Blogging and reporting

Like I've said in my previous post, reporting is not always easy. Blogging is easier for me, but both ways produce surprising results...

My old (almost forgotten) file about the Textile Museum that I've uploaded in this blog made the Jakarta Post's reader that I mentioned there made his comment. As news, it is surely out of date...two years ago. Yet, the urgency is still the same...
I prefer wikimu to publish the recycle story as I'm now concentrating in taking the Indonesian interest towards museums, not to say to take the attention of those who are seating in the offices that can make policies.

Writing for Citizen Journalism website helps me promote the content of my post. For example, a post about the Science Center and the meeting with pak KK, the Minister of Research and Technology, was taken into the minister's blog.

Reporting at First Hand as Claire George mentioned in her article help me to produce a different point of view from the newspaper's reporters. Sometimes, the "deadline" made me unable to produce any news. Luckily there would be no deadlines for blogging...

Claire said, "All articles are valid in their own way. (The expression of under represented opinion is particularly important.) But when they are providing their best public service, their very very best public service, citizen journalists report first hand experiences and share the real flavour of the things they see." I think that's the basic of citizen journalism. It is not about us, it is not about the news, but it is about the personal hue given to the public as a service to improve the quality of citizens' life.

So, I'll continue mixing blogging and reporting in my own "free time" and in my own limited capacity.

Just several links about David

Reporting is taking a lot of time and concentration, especially if we are taking the journalistic ethical code. I was really interested in the case of David Hartanto Widjaja, 21, an Indonesian bright student who was found dead after (accused of) stabbing his associate professor at NTU, Singapore (read Channelnewsasia)

I knew the news from the local television here, then through mailing lists. Loosing a bright and intelligent student like David is something that would arouse our curiosity. He was blessed with intelligent and also a scholarship, then why he had to end up that way?

Receiving a scholarship from a well known foreign university is not always like jumping into heaven, another student who receive scholarship from the same University shared her story here. Unfortunately it is not in English. She did not know David, but she told a story about the difficulties that perhaps all those scholarship receiver had to face. She also revealed that there were other students that became the victim of this education process, one ended up in the mental hospital, the other one was making unsuccessful suicide.

Another blog was asking if David was a victim or a suspect? Family has doubted the Singapore's newspaper story.

It is human for family to doubt that such a bright boy stabbed his professor then committed a suicide. I do not know him, his family, or even his university, but as a mother it took my concern. He came from BPK Penabur, an (private) Indonesian senior high school with a high level of competition. So, naturally we expect him to be ready to run well in a tighter competition abroad. Coming from BPK Penabur also indicate that he came from at least middle level of financial family support, which should not make his scholarship termination could force him into a murderer and suicidal action...especially when he was already in his final year. Chinese Indonesian family usually helped each other in term of education. Even if his nuclear family can't support him, there should be another way to finance that final year. Yet, youngsters sometimes are unpredictable. Stressful situation are existed in any campus...the South Korean who shot guns and made us lost one Indonesian scholar was another case that came two years ago from the States.

Another story came in through mailing list, it is from Singapore Enquirer, this time about the second suicide from NTU, an NTU officer was found hanged in the balcony of his apartment. It came less than a week after David's incident. And he was also from the Division of Information at the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE), although he worked as the University infocomm project officer while David was only a student.

Professor Chan Kap Luk has survived the stabbing, he is the only one who know the true story about David...

The Changing Faces of Architecture in the City, an unending battle...

Perubahan Wajah Arsitektur Kota, Sebuah Pergulatan yang Takkan Usai.... I wrote this article after I saw the picture used in Todd Thacker's article "Protest Street Art" and the article of Mira Tj "Modernisasi dalam Arsitektur = Membuang yang Lama", Modernization in Architecture = Throwing Away the Old (Buidlings).

I was actually preparing an article about the mural. Jakarta Biennale 2009 with its murals on the street took my interest. Yet, I had some problems...the internet connection, and also the missing pictures. I have some pictures on street murals, but I can't find where they are. Some of my pictures were lost when my computer broke down. I am not a very organized person either...

Mira's article made me take another point of view. I am still engaging some artworks from the Jakarta Biennale 2009 which talk about city development, and also asked readers to get back to some old articles. Town planning is not only a case or a project for the city planner or the government, they should also include the citizen who live there, and the citizen who work there. Historical and financial values of a location should be able to work together, and it does need a lot of support from the government to make it fruitful!

I do hope I can prepare the second article talking about the art that talk from the street. It is just very interesting that in the case of relocation of citizens, there is no difference between South Korea and Indonesia. I believed that the picture from Kwon Woo-sung is picturing a universal protest. The man in that picture could be MB, could also be SBY, or FB, or anybody...

I wrote some articles for wikimu about relocation, as it was so sad seeing all those hopeless faces on the television. This is something that reminded me of the Soeharto era...I know that we do need changes to show a better development of the city, but we need to understand the citizens' financial need. Relocate them unwisely can only cost them a lot of additional life expenses. In my eyes, the government's approach toward the case of those flower and fish vendors from Blok B was not a wise approach.
A hybrid garden would be a nicer idea. Even if they do need to be relocated, but it would be a better stand to keep their business running. Of course it is not an easy task to find the way out, that is why we do need those intelligent scholars to help the citizens. There are a lot of historical places, not only historical buildings, that we do need to think about. Let's say jalan Surabaya, or perhaps then...jalan Jaksa?

Citra Niaga, as the winner of the Aga Khan project, is a good example on how an ideal project can turn out without the cooperation and the support of all those involved in planning, manage, and use that project. If it is not the government who supported its citizens then who will?

BERANI Belajar Demokrasi

BERANI Belajar Demokrasi is about the project of learning democracy for elementary school children forwarded by the daily BERANI. It is a printed daily for children.

My eldest son likes reading this daily in his way to school. The variety of news and the size of this Monday to Friday journal made him interested in reading it. I'm glad to see him reading this daily as I was trying hard to take his attention to the youngster pages in Kompas to no avail.

The article I wrote for wikimu include my wishes to the headmasters and teachers who are involved in this "learning democracy" project, that democracy is not only stopped after being elected as the president and the vice president of the school. Children will learn a better understanding of democracy if they are capable not only to make promises, but to try to take those promises into realization. Otherwise, they'll only learn about the "campaign party" and "empty promises"...

Textile Museum, the Forgotten Jewel of Tanah Abang

Museum Tekstil, Permata Tanah Abang yang Kurang Ditengok, Textile Museum, the Forgotten Jewel of Tanah Abang.



This is a recycle version of an article sent to JP as a reaction after reading a readers' letter. The article did not get a room in that printed newspaper, and was buried inside my computer.

As wikimu is raising up the travel to old buildings I worked on this one, faster as it is just like translating and adding several comments.




This is the unedited version of the English script (the data is old dated but I think the fact is not really changing, yet in the article for wikimu I did make some changes or erasing some statements):

A recent letter from the Jakarta Post’s reader Mr. Jonathan Zilberg (the Jakarta Post, September 21, 2007) is commenting on the article published here earlier under the title “Museum Struggles for Popularity” (the Jakarta Post, September 17, 2007). The letter showed the reader’s in-depth knowledge of the Textile Museum and the problems that encountered most museums in Indonesia.
One of his statements should be read by more people dealing with the city officials or the museum’s planning and development here, “A new building is the last thing that is needed”. It is really true, as this old building gives another additional value to the museum itself.

Searching through the Indonesian Wikipedia (see http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Tekstil) we can trace the museum long history. It was built as a private house of a Frenchman in the 19th C, and it has a long history before it became the Textile Museum in 1976. The house was used as the house of a Turkish Consul, Abdul Azis Almussawi Al Katiri, before bought by Dr. Karel Christian Cruq in 1942. It was then turned as headquarter for the Civil Defense Force (Barisan Keamanan Rakyat –BKR), before it turned back into civilian house by Lie Sion Pin. In 1952 this beautiful house was bought by the Social Department and was transferred to the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta on October 25, 1975. Madame Tien Soeharto, the first lady at that time, inaugurated the building as the Textile Museum on June 28, 1976. The building is really worth historical value!

Looking through its history, the building represents a century of Tanah Abang history. If we can dig a deeper cultural history of how this district became the first melting pot of international textiles trades in Jakarta (not to say in Indonesia) perhaps it can show the significant value to promote the building as a cultural object of tourism.

Yet, other facts presented in the article “Museum Struggles for Popularity” are also worth to take into our notice. The picture presented the crowded hawkers that put the beauty of the museum into the unseen back ground of the place is a real thing. As we drive our private car we can easily missed this place. And the poor public transportation is nonetheless discouraging local people to come to this museum.
For most residents of Jakarta, the Tanah Abang district is probably meant awful traffic jam. It is also the problem that should be faced by most museums in the Old Town Area. The public reluctant to come due to the traffic jam. Yet, these museums are also benefited by the continual need of the resident to come and visit the trade centers nearby.

If the government can make these museums (not only the textile museums) be the oasis in the middle of these historical and active business districts, it would really help boosting their popularity.

The National Monument as the landmark of Jakarta is probably the most popular historical building as tourism object in Jakarta. According to the Office of Culture and Museums of the Province of DKI Jakarta, in the year 2006 the National Monument was visited by 664,212 visitors, while the Textile Museum only got 19,072 visitors. The number of visitors is far from the number of visitors who visited the most popular museum in Indonesia, the National Museum, which according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic Indonesia had 170,437 visitors in 2005 (in the same year the Textile Museum got 15,014 visitors as cited from the Province of DKI Jakarta’s data). The low numbers of visitors are still even better than faced by the some other museums such as the Maritime Museum, the 1945 Struggle Museum and MH Thamrin Museum, or the Onrust Archeological Park which did not even passed 10,000 visitors in the year 2006.

Visitor’s comfort is one important thing that is overlooked by the Textile Museum’s administrator. While searching in the tourism object in the internet we could gain information that we can take picture without flash, in the reality we are not granted to take any pictures without flash inside the building. So, the only token would be from the exterior of the buildings in the Textile Museum. The special permit is off course available with prior hierarchial arrangement, but for most public visitors it might be also one disadvantage factor to revisit the place.

Another discomforting fact that was encountered by the writer when visited the Textile Museum is the fact that a woman’s handbag is also forbidden to enter the main exhibition building. Under the security reason that was really acceptable, except that our bags were not really guarded. Coming out of the main exhibition there was no person guarding the bags put in an open shelf. Giving a locker facility will at least give a more secure feeling leaving your bag outside.

As someone unfamiliar with curatorial work and minimum requirement of the treatment of old textile, one can not really judge the minimum varieties or visual comfort displayed in the museum. Yet, it might be true that Indonesian public with the lack of knowledge on their valuable textiles would not see any reason to come back after the first visit.

On the other hand, people who do have the interest toward traditional textiles would find this place intriguing. In the center courtyard behind the main building, one can study the trees that helped Indonesian ancestors produced such beautiful colored textiles.

In another building that facilitate interested people with the facility to study how to make traditional textile such as batik, we can always find the interactive transferring of knowledge that also help the continuation of the traditional textiles.

It is also important for the media to promote these probably hidden activities, to take people’s attention to visit the place. Here, the local and international visitors are all in deep concentration toward the process of producing the beautiful pieces of art in cloth. Some international visitors are already tied to the place for years. They can become our best representatives outside the country in promoting the beauty of Indonesian textiles.

To gain a good remark of the Textile Museum image, it should combine all the efforts. It should include the willingness of the government administration to prioritize the Textile Museum as its central part in any urban planning decision in the Tanah Abang district. It would really enhance the existence of the Textile Museum as the jewel of Tanah Abang. And off course, to be one of the irresistible treasure to visit in Indonesia.

My other two cents

It is still a very busy month, I need to concentrate on the schooling program for the twins. Yet, I managed to write some more articles for wikimu.com.

Pondok Seafood, Wisata Kuliner Santai Bersama Keluarga
I am not really a culinary visitor. My favorite answer for eating out is usually "terserah..." means "up to you..." I wrote this culinary visit mostly because of the interior aspect of the restaurant. The sunken table surprised me, I knew the design "sunken bar" for swimming pool...but this is the first time I saw a "sunken table" approach. The overall of the design approach does help improve the quality of services.

Louis Braille, Membukakan Dunia Melalui Tulisan
Sometimes an older news unwritten can just popped out when I read another article. Louis Braille's day should be celebrated on January 4th, but Eric Shackle's article "Feb 12: A Date to Remember" made me wrote this article. I mixed it with the news of "celengan untuk sahabat" (piggybank for a friend).

Arjuna Ireng yang Dinanti-nanti
Arjuna is the name from the Mahabharata epic which also means bright, shining, or white. Yet, "Ireng" in Javanese dialect means black, or dark skinned. As a handsome hero, Arjuna is also very popular between girls. Indonesian girls would say that they are looking for their Arjuna when they are searching for the right Mr. X as their soul mates. This "Arjuna Ireng" is also very popular between woman and girls in my neighbourhood for his needlework services. I was a bit astonish that this simple man, without a high education can made up such a memorable "brand name". Supported by his humble and good service, he is surely offering his "brand name" as a quality service. As we, in Indonesia, are facing the general election...I think it nice to note down how he managed to link his "brand name" with his services. Hopefully those candidates, either for legislative or for the presidential run, will also remember that they are bearing their own name (or political party's branding) in exchange with their services after being elected.

Kontroversi Puyer dan Suara Hati Ibu
The controversy about compounding as a medical treatment made me write this article. This is a personal sharing after reading all the comment for an article that ask the media to stop stirring the controversy of compounding in wikimu.com. Treatment and medication are something that we, parents, seek for the best of our children. And of course we do need a good and trustworthy source of information. Yet, that is the real problem for us...to know which source of information is trustworthy. Doctor as one part of medical services are sometimes being commercial, not to mention the hospital. It is understandable as they are to think about marketing and income...but on the other side they should also remember the ethical code of their profession.

Searching an expert that we can really trust, and whose really going to help us seeking the best treatment is a real trial and error. It is so helpful to have the internet around. I've got a lot more of information about dyslexic problem from a mailing list, the moderator has her own blog; Julia van Tiel in multiply, and Gifted-disinkroni.

There are a lot of ideas popping up in my mind, yet I do need to make priority right now. My father is going to be operated this Thursday, my twins need a lot of support to pass their first grade, my eldest son needs a lot of supervising especially in his study and his online activity.

If I'm only thinking about myself, then blog is really worth writing. Yet, if I am thinking about sharing I think Citizen journalism is a better form. I hope that citizen journalism website and the mainstream media can enhance each other stance. It is worth noting that for some printed media they are becoming more interesting to read after their inquiry into blogs and citizen journalism websites. Citizen doesn't always have time to dig deeper into what they want to know, then it is the media who will provide it. How would they guess their audience's need? For a far bigger community...search the cyber world, attract them...and be engaged to your readers.

Jakarta Biennale 2009

Time is still my main obstacle to be able to go to places of my interests. A lot of events passed by without my ability to visit it...The event of Chinese Indonesian Heritage is one of my regrets.

I was lucky my appointment with my obgyn finished earlier than I thought so I can visit the Jakarta Biennale 2009 on its first public day. I would love to meet the artist the next day, but it was still too precious to wish...I still have a lot of duty to do...

Surprisingly another friend from wikimu already visited the exhibition, and he has some pictures about the exhibits that I mentioned in my article. So we collaborate our pictures...I'm not a very good photographer.

Yet, I'll share more pictures and my comment on the exhibition in this blog later.

Reporting the Kuark Science Competition 2009

It's easier to report as a citizen...
I don't try to contact the contact person from Kuark Magazine, but instead I just write all the interesting thing that I saw there. Perhaps as news it is not as complete as the journalistic news in the media, but it would worth sharing for parents, students, event organizer, and the Kuark magazine itself.

additional note (July 2009):
It is interesting to see that from all those students who win medals, from the first level to the third level (see the report here), only one student from Jakarta. There are some from Bekasi and Tangerang, but others are spread from Java to Bali. Outside Java and Bali, there is one from Medan, and several from Pontianak. Yet, the absolute medal only goes to one student in the first level from Pontianak, and one student in the second level from Surabaya. It should be an interesting fact for the National Examination (Ujian Negara).

Children can write poem too

Children can write poem too, and it would be nice to develop the talent through the event presented by the French Cultural Center (CCF). The winning poem will be performed together with Le Mime Bizot from France...an interesting offer!

Promoting Intisari

I've known Intisari for a very long time. My mother is still collecting her old Intisari from the 70s. Last month a reporter from this magazine e-mailed me asking an interview about my being a citizen reporter. He said he would focus on Ohmynews.com, so I was surprised to see that he is also writing about wikimu.com in his article.

Actually on the front page there is another article that took my interest...an article on Pusat Informasi Majapahit. I was collecting some news on Majapahit Information Center, so it gave me another view of the problem there...that's why I bought that magazine.

I asked readers of wikimu to read the article about citizen journalism in Intisari. It's not due to my being interviewed as an example of a citizen reporter (I prefer the word reporter than journalist...), but because I'm happy that citizen journalism in Indonesia would be interactive with conventional media and in the long run will give benefit to all the citizen, our country, and perhaps to the world.

An experiment with title

This is an experiment using a provocative title...using the Javanese dialect together with the English language "Over Sek..." sounded like "over sex", while actually the title is talking about the age of a woman over seket, or over fifty...

It received a lot of readers, while actually there is no important thing I shared inside...

Support WWF...be one of its supporters!

http://www.wikimu.com/News/DisplayHomeImage.aspx?id=711

Barack Obama everywhere

The 44th President of the United States, Barrack Obama, seems to take the global attention. Face Bookers are talking about him, medias are also talking about him...and some person who look like Obama are also showing up, from Miami (a Cuban immigrant), then from Honduras, and also from Indonesia...Ilham Anas. I found him through the daily journal for children "Berani", but on the internet amazingly I found him in the Vietnamese VN Express' news, and another blog shows the Malaysian newspaper, the Sun.

Hopefully the idea of change can be taken into a real account, then there would be more little Obama around the world...kids who would brave enough to dream about changing the world into a better world. It won't be just a resemblance of physical appearance, but the most important thing of all...the same vision of change!

A lot of expectation came on Obama's shoulders to carry on. A friend's blog also share his expectation or even how the world expects a new leadership style from Obama.

In another media, the Chinese lunar New Year made this media calculate his chinese horoscope. In an article "Year of the Ox Looking Very Un-Bullish", it is even predicted

"The new U.S. president is not having good luck this year. His honeymoon will only be short-lived," said fortuneteller Alion Yeo, predicting Obama may even face impeachment in his first year in office. "The Year of the Ox looks slightly better and less dire than last year, but it will still be bumpy."

Luckily, there is another opinion on that...

But Malaysian numerologist Weng Shi Ming suggested Obama's birth year would offset his bad luck. Weng said the symmetry of 1961 is "the perfect mix of ying and yang," rendering Obama "immune to the effects of 44."

I don't really want to know what his horoscope might say, but I do know that we do need to pray for him so the dream for the changing world can be taken into a reality, at least a new step into a better future...

A New Approach in the New Year

It seems a bit tiring to maintain both citizen journalism and blog, they are a bit different for me. CJ is my way of sharing news, while my blog is my online diary of being a citizen reporter. It would be easier for me to blog, but the value of the news would be a bit different... I would perhaps just write down all the new experience of life. But, then I would not be digging into more comprehensive information on the topic.

I wrote about my battling mind in seeking the essence of being a citizen reporter, in "Pewarta Warga: Pencarian Jati Diri (1)", and "Pewarta Warga: Pencarian Jati Diri (2)". Am I being more citizen or more journalist? Actually I've never thinking of myself as a journalist. I'm a citizen reporting through a citizen journalism website...

Time is the only obstacle right now. Having no assistant at home made it more difficult to work on articles these days.

Stepping into 2009: My End of the Year Reflection as a Citizen Reporter

Ending the year 2008 means that I've been diving in citizen journalism for almost two years. My end of the year reflection is about my being a citizen reporter. There are three part of articles; Refleksi Seorang Pewarta Warga di Penghujung 2008, Pewarta Warga: Pencarian Jati Diri (1), Pewarta Warga: Pencarian Jati Diri (2)

Yet, no time to translate it into English...And still no time to continue into the next article Pewarta Warga: Mencari Media yang Tepat.

It is still the same song about time management...
There are so much in my head...
Ready to pop out..
Blowing away my head into the horizon of the cyberspace...
Yet so many commitments are still awaiting me...
So real...so urgent...
Clinging to me not to loose me into the cyberworld...
Keeping me sane enough to realize my duty today...

Majapahit, the bitterness approach of reviving glory

Good intention is not always going the right way. Majapahit, the name came from the bitterness of the fruit named Maja. Yet, the good intention to revive the glorious achievement of Majapahit came through the wrong path.

It is nice to have the internet storing articles from the past edition. I found this article dated back from 2005.

Deserted historical site of past glories

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sat, 08/27/2005 10:31 AM | Life

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post/Mojokerto, East Java

Archeologists dream of turning Indonesia's biggest excavation site in Trowulan, East Java, into an education center and tourist destination as interesting as Borobudur and Prambanan.

Believed to be the center of the Majapahit kingdom from the 13th century to 15th century, the site reveals not only the past glory of Majapahit's ancient terra-cotta art, culture and political system, but also the roots of Javanese trade and agricultural history.

In 1985, a number of archeologists completed a book containing a master plan for the 99 square kilometer site.

Over the last 20 years some progress has been made at the site. However, the government has failed to play a major role in the project, leaving the site largely undeveloped. Although the government did form an agency to salvage the site, the agency was unable to accomplish much because of a severe lack of funding.

Research from 18th century

Research and restoration work at the Trowulan site dates back to the 18th century. The results of the first research were published in Raffles' History of Java in 1817.

History shows that the first work at the site was initiated by A.A Kromojoyo Adinegoro, the Mojokerto regent who in 1914 found the remnants of Candi Tikus (Tikus Temple).

Adinegoro also pioneered the development of a museum to house the Majapahit artifacts found in Trowulan. The museum, located in the town of Trowulan, has more than 84,000 pieces from all over East Java.

Another important figure in the Trowulan restoration was Henri Maclaine Pont, an architect who in the 1920s found a large pond that is believed to have been a reservoir in a Majapahit irrigation system. The pond is now known as Segaran Pond.

In a 1926 book written in Dutch, Pont gathered information on the ancient irrigation system in Trowulan, which he found had canals.

French historian Denys Lombard wrote in his tome about Java that although the Trowulan pond was not as large as the water reservoir in Angkor, Cambodia, it showed that the Javanese were using hydraulic systems for agriculture since as early as the 9th century.

Pont also led an excavation project in the mid-1920s, finding a number of artifacts now housed in Trowulan Museum.

The restoration has continued slowly over the years. Of more than a dozen structures -- temples, gates, tombs -- only five have been restored completely.

The five are the water reservoir, Kolam Segaran, a spring temple, Candi Tikus, the Candi Brahu cremation temple, Candi Bajang Ratu gate and the gate to Candi Wringin Lawang.

Slow pace of restoration

There are at least three buildings, Candi Gentong, Candi Minak Jinggo and Candi Kedaton, that are in the process of being restored. However, a lack of funds has slowed the work.

The excavation for Candi Kedaton's restoration has been stopped for about a decade, while the excavation for Candi Gentong is going on, but at a snail's pace.

Other sites also have gone through some restoration. Sadly, the work, although paved with good intentions, has removed the historical value of some of the sites.

For example, a place called Pendopo Agung is believed to be the former main hall of the palace. But a newly built structure glorifying the East Java Brawijaya Military Command now covers the place.

There is no trace of the former palace. Instead, the walls of the modern hall is filled with pictures of Brawijaya military commanders.

Separately, the ancient tomb Sitihinggil was ""restored"" in the 1960s, when some donors helped locals construct a new, modern building right on top of the terra-cotta brick foundation.

Sitihinggil has been for decades one of the main destinations for spiritual visits to Trowulan. Another destination is the tomb of Cempo Princess.

Locals say these two places can get crowded at night, when people gather to pray.

They come from around Java to ask for blessings, good luck or love.

Indeed, while very few tourists visiting Trowulan for its archeological treasures, a reasonable number of visitors come to Trowulan for religious or spiritual reasons.

One of the main destinations for religious tours is Troloyo Tomb, an early Islamic tomb from the Majapahit period.

Due to the number of visitors the local administration, once again with good intentions, constructed a large complex with little resemblance to the Majapahit architectural style.

Indonesian archeologists, once upon a time, had a dream, a faded and deserted dream, as lonely as the town and the museum.

Then a president and a minister would like to come as the one who revived the glory. The Majapahit Exhibition in the National Museum was very nice, but they would like people to come to visit the site...

I don't know the process of making this dream come true...but suddenly...

Govt ruined Majapahit artifacts

The Jakarta Post , JAKARTA | Thu, 01/15/2009 3:29 PM | Headlines

The government admitted Wednesday the construction of Majapahit Park in Trowulan, East Javaa project initiated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - has ruined ancient artifacts buried beneath the site, and announced a plan to relocate the park immediately.

Bowing to mounting public pressure, Minister for Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik told reporters in Jakarta that the decision had been reached after he and several senior archeologists and architects had spoken about the damages to artifacts of the ancient Majapahit kingdom on the site. "I swear, I never meant to destroy Indonesia's heritage by constructing the Majapahit Park. I just wanted to follow the presidential instruction to revive the civilization of the Majapahit Kingdom as our heritage and to introduce it to young people," he said.

The project, initiated by Yudhoyono in November 2008 to establish a public cultural center dedicated to the ancient Majapahit kingdom, which was at the height of its powers in the 13th century, is located on a 2,200 square-meter plot just north of the center of what was once Trowulanthe largest city in the kingdom.

A number of archeologists have said the park construction, which sunk support pillars into the ground, had destroyed ancient stones, walls and artifacts.

understand why the archeologists are mad at me. I'm also angry at the situation. This is human error and we have to fix it rather than blaming one another," Jero said.

"We have decided to relocate Majapahit Park to another area to prevent further damage to the artifacts."

Arya Abieta, a member of the team appointed to evaluate the damage, said the archeologists and architects working in the area had recommended that the park instead be developed on the edges of the historical site.

can use the area that has been heavily looted by locals. It will be safer than building on top of the remaining artifacts," Arya said.

The Trowulan site, located in Mojokerto, 70 kilometers southwest of Surabaya, East Java, was the site of tradition full-moon rituals during the golden era of the Majapahit Kingdom.

Long after the decline of the kingdom in 14th century, locals began to loot the palace and religious buildings, including Tikus Temple. Many artifacts have been stolen or destroyed.

"No one seemed to care much about this old city before the Majapahit Park project began. Now, every one seems to care, and this is good because we have to protect the Majapahit artifacts," Jero said. (naf)

As an architect my first reaction was asking "Weren't they doing the AMDAL procedure?", as they do need to go through AMDAL to start building on a site like Trowulan. The destruction is too precious if it is only to take public attention. The money spent should be quite a big sum already...why it is happened?

First of all, it is miscommunication. The owner of the project did not really know what they would like to present to the public. Then the architect chosen for this project worked as a drafter designing building without asking site inspection...or did a site inspection without getting the information on how precious an archeological site is...

Pusat Informasi Majapahit(PIM) was actually founded in 2007 according to this article from Mojokerto. Yet, between the two years of development into a very big leap of "the grandeur of Majapahit" in the form of a big project of "destruction".

The comment from the IAI Jabar mentioned in an article in Kompas.com is also worth noted, sometimes the project owner in Indonesia did not really respect the architect. It's the mentality of "I've got the money...and you should provide the drawing I need a.s.a.p..."

If there is one thing that I really hate here in Indonesia, then it is the reason "human error". Airplane crash, car accidents...all blamed to the human error, and now this project... There are human errors, but unprofessional error. The real owner of that project should be the archeologists and the local government of Mojokerto. The investor could be the Ministry for Culture and Tourism, and as the investor they should know why they are investing in that site...and how to get their investment worthwhile: by keeping its function!

Then come the unprofessional approach towards the project. Instead of digging into its function, those who involved in that project prefer to remake the grandeur of Majapahit by making a new grand building on the top of its spirit.

We don't want to blame anybody, and it is sad that the person who leaks this story should be removed from his post. But we should learn not to make a silly human error...

I was fascinated to see those bricks taken from Trowulan in the Majapahit Exhibition (unfortunately my photos are gone...perhaps it was gone when the virus came into my computer)...they were intact! Big sizes, and solid, not one of the red bricks we are seeing these days.

Perhaps it is just like what Christina Kreps,an American museum curator, said about Indonesian museums. Sometimes we do not value our artifacts as we think that they are common things, we do have it at home...use it, so it is not that "precious". I think that would be another story if we are talking about gold, perhaps that is why Rudy Badil talk about gold in daily Kompas.

Another reading:
http://www.pu.go.id/index.asp?link=Humas/news2003/ppw130109bcr.htm (bahasa Indonesia)

Obama has an interesting background

It seems that the Uncle Sam's new president has a very interesting background. I've just read this article from Yahoo News:

Obama's half brother performs in China
By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer William Foreman, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 16,

SHENZHEN, China – The news release didn't say who Mark Ndesandjo was. Nor did the posters and e-mails promoting the concert Friday in this southern Chinese boomtown where he played piano to raise money for orphans.

But the 200 or so people who showed up for the fundraiser at a posh hotel resort knew the man in a Chinese-style brown silk shirt was the half brother of President-elect Barack Obama. They had a rare encounter with Ndesandjo, who has been dodging the media since his family ties were made public last summer.

For the past seven years, Ndesandjo has been living in Shenzhen, a freewheeling city just across the border from Hong Kong. The announcement for his piano concert identified him as a strategic marketing consultant. He also helped start a chain of eateries in China called Cabin BBQ.

Ndesandjo has a thin mustache, shaved head and a gold stud in his left earlobe. He slightly resembles his half brother, and shares the same trim, athletic physique. He speaks Mandarin, is a vegetarian and practices Chinese calligraphy.

And he said Friday that he has just finished a novel called "Nairobi to Shenzhen," but as yet has no publisher.

Ndesandjo apparently wants a low-key life separate from Obama. No one mentioned his family when he was introduced at the charity concert and cocktail party sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.

During brief remarks on stage, Ndesandjo mentioned that he would visit the U.S. in a couple days, apparently to attend Tuesday's presidential inauguration. He said if he didn't make the trip in time, he would embarrass his family.

And he told the crowd that chamber president, Harley Seyedin, was fond of the president-elect. Ndesandjo added, "I like my president, too!" That was the closest he came to mentioning Barack Obama.

Ndesandjo's reluctance to play up his famous relative is extremely unusual in China, where people commonly name drop and use their connections to advance their interests. In China, relationships, or "guanxi," with powerful people are golden and rarely wasted in winning new business or opening other doors.

As his Chinese wife watched, Ndesandjo began his performance with a Chinese tune called "Liuyang River" followed by what he said was "Chopin's First Nocturne." His third and final piece was a jazz tune by Fats Waller called "Viper's Drag."

He played with passion, at times hunched over the keyboard or rocking back with his eyes closed and lips slightly parted in expressions of ectasy and agony.

His Chinese friend and restaurant business partner, Sui Zhenjun, said he has known Ndesandjo since he arrived in China in 2002.

"But it wasn't until July when media reports started surfacing about him being related to Obama that I found out they were related," he told The Associated Press. "He called and told me."

Ndesandjo declined to answer questions from the AP at Friday's concert. He wouldn't confirm basic details about his past or discuss his relationship with Obama.

He uses the surname of his mother, Ruth, the third wife of his father, who died in 1982. He was born in Kenya and moved to the United States when he was a child.

Footage from a Chinese TV news show posted on Youtube shows him practicing calligraphy at home and teaching children how to play the piano, praising them in Mandarin and English.

On Friday, he said he had visited a Shenzhen orphanage shortly after arriving in China and saw rows and rows of sleeping babies while a harried staff of two nurses tried to care for them.

"One child with big black eyes seized my finger and would not let it go," he told the crowd.

After the charity event, Ndesandjo chatted with friends and shook hands as he slowly walked out of the venue pursued by journalists hoping for a comment. He slipped into an elevator and continued to ignore questions as the door slowly closed.

So Obama is representing the new world, the world without border where family ties come between continents...

I pray that he'll be given wisdom and lots of luck, so hopefully we are going to a peaceful track...

Apakah Manusia Selalu Berubah?

Saya tidak terlalu mengenal Marco secara dekat, saya hanya ingat dia mahasiswa cemerlang yang mendapat beasiswa ke Leuven. Pertemuan pertama kami adalah di pertemuan Arsitek Muda Indonesia. Saat itu saya masih mahasiswi tingkat akhir. AMI sendiri baru dibentuk rasanya.

Kemudian saya bertemu lagi dengannya ketika membawa teman-teman Architecture Study Group dari Indonesian Heritage Society ke Wisma Danamon (sekarang jadi Sampoerna Building).

Ada beberapa kali kami bertemu, atau sekedar percakapan lewat e-mail. Mungkin juga sekarang dia tidak ingat lagi nama saya.

Tapi saya benar-benar terkejut membaca tulisan di milis Penulis Lepas

--- On Thu, 1/8/09, Satrio Arismunandar wrote:

Subject: Marco Ketua Dewan Kesenian Jakarta Mengusir Saut Situmorang dkk
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009, 10:53 PM

Jumat 19 Desember 2008 kira-kira jam 2 siang lebih. Saya Saut Situmorang, Wowok Hesti Prabowo dan Viddy A Daery masuk ke sebuah ruangan tempat diadakannya "mukernas" dewan kesenian se-Indonesia di hotel Sheraton Media Jakarta. Saya mendapat info bahwa mukernas tersebut akan membahas soal "dewan kesenian Indonesia" yang beberapa waktu dulu ide pembentukannya mendapat tentangan keras dari banyak seniman. Ide awal pembentukan dewan kesenian Indonesia tersebut, kata orang, berasal dari Ratna Sarumpaet dan dia hari itu akan memberikan pidato tanggapan atas idenya yang mungkin dia rasa dicuri orang itu. Sebuah acara menarik untuk ditonton, bukan? Di pintu masuk ruangan mukernas itu saya sempat disapa oleh seorang cewek yang bekerja untuk Dewan Kesenian Jakarta alias DKJ, yang merupakan tuan rumah mukernas. Di pintu masuk saya tidak melihat ada pengumuman "YANG TIDAK DIUNDANG DILARANG MASUK!".

Setelah
berada di dalam ruangan saya dipanggil oleh Iyut Fitrah kawan penyair dari Payakumbuh, Sumatera Barat. Dia minta saya duduk dekatnya. Saya pun pergi ke arahnya dan duduk di sebuah kursi di dekatnya. Begitu pula Wowok dan Viddy. Sambil ngomong-ngomong, saya bagikan jurnal keren "boemipoetra" yang segera saja beredar ke meja-meja para peserta mukernas. Saya juga melihat bekas adik kelas saya di Fakultas Sastra Universitas Sumatera Utara dulu, Jabatin, duduk di meja dekat saya itu dan saya pun menyapanya. Wowok kemudian berdiri dan mulai membagikan "boemipoetra" ke meja-meja di sudut lain ruangan. Saat itu Ratna Sarumpaet sudah berdiri di podium setelah
diundang untuk memberikan pidatonya.

Pada waktu itulah tiba-tiba saja terdengar suara seseorang berteriak membentak, "Wowok, keluar!!! Anda tidak diundang, keluar!!!" Begitulah kira-kira bunyi teriakan tersebut yang ternyata berasal dari mulut seseorang bernama Marco yang adalah ketua Dewan Kesenian Jakarta. Wowok merespon dengan mengatakan bahwa dia "diundang" oleh Ratna Sarumpaet. Ratna membenarkan waktu Sang Marco mengkonfirmasikanny a ke dia. Tentu saja peristiwa itu menciptakan suasana tegang. Para peserta pun nampak kaget heran kebingungan penasaran. What the fuck is going on? Saya yakin begitulah yang mereka gumamkan dalam gumaman mereka. Lalu tiba-tiba lagi suara tadi berteriak membentak lagi, "Saut, keluar!!! Saya tidak mengundang Anda, keluar!!!" Saya nyaris gemetaran mendengar bentakan yang kayaknya dikeluarkan pakek sinkang ala ilmu Auman Singa Kim-mo Say-ong Cia Sun dari kitab "Ie Thian To Liong" karya Chin Yung itu! Kemudian Sang Pangcu DKJ itu melambai-lambaikan jurnal
"boemipoetra" ke udara sambil berkata sesuatu seperti "Dilarang membagikan 'boemipoetra' di sini. Ini cuma berisi fitnah!". Untunglah berkat latihan Kiuyang Sinkang yang saya pelajari dari Bu Kie saya cepat memperolah ketenangan saya kembali dan segera menjawab Sang Pangcu DKJ itu, "Kalau benar jurnal 'boemipoetra' adalah fitnah, silahkan bawa kami ke pengadilan!" Di tengah-tengah keributan itu saya mendengar Ratna Sarumpaet berkata sesuatu seperti kenapa acara kesenian bisa jadi sekaku ini, atau yang mirip-mirip itu maksudnya. Lalu, entah dari mana nongolnya, seorang laki-laki bertampang sangar kayak "bouncer bar" di Selandia Baru sana mulai juga berteriak-teriak sambil berpidato di tengah ruangan bahwa dia akan membubarkan acara tersebut! Pokoknya penuh otoritas macam itulah. Saya gak kenal makhluk
aneh ini tapi Wowok kemudian di taxi mengatakan dia itu orang DKJ juga. Karena bosan mendengar retorika kekuasaannya itu saya berdiri dan mengajak Wowok dan Viddy untuk keluar saja dari hiruk-pikuk drama kekuasaan Dewan Kesenian Jakarta tersebut. Banyak juga ternyata peserta dari dewan kesenian se-Indonesia di situ yang keluar ruangan. Waktu saya mulai beranjak dari tempat duduk saya itulah Sang Marco, sambil tetap teriak-teriak, mendatangai saya dan tiba-tiba saja memegang lengan kiri saya. Tentu saja secara spontan ilmu Kiankun Taylo-ie Sinkang dari Bengkaw yang juga saya warisi dari suhu Bu Kie bereaksi cepat dan saya tampar tangan jahat yang penuh racun itu! Dia nampak kaget jugak rupanya, hahaha... Tapi dia tidak melakukan apa-apa lagi dan kami bertiga pun keluar dari ruangan pibu itu dengan penuh kemenangan.

Di luar, seorang kawan dari Jawa
Tengah yang juga salah seorang peserta mukernas tersebut menghampiri dan menyalami kami. Oiya, di luar itu saya juga tidak melihat ada pengumuman, "DILARANG MEMBAGIKAN 'BOEMIPOETRA' DI DALAM RUANGAN!"

Bagaimana ya seandainya yang kami bagikan itu adalah majalah "Kalam" milik Teater Utan Kayu? Apa kami akan mendapat perlakuan yang sangat premanis, ketimbang Pramis, begitu? Siapa sebenarnya yang direpresentasikan Marco dan Dewan Kesenian Jakarta-nya di acara dewan kesenian se-Indonesia tersebut? Lucunya lagi, waktu dia membuat kericuhan di acara dewan kesenian se-Indonesia itu, tidak pernah sekalipun dia menanyakan pendapat para peserta mukernas soal "kehadiran" kami, apa mereka keberatan atau tidak! Menurut SMS seorang kawan yang juga peserta "diundang" acara, setelah kami bertiga keluar ruangan, para peserta dipaksa untuk "mengembalikan" kepada DKJ jurnal "boemipoetra" yang sedang dibaca
para peserta tersebut! Banyak juga, kata kawan tersebut, yang tidak bersedia "mengembalikan" jurnal keren kami itu, hahaha...

Oiya, ada yang bilang (saya tidak tahu benar atau salah karena saya sendiri tidak diundang juga, hehehe...) ada yang bilang bahwa para peserta mukernas dewan kesenian se-Indonesia itu dibawa Marco dan DKJ-nya makan malam di Salihara, hahaha...

Saut Situmorang

http://www.facebook .com/profile. php?id=554828232 &ref=name
http://sautsitumora ng.multiply. com/

-During times of universal deceit,
telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act
(George Orwell)

Apa iya Marco bisa seperti itu? Ada apa di balik kejadian ini?
Berjuang di dalam sistem terkadang memang menyesakkan, dan butuh ketangguhan lebih untuk tetap bertahan waras di dalamnya. Mungkin saya kurang mengenal Marco, tapi rasanya dia tidak memiliki sifat kasar seperti itu...

Sebenarnya saya mengharapkan lebih dari seorang Marco. Tadinya saya pikir dia akan meneruskan perjuangan pak Bian Poen dalam bidang tata kota.

Terlepas dari Marco, saya juga jadi bertanya-tanya ada apa dengan DKJ, sejak masalah lukisan yang heboh itu sepertinya masalah antara seniman dan DKJ tidak juga tuntas.
Kesenian Indonesia sebenarnya sebuah mutiara yang perlu diasah, dan diperkenalkan dengan profesional. Sayang sekali kalau akhirnya hancur hanya karena pengasahnya tumpul saling beradu.

Ketika saya bertanya dalam hati, apakah Marco demikian berubah? Orang yang tampak santun bisa berubah dalam kurun waktu yang berlalu? Atau memang manusia selalu berubah? Tergantung situasi dan kondisi yang melatar belakangi kehidupannya? Atau mungkin juga manusia justru tidak pernah berubah? Sejak dahulu bangsa ini terkalahkan karena politik adu domba. Kalau kita masih selalu mengedepankan pertengkaran dan bukannya komunikasi maka kita mungkin tidak pernah berubah...reformasi yang didengungkan bisa jadi hanya sekedar mengembalikan bentuk ke masa silam dimana pertengkaran dan ketidak-rukunan yang menjadi tuan.

New Year's Wish...is it for all?

An interesting e-card comes to my inbox today...touching, very familiar here in Indonesia...



If you can't read the reading on the wall, it is "Merry Crisis, and a Happy New Fear"

New Year for those who are living in Gaza is also another sad story...
I do hope that we are going to have a better future.
On the afternoon of December 30, 2008, I saw the rainbow over the mountain...
Rainbow is something rarely seen in the big city recently
The symbol of God's commitment to human kind...



Hope it is also offering hopes for the days to come...hopefully for everybody.

Stepping into 2009 (2): Family

One thing that is very important in one's life is probably his/her family. At least that is how it works for me.

My grandmother (from my mom) passed away last October, so this is the first New Year we celebrate without her. This year my parents went to Puncak, I joined them, and we came back after New Year. Before, we went out of town either before or after the New Year, as we were respecting her and would like to join together on the first day of the new year.

My parents usually go to the church on Christmas' eve, so we do not have that Christmas family dinner. I went with them when I was still living with them, although there were also times I went with friends. After having my own kids, I used to go for a children Christmas' mass in the morning, then joining the family Christmas' lunch. We don't have a special boxing day, it would be between Christmas and the several days after New Year. It depends on the ability to gather all the family members, especially those who are playing 'santa'. It's not that we'll see a santa costume, but there are some family members who always prepare Christmas presents...we call those who prepare presents for all of us as 'Santa'. It's not exchanging presents, but rather continuing the tradition of our childhood happiness in receiving Christmas presents. Children are the focus of this activity.

Last year, one of my friends was also called back Home by her Creator. Her children are still very young, but we do believe that God has His own plan.

Another cyber friend lost his wife after 45 years sharing the up and down of life together. He used to put pictures taken by his wife in his article in OMNI. I used to admire those pictures...So we'll both be missing her.

Collected memories taken from those who were left behind made me realized how important to share the quality time together to be able to have unforgettable moments together.

Last month, my father was told that he had prostate cancer, stadium II. Luckily it is not spreading to the bone yet, but the gleason score is already 6...the upper limit for the low risk cancer. We are still discussing the best treatment he would take. We are also collecting information about treatment and side effects. The internet is really being helpful in gathering informations.

The special moment of this end of the year and the beginning of the new year was a wonderful family time together. Smaller family exactly, as my brothers did not join us.

Spending quality time together with family is something priceless in this era of financial difficulties, yet it would be something more precious than anything in the end.

When my grandma (from my father) passed away years ago, I was regretting my quality time with my family as I was busy with works. Yet, now...without full time work...it is still a struggling effort to provide quality time for my family (in Indonesia, the word family is always belong to the whole big family).

I do hope to be able to provide a better quality time with my whole family...Yet, first, as Reda Gaudiamo, a writer, said: "A healthy mother makes a healthy family, and a happy mother grows a happy family...". Hope that I'm strong and wise enough to be that happy and healthy mom.

(With prayers for my whole family, my friends, and also for those families in Gaza who are living far from happiness at this moment; Dear God please give us a wonderful family time together...receive our beloved family and friends in Your Eternal Love, amen.)