The telecommunication industry is still worse after I returned

       When I approached my last weeks of study in the US, last year, my sponsor sent me a video containing tips of addressing potential cultural shocks if students return to their home countries after living overseas for a while. The video perplexed me because I did not believe it would be true. How can I be shocked with my own culture? It sounds weird to some of us. However, it is true theoretically, based on research studies, the video explains the process why it could happen to expat students after they return home. Just an example, when you live outside of your country, you might experience a more reliable telecommunication service, but your country’s is fucked up; your phone plan credits are sucked in a matter of seconds with no reasons.  How would you feel? The feeling is part of the cultural shock thing.     

       By the way, I ended up agreeing everything that the video explains. However, I am not shocked, at all, with acute corrupt behaviors and politics. It has been and will be here for an undefined period. Instead, the shocking thing after I returned is the telecommunication service. I still remember, experts and politicians of this country used to argue that allowing competition in the industry would lower costs for users. However, the claim has never happened.

       Is there anybody agreeing with me, your internet plans are even more expensive than in America or Australia? Let’s imagine non-monetary costs you lose that tradeoff monetary costs of an American or Australian phone plan, for instance. You are told to have a very good plan. You refill five bucks for a 1 GB data ration; a half of it is gone before you even click anything yet. Another, your signal is on and off even when you are roaming like a homeless in downtown. Not to mention hassles dealing with the call center. The guy or lady tells you to wait until a problem is fixed, but you wait until the next day, there is nothing fixed. A week ago, you could not even do refills, and contact to the call center for two days. Those are more expensive than a fifty bucks phone plan per month.   

       Timor Telecom is the poorest service provider in our telecommunication history. It is the first, oldest, and richest, but the worst one. Why? it has never changed since I knew it sometime ten years ago, by the time we proudly got it as an independent country. I feel like Timor Telecom is like a regime, political entity which no one has been able to break its wall for a change. People said that the shareholders are influential people, that is why, complains have never been taken into account although some group of people have voiced it out through political channels to put pressure for changes in its service quality. Hopefully, it is not accurate.      

       The main message that I would like to express here is not asking telecommunication services here to be as sophisticated as in developed countries like America and Australia. But, we never learn to change. NEVER. No, there is a change, but the course is backward.

**Hope this gives you an inspiration

Happy Independence Day of East Timor

It is 28^th of November (2015) today here in the States, but half of 29^th already back home in East Timor now as I am writing this entry. The 28^th of November is called the proclamation of Independence Day. Celebration of the day is regularly festive.

The celebration happens to be in dry season or known summer in the northern hemisphere society. The heat in summer makes the spirit of nationalism becomes fiery. East Timorese are proud when they celebrate the day, they chant, they laugh, and even they still have the memory of hardship, and revolution.

When I woke up today’s morning, I opened my window. I looked out from the window, I saw a leafless tree. The branches no longer have leafs because all have been swallowed by the fall season.

I saw crystal splashes vine around the three branches. It gives a more relaxing and cooling spirit to think about the fiery celebration that my fellows were and are celebrating back home given the humidity and hot weather at this time.

These crystal splashes come to mind to write. I want to connect the purity of the water drips to balance all negative spirit of pessimism, adversity, hostility, corruptive, self-righteousness, etc.

The purity of water-like spirit can balance those negative things. I hope, as the country gets older, Timorese learn to be more honest, and kinder in each one’s attitudes and behaviors as pure as the water splashes on the photo. This is one of the core principles of the independence is about. 

Happy 40th of Independence!

**I hope this gives you an inspiration       

Get the Safety Vigilance Reminder Out For All of Us

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It is sad to hear it, predetermined and planned killing, again in Paris, France. What I am trying to put in here is not that I am interested to write as if I am an international observer. Instead, we are now highly mobile or easy to go anywhere as opportunity for it is open for many of us.

Such an incidence is no longer just for people who are perceived as the target; everyone in the group is target. It sometimes happens in places about which we are so passionate to visit. Hence, vigilance is an indispensable psychological skill that everyone should have when one visits places that were used to have very good reputation of security systems.

New York City in America, Paris in France, and London in England, to name a few, can never be trusted for having perfect security systems that could lead us to be ignorant. It is, to my own understanding, our own vigilance that makes the security becomes close to perfect in a place where we are in.

I am thinking to write this down because as the more I travel the more friends I make. That leads me to know many friends around the world. They live in places that could have such incidences like the one happened in Paris on 13 November, 2015. I would like to get this reminder out for all of us.

I also particularly target the reminder to my fellow countrymen who are also so mobile within the European continent recently. Even though in a few amount, they are agile, and curious people who often end up in places where insane people may potentially plan to target for killing innocent people.

The point is be mindful when we go to crowded places, at the very least, for one's own individual safety; more than that be mindful for the collective safety in the place where we are in. That is how human is created for in this universe.

**Hope this gives you an inspiration

Cudidado ba Feto Bonita Falso Iha Facebook!

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Hau nia post ne’e mosu tanba iha loron hirak liu ba hau simu mensagem lohi ten sira dala hira tutuir malu. Ate hau tau iha hau nia Facebook. Belun diak ida husi Inglatera, fo comentario no share ninia involvimento ba hodi hakarak hatene barak ba lohi ten sira nia lalaok. Nia fo informasaun barak no hau buka tutan tan fali mos hatudo katak lohi ten sira nia maneira ne efetivo tebes. No, wain hira hau le, matenek nain sira dehan, lei nungka sei bele hafraku sira, só liu husi habelar informasaun mak bele. Tan ne hau ketik halimar tuir mai ne,e. 

Uja internet ne’e ita contente tebes wain hira bele descobre mundo ho tur deit iha meja, hemu café, AC hu tan, rona musica; ida ne parte moris diak nian. Ba mane hotu, san tan quando koalia ho feto bonita ida, nudar mane, hanesan criatura nebe agresivo nebe mai ho nia identidade sexo mascilino, hakarak los koalia ho feto keleur, hakarak telfone, ida ansi liu mak hakarak hasoru. Ida ne nudar caracteristico mane ninian. Liu-liu ba sira nebe klosan.

Maibe saida mak akontese wain hira feto oan nebe mak ita chat ba ne’e naukten ida? Ou nia termo diak liu maka ‘lohi ten.’ Lohi ita ho nia “rayuan” atu sai doben. Kuando ita monu ona ba sira nia maneira bosok, ita sei sai vitima ba nia. Sai vitima tanba saida? Tanba ita monu ona ba nia manobra domin, nia sei husu osan ba ita, no osan ninia montante ne laos kikoan. Tuir ema babain koalia iha media katak sira husu atus ba atus to milliaun ba milliaun.

Ida ne karik ita balun rona hanesan babain. Sira nebe mak iha konyesemeto adecuado karik senti katak sei nungka bele monu ba manobra. Sira mos karik hanoin hau repete saida mak ema barak koalia bebeik. Hau nia intesaun laos atu repete, maibe habelar. Hanoin! Ema sira laiha konyecemento hanesan ita boot vulnerable tebes. Sira nebe foin uja Facebook bele sai vitima tanba seidauk akustumado ba parte at husi internet ne’e. Ate, ema matenek nain, osan barak mos bele vulneravel. HANOIN! alat ida ema uja hodi hamaus mane mak “FETO.” Ba ita nebe mak dehan, “ah…la hetan boy,” husu hader nafatin.

Temptasaun nia nivel as no intensivo tebes nebe presija deskobre. Presija ita konyese sira nia maneira par bele educa ita hotu. Ida mak, hau ema metan, hela iha foho, babain ba deit to’os mas derepenti feto inan ida, mutiiinn beee lotuk - body gitar, haruka mensagem ida mai dehan, sayang, Dear, Love.” Oh, ne halo kaben suli deit. Fuan la tahan hodi lakoi atu responde. Quando ida ne mosu, uja ita nia skill basico nudar humano hodi tetu, karik ida ne’e “rejeki nomplok?” Iha mundo, ema ida husi entre milliaun 200 mak foin hetan rejeki hanesan ne'e. Maibe ema ne’e laos ita bo’ot.

Sira nia maneira ida seluk mak, husu ita nia ajuda tanba feto oan ne agora iha susar no terus nia laran. Ita hatene, ema Timor ne ninia fuan ajuda malu kroat tebes. Katak, gosta ajuda ema ho forsa no osan. Feto lohi ten sira babain tane liman, tanis, konta nia susar para ita bele tanis tuir. No fim tanba ita mos senti kasian demais, ita bele monu tama sira nia lasu hodi foo san. Iha mos maneira seluk mak sira bele uja wain hira tuan ne fraco ona hodi hamaus ema.

Karik ita nia alin sira foin uja Facebook ne’e laiha osan doit ida nusa ita tengki tauk? Hau sei hanoin wain hira caso iha ida iha Ministerio Defesa k saida ne’e uluk uja osan estado nia mak haruka ba Mane ida iha Inglatera. Ida ne hatudo katak, osan rasik laiha maibe, oportunidade atu uja ema nia osan iha, ntaun buat ne bele akontese wain hira deit.

Hanesan hau dehan, ema sira nebe iha konyesementu adecuado mos bele vulneravel. Halo nusa? wain hira hau le feto lohi ten ida nia mensagem iha facebook, Facebook hatudo hau nia friends se se deit mak kolega ona ho feto lohi ten ne’e. Iha neba dehan “Mutual friends.” Ne significa katak feto lohi ten ne’e add ona kolega balu no sai friend. Nia sei bele uja maneira oi oini. Hau la hatene motivasaun tanba saida ita aseita hodi sai nia friend. Maibe bai-bain, profile iha, no bonita ne’e hatudo katak ema ne’e realidade iha duni. Mas ita la hatene katak nia hafu hela ita par trasa ninia maneira lohi ita ne. 

Tanba ne’e tuir lolos habelar informasaun ne laos deit atu fo hatene ba sira nebe mak new comers iha internet maibe be hafanu mos ita sira nebe tuan tia ona halimar internet.

**Espera katak ida ne’e bele fo inspirasaun.   

  

Do advisers deserve super high salary?

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I was a kind of pushed by the newly heated topic on Facebook these hours about public office consultant salary to write down this entry. Literally, it opens my eyes, truly, as wide as the Atlantic Ocean. I have heard of such a level of salary, but I have never seen that type of elitist list.  

As a human being, I am eager to be in that position, of course. Who does not want money receiving $ 11K per month? Of course no body. Based on this ideal, I would argue that none of those mentioned advisers, who are in the published list, deserves any blame from us. They are just ordinary people who were looking for a job, they got it, and now they are sustaining their life. Instead, my take is whether they deserve it.

My personal experiences and anecdotes. Have you ever seen an adviser who acts like the actual boss in public offices? I have seen and worked with some. Some national and international advisers in Timor act like they are the boss, so you imagine what they would do. Treating an adviser like a boss is making him/her not deserve a special salary. They may come to the office at will. They would expect making instruction rather than being instructed to do jobs. The system has become acute that no body can revolutionize it. One thing to remember is, for example, the relationship between an adviser and a boss is not random. You background check them, they are from one coin with two sides. How can a boss treat an adviser like a real adviser? Although working with such a challenge, bosses and advisers can still overcome their special relationship that hinders their productivity if they value professionalism and, most importantly, the national interest higher than anything else they hold.

The real advisers provide technical services. Their brains should be more “sophisticated” than bosses’ and regular staffs’ whom they advise. Some advisers complain that they do their best, but politic decides everything. This slot is where advisers demonstrate their expertise. They come up with complicated equations/engineering models/fact-based reasoning to explain which decision is reasonable and which one is not. They are sitting at the second row of the seat to provide numbers/ideas/opinions for bosses to inform or to negotiate with others. Advisers work with the existing system to improve, and innovate working systems, to solve problems rationally, and to transfer know-how.

These are what I see real advisers will deserve super high salary if they function that way. I don’t quantify to what extent those money spent have had impacts on the variables of public services in the country. But I would say, advisors’ expertise has not been tapped to the fullest. I am not saying to eliminate them nor decrease their salary, instead creating a management system in order to put them in the maximum function mode. Force them to work as how they are paid. This is what I cant see. 

Hope this gives you an inspiration. 

Being An African Just For 10 Minutes

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I have been Africanized this past two weeks through African songs. I participated in a musical performance with the very nice and lovable friends from Africa, who called me to take part in a kind of cultural exchange event. The purpose of the event was for people in the school community, KU to come to learn more about African countries. That day was dedicated for only three countries: Sudan, Nigeria and Kenya. When I attended the event, I did not feel like the event was dedicated for only these three countries. I did not see much difference between these three with the others, until I saw each country’s boundary drawn on the map showed on the large projector screen. That attitude comes up because Africa has such a unity not only because all nations sit on one main land (hope I am not wrong), but also having similar English accent (according to my ears), and one other note is their brotherhood is strong even they just know each other overseas. I found this similar to what I have back in my country. This makes hardly distinguishable in terms of nationality.

I took part in that performance because, first, I like music (particularly folk music or traditional music that has been incorporated into pop genre), and second they are my friends of course. But really, beyond that, Africa is rich of culture. I don’t know much about the other art, but musical art from Africa has a character. Songs are unique and distinguishable from any other types that we hear across the world. Not to mention its influence on the current world music taste like Hip Hop and Rap music. Dance moves even make them more typical and unique. I remember Waka Waka. 

I have been familiar to African songs beats back in my country. The way how African-typical music is heard in my country is not because of internet, or youtube. It is because we have some historical connection from two to three Portugues colonials in African that brought their songs in. Even though most songs are in Portugues language, their African thing is always there, like melody characters, and beats. So, that makes me feel like I can get the soul when I play an instrument.  

                           

I had no idea about the songs we played. They are in Swahili. One of the widely spoken languages in African continent. I learned that I need to, at least, learn Swahili basics if I ever plan to visit this one of the two continents that I have not touched my feet on. To practice Swahili here are few words to memorize right here and right now. Asante=thank you, Mimi=I, Hujambo=hello, Milele=forever, Habari=How are you. I learned these words from the songs that we played and I heard them from people talking. This has added my-only: Akunamatata.

**Hope this gives you an inspiration

Inaguração Projeto Infrastutura Luxo

Reitor universidade koa fita ba rehabilitação estrada sustentável

Bolu modelo Sana mak ne'e

Imagem iha leten ne’e ha’u bolu hanesan ceremónia inaguração nebé ha’u adora tebes. Ne’e laos tanba ceremónia ne’e luxo: ema bo’ot barak mak marka presenca, hahan barak, hemu wiskey, ou festa bo’ot. Maibe, tanba ninia simplicidade nebe mak tau prioridade as liu ba ‘isin’ duke ‘kulit.’ Isin tanba, obra nebe maka halo nia inaguração bá ‘koa fita’ ne’e remata keleur ona. Ninia qualidade diak tebes. Koa fita ne tan neing perturba público nia interese maske halao los iha fatin babain ema nungka mamuk. Evento ne’e acontese hanesa express, lori 20 minutos deit pasa ona. Ema fila isin tama ba ida-idak ninia baraka hodi halo servicos.   

Ida seluk tan maka inaguração ne’e lao hanesan festa ceremónia ema kiak nian. Público mai rona reitor universidade ninia palestra badak ne’e ho hamrik deit, iha loron matan okos; laiha ema ida (ita nian karik) maka tara salenda ba reitor ou ema dignitários seluk ninia kakorok wain hira sira mosu iha fatin. Ida seluk maka, ema la oferece aihan bo’ot ou luxo. Laiha koa dosi andar ou rabenta tinto botir. Público consume deit dosi bolo, pan cake. Pan cake ne’e ninia modelu ou forma ita hare hanesan sana, maibe la bo’ot no la belar hanesan ne’e. Imajina, han bolo mak be hemu laiha, sa tan kamat rua dala ida, bolo belit iha kakorok dada is la diak hotu.

Estrada Transformado 

Ceremónia hanesan ne’e acontese ba projeito físico nebe ho orçamento 11 milhões, pois aumenta tan 600 mill? ‘Fonte ne’e dehan.’ Ouh, então ne’e ita balun admira wain hira tutan hamutuk buat sira nebe maka acontese iha Timor. Baku fila deit lia fuan nebe hau temi iha leten. Karik ita comprende kedas saida mak bai-bain ita halo iha Timor quando compara ho saida maka hau conta hela ne’e.

Parte luxo mak ida ne’e. Perspetiva luxo husi ema ne’e ninian, maibe karik ita considera hanesan la moderno ida. Primeiro mak, inaguração ne’e halo ba projeto ida bolu dehan infrastrutura sustentavel. Projeto infrastutura ne’e haforca estrada no systema drainagem. Objetivo maka atu halo drainagem sira lao ho sustentavel; laos deit uja sumente no besi hodi facilita udan ben halai lalais maibe mos imita systema natureza. Componente natureza nian hanesan du’ut, kuda ai barak nebe abut bele susu be lalais no abut bele kaer metin rai ho força. Hirak ne’e sira considera hanesan projeto luxo tanba, agora rai nebe ita hela la diak liu maske ita uja sasan moderno deit. Karik ida ne’e ita considera laos luxo iha ita nia rain. 

Besi at mak ne'e

Segundo luxo maka, bis bestua ida bolu dehan KU Trolley ne’e maka tula reitor universidade nian mai fatin ceremónia. Bis bestua ne’e ema cuidado los hanesan osan mean bo'ot iha comunidade universidade ninian. Iha fatin ceremónia nian, público hotu hotu hateke bestua ne’e matan naklosu hanesan feto ran ida hare mane klosan bonito ida liu ba  ou mane klosan ida tolan kaben wain hira hare feto metan midar ou feto mutin ida liu iha ninia oin. Ema barak husu hakarak sae fali hanesan ne'e do que bis ida nebe mak sofer buti deit butão odamatan loke ona. Sira considera ida ne’e hanesan recurso luxo tanba valor istoria nian nebe sei nugka bele hetan wain hira sira failha preserva. Bestua ne’e sai mai halo operacão iha tinan 1910. Ne'e transporte primeiro ba escola. Tanba ne iha valor as tebes.

Istória ne hatudo licão mai ita katak, atu sai sociadade nebe mak desenvolvido ita la presija tengki moris hanesan ema rico. Halao sasan ho simplicidade, liu-liu tuir capacidade ita nian, ne furak liu do que ita halo buat nebe mak força la too maibe dudu deit. 

 **Espera katak istória ne’e bele fo inspiração