Last week a guy added me in Facebook because he said we have similar interest in startup and found my blog (the one you're reading now) quite amusing.
I usually only approve cute chicks and people I know—because in my experience random guys who added me happen to be gay and they thought I am too (I am NOT). Since he introduced himself (and his intent), I'm more than happy to approve his friend request. He happen to be a smart person, and has a female wife :)
We exchanged messages, and I thought one of my replies worth to post in blog, so I asked his permission and he agreed, so here it goes:
Hi bro, thanks for your length reply. I think you should stop reading and start jumping to action. In startup, first-hand experience is much more useful.
The simplest is to create a landing page to validate your idea. If it doesn't get satisfactory traction (i.e. low signups), either the idea sucks or the landing page needs refining.
It might hurt to know the truth (since your idea is most likely your ambition), but it will save you the time from building product nobody wants and you can move on to another idea.
A couple days ago I read Ash Maurya's Running Lean which mentioned Eric Ries' Lean Startup. I didn't finish the reading, but it made me realize that I've been taking the wrong approach.
I've been spending too long developing the product and also sidetracked by "research", but nothing towards validating my idea early. I'm afraid that when my product has complete, it doesn't get the traction I expected, and I will feel demotivated. I've been in this situation.
But there's a lie within landing page approach: Sometimes the traction doesn't translate to actual product usage. It might be because the product is "less interesting" than what you promise in the landing page, or the product launched too late (the guy who subscribed already forget who you are and what you do), or any other reasons. Just be prepared with this.
So, to answer your question on how am I doing with my journey, now I'm doing "temporary pivot". I'm focusing on building a landing page.
My co-founder is currently in Jakarta for his first baby born and also to pitch to some VC. My project with him requires significant capital and network investment, so it's essential to raise some money (and make friends).
As for my other project, Neytap, now I'm thinking on how to solve the chicken-and-egg problem. As you know it's a classifieds for room rentals, a marketplace of buyers (tenants) and sellers (landlords). I need to figure out how to grow both sides in balance. Do you have suggestion?
Anyway, regarding US as your target market, I think you're right, aim the ones you're most familiar with. But isn't US already saturated?
I'm so happy to meet like-minded people :)
Looking for my geek side?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
How much should you pay developers?
Two days ago I started a discussion in StartUpLokal group, "How much should you pay developers?" Basically I shared a link I found regarding compensation plan in StackOverflow.
Teddie followed up with an interesting question (copied as-is), "As a Founder..how much U willing to Pay Your Programmer (honestly)?" Wenas Agusetiawan replied, "rockstars deserve to be paid well," but Teddie didn't seem satisfied with the answer thus asked again, "how much?"
My answer is: "It depends." Let me elaborate.
I'm a programmer myself. If I were to outsource/delegate programming tasks for any of my startups, it must be because (1) I'm not good enough to do it myself, or (2) The tasks so boring I'd rather do something else, like sleeping.
So, how much?
If I were to pay the programmer for the first reason then I must award him well. He's smarter than me, he deserves at least same salary I'd get if I were to do it myself. If for the second reason, I'll base on industry standard, or, "How much I'm willing to be paid if I don't have better option." (Which is logical—if you're the programmer, would you take the boring/repetitive job if you have better option?)
Of course, being a startup founder, you must squeeze expenses as much as you can. So for the first case, I'll negotiate with him but focus on retainment (I don't want to lose him). For the second case, I'll focus on minimizing expenses (I don't want to lose too much money).
Note: Change "him" to "her" for your convenience.
Teddie followed up with an interesting question (copied as-is), "As a Founder..how much U willing to Pay Your Programmer (honestly)?" Wenas Agusetiawan replied, "rockstars deserve to be paid well," but Teddie didn't seem satisfied with the answer thus asked again, "how much?"
My answer is: "It depends." Let me elaborate.
I'm a programmer myself. If I were to outsource/delegate programming tasks for any of my startups, it must be because (1) I'm not good enough to do it myself, or (2) The tasks so boring I'd rather do something else, like sleeping.
So, how much?
If I were to pay the programmer for the first reason then I must award him well. He's smarter than me, he deserves at least same salary I'd get if I were to do it myself. If for the second reason, I'll base on industry standard, or, "How much I'm willing to be paid if I don't have better option." (Which is logical—if you're the programmer, would you take the boring/repetitive job if you have better option?)
Of course, being a startup founder, you must squeeze expenses as much as you can. So for the first case, I'll negotiate with him but focus on retainment (I don't want to lose him). For the second case, I'll focus on minimizing expenses (I don't want to lose too much money).
Note: Change "him" to "her" for your convenience.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Birds of the same feather flock together
You are who you surround yourself with. You tend to be more productive when you hang out with like-minded people.
I usually work solo on my personal projects, and it's damn tiring (on the plus side, I can do whatever I want, haha). I do have a partner in one of my startups, but since my internet is crappy and my co-founder lives in a different continent, communication is hard.
So it was a very refreshing experience when last month I attended Google Hackathon App Engine. It was a very productive weekend indeed.
From Wikipedia: A hackathon is an event when programmers meet to do collaborative computer programming. These events are typically between several days and a week in length. A hackathon refers not simply to one time hacks, but to a specific time when many people come together to hack on what they want to, how they want to - with little to no restrictions on direction or goal of the programming. Translation: party for geeks.
I didn't manage to launch anything there, but I made significant progress; made some friends too. Looking forward for another similar events. So guys, if you have the chance to attend such event, don't miss it :)
I usually work solo on my personal projects, and it's damn tiring (on the plus side, I can do whatever I want, haha). I do have a partner in one of my startups, but since my internet is crappy and my co-founder lives in a different continent, communication is hard.
So it was a very refreshing experience when last month I attended Google Hackathon App Engine. It was a very productive weekend indeed.
From Wikipedia: A hackathon is an event when programmers meet to do collaborative computer programming. These events are typically between several days and a week in length. A hackathon refers not simply to one time hacks, but to a specific time when many people come together to hack on what they want to, how they want to - with little to no restrictions on direction or goal of the programming. Translation: party for geeks.
I didn't manage to launch anything there, but I made significant progress; made some friends too. Looking forward for another similar events. So guys, if you have the chance to attend such event, don't miss it :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
On using new technology and setting up infrastructure
It's very hard to build a startup; it's even harder to build two at the same time, especially since I have a full time job. For the past few months, most of my free time were spent on coding. Let me share some progress.
My first project is Neytap, a classifieds for room rentals—which in Bahasa Indonesia is called kos (correct term is indekos, although sometimes people write it as kost or kos-kosan). I'm aware that there are some similar websites already, but competition is always good :) It has just reached version Private Alpha and right now is under development for Private Beta.
My second project is a location-based service. I can't tell you much about it since it needs to be in stealth until certain stage of development. I can only say that, for this project, I have a co-founder.
There's an important lesson that I want to share with technical founders who, like me, like to tinker with new technology: Building startups with technology you're not familiar with is a bad idea.
I'm not talking about quality (since you're not familiar, you might develop sub par solution), but it's all about time allocation. The point is, every time you want to use some fancy stuff in your project, ask yourself, "How much the distraction from achieving my target (delivering project)? Will it add significant value (i.e. "worth the time")?"
I spent a significant time learning new stuff instead of working on actual product for these two projects. Knowledge-wise, it's not a waste. Goal-wise, it is. I decided to fallback to technologies I'm familiar with, and adding just a bit new stuff that I'm sure will improve my productivity.
Important lesson: Use what you're familiar with and don't spend too much time setting it up. I'm familiar with Trac, Redmine and JIRA, but all of them are not trivial to setup for me (YMMV). I end up using YouTrack. It's free for 10 users, no installation. Just download the JAR file and run from command line:
The next thing in mind is a version control system (VCS). You must use VCS. Use the one you're most familiar with (if you're familiar with none, then stop coding and learn one, Git is good).
Important lesson: If you don't like to wait, make sure your infrastructure is fast. Get a good computer with enough CPU and RAM. If you work alone, setup issue tracker and VCS in your workstation (localhost). If working with team, use the fastest server-based solution. I use Unfuddle for Git and installed YouTrack in an EC2 located in Singapore. If submitting an issue or comitting code take too long, you'll be tempted to open Hacker News and not working :D
In conclusion, remember not to spend too much in either "research" or setting up infrastructure. In the end, it's your code that matters.
My first project is Neytap, a classifieds for room rentals—which in Bahasa Indonesia is called kos (correct term is indekos, although sometimes people write it as kost or kos-kosan). I'm aware that there are some similar websites already, but competition is always good :) It has just reached version Private Alpha and right now is under development for Private Beta.
My second project is a location-based service. I can't tell you much about it since it needs to be in stealth until certain stage of development. I can only say that, for this project, I have a co-founder.
On using new technology
Both projects use JVM-based languages: Java, Groovy and Scala. I'm currently learning Scala, so I try to use it as much as possible. Groovy is used for scripting (like one-time off code) and Java when I'm stuck with Scala :DThere's an important lesson that I want to share with technical founders who, like me, like to tinker with new technology: Building startups with technology you're not familiar with is a bad idea.
I'm not talking about quality (since you're not familiar, you might develop sub par solution), but it's all about time allocation. The point is, every time you want to use some fancy stuff in your project, ask yourself, "How much the distraction from achieving my target (delivering project)? Will it add significant value (i.e. "worth the time")?"
I spent a significant time learning new stuff instead of working on actual product for these two projects. Knowledge-wise, it's not a waste. Goal-wise, it is. I decided to fallback to technologies I'm familiar with, and adding just a bit new stuff that I'm sure will improve my productivity.
Infrastructure setup
You can code immediately without any documentation (URS, Diagrams, etc), which is exactly what I did. But at some point you will realize that you need some order. You need at least an issue tracker.Important lesson: Use what you're familiar with and don't spend too much time setting it up. I'm familiar with Trac, Redmine and JIRA, but all of them are not trivial to setup for me (YMMV). I end up using YouTrack. It's free for 10 users, no installation. Just download the JAR file and run from command line:
java -jar youtrack-3.0.jar 9999. This assume you have Java runtime installed,The next thing in mind is a version control system (VCS). You must use VCS. Use the one you're most familiar with (if you're familiar with none, then stop coding and learn one, Git is good).
Important lesson: If you don't like to wait, make sure your infrastructure is fast. Get a good computer with enough CPU and RAM. If you work alone, setup issue tracker and VCS in your workstation (localhost). If working with team, use the fastest server-based solution. I use Unfuddle for Git and installed YouTrack in an EC2 located in Singapore. If submitting an issue or comitting code take too long, you'll be tempted to open Hacker News and not working :D
In conclusion, remember not to spend too much in either "research" or setting up infrastructure. In the end, it's your code that matters.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Give it a name
The first thing you need in building a startup is an idea. Some people think that idea is worthless, but for me it is equally important as the execution that follows it and the team behind it. It sets your target so that you know where to focus. But don't fall in love with your idea, it can evolve and even change radically. You just need it to get started.
After having an idea, the next thing to come up with is a name. Having a name upfront is not required (you can use random name, e.g. "myproject", and change it later), but it simplifies a lot of things.
Name is important for:
Remember that choosing name is not urgent, but the sooner the better.
After having an idea, the next thing to come up with is a name. Having a name upfront is not required (you can use random name, e.g. "myproject", and change it later), but it simplifies a lot of things.
Name is important for:
- Presence: domain name, Twitter handle, etc. We'll get into this in a moment.
- Development artifacts: project directory, namespace (e.g., in Java, "com.myproject"), Redmine project, Basecamp account, etc.
Online presence that you need to secure
Domain name
Buy a domain from Google Apps, it's easier. You will get GMail-backed @myproject.com without setting up anything.Handle in your target deployment
For example, if you use Google App Engine, you might want to secure myproject.appspot.com. This is optional, as it will usually be masked by your domain name (e.g. myproject.com will be forwarded to myproject.appspot.com), but it's always nice to have some consistency.Facebook Page
Facebook requires that you have at least 25 fans before eligible for a username (that is, a facebook.com/myproject). Ask your friends to Like your page to secure it.Twitter handle
This is obvious.Blog (e.g. myproject.blogspot.com)
Not necessary if you want to use your domain, e.g. blog.myproject.com.Remember that choosing name is not urgent, but the sooner the better.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet
As promised, I'm going to start blogging again. Here we go.
It's almost a year since my last post and I told you that lots of things have happened. Ironically, I don't know what to write. Maybe I'll start with how I feel these days.
I don't feel happy.
I'm working in a big multi-national company, which recently been acquired by a much bigger multi-national company. That's good. But on the other end, I just feel like a drop of water in the sea. I miss being my own architect, developing things I like, using any tool or framework I want.
That's one.
The other thing, I always want to have my own business. Not the grand thing like the next Microsoft or Google (although that would be nice). I just want to have a simple small business, like a restaurant or massage parlor (with hot chicks under my employment, yay!).
That's two.
The last thing, right now the world is having "startup fever". This trend is also happening in Indonesia. Now everyone with their uncle want build a startup, get investment, get acquired and exit with a load of money. Everything with "getting more money" is always good for me, and I hate just sitting here watching other people partying.
That's three.
Because I miss architecting and hacking stuff, and I want to have my own business, and I want to join the startup wave, today I'm announcing that I'm opening a restaurant.
Oh, wait. You know I can't be serious. I barely know how to cook.
Actually, I'm in a very early stage of building a startup. Well, two, actually. What? Why? Shouldn't I suppose to focus on one first until it's launched?
It goes like this. I was starting on an idea, a website which suppose to help me scratch my own itch (that is, solving my own problem, and hopefully others'). But then a couple of weeks later a friend of mine asked me to become his co-founder. I told him that I'm currently working on something else, but he didn't mind at all, so there comes my 2nd startup. Both are not related to each other.
Will I quit my job now, lock myself for months and start hacking? Not quite. The stuff I'll be doing are totally not related with my company's line of business (so no conflict of interest), and I don't set deadline for the projects, so it'll just to "kill time" and won't affect my day job. Of course this might change.
From now on, I'm going to blog primarily about my experience in building that two startups (one where I'm solo and another where I have a co-founder). I hope by doing this, I can keep motivating myself (and, oh, make myself happy!) and help others who want to build their own startup.
Note: Some of you might be curious about this blog title, "Isn't that supposedly "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"? According to http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24004.html, the more correct translation from the original Chinese would be the one I put in the title. Rather than emphasizing the first step, Lau Tzu regarded action as something that arises naturally from stillness. Another potential phrasing would be "Even the longest journey must begin where you stand." In other words, you must get your ass off your comfort zone.
It's almost a year since my last post and I told you that lots of things have happened. Ironically, I don't know what to write. Maybe I'll start with how I feel these days.
I don't feel happy.
I'm working in a big multi-national company, which recently been acquired by a much bigger multi-national company. That's good. But on the other end, I just feel like a drop of water in the sea. I miss being my own architect, developing things I like, using any tool or framework I want.
That's one.
The other thing, I always want to have my own business. Not the grand thing like the next Microsoft or Google (although that would be nice). I just want to have a simple small business, like a restaurant or massage parlor (with hot chicks under my employment, yay!).
That's two.
The last thing, right now the world is having "startup fever". This trend is also happening in Indonesia. Now everyone with their uncle want build a startup, get investment, get acquired and exit with a load of money. Everything with "getting more money" is always good for me, and I hate just sitting here watching other people partying.
That's three.
Because I miss architecting and hacking stuff, and I want to have my own business, and I want to join the startup wave, today I'm announcing that I'm opening a restaurant.
Oh, wait. You know I can't be serious. I barely know how to cook.
Actually, I'm in a very early stage of building a startup. Well, two, actually. What? Why? Shouldn't I suppose to focus on one first until it's launched?
It goes like this. I was starting on an idea, a website which suppose to help me scratch my own itch (that is, solving my own problem, and hopefully others'). But then a couple of weeks later a friend of mine asked me to become his co-founder. I told him that I'm currently working on something else, but he didn't mind at all, so there comes my 2nd startup. Both are not related to each other.
Will I quit my job now, lock myself for months and start hacking? Not quite. The stuff I'll be doing are totally not related with my company's line of business (so no conflict of interest), and I don't set deadline for the projects, so it'll just to "kill time" and won't affect my day job. Of course this might change.
From now on, I'm going to blog primarily about my experience in building that two startups (one where I'm solo and another where I have a co-founder). I hope by doing this, I can keep motivating myself (and, oh, make myself happy!) and help others who want to build their own startup.
Note: Some of you might be curious about this blog title, "Isn't that supposedly "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"? According to http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24004.html, the more correct translation from the original Chinese would be the one I put in the title. Rather than emphasizing the first step, Lau Tzu regarded action as something that arises naturally from stillness. Another potential phrasing would be "Even the longest journey must begin where you stand." In other words, you must get your ass off your comfort zone.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
I'm still alive
Hi guys, just to let you know that I'm still alive. Lots of things have changed since my last post. I promise I'm going to blog more often. Stay tuned :)
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Being better, necessary?
Nobody is perfect. Everyone have their own weaknesses: pasts, habits, limitations. It's not to say that you don't need to do anything about that—that would be a lame excuse. Everyone have to make themselves better.
But sometimes you cant change some of your weaknesses. No matter how hard you try.
In relationship, this is the Stop/Go factor. If your partner's OK with you and all of your "remaining" weaknesses, then it's a Go. This is what being "compatible" is.
Otherwise, it's a Stop and Bye. And there's nothing wrong with that. If everyone always accept their partner's weaknesses, there would be no break-up in this world, and first boy/girlfriend will always be your only boy/girlfriend (and consecutively, your forever husband/wife).
So, knowing that shit happens, should you make yourself better? Of course. It's for your own good.
But sometimes you cant change some of your weaknesses. No matter how hard you try.
In relationship, this is the Stop/Go factor. If your partner's OK with you and all of your "remaining" weaknesses, then it's a Go. This is what being "compatible" is.
Otherwise, it's a Stop and Bye. And there's nothing wrong with that. If everyone always accept their partner's weaknesses, there would be no break-up in this world, and first boy/girlfriend will always be your only boy/girlfriend (and consecutively, your forever husband/wife).
So, knowing that shit happens, should you make yourself better? Of course. It's for your own good.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
How some men treat women
Contrary to popular belief, men do think using their logic when it comes to relationship. Some men, including me, divide women they want to be "in relationship with" (I use this term loosely) into essentially two groups: for-fun and serious (sometimes even wife material). "Serious" doesn't mean there're no fun in it. It just means he's willing to go further.
Some men take positive-negative approach (have hope with the relationship, but will fallback to for-fun if it doesn't work, or simply dump her) or negative-positive approach (never intend to be serious, but might change over time). The important thing is: they can change their mind. I'll get back to this later.
The fun/serious division is sometimes not obvious. After all, a man can do anything to get what he wants, including pretending to be committed. You can not see his seriousness from his acceptance ("I'm OK if you're fat/divorced/minority"). Those who serious will accept you as you are. Those who just want you for sex simply don't care.
Instead, observe his devotion to you. A man who wants to be serious with you will invest in you, because he knows you're worth it. The more valuable his devotion, the more serious he's likely to be. The most valuable thing is not his money, he can get that more. It's his dedication: his thought, energy and time.
BTW, this hint does not apply to guys whose thought/energy/time redirection yield no difference (i.e. using his time to work or sleep or dedicating it to you makes no difference, probably because his time is worthless). If the man's time is so precious for him yet he spend it for you, then it must be something.
Let me give you an example. Assume I'm in relationship with a woman. She gives me everything I want and she's physically hot, but she's addicted to drug. And just assume that I have issue with her addiction, probably because I know drug is not good for her health and I don't want her to waste her life. If I put her as for-fun, I wouldn't need to worry about that. As a matter of fact, it is stupid for me if I force her to quit: she'll be upset and hate me, I'll loose the fun she gave me (e.g. sex). Simply no benefit for me.
But if I'm serious with her, I will that that risk. I will ask her to quit, with the risk of her hurting me in the process. I know I might loose the short-term fun she give, but I know it's worth it because I still want to see her alive and healthy in next 20 years.
If I'm even more serious with her, instead of telling her to quit and leave her fight the trouble alone. I will help her with research (on how to effectively remove the addiction), accompany her to care center, support her and be with her.
But no matter how hard I try, I can never change her mind. If she's so stubborn, there are only two options left: leave her or accept her the way she has become. For me? I will leave her. What's the point of loving somebody who doesn't love her own body?
Some men take positive-negative approach (have hope with the relationship, but will fallback to for-fun if it doesn't work, or simply dump her) or negative-positive approach (never intend to be serious, but might change over time). The important thing is: they can change their mind. I'll get back to this later.
The fun/serious division is sometimes not obvious. After all, a man can do anything to get what he wants, including pretending to be committed. You can not see his seriousness from his acceptance ("I'm OK if you're fat/divorced/minority"). Those who serious will accept you as you are. Those who just want you for sex simply don't care.
Instead, observe his devotion to you. A man who wants to be serious with you will invest in you, because he knows you're worth it. The more valuable his devotion, the more serious he's likely to be. The most valuable thing is not his money, he can get that more. It's his dedication: his thought, energy and time.
BTW, this hint does not apply to guys whose thought/energy/time redirection yield no difference (i.e. using his time to work or sleep or dedicating it to you makes no difference, probably because his time is worthless). If the man's time is so precious for him yet he spend it for you, then it must be something.
Let me give you an example. Assume I'm in relationship with a woman. She gives me everything I want and she's physically hot, but she's addicted to drug. And just assume that I have issue with her addiction, probably because I know drug is not good for her health and I don't want her to waste her life. If I put her as for-fun, I wouldn't need to worry about that. As a matter of fact, it is stupid for me if I force her to quit: she'll be upset and hate me, I'll loose the fun she gave me (e.g. sex). Simply no benefit for me.
But if I'm serious with her, I will that that risk. I will ask her to quit, with the risk of her hurting me in the process. I know I might loose the short-term fun she give, but I know it's worth it because I still want to see her alive and healthy in next 20 years.
If I'm even more serious with her, instead of telling her to quit and leave her fight the trouble alone. I will help her with research (on how to effectively remove the addiction), accompany her to care center, support her and be with her.
But no matter how hard I try, I can never change her mind. If she's so stubborn, there are only two options left: leave her or accept her the way she has become. For me? I will leave her. What's the point of loving somebody who doesn't love her own body?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The case for Indonesia
My mom always wants me to go back and work in Jakarta. I can understand her situation. After my dad passed away, she's now alone. I'm working in Malaysia, my sister's studying in China, and while my other sister's staying with mom, she's working in shift as a nurse.
Going back is easy, but finding job that's "good fit" for me is not. I'm up in the level where it's too expensive for companies in Indonesia to employ me in my current position (Software Engineer a.k.a Techie Guy). It's not that they can't offer me high salary, but it's reserved for managerial positions. Since I'm already specialized, I might not be a good manager (and the horror of administrative tasks, oh no!).
There is another reason why I don't want to go back: the "everything else" is not getting any better—it's even worse. When I traveled from my place to a friend's, the traffic sucked. Even sucked more when it's raining. The once-adored Busway now looks slummy. Once-respected BlueBird taxis screwed me twice!
When I read the paper, it's always about corruption and disasters. When I turned on the television, the only things playing were Take Me Out (and its variations) and infotainment shows. Everything broadcasted on paper and on air were all hyped and negative. To be fair, news in Malaysia could be worse, but I don't follow them.
I love my country. My family live there. Most of my friends are there (or "stuck" there, as some of them told me). The natural attractions are beautiful and the ladies are friendlier :) I even plan to spend this year to travel around Indonesia even though my friends told me, "Why travel there if you can go somewhere else?" But the condition is hostile for my career and my sanity.
I may go back and spend a couple of months when my contract ends. But that's because of the important things I mentioned above (family and stuff). I don't plan to pursue my career there—except maybe when I start my own business (a restaurant?).
Going back is easy, but finding job that's "good fit" for me is not. I'm up in the level where it's too expensive for companies in Indonesia to employ me in my current position (Software Engineer a.k.a Techie Guy). It's not that they can't offer me high salary, but it's reserved for managerial positions. Since I'm already specialized, I might not be a good manager (and the horror of administrative tasks, oh no!).
There is another reason why I don't want to go back: the "everything else" is not getting any better—it's even worse. When I traveled from my place to a friend's, the traffic sucked. Even sucked more when it's raining. The once-adored Busway now looks slummy. Once-respected BlueBird taxis screwed me twice!
When I read the paper, it's always about corruption and disasters. When I turned on the television, the only things playing were Take Me Out (and its variations) and infotainment shows. Everything broadcasted on paper and on air were all hyped and negative. To be fair, news in Malaysia could be worse, but I don't follow them.
I love my country. My family live there. Most of my friends are there (or "stuck" there, as some of them told me). The natural attractions are beautiful and the ladies are friendlier :) I even plan to spend this year to travel around Indonesia even though my friends told me, "Why travel there if you can go somewhere else?" But the condition is hostile for my career and my sanity.
I may go back and spend a couple of months when my contract ends. But that's because of the important things I mentioned above (family and stuff). I don't plan to pursue my career there—except maybe when I start my own business (a restaurant?).
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