Chipping in

Belated happy birthday, mom

I cannot believe I have forgotten to write this.

During the last muslim's festive season, my family did our traditional sungkeman - where we kneel down before our elders and ask for forgiveness and blessings. During my sungkem to my mom, my mom whispered and thank me for my kindness.

Thank me for my kindness? Honestly mom. If only you realize the magnitude of love and kindness you have poured to me throughout my life. Obviously she does not realize that. Typical mom. Love her.

Belated happy birthday, mom. Thank YOU for your, um, everything.

Pic: me, sis and mom. Straight from the bed. Sis and mom - the two mother figures in my life. I could not ask for a better role model. I wish I can be half as good as they are.

PS: Happy birthday to you too, Ndien. We did not nickname her princess (TP-Tuan Putri) for nothing.

Yoga for chicken

I love yoga. Many friends can tell you that. And I have a chicken stuffed animal that have been with me since I don't know when and often speaks on my behalf. Many friends can tell you as well. And I love books. Almost any kind of books. Many friends can tell you that too.

So what did a friend of mine do? She gave me a book titled Yoga for chicken. There was not any particular reason - it was not even my birthday and she was not even returning from a trip.

She said she saw the book and straighforwardly thought of me. So she just bought the book as a gift for me. Such a simple gesture from a dear friend that shows she really knows me. Love the gift to bits. And it was a hilarious book too.

This thread is dedicated to you Ri. Wherever you are right now. Whatever you are doing. No particular reason. I have just returned from my yoga class and saw Chicken and I thought of you.

Such a sweet character. I cannot think of one single person who does not like you.

The avian flu

Have you been following the news on avian flu? I have. Well, how can I not if they are always on the headlines and on the radio or tv?

The endemic has gotten to a stage where we need to kill thousands of chickens, ducks, and pigeons for the sake of humanity.

Killing thousands of being in the name of humanity. That does not sound right, does it?

I am not against the move. Perhaps it is something we 'need' to do.

My friend's father is a bird lover. I can't imagine him killing his birds. Must be hard. Even harder for those who make a living out of it.

Granted, it is something we need to do. The question is how did we get to this stage? We have killed our forests. Now we are killing the animals.

How can nature not strike back? Perhaps its something THEY need to do as well. An eye for an eye.

Just when we thought it was safe..

A couple of days ago I saw a photo article of people choosing to use trains because they thought it was safer - in light of the recent ship and aircraft accidents.

This morning I saw an article of train derailed and fell from the bridge.

Wake up.

High school reunion, high school reunited

My sister has just returned from her high school reunion. They also invited the teachers. 200+ students attended, 34 teachers came.

They sent a chartered upper-class taxi to pick up each and individual teacher. They provided donation to the teachers (you know how poor the welfare of school teacher is in Indonesia). They greeted the teacher as if they were heroes. They are.

Students and teachers blended in. They ate, laughed, sang, dance and talked about old times. I cannot imagine how happy that time must have been - especially for the teachers - the often forgotten heroes of our lives.

My sister's Class of 82 is truly amazing. They gathered together every two months - for a quran study, a bible study, a social gathering, do some sports or even go out of town together.

They collect money - 40% to fund their activities and the other 60% for social cause. The social cause is either to provide scholarship for some of the current students in their high school or to provide scholarship for the children of their class mates who are not so fortunate financially. Some also volunteered to teach in the high school.

If only each of our small community gather together and do what we can to help those who are linked to our community, those in our immediate surrounding. It does not really take much.

I am just talking here. They are already doing. I am nothing compared to them. Hats off.

38% increase in unemployment rate in E.Java

This article was taken and summarized from today's Kompas East Java edition.

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES
Kompas Surabaya, January 10, 2007

East Java’s unemployment rate, which was expected to lower in 2007, is actually growing high. According to the latest data released by the East Java’s Provincial Office of Manpower, the increase is about 38% compared to last year’s rate of unemployment. Lapindo Brantas Inc’s mud flood may be attributed as one main factor that triggered such rise.

The unemployed are largely low educated people (primary and high school graduates) and around 3,000 of them are victims of work termination due to operation shutdown of manufacturing companies affected by the Sidoarjo mud flood.

Unemployment Rate in East Java
2005 : 1,082,221 people
2006 : 1,498,131 people
2007 projection : 1,385,252 people

.sad.

Communal karma?

My sister has just returned from her hajj pilgrimage. She is fine, thanks for asking. She talks a lot about the journey. Very positively, despite of all the practical challenges she had to face. Good for her.

She also told us about how most of the Indonesian pilgrims were starving when they were in Arafah desert. Which reminds me. They say that you will receive your karma more directly when you are on hajj pilgrimage. So for instance, if you are arrogant enough to say that you will not get lost, you will be lost. If you complain that your food tastes awful, then for the whole journey your food will always taste awful.

Now in this case, the whole Indonesian hajj group are starving. I know on one hand the organizer was responsible for it and should take up the responsibility for it. But I wonder. Can this be one of those karmas as well? Instead of to individuals, this time it applies to the whole nation.

The whole group was starving. And back home, the whole village were swept away by landslide, the whole aircraft vanished without a trace. The whole hill was burnt by a forst fire. The whole ship sanked. The whole region was filled by hot mud. The whole seaside area was blown away by hurricane.

Communal Karma. They say it is the next step. When individuals do not listen to the call of nature, the nature will call harder. To the whole community. Until we listen. Until we have no choice but to listen. Sooner or later.

Back to what I used to be?

I told my friend about what I do in my current job. He was surprised and said, welcome back, old Eva. Are you sure you want to be back to that stage again? I asked what stage? He said to those times when I was so busy doing small little things at work.

He was wrong (I hope). That was not the problem. The problem was the fact I had no sense about where I was going in my life. I have no sense of purpose. The problem was I was so caught up at small things in life, worrying about everything, that I lost the big picture. The problem was I was being a perfectionist at work, and I tried too hard to stay connected to everybody. It was eating me up.

Now I feel different. My work has my time from eight a.m. to five p.m. The rest of the day I use for my family, friends and myself. It has my time but not really my soul. My soul stays centered (or at least I try).

Don't get me wrong. I am still with my high standards. I give my best, I still push for the best, but I am not obsessed by it. I let go off many things. I do not feel the burden anymore.

And I have a sense of direction. This is how I function in the society. For the development of my country. For the betterment of my people. I am just starting. I have a long way to go. But I have a sense of direction.

The childhood and my school years for my basic attitudes. The seven years I spent in the consultancy for my skills and a taste of real life. The one year sabbatical for my soul. The half a year as a freelancer to land me down gently at work life once again. All these lead up to this.

I am ready for this stage of my life. And I thank all the teachers and friends I have met along the way.

My friend was wrong (I hope). I am not really back to where I used to be. I did not do a full circle. It is more like a spiral. Same point - in some sense - but not really.

The only full circle I want to have is when I finally return to God.

Life as one grand solution

Love this expression to bits. From my Quran study teacher.

Remember God in His widest sense in every second of our life. Not only through the religious rituals but also in every breath and move that we make. Not only with our lips but with all our heart and how we do things.

Be conscious all the time. Be aware that this body is not ours, it belongs to God. Be aware that this soul too belongs to God. God will then strenghten our soul.

Only after that we will achieve true peace. Our intuition will grow stronger. Our life will be ‘guided’.

When we reach this stage, we do not need any solutions to all our problems, because life in itself is a solution.

Aa Gym and polygamy

A friend asked why I do not write about this hot topic that has been circling around the country for the past month.

I don’t know. It just does not interest me that much. It is his personal choice. He can do what he wants, make his own justifications, and live the consequences.

I am all for monogamy. For the respect of my partner and my own.

Gus Dur - it has been a long time

Gus Dur spoke in a Paramadina dialogue about a couple of weeks ago. The title of the seminar was Muslim Jesus. We talked about how the Muslims and the Christians see Jesus. The way I see it (and you might differ, I don't mind), there were so many similarities, despite the different terms used bt each religion.

Two responses from Gus Dur that I loved most. First, he was asked what he would do when he was faced by people with different belief. He simply said, this is what I believe, that is what you believe, and that is that. End of story. He acknowledged and respected the differences. And moved on.

Second, my favorite, was when he was asked how can we downplay the differences among us. He said it is by focusing on general ideas: on poverty, on lack of education, on all the catastrophies happening in our country, on health and prosperity for the many. The ideas that stand true in every religion.

I was late that night. I came about one and a half hour after the talk had started.

I was late but I have got what I came for. That message of peace. That message that it is okay to have differences. That message of working together on a common ground, on things that we agree upon: to fight against poverty, corruption and lack of education.

Di seputar kita

By Krakatau

Selama dunia masih berputar
perbedaan tak pernah pudar
terbawa keangkuhan manusia
tak ingin membagi rasa

bukalah mata hati kita
bayangkan masa depan dunia
bersatu rasa untuk melangkah
demi meraih harapan
dunia yang indah

bayangkanlah kita semua
berjalan bersama
menuju hidup damai sejahtera
sempatkanlah untuk melihat
di sekitar kita
ada kesenjangan antara manusia
lihat sekitar kita ..

adakah sepercik bahagia
yang tersisa di hati kita
bergandeng tangan dekatkan hati
tiada perbedaan dalam cinta dan kasih

Teriring salam dan doa bagi saudara-saudara saya di seluruh Indonesia yang tengah tertimpa musibah - baik di Sumatera, Kalimantan, Jawa, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku, Papua, dan semua tempat lainnya.

Salam juga buat Pak Presiden SBY yang berjanji untuk lebih banyak bertindak di tahun-tahun mendatang ketimbang sekedar mencari konsensus.

Saya lelah mendengar kritik dari berbagai pihak mengenai negara ini. Lelah melihat orang bertengkar. Lelah melihat begitu banyak orang berkomentar tanpa bertindak, karena merasa itu bukan bagiannya atau merasa tak berdaya.

Mbok ya lebih optimis. Lebih positif. Ayo ayo kerja. Lakukan apa yang kita bisa. Apa pun itu.

From veronica decides to die

One of my favorite quotes from Paulo Coelho’s Veronica Decides to Die was when Veronica thought that her days were numbered and she started to see everyday as a miracle. Imagine that, to wake up everyday and see it as another miracle.

Which reminds me of another quote. Ernesto Guevara (yes, THE Che Guevara) who suffered from Asthma once said, “You don’t know what it is like. To want to breathe but not be able to.”

To see the simple act of waking up and breathing as a miracle and be grateful for it. When was the last time we felt that?

Still on the path

Yesterday I did what I have not done for a long time. I sat alone with my books at a café. Reading my books. Watching people pass by. Doing nothing. Letting whatever popped in my mind popped. Being caught up between full time work, meeting friends, exercising and family made it more challenging for me to find the time and energy to do so.

And what popped was the times when I allowed myself more time to spend with myself, the times when I rigorously meditated and prayed, and the times when silence and emptiness were always welcomed and even seeked.

I missed those days. I wondered whether I have strayed away from my path. Then I texted my friend about this. I went out with another friend and discussed this as well.

The two occurrence yielded the same conclusion: that this actually is part of the journey. It is a journey that I – that we – have to undergo to become who we are, who we are destined to be, who we really are.

Perhaps this is the pragmatic phase for me, the time-for-action put-theory-into-practice do-something-for-community phase. Even the title of the blog has changed from pilgrim for life to chipping in. Even the ideas for the blog threads for me have shifted to practical matters.

Thank You for the answer. I feel better already.

Used school books to give away anyone?

Anybody interested in helping my friend in her Program Anak Asuh (helping children in need get their education) by giving away used elementary school books or Indonesia-English dictionaries? Let me know. Thanks.

Christmas and new year!

Let’s hear it for moms!

This entry is dedicated to you, a strong supporter for breastfeeding. And for good reasons to. Hats off.

Welcome home, lad

A friend of mine has just returned to Indonesia – after staying for about eight years abroad. Talented. Insanely smart. Honest. Sincere. Cool. Hard worker. Idealistic. Loyal. Good sense of humor. Vast array of knowledge. And he plays guitar and sings to.

We need more people like that.

Now he is home. Now we can continue our dreams, the ones that we used to talk about when we were in the university. A dream for our almamater. A dream for our country, our people, or for whoever or whatever it is we dedicate this to. The time could not have been more perfect.

Welcome home, lad. Good to have you back.

Happy birthday, Indonesia

Happy birthday or happy independence day? Sorry the greeting comes one day late.

I want to quote the ad in the printed version of Kompas Dailies (in Indonesian), which I thought was great. From a long line of independence statement – from occupation (by other countries), lack of education, poverty, corruption, etc – Kompas has striked the word ‘occupation by other country’ (Occupation or occupancy? Unsure). We have gained our independence in that sense. One down, but still a lot to go – lack of education, poverty etc are still very much alive and kicking in our country.

I completely agree with the statement. I think you would too. Strangely, even though all agree, those problems still exist.

I think it is due to three things (1) We often think of ourselves and nobody else (2) We think in a too complicated way – how can we possibly provide education for all, we think and think but never do anything (3) We tend to belittle ourselves – who am I, what can I do, I am nobody. Oh and we often ‘let’ other people improve the situation while we do not do anything.

So, let us change our way of thinking (1) Start thinking of somebody else – your family, maid, janitor at the office, drivers, friends, etc (2) think simple (hah, tell that to myself) – do small things, what seems small to us might be meaningful to others (3) we matter. Stop thinking that we are nobody and start being somebody (Where does this insecurity come from anyway?). Try and see for yourself; and (4) if not us, then who would do it?

Where do we start? From whatever comes to our mind. Just do something. Whatever that may be.

Where should I start?

Just as I have suspected: I am puzzled of the kind of things I can write in this blog. There are so many things happening.

Every time I start reading newspaper, magazine or book, every time I listen to the radio or people conversing, and every time I watch TV, my mind is saying: hey, that is a good story. Too many, even though most are focusing on the problems and not solutions.

I feel like that certain Indonesian politician whom I said is talking too much about too many things. Now I know how he feels – what goes around comes around ☺

But then if I do not do that, I will never start, I will not do anything. Stuck. Hm, this reminds me of several other people as well – and me: thinking too much and never actually getting around to do it. Which is better?

So I thought, let’s just write. Whatever comes to mind. We never know, sometimes small things that we do, that we write, may make a difference however small it may be.

Like my friend said when I asked him where we should start, what we should do when there are so many wrongs, he answered: Just do what we can.

Bear with me. I will do my best. I will try harder – in writing for this blog, and for all other things that I cannot mention here one by one.

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