Owner: An Ethereal Shard URL:http://foreignprophecies.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 02:51:23 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: This is a personal blog of a male Scorpio Indonesian American who likes to discuss his personal life, together with his interests world politics, linguistics, current affairs, climate change, and heaps of other stuff about Indonesia, Japan, and USA. Site statistics:Click here
“Atonement” movie review 2008-04-14 05:31:03 First of all, I must remind you that if you hadn’t watched this movie
yet, I suggest you to skip reading this blog entry altogether since this movie is very worth watching. I promise you, you won’t waste your money on watching this movie.I had known that this movie was adapted from a novel of the same title. Thank God I didn’t have enough spare time to read it, because I know that if I had, I would’ve been as enraptured as I had in watching Atonement yesterday.~~Spoiler starts here~~The storyline of this Atonement movie was indeed one of the most shocking I’ve ever encountered this far. And I choose to say it as “shocking” and not “thrilling” or “suspenseful” or even “tense” because those 3 last adjectives could be misused if they were used to describe this movie! Read more:review
“Ayat-ayat Cinta” book review: The beauty of love, tragedy, and hope 2008-04-15 07:17:15 Please tell me, how can love be so beautiful? Reading romance stuff has never been my thing, because I always prefer penning my own love sonnets myself, but truly there is a lot more to expect in the Indonesian-language book “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” (Verses of Love). If you haven’t read the book yourself, I strongly suggest you against continue reading this blog entry because there will be a lot of spoilers ahead. It is going to be translated into English soon (by its own author Habiburrahman El Shirazy), so I think the patience to wait the English version would be quite worthwhile. To be noted here, I’m writing this review
out of pure amazement of the entire story because, as some of you my blog readers might have known, I’m an outsider. And I haven’t watched the movie yet, wh Read more:book review
Noah’s flood: Impact of the First Global Warming? 2008-04-18 00:31:54 Genesis 6:17, 7:17 For truly, I will send a great flow of waters over the earth, for the destruction from under the heaven of all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything on the earth will come to an end...... And for forty days the waters were over all the earth; and the waters were increased so that [Noah’s] ark was lifted up high over the earth.....Sura Hud (11:37)Build the ship under Our eyes and by Our inspiration, and speak not unto Me on behalf of those who do wrong. Lo! they will be drowned.Both the Biblical and Quranic quotation above were taken from the Noah’s deluge story. And that flood
happened thousands of years ago. However, don’t any of you feel that story is a bit too familiar to the adversity we’re about to face in another 50 years or so? I don’t need Read more:First
, Global
, Global Warming
Unshaven moustache and beard 2008-04-17 09:30:14 I’m really not in the mood to shave my facial hairs these days. Partially due to my indifference to some of my own aesthetic concerns and the other due to my own curiosity of how I look like with all these facial hairs. I firstly thought I’d look shabbier in person with both these moustache and beard
untrimmed. But recently, I’m starting to see how I actually do look better this way, hahaha… I look more manly and more mature now. It’s perhaps unfortunate that, I must admit here, the real me isn’t a very mature young man to begin with. I still have a lot to learn…..
Virginity for guys... Is it important? 2008-04-18 21:44:56 It is important.I couldn't help wondering why is the world society still so male-chauvinistic these days, with all the indifference towards the fact whether a guy is still virgin or not before he gets married.I've always been a liberal in my political stance, but I prefer to be conservative on this issue:Virginity is important for guys at my age (of 18) and for as long as he's still unmarried. Premarital sex sucks!And I don't support abortion. Abortion equals murder.
When President Bush shed tears 2008-04-18 21:32:27 Picture courtesy of U.S. Department of Art & TechnologyIn both Indonesian and English language, there is an Idiom of "menangis air mata buaya" (shedding crocodile tears), which means to pretend that you feel sad or sorry about something.I'm not commenting anything about Bush's crying here, except for the fact that the picture above doesn't look emotional enough to me. Oh please, is he casting for a Korean soap opera or something? clipped from blogs.abcnews.comBush Emotional at Medal Ceremony for Fallen Navy SEALApril 08, 2008 6:29 PM ABC's Jennifer Duck reports: Clearly choked up, and at times wiping away his own tears, President
Bush awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously at the White House Tueday to Navy SEAL Petty Officer Michael Monsoor, who was killed in Iraq in September of 20
The difference between the flag of Indonesia and the flag of Monaco 2008-04-19 20:29:14 The proper English adjective for “flag of Monaco
” would be “Monégasque flag”, but such a term would be quite unfamiliar to most beginners of English, hence the title. Now, let me ask you here: Are you Indonesia
n? If you answer yes to the question above, then please answer the question below correctly: What is the difference
between the Indonesian flag and the Monégasque flag? If you answer “they’re the same” to that question, then shame on you. Your six years in SD obviously have been wasted. Haha, just kidding. Here, let me tell you the difference between them in case you don’t know: The ratio of width:length in the Indonesian flag is 2:3, while The ratio of width:length in the Monégasque flag is 4:5. Apart from that ratio alone, they look quite identical from
Why horror movies are better watched after sunset 2008-04-20 22:52:00 Let me make it clear here: I’ve never been a fan of horrormovies
, nor do I have any tendencies to like dark stuff like Goth freaks, psychopaths, ghosts, vampires or whatsoever. However, once in a while I’m always in for a challenge; a challenge to see how much I can cope with a horror flick. The scariest movie I’ve ever watched was Pet Sematary, which was about –what else— Pet cemetery. I guess they should’ve put a “[sic]” sign beside the movie title, just like Jane Austen’s Love and Freindship which goes noticed-yet-neglected for centuries. No wonder the young generation nowadays is so poor in their spellings. Now let’s get back to the main topic. I choose to say that horror movies are better
watched after sunset because –as my logic goes— if you watch it in t
Indonesian Corruption Watch website hacked by a pro-Kosovan independence 2008-04-20 19:50:08 Just found this hacked website
during my morning tea this morning (21st April, 0.00 GMT).IndonesianCorruption
Watch website hacked by a pro-Kosovan independenceCuriously enough, I don't recall the Indonesian President SBY having ever made an official statement regarding Indonesia's stand towards Kosovo's independence.Indonesia is neutral on that issue.So why are Kosovans hacking the Indonesian website? I think it's quite possible that the hackers themselves aren't politically motivated to begin with.And we Indonesian netizens are starting to see how deeply flawed the Indonesian network security is, with all the ease to hack them at will.
Day 3: The travel to Tomohon 2008-04-22 05:43:09 ~This is part of the Minahasa-Sangihe Chronicle. Date of journal: Sunday, 9 March 2008 ~ (My deepest apologies everyone, this blog post is not yet finished....)Seriously, even till this day I still couldn’t believe meeting an old schoolfriend from SD Don Bosco (Pondok Indah, Jakarta)…. in Manado. The world is indeed a small place. Hence on the Sunday morning, Uncle R and I went for the morning mass at the newly-built Manado Cathedral (which ended at 9 AM) and from 9 onwards I parted with Uncle R as he chose to stay in the hotel room. Then I went with Cecep –who had been waiting in front of the chapel across the street— for the walk around the town. We walked from Cathedral to the Manado Boulevard (which wasn’t located far away) and walked for as many kilometres as I cou
Random clobbers and the beauty of façade 2008-04-22 15:39:11 As a commemoration of my 300th blog entry today, I have removed several potentially libelous blog entries I’ve posted in the last couple of months in regards to the recently passed controversial Internet and Electronic bill, which had the support of less than 1% of Indonesian bloggers . No wonder. Most of us bloggers couldn’t speak out very much for ourselves these days, which is exactly the reason why I’ve been circulating out protests by using a list of e-mails that a top blogger has provided. Our works have kinda become semi-underground now, and let's just hope there won’t be any neo-Che Guevara suddenly springing up of nowhere.There are also two blog entries I have removed in order to save myself from embarrassment. If you have been a loyal reader of this blog for more than a Read more:Random
English is better than Bahasa Indonesia? No way! 2008-04-27 21:06:35 Whether you realise it or not, if you’re an Indonesia
n and you love this blog, chances are high that you agree to the statement that says “English
is more superior than Bahasa
Indonesia”. Not that I’m stereotyping all Indonesians here. Because honestly I used to think that way too, until I finally reached a conclusion that all languages are equal before God. Just like race, religion, or sex, language is simply a cultural feature that could be used to trace the historical aspects of a particular society. Hence, since each culture in the world has their positive and negative traits, I do believe that there is no such thing called “the superiority of language”. In direct contrast to the French, I have known fellow Indonesians to be “unproud” of their own language. They thin Read more:better
The songs I listen to 2008-04-27 10:44:41 Whenever I’m feeling down, I listen to Avril. Whenever I’m feeling cheerful, I listen to Corrine May. When I’m having a normal day, it’s either Coldplay or John Mayer or Jack Johnson. But over the last couple of days, I listen to ALL of them at one straight shot. Ugh… All this mood swing is sickening me.Ehm.Please forgive me for all this emotional crap. I know I should’ve shown a more professional attitude in this English blog. And I shouldn’t be treating this blog like a stepchild. It’s my other journal that I should treat as such. But strangely enough, my friends are much more interested in my other journal. They say that my personal writings are the things that they could relate to, hence all the interest. Some even have suggested redirecting their blogroll to th Read more:songs
My first visit to Starbucks 2008-04-29 08:08:47 Holland V, Singapore, February 2005 (The era before Starbucks
first appeared in Indonesia)Source: Uncyclopedia“Starbucks? What’s that?” I asked my Indonesian friends. They seemed clueless. Then one said, “Some kind of a café. I heard they serve nice coffee there.” Oh great, I said to myself. Some came inside, some stayed outside. Those who stayed out were not necessarily coffee-allergic like me. But rather, they were disheartened by the overpriced stuff that the café serves. That was well-nigh my first visit
to Starbucks.Source: Wikipedia Plaza Indonesia, Jakarta, November 2007 Almost three years later, I finally stepped my foot to embark on a “journey” entering that place. It was in Plaza Indonesia with my buddy Ford. Gosh, it reeked of coffee. I must admit, coffee
Freud, Mraz, and all the wonders they bring 2008-04-29 07:47:01 If there is a poll to nominate the scariest person ever lived, I wouldn’t choose Hitler. No I wouldn’t. I would instead choose Sigmund Freud
, the Austrian psychologist well-known for his sickening theories. Not that it’s a bad thing though. I just wondered how such theories sprung up in his mind. Perhaps he suffered from those disorders himself, eh? If you don’t know who Freud is, I suggest you to open the hyperlink above and read the whole article thoroughly before commenting anything negative about my opinion of him. Another person that brings me wonders is Jason Mraz, an American singer-songwriter whose songs need neverendingbreathswithoutanyspacesorhaltsorwhatsoeverjustlikethis. It is a curious thing to figure out how he manages to carry those songs on stage. Does he always
Because I still like you 2008-04-29 07:46:20 I composed these two stuff today (26 Apr 2008)Because I just can't forget her...*sigh*poemPerhaps you read thisperhaps you don'tbut I want you to knowthat I still like youYou may be sloppyyou may be sillybut behind those I see funnyI could find your true beautyYou brighten me upwith your lovely smileand your casual SMSeswhich make my day worthwhileBecause after all this timeyou've fallen for another guyI just want you to knowthat I still like youI'll always be there for youwhen you're in doubtwhen you're in painwhen you're in confusionBecause even if it should take yearsfor us to remain "as friends"I'll wait patiently for youtill you see me in a new lightproseYes, I couldn't forget you.Perhaps you don't know who you are. Of course you don't.Because I'm doing my best not to show you my true
“Sempurna” song 2008-04-30 18:42:19 I just love this song. Most guys seem to think that the original version sung by Andra&The Backbones is the better one, but I disagree with them. Gita Gutawa is the better singer. And do you know that Gita Gutawa has sung two versions of this song? She has a faster version apart from that famously slow Sempurna. Here is the video of the slower one.
SLTP Materdei Pamulang, the snobbish school 2008-04-30 09:55:59 This happened today (30/4). There were 2 guards in the school security post. Me: Excuse me Sir, I’d like to ask where the Admin room is.. Guard 1: [smiling] For what purpose do you come here, boy? Me: I want to pay my sister’s admission fee to this school Guard 2: [scrutinizing me] But your attire? Me: What do you mean? Guard 1: You see, this school has a policy of not allowing anyone with shorts and sandals coming inside. Me: Oh, why is that? Guard 2: It’s the school rule, boy. Me: [putting up an asking-for-pity look] But I just want to pay school admission fee… It won’t take long! Guard 2: [raised his voice, but kept smiling] Sorry boy, but how could you come into a school without a long pants and shoes? That’s already against the norm, you know… Guard 1: [also s
List of non-flood-affected areas in Jakarta 2008-04-30 00:11:58 Here is a list of subdistricts (kecamatan) in Jakarta
not affected by the flood
(data is true as of early 2008). Central Jakarta: East and West Cempaka Putih, Menteng and Kampung Rawa. West Jakarta: Kamal, Kalideres, Kemanggisan, Kelapa Dua, North Sukabumi, Jelambar and Keagungan. South Jakarta: East and West Tebet, Kebon Baru, Pasar Minggu, Jagakarsa, Selong and North Gandaria. East Jakarta: South Utan Kayu, Pondok Kelapa, Batu Ampar, Kebon Pala, Gedong, Rambutan, Susukan, Ciracas, Kelapa Dua Wetan and Cibubur. North Jakarta: — Source: The Jakarta Post
Read more:areas
Roads in Jakarta that may flood during heavy rain 2008-04-30 00:11:07 I hope all of you Jakarta
ns find this helpful in navigating your way thru this urban jungle (^_^) South Jakarta 1. Jl. Jend. Sudirman, near the National Education Ministry building 2. Pasar Ciputat traditional market 3. Kemang Bawah area 4. Jl. Fatmawati, heading toward Cilandak Town Square 5. Jl. Rasuna Said, in front of Health Ministry building 6. Jl. Rasuna Said, in front of the Setiabudi building 7. Jl. Gatot Subroto, heading toward the Kuningan traffic lights 8. Jl. Gatot Subroto, in front of the Traffic Management Centre building 9. Along Jl. Mampang-Prapatan, heading to the south 10. Jl. Jend. Sudirman, near the Semanggi tunnel East Jakarta 1. Cawang, in front of the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) 2. Cawang roundabout 3. Jl. Perindustrian Halim Baru 4. In fron Read more:flood
, Roads
My internet addiction 2008-05-01 21:32:49 I just realised that I have a problem. And it’s probably the same with what you’re facing too. Let me go back in time a little bit. Back in 2000, when I was first introduced to the wonders of internet (in a Computer course in Blok M district of South Jakarta), the concept of internet seemed very foreign to me. Internet seemed more like a “software that I could play” instead of a “means of connecting to the rest of the world”. Such a point of view was understandable, considering that I was still 11 at the time. When my family moved to Bali in 2002, I started to get hooked up with downloading wallpapers and playing the online game Runescape that a friend introduced me. But it didn’t go for an addiction
yet, because I thought back then that an average of two hours internet a
Which one is the right figure of Indonesian population: 220 million or 240 million? 2008-05-01 09:25:33 Often times, international statistics are seen as putting the number of Indonesian
population as 240 million
something. The current figure
is estimated to be between 235 to 243 million people. However, Indonesian government officials (such as when they are quoted by the media), always choose to put the number of Indonesian population at 220 million something. Census inaccuracy is definitely out of question, since the gap between 22,000,000 and 240,000,000 is definitely a large one. So, why is there such a large gap? Which one of those two is closer to the truth?
Inappropriately dressed at church? 2008-05-04 07:25:56 She wore a miniskirt. Being an open pew-less church, it pretty much showed a lot of “information” for all to see when she walked around. It would be more understandable if she was a teenager my age, you know, given the freedom of choice of what kind of dress to wear. But the thing is, she’s still a kid. I guesstimate that she’s around 6 or something. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I have pedophiliac tendencies here. Rather, I wanna pose a question: What are her parents thinking, dressing up their daughter like that for a mass? They’re giving their kid such a garb to wear, and let her wear it to the church? Geez. Christians are well notorious when it comes to what kind of dress code to wear to their place worship. Our Muslim brothers and sisters wear polite white atti
Inappropriate dress at church and The irony of TelkomSpeedy 2008-05-04 22:39:27 She wore a miniskirt. Being an open pew-less church, it pretty much showed a lot of “information” for all to see when she walked around. It would be more understandable if she was a teenager my age, you know, given the freedom of choice of what kind of dress
to wear. But the thing is, she’s still a kid. I guesstimate that she’s around 6 or something. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I have pedophiliac tendencies here. Rather, I wanna pose a question: What are her parents thinking, dressing up their daughter like that for a mass? They’re giving their kid such a garb to wear, and let her wear it to the church? Geez. Christians are well notorious when it comes to what kind of dress code to wear to their place worship. Our Muslim brothers and sisters wear polite white atti
Indo-lyric: Sempurna (Gita Gutawa / Andra&The Backbones) 2008-05-07 08:31:11 English translation: Flawless by Gita Gutawa/Andra&The Backbones Flawless You are so flawless In my eyes you are so precious You make me Always adore you On each of my step I will always think of you I couldn’t imagine my life without your life * Don’t you ever leave me I couldn’t ever face all of this Only with you I could Reff: You are my blood You are my heart You are my life Make my life wholesome Oh my dear, you are so Flawless.. FlawlessYou hold my hands When I was weak and fell You whispered me the words and erase my regrets Back to * Original lyric in Indonesian: Sempurna Kau begitu sempurnaDimataku kau begitu indahkau membuat dirikuakan slalu memujamuDisetiap langkahkuKukan slalu memikirkan dirimuTak bisa kubayangkan hidupku tan
When you’re in the middle of nowhere in the ocean and no help is around… 2008-05-07 04:00:00 Do not take off your clothes! Seriously, if you think that your clothes pull your body down as a weight, think again. You may not be able to swim, but at least those clothes could help keeping your body warm for a certain time. And do you know that, statistically speaking, the chances of a non-swimmer to drown (in case of a ship accident) are much less than the chances of a swimmer? It is logical enough, considering that non-swimmers are more likely to take the lifebuoy than swimmers. Most swimmers think that being able to swim fast in the Olympic pool is everything, hence their snobbish attitude in refusing the lifebuoys. But they surely don’t know that, in the middle
of the ocean, it could be at least 100 kilometres away from the nearest land. And no man could ever swim such a dis
Unsafe Parking Structures in Jakarta 2008-05-09 10:36:52 Data is true as of early 2008. 1. PD Pasar Jaya, Tanah Abang market, Building A, B, D, E and F Central Jakarta
2. PT Senayan Trikarya Sempana Plaza Senayan Central Jakarta 3. Sethyabakti Maya Persada QQ State Secretariat, Boulevard Apartment Jl. Kompleks Kemayoran Blok A1 No.2 Central Jakarta 4. PT Ravindo Bangun Persada Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 75 Central Jakarta 5. Prasada Sasana Karya Jl. Suryo Pranoto No.8 Central Jakarta 6. PT Duta Pertiwi PT Pasific Corponusa Jl. P. Jayakarta No. 73A, Central Jakarta 7. Islamic Boarding School South Jakarta 8. PT Wisata Citra Legian City Plaza Jl. K.H. Abdul Rochim No.9 South Jakarta Source: Jakarta Property Management and Control Agency
Read more:Parking
, Structures
Papuans should speak out for themselves 2008-05-08 10:22:05 I have just recently found out that Papua (the western part of the island which belongs to the Indonesian sovereignty) is one of the six regions on earth where foreign reporters are not allowed to enter. Why should there be such a ban? This is the 21st century, for God’s sake! Papuans, if you want your plights to be heard, you should speak
out for yourselves. It is useless to put up high hopes on those people. They won’t hear you, because the reporters aren’t allowed to cover your stories at all….
Read more:themselves
The Jakarta Post seminar on Indonesian Education 2008-05-10 11:20:22 The signboard in front of the venueOutside the venueThis free seminar on Indonesian
education, entitled “Enlightening the Life of the Nation” was to commemorate both May as the Month of National Awakening in Indonesia, and coincides a week after the Silver Jubilee celebration of The Jakarta
Post. It was held yesterday (9 May) in Hotel Mulia in the Senayan, South Jakarta, and the registration for all attendees was opened from 8.30 to 9.00 in Ballroom 1.Inside the ballroomMinutes before the seminar started At around 9, the event was opened by an introductory speech of Jusuf Wanandi, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Jakarta Post.View of the audienceAnother view of the audience The event started with the first session which was about “Comparing Notes – The Experien Read more:Education
The term “Perek” as used by Indonesians in Singapore 2008-05-12 02:44:21 Don’t hold your breath. The term I’ve just mentioned in the title today is not a vulgar word. It’s not even a euphemism. Let me tell you my story. The first time I heard of this term was from my senior who was about to sell me his used textbook. He lent me a sample of the textbook that belonged to his PRC friend. He told me, “be careful with that book, it belongs to my Perek ro Read more:Indonesians
, Singapore
Recommend Site To A Friend
