So.. Mr Obama has postponed his trip to Indonesia until June. The reason being he's passing a historic health care reform bill into law and furthering the divide between Democrats and Republicans back in the States.
The consolation to Indonesians - who, unfortunately (in my opinion) put Mr Obama on some kind of pedestal and regard him as a national hero (seriously?) because he spent 4 years in Indonesia - was an exclusive interview on RCTI, a national TV channel in which he reminisced fondly of eating street foods: nasi goreng, bakso and even offered his own rendition of a street vendor yelling "satee!! satee!!"
Noticeable changes in the line-up: Michelle Obama and the First Daughters will no longer accompany Mr Obama on this trip to his 'adopted homeland'.
I have always been vocal about my doubts of his upcoming maybe visit. Not just because of Mr George W Bush's epic visit. But also because my relatives and friends who live overseas seem to think that Indonesia is a war zone and we live in huts and swing from tree to tree. Okay, I exaggerated but I'm hoping you get the point.
I'm thinking Mr Obama's people realize how important sentimental Indonesians would consider the realization of what has been made out to be an emotional, nostalgic trip. And it would be hugely beneficial to use this in Mr Obama's effort to strengthen relations between the States and the so-called 'Muslim world'.
Here's the video of the aforementioned exclusive interview:
P.S. RCTI also included a segment interviewing people on the street of what they think of Mr Obama. The interviewees all commended his 'authentic' pronunciation of the words 'nasi goreng, bakso and sate'.
in theory indonesia is a democratic state and citizens are entitled to free speech. in practice, there are all sorts of fine prints, terms & conditions apply crap. for instance, distribution licenses, defamation laws, and groups that will utilize their 'influence' - and by influence i mean threats of flying rocks at ur windows - to stop a publication from being distributed or published.
i've search high and low to buy playboy indonesia to no avail. some say it doesnt exist anymore. some just dont know. what a pity.
then again, this is indonesia. where workers in ginormous electronic store dont know what an auxiliary input is. they'd go "huh? what's that? charger?" i'd say its a cable, like an ipod jack with the same end on the other side and they'd go "no we dont have that". but i searched the shop and they freakin do..
i read on the news obama plans to visit indonesia in march. i dont get what the big deal is. dude only spent 4 years in indonesia. and indonesians think he's some sort of hero n painted a picture as if he spent his entire childhood here. i've seen segments on tv of supposedly his classmate reminiscing about his experience in primary school with 'little barry'.
i wouldnt be surprised if he'd pull another george bush whose definition of a visit meant a 2-hour stopover, gliding in his black hawk and hauling an entire aircraft carrier in a display of power that i equate to an orang utan thumping his chest.
anyway,
warm welcome mr obama.
i just got back from a trip to mom's hometown (Bangka Island). it's a small town where everyone knows everyone and everywhere we went mom seemed to bump into one of her childhood friends. and then she would tell me stories of her childhood, which i quite enjoy.
mom came from a relatively well-to-do family. not rich, not poor. but because my grandparents had lots of children (12!!) food were rationed, she recalled. each child would receive a certain no of fish balls, bananas ("sometimes only half!") or oranges. every chinese new year, she would get 4 new tops and 4 bottoms and a pair of sandals/shoes. she'd say "back in the old days, we didnt buy our clothes at shops and malls, we bought fabric and got our clothes made at the tailor". and i found it cute when she told me with the slightest hint of envy that she had a friend who had had lots of new clothes because she was the daughter of the tailor. her dad would make her extra clothes out of leftover fabrics that customers never bothered to take back.
my uncle also told me they felt really special on their birthdays, cos they'd get two eggs "out of the whole year!".
mom always said even though she didnt come from a poor family, like my dad did, she was raised as if she did. i guess she insinuated she was taught to be appreciative of things and not be wasteful
i find these stories charming. and okay, a bit sad.. but charming still.
it's amazing how much things change in such little time. that 30 odd years ago an afro, upturned collar and bell-bottoms were cool. 40 years ago divorces and homosexuals were considered taboo. and three generations ago chinese girls had to have their feet bound. eek!
and so the mind boggles...
Schadenfreude.
from the german words 'schaden,' meaning harm and 'freude,' meaning joy. the word denotes an emotion in which one feels joy at the adversity of others.
food for thought
happy new year.
if the Mayans were right, we have less than 2 years till the end of times. but no matter. life goes on. for now anyway.
i do have a few resolutions. i wanna sharpen up my skills. language, computer, people skills. save up. exercise n trim some excess fatty cells. nothing too drastic.
cheerio.
i'm still alive.
still in the third world.
still being pressured to take up mandarin in china.
still refusing.
im just waiting for momentum, folks.
on a random note.
facebook is beginning to lose its charms on me. i hate the idea that people think they generate true friendships from faux empathetic remarks on the world wide web and others who derive some sort of satisfaction and social affirmation from an equally faux 'friends' list.
dont get me wrong. i adore my friends. that said, i have a select few that i trust the most. it just annoys me when an invention for social networking becomes a contest of who can generate the most faux friends and for horny middle aged men to prey on girls. fuck, i had some nutjob sleazy married dude with kids whose existence i have had no knowledge of PM-ing me asking me to 'get to know each other'.
this is why i hold dear my details, numbers, bb pin and why my blog is comment free. it's dont ask dont tell, terms and conditions apply. and yes, i acknowledge the irony that i am here givin my two cents on cyberspace.
rant rant rant!
toodles.
Il a menti a son propos. Il a menti a moi, encore. Malheureusement, ce n’est pas la premier fois. J’en ai assez de ses mensonges. Mais, je suis encore amoureuse de lui. Je ne sais pas quoi faire avec moi-même et avec lui. C’est sure, je suis un cliché.
Telephone Courtesy in Indonesia
Exhibit A
*ring ring*
Me: Hello?
Caller: Hello. Can I talk to Mr X?
Me: May I know who's speaking?
*silence*
Me: Hello??
Caller: Yes. Can I talk to Mr X?
Me: May I know who's speaking?
*silence*
Me: Hello??
Caller: Yes. Mr X, please!
Me: Who's speaking??? *getting annoyed*
Caller hangs up
Exhibit B
*ring ring*
Me: Hello?
Caller: Who's this?
Me: ???
Me: I'm sorry. Who are you looking for?
Caller: Who's this?
Me: Um.. U're the one calling..
Caller: Mr X home?
Me: Who's speaking?
*silence*
Me: Hello?
Caller: I wanna talk to Mr X!
i hang up
Exhibit C
*ring ring*
Me: Hello?
Caller: Hi. Can I talk to Mr X?
Me: May I know who's speaking?
Caller: It's from Siantar ( a region in Sumatra)
Me: Okay. And your name is?
Caller: I'm his friend.
Me: Yes. And your name is?
Caller: John.
Me: Hold on, please. *call for Dad*
why is it so difficult for Indonesians to say who they are on the phone. what's up with that?
i've been holding myself back. turn a blind eye to her manipulations. put on my happy face. letting myself be the black sheep of someone else's relationship and pretend that i dont know about it. and when i complain privately, im told to be positive.
im sick of this.
im still holding back in honour of someone. and no, it's not u dumbo.
u wanna mess with other people's heads, go ahead. i aint one of them. u push me further imma cap yo ass to the tune of Personal Jesus, bitch.
i sent in my (job) application this afternoon. we'll see how it goes. im hopeful that all the pieces will come together soon.. now.. now/soon...
my friend told me this is a phase. i sure hope it is. i've been restless. i mean, not that im not used to having nothing to do. but in melbourne, there's always reading for free at borders (heehee) and coffee with friends.
and so the waiting game starts..
honestly, im envious of people who have never had to apply for a job, without connection, because they'd never have to face the uncertainty and rejection. to each his own, i guess.
p.s. i did well for the toefl. 38 points short of perfect score. the test wasnt as difficult as i'd expected. mom was more nervous than i was. cute.
im doing a toefl test tomorrow morning. really dont know what to expect. i've never done these tests. toefl/ielts. no clue. dont know how to prepare for it as well. i guess i've always taken english for granted. and i've always thought that english is really my first second language. i hope ill do okay. more than okay, actually. near perfect would be awesome. but let's not get cocky.
whenever i tell family members im doing a toefl test, they always give an implied anticipation that i'd fail or do badly.
exhibit A:
person X: so have u done the toefl test?
me: im doing it this saturday
person X: u know if u fail, u cant re-do the test, like, the next week. u have to wait for 6 months.
me: right......good to know....
meh-
im doing the test cos i wanna apply for this job which my mom kind of hesitates at my applying since she wanna keep me free and easy to travel around with my dad. which i dont really mind. but im growing tired of unemployment. i feel the need to do something.. for myself.
p.s. apparently one of the requirement to apply for the aforementioned job is a toefl score of at least 500. doesnt say if one can be exempted from this if one is a graduate from a university in an english-speaking country.
double meh!
why cant indonesians spell my name correctly?? whenever i go out n get a cuppa at starbucks (coffee here isnt good, best bet is the gazillionaire chain. sad, i know) or yoghurt at sour sally, they'd ask my name and i'd emphasize the 'J' like JUL-ie and every.single.time. without fail (!) they'd write YULI.
whats up with that?
is this a cultural thing??
i lost my blackberry today. i was hesitant to tell mom but i did right after i came home and got (more than) an earful. i guess i deserve some of that.
im trying to stay positive, which might seem oddly twisted - that i may seem like im not bummed that i lost my BB. but i am bummed. i feel like something's missing. it's something that's taken for granted i guess. being able to communicate with friends so easily.
on one hand, i suppose its good now that im not dependent on the BB anymore. and also, i still have my 3GS.
on the other hand.. i am bummed...
must..
be..
positive..
sigh~
hurrayy.. finally i can connect to the world wide web. i'm a bit impressed that this wireless technology is getting rampant here in the third world. easy peasy. just a few bits n bobs, et voila! another thing i notice is people use lots of prepaid anything here. from internet, mobile. no need for contracts. u dont have to fill in real information too, i'm told. *shrugs*
i went to mangga dua today. it's like this shopping hub for people from all social classes (?). anyone looking for a bargain, basically. the place is stuffed with things. like a bunch of obsessive compulsive hoarders decide to commute in the same building. i can't stand it. i have a slight claustrophobia problem, u see. so i'd always imagine circumstances where, for instance, if there was a fire, or if there was another earthquake like the one just days ago. and then it'll just be.. buhbye.. kaput.. gone..
on the other hand, the place is fascinating. u can buy anything from a (real!) kitchen aid, kettle, mobile phone, game consoles, pirated and original dvds, toiletries, knockoff handbags, knockoff shoes, knockoff belts, knockoff clothing, knockoff non-leather goods sold as knockoff leather goods - basically, double knockoffs. the list is endless.
but i dont really like shopping there when it's too crowded. and the thing its, when it comes to the fashion, indonesian girls/women/aunties are too concerned with trends. so everyone ends up looking the same. i dont want that. tartan n bat-wing sleeves are in, i notice.
anyhoo..
i'm still settling down at home. it's kinda weird after 10 years++ of being away.
Have u ever had something explode in ur face when u were just going about ur business, just minding urself, trying ur best to hold ur pieces together in a pressure cooker?
I dont know if it showed despite how hard i tried because of the reactions i received.
What's there to say? As cliched as it sounds, u wont get it unless u're in my shoes.
What an impossible day. I woke up and thought of my friend who had just lost his father the day before. I was sombre for him. I tried to steal a quiet moment for a short prayer when the shit hit the fan. And i didnt see it coming. I thought i was doing the best i could.
Cherry on top was when i realized i was being an ass later in the day to someone who deserved none of it.
But all this does not compare to my friend's loss.
I hope u're doing okay.. My thoughts are with u..
i was going to have an early night when dumbo attempted to ambush me into fulfilling miss piggy's wishes. right. try harder.
and then there's the baby (not mine) crying.. or screeching. i cant tell which.
great. im up at 5.21 am, super annoyed, cant fucking sleep and trying to refrain from opening the chef's knife i got as my bday gift.
im getting a bit bored with how fashion is going these days. maybe cos it's not september yet. if u know fashion, u'd know what september means. im pining for something fresh. that said. what is 'fresh' for someone who wears a lot of black? sonia rykel! she has exciting stuff in store, but i feel like they're insanely overpriced. but what isnt in oz? excuse my fragmeted mind for a sec. as for bags, im leaning towards classics these days. and yes, that means black. maybe a 2.55 one day, in a rainbow of colours. hey, dreaming is free.
what did i do today? not much. yes, sneer away my friend. heehee..
dealt with some errands. thought about new places. and by places i mean places to go eat at. watched house, but fell asleep after 8 eps. did my toe nails. ate a bunch of clementines. semi-planned my honeymoon (with myself, thanks for asking). practiced self-control from the choc jar. going to make tea and admire nigella's cooking abilities fab cooking wares.
adieu
i like this look. reminds me of summer, al fresco dining and scouring the shops to do some damage. sorry, im confusing fantasy with reality.
cue music: california by phantom planet.
one of my faves..
location: Jakarta, INA
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