Noble House: A Novel of Contemporary Hong Kong

I am still reading approximately the last 200 pages of the total 1377 pages of James Clavell's Noble House. I found it really fascinating yet compelling; one thing because I have read another Clavell's works (Whirlwind and Shogun) to find those works are related to each other and the other is that I like the time-and-place style of description in them, not merely a story but also reflecting the way of life of the society being discussed. Such lovely saga.

As to Noble House, it tells us the picture of Hong Kong around 1960s. The story begin in 1960 when Ian Struan Dunross, a newly appointed tai-pan, decided to make Struan's (one of the bigges trading house in Hong Kong) go public. The decision was strongly against his ancestors' will for Struans had existed and been succeeded for roughly one and a half century as a private company. Ian had ignored the resistence, and this gave so much impact on Struan's as well as the whole Hong Kong. Three years later came Par Con Industries from USA that decided to infiltrate Asian market by seeking new business allies in Hong Kong as an entry point. This brought strict competition between Struans and Rothwell-Gornt into the worst episode of turmoil ever.

With Par-Con's aid, Rothwell-Gornt had smashed Struans momentarily, making its shares value dropped to a devastating level. Stock market become completely unstable. Ho Pak Bank ran out of paper money. Victoria and Blacs were about to be. To make it worse, natural disasters were everywhere: fire, landslides, floods, earthquake. Struans were seeking new deals with Toda Shipping, and made everyone shocked by its takeover plan toward GeneralFood ("By what guarantee?" Gornt always sneering to Dunross). Bank of China was promising half a billion cash. Russian spy is everywhere, creating a lot of troubles. The lost of Dunross' half coin that worth everything at tai-pan cost. Kidnapping and blackmailing by Werewolves triad had never been so bad. The casualties of disasters including some key persons: KGB spies, well-known bankers, gun smugglers; the Sevrin spionage operation had been ruined. In the latest but greatest landslide of the week, Hong Kong had been into Priority One emergency situation.

Then how did the story end? I told you I have the remaining 200 pages to read ^__^

N3315, A Handbook of BPR, and LTSP

The very first time I bought my own cellphone using my salary as a part timer. It's been Nokia 3315 (2nd hand). A few days later, I had to take so much pain for the horrible messages from a best friend that became ordinary friend afterward. Hahaha... I don't boast things up. It was a plain text with horror effect to me, that suddenly a chill went through me, so frightened to lose a friend like her, something that I could not afford with my whole life.

Then story goes on, still in my cubicle on the corner of our small office and we keep sending SMS occasionally, saying hi to each other as if nothing had happened before (except for one thing I cannot tell you ^_^). The phone is always there beside a pile of books that were arranged neatly on the desk. Gosh! it'd take days to grasp them all, most of which are about Banking rules particularly Bank Perkreditan Rakyat. There were also some documents of credit application: Appraisal Form, Call Report, Letter of Credit Proposal, Major Depositor Info, Fiducia Report, etc. Putting those things together, we should build front-end banking application for the customer to use in their daily operation.

Now that the client have limited budget it is strongly advised for them to deploy LTSP Based Banking Information System in the whole operation.

Now, let's put those things together. A cellphones that became exist in my life thanks to my boss giving me salary in return for I help the company building small banking application system for their client that demand LTSP solution. Don't seem to have a red line, do they? Well, life is complicated sometimes :D

Who Are You?

Anytime I ask myself this question in every case that reveals slowly the dark side of me, I suddenly remember one important thesis my personality resembles to: A mirror.

Yeah. I reflect to many people around me. From the spoiled-but-charming-sparkling-loving-caring Anggie to meticulous-deterministic Malik with his Boolean logic analogy over all matters in the world repeated all the times.

Nope. It doesn't work the way you think mimicking or imitating or symmetry principle does. It's rather a piece of puzzle that falls into its place, one by one, 'till complete. Then a dark short young fellow with black-to-red hair and warming smile due to his white teeth is already there.

Still, I don't know who I am. I might be you occasionally. Then who are you?

My Latest Essays

I've just uploaded my latest 2 essays, including the one I promised you to write. Check them out at http://www28.brinkster.com/kangadi...

It's Almost Over...

Hi guys and galz....
how 'bout your GE out there? Hope you just vote the right persons to be our new president and his/her vice.
Me? Still preparing the KKN report coz the deadline is coming up so fast...
From Panjangrejo it is reported that Mega-Hasyim is again on top of the candidates, collecting about 34,14% votes, Amien-Siswono being the second with approximately 30,48 % and SBY-Kalla with 22,05%.
But there is minor unfair practice that I, as a Pemantau Pemilu from LPM UGM, find worth writing. It's about "beraucracy and general election fairness".
As usual, I have to keep you waiting :P So sorry for that, OK? Take care now, Bubye then....