Flying Without Wings, Almost

During the recent years, we've seen the ups and downs of the country's huge aviation industry. Apart from "traditional" airlines like Garuda, many airlines have sprouted up bearing the title "no-frills airline" or "low cost carrier (LCC)". Many thought that the then-fledgling LCCs, pioneered here by Lion Air, will simply go out of business in a matter of months, or years if you want to be optimistic.

Yet, as we can see now, those LCCs are here to stay. Sure, a number of airlines bit the dust, or more accurately, the tarmac; but it's simply "survival of the fittest" stuff. Honestly, they have given more people the opportunity to invade what used to belong only to the birds and supported the development of the country by enhancing air transportation.

Anyway, I had my very first experience flying on such airline last Saturday. Additionally, it was also my first time to fly from Soekarno-Hatta Airport's Terminal 1: apparently if there's a Terminal 2, there has to be Terminal 1. But let's save that for another time. It's nice to have a reserve topic to survive a writer's block. And I'm calling myself a writer, ha!

I flew to Balikpapan on the famed Indonesia AirAsia. Obviously, it was no SQ; heck, it wasn't even Garuda. The most striking thing is probably that passengers weren't assigned to seat numbers. When we board the airplane, we had to struggle, jostle, elbow, punch, kick, and bite people to get the seat we want: not exactly what I call convenient because I was flying in a group of fourteen people. But, if you can get past my exaggerated statement, it's not so big a problem if you're travelling alone or in a tiny group.

As I expected, we didn't get any food. They don't serve food, they sell them. No biggie actually, but it's still something to write about. Then I remembered when I was flying on Air Canada, which also sells food on-board for short flights. A fellow passenger said that it's no longer an airline, it's a flying 7-Eleven. Well, that pretty much describes AirAsia. You board the plane, fly, get out of the freaking plane, and that's it. No movie, no music, nada. They strip every traditional luxury that we've taken for granted for so long. I guess they'll take the wings off if they can. And the plane is not exactly squeaky clean, although it's not dirty either. After all, you want to get there from here and AirAsia does just that.

So, overall I'll say that it's less nightmare-ish than what people say. Then again, I might even say that it's quite good for an LCC. We didn't get delayed for hours and stranded at the airport, like I initially feared. If you have fears of flying on an LCC, just stop thinking about SQ or Cathay, and you'll survive.

Rambling 270608

I decided to doublepost today. Don't you just love me? It's been a long time since I've done a complete random rambling. I miss doing it, so I'll do one like right now. Yay!

About UEFA Euro 2008, I just found out that those using cable channels are cut off from the whole "party", if you want to call it so. As you know me, I don't really care about twenty two guys running around a huge field to kick some balls, and each other, and maybe each others' balls too. Thus, I didn't realize that my TV can't receive airings of the exhilarating matches. And I don't care about this thing enough to not check whether it's true or not.

Next, I luurve the Jonas Brothers...not! No, I don't hate them, I can listen to some of their songs actually, but I just don't understand all the media buzz surrounding them, especially in the US. By "media buzz", it mostly includes millions of someteen-years old girls screaming wildly for their new heartthrob trio. JB fans from the male species, don't feel left out just yet, there are still thousands of you who don't have the courage to howl for the trio. Well, Buckley (from What the Buck) loves them. A strange phenomena; and I haven't even mentioned the Disney girl with double personality yet.

I just finished reading Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl: the Arctic Incident, the second book in the series. Somehow it didn't feel as good as the first book, but still a great fantasy read. Then, I had to choose to read either Veronika Decides to Die or The Pilgrimage, both by Paulo Coelho. I decided to do The Pilgrimage first, because my friend Ghazi told me to do Veronika (stop thinking dirty things!) first. It will be my loyal friend in the journey to Balikpapan. Anyhow, I don't expect to finish it during the trip.

Oh, two days ago I was in Taman Safari, wee! Lame, I know. I had to accompany my visiting young cousins to "fun" (supposedly, at least) places, and obviously we can't go to the humongous malls of Jakarta everyday. We arrived on 10 AM-ish and the park was already crowded with kindergarteners from every part of Jakarta and a ginormous pack of junior high students from Temanggung, Central Java. I read it from their T-shirts, which also told me they're in a school trip to the capital, "Wisata Jakarta". Yay. Fun. Wow. Pardon my Jakarta-centricity.

And that whole paragraph strayed from what I wanted to tell you. I spotted an emak-emak, prolly a kindergarten teacher, who was carrying a huge old-skool cassette player. I wanted to snap a pic of her, but it was too late. The crowd devoured her, but never mind. I was like OMG. That was what would happen had Apple not invented the iPod. Whoops, I meant "...had anyone not invented portable MP3 players". Let's not get so brand-minded. We really have to thank those geeks in tech companies for letting us bring thousands of music in tiny boxes. We love you!

This ridiculous post has gotten ridiculously long. I'd better finish today's rambling now, otherwise I'll end up writing annoying stuffs here. Besides, I have to pack up for my visit to our really really distant relatives the orang utans. Shut up, creationists! See you on Monday.

Get Smart and More

Very late last night, I just watched Get Smart, a film adaptation of a 1960s spy comedy of the same name which, in my family, only my parents have watched. It stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart, a motivated yet hapless analyst-turned-agent in CONTROL, a US spy agency, and Anne Hathaway as CONTROL's uber-girl Agent 99. They must come together to save their beloved homeland from a nuclear assault by a Russian lunatic KAOS.

Carell is already synonymous with the word comedy; and what you expect is what you get. Plenty of hilarious moments, and the cinema was filled with thunderous laughs throughout the movie. Agent Smart is like Johnny English with relatively more brain. He's not stupid per se, it's just that what he has doesn't really make him the best field agent. Agent 99 is the stereotypical sexy, sophisticated female partner of the poor spy. The story itself is not so original, template-ish even. Some crazy Russian people stealing uranium, threatening the home of the brave with a nuclear bomb, and despite everything, our clumsy hero saves the day.

However, if you are living a miserable life and you badly need to laugh, or simply want a good entertainment, you won't be disappointed with Get Smart. Just don't look for "beautiful" or "touching" or "extraordinary". By the way, you get to listen to Madonna's latest hit 4 Minutes in the movie and during the end credits. Why do I even write these things...

Back to real life, I'll be in Balikpapan from Saturday, June 28 to Monday, June 30. It's going to be a big family trip with 17 family members. The whole scheme was planned by my grandparents, and it includes a visit to an orang utan sanctuary. Mmm, something new and unique. I hope it'll turn out as a nice experience. Anyway, don't expect any post till Monday afternoon. Miss me so very much until then.

Speaking about the calendar, I just figured out that I will have to start waking up so early in the morning again soon. The matriculation program in UI (actually, it's a penyelarasan program) will begin on July 7 and end on August 2. If I'm not mistaken, each day will start at 8 AM in the uni's Depok campus. Because it is extremely near, sarcastically speaking, I'll have to wake up with the rooster. I should cherish the remaining sleepless nights of unemployment.

Get Out of the Car, and Then What?

Soaring petrol price has sent people out of their cars into buses, trains, trams, monorails, and other means of public transportation to minimize expenses. The number of passengers using mass transport have started to increase significantly since the beginning of the oil crisis. At least, that's what happens in other parts of the world.

Back in Jakarta, the above paragraph seems irrelevant. Despite exorbitant petrol price, the number of cars clogging our streets steadily increases everyday. The glorious TransJakarta project doesn't seem to have any power in attracting enough people off their cars and into the flashy yellow-orange and the gloomy grey buses. Traffic jam is still a common view in the capital, which means that people burn up expensive fuel to get nowhere.

Let's assume the role of a concerned citizen of Jakarta. We want to reduce fossil fuel consumption, and therefore reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we release to the atmosphere. We want to halt global warming and we want to save money. Well, mostly the latter. To do so, mass transport is the best way to go. What options do we have?

First, we have a public bus system that everybody loves to hate. If you're in Jakarta, obviously you must have seen orange Metro Minis, white-with-green-stripe Kopajas, or at least their thick black exhaust smoke. These buses with their numerous routes reach every corner of the big city, however remote it is. Unfortunately, the buses are as crappy as their routes are extensive. It wouldn't be too exaggerated -although it is harsh- to compare it with cans on wheels. Additionally, the drivers have gained a notorious reputation as annoying and obnoxious.

If I can help it, I'll avoid riding them. And Thank God, I can help it. The last time I rode a Metro Mini is no less than eight years ago.

Next, we have the commuter train, which I don't really know about. From what I've seen, its quality is not that better than the buses. The trains themselves are in poor condition. In rush hours, the train cars are packed like a crate of fish, probably the smell too. People can ride wherever they want to, including the train roof and hanging on the doors. Definitely not what you call comfortable and efficient.

Along came TransJakarta. Even though it's not as good as most of us expected, I'll say that at least it is the most humane mass transport in the city. The mission to provide a modern, comfortable transportation for Jakartans is very noble indeed. However, a lot needs to be done to make it what it's supposed to be. The bus stops need to be revamped because in its present condition, it resembles more of a sauna than a bus stop. We also need a constant scheduling, so that it is clear when the buses will ever come. Well, most importantly is that the system needs an adequate number of buses to serve all the lines effectively and efficiently, plus it needs an extensive feeder system to extend its reach.

During the years, TransJakarta has won the hearts of citizens. However, many of those hearts belong to former conventional bus users, who would obviously choose TransJakarta over Metro Mini or Kopaja. Car users are still hesitating to switch with lots of logical reasons like comfort and convenience. No one can force them to switch, so it is the TransJakarta that has to attract them.

If the government is serious in combatting traffic jams and global warming, they must do a thorough review of the current transportation system. A major overhaul on the existing bus system, especially the Metro Mini and Kopaja, is not to be delayed. With such a wide range, they actually have the potential to serve the public. They only need to upgrade into an acceptable level of comfort and efficiency. The case is mostly the same with trains.

When the city's mass transport is sorted out, there's no doubt that people will happily leave their gas guzzlers at home and ride together. This will certainly alleviate Jakarta's chronic traffic problems and people will be able to reduce expenses on fuel. After all, it is time that such a big and modern city like Jakarta has a suitable mass transport system.

Let's Say That It's A Family Affair

Growing up in a family of physicians, my life has been more or less affected by the science and art of medicine. Both of my maternal grandparents are doctors -they're pediatricians- so are some of my grand uncles and aunts. The interest in medicine skipped my parents' generation, and it conveniently landed on me without any kind of brainwashing involved in the process. But that's another story.

Being the grandson of doctors, I was exposed to a rather beneficial notion: "Kan yang nggak boleh pasiennya, bukan cucunya" (Their patients can't do this and that and pretty much everything else, but their grandchildren can). If you go to a doctor, most probably you'll get an advice not to eat this or do that. "Don't eat chocolates", "Don't eat those junk snacks", "Cut back on ice creams", and thousands of other mantra from the Holy Book of Don'ts is a bonus for every visit to the doctor.

And you thought that they preach it to everyone. In my case, even though I had an asthma, which fortunately has subsided, I have broken every taboo of an asthmatic person. My childhood was quite normal without any medical restrictions. I loved to munch on those yummy junks, chocolates, ice cream, and everything else. No, my grandparents didn't stop me: I'm their grandson, not their patient. Let's just say that it's strictly a family affair.

When my grandparents were busy keeping off their patients from delicious MSG-ful treats, I have a not-so-secret stash of them. Well, I've never really showed up in front of my grandparents' patients just to rub it in, but imagine their great agony if I suddenly appear with a bagful of chips in my grandparents' clinic waiting room.

Taking this into account, do you think that teachers infuse more discipline into their students than their children? Maybe the children of teachers also secretly have a similar saying: "Kan kita anaknya, bukan muridnya" (We're the teachers' offspring, not their pupils). Who knows?

Happy Anniversary, Jakarta!

Jakarta, the city where I have lived my whole life. Coming from a 17-years old, that doesn't sound as mystical as it should be, but it is true. FYI, I'm only the second generation in my family to be born here. My grandparents were born and brought up in different villages of the Java Island. My paternal grandparents came from Solo in Central Java, while my maternal grandfather came from Ponorogo in East Java -beware of my inner reog. My maternal grandmother originally came from Jepara in Central Java, if I'm not mistaken, but her family moved very frequently during her youth. She finally settled in Jakarta after living in New Delhi, following my great-grandparents. After that generation, virtually everyone was born in the capital city of this beloved country. Pardon the oversimplification, but I'm not that keen to go into details.

My family is somewhat a fan of the late Ali Sadikin, former governor of the city who is considered as the best Jakarta's ever had. I just found out recently that my mom once wrote a fanmail to him, and got a personal reply, complete with his signed photograph. It's not rare for my family to refer to him whenever we start talking about what should've been done for the city, but I can't talk about that, I wasn't even born yet in his time as the governor. Duh.

Most Jakartans today will probably agree that we all have a serious love-hate relationship with the city. We love to complain about it all the time, blaming the ineptitude of the governor and the ignorance of other people for every problem facing the city. At the same time, we bask in the glorious blessings-in-disguise the city has to offer in its chaos.

Traffic in the city, despite its seemingly fatal tendencies, separates the men from the boys and the wonder women from the emak-emak. Anyone with a faint heart had better stay away from the streets. Many foreigners see it as a thrilling urban adventure. Anecdotes about swooshing and swerving through bajajs and metrominis are common from anyone visiting the city. As dangerous as it sounds -and it is dangerous indeed- it made Jakarta's drivers the bravest in the world, and probably one of the best, although obviously not in the "obeying the rules" department.

The "five-footed" food vendors selling their stuffs on street curbs, or I believe that the term hawker is far less awkward, is as normal as Chinese takeaway in the US. Regular victim of the city's public "order" office, they are an integral part of a Jakartan's life. Most foreigners from developed country are put off by its less-than-hygienic culinary methods, but hey, Jakartans don't die from eating those foods. On the contrary, if modern medicine have developed vaccines to stimulate immunity to diseases, those roadside foods have strengthened our digestive system's defenses.

Still, Jakarta leaves a lot to be desired. The city's air pollution is inhumane. The traffic jam is unforgiving, taking years out of our lives. Floods still visit regularly. A public transport system is already quite extensive, yet a decent and organized system is basically next to inexistant.

But today is Jakarta's anniversary, its 481st anniversary, in fact. Happy anniversary to our beloved city! This is not the time to rant and complaint, right? ;p

Mischievous Night

I don't think I should write like three posts in a day, but the date should've already changed when I finish this, so it won't really show. I'm writing this when there's only less than an hour left in the day, and my jaw is hurting from so much laughing, courtesy of my friend Amanda Jana whose blog Sleepless Nights you can find in the blogroll. We did pretty silly stuffs, but this one is like whoa. It deserves a post in my blog.

The saga began on a peaceful Saturday night...well, not really. Probably the seed of mischief was planted the night before. My friend Amanda had nothing to do, so she called me without any real reason. We talked about unimportant yet funny things, and in the end, she said that she's going to call random people to kill time -as if she wasn't doing that already. She wanted to call our junior high mates, or if that's not crazy enough, she'd dial random number and play out a ridiculous scenario.

The next day (which is today), she told me through instant messaging that she failed the random dialing because she couldn't get anyone excited enough to respond to her randomness. So, as a good friend, I wanted to console her. How? She decided that she wants to pretend to be someone else and then IM with my friends from school. It's like random dialing, but on the IM.

Our, or let's say her, first victim was Ghazi (check out his cool and clearly less mentally-disturbed blog 613). She pretended to be a mother of three children who happens to be his biggest fan ever. To disguise her identity, Amanda changed her name to Ratnanisa, which according to her is a nice mother-y name. It went quite well in the beginning, and I was laughing my ass off. If my floor was a little bit cleaner, I'd be rolling on the floor like crazy.

Obviously, Ghazi became more suspicious of the newcomer. He finally asked me in private if she was really a mother. I simply told him to check Ratna's email address, and he realized that he's being duped. It had to end, finally. However, it was really really hilarious. That's a nice way to get more friends, isn't it? Btw, especially for Ghazi, the pretending part was only the "having three children" part, the "your fan" part is true.

Next victim, Ajid. This time, my other friend Nabila joined in and Amanda changed her name again to Ratnabella Amanda, so that her e-mail won't betray her disguise. In this scenario, Amanda-slash-Ratna pretended to be a friend of my mom and Nabila's mom, and she needed to find teenage guys to participate in a casting process to be a model for a new shampoo. Bila and I called her tante and made up comments about tante's imaginary son Dimas to convince Ajid.

It was completely her improvisation. I don't know if she thought that such outrageous story would work. Apparently, it didn't. Moving on, we invited Aji to the table. We continued the whole "casting" hijinks but unfortunately, Amanda was called by her mom. That's all folks. Acta est fabula. Everybody went offline and we have to wait for another day to continue the stupidity.

Anyway, Ajid and Aji never really knew what's happening. Maybe they can get the privilege of being Manda's next victim sometime soon (as long as they don't read this post).

Don't Judge A City By Its Airport, Please...

I was at the airport yesterday, and what I saw really made me question government's seriousness of the Visit Indonesia Year 2008 campaign. Logically, Soekarno-Hatta Int'l Airport, as the main international entry to Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia, should show that the country is ready to welcome everyone. The airport is the first thing foreigners see when they arrive at the country; thus, it is ultra important that it gives the best impressions upon tourists.

Unfortunately, the reality doesn't agree with that. I have been there for quite a few times, but yesterday was my very first time picking up someone at the airport. Blurgh, blurgh, and blurgh; even before I actually got into the airport. The parking lot was packed with cars driven by annoying, ignorant drivers. There was simply not enough space, considering that the number of passengers have grown so rapidly during the last few years. In effect, the aggravated traffic jam polluted the already hazardous air.

Entering the terminal's arrival hall (God bless whoever invented air conditioner), another kind of chaos ensued. I needed to go to the restroom, located at each ends of the terminal. I immediately headed to one of them, only to find that it's being renovated. There was no sign whatsoever, and there are many people who had the same fate. I had no plan to wet my jeans, so I had to rush to the other end of the crowded terminal.

The nightmare didn't end after I found it. The restroom is typical Indonesian public restroom, with hygiene hanging for dear life at the bottom of priority list. It was decorated with little "ponds" everywhere, and I had to guess that maintenance is kept to the minimum. If I'm not mistaken, Mrs. Ani Yudhoyono (the prez's wife) launched a clean toilet campaign some years ago. Seeing the airport's restrooms, probably it applied to the State Palace's restrooms only, so that SBY can start the day in peace.

Now back to the terminal itself. It was packed with people, especially at the meeting point. Everyone seemed to flock at the same place, buzzing louder than ever. The taxi stand guys was shouting "taxi, mister" to every foreign-looking man over and over like someone pressed the "repeat" button. Even more annoying is that people had the ignorance and effrontery to smoke in the air conditioned hall. He didn't even bother to go to the nearest "death room" (cleverly disguised as "smoking room"). He just stepped back from his seat, and puff. Imagine the horror of a first-time tourist: stepping out of the plane with innocent hopes to have a good time, only to be confronted with such rowdy crowd. A great test of faith and courage.

That is not the way to welcome anyone, especially foreign tourists from whom we'll try to extort as much money as possible. Jakarta, despite all its shortcomings, is a wonderful city. It has tons of hidden charm in its chaos. Therefore, it deserves a humane airport that will support the growing tourism industry. We can only hope that no one judges Jakarta by its airport.

A Little Retrospection

Whoa! I surprised myself with the last post. Not exactly "profound" material, but I'll say that it deserves an applause, considering that I am who I am. I am quite satisfied, at least. It's not everyday that I put so much feeling into something. It was purely dedicated to the guys and girls who had gone through and given so much during the larger-than-life high school years.

Now, I'm doing a little retrospection; and by retrospection I mean taking a look at the last post. While making the last post, I was so fantastically lost in thoughts that I forgot to give it a title. Well, as I've said before, it's not an easy job to find an apt title for a post, a title that captures the whole thing but not trapping it in such small train of words. So, I decided to make up a poetic excuse: some things are better being left as it is, let your mind find out for itself the best title for it.

Anyway, I haven't got anything to blog about. Blame blogorrhea.

Before we get anywhere, I'll make things clear. I've never done "deep" or "thoughtful" before. As it turns out, being deep or thoughtful requires a lot of work, including deep thinking (well, duh!). I really want to avoid being cheesy, and I'll never allow myself to be freakishly artsy. However, I'll try as hard as I can because yesterday was a precious day for all of us. It may not blow your mind off, but here goes for you, Alpus 1 #30.

"We came as strangers, and left as the best of friends", a trite expression yet still true. Three years ago, we didn't know what to expect when we stepped out of the elevator into our then-new school. We had hopes, dreams, wishes, targets, goals, and everything, except the knowledge of what will happen the next day, let alone the next three years. Well, look at us now. A lot of things have changed, and most probably we are extremely happy with them.

"High school is the best time of your life": if you think that the statement is an exaggeration, you are terribly wrong. Thinking about what I have gone through, I'll say the same thing with pride, "high school is indeed the best time of my life". The precious moments will never be repeated, as much as you want it to be.

I've never really thought that high school would end until just recently. It's like watching an exciting movie, where you really got into the fun and hoped that it would never end, until the credits rolled and you are forced to accept that you've reached the end. More or less, it was like that. We've been very comfortable and happy in high school that we thought that it will go on forever, until we had to go to our graduation where we have to come to realize that it's the end.

It will never be the same again, but that doesn't mean that our bonds will break. These fantabulous years are simply unforgettable, for better or for worse. We have left a mark in each others' lives, and it will stay until the end of time.

Thank You God, for uniting us in Alpus 1 #30. Thank you Alpus 1 #30, for everything.

Under The Alchemist's Spell

First of all, you might think that this week is the best time to write something melancholic about leaving high school and such. Yes, it certainly is; but not now. Don't get me wrong, I'm overwhelmed by all these emotions. These 3 years have been wonderful and magical, to say the very least. High school has really left a deep, precious mark on me. Therefore, I promise that I will write something profound and touching, in tune with the current atmosphere. I may not be Chairil Anwar or Maya Angelou or Oprah; but yes, I can try to do something "real". Just you wait and read.

Having said that, we can get down to the topic. I just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and (un)surprisingly I was somewhat enlightened. I can't wait to share my views on it. I know, it's kinda too late and you might think "why on earth is this guy talking about The Alchemist at this time of the century?"; but as I said before, this is my blog. So, fire on!

The first thing I realized when I started was that the language style is simple, yet still beautiful. There's no intricate sentences that you have to read over and over just to get its meaning. Everything is told as it is. That doesn't mean that it's bland, but the book is a simple satisfying feast for your soul. To quote my friend Amanda Jana Shalvian, "there's a lot of great quotes".

The story is, well, the very core of the book and its incredible popularity. The story of a shepherd who decided to follow his "destiny" is very deep, thought-provoking, heartwarming, and much more. The book takes on spirituality without approving or disapproving one religion, although it uses Christianity and Islam to convey its message.

I, for one, has been positively affected by The Alchemist. I'll share one of my recent "realization"s. A few days ago when I was in my English course, we were doing a writing practice. I did my writing (for which I was very satisfied), and gave it to my teacher, who then checked and reviewed it. After doing so, as usual she writes some kind of encouragement like "well written" or "well done". That time, she wrote "you have the potential to write a book", which she completed by saying "I didn't say that you should be an author because you obviously want to be a doctor, but you can still write a book if you want to."

At that time, I hadn't read The Alchemist. I was very happy but nothing deeper than that. Now that I've read the book, I just realized that there are numerous paths in this life I can choose. What my teacher said is a reminder that I have something else. It's not impossible that I'll be a doctor-slash-writer. Hello, I regularly ramble about anything I could think of in my blog. As incessant as it may be, it is surely a way to develop writing skills because writing skill doesn't necessarily mean "great writing in a geeky, poetic style". Ellen DeGeneres's hilarious monologues are written by writers, so are newspapers (well, duh!); there are so many kinds of writer.

See that? I recommend the book to everyone as in every people in this whole freaking planet.

Really Really Relieved

This morning June 14, 2008, was a mix of anything and everything because the scores for the national exam are finally out, after one and a half month. If I had to choose one adjective right now, it would be relieved and grateful. Mmm...not exactly one, but this is my blog so I'll do what I want here. Before we start: I just finished reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, so I apologize if I get somewhat poetic or uncharacteristically deep. Now, back to the topic.

All it took to get the first adjective relieved is a single row in a table full of letters and numbers. In that fateful row was my name and next to it, my scores, all six of them. A quick scan through the row, a little bit of data processing, and bam! My heart flew as free as an uncaged bird and as wild as a Rio carnival.

The second adjective grateful must be paired with every achievement, unless you're an annoying egoistic freak...then it's you're problem, not mine. If I had like a million gazillion thank you's, it won't be enough to show how grateful I am for this once-in-a-lifetime moment. Thank You, God, for the wonderful path You've given me the opportunity to choose (Oh yeah, I'm Coelho-crazy). Plus, thank you to everyone, and I mean everyone as in every person on earth which may or may not have realized their precious help, as help comes in all possible -sometimes unimaginable- forms.

Last but definitely not least, CONGRATULATIONS to everyone!

Quick Cold Post

Here's the thing: the day has only an hour left, and I am freezing in my room. My air conditioner has been acting rather weird since like two days ago. First, it refused to be switched on. I kept pushing the remote like a caveman, but nothing could make the AC blow out its blessed breeze. I checked, and it's not the remote's fault as I could use it to turn on other ACs (of the same type, of course).

Then, I tried to reset it by turning off the power supply and turning it back on. I pushed the ON button once again, and voila, it started to rumble...a little bit too much, though. The air flow was so strong like its on "Hi Power" mode, although the remote didn't say so. Anyhoo, I pressed the HiPower button on the remote, only to discover that it doesn't connect anymore. I thought about cutting off the supply, but restrained from doing so by fears of not being able to turn it on again. I'm not gonna sleep without my AC.

Thus, for a few hours, I had to endure obscenely cold wind blowing out from my air conditioner. I couldn't sleep, so I started to make a freaking igloo in my room. OK, that's fake, but the "really really cold part" was 100% true. Out of frustration -and the unbearable wind- I picked up the remote, and hit "HiPower" once. Surprisingly, the AC instantly fell into its usual hum. Just like that.

As I'm writing this, the same thing is happening. Not fun at all, and I mean it. Besides, it sparks some guilt because means that I'm consuming more energy than usual. Oh no, Al Gore's going to get me soon. Help me!

PS: Tomorrow, all twelfth graders, including your lovable blogger Adit, will get their national exams' scores. I don't normally do nervous, but this thing is huge! I just can't stay calm enough to be considered a sane person.

Between Burqa and Bikini

No, we're not talking about the ingenious, yet pointless "burqini". I don't even think that the title reflects what's in the post, but it sounds good, so live with it. Now, I'd like to bring your attention to a more serious topic, which may or may not be related to the spreading Islamophobia in Europe. On June 5, 2008, the Constitutional Court in Turkey reinstated a ban against hijab in universities on the secular constitutional grounds. Further reading (and by "further reading I was referring to wikipedia) reveals that similar controversies on "Islamic" dress are raging throughout the continent.

First of all, let's make my position clear. In the debate between pro-hijab vs pro-choice, I firmly stand on the pro-choice's side. I do so because faith is a personal thing and no authority should be allowed to mess with one's faith. If one chooses to wear the hijab because she wants to, not because she's forced to, it is her right to practice what she believes in; so is the case if one chooses not to wear it.

With that in mind, I strongly question the banning of hijab in many European regions. Europe, a continent which can boast itself as a human rights leader, is traditionally an open society where one is free to practice his/her faith, or at least that's what I perceive so far. Europeans can accept bikinis, toplessness, and even nudity in some cases. So, why can't they accept that some members of their society chooses to wear the hijab? Besides, Catholic nuns in the region wears their habit which, in a way or more, resembles hijab.

Just because hijab is related to a religion doesn't mean that wearing hijab poses a threat to secular values. In fact, a secular state, which prohibits govt influence in religion and vice versa, must allow its citizens to wear what they want to wear, be it a bikini, a crucifix, or a headscarf. What matters is that in the eye of the law, every person is equal regardless of his/her religious practices. Furthermore, the prohibition of religious symbols in the public sphere can be seen as violation to one's freedom of expression.

Of course, there are things that we should keep in mind. My views would probably apply to sensible hijabs like the headscarf or "modest" dresses, but not to the burqa. Wearing a burqa or a niqab (the ones that totally cover everything) is kinda risky since it can be a threat to security. You never know what's inside that walking fabric. Like it or not, a terrorist can disguise him/herself in a burqa with a bomb ticking on his/her waist. Therefore, a ban on burqa or niqab is acceptable for security reasons. In addition, headscarf wearers should still allow officers for security body checks.

Most importantly, wearing hijab is never a reason to not integrate into the society one lives in and I do not, in any way, agree with the forcing of hijab to any woman by anyone.

Discombobulating Dictions

I really don't know how, but recently I've been stumbling upon rather unique, if not strange, additions to my vocabulary. I'm quite sure that I won't get them by watching TV or movies, or even nerdy blogs. So, I'll post it here as my humble contribution to the blogosphere. (It makes this blog even more nerdy, doesn't it? Well, whatever.)

1. DISCOMBOBULATE, v

OK, to pronounce the word is discombobulating enough, and we've only scratched the surface of the list. There's no point in making you discombobulated at the start line, right? Wiktionary provides its definition as "to throw into a state of confusion, yada yada yada" but basically it means "to confuse". Quite suitable for the word, really.

2. SOMNAMBULATE, v

A somnambulist, that is one who somnambulates, can pose serious harm to him/herself and to others -but we're not talking about George W Bush or FPI. In addition, there are cases in which murder is committed in somnambulation, and it can be used to defend the murderer. Before you get your mind wandering to ridiculous tortures and stuffs, I'll just state its definition: when someone somnambulates, you'll say that he/she is "sleepwalking".

3. OSCULATE, v

This is normally done by couples (both hetero- and homosexual) and also by overeager tweens who watch a dangerous amount of Indonesian soapies. Furthermore, one's first osculation will always leave a mark in memory. Despite what your dirty mind might be thinking right now, its meaning is quite innocent: "to kiss", that's it. Anyhow, I don't think people will use this word a lot since it sounds pretty creepy. "You may osculate the bride" will certainly send a shock to a wedding party. Besides, "XOXO, Gossip Girl" really loses its mystique when XOXO reads "hugs and osculations".

4. CEREBRATION, n

I'm not gonna freak you out with this one, mostly because I have no idea on how to do it. Anyway, this is a big word that describes an extremely common activity and can be replaced by a simple word. I'll give you a hint: it is related to the words cerebrum and cerebral. You might want to cerebrate about it. Sadly, this is a blog, not a freaking quiz so I'll just give you the answer: cerebration is what we call the act of "thinking".

I think I still have some more, let's get to it someday. Now, since we're talking about ridiculous words, I found a YouTube video that suits the theme of this post. It was taken from the latest Scripps National Spelling Bee and it is totally hilarious. Gotta watch this.

Hahaha, "numb nut", that's wacky. He also seemed so relieved when he finally gets the word. In the very end, he came out as the winner after spelling "guerdon". Kinda anticlimactic, isn't it?

Ramblings Continued

Hi there. Got myself hours of sleep and I woke up just in time for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Now, I'll just continue my random ramblings from last night while Desperate Housewives is on TV, I'm too lazy to change channels. If I get to it, probably I'll just flick to MTV or [V] channel. Cartoons are out of the question because they only have these baby programs with overexcited presenters who sing waay too much.

Continuing the last section on music, I did some searching and found out the titles of the said new songs. One is 3 Doors Down's "It's Not My Time" and the other is DeGraw's "In Love With A Girl". I also searched for the new -and great- Sergio Mendes song and it's titled "Funky Bahia". Then, I just remembered that I've been enjoying Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", Usher's "Love in This Club", and Fall Out Boys's "Beat It" too.

Mmmm...now what? Oh, YouTube! I'm a huge fan of Michael Buckley's "What The Buck Show". Wikipedia describes him as a internet celebrity, and that is 100% true. His take on celebrity news and his style when delivering it is extremely hilarious. A must watch. Other recommended users, among thousands of equally excellent YouTubers, are Venetian Princess, LisaNova, nigahiga, and of course, smosh. Additionally, there are millions of internet phenomena like "Ken Lee", "Cellphone Popcorn", and "Obama Girl".

I think I should stop now; otherwise, I'll be wasting more and more of my time just to ramble...to a laptop. I hope that my ramblings can give you an inspiration: wishful thinking much.

Ramblings 100608

I've faced several difficulties in blogging, one of them is the fill-in field on top of the writing box titled "Title:". Searching for a witty -and totally not tacky- title is never an easy job. Constantly writing random stuffs is not helping the crucial quest either. Believe me, it could really dampen my spirit if I have something to write, but don't have a title that feels quite right for the post. Hence, I really admire people who could come up with catchy titles without being unnecessarily artsy. Can I just leave it blank? Never thought of that until I'm writing this. Maybe next time (almost certainly soon); for now, you'll just have to make do with the half-hearted title.

Let's see, actually I don't have anything to write about. One obvious option is slamming the govt's ridiculous decree on Ahmadiyah, which is finally declared. Yet, I don't want to post on the same topic again and again: I just did one three days ago and it's only one post away. Besides, the decree is more of an absurdity than an official act. Ahmadis are ordered to stop all Ahmadiyah activities and will be "guided" into mainstream Islam. Mmm, how on earth will the govt make someone stop believing in his/her faith and forcing him/her to accept a new one? Well, maybe I can make something about this, just not now.

Then, I figured another option, and decided to stick with it. I'll just write about what I've been up to these days. For one, I just started reading Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (I hope I got the name right). Amazing characters, exciting story, looking forward to finishing it and getting the next books. Basically, it's about a child criminal prodigy and his battle with the fairies. Btw, these fairies is totally different from the stereotypical creepily benevolent fairies you encounter in many movies. These fairies are comparable to the Men in Black, just a teeny bit shorter.

Next comes music. I've been listening to many relatively new songs, some I already have in my laptop and some I just saw on either MTV or [V]. Maroon 5 and Rihanna's "If I Never See Your Face Again" is probably one of the better additions into my mental playlist. (Yeah, if you can have a mental picture, why can't I have a mental playlist?). Alicia Keys's "Teenage Love Affair" is also a fine affair, while Madonna lives forever with "4 Minutes" with JTimberlake and Timbaland. I really get Paramore's "That's What You Get"; Maria Mena's new song "Nevermind Me" is a nice song too.

Actually, there are a lot more songs to write down but "thinking" is better done in any time except midnight. Some songs also caught my attention, though I haven't decided whether to like them or not. I started to enjoy a song (title forgotten) by 3 Doors Down, and also another one by Gavin DeGraw. Sergio Mendes has a new album out and I just saw his newest video clip, although I didn't catch the title. Interesting song.

Whoa! It's already 0.30 AM (Did I write it right?). I'd better wrap this up, good night everyone. Here's "If I Never See Your Face Again" by Maroon 5 featuring Rihanna.

The Soaps are Getting Slippery

In a basket of apples, there has to be one or two bad apples. With a bunch of good things, come a few bad things too. That's life and either we've learnt to accept it or we grumble about it. Still, for every "rule", there is at least one exception.

Perhaps Indonesian television is one of those counterexamples. For so many TV craps, you'll only get a few, if any, quality programming. If you have time to waste, try Indonesian-channel flipping, especially at night. Chances are that you'll catch one or two or a lot of sinetrons (Indonesian soaps).

I don't really get how the sinetrons could've survived this long. They've dived to a level of their own, which no one wants to enter. Main ingredient: characters with extreme attitudes and out-of-this-world storylines. Where else can you see schoolchildren plotting a revenge like a mafia cell or a mother-in-law/murderer? Maybe you can ask the "magical talking sock". While looking for that, you might want to help a ridiculously-innocent-to-the-point-of-being-stupid young lady who attracts disaster wherever she goes: earthquakes, being blind, you name it. And never talk to strangers, they might turn into a dragon, or a giant serpent if you're lucky enough.

Despite their poor quality, sinetrons have gained a massive and loyal following. This fan base then attracts advertisers, who pour money into TV stations. Consequently, TV stations will the order more of those sinetrons, which will almost certainly get a huge audience. Thus, the vicious cycle of sinetron, or maybe sinetrash, is born. Waves and waves of sinetrashes keep eroding the shore of people's taste and common sense. (For a disaster, that sounds really poetic, doesn't it?)

About a year ago, there was a trend of pseudoreligious-mystic programs which proudly showcased ridiculous deaths of the "unbeliever". Who could resist the excitement a flying corpse could offer? What I didn't expect was that some, as in a lot of, people actually believed in those fake stories made popular by a magazine titled Hidayah (Guidance). Well, that really puts a huge question mark on our nation's "religiosity". Fortunately, those shows suddenly disappeared. Maybe we're all good people now or the Devil is demanding higher wage. Anyway, I thought things were going to change.

And yes, things changed, just not in the right direction. As the infidels were drowning in their graves, mean mamas came out of hell to invade our television. Stories as real as a SmackDown! match are created. Thus, the new but not improved sinetrons dominated the magic box once again.

All and all, those soaps are getting very slippery, plunging people into its catastrophic and ridiculous world. There were improvements on TV too, let's not forget that; but those junks are still the main part of Indonesian TV. We deserve better stuffs. Otherwise, the people will be poisoned by the tasteless and pointless sinetrashes. The Bold and The Beautiful, anyone?

I Can't Believe They're Still "Considering" It

After months and months of uncertainty, apparently the govt is still in the process of concocting the controversial plan of banning Ahmadiyah in Indonesia, in the form of a joint ministerial decree (SKB) by the Ministry for Religious Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs if I'm not mistaken. Well, someone should really knock some serious sense into the guys or girls in those ministries. Even more outrageous, the VP joined the fray and fought for the wrong side.

I can't believe they're still considering the purely unconstitutional plan. The 1945 Constitution clearly entitles each citizen of Indonesia to the freedom of faith and religion, and prohibits any effort to curtail it. Hence, there's no way for the SKB to not breach the very foundation on which the government stands. Even though Indonesia is not a "godless" state, it shouldn't meddle into the business of which religion is "right" and which one is "wrong". It's true that the govt is obliged to encourage the development of its citizens' spirituality, but not to control what they have to believe, or not to believe, in. Whether Ahmadiyah is blasphemous or not is hardly a concern for the govt, even if the Ulama Council (MUI) says that it is.

If this SKB comes through, it will deal a huge blow to the values Indonesians uphold. It will be a justification for further religious discrimination and persecution, especially by those who take the law into their own -violent- hands. Instead of helping the development of religion, such draconian laws will only hinder it by letting "religious elites" take total control of our beliefs. It will be disastrous if the govt decides to take religious matters into its hand. "Hey, why don't we ban all Star Wars movies; they can spread the heretical teachings of Jedi!" Whew, the Sith will be very happy for that. Purely FYI, 70.000 people declared "Jedi" as their religion in Oz (2001); 20.000 in NZ (2006); 20.000 in Canada (2001); and another 390.127 in England and Wales (2001).

Sadly, there are lawmakers in the House who have been begging for this ban. One fraction whose members have been the most vocal is, of course, the you're-so-frustrated-so-vote-for-us-or-rot-in-Hell conservative PKS, who claims to "protect" and "develop" Islam. I'm a muslim, and I feel more threatened than protected by them. Blurgh. I'm soo not voting for them in 2009. No offense, though.

This SKB must be stopped, regardless of one's view about Ahmadiyah. Being "heretical" in your view doesn't mean that it can be banned by the govt. MUI's fatwa and any other statements by religious groups must not influence the govt in dealing with this issue. I have my rights to religion and belief, you have your rights, and the Ahmadiyah followers have theirs too.

Annoying Things People Do During Salat

Prophet Muhammad pbuh encouraged muslims to do their salat (prayer) in congregation, or jama'ah, for it supposedly brings more benefit, both socially and spiritually. As in any social situations, there are certain unspoken rules on how to behave and these rules are very prone to be perhaps unconsciously broken. Sometimes, people do annoying things during their salat which may distract others from performing their obligations as perfect as possible.

One of the most common disturbance is marathon throat-clearing. One guy clears his throat, and suddenly someone does too, and then the next guy, and the guy after that, so on and so forth. Maybe it spreads to the girls too, but I never really observed that: I always act as the pious guy at the front of the congregation, hahaha. I've heard about yawning being contagious, but never about throat-clearing being contagious.

I'm not blaming anyone for clearing his/her throat, but please, try to make it not so obvious. I appreciate the people who have the decency to cover their mouths in such event. Back-to-back coughing is annoying, because it distracts the congregation and it's gross...well, mostly it's gross.

Another version of this offense is sneezing without covering one's mouth. Outside salat, it's disrespectful; during salat, it's simply disgusting and unacceptable: not only that you're distracting someone from their spiritual quest, you're possibly transmitting bacteria or other yucky stuffs.

Next offender is joint cracking. It's not the freaking gymnastics, it's salat! You don't really need to crack your joints and make annoying popping sounds during a prayer. Pop here, click there, and then crack. Blurgh. Also, I have a special shout-out to those who crack their necks: it's extremely horrifying, stop it!

Then comes the loud worshipper. This type of guy/girl probably feels better by reciting their surats and prayers a little bit louder. Up to the level of a whisper, it's completely fine by me. Anything beyond that, you need to turn the volume down. You're not helping anyone by showing off what you're reciting, and it's disturbing. The prayer is between you and God; God is All-Hearing no matter how small your voice is.

Well, this one should've been in the first place, but I decided to save the best for last: never ever pass gas in the mass. The reason for this is obvious, duh. It's disgusting, annoying, distracting, curiosity-triggering, laughter-causing, and you know what's coming after this kind of eruption.

I think I should stop here because I've wasted a couple of hours just to be rudely honest with fellow worshippers. To be clear, I'm not bad mouthing anyone. It's just that if people stop doing those things, it'll be a better world for everyone.

Random Stuffs, Prepare Yourself

Blurgh. I'm a bad boy, a really really bad boy. About a week ago, I promised myself to stop being a nocturnal beast and get more sleep. I gained like one or two hours of sleep by hitting the bed at 11 PM instead of 1 AM. It went unbelievably well, nice mornings and all, until I "accidentally" forgot about it on purpose. Hey, it's not my fault that the internet is so tempting and TV so mesmerizing; it's not my fault either that Grey's Anatomy is so fun to watch. So much for a resolution...

Speaking of Grey's Anatomy, I just finished season two and planned to get the third season. Unfortunately, it's sold out; but it turned out as a blessing in disguise. In my holy quest for entertainment, I stumbled upon the much-awaited-(at-least-by-me) 30 Rock season two. Probably it's not so popular here, it also struggled in its home country the US of A. Nevertheless, it's a high-quality sitcom which has garnered praises from critics and fans alike, not to mention the many awards it has won. I simply enjoy watching its hilarious episodes.

Jumping to another stuff, US Senator Barack Obama finally reached the number of delegates needed to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first African-American to do so. So, congratulations for Obama.

I'd also like to congratulate the Indonesian police force for arresting those violent thugs which caused the riot in Monas, including FPI head honcho Habib Rizieq. Despite the force's initial sluggish response, this arrest is a giant step towards strengthening the rule of law in the country. Amid mounting pressure, many FPI chapters in regions decided to dissolve. We could only hope that the whole gang will crumble soon.

It's been a long time since I posted YouTube stuffs here. I've been YouTube-ing a lot, but I didn't really get the chance to post videos here. So, here's one that I think is very creative.

Random Sporting Events Stuffs

Let's take our minds off those primitive thugs for a while. It's been quite a long time since I've gone rambling about random stuffs, so I decided to do it now. I just wandered through the internet, clicking links after links without any purpose, and I've found myself a few sporty stuffs to blog about.

Honestly, I can't ignore that something's buzzing in football and apparently there's some kind of championship starting on June 7: 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, jointly hosted by Austria and Switzerland. If I'm not mistaken, German is spoken in both countries...so how do they say "football" in German? Also, since Switzerland uses it, in French? Is it Hitler-y to say "Mein Football"? It's too bad that I don't speak French either, je ne parle pas francais at all.

To be frank, I couldn't care less about this Euro 2008, apart from rambling in my blog about it; it could smack me in my face and I wouldn't know the excitement. Anyhow, I like the twin mascots Trix and Flix -cool names. They seem to exude excitement which I lack when watching football matches. By the way, great hairdo too.

Let's move on to 4 years in the future, 2012 Summer Olympics in London, UK. Have you seen its bizarre, craggy logo? Well, I do respect the effort to be "dynamic" and "different"; but hey, that looks ridiculous! Their logo during the bidding process was much better. To me, the current one looks like a stack of rocks trying so hard to resemble "2012"...and it turns out that someone has come up with a better simile. Wikipedia cited that the logo resembles "Lisa Simpson performing fellatio", which I found is quite true (shame on my dirty mind). If you ask what's fellatio and you've reached legal age, click here. Wanna know how ridiculous it is? It cost £1.2 million. Hey, I could do something better with half the money.

The event will be held from July 21 to August 20, 2012. This has led to urgings for changing the date from countries with significant number of muslims. It turns out that in 2012, the fasting month Ramadan will fall on those dates too. I don't know who calculated that, but it is serious. That could put athletes in a disadvantaged condition. Uh-huh, some of you may say that fasting is not an obstacle to performing whatever that one does. On the contrary, I'll say this nicely to you, "Get real!".

Back to the present, we're only a couple months away from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the made-in-China Olympics. As with previous events, I'm eager to watch the Opening Ceremony and I predict that this year will be spectacular. China will not let this chance to show-off go.

Disgusting Show of Force by Thugs in Monas

What happened in Monas on June 1 yesterday was catastrophic and disgusting. Some "Islamic" groups, or Islam-hijackers to be more exact, attacked a peaceful rally by Aliansi Kebangsaan untuk Kebebasan Beragama dan Berkeyakinan (AKKBB) commemorating the birth of Pancasila and campaigning for religious freedom in the country. The unarmed AKKBB crowd, many of them women and children, was confronted by terrorists claiming to be muslims, who beat them up with bamboo sticks. Due to the severeness of the attack, many AKKBB activists were injured and had to be admitted to the hospital.

On the other hand, leaders of the hard-line groups seem to be playing dumb and annoyingly innocent. Their speeches imply that they have the right to commit such violence in the name of "religion", especially unto others that don't have the same (violent) mind. One of them even had the effrontery to say that in the event of arrest, his group will strongly resist -which we know will be almost certainly by violence. This is an insult to the whole country because in the past, these groups have campaigned against our very own Pancasila and now, they are attacking the people who supports it. One AKKBB activist said that this is the first time that someone gets beaten for supporting Pancasila.

These people have really really crossed the line, a line that was clearly drawn by both Pancasila and Islam.

The authorities have to stand up against this kind of thugs, who spread chaos and terror in the name of religion, in this case Islam. They have blatantly broken the law; therefore, the police must not hesitate to take actions, punish those perpetrators, and prevent this violence from ever happening again. In previous violence cases by the same groups, the police force seemed to be very slow to respond. In addition, the real Islamic organizations, such as NU and Muhammadiyah which I respect very much, must also make their core stances heard: Islam never approves violence and Pancasila as the state ideology is final.

However, it will ultimately come down to us: the silent, peaceful majority. We must make our stand and prevent these religion-hijackers from ever taking root in the society. People power is never to be ignored. Regardless of one's point of view on Ahmadiyah -one of the battlefront between activists and those thugs-, it is clear that what the Laskar did was simply unjustifiable. Puh-leeze, what kind of Islam promotes chaos over harmony and violence over peace? Obviously not our Islam.