THE HIP

A Thinker's Shared Spot of Stories of Living



Friday, March 31, 2006

30032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 6:12 AM

Playing CIV IV all day long, with watching people catching, brutally killing, and burn a lot of Patin fishes.
The fishes are the results of months of feeding some larvas (of the said fishes, of course). It is quite a sight, watching all of those fishes wiggling violently as they are separated from the water they were in, and then packed, 20-30 fishes at a time, into 3 buckets.
The next step is to kill them all, by tore open their belly. Well, let's say that if you're an animal lover, you'll be frustated on how they stick their knives in, and then brutally tore open the inside of the fishes. Really, that's the way to kill them, I suppose.
Now, be amazed: Even when they are all tore open, they are still wiggling about. And some, even after their innards removed, are still wiggling about. Guess their will to life is simply HUGE, right?

Thursday, March 30, 2006

29032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 6:59 AM

Phew, what's wrong with Blogger.com anyway? It's been hard to log in for a while.
Well, been taking days off, been starting small sports, been playing CIVILIZATION IV, been trying to shake off some psychological burdens. Been baffled by the fact that the arts seem to be leaving me, been paranoid about ghosts possessing me at night, been exchanging philosophical thoughts on mailing list.

Been trying hard to find that romantic feeling in me which has been lost somehow. Really, it's somehow been missing.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

27032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 7:02 AM

Well, done a rather lithe sport today. Static jogging, weak punching, and...that's all.
I guess that's enough for a starter after a long hiatus from doing sport
Well, I'm taking days off, for a week long. I am taking these days for doing things I haven't done for long: sports, drawing, travelling, taking pictures, e.t.c.

I need variety in life. A lot of variety, for I am easily bored person.

And oh yeah, I also read a lot of comic books, related to DC's Infinite Crisis event. It surprised me that an event could be spread out to so many books from so many titles, encompassing so many characters, and many of them are good comic books too!!

It is quite inspirational, really, this Infinite Crisis is.


Monday, March 27, 2006

26032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 5:50 AM

Tried to learn how to ride motorcycle. Well, I managed to ride it and control it, but still somehow quite clumsy about that gear coupling switch.
Well, experiences will smoothen my skill soon
And I learned that I have been developing urges to come out of my solitary, to have a taste of wider world. I have been a geek, a hiding geek, all alone and isolating. Learning how to ride motorcycle has confirmed that I still need something new to keep myself from being bored to death.
It's all about refreshing my life.
It's all about getting in sync with general reality of public.


Sunday, March 26, 2006

25032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 5:16 AM

Are we all being punished for doing sins of complying to corruptions? It seems so to me.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

23032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 8:53 PM

Have you thought that the title "The King's New Clothes" suit the condition of our leaders today?
They are being lied by those who promises that their works will give new honors to the king.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

22032006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 9:12 PM

In United States of America, women are defending the right to abort the would be future generations (to think of it, many caucasians are killing their future generations, and they are blaming turkish and africans for stealing their homelands)
In Indonesia, women are defending the right to show bellybutton, cleavage (upper and bottom), and the right to express self.
It's all related to how sperms are ejaculated.
It's all related on natural selection and survival instincts (more open woman attracts more horny men...so she can choose freely which one suits her needs)
So, when men are blamed for systematic reciprocal moves of his penis inside unwilling nipples selling women, why not women blamed for not properly cover the uncontrollabe movement of their mammae while walking the street?
The right of expressing self. Yeah right, you express your booties to be pressed in the pussy by the dick, and you blame the dick for things growing inches above your holes.
The right of emancipation. Yeah right, emancipation only remembered when you have no rights to vote and not when you are seeking living partners.
Or perhaps it is the way we adapt to rising pressure of living: shed off some limitations so we can move more freely?
Well, babes, there's afterlife. And in case you haven't know, women are majority of fuel to the flame there.

So, simply put: pornographic or not, whenever you are letting those little nipples of of yours pressing hard against your clothes, some men are wasting energies trying to contain their wild urges.

And wasting energies are not efficient, and speaking about efficiency, sometimes those scarcely-can-be-called-outfits of yours are the most inefficient things in the world: they costs more money per square feet, they expose your skin to the atmosphere thus increasing skin's humidity lost, and they make your blood to circulate faster to keep you warmer.

Yeah, you maybe able to make a man gives a ring because you are such a good sight, but when lipids are starting to develop under your skin, don't cry when he seeks another good sight, with less lipids under her skin.

And oh yeah, abortion. You killed the baby, therefore you are a killer. I vote for death sentence for a killer.


Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Day 21 of 3rd Month of 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 6:24 PM

Had my first day on a short course in Problem Solving and Decision Making Today.
It was a somewhat refreshing thing for me, after days in the field and still has no mood to come to office (Actually, I still has no mood to leave home..still need some bed rest and soul stabilizing. Emphasis on soul stabilizing)

Well, seing fresh faces, especially young, rich, stylish girls can be soul refreshing for a single man

Okay, back to problem solving course.
The first day of the course taught us to identify the root cause of a problem. To identify root cause of a problem, you need to define the problem first (what, when, where, how big, and how often) and compared the problematic item to an analogue that has no problem. You need to find what things differentiate both, what things change in the problematic one, and try to test for and find relevancy of the differences and changes to the problem.

With enough practices on this algorithm, you can find the root of the problem fast and easily.

Yesterday will be second day (of three), here's hoping for more refreshment for the eyes


Monday, March 20, 2006

Kurau Field Trip VI - Finale

by Eko Prasetyo @ 5:08 PM

So, I have left the field and all of its hustles and bustles.
Detailed story to follow

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Kurau Field Trip VI - Day 5 & 6

by Eko Prasetyo @ 9:44 AM

Boy, the feelings of commencing field project in a remote area and in a medium, local, kinda loosely organized oilfield operator company...HECTIC!!

2 days spent in oilfield made my bones ache, my feet sore, and my skin burnt. All to make that gas came out nicely and safely.

When that gas came out, it feels rather nice, but not too much. I guess I can sense it would happen, and it lessen the thrill. Or is it because I didn't have an "integrated into the project feeling" about it?

All I know is that that now I have the urge to do things needed to perfect this project.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Kurau Field Trip VI - Day 4

by Eko Prasetyo @ 6:19 AM

Day 4. Done field check twice. Got burnt by very hot sun. Got rocked by speeding boats cruising rather active waves. Got hungry chasing delivered dinner. Got new knowledges. Got new experiences. Got new view to the world.

Got fresher feelings.

Things are moving, FAST! The Area Manager has been pushing the people to finish the preparation this monday afternoon, so everyone needs to whip their own ass and get things done before monday.

With an accident that bent the flareline and with several items still need to be supplied, all are in high gear mode, trying to finish at the deadline.

I'll do what I can do too.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Kurau Field Trip VI - Day 3

by Eko Prasetyo @ 7:18 AM

Did a field checking again, with all responsible persons coming. This time we really did do a final checking on what's present, what's missing, and what will be fixed.

What present are the essential devices: the wellhead, the separator, the flareline, and the flowline. What's missing are the bypass line, what will be fixed is the burnpit area that needs to be pulled back closer to flowline.

After the visit, 2 sessions of programs and HAZOP finalizing are done, ended close to midnight. We saw progress on activities checklist and still needs to chase up the completion of those programs. Hopefully, all items can be done on its intended timeline, so that we no longer needs to delay more.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Kurau Field Trip VI - Day 2

by Eko Prasetyo @ 7:04 AM

More waiting and waiting, which turned out something wrong to do.
When a more senior colleague came and asking me what is the progress, I went blank, and ended up telling him all the wrong informations.
We also did a field check, to asses the preparation of a gas well production testing. We have found that a bypass line, from wellhead to flareline is missing, and the flareline's end itself is set too close to the forest trees thus elevating the risk of wild fire.

So we noted, and we returned to main office.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Kurau Field Trip VI - Day 1

by Eko Prasetyo @ 6:09 AM

Arrival!

After 3 months, I finally stepped my feet into this land of heavy metals and furry monkeys again. Yup, welcome back to Kurau, Engineer!

Well, here I am, on a tropical island, with rows of mangroves welcome me and island birds chirping, with less concentration of carbon monoxide in the air, and healthy sunshine that warms me.

But I am here for duties, not vacation. Already I participated in 2 meetings: a pre SPUD meeting, where every participants of a drilling job came, and a HAZOP meeting,

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Day 67, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 3:38 AM

As Reality still wraps around me, I have a feeling that I am beginning to do a small rebellious path against it.
Yesterday, when a bus "money collector" (the guy who collect passanger fees during travel) told us, the passangers, to switch bus. It is a usual thing done by bus personnel, moving passangers to an emptier bus so that they can turn around and catch other passangers in waiting in reverse route. I decided I have to show some of my grudge regarding such custom, and decided to bang the bus door with my fist.

I pay full money, and I expect full service. Customers are not kings, mafia bosses are. We low-life customers mean money to be sucked here in Indonesia.

I am thinking about exploding any bus which personnel tell me to switch bus. That will be further rebellion agains this absurd reality.

Alright, as I write this, I am preparing to go to Kurau for field duties till March 20, 2006. Prepare for some "Kurau Field Trip VI" entries


Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Day 66,2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 4:43 AM

Let's talk more about reality.
People may say that reality is in the mind of the perceiver. I somewhat agree, but I can also add that reality, in the end, is formed from a collective subconscious of people.
Sometimes a man live in his own reality, actively trying to deviate from common reality, while collective subconcsious will push him and forces him to accept the way of general people.
I sometimes thinking that I am somehow living outside the common reality, thinking differently from other people, looking at them not as part of my reality, but as an object outside my live. An object of observation and philosophical thoughts. When I deviate far from the collective reality, somehow my subconscious mind is forcing me to return to it, fearing the consequences of drifting far from "real world"

But I love to deviate far from the "real world" around me, because this is how I live my morning every working days:

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Chaos, subjugated people, and egoistic survival instincts are on rampant around me. Surviving for these folks of my country seems to mean ignoring rules, cause some rules are somewhat non-existant in this country.

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

Repeat of those same images of reality attacking my vision has somewhat made my mind tired. Perhaps they can easily accept the fact that they are able to live like that, but I can't. I just can't accept these chaos forcing into me.

But so far, I just have to accept it.

Sigh.....


Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Day 65,2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 5:04 AM

I have been wondering: "What is Reality?"
Is that a collection of informations gathered by our senses and interpreted by our brains based on experiences and shared knowledge, and subjugation of our subconscious on accepting those informations?
Is that all?


Monday, March 06, 2006

Day 64, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 4:35 AM

Sunday. Day of Recharging. Day of Rests. Day of Confusion. That's my Sunday.

And for the rest of the world, Sunday could mean everything and also nothing. Whatever.

These last days saw me as a man losing his confidences in this world. But that's not all. These last days also saw me as a man who thinks philosophically a lot. I have been thinking, in this philosophical term, mostly about 2 things: About how our world's economy is basically built on intangible things and propelled forward by "inflations", and about what if the currency of Indonesia is based purely on gold; what if our gold is not exported and turned 100% into a reseve.

Let me explain about the first: Inflation based economic growth.

Basically, economy can grow if the needs of people is limited, and if those needs are sought intensively by people, their prices will go up. Those rising prices will in the end count as economic growth, thus giving illusions that we are moving forward. Another proof that we are moving on illusion based economy is how stock market (and any other futures market) works. The rising prices are the motor of a stock market's life, and those rising prices are mainly backed up by bullish sentiments. Do you know where the terms "bullish" comes from? It comes from how many "bullsxxxs" it takes to rise a price of a stock. In short, it takes wordsmithing and talespinning backed up by commonfolks confidence to keep a stock price rising.

The most prominent of these "bullsxxxs" boosted prices is oil price. If you're still believing whether the war on middle east and verbal assaults on Iran are ways to keep the world's safe, stop. Those acts done by dubya's toyboys are done mostly to keep oil price at inflated price, and to keep the world from being a peaceful world. Peaceful is not good for economy because it will make level of certainty rising, and with high level of certainty, people's need will be easily fulfilled, and prices will not go up easily. Remember, this is inflatory based economy we are talking about here, an economy moving forward with "higher demands yield higher prices" adagium as its main engine.

Side note: Remember, everywhere USA Army steps in, there won't be peace, but only escalated dangers and uncertainties (Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq, and sadly: Indonesia).

This inflatory based economy makes me wondering: what if all gold in a country is not for sale, but stored inside a reserve, and based on the value of those reserve, money (with its printed value made as representative of the value of the gold stored) will be circulated. The money will represent real valued thing, and not intangible things. True, gold price will go up and down, and the money's value will go up and down too. But attaching the value of gold into a money is less inflatory than attaching it to, lets say, US dollars (which is inflatory on itself).

And basing the value of a money with gold will make a true economy because a country which has no gold will try to sell something to a country which has no gold, thus creating a market which is based mainly on a real thing, not mainly based on intangible thing.

What do you think?


Sunday, March 05, 2006

Saturated by Life, Imprisoned by Immaturity, and Beaten Down by Losts

by Eko Prasetyo @ 12:15 PM

So, I break my routine "Day XX, 200x" title to bring you this special news about the latest conditions of my pathetic, lost, and scattered everywhere life.

And this entry will make up for the last 2 pathetic, short, and untagged posts. Sins must be redeemed, right? Here is my redemption.

So, here I am, God Knows how many times I have lamented about my own sad, pathetic conditions.

First, there's the flu. One week full of stubborn, inescapable flu. With my nose running and my head swimming, it's hard to keep focused on anything, and my job performance has been an all time low. So low, I think my boss will surely fire me if he has a little more sense of decency. I have sworn I will stop opening Internet during office hours, but my instincts keep on telling me to do it, and I am a poor defender against my own dominating instincts.

Hmmm..perhaps my boss has not fired me because he will be transferred to head a new division soon.

Whatever.

Yesterday was Saturday, and I slept a lot, since the flu was still there, and I slept at 11 on friday night. I have been trying to make myself sleep at 8 p.m everynight, so I can wake up at 3.00 a.m in the morning so by the time the clock strike 5, I will be fully awaken and fully ignited; mind, body and soul. But I have kept on sleeping at 10 or more, and it has been helping the flu to flourish (so it's my own fault, I help the enemy flourished)

During the week, I have been late twice. I put the blame on the bizzare public transportation system here in Indonesia, and everyone understood. There is no rule on how a driver run his bus here in Indonesia, hell, he can even tell the passangers to move to other bus so He can turn back earlier to catch "passangers golden time" (which is 4-6 p.m, the hours of majority of low and middle class, public transportations dependant souls in Jakarta go home). And in the morning, if you're off by 10 or 15 minutes, you'll end up with just one or two of nearly a dozen buses who suppose to turn up in your route. They turn back earlier.

Well, there's lightning storm brewing outside. This post will be continued. I have to turn this PC off.

one hour later...

And now that the lightning storm has turned into another event in unrecorded history of "shared reality world", I have another moment to continue my blogging.

Hmmmmm, oh yeah, the buses. Well, try to imagine a 50 seated bus with speed of 50 mile per hours driven like a porsche through a stuffed two laned roads. That's what buses in Jakarta are all about: a challenge to insurance company, if they ever got insured.

Me? Well, I am an adapted passanger, that means I can still sleep in the bus all the way to office to pay off that long night. I may even try to sleep standing, if the bus if so jam packed full. Still, 5 days a week commuting on 4 of those suicidal buses, someone's soul will have fatigue.

And add that to an office that is on a 31st level (actually 28, because due to superstitious mentality, there is no floor number 4, 14, and 24..geh, damn chinese!!), with the stupidest elevators in Jakarta to take you up there (10 minutes to wait for an elevator to show up, and when it shows up, you'll have 2 or 3 others showing up...talking about efficiency), and air conditioner that is ready to freeze your bone, you'll be fatigued more.

Add that to the fact that your cubicle is right in front of a public door...you'll be stressed more.

Yup, that's my life.

The only thing that makes me stay is because the money is good. I live in Jakarta, and the money is good for a national capital living. The money is good.

But I want more. And that greed really burn my pocket deep.

First, there's this whole autosurfings and HYIP fiasco, where scammers are running away with my money I intend to invest into their "promising programs". Man, growing your money up to 25% a day is a promise every greedy, immature, and naive person will buy any day.

I was (and perhaps still am) that greedy, immature, and naive person.

Second, there's this Marketiva forex trading platform. I was doing EXCELLENT for one week, before internet blackout occurs for 3 days in the next week, and my money "WENT DOWN THE ABYSS" due to uncontrollabe losses.

That was a week before the invincible flu stroke in. Since then, I have burnt 90% of my capital in Marketiva due to uncontrollabe emotions.

More loses.

I think that's enough for now. I am calmer. I'll storm again here when I am fatigued.

And prepare for Kurau Field Trip VI next week, not updated daily as I will be rooting in a jungle looking after a gas well.

Day 63, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 11:01 AM

My life is boring. Bone deep boring. VERY VERY BORING.
I really need a vacation.
Perhaps I really need a change of vocation.
GEH!!

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Day 62, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 11:03 AM

Decided to walk out early from office, the flu and fatigue easily overcame me.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Day 61, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 7:16 AM

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...what to write today? Bird Flu spreading heavily in Indonesia (at least in local news)? The fact that I have started a weird poems blog? Or the fact that I have been beaten by forex trading?

My life is just getting weirder everyday...

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Day 60, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 5:46 AM

Yesterday was pretty boring.
Really, I'm not the one for routine, repetitive things, I prefer changes once in a while (but not too much changes, it tends to make me nervous)

And I guess it is quite safe to think that we need to change our common reality, the reality we share together, cause this reality has been influenced with "intangible factors" too much. And guess what: "intangible assets" are probable the biggest drivers of economic growth (or shrink). Perceptions, my friends, have become the biggest resources that have been harvested by wordsmiths and bigtalkers. That's why the most successful persons have been the ones who can do excellent wordsmithing and do bigtalking very often.

Am I right?

So change our reality, see it like The Sword of Shannara had done to the Warlock Lord: Stripped him off his lies, so that what will be left is nothing, cause he was just a reality set in motion by his state of mind and those who believes him.

Anyway, while we are at it, why don't we start by looking at our own democracy?

More will follow


Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Day 59, 2006

by Eko Prasetyo @ 9:28 AM

Boy, had a hard time sleeping last night. I mean, the fear is still gripping my heart, and the morning coffee effect has not been fully subsided.

Remember what I said about "ghost sounds" on a previous entry? Well, I found out that one of them is actually a sound emitted from an animal, probably a rooster (a very peculiar rooster, if that's true) because it comes out whenever roosters have their "morning shoutout" event in which they shout out to each other to give signs about their claimed area.

That's one sound. Now, if I can only determine what is that "laughing demonic pig" sound is..