Another new year

I'm off to more than a week-long holiday. I will stop posting for a while and I hope to catch up when I'm back. Here I am wishing you a great lunar new year and a fantastic rat year ahead. To infinity and beyond!

Death by sushi

Perched on top of the lifeless block of wood for too long a time, P finally decided to take charge and never let anyone control its life again. P crawled on its two-clawed toes. Hours passed by. It grew tired, thirsty, and hungry. It began to think "Was this a mistake?". Its newfound sense of freedom grew more and more insecure. Just when P decided to give up and head back to its comfortable life, it saw those red specks. The specks grew larger as P approached closer. Then P's eyes opened up wide in wonder at the sight of those amazing round plates. It has been years. OH! How P longed for those delicious forms! The feel of that succulent juice in its mouth. Those green-tinted substance that made P's eyes filled with tears and wanted to beg for mercy. At last! P enjoyed the happiest moment of its life for exactly 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Then it passed out and never woke up again.

Drawing and Painting Google

I ranted about my own misfortune with Google and how it has surprised me months ago. Yet there's one thing Google consistently do well which made me remain their fan despite that incident: their creativity. Check out Google's logo for Lego's 50th anniversary (soon to appear on this page). Thanks, Kiran for pointing it out. I love love love love Google Doodles and holiday logos, especially their April Fool's brilliance. :D

Freaky Fries at 2

There is this small cafe that occupied the center of a medium-sized compound near my neighborhood. I walk past the sight of it every single day and I had thought about going in but that never happened for the longest time. So the other day I was on my way somewhere else, for some reason I turned my head to the right and spotted a picture. As soon as I took a picture, I noticed the cafe and thought to myself, maybe today is the day. So my legs took me there. Sometimes I think my legs are faster than my head. I found a seat next to the window amidst the European style-furnitures, sat down, ordered the most wonderful hot chocolate, got my books out and had a jolly good time. Can't believe I missed that experience for years. The place is literally a few steps away from my front door. That led me to think if I just ventured two steps further out of my ordinary path, I might just discover something great. Places we pass by, people we said hi and bye to. The world just got interesting again.

Ten years since

I received the news that Soeharto, second President of Indonesia, the infamous long-time dictator (so the media says) who ruled the archipelago for 32 years, died this afternoon. In 4 months, it will already be 10 years since the riot that changed the country forever. My mind immediately recalled that night. Etched into my memory are the two scenes of that silent evening. I was in my parents' bedroom and my father came in and looked for something solid that could be used as weapon of defense. The neighbors had convened earlier and the men of the family would go out at the back of the alley and waited out with the rest, including all of us. The only thing we could use was a long wooden bat resembling a baseball bat, I had no idea how it was in the house, it was always...there. Then we were all gathered in the back alley. The alley was sealed from both sides, it was where the rear of houses from two parallel streets meet. And we waited just in case the crowd made their way to the neighborhood. Rumors ran amok earlier during the day, parts of the city had seen looting and houses destroyed. The unspoken fear occupied our minds and hearts during those moments of wait. Waiting, I learned, is worse than execution.

Nothing happened. We were relieved. I can't remember the rest. If anything else, those days were probably the few days after the students took to the streets and shouted "Reformasi!" (Indonesian word for reform) repeatedly, demanding to oust Soeharto. Much more horrible things happened (a Wiki entry of the riot is short, but it tells everything). People lost their houses, livelihood, and most importantly they lost their wives, daughters, fathers, and their loved ones.

The currency dipped lower since and never got back to the same level. Our economy suffered. Today, the woes the country faced after numerous changes of presidents and parliaments are never quite resolved. Is this the reform we were fighting for?

Soeharto was probably one of the most corrupt leaders of any nation. His family benefited from his power and capacity of being president in office. Thirty-two years of accumulated nation's wealth, that's some fortune, I imagine. He was never tried, citing health reasons each time he's supposed to appear in court. Investigation stopped after years of going nowhere. These years, he resided in his house most of the time, rarely making any public appearances. The man just faded away. I didn't think much of him actually. But I do remember during his years of being in office, we enjoyed a relatively stable economy and peaceful life. Even though he did a lot of things to get to where he was, I did not resent him. The man is gone. The very symbol of cronyism and corruption. Yet his legacy of corruption and graft lived on and still spreading rampantly like wildfire.

"I am your Father Luke!"

A series

I'm using pictures to compensate for the lack of words.

One of these days

We live our lives each day, often not paying much attention to our surroundings and what's in front of our eyes. For some reason, today I noticed reds all around me. Everywhere I turn my head, red becomes apparent, it's there on my calendar, on my keys, on my shirt, on the pictures, it's everywhere! I suppose if we concentrate hard enough, our vision will be cleared just like the scene in the opening of the movie when the fog drifts away and we see the magical kingdom, our mind will slowly be unblocked, clearing the path for the "one", and everything else falls into place to help us reach it. Maybe this is what meditation is like?

Early morning

Got my new toy today

I know it's a bit thick-skinned to show off material belonging like this. But I just got a new toy today!! I have yet to test it outside, looking forward to roughing it up a bit. I have to say, converting to Mac is not without its frustration, but I hope the days will get better. Thank you, you!!

Living the red life

The season is here again! People are buying wall decorations lined with "Prosperity" word that will be hung upside down. Or phrases that probably mean may all riches come to this house. I see seas of red in the bazaar the other day. Chinese loves red. Red means so many things; passion, blood, luck. It's a color of celebration, and that, we always do. Here is one of the famous lao po bing store in the area. I have not tried the one from the store though...if you have, you would know how it would get stuck in your mouth!

Alas! Such is life

Many many years ago...

It's starting in 15

Welcome to the state

25

The place still retains its old charms, although I cannot vouch for it since I wasn't there when it was new. Red windows, seats, wooden signs, old paintings. It's the essential old in the midst of new. At lunch, you see men with suits and ladies with heels cramped around its premises, taking a respite from busy day at work to chit chat and joke with one another.

What's the deal?

Why are babies named, January, April, May, June, July, August but rarely March, September and not February, October, November, and December?

Juno

So I saw "Juno". What a great movie! Good story, great acting, funny lines, and amazing soundtrack. In fact, during the opening sequence, as soon as I heard the soundtrack, I knew this is going to be a good movie. And it didn't disappoint. At the end of it, I feel the world is sweet and I am optimistic towards life. Okay, so it's a feel-good movie.

What made a great song is most of the part, great lyrics. Here are two of the featured songs and my favorites: the actors Michael Cera and Ellen Page's version of "Anyone Else But You" (lyrics here) and Kimya Dawson's "Loose Lips" (lyrics here).

So if you wanna burn yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
And if you wanna cut yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
And if you wanna kill yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
Call me up before you're dead
We can make some plans instead
Send me an IM, I'll be your friend

Looks like the clouds aren't moving anywhere else soon.

Project 365

I'm doing a project that I read on Photojojo the other day as part of new things to do this year. Take a picture every single day, for a year. Didn't read it before new year came so started on January 9, 2008. Decided not to label it 365 (although it's 366 this year) anymore since you, my dear readers, are the ones who will keep me going. These few months are the rainy season in the region, so if you plan to travel to South-East Asia during January or February, come prepared. There might be floods if you're traveling long distance by road (take Indonesia for example). One good thing is, the weather is cooler though.