Life as it Goes

Update (First 2009 Post) When Insomnia hits again

2009-08-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

I just hate the fact that I am having sleeping troubles atm, Somewhat like Insomnia, but its different. I hadn't gone to sleep since last night, for the past 2 days I've been sleeping at 12 noon and wake up at...horrifyingly 9:00 PM.

What to do what to do?

I just came back from KL 2 weeks ago, Its a great experience to do, met new friends, had a great time and I'd love to upload some pictures from KL, but Im just way too lazy to do it now, perhaps later on. In fact I plan to visit Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia to see their diverse cultures, another chance I dont want to lose before I make a departure to the States, other than enjoying a good holiday, I'm there to see Bealberries, I can make a whole new post about her but I'll just keep my feelings on her to myself and her only atm, Cant wait!

In exactly 3 days from now, Mom and Dad are coming from the States they arrive sometime at 7 o clock at night in CGK Airport from Tokyo Transit, CANT WAIT TOO SEE THEM :)!!!

So here it is, 9:16 Jakarta time and its morning, I wouldnt imagine posting in this blog again.

Peace out guys, Calvin Ray

My Happy face

2008-10-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

This is me doing :), Thought I'd give an Update picture, I'm liking my hair short...I'm growing it out again though...Hehehe I miss my "gondrong" (long) hair...

In this picture here is me on my weekend, Trimmed face (yes I can grow a plenty facial hair on the chin and a mustache, and its pretty scary and sad...shavings a pain :(...

Long hair + facial hair kinda made me 5 years older than my actual age, but o well...I miss that hair, better grow it from now since cold weather's coming up in the US

Thank you grandma :-)

2008-10-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

I thank my Grandma so much for informing me on Saturday that she wants to chip in on my car, I was chatting with her the other day and she asked my car's progress and I told her how it was, and I'm low in budget, 500 Dollars short to actually run the car, She told me she is willing to chip in 50% which is 250 Dollars, Thank you thank you thank you :-))) My dad gave me some too! So YAY! My car will be running this week, Now I need to be in good behavior then "hehehehehehe", Thx Grandma, this is very rare, usually she doesnt do this :P but wow She actually is willing to help me, I God for blessing me with such supportive family, indeed my hobby isn't budget-friendly, but if one is willing to help at least a bit! take it as a grace :D

dunkawel oma :-P

Found this nice car, apparently its my dream car...

2008-10-19T11:37:00.001-07:00

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-|E-|M-_34_|D-_7211_|N-N|R-100|I-1%2c7|P-PRICE+descending|Q-descending|Z-46516&aff=national&paId=264366980&recnum=11&leadExists=true

Check this out, I found an Evo 8 Im not sure if its an MR or a GSR, either way its really nice, its priced at $18,750, Now how to get that much money, I don't know, I guess I'll have to work my way up there then, its a very nice car, its AWD, so winter is not a problem, and it is being offered at Chicago, not very far from Elkhart 1-2 hours away, This car and the Evolution 9 is priced at $20,000-$25,000, surprised to see its at $18,750, due to light modifications, 30,000 Mileage, nice...

Oh well, wish me luck, These car's prices go down, perhaps in a year or two, the price will go down steeply, due to the new Lancer Evo 10 that just came out a few months ago tagged at $35,000

These cars are priced around $40,000-$50,000 in Indonesia...Ridiculous...and tons of people have em...Rich people...hahaha

My buddy owns a Lancer Evo 10 here in Indonesia, i drove it once and I could say I love the Evo 8/9 better, the Evo 10 is tagged at $80,000 here in Indonesia...Thats dreaming for me, but the Evo 8 at $18,750...I find it possible if I work and save starting from now...Just hope my parents there will support me (Just supporting kok ^^) to get this, If I get this car with my own sweat, I'll be the happiest man alive right now...I dont need a Ferrari or a Lambo, I dont need the new BMW, all I need is this Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 MR...SUPERB Japanese enginerring at its finest...

Its acts like a normal sedan, 4 Doors (I can drive people around and take mom for shopping), The fuel efficiency isnt bad at all, infact it beats a normal SUV's V6 engines, this car is powered by the 4G63T Engine 2.0L Turbocharged AWD, Love it...It is very safe due to its fine traction (very hard to roll over or slip over)

I own the Lancer Evolution 1...good for starters then hehehe

2,000 Dollars / 21,000,000 Rupiahs

2008-10-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

That's how much of Estimation I've thrown my money away for Cigarettes, Its inaccurate, but you get the picture, for the past 6 years since I first got into smoking cigarettes...I'd say the exact numeral is 1,500 Dollars...But well this is the Average...

OUCH....

Seriously....OUCH

Time to quit...Seriously

NO TO SMOKING!

I saved up 100 Dollars this week

2008-10-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

Thats right boys and girls, I maintained an efficient week of not going out, staying home, let go of my temptations of my money I saved up alot, and I checked my savings which is an envelope, 1,000,000 Rupiahs, Thats $100 guys! SWEET! Now I can go buy a new shiny muffler for my car :-P all from savings!

I shall save more!!! Plan on saving $500 from now to Mid-November....HEHEHEHEEH

and STARTING TODAY I will make my "Quitting Smoking Blog"

Today I smoked 4 sticks of Cigarettes...Usually I'd smoke a pack, ouch...I need to reduce and quit....Nice progress, this week I didnt even finish a pack, I breathe better, I eat better and I sleep better...I pray to God he helps me on my quit smoking self program :-)

Update

2008-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Blah, Haven't updated my blog in so long, Too busy taking care of things, Still haven't finished my car, due to the limited budget I've got, oh well its a lesson for next time, Hopefully this or next week I'll have my car finished...B-)

Oh well, I'm sick right now and I need to sleep! Peace...

VERY NICE POST (Sorry its in Indonesian)

2008-09-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

Saya seorang pribumi yg dulunya benci setengah mampus dengan WNI Keturunan Cina.Tetapi setelah hidup di Amerika selama 10 tahun dan sekarang bekerja di salah satu bank terbesar di dunia berpusat di New York City,pandangan saya berubah dan jd mengerti mengapa Cina itu berbeda dengan orang pribumi.Ini tidak ada hubungannya dgn unsur SARA,mohon pengertiannya.

Dan sebenarnya banyak sekali hal-hal yg kita tidak mengerti tentang
cina, dan hal-hal ini sebenarnya harus kita ketahui dan kita pikirkan
lagi, karena hal-hal ini adalah sesuatu yg bisa kita pakai untuk
kepentingan bangsa kita sendiri dan utk memajukan bangsa kita sendiri. Saya tidak bilang bahwa kita harus berubah jadi Cina, cuma kalau memang bagus
WHY NOT?Dan memang ada juga hal-hal buruknya, tetapi tentu semua
bangsa juga memiliki hal2 buruk dan disamping hal yg baik.

Marilah saya mulai pendapat tentang perbandingan antara WNI asli
dan keturunan cina :
1. Perbedaan2 nyata Setelah bekerja 3 tahun lebih dan memiliki teman dekat orang bule dan orang Cina dari Shanghai di tempat kerja saya, saya melihat banyak sekali perbedaan-bedaan, diantaranya :
A. UANG
a) Si BULE, kalo gajian langsung ke bar, minum-minum sampe mabuk, beli baju baru, beli hadiah macam-macam untuk istrinya. Dan sisanya 10% di simpan di bank. Langsung makan-makan di restoran mahal, apalagi baru gajian.
b) Si Cina, kalau gajian langsung disimpan di bank, kadang-kadang di
invest lagi di bank, beli Saham, atau dibungain. Bajunya itu2 saja sampe
butut. Saya pernah tanya sama dia, duitnya yg disimpen ke bank bisa
sampe 75%-80% dari gaji.
c) Saya sendiri. kalo gajian biasanya boleh deh makan-makan sedikit,
apalagi baru gajian, beli baju kalo ada yg on-sale (lagi di discount),
beli barang-barang kebutuhan istri, sisanya kira2 tinggal 15-20% terus
disimpen di bank.

*** Kebanyakan di Amerika, orang Cina yang kerja kantoran (sebenarnya Korea dan Jepang juga)walopun masih muda-muda tp sudah bisa naik mobil bagus dan bisa mulai beli rumah mewah.Walaupun orang tuanya bukan konglomerat dan bukan mafia di Chinatown. Malah mereka beli barang senangnya cash, bukan dgn kredit. Soalnya cara mereka nabung benar-benar tidak bisa dikalahkan oleh bangsa lain. Kalau bule atau orang hitam harus ngutang dl sampe udah ngerti susahnya melunasi kredit dan bisa lunas br deh beli rumah.

KERJAAN
a) si BULE, abis kerja (biasanya jam kerja jam 8 pagi - 6 sore) hari
Senen sampai hari Jumat (Sabtu dan minggu tidak kerja)) ke bar ato
makan-makan ngabisin gaji. Kalau disuruh lembur tiba-tiba, biasanya akan kesel-kesel sendiri di kantor. Biasanya kalo hari Senen, si bule
tampangnya pasti kusut, soalnya masih hrs nunggu lama sampe hari Sabtu, pikirannya pasti weekend melulu. Kalo hari Kamis, si bule males kerja, pikirannya hari Jumat melulu. Terus jalan-jalan gosip kiri kanan,
b) si CINA, abis kerja langsung pulang ke rumah, masak sendiri, nggak
pernah makan diluar (saya sering ngajak dia makan diluar,tp tidak pernah mau, mahal katanya,hrs simpan duit, kecuali kalo ada hari-hari
khusus). Kalau disuruh lembur tidak pernah menolak, malah sering
menawarkan diri untuk kerja lembur. Kalau disuruh kerja hari sabtu atau
hari minggu juga pasti mau. Kadang-kadang dia malah kerja part-time
(bukan sebagai pegawai penuh) di perusahaan lain untuk menambah uangnya.
c) saya sendiri, kalau disuruh lembur, agak malas juga karena udah punya rencana keluar pergi makan sama teman-teman kantor.
Kadang-kadang pengen segera plg ke rumah karena udah seharian di kantor melulu, cuma mau nggak mau hrs kerja(jadi kesannya sedikit terpaksa, nggak seperti si cina yg oke2 aja). Weekend paling malas kalau hrs kerja.

*** Bos-bos juga biasanya lbh suka sama orang Cina kalau soal kerjaan.
Soalnya para bos tau bahwa cina mmg pekerja yg giat dan tidak pernah bilang 'NO' sama boss.
Dapat kerja juga gampang kalau mukanya cina, karena dipandang sebagai 'Good Worker' atau pekerja giat. Jarang sekali mrk menolak kerjaan, kecuali ada hal yg penting sekali/mendesak barulah
dia tidak bersedia lembur. Dan kalaupun tidak bersedia lembur,
biasanya dia akan datang sabtu atau minggu, atau kerja lembur utk besoknya.

RUMAH
a) Apartment si BULE,wah bagus bgt.Gayanya kontemporari,penuh
dengan barang-barang perabotan dan furniture mahal. Pokoknya gajinya
pasti abis utk ngurusin apartmentnya.
b) Apartment si CINA, wah... kacau balau. Cuma ranjang satu,itupun cm dilantai saja.
Meja butut, dan dua kursi butut. TV nya kecil ukuran 14inc, TV kabel aja
ga punya. Pokoknya sederhana bgt deh,waktu saya tanya, dia bilang
'bersakit-sakit dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian.' daerah tempat tinggalnya pun bukan didaerah mahal, tempatnya di daerah kumuh dan saya yakin hampir ga ada yg berhasrat utk menetap disana.
c) Apartment saya sendiri, yah lumayan lah.Cuma istri saya jg suka merias rumah.Jadi apartment saya lumayan lah ga seperti punya si Cina.Saya benar-benar salut bgt,dia bisa hidup spt itu Padahal duitnya di bank kan pasti byk.
Gaji si cina aja lebih tinggi dari saya karena udah lebih lama di perusahaan tersebut.

*** Setelah 10 thn, biasanya si bule, orang item, masih tinggal di
apartment atau baru ngutang beli rumah,si cina udah bisa beli rumah
sendiri. Karena nabung dengan giatnya, krn cuma beli yg penting-penting
aja. Jadi uangnya benar2 buat ditabung dan diinvest.

*** Disini saja saya bisa lihat perbedaan-bedaan nyata,saya sempat berpikir,wah si Cina ini pelit amat. Masa duit banyak kayak
begitu cm disimpen aja di bank.Dan kalau kita banding-bandingkan dengan sejarah orang-orang cina, kita akan tahu kenapa mereka (Cina) itu dalam long-range nya (jangka panjang nya)lebih maju dari pribumi di
Indonesia,karena saya sempat bertukar pikiran dengan beberapa teman
yg orang Cina lainnya, orang India, orang Arab, orang Jerman, orang
Amerika, dan orang Cina ini sendiri. Kita mestinya hrs tau sejarahnya orang Cina ini.

2. Perbandingan antara sejarah kebudayaan cina dan Indonesia JAMAN DULU dimana Bangsa cina adalah bangsa yg bangga dengan bangsanya,karena kebudayaan cina adalah salah satu kebudayaan tertua di dunia,hampir setaraf dengan Mesopotamia dan Mesir. Karena itu kebudayaan cina itu benar-benar menempel di sanubari nya.Susah sekali untuk melepaskan kebudayaan tersebut dr mrk karena memang betul kebudayaan mereka itu hebat, terus terang,
kalau kita bandingkan dengan kebudayaan kita (pribumi Indonesia) kita ga akan bisa mengalahkan kebudayaan orang cina.Bukan bermaksud utk meninggikan cina tp mmg itulah kenyataanya,

Menurut salah satu Journal of Archeology terkemuka di dunia, orang
Melayu itu unsurnya lebih banyak mengarah ke bangsa Mongol atau Cina.
Jadi bangsa Indonesia itu sebenarnya Cina, walaupun secara biologis dan evolusis, ada unsur-unsur dari India dan Arab di darah orang pribumi.Tetapi orang Indonesia (Melayu) itu sebenarnya genetik nya lebih dekat ke orang Cina.

Orang cina sudah dari dulu (4000 tahun lalu) hidupnya selalu kesusahan
terus(maksudnya rakyat kecilnya). Negara cina dari jaman dulu,selalu berperang terus, rakyat kecil disiksa olah pemerintahnya sendiri, dan
pemerintahnya terus berganti.Orang cina bisa dibilang salah satu
bangsa yang tahan banting.Sudah biasa menderita, dan makin menderita,biasanya orang akan makin nekat dan makin berani, jadi semua jalan akan ditempuh utk bertahan hidup,mo gmn lg. Ini juga terjadi di Indonesia.

Karena negaranya sendiri, Cina, banyak masalah, mereka ber-imigrasi
kemana-mana.Mereka ada dimana-mana,teman saya orang item dari Nigeria dan Ethiopia (afrika) bilang,disana pun ada banyak orang cina. Dan herannya. Cina-cina di Afrika pun sukses dan bisa dibilang tidak dgn taraf ekonomi yg miskin ato melarat.Paling minim mereka bisa dibilang dlm taraf mencukupi,

DI INDONESIA Di Indonesia sendiri, waktu saya masih tinggal diJakarta,saya bisa melihat perbedaan-perbedaan nyata,cuma waktu itu pikiran saya belum terbuka dan sangat mendiskreditkan org cina/WNI keturunan.
Saya pernah buka sbh Rumah Makan dimana disamping toko saya didaerah Senen ada WNI keturunan yg buka toko kain.Di sebelahnya persis lg ada pak Haji yg juga buka toko kain.
Setelah 2 tahun, bisnis si cina makin maju, dan si pak Haji sebelah
akhirnya bangkrut. Ternyata bukan karena si Cina main curang atau main guna-guna si pak haji.Ternyata itu karena si cina, walaupun sudah
untung,uangnya akan di simpan dan ditabung untuk mengembangkan
bisnisnya lagi.
Dia dan istrinya sering sekali saya lihat hanya makan dgn lauk seadanya sedangkan si pak haji baru untung sedikit sudah makan makan di restoran terkenal karena gengsi dgn keluarga nya.

Nah bukannya si pak haji ini salah langkah?Bukannya kita bisa lihat sendiri bahwa cina ini pikirannya lebih maju,lebih melihat kedepandan lebih tahan banting?Saya kira ini adalah suatu hal yang bisa kita contoh
dari si Cina ini. Mungkin kita tidak perlu terlalu pelit seperti dia,tapi juga tentu tidak usah gengsi-gengsian.

Saya sudah bertemu dengan banyak orang dari negara yg berbeda-beda dan satu hal yg benar-benar nyata adalah KERJA KERAS DENGAN PEMIKIRAN JAUH KE DEPAN
Coba saja lihat orang Hong Kong, orang Jepang, orang Inggris, orang
Amerika, orang Jerman dan orang Singapore, mereka sudah SGT MAJU sekali pemikirannya.
Orang Indonesia sayangnya gengsinya tinggi sekali,tidak mau mengakui
kalau memang salah atau harus merubah sesuatu yg jelek.
Inilah kelemahannya.

Di mata Internasional bangsa Indonesia sudah terkenal sebagai NAZI
Jerman versi Asia Tenggara. Waktu perang dunia ke II bangsa Jerman
sedang miskin karena mereka kalah perang dunia ke I, supaya rakyat tidak marah, si Hitler yg cerdik sengaja menyalahkan orang Yahudi yg memang kaya dan menguasai ekonomi Jerman. Akibatnya org yahudi diabntai habis dan tidak diperlakukan lyknya warga negara sendiri. Padahal mereka juga sudah lama tinggal di Jerman dan sudah merasa JERMAN sebagai bangsa mrk sendiri,tentu mereka masih memegang teguh kebudayaan mereka sendiri, sama seperti org cina di Indonesia.

Anehnya di INdonesia,org pribumi benci dengan org cina tetapi bukan dengan orang Belanda ataupun orang Jepang.Kalau dipikir-pikir,org cina tidak salah apa-apa dan tdk pernah menyakiti kita bahkan mereka ikut mendongkrak perdagangan Indonesia.Saya sebagai pribumi baru sadar akan hal itu,

Bangsa Belanda menyiksa bangsa Indonesia dan menguras harta bumi kekayaan Indonesia selama 350 tahun dan setelah itu pergi meninggalkan Indonesia dgn penyakit yg paling bahaya dan sudah mendarah daging, yaitu KORUPSI,yg sampai sekarang juga menimbulkan krisis ekonomi setelah 53 tahun merdeka rupanya penyakit ini bukannya makin terobati, tetapi makin menusuk dan menular ke seluruh badan dan mental bangsa Indonesia.

Bangsa Jepang,walaupun hanya menguasai Indonesia selama 3,5 tahun, tapi menyiksa rakyat bangsa Indonesia lebih kejam dari bangsa lain.
Karena kalah perang, bangsa Jepang mau tidak mau sekarang musti menguasai dunia secara ekonomi dan tidak bisa lagi main angkat senjata.Tp ada 1 hal penting lg,rakyat Jepang jg sangat menghargai kebudayaan mereka sendiri,mencintai produk lokal mereka,bisakah kita seperti itu??
Saya yakin jawabannya TIDAK BISA,

Tp anehnya kita sebagai pribumi malah benci dengan org cina bukannya dengan Belanda atau Jepang. Lucu sih,semua bangsa lain (Korea, Cina, Burma,Vietnam, dan Afrika)benci dengan bekas penjajah bangsa mrk bukan benci dgn penduduk sesama yg telah hidup selama bertahun-tahun secara bersama contohnya cina kalau di Indonesia.

Masih ingatkah kita akan pembantaian WNI keturunan di tahun 1998??Saya pernah melihat bbrp cuplikan penjarahan,pemerkosaan dan penganiayaan terhadap para WNI keturunan,dalam hati saya hanya berucap
"yah ALLAH,seperti inikah kita memperlakukan rekan2 sesama rakyat Indonesia kita sendiri???"

Salah apa si cina?si cina ini,tidak punya salah apa-apa.Kenapa mereka
kelihatannya buas dalam bisnis, tamak, dan rakus?Kenapa?
Karenamereka selama tinggal di Indonesia selalu diperlakukan sebagai orang luar dan di anak-tirikan. Coba bayangkan kalau anda-anda jadi cina,pasti anda-anda juga mau melindungi diri sendiri, siapa yg mau diperlakukan spt itu?Besok tidak makan atau mati?Yah,kalau mrk jd spt itu jg saya maklumi aja,mereka jadi cerdik, agak
licik, mengambil kesempatan dalam kesempitan, jadinya berhasil memegang ekonomi Indonesia.Tapi lihat dl perjuangan dan usaha mereka,mrk juga bekerja keras dr NOL,dr bawah merangkak ke atas
JAUH.....SANGAT JAUH LEBIH KERAS DARI KITA YG PRIBUMI. Bukan cuma di Indonesia saja,orang cina sepertinya hidup dimana saja akan sukses.

Mereka(cina)tidak menyerah pada nasib, dan selalu INGIN MENJADIKAN DUA KALI LIPATNYA TARAF HIDUP MEREKA,kita yg pribumi, biasanya puas dengan keberhasilan kita dan BERmalas malasan karena merasa sudah diatas angin.
Bagi cina2 ini tidak berlaku, mau setinggi apa juga, pasti akan bisa lebih
tinggi lagi.
Kita saja yg bodoh,mau-maunya mendengar omongan pemerintah yg brengsek dan mengkambing hitamkan WNI keturunan/cina.Karena mereka sendiri juga busuk tetapi takut ketahuan.Jadi mereka menggunakan cina sebagai tameng dan kambing hitamnya.
Lihat saja,sampai sekarang apakah pemerintah sudah menjalankan tugasnya dgn baik??Saya rasa blm,KORUPSI dimana-mana hasil penyakit turunan dr BELANDA,

Gimana mau hidup sebagai negara yg maju,Kalau kita tidak bisa bersatu dan memperbaiki kesalahan ita yg terhadulu serta tidak mengulanginya lg??
Negara yg maju harus bisa hidup dengan tentram satu sama lain tidak
perduli dengan warna kulit, agama, dan keturunan.Semuanya hrs diakui
sebagai satu bangsa dan satu kesatuan.

Contohnya Amerika, mau cari orang dari mana saja ada.Cuma mereka
bersatu,dan mereka sadar tiap orang punya kejelekan masing-masing. Cuma tidak digembar-gemborkan, tapi dibicarakan dan dirubah.
Hal bagus nya diambil,dan dipakai bersama-sama untuk memajukan negara mereka.
Dulu mereka jg sangat mendiskreditkan org HITAM/NEGRO tp seiring waktu mereka akhirnya sadar dan memperbaiki kesalahan mereka.Coba lah lihat America yg jg dipenuhi berbagai ras dan agama dr berbagai negara tp tidak pernah ada kerusuhan SARA.
Tidak segan-segan, atau gengsi, kalau gengsi-gengsi maka tidak akan
maju.Harus open (terbuka) dan mau menerima kesalahan dan hrs mau
berubah.

Akhir kata,ini tidak ada hubungannya dengan SARA.Hanya utk sharring dan mengatakan yg sebenarnya,
Rubahlah Bangsa Indonesia menjadi Bangsa yg diakui,

MERDEKA..!!

I'm glad I got both of the sides :P Proud to be a Asian-Caucasian tbh, Hahahahah!, I adore the Fun Caucasian side and I adore the Chinese life planning hahaha :D

Another step Completed

2008-09-26T03:28:00.000-07:00

My Lancer Evolution has just been finished with its brand new paint, It has a new clean and fresh white look, new looks, surely it will attract people's attention on the streets :-) now its on to the final step! The 4WD! The hardest part of them all, Oh btw, I got new Seats for the car also, and the interior looks awesome! New Recaro seats are awesome, They are very comfy, feels like someone is hugging you from the back when you're sitting on it, hehehehe (I do need a new steering wheel though...)

Well! Getting the new wheels sometime this week, gonna go to my friend's house, and I'm getting the new Kakimoto Racing Muffler, yay, This is gonna be good :), Sorry I have no pictures, But I will surely post a picture of it when its 100% FINISHED!

So...Car's bodywork is done, People can now "mudik" for their lebaran safely! Thx!

Watch these Videos...Very sad...Off a Thai Commercial

2008-09-21T04:04:00.001-07:00

Grandpa : http://youtube.com/v/FSL0gAbLcQ4&feature=relat
True Love : http://youtube.com/v/BOuHaTt2XUw&feature=related
Dad : http://youtube.com/v/LR5mZqeDNtg&feature=related
My Daughter : http://youtube.com/v/RkoRDFjBh44&feature=related
My Son : http://youtube.com/v/q-K9V9qz6P4&feature=related

Please watch these Videos...Veryyy sad :(

Another Picture! :P

2008-09-20T00:48:00.001-07:00

A picture here with my best friend, Tebe, Him and I are the only 2 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution owners on our club, What does that mean? We are the fastest!!!

PLETOKAN AUTO CLUB Sahur on the Road

2008-09-20T00:17:00.000-07:00

Here in Jakarta, the automotive youngsters love cruising, speeding yet in special events, Especially in the Ramadhan month (The Muslim Fasting Month), They love to gather with their group, and spin around the City while giving away food to poor people on the streets Food and goods, the reason is? Sahur, Sahur is an Indo/Arab word for Closing the fasting, Not sure exactly, but my Car Club/Group did this last night, there were 40+ Cars, 6 Motorcycles and 4 Police Officers to escort us, It was whole lot of fun, We cruised around Central, Southern and Western Jakarta, had 100+ Package of Foods, all gone by the end of the show, Here are some pictures, There were too many pictures, I'll just post the ones with me on it :-) I'm the guy with the brown shirt that says "POP" on all of the pictures.

SORRY about the picture's alignment...I still don't know how to fix them properly...oh well...

Design Classes...STARTS

2008-09-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

September 16th...3 Hours of Classes, Yeah finally starting a course of Design...Good Luck to me, I think this will be a good experience :-)

Props ;-)

One of the CLEANEST Honda Civic Hatch I've seen

2008-09-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Cleanest EG Hatch I've seen, PROPS to the OWNER!

Mom and Dad :D:D:D Can I get this car when I'm there??? Check it outtt!!! The car's below $5,000 and its awesome, I USE TO OWN ONE! Cant believe I sold it...

Evo is almost finished... Well not quite

2008-09-07T14:34:00.001-07:00

My Evolution is actually NOT FINISHED, But for the Engine + 4WD Setting and all that, It is, My workshop promised before the end of September I can start boostin on da road again :D, Which means I get to drive my Evo around Jakarta and starting whoopin butts with that New Turbocharged Engine :D, The only thing we need to do now is this = Install 4WD, Paint the new Bodyparts, Clean the interior (Its a little dirty now, Wirings and stuff everywhere...Oh well we were setting up the wiring, Its all new), and Wait for my new WHEELS to come, Yeah my friend is gonna bring em here, Hes in Timor now, So...

Once thats finished, Thats when the challenge begins, Of course I need to start saving up money again, because is an Evo is not at its maximum without modifications :D, which I plan to do so, but not quite, I need money when I get to the US for a 1995 Honda Civic SiR (Thats if my parents alow me lol...) So...need to becareful with my money

I DO Hope so I'll get my car payed off this month, I still need to pay...Yeah $2500 on the whole Project, I already payed $1000, and I just payed $350 Today, and I'm getting $1100 for this week"ish" from selling my unused Racing Parts to a friend who needs it for his Rally competition which is coming up, So thats nice, He gets my goods, I get the money, So yup, That means I only need to pay for the whole thing another $1000, Im hoping to get this money from my upcoming Job, a project that My friend and I is planning, So Im still fussed on how to get thats $1000...Maybe we could do the classic way, SAVE up my ALLOWANCE, Thats right, My dad funds me $100 Every week, Sometimes $50 LOL, I get no money from Grandparents unless its urgent and important for me :P So...Haha thats allright!, If I was to save up up to $1000, Thats 10 Weeks, and the people I'm suppose to pay might nag on me a little bit for paying the bills way too long, So I'd prefer working, Yet save up my Allowance, so for the week, I'll save up 50% of my Allowance, so If i get 50, I'd save 25, If I get 100 I'd save 50, that would lighten my finance a bit, Since my work would HOPEFULLY pay me $1500, or MORE :-D...Yeah, I plan on Shopping for clothes also, Need a bit more cause the old ones are wearing away :P

But I'm happy, I really am, Im building this car, I BOUGHT this car, with my own money, and It feels good, The car costed $4600, The Mods costed another $4000, and I payed 75% of that, Woah, Thats almost 1/4 of everyone's standard salary for a year...How did I came up with all of these money :-P Amazing...

Of course my DREAM car and my DREAM Project is to build a Mitsubishi Evo 9 MR, a bit Hefty though, The car itself costs $25,000 -> $30,000, Might as well wait then...But with that kinda money, The car's already awesome, No need modifications except for the light stuff, you can add in a new Racing Filter, a BOV, Cams, Catch Tanks and the thing's gonna smoke a Lamborghini :D...Wala!

Scary song, Yet my favorite

2008-09-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite, yet scary song, Its by Deep Forest and the song is called Forest Hymn, unbelievably, this song is a Proper end of the World song, Check it out, I'm a die hard Metal/Hardcore Rock song, but when it comes to beautiful songs, it stands among the crowd...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dApBFokNjgk

Link to the Video

Car Tip of the Week #1

2008-08-31T21:56:00.001-07:00

Car Tip of the Week: Fuel Efficient? For Real?

Simple, simple, simple, Its actually very simple on how to make your car much more fuel efficient, It doesn't matter what kind of car do you have, what year, there are ways to make your car much more efficient...Here's how:

- Fill up your gas in the morning, or even better earlier

Its always better to fill up your gas in the morning, when the air is still cold, and not in the daytime when the air is hot, The reason? the hotter the temperature is, the hotter the surface is, Gas are stored under the Gas Station, and it follows the same temperature as the surface's temperature, when Gasoline gets hot, it evaporates, and creates a vapor in the storage, So really when you fill up gas, most of the time you'd fill up vapor, and not the whole liquid gasoline, it still will tell you the same price at the Station, but with reduced amount, when the air is cold, Gasoline becomes a whole gas again, and it does not vaporize

- Drive at Low RPM

Drive at the lowest RPM as possible, now I'm not saying you should go "turtle" on the road, but try not to accelerate so harshly, The slower you drive, the more efficient your car gets, If possible, switch gears at 2,000 ->3,500 RPM, for the 5th gear (If you're driving Manual transmission) its free, you can drive on whichever RPM because your engine has topped its Ratio, and try to be easy on the gas pedal, dont let your engine make that "revving" sound, Unless you're racing, No one has ever gotten a trophy to make it home first...so chill

- Higher Octane, the better it is

Higher Octane fuels are much better at increasing efficiency, Now I know Higher Octane fuels are pricy, but they are worth it, It is not wrong to fill up your gas with the Regular fuels, but the higher does it better, The Reason? Lets just say Octanes are the "endurance" level of your gasoline, The higher the octane is, the harder it is to burn under the engine's compression, that means you burn smaller amount of fuel to achieve the same power as the Regular fuels, and if you're driving as what I've told you for tip #2, it really means you're saving more gas.

- Regular check up, maintance and service

Do regular check ups on your car, make sure all lubricants are at their level of need, Change your Oils every 3-4 months or at 4,000 -> 5,000 KM, Do services, Tune your car to get the best of your engine, Check Valves and Springs, re-position them to get the best air volumetric as possible, Check your car's suspension, wheel positioning, Tyre air, and clean your engine, Its like keeping a healthy car, the healthier your car is, the more Efficient it is :) and the more power you get.

- The More weight you have on your car, the more it burns up fuel

The more weight you have on your car, reduces the car's torque, Lets say, when you are driving 60 MPH/100 KMH and your car weighs 1000 Kilos, Your car will use up a Litre of gas to go 15 KM, now at 60 MPH/100 KMH and your car weighs 1500 Kilos, your car will use up a Litre of gas to go 10 KM, FACT, thats the reason racing cars are de-weighted, they remove all unnecesarry parts out of the car, to reduce as much weight as possible.

Hope this helps

Thx

A Lesson from a Teacher

2008-08-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

4 Days in bali, it wasnt so bad, I came to bali all alone, only to visit my mom, yeah end of the summer vacation, its all good, I thought it would be my last vacation to Bali, I love Bali, I plan on going there once again before I make a leave to the US, this time, not alone, with friends.

Well in Bali I did meet a few friends, friends that my mom introduced, it was all good, We hung out, went there and there and here and here, and I met my mom's long time friend, she met mom when they were 5-6 years old, WOW! thats friendship.

Well mom's friend, she has a bf, and his name is Douglas MacDonald, or we call him, Mr. Doug or just Douglas, well Douglas is an awesome guy, he's Scottish, and he lives in London, he owns a Racing Company for Reynard, Circuits and Car Building, go see The MacDonald Partnership. Douglas is 49, he's old indeed, but still very active lol, Now I'm telling you, the kind of job he has, is my dream job, managing business for an automotive company, now thats awesome, and the kind of money he makes out of it, I'd say impressive, so we talked about it, we had a drink and chilled, and I told him I am planning on doing Engineering for College, or something like that, I know Engineering is pretty much Math and Mechanical Theory, but the kind of Math I would enjoy, and once I enjoy something, I get really good at it, Now I asked him a simple yet important question, I told him, once I'm out of College, how do I start making big bucks?

His answer, well if you want to do Engineering, thats all good! Do what you like, but to do something that you like you have to support it, so Support it with another Degree (I was amazed...oh my goodness!) So I told him are you talking about double degree? He said "No" I want you Calvin, to do more than that! The key to sucess is mastering the "circle", What he meant by another Degree is Finance, you support Engineering with Finance, with Finance, you know "money" with Engineering you know "skill" Skill + Money manage = Sucess, now if you'd like I suggest you go and take another, "Law", I was like "wow...o my goodness", When you are sucessfull, Law is what builds it up, If you master all of these, I guarantee once you reach the peak, you stand among the crowd as a rich person, I really suggest, Calvin that you do Engineering, its all good! With that degree you can make a good living, but I'd like you to support it with finance, thats how you solve the question.

Douglas did more than just 3 things, he mastered everything, He did Accounting, Law and Finance, and he owns bussinesses around the world, Be it England, South Africa, and he plans on doing another in Hong Kong, and his life, well you guess...and its a Racing Business, its awesome...

So thats what I plan on doing, Engineering would be my first priority in College, then when there's a Door in front of me, I'd go and unlock it, May God help and support my life, He has been good to me!

Bless!

Introducing Red Alert 3

2008-08-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

"Welcome Back, Comrade"

To be released this year, Is one of my favorite Video Games of all time, Although I dont Video Game as much as I do back then, This is the game I'm waiting for, and definitaley play...

The Fight between the Allies (A Union of Western Nations) and the Soviets continue, now with the addition of a new side, The Empire of the Rising Sun (The Japanese), Wow! this game will be a Blast, The Allies will have new technologies, The Soviets will get new heroes and upgrade their Tesla technologies, and the Japanese will get High-Tech robots and Samurais!

So introduce Command & Conquer Red Alert 3!, It'll be a blast to play the Command and Conquer series again, I loved Command and Conquer: Generals and Zero Hour, Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was a failure though...:(

Red Alert 3 will be released on October 2008

My Car...and Building it

2008-08-12T00:48:00.000-07:00

When I'm free, when I have money, I'd throw my cash and start building cars, I've built 2 cars before that were mine, and I've helped people build their engines to better perform their cars at Drag Racing events that are held at Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia. I've built a 2004 Honda City, but It didnt go so well...was my first attempt, then I sold it and bought a 1993 Honda Civic Hatchback, the fuel economy on this car is impressive, with only Rp 100.000 (Thats 9 Dollars) of Gas, I could get 11 Litres (Back in 2007) thats 3.5 gallons me thinks...Correct me if I'm wrong, I could drive from Jakarta to Bandung and Back, its that Efficient, I gave my car a paintjob, Painted it white, and swaped the Engine, a JDM 1992 B16A 1.6 Litre VTEC Engine that I shipped from Japan, built it with me and my buddies, Luckas and Ipang who were the owners of RODSMOTORING, I tuned it, and I raced it on the track at Sentul Circuit and I got 13.5 Seconds 1/4 Mile/402 Meters, It could do much better with better tires, I heard they opened a Track near Elkhart, If my car was there, I bet its the fastest Honda that creeps in the track.

The Specs on my Civic:

JDM B16A Engine 1.6 Litre
TODA Racing Pistons
10:5.1 Compression, Thats Stock Compression, I wanted it 12:5.1 :-(
Custom Air Charger with KD Air Filter
B16A Injectors
Ported Cylinder Head then gave it a nice Polish

The car's FWD

With this spec, the CAR is FAST, it goes from 0-100 Km/h or 0-60 Mp/h in just 5 seconds...Then I sold the car for $7000 or Rp 70.000.000

What I did with the money?

I bought a 1994 Mitsubishi Lancer GTi, a Rare car indeed, Its stock Engine could go for 16 Seconds in a 1/4 Mile 402 Meters

The Engine:

1.8L 4G93 DOHC Engine

Got a CD player and tape on it...so its nice (Unlike my Civic that I bought with no cd/tapes at all...)

I just bought a Lancer Evo 1 GSR Halfcut that I ordered from Malaysia through a friend... The Evo's engine:

2.0L 4G63T DOHC Engine Turbocharged Engine
TD05-H Turbo

My first turbo project, and Im working on it now, Wish me luck, because this will be the last car that Im building before I make a leave to the US, hopefully Ill get it finished by then...What I'm planning to have on this car before I leave (Of course I'll have to finish it first):

New Stainless Steel Turbo Pipings
HKS Blow Off Valve
1.0 Bars of Boost (Or 1.3 Bars)
Cams, Sprockets and Springs

Future:

2.2L 2.4L Strokers...and New Turbo for Optimal BOOST

WISH ME LUCK!

What I miss the most about the US

2008-08-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

Well I'm in my apartement right now, I though I'd pay a visit to come here, I kinda miss my room...lol

Subway Subs

Dont laugh, but I MISS SUBWAY, seriously its too bad we dont have those here in Jakarta, Indonesia, I REALLY MISS SUBWAY, It's our family's sunday lunch back in Elkhart, USA, I remember so well, I'd get the 1 foot Steak and Cheese with Southwestern Spicy sauce, Dad would get the BLTs, the ones where they mix all sorts of different hams into a 1 foot sandwhich, yummm...

Then mom would buy me my favorite soda, Jones Soda Co., they are flavored sodas, it was the "Drink of Pro-BMXers" back in the days me and my buddies love BMX, We'll build our bikes, and start doing tricks with them, Then we'd go to a gas station store to buy Jones Soda whenever were thirsty, Man I miss Jones Soda!, My favorites are the Vanilla flavored ones...

Cedar Park

If I could name the best theme park in the world, it would be Cedar Park. Cedar Park is renounced as the world's Best theme park, it beats Six Flags and the rest... I remember going there for a church trip when I was in 6th grade, I rode in almost all of the Rides, they were amazing, Cedar Park is located at Sandusky, Ohio, about an hour drive from where we live, I cant wait to go there again.

My Bunkbed

Nuff said...I miss my bunkbed

Those great times with Mom and Dad

DUH

Moving in...and Moving out

2008-08-11T03:59:00.000-07:00

Introduction (1st Blog Post)

Since this will be my first post, let me introduce myself, My name is Calvin, full name would be Calvin Thomas Ray, you can either call me Calvin, Cal, Ray whatever. My biological appearance is one interesting sight to see because I'm a mix race, between Caucasian and Asian, Dutch and Chinese to be exact, I'm a Christian, I'm 5'9" - 5'10" tall, and I weight 66 kilos, I forgot how much that is in pounds (It could increase, it could decrease) depending on my diet...haha! My hobbies are building cars, racing them, being lazy, computers and chilling with friends, I love my friends, and I have a lovely girlfriend named Indah Julisa, I'd like to say hi to my friends in Indonesia, Kris Simmons (New Zealand), Devin McKinney (Chicago, Illinois, USA "In Phillipines now" - Phillipino) Cindy Kumaraswamy (Indonesia - Malaysia) Erlannga (Angga) Primadyanoor (Indonesia "Kampung Blora") Anak-Anak Pletokan Auto Club (PAKUBOWONO SENAYAN) Kids at Splash (Kemang!) James Fischer (New Zealand) Audrey Courty Erk (France - Turkey) and moi, Calvin Ray (Indonesia - USA)

My Friends in the US: Jacob, Thomas, Dustin , Danielle, Nisa, Courtney, Preston, Jordan, Kids at the rock shows we use to go (I forgot the name of the place) and the rest!

Moving in...

Today...Well actually yesterday I just moved in to my grandparents house...It's been a while since I haven't actually spent a night here...The last time I actually spent a night here was February 2007 when I've just recently recovered from pneumonia, I spent 2-3 weeks in hospital, yup, it was bad. So anyways, lets get back to the story, So here I am, in my grandparents house, brought in everything from my Apartment, be it clothes and even my lovely PC (My monitor is screwing up though...*sigh*)...and I really felt good being here, I felt free, I felt like I could move, I felt cleaner and fresher air, I really dislike my Apartment due to its tininess, and its uncleanness, seriously guys, my father is the nastiest and most unclean person in the world, no joke, its a shame he's like that...and I'm a very clean person, I get embarrassed inviting friends over to my apartment, just because its so dirty, so imagine what it feels like to move to a nicer, cleaner house... ahhh... it felt good!

The other reason I'm staying here, Is personal... (fooled you)

Moving out...

It's mid-2008, and the one thing I'm waiting for this year, is moving back to the US (Elkhart, Indiana) where I can continue my further studies, live a good life, and most importantly, build up a good future here...my grandpa once told me, that "You have to be a valuable person to your community, you have to be a useful person in your job", and so I will, and I'll achieve it... So yeah, its time for me to wait to come home, I hope it'll be soon, But I'm sure God knows just when I should come back, I know my Mom and Dad's waiting for me there, but hang on tight guys!...I'm coming, the reason why I made this blog is so I can keep updating my daily life (Of course if I get the chance to...) and the progresses I'm doing

Enjoy!