Inside Indonesia

If you want 'a deeper image of Indonesia than that painted by mainstream media', you should check out Inside Indonesia (www.insideindonesia.org). Now in the electronic format and currently in its 90th edition, it offers a closer look in Indonesia besides Garuda, tsunamis and Bali or terrorist haven (yes, I am oversimplfying but you get the drift.)

A good read and well researched by contributors who know their stuff and reporting from the ground, you will get articles which are left out by the mainstream media such as the peace process in Aceh which is not often internationally covered. And with articles titled 'M16 for punks' (no, it is not about terrorists), it is certainly a good teaser to read on.


www.insideindonesia.org

There's always a first time for everything

Place: Ring Road Utara, Yogyakarta
Date: 27 October 2007
Time: 1845
Damage: Engine transmission and connector
People involved: Henry, Tudi, Fendy, Henry's friend and me


And yes, we still had the mood to pose for pictures

Lessons learnt:

1. Don't brake and try to change gear at the same time.
That WILL damage the engine transmission.


The remains of engine oil

2. 'Connections' are still important in Indonesia.
Apparently, someone had connections with the police department and evertything was 'settled'.

3. Men and soccer cannot be separated.
The accident did not deter us from continuing to play another hour of futsal after that.

4. Tow service in Indonesia takes a super long time.
Henry and the rest spent close to 2 hours calling for a tow service after dark.


Stranded at the roadside with Henry (extreme right) on the phone

5. Suzuki makes good car bodies but poor engine shock mechanisms.


Suzuki can really absorb the shock of the crash


The only visible damage: the number plate

Fasting Month

I know it is kind of late to put up this blog (since Hari Raya is over), but I just need to share with you our experience in the fasting month.

Knowing our friends had to puasa, Putri and I really tried our best not to eat our lunch at the center (though our friends definitely permitted us to do so). Even if we do bring food, we try to bring food like bread or buns which does not have a strong smell. Well, it is definitely not wrong to bring food like instant noodle (and let the world know you are eating), but we try not to do that.

Anyway, one day, Putri and I really thought maybe we should really fast like our Muslim friends: Just experience one day without food (but we cannot live without water la), and experience that kind of hunger which our Muslim’s friends are going through. So of cos, we did!!! AND AT 5.30PM (buka puasa)...I was so hungry..I could almost eat a cow LAH! We were invited to join them for dinner at Amplas.. and we really enjoyed it that night.
Icha, if you are reading this blog, thanks a lot for organizing the dinner.
As for the rest, we really enjoyed the dinner that night, thanks for the invitation



Clockwise direction: Puri, Winna, Pitra, Icha, Nicola and Sirgit

Above: Puri, Myself and Pitra

Bandung

BANDUNG

To me, Bandung is like Singapore – it is developed, it is clean and it has a lot of shopping areas like Singapore. Together with Putri and her parents, we went to nice cafes, nice restaurants and we really shopped till we dropped (well, we deserved to shop and shop and shop, because we saved our money for this trip and we ensure we don’t go over our limits with money…so mummy and daddy, if you are reading this, yes, your daughter is sensible and mature enough to watch her spending.. haha)

It is a pity that we did not take photos of some of these really nice places, but don’t worry, I kept the name cards, so for people who are going to Bandung, you should really visit some of these places.

Actually, Bandung is really like a 2nd Singapore. I am sure if I have stayed in Bandung, I will not have missed Singapore that much. You remembered I mentioned some time before that I really miss eating Kaya toast with my parents??? GUESS WHAT?! That is a YA KUN KAYA TOAST in Bandung! And of cos, we have our BREAD TALK!! Is so much like Singapore! Going to Paris van Java, is like going to Clarke Quay, and some of the shopping malls in Bandung looks like CK TANG. OMG, there is a SOGO here and I bought 3 POLO RALPH shirts for S$50.

Pak Aris told us that it is a must eat at THE VALLEY, so how could we miss it??!!! It is FANTASTIC place; well the food is average but the ambience is TERRIFIC and the price is reasonable. I really fall in love with the place and the cakes look so beautiful, yet, I didn’t have time to try the cakes then. I will definitely be going back again in future, so I could stay either in the resort or just go there for lunch/dinner.

Another tea and coffee place which all you MUST go is the DAKKEN Coffee & Steak. It is by far the best café I have gone to in my 3.5 mths here. The café is in a colonial style mansion. It may not appear to you from the outside, but the interior inside is beautiful!! For ladies who love to take afternoon tea, try to drop by at Jalan L.L.R.E. Martadinata No.67, Bandung 40114, Tel: 22-420 9507 (is at Jalan Riau). Believe me, you will love it!

Priyayi and pembantu

In the course of my readings on recurring migration by Indonesian women seeking work overseas as foreign domestic helpers, I came across this article 'Learning the ways of the priyayi' by Rebecca Elmhirst which argues for the continued (and growing) importance of domestic service within the country. Her opening statement that 'Paid domestic work is a fact of life throughout Indonesia' is one that sets the tone for this article.

During my visit to Pitra's grandmother house for Hari Raya Puasa, our conversations somehow turned towards mudik, pembantu (literally translated as helpers) and priyayi (Javanese term for elite) families when I discovered that his family was entrenched in the higher echelons of Indonesian society. Inevitably, I was drawn to ask if his family employed pembantu, of which a positive response was elicited. What intrigued me was the complex relationship between the priyayi and pembantu based on patronage and obligation, supported by family ties and constantly interacting with modernity. In turn, questions were formed as I ponder the changing dynamics of this relationship which straddles between the (seemingly static) values and traditions within Javanese society and the ambiguous role of women (both priyayi and pembantu) within the Indonesian society between the New Order's idealized motherly figure and the feminization of the general workforce.

In today's context, how important and applicable is the concept of patronage and obligation in the employer and servant relationship?

How important are family ties for the pembantu to sustain employment for herself and other dependents in the long run?

Does the pembantu sees this process as an exercise in social and economic mobility given their economic standing and social backgrounds?

How do both parties exercise power or resistance (typical Foucault-ian) in their interactions with each other?

These are some questions I would really wish to answer. Now is probably not the best time even though these thoughts are probably better framed than those I have on the essay on recurring migration. If you have any insights or personal experiences on the issue, a comment would be greatly appreciated.

Borobudur in words and pictures (that really, don't do it justice!)

Many visitors to Yogya often opt for the infamous ‘one-day city tours’ inclusive of a sunrise morning at Borobudur (which is not much of a sunrise considering the gates open at 6 am but the sun comes up much earlier here in lovely Indonesia… much to my dismay), and then the Kraton. Yogya however, has much more to offer than the Kraton and Borobudur so if you’re thinking of visiting this city, do spend more than a day here. Soak up the sights and sounds of Yogya and I promise, you won’t regret it. I’ve spent 3 months here and still, I feel like there is so much left to see, do and discover… I wish I could spend more time in Indonesia but it’s too bad, reality beckons. Anyway, this is exactly what I told my parents to do when they visited me last week (I am only still 21!!) and so, we decided to take a full-day trip to Borobudur and the smaller adjacent temples, Candi Pawon and Mendut.

Borobudur is an amazing sight. We opted for a tour guide, which cost a very worthwhile 50 000 rupiah. Though he stopped only to explain certain bas-reliefs (I think everyone comes away with the same story), he was helpful in that he explained the reason for some of the discoloured yellow stones on the temple (the Dutch thought they’d paint it to up the oomph factor I think), the holes in some of the stones (made after the second restoration so the restorers would know the exact location the stones came from), and of course the story of the Buddha from birth, his early life as a prince, his decision to leave his kingdom and his search for enlightenment. I’m simplifying things I know, but for the purpose of this blog entry, the story of Borobudur: desire at the first level, subsequent suffering and pulling away from temptation and finally, reaching a state of absolute peace or nothingness, will appeal to anyone regardless of race or religion. In fact, it’s a story we as young people are all too familiar with and my parents, as older people, are all too happy to remind me of. Borobudur is truly a spectacular sight and you have to see it with your own eyes to truly appreciate its beauty. For the moment though, here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Walking up the steps to Borobudur
Bas-relief depicting one of life's greatest desires: Gossip!! A view from the middle section of the temple, of the top of Borobudur

sTuDeNt GuIdEbOoK

sTuDeNt GuIdEbOoK

Hey everyone out there! Afraid that you cannot print out all the information from our interesting blog??? Don’t worry, for the next batch of students who are traveling to Yogyakarta, Putri and I will be preparing a STUDENT GUIDEBOOK for all!!

Since we reached Yogyakarta, I have been collecting all the name cards from restaurants, from oleh-oleh shops and from beauty salons etc. Each time we patron the stall, we will assess if the shop is worth going all not and then we will list them as ‘TOP 10 MUST GO’ and ‘TOP 10 DON’T GO ALSO CAN LAH!’

Need BEAUTY TIPS??? What JAMU or Mask to use??? What do you need to PREPARE before coming here?? Don’t worry; we will try our best to answer your questions!

Well, GENTLEMEN out there may have a different TASTE (usually they are the opposite of us when comes to enjoying good ambience and good food) (“,) but for YOUNG LADIES especially those who LOVE TO PAMPER themselves, YOU should read our interesting STUDENT GUIDEBOOK!!!

Book NOT ENOUGH??? Don’t worry, WE HAVE VIDEO! Just to let you have a feel how your trip will be like…

WHATS MORE!!! It is FREE!!!!

* For students who are thinking of going to Yogyakarta, maybe you could drop Putri and I your questions (just drop them at the ‘comment’) and we could answer them as soon as we can.

We will try to make the student guide book as RELEVANT as we possibly could, JUST LET US KNOW what you need!!!