My celebration of Kartini Day (2010)

Yesterday, April 21, is a Kartini day for Indonesians. There were a lot of ways to celebrate the day. I used to celebrate it with my children (when they were in the kindergarten) by using traditional clothes. People might say that this kind of celebration was degrading the meaning of Kartini Day by making it a mere traditional fashion show, but I'm not totally agree on that. For me, those traditional clothes should help those children to get closer to the richness of Indonesian cultures, and to remind them to all our heroes and heroine. Kartini, Cut Nyak Dien (in the Indonesian wikipedia), Dewi Sartika, Christina Martha Tiahahu (in the Indonesian Wikipedia) are among those brave women who showed us how women can also have leading fighting spirit. Yet, there are also those who thought that wearing Kebaya is the only way to celebrate Kartini Day. This is actually not the real meaning of Kartini Day.

Some said that Kartini was not showing up her fighting spirit by accepting the arranged marriage with a man who already have three wives. Yet, her courage to ask her father's permission to have higher education was something brace enough for a Javanese girl at her time (I have written about Kartini before-in bahasa Indonesia, showing how writing out our thoughts could really be powerful).

On other occasion our kindergarten students were also celebrating Kartini Day by making it a fashion show that show various kind of occupation. We have doctors, nurse, soldiers, businessman/woman, pilot, etc. My eldest son once took the clothes of a journalist. It was easy to prepare, but he did not win any prize in the fashion show.

Kartini is always a special figure to me. I read her letters since I was still in highschool. She talked about tradition, and also about religions outside her own religion. It is something that perhaps could be considered as taboo in her era.

Kartini is always a special figure to me. I read her letters since I was still in highschool. She talked about tradition, and also about religions outside her own religion. It is something that perhaps could be considered as taboo in her era.

I've got several invitations on this special day, and some are very interesting but I've chosen to go to the one held in Times Bookstore in Karawaci, a discussion with a topic "New Paradigm vs. Kartini Day". I was first attracted to the place where the book reading and discussion would take place. It's nearer to me than other invitations which located mostly in Jakarta. Then in the promotion letter I've read that this outlet is the biggest Times Bookstore in the region. I thought,"It's bigger than those in Singapore? No kidding..." When I was teenage I used to frequently visited Singapore, and I loved Times Bookstores over there. When I had the chance to visit some big cities in Europe I was looking for that kind of bookshop but I didn't find it. I knew that Times are opening their branches in Jakarta, but I thought they were made just like other book stores in Jakarta. Then, I saw a small Times store on Antasari street. It looks really inviting. I usually went passing it when I traveled from my house to my parents' house. Every time we were passing it, I said to my children, "One day I'm going there..." But the traffic and my tight schedule never allowed me to step in that store. So, an invitation to a book discussion in the biggest Times Bookstore in this region was really tempting. I could kill two birds with one stone.

Then, the author that we were going to meet was Ayu Utami. And to my surprise, we were going to talk about her book "Saman", a book that was published in Indonesia a decade ago, precisely eleven years ago...This book has a special meaning to me, as I’ve read it while having my first born. Then, I did say that I don’t really like it, yet it was an interesting novel to read. Actually I was following the media coverage on that book (from the printed media that I used to read). It raised comments even from the well known Pramudya Ananta Toer.

Being raised in a conventional Catholic family I think it was the religious aspect that tied me to the way I perceived Ayu Utami’s literature way in presenting Saman. It is important for me to have a chance to hear from the author herself the in-depth analysis of her book.

Another important factor that brought me to that event is my curiosity towards the new ASEAN Secretariat Women’s Wing. What is that? What is it going to do with the movement for Indonesian women and children? If I had time, I would love to attend their other discussion which was held several days before. I had all those information through my e-news from the museum section of the Indonesian Heritage Society.

So, I left my three boys at home (and canceled their Mandarin language course). An act that would make my mother frowned, and would probably prohibited in the United States too…Leaving three boys under 12 years old by themselves at home! Yet, I enjoyed the discussion, made my exploration in that cozy and the great bookstore. I've also met a French lady which gave me a chance to practice my language. It reminded me that I was surprised to see a picture of Kartini in the book "Lettres de Raden Adjeng Kartini, Java en 1900", where she was reciting "le Petit Chaperon Rouge" for her Javanese students. So, Kartini was probably able to speak Dutch and French as well.

I was enjoying the whole event and the location when I suddenly realized that I should be heading home. Then, I was stranded in the traffic jam as the Serpong street was flooded. Luckily I also have a great neighbour whom I called to help me to provide dinner for my sons. That was an awesome experience for a Kartini Day. It was something really different from my usual experience to spend the whole Kartini day with my kids. I'll write more about this event in another post.

Sad story from Mexico

It is actually not only a sad story, but I feel that we can consider it a disaster to humanity. How can parents let their daughter death and even pretending of loosing her? How can a mother sit on her daughter's bed where she hide the body? If it was not Paulette Gebara Farah's parents who killed her, then who did it? Who hide the body and who made it reappear? Why did they need ten days before they found the body?

Jan Barret wrote about this story in Bloggernews.net, and got some comments. One comment stated "Some news said on a plastic bag and others involved in sheets. So, there are different versions, all from newspaper or TV news that does not match. Also, they said that parents and 2 babysitters had inconsistency on what they declare before, now they just mention inconsistency in mother’s declaration." So, even medias' reports did not match...

Yet, one universal thing is the sadness of seeing that situation is not a priviledge of a certain community or a certain nation...but it goes out to the flattened world. I hope Paulette rest in peace, and that there'll be no more case like that happened. Not there, and not here...

It was a little late for me to find out this story. I've got to admit that I didn't browse around often enough to have hard news. I found this story in the printed Kompas and then googling here to find out more. So, mainstream media (for me) is still an important source of news.

Counting Down to Pesta Blogger 2009

It is still 24 days to the Pesta Blogger 2009 in Jakarta. The celebration was actually started earlier with communities of bloggers did their getting together in some chosen cities. Jakarta will be the last party and the closing place of this year party.

Actually I was asking my self whether to come or not to Pesta Blogger this year. I joined Pesta Blogger 2007 and 2008, so I am thinking of giving the chance to other person who might probably deserve a first encounter with Pesta Blogger.

I am sure that Pesta Blogger 2009 will provide us with new experiences, and hopefully a lot more new friends. Offline meetings were proved to enhance friendships. I mostly got the experience from the gatherings of the members from the mailing list of Forum Pembaca Kompas (FPK), and from wikimu.com's gatheringg. Pesta Blogger in Jakarta actually gave me the feeling of a big marriage party in Indonesia...we came to say hello, chit-chat a little bit, then came back home. Perhaps there will be more communication to offer through online chats or postings than the short time meeting in a very big (and noisy) party...

Yet, a posting about the building where we are going to have that party, is luring me with another aspect of visit: the building! I had my interest in that building since it was still under construction, but I've never visited it yet. Then, from the website of SMESCO Indonesia, I saw that it houses UKM Gallery (subtitled: Preserving the Indonesian Heritage). So, now I'm not so sure about giving up my chance to join the Indonesian biggest bloggers' meeting of the year...

Another happy story came as a result from Pesta Blogger 2008. In Pesta Blogger 2008 Anthony Bianco was our guest from Australia, and he'll be revisiting us this year! Thanks to Air Asia , he's going to experience the sparkling Sumatera and the crowded but intriguing Java. Anthony's blog will share the beauty and interesting aspects of Indonesia.

Ironically, his application for the best job in the world was rejected as not meeting the criteria. Perhaps it is not a coincidence, but it is his destiny to come back to Indonesia. I am sure that once he experiences the beauty of the coral reefs in Indonesia (places are mentioned in the Indonesian Coral Reef Foundation/TERANGI, i.e. Raja Ampat) he'll sure be coming back again and again...