Archive for July, 2009

Home on the Range

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day

Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day

For some reason, this song keeps ringing in my head. It came upon midnight clear onto my head, and as a result I put it on my MSN personal message. Everytime I open that MSN main window I see the lyrics, and it’s ringing in my head again. Repeat the cycle.

This is weird, because all my life I have always been living in a city with all the modern conveniences. Oh well, perhaps that’s why. I long for laid back, friendly, happy life on a country side. I need to go to Bangka, my dad’s hometown, soon.

By the way, do you know that “Home on the Range” is the state song of Kansas, USA? Here is the list of the state songs of USA.

Here’s the (static) video of the song.

My Love, Jakarta

When I close my eyes, I’m there
When I fly away, I’m there
I wish I were there, my Jakarta..

Then I close my eyes and pray
That soon I’ll find my way
to place that I call home, my Jakarta..

(A snippet of lyrics of my yet-to-be-finished song)

So. Last year brainwashed people attacked Mumbai far away in India and I was upset about it.

So imagine how I felt when I came to know that my own hometown, the town that cherished and brought me up, was bombed. Again.

To say that I’m upset is a terrible understatement.

 Fine. I know that bombings are really a “usual” thing in Indonesia. Like how worse can it get? I was in Jakarta when the first bombing of Marriott occurred (yes it wasn’t the first one). Also when there were several Christmas Eve bombings. Also when the Australia Embassy was bombed. Been there done that buddy.

I think it’s particularly bad because this happened after years of peace and great economy growth for Indonesia. And of course it’s bad because it happened just right after elections. Some people say it’s a rage from those defeated president hopefuls but hey.. Don’t point your fingers just yet.

So screw you, whoever planted that bomb and thought it was a great thing that you’re destined to do (I’ve received reports that they were suicide bombers but I can’t confirm just yet – please read the news). Because you know what? Indonesia unites and we will seriously screw you.

I am angered and full of hate, but I remember that hate was the thing that started it all in the first place. So come, let’s not scoop down to their level. Resist and they’ll be gone. Hopefully forever.

Stay away from my Jakarta, my Indonesia, because it rocks and it can be better again. We’ve come out stronger and stronger after a series of unfortunate events and there’s no reason that we can’t come out stronger again.

Oh and to you Jakarta citizens who only lamented that Manchester United cancelled their plan for a friendly match in Jakarta because of the bombings, screw you too. People died and some are badly injured and you only care for that? Just how egoistic can you be? Look I know it was a hard hard effort to even get the tickets but hello! People died! Can you imagine if that happened to your family? A person’s life wasted makes all your reasons for lamenting of cancelled MU match void.

So anyway.

Come on Jakarta. We can fight them together.

I’m Voting (and you’re probably not)

In case you’re so ignorant, my dear fellow Indonesian readers, Indonesian presidential election is being held right now as I speak (type).

I should have written this piece long ago, I know. But what do you expect of me? Thank you 20 visitors who came yesterday ;)

As I’m now over 17 (and subsequently have left the teen years. Nooooooo :( ), I’m eligible to vote and I WILL vote.

The golput (golongan putih – white party, the people who did not vote despite being eligible) was a shocking 29.1 percent of the eligible voters list. I do not know why. Perhaps some couldn’t do it because they live in a remote area where travel to the nearest ballot box is hard. Perhaps they have some disabilities hindering them from voting. Physical and mental alike. These are perhaps-es. But I do know some people chose not to vote.

Because (they said) one vote will not make a change. Because one vote doesn’t matter. I tell you what, my friend. Maybe it doesn’t. But 29.1 percent of 171,265,442 (that’s the total number of eligible voters) means 49,677,776 so a big HELLO! It matters! (statistics from kompas, btw)

So I don’t understand, my friend. And yes this is especially directed to you guys who call yourself my friends. If you are my friends at this stage, most of you should at least be in a university. So I have a right to call you educated. You’re educated, so I don’t understand why you will let the so-called uneducated people whose votes are dependent on how much money the campaigners give them decide your country’s president.

I know one thing for sure. I don’t want to be a part of approximately 40 million people (after substracting people who might have valid reasons – in my own opinion) who are ignorant and do not want to be a part of making a better country to live in.

Perhaps it’s not time for CHANGE yet. However I believe in hope of a BETTER place.

I’m getting off my chair now to go to the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore to register my vote.

While some of you can rot.

A Pause

I wanted to upgrade my Wordpress and preferably my theme (I need change!) before I start posting about Russia stuff again. I promise I won’t take a year, really.

But then I found out that tadah! This brilliant girl forgot the password to her FTP and database (phpMyAdmin) altogether.

So I’m gonna get hold of my other computer (which has saved password of the FTP, at least) and pray that skipping the database backup will be alright. Nothing has happened before, so I’m hoping that nothing won’t.

So let me observe a pause on my blog, while I search for a new theme (and upgrading the Wordpress).