(maybe) Adiós Nando!

Today might be the last day that one of the best player in the world (according to me) is registered as a member of the best club in the world (again, according to me). Only a few hours before the transfer deadline, me and most of Liverpool fans out there are certainly nervous whether the Spanish striker Fernando Torres will or will not join the rival club at the English Premiere League (EPL) Chelsea. If the deal comes true, then this will be my last piece of love to Nando.

Watching him leaves is as hard as losing Xabi Alonso a couple years back. It is harder for me as Torres used to be my second favourite player after Steven Gerrard. At least Alonso had a better reason as the previous gaffer Rafael Benitez would sell him a year before his departure. The fans could not ask Alonso to stay, thus am quite pessimistic that Torres will stay this time. After all the things he did, and all the things I know about him, I still cannot believe Nando requested a transfer.

Joining the club in 2007, I did not know he would impress me only in a couple of months. I was not a big fan of Spanish football at that moment so I had not heard of his big name (as a young talented star) before. In his first season with Liverpool, Nando were able to collect an impressive achievement, including Highest scoring Liverpool player in the 21st Century (one season) with 33 goals in all competitions (24 Premier League, 6 Champions League, 3 Carling Cup), Best goals per game ratio in a debut season in the history of Liverpool FC (one goal every 1.36 games), and Premier League Silver Boot Winner (24 goals).

I was so sure that he can be a legend, The Liverpool Number Nine after Fowler. The faith was written in my previous blog. Watching him wearing Liverpool scarf when Spain won The South African World Cup 2010 looks like confirming his loyalty to the club, but it was wrong. Once I also read about his love to music, especially The Beatles, thus he would love to stay in the city of his idols, then again I was wrong. I started to learn Spanish so that one day I can talk to him in his mother tongue language as a Liverpool player, once again I was wrong.

Last but not least, Torres said on 9th January 2011 "More than ever, we need to stick together...My head is in Liverpool and on helping to save our season. I am a professional and I always fulfil my deals. I haven't considered leaving, although in football that always depends on the club", and this time was he wrong too?

Nando in World Cup 2010

Nando and his music

Imagining him wearing a blue shirt and playing against Liverpool in the future will be a torture. If the offers come from some Italian or German clubs, it is not going to be difficult to wish you the best of luck. But Chelsea? I might wish you the very best of bad luck then. However, as the words of gratitude for all the contributions you have made in Liverpool, "adiós" should be enough.

The 10 Years Journey Becoming a Red

In 1987, 19th March a baby girl named Florence Nathania was born in Jakarta.

In 1997, Florence was busy criticizing people who were madly in love to footie. She thought footie was silly yet she prefered basketball and badminton instead of football.

In 1998, She was proved that her last year perception was wrong and amazed by Argentina national team's performance in France World Cup. Ever since she is absolutely into football.

In 2000, Florence is in love with a player called "Steven Gerrard", although she has not been baptized to become a red. Along with Stevie G, Florence also had a little crush on Robbie Fowler and Gary McAllister.

Stevie G at his young age (Finally I put his face on my blog!!!)

Robbie Fowler the God

Gary McAllister the incredible free-kick scorer

In 2001, after watching many Liverpool's games, Florence finally decided to become a red (without realising that the club had massive histories)

In 2005, a couple months after Istanbul, Florence joined BIGREDS an official Liverpool FC Supporter Club in Indonesia. Since then Florence started to learn about the club more, and thanks to some wonderful friends in BIGREDS who has shared things esp. the Liverpool Way. Not only about the football club, Florence also searched for more information about the city of Liverpool.

In 2009, Florence wrote a thesis about BIGREDS' Viewing Party, and she had to sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" in the thesis' defence.

In 2010, as Liverpool was getting Spanished under Rafa, Florence started to learn Spanish language.

and now in 2011...

Ten years and many years to come

Florence is celebrating her 10 years journey of becoming a Liverpool fan. She is committed for always becoming a red in years to come. Walking through the storm and the golden sky, since it is not only about the football she fancies in LFC, but also about the philosophy and of course the fraternity. 

Republising "Belitung: A Perfect Getaway"

*Republished from The Jakarta Post

The Old Light House in Lengkuas

Are you looking for the perfect, exotic getaway destination on a limited budget?
If Bali is out of reach, you may want to consider Belitung.

It takes 1 hour by plane to get to this Sumatran island, which has a population of 135,000, most of whom live in Belitung district according to provincial government website. The dominant ethnic groups on the island are Malays and Chinese, who speak Indonesian with Belitung accent.

Pristine beaches

Welcome to the island of pristine beaches! While my idea of a pristine beach is clear water and white sand, experiencing Belitung myself allowed me to see that such beauty really exists. Almost all of the beaches there are superb.

The first one I visited was Bilik in the Tanjung Tinggi region. The beach is almost surrounded by huge granites, thus there are no big waves. Visitors can play around the shore without fear of drowning and washed away to the sea. The granite rocks come with various sizes, and you can walk in between them. You may also want to climb them, but please be careful as some are slippery since damp mosses grow on it.

The beach is indeed safe and beautiful, but it has also become famous for another reason. Bilik was the location for the shooting of Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Warriors), Indonesia's most viewed movie, inspired by local children who pursued their dreams. The Belitung community has enjoyed this film on DVD and at open-air cinemas, because there are no permanent cinemas on the island.

Another thing that attracts tourists to Bilik is its seafood. While waiting for your order to be served, which can take some time, you may feel tempted to go to the beach, taking pictures, dip your feet in the clear water, or even go for a swim and make yourself even hungrier in the process.

Lengkuas Beach, one of the pristine beaches

Lengkuas Island is another famous tourist attraction on Belitung. It takes around half and hour to reach this island (but somehow it felt like only 15 minutes) from Tanjung Kelayang Beach on the mainland, from where I rented a traditional wooden speed boat. The boat could carry five people and cost Rp 400,000 for a whole day.

En route to Lengkuas, there are several unique islands and colorful water. One of the islands is called Bird Island because it looks like a bird's beak made from rocks. There were also some granite islands which look like floating icebergs. As I looked down into the water, the surface changed colors from aqua, to blue and dark teal. The darker colors come from reefs below the surface.

Lengkuas beach was rocky. You should mind your step as the rocks may hurt your feet. Slippers might protect your feet, but you will not be able to walk quickly once the muddy sands start to stick to them. Here is also a granite area, similar to Bilik. While the rocks on Lengkuas are not as big as those at Bilik, it is still fascinating to trek around the area which has an abundance of fish, snails and other sea life.

Finally we reached my favorite beach, Tanjung Kelayang. This beach was not rocky; and I could feel the smooth sand between my toes. This is definitely the pristine beach I have been dreaming about with its white sand, clear water, and only a few other tourists around. I saw several traditional boats moored there, and there was also a small beach bar nearby, where tourists could get something to eat.

Tanjung Kelayang Beach, Belitung

Seafood attack

If you are a seafood lover, this island is heaven. Conversely, if you do not like seafood, you may suffer in Belitung. There were not too many other choices of food on Belitung besides fish, prawns, squid or crab. In fact, they have super-fresh seafood everywhere. One local favorite is Gangan, a fish head soup with tasty yellow tamarind sauce. You can try this at one of the beachside food stalls in Bilik.

Another famous local cuisine is Mie Belitong (Belitung noodles). The noodles are thick, and it is served with clear sweet and salty soup. They also put little shrimp and fish into the mix, and it is served with melinjo crackers on top.

Belitung Noodles

Locals like to wrap food in the leaves of the simpur, a local plant. These leaves are wide and smooth, and serve the same function as the banana leaves that are widely used in Java. I saw locals use these leaves to wrap Mie Belitong and grilled fish.

In Manggar, East Belitung, is a large restaurant with a beautiful creek view, called Figa. Figa owns a hut in the middle of the creek, which is also used for dining. My favourite dish there was prawn sate. This was the best grilled prawn I have had in my life. The prawns were big, fresh, and skinless. Manggar is also known for its coffee, so I also ordered one of these at Figa. I could smell the aroma from a long way off, and could not resist but to try it straight after my meal. The coffee was strong and bitter. Even though I added sugar to it, double the amount normally have in a Jakarta cappuccino, I could still taste the bitterness.

The lost statue

Manggar is not only known for being the hometown of former Indonesian state secretary Yusril Ihza Mahendra, it also has some places worthy of note, and Burung Mandi Beach is one of these. Burung Mandi is a typical Belitung beach with an addition of traditional market that sells food and goods. However, I did not really enjoy this place because it was quite crowded - like Ancol with a cleaner beach. About five minutes drive from the beach, a Buddhist Temple stands tall on a hill. According to a local guide the temple has a magical story. Once upon a time, a cargo ship carrying statues ran aground at a Belitung beach. All cargos was found, except for one Guan Yin Statue. The lost statue was then found on the hill. Locals believe the goddess chosen this place, and so they built a temple at the site. Right behind the temple is a huge rock that looks like Buddha's palm. Locals say that visitors can have their wishes granted by knocking on this rock.

Fuel scarcity issue

Transportation costs a lot of money in Belitung (locally known as Belitong). Since it is not a big city like Jakarta, fuel supplies are limited and there are generally long queues at petrol stations. These petrol stations were usually closed in the afternoons because they had run out of fuel. Petrol was sold for Rp 4,500 per liter at the petrol stations, but then resold by roadside vendors at prices ranging from Rp 5,500 to Rp 7,000 per liter.

Mass transportation is hardly available in Belitung, so I rented a car to get around. Renting a Toyota Avanza costs about Rp 350,000 a day; not including petrol. This does include a driver-cum-tour guide who can show you nice spots around the island.

Getting there

The Indonesian government has declared this year as the year to visit Bangka-Belitung, with the "Visit Babel (Bangka-Belitung) Archipelago 2010" program, but there are only two airlines with direct flights to Belitung from Jakarta - namely Sriwijaya and Batavia. A ticket on Sriwijaya cost me about Rp 300,000 one way.

I stayed in Lor'in Resort in Tanjung Tinggi, which has cottages facing the beach. A deluxe cottage has a couple of twin beds, a TV and a small fridge. However, my favorite spot in the cottage was a semi-outdoor bathroom. I could see the sky and birds above while took a shower, and there was also a small garden inside which enhanced the showering-in-nature sensation. Staying at the Lor'in cost me around Rp 600,000 a night, breakfast for two included.

According to the hotel manager, the perfect period to visit Belitung is between April and October when the seas are calm. Three days after Christmas is a family vacation period, and we had no idea that December was not the best time to visit, with heavy rains and high tides during this time. Fortunately we had at least one perfect sunny day to enjoy Belitung. The island was wet and windy during rainy days, but dry and even hotter than Jakarta on sunny days. This was a perfect getaway for me. Could it be yours too?

Granites everywhere, even on the sea

Kua Etnika: Fusion Music is Possible!

You just can’t kill the “Mission Impossible” theme song, can you? From the classic grand orchestral version by the composer Lalo Schrifin himself, to the alternative or post-punk rock version by Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. of an Irish band U2, to the nu-metal version with rapping and DJing by an American group Limp Bizkit. Now imagine. What if the song is wrapped up a little bit with Indonesian ethnical music? 

I tell you that the composition is possible. It is Kua Etnika, a music group from Yogyakarta Indonesia, who plays the new version with gamelan, a set of Indonesian traditional music instruments. Their mission is noble, to do a creative exploration between traditional and modern art, between idealistic and industrial. With the solid connection developed within the musicians whose background is Javanese and Balinese, Kua Etnika is able to exhibit an extraordinary recital of gamelan together with electrical guitar, bass, keyboard, and drum. In addition, the group leader Djaduk Ferianto also occupies traditional wooden gun toy and an instrument resembling can phone in the performance of Mission Impossible.

When traditional "Saron" percussions meet the modern drum

 

GROWING TOGETHER

Djaduk Ferianto (46 year-old) and his brother, monologue performer Butet Kartaredjasa (49 year-old), are two artists from Padepokan Seni (Art Centre) commemorate Kussudiardja located in Yogyakarta. The padepokan is commemorated under their late father who was also a big Indonesian artist and cultural observer. Together they manage some creative activities there, covering four performing arts group: Sinten Remen (a keroncong music group), Teater Gandrik (Gandrik theater group), DIKLAT tari kreasi baru (education and training centre of new creation dance), and Kua Etnika.

Djaduk Ferianto: The Captain

 

Kua Etnika was established by the two brothers and musician Purwanto in 1995. Consisting of more or less substitutable 15 musicians, some of them are also involved in Sinten Remen. Substitutable? Yes. According to the vocalist Silir Pujiwati, the personnel of Kua Etnika may be different from time to time depending on the performance need and the music colour. 

“Each of our albums presents very different music, and we have different people involved in it.” said Mrs.Pujiwati. For example in their album “Orkes Sinten Remen”, they play new keroncong music which is merged with blues, jazz, rock ‘n roll, and country. Meanwhile in another music album “Orkes Melayu Banter Banget”, Kua Etnika modernize Malaysian music, including putting much dangdut (Indonesian folk music).

In the last 2010 production album “Nusaswara”, Kua Etnika speaks up their concern over the reality of nusantara (a term used to refer Indonesia) through a variety of suara (sound). Therefore, not only playing the standard band equipments and gamelan, the group made their own instruments to produce diverse sounds, like a bamboo which produces tinkling water and a set of small gamelan. 

Since 1998, Kua Etnika has Trie Utami as their main vocalist. She is one of Indonesian top diva who has gained recognitions from international music festivals, and was also trusted to be a judge in a national singing competition. “My life is music, and it is good to play music with my friends.” She uttered and smiling; expressing the feeling for her fellow musicians who she has recognized for years.

Trie Utami (middle): It's good to play with my fellow musicians

 

VERSATILE TROOP

Once I came to watch Kua Etnika’s performance of the newest album “Nusaswara”. I could not stop admiring the entertaining complete action-packed show, all of it without them reading at the score. Each of the numbers tells me different story which stimulates the hearing, sight, and brain.

Kua Etnika combines music, acting, joking, and dancing. These acts are sustained by properties and lighting (yes they have their own lighting man); so it comes alive along with the music they play. Djaduk Ferianto himself is not only a musician. He paints, acts, and dances as well. I believe the other personnel are also multitalented; or at least they can joke well. 

For the talent and professionalism, the group has been offered some interesting projects too, like filling in a play or dance performance. Besides scoring music for Teater Gandrik, Kua Etnika was also hired to enliven theatre performances of Teater Koma, the biggest theatre community in Indonesia. People in motion pictures industry are also magnetized working with the group, as some big names like Garin Nugroho and Slamet Rahardjo trusted their films’ music illustration to these musicians.

Beyond the low-profile attitude of the personnel, Kua Etnika has enlisted the row of Indonesia’s international artist. They worked with Malaysian musicians to present “Many Skin” concert. In 2003, it was German musicians Pata Master’s turn to do collaboration, generating concert and music album “Pata Java”.

In 2010, the group was offered to perform in some big events like the anniversary of Metro TV (Indonesia’s leading news TV station) and be the closing act of Indonesia Music Festival.

There are more to come for Kua Etnika introducing ethnic music to the pop culture. Indonesian traditional music is broad enough to explore, yet the existence is vanishing in the modern society. Kua Etnika will not stop playing ethnic to show that the music is wide open to contemporary challenges, and able to be brought to the world. Yes, Kua Etnika, they really make it possible.

Kua Etnika in Indonesia Music Festival 2010: