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    Tuesday, May 09, 2006

    I Got a Job!

    Yes, that's right! I got a job! I just signed the contract this evening, and will start next week. And what's more, it's actually in the field that I wanted, money management and capital market. The company is PT Danareksa, and the position is management trainee. The commitment is for one year as a management trainee, and two more as a full employee (position to be assigned later). Therefore, I would put my job-search effort to rest until three years from now. What a relief...

    I've been at it since I graduated almost exactly two years ago from IU. Thus far, I've managed to snatch several part-time jobs and an internship in-between. So, this position would be my first full-time, out-of-college job. And to my surprise, I got it back here in Indonesia! What's more, even though I tried all the available channels (job fairs, online postings, networks, and newspapers), the fact that I didn't get it from networking is surprising (I applied though a newspaper ad). It proved to me that I was wrong to have my prejudice against the "system", especially Indonesia's. I realize that the "system" is still far from perfect, but now I also realize that the "system" is undergoing positive changes that I just have to experience it for myself.

    To all my friends and relatives, I would like to say thank you for all your prayers and continued support in various ways. You've all been helpful and kind, and my gratitude to you all for having accompanied me toward this new stage in my life. I truly appreciate it, and God bless you.

    Friday, May 05, 2006

    The Agony of Unreliable Internet Connection

    Yes, finally I can get active again writing for my blog! My computer arrived early February and only about a month ago that I switched my dial-up connection to a broadband one (cable), so hopefully things has settled now that I can start writing again consistently.

    Even though cable is supposed to be much faster than dial-up, broadband infrastructure in Jakarta is not yet advanced enough. Compare this: advertised speed for dial up is 56K, while advertised speed for cable is 64K. 64K!? That's only 8K difference! Back in the States, the advertised speed is 768K and up to 1Mb! That's 712K difference, at least! See what I mean? The only good thing with cable is probably that I don't need to pay for a continued use of phone line, which is a good thing since I racked up the phone bill for past 3 months before the switch. ;P

    And not only that, even the broadband acts very strangely here. It connects up to the advertised speed only after 7-8PM, and then deteriorates after about 6-7AM. One could theorize that not a lot of people using the internet at night. Well, it suppose to hold for dial-up, yes, but broadband!? Not only that, the connection is sketchy, dropping so often in the middle of browsing. Oh, how I missed surfing the Internet to my heart's content...!

    My brother give me some explanation about this quirk [well, since he owns an internet cafe, I think that qualifies him as the family expert on this matter]. He said that the local broadband operators have to lease a some sort of a "tunnel" which will then connect to Internet sites outside Indonesia, which is expensive, so they limit the number of people connecting at any one time. This explains the non-existent performance during daylight, but I think it still doesn't explain the sketchy connection.

    Yes, I expect too much perhaps, considering the infrastructure is not as advanced. But I grew accustomed with the blazing speed of my former host country. I almost come to blow on several occasions with the operator's tech service here due to these inconsistencies. Luckily, my brother's explanation cooled me down and I try to live with this predicament.