1000 Faces 1 Complex Mind

Soundtrack Feed: One Night in Rio - Louie Austen

2009-09-20T23:37:00.003+09:00

One, one night in Rio, (in Rio)
Two, two days in LA (in LA)
We had a short, a short stop in Moscow
But there was no, (no…) no time to stay (to stay, to stay, to….)

We’ll had to meet this promoter in New York
So we met at the Hilton Hotel at the lobby
We said we have to leave immediately to Germany
So we hired a cab,
When I saw the cab I thought I’ll faint! because this little cab
Was jut a Mitsubishi, a shifted car,
I’m used to ridin’ limousines, luxury cars, with all my stuff,
a minimum one suitcase, two pairs of shoes and three backup singers
I’m used to this, I need this!

Anyway, this driver had no idea how to get to the airport,
‘cause at the 14th street he took a left turn, instead of a right turn,
and I was really mad at him which us:
Hey man we have to.. to be at the airport in a few moments!
So how hard can you do that!
‘cause the flight, leaves, to Berlin!

One, one fancy cocktail (in the sky)
Two, two pieces of lemon
Three, three crying babies (next to me)
And after four drinks, they wouldn’t serve me no more…

Well after flying for seven hours in economy class
I was really mad, three crying babies
And no more liquor, and no sleep
So finally we arrived in Berlin
It was raining, of course
So nobody’s picking us up
‘cause where the hell are these guys?
But anyway, so let’s go get the luggage
And we went down and, there was no luggage, there was no luggage!
So I waited half an hour for my luggage
So I went down to the counter and said: excuse me, where is my luggage?
We flew from New York to Berlin
So he looked into his computer, and he said:
Sir, it’s on the way to LA (LA, LA, LA…)

I had one, one, one bedroom apartment (one bedroom apartment)
There were two, two things on my mind (my mind)
I want to go back (back), back to my luggage
I want to leave (leave), leave this place behind

Ok, I’m sitting at the airplane to Los Angeles to get my luggage back
It’s quiet and next to me there is a friendly guy from Morocco or somewhere
So we talk, and I wanted to show him the pictures of my boat, and guess what?
I find out, that I forgot my wallet in the apartment, in Berlin!
And here I am, no cash, no credit cards, not wearing a suit, for four days!
Suddenly, the nice guy beside me jumps up with a pistol in his hand!
Runs to the cockpit and demands that the pilot has to go to Rio de Janeiro!

One, just one night in Rio (in Rio)
Too, too tired to complain (buagh)
Three, three stamps in my passport
For you it might sound funny (well…)
But I was in pain

All right after twenty six hours
We got rescued by the brazilian anti-terror squad
Nice guys by the way
Later at the gate, I see this BEAUTIFUL lady smiling at me
I go over there, and talk to her
And she, invites me to go to her house
Sounds like, there’s a chance to shave

And is one, one night in Rio (Rio)
We had two, two glass of champagne (champagne)
And after three, three minutes of talking (hahaha)
We made love (love...), again and again (again again again…)

Aagghh, its four o’clock in the morning and I’m getting a little rest
You know what I’ll say, hah it was a rough night
My cell phone rings it’s my agent Steve
He’s telling me he’s waiting on my boat in Malibu
with all my luggage Thank God!
Ready to go to Honolulu, I could dress, go to the airport,
pick up my ticket,
because I have to go back, back to LA

The Magical Dance of Life

2009-04-28T00:02:00.003+09:00

|when fiction and realities collide|

"Otsukaresama desu." I looked up and replied shortly.. "Good night". I walked slowly, heading back to my desk. It was already 10PM and I was the only one in my team that still staying in the office. As I sat down and logged in to my Lotus Notes, I couldn't help but thinking what actually I was doing here. I quickly scanned through those email subjects and decided to call it enough for the day.

...

"Hello, Nick. What's up with that look?" the bartender teased me while throwing her lovely smile. "Just another one too many long day, dear. Can I have .." "Gin tonic, sure, Nick..haha. Are you sure you don't want something stronger?" "Wish I can..wish I can..ahh what the heck, just give me a tequila shot..happy?" "As long as you're happy, Nick" she said back to me with a wink. I took down the shot and started to look around. Same old view..strangers talking to strangers, trying to win each other "love" for the night and if no love should be found, then just move on to another stranger until they find their love of the night. Is it Cupid that playing around or will he be crying seeing such situation? Hah..wtf..who cares, right?

...

I walked toward the big glass window and looked outside. Tokyo in the night time from 52nd floor. It's an amazing view of artificial lights, indeed. Suddenly I felt a presence next to me..and I heard a deep voice saying "We're at party with some of the hottest girls in the world and we're staring at a bunch of fucking lights. What the fuck, Nick?" Haha..Lei is here. "What's up, yo Lei? I see that you've been practicing on every dialogues from Entourage, eh? A perfect line you had there, Mr. Gold..haha." "Cut the crap, Nick..I see that you're in vain. You wanna roll some dices? Surely winning some chips will make you're happier..jya nai?" "That depends..on who will be our companion?" "Like I said..there are so many hot chicks here, why you worry that much? Just make sure you keep having combination of aces, kings and all the fucking pictures on your hand. Let's go, mate!" "Ah..fuck it, let's go!"

...

One hour later since the conversation with Lei..we're already busy at an illegal den inside one of the apartment buildings where all proud expat lives in Tokyo. Yeah..you know what I'm talking about..the area where the residents called themselves as part of "The Tribe". Whatever. Anyway, I got a pretty good game tonight despite after having such a long meaningless day at the office. I think I'm already up by about 100man..not bad at all, until we got some assholes joining our table. Those aholes were just ruining the night..never saw their faces before and they were just so fucking urusai with some annoying attitudes. As usual, it's always tourist who can't really respect the environment. As I saw Lei already close to his explosive state, I gave a sign to him to get out. He was a bit hesitant and still holding his glass like wanting to crash it to their heads. So, I winked his girl to drag him out which apparently worked out..haha. We cashed in and stepped out with the girls.

...

"So, Nick..what's next? Don't tell me you want to go for ramen now." "Actually, I do want a bowl of ramen, Lei. But first..let me make a phone call." "Damn it. It's only 3 in the morning..night still young, mate!" "Trust me..I'll take you all to the best ramen..hehe." I reached for my cellphone, looked up the number and start dialing. "Yo, buddy..this is Nick. Is any of the car free now? Yeah? Cool..we're in front of Tsutaya, can you pick us up? Nice, thanks!" Lei was a bit confused and asked "Did you just call a taxi? We can just get a taxi over there yo. Are we going to the ramen shop in Ebisu?" "Shut up, Lei. You asked too many questions..haha." After waiting for about 15 minutes..a black Hummer limousine is approaching and stopped in front of us. The driver stepped down from the car and asked "Nick-san desu ka?" I was laughing and pull my girl up from her seat "Hai, sou desu. Let's go guys!" "Whoa..I didn't know you're calling a limo service..where are we going, Nick?" "Ahh..can't you stop asking questions for tonight? You'll thank me for this."

...

About 1 hour later, we arrived at Kamakura. We made a stop at a konbini nearby the beach to get some cup ramen and coffee cans..haha. I told Lei "You know what, fucker..if we can enjoy watching artificial lights from a room filled with smokes and smells of alcohol..seeing sunrise and having simple things like cup noodle and cold coffee can is surely much more than that. Agree?" No answer. I looked over my shoulder and saw that Lei already busy making out with one of the girls that joining us from the den. Haha..

...

I was just sitting down on the sand, holding one of the girls from behind while waiting for the sunrise to come up. Then, as the sunrise slowly showing her face..I felt so much joy in my heart. The combination of yellow, orange, and red lights blended with blue color of the sea..dark sand and smell of fresh air slowly getting into my senses..the love of mother nature..the love from the Almighty. Suddenly I felt so small and slowly as the ray of lights sweeping my face, my cheeks getting warmer as some drops of tears started to run down..

Oh, Lord..please forgive me, please give me wisdom and the strength to carry on. Thank you for all the blessings you've given..

Vodka, Mochi and Sakura - part 2

2009-03-26T01:27:00.003+09:00

|when fiction and realities collide|

"So, what's your full name?" I asked Mika after I ordered a set of yakitori to the waiter. "Mikhail Arjuna. My great grandfather from my mom is a Russian..so my mom asked my dad to use a Russian first name as a way for me to keep remembering my mixed Russian-Javanese blood line." "That's cool. I think you're the first one like that that I've met in my life. Let's drink to that! Hey..teach me something..how do you say "cheers" in Russian?" "Chtob vse byli zdorovy. To our health, cheers, mate!"

...

The conversation turned out to be as warm as sake in the summer time. I found that Mika used to live in Jakarta and Bandung until he was 20 years old. He used to hide his part of Russian identity due to stupid political campaign back at that time. Though he grew up a bit introvert, somehow he could manage his teen life in Jakarta. When I asked what made him moved to Tokyo, he was hesitant in answering the question. He simply answered "I got bored and came here to study." He said that he moved to Tokyo for a change in life. There was time when he was a Japanese language school student in the day time and at night time he would do some part-time trance dj-ing at some small clubs. Fancy answer but I still could sense there were more than that underneath the iceberg. I didn't want to be pushy so I took every answers he gave without trying to argue with him.

...

"So..what did you do here in Niigata? Let me guess...you went for snowboarding in Echigo Yuzawa, somehow got bored and wanted a piece of action here in Bandai area? Haha." Mika was just smiling and he said "Something like that but actually I'm on my way to Vladivostok. I'll have my plane on Sunday afternoon." "Wow..that's really cool! Are you going for leisure?" "Hahaha. Well..you can say that, Nick." Mika answered my question with a wink on his eye. Hmmmmm..very interesting. I was curious what actually his connection with my source but I decided not to ask any questions on that..at least for now.

...

3AM in the morning and we were still drinking. Luckily I had enough dinner and quite relaxed which made my level of resistance to alcohol quite high. On the other hand, both Mika and Nadya already getting super drunk. I actually didn't want to fish in more and just wanted to enjoy the rest of the night..however, suddenly Mika said "Nick, listen, I know what you're doing here with our common friend. Have you ever wondered how he got all the insider information?" "Hahaha..what do I do? What information?" I tried to be cool and answering his question with some jokes. "Cut the crap, Nick. I can tell exactly what a guy like you doing with him. Just like what Gordon Gekko said...greed is good..and correct me if I'm wrong but you're here to be good. No?" "Hahaha..fair enough. So what do you want to say?" "Listen...everything that you got from him..those came from me initially. I'm the one who rolled the sleeve and digging the gold so people like you can make the gold into jewelries." I was just smiling and nodded my head while raising my glass to give a kanpai to Mika. Hah..kids nowadays..

...

Though I was skeptical at the time Mika told me about it, somehow I got drawned into believing his story. I learned from his story on how he got the information. Here was my guess. He basically plays an impostor role, pretending to be a programmer and then our friend will place him as an IT engineer into the company that will go for IPO. Once he gets into the company, he will hack the database and download any confidential information using his infiltration skills. His trip to Vladivostok tomorrow was part of the plan..he would go to fix some database issues in one of the company's factories and while he was doing his job, he would connect to the company mainframe and retrieving information. Once it's done, he would fly back to Niigata, handed the information to our friend and I..alongside with some other people, would pay for it. Whoa! This Arjuna surely can use keyboard as his long bow and shooting out codes as the arrows!

...

Anyway..after some more drinks, the clock already showed 4 something in the morning. None of us was sober..of course, what else to expect? Before we split out, we exchanged our contact info and promised to catch up in Tokyo. I went back to hotel and Mika went separate way together with the girls. As I walked back to my hotel, I was smiling and saying to myself "Indonesian hacker in Japan..leaking hot IPO information to global greedy boys by hacking it..unbelievable..haha"

...

Back to Ueno Koen, Early Spring 2009

I got up from my past recollection and walked towards Mika and Nadya. As I hugged both of them from behind, I told Mika "Hey..little fucker..I just remembering the first time we met. Haha. What a rock and roll journey, heh? Glad to have you in the family. Osu!" Mika was just laughing while Nadya pretended that she didn't hear what I just said and kissed me on my cheek. I smiled to both of them, looked around and then shouted to the gang.."Lunch ikou yoo!" (let's have lunch!)

..in memory of the night when thing is going to change big time..

Vodka, Mochi and Sakura - part 1

2009-03-24T00:34:00.004+09:00

|when fiction and realities collide|

Tokyo, Early Spring 2009

It was a bright Saturday morning. I stopped at Ueno station, got out from the infamous Yamanote line and headed to the park nearby the zoo. Yeah..it's hanami season..a season of sitting under Sakura trees and watching the flowers blooming..while of course having some drinks and foods with friends, families and beloved ones. Which sometimes for some people drinking is what more important than watching those tiny cute pink leaves. They call it "spring nominication"..haha. It's fascinating, isn't it? How people come up with excuses..

...

The crowd was a bit different than the usual. This time it's a mixed of Indonesian, Japanese and Russian..girls mostly :-) The hanami was actually organized by Mika..fyi, a GUY not a girl. He's one of the youngest among our la familia that I met about 2 years ago. "Nickyyy...come here pleassse! Can you bring the beers with you too ya..onegaishimasu" I looked back and I saw Nadya, Mika's "girlfriend", was calling me while winking her eyes and gave sign for me to approach her girlfriends. Haha..funny girl. I shouted back "Da da..I'm coming." I grabbed the cooler box and sat down next to them. "Здравствуйте, меня зовут Ник" (hello, my name is nick) I introduced myself to Nadya's friend with my broken Russian..haha. They were actually just arrived in Tokyo about 3 months ago and somehow more fluent in Japanese than in English. Mika saw me and then joined the conversation as well.

...

As the sun was getting higher in the sky, I got thirsty. I got up and searched for some drinks in the other cooler box and luckily found the last Smirnoff Ice. Quickly grabbed it as I saw Jamie was spotting it too..haha. "Move bangsaff..haha.." Jamie was a bit pissed as he wasn't that fast in reaching to the box and as usual the word of "phehh" came out from his mouth. I was just laughing and then sat down under the cherry tree while eating a sweet mochi that Akira brought from Fukuoka. I saw Lei was..as usual..trying to trick the crowd with his dices game. Ahh..what a relaxing Saturday morning. When I looked at Mika and Nadya, my mind went back to the very first time I met them 2 years ago. In Niigata...

....

Niigata, December 2006

I just finished my onsen treat at Iwamuro onsen (you know..the ghost duck's lodge one) and then decided to have some drinks at Bandai City Area before going back to the hotel. I was actually in Niigata to meet with some of my sources. Yeah..there would be some hot IPOs soon in Russia and some insider information can be found in here..hehe. Amazing, right. We're like thousand miles away from Moscow but let me tell you something, my friends..if you know how to click your mouse, you may find treasure in the least expected place.

...

I got into the Immigrant's Cafe bar, across the Bandai's post office and found that my sources already there. We already finished our deal in the morning so the meeting now was actually quite relaxing. As we're talking about some good lodges in Echigo Yuzawa that available for sale, I saw a young guy with 2 blonde girls walking towards us. Then, the guy greeted my source in Russian language and after a while my source introduced me to them. "Hi, I'm Nicholas, nice to meet you." and he said "Hi, Nicholas..I'm Mikhail. Do you mind if we join you?" "Not at all, please. Drinks?" "Thanks, no worries. Sumimasen, 3 vodka tonic kudasai."

...

As the night getting older, the cold Niigata air had turned to be a warm vodka smelled air. One of the girls now sitting next to me while Mikhail with the prettier one. Her name is Nadya..a Russian model or at least that's what she told me. Then at one point of time, Mikhail dropped the ashtray from the table and he swored "bangsat!" (bastard).

I paused for some seconds..

"Did you just say "bangsat", Mikhail?" "Yes, why?" "Is that Russian?" "Haha..no, it's Indonesian language. You know?" "Of course I know! I'm an Indonesian!"

Now I saw he looked confused (and drunk too..haha)

"Wtf man..I'm Indonesian too! I used to live there until I was 20 years old! Haha! Stupid me..I thought that you're Japanese from Okinawa..haha" Mikhail was laughing and then he shook my hand and said "Panggil gue Mika, man.." (you can call me Mika). Oh man..it's definitely gonna be a long long vodka night..

*to be continued*

Ignorance is a Blessing v2

2009-03-19T00:13:00.004+09:00

|when fiction and realities collide|

We decided to hop into a cab and went to get yakitori on one of the stalls under the railway tracks in Ginza. Nobody was talking while we're on the way as each one of us was too busy playing with our own imagination. I only heard Erick saying something like "Ginza, onegaishimasu" and the driver replied back with pissed off tone as the distance is not that far while there were four of us already inside the car. Anyway..I got swept with my own thinking right away..first, of course, thinking about those hot tebasaki and crispy nankotsu and after I swallowed the thought, my mind back to the wandering of what would happen in just 2 weeks from now..

...

In about 10 minutes, we arrived at that infamous street and as we paid the fare..the oyaji taxi driver said something that I couldn't really catch but surely it felt rude. As I was the last one that got out from the taxi, I really wanted to slam the door but..yeah..the fact that it has automatic door kind of stopping me from doing so. What if the door kicked me back? Haha..oh well..so much hate for a fare of less than 1,500 yen...

...

It wasn't too crowded (with drunken salariman) in the weekend. We got into the "yakitori stall" that located in the middle..kind of a good spot to see others and guessing about what their life stories are like. As I looked around, I saw a table full with familiar faces..wait..aren't they...haha, what a nice surprise! They were the make up artists that helping us during the last event that we organized in Autumn '08. "Heyyyyy..hisashiburi! Minna genki?" Me and the guys stopped by at their table and chatted for a while. I found out that the leader now is doing his own business..running a production house specializing in exporting Japanese pop culture to Asia Pacific. Or something like that.

...

We finished the supper around 2PM and though some ideas of going to club were thrown out, each one of us finally thought that it's better to just go home. Yeah..been crazy crazy days..12-14 hours at office and then continued with another 3-4 hours working on the plan at home..almost everyday for the last 2 months. I guess everyone was actually missing the comfort of their pillows and beds. After saying few "osu"es, we splitted. I took the last cab and as I was sitting on the backseat..I reached for my iphone and checking my inbox. Hmm..junk..junk..junk..wait, hmm..this one looks interesting, let me opened it. "Congratulations, Mr. Thompson, you've just won 1 million USD from our charity sweepstakes!" Fuck..super junk! Then I remembered one email that I received in the morning. I read that email again which ended with "Nick, call me when you have time ne ;)" Hmm..I have time now, should I call her? Hah. Whatever.

..in memory of the times when things were super fast yet feeling so slow..

Ignorance is a Blessing

2009-03-18T01:11:00.005+09:00

|when fiction and realities collide|

"So, this is it..I guess we're having a winning plan here. Yeah!" I slammed the proposal to the desk and high fived everyone in the room. Yeah! We just finalized our draft as it was getting closer to the day where we're going to pitch this whole killer idea to some potential investors. Everyone in the team looked very excited and with a mix of Corona smell, Marlboro flavour and some leftover pizza on the dining table..it was just like those old crazy days back in college time. Only this time, it may lead us to a history in making..at least history in each of our lives.

...

It was around 11PM and as we stepped out from Kinkos, Lei got a phone call. He looked very serious but right after he hung up the phone he burst into laughter. "Guys..you won't believe this! In 2 weeks from now, we'll be having dinner with..guess who? Come on..guess guess! We'll have dinner with those VC people from the Valley!" I was about to light up my cigarette when I caught this and I asked Erick with confused face "People who? Which valley???" "Wtf, Nick! Who else! Have you forgotten about the Connection? Zeeee Connection?" When I heard the word...suddenly I feel my face became red..blood pumping fast through my veins for sure and somehow all of us did the shadow punch together rhythmically while shouting "OSU!!!"

...

*to be continued*

Good Morning, Sunshine

2009-01-20T00:56:00.005+09:00

|when fiction and realities collide|

I woke up to the sound of rain and wind knocking all over my windows. Huahhm..only 6.09 in the morning..and it's Saturday. What a week I had. Last night I couldn't stand it anymore and went home straight after work. It was only around 8PM when I got home and as far as I remember I fell asleep right away around 9-ish. I didn't want to wake up yet but somehow I couldn't sleep more. So I decided to keep lying on my bed while my mind wandering..thinking about all the things that happened this week..

Workwise..it was totally a heavy week. Indeed, with sudden additional responsibilities to bear, I got pulled into countless meetings in very short time. Have no idea what it will lead me to but I guess it's good thing to know that I'm still busy and have paycheck at the end of the day. Anyway..the show must go on and this work can still support me until the day comes. Ahh..let's think about something else..it's too early in the morning and please..let me enjoy my weekend.

...

As I turned on the heater, my mind got flying into that PCM and Four Seasons "incident". It's not that I never got into such kind of situation but this one was just different. I mean..come on..slipping a paper into my pocket without I had any slightest idea when it happened? Dude, I thought it would only happen in a movie! Haha. Oh..I know..some of you must have said,"it's because you were drunk, fool!"..yeah, whatever.

I actually made her confessed how she did it..hehe. She said that she used to learn card tricks from her uncle when she was still in elementary school and as she grew up..clearly, she improvised the techniques for many other purposes. After she told me the story, I challenged her to play some poker games to see if she was just bs-ing or not. Guess what..after few games, she was the one who laughing and gigling..bah.

Somehow our conversation turned to be about our favorite movies..especially its soundtrack and quotes. I started with the easiest one.."Okay.."you had me at hello" wa?" She made funny face and said "booo..too easy! Come on, Nick..be more creative!" "Haha..just answer it, girl..don't pretend that you know!" "Ahh..tsumaranai..Jerry Maguire..what else?" "Hehe..well, it's either you know or you don't, right..ok..your turn, babe." "Hah! Call me babe not, Nicky-chan.." she said that while giving me a punch to my left arm. "Hahaha..angry girl! Come on, your turn." "Ok..since you started with silly romantic line..try this.." Erika paused for a while then stared at my eyes..and started saying..

Outside it may be raining
but here it's entertaining
Outside things may be tragic
but in here we feel it's magic

Then she was quiet but still looking straight to my eyes. What!? I was...speechless. Those are the lines from Moulin Rouge...the lines that I usually chanted during rainy days in Yoyogi Park! Somehow I got butterfly in stomach..a result of lack of sleep, too much chivas, a cup of Indocafe and hearing those lines from this beautiful girl. I hushed away the feeling..put a smile and then said:

Here we are now entertain us..

We kept looking at each other and then..we burst into laughter. "Moulin Rouge! Yeayy..1-1! Can't you give something harder? Kyakyakya" She was just laughing while holding her pillow. "Hey, Nick..I think you should be getting ready for work. Go home and change your clothes, ok. You don't want your colleagues think that you're an alcoholic, right? I also need to get ready and catching my limousine bus." "Haha..you give up ne! Sure sure..but before that, here is the last one..guess..

You'd think that people would have had enough of silly love songs

After I said that..I think I just saw the most beautiful rainy morning sunshine in Tokyo when she said "what's wrong with that, Nick.."

...

I'm still at my bed..I think it must be already around 8AM. Huahhm...was it a sweet memories or was I dreaming? I wondered what Erika doing now there in SF. Must be a nice winter afternoon there. Anyway..let's rise and shine..got many things to do today. Selamat pagi, dunia!

Notes:
Tsumaranai = boring
Selamat pagi, dunia = Good morning, world

Lust is in the Air

2009-01-09T00:44:00.003+09:00

090-when-fiction-and-realities-collide-090

I looked at my watch and it was about 1am. It'd been already 3 more glasses of Chivas since I found the paper. Call me. Yeah..right, very nice timing. I had to work tomorrow..I mean..later on today and I guess I'm not in any position to make a clear decision right now. Wait...did I say clear decision? Haha..wtf..I just had so much drink and now I'm talking about clarity? I could hear a dialogue came in stereo inside my brain now:

Right brain: "Come on..give her a call..nothing to lose, right?"
Left brain: "Forget about it! It may be just a joke and besides you gotta work in just about 6 hours!"
Right brain: "So what!? Let tomorrow takes care its own!"
Left brain: "Listen...ignorant is a blessing.."
Right brain: "Exactly..that's why you should ignore your worries and just enjoy the night, man"

Ahh, screw it. I pulled my iphone and start looking for the hotel's phone number in my contact list. Ahaa..gotcha, you 03 lucky numbers..

...

"Hi, Erika" I said with a smile while trying to stand up straight in front of her door. "Hello, Nick..come in. Yopparai nee..hahaha. Daijyobu?" "Ahh..I'm okay. I still could walk from the bar and got here safely, jya nai? Now, don't do any harm to me, ok..it's illegal to take advantage from a drunk man...haha." "Haha..Nick Nick..only met u few hours ago but u just sound so familiar. Have a seat and let me make you coffee. I brought Indocafe from Jakarta you know..haha." "Thanks. Gomen ne..jama shite.." "Ga pa pa kok..thanks for coming."

...

"So, tell me..why u put that note into my pocket? Oh..and how did you do it?" I asked Erika while reaching out for my coffee and sat at the sofa. "Hihi..how I did it, that's a secret! Why I did it..well, aren't you glad that I did it? Haha." "Okay..fair enough, I'm here now..so?" She stood up from the edge of the bed and walked toward me. She bent down and whispered to my ear.."Umm..since you're very good at guessing, Nick-sama...why don't you guess again now?"

...

"Okay..I guess...I don't need to guess.." I whispered back and reached out..

Notes:
Yopparai = Drunk
Daijyobu = Alright
Gomen = Sorry
Jama shite = Disturbing
Ga pa pa = No problem

Message in the Bottle

2009-01-08T00:58:00.004+09:00

080-when-fiction-and-realities-collide-080

"Call me. Four Seasons Marunouchi. Erika."

What? I looked back to the entrance but she's gone already. Damn...how did she slip that piece of paper into my suit's pocket? Is this somekind of joke?

...

1 hour earlier at Pacific Cardinal Marunouchi

"Heyy..yooo...happy new year! Akemashite omedetou, fellas! How is it going!" I greeted some of the guys that I met at the paintball trip at Tama Hills in summer. "Nick-san! Happy new year to you too! When are we going to compete again?" Haha..such a warm competitive hisashiburi greeting, eh? "Compete? Ahaha..let me try to keep my job first and got some slice of the bonus pie and then I'll let you know! Gotta pay my bills first before I can afford renting the equipments, jya nai?" "Sure, Nick..if anyone got fired, that would be us first..haha. What do you want for drink?" "Whatever you drink now, mate."

I walked around and greeted some more people until I suddenly heard some people talking Bahasa Indonesia at one of the tables. I took a look..hmm..2 guys and 2 girls..and don't look like locals. Tried to see more clearly while remembering faces from my Facebook account..none matches. Ahh..let me just walk there and say hello..show some hospitality that Tokyo has to offer I guess..

"Hello..dari Indonesia?" A bit pause there and then one of the guys answered "Iya. Orang Indonesia juga, Mas?" "Yup, lagi liburan atau tinggal di sini?" One of the girls now looking at me and answered "Ohh..kita lagi transit. Going for an exhibition at SF. Kalau Mas?" "Saya kerja di Tokyo. Wait a minute..are you guys going to Macworld Expo?" "Iyaaa..kok tau sih?" "Ahh well..I'm just guessing..I know that there will be mac expo soon. Cool! May I know what you're going to do there? I mean..just visiting or some kind of business trip?" Now the other girl is answering me "Mau berbisnis..ada sedikit pekerjaan disana." Wait a minute..the tone and her choice of words is a bit strange..so I said "Eto..nihonjin desu ka?" "Haha..sou desu. Tau dari mana?" "Haha..well..just another lucky guess" I answered back with a smile and a wink.

So, they invited me to join their table and after some usual introduction lines I found out that this group is very interesting. They are actually part of an NPO that focusing on education for kids in emerging market and got some back up from Apple. They're going to SF and trying to get some more funding from Apple's alliance to create interactive libraries across Indonesia. Whoa. Never heard such before. The Japanese girl, her name is Erika and been living in Jakarta for about 1 year now. Her background was..surprisingly..investment banking in the past and somehow got attracked to the "non-profit" (whatever) side of the world. And still single. Kya kya kya..

After some more talk, they excused themselves as they're going to have some important meetings in the morning. I gave them my name cards and my cellphone numbers and saying if anything, then to give me a call. I didn't try to close anything..haha..I mean..I don't know..they might be more than just co-worker to each other..desu yo ne? Anyway..so I said goodbye to them and as they left, I walked back toward the bar. I ordered one Chivas on the rock and as I pulled out my money clip from my pocket, I got a piece of paper with some writings on it.

...

I'm still staring at the paper. Should I call???

Notes:
Dari Indonesia = From Indonesia
Lagi liburan atau tinggal di sini? = (Are you) on holiday or live here?
Saya kerja di Tokyo = I work here in Tokyo
Iya, kok tau sih? = Yes, how do you know?
Mau berbisnis..ada sedikit pekerjaan disana. = Going for a business..have a bit of work there.
Eto..nihonjin desu ka? = Err..are you Japanese?

Life is Funny

2009-01-07T00:04:00.003+09:00

(when fiction and realities collide)

Tokyo, January 7, 2009

I stared at the printouts. It was still warm, fresh coming out from that flashy printer. Somehow..it didn't make sense at all. "How come..what the fuck" was all that I could think of now. As I couldn't stand it anymore, I threw it all against my terminal monitor that still showing some news from Bloomberg TV. "There..cover my floor, stupid junk papers!"

...

The clock already showing 0:13 and I am already a bit tired. Physically and emotionally. I remember just about 4 hours ago I almost "hurt" myself at the gym. Trying to break "the wall" on treadmill until I realized people around me was looking at me. Yeah..I was running like crazy wanting to beat the time and distance. Guess it was not about being fit anymore..perhaps..I was trying to prove the theory that our brains work better when we're moving. Whatever. I stopped and headed to the sauna room..stayed there for almost 20 minutes, took shower and went back to my apartment.

...

Emotionally..I guess I'm getting tired because of such gloomy beginning of a new year. No..I'm not talking about news..it's already too much and it's better for me not to read it too often. The feeling was coming from seeing a sad scene today on the way back from office. I saw a salary man..could be easily on his late 40s or early 50s..sitting on the floor at Shinagawa station. It was only around 6PM so he couldn't be drunk already. His hands were covering his face so I couldn't really see his expression. I wanted to take off my headphone to hear whether he was crying or not but on second thought I decided not to. Meanwhile, people was just passing by after gave the poor man a look. Some gave "wtf" look but I feel some actually could relate to whatever that man situation was. Sigh. So much for a "happy" new year. I just hope that old man could bear all the pain and see the light again at the end of the day...

...

Anyway, after taking a short break from putting all those useless papers into shredder machine, I got back into my Powerpoint stuffs again. That's right...powerful (bullet) points that should be able attracting funds for the project. The project that may..oh, wait..will open global doors. I remember what some people said or thought when they heard about it the first time. "You better wake up, buddy..we're on the most severe financial crisis in the history..no money out there, stay!" Ahh, you know what, I guess life is funny because after all people are funny. Good night, sleep tight, sweet dream.

Quote of the day:
An original idea. That can't be too hard. The library must be full of them. - Stephen Fry, Actor

Golden Week - The Aftermath

2008-05-29T00:31:00.002+09:00

$$$when fiction and realities collide$$$

Tokyo Station. Around 11 A.M. Near the Yaesu Exit.

It sounds easy. It sounds simple. But sometimes it's none of it..especially if that one step is the first one..the one to begin..to start..which will lead to countless steps in order to finish.

...

And here I am..hesitating to take that step. Not because I can't picture the other end..I can imagine it though. Not because I'm afraid..I believe I can handle the pressure. It's just..hmm..what can I say?

...

Nevertheless..I've made up my mind! I'm going to take that step! Not later..not after a while..I'm taking it now! Read my lips: NOW!

...

Yeah!!! I'm taking that step..a step that will lead me closer..to the ramen shop on the corner..and fill my hungry stomach..with a bowl of tonkotsu ramen..where chasuu lives peacefully side-by-side with nori..swimming around the sea of tonkotsu soup. SLURRRRPPPP...ahhhhh...

..in memory of all the enlightenment that each Golden Week had to offer..

Golden Week - The Balancing Act 3

2008-05-25T22:45:00.013+09:00

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

"Kokusai Daigaku, onegai shimasu" I told the taxi driver as I sat down inside the car. I remember I used to wait for the free bus back then as I preferred to save every yen I got instead of paying cab fee. You know..if I had to walk, I walked. Now, after I left this place for few years, I'm here again but no need to wait or walk for 30 minutes..just waved my hand, got the door opened, sat comfortably and enjoying the beautiful scenery from behind the window. Nice.

...

Besides the comfort..actually, nothing much different on what I can see though..whether I take the bus or a taxi. I guess the difference between now and then was that..when I was a student, everytime I went back to school, my mind always got occupied with case studies, homeworks, thesis, job hunting, etc. ..just like an overloaded machine. Now, I don't need to think about those and yes, no need to feel "guilty" and think that if I used 2,000 Yen then I should eat instant noodle...haha. It's now just a simplicity of looking at the river, trees, and paddy fields. A simple state that surely gave me a peace of mind. Was it? Maybe actually I took it as granted back then...?

...

It was almost noon when I arrived at my school. IUJ. Hisashiburi desu ne! The starting point of my journey in Japan. The place where I began to learn on how to be part of global community and have a global dream. Wait a minute..global dream? Hahaha...I guess my dreams were wilder at that time..it's a mix I believe..wilder, naive, arrogant, foolish.. and perhaps pure? "What happened, man..where are they now..."..I took deep breath and threw my luckies to the bushes while stepping inside the complex..

...

After I took the room key from the housekeeper, I went straight to my room. As I entered the room..all the memories started to float in the air..the smell, the layout, the furniture..clean, neat and simple. How can such a simple place..in the middle of nowhere..has given birth to so many complex dreams? Is it because people don't have anything else to do besides daydreaming while staring at the mountains? Is it because people actually have more time to have dialogue with their inner souls in here instead of in the hectic city environment? Yeah. I guess that's why it's good to be "back to school". Just got here for few minutes and all the contemplation started automatically..

...

I spent the afternoon by walking around the complex..taking pictures, smelled the flowers, listening to the sound of water flowing between the rice fields..all the things that I wouldn't find in Tokyo. In the evening, I joined group of students and having dinner with them together at the cafeteria. Listening to their stories..well, to be more correct..answering their questions about getting a job in Tokyo and listening to their "aspirations"..haha. It was nice. Some of their dreams were actually amazed me..and you know..that burning fire on their eyes when they're telling their stories...it's just inspiring. Reminding me of how I used to be one of them..haha..an Indonesian student who wanted to take over the corporation world through his dreams..

...

I asked the students to have some drinks together as my treat. So, we went shopping to the liquor shop behind the station and started a bonfire near the tennis court. Around midnight..me and the juniors already finished about half dozen of wines, 1 bottle of tequila, and of course..some bottles of the best sake in the region..Hakkaisan sake. Thinking about the morning trip back to Tokyo and the severe futsuka yoi I would get once I woke up..I excused myself to get back to my room. As I changed my clothes, I kept smiling and thinking of how fun being a student in here (though sometimes it was very very boring). It was fun, indeed. As I'm getting ready to sleep..in the middle of my dizziness, I remembered a paragraph from Pastor Dennis Sempebwa's book..

"A man or woman who thinks like a chicken will never be able to fly with eagles. Eagles think like eagles and chickens think like chickens. Nevertheless, in life, the chicken that continually or repeatedly thinks like an eagle and hangs out with eagles, eventually flies like an eagle"

Oh man..I guess in the school..even when we're drunk, we still need to be philosophical..hehehe. Oyasumi nasai ne, chickens and eagles...don't sleep hugging your toilet bowl..good night..zzz...zzz...zzz..

Notes:
Kokusai Daigaku = International University
Onegai shimasu = please
Hisashiburi desu ne = long time no see
Futsuka yoi = hangover
Oyasumi nasai = please have a rest

Soundtrack Feed: Kitaguni no Haru - Sen Masao

2008-05-23T22:02:00.002+09:00

...

Shira kaba aozora minami kaze
White birch tree, clear blue sky, warm breeze blowing from the south
Kobushi saku ano oka kitaguni no
Flowers blooming on that hill in the northen land
Aaa... kitaguni no haru
It's the springtime of northern land
Kisetsu ga tokai de wa wakaranai darou to
Thinking that there's no such season in the city
Todoita ofukuro no chisana tsuzumi
As a small parcel wrapped in pouch arrived
Ano furusato e kaerokana kaerokana
Shall I go back, shall I go back..to that home sweet home..

...

Golden Week - The Balancing Act 2

2008-05-21T23:36:00.010+09:00

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

It's 07.00 AM when my alarm went crazy after being snoozed for twice already. Huaahhmm. I wasn't that enthusiastic to get out from my blanket as I couldn't really sleep last night. Somehow I kept thinking about work while I was on the bed and surely it kept me awake for about 2 hours. I could finally fell asleep around 3 I guess. However, thinking that today is still the beginning of GW and remembering the pain of waiting for Shinkansen on Tokyo Station for hours...I decided to throw away my blanket and jumped off from my bed.

...

By 8.30ish, I got to Tokyo Station and boy..just as expected..crowds of people..both local and international..most with either small luggage or duffel bag, ready to start their vacations. I went to the ticket vending machine to check what time I could get into one of the Max Toki..a bit long que though. Finally, I could get myself face to face with that machine..hmm..maybe to be lucky getting the earliest bullet train, I should try to hit the buttons using Pachinko sequence? OK..first 7..destination: Urasa..second 7... 1 person..and now..let's see if the third 7 will come up..thirrrrrdddddddd seven... Max Toki 315 Departure: 09.28 AM... my lucky day!!! 777!!!

Ahahaha...well, apologize if you got lost with this...basically Pachinko is kind of pinball gambling machine in Japan..and 777..well, you know..it's the lucky number. Basically, to get a reserved seat on Shinkansen during GW without doing advanced reservation and only need to wait for about 45 minutes is kind of hitting a jackpot! Banzaiiii...

...

Once I got to the platform..it was already super crowded. Damn..must be really my lucky day, eh? Anyway..the train finally came and I hopped into it gracefully..haha. Hoping that I would get even luckier, I was anticipating that a pretty young Japanese girl would sit next to me..oh man..that would be sweet..kikiki. Well..couldn't get too much luck though..as I got a middle age guy sitting next to me..wearing suits! Dude..it's GW! Stop pretending that you work so hard!!!

...

I actually wanted to enjoy the scenery during the 85 minutes commute time, especially right after crossing that Gunma tunnel..but I failed as I fell..asleep, right after I finished my coffee can. Zzz..zzz. By the time I woke up, it's already near Echigo Yuzawa which means very soon I'd be arrived. I felt excited..a bit doki doki.. and there...we entered that small station..Urasa.

As I got off from the train, I said to myself "Tadaima!"... and through the spring breeze, I heard the wind whispered back softly to my ear "Okaeri, Nick-san"..

to be continued..

Notes:
Tadaima = an expression that Japanese people use when they come home
Okaeri = "welcome back", "welcome home", used to reply "Tadaima"

Golden Week - The Balancing Act 1

2008-05-17T10:06:00.005+09:00

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

GW. Golden Week. The time that I used to spend for going somewhere, either domestic or overseas. This year..somehow I felt like my will of travelling were being beaten down, not by work, well..you know, the market is not that bubbly anyway, but by myself. I did get some invitations from my friends to come aboard with them..some were going to Macau to practice card counting (and losing money with feeling being thrilled and entertained), others were planning to go to Okinawa with some "aidoru" that they met during a gokon in Ebisu, and some other tempting invitations. But, I wasn't tempted..not even gave it a thought. I bluntly turned down each invitation and when they asked why I simply said that I had something else on my mind.

Which I didn't.

...

So, here I am..at the beginning of GW, sitting alone in my apartment..staring at my workstations with no plan. Hey..don't laugh..don't you know that no plan sometimes is the best plan in the corporation world? Of course, the big boys have cleverly rephrased it into some management buzzwords..the question mark on BCG's matrix, "stay put", "pro status quo", whatever. I don't know..it's just that I feel that there should be something else more than this. Or perhaps less complicated than going to popular tourist destinations...

...

Hmm. Something simple yet meaningful. Perhaps.. it's time to pay a visit the school again. The place where things are pretty much pure (at least the surrounding mountains and its rice fields) and where people put all their efforts to get their "Initial D". The Initial Dream. Alright, my soul..let's go show tomorrow..and for now..good night..

to be continued..

Reality Check pt 1.0

2008-04-29T23:55:00.004+09:00

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

Nick: "So, Tomi-san...how have you been doing? I heard from Kei that you were her colleague at Bear Steans but left around January?"
Tomi: "Yeah, man..I think last time we met I was still with Mizuho and then I changed to Bear..doing Emerging Markets stuffs as well, but kinda different smell. And yep..I left the firm around January."
Nick: "So where do you work now?"
Tomi: "I'm doing my own biz now..doing stuffs related to trading on weekdays and organizing parties like this on the weekend. Nothing glamorous though..just to make the ends meet..haha"
Nick: "Dude, that's so cool! So, are you saying you're a daytrader and celebrity at the same time?"
Tomi: "Hahaha..daytrader, yes, celebrity not so sure though..it will be great if I can be like Peter Thiel one day..haha. Anyway, what I really like now is FREEDOMMM *OMG he was shouting..well, it's his party anyway* hahaha. How about you, my friend?"
Nick: "Hahaha..awesome!!! Such a great combo, right...financial freedom and "free" time..do what you want to do and loving every second of it. For me..ahh..still making coffees and buying bento for the big boys..haha.."
Tomi: "Well, life is about choices, buddy..you can be one of the big boys too if you want to, but the question is..do you really want to? Hehe..repeat after me..freedommmmmm! *he shouted to the floor again and this time I joined him..hahaha*

...

After that short "introduction" session, Tomi-san excused himself to greet his other guests. I told him that it would be great if we could continue the conversation later on and he agreed as long as I could make Kei-chan joined the tequila contest. "No problemo, Cuervo is Kei-chan's middle name anyway..haha" I told him while dodging Kei-chan's punches to my arms. "Alright, friends..please excuse me...man has to earn some living now" said Tomi-san as he winked to Kei.

...

The crowd was getting bigger and louder as time passed by. It was around 1 in the morning and it got harder to walk around from one spot to another point. I had to say that I'm impressed as the venue was actually pretty big and I think right now any sober man could easily find about 400 guests. "Wow..a private party with 400 attendance..sweett." As I hopped around and talking to people, I started to realize that it's actually not an ordinary crowd. Though the main composition is kinda usual, it could be splitted further: the Richie Richs, the market players, and the models. It's just like "buy side meets sell side, with eye candy bonus". Then, I remembered that Tomi-san was talking with a group of traders regarding what's hot in the market earlier and now I saw him talking with..hmm..I think they're part of Mori's family or other ultra-wealthy family in Japan...well, just to make it short.."THE buy side". Wait a minute.."Yes, I'm a daytrader".."Freedom"...ahahahahaha...

...

I stood next to the bar by myself and as I raised my glass, I told myself.. "Kanpai, Tomi-san..you're definitely one of the smart-asses out there!"

Soundtrack Feed: Choo Choo Train - EXILE

2008-04-20T22:45:00.003+09:00

...

Fun, fun, we hit the step, step
Fun, fun, we hit the step, step
Onaji kaze no naka we know, we love, oh
Inside of the same wind, we know, we love, oh
Heat, heat feels like a skip, skip
Heat, heat feels like a skip, skip
Tokimeki o hakobu yo CHOO CHOO TRAIN
Brings the excitement, yes you do, oh Choo Choo Train.

Mada shiranai zone
It's a zone I don't yet know
Mezasu yo Tonight
That I'm aiming for tonight.
Real na toki ga tomaru edge of time
Real-time stops at the edge of time
Dare mo cry or smile
Everyone cries or smiles
Kinoo I forget
I forget yesterday,
Nugi sutete jiyuu ni naru good trip
Toss it all off and be free on a good trip.

...

Reality Check pt 3/4

2008-04-17T23:59:00.005+09:00

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

I arrived in front of ALife around 10.55 and gave Kei-chan a call before I stepped out the cab. She said that she's still on her way so I told her that I would wait for her outside.

...

As I was waiting for her, I looked around the entrance. Well well..a hip place on Friday night, "good looking" people lining up and trying to look cool and gorgeous. To see and be seen..*yaaawnnnn*..a one too many similar scenes I've seen in my life. It's already ages ago when I had my first step into the night life..a journey that started way back to the time when I was still a high school student in Yogyakarta. Hmm..what's the name of the place again..was it Crazy Horse or Papillon? Ah, whatever..I don't even think it exists anymore. You know..back then, I didn't even smoke or drink and really all I wanted was to show off my "disco" skill under the mirror balls. Haha..such a memory, isn't it?

...

Kei arrived about 15 minutes later and she was with two of her girlfriends. "Gomen ne, Nick..we couldn't get taxi right away" said Kei to me after she gave me a hug. "By the way, this is Jane and Yumi..girls, this is Nick." "That's alright. Hello, I'm Nick..pleasure to meet you." After some blah blah introduction, I asked them to get inside. As Kei already had the invitation, we could cut the line and passed the bouncers. It's about 11.20 and as it's kind of a private party, there were already some crowds inside. Alright, let the ball rolling..

...

I actually found some of my acquaintances and recognized some familiar faces inside. I think, right now majority of the crowds are dudes from financial industry *yawnnnnnn* and as the music wasn't played too loud I could hear some of them already started bragging in front of some girls. Boring money talks. Then, I remember that the reason I came was to meet the guy..to see whether he's that person I know or not. So, I wanted to ask Kei if she already saw him or not but I saw Kei-chan was busy talking with her friends. Ahh..night is still young anyway..I guess I should just get a drink.

...

As I walked back from the bar with a gin tonic on my hand, I saw Kei-chan was talking with a guy. She waved at me and asking me to come. Hmm..that dude looks familiar, I think that's the guy..Tomi-san.

Kei-chan: "Nick, this is the organizer I told you before..Tomi-san."
Nick: "Hi, I'm Nick..nice party. By the way, we met before right? About 2 years ago?"
Tomi: "Hi, Nick..thanks. Yes, I think so. You're from Indonesia, right?"
Nick: "Yes! Cool..hisashiburi desu ne! How are you doing, man?! I still remember about your story when you're in Papua! Haha.."
Tomi: "Hahaha..I remember you too, man! You're the one who got chased by some angry mobs in Yogya, right! Dude, where have you been! Welcome to my party!"

I began to feel that it's going to be a fun night..I believe I'm about to hear a great turnaround story pretty soon..nice..

to be continued..

Reality Check pt 0.5

2008-04-09T01:02:00.006+09:00

@@when fiction and realities collide@@

I woke up to the sound of raindrops knocking my windows. As I reached for my cellphone to see the time, I found out that it's still 4.28 in the morning. "Great..". Argh..I hate to be awaken up like this. I closed my eyes and tried to get some more sleep..but, my mind came back to what happened yesterday at the office. "..we need you for another project.." Damn it..oh come on, can't I have some peace of mind..at least for just some good hours in the morning?

...

Finally I woke up again around 6.30. When I looked outside the window..gosh, I could see that the wind had been blowing so strong. I guess what was a cloudy day yesterday turned out to be an all night long rain and by looking at the tickness of the clouds..seemed like it would be raining the whole day as well. Hmmmmmm...Friday and rainy..what a perfect day to call a sick leave..hehehe. Who cares about Project Orange Juice anyway..

...

I spent the rest of the morning by following all the news feed I got about the market. Did some analysis on how Yahoo was trying to fight Microsoft's bid, trying to guess what BoJ will do under the proposed "new" leadership and how the market will react to it. Then, as I checked some interesting job postings on FT Thursday edition..I got bored already. It's around 11 and I'm getting hungry. Though the weather is terrible out there, definitely I'm not in the mood for any bento lunch in my messy room. I don't mind embrace the rain but it's too sabishii to eat alone. Wait..maybe Kei-chan available for lunch around here. Not a bad idea at all..let me send a message to her cellphone and see what's she up to. Click click click..message sent.

...

Aha. My guess was right. Kei-chan was actually not coming to work too and we ended up having lunch together at a pasta place in Shinbashi. We had some interesting conversations on both work and personal life. While we're waiting for our deserts to come, I asked Kei whether she knew any interesting event tonight. She said that she's not so sure but she heard something about a party that's gonna be thrown out by one of ex-traders from her company.

Kei-chan: "I heard that Tomi-san is throwing a party at ALife tonight. If you have no plan, why don't we check it out?"
Nick: "Who is Tomi-san? Do you think I know him?"
Kei-chan: "Not so sure whether you know him or not..but he was one of the emerging market traders in my company."
Nick: "Oh, really? Then what happened? He got sacked?"
Kei-chan: "I don't think so. He left the company right after the bonus day. I heard he's doing some business by himself now and also sometime organizing parties. It's kinda surprising coz we all thought that he was a quite calm guy..we never knew that he's such a party animal."
Nick: "Wait a minute..did you say he was into emerging market before?"
Kei-chan: "Yep..why?"
Nick: "I used to know a Japanese trader whose name also Tomi..but he was with a Japanese bank before..and as far as I can remember he was a quite conservative guy."
Kei-chan: "That could be him..coz I think he was from Mizuho before Bear."
Nick: "Interesting...hey, let's go there tonight. What time should we meet?"
Kei-chan: "How about 11? I'll have dinner with my girlfriends so I'll go there after that."
Nick: "Lovely! Bring your girlfriends too! haha.."
Kei-chan: "Haha..let me see if they want to come along and meet the infamous Nick-san."

...

We finished our lunch around 2 and then we separated as Kei-chan had appointment with her nail salon. I went straight back to home..and the first thing I did was checking my Rolodex. Somehow I was a bit curious about this Tomi guy..because if it's him then he must be that Japanese Hawaiian guy who went backpacking for about 2 months across Indonesia. Could it be him? If so, must be very interesting to find out about his story...let's see tonight...

to be continued..

Nothing is New Under The Sun - pt.3

2008-04-08T00:11:00.008+09:00

-->when fiction and realities collide<--

"No, you can't go. In fact, we may need you to lead the Project Orange as Kim-san's last day will be from next Thursday. So, why don't you pass over your stuffs to Kitano-san? I'm sure he can build the relationship with Matsumoto-san as well." said Mr. Philip to me. I was so shocked..what? I couldn't believe what I just heard. "Boss..what's going on? You know I can't just hand it over this project to Kitano-san. I've been working very hard on this one..building all the relationship, carrying on any necessary investigation, delivering you all the analysis..in fact, I've been pouring all my energy into it. It's my baby! Please, boss..did I screw up or what? Please let me know." I tried to put down everything on the table..I still couldn't understand..well, f* that..I don't want to understand anyway. "Well...Nick, it's a change in priority. Yes, I know you've been doing very well..however, we need you on the Project Orange more than this energy project. Now, will you excuse me, I have a meeting with FSA in 15 minutes. Oh..and make sure you provide all the documentation before you leave the office today. Understand?" I felt the tone has stiffen and seemed like there's no use for me to carry on the arguments. "Yes, sir..wakarimashita."

...

Right after I left my boss' office, I told my colleague that I'm going to post office downstair. I went outside and pulled my blackberry to give Eko a call. It's still 8 in Jakarta so I guessed he must be still around Semanggi.

Nick: "'Ko, I'm sorry man...gue ga bisa dateng..gue kena politik kantor nih kayaknya. Tiba2 gue dicabut dari proyek ini dan dilempar ke proyek lain. Bangsa*!!!"
Eko: "Lho, dab? Kok iso ngono? Yang bener nih kowe rak dadhi teko?"
Nick: "Iya bener..gue baru aja dikasih tau ama bos gue. Sorry berat nih man..padahal feeling gue dah ok bener setelah gue baca profile yang lu kasih kemarin. Gue minta tolong lah..say sorry ama tu orang tapi ngga usah bilang gue dicabut dari proyek ini, bilang aja gue tiba-tiba ada meeting sama regulator. Let's not close the door yet..."
Eko: "OK, man..no problem. I'll handle that part...just don't get stressed out there, will ya? You know you can always visit Hiromi-chan..wahaha..
Nick: "Wahaha..itu mah sama aja tambah pusing kepala. Anyway, thanks, man..appreciated. Gue masih yakin ini rejeki kita lah. Alright..talk to you later, bye."
Eko: "Sip..take care bro. Bye"

...

I'm confused. Angry. All that I've prepared..now it's taken away in just a glimpse. I looked up to the sky...it's cloudy..yappari, kumori da. Demo..ore zettai mada akiramenai..mada mada desu yo?! Surely, I'll find my way back in..surely..

Soundtrack Feed: The Show - Kreva

2008-04-04T00:28:00.007+09:00

...

One for the money, two for the show,
one for the money, two for the show,
Three for the people, minna choushi dou? (Ho!)
three for the people, how is everybody? (Ho!)
Douzo douzo flow ni you
please, please, get drunk on the flow
Kyou mo kinou ijou oto ni noru
today is gonna ride on the sound more than yesterday

...

Tatoe kazoku darou ga shinyuu darou ga futago darou ga
whether you're family, best friends, or twins
Saiwa ka fukou ka dou yattatte
you'll have happy and unhappy times
Donna ni ganbatta tokoro de onaji iro wa mirenai
no matter how hard you try, you just can't see the same colors
Sorezore no makka sorezore no makkura
each of you has a deep red, each of you has a pitch dark
Sorezore no mamidori orijinaru karaa
each of you has a dark green, original color
Sorezore no sound sorezore ni aisu
each of you has a sound that each of you loves
Kanjou maruhadaka aru ga mama
with feelings bared, as they are
Tomerarenai kimochi takaburu
excited with unstoppable feelings
Kono saki mo mada mada mada tsuzuku
things keep continuing on up ahead
Asa kara ban ban kara asa
from morning 'till night, from night 'till morning
Majime ni tsuzukete anta ga No. 1 iwasetai jan
persistently, I want to let myself say that you're No. 1
Saikou wa hitotsu ja nai yo
there's no single best thing
Sekai kan kaeru you na suteki na taiken wo give you
just as the look of world can change, I'll give you a wonderful experience
Iya kimi ga eranderu jibun jishin de kaerareru
no, you can change the version of yourself that you're deciding upon
Da kara sou...
so, yes...

...

Nothing is New Under The Sun - pt.2

2008-04-01T01:19:00.007+09:00

-when fiction and realities collide-

...however, I guess the real battle takes place in our mind. I guess it's useless to keep searching for answers to such question. Besides, most of the time it is when we're comfortable that we don't feel the presence of any danger in our lives. So, yes, I need to keep on moving for I know that I should not worry or fear anything in this life .

...

I called my friend who works for one of the biggest oil and gas companies in Indonesia, the company which I think its color is still pretty light greyish..not like other similar companies that already almost as black as its traded commodities. I wanted him to get me in touch with some local experts as I need to get information that not just obvious. I wanted to go underneath the iceberg and learn how to see through the multiple layers of those rubbish data that coming from those rogue brokers.

Nick: "Halo, bos Eko. Piye kabare? Can we talk now?"
Eko: "Eh, bos Nick. Baik, bos..iya, bisa..ada apa nih?"
Nick: "Lu bisa kenalin gue ke ahli energy di Jakarta? Gue butuh info cepet dan gue bisa terbang besok malem ke Jakarta kalo lu bisa setup meetingnya."
Eko: "Wah, bos..buru2 amat. Hmm..gue cari dulu yah. I'll update you in an hour, ok?"
Nick: "Cool, man. Appreciated...matur nuwun yo."
Eko: "No worries, buddy. Talk to you in an hour, bye."
Nick: "Thanks, bye."

...

Eko. A native Javanese that I met during my undergraduate time in Bandung. We weren't that close during first couple years as he was more in the circle of rich kids while I was more in the proletariat group. Then, as his father's business went burst due to the financial crisis, he couldn't cope anymore with the lifestyle around him. From driving a nice BMW M3, he was forced to adjust into taking public transportation. As a result, well..you know...he lost some of his "friends". However, he handled the situation pretty well and soon joined my circle. Since then, we had passed some good and bad moments..and still be good friend until now. He's been succesful in his career and as he has excellent interpersonal skills, he's been one of our connectors anytime we need to get access. Good guy, indeed.

...

I saw my cellphone was buzzing..I looked at my watch.. 14.05..hmm, must be Eko. +62-816-... yup, it's him.

Nick: "Halo?"
Eko: "Moshi-moshi, Nick-san..hehe. On time, kan? Anyway, I've got a good news for you. I think I've found what you're looking for. You want the details now or later?"
Nick: "Thanks, can we go through the details later? Also, can I meet him the day after tomorrow?"
Eko: "Hmm..what do you think? Yes, of course!!! Lu lupa lagi ngomong sama siapa nih, bro? Haha.."
Nick: "Haha..sorry man..didn't mean to. OK..boleh gue minta lu kirim detailnya mengenai itu orang dan kapan dimana meetingnya? I'll get my stuffs ready and be flying tomorrow."
Eko: "Sip. OK, man..abis ini gue kirim and I'll see you tomorrow night. Hotel Mulia, right?"
Nick: "Yup. Thank you banget man...I'll bring you a bottle of Niigata sake..hehe."
Eko: "Ah, santai aja. OK..have a safe trip."
Nick: "Thanks, bye now."

...

Well well...I'm going back home I guess. Definitely not for pleasure but it's much better than sitting down here and go through those stupid reports. Jakarta! Kucium kemacetanmu besok!

..to be continued..

Nothing is New Under The Sun

2008-03-31T00:38:00.003+09:00

+when fiction and realities collide+

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you already knew about it since we started it all. Right?" said Matsumoto-san while he still reading his email. "Hai..you're absolutely right. Look..I am not looking for any excuses here, I just want to give you a heads up. I knew from the beginning..that at any point of time there might be a strong potential downside skew to the risk profile of our project which may affect our access to the market leading to an unfavorable position for us. Nevertheless, with the current vulnerability to skyrocketing oil prices..we shouldn't just play it safe. We should risk it..and that's why we need to strengthen our position." I tried to tone down my voice though sweat already running down on my back. I can't lose it now..heck, I can't lose it all and scrap the whole thing. "So, what do you say, Matsumoto-san? Are you in?" He stopped reading his email and looked straight to my eyes. It was a cold quiet moment and feels like my Panerai has stopped ticking..but no, I refused to back down. If he wants to give me that kind of yakuza look, then fine..let's risk it all. Finally, the ackward moment broke when he reached his box of cigars, pulled up one and lit it up. Then, he said with his deep bass voice, "You know, Nick..you have some guts to give me that kind of crap on what we should do in the energy business. Dakedo, you remind me of how I was when I was around your age and I have the feeling that somehow you can sniff out good shit. So, I give you 2 more weeks. I want a full analysis on my desk by then. Wakaru ka?" "Yes, Sir! Ryoukai desu. Thank you very much!"

...

I still tried to calm my nerves while waiting for taxi outside Matsumoto-san's office. Indeed, it's a different game compared to those regular M&A transactions I've involved so far. Though the theme is always the same everywhere I look..now, it is not that simple anymore. This deal..which actually was started as I tried to help some of my contacts in Jakarta to find business partners in Japan.. now has grown to be such a potential big ticket item. Sometime I wonder if I've made a right decision to do such a deep dive..

to be continued...

Back to The Lab Again

2008-03-29T02:36:00.009+09:00

..::when fiction and realities collide::..

My Reuter's Messenger was blinking and as I saw the chat box it was Keiko who was beeping.
Keiko: "Ohayo, Nick (^_^)" uh uh..it's only 10ish and she had time to chat?
Nick: "Ohayo, Kei-chan..doushita no?"
Keiko: "Iya..betsu ni yo..just want to drop you some lines..hihi"
Nick: "You're not busy? I thought that market has started to move again since yesterday.."
Keiko: "Ummm..yes, market is getting busier..but not for us here..actually, the trading floor is almost empty now..you know...we can't get into any trade since the bailout.. (>_<)"
Nick: "Eeee...sou desu ka?! I didn't know that...sorry to hear about it. So what you're gonna do then?"
Keiko: "Ah Nick-san..it's ok..perhaps it's time for me to take a break. You know..do something that I really want to do.."
Nick: "Which is? :-P"
Keiko: "Nick! Don't be so mean yo...work and money is not everything for me. I think I'll go back to my hometown, spend some time with my parents..you know, I haven't really been with them for a while now. We'll see what's next then..."

...

After that chat session, I heard some similar news from other friends as well..which meant the job market would be soon filled with many many people and most likely quite senior ranks. Suddenly, it has became a game of "survival"..though not so long ago it was a game of "greed is good". Don't get me wrong..it's not about survival in term of money..oh no..they must have already amassed some pots of gold..you name it: hot property, sports car, alpha funds, whatever..the survival here is about adjusting their lifestyle. "Retire young and rich" is just an overused campaign...yes, you can be young and rich..but then retire from what? Some can do it but definitely some can't stop when it's all they can do and (supposingly to be) good at.

...

I was on my way back home when I saw a half moon in the sky. For most of us, we will say that it's when only half of its disk is illuminated while some hardcore positive thinkers may say that it's a phase before the moon will be fully illuminated. They say it's all about our mindset..the thinking process. Ouch. I want to sleep now.

"It's not always rainbows and butterflies"

2008-03-19T00:23:00.006+09:00

I always love the scent of Harajuku station platform especially after raindrops have gone through washing the air. It's a flavour that blown from Yoyogi Koen..a freshness that reminds me of those days when I was strolling down the pedestrian around Dago area in Bandung ..and also those short summer days I spent in a small town near Sydney long long time ago. Yeah, man..Winter is almost over and Spring, the best of four, seems ready to bloom her colors. "It's been a while, my soul..since the last time we had our intimate time together.."

"Speaking about color, what kind of color that can be seen globally, regardless whatever season, now?" I asked myself quietly while staring at those sakura trees across the station. "Hmm..should I say a series of "red".."pale".. and "green"? Red..as people get angry about all the unfairness, all the mumbo jumbo that saying they're part of the cause of soon-to-be global recession while as the matter of fact they are the ones who're going to sleep in tents for only God knows how long. Pale...hmm..maybe that should be the color of some MD faces in Bear Stearns turned to be when they knew that their Restricted Equity Options have become only hundred thousand dollars while not so long ago it was millions of dollars? And..how about green? Well..well..perhaps..green is the theme color of those commodities traders in New York (though they have to keep up pumping their trades as their real profits been deterioarating by the currency pressure)."

Then, I remember about a journal that one of hip-hop gods in Jakarta wrote sometime ago.

"It's a rainy February. Every night this city got washed but still smells as stink as the night before.

The good looking people with their best dresses and suits, all perfumed, packed in every clubs, laughing, smiling, flirting, flocking in circles, watching for any carcass to feed on.

The scavengers with american cigarettes breath, sweet chardonnay tasting lips, and fast cutting tounges covered with bad smelling salivas that pours out of their swollen gingivitis gums.

Sometimes they will come to you, smiling while measuring your height and weight just by looking at you. But most of the times they'll be sniffing like dogs, trying to figure out which should be your weakest side and which part is the more tasty and most usable of you.

The city will always stink. It's filled too much with rotten left-over corpses and scavenging vultures. And me? Oh, please don't mind me..I'm just a tiny little maggot."

"You got it there, son. Yes, day time..night time..life is full of colors..but definitely it's not all about rainbows and butterflies."