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
A Jakarta Life 2008-03-09 05:39:59 By Toshihiko AtsuyamaWritten on 6 July 2007Poem title: A Jakarta
LifeI hope one day my capital follows TokyoYet I know there’s much to goSoccer events turn debacleHouses drowned in 5-year cycleCondos adjacent to the slumsDemos unheard by the leaders’ humsUnderpass constructionsMonorail delayTraffic congestionsStress out my day…
Cheers of tranquility 2008-03-06 01:10:04 If only Nin (my grandma) were alive today, she would be 72 by now. How I sorely miss her...My bags are up and now I’m ready for a first-time flight to Menado city of North Sulawesi tomorrow morning (they used to call it Manado before reverting it to the original name), and from there I’ll be taking a trip to one or two islands by the infamous ship that most cynics like to call kaleng kerupuk (cracker jar). So the Balinese Hindus (and everyone else in Bali) are having their monstrous ogoh-ogoh papier-mache dolls burnt this evening, and it is unfortunate that I couldn’t be there this time round. I had enjoyed the days off (and the pitch darkness too) during my two years of stay there in 2002 and 2003. In my Singapore days, Nyepi went unnoticed, and even my Balinese roommate chose to Read more:Cheers
If Yahoo and Google “get married” 2008-03-05 21:37:24 Last month, BòóN posted this interesting snapshot he found:Quite diverting. He wished Yahoo
and Google
could merge, so that we (meaning; ordinary internet users like you and me) could enjoy this whole “Yagoohoogle” experience without all the hassles of having to switch between one and the other. Most of us here (especially those who frequent Jeremy Wagstaff’s blog) know how enjoyable using Gmail is, but unfortunately, his brother Picasa (who also belongs to the Mr G’s gang) doesn’t give us a similar impression. I am even tempted to say out loud how thrifty Mr G is, only allowing a limited storage of 1 GB for us freebie-lovers despite his claim of growing Gmail storage everyday… Miss Y! on the other hand is much more magnanimous with her Flickr allowance of 100 MB monthly for Read more:married
A new blog as a receptacle for my personal materials 2008-03-03 23:55:29 In an effort to gain a wider readership for this blog for internet users inside and outside Indonesia alike, I have finally taken a new step towards eliminating all my personal-related writings in this blog (such as those titled “My Girlfriend Ditched Me” or “The Dog Ate My Homework” or “The Homework Ate My Dog” or “whatever lah”) and moved them to another blog instead. The new blog, which is written in 100% Indonesian, is not going to have any contents worthy of reading, despite still being open to public. There is no need to google it; that blog is not even listed in Technorati, nor am I ever going to submit it to any other blog aggregators, as I do not want anybody else apart from my close friends to read it. I want to focus this An Ethereal Shard blog for writings tha
Referees of differing continents 2008-03-03 21:50:52 I never stopped wondering why this idea has never struck FIFA or any other bigwig sport associations in the world: why do they sometimes put referees who are of the same cultural roots with one of the countries playing in a match? An obvious example is like one of the Asian cup matches we had here in Indonesia several months ago, when the match had an Arabic Emirat referee presiding over “Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia” match. Indonesia lost that match, and many Indonesians were unsatisfied with the result, citing the Arabic referee being biased as one of the main reasons. Of course, it’s not that particular Indonesian match that I’m going to defend here. One thing that should be obvious is that we should have sport matches being presided over by referee who don’t share the same nat
Britney: Now and Then 2008-03-03 21:46:23 I used to think that Britney
was a babe, you know; being hot and everything. Her debut performance in “Oops! I did it again” was indeed a lusciously naïve one, showing a total hottie draped in a school uniform… It was so kinky. But now, seeing her abandoning her child, getting in and out of wedlocks so easily, and being hospitalized like that…? Man, she is totally NOT hot. Ugh. Don’t let me be the last to puke...
Indonesia's Hilarious English 2008-03-03 05:42:58 Found this on an internet forum a little while ago... It's supposed to be read as: STIE As-Sholeh, but apparently it has another reading. Figure it out yourself.No wonder the Anti-Drug Campaign in Indonesia
has been to almost no avail, even the government (of Gianyar, Bali) warns people to HIDE their Drugs!"If Not Now More When?" sounds more like a Greek sentence to me. No wonder they didn't get their message across. Perhaps anyone could help translate their message?This one, which is found in Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta's International Airport, is the most retarded of them all. I couldn't imagine that NOT EVEN ONE STAFF in the airport is able to understand English
!"Please Use Only The Train is Running". Hmm... No comment.
Da Peci Code 2008-03-02 21:13:34 I consider this Indonesian parody of Dan Brown's book hilarious. Not only it makes fun of the cover with the gay version of Monalisa, but the title itself is quite silly (Peci = Traditional Betawi male head covering). Perhaps I'll buy the book sometime soon.
Happy Leap Day! 2008-02-29 18:59:12 This is the first time ever my blog reaches a date 29 Feb, bcoz the last time it hasn't even existed yet. Sooo.... Guys, happy leaping! (I dunno the significance though).Being a Leap Day also means that there is 75% less possibility that anyone could be born on this date. For a list of events and birthdays on Leap Day, just click here. Read more:Happy
Snapshots of Jakarta’s English grammatical errors 2008-02-29 18:49:46 This is a picture of a sign I recently took on my Transjakarta bus ride: It says: “Priority for Difable Pregnant, and Senior Citizen”. Wow. Since the Indonesian writing starts with a verb “Utamakan….”, the English
translation should also start of with a verb (Prioritize) instead of a noun (Priority). I wonder why hasn’t any English speakers noticed and/or reported this ludicrous erroneousness. Perhaps they think it’s better to be left there as a laughing stock, lols. Here is another English word of the month: which can still be found today (1/3/2008) in the English section of the Gramedia bookshop on the 2nd floor of Pondok Indah Mall 1 (the old building), South Jakarta
. “Food” sounds familiar all right, but “Baverage”? Hmm… Let me check my dictionar
Kondisi pendidikan bahasa asing yang menyedihkan 2008-02-27 01:28:37 Note: This is the Indonesian translation of the essay I had contributed as a part of the group writing project initiated by Jakartass, a well-renowned English-language blogger based in Jakarta. This Indonesian translation is mainly intended as a reading for the Indonesian public in general.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Salah seorang teman saya, sebut saja namanya Danu, lulusan jurusan Sastra Jepang di sebuah akademi negeri di Padang, baru-baru ini mengejutkan saya ketika dia memberitahu saya bahwa pencapaian tertinggi yang pernah diraihnya adalah lulus secara pas-pasan di level 3-nya JLPT (Ujian Kemampuan Berbahasa Jepang). Saya menjadi lebih terkejut lagi saat saya bertanya pada Danu kalau kemampuannya membaca kanji merupak
Drink up and make merry 2008-02-26 04:52:11 The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Monday, 21 January 2008. ~Compiled from various sources~ There is a cloud a cloud of alcohol in outer space 10,000 light years from Earth.The Mayflower, well-known for taking the Pilgrims to the New World, ordinarily transported alcohol beverage between Spain and England.Johny Appleseed probably distributed apple seeds across the American frontier so that people could make fermented apple juice (“hard” cider) rather than eat applesAttendees of R&B, rap or hip-hop concerts are 94% more likely than the average person to drink champagne.Drink
ing alcohol in moderation is reported to reduce the risk of heart disease.A man in Florida, USA was arrested for drunk
Can’t help but make feathers fly 2008-02-25 23:47:01 The following text is originally lifted from the trivia section of The Jakarta Post dated Monday, 21 January 2008. ~Compiled from various sources~ 90% of all species that have become extinct have been birds.Although the dodo had wings, it could not lift them into the air.In addition to eating most likely fruits, nuts, vegetation and berries, the dodo also swallowed a large stone to help it digest its food. This phenomenon of stone-swallowing continues today among some bird species of the world.A crow stays with his parents for up to five years after fledgling and helps raise his parent’s new offspring.A crow stays with its mate for life.Crows occasionally kick their subordinates. If a weaker crow has a better or higher perch than its superior, better
Don’t upload private pictures to your Friendster album, it could get hacked! 2008-02-24 21:15:09 Have you ever toyed with the idea of uploading your private pictures to Friendster
? Or have you uploaded them there? If so, please remove them, because what I am about to tell you may scare you to death. Fatih’s blog post in Bahasa Indonesia has discussed how female students could end up being “unintentional porn stars” simply because their boyfriends dupe them into posing naked and then took pictures of them. Fatih focussed the blame mainly on the boyfriends. However, I choose to see it from the other side of the ring. On certain cases, it could also be the girls’ fault that they turn into those “unintentional porn stars”. How? Let me explain. Fatih’s blog had reminded me of an Indonesian IT book I once browsed in Gramedia. Forgive me for not taking note of neither the
Cinta Laura holds dual citizenship? 2008-02-23 03:26:31 Cinta Laura
Kiehl, a Eurasian teen soap opera in Indonesia who often appears in primetime sinetrons, apparently holds
dual citizenship
: Indonesian and German, according to a The Jakarta Post article that was published on Saturday, 16 February 2008. My first reaction when I found that out was: Oh, really??!!! I had always known Indonesia to be one of the many countries in the world that only allows single citizenship for its passport holders, just like Japan. America and Switzerland are two examples of countries that allow dual citizenship. You can verify the truth yourself by searching for it in Wikipedia. Perhaps anybody could enlighten me on why Cinta Laura could publicly declare her dual citizenship like that and still escape deportation?
Empty check 2008-02-23 03:14:20 A man and a woman walk into a very posh Rodeo Drive furrier."Show the lady your finest mink!" the fellow exclaims. So theowner of the shop goes in back and comes out with an absolutelygorgeous full-length coat. As the lady tries it on, thefurrier sidles up to the guy and discreetly whispers,"Ah, sir, that particular fur goes for $65,000.""No problem! I'll write you a check!""Very good, sir." says the shop owner. "Today is Saturday. Youmay come by on Monday to pick it up, after the check has cleared."So the man and the woman leave. On Monday, the fellow returns.The store owner is outraged: "How dare you show your face in here?!There wasn't a single penny in your checking account!!""I just had to come by," grinned the guy, "to thank you for themost wonderful weekend of my life!" Read more:Empty
Running out of oxygen 2008-02-23 03:13:50 A finanicial magnate was on his death bed. He was under an Oxygen tent. At his side stood his loyal subordinate, tears streaming down his face."Do not grieve," whispered the expiring tycoon, with considerable effort."I want you to know that I appreciate your faithful services to me over the years. I am leaving you my money, my plane, my estates, my yacht... everything I have.""Thank you sir" cried the subordinate."You have always been so good to me all these years. If only there were something I could do for you in these last moments."There is ... There is." gasped the half-dead man."Then tell me what it is," implored the faithful servant, "tell me!""Stop pressing your foot so hard on the oxygen li....!" the dying man managed to utter.
Rolls-Royce Security 2008-02-23 03:12:29 ~Author unknown~A distinguished-looking man entered a Geneva bank and inquired about taking out a loan for 1000 Swiss francs."What security can you offer?" the banker asked."My Rolls
-Royce
is parked out front," he said. "I will be away for a few weeks. Here are the keys."A month later, the man returned to the bank and paid off the loan, 1017 francs with interest."Pardon me for asking," the banker said, "but why a one-thousand franc loan for a man of your obvious means?""Very simple," he replied. "Where else can you store a Rolls for a month for seventeen francs?"
The Duck Dispute 2008-02-23 03:09:07 A city boy went duck hunting in the country one day. While hunting he shot a duck which fell on the property of a farmer. The boy crawled over the fence to claim his kill. But, the farmer, seeing what had happened rushed out with his shotgun and yelled, "See here! That duck belongs too me!"The city boy replies, "But I shot the duck, therfore it belongs to me!"The farmer says, "It fell on my property so it belongs to me!" They continue to argue, each claiming ownership of the duck. After awhile the farmer says, "We should settle this the old-fashioned way."The city boy asks, "What is the 'old-fashioned way'?"The farmer explains, "First, I kick you in the groin. Then, you kick me in the groin and we continue in this fashion until one of us gives up. The one who wins gets the duck."The city b Read more:Dispute
Things I love about Singapore 2008-02-23 02:51:12 It’s an obvious truth that I’m not very fond of Singapore
, just like (most) other foreign citizens in the country.. However, I can’t deny the fact that there are a couple of titbits I’ve grown to love during my two years of stay in that country. Here’s my list: 1. Changi Airport. According to various surveys, it’s one of the best airports in the world. But IMHO, it is the coolest airport I’ve ever known. Really, I’ve only been to Heathrow and JFK airport once each, but Changi is waaay better than them. 2. Corrine May. Singapore’s entertainment industry sucks, but Corrine May is an exception. Listening to Corrine May always takes me back to my school memories. 3. Churches. I love the churches there, especially the City Hall cathedral, Bukit Batok St Mary
Valentine’s Cheers 2008-02-17 22:43:18 For those who are boycotting the Valentine
’s day and celebrating all the crap of “Single Awareness Day”, have a happy S-A-D day yourself, folks. Really, I’m a single myself, but what’s the matter with not being sarcastic? Just enjoy the mood and join the game… Let me start today’s post with my take on a couple of world issues. Geez, what’s wrong with the Jakarta climate lately? (as if I’m unaware of the climate change already, haha). It rains for an hour, stops for another hour, then repeats the whole cycle for a myriad of times over the last few days. I think it’d be a hell lot better if the Mother Nature pours down the rain nonstop for 24 hours before halting for a really sunny weather on the next day (which would drown most Jakarta residents in East and Central Ja Read more:Cheers
Valentine's Eve 2008-02-17 22:42:12 The telephone fees haven't been paid yet, hence it may seem as if I'm neglecting my blog for quite a while.To my loyal readers out there - don't worry- I'll pay my blog debts of the "one post a day" policy that I implemented myself by putting postdated blogs later on.Let me do a quick recap of my own private life and a couple of thoughts I've had over the last few days...14 February 2008Honestly, I initially wanted to boycott this day as I wasn't going out with anyone. But now, with the prospect of 'ehm' getting a girlfriend myself on that day, I've changed my mind. To be noted, today was the first time ever in my life that I bought a Valentine
gift for anyone, let alone myself. Not that I'm hinting anything though; it's not that I wanna date that girl, but I simply wanna have a TTM (Teman
Dead cat 2008-02-17 08:01:51 An old maid wanted to travel by bus to the pet cemetery with the remains of her cat. As she boarded the bus, she whispered to the driver, "I have a dead pussy." The driver pointed to the woman in the seat behind him and said, "Sit with my wife. You two have a lot in common." ~Source unknown~
Barack Obama’s political positions: My comments on them as a first-time voter 2008-02-17 07:38:01 All the sources in this blog post (which are in black-coloured fonts) are taken from this Wikipedia article. Abortion and contraception Obama
stated his abortion position as: "Abortions should be legally available in accordance with Roe v. Wade.". [He also consistently voted] in favour of legalized abortion, family planning services, and having female contraceptives covered by health insurance. Atsuyama’s comment: How unfortunate, I have to disagree on this one. As a Catholic, I’ve never seen abortion as a concept that should be legalised, ever. It’s indeed clear enough that foetuses are living humans, and not pre-humans,. However, as a liberal, I see contraception as something that should be left as a free choice. Environment Obama has taken the stance that global warming is Read more:Barack
, political
, positions
, Barack Obama
America: A nation of wimps (A piece of thought on the “Annual School-Shooting Festival”) 2008-02-17 07:36:58 Don’t get me wrong. I’m writing this not out of disrespect. Instead, it’s truly out of love for the country. America
…. A land of wimps. I really am wondering why hasn’t the government ever voted in favour of banning private ownership of guns… How much more pathetic could it become; Americans can’t feel safe unless they keep a privately-owned gun at home! Well, if you wanna do self-defence, ban guns and learn martial arts!!! Shooting spree is so f***ing uncool. America is even worse than Pakistan and Afghanistan in this aspect: In those rebel-strife countries, the suicide bombers have causes that (they think) are worth dying for, despite being negative ones. In America, an average university graduate (N.Illinois)/college boy(W.Virginia)/high school duo(Columbine) shoot peo Read more:nation
, piece
, thought
, Annual
, School
, Festival
"The Lord's Prayer" in Sangirese Language 2008-03-28 10:42:45 The entire Google search turns up with zero result on the Sangirese language version of this most widely-known Christian prayer, so I've decided to post it here to give it a permanent link for everyone to use it freely. I obtained the entire text from the Manganitu Catholic church in Sangihe Besar Island in the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia, hence the copyright fully belongs to Vatican.BAPA KAMIAmang i kami su sorga, bebatugang arengDetako kararatuangu, penata elanguKebi ku seng naghuanting, kere ikekapulunuSu sorga lai su dunia, mawu ma kawasaAlamate elo ini, ampunge dosang kamiIkami manga lai mengampung dosang sendinganengDorong sirungeng i kami, bou patiku silakaKariang kamang su tengonu, mawu dengele i kami Read more:Prayer
The Minahasa-Sangihe Chronicle 2008-03-28 10:16:44 Wow. That was quite a journey. In fact, it was more than just a normal journey.Remember when I said that I went to Manado and Sangihe with my uncle to trace our ancestry and a bit of soul-searching on my part? Well, we’ve achieved both objectives to the fullest extent. My soul-searching had reaped much more benefits for me than I had expected, bringing me the kind of spiritual bliss I couldn’t have found anywhere else. I’ll start blogging on my daily journals in North Sulawesi tomorrow, as I’m too tired to write/recount anything now. Having just arrived in Jakarta this afternoon after a fully tiring-yet-exciting three-week trip, I know that I have to spare some time to recuperate myself. Not that I’m weak or what, but it’s already a great thing that I hadn’t fallen sick ther Read more:Chronicle
Masturbating helps to prevent prostate cancer?? Ugh. 2008-03-30 22:22:37 This New Scientist report tells us how masturbation could help us males in prevent
ing prostate cancer. According to the statistics, prostate cancer is the second leading cancer among men after lung cancer.An Australian team of the Cancer Council Victoria from Melbourne concluded that the more men ejaculated between the ages 20 and 50, the less likely they were to develop prostate cancer.Wow. In that case, those who live celibate lives (i.e. Catholic priests and certain Buddhist monks) must have the highest risk of developing prostate cancer, then. Read more:Masturbating
List of Indonesian foods I love 2008-03-30 08:40:08 I really am in the mood of making lists these days.In regards to food, my tongue is very much suited for both Japanese and Indonesian
delicacies. I’ll focus on the Indonesian ones this time. This list ain’t exhaustive. 1. Acar Sangihe. A seemingly normal acar, but it’s addition of pineapples and whatever ingredients adds a twist to it that makes me love it very much. And moreover, it originates from my ancestor’s land of Sangihe in North Sulawesi. As promised, I’d blog on this soon, starting from early April. 2. Pempek Palembang. A very spicy floury fish that I enjoy very much. The "originals" could only be found in either Jakarta or South Sumatra. Outside those regions, they don't taste very much "original"... Honestly. 3. Nasi uduk. The idea of mixing onio
Stuff I'm allergic to 2008-03-29 07:36:55 Here's a list of stuff I'm allergic to. The list ain't exhaustive, but I strongly recommend you against giving them to me, ever.1. Coffee. Drinking it makes me more sloshed than drinking vodka.2. Prawns. My throat gets itchy whenever I consume them.3. Melon. Can't stand the taste.4. Sate Padang. This one makes me sick too.5. Happy Tree Friends. This cartoon is seriously sick.
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