...it's just what I think and experience...

Indonesian Youth Pledge; I am proud to be an Indonesian!

Sumpah Pemuda

Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku bertumpah darah yang satu, tanah air Indonesia.

Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, mengaku berbangsa yang satu, bangsa Indonesia.
Kami putra dan putri Indonesia, menjunjung tinggi bahasa persatuan, bahasa Indonesia.

Today Indonesia commemorate The 1928 Youth Pledge day, the day where Indonesian youth before Indonesian independence gathered and declared the pledge. As stated above, the pledge stated that Indonesian youth acknowledge one motherland, one nation, and respect the language of unity, Indonesia.

I proudly say that I am really proud being an Indonesian - trillion of reasons if you want to know why. However, recently some friends of mine question my nationalism as Indonesian. They assume that I am not proud being Indonesian since I always write my facebook status in English and I also have blog with all English articles.

Here I would like to spell out that using English with nationalism is not related to each other. Nationalism cannot be seen only from one perspective. It’s not justifiable if people judge me not nationalist just because I write down my facebook status in English or just because I put English article on my blog. That’s not fair at all I bet.

I write my status in English since I also have non-Indonesian friends who are interested to comment my status and I note down my blog articles in English as I want to improve my writing skill in English. By using English in my blog, it means that I will let everybody know about my idea in my article, not only my Indonesian friends. English is global language that must be understandable for all people.

So does it matter when I write in English? Since I was elementary school at four grades, my teacher already taught me English and nowadays, I have to deal with English in my univ for whole days in my classes.

Though I use English, I still remember Bahasa Indonesia well and even can speak it well in my daily life. Though I write my status on facebook in English, yet it means “I am proud to be an Indonesian”. Though I write this article in English, yet I write more article using Bahasa Indonesia. And though I always sing English songs, but I can still sing well Indonesian anthem, Indonesia Raya. You wanna listen?

Frankly saying, I am not that proud if I can speak or write English article. I am more proud if I can speak my traditional language –Bugis and Makassar language. I am more proud to my friends who still speak Javanese in their daily life. At present, English is something usual or common. Almost all the people can understand it.

If the people still judge me so, how can they judge my teachers and lecturers who teach me English? I do hope they don’t judge them not nationalist just because they teach Indonesian youth English.

Bravo Indonesia, Bravo Indonesian Youth, and Have Youth Pledge day.

Accidentally in Love!!!

Once you’ve read the title above, you might think that I am in love to someone (though you will question, boy or girl?) LoL xD

What I am going to tell you here is my accidental love to photography. Before, I used to be captured by someone’s camera (bo’ong bangeeet!!) but now I like to snap somebody else with my mini pocket camera.

Actually I like all kinds of art; painting, song, dance, photography, etc. I bet I have art soul, flow with my blood in my body. I will not say that I am good in arts, yet I will say that I can make beautiful arts; including in photography (at least it’s good in my point of view).

The accident was begun in Sultan Palace Jogjakarta when I went there with my ex-schoolmate in Makassar. His name is Abadi Riangga. For many times I took his picture as if I were a professional photographer. Probably because he is good in modeling, so the accident happened smoothly. Also, he was quite cooperative to act as I wanted. I really felt that I am photographer though I only used my pocket camera, yet the results are not disappointed. You can judge them below:

After the accident, I myself realized that I am in love with photography. But I am not sure whether it is eternal love or just temporary love. Sometime I find myself as “hot-hot chicken shit” (panas2 tahi ayam, LoL), just like something for a while.

Now I dream of a sophisticated camera, like DSLR camera. I think it will make snapshoot better than just relay on photoshop old version. It’s a bit ashamed when I go to somewhere to take a picture and I spend much time just to have good photograph in one spot with different style to get nice angle with my pocket camera while the other people use DSLR camera. It looks excessive or lebay, doesn’t it? Occasionally, I find other people was snickering behind my back :P

However, to have DSLR camera I need to make efficiency in my monthly budget. Yet first, let’s see later whether this love will be everlasting or not.

Eart in 3000

This short story below was submitted for a short story competition in 2007/2008 about Climate Change.

***

It’s already 07.30 in the morning however the class has not started yet. Today the students are supposed to be studying Geography, which is usually taught by Mr. Bas Stapler. The class is starting to be crowded and noisy; it’s uncontrollable without a teacher. Suddenly, Mr. Stapler comes and immediately apologizes. “Good morning class! Sorry for being late. I know that my lateness cannot be justified but I think I need to explain the reason why I have come late this morning”

The class is swiftly quiet when Mr. Stapler comes and talks. It is no wonder since Mr. Stapler is the most favorite teacher in elementary school. Slowly, Mr. Stapler tells them that he was trapped by the flood surrounding his house.

Afterwards, he immediately begins to explain what he came to the class to do - Geography. In this section, he teaches about Global Warming and Climate Change. For about twenty minutes, he explains about global warming and climate change, and also the impact to the earth. The students seem like very enthusiastic to listen to his explanation. Moreover, Mr. Stapler using a power point presentation which contains a lot of pictures related to climate change. At the beginning he tells the cause of global warming, green house effect, global warming, and then climate change and the impact to the Earth. Soon, the students one by one raise some questions.

“Sir, was last night storm in your area caused by climate change?” asked a little blonde girl who sits exactly in front of Mr. Stapler. He did not answer the first question; two more questions were asked respectively by the students. “Why was the storm only in your area and not in my area whereas your home and mine is not that far away?” “You said that now the Earth faces global warming, but why did in your place get storm and heavy rain? It’s really not warm, Sir!”

Mr. Stapler smiles for a while. He answers the entire questions with very long explanation. He uses many easy examples to make these sixth grade students understand well about climate change, global warming, and so on. He states that what is happening as a result of global warming that is caused by humans. Human activity has polluted the air, water, and the land. Forests are transformed into roads, high buildings, and farming land. Carbon from industries and modern vehicles have darken the sky, and waste pollutes are in every corner in our environment. In addition to this, environmental damage cannot be controlled and is getting worse every day. People never think about the sustainability of the environment and sometimes think that these harmful activities are not connected to these freak natural occurrences.

After all the explanations, some students look so curious. Some look very shocked and the rest look so pale and a bit afraid of the effect of this phenomenon.

Mr. Stapler believes that now his students have imagined how bad the condition is today. As if Mr. Stapler can see their imagination of the Earth in their heads. Mr. Stapler then asks them a question, “Okay class! Having listened to my explanation, what do you think about Climate Change and Global Warming?”

It takes a bit long time before Ana, a curly haired Afro-American girl, try to speak up. “It is very horrible, Sir! That is why recently a lot of disasters have happened and a lot of people die due to it. I do regret this because yesterday I threw a plastic bag into the river nearby my home”

“It’s good if now you understand that saving environment is important” said Mr. Stapler. “Now, I want to ask what is your imagination of the earth in the year 3000?” asked Mr. Stapler while looking at all his student in the class. “Why do I ask about it? It’s just because now a lot of opinion voiced by some people about the future of our earth 1000 years from now”

One by one, his students lift up their hand and offer their opinion. Budi, an Indonesian boy who is also half-blood British, speaks up first. “I think in 3000, there will be no more life. The earth will be just empty land without humans, animals, and plantations. Global warming and climate change will destroy all creatures in this world” shouted him assertively.

“I have another imagination, Sir! I think in 3000 there will be an alien from another universe and it will come to wipe out all human kind. It is like in the film of The Day the Earth Stood Still staring by Keanu Reeves. I strongly believe that the movie is real. Someday in the year 3000, Klaatu, an alien from another universe, will come and exterminate us all because he thinks that we cannot preserve and save the earth. By destroying us, Klaatu thinks that the earth will be safe from us, the destructive race” said Ana seriously.

Another opinion is given by Mat. He thinks that the earth will be all oceans, no more islands. Indonesia, as archipelago, will be vanished. The United States, which admits itself as a super power country, will be sinking into the Antarctic. Europe will be just history. There will be no more maps of the world. Then….I think we all will be still alive, but not as a human anymore! Maybe we will be evolving again to be fish or marine! Aha!!!” Mat’s opinion makes the class laugh strangely.

Looking at the enthusiasm of the students to answer, Mr. Stapler strives to encourage them more to speak up. He points out one student who sits in the back corner. “You Brandon, what is your imagination of earth in 3000?” asked Mr. Stapler. Brandon who was daydreaming is a bit stunned to get the question. “A..aa….aa…. I am not sure about it, Sir. Three thousand is too far, Sir. My vision is not that far, but I bet the earth will no longer exist” answered Brandon shortly.

Right after Brandon finished his answer, another answer is raised by Toto. “I am still optimistic with the sustainability of the life on this earth. I strongly believe that the circumstance will alter soon. I rely on the Kyoto Protocol that already set up by the government in all countries. Moreover, under Barrack Obama governance, USA will ratify its protocol soon. It means that all the countries will try their best to reduce carbon emission and more concern about global environment. That’s what I think, Sir!”

Mr. Stapler is surprised with the smart answer of Toto’s. He wonders since Toto knows everything about Kyoto Protocol. “I read a lot about Kyoto Protocol, Sir! My father always tells me about it since he works for Environmental Project of Government”

“That’s good, Toto! Anybody else has optimistic imagination about earth in 3000?” asked Mr. Stapler.

“Me Sir!” replied Sander while raising his hand. “I am thinking, in 3000 the earth will be extinct. However, I still consider that the life will still survive. All human kind and animal will be still alive, but not on the earth. We will live on another planet, Mars. Currently, a lot of scientists are developing numerous of research missions to Mars and studying how people can live there. I am extremely optimistic that we all can move to Mars before the earth suffers more damage and disappear”

“For me the earth is going to be healed soon, Sir! I think now people are starting to realize that we do need to heal the world. Moreover after Michael Jackson died! The song is more popular and the awareness of people to save the environment is increased as well. In 3000, the earth will be greener than nowadays. The relationship between human and nature will be more in harmony” said Tabitha supported Sander’s argument.

Subsequently, Andi loudly speak up. “But I think the earth will never reach 3000. In 2012 the earth will be in the end of the world according to Lawrence E Jospeh in his book, Apocalypse 2012. My sister told me that Lawrence believes that sun’s activity will cause very strong heat to boil the earth. This strong heat eventually creates disaster on the world because the atmosphere cannot handle the sun radiation anymore. In the end, the ice in poles will melt down and sink the world”

Afterwards, Mr. Stapler takes over the discussion. He tries to give rationalization to his the students and gives further explanations about this matter. He admits that there is nothing wrong with his students’ opinion. Personally, he believes that there are two possibilities of the future of the earth in the year 3000. First, the earth will disappear and the second is the world will still survive with normal life. Furthermore, he explains that the earth will no longer exist if there is no change of behavior of the human. “Now we can say that the relationship between human and nature is not that harmonized. The natural disasters are happening due to human activities which ignore the sustainability of the environment. The earth will be seriously gone if no serious willingness of every individual to save the environment”

However, he also explains about the possibility of betterment in the future for the human kind and the earth. “If the people can change their behavior to be more environmental friendly, I don’t think that the theory in Apocalypse 2012 will occur, or either other theory that pessimistically perceives that the earth will be gone in the future. Right now I am still optimistic that the strong intention to make a better world is already there. Kyoto Protocol and the other efforts to reduce carbon emission and to keep the sustainability of environment will contribute for a better hope of the earth in 3000”

“Okay class! Now you have already known what the climate change and global warming are. For your assignment, please do some activities that are environmentally friendly for one week. After that, please make a report based on your activities that covers what you have done and what the merits are of the thing that you do. However, I strongly suggest you not to stop doing those things after you submit your report. Do it forever since all of your ideas that you have mentioned will come true or not depends on what you do in your daily life!”

For Mr. Stapler, this is very good topic to be discussed in his class. He thinks that the topic is very urgent to be introduced to his students which later will become leaders. Now, everybody should take parts in each effort to save the environment. Government, society, NGOs, youth, and even the children must hand-in-hand to solve global warming and climate change. In 3000 everything is still mystery. What will happen later in 3000 to the earth, will depend on what we do now! We can imagine ideas as Mr. Stapler’s students, but we need a real action to realize the bright thoughts.

Bilateral Work Camp IIWC-SIW (Part III): Children, Prostitutes, and Animal

After working for environmental project, we moved to our project with children in prostitution area. Everything was different, not only the theme of the project, but also the campsite (of course), the circumstance, the weather, and the experience.

I take those three words in the title to describe the second project in this work camp; children, prostitutes, and animal.

I put children in the first order is because our project mainly focus on children in prostitution area. Almost every day we do activity with children. One of the aims of this project is to give a space for children in prostitution area to play with their fellow children and to shift their mind for a while from their original environment to their real environment. The children in that area are living in the prostitution area with the condition where a lot of things that they are not supposed to see. For instance: alcohol, sexy prostitutes with beer and cigarette, sex transaction, etc. That is why we came there to play with them, gave them education through games, and taught them making handicraft. Besides, we also made badminton competition to encourage them to sharpen their brilliant skill in badminton.

Frankly saying, the children there are a bit naughty and “wild”. It was so hard to organize them. We had to prepare layers of plans since our first plan sometime did not work due to their very active reactions. However, it was really nice, somehow, to see their smile and laugh when they run and mess up our program. They seemed very free and found their real childhood with their friends. So nice!

Prostitution can also depict this second project since we were working in the prostitution area though we did not really get in touch with them. However, we had one activity with them which was aerobic. Aerobic is actually their regular activity held in every Friday morning. Fortunately at that time we had occasion to do aerobic with them. In the first very beginning we also led the aerobic before the real aerobics instructor came.

Nearby our campsite, approximately 2 km from the prostitution area, we had very active village youngster. They are used to ask us to involve in their activity in that village. Therefore, some days we could realize some activities with the local youth, such as campaign on drugs, cooking exchange (again we cooked hutspot), self defense training, jogging in the morning, etc. It was very interesting to work with them.

Other story from our campsite is about animal. Why do I say so? It is because during our stay there, we found a lot of animal which made the Dutch volunteers very surprised. Actually it was not that much though!!!

First, in our home we had a cat, but in early in the morning there were two cats. Second, we had a little bird of Momo that is found by our host (and finally it flew away) Third, we had two little ducks of Toto that he bought in the traditional market. And the last we had a very big spider behind the cupboard that surprised everybody in the night before we sleep.

The cats used to fighting early in the morning on the roof and suddenly one day they were falling down to the room where Anja, Selmar, Jorine, and Madelon sleeping. Unexpectedly, one of these cats scratched Anja’s finger on her foot. Abruptly, it became very worry day since she was afraid of rabies virus brought by the cat.

The spider also gives us another hectic story. We were supposed to sleep at that night. However there was a big spider under the cupboard in the place where Indonesian volunteers sleeping. Everybody was very curious to see the spider therefore everybody was awake and gathered in Indonesian corner to witness the spider. Anja was the hero at that night. She finally could catch that spider though she failed before.

Somehow, it gives new experience for Indonesian too to deal with that kind of animal even though we get use to it actually. But it was fun, anyway, to be surprised of animals, and to be hectic with the children!!

Happy Holy Ramdhan

Dear fellow Moslem,

Today, now we all enter Ramdhan month, the holiest month during the year. Hopefully we can maximize our worship to the God and be better human kind. I ask apologize if I have some mistakes! Happy fasting and happy Ramadhan month! TITIPAN ILAHI

(WS Rendra)

Sering kali aku berkata,

ketika orang memuji milikku,

bahwa sesungguhnya ini hanya titipan,

bahwa mobilku hanya titipan Nya,

bahwa rumahku hanya titipan Nya,

bahwa hartaku hanya titipan Nya,

bahwa putraku hanya titipan Nya, tetapi,mengapa aku tak pernah bertanya,

mengapa Dia menitipkan padaku?

Untuk apa Dia menitipkan ini pada ku? Dan kalau bukan milikku,

apa yang harus kulakukan untuk milik Nya ini?

Adakah aku memiliki hak atas sesuatu yang bukan milikku?

Mengapa hatiku justru terasa berat,

ketika titipan itu diminta kembali oleh-Nya ? Ketika diminta kembali,

kusebut itu sebagai musibah,

kusebut itu sebagai ujian,

kusebut itu sebagai petaka,

kusebut dengan panggilan apa saja

untuk melukiskan bahwa itu adalah derita. Ketika aku berdoa,

kuminta titipan yang cocok dengan hawa nafsuku,

aku ingin lebih banyak harta, i

ngin lebih banyak mobil, lebih banyak rumah,

lebih banyak popularitas,

dan kutolak sakit, kutolak kemiskinan, Seolah ….. semua “derita” adalah hukuman bagiku.

Seolah ….. keadilan dan kasih Nya harus berjalan seperti matematika:

aku rajin beribadah,maka selayaknyalah derita menjauh dariku,

dan Nikmat dunia kerap menghampiriku.

Kuperlakukan Dia seolah mitra dagang, dan bukan Kekasih.

Kuminta Dia membalas “perlakuan baikku”,

dan menolak keputusanNya yang tak sesuai keinginanku, Ya Rabb,padahal tiap hari kuucapkan,

hidup dan matiku hanyalah untuk beribadah…

“ketika langit dan bumi bersatu, bencana dan keberuntungan sama saja”