Mind Journey

Testing my widget1

2008-11-05T01:23:00.000-08:00

Using rectangle...

Using capsule...

Testing my widget

Train journey in Japan and Singapore

2008-02-02T22:56:00.000-08:00

I spent my last 3 years between Singapore and Japan. I have lived in Singapore for the past 10 years. One thing I really dislike about Singapore is having MRT ride. Regardless rush hours in morning (7:30AM - 9AM) or evening (6-9PM), or normal hours, MRT ride in Singapore is like having inside moving box with rude people with atmosphere like in wet market. Despite that Singapore is mentioned as "clean" country, MRT specially the old route by SMRT are experience in the "wild wild west". The old train routes, Boon Lay - Pasir Ris bound, or Jurong - Marina bound are always late (not really ontime), they stopped not at the right place (move here and there from the passenger point), the train mostly not well maintained (very clear of fungi and sign of no cleaning on the air flow, water dripping, etc), the train "driver" is unprofessional (many times where train is heavy of passenger it drives recklessly).. And sharing the ugly attitude and behavior of people in Singapore MRT, ... in a short word... horrible....

I used MTR in Bangkok, also in Hong Kong where many people in Singapore said is worse. My personal experience, MTR in Hong Kong was way cleaner and well maintained than Singapore. And the train is mostly on-time. I frequently traveled to stations in Kowloon (Jordan -- Mong Kok -- Kownloon). The people is much better than in Singapore, at least they queue properly and not making bad noise and smell...

The best experience I have is in Japan. I frequently traveled from Anegasaki station to Chiba, or Anegasaki to Akihabara, Tokyo, Yokohama using JR lines. Also traveled around Tokyo, and also Yokohama using subways. Trains are really well-maintained. All staffs are highly discipline. Though passengers queue like "snake", other passenger who wait for other trains can walk easily around the queues. Inside the train is very pleasant journey. Passengers in Japan train are highly civilized than in Singapore. In Singapore trains, you can see people demonstrates high tone of phone rings, people learn how to talk using phones (like jungle voice), or group of people (mostly family related) will chat like in the zoo...

What's wrong with 2 countries -- Singapore and Japan? Why so different though both are high tech and having good public transportation system? The key is on the people. The culture. The education.

In Japan, people is educated within the culture, in the family. In Singapore, the broken system starts with the family. I observed in Japan, the old demonstrates good values and being model for the young ones. In Singapore, is daily reality where the mother or father forced their young ones to bypass the queue or forced themselves to get in first despite people in queue, even the inside passengers yet to alight. Interestingly, I observed the same behavior when using building facilities, like lift. What you experienced in the MRT stations and trains, can easily found in the lifts.

To change the mass is not easy. It starts in the family. Having rush to office, to school or others are not valid reason to justify the attitude and behavior. My wish, one day a more civilized society is growing in Singapore. Also, my other wish, please.... SMRT clean and wash up your trains... SBS did better job on their trains...

Having ability to speak well English, and knowledge of business, science and technology, and finance are not enough in the big village of world.....

Selamat jalan Bapak Soeharto...

2008-01-26T23:14:00.000-08:00

Hari ini, Minggu 27 Januari 2008 13:10 WIB, Bapak Soeharto telah meninggal. Beliau adalah mantan presiden Republik Indonesia yang kedua...

Walau banyak memang yang memberikan cacian dan makian, sebenarnya beliau sangat berjasa membangun Indonesia sebagai negara yang kuat dan "makmur". Definisi kemakmuran mungkin relatif bagi setiap orang. Setidaknya pada masa-masa beliau ada ke - swasembada an pangan dan ternak. Sulit mencari orang-orang yang kelaparan di jalan karena tidak mampu membeli bahan-bahan makanan karena harga-harga yang melambung tinggi seperti masa-masa terakhir Bung Karno dan masa-masa kini. Masa-masa itu juga Indonesia sangat disegani sebagai negara kuat di Asia Tenggara.

Saat berjalannya waktu, memang kepemimpinan beliau mulai bermasalah. Banyak hal yang berujung negatif untuk perkembangan bangsa.

Namun, tidak dapat dipungkiri, beliau seperti halnya Bung Karno adalah tokoh besar Indonesia.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi roji’un, Allah SWT telah memberi jalan keluar yang terbaik... Selamat jalan pak Harto....

A step to Oracle SQL tuning journey

2008-01-26T16:13:00.000-08:00

Oracle database has been my core technology world since 1987, when a friend of my father demonstrated using company's mainframe terminal .... At that time Oracle version 4 still using text based and very primitive... My passed father worked for oil companies, focusing on upstream operations.

Oracle database at that time I knew just ordinary application. I knew nothing about database. It was my junior high school time. First time I knew computer was several boxes of machines at my father's lab in University of Tulsa, 1977-1979. Back then, I used to play and mixed my father's punch cards of Fortran programs. Gosh, perhaps it created the best Fortran program ever written....

Oracle database is centered on it's sophisticated database technology as well its SQL and PL/SQL. After 1990, I started to learn more about Oracle from version 6, 7, 8 then Sybase, Watcom SQL, MSSQL Server, Informix, Ingress. For me, database is a mathematical challenges. I like algebra and calculus, database is a very good implementation of set theory as well algebra.

Oracle SQL is a very flexible language, specially compared with other implementation in Sybase/MSSQL Server, Watcom SQL, Informix, and Ingress. Most interestingly, the language allows developer, business analyst, and end-user to perform various queries against database and generates various outputs. Well, at that time (1990-1993) mostly text. After the introduction of Windows 3.1, ODBC, and tools like PowerBuilder, Crystal Report, R&R, InfoMaker the output was very nice, extremely flexible that those available on my father's time.

Growing on my interest, the same Oracle SQL I used start to have problems... mainly performance. At that time I already exploring database with 500 MB size, a very big at the time. I start to hunt for understanding how SQL will affect the database engine in various technology and platform. My main platform at the time was Unix, using AIX 3.x on RS/6000.

That's the time I heard about Rule based and database design specific to database technology. A very complicated rules applied on Oracle 7-8. Love is on the air when Cost based optimization introduced in real "thing" from Oracle 8i, and went very well from Oracle 9i. Oracle 10g has started using Cost based as default, a very good decision....

Learning the Oracle SQL tuning has started becoming life journey since....

A very good reference to date I found for Oracle SQL tuning based on Cost analysis is written by one Oracle Guru, Jonathan Lewis. Cost Based Oracle Fundamentals, http://www.apress.com/book/view/1590596366. Another Oracle SQL Guru I always refer is Tom Kyte, with his ocean knowledge of Oracle mind http://asktom.oracle.com. Others will mentioned on other time, are also contributing to my mind journey on Oracle SQL.

My life and a Mac..

2008-01-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

Thank God, Steve Jobs was born to Earth and gifted by so many talents... One of them is my MacBook Pro... lovely and excellent notebook I ever use...

Having working with technologies, consultancy projects, and hobby, my life is between enjoying the work and same time entertain my soul. I love photography, enjoying musics, hunting good movies, and surfing the ocean of knowledge (aka internet ! )... Tried doing so with my wintel notebook, Thinkpad and Dell, felt lost of soul...

My Macbook Pro is a decent 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB memory, 120GB SATA internal, and 1TB 7200rpm personal storage (quad interface). Travel with my mini DLink pocket router, transforms my life full enjoyment... working and entertainment... same time ! Something, I can't do easily with wintel...

I believe the engine of enjoyment is the excellent OS X Leopard... I've used Linux for about 10 years, Windows 15 years, Unix 20 years ... and OS X only about 2 years... I definitely say OS X Tiger/Leopard is the answer of my journey.... A simple word ... it's just work !

I work with Oracle appservers, development tools, databases. Also Java using Eclipse and JBoss. I work extensively with Office 2004, iWork 08, iLife 08. Other great applications MindManager, OmniPlan, HandBrake SOHO Notes, PathFinder, and some OSX 3rd utilities. I also have VMWare Fusion, Windows XP SP 2 (oh yes, this is best Windows client ever), MS Project 2003, as well Sparx Enterprise Architect and MS Visual Studio with MSSQL Server ...

Steve Jobs and Apple team, my deepest thank you for making the life so enjoyable with your great products -- MacBook Pro, OS X Leopard !

First post in cold winter in Japan

2008-01-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

A cold night in Anegasaki, Japan... 2C for a person used to live at 26-30C..

I lost of my 1st Blog, so created new one...

While waiting to complete my Handbrake converting movie, this is first posting ... A journey of mind... Lonely while my love in Singapore.. sigh...

Japan is a lovely country with more "robotic" culture around... Singapore, the country I stay for past 10 years is uniform based society with more "event" culture around... Indonesia, the country I born, is beautiful country with many amazing "things" around the clock... We are the new generation where the definition of home is within the mind, and various travels are journey of life... The world we live is more in our ideal hope, while what we see is within person view.