Kematianku

Andai bisa kembali ke masa silam, ke sepuluh tahun pertama sejak kelahiran, ketika ide kematian belum datang dan menghantui. Ketika garis hidup seakan terbentang tanpa batas dan aku masih di pangkal.

Kematian momen yang sangat nyata dan personal, yang tak bisa disuplai doktrin apa pun. Kematian pengalaman yang datang terakhir dan tak bisa kuceritakan ulang pada yang lain. Memikirkannya membuat yang lain-lain tiba-tiba tidak esensial. Memikirkannya membuatku berhenti dan bertanya ulang: apa yang sungguh penting?

Hanya tiga perempat abad sudah terbilang kuat. Siapa pula yang sanggup dan mau hidup hingga sembilan puluh atau seratus tahun? Dan kini aku sudah seperempat jalan; tinggal dua atau tiga perempat lagi. Itu pun jika tiada musibah atau perang di tengah jalan, yang tidak bertanya apakah aku sudah siap. Tanah tiba-tiba longsor, lalu aku mati. Pesawat jatuh, lalu aku mati. Penjahat menembakkan peluru, lalu aku mati.

Akan ada misteri semesta yang belum sempat terjawab sampai kematianku. Akan ada kreasi manusia yang belum sempat kusaksikan. Akan ada tempat-tempat terindah di bumi yang belum sempat kukunjungi. Akan ada bahasa yang belum sempat kupelajari.

Dan ketika aku musnah, terserah pada mereka yang bertahan untuk mengenang atau melupakan. Orang-orang besar tetap dikenal karena karyanya atau kekejiannya. Orang-orang biasa musnah dalam sejarah dunia, bergabung dengan miliaran orang biasa lainnya.

How to express the existence of something

English
'There is a book.'
The existence of a book is shown by the fact that it occupies a certain place.

Français
« Il y a un livre. »
Literally, it there has a book. The existence of a book is possessed by the impersonal « il ».

Deutsch
„Es gibt ein Buch.“
Literally, it gives a book. The existence of a book is given by the impersonal „es“.

Our particular, historical milieux

We have always come from a particular background. We have always lived in a particular age. Consequently,

• We can't always judge human practices of the antiquity by today's moral standards. 
• We can't fault today's entire nation on the sins committed by the older generation.
• We can't impose our beliefs on other local communities as if ours were absolutely universal.

How to identify an object in German and French

In German:

• Was ist das?

In French:

• Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
• Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça ?
• C'est quoi ?
• C'est quoi, ça ?
• Ça c'est quoi ?
• Qu'est-ce ?

A sentence using obsolete English words

Responding to this post, I made my sentence:

Our mate the jollux was frecking in a yemeles way through the tourist-packed pathways, trying to deliciate by the seashore at twitter-light. We couldn't help but kench; he was just so ludibrious.

7-Eleven nicknames in Southeast Asia

How people call 7-Eleven convenience store (based on personal experience):

• Thailand: Seven (though the name Eleven is more obvious in its logo)
• Malaysia: Seven ee (too long to mention Eleven)
• Indonesia: Sevel (acronym lovers: Seven+Eleven=Sevel!)
• Philippines: Seven eleven (the most faithful one, despite five syllables in its name)

The British man who travelled to all countries

I'm responding to this news. He's claimed one world record. Yes, that's amazing. But there are two records waiting to be claimed, which, I think, are more amazing:

1. 'Most countries visited by a woman using ground transport'. Experience might be totally different if the traveller is a woman--think of safety concerns and menstruation period.
2. 'Most countries visited by a person from a visa-restricted country using ground transport'. As a UK citizen, he's got the edge on most residents of the world who don't really have freedom of international travel. The British in 2013 rank 1st with 173 countries that can be visited without a visa--compared to Afghans who can only enter 28 countries freely. Just imagine if you've got to apply for a visa at least one month or two prior to your arrival in each country with the chance of your application being denied--you will definitely take more than 4 years to complete this grand voyage, won't you?

Phrasebook

I believe the word 'phrasebook' is only understood by two different communities: (1) language learners and (2) programmers.

Perempuan Indonesia di televisi

Di acara bincang-bincang di televisi, perempuan pembawa acara berpakaian seksi, sementara perempuan penonton berjilbab dengan jaket alma mater. Kentara sekali bedanya.

Labelling philosophers of the modern and contemporary ages

The 3H philosophers

• B.W.F. Hegel
• Edmund Husserl
• Martin Heidegger

The masters of suspicion (maîtres du soupçon)

• Sigmund Freud
• Karl Marx
• Friedrich Nietzsche

The Big Four in phenomenology

• Edmund Husserl
• Martin Heidegger
• Jean-Paul Sartre
• Maurice Merleau-Ponty

The Big Four in hermeneutics

• Friedrich D.E. Schleiermacher
• Wilhelm Dilthey
• Martin Heidegger
• Hans-Georg Gadamer

Hey, Heidegger is almost everywhere!

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