Yes, I am a private student. Yes, I know it’s expensive… and yes, so were my previous schools and universities. Yes, my dad works in a bank. Yes, it’s a multinational organization. Yes, I have lived abroad most of my life. Yes, I have traveled extensively.

No, I am not a spoiled brat… and No, we don’t have a money growing in our backyard (come to think of it, what backyard? We currently live in an apartment!)

This is to those who assume that I can just pick up the phone and go “Daddyyy!! I need money!” First, because I was not brought up like that. Second, because I was not brought up like that.

I have to say that this is one of my biggest pet peeve: people stereotyping me as a rich, spoiled brat. I take that as an insult to me, and to my parents.

I realize how blessed I am, and rest assured I do not throw it away. I (ehem!) excel at my education (partly because I know just how much it’s costing my parents!) and control my budget appropriately. My parents and I always work out my allowance and living cost before sending me abroad (and it is set to the average spending pattern. No outlier here.) and they send it to me lump-sum for the whole year.

And that’s it. My parents will not send me anymore money after that. They trust me enough to send me halfway across the world, and so they trust me enough to take care of myself: health-, education-, faith- and money-wise. I never questioned it, because I agree with it. With the greater freedom and power of living alone with no parental supervision, comes greater responsibility to discipline myself (modified from Spiderman). I chose to go where I went.. and that means I choose the consequences and responsibility that come with that choice.

I am just thankful that I had a choice. A lot of people don’t.

Yes, there are those that have a choice and abuse it.

No, I am not one of them.

So there. That’s my rant for now. (I’m now going back to face my current biggest responsibility: my thesis.)

Don’t you just love facebook chat? I know I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw that bottom toolbar, with the little green dot and a list of my online friends. I knew too that that day was my downfall, when facebook will forever be ingrained on my laptop. I can already see that blue bar, with the small white innocent “f” at the top lefthand corner, burnt on to the screen. Ditto for gmail, and the gmail chat.

Imagine then my little delighted yelp of “oooooohhh!” when I discovered the extra chat emoticons for both facebook and gmail. No longer will I be constrained by the standard smiley faces; I now can show my superiority better express myself to my friends by using these hidden emoticons! Hey, we all need our little bit of power and ego boost

So, with the risk of losing all that hard-gained smugness, I will now share this little bit of info with you, dear readers.

For facebook emoticons, click here. And over here for gmail ones.

I received the following story in my inbox a few days ago. I’m not one who usually do “forwards”, but I think this one is not something that should be kept to myself. I do not know whether the events really took place, but the moral of the story does ring true. Apologies to those who do not speak Indonesian/Malay… when I find the time, I will post a translation. It’s long, but definitely worth reading.

“Bermegah-megah telah melalaikan kamu, sampai kamu masuk ke dalam kubur, janganlah begitu karena kelak kamu akan mengetahui, janganlah begitu kelak kamu akan mengetahui akibat dari perbuatanmu dengan pengetahuan yang yakin, niscahya kamu benar-benar akan melihat neraka Jahiim dan sesungguhnya akan melihat dengan ainulyaqin, pada saat itu kamu akan ditanyai tentang kenikmatan yang kamu megah-megahkan di dunia” (At Takatsur)

Bocah aneh menghendaki bercahayanya hati manusia

Bocah itu menjadi pembicaraan di kampung Ketapang. Sudah tiga hari ini ia mondar-mandir keliling kampung. Ia menggoda anak-anak sebayanya, menggoda anak- anak remaja di atasnya, dan bahkan orang-orang tua. Hal ini bagi orang kampung sungguh menyebalkan.

Yah, bagaimana tidak menyebalkan, anak itu menggoda dengan berjalan ke sana ke mari sambil tangan kanannya memegang roti isi daging yang tampak coklat menyala. Sementara tangan kirinya memegang es kelapa, lengkap dengan tetesan air dan butiran-butiran es yang melekat di plastik es tersebut.

Pemandangan tersebut menjadi hal biasa bila orang-orang kampung melihatnya bukan pada bulan puasa! Tapi ini justru terjadi di tengah hari pada bulan puasa! Bulan ketika banyak orang sedang menahan lapar dan haus. Es kelapa dan roti isi daging tentu saja menggoda orang yang melihatnya.

My faith in humanity has been restored!! Granted, I’ve always been the eternal optimist, benefit-of-the-doubt sort of girl… But it’s good to know that my natural state of being has its support from the external world.

I have been a big fan of Kiva since a friend introduced me to it. It is basically a lending website, where individuals from across the world can make a direct loan to an entrepreneur (in the developing world) of their choice. So each lender and entrepreneurs have a profile, where the entrepreneur details the amount needed, what it will be used for and the repayment plan. In short, it is the gateway between the hundreds of microfinance NGOs on the field, with the thousands of potential lenders in the world who are sitting comfortably at their house sipping Starbucks coffee (e.g. me and you)!

The good great news is this: Kiva is all loaned-up! Yes, all loans requests have been funded, i.e. the lenders have given full support to the entrepreneurs who are trying to lift themselves out of poverty! Indeed, Kiva is apologizing for the lack of loan requests available as they are being funded very quickly. It seems a lot of people still care… It is a good world

My friend introduced me to the wonderful world of Upin and Ipin yesterday, and so I thought I’ll share it with the greater world. Apologies though to those who do not speak Indonesian or Malay, as the show is shown in that language only.

In short, Upin & Ipin tells the story of two brothers as they learn about Ramadhan (the Holy Month for Moslems). The story line, though quite predictable for anyone who is familiar with Ramadhan’s basic tenets, is narrated by the twin brothers in a simple and clear animation style. It is about their first fasting experience for Ramadhan.

Upin and Ipin are bald, big-eyed 5-year-old twins. Upin is the elder of the two, differentiated with a twirl of hair on his head. Ipin is obssessed with fried chicken, and will either be holding one on his hand or dreaming about it.

The two characters are well defined and are very endearing. Their direct questions, (natural) rebellions and learning process create an easy platform for those who wish to learn about Ramadhan and also create some funny moments. I think the creators have really pinned down the average kids’ first encounter with Ramadhan: trying to learn, understand and do it. (From their website, I found that the show has been bought by a Turkish tv channel, so I suppose Upin and Ipin’s story is not unique to the Indo/Malay culture)

For more information, you can visit their website or see their show on YouTube (1st and 2nd episode, here). I have uploaded the 1st and 2nd episode below. You can see YouTube for all other episodes.

Hope you enjoy it!

I’m a people person, but some people… I just don’t get.

Case number one: People who are so afraid/embarassed to be beaten academically that they make those who get lower grades feel inferior.

People who tell you they got a certain grade, say a B. And asked you for yours, to which you replied, “an A.” They then reply with, “I was just kidding. I actually got A+. Hahaha!”

Now where is the need to do that? Why would you purposely lie about your grade first time round, and only to reveal a higher grade once you’ve found your opponent’s. It’s not a zero-sum game: my doing well does not harm you in any way.

Or maybe they are trying to be nice: tell me a lower grade to spare my feeling just in case I did badly. Would they have revealed to me their true grade if I had said I received a C?

Have you met someone who does this (i.e. lying about their grades, only to reveal the truth after you have told them yours)? What do you think is their main intention?

A quick note before I crawl under the duvet and get my due rest.

Someone expressed his/her (I’m feeling benevolent and keeping him/her anonymous… for now) discontent at my luck of being born into my family… more specifically, a family of a certain socio-economic status.

Now let’s get one thing straight: my family is not rich. We’re not poor by any standard, but I was definitely not born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My dad’s wealth is purely enough to keep him and my mom comfortable in their old age. My sister and I (currently*) do not have a large inheritance to look forward to, and so will have to earn our own economic standing the old-fashioned way: hard work.

I do however acknowledge, and am grateful, for what my parents have afforded to give me thus far. This realization sometimes brings me and my sister to the big question: Are we spoiled?

We’ve never wanted for anything, nor was money ever a primary concern throughout our childhood and now. Well, maybe slightly problematic now, but not in the bigger homeless-starving-and-no-medical-insurance picture. We’ve gone on family holidays around the world, eaten at numerous beautiful restaurants, slept at a few wonderful hotels, held various silver and gold frequent flyer cards and attended elite expensive schools/universities.

Does that mean we’re spoiled? I’d like to think not. The mere fact that my sister and I ask ourselves this question, to me, says we’re not. Spoiled means being ungrateful of what you have, of being dissatisfied and wanting more, and of demanding what we want, when we want it,  without consideration to others. My sister and I, (would like to think that) we do not throw money everywhere at everything. We work hard to make the most out of what we’ve been blessed with. We both pass schools and universities with good (nay, great!) grades, we stick to a yearly budget (our parents send as a lump-sum our yearly living cost/allowance. it is not a low amount, but neither is it above average) — with some savings at the end of the year — and we both look forward to earning our own money to move away from our parents’.

S/he may be pissed off that she wasn’t born into a family of equal or higher socio-economic status. That’s no reason to hate me, though. I did not ask to be born as my parents’ daughter… nor do I take it for granted. Besides, even if her/his family can’t afford it, her/his government has always have given many opportunities to better him/herself. Why s/he doesn’t take them, I don’t know. I say she’s the spoiled one. And that’s real poverty: to not take full advantage of what you have been given.

This was supposed to be a quick one, by the way.

*The only reason I’m saying currently is because I can’t predict the future.. who knows, I might get lucky and get that 1-million-dollar inheritance!

Modern technology has not been good to me this week. After losing my internet connection due to a seemingly-harmless Microsoft update a few days ago, today I lost my cellphone/mobile/handphone connection. I woke up to a non-functioning Optus network and so far it seems I will be going to sleep with it too. I first realized mid-morning when I tried to send a text message to a friend who will be leaving this week. When it didn’t go through I thought she had cancelled her number (in preparation for her move back to Indonesia). I tried sending the message to another friend, and tried calling another friend. Both efforts failed miserably (my phone just dropped the call within two seconds after dialling the number). I knew something was up when I couldn’t even go through to the Optus customer service number (I was trying to recharge my phone because I thought maybe my credit has ran out).

I still, however, thought the problem was with my phone and not the Optus network. Early this year, when I was in NYC, my SIM card there just decided to stop working one fine day. T-Mobile, the network I was with, couldn’t figure out the problem and I was forced to buy a new SIM card

I was afraid the same thing has happened again.. and was quite upset about it. If my phone is the problem (i.e. it’s messes up SIM cards for some random reason), that’d mean I’d have to buy a new one, even though I really like my current one and I only bought it in January 2008!

So, I was actually quite relieved when I found out, via the radio, that the problem was with Optus network and not with me And it also explained why I haven’t received any love on my phone since the morning. Poeple out there still love me, they just couldn’t get through! *phew*

Oh, and apart from a network down, my own physical health is currently “down” too. Itchy throat, runny and blocked nose (go figure how that works..) and a heavy head. Bah.

Today was not a good day. I got disconnected from the Internet due to a little Microsoft update. Bah. I’m done with my I-trust-Microsoft-update-so-I-will-always-click-on-the-yellow-shield-with-exclamation-mark attitude. It cost me my morning and a phone call to (and visit by) my IT-helpdesk (read: Mika).

When I told her that I could no longer get online after installing what I thought was a regular and trustworthy Microsoft Windows update, she informed that she herself does not automatically allow these updates. She dislikes the fact that these updates do not say which part of the registry/system/whatever it is changing. I guess being an IT student she is more aware of the potential conflicts these hidden system changes can cause.

Anyways, clearly I am now back online after we (read: she) lowered my ZoneAlarm firewall setting from high to medium. Something even I know is not a good choice: an update that forces me to live with a lower security setting?? Please.

But apparently I am not the only one. BBC reports that

“Many users of the ZoneAlarm firewall have been floored by a fix to the net’s addressing system. Those hit found they could not get online after installing a Microsoft patch to close a security loophole.”

Good choice, man: close security loophole by not letting us go online in the first place I just wish these updates would be more informative. I’ve certainly learnt my lesson and will scrutinize these seemingly-innocent yellow-shield updates before allowing them.

Image taken from here.

A friend asked me recently, after listening to my not-so-Indonesian life history, whether or not I am proud being an Indonesian (the question of my Indonesian-ness, which also came up, is subject to another post). My immediate reaction: I held my breath. I honestly could not answer that question straight-up… but after a few seconds’ pause, and a fast battle between logic and heart, I said “yes….but.”

But the “but” is not why I write this post. There are lots of blog posts, newspaper/journal articles, essays and books out there that can better express this “but” than me. I too have had my share of “but” stories on Indonesia with my friends, family, colleagues and random strangers.

But, no. This post is on the “yes” part.

I personally found writing on this subject harder than I initially thought. But no country is perfect. Perhaps mine is further away from perfection than others, but it is no reason to dismiss it. Beauty is, after all, in the eyes of the beholder. I realize that, when it comes to anything, it is always easier to complain than to compliment. That’s why we have customer complaints call centers, but no customer praise ones. So I will perhaps try the other side, pray, cross my fingers and hope someday I can just say “yes, PERIOD.”

In the meantime, here are my current “yes” reasons.

1. Cultural/Ethnic Diversity

Spanning from Sabang to Merauke, I love Indonesia’s breadth of ethnic and religious diversity. I enjoy standing side-by-side with my friends from Papua, Java, Kalimantan and Sumatra friends (have yet to make friends from the other islands) and seeing my non-Indonesian friends’ mouths open in disbelief. I love having to think when answering the questions “What is Indonesian food/national dress/dances like?” only because there are so many to choose from… that we are not tied to a single particular type of food or clothing or even house. From Minangkabau’s Rumah Gadang to Toraja’s tongkonan (more description here), from Java’s wayang kulit to Madura’s bull racing to, from Aceh’s Saman dance to Bali’s Kecak. Let’s not forget the breadth of ethnic languages, some of which have their own alphabets and are totally unrelated to Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia). I regret that since my parents are from different provinces, I can only speak Indonesia and none of my parents’ languages.

2. Natural Beauty and Resources

With over 17,000 islands (another fact I like to boast to my other “islander” friends), and a width spanning 5,271 km (3,275 mi) (in comparison, Dublin to Moscow is 2784 Km (1729.9 Miles)) Indonesia offers some breathtaking natural wonders. I have personally taken the role of Indonesian tourism ambassador (since our official tourism department seems to be defunct*) where I tell them Indonesia has beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, rainforests and biodiversity that should not be missed. In fact, we have the world’s largest lake on an island (Toba Lake) and also the largest island in a lake on an island (Toba Lake, too). Puncak Jaya, Papua is one of the few equatorial glacier mountains and is Indonesia’s highest point (extra point: we have the highest number of volcanoes in the world). Indonesia supports the second highest level of biodiversity and is also second in its endemism. Don’t forget that we have the world’s largest flower and lizard (weird combo, but it works.) (info from here).

3. Food

My favourite subject, but will not dwell on it for too long because I’m already starving. Closely related to cultural diversity, our food diversity ranges from its taste, ingredients (for example, some provinces use weed as a cooking herb), cooking methods and even the way it is being served (if in doubt, check out any Padang restaurant where the waiter carries on average ten plates at once and where all of the restaurant dishes are brought to your table. No need to put pictures on the menu! Come to think of it, there’s no need for a menu either.) From Padang’s spicy satay (oh-so-different from Madura’s sweet satay), Palembang’s pempek, Java’s rawon, the numerous sotos.. Not to mention the tropical and so-called exotic fruits such as durians, mangoes, salak, rambutan, etc.

4. People

I have met many Indonesians abroad and at home, and recently in the blogsphere, who are intelligent, able-bodied, analytical and realistic about Indonesia’s current situation but yet are hopeful, optimistic and committed to its betterment. They have experienced the other side and have the choice to stay where life is arguably easier, and yet some still choose to go back. While family is a common reason to return, not a small number of them profess that they hope to change Indonesia for the better, to change “what should be” to “what is.” Within Indonesia itself I also see this new batch of optimistic, well-educated generation that is tired of the status quo and want to change it (for example, the JBRB and BUAB team). In a conversation with an Indonesian lady here in Brisbane:

Lady: “Nanti selesai kuliah, nanti cari kerja aja di sini. Balik ke Indonesia-nya nanti kalo udah bener Indonesia-nya.”

My friend: “Yaaa.. mendingan bantuin nge-benerin “

*I will not complain.

Note: I found through Indonesia Anonymus these interesting feel-good facts about Indonesia:

3rd biggest producer of rice
4th biggest producer of coffee
5th biggest producer of tea
8th biggest producer of fruits

(source: Pocket World in Figures, The Economist, 2008 Edition)