Gang tempat rumah kami berada tidak pernah sepi dari nyalak anjing. Hampir setiap rumah memelihara satu, dua, bahkan tiga ekor, termasuk rumah kami. Kami memelihara Pomeranian. Tetangga seberang rumah kami memelihara tiga ekor, Terrier Yorkshire, Mini Poodle, & Pomeraninan. Dua rumah dari tetangga kami itu, memelihara tiga ekor juga. Satu Poodle dan dua anjing besar yang tidak jelas jenisnya, mungkin campuran. Anjing-anjing di rumah lain hanya terdengar nyalaknya saja, jarang tampak. Peliharaan-peliharaan kami itu, kalau satu menyalak, yang lain juga tidak ketinggalan, ikut menyalak, meramaikan suasana. Jadilah semuanya berahut-sahutan seperti saling bercerita.
Tak hanya anjing, kucing juga sering lewat di gang kami, tapi tidak banyak. Tapi beda nasibnya dengan anjing-anjing itu, mereka liar. Jalan besar di depan gang kami banyak kaki lima yang berjualan makanan. Mungkin dari jalan besar itu mereka datang.
Salah satu kucing liar itu agak menetap. Dia suka tidur-tiduran di depan rumah kos, seberang rumah kami. Warnanya putih, dengan bercak-bercak hitam di beberapa tempat di badannya. Satu kali saya melihatnya sedang melakukan hobinya itu. Tiba-tiba seekor anjing coklat yang dipelihara oleh tetangga belakang gang berlari kecil menghampirinya. Saya sudah bersiap untuk yang terburuk. Tak disangka mereka malah bermain bersama, rupanya sudah saling kenal. Lucu sekali melihat mereka bermain.
Siang ini, sekitar jam 12.00, saya melihat sebuah mobil dinas pemerintahan berhenti di depan rumah seberang rumah kos itu. Saya dan suami sedang mengeluarkan mobil untuk bersiap pergi meeting. Sekilas saya melihat kucing tadi mendekati mobil dinas yang berhenti tersebut. Yang terjadi berikutnya sangat mengerikan. Dari dalam mobil saya melihat mobil dinas itu berjalan lagi, dengan kucing itu di bawahnya!!! Sepotong daging dan beberapa helai bulu terlontar ketika kucing itu dengan panik berjalan terpincang-pincang menjauhi mobil, masuk ke dalam rumah yang disidak itu. Kaki kucing itu rupanya putus tergilas mobil itu, mengenaskan!
Saya sangat terpukul dengan kejadian itu. Perasaan bersalah segera timbul di kepala saya. Why don't you do something!!! It's God's creature, and you just let it abandoned! Kalau dia pincang begitu, bagaimana dia mencari makan? Apakah lukanya akan infeksi? Apakah dia akan diserang anjing liar lain? Saya ngeri sekali membayangkan kejadian-kejadian itu. And, finally, I just prayed to God for He's the only one who knows what's best for this poor little creature...
Pulang dari meeting, saya berjalan ke TPK, mencari kucing itu atau potongan kakinya.
Sudah tidak ada... Bahkan di rumah yang disidak itu.
Sekarang saya berdoa, semoga dia kucing peliharaan, supaya ada yang merawat & menjaganya...
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Ten Traits That Make You Filthy-Rich
Saving money isn't all about whether or not you know how to score screaming bargains. It has more to do with your attitude toward money. Just think of those who don't fit the filthy-rich stereotype. People like Warren Buffett. Understanding how personal traits can influence your finances is an essential ingredient for building wealth.
Here are 10 key traits:
1. Patience
Patience is one of the most important traits when it comes to saving money.
This means waiting until the first wave of product hype has passed, keeping a car for an extra few years before getting another one and waiting until something you want fits into your budget instead of putting it on credit.
Patience is often the difference between creating savings and being in debt. Having the patience to wait until you find a good deal is a cornerstone of good finances.
2. Satisfaction
When you're satisfied, there is no reason to spend money on nonessentials. The sole purpose of commercials is to make you believe that buying a product or service will make you happier, wealthier, better looking or improve whatever isn't bringing you satisfaction.
People spend because they want to capture the excitement shown in advertisements. When you are satisfied with what you have and your life (not trying to live like those on TV), your finances will be in a lot better shape.
3. Organization
Being organized can make you more productive and ensure that all the many issues pertaining to personal finances are addressed.
It means not paying late fees, not buying two of everything, knowing deadlines that can affect your finances and getting more done in less time. All these can greatly benefit your finances.
4. Discipline
You need the discipline to continue to save money for specific, long-term goals every month.
Personal finance isn't a way to get rich quick, but is a disciplined execution of your lifetime plans.
5. Reflectiveness
It's important to be able to look at your financial decisions and reflect on their results.
You're going to make financial mistakes. Everyone does.
The key is to learn from those mistakes so you don't make them again, or recognize if you keep repeating them.
6. Creativity
The economy and our earnings don't always match our expectations.
Unexpected developments wreak havoc to elaborate financial plans. When this happens, changes are needed to deal with the new circumstances. Creativity is essential to accomplish this.
Creativity allows you to make something last longer rather than purchasing it when you don't have the money. It means juggling money to stay out of debt rather than simply paying with a credit card. It means finding a cheaper alternative when money is tight.
In these ways, creativity plays a large role in keeping finances in order.
7. Curiosity
Having curiosity helps you learn, study and improve yourself.
The curiosity of wanting to know more, to take the time to study and then take what is learned and put into practice is an important process that is driven by curiosity.
8. Risk-Taking
To build wealth, one needs to be willing to take risks. This doesn't mean uncalculated risks. It means weighing all the options and taking calculated risks when appropriate.
The stock market has risks involved, but over the long term, history shows that it provides good returns on money that is invested wisely. Those who fear risk altogether end up saving money in accounts that likely lose money to inflation in the long run.
9. Goal-Oriented
The importance of setting and working toward goals is obvious. If you don't know where you are going, it's difficult to get there. It helps your personal finances immensely if you have money goals and are motivated to reach the goals that you have set for yourself.
Those who lack goals don't have a road map to take them to the financial destination they want.
10. Hard- and Smart-Working:
Creating wealth and staying out of debt rarely comes about without a lot of hard work.
Many people might hope that the lottery will solve all their financial problems. The true path to financial freedom, however, is to work hard to earn money while educating yourself to continue to have more value and increase your salary.
You may not possess all of the above traits. But knowing them can help you make changes so that you nourish the ones that you have and obtain the ones you're missing.
Ultimately they will help you with your personal finances and create a plan to accumulate the wealth you desire.
by Jeffrey Strain
Copyrighted, TheStreet.Com. All rights reserved.
Here are 10 key traits:
1. Patience
Patience is one of the most important traits when it comes to saving money.
This means waiting until the first wave of product hype has passed, keeping a car for an extra few years before getting another one and waiting until something you want fits into your budget instead of putting it on credit.
Patience is often the difference between creating savings and being in debt. Having the patience to wait until you find a good deal is a cornerstone of good finances.
2. Satisfaction
When you're satisfied, there is no reason to spend money on nonessentials. The sole purpose of commercials is to make you believe that buying a product or service will make you happier, wealthier, better looking or improve whatever isn't bringing you satisfaction.
People spend because they want to capture the excitement shown in advertisements. When you are satisfied with what you have and your life (not trying to live like those on TV), your finances will be in a lot better shape.
3. Organization
Being organized can make you more productive and ensure that all the many issues pertaining to personal finances are addressed.
It means not paying late fees, not buying two of everything, knowing deadlines that can affect your finances and getting more done in less time. All these can greatly benefit your finances.
4. Discipline
You need the discipline to continue to save money for specific, long-term goals every month.
Personal finance isn't a way to get rich quick, but is a disciplined execution of your lifetime plans.
5. Reflectiveness
It's important to be able to look at your financial decisions and reflect on their results.
You're going to make financial mistakes. Everyone does.
The key is to learn from those mistakes so you don't make them again, or recognize if you keep repeating them.
6. Creativity
The economy and our earnings don't always match our expectations.
Unexpected developments wreak havoc to elaborate financial plans. When this happens, changes are needed to deal with the new circumstances. Creativity is essential to accomplish this.
Creativity allows you to make something last longer rather than purchasing it when you don't have the money. It means juggling money to stay out of debt rather than simply paying with a credit card. It means finding a cheaper alternative when money is tight.
In these ways, creativity plays a large role in keeping finances in order.
7. Curiosity
Having curiosity helps you learn, study and improve yourself.
The curiosity of wanting to know more, to take the time to study and then take what is learned and put into practice is an important process that is driven by curiosity.
8. Risk-Taking
To build wealth, one needs to be willing to take risks. This doesn't mean uncalculated risks. It means weighing all the options and taking calculated risks when appropriate.
The stock market has risks involved, but over the long term, history shows that it provides good returns on money that is invested wisely. Those who fear risk altogether end up saving money in accounts that likely lose money to inflation in the long run.
9. Goal-Oriented
The importance of setting and working toward goals is obvious. If you don't know where you are going, it's difficult to get there. It helps your personal finances immensely if you have money goals and are motivated to reach the goals that you have set for yourself.
Those who lack goals don't have a road map to take them to the financial destination they want.
10. Hard- and Smart-Working:
Creating wealth and staying out of debt rarely comes about without a lot of hard work.
Many people might hope that the lottery will solve all their financial problems. The true path to financial freedom, however, is to work hard to earn money while educating yourself to continue to have more value and increase your salary.
You may not possess all of the above traits. But knowing them can help you make changes so that you nourish the ones that you have and obtain the ones you're missing.
Ultimately they will help you with your personal finances and create a plan to accumulate the wealth you desire.
by Jeffrey Strain
Copyrighted, TheStreet.Com. All rights reserved.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Kenangan Lama, Kenalan Baru
Cerita apa yang bisa kita dapatkan pada nama-nama di sebuah handphone?
Banyak, jika kita bisa kenal siapa nama-nama itu.
Seperti saya, siang ini. Salah seorang klien mengirimkan nomor handphonenya untuk saya simpan di phonebook handphone saya. Tapi phonebook saya yang sudah memenuhi quota itu tidak bisa lagi menyimpan nama baru. Jadilah saya harus memilih nama-nama di phonebook itu untuk dieliminasi.
Tidak sulit awalnya karena beberapa nama bahkan sudah tidak saya ingat lagi siapa saking lamanya kami tidak pernah berhubungan. Tombol delete langsung saya tekan tanpa ragu.
Nama-nama 'setengah kenal', itu yang sulit. Misalnya, klien potensial yang merangkap sebagai pujaan masa lalu. Sempat saya bimbang, baiknya hapus tidak yah, toh dia bisa jadi klien masa depan. Tapi akhirnya saya hapus juga. Saya memilih mencari klien baru potensial yang tidak ada sejarah apa-apa yang bikin kagok (since now I'm a married woman :-P). Atau nama seseorang yang tanpa sengaja bertemu di sebuah foodcourt di bilangan Sudirman. Saat itu saya sedang melihat-lihat postcard cantik bertema Chinese Girl 1940, hadiah dari teman saya dari Cina. Kemudian orang itu mengajak berkenalan dan menyatakan tertarik untuk meminjam postcards tersebut untuk project iklannya (dia bekerja untuk sebuah advertising). Saya tentunya tidak berani meminjamkan. Baru kenalan, kemungkinannya 99% postcard saya itu hilang tak tentu ribanya. Tapi saya berjanji untuk memberikan hasil scannya, dengan niatan berbuat sedikit amal. Maka kami bertukar nomor telepon. Janji tinggal janji, saya selalu 'lupa' untuk memberikannya. Tapi nomornya saya selalu simpan, tak berai saya hapus. 'Janji' itu masih lekat di hati sayangnya gagal di pelaksanaan.
Sekarang phonebook di handphone saya sudah lega. Saya sudah berhasil membuang kenangan-kenangan lama tak perlu dan memberi ruang bagi kenalan-kenalan baru. Bagaimanapun, orang yang melihat ke masa depan akan jauh lebih bahagia daripada yang melihat masa lalu terus bukan?
Banyak, jika kita bisa kenal siapa nama-nama itu.
Seperti saya, siang ini. Salah seorang klien mengirimkan nomor handphonenya untuk saya simpan di phonebook handphone saya. Tapi phonebook saya yang sudah memenuhi quota itu tidak bisa lagi menyimpan nama baru. Jadilah saya harus memilih nama-nama di phonebook itu untuk dieliminasi.
Tidak sulit awalnya karena beberapa nama bahkan sudah tidak saya ingat lagi siapa saking lamanya kami tidak pernah berhubungan. Tombol delete langsung saya tekan tanpa ragu.
Nama-nama 'setengah kenal', itu yang sulit. Misalnya, klien potensial yang merangkap sebagai pujaan masa lalu. Sempat saya bimbang, baiknya hapus tidak yah, toh dia bisa jadi klien masa depan. Tapi akhirnya saya hapus juga. Saya memilih mencari klien baru potensial yang tidak ada sejarah apa-apa yang bikin kagok (since now I'm a married woman :-P). Atau nama seseorang yang tanpa sengaja bertemu di sebuah foodcourt di bilangan Sudirman. Saat itu saya sedang melihat-lihat postcard cantik bertema Chinese Girl 1940, hadiah dari teman saya dari Cina. Kemudian orang itu mengajak berkenalan dan menyatakan tertarik untuk meminjam postcards tersebut untuk project iklannya (dia bekerja untuk sebuah advertising). Saya tentunya tidak berani meminjamkan. Baru kenalan, kemungkinannya 99% postcard saya itu hilang tak tentu ribanya. Tapi saya berjanji untuk memberikan hasil scannya, dengan niatan berbuat sedikit amal. Maka kami bertukar nomor telepon. Janji tinggal janji, saya selalu 'lupa' untuk memberikannya. Tapi nomornya saya selalu simpan, tak berai saya hapus. 'Janji' itu masih lekat di hati sayangnya gagal di pelaksanaan.
Sekarang phonebook di handphone saya sudah lega. Saya sudah berhasil membuang kenangan-kenangan lama tak perlu dan memberi ruang bagi kenalan-kenalan baru. Bagaimanapun, orang yang melihat ke masa depan akan jauh lebih bahagia daripada yang melihat masa lalu terus bukan?
