Christmas offers different themes to reflect upon, and this year I am moved by the idea of promise. Jesus' birth is a divine promise fulfilled, the much-awaited birth which, ironically, few people were aware of. And this birth also promises salvation to mankind, which not all then believed.
Further thoughts lead me to seeing Christianity as a belief founded on a promise; and a promise, just like a person's life, implies historicity. A promise is made and it takes some time before it's fulfilled. Isn't it the testament between God and Noah, God and Abraham, God and Moses, which binds the people of this very faith, which is characterised by history and the fulfilment of God's promises?
Everyone's life, including mine, is a life built on a promise. In fact, you promise not only to someone, but also to yourself about what kind of 'you' you want to live. So promise here implies a purpose. A promise fulfilled is, then, a purposeful life achieved.
And just like nobody will give you a second chance once you break a promise,you will hardly forgive yourself when you don't exert the best effort to reach the finish line. Your lifetime is limited and there is no way returning.
God has a promise for you, which you have to discover. And you've got to promise to yourself. Christmas reminds me that everyone is born with a purpose.
German homophones
Learning German, I can't help but associate teuer (expensive) with French tuer (to kill). Well, something expensive can really kill you.
And German schnell (fast) sounds a bit like English snail. But snail ain't schnell.
And German schnell (fast) sounds a bit like English snail. But snail ain't schnell.
ASEAN menegakkan dagu
Lama-lama ASEAN dipandang satu paket ekonomi, satu entitas politik yang merangkul 10 negara sekaligus. Dan negara-negara raksasa juga makin melirik, mencoba memikat hati. Contoh sederhana adalah pertukaran dan konferensi pemuda ASEAN-Jepang, ASEAN-Korea, ASEAN-Cina, ASEAN-India, ASEAN-AS.
Ada segi baik dan buruknya. Ada kesan seolah-olah satu negara anggota ASEAN bukanlah apa-apa tanpa kehadiran sembilan anggota lain. Tetapi seperti pernah kubilang, kawasan di simpang Asia-Australia ini bak bunga yang jadi bahan rebutan kumbang bangsa-bangsa lain.
Pernahkah ASEAN berupaya menyebarkan pengaruh, yang juga mengundang dan tidak melulu diundang? Yang membikin program besar-besaran dan mengajak pemuda dari luar kawasan untuk bertandang? Sehingga tidak cuma warga pemuda ASEAN yang terpana, waah toilet Jepang canggih, waah ini lokasi syuting drama Korea, lalu selfie dengan antusias? Sehingga ASEAN juga bisa menegakkan dagu di depan para raksasa?
Posted on Facebook on 21 December 2013.
Ada segi baik dan buruknya. Ada kesan seolah-olah satu negara anggota ASEAN bukanlah apa-apa tanpa kehadiran sembilan anggota lain. Tetapi seperti pernah kubilang, kawasan di simpang Asia-Australia ini bak bunga yang jadi bahan rebutan kumbang bangsa-bangsa lain.
Pernahkah ASEAN berupaya menyebarkan pengaruh, yang juga mengundang dan tidak melulu diundang? Yang membikin program besar-besaran dan mengajak pemuda dari luar kawasan untuk bertandang? Sehingga tidak cuma warga pemuda ASEAN yang terpana, waah toilet Jepang canggih, waah ini lokasi syuting drama Korea, lalu selfie dengan antusias? Sehingga ASEAN juga bisa menegakkan dagu di depan para raksasa?
Posted on Facebook on 21 December 2013.
When Hume and Kant met each other
In a soirée of philosophers
Hume: 'Hi mate. I'm Hume. Can you tell me what your name is?'
Kant: 'Kant.'
Hume: 'Really? How come?'
Kant: 'Dunno. It was my parents.'
Hume: 'That's strange. They didn't give you a name.'
Kant: 'Yes, they did.'
Hume: 'So, can you tell me?'
Kant: 'Kant.'
Hume: 'Well, I've got to go. See you around, Mr-who-can't-say-his-name.'
Kant: ???
Hume: 'Hi mate. I'm Hume. Can you tell me what your name is?'
Kant: 'Kant.'
Hume: 'Really? How come?'
Kant: 'Dunno. It was my parents.'
Hume: 'That's strange. They didn't give you a name.'
Kant: 'Yes, they did.'
Hume: 'So, can you tell me?'
Kant: 'Kant.'
Hume: 'Well, I've got to go. See you around, Mr-who-can't-say-his-name.'
Kant: ???
Häagen-Dazs
The ice-cream brand Häagen-Dazs is truly a cheesy name. It isn't derived from any European language, nor does it have any particular meaning or etymology. The creator named it just to sound "Danish" and used it as a marketing strategy, as if the product were made somewhere in Scandinavia (in this case, Denmark). In fact, the letter ä is not found in Danish, and the digraph "zs" is only used in Hungarian. So where does it come from actually? New York.
Posted on Facebook on 6 December 2013.
Posted on Facebook on 6 December 2013.
Route, root, rout
"Route" can rhyme with "root" or "rout", depending on which bulé you are talking to.
Dewa Babilonia
Tiga dewa-dewi dalam mitos penciptaan Babilonia: Apsu, Tiamat, Mummu. Nama-nama yang unyu.
Tujuh keajaiban dunia, cerita rekaan Indonesia
Salah satu cerita rekaan kolektif orang Indonesia adalah daftar tujuh keajaiban dunia, yang selain memasukkan (1) Candi Borobudur, juga konon meliputi (2) Taj Mahal, (3) Kabah, (4) Tembok Cina, (5) Menara Eiffel, (6) Menara Pisa, dan (7) Koloseum. Entah siapa yang memulai, daftar ini menjadi seakan-akan otoritatif dan tertanam di pikiran banyak pelajar Indonesia--salah satunya mungkin karena ketujuh foto situs ini sering dicetak dalam atlas-atlas untuk murid SD dan SMP.
Padahal, UNESCO sendiri (kalau kita semua mengakui bahwa organisasi inilah satu-satunya yang berwenang menyusun daftar warisan budaya, tidak seperti usaha main-mainan New7Wonders) tidak pernah membikin daftar demikian. Bahkan, dari daftar khayalan Indonesia tersebut, Kabah dan Menara Eiffel pun tidak termasuk Daftar Situs Warisan Dunia dari UNESCO!
Maka konyollah ketika di tahun 2007 silam orang-orang dan media massa Indonesia menangisi "kekalahan" Borobudur dari daftar bergengsi ini. Sebab, sesungguhnya tidak ada yang hilang, karena sejak semula Borobudur memang tidak masuk daftar tujuh keajaiban versi siapa pun kecuali versi bikinan orang Indonesia sendiri.
Diposkan di Facebook pada 25 November 2013.
Padahal, UNESCO sendiri (kalau kita semua mengakui bahwa organisasi inilah satu-satunya yang berwenang menyusun daftar warisan budaya, tidak seperti usaha main-mainan New7Wonders) tidak pernah membikin daftar demikian. Bahkan, dari daftar khayalan Indonesia tersebut, Kabah dan Menara Eiffel pun tidak termasuk Daftar Situs Warisan Dunia dari UNESCO!
Maka konyollah ketika di tahun 2007 silam orang-orang dan media massa Indonesia menangisi "kekalahan" Borobudur dari daftar bergengsi ini. Sebab, sesungguhnya tidak ada yang hilang, karena sejak semula Borobudur memang tidak masuk daftar tujuh keajaiban versi siapa pun kecuali versi bikinan orang Indonesia sendiri.
Diposkan di Facebook pada 25 November 2013.
Skills to learn before I die
This is a list of skill-required activities I want to learn all my life. When you realise that time can't go back, it must be understandable that you want to make use of the remaining time as effectively as possible. Personally, I want to see just how far can I go with my own body and mind. This list then serves as a personal reminder, at times when I ought to evaluate myself. I need not be an expert but I do want to challenge myself.
- Speaking foreign languages: modern and classic, Asian and European
- Communicating with Indonesian sign language and braille
- Voicing over and dubbing
- TV reporting and newscasting
- Photographing
- Making audio and video presentation
- Creating a website
- Visual designing e.g. infographics, publication cover, logo, T-shirt
- Playing four musical instruments: violin, piano, flute, and guitar
- Performing traditional dances
- Gardening
- Cooking and baking
- Appreciating beverages: wine, spirits, liqueur, tea, and coffee
- Driving a car
- Riding a horse
- Doing yoga and t'ai chi
- Ice skating and skiing
- Snorkelling and diving
- Hang gliding and paragliding
- Painting and sketching
Bajingan, bangsat, kampret
Nama-nama satwa sering digunakan sebagai umpatan.
- Bajingan, dari bajing: tupai
- Bangsat: kutu busuk pengisap darah manusia
- Kampret: kelelawar kecil pemakan serangga
Apa bahasa Inggrisnya ...?
Orang Indonesia mungkin belum terbiasa untuk menerjemahkan kata-kata berikut.
(1)
Bawang putih: garlic
Bawang bombai: onion
Bawang merah: ....?
(2)
Taksi: taxi, cab, taxicab
Becak: rickshaw
Ojek: ....?
(3)
Bantal: pillow
Selimut: blanket
Guling: ....?
(4)
Bak mandi: bath tub
Pancuran: shower
Gayung: ....?
(5)
Sakit kepala: headache
Demam: fever
Masuk angin: ....?
Indonesia asbak budaya asing
Indonesia, dan Asia Tenggara umumnya, apakah memang negeri yang kodratnya selalu dipengaruhi tetapi tidak pernah memengaruhi?
Agama-agamanya diimpor dari India dan Timur Tengah. Tidak ada agama pribumi, yang lahir di tanah ini, yang berhak dituliskan di KTP negerinya sendiri--semuanya diberi payung "Aliran Kepercayaan".
Bahasanya bercampur aduk dengan Sanskerta, Persia, Arab, Portugis, Belanda, Inggris, Jepang, dan Cina.
Di abad 16-20 disatroni lalu dipalak bangsa-bangsa Eropa dan Jepang. Di Orde Lama dan Baru dikontaminasi ideologi komunis di satu sayap dan fasis-militer di sayap lain.
Sedangkan dewasa ini orang tergagap-gagap dalam penampilan:
Ada yang mau Indonesia semakin mengamerika, ada juga yang mau menjadikannya semakin mengarab saudi.
Buku-buku sejarah selalu memerikan kawasan Asia Tenggara sebagai tempat berkumpulnya bangsa-bangsa, baik yang berniat baik maupun jahat. Indonesia bak asbak budaya-budaya asing, negeri yang dengan suka hati menerima pengaruh tetapi tak punya agenda memberi pengaruh.
Bahkan nama dirinya, Indonesia, diberikan seorang bule Inggris.
Agama-agamanya diimpor dari India dan Timur Tengah. Tidak ada agama pribumi, yang lahir di tanah ini, yang berhak dituliskan di KTP negerinya sendiri--semuanya diberi payung "Aliran Kepercayaan".
Bahasanya bercampur aduk dengan Sanskerta, Persia, Arab, Portugis, Belanda, Inggris, Jepang, dan Cina.
Di abad 16-20 disatroni lalu dipalak bangsa-bangsa Eropa dan Jepang. Di Orde Lama dan Baru dikontaminasi ideologi komunis di satu sayap dan fasis-militer di sayap lain.
Sedangkan dewasa ini orang tergagap-gagap dalam penampilan:
- ada yang meng-K-pop dengan tambalan plastik di muka,
- ada yang menge-punk dengan kepala botak setengah,
- ada yang meng-cosplay dengan wig warna tosca,
- ada yang meng-arab dengan jidat bernoda hitam.
Ada yang mau Indonesia semakin mengamerika, ada juga yang mau menjadikannya semakin mengarab saudi.
Buku-buku sejarah selalu memerikan kawasan Asia Tenggara sebagai tempat berkumpulnya bangsa-bangsa, baik yang berniat baik maupun jahat. Indonesia bak asbak budaya-budaya asing, negeri yang dengan suka hati menerima pengaruh tetapi tak punya agenda memberi pengaruh.
Bahkan nama dirinya, Indonesia, diberikan seorang bule Inggris.
Merci le Robert illustré
 |
| Le Robert illustré 2012 |
Jalan-jalan versus visa
Cuma satu hal yg tidak diungkap blogger bule yang gemar bertualang, yang memberi kesan seolah-olah berkeliling dunia cuma butuh duit dan niat: Paspor mereka perkasa, bung!
Kondisi menguntungkan yang sudah terberi, tidak seperti lemahnya paspor RI. Ya kali setiap saat mau masuk satu negara, mesti mengajukan visa barang satu-dua bulan sebelumnya. Paspor dengan stiker visa di mana-mana justru tanda dia tidak sakti mandraguna.
Makanya melanglang ke luar negeri pun didramatisasi orang-orang sini. Sementara kita masih menangis habis nonton film anak kampung yang berhasil kuliah di Inggris atau Prancis, nyaris semua anak muda Brunei dan Singapura sudah bolak-balik ke benua biru ini.
Kondisi menguntungkan yang sudah terberi, tidak seperti lemahnya paspor RI. Ya kali setiap saat mau masuk satu negara, mesti mengajukan visa barang satu-dua bulan sebelumnya. Paspor dengan stiker visa di mana-mana justru tanda dia tidak sakti mandraguna.
Makanya melanglang ke luar negeri pun didramatisasi orang-orang sini. Sementara kita masih menangis habis nonton film anak kampung yang berhasil kuliah di Inggris atau Prancis, nyaris semua anak muda Brunei dan Singapura sudah bolak-balik ke benua biru ini.
1 November, dramatic day
Sleepless night spent on composing essays, rushing on motorcycle to printing and photocopy service, manœuvring in the middle of Jakarta's hell traffic, submitting dossiers to admission office, phoning boss to cancel today's English class, and witnessing hundreds of labours demanding for wage increments right in front of the office building I want to enter. I could have made a short film had I brought a camera!
That's only the first half. The second half, on my way home, the sky was getting dark and finally rain fell, winds blew. Gotta wear raincoat and cover my bag. Some bikers stopped suddenly near me, I hit the brake and lost control because the road was slippery. I fell off the motorbike. The raincoat was torn a bit and so were my shoes.
That's only the first half. The second half, on my way home, the sky was getting dark and finally rain fell, winds blew. Gotta wear raincoat and cover my bag. Some bikers stopped suddenly near me, I hit the brake and lost control because the road was slippery. I fell off the motorbike. The raincoat was torn a bit and so were my shoes.
A SSEAYP trainer's note
To train is to form. Formation, creating a new form. Of course, it requires not only the formator's effort but also the formandi's willingness to be formed, to embrace new values and habits. Formation is then a cooperative project.
In SSEAYP predeparture training, the formation is to "Indonesianise" contingent members: to blend individuality with communality, to be different but share the same goal, to bow down more when achieve more. To be Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, unity in diversity. For Indonesia is a single entity but a plural noun.
We hope we, alumni and PYs, can carry out this project despite restless hours waiting ahead.
Posted on Facebook on 14 October 2013
In SSEAYP predeparture training, the formation is to "Indonesianise" contingent members: to blend individuality with communality, to be different but share the same goal, to bow down more when achieve more. To be Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, unity in diversity. For Indonesia is a single entity but a plural noun.
We hope we, alumni and PYs, can carry out this project despite restless hours waiting ahead.
Posted on Facebook on 14 October 2013
Wasabi tastes like toothpaste
In the English class this morning we discussed food we likes and dislikes, expressed with appropriate intonation. A student of mine appeared to be cynical and said, "I don't like wasabi because it smells and tastes like toothpaste..." Well, I can't say anything. Feel sorry for her.
Posted on Facebook on 12 October 2013
Posted on Facebook on 12 October 2013
Beriman tanpa jadi preman
Beriman tanpa jadi preman.
Bertudung tanpa bawa pentung.
Berjubah tanpa lekas gegabah.
Berpanji tanpa penuh benci.
Berjihad tanpa pernah menghujat.
Bertuhan tanpa lagak tuan.
Sembahyang tanpa urus selangkang.
Beragama tanpa urus sanggama.
SSEAYP day reflection
I rarely have surprises when attending an event. But the moment when my name was called in a hall filled with 60s talented youths to join SSEAYP, that was a sheer surprise. Not only did I not really aim for it (my 1st priority programme was the Indonesia-Canada exchange) but also I barely had knowledge of SSEAYP. The committee saw I was more suitable for SSEAYP and voilà my journey started literally from zero.
As I underwent through countless series of practices and preparations (memorising songs like Shima Uta, learning Malay dance, writing essays, playing angklung, buying attire, picking up boxes of sponsored goods, etc.), I began to feel grateful of having been selected for this programme. Grateful because not only does it happen once in a lifetime, but also it gives superpositive impacts on me. I learnt to be less complaining, be bold yet careful with words and actions, take courage to be exposed to 'shocking' cultural practices, make creative ideas within minutes, be altruistic, be sincere in praising others' achievements, and many more. And 'learning' here doesn't mean flawless; I did make mistakes that might have hurt others or embarrassed myself.
The 2012 programme has ended officially, but I believe SSEAYP doesn't end with our inner circle of friendship, which outsiders might not understand. Instead, it enlarges itself to encompass more and more people, to engage them in friendship and good deeds. Thus, to me, to be a successful SSEAYP alumnus/alumna is to be an extension of divine love and blessings for society.
#HappySSEAYPday
Posted on Facebook on 7 October 2013
As I underwent through countless series of practices and preparations (memorising songs like Shima Uta, learning Malay dance, writing essays, playing angklung, buying attire, picking up boxes of sponsored goods, etc.), I began to feel grateful of having been selected for this programme. Grateful because not only does it happen once in a lifetime, but also it gives superpositive impacts on me. I learnt to be less complaining, be bold yet careful with words and actions, take courage to be exposed to 'shocking' cultural practices, make creative ideas within minutes, be altruistic, be sincere in praising others' achievements, and many more. And 'learning' here doesn't mean flawless; I did make mistakes that might have hurt others or embarrassed myself.
The 2012 programme has ended officially, but I believe SSEAYP doesn't end with our inner circle of friendship, which outsiders might not understand. Instead, it enlarges itself to encompass more and more people, to engage them in friendship and good deeds. Thus, to me, to be a successful SSEAYP alumnus/alumna is to be an extension of divine love and blessings for society.
#HappySSEAYPday
Posted on Facebook on 7 October 2013
China, the land of ancestors
I was chatting with dad about our 'hometown' in People's Republic of China from which my paternal family clan emigrated to different corners of the world hundreds of years ago, including to Indonesia. My late grandfather, he said, used to remind his 11 children of paying a visit to their ancestors' homeland once they grew up and had enough money. At the time, they were leading a modest life in Pontianak, Borneo island. I'll make the dream come true; it's somewhere in the southern part of China.
Posted on Facebook on 6 October 2013
Posted on Facebook on 6 October 2013
Teaching board
In the past, teachers wrote with chalks on a blackboard. Then, on a whiteboard with marker pens. Lately, it's a glassboard. Wondering what will come next: iceboard?
30 September remembrance
On this day, 48 years ago, a group of military killed several army generals in an unsuccessful coup d'état. The New Order regime, under recently-appointed President Soeharto, backed by US intelligence CIA, quickly blamed the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) for the coup.
Since then hundreds of thousands of officials and civilians allegedly linked with the party had been murdered by the military and other Indonesians; many of them did not stand trial at all.
Throughout the three-decade-long New Order, a documentary propaganda depicting the so-called treacherous PKI must be broadcast by all TV stations every 30 September.
Further, because PKI top officials had close relationship with China, all Chinese ethnic minorities were banned from expressing their language and culture in public. Even Chinese names should be changed to Indonesian-sounded ones (like mine: my surname "Surianto" sounds Javanese). As a result, nowhere on Java would you find Java-born Chinese speaking Chinese as mother tongue.
1965-66 was part of our nation's dark past. And don't ever think that I'd admire Soeharto and wish for Indonesia's 'golden age' under his rule. To me, he was a sheer criminal.
Posted on Facebook on 30 September 2013.
Since then hundreds of thousands of officials and civilians allegedly linked with the party had been murdered by the military and other Indonesians; many of them did not stand trial at all.
Throughout the three-decade-long New Order, a documentary propaganda depicting the so-called treacherous PKI must be broadcast by all TV stations every 30 September.
Further, because PKI top officials had close relationship with China, all Chinese ethnic minorities were banned from expressing their language and culture in public. Even Chinese names should be changed to Indonesian-sounded ones (like mine: my surname "Surianto" sounds Javanese). As a result, nowhere on Java would you find Java-born Chinese speaking Chinese as mother tongue.
1965-66 was part of our nation's dark past. And don't ever think that I'd admire Soeharto and wish for Indonesia's 'golden age' under his rule. To me, he was a sheer criminal.
Posted on Facebook on 30 September 2013.
Final round of speech contest
This is just a recollection of fun memories. In the final round of speech contest, the theme was 'indomitable spirit' and I associated it with the three-part division of human soul in Plato's The Republic: appetitive soul, spirited soul, and rational soul.
One judge asked after my performance, "How do you relate it with Abraham Maslow's pyramid of human needs?" Suddenly the atmosphere turned to be like a thesis defence or public lecture.
Thankfully, I knew a bit of this pyramid used in psychology: the top is self-actualisation, and the bottom, which is the most basic need human must fulfil before anything else, is--I saw it on 9GAG--Wi-Fi. LOL
Of course I didn't mention Wi-Fi. But it's hard to keep serious when the question triggered me to think of the vandalised version of Maslow's pyramid.
Posted on Facebook on 23 September 2013
One judge asked after my performance, "How do you relate it with Abraham Maslow's pyramid of human needs?" Suddenly the atmosphere turned to be like a thesis defence or public lecture.
Thankfully, I knew a bit of this pyramid used in psychology: the top is self-actualisation, and the bottom, which is the most basic need human must fulfil before anything else, is--I saw it on 9GAG--Wi-Fi. LOL
Of course I didn't mention Wi-Fi. But it's hard to keep serious when the question triggered me to think of the vandalised version of Maslow's pyramid.
Posted on Facebook on 23 September 2013
Kurang ajar
Kekurangajaran program pertukaran pemuda adalah acara ini mempertemukan orang-orang dari sudut-sudut dunia, mengakrabkan mereka, lalu menceraikan mereka, membuat mereka terjangkit sakit rindu yang lama.
Rindu yang tertahan karena tak mungkin terpuaskan begitu saja, karena mustahil mengulang momen yang sama, karena tiada jaminan orang yang dengannya dulu aku dipertemukan tak berubah.
Program singkat, tetapi sebelum kami benar-benar saling kenal luar dalam, persahabatan yang baru bertunas lekas diredam. Yang dulu adalah persona di hadapan, kini menjadi entah baris-baris kalimat atau potongan-potongan suara tanpa rupa di jagat maya.
Tidakkah ini kurang ajar?
Ditulis di Facebook pada 18 September 2013
The child who asked for a picture
I still remember, at Singapore's send-off ceremony I was walking from the ceremony site by the pier to the immigration gate. I sensed somebody was following me and vaguely said, "Excuse me... excuse me...".
Turning my back, I saw a little boy and his little sister. His face was truly innocent, his eyes seemed to be in wonder--maybe he was attracted by a shiny thing on my hat, the Garuda pin. A bit shy, he asked in doubt, "Nngg... can I take a photo with you?" His parents were not far from him, smiling.
I squatted, putting my arms around him and his sister. His father then took a picture of us. Too bad I didn't have my name card with me. The children ran back to their parents, and we had a good bye.
If only I knew which PYs were staying with this family.
Turning my back, I saw a little boy and his little sister. His face was truly innocent, his eyes seemed to be in wonder--maybe he was attracted by a shiny thing on my hat, the Garuda pin. A bit shy, he asked in doubt, "Nngg... can I take a photo with you?" His parents were not far from him, smiling.
I squatted, putting my arms around him and his sister. His father then took a picture of us. Too bad I didn't have my name card with me. The children ran back to their parents, and we had a good bye.
If only I knew which PYs were staying with this family.
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie
Whenever a call centre officer says 'alpha' for letter A and 'delta' for D , she's assuming that I, customer, know the whole set of NATO phonetic alphabet. Having studied Greek, I'd instead spell my hometown Bekasi 'Beta-Epsilon-Kappa-Alpha-Sigma-Iota', leaving her in confusion. Well, it's you who started it all.
Clean interface plainly explained
What is called 'clean interface' is simply a white background and a grey, sans serif font.
Logika penjual gorengan
Penjual gorengan biasa pakai kantong kertas. Kenapa sisi kertas yang bertinta malah di dalam dan sisi yang polos malah di luar, bukan sebaliknya?
Divine water cycle
A group of pupils explain water cycle: Seawater evaporates, forming clouds, falling as rain on the sea.
Me (Teacher): 'So water on land comes from where?'
Student: 'God?'
tweeted on 27 August 2013
Me (Teacher): 'So water on land comes from where?'
Student: 'God?'
tweeted on 27 August 2013
Love like admiring a flower
To love is like to let a flower grow. Its beauty blossoms when you don't pick it to be yours.
Prancis tidak cuma Sorbonne
Ketika Laskar Pelangi bikin orang Indonesia kesengsem sama Sorbonne, seolah-olah Prancis cuma punya Sorbonne, aku menyasar Ecole Normale Supérieure.
Di mana filsuf besar Prancis digojlok
Tongkrongan para filsuf termasyhur Prancis:
- École normale supérieure
- Collège de France
- École des hautes études en sciences sociales
Braille name card
My SSEAYP name card is almost out of stock, and when I reproduce it, I promise I'll have it printed in Braille too.
Yang tidak bekerja, janganlah ia makan
Profesi pengemis dan pengamen secara moral lebih rendah daripada penyapu jalan dan tukang angkut sampah. Jangan menyedekahi kelompok pertama.
Albert Einstein v photographers
Albert Einstein was not fond of photographers. He called them Lichtaffen, "light monkey", monkey attracted by light.
-age meng-ase atau meng-asi?
Percentage persentase dan drainage drainase, tetapi baggage bagasi dan garage garasi.
Tesaurus dinosaurus
Aku memperlihatkan kitab Tesaurus Bahasa Indonesia yang baru kubeli di toko buku. Adikku heran, "Buku apaan nih? Dinosaurus?"
dikicaukan 7 September 2013
dikicaukan 7 September 2013
Sembahyang bak berlangganan listrik
Sembahyang bagiku bukan seperti berlangganan listrik: telat bayar langsung kena denda putus hubungan. Ia menyambut siapa pun yg kembali pada-Nya.
Language education preference
Language education in country X: Speak English and Chinese, and you rule the world.
In country Y: Speak English and Spanish, and you rule the world.
In country Y: Speak English and Spanish, and you rule the world.
Beruang beruang beruang
This single sentence in Bahasa Indonesia
Beruang beruang beruang.may be translated as follows.
- A bear has a room which has money.
- A spatial bear has money.
- A bear having money is spatial.
Anggun melantunkan puisi tokoh suci Katolik
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| Sampul album Thérèse - Vivre d'amour |
Meskipun seorang Muslimah, Anggun mengaku tidak berkeberatan untuk membawakan lagu-lagu yang mengungkapkan rasa cinta santa Katolik ini pada Yesus. Dalam salah satu wawancara di bulan yang sama, Anggun menegaskan, “Je ne suis pas catholique. Je suis musulmane. Je ne connaissais pas du tout Thérèse avant qu’on me parle de ce projet.” (Saya bukan Katolik. Saya Muslimah. Saya sama sekali tidak mengenal Theresia sebelum saya diberitahu tentang proyek ini.) Namun, setelah membaca teks-teks puisi tersebut dan mendengarkan lagu-lagunya, ia tidak merasakan konotasi religius yang begitu kental (“Je n’ai pas senti de forte connotation religieuse”). Teks-teks St. Theresia tersebut bercerita tentang Allah, cintanya pada Allah, khususnya Yesus. Itulah mengapa ia menyanggupi permintaan untuk bergabung dalam proyek ini.
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| Anggun (kredit foto: Sylvie Benoit) |
Sadar bahwa keterlibatannya mungkin mengundang tanda tanya bagi sebagian orang, Anggun berkata bahwa banyak yang memandang Islam sebagai sebuah agama teror yang menakutkan, meskipun sesungguhnya “c’est une très belle religion qui prêche la tolérance” (Islam adalah agama yang begitu indah yang mewartakan toleransi). Buktinya, ia belajar selama sepuluh tahun di sebuah sekolah Katolik pada masa mudanya, di bawah asuhan suster-suster, dan ia pernah tampil dan bernyanyi untuk sri paus di Vatikan. Selain itu, tidak hanya penyanyi Katolik terlibat dalam proyek ini, tetapi juga Muslim (Sonia Lacen) dan Yahudi (Elisa Tovati). Ini menunjukkan bahwa pesan yang disampaikan St. Theresia menyentuh sanubari mereka, terlepas dari apa agama yang mereka anut. (“Ça prouve que, bien que l’on soit de confession différente, le message de Thérèse a su nous toucher.”)
Dalam konteks masyarakat Indonesia, Anggun dan para penyanyi dalam album ini memperlihatkan satu hal: Seseorang selalu dapat menimba inspirasi, entah itu tentang cinta pada Tuhan atau sesama, dari ungkapan religius mana pun. Hal ini terasa semakin relevan ketika pelbagai kelompok warga di sana-sini malah semakin menutup diri dari pergaulan dengan sesama, hanya karena mereka tidak seiman. Ketika sebagian orang menunjukkan jarinya pada yang lain dan berseru, “Kafir!”, album ini hadir untuk menyerukan cinta pada Tuhan, dan, tentunya, pada sesama manusia.
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| Natasha St-Pier dan Anggun |
Di bawah ini adalah lirik lagu "Vivre d'amour"
Vivre d'Amour, c'est donner sans mesure
Sans réclamer de salaire ici-bas
Ah ! sans compter je donne étant bien sûre
Que lorsqu'on aime, on ne calcule pas.
Au Cœur Divin, débordant de tendresse
J'ai tout donné, légèrement je cours
Je n'ai plus rien que ma seule richesse
Vivre d'Amour
Vivre d'Amour, c'est bannir toute crainte
Tout souvenir des fautes du passé
De mes péchés je ne vois nulle empreinte,
En un instant l'amour a tout brûlé
Flamme divine, ô très douce Fournaise !
En ton foyer je fixe mon séjour
C'est en tes feux que je chante à mon aise
Je vis d'Amour
Vivre d'Amour, c'est garder en soi-même
Un grand trésor en un vase mortel
Mon Bien-Aimé, ma faiblesse est extrême
Ah je suis loin d'être un ange du ciel !
Mais si je tombe à chaque heure qui passe
Me relevant tu viens à mon secours,
A chaque instant tu me donnes ta grâce
Je vis d'Amour
Vivre d'Amour, c'est naviguer sans cesse
Semant la paix, la joie dans tous les cœurs
Pilote Aimé, la Charité me presse
Car je te vois dans les âmes mes soeurs
La Charité voilà ma seule étoile
A sa clarté je vogue sans détour
J'ai ma devise écrite sur ma voile :
Vivre d'Amour
Vivre d'Amour, quelle étrange folie!
Me dit le monde Ah ! cessez de chanter,
Ne perdez pas vos parfums, votre vie,
Utilement sachez les employer !
A des amants, il faut la solitude
Un cœur à cœur qui dure nuit et jour
Ton seul regard fait ma béatitude
Je meurs d'Amour !
Mourir d'Amour, voilà mon espérance
Quand je verrai se briser mes liens
Mon Dieu sera ma Grande Récompense
Je ne veux point posséder d'autres biens
De son Amour je veux être embrasée
Je veux le voir, m'unir à lui toujours
Voilà mon Ciel, voilà ma destinée
Vivre d'Amour...
Kata-kata klise berkali-kali sepanjang kala
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| Kata-kata |
DD-MM-YYYY, it's perfectly OK
Just because you're writing in English doesn't mean you ought to adopt the date format practised in the US as such. This habit is pretty common among Indonesian learners of English who assume that the 'date-month-year' format (e.g. 11 August 2013, 11-8-2013) is used in Indonesia, whereas the 'month-date-year' format (e.g. August 11, 2013, 8-11-2013) belongs to the US, hence English. Can I say something here please? The US isn't the only country speaking English as a native language--ever heard of the UK, Australia, and New Zealand? So why must the (American) English usage override the others?
And for your information, DD-MM-YYYY is widely adopted in the world, much more prevalent than MM-DD-YYYY in fact. According to Wikipedia (as of 11 August 2013), the only countries adopting the latter format are the US (exclusively), Canada, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. So, you aren't alone, fellow Indonesians; you're in the same club with European, Latin American, and North African countries, among others.
And personally, I think DD-MM-YYYY is nicer because we sort the calendar date from the smallest unit (day) to the biggest (year). Using the same logic, YYYY-MM-DD is also useful particularly when we want to sort a number of computer files whose names are replaced by dates. But MM-DD-YYYY doesn't demonstrate that sequential property, unless we belittle the importance of the year.
Below are posters of two concerts in Jakarta using MM-DD-YYYY. But note that DD-MM-YYYY is also common among them.
And for your information, DD-MM-YYYY is widely adopted in the world, much more prevalent than MM-DD-YYYY in fact. According to Wikipedia (as of 11 August 2013), the only countries adopting the latter format are the US (exclusively), Canada, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. So, you aren't alone, fellow Indonesians; you're in the same club with European, Latin American, and North African countries, among others.
And personally, I think DD-MM-YYYY is nicer because we sort the calendar date from the smallest unit (day) to the biggest (year). Using the same logic, YYYY-MM-DD is also useful particularly when we want to sort a number of computer files whose names are replaced by dates. But MM-DD-YYYY doesn't demonstrate that sequential property, unless we belittle the importance of the year.
Below are posters of two concerts in Jakarta using MM-DD-YYYY. But note that DD-MM-YYYY is also common among them.
Standing ovation, a (not so) Indonesian way
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| Standing ovation |
Conversely, we often feel awkward to stand up from our comfy seats just to clap hands. Well, it doesn't mean we don't appreciate the performers. We do; and that's why we give applause--right on our seats. Clapping while standing, on the other hand, feels 'so Western'.
I know several people might prove me wrong. They may give a standing ovation at the end of a splendid performance. What usually follows is other people showing the same gesture. But it's always the case that there must be some 'agents provocateurs' prompting others to execute the action. It just doesn't dwell naturally in the individual habit of each person.
So, to any foreign artist having a gig in town, don't feel bad if your audience clap their hands merely on their seats. To stand up in (and thus stand out from) the crowd is a source of embarrassment for many of us.
PS. And Indonesians with limited English call the action standing applause, instead of standing ovation.
Laptop, oxymoron
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| No laptop on your lap. |
Whose time? Whose watch?
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| "Everybody, follow my watch." |
It's apparent, though, that nobody can guarantee the accuracy of the leader's watch. It might show five minutes earlier or later than the actual time. You know, some people are fond of advancing their watches' time by 5-10 minutes for the sake of punctuality--a move that's not always effective.
In that familiar situation, I never willingfully adjust my watch. For I believe that I've updated my watch using the Internet time so that it always shows the most accurate time. I know the accuracy is not on the millisecond level, but at least you don't go farther than a minute.
And it's always laughable when a person designates his/her watch as the benchmark for the rest of the group.
Et si l’école ne rendait plus les élèves créatifs ?
La philosophie comme une solution
Nous célébrons la semaine de la Francophonie avec le thème « Créativité et Jeunesse ». Je suis donc heureux de vous présenter un exposé sur ce thème.
Avant de commencer, il nous faut construire un pont entre les deux concepts pour que nous puissions déterminer leurs définitions et faire une relation entre eux—dans cet exposé le pont s’appelle « Education ». L’éducation ici veut dire celle qui prend lieu au sein de l’école—il s’agit surtout de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage. C’est pourquoi on définit la créativité comme la capacité d’imagination ou d’invention. La jeunesse, dit le dictionnaire Larousse, signifie la période de la vie humaine comprise entre l'enfance et l'âge mûr. Alors, dans le contexte de l’éducation, les jeunes sont les élèves de l’école maternelle au lycée.
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| Le (seul) paysage ? |
adultes le confondaient avec un chapeau ?
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| Un serpent boa digérant un éléphant. |
En fait, il est impossible que les êtres humains perdent toute la créativité, parce qu’elle est une faculté innée. Cependant, elle exige en même temps une certaine éducation de peur qu’elle ne s’arrête de se développer. Malheureusement, le système éducatif national nous empêche très souvent de penser de manière créative. Je vous adresse trois problèmes qui existent dans beaucoup d’écoles.
Are you a badminton player?
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| Group visit to Singapore. I am on the left. November 2012. |
Today, wearing the Indonesian contingent's sport jacket, I was about to pay for the lunch I had had at a local bistro in Jakarta (warteg) when the owner went, 'You look like a badminton player.'
Indonesian, Chinese, sporty outfit. I must be a badminton player.
Originally posted on Facebook on 13 February 2013.
Being mistaken for a native speaker
This is the second time when I was teaching the first lesson of English, a student asked, 'Where do you come from?' He thought that I came from Singapore.
In another past occasion another student asked--again, in the first meeting of the term--if I was a native speaker. Also, after I ended my presentation in a speech contest in Bandung, juries said I must have been to the UK--I haven't.
These are all pretty funny. My pronunciation may be a contributing factor, but my vocabulary still doesn't cope with British slang at all.
And I do speak with different pronunciations inside and outside classroom--the latter is more relaxed, of course. I'm not to appear posh. But, just like a pianist who hones their skill over time, I need to meet the standard. After all, I love phonetics over grammar, human voice is my playground. What can a phonetician do better than working on accents?
And that's why I won't stop learning French until I'm mistaken for a Parisian. It's not about losing one's identity. It's about playing with identities.
Originally posted on Facebook on 8 June 2013.
In another past occasion another student asked--again, in the first meeting of the term--if I was a native speaker. Also, after I ended my presentation in a speech contest in Bandung, juries said I must have been to the UK--I haven't.
These are all pretty funny. My pronunciation may be a contributing factor, but my vocabulary still doesn't cope with British slang at all.
And I do speak with different pronunciations inside and outside classroom--the latter is more relaxed, of course. I'm not to appear posh. But, just like a pianist who hones their skill over time, I need to meet the standard. After all, I love phonetics over grammar, human voice is my playground. What can a phonetician do better than working on accents?
And that's why I won't stop learning French until I'm mistaken for a Parisian. It's not about losing one's identity. It's about playing with identities.
Originally posted on Facebook on 8 June 2013.
Indonesian women and nudity
Some Indonesians are not careful enough when they say nudity is not part of Indonesian culture. Those saying that women, in the name of 'Indonesian culture', are meant to cover parts of their bodies (e.g. hair, shoulders, arms, breasts, etc.) and thus must be legislated in statutory law are perhaps ignorant of local histories and cultures. And worse is when they take the term 'Indonesian culture' as a massive, monolithic entity shared uniformly from Aceh to Papua.
Perhaps it is the idea of religion, not culture, that they actually bear in mind; specifically Islamic teachings implemented in a formalist and patriarchal way, feminists would say. This way, are we saying that religion is not compatible with culture? Well, no religion is born and develops in void. It's always living in a cultural milieu and it always forms and is formed by its adherents. Abrahamic religions, 'exported' by traders and missionaries to Nusantara archipelago centuries ago, had first of all to compromise with the already-religious communities. Some were successful in changing people's cultural behaviour and some weren't.
And here we are in the 21st century, still with vast cultural diversity and increasing assertion of group identity. I believe there's nothing wrong in interpreting human body, particularly that of woman, according to one's own religion. But it's always wrong to point your fingers to any woman and say, 'You're immoral because of your exposed body.' And it's also wrong to pass a law telling how women should or should not dress in public. The latter group should be reminded, 'Indonesian culture' is a plural noun.
Images were taken from the Internet, depicting women from different parts of Indonesia.
Perhaps it is the idea of religion, not culture, that they actually bear in mind; specifically Islamic teachings implemented in a formalist and patriarchal way, feminists would say. This way, are we saying that religion is not compatible with culture? Well, no religion is born and develops in void. It's always living in a cultural milieu and it always forms and is formed by its adherents. Abrahamic religions, 'exported' by traders and missionaries to Nusantara archipelago centuries ago, had first of all to compromise with the already-religious communities. Some were successful in changing people's cultural behaviour and some weren't.
And here we are in the 21st century, still with vast cultural diversity and increasing assertion of group identity. I believe there's nothing wrong in interpreting human body, particularly that of woman, according to one's own religion. But it's always wrong to point your fingers to any woman and say, 'You're immoral because of your exposed body.' And it's also wrong to pass a law telling how women should or should not dress in public. The latter group should be reminded, 'Indonesian culture' is a plural noun.
Images were taken from the Internet, depicting women from different parts of Indonesia.
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| Bali |
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| Java |
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| Java |
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| Borneo |
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| Papua |
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| Mentawai |
Film 'La Tahzan', dari sastra motivasi ke cerita berbau religi
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| Poster film La Tahzan |
Nah, salah satu cerpen di buku itu yang berjudul "Orenji" diangkat ke layar lebar, namun dengan judul La Tahzan. Masalahnya, sutradara dan penulis naskah menganggap film itu tidak bakal menarik kalau hanya berkisah tentang dinamika studi si pemeran utama Viona (Atiqah Hasiholan) di Jepang.
Maka diciptakanlah karakter fiktif blasteran Indonesia-Jepang, Yamada (Joe Taslim), yang entah mengapa jatuh cinta pada si perempuan Indonesia yang unyu-unyu itu.
Biar makin menarik, Yamada pun dibikin rela untuk menjadi mualaf demi bisa menikahi Viona. Ini resep gampangan mujarab pemikat penonton yang pernah dipakai pula oleh Ayat-Ayat Cinta (meskipun pada film yang terakhir si perempuan Kristen lantas dimatikan begitu saja). Sebab haram hukumnya jika justru Viona yang meninggalkan institusi agamanya demi Yamada--kecuali penulis naskah tak sayang nyawa, tak mungkin dia berbuat demikian.
Agar terlihat lebih rumit, dilema cinta segitiga diciptakan dengan kehadiran teman masa lalu Viona, Hasan (Ario Bayu). Dan tiba-tiba konflik film pun berkisar seputar cinta, agama, dan pernikahan.
Humankind, either... or...
Humankind can be divided into binary oppositions:
man v woman
unmarried v married
breadwinner v dependant
omnivore v vegetarian
right wing v left wing
conservative v progressive
and
durian eater v durian hater
durian /ˈdʊərɪən/ noun a spiny oval tropical fruit containing a creamy pulp. Despite its foetid smell it is highly valued for its flavour.
man v woman
unmarried v married
breadwinner v dependant
omnivore v vegetarian
right wing v left wing
conservative v progressive
and
durian eater v durian hater
durian /ˈdʊərɪən/ noun a spiny oval tropical fruit containing a creamy pulp. Despite its foetid smell it is highly valued for its flavour.
Ugly democracy
An ugly side of democracy is narcissistic portraits on posters, banners, and billboards, all of which ruin the city's aesthetics. Legislators-to-be had better off display their names and websites to let voters get informed of their programmes. That's all.
When English and Indonesian talk about siblings
English puts more emphasis on gender, having brother and sister but no specific word to indicate their positions with regard to the speaker's age. You ought to add the adjective elder or younger, which is sometimes impractical.
Bahasa Indonesia, on the other hand, values more seniority as shown in kakak and adik. Both words are applicable to either a brother and a sister, depending on their age compared to yours. Kakak means elder sibling, adik younger sibling.
Only when one is to address their elder siblings (kakak) do they adopt different gender words according to their ethnicity or, more commonly, the addressees' ethnicity, e.g. (elder brother v elder sister) mas and mbak in Javanese, abang and mpok in Betawi, akang and tétéh in Sundanese, koko and cece in Chinese Hakka, etc. But in Bahasa Indonesia such differentiation doesn't exist; only kakak means elder sibling.
This difference isn't exclusive, though. Other languages have similar features.
NatGeo winning photos taken in Indonesia
I was flicking through the October 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine on a red sofa placed inside a department store of a new shopping mall in town while my mum and sister were browsing shoes. My eyes stopped on a page displaying the winning images of the annual National Geographic Photography Contest. It took me a few seconds before I realised that two of the top three best pictures had been taken in Indonesia.
Out of curiosity I then searched for more information at home. Three categories are available for submission, namely Places, Nature, and People. In each category you can find the category winner, followed by several honourable mentions and one viewers' choice winner. And out of the three category winners, the judges will pick the grand-prize winner.
And here are the National Geographic winning photos with Indonesia as the setting since its inception in 2006.
2012 National Geographic Photography Contest
| Fransisca Harlijanto. Category: Nature. Honourable Mention. Thousands of fish move in synchrony in Komodo Island waters. |
| Wendell Phillips. Category: People. Honourable Mention. A patient of mental sickness is shackled in chains at Yayasan Galuh Rehabilitation Centre in Bekasi, West Java. |
2011 National Geographic Photography Contest
| Shikhei Goh. Category: Nature. Grand-Prize Winner and Nature Winner. A dragonfly is sprayed with water in Riau Islands. |
2010 National Geographic Photography Contest
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| Aaron Lim Boon Teck. Category: Nature. Grand-Prize Winner and Nature Winner. Mount Rinjani volcano erupts on Lombok Island. |
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| Stephanie Swartz. Category: Nature. Honourable Mention. A lion at a wildlife sanctuary. |
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| Chan Kwok Hung. Category: People. People Winner. A Sumatran farmer and his buffalo charge through the mud in a buffalo race in West Sumatra. |
True dad
Happy are wives whose husbands can change nappies, pacify babies, and know why their babies cry.
Babysitter, my parent
Parenting is both mum's and dad's job, yet many Jakartan children grow more familiar with their babysitters.
Bocah merengek
Anak kecil yang merengek minta dibelikan suatu barang di toko biasanya diberi tahu orangtuanya,
"Itu enggak dijual, Dek."
"Kalo enggak dijual, kenapa ditaro di situ dong?"
Nah lo.
Indonesians spelling the Philippines
I bet 4 of 5 Indonesians would misspell the English proper noun Philippines. Mostly they'd spell it Phillipines, Philipines, Phillippines, Philipina, Philippina, among other combinations.
Winning a ticket to the Queen's Birthday Party
It was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.
I knew that the British Embassy in Jakarta, through their Facebook page, was holding a photo contest last June commemorating UK Queen Elizabeth II's Official Birthday Party. Anybody could submit as many photos as possible that depict the Union Jack, the best three of which would be extended an invitation to the party in Jakarta. I didn't really pay any particular attention to that announcement and I had no intention to participate in it.
It was in the evening on Tuesday, 4 June 2013, when I was heading to Sofyan Hotel Betawi in Menteng, Central Jakarta, to welcome Brian, fellow ex-participant of the 39th Ship for South East Asian Youth Programme. Hailing from the Philippines, he flew to Jakarta thanks to the Indonesian government's Arts and Culture Scholarship. With three other contingent members, we made an appointment to gather in the hotel.
So, I was riding my motorcycle when I bumped into a bajaj running exactly in front of me on Jl. Cipinang Baru Utara. And I noticed that the three-wheeler had a Union Jack on its backside! Instantly, I was saying to myself, If the birthday party were meant for me, I would be able to capture this bajaj.
I knew that the British Embassy in Jakarta, through their Facebook page, was holding a photo contest last June commemorating UK Queen Elizabeth II's Official Birthday Party. Anybody could submit as many photos as possible that depict the Union Jack, the best three of which would be extended an invitation to the party in Jakarta. I didn't really pay any particular attention to that announcement and I had no intention to participate in it.
It was in the evening on Tuesday, 4 June 2013, when I was heading to Sofyan Hotel Betawi in Menteng, Central Jakarta, to welcome Brian, fellow ex-participant of the 39th Ship for South East Asian Youth Programme. Hailing from the Philippines, he flew to Jakarta thanks to the Indonesian government's Arts and Culture Scholarship. With three other contingent members, we made an appointment to gather in the hotel.
So, I was riding my motorcycle when I bumped into a bajaj running exactly in front of me on Jl. Cipinang Baru Utara. And I noticed that the three-wheeler had a Union Jack on its backside! Instantly, I was saying to myself, If the birthday party were meant for me, I would be able to capture this bajaj.
Litani iklan lokal
orang periklanan sering mendaku insan kreatif
pemikir penantang arus, di luar kubus, kepala penuh ide yang tak pernah tergerus
tetapi
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
nyaris tiada perempuan flores, ambon, papua tampak di produk kecantikan
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
pemikir penantang arus, di luar kubus, kepala penuh ide yang tak pernah tergerus
tetapi
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
nyaris tiada perempuan flores, ambon, papua tampak di produk kecantikan
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
citra perempuan tiada jauh dari bubuk cuci baju, cuci piring, cuci kamar belakang
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
citra lelaki tiada jauh dari pencari nafkah, petualang rimba, otot, mesin, kabel
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
rupa yang menawan jadi pahlawan, yang kebal aib berperan abal
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal
si bunda yang mengganti popok, si ayah tak perlu repot
sengaku-ngaku kreatifnya agen periklanan lokal,
peran seksual tiada diubah, setiap kelamin dikurung dalam tempurung
Explaining collocations
There's one day when I had to teach English collocations. The simplest explanation of them, besides the definition 'two or more words that often come together', is a question like this.
'In infotainment, the word prahara (chaos, trouble) is always followed by...?'
Most students will reply in unison, 'RUMAH TANGGA!' (household).
Then I'll go, 'Now, why can you answer it almost instantly? The phrase (prahara rumah tangga) sounds so natural to you, doesn't it? And so do English collocations. There are fixed phrases that would come in tandem automatically, like commit a crime, apply for a job, bid farewell, etc. If you want your English sounds natural to native speakers, make use of collocations.'
Now they understand.
Culture as a learning process
Learning means the process of acquiring new knowledge, skills, or behaviour. In culture humans always accumulate knowledge and skills they have acquired and hand them over for generations. The knowledge, skills, and behaviour cover a wide range of topics, such as arts, religion, communications, technology, etc. In communications, for instance, humans have created and improved the Braille and sign languages, which allow the blind and the deaf to communicate with the world. As for technology, humans have invented different tools and machines enabling themselves to speed up the manufacture of goods—e.g. batik clothes, initially hand-painted by individuals, can be now produced using a stamp or a printing machine, which is much faster and more economical. The said examples obviously show that human knowledge accumulates along with human efforts to learn.
The accumulation and transfer of knowledge and skills are made possible thanks to language. This is perhaps the greatest human invention since it underlies all human activities, thereby rendering them possible. The term ‘language’ is defined broadly, including all forms of symbols and signs, which are manifested in words, pictures, dances, etc. Symbols are made by humans, external to their bodies, and thus are easy to modify to suit any problems that arise. For instance, when humans stored water only at room temperature, there was only one single tap needed. When humans created a machine able to heat water and store it, another tap was required—hence two colours, typically red and blue, identifying warm and cool water respectively.
Culture as a learning process indicates that humans have sociocultural inheritance, apart from biological inheritance. It means that learning activity always surpasses mere natural behaviour. For example, eating is a natural behaviour that occurs in all organic creatures. However, humans can go beyond their animal instinct by preparing the meal—cooking, decorating, and serving it in a delicate way—so that food satisfies not only their biological need but also their aesthetic sense.
Bolak-balik Jakarta-Bandung
Dulu, Sherina panik, 'Jadi, Ayah tiap hari bolak-balik Jakarta-Bandung?'
Kini, si ayah menjawab, 'Naik travel juga bisa.'
Kini, si ayah menjawab, 'Naik travel juga bisa.'
French 'now'
The French word for 'now' is maintenant. Derived from main, hand, and tenant, holding, from tenir, to hold. So for the French, what you're holding in your hands, what you can take control of, is the now.
My preference for British spelling
I was designing an on-line exam on Google Docs for candidates of a youth exchange programme. Before publishing the form on the Internet, I let my co-trainer re-examine the questions. He pointed his finger at one spot on my laptop screen. 'Why is it organisational, not organizational?'.
British spelling is seen exotic for the eyes of many Indonesian learners of English today (note: -ize verbs are actually as acceptable as -ise verbs). It's understandable due to the great influence of US media on Indonesian population that they consider US spelling as the standard norm. To this category belong such words as standardize, traveler, skillful, etc.
British spelling is seen exotic for the eyes of many Indonesian learners of English today (note: -ize verbs are actually as acceptable as -ise verbs). It's understandable due to the great influence of US media on Indonesian population that they consider US spelling as the standard norm. To this category belong such words as standardize, traveler, skillful, etc.
Alumni to select youth leader, assistant of RI contingent for SSEAYP
Indonesian alumni association of the Ship for South East Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP) holds a selection of youth leader and assistant youth leader (YL/AYL) of the Indonesian contingent over the weekend at the secretariat in South Jakarta. On the sidelines of the training, the board of directors of SSEAYP International Indonesia, Inc. (SII) interviewed the delegates attending the sessions. As for delegates residing in other provinces, a phone interview was conducted.
The shortlist of YL/AYL nominees was made based on, among others, recommendations from the contingent's members. Apart from the peer nomination, the SII board of directors also takes account of the nominees' CVs and the roles they have played in the contingent thus far.
Director of the SII directorate of SSEAYP Astary Dyah Sutjiningtyas reminded the delegates that the SII was not seeking the best individuals to fill the YL/AYL posts. 'We are looking for the most suitable couple,' she said ahead of the interview. She also said the YL was not necessarily a male participant and the AYL must be of the opposite sex.
During the interview, several candidates of Indonesia Participating Youth expressed their willingness to become a YL whereas the others preferred assuming other responsibilities. At the end of the selection process, former YLs/AYLs reserve the exclusive right to choose this year's YL/AYL.
SSEAYP is a Japan-ASEAN youth exchange programme sponsored by the Cabinet Office of Japan. Marking its 40th voyage, the programme will kick off in October.
The shortlist of YL/AYL nominees was made based on, among others, recommendations from the contingent's members. Apart from the peer nomination, the SII board of directors also takes account of the nominees' CVs and the roles they have played in the contingent thus far.
Director of the SII directorate of SSEAYP Astary Dyah Sutjiningtyas reminded the delegates that the SII was not seeking the best individuals to fill the YL/AYL posts. 'We are looking for the most suitable couple,' she said ahead of the interview. She also said the YL was not necessarily a male participant and the AYL must be of the opposite sex.
During the interview, several candidates of Indonesia Participating Youth expressed their willingness to become a YL whereas the others preferred assuming other responsibilities. At the end of the selection process, former YLs/AYLs reserve the exclusive right to choose this year's YL/AYL.
SSEAYP is a Japan-ASEAN youth exchange programme sponsored by the Cabinet Office of Japan. Marking its 40th voyage, the programme will kick off in October.
Youth reps gear up for Japan-ASEAN exchange
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| Training: Youth delegates prepare themselves for the 40th Ship for South East Asian Youth Programme. |
Indonesian association of SSEAYP alumni, SSEAYP International Indonesia, Inc., holds the training sessions every weekend in the three months leading to the departure. The training module consists of a wide range of topics, from Indonesia's foreign affairs to discussion programme and contingent attire. Even though the training is attended merely by five participants, the knowledge gained from the sessions is then transferred to the other candidates via on-line conferences.
Guest speakers delivered presentations to the participants and discussed different matters. In the attire session, Meika Hazim explained the classification of outfits required in the programme and the importance of personal grooming. Yunita of the Foreign Ministry put emphasis on ASEAN Community, which is slated to commence in 2015, and challenges thereof.
During and after each session participants asked several questions. Naluri of West Java wanted to know about tips on attire funding, followed by Quincy of Jakarta, who had a query about managing clothes for the Pre-Departure Training and the programme. The latter was also curious about the extent to which CLMV countries were different from Indonesia.
Indonesia as an autopilot state
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| Indonesia, an autopilot state? |
Before going any further, let me explain the outline of my talk. It behoves us, first of all, to agree on what the term ‘state on autopilot’ means—otherwise, the talk would be futile since we have got different definitions of it. Afterwards, we will compare the idea of the autopilot state with a number of examples taken from the three dimensions of human life in today’s Indonesian society, namely the economy, politics and law. Finally, there will be a conclusion drawn from the analysis.
Let us imagine an aeroplane. Suppose that an aeroplane is a republic. The pilot and the co-pilot then would be the president, the vice president—in short, the government; the flight attendants represent the state bureaucracy and the market; and the passengers are the citizens. Now, according to German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, we ought to distinguish two aspects: the System and the Lebenswelt. The System comprises the state bureaucracy and the market, while the Lebenswelt refers to the world of experience lived by the citizens.
Having this metaphor in mind, let us proceed to two kinds of situation. If the pilot strictly controls everything, then the aeroplane is a model of totalitarian state. On the other hand, if the pilot gives up everything to the mechanisms of the bureaucracy and the market, then the aeroplane is a model of liberal state, which is primarily based on a laissez-faire principle.
Therefore, when we claim that the Indonesian government is on autopilot, we are actually saying that the government does not intervene at all in neither the System nor the Lebenswelt. In other words, the passengers cannot feel the presence of the pilot; the flight attendants are the only channel through which they express their opinions.
However, one may ask: Is such situation true?
Premature bosses
These days the millennial generation seems to be in rush to entitle themselves Founder, Entrepreneur, Owner, CEO, Executive Director. It's all about me, me, me.
Bookshelves in the toilet
Have you ever thought of setting up bookshelves inside your toilet? Sometimes I read books in the toilet, even though for only a few pages. Perhaps I'll have some made in my future place.
Philosophy as a pedagogic strategy towards leadership development
Quite a few analysts say the future of
Indonesia seems promising. Our economy is growing at approximately 6 per cent;
we are the only South East Asian country taking part in the Group of Twenty
(G20); and as the largest economy in the region Indonesia is expected to take a
leading role in the ASEAN Economic Community, which is slated to commence in
2015. These are good news in macroeconomics. The bad news is, however, our
society is facing ever-increasing sociopolitical challenges at grass-roots
level. The media covers them all every day: corruption, inter-religious
conflicts, student brawls due to petty things, separatist movements and so
forth. Given these mind-perplexing challenges and problems, one can but ask:
What solutions do we need?
Obviously, since the phenomena I have
described are all human activities, it is the very human being that is capable
of dealing with them. The economic, political, religious, social systems, and
all the drawbacks arising therefrom, are all established by human being, hence
human responsibility for them. The key, then, lies in the development of human
resources so that they can take initiative and lead the way. In other words, we
are in need of leaders of considerable intelligence and exemplary character. By
the term ‘leader’, we are not merely referring to those holding office in
bureaucracy or having an executive position in enterprises, but rather we are
talking about human potential residing in each person.
I have mentioned two dimensions of a
leader: intelligence, which is the cognitive dimension, and character, which is
the affective dimension. Now, these two dimensions ought to be nurtured if we
are to have true leaders—which then raises another question: What instrument
does our society employ to instil leadership qualities in succeeding
generations? Plainly, education. By educating children both inside and outside
classrooms, the society is investing energy and time in developing their
intelligence and character to the utmost.
However, just how effective are our schools
in carrying out this enormous responsibility? Ladies and gentlemen, when you
were a child and the teacher asked you to draw a panorama, did you draw two
cone-shaped mountains with the sun, clouds, and unidentified birds above them
and a street going through a village in which are located a modest house and a
rice field? Sadly speaking, you and me, we belong to the generation that
considers the picture as the only valid representation of panorama.
Mengenali yang sama dan beda dari Filipina
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| Filipina dan Indonesia |
Setiap kali misa berbahasa Inggris di Gereja Santa Theresia di bilangan
Menteng, Jakarta Pusat, berakhir, dan ketika jemaat beranjak keluar, dua bahasa
asing hampir pasti terdengar di sela-sela percakapan santai mereka: bahasa
Inggris dan bahasa Filipino. Sementara yang pertama dituturkan para bule dan warga Jakarta sendiri, yang
kedua secara khas menjadi tanda kehadiran warga negara Filipina di ibukota.
Semakin banyak warga Filipina bekerja di Jakarta. Data dari kedutaan
besar Filipina menunjukkan, pada tahun 2012 sekitar 8.000 warganya menetap di Indonesia—sekitar
70 persen berbasis di Jakarta. Sebagian besar dari mereka bergerak di sektor pendidikan,
pelatihan, perdagangan, industri, keuangan, media, dan lain-lain. Peningkatan jumlah
warga Filipina di Indonesia sebesar 100 persen dalam kurun empat tahun terakhir
ini dapat terlihat dalam uji coba sederhana: Kunjungi sekolah berlabel internasional
mana pun di Jakarta, dan hampir pasti Anda akan menemukan seorang guru dari Filipina.
UK royal baby
Just read posts about some British aspiring to a republic country. Naturally, they aren't enthusiastic about the royal baby, George Alexander Louis. Why should this baby so special? they cried, comparing him to thousands of ordinary babies born in poverty or hardship. I'd say, What's wrong with being happy for a newborn baby? As if it were a sin?
How not to argue using animals
Have you ever found someone who cites the animal kingdom to justify their arguments about human phenomena? And isn't it striking that the same person can use it to criticise human activities?
Perhaps you don't follow me yet. Here are a few cases I've observed among Indonesian netizens.
- Human evolution. Too often whenever one says that human beings, as a result of evolution, are related to primates, some people would yell, 'So you believe that your ancestors are monkeys? We don't buy that, because mine is Adam'. Here, they deny any evolutionary ties of kinship between human beings and animals.
- Homosexuality. Report any news about same-sex relationship, and these people would be quick to say, 'But even God has created male and female animals, and none of them have same-sex copulation. It's against natural law.' Here, they criticise homosexuality as a deviant human behaviour and liken man-woman relationship to male-female animal relationship. Well, if only they read that homosexuality is also prevalent in animals. Knowing this unexpected fact, they will cry, 'But humans are different from animals!' See? they justify human heterosexuality with attribution to the animal kingdom but criticise human homosexuality on the basis that animals and humans are in no way alike.
- Polygamy. The proposers of polygamy rarely cite animal sexual behaviour as justification for its practice. Well, polygamy, does exist in animals, and it is even statistically much more prevalent than monogamy. If these people are faithful to 'natural law', then polygamy must be considered the norm of human marriage whereas their monogamous marriages are seen deviant. And of course, the cry 'But humans are different from animals!' will be heard again.
- You behave like what you eat. They say, 'Don't eat pork because you will behave like pigs.' They mean to say human laziness and greed represented by pigs. Here, they recognise the influence of animal meat on human behaviour. Using the same logic, so what good is done to those eating chicken and beef, vis-à-vis pork? Flapping your limbs but cannot fly?
- Inspiration. These people are fond of taking inspirational or religious lessons from animal behaviour. For example there's a saying, 'Sekejam-kejamnya macan tidak akan memakan anaknya' (Even the cruellest tigress won't eat her cubs). Another example, if there's an unusual lovely relationship between a dog and a cat, they would see it as a lesson to make peace on Earth. Well, what inspiration then can we draw from a female praying mantis that preys her male counterpart after copulation? Or, a newcomer lion that kills cubs of the previous lion so that the lionesses will be willing to have sex with him?
Hart v Fuller Debate (part 2)
(To go to the first part, click here.)
Lon
L. Fuller and Fidelity to Law
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| Lon L. Fuller (1902-1978) |
The
Definitions of Law and Morality
Fuller
reminds the readers that Hart defends positivist views of such names as
Bentham, Austin, Gray, and Holmes. Fuller recalls the definitions of law as
proposed by Austin and Gray: (1) according to Austin, law is ‘the command of
the highest legislative power’, which is the sovereign; (2) according to Gray,
law is ‘rules laid down by judges’. A statute becomes law only if the court has
interpreted and applied it. Moreover, Fuller points out the different views of
Bentham and Austin on the constitutional limitations on the sovereign’s power:
(1) Bentham said that the highest legislative power might be prevented by a
constitution from making some kinds of laws; (2) Austin said that such limitation
on the highest legislative power was absurd and impossible.
The
definitions of law and the functions of the legislative body as offered by the
said positivists are not sufficient, says Fuller. In times of crisis, he says,
the obligation of fidelity to law cannot be explained by such positivist views.
Therefore, he says that Hart has to seek first of all the definition of law
that will ‘make meaningful the obligation of fidelity to law’.
According
to Austin and Gray, Fuller says, morality
refers to any standard ‘by which human conduct may be judged that is not itself
law’. Law, then, excludes the idea of morality, which includes ‘the inner voice
of conscience, notions of right and wrong based on religious belief, common
conceptions of decency and fair play, culturally conditioned prejudices’.
Hart v Fuller Debate (part 1)
(To go to the second part, click here.)
This paper takes a plunge into the classic debate between prominent legal philosophers H.L.A. Hart and Lon L. Fuller, which now marks its 55th year of publication in Harvard Law Review. Published in 1958, Hart’s and Fuller’s lectures in the Review have been stimulating intellectual exchanges between legal positivist and natural law schools.
In the paragraphs that follow, I would like to demonstrate the development of arguments delivered by Hart and Fuller in their respective articles. The topics include the separation of law and morals, the imperative theory of law, legal interpretation, law under the Nazi regime, fidelity to law, etc. All these topics sum up in one question: How should one define the relationship between law and morals? These two schools of law take contrasting positions.
Hart and the Separation of Law and Morals
Hart opens the lecture with a statement made by contemporary voices, that there exists a ‘point of intersection between law and morals’; in other words, ‘what is and what ought to be are somehow indissolubly fused or inseparable’. This is the subject of the lecture: to question such statements and demonstrate that they are either right or wrong.
This paper takes a plunge into the classic debate between prominent legal philosophers H.L.A. Hart and Lon L. Fuller, which now marks its 55th year of publication in Harvard Law Review. Published in 1958, Hart’s and Fuller’s lectures in the Review have been stimulating intellectual exchanges between legal positivist and natural law schools.
In the paragraphs that follow, I would like to demonstrate the development of arguments delivered by Hart and Fuller in their respective articles. The topics include the separation of law and morals, the imperative theory of law, legal interpretation, law under the Nazi regime, fidelity to law, etc. All these topics sum up in one question: How should one define the relationship between law and morals? These two schools of law take contrasting positions.
Hart and the Separation of Law and Morals
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| H.L.A. Hart (1907-1992) |
Hart opens the lecture with a statement made by contemporary voices, that there exists a ‘point of intersection between law and morals’; in other words, ‘what is and what ought to be are somehow indissolubly fused or inseparable’. This is the subject of the lecture: to question such statements and demonstrate that they are either right or wrong.
In order to achieve this end, Hart takes the
following steps. First, he clarifies
the positivist understanding of law and morality as proposed by classic legal
positivists. Second, he examines the
imperative theory of law and demonstrates its weaknesses. Third, he criticises formalist interpretation of cases vis-à-vis
legal realism by introducing the concepts of umbra and penumbra. Fourth, he tackles criticisms against legal
positivism in the wake of the collapse of Nazi’s regime. All these steps are
taken to show that there is no necessary relationship between law and morality.
Subscribing to NatGeo Indonesia
I begin to subscribe to National Geographic Indonesia and National Geographic Traveler Indonesia magazines in this month. I know it's a very late move given that NatGeo Indonesia published its first edition in 2009. Several reasons have prompted me to take the subscription.
Languages I've got to know
For over twenty years, I've grown up in a monolingual milieu. Living in a suburb to the east of Jakarta brings an ugly consequence: I don't have any privilege of acquiring a regional language effortlessly, unlike those raised in rural areas. While my parents do speak different dialects of Hakka, neither of them speak in that language to their offspring, except mere numbers 1 to 10 and interjections. As a result, Bahasa Indonesia is my mother tongue. A Bahasa-Indonesia-only-speaking Chinese man, that is enough for a Malaysian friend of mine to raise her eyebrows. Indeed, both Hakka and Mandarin are all Greek to me; at least as of now.
Despite my guilty feeling due to incapability of speaking the language of ancestors, I've been confident, though, to say that I am pretty much fluent in the language I'm now using to compose this blog post--English. And not just English, but a specific spoken variant of English--Standard British English. This is a particular goal, I must admit, that I have been aspiring to since I purchased the 7th edition of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary in December 2009. With no exaggeration, I think I just need to get some exposure to more and more colloquial terms, mend some inconsistent pronunciation, and, voilà, the mission is accomplished.
But that's actually still far from the finish line--or, is there? My pursuit revolves around language learning, and human voice is becoming my playground. There's a list of languages I've got to be able to speak, or, at least, to write in. If I am to classify them, here's my language-learning plan.
Despite my guilty feeling due to incapability of speaking the language of ancestors, I've been confident, though, to say that I am pretty much fluent in the language I'm now using to compose this blog post--English. And not just English, but a specific spoken variant of English--Standard British English. This is a particular goal, I must admit, that I have been aspiring to since I purchased the 7th edition of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary in December 2009. With no exaggeration, I think I just need to get some exposure to more and more colloquial terms, mend some inconsistent pronunciation, and, voilà, the mission is accomplished.
But that's actually still far from the finish line--or, is there? My pursuit revolves around language learning, and human voice is becoming my playground. There's a list of languages I've got to be able to speak, or, at least, to write in. If I am to classify them, here's my language-learning plan.
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