Indonesia Perlu Belajar dari India

Sebulan terakhir ini saya berkesempatan ke kota Villahermosa, Mexico, dan empat kota di India (New Delhi, Dehra Dun, Mumbai, Ahmedabad) untuk urusan kerja. Lebih kurang saya bekerja di tiap negara selama seminggu dan melihat keseharian dengan berlari di jalanan.

1. Kualitas Kota

Saya menilai kualitas kota dari empat parameter:

(i) kejernihan air sungai,
(ii) kelayakan trotoar untuk pejalan kaki,
(iii) keindahan taman kota, dan
(iv) kesemrawutan jalan.

Dari keempat parameter ini, kota-kota di Jawa (Bandung, Jakarta, Solo, Surabaya) yang pernah saya tinggali berada di bawah kota-kota semacam yang saya kunjungi di Mexico dan India, kecuali Mumbai.

Villahermosa, Mexico. Kota Villahermosa, Mexico adalah kota terbesar ke-27 di Mexico dan bisa dibandingkan dengan Malang, Jawa Timur. Jalan dari airport ke kota Villahermosa lebih rapi dan tertata, walaupun lebih kurang sama lebarnya. Tidak ada pengendara sepeda motor atau mobil yang seenaknya sendiri. Kualitas udara Villahermosa lebih bagus dari Surabaya dan Malang. Tidak saya lihat asap hitam mengepul dari bus kota yang melintasi jalan-jalan utama Villahermosa. Trotoar untuk pejalan kaki berfungsi dengan baik. Danau yang terletak tengah kota tertata apik dan masyarakat bisa menikmati suasana asri sekitar danau. Taman-taman kota tertata lumayan dan masyarakat bebas menikmati.

Dehra Dun, India. Kota kecil ini terletak di kaki pegunungan Himalaya. Suasana hiruk pikuknya seperti di kota Wonosobo, tempat kita dulu berakhir tahun saat di Indonesia. Walaupun kecil, airport Dehra Dun tertata bagus dan terawat.

Ahmedabad, India. Kota ini terletak di negara bagian Gujarat, tempat kelahiran Mahatma Gandhi, dan mempunyai jalan raya lapang walaupun kotanya jauh lebih kecil dari Mumbai atau New Delhi. Airport Ahmedabad juga tertata bagus dan terawat.

New Delhi, India. Daerah sekitar India Gate mempunyai jalan-jalan luas dan trotoar lebar dan rendah sehingga sangat menyenangkan buat pejalan kaki dan pelari jalan seperti saya. Banyak anjing liar di mana-mana, yang mungkin membuat takut sebagian kita jika tidak terbiasa. Polusi udara jauh di bawah Jakarta. Saya masih ingat sulitnya bernafas saat lari dari Cawang ke Senen karena polusi udara dari knalpot mobil dan sepeda motor yang luar biasa padatnya. Kesulitan bernafas ini tidak saya rasakan saat di New Delhi.

Taman-taman New Delhi lebih asri dari di Jakarta. Banyak penduduk New Delhi yang merebahkan diri untuk tidur siang di taman-taman. Taman-taman Jakarta dipagari dan tidak seasri yang saya lihat di New Delhi. Ada daerah kumuh di New Delhi, demikian juga di Jakarta, tapi keunggulan New Delhi sebagai ibu kota negara terlihat nyata.

Mumbai, India. Sekilas pandang, Mumbai seperti Jakarta. Padat, pengap, dan kumuh. Dharavi – perkampungan kumuh (slum) di jantung kota Mumbai – tampak dari luar seperti daerah Jatinegara atau Tambora, Jakarta. Saya pernah masuk ke perkampungan kumuh di balik gedung-gedung mewah Jakarta, tapi tidak sempat masuk ke Dharavi.

Mumbai juga hiruk pikuk dengan pembangunan gedung bertingkat tinggi. Bangunan-bangunan yang ada tidak semegah di Jakarta. Tapi di sini justru menurut saya Jakarta terlihat sangat timpang karena kemegahan yang ada berjejeran dengan kemelaratan yang menyesak.

2. Kualitas Pemimpin

Kualitas penduduk India yang terdidik, yang memimpin pemerintahan dan perusahaan, terlihat lebih bagus dari golongan terdidik Indonesia karena 3 hal:

1. Penguasaan bahasa Inggris. Bahkan pelayan hotel sampai sopir taksi di New Delhi dan Mumbai bisa berbahasa Inggris. Tidak ada kecanggungan sama sekali saat karyawan dan pimpinan mereka mengutarakan pendapat mereka dalam bahasa Inggris. Semua diutarakan dengan baik dan lengkap.

2. Kemampuan teknik bagus dan tidak takut mengutarakan pendapat. Pegawai Indonesia lebih banyak menanyakan hal-hal umum dan kurang berani mengutarakan pendapat mereka. Ini berbeda sekali dengan yang saya alami selama seminggu di India. Mereka tidak langsung menanyakan biaya proyek, tapi mengulas detail masalah-masalah teknis dan terlihat mempunyai ilmu dasar sains dan matematika kuat.

3. Kesederhanaan tenaga terdidik India lebih bagus dari yang di Indonesia. Saya sempat terkaget melihat pimpinan perusahaan minyak India memakai mobil Honda Civic. Mana mau pimpinan Pertamina memakai Honda Civic? Pengusaha beraset milyaran dolar yang ditemui saat meeting di New Delhi mengendarai sendiri mobil listrik Reva buatan Mahindra. Mana mau pemilik perusahaan Indonesia beraset puluhan milyar rupiah - apalagi puluhan trilyun rupiah - menyetir sendiri mobil listrik?

Jeleknya kualitas pemimpin Indonesia dibandingkan kualitas pemimpin India ini tampak lebih menyolok dibandingkan kualitas lingkungan hidup kota. Pemimpin India lebih sederhana walau lebih pintar dan berani. Semangat swadeshi India membuat saya kagum karena tidak cuma di ucapan saja.

Indonesia paling tidak ketinggalan dua langkah dari India. Indonesia perlu belajar dari India.

Walk Slowly

I often remind myself to walk slowly. As I walked back to my office from gym today, I felt good. Meeting a couple of colleagues there and checking whether I am still fit. I met several students who were diligently exercising. Note to self: If they complain about difficult courses I teach, remind them that they need to work as hard as they do in the gym.

I even paid attention to textures of buildings I passed along the way. Grey concrete corners now greeted me. Even symmetric pavement stones did not forget me. Often silent tree branches and twigs waved me by. I felt the quiet campus atmosphere: lectures ended last week and students must be busy studying now for final exams. The –15 C cold air did not feel as cold. These in-the-moment sensations filled me. When I walked slowly.

I often wondered why I had to walk fast. As if I was the most important person in the world. As if. I hardly save any moment by walking fast. It is when I sit and think that count, not when I walk.

The moments between sitting are precious. I walk slowly to reconnect with those around me. To walk slowly is divine. It is graceful and beautiful.

Hubungan Kerja Satu Arah

Beberapa kali saya diundang perusahaan2 Canada untuk presentasi dan perhatikan ada perbedaan budaya antara perusahaan2 Canada dengan perusahaan2 Indonesia. Yang paling menyolok adalah budaya perusahaan Canada yang lebih terbuka dan kesungguhan karyawan untuk bekerja.

Budaya perusahaan yang tidak terbuka di Indonesia sering karena atasan atau pemilik perusahaan tidak berpendidikan memadai. Atasan yang seperti ini memilih jaim dengan tidak berkomunikasi terbuka dengan bawahan dan karyawannya. Bisa karena malu ketahuan tidak berpendidikan. Bisa karena kurang wawasan, jadi tidak tahu harus berkomunikasi bagaimana. Bisa karena untuk mengurangi permintaan kenaikan gaji.

Alur komunikasi kemudian berjalan satu arah – dari atas ke bawah saja – dan perusahaan tidak berkembang karena team work tersumbat. Bawahan dan karyawan akhirnya menunggu perintah saja tanpa ada inisiatif dari bawah. Gaya bekerja ini lalu jadi budaya perusahaan.

Rantai pemutus komunikasi satu arah ada di tangan atasan atau pemilik perusahaan. Satu alasan yang sering diucapkan untuk tetap berkomunikasi satu arah adalah kualitas karyawan jelek, jadi tidak ada gunanya berkomunikasi dua arah. Kualitas karyawan jelek juga jadi alasan memberi gaji rendah. Jika karyawan merasa dua hal ini: gajinya rendah dan kualitasnya jelek, tapi tetap bekerja di perusahaan tersebut, maka sudah jodohnya karyawan bekerja di perusahaan ini. They deserve each other, kata orang bule.

Perusahaan2 asing di Indonesia makanya lebih maju karena mereka berani menggaji karyawan lebih tinggi. Perusahaan2 ini mendapat kualitas karyawan bagus dan berani menuntut kinerja tinggi. Mereka juga tidak enggan memecat karyawan yang tidak pecus. 

Sebaliknya, perusahaan nasional yang menggaji rendah karyawan sering bermain petak umpet jika karyawannya meminta kenaikan gaji, karena sebenarnya tidak mau memecat karyawan bergaji rendah. 

Undang Undang Ketenagakerjaan Indonesia tapi juga tidak memihak pemilik perusahaan karena UU ini terlalu melindungi karyawan. Belum lagi dengan tumpang tindihnya peraturan ketenagakerjaan Indonesia dan oknum-oknum pemerintah yang memanfaatkan situasi kemelut hubungan kerja perusahaan. UU Ketenagakerjaan yang imbang semestinya memudahkan atasan untuk memecat karyawan yang tidak pecus.

Karena di Indonesia karyawan digaji rendah dan atasan beranggapan karyawan tidak pecus bekerja, maka yang terjadi adalah iklim kerja petak umpet. Karyawan langsung menyebar resume untuk cari kerja baru begitu mulai bekerja satu minggu saja. Atasan langsung pasang muka jaim agar karyawan segan – kalau perlu takut – untuk meminta kenaikan gaji. 

Indonesia Butuh Partai Buruh

Perang kelas sosioekonomi sebenarnya berjalan sejak lama di Indonesia. Kaum buruh selalu jadi pecundang karena mereka kurang terorganisir, tidak berpendidikan, dan tidak berduit. Indonesia butuh Partai Buruh karena partai-partai sekarang berserikat kerap cuma berdasarkan kesamaan agama. Parpol-parpol berbau agama ini konsep usang dan tidak perlu dipertahankan jika mengingat apa yang barusan terjadi di pemilihan gubernur Jakarta dan pemilihan presiden AS. Konsep partai berbasis agama akan punah seiring bergeraknya jaman.

Pikirin ini timbul saat aku dan istri menikmati makan siang sushi buatannya. Dia nyeletuk, "Gila gak sih, jahe irisan buat makan sushi ini harganya Rp 100 ribu loh di Jakarta." Aku kontan aja bilang "Sementara pembantu rumah tangga cuma digaji Rp 500 ribu per bulan." "Heh, itu aja aku diprotes teman-temanku karena katanya merusak pasaran," selorohnya.

Merusak pasaran? "What the fuck!" seruku. Itu saja sama class warfare (perang kelas) karena kelompok yang kaya tidak mau membagi rejeki mereka dengan yang miskin (baca: kaum buruh), walaupun pembagian itu sebenarnya cukup fair. Yang kaya ingin mempertahankan status quo dengan cara berkomplot. Kerja pembantu sebulan dihargai 5 kaleng jahe teman makan sushi! Makan sekali di Pizza Hut di Tebet Square untuk 3 orang saja bisa kena Rp 250,000, yang sama dengan gaji 3 hari sopir Jakarta.

Servis yang diberikan kaum buruh di Indonesia amat sangat bagus. Tukang cukurku di Jatiwaringin bisa memplontos kepalaku dengan mulus berkilat. Di Calgary, tidak ada yang mau kerja seperti pak Agus – tukang cukurku di Jatiwaringin – jika aku tidak bayar Rp 300,000. Apalagi pekerjaan memplontos kepala mengkilat bukan pekerjaan mudah karena butuh tangan tangkas dan stabil seperti dokter bedah. Di Jakarta aku cukup bayar Rp 30,000 untuk cukur kepala plus pijat kepala.

Keterkaitan pendidikan dengan gaji rendah sangat jelas, tapi kaum buruh tidak mampu menikmati pendidikan bagus karena tidak punya uang. Kenapa tidak punya uang? Karena gaji mereka amat sangat rendah, diukur dengan cara apapun. Amat tidak masuk akal untuk bisa hidup dengan layak buat suami istri beranak 2 dengan gaji Rp 4 juta. Tapi sangat banyak keluarga Indonesia dengan gaji ini hidup di Jakarta dan punya anak lebih dari 2.

Kenapa aku bilang Rp 4 juta tidak cukup? Gampang menghitungnya. Makan 3 kali sehari untuk 4 orang butuh minimum Rp 50,000/hari jika masak sendiri. Sekolah 2 anak bisa memakan biaya Rp 300,000/bulan. Transportasi bisa Rp 20,000/hari, entah naik bus atau sepeda motor. Tiga biaya ini – makan, sekolah, transportasi – saja butuh Rp 2.4 juta. Belum biaya mencicil rumah dan sepeda motor. Belum biaya darurat untuk undangan kawin, rumah sakit, dan tabungan mudik. Belum lagi biaya pakaian dan tamasya ke kebun binatang Ragunan atau Ancol.

Baru beberapa gelintir pemimpin pemerintahan yang benar-benar ingin mengartikulasikan pemahaman tertindasnya kaum buruh ke aksi-aksi nyata. Salah satunya adalah Jokowi dan Ahok. Tapi Indonesia masih butuh banyak lagi untuk membela yang lemah. Indonesia butuh Partai Buruh!

Mechanics Problem 3: Sliding Pendulum

A small block of mass m sits at the left edge of a smooth hemispherical bowl of radius R and mass M. The small block is released from rest and slides up and down the bowl without friction, effectively moving as a pendulum. Assume as well that there is no friction between the ground and the the flat bottom of the bowl.

Determine the speed of the bowl when the small block reaches the bottom of the bowl. Determine the distance travelled by the bowl by the time the small block reaches the right edge of the bowl and stops there.

The Dirac-delta

The Dirac-delta functional δ(x–a) is an extremely useful mathematical object despite its abstract nature. It was proposed by Paul Dirac – an electrical engineer who decided to become a physicist and shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrodinger. The story went that mathematicians did not like the way the Dirac-delta was derived and defined by its inventor, which was probably considered not rigorous enough, but in the end mathematicians recognized its beauty and importance. Paul Dirac also wrote a quantum mechanics textbook, The Principles of Quantum Mechanics, which was written concisely and beautifully at the same time.

The Dirac-delta exemplifies a proof that when an idea anchors several things at once, it needs not be explicit. It is a subtle object since it is defined by an integral representation:

∫ dx f(x)δ(x–a) = f(a),

where the integral is performed over an interval that includes x = a. δ(x–a) = 0 in almost everywhere except at x = a. Despite this extremely localized effect, it is so strong that it never gives a chance to f(x), as it is integrated over the interval, to yield anything other than its value at x = a. It is difficult to explicitly write what δ(x–a) is. There are several representations of the Dirac delta, e.g., a Gaussian peak and a Lorentzian peak, but they are still approximations to what the integral representation sufficiently captures.

Using the integral representation, we can derive three basic properties of the Dirac-delta:

1. ∫ dx f(x) δ⁽ⁿ⁾(x–a) = (-1)ⁿ f ⁽ⁿ⁾(a), where the (n) superscript indicates an nth derivative;

2. ∫ f(x) δ(ax–b) = a^-1 f(b/a);

3. ∫ dx f(x) δ(g(x)) = ∑ f(x_i)/g^'(x_i), where x_i are roots of g(x) and the ' superscript indicates a first derivative.

The marvel of the Dirac-delta is its ability to concisely sum up a complete set of continuous functions for the space of nonperiodic functions. It is used to represent a Fourier transform:

δ(x–y) = (2π)^-1 ∫ dk exp[ik(x–y)],

where the integral is over –∞ < k < ∞. This result is obtained from the Fourier series representation of the Dirac-delta and from extending the domain of the Fourier series representation to cover the entire space (–∞ < x < ∞).

The integral representation would become

∫ dx f(x) δ(x–y) = (2π)^-1 ∫ dx f(x) ∫ dk exp[ik(x–y)]

                          = (2π)^-1 ∫ dk exp[–iky] f(k) = f(y),

which defines both Fourier transform and its inverse of f(x). This is the most concise way to define a Fourier transform I know - as clearly explained by Mark Swanson's Path Integrals and Quantum Processes. A complete derivation of Fourier transform and its math details can found in Ian Sneddon's Fourier Transforms, which is a terrific source book on Fourier transform.

The Dirac-delta is used to model effects of periodic diffraction slits, to obtain Green's functions of various differential equations, and many more. It has wide-ranging applications, from specific mathematical models to fundamental equations.

Sirkus

Aku bukan diriku lagi

Lama tak ingat buat apa 

Teman kerabat mengejarku

Aku jadi orang mahapenting

Untuk masalah amat tak penting

Besok pakai baju apa

Nanti mau ngopi dimana
Kita beli gincu warna apa

Kemarin kamu difuck siapa

Mana peduli aku cuuk!

Saat aku tanya kamu cinta kenapa

Kamu bilang payudaraku elok

Tapi besok akan tertunduk layu

Kamu bilang mataku menyala

Tapi lusa redup terdera keriput

Mana peduli kamu cuuk!

Tak Sampai

Umur menapak senja, sebar senyumku

Tidak bisa sembunyikan hambar hatiku.

Hanya kau tahu: sembilu tersimpan lama

Walau aku sudah terima semua.

Hidupku terwujud palsu dan aku biasakan

Kubur mata hatiku dengan kealiman lazim.

Jalan sendiri aku di sisa hidup ini

Walau semua menyapaku: aku sepi.

Mechanics Problem 2

I like simple mechanics problems that illuminate fundamentals. An example is shown in the schematic diagram above. 

A small block of mass m₁ is released from rest at the tip of an inclined plane of a wedge of mass m₂. The wedge base has a length d and the incline has an angle θ. The small block slides on the incline and eventually reaches its bottom. The wedge will slide to the left as the small block slides.

Neglecting friction, determine the speed of the wedge when the small block reaches the bottom of the inclined plane.

Hint: This problem requires you to use conservation of momentum and conservation of energy, in addition to understanding inertial reference frame. An alternative way is to use Newton's second law and to use a clever kinematic constraint.

Beta Distribution

Out of the 5 probability distribution groups I discussed in my previous blog, one group I like the most is the beta distribution. It sits alone – like me when writing this blog – compared to the other 4 groups. Another group that stands alone is the hypergeometric distribution, but this can be approximated by binomial distribution at some point.

Beta distribution is still connected to binomial, but with a clever twist involving conditional probability. It is worth telling in this blog. The story goes like this.

Binomial distribution gives the probability of having r successes out of n trials, where the sequence of these r successes among the n trials does not matter. It is equal to n!/(r! (n–r)!) p^r(1-p)^n–r, and it is a conditional probability P(r | P = p) since it gives us the probability of getting r successes if there are n trials and the probability of success is p.

There are many situations where the value of p is unknown. For instance, if I work as a port authority's container inspection staff, I have to inspect thousands of incoming containers to the port. It is impossible to inspect all of these containers, so I have to sample only a fraction of them. As I sample them, I will find containers that have to be processed further and others that pass security and other checks. From the limited sampling I have done, I have to then determine what is the most likely total number of containers that actually need further processing. This data is useful if I would like to propose additional inspection staff, for example. In a situation like this, beta distribution becomes very useful.

Using example above, you can imagine that there are a lot of useful applications for beta distribution.

Beta distribution is obtained from the binomial using Bayes' theorem since it gives the conditional probability of probability, P(p | R = r), if there are r successes out of n trials from the sampling done. The Bayes' theorem states that P(p | R = r) P(r) = P(r | P = p) P(p). Since P(p) = 1 and P(r) = 1/(r + 1), we arrive at the beta distribution:

P(p | R = r) = (n+1)!/((n–r)! r!) p^r (1–p)^n–r.

It looks similar to the binomial distribution, but they are very different because p is the variable for beta distribution: it gives the probability distribution of probability of getting r successes out of n trials. In other words, to get a certain r successes for a given number of trials n, we can vary the probability p.

If the inspections are done many times, it is reasonable to seek the average of the probability p. But if the inspection is done once, it is the most likely probability p we need to find. Analyzing beta distribution further allows us to determine the optimum sampling size so that we can minimize errors and keep the inspection cost down.

The mean of p is equal to (r+1)/(n+2) with its attendant standard deviation. How about the most likely probability p? I will leave this for you to calculate.

5 Groups of 13 Probability Distributions

I teach a probability and statistics for engineers course this Fall term. One challenging task for students is to correctly pick the most appropriate probability distribution function for a particular problem. It requires them to think about its underlying probability structure and to precisely extract every bit of information from sentences of the problem. They learn that words "at least" or "given that" carry significant implications.

I cover standard discrete probability functions: (i) binomial, (ii) geometric, (iii) negative binomial, (iv) hypergeometric, (v) Poisson, and (vi) uniform, while for continuous probability functions: (vii) uniform, (viii) normal, (ix) exponential, (x) gamma, (xi) Weibull, (xii) lognormal, and (xiii) beta.

I am going to summarize these statistical distribution functions by simple illustrations to highlight the thought process that underlies the selection of the most appropriate distribution function.

1. The first group of the 13 distribution functions is the discrete uniform and the continuous uniform. They are picked if we know only the possible outcomes of a problem without a priori information on their individual likelihood. The outcomes are distinct from each other and are consequently thought to be independent of each other. In other words, a presence of one outcome does not influence the likelihood of another outcome.

We use the discrete uniform if we can count these outcomes as pure numbers (i.e., integers). For instance, a possible outcome of buying grocery is 2 apples. We use the continuous uniform if we deal with intervals, whether distance or time or something else. 12 km distance is an interval, thus a continuous variable. If we use the sign posts along the 12 km distance as counters, then we ought to use the discrete uniform.

2. The second group is headed by the binomial. We need this function to describe the probability of r successes occuring in x attempts. The binomial does not care the sequence of these r successes. For example, 3 successes and 1 failure can be described as p³(1–p), where p is the probability of a success. If we want 3 successes first and then followed by 1 failure – precisely in that order – then the expression p³(1–p) is equal to its probability. However, in many problems we do not care the sequence of appearance of the 3 successes. So, the sequence can be one of these 4: ppp(1–p), pp(1–p)p, p(1–p)pp, (1–p)ppp. Thus, there are 4 possible outcomes. The probability of having 3 successes and 1 failure in which ever order they appear is thus 4ppp(1–p).

Binomial function leads to Poisson function if the probability of success, p, is small. How small? It depends on the number of attempts x. Roughly, px should be several orders of magnitude smaller than x and x needs to be large (i.e., 1000 or more).

Binomial function leads to normal function if the number of attempts is large and our data are expressed in continuous variables, such as time duration or distance. The normal function requires that we have average and standard deviation information. The normal function can also be used – since it approximates binomial – to approximate binomial and Poisson function.

Lognormal function can be thought of as a variation of normal function. The probability of an outcome can be described by binomial function, but there is an exponential function relationship connecting the outcome probability and the binomial function. (Complicated, eh?)

3. The third group is headed by negative binomial. This group also describes the probability of r successes in x attempts. But we impose a peculiar sequence of appearance of the successes: we want 1 out of r successes to occur last in the x attempts. This means ppp(1–p) is ruled out as a possible outcome since the last attempt results in a failure of probability (1–p). Why do we need this peculiar sequence? This requirement describes "waiting time" problems. It describes the probability of waiting for a computer to malfunction, for example. It describes the probability of train arrival, and so on.

If we want 1 success only, the negative binomial function is reduced to the geometric function. From the negative binomial we can get the exponential function.

If our variable is continuous, then the negative binomial becomes the gamma distribution. (Gamma function is not appropriate name since it is referred to one well-known function.) Exponential function can be obtained from the gamma distribution when we want 1 success only.

The exponential function can also be derived from Poisson, so we have an overlap between the second and third group. This overlap occurs because we can describe possible outcomes of having at least 1 success using either Poisson (thus, binomial) or negative binomial function. Probability having at least 1 success is the opposite of probability of having no success. The description of a no-success outcome: (1–p)^x for x attempts is the same for either binomial or negative binomial.

Weibull function can be thought of as an improvement of exponential function since the latter describes a lifetime of a spare part that does not age. A spare part made of metals ages with time. Such spare part, such as a ball bearing, degrades over time and does not fail suddenly.

4. The fourth group is hypergeometric function. It describes the probability of sequentially picking r objects from a basket filled with x objects, given that this population of x objects is divided into two classes: "success" and "failure" objects. It is similar to binomial, but hypergeometric imposes a condition that p, the probability of success, is not constant: p depends on the remaining objects in the basket as we sequentially remove one object after another to yield a total of r objects.

It is expected, therefore, that if the number of objects in the basket is very large, then taking 1 object out, will not significantly change p. In this case, p can be considered constant if we do not take too many objects from the basket, i.e., r is much smaller than x. Hypergeometric function can thus be approximated by binomial when x is very large and r is much smaller.

5. The fifth group is beta function. It is related to binomial, but instead of concerning with the number of successes in a given number of attempts, we actually want to know what is the most likely probability of success given only information on the number of successes. The beta function – which is from the beta integral – tells us how we can guess the most fair probability based on incomplete information.

Jika Tuhan Tidak Ada

Jika Tuhan tidak ada hidup berarti waktu
Hanya sekali bukan singgah sebentar
Tak kenal dirimu waktumu hangus
Waktumu terbuang hidupmu lenyap

Jika Tuhan tidak ada semua hanya dongeng
Cerita lama masyarakat jaman baheula
Kamu pegang erat karena sungguh takut
Bayang akhir hidupmu sendiri

Jika Tuhan tidak ada kamu akan bingung
Biasa pikir timbang hari tunggu akhirat
Tiada larang berdalil dosa suruh janji pahala
Apa jadi pegangan hidup cuma sekali

Jika pun Tuhan ada belum tentu
Dia mau hidupkan kamu lagi
Terlalu bosan muak bermain sama
Pencium pantat tanpa mendebat

Morning Frost

Grass blade morning frost
Smooth supple bike tires

October zero degree sunrise
Helmet whirling calm wind

I sped my body arched
A simple pleasure I smiled

Simply

A floor not pillow suffices
warmth is from you the source

Good food my soul nourished
I more cannot ask for

Kids grow and leave me off
with me one grows old with

What I need I only take
often less more never

Probably

The probability of a probability of an event
occuring remains a probability that always
spans from zero to one, a space large enough
to accept minus infinity to plus infinity.
Where one might allude, insinuate or even
contradict if one has a correct number preceded
by words such as even though, provided that,
given that, who, and last but not least if.

It can be either A occurs given B occurs, or
the other way around, that is a probability
that B occurs given A occurs. And believe
me they are not the same. It can be either
the union or the intersection or the complement
or any combination thereof. And yes, counting
the number of events depending on permutations
and combinations almost always yields a huge
number that no one - almost always also - never
checks – as it is astronomical. So, forward your
arguments as tightly and cleanly as possible.

All of these are not nonsense, if you believe
in polls, weather reports, stock market, and
the odds your mom met your dad a long time
ago. And eventually marrying him. A lesson to
always think about the other side, the alternative,
the what-if, the what-not, the what-the-fuck.
As nothing is never trivial even the impossible.

Calgary

I live in a city at the foot of the Rockies, where the sky is
        the bluest of blue,
      June descends as hails the size of pebbles,
     winter lasts half a year despite chinook winds.
It taught me that west coast is my playground:
valleys and ridges with indelible names, winding roads punctuated by
   alpine lakes and campgrounds.
Where ever I go I miss my Yoho, Kananaskis, and Kootenay.

Rare it was to find candlenuts, shrimp chips, and red chillies,
yet they are now as easy as tzatziki, guacamole, mirin, and hummus.
They mingle, enhancing each other, so I sip tamarind soup with
soba noodles; bacon with red chillies could be next to try.
Its gastronomy expands, culture evolves. From cowboys of
           foothills and prairies to globe-reaching
petrochemical and energy exploration.

I was not from around here: a furthest point from my birthplace:
           a fate sealed by another luck.
I have grown to embrace this land:
       A huge mass cradling the Arctic, sheltered from perils of
global warming, political upheavals, international trade disputes.
A fortress cursed by luck of geography:
     northern edges of two vast oceans, impenetrable floe archipelago.

Octavio Paz's A Tree Within

A tree grew inside my head.
A tree grew in.
Its roots are veins,
its branches nerves,
thoughts its tangled foliage.
Your glance sets it on fire,
and its fruits of shade
are blood oranges
and pomegranates of flame.

Day breaks
in the body's night.
There, within, inside my head,
the tree speaks.

Come closer––can you hear it?

Why I Love Poem

A stomach a poem surely never fills

For it amply rewards the time food gives

I wager with you my dear true friend

Prettier a poem than the prettiest song

Picture is worth a thousand words say you

A thousand memories a poem is worth

It does not dance nor promulgate noises

With the quietest intent it softly speaks

It charts moments locations I write

For the deepest thoughts I have of you

e e cummings' poem

may my heart always be open to little
birds who are the secrets of living
whatever they sing is better than to know
and if men should not hear them men are old

may my mind stroll about hungry
and fearless and thirsty and supple
and even if it's sunday may i be wrong
for whenever men are right they are not young

and may myself do nothing usefully
and love yourself so more than truly
there's never been quite such a fool who could fail
pulling all the sky over him with one smile

Conditional Probability

Suppose we have two related questions:

(a) A family has 2 children. What is the probability of having 2 girls for the family?

(b) A family has 2 children. What is the probability of having 2 girls given that one of the children is girl?

Question (b) has a conditional probability element, while (a) doesn't. To answer (a), we need to list 4 possible cases of having 2 kids: gg, bg, gb, and bb. (b = boy, g = girl.) The probability is thus 1/4 for (a).

We only have 3 possible cases for (b): gg, bg, gb, so that the probability is 1/3.

The notion of conditional probability is the first hurdle for students taking the probability and statistics course I teach this term.

We write P(B | A) for the probability of B to occur, given that A occurs,

P(B | A) = P(B ∩ A)/P(A),

where B ∩ A means both events A and B occur.

If we want to apply this formula to answer part (b), then P(B ∩ A) = 1/4 since there is only one case (gg); P(A) = 3/4 since having 1 girl can happen with first child (gb), second child (bg), or both girls (gg). 

The formula P(B | A) = P(B ∩ A)/P(A) is counterintuitive though, so I would write it as

P(B ∩ A) = P(B | A) P(A).

That is, the probability of having A and B to occur is equal to (i) having A to occur, and (ii) having B to occur given A occurs. The last expression gives more clarity since if A and B are statistically independent, then

P(B | A) = P(B),

so that when A and B are independent, P (B ∩ A) = P(B) P(A).

Depending on available data, any P(B ∩ A), P(B | A), or P(A) can be computed, but clearly we need to know two in order to solve for the third.

Another useful probability formula is

P(A ∩ B) = P(A) + P(B) – P(A ∪ B),

where A ∪ B means either event A or B occurs.

The conditional probability can be used to answer an unconditional probability. For example, the probability of picking for the first time an odd number from the 5 numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is 3/5 since there are 3 odd numbers out of 5. What is now the unconditional probability for picking an odd number for the second time (thus, regardless of the outcome of the first pick)?

Risk Averse

1. I almost had a serious bike accident today because of three good things. I felt better after an episode of sore throat. The weather was great: sunny and 10 C. My bike was lighter because it's Sunday, so I didn't put panniers for books and laptop.

The three things that were supposed to help me enjoy my Sunday biking have caused me lose my guard. They gave an illusion that I was invincible. I felt great and therefore bad thing could not happen. I was wrong.

The bike's front tire hit the sharp edge between the asphalt and the concrete median when I moved to the left lane before an intersection. I lost my balance and the bike wobbled furiously. Luckily, I unclipped my left shoe fast enough to stop without falling. My right shoe was still attached to the right pedal though. It was a close call, uncomfortably close to cars on my right!

2. Biking has inherent life-threatening risks: (i) from other road users, (ii) from the cyclist, and (iii) from road conditions. From my experience, the largest risk comes from the second cause, i.e., myself.

If I am not physically prepared, then I shouldn't go out biking. But feeling too confident or too afraid is also dangerous. When I bike long-distance, I thus never think about the 100 km per day target, I think only about 2 hours ahead. I deal with the risks of 100 km per day target by bringing appropriate clothing, enough food, and learning bike repairs.

In other words, the long-term risks cannot be mixed with short-term risks. Long-term risks are managed by good preparations and deliberate planning. I prepare my family members for my possible death when I bike long-distance. I discuss with my wife steps to take when such possibility does occur. I tell my sons that I could die on the road when a vehicle hits me. I share with them what they need to do in case I die.

3. Taking risk is thus normal, when we understand and accept all possible consequences that may come. Becoming fully aware of all possibilities – good and bad – is actually a good thing.

Taking risk is habitual. The more I take risks, the easier it is for me to handle them as I become more experienced. I will be in a hospital today, sustaining serious injuries or worse, if I am a rookie cyclist.

The hardest part is thinking about all possibilities that can occur when an action is taken. This is when experience and knowledge help a lot. Taking risk is thus not the same as being ignorant.

Defining Directions for Position, Velocity, and Acceleration

I teach an engineering dynamics course this term. I have read several engineering dynamics textbooks and am not impressed by how thick these books are. They gave a lot of examples and problems, but clear concise exposition of concept is often lacking. Reading these books makes me want to write my own textbook.

One example is a lack of clear explanation on how to consistently assign and interpret sign values (positive or negative) to position, velocity, and acceleration. An easy way to get rid of this confusion is offered here. I hope it is concise enough.

Velocity is the rate of change of position x of a particle with time t:

v = dx/dt.

The direction (i.e., sign) definition of the three quantities starts with the definition for the position x. If dx > 0, then v > 0 since dt is always positive. Now, dx = x(final) – x(initial) > 0.

v > 0 thus produces x(final) > x(initial). In other words, v > 0 corresponds to the direction of increasing x.

What about the acceleration? The acceleration a depends on velocity v through this relation:

a = dv/dt,

so that a > 0 if dv > 0 since dt is always positive. By the same argument, we say that a > 0 produces v(final) > v(initial).

It is possible that both v(final) and v(initial) < 0, even though v(final) > v(initial), so that a > 0 points in one direction, while both final and initial velocities point in the opposite direction. Having a > 0 or a < 0 thus does not correspond to a direction of the particle's motion. The direction of the motion is determined by v.

If a has an opposite sign to v, then the particle's speed will slow down. If a and v share the same direction, then the particle's speed increases.

First Day of Class

1. A Canadian undergraduate student pays about $6000/year for enrolling in 10 courses at a Canadian university. Each course has about 50-hours worth of lectures and tutorials, so each 1-hour class contact costs $12. A good lecture is like having a nice lunch but is more expensive than watching a movie. A lecture can be inspiring or dull, which are two possible outcomes from watching a movie.

2. I don't believe a university course should be directly applicable to "real world". My one-year experience working for industry taught me that even a managerial job in an oil and gas company will become a routine over 6 months. 

But a course should at least improve students' thinking skills: filtering information from different sources, independently testing opinions against facts, articulating thoughts into an actionable plan.

3. Incorporating active learning components into courses is a key part of teaching, something that I will start doing this year. Students these days (i) do not easily defer to an authority figure and (ii) work and communicate constantly in group. 

A traditional delivery method - where a teacher scribes on a board and students observe - will be a thing of the past, especially with the forward march of online course delivery companies like Coursera and Udacity.

Kepatuhan

1. Anakku yang termuda, saat di Indonesia, belajar shalat karena diharuskan mengikuti pelajaran agama di sekolahnya dan diberitahu akan masuk neraka jika tidak shalat. Aku dulu juga diperlakukan seperti itu saat mulai belajar agama.

Yang berbeda adalah anakku – karena mengenyam sekolah di Canada dan setelah mencoba shalat beberapa bulan – tidak takut bilang dia capek shalat, karena harus bangun pagi dan harus ingat terus jadwal 5 kali sehari. Aku tahu dia tidak ngawur mencari alasan karena dia juga bilang: "Aku masih tetap orang Islam lho, tapi untuk shalat memang terlalu berat buatku." Bisa jadi dia diplomatis, tapi paling tidak dia berpikir sebelum memberi alasan.

Aku tidak memaksa anakku untuk shalat atau tidak. Aku bilang ke anakku: "Oke, jika itu keputusanmu; aku bisa memahami. Silakan." (Aku dulu rajin shalat, tapi sekarang tidak lagi. Sehingga responku juga lebih bebas.)

2. Setiap anak punya naluri merdeka. Bebas berpendapat dan bertindak. Aku tidak akan mengekang modal dasar berpikir anakku.

Aku tidak mau anakku shalat karena dia ditakut-takuti masuk neraka. Apalagi dituntun sama orang lain. Biarkan dia berpikir dengan bebas dan berkeputusan apa pun sesuai alur pikirannya sendiri.

Aku ingin kepatuhan anakku tumbuh dari dan untuk dirinya saja. Tidak dipengaruhi orang lain, termasuk orang tuanya. Dia mestinya hanya patuh ke naluri dirinya sendiri. Yang dibentuk dengan sadar dan pikiran jernih.

3. Shalat memang membentuk disiplin. Untuk patuh kepada ritual Islam yang ketat sifatnya. Ritual ini awalnya keharusan, dan jika dilakukan terus bertahun-tahun, akan menjadi kebiasaan. Lalu berubah menjadi keniscayaan. Kepatuhan menjadi pagar yang tidak mudah dilangkahi.

Untuk komunitas kurang terdidik, ritual beragama sangat ampuh dalam menjaga kepatuhan, ketertiban, dan keseragaman. Komunitas lebih mudah dikontrol dan dimanipulasi karena kepatuhan yang terbentuk.

Orang kemudian takut berpendapat lain karena akan berbeda dengan mayoritas. Dan yang berbeda dari yang seragam selalu salah. Kalau kamu nyeleneh, kamu pasti orang gila.

Orang lain lalu dicek kepatuhannya dengan menilai apa dia shalat tidak. Agama menjadi polisi. Agama jadi alat untuk meredam keragaman. Agama menjadi alat penguasa untuk mengekalkan kekuasaan. Agama akhirnya sebab komunitas kurang terdidik menjadi mandul, statis, tidak bergerak.

Eropa dan Amerika Utara di abad 16 sampai 19 juga sangat santri, tidak berbeda dengan di Indonesia sekarang, walaupun agama mayoritas mereka tentu berbeda. Kesantrian Eropa dan Amerika Utara ini luntur dengan sendirinya, seiring dengan semakin terdidiknya mereka. Ini respon alami dan saya tidak melihat ada perkecualian dengan yang di Indonesia. Tentunya jika pendidikan di Indonesia lebih baik dari sekarang.

Buku Christopher Hitchens

Saya putuskan beli bukunya - god is not Great - saat di toko buku dekat rumah kemarin malam. Buku Schopenhauer yang saya beli minggu lalu belum selesai, tapi saya lagi lapar. Mungkin karena gaya menulis abad 19 yang membuatnya sukar dibaca; rasanya seperti berenang di lumpur. Buku Christopher Hitchens jauh lebih enak dibaca: segar, tajam, menggigit. Saya suka gaya tulisannya.

Mungkin karena bulan puasa kali. Sering saya berpikir tentang agama 3 minggu terakhir ini. Gak tahu lah. Yang pasti, yang ditulis Christopher Hitchens mengingatkan saya akan perjuangan saya mengerti tentang agama sejak kecil.

Kenapa tuhan perlu disembah jika dia maha kuasa? Bukannya jika seperti itu, dia seperti diktator? (Jangan berargumen bahwa kita sembahyang untuk mengingatkan kita akan kekuasaannya; karena jika ini alasannya, maka jelas manusia lah yang menulis aturan seperti ini.) Kenapa dongeng Adam Hawa tidak bisa dibuktikan dan tidak cocok dengan bukti evolusi? Jika tiap agama mengklaim dia yang benar, bukankah sangat mungkin jadinya tidak ada yang benar?

Saya juga sangat jengkel dengan pemimpin2 (gadungan) agama yang bilang semua sudah ada di kitab suci. Ketika penemuan ilmiah diumumkan, mereka akan bilang "Aha, itu sudah ada di surat sekian ayat sekian. Rupanya ini toh yang tuhan maksud dengan bersabda seperti ini. O sayang ya, ilmuwan Barat yang menemukannya. Makanya kita harus menguasai iptek, blah blah blah." Udah gak ngapa2in, ngeklaim seenak udelnya sendiri. Yo opo iki rek!

Saya juga tidak setuju dengan gaya arogan Richard Dawkins dan buku2nya. Tidak perlu sama sekali, walaupun bukti empiris sudah banyak. Orang bebas untuk berpikir. Tapi memang, jika kita tidak pernah merasa ragu, kita tidak pernah berpikir.

Makan

1. Makan adalah satu-satunya aktivitas tubuh yang memasukkan benda asing padat dan cair ke dalam tubuh kita. Berhubungan seks saja tidak seperti makan karena benda asing yang dimasukkan sebentar aja. Bernafas memasukkan gas ke paru-paru tapi jumlahnya tidak sebesar makanan.

2. Karena makan bersifat istimewa diatas, makan tidak bisa dianggap sepele. Apalagi dilakukan 3 kali sehari. Lebih baik sedikit tapi enak dan sehat. Karena makanan yang tidak enak dan tidak sehat merusak cita rasa dan kesehatan.

3. Porsi makan sehari-hari tidak banyak sebenarnya. Sepiring sekali makan sudah cukup. 3000 kcal/sehari (2 piring sekali makan) baru diperlukan jika bersepeda 120 km. Jika badan saya gemuk, berarti saya makan melebihi takaran. Gak ada ceritanya gemuk tanpa makan berlebihan.

4. Karena sepiring sudah cukup, lebih penting jadinya makan yang berkualitas. Waktu saya dulu nyari istri, saya gak peduli omongan orang istri harus bisa masak. Tapi saya bersyukur istri bisa masak walaupun saya gak tahu dulunya. Lah wong dulu saya yang ngajari masak; berarti saya bisa masak juga ya he he.

5. Sewaktu kita di Indonesia setahun (2011-2012) satu hal yang saya tidak komplen adalah makanan. Makanan dimana-mana lumayan lah, tapi kebanyakan - terus terang saja - overrated. Kualitas biasa saja tapi ngejualnya atau foto fesbuknya dilambungin minta ampun. Mendingan masakan istriku sendiri deh. Cuma dapur apartemen kita di Jakarta kecil, jadi saya senang sekarang bisa di Calgary dan menikmati makanan istri sendiri.

Calgary - Highwood Pass - Longview Bike Touring

Over the long weekend (4-6 August) I biked to Highwood Pass from Calgary and back. It is 150 km one-way and traverses the mountainous Kananaskis range, which is a segment of the Canadian Rockies. The Calgary-to-Highwood-Pass elevation gain is 1100 m and there are many hills in between. I did it in 1.5 days and I used the remaining 1.5 days to bike back to Calgary via Longview.

The Calgary - Highwood Pass - Longview 320 km route is hilly and challenging. The crux is the 17-km section from the Kananaskis gate to Highwood Pass; it is a non-stop steep uphill biking. Once you conquer it though, you will feel great. I got nice tan lines on my arms and legs from barbecuing my limbs for 3 days. When the weather is raining or snowing, the route will be very challenging.

I used my Trek 520 touring bike. For the trip preparation, I reviewed its manual and learned steps to remove front and rear tires in case I had a flat tire. It's all good until I had to balance the direct-pull cantilever, i.e., the V, bike brakes. I had to visit the Calgary Mountain Co-Op (MEC) store to have them rebalanced. I had both tubes replaced to have a 110 psig pressure on my tire and the bike mechanics allowed me to remove and install the tubes inside the tires. The bike mechanics taught me one trick to balance the V brakes.

1. Day 1. I biked for 120 km from Calgary at 9:30 AM to the Eau Claire campground in the Kananaskis. The 80 km part was along the Trans Canada Highway (Highway 1) going westbound. The bike lane along Highway 1 is wide and does not have many gravels. It's relatively safe, but there were so many cars and trucks passing me by. The challenging uphill section is the Scott Lake Hill, which is about 1 hour away from the exit ramp to the Kananaskis Trail (Highway 40). There are several Texas gates along Highway 40. I get off my bike to cross each to prevent unnecessary problems to my bike.

The Kananaskis Trail sign at the exit ramp off Highway 1

I cooked lunch and refilled my water bottles at the Kananaskis Info Center. Having lunch keeps me going and prevents me from uber-hungry during dinner time. It gives me time to relax and stretch my muscles as well. When biking I stop every hour to drink and have 1 granola bar. I spend about 1 L of water for every 40 km in a cool sunny day. I never let my water reserve go below 1.5 L.

I arrived at the Mount Kidd RV Park at 5 PM. I told the staff I brought a bivy sack and wouldn't take too much space. I didn't make a reservation though, so when I got there I was told I couldn't sleep there since the campground was full. I replied by saying that I was willing to sleep everywhere and would still pay for a regular camp site. The staff did not seem to have experience dealing with adventure travellers since they suggested me to bike for another 40 km to Pocaterra campground at the Upper Kananaskis Lake. Driving a car would take only 30 minutes, the staff said, to which I replied that I biked (and it would take me 2.5 hours since it's constantly uphill.)  I was appalled at their ignorance and insensitivity; a cyclist gets tired too, you know. I understand they have their campground policies to follow, but their inability to accomodate an unusual request demonstrates an ignorance of the fact that their facility is in a backcountry setting.

Sleeping with the stars and the clouds as the roof

In the end, I slept at an empty parking spot at the Eau Claire campground, about 1 hour away from the Mount Kidd. I arrived at the campground at 6:30 PM. I thanked the Eau Claire campground manager who gave me the spot. I was going to sleep in the bush near the campground, and thus decided not to cook dinner, but our accidental chat changed that. He honked in the next morning as his truck passed by to give me an encouragement. A totally different experience from my encounter with the Mount Kidd RV Park staff.

Bike in the bush

2. Day 2. I biked for 85 km from the Eau Claire campground at 8:30 AM to the Greenford campground about 22 km west of Longview. The first 35 km was constantly uphill, and in fact the 17 km section before the Highwood Pass is relentlessly steep uphill.

The annoying part is not the uphill but the flies and the mosquitos that followed and bit me along the 17 km road as I biked slowly. Their bite marks are not gone yet now! I had to stop every 30 minutes to drink, take a breath, and simply rest before the next onslaught. It took me 2.5 hours including 5 5-minute stops to cover this 17 km section! A racing cyclist was polite enough to greet me; he was a lot faster than me, but then again my bike with panniers was 15+ kg heavier.  I screamed my lungs out when I saw the Highwood Pass sign!

These mountain goats want to enjoy their summer too

I was happy when I reached the Highwood Pass, since it would be mostly downhill for 50 km, all the way to Longview. But the bike lane was treacherous: steep downhill, narrow, a lot of sharp gravels, and bumpy. Several times I had to suddenly swerve my handle bars to prevent from hitting a twig or a bump.

Happy cyclist

I stopped for lunch at the Mist Creek picnic area. The creek water was clear and clean. I simply scooped it and used it to cook my lunch. It stands opposite to the brown, murky water of rivers in Jawa island; I returned to Canada 3 months ago after 1 year in Indonesia. Canada is great that it protects its environment for people like me to enjoy.

I stopped at the Highwood House for ice cream and refilling my water. A much needed sugar after a long biking day. What a relief! I reached the Greenford campground at about 6 PM and set up my tarp and bivy sack to sleep after a quiet dinner.

Good and light enough for me to sleep

3. Day 3. I biked for 110 km from the Greenford campground at 8:10 AM to Longview to Calgary via Highway 22 and 22X. The first hour biking from the campground to Longview was so good: blowing mountain tailwind pushing my bike. I finally got to use my bike's high gears after using granny gears extensively the day before. I stopped for coffee and 2 eggs at a popular eatery in Longview. 80+ km to go, but I knew the mountain was behind me.

Smallest but proudest

Little did I recall that the Highway 22 is a rolling-hill highway. I've driven here before, but driving is way different from biking. Uphill and downhill alternate all the time and seem to never end. The third day was very hot (30 C) and I drank a lot of water. I was so happy to see Highway 22X from the last hill near the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory since I had only less than 1 litre of water left. When I saw the Calgary downtown towers I knew I reached home.

4. People like to talk to touring cyclists. I sense this since people would approach and greet me. A father and son camper at the Greenford, who told me they met a Belgian cyclist who biked from Alaska to the campground and wanted to continue to the US. Kids who said biking a long distance is cool and a part of ninja skills. A retired couple who came back from Crownest Pass and the husband wanted to follow my footsteps using a mountain bike. I suggested to him that a mountain bike would be too heavy and slow for mountain road. A father with complete hiking attire and looked bad-ass until he saw me cleaning my pots and spork and greeted me in a very friendly way. A group of hikers who wanted to taste my pasta lunch. I told them I would be happy to give it if they gave me a lift to Longview.

5. In case you are wondering what I brought in my 2 panniers, I provide the details here. The lighter, the better, but a trip to mountain means I have to account for freezing temperature. I brought a 5C down MEC Gosling barrel sleeping bag, MSR E-Bivy Sack, and a $5 tarp bought from Canadian Tire for my sleep system. I brought a Whisperlite MSR stove that has gone with me everywhere, Knorr Sidekick packaged food, Clover Leaf canned tuna, Nature Valley granola bars, Nong Shim instant noodles, tea, sugar, a Light My Fire spork, an MSR simple stainless steel bowl and its accompanying 0.5 L pot for my food system. I brought a MEC Gore-Tex jacket for possible foul rain or snow; a thin Kathmandu Merino wool hoodie; an Eddie Bauer ultralight packable nylon jacket for cool, windy weather; one Nike spandex pant; one MEC cycling short, and 1 nylon t-shirt. I wore the t-shirt for 3 days and - yes - it smelled so bad that it didn't matter anymore.

Crunchy Sea Kelp

Sea kelp not far off Tofino coast

1. Sea kelp is edible. My kayak guide told me such and I ate it raw while sea kayaking. I ended up finishing a whole long leaf. It tastes crunchy and the salty ocean water enhances its flavor. I worried my stomach couldn't handle it though, which was not funny if I had to go on a kayak. Luckily I never had to do that out in the open or inside the kayak hole, LOL!

Never cook too hard, even when boiling eggs

2. We never bring a lot for cooking on our road trip. We keep it simple and don't cook complicated Indonesian dishes. I bring my small MSR stove and have no wish to impress our campsite neighbors. We bring packaged food and it is ready in 30 minutes max, since we always come back hungry after a day long activity.

The driving is long, but it's all for the family

3. Road trip is a hard work for the driver. I clocked in on average 500 km/day for 7 days. My wife and I cook for breakfast and after that I would drive to wherever we want to go. Traveling with kids is challenging since we have to maintain their focus and ease at the same time. Vacationing at home - watching teve or sending them for sport programs - is an easier option.

Is that a Buddha or Jabba the Hutt?

4. Get ready to discover a new experience or a family squabble during a road trip. It's normal to squabble over soft pasta and wet towel. Whoever initiates it needs not be reciprocated. The wonderful payback is the new discovery that is guaranteed to occur. My 9-year old son, for example, really enjoyed his first spelunking (cave exploring). I always appreciate this memorable moment. If you haven't got one, it could be you haven't come out of your comfort zone.

Don't wake us up until food is ready, Dad!

5. Camping is a cheap accomodation alternative for a family. Magically, camping is more memorable over a hotel, hostel, or a cabin stay. My sons always remember our camping trips 5-6 years ago much better than our hotel stays. They remember stories about early morning tea, cold nights, night walks to outhouse, or campfire. Camping is simple: tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, small stove, simple food cooked with water. These uncomfortable elements I think are what create the magic. It's what makes a road trip worth while.

In Praise of British Columbia

Upper Campbell Lake

I learned a lot more about British Columbia during my summer family vacation this year. It is a lot more than Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, and Nanaimo. The farther away I am from these cities, the more beautiful British Columbia becomes. 

This year we spent most of our time in Vancouver Island. You need to take a ferry from the Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver, to get to Nanaimo in Vancouver Island as the starting point to explore Vancouver Island. It is advisable you reserve your ferry ride to Nanaimo at the BC Ferry website; you will not get caught in a local Vancouver traffic jam if you drive straight on Highway 1 from the east (Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford) to West Vancouver.

Don't forget to bring raincoats for your summer trips in BC. The road from Nanaimo to Black Creek, about 20 km north of Courtenay, where the Miracle Beach Provincial Park is located, was drenched with heavy rain. It made the driving a bit more challenging since the Highway 19A is lined with traffic lights until it changes to Highway 19. 

BC Parks, which manages hundreds of provincial parks in the province of British Columbia, has a great website system for campsite reservations. You need to use it since there are a lot of vacationers who travel in BC. The Miracle Beach has more than 200 campsites, for example, and all of them were occupied when we were there. 

Our faithful tents going with us everywhere

I drove to Muchalat Inlet through the town of Gold River from our campground at the Miracle Beach Provincial Park; it is about 150 km drive one-way. We passed through the Strathcona Provincial Park that straddles between Gold River and Campbell River. I found out there was a regular ferry service from Muchalat Inlet to a remote Inuit fishing village of Kyuquot. I talked to a couple who went for a sea kayaking from Muchalat Inlet to Tofino; the whole trip would take about 10 days. They make me want to explore further the British Columbia Pacific Coast and Inlets.

We went to the Horne Lake Cave for cave exploration. It requires a rather steep 30-minute hike to reach the cave. The limestone cave system has a steel door to prevent vandals from ruining the delicate calcite crystals that form aplenty in the system. My younger son learned walking on slippery rocks as he descended about 70 meter further down into the cave. We experienced a total darkness in the cave.

Sea kayaking off the Tofino coast

We went for a whale watching boat trip off Tofino - small tourist-trap town at the tip of the Pacific Rim National Park - and tried sea kayaking. Both were extremely fun and I would recommend for anyone to try. The sea kayaking, however, requires that you are fit and ready to swim in a cold ocean in case the kayak flips.

Muchalat Inlet

For our trip to Tofino and Ucluelet, we pitched our tent at the Sproat Lake Provincial Park, about 13 km west of Port Alberni. The weather was so nice and warm that we finally were able to make campfire! Yeah! We couldn't succeed making one in Miracle Beach because it was always raining. 

Whale, seal, sun fish watching off the Tofino coast

We checked out Stamp River Provincial Park for salmon jumping sights, but there was no salmon at all there. Maybe it's not the right time to see them. We stopped by at the MacMillan Provincial Park to marvel at the giant cedar and Douglas fir trees.

Campfire creates great conversations at night

If you like driving along winding roads, I strongly suggest you try the Port Alberni - Tofino (Highway 4) and Vancouver - Lillooet (Highway 99) route. The roads are narrow and have wicked curves that will surprise you! These two routes will test your driving skills! We saw a Porsche 911 owner sat in disbelief as his car got totally wrecked when he couldn't negotiate the narrow winding roads just before Seton Lake, Lillooet. 

On the way to Vancouver from Calgary, we pitched our tents at the Sunnyside Campground, by Cultus Lake in Chilliwack. It takes only 1 hour drive from Chilliwack to Vancouver, so there is no need to waste money by sleeping in a Vancouver hotel. We spent our last 2 days in Vancouver, but we didn't stay in a Vancouver hotel either. We stayed at the Best Western Mountain Retreat Hotel in Squamish, about 60 km north of Vancouver. It is a bit of a drive, but I won't mind at all testing my driving skills along the winding road between Squamish and Vancouver. 

One reason why I said that "the farther away you are from Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, and Nanaimo, the more beautiful BC becomes" is the desert landscape near Lillooet and Kamloops. It reminds me of Oregon and Nevada desert landscapes. We didn't spend time there, but it captivates me.  Other places in BC worth visiting are Mount Robson, Bugaboo, Bella Coola, Port Hardy. The list simply goes on.