Gerakan Bawah Tanah - Mr. GBT

Used to let anybody writes anything in my heart Used not to care They're just graffiti in my heart Then you came alon You wrote something Is it (going to be) a masterpiece Or is it just another graffiti? Masterpiece or just another graffiti (in my heart)?

This is my first post in 2019. As you can tell, it is way too late. It's already February. That's how busy I am. The thing is, I still tell people about this blog. And yet, I have not updated this blog. It is so ironic. Every time I wanted to write something, something came up and I forgot to do it. This is simply a case of want something but have no time and energy to do it. I have to try harder.

Finally, I decided to create a (YouTube) video. This time, it is about the Python programming language. In this video I talked about why Python is the language of today. (Not sure 5 years down the line.) Enjoy the video. Unfortunately the video is in Bahasa Indonesia. When I have the time, I'll make an English version of this. Come to think of it, there are already tons of videos on Python in English. I don't think you'll need another one. I guess, I'll make more videos in Bahasa Indonesia then.

I love coffee. Correction, I LOOOVVVEEE   coffee. There. I made it bold to show how much I love coffee. If you read my other blog (the Indonesian one), you might already know this. As it happens, Bandung - the city where I live - is the best place to get black coffee. You may not believe this, but if you are here, you can see that every 50 meters there is going to be a coffee shop. Most of these coffee shops are using local coffee, Jawa Barat. Although many of them have coffee from other parts of Indonesia (and even outside Indonesia). To show you the variety of coffee that we have here, here is a list of photos of coffee that I've just got recently. (Less than 1 month.) These are just samples. I have more. As you can see, those coffee are from places in Indonesia. I tend to like coffee that are bold. Thus, I like the East part of Indonesia. These days, I like Flores and Papua. Most of these coffee are still beans. You get grounded ones, but most people pre...

Hi folks, It has been years (not really) since last time I blogged here. (Mind you, my other blog - the Indonesian version - has also been slowed.) The classical "I am busy" excuse is being used here. While this is true, I think I should not use it. ha ha ha. Now, I am planning to write more. Create videos and stuff. Basically, I want to generate more creative content. We'll see how it goes. Cheers.

I know I made too many promises; more posts for this blog. My excuse is a classic one, too busy. (And I've got other blogs to maintain too.) What can I do? I'll keep on making promises. ha ha ha. This year, it should be better than last year (2017). Another thing I am considering is to create video blog. If this is the case, then this blog will have a lesser time. ha ha ha. Anyway, the vlog thing is still in a consideration-state. It may take some time to actually becoming reality. We'll see. Anyway, this is my 1st post in 2018.

I love coffee. Black coffee without sugar. The good thing is that Bandung is a heaven for coffee lovers. There are a lot of coffee shops with local coffee beans. These days, I love coffee from Flores. But the thing is ... I cannot make good coffee myself. Ugh. Every time I make one, it's too dark (bitter) or too soft. I don't have a coffee machine, although I have aero press and V 60 kits. I love coffee made manually. If the coffee is made by machine, that it is actually made by somebody else (or something to be exact). Back to the original topic, making good coffee. I was told that the important aspect of making coffee is the water (the exact temperature and stuff). Or, the way to make the coffee (brew, filter, etc.). But, I just cannot make good coffee. I think it has something to do with my hands ... ha ha ha. They are too cold. ha ha ha. Anyway, let me enjoy this (bad) coffee. Made it myself. Good morning ...

While updating this blog, I got notification that I should try to use AdSense. Ok, I said. Let's give it a try. It, then, gave me a form to register. I filled the form and waited for the confirmation email. Email came in and said that my request was rejected. Oh well. The thing that I don't understand is that it seems Google AdSense thought that this is a new blog. Need more content, it said. Whoa. Seriously? I guess I have to try again next time (don't know when).

Last night, I was in a brand new coffee shop. This is just one of the newest coffee shops in Bandung. I can safely say that every month there is a new one in Bandung. (I could stretch it to every week.) Bandung is a coffee shop city. Last night was the second time I went to this coffee shop. The first one, I went there a few days ago. It was weekday and not many people were there. I ordered a local coffee, Flores. It was great. In fact, it was perfect. Last night was different. It was Saturday night and it was packed with young people. I guess they found out that this is the place to be for this particular time. So everybody and their friends were there. (This is incorrect though. Neighboring coffee shops were also packed!) Food was a little late. They ran out of the Flores coffee. Ugh. So, I ordered whatever they have at that time. It came late. Yes, this is the down side of being popular. Fortunately, the coffee was good! So, it canceled whatever un-coordination that happen...

I've been crossing the midnight too many times. Woke up before midnight and could not sleep afterwards. For many, this is requires special effort. For me, it's just the norm. So, this time it feels the same. Going to a brand new day. Yes, this time there is a bonus; it is a new year too. So, happy new year. It's dawn ...

This is my last post of the 2016. As if I write often to this blog. Ha ha ha. It has been a while since I posted in this blog. I just hope I can post more in 2017. At least more than 2016.

For the last two or three months, I've finished reading three books. That's not a big achievement for most of you. For me, it is. My reading speed has been degrading for the last few years. I blame it on my reading glasses. (I used to read without glasses.) Another reason for the slowing down is that I read too many social media, Facebook specifically. Now, I am reducing my activity on it. (This is a lie. ha ha ha.) I just skip reading negative postings on it. Thus, I have more time for reading books. I hope I can keep up with this trend. Next book, please.

Many people thought that I got off easy. That's just nothing farther from the truth. I had to overcome too many things. Scarred in the process, too. But, I choose not to show them all. Thus, people think that everything was easy. Many people are afraid of facing the hurdles. They choose to run away from them. Maybe that is easier. I don't know. Maybe I am wrong, as others are wrong about me. Life is not easy. Enjoy the ride ...

The drawback of social media is that now you'll find a lot of experts in everything. They read one book - no, one post - and then they become an expert. Ouch. I know I am no expert in everything. Not even trying to be one. I am just a simple ordinary man. That's all. (This is actually a lie. I am not *simple*. ha ha ha. But, that's another story.)

Pusing juga kalau punya singkatan yang sekarang digunakan untuk singkatan lain yang konotasinya negatif. Saya berbicara tentang "GBT", yang jadi nama blog ini. Selain nama blog ini, saya juga menggunakan GBT sebagai "Mr. GBT" dalam proyek musik yang saya lakukan. GBT berasal dari singkatan "Gerakan Bawah Tanah". Kalau diterjemahkan ke dalam bahasa Inggris adalah "underground movement". Serem dengernya ya. Cerita dari nama ini cukup panjang. Lain kalai ceritanya. Yang ingin saya angkat adalah penggunaan singkatan "GBT" yang konotasinya negatif dalam "LGBT". Saat ini LGBT adalah singkat untuk "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender". Waaa. Jauh berbeda dengan singkatan yang saya gunakan. Jadi bagaimana ya? hi hi hi

Reading at several posts in various groups, I got a feeling that some coders think that they are holier than others. They think low of people who can code, especially in code-related projects such as open source projects. Granted that the main attraction of the open source project is the code itself, but don't we need testers, people who write documentations, trainers, public relations, and such? Don't they have important roles in the projects? I've been coding all my life. I love coding. I code for fun. In fact, I coded a few minutes ago before writing this post. (Tomorrow I am presenting my codes in a local CodeMeetUp().) My code is so-so. Being an old coder, I could not keep up with current programming methodologies. But code is code. The principle is still the same. Back to the topic, I don't look down on non-coders even in a code-related project. I know that writing documentation is a pain in the blip and appreciate people who would do it. But, that's just ...

Ever since I was a kid, I always knew that I am different. For example, my taste of music would be different with my peers. When my friends were into pop or even soft jazz, I was into progressive rock early on - like in my junior high school. I learned English when I was still in elementary school. I listened to music abroad through short wave radio. I was reading many things when my peers were doing other things. Further journeys in my life also make me different. No, I was not a loner. I had and have many friends. Since I know that I am different, I can appreciate people who are different. So many of my friends are outcast. I am befriend with people who are weird and have no friends. I can appreciate their weirdness. I tend not to criticize others and at the same time I don't want to be like others. This has consequences. I tend to be anti-mainstream. When most people do one thing, I do other things. When people write to get popularity, I write for myself. Being different...

Looking at the statistics of this blog, I realized that I am missing one of my targets. I wanted to write more for this blog, but in the end I have too many things to do so that I've been neglecting this blog. I did write many things but they are in my wordpress blog. Next year, which is starting tomorrow - ha ha ha, must be better. I want to write more. I want to re-design the blog. I want ... Well, I guess too much want is not good. I'll stick with simpler target; next year write more than this year.

There have been dreadful events lately. People are being killed for no apparent reasons. And, the fingers are pointed to Muslims (as the persons) and Islam (as the religion). All Muslims must be responsible for these actions. Since no Muslims are voicing their disapproval, then Muslims are supporting those actions. That's the message that I read in many news forums. Over and over again. And here I am. A Muslim. Confused. In my mind there is a clear message. No decent human would approve terrible actions done by those people. Note that I use the term "human" because it has nothing to do with religion, race, or whatever. We, human. All of us. (I always think about "human vs. nature" or "human vs. robots".) This (the disapproval) is so obvious to me that I think I (or Muslims) don't need to say it explicitly. It's as true as motherhood. Unfortunately, in this information age, people are too lazy to seek, read, think, and understand this...