2 Seperti sabun, odol, sampo, dll. Dengan asumsi tidak pake fesyel, krimbat, manikyur, pedikyur, kukyur2, makan bubyur... maka alokasi dana untuk ini sebesar 50.000. Tips > Mandi kalo perlu aja. Kalo dulu 2 kali sehari, jadi 2 hari sekali. Untuk ngirit odol kembalilah memakai tumbukan batu bata atau siwak. 7. Kesehatan Seperti minyak kayu putih, vitamin, obat pusing (ini penting buat pengantin baru wekekekek!), maka alokasi cadangan untuk kesehatan sebesar 50.000. Tips > Jaga kesehatan. Jangan begadang...kalo tiada artinya...begadang bole saja...asalkan sambil ronda (halah!!) [kok gw berasa dgr lagu abang haji ya??!! ih... merinding...] 8. Hiburan Nah ini kalo ada uang lebih aja, bisalah sekali2 nomat, liat live music, lari pagi di monas [atau taman terdekat di daerahmu], atau makan martabak sekali2. KESIMPULAN: Jadii... dari asumsi kebutuhan pokok di atas maka pengeluaran untuk tiap bulan adalah sebesar... Rp 1.800.000/bulan (Busyeeett dah...masih gede juga ya?!!!)

Mungkin ini bisa jadi bahan pertimbangan temen2 ketika pengen nikah, untuk kemudian dibandingkan dengan pemasukan yang ada. Kalopun masih 'besar pasak daripada tiang', Anda bisa memperkecil pasak, atau memperbesar tiang...ataauu. ..ga usah pake pasak, tapi dipaku aja! [lumayan jayus yg ini...] Tapi ada 1 hal yang ga bisa dijelaskan dengan perhitungan ketika anda memutuskan untuk menikah (*serius mode on) yaitu... Berkah menikah. Selalu, Tuhan akan mencukupi kebutuhan umatnya yang mau berusaha dan berdoa Selalu bersukur dan percaya bahwa Tuhanlah raja dari segala raja akunting! Jadi yuuuk merid yuuuuuk !!! jangan takut! :)

***

[Dunno siapa yg tulis tuh tips di atas, hehe... mungkin aja orgnya sendiri belum merit. yah tapi ada bnrnya jg. klo lu nunggu jd org super kaya dulu sblm menikah... nunggu smp lu bs memenuhi semua kebutuhan hidup tiap bulan, slalu berkecukupan, dll mungkin... bakalan lama jg kali ya lu meritnya (lain kasus klo emng udh jodoh dateng ^^). Jd inget suatu hal yg slalu bs ngehibur gw klo lg tongpes; IT WILL NEVER ENOUGH UNTIL YOU THINK IT'S ENOUGH, yg artinye... mau smp kapanpun, mau segede apapun salary/gaji lu, klo lu selalu ngerasa ga cukup... ya ga akan cukup! [juga berlaku utk hal selain gaji]. Ya balik lg ke sifat dasar manusia yg sgt ga gmpng puas and always wants more n more.... n more Yah... sutralah. sebelum lu pada mau muntah baca komen gw yg sok wise ini (i am actually ;p)... mending gw akhiri scribble ini ckp sampai disni. ciao!]

Perokok Pasif Terancam Alami Kerusakan Paru-Paru

Sabtu, 05 Juli 2008 *PoV gw [Gw paling BENCI yg nmnya rokok! Baunya... ih..... sebel dah! apalagi klo gw abis keramas, trus om gw ngerokok, gw lsg pergi entah kmn.... drpd rambut jd bau apek, pakaian juga apek, plus gw lsg pusing n sesek nafas (ky org asma). i totally can't stand of it!] Hampir sepertiga perokok pasif mengalami perubahan-perubahan struktural pada paru-paru. Demikian ujar peneliti di The Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia Hidayatullah.com-- Sepertiga orang yang berada di lingkungan perokok berat atau biasa disebut para perokok pasif, mengalami kerusakan paru-paru sama seperti mereka yang merokok, kata para peneliti. Kerusakan paru-paru tersebut terbukti setelah para dokter menggunakan pemindaian MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). MRI, atau citra resonansi magnetik, digunakan para dokter tersebut untuk melihat paru-paru orang yang sering berada dalam lingkungan perokok berat, dan mereka menemukan jenis kerusakan paru-paru yang menyebabkan emfisema. "Kami menilai perubahan-perubahan yang terjadi itu adalah tanda awal kerusakan paru-paru, berupa emfisema dalam bentuk ringan," kata pemimpin penelitian tersebut, Chengbo Wang, seorang dokter MRI di The Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia. "Hampir sepertiga orang yang telah lama menjadi perokok pasif, mengalami perubahan-perubahan struktural ini," kata Wang. "Sepanjang pengetahuan kami, ini merupakan pertama kalinya studi citra yang bertujuan menemukan kerusakan paru-paru pada perokok pasif yang telah lama berada di lingkungan penuh asap rokok." "Kami berharap karya kami memperkuat usaha para pembuat undang-undang maupun pembuat kebijakan dalam mengurangi masyarakat yang menjadi perokok pasif." Wang mengemukakan 35% anak-anak di AS tinggal bersama orang yang merokok di rumah. Tim tersebut meneliti 60 orang dewasa berusia antara 41 dan 79 tahun di mana 45 dari jumlah tersebut belum pernah merokok. Mereka yang tidak merokok digolongkan perokok pasif berat jika setidak-tidaknya telah 10 tahun hidup bersama seorang perokok. Kebanyakan dari mereka mengalami hal tersebut saat kanak-kanak. "Sudah lama ada hipotesa bahwa kontak yang dalam jangka panjang dengan asap rokok orang lain, dapat menyebabkan kerusakan paru-paru, namun metode sebelumnya yang menganalisa perubahan paru-paru tidak cukup peka untuk mendeteksi hal itu," kata Wang. Timnya memakai teknik yang disebut global helium-3 difusi pencitraan resonansi magnetik. "Dengan teknik ini, kami dapat memeriksa struktur paru-paru hingga tingkat mikroskopis," kata Wang. Mereka mendapati 57% perokok dan 33% perokok pasif berat mengalami tanda awal kerusakan paru-paru, sebagaimana hasil pemindaian MRI. Para peneliti AS melaporkan bahwa 20% perempuan penderita kanker paru-paru belum pernah merokok. [Taken from www.hidayatullah.com] *Point of View