5 Reasons to Learn Mandarin ... and My Comments

I already stated my reason why Mandarin is stupid. And again.

So, it is only proper to comment on people who learn Mandarin. No, not only to comment, but also to judge. 

1) Because you were born in People's Republic of China/Singapore/Taiwan
Congrats! You just win a jackpot! Unlike any other people YOU will learn Mandarin as your native language! I assume that cut downs the difficulty level AT LEAST 60%. I really hope you consider to scrap that writing system of yours. You know, your logogram writing system ...


2) Because they have fallen in love with it!

No contest.

There is no accounting for taste. These people usually are fascinated, fallen in love with Mandarin because the beauty of the logogram script, DESPITE knowing how difficult they are. I say, GO FOR IT! It is always refreshing, empowering, and comforting to do things that you love!! All the problems and difficulties become fun if you really fallen in love with the language.

Nevertheless, we have to remember, some of these people refuse to admit the difficulties in Mandarin. They just assume that everyone will fall in love in it like them, and consider the difficulties irrelevant.
Also, many people fall into some confirmation bias. They can and have fall out of love of Mandarin once they face the staggering problems, but they refuse to admit it! I still love it dammit, and I still enjoy this! NO IT IS NOT DIFFICULT!

So be really careful when you ask opinion from people who "love Mandarin".

3) Because it is important!

The importance of Mandarin is undeniable. So is the fact that our time, energy, and money are limited. If you really want to master Mandarin, you will wasted YEARS or even DECADES. That means, you can already master say ... Spanish and Russian if you use that time, energy and money you spend on learning Mandarin. That means although Mandarin is arguably the 2nd most important foreign language, your energy can be used to learn the 3rd and 4th most important one, with less frustration and with similar, or even more, benefit.

Oh by the way, isn't it more efficient and effective if it were the Chinese who learn English/French/any other non-logogram language? Just sayin here ...

And you can't be Chinese, even after you speak and write Mandarin fluently. Seriously. Even overseas Chinese (See reason #5) have problems to be considered "Chinese" by many mainland Chinese AFTER mastering Mandarin. If you are a caucasian or african or South Asians, or any other people that distinctively NOT CHINESE, you will be considered similar to a monkey that can play piano. You know,"Nice tricks there, but you will only marry my daughter OVER MY DEAD BODY!" mentality.

4) Because your parents order you! No, order is not strong enough. Because your parents FORCE YOU!

News flash: you are a victim of child abuse. Seriously. What kind of parents forced their children to memorize thousands and thousands of symbol? What kind of parents obligated their children to learn a language that causes a pain in the neck whenever we use its dictionary? The time, energy, and money can be used for other things like ... learning Spanish, Swahili, and MANY other foreign languages!

Usually parents do that because they underestimate Mandarin. Show them this article and the links. Hopefully that would enlighten them.

5) Because you are a "Chinese"! An overseas Chinese BUT STILL A CHINESE!

In "Bahasa Indonesia" there is a word that is hard to translate to English: "Bebal". Usually people translate it into "foolish". Nope, it is different. A foolish person is a person who can't learn. A "bebal" person is a person who REFUSE TO LEARN.

Until today, Chinese culture IS A "BEBAL" CULTURE!! Every other people on earth already realized using a symbol for every single word is very stupid. That's why centuries or even milennias ago they created alphabet/abjad/abugida/syllabary. How the Chinese react to this difficulty? Chinese are smart and clever, they surely notice this, right? Nope. They say how PROUD they are of their "3000 years history." They are proud because their "heavenly language" permeates a high culture, unlike the "stupid alphabets" from the non-Chinese aka barbarians.

Yeah right. Sounds like 3000 years of refusal to learn to me. 

Now, YOU as a "modern Chinese" want to perpetuate this monstrosity and smugness voluntarily? SERIOUSLY?! Are you high?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My tips: if you learn Mandarin because reason #3 - #5 and HAVE TO learn Mandarin, SKIP THE STUPID LOGOGRAM! Just learn the Hanyu Pinyin romanization and the spoken language. The tonal nature of Mandarin already poses a challenge. No need to compound it with memorizing symbols in thousands. If reading those logograms is an absolute necessity, you can learn it AFTER you master the speaking and the Hanyu Pinyin.

Oh by the way, I don't want to put "bebal" label on any culture. That's why I really hoped that China can change and ditch that terrible logogram. I assure you, more people will learn Chinese after that. I assure you too, native speakers will learn to write FASTER than ever! Move the study of logogram into "classical Chinese", to the hobbyists only domain. Spare us, laymen, the horror.


Further reading:
Don't Learn Mandarin
Why Chinese is so Damn Hard

The West, Colonialism, and China

Many people hate "the West". Understandable. UK, USA, France, etc. are responsible for colonialism all over the world. Let me stress this, colonialism is NEVER pretty. It encapsulates racism, economic injustice, political injustice, slaughter, and so many other horrible things. It creates misery, resentments, and so many other "negative feelings."

Unfortunately, some people lost perspective. They confuse the cause and effect, the ends and means. They forget that it is colonialism that we must avoid at all cost, NOT THE WEST. 

What? You think only the West can practice colonialism? Do you think People's Republic of China is your savior?

Here, let me give you some example of Chinese colonialism:

1) The occupation of Vietnam. (111 BC - 39 AD, 43 - 544 AD, 602 -938 AD, 1407 - 1427 AD)

Yes, the Chinese repeatedly ruled Vietnam. Other than those 4 periods of domination, maybe you still remember how they invaded Vietnam after Vietnam stopped Pol Pot and his Cambodian slaughterfest. Wait, what? How come China tried to punish Vietnam for stopping the Killing Field? Sorry, my bad. Pol Pot is a friend of China. The Killing Field is worth defending.

There is an old Polish saying: "Under the German, we lost our freedom. Under the Russian, we lost our soul." I suspected Vietnam has the same view on France and China. It has been confirmed. My Vietnamese friends has said the same mentality exist in VIetnam. One of them even going further by saying that most Vietnamese won't admit that they were and are influenced by China culturally and politically, that Chinese occupation left many legacies that still important until today. They are just too ... careful not to be colonized by China again.

No, this is not paranoia because of history/the past alone. The Vietnamese have good actual reasons to be fearful and suspicious of its gigantic neighbor.

2) Spratly Islands (Late 20th century - today)

This islands is a hotpoint. Philippine, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei contested that island. So does China. How does the gigantic China claim those islands? Does it has any merit? Not really. If you see the map on the right, Philippine is nearby, Vietnam is nearby, Malaysia is nearby, and Brunei is nearby. Not China. They only nearby if we count Paracel Islands which they wrested from the Vietnamese after the Vietnam war.

Check the map again. This is not only about Spratly. This is about total control of South China Sea. The border claimed by China will leave other countries with only a tiny strip of sea in front of their coast. Appalling. 

And how China assert its control? Simple: they send warships, marines, and fighter jets to attempt a de facto domination there! Who said the Chinese are ABOVE military action?

Oh, they also interested in Spratly because most likely there is oil deposit there. So ... if USA tried to conquer Iraq for oil it is colonialism, while China trying to conquer Spratly is only ... let me gues ... conflict of interest? HURRAA FOR DOUBLE STANDARD!

Oh yeah, similar case happens in Senkaku/Diaoyu. I already pointed out  that such conflict is utterly stupid. That, and an example of Chinese expansionism and attempt at colonialism. The Vietnamese indeed have good reason not to trust the Chinese. And that is not all.

3) Burma/Myanmar (Middle-late 20th century)

In the past, the Qing dynasty tried to conquer Burma. They sent 4 expeditions. Bad idea. VERY BAD IDEA! All of them were devastated by malaria and Burmese army. 

That was the past, how about today?

Well ... the military junta in Myanmar think that since the West refused to help them in any way, they can get helps from the Chinese. Bad idea. VERY BAD IDEA. The Chinese, hungry for natural resources, dictated every single contract. They pushed their luck with the Myitsone dam. Nobody in Myanmar wants that dam. Only the Chinese benefit from it. That is the last straw for the Myanmar people. Finally, the junta had enough and decided to open their country to democracy and western ideas. Heck, they even released most of their political prisoners!  

This is really a sobering experience. If you think US and Western domination is bad, Burma just show that Chinese domination is far from pretty or mutually beneficial. 

4) Rare earth mineral

Some year ago, some Chinese fishermen did illegal fishing in Japanese water. The Japanese coastguard apprehend those fishermen. So ... how does China reacted?

They used their monopoly on rare earth mineral to squeeze the Japanese to release those fishermen. It worked.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is economic colonialism in action!

EVERYONE learned the importance of rare earth mineral, so Australia and USA start re-open their rare-earth mineral mines again. Better late than never.



5) The Passport Controversy
China also used trickery to get what it wants. Sometimes, it is borderly juvenile. Like ... when they printed their territorial claim into their passport. Let me be clear: EACH PAGE of their passport displays China as the owner of Spratley, Senkaku, and many other contested regions. My guess is, they wanted to use any stamp on any page as prove of APPROVAL of Chinese territorial claim.

Nope, not working. India, Vietnam, etc. refuse to stamp those passports.

This is not a sign of good intention. It is a sign that the Chinese will use all means to grab new territories.

This sign was send not only to countries with territorial dispute with China: it was send to all countries. Unfortunately for them, once again they pushed their luck here. Now everyone know that China is willing to trick, to deceive, in order to got what they want. Smart people already know this, but this should enlighten all western haters to leave "China fans club".


You see, we have to be careful, watchful, and critical not only to West. The Chinese or ANY OTHER POWER also can be as ruthless, as exploitative, and as devious as the West and more! Time to ditch the mentality that only the West can practice colonialism. Time to ditch the mentality that the non-West are always the victim.

Liu Bei and Other Overrated Legendary Characters

I am often bothered by some of the details of legendary epics. Below are three legendary characters from those epics that practically pissed me off ...

Zhao Min/Tio Beng

From: Louis Cha's Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre

She is the "true love" of Zhang Wuji/Thio Bu Ki. I am pissed by her because she is the very definition of a traitor. Oh yeah, she betrayed her family, her nation, her culture for a man. My bullshit detector AUTOMATICALLY detected 2 double standards at the same time:

1) If a man do that, he would be reviled. You betray your own nation for a woman? LOW LIFE TRAITOR! His reputation won't be far from Judas Iscariot, Benedict Arnold, Quisling, or Wang Jingwei. Really. But since it is a woman who do that for a man ... "AAAAAH, so romantic!" Bullshit.

2) If a Chinese do that, she would be reviled too. How dare you betray the glorious middle Kingdom, center of the universe! But since she is a Mongol who actually betray her nation for the Chinese, suddenly it is all okay. Bullshit again!

A traitor is a traitor. He/she maybe useful, but I won't trust him/her. Let alone making her the main love interest. That's why I really can't enjoy this last part of the condor trilogy as much as the previous 2 parts. 

Lauw Pie. From US Public Domain.

Liu Bei/Lauw Pie

From: Luo Guanzhong/Lo Kuan Chong's Romances of the Three Kingdoms

This legendary novel tried REALLY HARD making Liu Bei the nicest politician in the story. Many pointed out that Lauw Pie is the best emperor among his peers of that time. There is only 2 problems though ...

1) That claim is basically based on an ancient notion that an emperor was chosen because his father is an emperor, or at least he has some family ties with previous emperors. Not because he is the most qualified man in the country. Even the genius Zhuge Liang/Cukat Liang used this argument. Whenever he debated on the topic of the best emperor candidate, he always returned to this argument: "He has the surname Lauw, the surname of the Emperors of the Han Dynasty! Oh yeah, the imperial historians already approved that he really descended from the Han Dynasty! Even Cao Cao/Co Coh can't deny that!" I know I has to put this in context, that this happens 2000 years ago, when "meritocracy" is still limited to cabinet level, but seriously, it become tiresome when they repeat this argument for the 1000th time.

2) He is a hypocrite. Really. After sooo many times spouted about "filial duties" "Confucian ideals" "put the people first" yadda yadda yadda, he finally met his end because he invaded Sun Kwan, to avenge his sworn brother, Guan Yu/Kwan Kong. Oh by the way, Sun Kwan realized his mistakes, and tried EVERYTHING to appease Lauw Pie. But no. That is not good enough. All his ministers, and generals, Cukat Liang included, tried EVERYTHING to change his mind. No. Revenge was his priority, not the people, not the country. After several months (or years?) of preparation, and ignoring Sun Kwan's and his minister's pleas, he finally invaded Sun Kwan. And all ended in fire ...

Cao Cao/Co Coh on the other hand ... is a ruthless bastard. But at least he didn't pretend to be "Just, filial, and above all ... nice"! Sun Kwan was something in the middle. Not as ruthless as Co Coh, but far less hypocritical than Lauw Pie. Either one of them was the far superior emperor's candidate.

So tell me again why Lauw Pie is our best candidate for the emperor position? 

The purity test. From US Public Domain.

Rama

From: Valmiki's Ramayana

Okay, no more Chinese character bashing. This time it is the Indian's turn. Let's talk about RAMA, the main hero of the epic "Ramayana." He was forced to leave his kingdom with his wife, Sinta, and his younger brother Lakhsmana. During that exile, Rahvana the demon king kidnapped Sinta. He lead an army of monkeys (I kid you not) to rescue his wife. Long story short, he defeated Rahvana and his demonic army. But, that is not the end of the epic. He suspected that Sinta was raped by Rahvana, so he tested Sinta by ordering her to walk into the fire of purity.

WHAAAAAT??

Are you fuckin kiddin me? He asked Sinta, a woman without magical or fighting or any other battle skill, to resist the Demon King rape? If the Demon King REALLY forcefully raped her, it would be her fault? As a decent human being I AM DISGUSTED! "A wife that is raped by another man can be killed" is a very despicable moral ... who am I kidding, many men are obsessed with virginity, obsessed with thinking that their woman is their PROPERTY, of course this kind of thinking is not unusual. Yeah, but it is still disgusting. Rama never loves Sinta. He only loves his ego. His ego was HURT when another man "steal his property."  His ego is the priority. His ego has to be satisfied, he couldn't "lose face" accepting back "used goods". What a misogynist jerk!

No wonder that Lakshmana, and EVERY SINGLE MONKEY there were horrified. Heck, even the remaining demons were all appalled! Oh yeah, by the way, if Sinta is really raped by Rahvana and FAIL at that test ... that means THOUSANDS of his monkeys army died for nothing. If I were them, I would be VERY PISSED. Same case with the remaining demons who just lost their king over this Indian version of Helen of Troy. 

Boy, I really wished Lakshmana snapped and provoked the whole monkey and demon armies to actually ganged up on Rama, and teach him a lesson to respect female! That would be awesome!

Stereotypes That I Hold

It is inevitable. I know stereotypes are FAR from accurate. I know many times stereotypes can started prejudice, but I can't help it, I hold some stereotypes. So, here are those stereotypes:

Indonesians:

- Most honest answer: Which Indonesian? The Javanese is starkly different compare to the Ambonese, the Bugis, etc. And vice versa. So seriously, which one do you like to know?

- Most politically correct-sugar coated answer: God-fearing pious nation that reject individualism, respect their families, and embrace social justice.
ADDENDUM (13.05.2013):
- Most cynical answer: Bipolar people. They can be SUPER FRIENDLY and always smiling, than become extremely violent on the next day.

Malaysians:

- The people are smart & reasonable, but their government is a bunch of cultural thieves!

- The people are nice & friendly, but their government is a bunch of proud racists!

Philippinos:

- Always merry and smiling!

- Good and talkative friends!

Singaporeans:

- Workaholic people.

- Their women only want men with "6C and 1 M": Carrier, Car, Cash, Condominium, and Country Club Membership.

- Oily, greasy food. Seriously, I think "Yong Tau Foo" is their only food that isn't covered in grease.

Chinese:

- Garlic lovers 
- Proud people who ALWAYS think that they are the center of the universe.

- Proud people who ALWAYS think that they are the only civilized people, the only one who has 3 - 4 thousands years history. What's that? Other people has 3-4 thousand years history too? That doesn't count, they are barbarians! What's that? That is a circular argument? THIIS IISS CHIIIINAAA! (Kicking the barbarian to the nearest deep well or cliff.)

Japanese:

- English with Japanese accent is just ... doesn't sound like English ...

- Eccentric people with weird fantasies and fetishes. Especially when it involve octopus, maid, female teenager in sailor-like-school uniform.

- Very technology-literate. They don't use SMS anymore, they only use e-mail ... since 10 years ago.

Indians:

- Movie lovers! They are eager to show you their movies, often WITHOUT subtitles!

- Textile traders.

- Sport accessories traders.

- They have tree-fetish. Everytime they see tree, they start to dance, and sing, and usually they also call at least 20 of their friends to sing the chorus and become the backup dancers.

Lebanese:

- Good traders.

- VERY GOOD traders. Seriously, if you doubt it, do you know that Carlos Slim Helu is a Lebanese?

Germans:

- Stiff, stick-to-the book people.

- Beer lovers.

- Ordoliberalism.

French:

- Proud people who hate English.
- Proud people who want everyone to speak French.

- Good, but super expensive food.

- Art lovers.

Italians:

- Same with the Phillippinos.

- Except they are louder since they enhance their presence with their hand activities.

Russians:

- Direct, IN YOUR FACE attitude.

- Badass people since non-badass typically died early.

- Can be very creative, but can use sheer will-power and brute force to solve problems too.
- Vodka lovers

Swedes:

- Love the color of black so much, they have at least 20 different black shirts/jackets, and will insist each of them has different variation of black.

- Social democrats.

Finnish:

- Best driver on earth.

- Even the badass Russians admit that the Finns can withstand cold far better than them.

Americans:

- FUCK YEAH!

- FREEDOM TO OWN AND USE GUNS BABY!! WOO HOO! FREEDOM BABY, FREEDOM!

- You don't know how it works, here let me show you. First, you should dismantle your government, because government IS the problem dude! And DEMOCRACY!! Start an election as soon as possible!

Kebangkitan Cina: Redux

Halaman dalam pasport baru RRC
Sumber: The Guardian

Saya sebelumnya sudah bilang, kebangkitan Cina itu BUKAN berita baik buat negara² tetangganya. Di saat yg sama, dominasi Amerika Serikat atas dunia ternyata tak terlalu jelek!

Dan Cina baru saja membuktikkan lagi mereka berniat mendominasi semua orang.

Mereka baru saja mengubah pasport mereka. Masalahnya, di SETIAP halaman pasport tsb, mereka menggambarkan wilayah RRC meliputi daerah India yang mereka klaim, dan segenap Laut Cina Selatan, yang sedang disengketakan dengan Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, dan Filipina. (Lihat gambar di kanan.)

Huh? Buat apa cari gara² seperti ini? Saya punya sebuah tebakan ...

Ingat² fakta bahwa setiap kali kita memasuki negara asing, pasport kita dicap.

Sekarang, bayangkan, seorang warganegara Cina, memasuki Vietnam yg sedang bersengketa dg Cina mengenai batas wilayah di laut Cina Selatan. Cap pemerintah Vietnam di sebuah pasport RRC bisa dijadikan bukti "LIHAT, pemerintah Vietnam MENERIMA klaim wilayah Cina!" Begitu pula kalau ada warganegara Cina yang memasuki India, Filipina, dll.

Tentu saja negara² tsb tidak diam saja. Vietnam memutuskan untuk memberikan SEMUA capnya di lembar terpisah. India malah memberikan peta VERSI INDIA di visa kepada warganegara Cina dst.

Dan sekali lagi Cina mengingatkan kita semua: setidaknya Amerika Serikat tak punya ambisi territorial. Gak heran kalau negara² yang berdekatan dg Cina ramai² akan menawarkan tanahnya untuk menjadi pangkalan angkatan bersenjata Amerika Serikat.

Sumber:

Artikel Deutsche Welle tentang hal ini.

Artikel Voice of America tentang hal ini.

Artikel The Guardian tentang hal ini.

Top 10 Skyscrapers

I already poked fun to tons of "Bullshit Buildings," but let's make a more positive list. Here I will list my top 10 favorite skyscrapers. This totally depends on my taste on architecture, and has nothing to do with its utility. Some of them also were canceled or not yet built.

From: EnglishRussia

10) Ostankino Tower

Location: Moscow Russia

Built: 1963 - 1967

Pinnacle Height: 540 m

There are tons of sky-high tower. My personal favorite is Ostankino Tower in Moscow.

I have to admit, I am extremely biased when I choose this tower instead of other more popular towers like CN Towers. Hey, blame my soft-spot for anything Russian, but since this is a subjective list, of course my bias is the whole point. So, why not started it with this one?

Besides, despite its tallness, it is not too fat like Tokyo Skytree, or involving any extreme deviation from the straight-line nearby its top like the Kuala Lumpur Tower or Tianjin TV & Radio Tower. Oh yeah, I also dislike non-solidness, the mast-ness (Is that an existing English word?) of Tokyo Skytree and Canton Tower.

Ostankino Tower represent the best of the best of the towers, started this list at #10.

9) Burj Khalifa

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Built: 2004 - 2010

Pinnacle Heigh: 830 m

Floor Area: 517.240 m²

Blame it to the publicity. Blame it to the media. Whatever. I like this extremely well-known skyscraper. I once criticized the Abraj-al-Bait as ugly, this skyscraper can be said at its anti-thesis.

You can feel the Arabian atmosphere permeated by its shape. Unlike the Abraj-al-Bait that basically shouts "HEY, I am the Arabian ripped-off of Big Ben!" this design screams originality.

If you view it from top, it is even cooler. Unlike most building here when you saw blocky shape from top, this sky scraper has tri-star shape, showing stability, beauty, and elegance at the same time.

Oh yeah, the spectacular Dubai fountain also located right in front of this giant. That adds another point for this building.

Originality, publicity, and the most spectacular music fountain secured the #9 position for Burj Khalifa.

8) Palace of the Soviets:

Location: Moscow, Russia

Built: Cancelled

Pinnacle Height: 495 m

Floor Area: ??

Despite all of the bullshitness of this building, I must admit that the design is awesome.

Yes, I am serious in putting one of the bullshit building in this list.

Why not? I already stated that every single building made to this list 100% by its aesthetic, not its utility. For the palace of the Soviets, it is not only tall, but also wide, large, and the statue on top of it adds grandeur to the already cool design. Even better, there is a large empty space in front of it, further enhancing its awesomeness. 

I can't help but wonder "Wow, if there is some miracle and they managed to erect this building, I will be awed when I stand in front of it and stare it with my own eyes."

For its grandeur, this bullshit building earned itself #8.

From: Bustler

7) Kingdom Tower

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Built: Proposed

Pinnacle Height: 1.000 m

Floor Area: 319.000 m²

Holy hell, they really planned to build a 1 km tall building? I mean ... ONE KILOMETER TALL BUILDING? Shit just got real!

That alone clenched a position in this Top 10 list. But that is not all. Unlike the Abraj-al-Bait, the design of this tower is very sleek and modern.

It is also very simple. Sometimes, simple design just work. Hey, one reason why the Abraj-al-bait is ugly as hell is its nonsensical complexity.

What else could be said about this tall tower? Hmm ... ah, why give a shit, it is a goddamn 1 kilometer building! Height doesn't always translated into beauty but 1 kilometer of height is just too awesome to be ignored. Of course it deserves #7 position! NEXT!

From:
wikipedia

6) Empire State Building

Location: New York, USA

Built: 1930 - 1931

Pinnacle Height: 443 m

Floor Area: 208.879 m²

Unlike many other building here, this one was already known by all of us since our primary school time, I presume.  It is everywhere, it is one of the most iconic representation of the phrase "sky scraper" itself. This building already captivated my eyes when I read the word "sky scraper" for the first time, thus I am quite sentimental about this tower.

But sentimentality is not the only reason why this building was included in this list. The art-deco architecture here combined the blocky shape of the tower, and the sharpness of the antennae gracefully. 

This proportionally perfect skyscraper also impressed me with its intricacies, and symmetries. The fact that it looks like it had several blocks also added to its sophistication.

It is impossible not to put this classic and iconic building on this list, therefore the Empire State Building stand tall at #6.

From arkoudi.de

5) Ulmer Münster

Location: Ulm, Germany

Built: 1377 - 1890

Pinnacle Height: 161,5 m
I am not really into church and cathedral architecture. But I make an exception for this one. With good reasons.

It is tall, it is grand, it is antique, it is the Ulmer Münster, the tallest church in da world. Yes, in da world!

It is the pinnacle of all Gothic design. It is the pinnacle of cathedral architecture. It is the pinnacle of Germany Christendom.

And this is also the only building in this list that was built BEFORE the beginning of 20th century. You have to respect that!

Ulmer Münster contemplatively sitting at #5.

By Path2k6

4) John Hancock Center

Location: Chicago, USA

Built: 1965 - 1969

Pinnacle Height: 457 m

Floor Area: 260.126 m²
Like I said before, sometimes, a simple design is the aesthetically best design. John Hancock Center in Chicago is a fine example of it. It is just a "simple black block with 2 antennae" but this building is still really cool.

The simple "block" design gives the impression of firmness, stability, and solidity.

The simple "black" color gleams the aura of non-compromise, strength, and power.

The dual antennae strangely increase the size of the building, enhancing its aura enormously.

John Hancock Center utilizes simplicity at most, comfortably rests at #4.

By Calvin Teo

3) Parkview Square

Location: Singapore

Built: 1999 - 2002

Pinnacle Height: 144 m

Floor Area: 39.145 m²

Unlike other skycrapers listed here, this one is not even reached 150 m. But this is about aesthetic, not height. Height does not always translated into beauty.

This building really fascinated me because during my stay in Singapore, this building shine in extreme awesomeness in comparison with its surrounding. Its classiness put other bland Singaporean buildings into shame. Effortlessly. Totally. Undoubtedly.

That's why my view on Singapore's downtown always focuses on this specific classic building. The art deco and oriental combination of the design works extremely beautifully here.

Parkview Square is an oasis in the middle of the desert of blandness named "Singapore downtown," without any problem grabbed the #3 position.

From:
Foster&Partners

2) Russia Tower

Location: Moscow, Russia

Built: cancelled

Pinnacle Height: ca. 600 m

Floor Area: 520.800 m²

Why Russians have the habit of canceling very awesome buildings? 

Seriously, when I saw this building's sketch, it was love at first sight. It soars high to the sky, and the beam from the lamp on its roof amplify that impression even more! 

It also reminded me of the ancient pyramid, while at the same time permeates modernity. Russian style modernity? The soaring light also imbued this skyscraper with the majestic aura it deserves.

Oh yeah, finally, bonus point for being located in Russia, and has "Russia" in its name! You can't be more Russian than that!

Russia Tower, towering at #2.

And the best sky scraper is ...

By Mätes II

1) Jin Mao Tower

Location: Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Built: 1994 - 1998

Pinnacle Height: 420 m

Floor Area: 278.707 m²
It is tall, it is majestic, it is classic, it is totally Chinese. It is the Jin Mao Tower. With so many terrific buildings in this world, it is a tough job to get #1, but the Jin Mao Tower did it.

Just see that building. It invokes grandeur permeated by ancient Chinese pagodas. And amplify it with its size. 

What else? Let's see ... it's shape radiates the classical-oriental aura and its material produces modern feeling, enhancing both contradictory feeling. Sounds impossible, but that's why this building is the best-designed building in this world, aesthetically, in my opinion.

Jin Mao Tower somehow woven 2 impossible contradictory aura, got the pinnacle position at this list.

Sources:

Emporis

Skyscraperpage

Kebangkitan Cina

Semua sudah tahu saat ini Cina sedang bangkit. Bukan cuma di bidang ekonomi saja naga raksasa bernama Cina menggeliat, di bidang militer, politik luar negeri, dll, Cina praktis sudah menjadi superpower baru. Bukan cuma di Asia Timur saja, Asia Tenggara, Afrika, dan Timur Tengahpun merasakan efek kebangkitan Cina ini.

Banyak pihak yang anti Barat (Baca: anti Amerika dan anti Israel) antusias menyambut kebangkitan ini. Kejutan besar, setelah 10 tahun bangkit semua orang mulai menyadari ... Barat itu tak terlalu jelek loh! Kita bisa mulai dari mana yah ... hmm ...

1) Sengketa di Laut Cina Selatan
Kepulauan Spratly, dan Paracel, diperebutkan oleh banyak negara. Salah 1nya adalah Cina dan hampir semua negara ASEAN. Apa yang Cina lakukan di pulau² tsb? Mereka menempatkan militernya, dan menunjuk pejabat² sipil untuk mengatur area itu. Cina memang secara ekonomi dan militer lebih kuat daripada negara ASEAN manapun, BAHKAN lebih kuat dari gabungan semua negara ASEAN. Namun, kejadian ini membuka mata negara² ASEAN: Hei, ternyata dominasi Amerika di daerah ini tak jelek!!

2) Sengketa Cina-Jepang
Bukan, saya tak bicara tentang sengketa pulau Diaoyu/Senkaku di tahun 2012 ini. Saya bicara tentang sengketa 2 tahun yang lalu ketika kapal² nelayan Cina memasuki perairan Jepang, bertabrakan dg kapal polisi pantai Jepang. Tentu saja Jepang menangkap nelayan² Cina itu.

Reaksi Cina adalah menghentikan pasokan rare earth mineralnya ke Jepang. Oh iya, mereka melakukan ini sambil berlagak pilon. Mereka TIDAK mengakui mereka melakukan embargo thd Jepang. Nope, mereka tak berhasil menipu siapapun.

Semua orangpun mencatat: "Diversifikasi pemasok rare earth mineral!" Catatan lainnya: "Pemerintah RRC AKAN memerasmu dengan monopoli rare earth mineralnya."

Baca artikelnya Paul Krugman untuk detilnya.

3) Myanmar

Saat ini Myanmar sedang membuka diri. Militernya mengundurkan diri dari politik, keran² kebebasan mulai dibuka. Ada apa sih? Begini intinya: junta militer Myanmar sudah eneg melihat negaranya dijadikan sapi perahan oleh RRC.

Salah satu contoh pemerasan tsb adalah bendungan Myitsone. Rakyat lokal membencinya karena bendungan tsb akan membuat rumah 10.000 orang berada di bawah air. Lingkungan sudah pasti rusak akibat pembangunan bendungan tsb. Dan yang memanfaatkan listrik yang dihasilkan oleh bendungan itu adalah ... RRC.

Setelah proses demokratisasi dimulai, proyek tsb langsung dihentikan oleh pemerintah pusat Myanmar.

4) Afrika

Ketika Cina mendekati Afrika, semua negara Afrika bersorak riang gembira. Ah, ini dia partner yang tidak menggurui, partner yg tidak menjajah Afrika. Dibaca: Cina tidak perduli dengan korupsi di kalangan pejabat Afrika.

Kita bisa belajar dari cara Cina mendekati Afrika, misalnya cara Cina membayar sumber daya alam Afrika adalah dengan proyek, bukan dengan uang tunai. Namun orang² Afrika sendiri sudah mengeluh. Proyek² tsb dibangun oleh perusahaan Cina, diawasi oleh perusahaan Cina, dinilai oleh perusahaan Cina, dan diaudit oleh perusahaan Cina. Hmm ... pernah dengar kata mark-up? Atau manipulasi catatan keuangan? 

Semua orang kini sudah terbangun dari mimpinya, Cina itu BUKAN negara ramah yang hendak menolong semua orang. Cina juga tak segan² mengancam, mengintimidasi, dan memeras negara lain seperti Inggris, Amerika Serikat, Rusia, dan negara² lainnya. Dan sebaliknya, banyak orang kini jadi bisa menghargai dominasi Barat. Hei, kita sering cuma bisa menghargai sesuatu ketika kita mulai kehilangan hal tsb yah!