Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas

christmas

 

 Merry Christmas 2008

 Wishing You A Joyful Christmas!

 

Inge Santoso

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Photo of the Day

Javanese Girl Painted Face

Girls with painted face getting ready for a Javanese dance held at Solo Square on 7 December 2008.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Boom De Ah Da! Discovery Channel Commercial


I really love this commercial. The Earth is really an awesome place and we should be grateful that we are here. There are miracles everywhere…sometimes we forget about how awesome, how amazing, how magnificent every little thing really is.

What are you grateful about today? What do you love?
What are you going to sing today? Boom de ah da!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Photo of the Day

Kid Riding Motorbike

Kid: Concentrate…See, I can do it! (Focus, determination, excitement and a hint of fear)

Mum: Look…no hand! You do it on your own kiddo. (Mixed emotion of fear, pride and excitement)

Photo taken Tea Plantation, Kemuning, Karangpandan.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Writing Journal at Rocketz Cafe - Solo

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Yesterday I went to Rocketz Cafe for dinner. While waiting for the food to arrive, I wrote in my journal about the dining experience there. The atmosphere was great, especially the soothing vocal and jazz music. I had a Red Sunrise drink, an OJ with Geraldine liquor. It was nice but a bit too sweet for my taste. I had Chicken d’Rocketz for dinner. The chicken was delicious. The mash potato had a milky taste so I sprinkled a lot of pepper on it.

Tonight my friends and I will go there again for coffee and snack.

PS. The service at night was so slow. Even getting a drink took more than 15 minutes!

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Millionaire Mind Intensive in UK

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I’ve been writing about Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar that was held in Singapore earlier this month. I really learned a lot from this seminar. If you live in UK or Europe, you have a chance to attend this great seminar in London. The seminar will be held on 3rd-5th April 2009 in ExCel London – UK. There is a special rate for applying before 31st December 2008. For more information, you can click here.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Decluttering Process

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In the last few days, my sister and I have been decluttering our rooms. We are far from finish but as you can see in the photo, we’ve collected more than 10 boxes already. By this time next week, we will probably have more than 25 boxes ready for the garage sale.

Most of my stuff are electronic gadgets and sport equipments while my sister’s are clothes, hats, belts, handbags, accessories. Looking at our stuff, you can see how different we are.

How does this decluttering process make me feel?

  1. I feel lighter because I have less junk living in my drawers. I do not have that nagging feeling of having to clean up or organize the mess.
  2. I feel productive because I can find things quickly and easily. I know where to find everything because everything has its place.  
  3. I feel happy because I found things that I thought I had lost like my awesome Spyderco knife below. This is my favorite when I started collecting knives 10 years ago. spyderco knife
  4. I feel excited because we are going to have an awesome garage sale next week. Not only we’ll get some money from the sale, we will also help the environment by recycling our stuff.
  5. I also feel some regret because I realize that I had bought too many stuff on impulse. If I had only learned money management earlier, I would have been wealthier now. HAHAHA Learning from my past mistakes certainly makes me feel better now.

I will keep you informed on our decluttering process and what we learn.

Learn and Grow!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Simplify Your Life

After watching an episode on Oprah about hoarders and reading Unclutterer blog, I was inspired to simplify my life. I have so many things that I haven’t used for years. These unused things pile up and waste precious space in my house.

This week, I am going to go through every room and start:
  1. Collecting, put everything out and pile them in the middle of a room
  2. Choosing, choose what I really want to keep. The key is to be ruthless and stick to the vision of what I want for that particular space.
  3. Sorting, the rest is divided into three categories: sell, donate, or throw away. I make sure that I have a rubbish bin to throw things out and boxes for those things I want to donate or sell.
  4. Organizing, put the things that I choose to have and organize them.
I am going to have a garage sale on December 1st 2008. The place will be on Jl. KH Samanhudi 132, Sondakan, Solo.

There are a lot of things available for the garage sale:
  • Clothes – branded clothes, pants, hats, etc
  • Bag – handbags, computer bags, school bags, etc
  • Shoes – dress shoes, sport shoes, sandals, etc
  • Accessories – jewelry, belts, glasses etc
  • Perfumes – all sort of perfumes and colognes
  • Electronic – VCD players, earphones, PDA, cables, chargers, etc
  • lots more
If you are interested in joining the garage sale, please contact Ms. Sila at +62-271-738820 or +62 888 2933765.

If you want to learn more about simplifying your life, you can go to here:
Learn and Grow!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Being A Good Receiver

During Millionaire Mind Intensive in Singapore, I learned that to be rich in every area of our lives, we also need to learn to be a good receiver.

I’ve heard the saying “It is better to give than to receive” over and over again for so long, . It is originated from a verse in the Bible “It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35 (NIV). I’ve always believed it and I’ve never questioned it before.

Since it is more blessed to give, giving seems to be more superior than receiving, so we strive to give. We tend to look down on receivers and we feel guilty even ashamed when we receive. How can we be rich and wealthy if we feel guilty or ashamed for receiving money, blessing or help from others?

Sometimes when we receive something, we feel obligated to give back even more because we want to be the blessed one. We also want to return the favor as soon as possible so that we do not feel indebted. For example, when we receive a compliment “Wow, you look great”, instead of simply saying “Thank you”, we often return the compliment straight away saying “Hey, you look great too”. 

In the seminar, I learned that giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. A giver needs a receiver and to be a receiver there must be a giver. A giver is not superior and a receiver is not inferior. We must learn to be both a generous giver and an excellent, grateful receiver.

Being a good receiver means that instead of feeling guilty when we receive something, we feel grateful. We let the giver feel the pleasure of giving and be thanked for their generosity. Next time, if someone gives you something, just say thank you gracefully and give thanks to God for the blessings. If you want to return the favor, do it at later time and be a generous giver expecting nothing in return.

Some cautions: since not everybody understands this concept of being a good receiver, you may encounter some awkward moments when you put this into practice. For example, if your spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend says “Darling, I love you” and you simply say “Thank you” without saying “I love you” back…you can be in big trouble HAHAHA. In order to avoid this situation, please ask them to read this blog post :)

Thank you for reading.

Learn and Grow!

PS. Yesterday I received lunch blessing from friends at Atria, so thank you. This morning I received another breakfast blessing from Church friends at Soto Kirana, thank you to both of you. God bless.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Success Journal

success journal
In Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar, T Harv Eker said that it was important to acknowledge your success. One way to acknowledge your success is by keeping a success journal.

Success journal is a special journal where you write all your successes and achievements. It is recommended to write at least five(5) successes of the day. They can be small things such as putting $1 in Financial Freedom Account Jar, waking up 30 min earlier, or they can be big things such as getting a promotion, winning prizes, and so on.

The most important thing is to keep your focus on success! Success breeds success. Success attracts more success. The success journal can also help you when the going gets tough. It reminds you of your strength and capability to overcome challenges in your life.

Journal Writing
journal 
This is a photo of my recent journals. Those are not moleskine. I wish they are.
I’ve been writing journal or diary since I was 16 years old. I started the habit when my English teacher in Perth, Judy asked me to write a diary everyday and show it to her. This was how I learned English, through writing diary. My first diary:
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When I was in Beijing learning Mandarin, I also wrote my journal in Chinese. Writing a journal in Chinese really helped me to increase my vocabulary and memorize those Chinese characters.
Some benefits of journal writing for me:
  • to record, explore, and clarify my thoughts and feelings,
  • to write what I have learned from daily experiences,
  • to help me learn a new language,
  • to help me release emotional burdens,
  • to help me remember great moments in my life,
  • to explore creative ideas,
  • to weigh alternatives when making an important decision,
  • and many more
Do you keep a journal? If you do, please share your experience in the comments.
Acknowledge and celebrate your success!

Learn and Grow!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

E-Pond and E-Fish at Changi Airport Singapore

I saw this at Changi Airport Singapore. It was so interesting and fun. I  even ran around on the carpet to chase the e-fish HAHAHA

It is amazing to see how far technology has gone. It will continue to move forward at a faster rate. Are we up to it? This generation is demanded to learn more and faster just to keep up. We cannot afford to stop learning and growing.

Learn and Grow!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wood Block Print – Changi Airport

woodblock 

While waiting for my flight, I found this wood block print display at Changi Airport. There were several different wood block carvings. You took a piece of paper, put it on top of the wood block carving, then use crayons to rub…voila… wood block print. You can also use different colors to make it more interesting.

Money Management Jars

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In the Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar, we were taught a simple and effective money management method using six different jars. They are: Financial Freedom Account, Long Term Saving for Spending, Education, Necessities, Play and Give.

Although most of the money is kept in separate bank accounts. The actual jar serve as a visual reminder. The jars enable us to have a physical experience, to see, touch, hear even smell the money.

When we were at the seminar, they sold six-jar-set with labels for S$25. I prefer creating my own customized jars :) Hmm…more beautiful and cheaper too. These amazing jars cost me less than S$10. Awesome!

If you want to learn more about money management, I can help and coach you. You can email me at ingesantoso (at) hotmail.com

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Awesome Recycle Bins - Singapore

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I saw these recycle bins this morning at Changi Airport, Singapore. Compare those to the bins that I saw at Singapore Expo below. They are awesome, aren’t they?

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Monday, November 10, 2008

The Millionaire Mind Intensive Singapore Day 3

Millionaire Mind Intensive
I took this photo at the end of the course yesterday. When I was going to post this photo, I realized something very important that is really the essence of this training. It is that:

The secret of the millionaire mind is that your inner world creates your outer world.

It is also true for any area of your life that your inner world creates your outer world. What you have right now is the result of your beliefs, thoughts and feelings in the past. If you do not like what you see and you believe that you are capable of so much more, then start working on your inner world (mental, emotional and spiritual).

We often focus too much on changing the results by learning new skills and strategies, but we forget to work on our beliefs and values. It is like treating the symptoms of the disease rather than the cause.
On the other hand, It does not mean that you neglect learning new skills or strategies. There has to be a balance. You must work on both!

If you ask me about this seminar, I can tell you that it is awesome, fun, very useful and practical. In the last three days I had a lot of revelations, AHA moments, emotional release, as well as validations of what I did right. My inner landscape is being revamped and redesigned. I pulled the weeds out and sowed new seeds of success.

Since the method of the seminar is experiential learning, if you want to learn, you really have to experience it yourself. I can tell you what I learn but it will be superficial. You need to experience it to get the learning into your cell.

There will be another Millionaire Mind Intensive course in Singapore and Malaysia next year. If you are interested, I can help and guide you to get into the course. Please email me at: ingesantoso(at)hotmail.com

Learn and Grow!

Sunday, November 09, 2008

The Millionaire Mind Intensive Singapore Day 2

The second day of the seminar is more interesting than the first one. There are more hands-on experience and application of what we have learned.

The most memorable moment for me was when we did a pattern interrupt. I had a negative belief about money that when my parents gave me money, I was going to lose it. Harv Eker asked us to visualize and reflect how these negative beliefs had cost us in life, then intensify the feeling…while we were doing it very seriously, he played a recording of people giggling and laughing. When I heard it, I actually started giggling, I even found it hard to stop laughing because other people also started laughing in waves. I could not hold the image in my mind anymore, the negative pattern was interrupted! Whenever I think about this negative belief, I just start to laugh all over again.

I’ve done pattern interruptions in other seminars before this one. This is by far the most effective!

I felt to so relieved to get rid of this one belief because it has haunted me for years. I used to feel so guilty when I ‘caused’ my parents to lose a large amount money in several investments in the past. I said ‘caused’ because my parents invested the money to help or support me. The ones that hurt the most was the FYI investment. Although they made the decision to invest by themselves, yet I felt guilty because if I were not a factor, then they would not have made that investment. There were other investments that I also felt guilty because I thought I had influenced them to start and I did not try hard enough to stop them when it did not work out. So much guilt and burden to carry around, but yesterday I finally released them. I feel so much lighter afterwards.

I believe that this feeling of guilt has stopped me from taking bigger responsibility and reaching my potential because I was afraid that it would happen again. The mixed emotions of guilt, fear and hurt had confined me in my comfort zone. No more! Now I am free!

Learn from my mistake and grow!
Inge Santoso

Saturday, November 08, 2008

The Millionaire Mind Intensive Singapore Day 1

harv eker
Yesterday I started to attend T Harv Eker’s seminar The Millionaire Mind Intensive.
What have I learned so far?
  • I discovered my money blueprint and how it had held me back from achieving success and becoming wealthier
  • Some negative beliefs that I have about money must be unlearned and replaced with more positive ones
  • I understand money management better and I know how I can use it to improve my current system
  • Money attracts money. Start creating your money magnet.
  • Love and nurture your investment golden goose. Gather and grow your passive business income geese.
Learn and Grow!

Friday, November 07, 2008

Photo of the Day – A Dog and Its Shoes

Dog wearing shoes

When I was walking to the MRT station in Singapore, I saw this dog having a walk. From a distance I could see how the dog walked a bit funny, but when I got closer I was amazed to see that this dog wore shoes! The shoes were like black socks with rubber soles.

I am really curious about these shoes…are they worn for any health reasons or for cuteness sake?

Thursday, November 06, 2008

“This or Something Better” Principle

Asics

Two days ago I went to Running Lab at Funan Digital Mall to find running shoes. The lady who served me there was very helpful and I found the shoes that fit me well. They were Asics Gel Evolution.

When I was going to pay for the shoes, I saw that there was a 20% discount for registered Standard Chartered Marathon 2008 runner. I told her that I was a registered runner and she told me to bring the confirmation slip to get the discount. I saw that there was a notebook computer next to the cash register, I asked whether it was connected to the internet. She said yes. I asked whether I could use it to retrieve the email containing the confirmation slip. She said that they had no printer, so I had to go back and print the slip myself and came back the next day to get the shoes. How inefficient! At the end, I left the store without buying the shoes.

At night I was browsing the internet and I found that Running Lab had another store at Velocity@Novena. I decided to check it out yesterday. I wanted to get a second opinion whether the shoes were really suitable for me. When I got there, the staff were busy helping other customers so I decided to see a New Balance store next door because I was attracted to it.

I told the staff at New Balance store that I was looking for running shoes that accommodate my flat feet. He did a detailed analysis. He asked me to stand and looked at the feet from every angle, then he also asked me to walk on the treadmill to analyze my gait. He also examined my old shoes to see the worn out pattern. He was definitely more thorough than the people at Running Lab. Finally he recommended dark pink New Balance 1224 shoes. When I tried the shoes, they did not fit well because size 8 were a bit too tight while 8.5 were too big. The shoes were also a bit too wide for my feet.

I said to him that I was sorry that the shoes did not fit well and I could not buy from him. He said it was alright and he even took me back to Running Lab. He told the staff at Running Lab the shoes that fit me well as well as the size. Basically he just gave them the prescription for my need. Then he gave me his SAFRA member card number to enable me getting 30% discount on the shoes. Wow…I was so grateful and happy. Thank you for your help, RM!

Finally I bought the same Asics shoes with 30% discount instead of 20% discount!

What can I learn from this experience?

  • “This or something better” principle. Sometimes when you do not get what you want immediately, there is something better waiting for you,
  • Trust and follow your instinct, especially when it seems to attract your attention,
  • Close the sale fast by accommodating the customer’s need. If possible, do not let them walk out the store, ask them to return later.

Learn and Grow!

Marché Vivo City Singapore

Marche Vivo City Singapore

One of my favorite eating place in Singapore, Marché  Vivo City.

Marche Vivo City Salad Station

I always have a Caesar salad when I go to Marché because it was the first place that I ever ate a Caesar salad years ago. It is amazing that we often come back to the place that brings us good memories and we want to relive the memorable experience again and again.

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This time, I had a new experience with Marché’s Chococino. Chococino is a hot chocolate with espresso. Yummy! You should try it if you go to Marché.

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Another reason that I love going to Marché is the atmosphere. It feels like in Europe with lots of bare wood decor, wood tables and benches, and Bavarian style lamp. I also love the fresh vegetables, fruits, other ingredients being beautifully displayed. Awesome!

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Photo of the Day

Bird in a Mall

This afternoon I took this photo in the Velocity@Novena, Singapore. This was the first time in my life that I saw a bird inside a mall. First, I saw it in Burger King and again perching on the 2nd floor railing. I was fortunate to be able take this photo because the bird was not there for a long time.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Back Up Your Data

Do you routinely back up your computer?

It is extremely important to have a routine back up of your computer. Losing important data such as your emails, contacts, photos, music, etc can be a very painful experience. I’ve had two hard disk failures in the past. I did not have a proper back up when the first failure happened, I felt so much despair losing those data. The second time it happened though, I was ready and restoring the files to a new hard disk was a breeze.

You can either back up to external hard disk, DVD or online back up services  such as free Mozy Online. It is also important to have an off-site back up, in case of natural disaster like floods in your area. Remember to encrypt your data when you back up to DVD or external hard disk so that it is safe.

I usually do a weekly back up to an external hard disk, then a monthly back up to DVD and Mozy. I am going to do my back up today because it is the end of the month :)

When you read this post and you have not done any back up, please do it now!

Learn and Grow!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Placebo Effect

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Faith can heal!

Yesterday someone at the office came to ask for some medicine. She said she had an allergic reaction to salted fish she had eaten during lunch. She said that she could feel heat and redness on her face. She was afraid that it’d spread to her whole body. Since the office did not have those kind of medicines, they had to buy it first.

When I heard her story and I saw that her face was not even that red, I told her that I might have the medicine that she needed. I went to another room and got a sugar tablet out of my mint container. I gave her the tablet and told her to take it with water straight away. I told her that it should work quite fast, and if she was still not well after an hour, then she could take the other medicine.

After an hour or so, other staff at the office told me that she was fine and she did not need to take the medicine. She said that she was feeling well after taking the pill that I gave her.

Hmmm…since she believed that the pill would work, it did! Her faith has healed her.

What a placebo effect!

It does not mean that you should not take your doctor’s advice or prescription, but it shows how faith can help you to heal better.

Learn and Grow!

Monday, October 27, 2008

World Heritage Cities Conference - Parade

Ramayana Heroes World Heritage Parade

Monkeys World Heritage Parade

Wanara World Heritage Parade

World Heritage Parade Solo 1

These are some photos from The World Heritage Cities Conference Parade in Solo City, Central Java, Indonesia.

I was waiting on the side of the street since 2PM, the parade passed through at around 3:45PM. There were so many people lining up on the side of the street. Some people were climbing on the pedestrian bridge. I was glad that there was no accident there.

Watching From Above

The most amazing thing that happened yesterday was about the weather. Before the parade, the sky was so cloudy. There were black clouds and it even rained for a few minutes. I was worried that it would rain and they’d cancel the parade. The person standing next to me commented that it definitely would not rain. He said that there were lots of shamans working to make sure of it. Sure enough the dark clouds started to move west and there were only thin white overcast above us.

I received a call from my sister who was worried that I’d be drenched by the rain because it was raining so heavily where she was at. She was only about 4 kilometers from where I was. I told her that it was not raining and the parade went smoothly. She also commented that the shamans were powerful in moving the rain to other part of the city.

Believe it or not…

Anyway I had a great time watching the parade.

Learn and Grow!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

A New Life Journey for My Dear Sister

Imelda and Adi Sunset at Hanani

Congratulations to Adi and Imelda!

Your new life has just begun and may your love for each other grows with each passing day.

If you want to see more photos, you can go here.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Blog Action Day - Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day and the topic this year is about poverty. I am joining other bloggers around the world to write about poverty.

What can I do to help and make a difference?

As a teacher and coach, I usually seize the opportunity to talk about personal finance with my students whenever the opportunity arises. I see a need to teach them about personal finance because:

  • Almost all of my university students have no clue about managing their finances;
  • They may have heard about interest, yet they do not know the power of compound interest;
  • They do not know the danger of consumer debts;
  • Negative beliefs about money are prevalent. Scarcity mentality can be found everywhere.

I have a 3-hour seminar about personal finance for young executives, students and teenagers. It is called “The Secret to be A Billionaire” (Billionaire is the new standard for wealth here in Indonesia because almost everybody is a millionaire ha ha ha) I use some of the basic principles written in the book “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach and combine them with other financial tips from various sources. I talk about savings, basic investment strategies, reducing debts, giving and shifting beliefs about money.

I want to be given the opportunity by various universities and schools in Solo to give this seminar to their students, so I can help and make a difference by equipping the next generation with better financial knowledge and skills. I hope that by learning about personal finance, they can become catalysts for breaking the vicious circle of poverty.

Learn and Grow!

Inge Santoso, B. Com for Blog Action Day 2008

Friday, October 10, 2008

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

engkong 

In his 80s, my grandpa is still very healthy, mentally sharp and full of spirit. He is a role model for a fit and healthy body.

Happy Birthday!

Thursday, October 09, 2008

A Very Special Moment in Life

Last night was a moment of great relief and a start on the path of new, higher level of love, happiness and joy. There is a new air of openness, togetherness, love and acceptance.

Recent unfortunate events in our family lives have brought some stress in each of us. The problems came in from different directions affecting several areas of our lives, such as my recent health problem, costly investment in a collapsed MLM business, and a recent hit on our financial portfolio due to the decline in financial market. These problems seemed to have taken toll on our emotional well being. Stress was hanging in the air, yet we were afraid to bring it up because we were afraid that we would open a Pandora box of pent-up negative emotions that we would not be able to handle.

Last night, we finally had our family talk. This family talk is what we’ve been avoiding but also what we’ve been waiting for…what a mixed emotion! What we were afraid of did not happen at all. What we thought of opening a Pandora box of negative emotions turned out to be opening a door to heightened feelings of love, acceptance, forgiveness and freedom. The release of negative feelings such as fear, anger, guilt and hurt brought us feelings of relief, peace and freedom.

Fear not. The truth will set you free!

How do I feel about everybody now?

I am so proud of my dad who has the courage to lead us into having this family talk. By taking the initiative, he has proven himself to be a courageous leader. By talking more openly about his feelings as well as listening to ours, he has shown himself to be a gentle and passionate leader. Finally he leads with his mind and his heart!

I am also proud of my mom who finally lets her feelings out in the open without feelings of fear or guilt of upsetting other members of the family. She has carried her burden so well all these times being the guardian of our emotional well beings. It should not be her responsibility to make us all happy, yet she manages to do it with her big and humble heart. It is time for her to put her burden down and it is time for us to be more responsible for our own feelings. She really is the glue that binds our family together during our emotional turmoil. She always makes herself available to listen and encourage us.

I am very proud of my sister who becomes a great passionate leader herself. She is so mature, independent and courageous. She faces her problems and challenges head-on, solve those problems with decisive actions. She develops her leadership skills combining the best of both worlds – the courage and decisiveness of dad’s and the emphatic heart of mom’s.

Thank you all! I love you all!

Finally, I am proud of myself for being a difference maker. I am an enthusiastic learner who love to share and empower others with what I have learned. I am passionate about personal development and growth. I have a great passion in teaching and I love to see how my students become better people in many areas of their lives. I am most happy and satisfied when I see the twinkle in their eyes when they have an AHA moment…it is like opening a door to unlimited power and endless possibilities.  

This blog post is a very special post for me. It is very emotional and personal. I hope you can learn something from this post and it will inspire you.

Feel the freedom!

Feel the love!

Feel the joy and peace!

Learn and Grow!

Inge Santoso, B. Com

Monday, October 06, 2008

What’s in My Backpack?

backpack

Continuing from the previous post, this is my backpack for notebook. The backpack is a Victorinox. I like this backpack because it has side pocket for water bottle unlike my previous backpack.

What’s in the backpack:

  1. Notebook HP Compaq Presarion V3505 with Windows Vista.
  2. Notebook charger and adaptor
  3. Logitech mouse – I don’t like using trackpad
  4. Mouse pad – it’s thin, flexible and can be used as wipe too
  5. Toshiba Flash Disk 2GB
  6. PDA HP iPaq 2210 mainly for playing games and reading e-book
  7. 3G Modem – USB / Express Card (currently being borrowed)
  8. Wallet for various membership cards
  9. Pen and mechanical pencil
  10. Tissue and other personal stuff.

If I bring only one bag, then I’ll put my wallet, mobiles, iPod and camera in the backpack.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

What’s in Your Bag – Flickr Group

what is in my bag

Yesterday I added this photo to What’s in Your Bag Flickr Group. These are the basic things that I bring everyday. I also bring my Canon G9 (it is not in the photo because I use it to take this photo HAHAHA)

What’s in my Elle bag:

  1. Red Louis Vuitton wallet that I received for my birthday present in year 2000. In the eight years, I only use it for special occasion. I started to use it as everyday wallet only this year.
  2. Three mobiles – Nokia 6230i, Nokia E51, Nokia 2505 CDMA. I use the Nokia 6230i for my personal number , Nokia E51 for work, IM and internet, Nokia 2505 for cheap CDMA calls.
  3. Calling cards – it is used for coaching to help my clients find their life calling and align it with their jobs.
  4. PDA HP iPaq 4700. It is for PIM (personal info management),  bible, e-books, and play games.
  5. iPod Nano 1st generation with Razer in-ear earphone for listening to music, audio book or recorded lectures.
  6. Timberland journal cover for my daily journal. It is the best! I haven’t found anything more useful than this one.
  7. Pilot G-2 0.5 pen and Faber Castell 2B pencil with sharpener cap and eraser. The sharpener cap is just perfect because not only it prevents the pencil from marking everything else, it is a very compact sharpener.
  8. Brown moleskine wannabe for sketching and free drawing.
  9. Mint and lipstick
  10. Canon G9 camera

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What’s in my tutoring bag:

  1. Esprit bag – it’s more than 5 years old. It is a bit tattered but it is the perfect size for my tutoring gears.
  2. Small whiteboard and eraser
  3. Blue pencil case for my markers and pens
  4. Whiteboard markers, red pens, black pens and a pencil
  5. Attendance card for each student. It is very important to keep track because some of them do not have tutoring every week.
  6. Chinese-English, English-Chinese dictionary – my trusted companion. I bought it in Beijing in 1998 – 10 years already!
  7. Graph paper notebook for lesson plan
  8. Chinese stroke chart for teaching
  9. Appropriate textbooks for different students

Do you find this interesting? If you are interested to see what others have in their bags, go to What's in your bag? Flickr Group.

Learn and Grow!

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Color of Life

serbuk sari

One of the best photo I took in Tawangmangu this week.

Life is beautiful!

Friday, October 03, 2008

Fire Hazard

burnt stitch

Panoramic photo of the remnant after the fire on the empty lot near our house. We were not home when it happened two days ago. I heard the fire was big and it took three fire trucks to put out the fire.

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An abandoned empty lot with lots of dry grass and bushes in searing summer heat has a high risk of fire. We do not know the cause of the fire, but it could be from many things such as cigarette butts, firecrackers, or trash burning. This morning I still saw two people burning their trash there.

I heard that the residents wanted to take a class action against the owner of the property for being negligence and endangering the neighbors.

Inge Santoso

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Coffee Art

coffee art

A spark of creativity that influences others.

A few days ago, I saw on Channel News Asia that a Singaporean artist used instant coffee to paint. Her paintings are awesome. I decided to try and that was one of the paintings that I did yesterday. Do you know that you can still smell the aroma of coffee? 

Learn and Grow!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Journal Cover

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This is my latest journal cover. I created the cover using the tool at Wanokoto website. It turns your photo into old-newspaper-looking photo. I use a wide elastic band to hold the book close, just like a moleskine.

Although I want a moleskine but it is so expensive here in Indonesia, around USD 25 each. Moleskine is like the Mercedes Benz of notebook while mine is like a Honda City that cost me less than USD 3. Although it is not a moleskine, it serves its purpose well.

Sometimes I wonder if I have  a moleskine, would I write as freely as I do now? Would I treasure is so much until I dare not write in it?

Perhaps I am not ready for a moleskine yet. I am sure that the time will come when I am going to write in a moleskin.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Long Kite and Success Principle

Long Kite Flying

Yesterday near my house, I saw some people flying a very long kite. It was amazing. The tail was about 60-70 meters long. It needed at least 6 people to fly it. These people travel from town to town to compete in kite flying competition. The biggest competition is in Bali where they fly huge kites at the beach where the wind is strongest.

We can learn a very important success principle from flying a kite. It is the principle of rising in the face of adversity. The stronger the wind, the higher the kite will fly.

In life, we often avoid or run from adversity because we see it as an obstacle that prevents us from getting what we want in life. We see adversity as a problem that makes things difficult for us.

Rising in the face of adversity challenges us to think differently. We see adversity as something that makes us stronger and better. It is the fire that forges the iron. Adversity also acts as a filter to let people who are really determined to succeed to rise above others. If we truly want to succeed, we should be grateful for adversity because it makes us sharper and it reduces competition. :)

Rise and Fly High!

Learn and Grow!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Rascal

Rascal is a very smart and cute dog. I really enjoy his company while recovering from my surgery in Singapore. He followed me everywhere. When I was resting in my room, he also slept next to the bed. When I went to the bathroom, he waited in front of the bathroom door.

The funniest thing was when I was wearing particular track pants, he thought my pants were a female dog and he really went for it. Perhaps my pants had scents from our dogs in Solo. HAHAHA I had a video of it (censor needed for those under 18 years old)

Dogs are people best friends. No wonder there are so many recommendations to have a pet to relieve stress and depression. They can be so loving, accepting and devoted to you. 

Lesson: Have a pet and learn about love :)

Learn and Grow!

Friday, September 12, 2008

My Hospital Stay

I am sorry that I have not written a lot lately because I had a minor surgery last week.

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That is the photo of my hand when I was in hospital last week. The IV drip was so cool. When the IV bag is almost empty, the alarm sounds beep beep beep and the nurse will come in just a few minutes. If the nurse wants to inject something straight to my blood stream, just open the blue cap and shoot.

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This is the photo of hospital bed that I stayed for two nights. The bed can be adjusted in so many ways, up and down, head up head down, leg up leg down, etc. I actually played with it a bit before the surgery. HAHAHA

The blue color thing on the bed is the hospital gown. It was not as bad as I thought it would. Well, at least it covered my back completely, unlike in movies where they can see your backside.

This is my first stay in hospital and I hope it’s the last time too.

What did I learn ?

  • Health care is extremely expensive! Get a health insurance!
  • No matter how good the hospital and its facilities, it is still a hospital! It’s NOT a hotel!

Learn and Grow!

Monday, September 01, 2008

For Your Amusement – Futile Hand Washing

bruised

A few days ago I had an injection on my left hand while getting an MRI. There was only a small puncture hole and I didn’t notice any bruises. It was good because I often got bruises when they took my blood in the past.

This evening before dinner while I was washing my hand, I noticed some dirt on my left hand, so I washed, I scrubbed and scrubbed, but it did not come off. It was only after awhile that I realized that it was not dirt nor stain, but it was a bruise from the needle puncture. HAHAHA No wonder I could not clean it!

Even if I had followed the instruction on how to wash my hand properly, I would not have succeeded HAHAHAHA

handwash

Smile…Laugh…Be Happy!

Learn and Grow!

Friday, August 29, 2008

My Lucky Sweater

lucky sweater

While clearing old clothes for donation, I found this Popeye family sweater. It used to be my favorite sweater when I was in University. I considered it my lucky sweater and I always wore it during exams. I believed that wearing it would get me good marks. HAHAHA.

I also used to have a lucky bath towel that I used during exam week. I remember, one day my sister used that towel and then washed it during an exam week and I was so mad because of it. She tried to apologize by singing “Please forgive me for washing your kelincimu” (my towel has a picture of rabbit on it).

Although I knew that wearing the sweater and towel would not do me any good if I didn’t study for the exam, they helped me to create a favorable state of mind. Believing that I was lucky was more important than the sweater or the towel itself. It’s the belief that creates the reality.

What do you believe? How do your beliefs shape your reality right now?

"Whether you believe you can, or you can't, you are right" - Henry Ford

Learn and Grow!

Monday, August 25, 2008

To Go or Not To Go, To Do or Not To Do, To Be or Not to Be

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When I was in Jakarta last week, I saw this traffic light. The red light and the green light are on at the same time. What would you do if something like that happens? My friend and I decided to see what other people were doing, and followed the crowd.

This small incident makes me think about decision making in life. How often do you follow the crowd instead of making your own decision? When you are faced with a choice, or even a dilemma, do you make your own choice or do you just follow what most people do?

Sometimes we are afraid to make mistake and to face the consequences of our mistake. We want to minimize the risk by following conventional wisdom or following the wisdom of the crowd. Although we know that the crowd is not always right, we often take the easy way instead of the right way. It seems that making a mistake on our own feels worse than making mistake together.

I remember an incident when I was still in primary school. When we forgot to bring our notes or textbook, the teachers often punished us together. I was nervous, afraid of being punished when I forgot my book, especially when I was the only one who didn’t bring it. When I knew there were other students, I felt relieved. Sometimes I even felt happy because we would be “punished” (ehem having fun outside the classroom) together. 

I believe this world needs more people who make decision by themselves and not just follow the crowd. The greatest invention, discovery and legend is made by people who are not afraid to stand alone, to blaze a new trail and to do the right thing in spite of all opposition. I want to be one…Do you?

To be or not to be? It is your decision.

To do or not to do? Weigh the alternatives and make your decision!

Learn and Grow!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Photo – Antique Dentist Chair & Equipment

old dentist chair

My cousins and I went to my grandfather sister-in-law’s house to visit. Her late husband used to be a famous dentist in Solo. This is a photo of his dentist chair and equipment. It’s an antique.

Comparing this antique dentist equipment and the latest in its field, we can really see how far the technology has evolved. Amazing!

Learn and Grow!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Candi Sukuh (Sukuh Temple), Central Java, Indonesia

Candi Sukuh 1

This is Candi Sukuh at dusk.

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The main temple area of Candi Sukuh

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The relief at Candi Sukuh

I visited Candi Sukuh or Sukuh Temple with my cousins who came to visit Indonesia. Candi Sukuh is located near Tawangmangu, a mountain resort in Central Java, Indonesia.

The first time I visited Candi Sukuh was when I was in primary school. My parents took me there when they used to bike a lot. I didn’t remember much about the temple because I was more interested in the surrounding scenery that was so beautiful.

This time while visiting with my cousins, we had a guide to help us understand more about the temple. It is very interesting because this temple has lots of sexual references but they are disguised by symbols. There is another temple in the area called Candi Cetho where the sexual references are displayed in full.

If you want to know more about it, please come and visit these two temples. Please get a guide to learn more about the site.

Learn and Grow!