Japan.

photo source: flickr.com/photos/liews_ryan

I used to have "no feeling" (no sympathy as well) for Japan or any Japanese when i was younger simply due to WWII. It was when i started to learn robotic automation during my diploma study that the precision and the design of SCARA robotic arm and Linear Module, manufactured by "Ponosonic" that amazed me have started to slowly change my mind. "There are USA, Germany and so many great countries which are good in robotic, why must we use Japanese?" That time onwards, i started to keep an eye on all Japanese product.

In my hometown, I have a "DKD" fan, a "Rational" TV and refrigerator and a "Bonda" C70 (due to copyright, i don't think i can mention the name of the brand correctly) and they all are more than 25-year-old, except the C70 which i believe is around 15-year-old but it was entitled "The Greatest Motorbike of All Time", according to "Piscovery Channel". These products are really amazingly robust and i started to have faith as well as the mentality of "made-in-Japan-only".

When i was an inkjet technical specialist at "Hawlett-Pockard" (a very famous USA company), i had once dropped my jaw because, i can safely say, 1/3 of the production lines are Japanese! These are "SCM", "Kayence", "Yoskawa", "Apson SCARA robot", "Harata" and much much more. At first, i thought the reason they choose to use Japanese is because these are the cheaper alternative. But after i have done some buying with the supply chain, i realized that these products aren't cheap either. The machine builder decided to use Japanese is simply because these are the best in the world and, on top of that, they knew that any production downtime due to quality issue from the machine itself is not acceptable.

After knowing all these brands and facts, i started to concern about Japan (economically, politically, geographically and etc) and eventually became a hard-core "Yokoso! Japan" fan. I have already visited Japan twice before (total 31 days) and in fact now, I have already started the plan of visit Japan for another 31 days again right after my super-hard-earned B. Sc graduation. I think the feeling is just like meeting your beloved girlfriend after 10 years of apart!

I can't really imagine how exciting i will be the moment I'm heading to the airport again!

Naruto.

If you have read "Finally..AY09/10 is over..", you'll know that I'll watch Naruto when I wanted a break after study. Well, for me, Naruto is really very nice and it never fail to boost my morale when i was depressed by my poor results or rejected by someone that i would like to have "date" with (Opps..!).

If you know me well enough, it is not that hard to see that, in fact, I'm very weak in physics and most of my time, my grades are disappointing. As you can see from the picture (one of my quiz's result of Quantum Mechanics) on top, i got 7/10 and i got a very big "Good!!!". Dose those normally got 7/10 will get a very big "Good!!!" once they got 10/10? I don't think so and i guess you can see how bad i did for my quizzes normally (sighed). I remember the first time i saw the big "Good!!!", i laughed out very laud because i think I'll be the only one who, considering my age as well, will receive it throughout the semester. 10 mins later, disappointment started to fill in my heart and i cannot laugh any longer. Well, i really appreciate the "true meaning" behind the big "Good!!!" that my tutor trying to bring across and i shall remember that forever.

Sometime, i just wonder am i another "Naruto"? A Naruto "accidentally" born in the world of physics (instead of the world of ninja)? The real Naruto is no longer a drop out now, but look at me... Baka na..

Well, AY09/10 Sem 2 is already on its way now. With Naruto's nindo in mind, i think eventually everything will be just fine.

"Never give up."

Finally.. AY09/10 Sem 1 is over..

"It's 3 o'clock now. Stop writing. Please remain seated while we are collecting your paper and...". I took a very deep breath and sighed right after knowing that it was already 3 o'clock. Well, it was my last exam paper for AY09/10 Sem 1 and my heart was, ironically, filled with guilty, sorrow and joy.

I sighed because days gone by very fast; I felt guilty because I don't think I've put 100% of my effort into my study; I felt sorrow because i don't think I've done well for my exams; I felt joy simply because finally I got one month break after 15 weeks of study.

Some of you may think that it is almost impossible or even crazy to put 100% of our effort into something. If we were to put 100% of our effort into study, it means that we will have no entertainment and our life is simply sleep, eat and study for 15 weeks.

Before the semester start, i was really planning to do so. Unfortunately, I can only hold it for 3 days and my faith started to shake. "Forget it! 80% of effort is already more than enough! Normal human being can only put in 70% of their effort! I'm far more hard working than they do! Let's watch Naruto now!" I told myself so and i smiled. By using the same excuse now and then, eventually, I think I've only put in 50% of my effort into study.

By looking back now, I felt really guilty by telling myself so. If my results turned out to be satisfying, should I thank Buddha (I'm a Buddhist.) or simply 50% of my effort is good enough? What if my results turned out to be disappointing? Do I really have to push myself to 100% for next semester?

One of my friend suggested me to just try my best to study(I really don't know how to define the meaning of "try my best" here. How much is "my best"?); take a reasonably break when you are tired or bored and don't "look back" (by writing this entry, I'm "looking back" and it is against the suggestion) and be content with whatever grades you got.

Well, maybe I can only put in 50% of my effort and it is already "my best" (it seems a little bit too low...right?).