Hadiah Ramadan

Hadiah Ramadan itu hadir sebulan yang lalu.

Saat itu, kupenuhi ajakan sahabat lamaku untuk menonton sebuah film indie di suatu institut kesenian asing di Jakarta. Hadiah itu hadir bersama sahabatku, namun belumlah kusadari saat itu.

Seperti yang diungkapkan temanku, Ririe, dalam blognya:

Ketika kita bertemu orang yang tepat untuk dicintai,
Ketika kita berada di tempat pada saat yang tepat,
Itulah kesempatan.

Ketika kita bertemu dengan seseorang yang membuat tertarik,
Itu bukan pilihan, itu kesempatan.
Bahkan bertemu dalam suatu peristiwa bukanlah pilihan...
Tapi itupun adalah kesempatan.

Bila kita memutuskan untuk mencintai seseorang,
bahkan dengan segala kekurangannya,
hal itu bukan kesempatan, tapi adalah pilihan...

Ketika kita memilih bersama dengan seseorang,
walaupun apapun yang terjadi, itu adalah pilihan...

Bahkan ketika kita menyadari bahwa masih banyak orang
lain yang lebih menarik, pandai, ataupun kaya daripada
pasangan kita dan kita memilih untuk tetap mencintainya,
Itupun tetap sebuah pilihan...

Beruntunglah, kusadari kehadirannya tidak berapa lama kemudian. Dan kutetapkan pilihanku itu padanya.

Ramadan 1429 H membawa kenangan tersendiri dibandingkan tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Pada Ramadan ini, kurasakan kembali cinta dan kasih yang telah lama hampa dari hati. Terima kasih, Tuhan, atas hadiah dari-Mu pada Ramadan ini.

Kita ada di dunia bukan untuk mencari seseorang yang sempurna untuk dicintai,
Tetapi untuk belajar mencintai orang yang tidak sempurna dengan cara yang sempurna.

The Creation (Microsoft Style)

[This is just too funny, so I got to post it. Dedicated for the geek inside all of us.]

The Creation (Microsoft Style)

1. In the beginning GOD created the Bit and the Byte. And from those He created the Word.
2. And there were two Bytes in the Word; and nothing else existed. And God separated the One from the Zero; and He saw it was good.
3. And God said - Let the Data be; And so it happened. And God said - Let the Data go to their proper places. And He created floppy disks and hard disks and compact disks.
4. And God said - Let the computers be, so there would be a place to put floppy disks and hard disks and compact disks. Thus God created computers and called them hardware.
5. And there was no Software yet. But God created programs; small and big. And told them - Go and multiply yourselves and fill all the Memory.
6. And God said - I will create the Programmer; And the Programmer will make new programs and govern over the computers and programs and Data.
7. And God created the Programmer; and put him at Data Center; And God showed the Programmer the Catalog Tree and said - you can use all the volumes and sub-volumes but DO NOT USE Windows.
8. And God said - It is not Good for the programmer to be alone. He took a bone from the Programmer's body and created a creature that would look up at the Programmer; and admire the Programmer; and love the things the Programmer does; And God called the creature: the User.
9. And the Programmer and the User were left under the naked DOS and it was Good.
10. But Bill was smarter than all the other creatures of God. And Bill said to the User - Did God really tell you not to run any programs?
11. And the User answered - God told us that we can use every program and every piece of Data but told us not to run Windows or we will die.
12. And Bill said to the User - How can you talk about something you did not even try. The moment you run Windows you will become equal to God. You will be able to create anything you like by a simple click of your mouse.
13. And the User saw that the fruits of the Windows were nicer and easier to use. And the User saw that any knowledge was useless - since Windows could replace it.
14. So the User installed the Windows on his computer; and said to the Programmers that it was good.
15. And the Programmer immediately started to look for new drivers. And God asked him - What are you looking for? And the Programmer answered - I am looking for new drivers because I can not find them in the DOS. And God said - Who said you need drivers? Did you run Windows? And the Programmer said - It was Bill who told us to!
16. And God said to Bill - Because of what you did you will be hated by all the creatures. And the User will always be unhappy with you. And you will always sell Windows.
17. And God said to the User - Because of what you did, the Windows will disappoint you and eat up all your Resources; and you will have to use lousy programs; and you will always rely on the Programmer's help.
18. And God said to the Programmer - Because you listened to the User you will never be happy. All your programs will have errors and you will have to fix them and fix them to the end of time.
19. And God threw them out of the Data Center and locked the door and secured it with a password.
    

Curse the devil Bill!!

Yang Paling Perih Dari Sendirian...

Sudah agak lama gue nonton Cinta Silver, tapi tiba-tiba kok teringat ya kata-kata yang diucapkan Wishnu (Christian Sugiono) ke sahabatnya, Levi (Restu Sinaga):

"... yang paling perih dari sendirian itu bukan pas kita lagi sedih, Lev. Justru pas kita lagi ketawa senang tapi ngga ada yang bisa kita ajak untuk ikut ketawa ..."

Sekalipun udah hampir satu dekade gue sendirian, agaknya gue mulai ngerti apa yang dimaksud Wishnu.

(Ini sedikit cuplikan dari Cinta Silver)



(Dan salah satu lagu soundtracknya yang bagus banget, My Everything, dinyanyiin oleh Glenn Fredly)

Lovesick or Lovestruck?

A couple of my co-workers have noticed something out of the ordinary about me in the past week. They've characterized me of being lovesick or lovestruck. According to Urban Dictionary:

Lovesick

So deeply affected by love as to be unable to act normally. You awake every morning, thinking on your love, having dreamt of them all night, the pain of separation searing your heart every time a site or smell brings back the memory of your last encounter. Daydreaming, drawing hearts in the sand, constantly thinking, "I wish they were here so I could share this moment", even when pulling weeds or walking the dog. The consuming fire within the heart for even one more moment with one's love that defies rational thought, knowing full well, one moment would never be enough, yearning for eternity together.

Lovestruck

Like struck with a lightening bolt. The second that you see and meet the person, you are instantly in love. Head over heels, can't stop thinking about them, want to be with them, hold them, hug them, and be held and hugged and loved by them in return.

Which one characterizes me the best? Well, you can observe me for the next several days, and weeks, hopefully, and decides for yourself.

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock ETF (VWO)

Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock ETF (VWO) is an ETF that seeks to track the performance of the MSCI Emerging Markets index. VWO holds 823 securities (as of June 30, 2008) and is fully invested in common stocks of companies located in emerging markets around the world. The ETF is passively managed with average annual turnover of only 9% (as of June 30, 2008). Its total net assets is USD 7.1 billion and the average market cap of its holdings is USD 17.9 billion. Since its inception date (March 4, 2005), the Fund has returned 19.84% (as of July 31, 2008). It tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets index very closely with an R-Squared of 0.98 and a Beta of 0.98.

MSCI Emerging Markets index is an index created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) that is intended to measure the equity market performance of the global emerging market nations. It is a float-adjusted market cap weighted index and consisted of shares from 25 emerging economies in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. As of June 30, 2008, VWO's five largest country holdings are Brazil (17.6%), South Korea (12.7%), China (11.1%), Russia (11.1%), and Taiwan (10.6%). Its ten largest company holdings make 18.5% of total net assets.

The emerging markets are known to be volatile compared to their developed counterparts. Compared to MSCI Europe, Australasia, and Far East (EAFE) index - a popular proxy for the developed markets - MSCI Emerging Markets index has a higher standard deviation (3-years trailing of 21.13 vs MSCI EAFE's 12.38) with Beta of 1.52 (to MSCI EAFE index). However, MSCI Emerging Markets index has shown to give higher return to compensate for its higher risk, as evidenced by its 3-years trailing Sharpe ratio of 0.84 (compared to MSCI EAFE's 0.53). Since the performance of emerging markets is generally less correlated with developed markets, the instrument can play a diversifying role in a portfolio of developed markets to reduce its risk. As a proxy for lower correlation, both indexes showed an R-Squared of 79.

Morningstar category for VWO is Large Blend (as of March 31, 2008). I placed it under my core holdings, with target position of up to 15% of my portfolio (since emerging markets represents some 15% of the global economy). Although a bit volatile as an anchor, VWO is diversified with its large-cap tilt, long-tenured and proven management, wide countries and sectors coverage, low turnover, and low expense.

With expense ratio of 0.25%, VWO is the better alternative to emerging markets exposure compared to its older and bigger rival, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF (EEM), since the latter's expense ratio is 0.75%.

The management of the Fund is led by Duane F. Kelly. Mr. Kelly has been with Vanguard since 1989 and has managed the Emerging Markets Stock Index Mutual Fund, among others, since 1994. Mr. Kelly has advised the ETF since 2005.

VWO recently performed a 2-for-1 stock-split on June 17, 2008

Be Careful on How You List Contacts in Your Cell Phone

[I got a forwarded email warning me regarding stolen cell phone. I think the scenario presented is very plausible, though I'm not sure if it actually occurred. I guess it's a bit of common sense when you read it, but like I did, you'd probably unaware of the potential fraud that can occur from simple stuff like naming your contact lists.]

Be careful when you list names on your cell phone! Be Safe!

This lady has changed her habit on how she lists her contacts on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her mobile phone, credit card, purse, etc., was stolen and 20 minutes later she managed to call her hubby from a pay phone to tell him what had happened. Her hubby says, "I've just received your SMS text asking about our PIN number. I replied a little while ago." They rushed down to the bank and the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The pickpocket had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the PIN number. Within 20 minutes, he had withdrawn all the money from the bank account.

The lesson:

• Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.
• Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mum, etc.
• And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
• Also, when you're being texted by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.
  

[I think the story was a bit off since there is a limit on how much money can be withdrawn from ATM on any given day. So, unless the couple had little in their account or they had special higher withdrawal limit, it'd not be possible to fully withdraw the account in just 20 minutes. Further, a very much likely scenario to occur would be for your phone to be temporarily 'stolen', most likely by someone you knew. And then, that person can do 'harmless' stuff (like peeping through your text messages) to something criminal (like searching for important data such as PIN numbers) before 'returning' the phone back to you. I guess that phone lock is not just for securing keypad.]

iShares KLD 400 Social Index ETF (DSI)

[In light of my postings on my Facebook's FSX application, I'll also do the same here for my other portfolios (with real money as opposed to FSX's virtual money). Though I won't put the amount here, I'll still put the position I have or currently targeting. I do have several portfolios, though I am still undecided how to categorize them. For the moment, my postings will comment on the all ETF, multi-purpose, and taxable portfolio.]

iShares KLD 400 Social Index Fund (DSI) is an ETF that seeks to match the performance (price and yield) of the Domini 400 Social Index, which is the DSI's underlying index. The ETF holds 401 securities (as of July 27, 2008) and puts its 99.8% holdings fully invested in stocks. Average annual turnover is 4% and total net assets is USD 58.3 million. Its inception date was November 14, 2006 and has returned -5.61% (as of June 30, 2008) since then. For comparison, S&P 500 has performed by -5.15% during the same period (the market has been in a difficult period).

So, what makes the Domini 400 Social Index? The Index is a float-adjusted, market-capitalization weighted (much like S&P 500), common-stock index of US equities. The Index excludes companies with main businesses in tobacco, alcohol, firearm, gambling, military weaponry, and nuclear power plant. Also excluded are companies that have controversial issues on human rights, labor standards, diversity, accounting, and product quality. The Index puts positive screen on companies that have strong relationships with its stakeholders: communities, customers, ecosystems, employees, shareholders, and suppliers. As a result, the Index tends to overweight Information Technology sector (22% weighting as of June 30, 2008) and underweight Energy (6%) and Utilities (2%).

When selecting companies for the Index, KLD Research & Analytics, the Index maker, maintain the composition of the holdings to 250 companies under the S&P 500 Index, 100 additional large and mid cap companies for sector diversification, and 50 smaller companies with exemplary social, environmental, and governance records. Its five largest holdings (as of July 27, 2008) are Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, and Apple.

With expense ratio of 0.5%, DSI is a viable alternative to mutual funds. And with Beta of 1 (to S&P 500), it is also a viable alternative to S&P 500 Index-tracking securities. Morningstar category for DSI is Large Blend (as of July 27, 2008). As such, I placed it under my core holdings, with target position of up to 20% of my portfolio (subject to change, but for the moment, that is the maximum position I put for large cap US equity portion). As an anchor, DSI fits the bill due to its diversified, large-cap tilt, US-based, market-cap weighted, low expense, low turnover, and especially being the only socially responsible instrument at the moment with all those characteristics.

Manga Mark Mobius - An Illustrated Biography of the Father of Emerging Markets Funds by Kaoru Kurotani

Manga Mark Mobius - An Illustrated Biography of the Father of Emerging Markets Funds by Kaoru Kurotani

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
[My review is based on the Bahasa (Indonesian) translation of this book]

Certainly not the first economic/finance book using comic style that I've read. But, the manga style proved the be the first for me and so far the best at conveying the topic in a comic book format. It is a short biography of Mark Mobius, and a crash course to investing in emerging market countries. There are plenty of historical examples where Mobius had encountered various situations that called for important investment decisions and his rationale behind them. Also illustrated in the manga, side stories that adds to the overall nuance of the biography.

The book has piqued my interest to read more on Mobius some time in the future, and also on Templeton, the firm where he worked as a fund manager specializing in emerging market.

View all my reviews.

Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying by David Bach

Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying by David Bach

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
David Bach is the writer of the popular Finish Rich series. I haven't read his other books, so I can't comment on the series yet.

In Go Green, Bach starts with a chapter on knowing your impact on the environment, opening up the setting for the whole book. For the next nine chapters, Bach outlines some fifty tips on changing your behaviors so not only you would save the planet, but also save up some cash in the process (much like what William McDonough advocates that being green equals being efficient equals saving money). Those cash, if invested at certain percentage of return, will bring pretty sum thanks to compounding effect. The fifty tips cover a whole gamut from transportation, housing, water use, food, recycling, work environment, to traveling among others. Almost all are relatively easy and not as time consuming as one would expect. It just a matter of getting it started, habit will continue the rest.

Of course it won't be an investing book, if there's no tips regarding personal investment. Well, in chapter 10, Finish Rich: Make Your First Green Million, Bach gives some ideas on investing green and starting your green business.

Lastly, a good quote from the book regardless whether you ends up living and investing green or not, "It is not what you earn that makes you rich or poor; it is what you spend."

View all my reviews.

Learn to Earn: A Beginner's Guide to the Basics of Investing and Business by Peter Lynch

Learn to Earn: A Beginner's Guide to the Basics of Investing and Business by Peter Lynch

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book holds sentimental value to me, for it introduced me to the world of investment. A world which, later, not only becomes a personal interest but also a professional one. I started my first investment in stocks and mutual funds shortly after I finished the book. Fast forward, I started my career five years later in an Indonesian state-owned investment bank in the equity research department.

In this book, Peter Lynch starts with a brief history of what would become Corporate America and later, describes how it can change and have changed the fortune of ordinary Americans who participate by owning the shares of those companies. It pays to start early, and only invest in what you know, as often as possible, compounding works.

View all my reviews.