Heroes

Once again...
I was glued and glued to the first episodes of Heroes....
But then....I was pertrified as to how I can handle my time..just to fit in into one of the characters.

Khalifah

Just got home from weekly Friday Prayer at the Mosque.
The qutbah was about how men should deal with their environment since men are created as the caliph of the earth or mother nature. They have their own rights and duties to deal with the mother nature.

As I was drowsily led to keep listening to the qutbah:)....I couldn't help myself from not relating what I heard to what I learned a day before.

I was attending a small seminar on how Bintan island has been somewhat transformed into a seemingly nightmare ...once its forest's gone!
people are so overwhelmed by an instand fortune; e.g. destroying, exploitating the environment for the sake of instand economic growth.....(that's what I heard)......and I couldn't agree more.

if only we're living with harmony with nature...
if only we are not sacrificing the future of our children...(oh come on suray..don't be so poetic:) hey but it's true in a way...

HEROES

Heroes
I have this infatuation to this particular drama series from NBC.
It's been one of my anticipated dramas every Wednesday nights.
I love it.
Besides the Amazing Race that I adore, this HEROES series really make me wanna go home right away.
After a hectic day at work, one of the things that soothe me is the thought of having this at home.

Great Stuffs inside.

I learn the value of money as of today:)

it may sound so stuuuuupiiittttttttteeee:)
anyway......this morning I learned that I only got a thousand left in my wallet:)
gosh...I diddddnnn't know what I was supposed to do. the only thing I had in my mind was to leave home right away since I got to go to the drugstore to fetch some medicine for my mom.
it's thursday...just like any other thursdays when she has to have her haemodialysis session.
So...I took some small coins valued around 500 rupiahs just to save the day. it's a good thing to find only Rp 7000 left there.
Gosh......what a morningmare.
anyway..it was a good thing to save and use the saving for an emergency like this.

I got to get going right away.

The problem was...I got no money even just to pay for the parking fee at Malioboro or later on at the hospital parking zone.
So I got the idea of parking at a place where no parking fee was needed. I did.
I was lucky enough to find a spot where no one would collect some money for parking there.
RUshed to the hospital...I was thinking hard as to find a great idea of doing the same thing.
then..it came to my mind..that I had to park my bike at BCA....right in front of the BEthesda hospital. It was free of charge:)..what a relief.

...things didn't just stop there....
as I was running towards the hospital..I felt this stomach hurt and ache:)...gosh...I got lots and lots of butterflies in my tummy. Yep, I hadn't got my breakfast when I left home this morning.

I was so desperate to think of having something to eat...but to my dismay..I could no nothing!
I got no money left...and worse.....I left the only coins I brought inside my bike's trunk..which I parked at BCA ( about 200 meters away from the hospital). GOOOOSSSHHHH.
my my my....

the worst part...is yet to come:)
I never had the slightest idea that I needed at least three copies of my mom's insurance card to fill out the form. and I only got one.
I had no money to make copies:)
even when I had it..I didn't have it with me................cos..I left them inside my bike's trunk.

another stupidity I did this morning.

wanna know another stupidity I had this morning?
It was so foolish of me to think that I could grasp some time to take a look at some DVDs. (I'd had this idea of buying some). Stupid, eh? wake up suray...you got no money left.

so...at that very moment...
with only Rp 7000 I got left in my wallet....I cherished and appreciated the value of Rp 7000.
I wouldn't have got my breakfast..had I bought some DVDs. after all...even if I wanted it, I wouldn't have been able to buy it..since------------ONCE AGAIN----------------I got no money left:)
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

On the way back to the hospital...
I spotted some beggars.....
I was wondering to myself..whether I should be ---still---thankful; for there were still some people who are less fortunate than us.
gosh....dunno.
But.....I do learn something today.

I know that even Rp 7000 (not even US $ 1) is worth-saving.:)

I told my wife about this...and we both laughed at our own life:)
gosh....what a day.

(I have some now:)
just been back from the ATM to get some.
once again...I didn't have guts to get more...only some.....enough to save a couple more days:)
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

cool pictures

So, you wanna see other pics. of mine? just click on 'cool pictures' above!

Thailand

These are the good time we had.

Eyra visited Thailand for a week.
And this is her first trip...abroad.



Great moments are captured in pictures.
We've been strolling through the lanes of the market.


The sights and sounds of the market still linger on...





Golden statues. unique and bizzarre figurines tempted us to take a shot in front of them.


The scorching heat never dampened our spirit to enjoy the beauties of the palace...:)


gleamingly and shimmeringly enchanted suray, mey and eyra:)

These are pictures of my beautiful daughter named EYRA ADLEENA SHAKIRA. You will be amazed at how cute, charming, and lovely she is.

She was so small when we brought her home from the hospital. Hmmm. Each day she shows us an amazing moments of growing up. Blinking her eyes Saying ‘da da da’ Waving her hands Immitating sounds Grabbing her toys Picking up little stuffs Exploring her little cute hands Sucking her fingers (no thumbs) Sticking out her tongue (YEP..she does it since she was 6 month old) Drooling..... Sitting. Crawling. .... Hesitantly standing (improving though) .....Screaming

(ou yes…she does scream now especially when she wants some milk..gosh)

Throwing things off (ou yup…she likes doing it). Everything she has in her hands…will surely be thrown away once she gets fed up or just a little bored). Hmmm Lifting her legs up (imagine a baby doing jungle gym right on a bed. Yup that’s what she likes doing). Watching tvs Dancing or should I say..jumping up and down as she hears any rhythmic sounds.

Even humming!

Eyra was born on April 20, 2005 in Panti Rapih Hospital—the same hospital where her late brother was born, too. The fact that she was born in a hospital—different from her Daddy who’s born in his own ‘home’—makes it clear to her parents that Eyra is a symbol of modernity (chuckles)— or at least that’s what we think….though it may be deliriously funny and out of question. Well, Eyra got our utmost attention from the very first moment we realized that she was inside her mother’s womb. She got every detailed and extra-cautious care from both of us who kept having her checked every month and even week for about 9 months. She is so special to us. Special in a way she is our daughter. ..in a way she brings joys, laughters, smiles, and somewhat calmness to us. …in a way she shows us how sincere she is when she cries, laughs, giggles, and …lately talks ..or should I say…mumbles and hums.

All in all… She is so special in every little thing she does.

Finally

I finally finished one yesterday I finally got my things done. Sspecially the research that I've been doing for about 5 months. The most relieving thing was that I managed to make some copies enough to submit to the board of examiners. 4 copies. 5 months. more than 300 pages long. red colored.

cramming. cramming. cramming for the last 2 days just to prepare this stuff.
Gosh..what a relief.

break. break.break.

Sodaemun Prison

This is a remnant of what I saw...
I stepped out of the Dongnimmun Station at Seodaemun-gu, I did not have any idea as where my History lecturer would lead us to. It turned out that we were about to visit a prison museum which left me speechless even after I stepped out of it. Sodaemun Prison was built in 1907, mainly to imprison and torture Korean patriots who fought for the independence of Korea from Japanese Rule. Its name has been changed many times over the years: to Kyongsong Prison in 1908, back to Sodaemun Prison in 1912, Sodaemun Penitentiary in 1923, Seoul Penitentiary in 1950, Seoul Correctional Institute in 1961, and Seoul Detention Camp in 1967.

It was raining at the time I got there at the Independence Hall. And never did I expect to see what was stored a bit further behind the park's museum-turned prison. What interested me was not only the fact that the museum cast the almost-real depictions of Japanese's cruelty in Korea during Japanese rule; but more than that, it raised me a question as to how this kind of museum could exist. This was simply because I had never seen the kind of museum about Japanese cruelty in Indonesia so vividly depicted as the one I saw in Sodaemun Prison.

I used to see the kind of Japanese rule diorama in Vrederburg Fortress in Jogjakarta but the Japanese rule was represented only by its Romusha--forced laborers during the Japanese occupation in World War II.

Nothing compared to what I saw there.

Fishy War

Fishy War@homelast night. I went to sleep at around 1 o'clock in the morning. Well...some fishes really made me mad...
There were two fishes that kept eating and pushing around other smaller fishes. I felt kinda stress out to see that the smaller ones were breath-takingly running for their lives and..then... some thing...came up. dreadful. two little neon fishes that I bought died just a few minutes after I mingle them with other fishes in the aquarium. :( hiks.. but...I could do nothing.

I watched them in horror.

It was a terrible sight. Then...I couldn't bear it any longer. and the only thing that popped right out of my mind....was to take those two monster-like fishes out of the water. but it was no easy job. it took me almost an hour just to take them out. 'cos I was so stupid to think that those two monstrous fishes were just ordinary ones. they were not...to my surprise. they were so slimy and so slicky. they dodged my hands as I was helplessly trying to catch them. so...the only thing that seemed so possible was to separate them. and I did. gosh...what a relief. I did that.
Got my lesson:(

Back to Surabaya The Day After Tomorrow

I always treasure the time when I watched The Day After Tomorrow in Surabaya.
Actually...I went to Sby just to see this movie. well...despites the fact that I had only limited time there...I didn't want to waste any minute of NOt watching this particular movie. Despite some bad reviews it received, this movie still had this powerful magnet to attract my own curiosity. the thing is...I like sci-fi movie. this one combines thriller and real-life like stuff...(though some scientific stuffs about global warming and tornadoes did confuse me....:( ^^ stilll...it entertained me.

Tunjungan was crowded at that time. the plane landed at around 10 a.m. and I still had time to look around the terminal just before getting out of the airport. the bus waited. I took a ride and let myself relaxed in a not-so-cozy air conditioned bus. To my surprise...some passengers were standing.!! how could they let them ride in this kind of airport bus!!

(knock...knock...knock...anybody home? wake up, Suray...this is Surabaya!! still ...in Indonesia:))) where rules are made to be broken.

So they say...:( gosh...what a life... hey...cheer up... the ride went on...though:) okey... so the bus stopped at the bus terminal where I got to transfer into city bus taking me to Tunjungan Plaza (my last destination in Surabaya that day). It took me almost 45 minutes to get there. although the bus AC was working...still it couldn't help me from feeling hot. the weather was really really...stiflingly HOT. thank God...Tunjungan was near. I got off. ran away....to avoid the blistering sun shine. and to my surprise..It was Friday. and it was around 1 hour before Friday prayer started.

So..I guessed... I got to buy the movie ticket first..and then jumped off to the nearest mosque I could find there. hmmmm....I was lucky enough to find...a mosque located on the 8th floor of the plaza. cool, eh? okey, ../. as soon as the prayer was over, I ran into the movie theather..and bought one ticket for me:) At last.... I managed to see the movie....in a theather.:)
What a day.
Indeed.
A fascinating way to spend time.

Tabalong, South Kalimantan

Tabalong, S.Borneo
It took me about 16 hours to get to Tabalong from Jogjakarta. well...we left Jogja at about 8.25 heading for Surabaya for a 4-hour long transit in a small and damped Juanda airport. The truth is that....Juanda is bigger...than Adisucipto Airport in Jogja. The reason I got this cramped feeling over the trip was simply the lack of entertainment and things to do in the airport while waiting for that long. nothing to do. just sitting and doing nothing. It was lucky that I managed to buy a local newspaper just to kill time. It didn't work. It helped a little. Even I got to scrutinize every bit of small-ads on the paper just to make myself amused. gosh... but then...the time for boarding a plane heading to Banjarmasin came.
For about 45 minutes later...the plane landed at Syamsuddin Noor Airport in Banjar Baru (NOT Banjarmasin as I had thought before). so...instead of going downtown..we were going further away away from the city. I thought the trip to Tabalong would take about 4 hours or so. To my surprise..it took me almost 9 hours just to get through a 247 km long distance. Not to mention the conditions of the rugged roads and the traffic jam that unfortunately seemed like to welcome me on board:) hehe well..I can smile now. BUT I can assure you..that I didnot even pun a smile even a grin on my face.

I was crooked and shagged.

Nothing to do.

Bored and stucked in a car.

Those were what I felt during almost an hour of traffic jam right in the middle of nowhere... it was a good thing that I am a kind of person who could do the impossible in enjoying small and trivial stuffs. :) true! I tried so hard to find myself some amusing facts and scenes I spotted along the way to Tabalong irrespective of its being dard outside.

The car that took me all the way down to Tabalong had a few stops in between. we had some drinks. stretched our legs...and dinner. I happened to be a vegetarian and I found it hard to adjust myself to the food. Meat Meat and Meat. or Fish Fish and Fish....grilled fish....baked fish..olala... no worries. for I could always soothe myself for something else... at about 11 pm or so...we finally arrived in Tabalong. a city full of surprises... what are those? well...I will blog them out in my next blogs... hints: coal mining. big trucks. oil mining. kids. schools. water. air conditioners:). heat. food. shopping. mandau. and stuffs... but one thing left me speechless....

IT WAS indeed a marvellous experience..despite its shortcomings... I did enjoy my trip to Tabalong.

Wanna go there again, Ray?

On Korean TV Commercials Part I

Different culture among countries set different notions of what being appropriate means. In term of TV commercials, each country has its own set of values as what appropriate ads are. In Korea where all TV stations even state-owned ones air TV commercials was something of interest for me in the first place. As someone from a country who used to know that its state-owned TV (TVRI) does not fully air any commercials, the airing of commercials on state-owned TV stations is something that captured my attention during my stay in Korea.

That is not all. Another thing that struck me was how strikingly different the attitudes of acceptance on some TV commercials between Indonesians and Koreans are, e.g. on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. As long as I noticed, there are no cigarettes commercials on Korean TV, but then there are a bunch of commercials on alcoholic beverages like Hite, OB Lager, and Achim Isel. Interestingly, both kinds of commercials exist in Indonesian TVs. What interests me is not just the mere airing or not airing of these kinds of commercials, rather how they are being portrayed in both societies. It is considered inappropriate and unlawful in Indonesia to make commercials of alcoholic beverages by portraying the scenes people drinking them. On the other hand, the completely different portrayal is visible in Korea.

The alcoholic beverages commercials do protray the scenes of people drinking; suggested by some cultural traits that directly associate and indicate how Korean society's drinking culture is. For instance, the OB Lager TV ad vividly described how a companion of employees notably from some kind of blue-collar workers gather together drinking. In addition, one scene showed that they did a toast and put the glass one after another so as to portray that drinking culture associated itself with the sense of frienship. The above scene is acceptable and seemingly lawful since Korean society has traditionally has this kind of culture.

(Too bad, I do not know whether there does exist law that permits this kinds of ads.) However, what I want to say here is that this would be a completely our of comprehension in Indonesia where drinking culture does not embrace all cultures in the country.

In short, on Indonesian TV commercials, only the brand of the alcoholic beverages and the scenes protraying something that could associate the product are allowed, but not the picture of the alcoholic beverages themselves let alone the scene of drinking them.

On Korean TV Commercial part 2

The same thing applies to cigarettes. No scenes of people smoking are allowed on TV ads. What tickels me here is that there are no cigarettes TV ads on Korean televisions. This issue has been perturbing my curiosity. The reason is simple enough. Both cigarettes and alcoholic beverages are two products that are considered to having side effects to certain extents which make them law-abiding in some countries in terms of their marketing; especially to prevent minors from easy access. Then, another question is yet to come as to why it is that in Korean TV ads cigarettes are somewhat not allowed while on the other hand, alcoholic beverages got their secured place as common TV ads?

I still remember back in the early 2000 when I got a chance to spot Hyundai's TV ad through the internet. Hyunday had its own terms of how to attract market in different countries. And in doing so, this commercials seemed to know well enough that different cultures bear their own acceptance on certain issues. Hyundai's TV ad in Sweden, Belgium, and France would never suit and be aired into Korean and Indonesian TV since it portrayed gay-themed ad on it. I wonder what would happen now. Things may have changed.

The surprising thing about the ad is the fact due to this ad the sales of Hyundai in Sweden had risen since then. Considering Korean culture still stigmatizes gay people, I am pretty much sure that this kind of ad could have ended up with an opposite effect in Korea. But once again, things may have changed, too. Although the above protrayal had nothing to do with Korean ads, at least this gave me an idea of how brave the approach Hyundai took was. The company must have given a green light irrespective of what Korean society values were at that time. Hyundai would think hundreds of times before doing the same thing in its own country.

KL again

The second time of being in KL really perturbed me in a sense of being aesthetic. I love it. I just got here around 5 pm. And it was my first time ever to be in KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport). Gosh, Indeed it is the best airport I have ever been to for such a while.
I thought I was in Incheon (Seoul International Airport) when I got there because the chic was just the same. But, what makes KLIA differs from Incheon is its human-touch state of the art architecture. It captured me. So..I took the sky train to the baggage claim and immigration section. ..one thing that really captivated my attention.

I assume KLIA is designed so as to make people feel the difference. KLIA really makes my experience cool enough to share with others. And so as soon as got from the train, I remembered that I didn't have a single Ringgit with me. So the only thing that popped out of my mind was to find any money changer.

The first one that caught my attention was Maybank but it turned out that the Dollar I got was not acceptable. Simply put, without giving me any reasons why... I was told to try some other money changers, and so I did. I forgot what it was but luckily I managed to change a hundred buck into Ringgit.
Gosh..what a realief. And then I rushed myself to the entrance door to find anyone who might have waited for me.. And it was not easy as I thought? I had no idea of who would pick me up at the airport. I kept looking at each papers and lots of inscriptions written on papers..

Lots of people were carrying their hotel names complete with each hotel's guests. But none of them is mine ( oh sigh)
And then I circled and circled all people? Nothing worked. I found no one carrying a plate inscribed with my name? And then I circled for one last time when I got my attention to one paper and my name written on it. (relieved)

These are what I spent on:

Bumiputera Bank at KLIA RM 376.20 Now I got RM 166 166 .2 = RM 94 So I have spent RM 376.94 = RM 282 atau sekitar 282 X 2400 = Rp 676.800 (WOW?) Gosh.. only for 2 days???????????????????????
KLCC Putra Pasar Seni Postcards RM 7 T Shirts 7 X RM5 RM 35 Key holders 4 X RM14 RM 56 Statue RM 15 Statue hey holders 4 X RM 2.5 RM 10 Milk Dutch lady RM 3.70 Pringles RM 3.49 Mineral water RM 0.99 Head and Shoulder Shampoo RM 10.90 Putra LRT tickets First Asia Jaya ?KLCC ?Asia Jaya RM 7 Asia Jaya ?Pasar Seni RM 4 Pasar Seni ?Sentral Stesen RM 2 Sentral Stesen ?Asia Jaya RM 1.20 Sentral Stesen ?Asia Jaya RM 2 Mc Donalds RM 8.19 Delifrance RM 6 Scissors RM 1.90 Best Denki (Adaptor) RM 12.90 Tape /Isolasi RM 1 Beli Hotlink ?dg pulsa RM 50 RM 80 RM 268.78

Telp rumah yang terima bapak I was calling home using my Maxis phone card. I didn't know that my father would receive the call. Since it was so darn expensive to call home via hand phone, I asked my father where my wife was as soon as I talked to him. He told me that she was upstairs and that he would call her in. But to my surprise my mom got the phone and told me that my wife was not at home at the time. She was at our home in Purwo. What a waste of moneyJ 도& #46027; well..at least I could get a chance to talk to my parents. Finally bisa telp rumah. YUP?I did it:)
Esemes ke hyong and meity And? Nonton Beverly hills ninja, anger management, Charlie angles: full throttle
And now. I am writing all of these?

that's it:)

soaking wet

I remembered the time when I went to the beach.... well..three beaches exactly: Kukup, Sundak and Parangtritis. With all these Korean gals and guys...we dashed into the white sand beaches 46 km off Yogyakarta.

Not much to see..but the thing is... I will never forget the experience I got that day. some of these guys startled and caught me by surrrrrpriseeee as they snatched me out of nowhere... and grabbed and rushed me .....right towards the shore.... swang me around and then....plunged me right into the dashing wave..... gosh..... i was all wet and...soaking wet. my handphone, wallet, money, ATM...cards.....are all damped. I got no other clothes to change...so I bought that thong....for just 10.ooo rups. cold... and freezing....all the way to Jogja...

A Man in Charge of a Wartel

About 500 meters away from my home, there is a man his 60s whose daily job is sitting right next to a telephone booth in Wartel (a telecommunication stall where you can make local, long distant & international call (almost a common sight in every part of Indonesia).

I assume he can not read nor write, for the only thing he does while sitting is babysitting a baby whom I assume could be one of his grandchildren. What intrigued me to write about him is his being honest and full of trust in others or customers.

Never does he count the money he receives from the customers. Never does he also read how much money he gets from the customers. So how does he know that the customers pay the bill once they finish using the phone? He is just sort of handing out a calculator on the desk and asking the customers to count by themselevs how much they have to pay!!!

The first time I used the service, I felt kind of strange and did not believe what I was going through, for he sort of trusted any one who used the service without any doubts or fear of being cheated.

(THIS IS the time when I started to wonder

if there had been any persons who cheated on him).

Well, it is simply possible, since he never checks the bill. He just takes any amount of money from the customers. As far as I can guess, he is really a trustworthy man and a kind hearted one, too. He keeps smiling and sometimes lets out a cough or two--signs of his aging. I do like using the service he is having. It is one of the best service I have ever known so far... Even when he does not talk.

His simple smiles and his being kind to his customers make me feel welcome and calm.

A man who goes around campus to sell food

I wonder if any of my friends and students ever wondered who his name is. He is often seen in campus selling traditional food such as fried tempe and tofu, resoles, fried noodle wrapped in banana leaves, fried rice, and other snacks enough to make ur pangs of hunger go away if you only got enough money to buy cheap food. So that is what he does for a living..assuming from his being in campus every day from morning till noon.

What's more? He is in his late 70s..or more I could say. In my campus, faculty of cultural sciences, where foreign students are common part of it, this aged man never feel reluctant to just put his bamboo basket full of food next to those students hoping that some of them might get interested in buying. But, often than not, they never do. Since I do not have enough time to mingle around or get nearer to the place where he usually sells the food, it was not until a few days ago that I got a chance to buy something from him. He looks so sincere. Doesn't say much.

At times, only nods at the students as he gives change. His wrinkled face somewhat shows the bitterness and sweetness of his olden days. The mere fact that he simply keeps going to sell the food for his life is something of so extraordinary compared to those who feel ashamed or reluctant to try doing something decent for his life in this particularly difficult times. I pay my deep respect to him. Personally I feel somewhat ashamed to myself..once the thought of feeling tired of doing what I am doing now sets in. But thanks to him, I learn something from the way he keeps moving on in his life.

Sadly...I haven't seen him for weeks now.
anyone knows where he's been? I hope he is alright.

A homeless father and his 6-year-old daughter

I bumped into a homeless father who was dragging along his 6-year-old or so daughter on my way to work. The only thing I could remember was the immensely visible black scars on the daughter's forehead. I could not let my mind free from wondering as to what happened to her.

The following week, I spotted them in Malioboro. I never have the slightest idea as to how the father had such a heart to drag along his daughter (now I came to wonder if she is really his? all the day from Kaliurang street down to Maliboro.

Last week, I spotted them on Solo Street. Not Jalan Solo as you may imagine..it is far beyond Patung Garuda right at the eastern part of the airport.
and the very same day..they wandered off again on Jalan Kaliurang....

As I later found out, they do this everyday. As I come to my senses. And.....I start to realize how many people are so lucky not to have such a life as they are living?
and as to how many people are so unlucky to having a life like that?

Massager (is it the correct word for the person who gives massage?)

hmmmHmmm
This is so humiliating of me to forget the very name of a woman who twice a month gives me a massage. How did it all start? I was told by a lady who helps clean the house that there was a woman known for her skill in massaging. I was then lured into the idea of how cozy it would be if I had a massage regularly.
when was the last time I had to find her house just to ask her a favor...guess it's been 4 months now.
And I think she is good at it. What compels me to keep asking her favor? She lives in a shabby tiny old house--an inheritance of her late father, so I learned. At times I saw her with her grandsons, at times I found her lying on her rotten bamboo bed alone. She lives a humble life And she has a very kind heart, too.

A humble elementary school teacher

Up to now I still don't get a chance to ask who she is. I spot her almost every day on my way to work. She is always riding her old and shabby-looking bike. Her dress is always the same to me. I am not sure if she ever changes her dress.
Hmm I hope she does have more than one. Judging from the way she rides her bike, and from the way she always gives ways to motorbikes and even pedestrians crossing the street, I can tell that she is a very kind and good-hearted woman. I have been wondering where she teaches. I think I got to find a way and time just to follow her up to her working place.
Her jilbab (veil) has never been more humble than herself. Even her shoes are the ones most people would find in a garbage pit. I don't know whether I should feel pity for her. I don't even know whether she would find me a good person if I were to ask her questions and stuffs. One thing for sure.... I feel a little bit sad whenever I do not see her riding her bike. I once wondered if she had been sick, for I had not seen her for a couple of days.

The garbage collector in my neighborhood

His name is Mbah Wir. That's how people would call him (gosh I am so terrible at memorizing names). He is still strong in his late 70s. Despite his on going routinity, he keeps showing his true love to the only job he's ever known, that is collecting garbage from each household in the neighborhood. I feel somewhat ashamed to learn that he never even complained or got irritated when someone called out his name just to have him get the dirty and smelly garbage out of a house. For sure, it is not because that's what he does for a living, but as I learn more ..he's been through all of his life meeting diverse faces of people with their own tempers and attitudes..suprisingly....these are the things he cherished the most, so he said one day. Only by loving what one does and eager to meeting people are the only reasons why Mbah Diran keeps doing his job lightheartedly and with a smile on his face regardless of his age.

(suray...a viewpoint from where he spots mbah wir through his roomwindow)

Mbok Jamu in Solo Street

I was pertrified to learn that she has been selling Jamu (Javanese traditional medicine) for more than 50 years at the same spot; right at one side of Solo Street, Yogyakarta. I didn't know who she was then. But, the curiousity urged me to daringly asked who her name was. She is simply referred to as Mbok....a very casual and yet friendly calling for any Javanese woman at her 50s or more. She is now 67. If what she said is true, then she started selling jamu when she was 17. Hmm? What intrigued me most is the mere fact that she is always surrounded by her customers. Every time I popped into Solo Street, I could see a glimpse of her selling jamu.More on this Mbok Jamu

Long Road To Heaven (2)

Saya lanjutkan apa saja uneg-uneg saya tentang film ini:
well....saya sempat terhenyak saat menonton film ini karena kalau kita tidak memperhatikan dengan seksama maka akan muncul beberepa Q's yang mungkin akan misleading.

Saat bom meledak...banyak orang yang berlarian dan banyak yang terluka atau tewas--as we all know all along. But then, satu hal yang membuat saya terus teringat film ini adalah:
-betapa lambannya para petugas rumah sakit dan orang orang yang membantu. Saya kira itu semua adegan slow motion..tapi bukan. nah, akhirnya....momen yang dramatis tidak bisa terwakilkan dari para pemainnya. Kurang greget. Mereka terlalu lamban untuk menggambarkan suasana chaos di saat itu.

Beberapa hal yang menghenyakkan:
Saat Hannah (pemeran utama) bertemu dengan Haji Ismail di lokasi kejadian....
mengapa tiba tiba ada pertanyaan muncul "why you keep killing us?" dari manakah ide datangnya pertanyaan semacam itu..apakah hanya karena melihat Pak Haji> ataukah...karena memang begitu saat itu.

Film ini baru terasa 'inti'nya....ketika muncul Mr. Dawson yang sangat realistik penggambarannya sebagai bapak yang kebingungan mencari anaknya--Julie. Di tengah tengahnya dibumbui percakapan tentang siapa yang harus disalahkan dan bagaimana kita menyikapi tragedi ini.
(terus terang..baru pada adegan ini..saya tertarik untuk melanjutkan film ini)..tapi sayang adegan tsb. hanya sementara dan tak dikembangkan lagi...

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apalagi....setelah menunggu kejutan-kejutan lain...ternyata penggambaran pertemuan pertemuan Dr. Azhari, Hambali, Mukhlas dan teman temannnya dalam merencanakan niat mereka untuk mengebom Bali...sungguh terlalu puanjang...

tapi asyiknya adalah: TERNYATA di dalam tubuh mereka pun ada intrik, pengkhianatan, dan persekongkolan.
(Pasti pihak pembuat film tidak akan menggambarkan ini bila kenyataannya tidak demikian).

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Hal lain adalah: film ini mungkin sedikit upsetting bagi mereka yang tidak bisa menerima perbedaaan dan bagi mereka yang tidak berpikiran luas. Jadi...film ini akan berbahaya bila ditonton tanpa pemahaman yang dalam tentang keberagamaan dan toleransi.

Banyak ironi dan hal menarik terjadi dalam penggambaran film ini?. Mau tahu?

- Permainan salah seorang teroris sungguh mencengangkan. wah bener bener membuat sebel, senyum, geli. Pantas dia dapat Citra:) itu kalau tak dikembalikan lagi lho.
- Ada seseorang bernama Haji Ismail yang memiliki Hostel di dekat Sari dan Paddy's Club. Dia banyak menolong para korban tragedi ini.
- Benarkah ada dua orang polisi yang SEMPAT menilik lokasi tempat penyimpanan dan pembuatan bom di sebuah rumah kontrakan di Bali tempat para teroris merencanakan niatnya? Apalagi....dua orang polisi itu digambarkan 'stupid enough' to think bahwa mereka hanya sebuah bengkel. apalagi....setelah mereka 'disogok' dua buah HP:) waduh.....kog begini ya.
pastinya ini fakta. kalau bukan, masa' digambarkan seperti itu?
- ada lagi fakta: saat itu ada hotel yang hanya mau menerima korban orang asing; jadi menolak orang Indonesia sebagai korban untuk ditangani.
benerkah begene ini saat itu terjadi hal hal itu?

lagi-lagi pembuat film takkan berani menggambarkan ini bila ini bukan fakta? ya'kan?

- ada percakapan antara Hannah dan Pak Haji yang akhirnya mengaitkan tragedi WTC dengan Bom Bali. touching point di film ini.

- Sopir pembawa bom bali yaitu Jimi dan Arnasan ternyata tidak bisa sopir mobil!. bisa pun itu hanya luruuuus dan ngerem. lucu sekali penggambarannya. Benarkah bgt?
lagi lagi tak mungkin dibuat sedemikian rupa bila bukan fakta?

- Hal yang ironis lagi: kata kata salam diucapkan saat merakit bom. bener bener suatu adegan yang miris dan bisa jadi upsetting buat yang tidak berpandangan luas dalam melihat sesuatu.

- Satu hal yang paling mencengangkan:
benarkan Noordin mengebom Bali hanya karena dia melihat seorang turis di Pukhet, Thailand memakai kaos ' I love Bali' ??? is it that simple?
hmmm....lagi lagi nggak mungkin hal itu ada dalam film bila itu bukan fakta. benarkah demikian?

film ini layak ditonton bagi siapa pun yang ingin hal lain di perfilman Indonesia.

Long Road to Heaven: Jalan Panjang Menuju Surga...
karena saking panjangnya penggambaran para kelompok teroris yang memakan waktu lama.....bisa bisa memang artinya....mereka menempuh jalan panjang untuk ke Surga dengan cara meneror.....
dan benarkah dengan cara begitu?


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Long Road To Heaven

Baru saja selesai nonton filmnya Nia Dinata lagi..yang kali ini berjudul "Long Road To Heaven"
well...saya terus terang tidak tahan untuk tidak menulis blog tentang film ini setelah selesai menontonnya. lha wong.... bagaimana tahan...kalau selama menonton...pikiran ini dibuat tidak puas dengan apa yang dilihat:) walaupun kuakui..filmnya sendiri (kalau harus diberi nilai) hanya B - (B minus) (tiru-tiru penilaian Yahoo! Movies:)

Okey....saya hanya ditemani oleh 10 orang !! ya 10 orang saja yang menonton film itu di Cineplex 21 di Amplas. Semoga hanya karena sore hari jadi tidak banyak yang menonton.:) atau memang tidak banyak yang mau nonton film ini?

well....film ini masih layak untuk ditonton kalau ingin mendapatkan something yang lain di tengah film film Hantu bergidik bergentayangan yang marak nongol di bioskop kita.

Okey let me start....
kali ini saya mau mengomentari film dari beberapa sudut(saja) yang saya anggap 'mengganggu' dan atau 'excellent' yang saya rasakan dan nikmati selama nonton film tsb.

Pertama tama film ini dibuka dengan opening sequence yang indah karena warna warni Bali sangat kental dan terasa di sini. Begitu film ini mulai...saya terus terang banyak Harapan bahwa film ini akan 'menggigit'. Namun....opening sequence yang menampilkan warna warni Indah tadi...dirusak oleh background hitam yang muncul setiap kali nama-nama pembuat film dari aktor, aktris, editor, penata musik sampai sutradar. TIDAK bisakah nama-nama pembuat film dan pendukung film ini dimasukkan menjadi satu dengan gambar yang memesona di awal film.
Andai saja begitu...

Atau...memang itu yang dimaksudkan oleh pembuat film? kog rasanya disayangkan sekali. seharusnya keindahan gambar-gambar awal tak dikoyak dengan cara opening sequence spt itu:)

....Ccoba bayangkan.....filmnya saja belum mulai, saya sudah gatel dan nggak sabar untuk mengkritik:) hehe...memang saya ini kurang kerjaan, kog. ) coba dong suray.....nikmati dulu filmnya....

Long Road To Heaven adalah sebuah film drama, bukan dokumenter, yang terinspirasi dari tragedi Bali pada Oktober 2002. Dan memang iya. Film ini bercerita dalam 3 kurun waktu utama, yaitu: pada saat bom meledak di Oktober 2002, masa persidangan Amrozi cs di Bali 7 bulan setelah pemboman, dan masa di mana para teroris mempersiapkan rencana mereka untuk melakukan aksi ini. (Nach....yang terakhir inilah yang menurut saya..terlalu puaaanjjjaaang dan bertele-tele: tidak to the point...jadi malah banyak memakan waktu paling lama untuk diceritakan).

nanti saya lanjutkan lagi ya tentang komentar komentar @ film ini