Indonesian provinces I have visited

This particular infographic takes a different size and shape. I'm trying to make it more compact, hence the square shape. As for the content, the message is simple: I want to encourage more Indonesians (and foreigners as well) to have the mission of visiting all provinces in Indonesia, so that they can know better their compatriots and appreciate cultures that may be different from their own. These days, middle-class Indonesians are increasingly taking a flight to other countries. Even some are already too familiar with European countries or the US. Of course, there is nothing wrong with travelling abroad. What is important here, however, is that as Indonesian citizens, are we not supposed to acquire good knowledge and extensive experience of our own country as well? Travelling broadens horizons and no human interaction can be more influential than people-to-people communication. So, let's travel Indonesia!

National Symbols of Indonesia

Pretty much like other countries in the world, Indonesia has created some objects as its national symbols. Among these symbols are the national emblem, motto, flag, anthem, and language. In addition to these man-made symbols, Indonesia has also designated a number of plants and animals as its national flora and fauna. Unlike most countries, however, Indonesia has got not only one species of plant and animal to represent the country--it's got three under the titles 'national' (satwa nasional), 'of charm' (satwa pesona), and 'rare' (satwa langka) respectively. In fact, each province in Indonesia has designated one plant and one animal as its provincial identities (here and here). Hopefully, this symbolic expression would bring an effective preservation of the said species. 

PS: This infographic was made using images gathered from the Internet.

How diverse is Indonesia?

To talk about Indonesia is to talk about diversity. It is of little wonder that the idea of diversity is the first topic an Indonesian points out when presenting their country before the public. Indonesia is diverse, both naturally and culturally. And that's why I decided to make this infographic.

Along the process, I realised that the cultural diversity of Indonesia implies something wonderful: these different groups of people living on scattered islands for generations, who have developed their own distinct cultural identities, customs, and languages, can be united in a single political entity called Indonesia. Similarly, the extremely high biodiversity of Indonesia is something one can't help but be grateful for. The flora and fauna, both on land and under water, make up an immense ecosystem that these people have been trying to learn and live in harmony with.

And yet such diversity is now put in danger. A number of languages are predicted to be extinct in the future, and so are some species of animals. Human activities are to blame for the loss of Indonesia's rainforest and for the damaged fluvial and marine life. I am wondering if the best service an Indonesian can do for their country is to preserve natural and cultural diversity; since diversity is the identity of the country.

PS: This infographic was made using images gathered from the Internet.

How large is Indonesia?

I often take for granted the extent of Indonesian archipelago, partly because of its maritime feature, which makes Indonesia look dominated by water, rather than land. And map projection does create some distortion so that Indonesia, which is located along the equator, seems tinier than countries far to the north or to the south, such as China or the US.

However, upon Internet research, I found that the flight distance from the westernmost to easternmost towns of the country (popularly called 'dari Sabang sampai Merauke', from Sabang to Merauke) is longer than that in China, the US, or even the whole Europe. Travelling by flight from Banda Aceh in Aceh to Jayapura in Papua takes a longer time than from Lisbon to Moscow, or from San Fransisco to New York city.

I created this infographics as a light reminder and, hopefully, an eye-opener that our homeland is indeed large. And such vast territory consequently brings a demand for an effective government. We should be reminded that Indonesia is unlike China or the US, the territory of which is mostly land area. Indonesia is a huge maritime nation, which poses a challenge of maintaining security over the archipelago, especially in the areas close to the borders.

PS: I gathered the images from various websites since I don't know yet how to work with Photoshop, Corel Draw, and the like. Many thanks to the creators.

'To be One' rendered into French

'To be One' is one of the most recognisable songs used during the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP) since 2000s. Performed by Indonesian singer Gita Gutawa, the lyrics tell about friendship and willingness to be one despite differences. The original rendition is in English, and I've rendered it into French. Enjoy.

Je vois un arc-en-ciel

Couleurs qui brillent dans ma vie

J’entends des oiseaux-mouches

chantant une belle chanson

Chanson d’amour et de joie

Chanson de paix, d’espoir

Je veux pas que ça s’achève

Je veux que ça dure sans cesse

Bien qu’on ne soit pas pareil

Alors même qu’on prend des chemins divers

dans ma vie, dans ta vie

Tenons-nous par la main

ensemble dans ce monde

Unissons-nous

Le monde sera une maison pour nous tous

qui nous donne l’esprit tranquille

plein d’amour, sans larme

où toi et moi, on peut rire

sans pleurer, tout sourire

L’endroit pour nous, nous unir

Unissons-nous

2013 in review

Reviewing the 2013's resolution I made in the beginning of this year, I am hardly surprised that I've not achieved them at all; unlike that of the previous year. The planned activities I'm loving most have been in conflict with my responsibilities as a college student, organisation member, part-time teacher, freelance editor, which are all time consuming.

The first semester was marked by weekly mobility between Jakarta and Bandung, which affected other schedules of teaching and college exams. Similarly, the second semester of this year turned out to be supertight: managing training for the newly selected PYs in Jakarta while taking 23 credit points of 24 at college. In terms of the academe, this semester has been the worst, I suppose, where philosophy reading was done with little understanding, classes were skipped, papers were made with little reflection, and exams were passed in a hurry--and I swear I'm not sure about the results.

Much personal sacrifice has been given as well: I wasn't really able to attend all the film festivals, public lectures, book discussions, and cultural exhibitions I had bookmarked much earlier. And I should say all this stuff has put me away from the church intermittently for many weeks. They say it's all about time management, but I'd ask if they have tried reading one chapter of Merleau-Ponty's "Philosophy of Perception" within only 2 hours a week and understand all he wrote, before you take a two-hour motorcycle ride to the PDT venue and spend most of the week with PYs and committee members? Surely 24 hours ain't enough?

So I compensated these not-so-appealing life records with other activities that belong to my true penchant and I did everything to get them done. I managed to clinch victories in three varsity competitions of English. I flew for a weekend getaway to Singapore and Batam to meet friends who matter in my life. I sat the TOEIC exam and cast an-ear-to-ear smile after getting the result. I went to theatre performances and music concerts by cancelling any teaching schedules on that day. I've been subscribing to National Geographic Indonesia and French Philosophie magazine  just to get more humane inspiration amid the banality of urban life.

I predict that 2014 will take a similar path. But I am sure it's going to be much easier because I have almost no classes to attend. So, here comes the opportunity for the "I-want-to-do" list, instead of the "to-do" list. I want to learn German and Filipino, take Dalf C1/C2 French exams, take CAE/CPE English exams, get a driving licence, get my articles published, and so on.

When learning languages

When learning European languages, it's mostly about declension and conjugation, which Indonesian lacks because it simply uses affixes to make a sentence and reduplication to make a singular noun plural. No genders, no numerals, and (practically) no tenses.

When learning Asian languages, it's mostly about different scripts and tone, which Indonesian lacks because it uses entirely Latin alphabet and tone in Indonesian doesn't change a word's meaning at all.

If you were born and raised in Austronesian realm, you'll know just how difficult it is for an adult learner to get used to those concepts not existing in our mother tongue.

So, kudos to all multilingual Indonesians. At least, we can trill our R's, rrr....

Posted on Facebook on 27 December 2013.

Christmas and life's promise

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.

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.

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: ???

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.

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.