Have a Blessed Christmas

My journey back home

I didn't up date this blog for long time, no excuses other than busy. I have been visiting my birth country Indonesia. Of course there are lots of story I can write here but thought for this time I just want to write a litle bit about my journey back to the country where I was born.

Bitung-Manado-Tomohon

It’s been 3 years since my last visit, there are lots things has change, the public sectors has slightly improved, the road is getting a little bit wider but sadly there are lots of pot holes everywhere, more malls in Manado, more cars and more polluted.
I was impressed by the improvement of waste collection in Bitung, where the waste bin empty regularly every morning,and Bitung looks more cleaner, no more small traders selling on the pavements and the city looks more tidy,…Well done to the council.

What amused me was when I was in Minahasa region, I saw a huge banner for every region where the picture of Bupati (head of the region) or Walikota (the city mayor) display hugely on board welcoming the people who entering their territory, it made me thinking “are they genuinely welcoming people, or to let people know that they are in charge in their territory?”, hmmh… it’s funny …..here in UK I don’t even know the name of the city mayor here, I have personally met him and have dinner at the same charity event but honestly I don’t even know his name, and I think only his staff and certain people know that he is the city mayor…all I know was he had his golden metal thing around his neck to distinguish that he was a mayor.

Meeting with old friends at UKIT

I left my profession as a lecturer at UKIT (Indonesian Christian University of Tomohon) about 12 or 13 years ago, I had 5 years dedication there, during these years I had a very very good relationship with several friends, we were graduated together at the same uni and worked together also at the same uni, all together we had about 10 years (studying and teaching), so many beautiful memories we had together studying, reading, climbing, hiking, crying shouting, yelling, all the things that you have when you have a good true solid friendships, but we loved each other we were like family until we have formed our own family, I remember we telling off each other brutally if we don’t agree with each other’s boy friend or girlfriend, we advice what to wear or not to wear to attend a party, yes we involved in each other’s business and mind each other business…personal business.

The meeting was a surprised one to them, as usual I turned up unannounced like I did 3 years ago, so when I went in the dean’s office, I just walked in like I was working there, first I surprised was “J” our “pakakaan” means the oldest he is now held a position at the University, when I entered the hall they’ve just finished their mass, and someone pointed to Mr. John Mailangkay, he is talking to the Rector and few other staff, I went inside touched his shoulder, and he was speechless and very surprised like just seeing a ghost, imagine …you meet up with a good old friends that you did not see for 12 years? I was just like “hallo pakakaan, how are you” he was very pleased to see me again after 12 years (he did not see me 3 years ago), we were hugged each other tightly, then next thing he opened the meeting room…..surprised……surprised the meeting just about to start, the projector on, the slide on display….but it halt due to my arrival…ehmmm I feel like a VIP, everyone closed to me was there Nerni, Jeane, Royke, Denny (who is now became the dean of the faculty)…happily shouting my name to their shocked that I turned up there unannounced ..so again we hugged each other tightly and happily…and start to dig out the memories when we were still single students … how sweet to remember all the old days together with your old good friends….. ..but sadly I wasn’t stay long... I had to go…

Bali

This was my forth visit to Bali, not much change, the Kuta and Sanur beach are still busy and full of tourists. The small traders with colourful goods, shoes, bags, clothes are still there to live up the place but sadly these traders doesn’t seems make good business….and what really shocked me, in many of these souvenir shops I found there are lots of wood bottle opener in the shape of male genital display proudly by the owner and not only that, there are woodcarving have women and men having sex in many positions, it made me thinking "is that art or pornographic in art???", I don’t know how to distinguish this. In the several stalls I saw T-shirt with very rude word written, you know the F and F and F word, one T-shirt written F****-me, I’m famous, and when I politely said to the lady who own the stall “I think the words on that T-shirt is very rude, you should have not put that on display” and to my shocked she replied shouting …..”heyyyy don’t you know that is very important to the tourists”….I was like WHAT????is this what they think about tourist industry???? very sad if Bali already have this kind of reputation, I left the place in disgust.

One thing I most impressed about Bali is the new attraction "Garuda Wisnu Kencana" (GWK) is a private cultural park on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of the island of Bali in Indonesia. Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda as the manifestation of conscience toward Amerta, the perennial goodness. The statue and its pedestal will be surrounded by more than 240 hectares cultural park which was once an abandoned and unproductive limestone quarry.
The idea was not without controversy, and religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that its commercial nature was inappropriate, but the GWK looks very impressive to me.

Happy Easter

Imaginary chatting with GOD

This file has been sitting in my old folder for two years, I was amazed to found this accidentally while I was searching for other file.

This is a very good imaginary chatting that I have translated from Bahasa Indonesia and modified a litle bit into English. I don’t know who the original author is, I wish I knew.....whoever she/he was, I would like to say thank you for enhanced my spirit.
Hope you’ll find this enhanced your spiritual life as I have.

Here is the translation

GOD : Are tou calling me?

ME :Calling you? No... who is this?

GOD : This is me, I heard your prayer, so I wanted to have a chat with you.

ME : Yes, I always pray just to make me feel better, but at the moment I am busy, very busy.

GOD : Busy?, what make you busy?

Me : I don’t know, but I don’t have time even only a second, every moment is busy.

God : You absolutely right, activities gives you busy, but productivity gives you products.
Activity takes time, productivity releases time.

ME : I know that, but I can not avoid it. Frankly, I don’t expecting you to chat like this.

GOD : I just wanted to solved your time problem, and give you some advices. In this
internet era, I wanted to use the comfortable medium rather than a dream for example.

ME : All right…..all right!, now… tell me, why life is so complicated?

GOD : Well sttop analyzing life, just do it, analyzing life make your life complicated.

ME : Well then, why we human never feel happy?

GOD : Today is tomorrow’s problem, you are worrying yesterday. You are worry because you are analyzing, worried is your habit, that’s why you never feel happy.

ME : But how could we not worry if there are lots of uncertainties.

GOD : The uncertainty can not be avoided, but worrying is a choice.

ME : But, so many people wounded because of uncertainty.

GOD : Wounded can not be avoided, but anguish is a choice.

ME : So, if anguish is a choice, why the good people always suffer?

GOD : A Diamond cannot be polished without rubbing, gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people went through the difficult time without suffering, with that experience their life become better not the other way around.

ME :So you mean no matter how bitter the experience is always useful?

GOD : Of course, in every angle of life, experience is a best guru; experience gives test and then understanding.

ME : But why we have to go through all these tests? Why can’t we live without problems?

GOD : Purposeful roadblocks offering beneficial lessons to enhance mental strength and the strength from inside can take you out from the problems, not to be lazy.

ME : Frankly, with all these problems, we don’t know where to go.

GOD : If you look outside, you wouldn’t know where you go, but look inside!, To look outside you are dreaming, to look inside you are wake, your eyes gives you sight, heart gives you direction.

ME : Sometimes success gives me anguish, what can I do?

GOD : Success is a measure that made by other people. Satisfaction is a measure made by yourself. To know the direction is more satisfied than to know where you are going. Walk with compass and let others chasing with time.

ME : In difficult time, how do I keep myself motivated?

GOD : Always look how far you’ve been walked rather than how long you have to walk. Always count things that you have, don’t count things that you don’t have.

ME : What interest you about human?

GOD : If they suffer, they ask ’why me?’, when they happy they don’t ask ’why me?’

ME : Sometimes I asked myself, “who am I?“, Why am I here?

GOD : Don’t look out who you are, but be what you want to be. Stop asking why you are here, but create the purpose of your life. Life is not a process of find out, but a process of creation.

ME : How do I make life better?

GOD : Deal your past without regret, keep today with faith and prepare the future without fear.

ME : One more question please, sometimes I feel my prayer did not get the answer.

GOD : No prayer without answer, but sometimes the answer is NO.

ME : Thank Lord for this beautiful chatting.

GOD : Ok! keep your faith, and throw your fear away, Life is a mystery to be solved. Trust me! Life is beautiful if you know how.

ME : Thank you very much my Lord.


"Sometimes we must get hurt in order to grow, we must fail in order to know, and we must lose in order to gain some lessons and learn best only through pain."

The Joy of The House of Love

It’s been long time since my last posting in September; I have been busy lately, and thought to publish something for Christmas in this Christmas eve.

So, I came out with this video that I filmed in September when I visited my Indonesian friends who are living in Germany, I have the permission to talk about my visit in their house.

They both are good friends of mine, we met long time ago, more than 20 years (we were at the UKIT University in North Sulawesi Indonesia. Rov, is a Mathematician/Statistician and Yunita is a Theologist and a Minister in one of the German Church in Frankfurt, and they two lovely children.

Meeting these two friends again this time were an amazing experience, not only like watching the world news in front of you that they know every issue what this world are facing today, but they became amazingly wiser and wiser and a bit philosophical in life, we were talking lot of things everyday, from the place where we were graduate from, our nostalgia up to the challenging world that we are facing today; the responsibility that we have for our future generations, the today’s generations behaviour, the world leaders behaviour,…and the Star Trek behaviour, to my amazed…almost every topic has the element of Love that the greatest gift that God have given to us….that love can bridge every gaps. Then when the conversation mention about the small thing I told Rov that I remember that he had the book titled “Small is beautiful” that he used to carry around to finish the reading, that was the philosophy of Mahatma Gandy, that small thing can make different, that small thing can make big thing, he smiled widely, because everyone in the campus know him well with his philosophy.
They taught about Love everyday to their children to love people regardless their Religion, Nationality, Ethnicity, social status and so on,… they have the experience in the conflict areas where Muslim against Christian in Central Sulawesi, but their managed to sit the leaders of both sides to talk peacefully.

Their days always start with a little prayer and singing, so I was so happy to participate and did the singing although my voice was not as good as Nita, we used to that when we were at the dormitory at the University (Rita, Nerni and Conny, if you read this, you remember how we argued who’s going to do the prayer?)

We weren’t only talking about serious things in life but we were also joking a lot, well… in fact we even talking slightly dirty joking about the doctor and his patient, ho..ho.., that was a very hot topic, you can see in the video when we were laughing, so don’t ever think that the philosopher, Mathematician or Theolog can’t talk ‘silly’ things, you must be wrong!, you see… you need to have balance in life, and they managed to have it.

So, during my four days visit I had an amazing experience, my mind and soul filled up with lot of wisdoms, and spiritually, I was sharpen, I felt like at the Oasis in the Sahara, their house is the house of Love not only to their children, family and friends but also to those who know them, and in this place also I have found my real Love.

May the Love of Christ be with you all

this Christmas and Always, have a good New Year to come

to everyone who read this

The taste of 60's

Last Friday, my daughter and I had the pleasure of having the taste of the 60’s night party, the party was organised by the people from the church, and the dress code was of course the 60’ style.
After carefully choose an outfit and shoes to match with the 60’s style I came out with this black dress and the boots, I don’t even know if that 60’s style or not, I just hope that outfit not offending the member of the congregations.

It was a fun night, where people dress up in 60’s style, the music of course 60’s music, I did not recognised any of these music, but we had a good fun, they taught me how to dance in 60’s, I tried but I was so hopeless couldn’t get it right.
Mingle, giggling and dancing with these people I feel safe, they are all loving and caring people, who says church is boring? Church can be fun too.

This video was hilarious, there wasn’t any sufficient lighting, angle and the positions were not right for filming this event but this is only for fun and I like the essence of it.

Anti Social Behaviour Britain 2

Picture this; I was on the bus on my way home after teaching, the bus was full, when I step inside, I saw 7 or 8 pupils age range 12 to 15, boys and girls were sitting at the back of the bus proudly smoking, chatting loudly, laughing and giggling, I immediately recognized them as the pupils from my school from the uniform they are wearing, having been just sent two pupils to detention centre unit from my last lesson, I feel like I have the responsibility to remind these kids about not to smoking in the public place, beside I don’t like to sit there and inhale the smokes, I then politely told them to read the “No smoking” sign and remind them that they could get fine, but the response was awful I did not anticipated.

“so what…?” one of them angrily shouted
“we are not in the classroom” said another, he recognized me
“oh ya….., so what you gonna do!” another shouting
“you Chinese b****, back to your country” (heeeey, do I look like a Chinese?)

I was speechless, but before I could get the chanced to grasp the long breath suddenly….

Something landed on my shoulder,…plak…. it was a banana skin, then….some papers…then pens and then…..
“ouuchhh” one of the pens landed onto a big man’s head who happens sitting in front of me, the target was me, but instead landed on this man’s head.

I thought…..ehhm, you kids gonna have a real big time with this big man, but ….oh no… he did not do anything, I was surprised he was only swearing, his voice was not even laud enough to be heard by this “gang”, I was disappointed that he did not do something about it, the kids were laughing.
I was attacked,…I was harassed…., I was humiliated……, I can’t just keep sitting here waiting to get worse I have to do something, so I went to the driver and said;
“look, there is harassment going on in this bus, are you going to do something about this?” the response from the driver was even shocking;
“what you want me to do?, what you want me to do?, angrily with laud voice
“well at least send some signals to your HQ, you have the cctv here that link to your office, or hit your emergency button to the police, or take this bus to the nearest police station”
“I’ am driving, I’ am driving, I can not do anything” he raised his tune up even lauder, I really think he did not have an adequate training for his job, how could he let these kids get away with their dreadful behavior in his bus?

The bus stop and these horrid kids get off the bus, still yelling at me with angry face, one of these kids managed to kick my brief case…….thank goodness……….., gosh , are they on drug or something? do they have parents? What sort of parents do they have?

I was even surprised by the people in the bus they were just sitting there watching in despair, apparently they fear that this gang will do something if they interfere, just like the driver. One of the passengers told me that I should have not tell them (these horrid kids) how to behave, that I could get beaten that there are possibilities that they could have carry something………… blab bla bla.

What….? Is this how they response to the anti social behavior? You see, people are living in fear; you live in this society that this kind of crime becomes a commonplace, and alongside law-biding citizens there is a terrifying world of teen gangs with no sense of community and decency, living like soulless characters in a violent video game.

Several month after that incident (I refused to teach there anymore), I read on the newspaper that, that school have been a subject to investigation by the police, apparently there was a video on youtube showing an Asian teacher have been harassed by a group of pupils in the classroom and this dreadful event was filming by the pupils using mobile phone and uploaded onto youtube.

What is the root cause of these problems? Is it the bad policies? (hey…!, who am I to tell this?) just look at how the government response to this kind of horrid behavior? ABCs contract……………..what a laughable policy…….

There is no longer any discipline at home or in the school, parents are powerless to control their children for the sake of children protection act, human right and teachers seems have no right to discipline children because of the strict regulations, no wonder juveniles are out of control.

This country has never been invaded, but now the army of the enemy is within, this a very sad situation, this country supposed to be a great country but has lost its perspective and no wonder people have lost their faith.
I just hate to think what this country would become in 20 years time when this present generation run the country, imagine……….?

Anti social behaviour Britain 1

With the horrific news that 11 year-old child returning from football training has been shot dead in Liverpool, the shooting in Nothing Hill carnival, kids shooting kids, it seems the serious crime in Britain is truly out of control, it happens almost everyday and we have become used to this kind of unwelcome news.

Gun crime, gangland killings are so commonplace, and how the government responds to this rising tide of violent crime?

The labour government just has revealed its plan to beat crime in Britain, to make more vandals, underage drinkers and joyrides promise to behave in future, the yobs causing trouble will be offered the chance to sign Anti social Behavior Contracts or ABCs as an alternative to prosecution said the home secretary, Jacqui Smith (Daily express,24 August 2007).
This ABCs are written pledge between the offender and the authorities that he or she will behave responsibly for a set period of time, if they agree the yobs will not face prosecution, a fine or even an asbo (Anti social behaviour).

Is this the weapon to fight against the anti-social behavior?
What the hell is this home secretary on about? Does she honestly think these ABC is a right weapon to combat this dreadful behavior or will change the teenager gangs’ attitude to an angel?

I was one of the victims of this antisocial behavior, probably not in the high level but its hurt and the memory is still fresh in my mind.

Continue...............