Entering September..
I guess it goes without saying that a lot has happened since my last entry.
There's the twin bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels at the capital, and the shootout at a village that ended in failure of terminating the life of the supposed culprit.
Sometime before that, the president Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono retook the oath into office for his second term. Let's hope this term will be better than the last.
And on the 17th, my country celebrated its 64th anniversary of her independence. Though on the year of its proclamation we were occupied by Japan, it was the Dutch who would be the last to re-invade us after their brief absence to a total of 300 years of their occupation.
If there is something that a lot of foreigners are aware of about Indonesia, its the lack of prosperity.
Though our natural resources are abundant (though so graciously depleted every second by foreign companies, moronic smugglers, and neighboring countries), and our human resources are plentiful seeing there are so many people willing to do underpaid work; most receiving torture in foreign countries or die in the process, the same can't be said for human resources that are in high-quality.
Not only is our educational system screwed, but many people are still unable to receive formal education and a large portion of Indonesia's citizens are illiterate.
In short--a lot are below the poverty line.
64 years had passed since the proclamation of independence and still rated as one of the least prosper countries in the world with one of the lowest ranks in education. Not to mentioned being marked as a breeding ground for terrorists by the Western media, having airlines that are banned from flying over EU nation skies, and thanks to the several bombings that happened, has been given a travel warning by several countries. Australia comes to mind.
Where did we go wrong?
Maybe it's due to the hard-headedness, lack of discipline, and our tendency to become lazy.
As my grandfather once told me, Indonesia is blessed with warm tropical weather, the same types of clothing can be worn year-round. Though there are the dry and rainy seasons, there are no significant changes in the climate, since plants still grow thanks to the fertile soils. But because we don't have to adjust to drastically changing climates (as opposed to the countries that have four seasons), we become content with what we have because we never had a tradition of "stocking up for winter". In the end, we become lazy because we know that we have food all year round, whether we tend the crops rigorously or not.
Oh, and Malaysia stole another tradition from us, namely the Pendet Dance from Bali. The dance itself is one of the oldest in Balinese traditions, and a few days ago some guy from Malaysia bought all of our commercials that had the Pendet dance in it, got the permission to forbid us to ever show it on screen ever again (A.K.A. patent claiming), and used it in one of the commercials promoting Malaysian cultures.
This particular issue made the headlines on a national newspaper yesterday. It seemed Malaysia has been stealing from us since 1957, but they haven't been particularly active in robbing other things until 2000.
The list in the newspaper includes:
As you can see, the year 2007 had a LOT of stolen goods. No wonder the logo of "Visit Malaysia 2007" was turned into "Visit Malingsia 2007" here in Indonesia; "Maling" means "thief", basically an insult play on Malaysia's name. It's safe to say that it's getting harder to not think badly of our neighboring country. On the other hand, I can't entirely blame their government for acting as such, since our own is apparently too ignorant to care.
Or perhaps it's in our nature to be so tolerant? After all, despite what people outside might hear happening in our country, in most places people from very different backgrounds are able to live side-by-side with no problems. Even the so-called "religious conflicts" that you hear, their real origins come from arguments that had nothing to do with religion at all. It's just that the people around there makes an excuse and claim that it is originating from religious discrimination and whatnot.
Peaceful, mostly. But rather fragile, since our people tend to get swayed easily, plus with a strong solidarity amongst their own groups. It's actually really easy to provoke a fight between groups, but so far I haven't had to cross any physical battlefields on the streets.
Meh, I'm rambling again.
Anyway, Ramadan Kareem to those celebrating it.
Though not a very religious person myself, there's something about the atmosphere in the month of Ramadan that I really love, and it's something I miss during the regular months. Fasting is very easy here since most everyone else does it, the restaurants and shops selling foods have curtains draped to block the people outside from seeing people eat, and many street vendors sell sweet desserts to break your fasts with when the day enters Maghreb. Of course, taraweeh prayers are held at mosques everywhere, and it's a great chance to get to know your neighbors other than community gatherings.
It just sucks when you get your period, though. I already missed 10 days from that. \(>0<)/
I've already entered my third week of my fifth semester in college. The homework hasn't piled up yet, but I'm sure there's a mountain ahead in the end. I'd better make the most of my time and do my best.
On a more happier note, I can finally go home on the 12th!!! Two weeks of being with my family, who I haven't seen since last October. Hopefully it'll be enough to shed away all that homesick feeling I've been keeping at bay. I sure hope my dad isn't planning any family trips, I dunno how many times I've told him that when I'm home, I want to be home. Meaning I want to wash dishes, do the laundry, blab on and on with my mom for hours, go swimming with my sis, and share some laughs with my dad (especially when he pulls a prank out of the blue). Family trips are nice, but the only thing I want is just to feel like I'm actually part of the family, not someone out on their own, going about their own business (though not completely, since my parents still send me money every month).
To be honest, everytime I go home, the feeling of being there makes me feel foreign for some reason. I'm suddenly reminded that, "these are the people who raised me, these are the faces of those I belong to, theirs is the place I can call 'home'." Don't get me wrong, I can still see their faces clearly in my memory, and Insya'Allah I'll never forget them, but it just feels so..strange. All of a sudden I'll have the feeling of always longing to see them again, as cheezy as it sounds.
I'm working on a homework that has to do with making motifs, 5 A3-sized pages of sketching practice, and a few presentations. If they turn out good and I'm able to borrow a camera, I'll post it in an entry sometime in the future. So far, the motifs needs some more filler patterns, and the sketches of leaves resemble muscles no thanks to my crappy pencil shading work..
EDIT: One more thing, my dad added some new photos from his recent trip to Belitung in his multiply. I have to say they're pretty good, and the nature there looks amazing!!
An earthquake hit the country today (September 1st, 2009). If I counted, this would be the 4th earthquake I've been in.
There's the twin bombings of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels at the capital, and the shootout at a village that ended in failure of terminating the life of the supposed culprit.
Sometime before that, the president Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono retook the oath into office for his second term. Let's hope this term will be better than the last.
And on the 17th, my country celebrated its 64th anniversary of her independence. Though on the year of its proclamation we were occupied by Japan, it was the Dutch who would be the last to re-invade us after their brief absence to a total of 300 years of their occupation.
If there is something that a lot of foreigners are aware of about Indonesia, its the lack of prosperity.
Though our natural resources are abundant (though so graciously depleted every second by foreign companies, moronic smugglers, and neighboring countries), and our human resources are plentiful seeing there are so many people willing to do underpaid work; most receiving torture in foreign countries or die in the process, the same can't be said for human resources that are in high-quality.
Not only is our educational system screwed, but many people are still unable to receive formal education and a large portion of Indonesia's citizens are illiterate.
In short--a lot are below the poverty line.
64 years had passed since the proclamation of independence and still rated as one of the least prosper countries in the world with one of the lowest ranks in education. Not to mentioned being marked as a breeding ground for terrorists by the Western media, having airlines that are banned from flying over EU nation skies, and thanks to the several bombings that happened, has been given a travel warning by several countries. Australia comes to mind.
Where did we go wrong?
Maybe it's due to the hard-headedness, lack of discipline, and our tendency to become lazy.
As my grandfather once told me, Indonesia is blessed with warm tropical weather, the same types of clothing can be worn year-round. Though there are the dry and rainy seasons, there are no significant changes in the climate, since plants still grow thanks to the fertile soils. But because we don't have to adjust to drastically changing climates (as opposed to the countries that have four seasons), we become content with what we have because we never had a tradition of "stocking up for winter". In the end, we become lazy because we know that we have food all year round, whether we tend the crops rigorously or not.
Oh, and Malaysia stole another tradition from us, namely the Pendet Dance from Bali. The dance itself is one of the oldest in Balinese traditions, and a few days ago some guy from Malaysia bought all of our commercials that had the Pendet dance in it, got the permission to forbid us to ever show it on screen ever again (A.K.A. patent claiming), and used it in one of the commercials promoting Malaysian cultures.
This particular issue made the headlines on a national newspaper yesterday. It seemed Malaysia has been stealing from us since 1957, but they haven't been particularly active in robbing other things until 2000.
The list in the newspaper includes:
- 1957 - The children's song "Terang Bulan"
- 2000 - Gamelan (a music ensemble mainly of traditional percussion instruments) from Java; claimed as Malaysian's and was exploited commercially.
- 2000 - The song "Injit-injit Semut" from Jambi
- 2005 - Tradisional Tumbuk Lada dagger from Riau, Deli and Siak
- 2006 - Parang Batik motif from Yogyakarta (this motif in particular was considered forbidden in the past; meaning that only the Sultan and aristocrats in Yogyakarta back then were allowed to wear cloths with the motif)
- 2006 - The angklung from West Java, a picture of the instrument can be found in one of my previous entry.
- 2007 - Wayang kulit (traditional shadow puppets made from leather); was performed in an event celebrating Malaysia's culture, before that, was firmly claimed by UNESCO as a world art originating from Indonesia's traditions on November 7th 2003.
- 2007 - Rendang, a traditional dish from West Sumatra.
- 2007 - An archaic text from Southeast Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, West Sulawesi and Riau; was taken to Malaysia then made into an online version, after claiming it was theirs.
- 2007 - The song "Rasa Sayange" from Maluku (Moluccas, the Spice Islands, if you will)
- 2007 - The song "Soleram" from Riau
- 2007 - The traditional music Indang Sungai Garinggiang from West Sumatra; was performed by a Malaysian Cultural Team at an Asian Festival on 12-14 October 2007.
- 2007 - The traditional dance "Kuda Lumping" from East Java.
- 2007 - The song "Jali-Jali" from Jakarta; claimed as an original song from Langkawi
- 2008 - The traditional dance "Reog Ponorogo" from East Java; was claimed and exploited commercially, already had its patent listed as a form of art originating from Ponorogo in The Law and Human Rights Department with the number 026377 on February 11, 2004.
- 2008 - The ulos cloth from North Sumatra
- 2008 - Keris (a traditional dagger) from Java; firmly claimed by UNESCO as a world art originating from Indonesia on 2005.
- 2009 - Pendet Dance from Bali; was performed in a commercial promoting Malaysia's tourism
- 2009 - The traditional woven cloth "Sambas" from West Kalimantan (Borneo); a woven product from Sambas was bought in West Kalimantan and sold in Malaysia with the label "Made in Malaysia".
- (Year unknown) Plate Dance from West Sumatra
- (Year unknown) The song "Kakak Tua" (Cockatoo) from Maluku; was claimed and exploited commercially
- (Year unknown) The song "Anak Kambing Saya" (My kid; the one meaning a baby goat) from Southeast Nusa.
As you can see, the year 2007 had a LOT of stolen goods. No wonder the logo of "Visit Malaysia 2007" was turned into "Visit Malingsia 2007" here in Indonesia; "Maling" means "thief", basically an insult play on Malaysia's name. It's safe to say that it's getting harder to not think badly of our neighboring country. On the other hand, I can't entirely blame their government for acting as such, since our own is apparently too ignorant to care.
Or perhaps it's in our nature to be so tolerant? After all, despite what people outside might hear happening in our country, in most places people from very different backgrounds are able to live side-by-side with no problems. Even the so-called "religious conflicts" that you hear, their real origins come from arguments that had nothing to do with religion at all. It's just that the people around there makes an excuse and claim that it is originating from religious discrimination and whatnot.
Peaceful, mostly. But rather fragile, since our people tend to get swayed easily, plus with a strong solidarity amongst their own groups. It's actually really easy to provoke a fight between groups, but so far I haven't had to cross any physical battlefields on the streets.
Meh, I'm rambling again.
Anyway, Ramadan Kareem to those celebrating it.
Though not a very religious person myself, there's something about the atmosphere in the month of Ramadan that I really love, and it's something I miss during the regular months. Fasting is very easy here since most everyone else does it, the restaurants and shops selling foods have curtains draped to block the people outside from seeing people eat, and many street vendors sell sweet desserts to break your fasts with when the day enters Maghreb. Of course, taraweeh prayers are held at mosques everywhere, and it's a great chance to get to know your neighbors other than community gatherings.
It just sucks when you get your period, though. I already missed 10 days from that. \(>0<)/
I've already entered my third week of my fifth semester in college. The homework hasn't piled up yet, but I'm sure there's a mountain ahead in the end. I'd better make the most of my time and do my best.
On a more happier note, I can finally go home on the 12th!!! Two weeks of being with my family, who I haven't seen since last October. Hopefully it'll be enough to shed away all that homesick feeling I've been keeping at bay. I sure hope my dad isn't planning any family trips, I dunno how many times I've told him that when I'm home, I want to be home. Meaning I want to wash dishes, do the laundry, blab on and on with my mom for hours, go swimming with my sis, and share some laughs with my dad (especially when he pulls a prank out of the blue). Family trips are nice, but the only thing I want is just to feel like I'm actually part of the family, not someone out on their own, going about their own business (though not completely, since my parents still send me money every month).
To be honest, everytime I go home, the feeling of being there makes me feel foreign for some reason. I'm suddenly reminded that, "these are the people who raised me, these are the faces of those I belong to, theirs is the place I can call 'home'." Don't get me wrong, I can still see their faces clearly in my memory, and Insya'Allah I'll never forget them, but it just feels so..strange. All of a sudden I'll have the feeling of always longing to see them again, as cheezy as it sounds.
I'm working on a homework that has to do with making motifs, 5 A3-sized pages of sketching practice, and a few presentations. If they turn out good and I'm able to borrow a camera, I'll post it in an entry sometime in the future. So far, the motifs needs some more filler patterns, and the sketches of leaves resemble muscles no thanks to my crappy pencil shading work..
EDIT: One more thing, my dad added some new photos from his recent trip to Belitung in his multiply. I have to say they're pretty good, and the nature there looks amazing!!
An earthquake hit the country today (September 1st, 2009). If I counted, this would be the 4th earthquake I've been in.