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Dear Mr. Gates:
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Date: Sun, 4 January 2009 10:31 WesternIndonesiaTime Subject: Toyota First Loss In 70 Years
For me, the news about Toyota, the Japanese auto giant and the world's largest car maker, forecasting its first operating loss in 70 years on Monday 22 December 2008, not only reflecting how severe is the present world recession, but also becomes like a reminder for me about how important is my plan of making land journey on a Toyota before I die. Since this "first loss of Toyota in 70 years" happened after I wrote "Paris in Russia and the Toyota Rush" on 26 April 2008.
Date: Sun, 4 January 2009 10:55 WesternIndonesiaTime Subject: The Collapse of Lehman Brothers
The collapse of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008 has certain meanings for me. It happened after I fell down from bicycle on 28 August 2008 and lost my cell phone. As if trying to connect those two incidents, Associated Press for several times using the headlines of "The Dow Jones industrials' moves since Lehman fall" in reporting the Dow Jens index since the collapse of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008. When I worked at the American Express in 1989, one day my supervisor Mr. Wardy gave me and other sales-persons a book, approximately at the size and thick of Fortune magazine, containing the company profile of American Express. It was then I knew that among the major shareholders of American Express was Lehman Brothers. Now that Lehman Brothers has collapsed, after in early this year Mr. Wardy all a sudden contacted me again after so many years of losing contact with me, and after I fell from the bicycle, it makes me feel like the message is about my having to stick with my consent to move to the eternity.
Date: Sun, 4 January 2009 11:22 WesternIndonesiaTime Subject: Swiss Banks Problems And The Tunas Tasik
Recent news about Swiss-banks financial difficulties, Swiss bank UBS should requires six billion Swiss franc ($4.96 billion) capital injection and Swiss bank Credit Suisse announced a net loss of about 3 billion Swiss francs ($2.5 billion) in the two months to end-November and a cut of another 5,300 jobs, reminds me with my work for a Swiss product Noverox in 1983. Noverox is an anti-corrosion product, a Swiss made, and I worked as the sales-engineer at their sole agent in Indonesia, PT Tunas Tasik, in 1983, with the duty of selling Noverox to some industries, factories. The name Tunas Tasik has the meaning of: "bud" for the "tunas", and "lake" or "sea" for the "tasik". At that moment what came to my mind was that the meaning of Tunas Tasik was a bud of water that later on turned bigger and bigger, just like a bud from a seed that turned bigger and bigger to become a big tree. When 21 years later in 2004 the Tsunami hit some Asian countries causing more than 200 thousands victims, it surely reminds me with the "tunas tasik, a bud of water that turned bigger and bigger....." Now I wish the Swiss bank difficulties should not become a bud that turn to become bigger and bigger disaster for human being in this world.
Date: Sun, 4 January 2009 11:58 WesternIndonesiaTime Subject: 14 Days Later And The Fire At Santika Club Thailand
In my previous letter dated 19 December 2008 titled "Cancelling G-77 Gathering, Man Chest Rahma United", I wrote about "....something important for me about the event held by my friends yesterday is because it was held on this month of December, that reminds me with the reunion on December 2004. The first reunion of my ex-senior high school friends I ever attended was on 12 December 2004, at the same place of Dijan Cafe and Restaurant, and 14 days later on 26 December 2004 the Asian Tsunami happened with more than 200 thousand victims in twelve countries. So yesterday's event was like a chance for me to erase my mistake of year 2004. There is the phrase of the prophet that says, the good deed of meeting others would, among which, make life longer........Therefore, my attending the reunion on 12 December 2004, meeting more than 200 friends of mine, could be like prolonging my life multiplied by 200 more. My cancelling yesterday's event will probably erase my mistake, and to strengthen my consent of not prolonging my life, in accordance with my consent to move to the eternity. What would happen 14 days later after 18 December 2008, only God knows, hopefully it will be for the good of human being..... " I did think that what would happen 14 days later after 18 December 2008 would be my meeting the end of my life, in accordance with my consent, for the good of human being. And just one day before that dead-line was met, on 31 December 2008 came the news from Thailand about a blaze from fire-works at the top Bangkok nightclub, Santika nightclub, killed at least 58 people who were celebrating the New Year there. It becomes another reminder of how important it is to realize the "test", which was inspired by a man from Thailand, to support my consent to move to the eternity, otherwise I will remain having the tendency of becoming the bait that trigger disasters. May God help me with this.
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Thank's, A.M. Firmansyah Tel. +62812 183 1538
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