esrian = arcgis martians, yes.. they are from another planet

During campus days… ArcView 3.x and PC ArcInfo were the first GIS software I used. I would spend ungodly hours in the Faculty Lab "playing" and experimenting ... so much fun… got me all interested in nerdy GIS things. I had some experience with AutoCAD and programming before and to some point felt that GIS is nothing more than a 'graphical database'. In campus I had no formal training... just use the Help tools and learn the software… motivation was to learn something new. I would feel so satisfied to get a good layout printed... or present my semester work using ArcView tools or analysis… customizing the interface made me feel like a super programmer. Campus days!!! How much that has changed with ArcGIS. Since joining ESRI SA, I have been humbled by the amount of work put into ArcGIS development. In my previous jobs I have worked with competitor software and always find ways to outdo ESRI software... but with ArcGIS, there is no fight. And now u wanna know why?? I found the answer in Redlands, California!!!

ESRI HQ in Redlands is full of brilliant and creative people... there is an aura in the air... you can smell the excitement and enthusiasm of people working here. There is a strong sense of commitment and passion in bringing change and improvement through GIS. You can see it everywhere and on every “ESRIAN” face. As I walk to HQ from my hotel daily (public transport sucks big time)... I can see people from all races, ages and form getting to work... mini United Nations. Its nice to see the glow and “ESRIAN” spirit in their expressions… maybe it’s the strong morning coffee… maybe its driving those monster cars... I dunno ;-)

ESRI Redlands practice flexi hours and casual dress code... in a way ... to bring a campus 'feel' to the professional working environment. This in turn creates a belonging to produce quality work because they place a lot of trust in the capabilities of these ESRIANs. This trust and bond is evident everywhere... from the cafe to the meeting rooms. ESRIANs know their purpose and work scope well. I kinda feel… hey… its like my campus days again... reminiscent of my experimentation and excitement using GIS. Cool.

The offices and cubicles are as I expected... just like the Germans… peaceful and quiet. People go about doing their work ... focused and that gets the job done. Maybe its because they are paid hourly... maybe its because they have tight schedules... maybe its because they have tough job interviews... maybe its because they have to pay higher gas. But I ASLO think its because of trust.. you can feel that ESRIANs are mature and know their responsibilities well... team work and sharing is the keyword here. Management does not treat the workers like schoolkids… or robots... vastly different from Malaysian culture. The ultimate goal I believe is to make a difference... change the world for the better... with GIS.

Now how can you beat that for motivation... no wonder ArcGIS is gazillion years ahead from the nearest competitor!!! It pays to trust ur employees... hope this concept stays on.



Culprits... sneaky grins.

Job well done...

Carto guru... great ideas

Projection guru... we will face each other again ;-)

Int Support dude...

Professional Services... macho Matt

kalifornia... dude...

In search of the American Dream - how true!!! It hit me head on... right where I feel awestruck. My first impression of US was... WOW. As the plane descended over LA... you can see lights so far across the horizon... and it just doesn't end there. Its a beautiful and humbling sight. Bordering the ocean and stretching far inland, civilization at its peak.

Even at LA airport terminal you can see hundreds of planes... all shapes and sizes... constant activity and movement... 24 hours... non stop!! Buses and baggage carriers weaving across the tarmac... like ants. I have been to Germany, France and Australia but this trip to US just blew my mind. One thing is for sure... its way… way... ahead in terms of wealth and prosperity. Also people are so polite and friendly to me... road users are extremely civilised too. Its all about the education and maturity of the educated Americans, I believe. Some may dispute but this is the hallmark of the richest nation on the planet. Another aspect of a truly developed country is their infrastructure... it shows how advance their engineering and technical skills are... way beyond what I imagined. This trip has been full of surprises... many of them pleasant and inspiring.

My destination was Redlands, California... about 2 hour drive from LA. Its a small town... smaller than Rawang.. but don't be fooled. This is a developed country we are talking about.. so expect the unexpected. For a small town like Redlands... its so well planned. They take so much aesthetic consideration in planning this town... pleasing to the eye. First impressions lasts... and how true it is in this case. Residential and Commercial development blend so well with the landscape and the terrain of the land. Placement of infrastructures and businesses are well within walking distances... though many prefer to drive here. Cars are dirt cheap in US... that helps. Pedestrians are given priority along the streets and pavements... wide open spaces and well maintained roads makes walking or driving a pleasant experience. Though the architectural design of the many buildings cannot match the Europeans... it serves a good purpose... form follows function... cost effective too... fulfilling many of the requirements. Unlike Malaysia.. nothing sticks out like a sore thumb... no eyesores. Parks and civic places are well within reach from anywhere... planners have made smart and interesting designs ... surprising you as you walk pass... cannot help but spend some time in the peaceful environment. What else do we need… tell me… far cry from the mess we have in Malaysia.

This brings to another milestone of a developed country... quiet and clean environment. No hon.. No noise pollution... No jumping queue... No kiasu... No aggresive drivers (who are actually chicken shit cowards)... Americans are quiet at restaurants and public places. No loud banter or excited people rushing for everything. Dun get me wrong... ppl do talk and communicate... but its more civilised and pleasant... always aware of their social responsibility and politeness to others. This is evident in France too.. the peaceful stress free environment. You can take off your shoes and walk on the roads... or pavements... its that clean. Redlands maintains its charm… not as well as the Europeans… but with a modern twist.



Lake Arrowhead... beautiful homes and great sceneries

Snow... snow... well, not really... some of it is man made

Big Bear... nice short hike... snow up here is real. Well preserved National Forest...

rap... crap...

With the advent of music videos, MTV, VH1 and the craze to look at musicians 'play' music on TV... we get this whole new generation of people adoring looks, make up and fake images of musicians... not the music itself!! What clothes (or lack of it) and dance moves become… more important than the music and lyrics itself. Image overcomes content. It blinds the actual creative music itself... making it just another accessory hidden behind all that glitz. Worse... the lifestyle and decadence of these ‘musicians’ take precedence over actual purpose and message of the music itself. How many of these cardboard musicians can actually perform live... without all those electronica or studio equipment?? How many of them can perform and capture the hearts of fans without dancing, being ‘cute’ or stripping on stage?? How many can write music?? Image is more important now... and I dare say many of them have no class. Lets not even mention the boy / girl bands out there. Janis Joplin vs Christina Aguilera… or worse… Destiny's Child. I must admit tho… I dun mind the sexy videos… even if the music sucks ;-)

Its NOT all evil... as some Christian denominations proclaim and brainwash many… it has brought some good... I have to admit children music and nursery rhymes have greatly benefited from this..and its for a good cause too. Understanding the alphabets, poems, stories, nursery rhymes and learning has become more interesting and fun. There are so many good DVDs and CDs for babies, toddlers and children alike. So we can't say that music videos are no good at all. Kids can now have more educational influence with these good materials from quality producers. However there is a danger of exposing too much of TV for kids... this can result in addiction or worse... negative thinking that TV is good. Whoever said that TV does not influence children or adults is just lying... ppl in the advertising industry get paid millions to create 20 sec ads that influence buyers from all ages. Their main goal is to hypnotize you into buying their sometimes useless product… in 20 secs or less. No influence??

How can we not forget rap in all this?? I was passing a book store and '50 Cent' and 'Kayne West' have been proclaimed the new heroes or greatest influence in the world of music today. I would like to ask the author... "whose music"??? Rap had its days.. singing about poverty, discrimination and anger... but that was 15 years ago. Today's rap is nothing but music videos, bad taste and awful music. Dun get me wrong... I like rap... but its so yesterday. I grew up listening to Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Arrested Development, Run DMC, Living Colour, NWA, Cypress Hill and yes... even MC Hammer and Tone Loc. That was a long time ago... today's rappers have copied, re-copied and remastered so many old tunes that their music sounds more like 2 days old, soft and 'masuk angin' McDonalds fries.


Took some time for me to like these guys... but if u keep listening.. it gets better. Soundgarden

Vedder - Pearl Jam. First time I heard them... it was like... wow!!

Jimi... seen the grammy's recently??

lalalalaa.....??

Music as we all know it (or dun know it) ... brings great impact to our lives and soul. Many of us take music for granted. Imagine a world without music... what would we do?? Even the beautiful sounds of nature brings so much peace and happiness to us... the wind blowing among the trees or the sound of rivers weaving through rocks. The music of nature. Music can also bring a lot of sadness and pain... the wonderful tunes of a sitar or notes of a violin that evokes all kinds of emotion within.

Its a talent that not many have... the ability to create or play good music... I really suck when it comes to musical instruments. I admire and adore great musicians that create new music. Am more of a listener… hahahaha. Great musicians… because they are able to conjure new tunes or tones never before heard. This is truly an earmark of a great musician... the ability to make new and beautiful music from sheer talent and God given grace. This is the hallmark of great classical composers (western and eastern), tribal music, jazz, blues, rock and not to forget dance. We live in a world of great talents and wonderful musicians... its also really fortunate we can listen to music that was composed hundreds of years ago.

However, what I cannot stand is ‘copycat’ music... or music by people with no talent, bad taste and really horrible ideas. Some of these so called musicians only have pretty faces but no talent in any musical instruments and worse... lip sync singers. There are many of these today.. influencing mainly the commercial or 'majority' listeners. All they do is shake and dance... and sometimes 'try' to sing. With so much electronica and studio influence... this kinda music or musicians are spoiling the whole sense of music for money. Money has become such a force in the music industry it is polluting raw and creative talent from rising. If you are not pretty, sexy or stupid... then its very hard to get your music appreciated.



Could u be love... and be loved??? Bob Marley

The magic of Ray

When Lucille sings... BB King

ninja turtles... chop.. chop...

Talking about Florentine art... I will not be forgiven if ... I dun mention ... Michelangelo!!! The greatest son of Florence, Italy... his influence is everywhere. I believe, as a painter Botticelli is a good match for Michelangelo... I also think many have overrated Michelangelo... he is no doubt.. extremely good... however the Catholic church influence at that time made him a superstar. As a painter ... or sculptor... by its own merit... he can be outdone by a few... BUT as a painter AND sculptor... and as an ARTIST... there is no match.

As with Botticelli, Michelangelo started young... working with his family business... stonecutters. He learned his craft through the hard way... beginning a life-long affair with stone.. marble. His father gave him a difficult time, suppressing his talent and skill... his mother was sick most of the time. But this dude has great ambitions... and god given skills. Roaming the gardens and city streets... he slowly found inspiration and worked his way to the top. A lot of great Florentine masters were around to influence his work or guide him.. Bertoldo di Giovanni, Donatello, Lorenzo and many others.

I still think he is a better sculptor than painter... he is most remembered for the Sistine Chapel... but his marble figures are more outstanding and immensely inspirational.

p.s. Happy New Year all... :D




MichelangeloRebellious Slave - 1513-16, Musee du Louvre, Paris

Michelangelo Dying Slave1513-16 Louvre Museum, Paris