Eradicating Corruption with Music

I met Mul and Rendi last year in a humble house which serves them as basecamp in Depok, just a little bit South out of Jakarta. It was an interview assignment for the mass media I worked at, to make a profile story of this community, or syndication.

They call themselves SIMPONI (Music Syndicate of Earth Dwellers). Gamulya, or Mul for short, acts as the leader or manager of the music group. Rendi Ahmad who also earned credit in a couple of Indonesian features film is one of the talents. The others are musicians with various music genres, including beatboxers. Together they promoted environmental awareness with music in 82 schools for 82 days. For this they received an appreciation from Indonesia's Record Museum (MURI).

Recently these musicians cum activists have been working on different project: anti-corruption, collaborating with Indonesian Corruption Watch. They grieve for the government of Indonesia, who are comfortable with corruption. "Saweran" or fundraising to construct a new building of Corruption Eradication Commission is one thing. They did what they know best, playing music while moved people come and go to donate.

In the meantime, they heard about international anti-corruption music video competition who had been calling musicians from all around the globe to submit their work. The best three videos will be invited to attend the 15th International Anti-Corruption Conference in Brazil. 

Mul does not bother winning, but he sees the power of social media. By making video the message could be spread out everywhere more attractively. The clip was produced low-budgetly by documentarian Dandhy D Laksono from WatchdoC Indonesia.

The song and music video "Vonis (Verdict)" was launched today, 1st of August, at Newseum Cafe Veteran Street Jakarta. As well there was a short discussion with the video's director and historian Bonny Triyana, who revealed that corruption in Indonesia has actually started ever since the country got its independency.

CDs comprising the song and video were sold for 50 thousand rupiah (five thousand will go to saweran) to fund "Indonesia Without Corruption Tour", a commemoration of the 9th anniversary of anti-corruption day on 9th December 2012. The group aim at 90 campuses in 9 provinces, hopefully not only in Java. Care to support the movement? You can contact @simponii at twitter or send e-mail to simponi10@gmail.com

Dreamy European Life

A Hello from Zurich

Hello virtual world...! It's been a while since my last writing about going to Europe.

In summer time (around May), seems like equator line moves to this northern part of the earth. Did not expect it, but it's true I got as much sun as in Indonesia there. Nevertheless, the wind was much colder and somehow the air was clearer, letting me survive survive the sun without aircon.

I landed my feet in Europe for the first time on the 30th April 2012 in Rome, Italy. Spent two days there, singing in front of the Pope and then at a cultural night of the Indonesian Embassy for The Holy See. Oh by the way... I was with Mia Patria, an ethnic show choir group playing Indonesian music. We were in a cultural mission presenting Indonesia to Europeans (but in Vatican we sang to people from all around the globe).
Highlight of Rome and Vatican: Singing in front of the Pope in Saint Peter Square (of course!)

The Pope and I

Then we moved to South Tyrol part of Italy, Bolzano. I was quite happy seeing Florence (Firenze) from a far on our way there from Rome. We spent a week or so performing in towns nearby, such as Leifers, Oies, San Ulrich, Sarnthein, and Kurtatsch.
Highlight of Bolzano: Ladin Museum, which showed me stories and heritage of the valley's people in Italian Alp.

The Castle (was) Museum (now)

Me and Three Ladin Museum's Staffs (who are Ladins)

Next stop was Aulendorf, a little town close to its bigger and more popular neighbour Ravensburg, South Germany. Okay we actually stayed in Ebersbach with host families. I have posted how wunderbar they were in the previous story. In our day off, which thankfully were their day off too, we went to Bad Salgau and Uberlingen close to Lake Constance or Bodensee. Ebersbach itself is a country with plenty apple trees, colourful flowers, some horses, and a taaaaaaallllllllll love tree (which was decorated with heart shape thing and red and white ribbons). The country also has a minus zero degree freaking cold water lake, where I dipped inside and took one or two rounds walk). The water comes from uderground streams by the way. During our stay there, we also performed in nearby towns of Bad Waldsee, Isney, and Brunner.
Highlight of Aulendorf: singing in front of disabled people in Isney. Was fantastically inspiring and emotionally touching.

Martina, Me, and Sisi, we were in the ice cold water

Love Tree

Our longest stay in Europe was in Switzerland. We stayed mostly in Marienburg Gymnasium in Thal (or Rheineck), but for three days in between we relocated to Menzingen to take a rest in La Salle Haus. Of course we made time to experience Switzerland big cities, Zurich and Luzern. Switzerland is indeed expensive, I think I spent most of my pocket money here. However, I love the country of lakes as it gave us the mood for relaxation even though we hustled around.
Highlight of Switzerland: riding in the back of a wood carrier tractor!

Stein Am Rhein, beautiful little town by the river

The City of Light, Lucerne

The old wood tractor that brought us back. Was so failed to run it

Hey hey hey... We got a bonus! When we were in Switzerland, the leader Mr.Linus surprised us with an extra tour to Lourdes, France. Those were our longest drive from Weinheim, Germany to Lourdes, sixteen hours on street. We stayed for two nights, but only one day available for us to enjoy Lourdes. I felt such a strong spiritual connection there; I even promised myself to learn "Salve Regina" when I get back, a favourite song in town.
Highlight of Lourdes: Above the busy souvenir shops and restaurants downtown, a friend Mega and I enjoyed a tranquil and classy lunch in a restaurant above a river with a fantastic view of a castle.

Me and Mega, unexpected but wonderful lunch date

Indonesian Ladies Posing in Lourdes

We went to Lourdes within our programme in Sulzbach, Germany. The town is located next to old town Weinheim and Hemsbach, approximately an hour driving south from Frankfurt. We stayed again in host families who live in Sulzbach, Hemsbach, or Laudenbach, but we performed also to Frankfurt, Gros-Rohrheim, Cologne, and St.Agustin.
Highlight of Sulzbach: I and another three friends were seconds away for getting ourselves being left by Mannheim train to Sulzbach. Meanwhile we had a concert to catch in the evenig so we had to take that train!

A Stranger (also tourist) Spontaneusly Jumped into the Frame,
When I Was About to Take Pic in Frankfurt

Weinheim Old Town with Mama Katharina

at Frankfurt Airport with Two Bussiest Persons in Sulzbach, Mr. and Mrs. Bauer

Now I am back to Jakarta, awaken from the sweet 46 days dream in Europe. Back to the same old life, with an expectation of putting more quality into life here like what I've experienced in especially Germany and Switzerland: respect time, cherish life (which leave me almost no clue how to reach it, as here in Jakarta equals traffic, crime, pressure, polution) Yes am a bad citizen of Jakarta, aren't I? lol. But please comment if you don't agree and share the thought.

Maybe am just done being a realist city girl for 25 years, instead being a fairytale-country girl sounds perfect for me at the moment. I am longing for it: My Dreamy European Life.

German Families

1. Greul Family (left to right): me, Lars, Katharina, Sabine
2. Margareth, Cornelia Steiger, Me
3. Maier Family: Fiona, Opa, Viktor, Me, Isabella, Markus, Martina, Margareth

Before I thought (sorry) Germans are pretty strict and rigid. After staying with these persons for several days, I'd like to revise my opinion. Even though they speak no good English (bit language barrier, yes!), these Germans have golden hearts, warm hugs, never ending smile, and speak an understandable language of love.

Family Maier has a very good cooking mom, Martina. Hubby Markus is a hardworking carpenter, however he tried to spend time with us as much as he can. Fiona (14), their youngest daughter is always happy to meet us (Margareth and I) even though she hardly speaks English. Meanwhile Maiers' oldest daughter Isabella speaks perfect English as she works in a French restaurant in Stuttgart; and of course she cooks fine too. Maiers have six children, but we could only meet four. We managed to meet the boys: Viktor and Sammy. Viktor takes care of elderly people, which is very nice as we can rarely find youngsters doing it in Germany, not even adults are willing to do that sincerely. Meanwhile Sammy who was pretty busy with exams and football still made time to watch our performance too.

Maier is actually our friend's (John) family, but since Martina and Cornelia (our appointed mom) are close friends, and Cornelia Staiger still has to work Monday to Friday in a hospital (but not a nurse or doctor), we were welcomed to the Maiers during the day. However, Cornelia never abandoned us. Time we spent together at breakfast or later at night is quality. She speaks English very well, used to live in Ireland, so we understood each other easily. Her weekend which supposedly is used to study (she wants to take more qualification), was sacrificed to take us around. These two Ebersbach families are super!

Greul-Hennig family who lives in Hemsbach was pretty rigid at first. I found it later that language barrier is the cause. However our lovely Katharina, which is 70, never forgets to pick us up almost every midnight whenever we had a show. She had to wake up in the middle of her sleeping time which starts normally at ten. There is also her second daughter Sabine and her grandson (Sabine's son) Lars live in the house. Sabine is a horse lover. Once she took us to fourteen years-old Mary, her lovely brown horse. I got on it for minutes and it felt awesome! Meanwhile Lars installs aluminium drain pipe for housing, which is a rare job in the state. They both have to go to work very early, around six or earlier. Another lovely thing about the family is that some of the members (Katharina's daughters, son-in-law, granddaughter-in-law-to-be, etc.) run a center to take care of very old people.

It was our first meeting. They did not know me at all before, no communication had been made before, but they did not hesitate to receive me in their house. Something that is not likely to happen in Jakarta, as people always suspicious, careful, and (maybe) put this thought in front of everything: What's in it for me?

These Germans families are not paid to take care of us, receiving us as parts of their family.

So... Danke fur alles.

Liebe,

Florence

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Euro Trip Pictures 2012 (with my fave travel buddy!)

Before I post the story about my Europe trip (yes it's in the progress so please be patient), Euro Trip Pictures
here is the facebook link of the trip with my travel buddy.... for a sneak peek... Enjoy!

Where am I before Europe?

Where in Jakarta I spend my last day before going for Europe Trip? Hospital!

As some of you might have heard, I am going to Europe with a show choir group Mia Patria on Sunday, 29th April 2012, which is tomorrow.

For the last two weeks parents have been very busy reminding me to take more rest, vitamins, and so on. Anything to keep my stamina since I have been practising much, until midnight, before the departure day.

Yesterday the man who warned me much to stay healthy was hospitalised. I got the shocking news when I was at a relative's house, after crossing through Jakarta's traffic for three hours! Dad has tumour somewhere (If am not mistaken it is at the back of his stomach). Fortunately, it is not threatening (now). However, it needs to be removed otherwise it would press out other organs.

Today we're quite busy looking for the right hospital to do surgery. I therefore go nowhere else but to the hospital. 

Reunion at Hospital?!

It's quite funny though as my old man doesn't seem sick at all. He was busy surfing the net and having a cup of coffee when we, the pretty ladies (mom, sis, and I) came. At around three, he had the infusion removed. At five, we ordered pizza. At seven, friends of mom and dad started to pack up the room and made a reunion!

I don't know whether it is God's will or anything else, I have to spend my last day with family.

Although we live under the same roof, we hardly met lately due to our own activities.

I do hope that things will not go worse when I am in Europe. If a surgery needs to be taken in the next 46 days, I'd be sorry can't be there with him or with mum.

"Whether it's a heart attack or heartbreak, just like broadway, the show must go on." The show must go on indeed, as the prayer will keep going on. Te quiero, papa! Love ya daddy! 

Silent Shouts Louder

Who swim hard in the world film industry these days? New technology so-called 3D is growing; advanced filmmakers race to release their products to win the market. Then we also have movies with twists everywhere; or the ones offer "different" or out of the box storyline. I believe these players aim for big money, big honey (the fans), and the academy (awards) or other appreciations.

While those movies are speeding in the strong current of industry, this movie is floating calmly on the river's surface, and surprisingly made many racers slow down and look back as it took the Oscar of Best Picture 2012, and four other recognitions home.

I thought "The Artist" would be a silence black and white thoughtful art film. Silence and black and white indeed, but the last two adjectives gave me some reason to "procrastinate", until.... it won the award.

The reason why I said it is a light floating piece is the point which contradicts my assumption. The movie is light as a feather. I did not have to think much while watching it, like most of the previous Oscar winners, just sit back and enjoy. The story is quite linear yet beautifully simple. It was not a boring picture at all.

Love story which started from a gossipy kiss between old silent film star George Valentin and fan Peppy Miller. Miss Miller got some small movie roles afterward, and rose into a top star. As the talk film entered the industry, Valentin's career was dropping. Love and hate relationship between the two occurred as each artist's career went to the opposite direction.

I think the key strengths of the flick were the music and actors. Fantastic scoring from the very beginning to the end sounds on its place. Salute to the scoring director who has worked very well with the grand orchestra and some detail sound effects too. Actors are also the keys, not to be missed the dog! They all act finely. The film would be worse than crap if it possess not these two elements.

Therefore, congratulations Ludovic Bource for the original score Oscar and French actor Jean Dujardin for the best actor in leading role (first time nominated yet he took it away from George Clooney and Brad Pitt). To make it believable, the costume designers work hard too. The Academy awarded Mark Bridges and friends the best costume design. And finally the guy who make everything happens, Michel Hazanavicius got the best directing award.

Two Best Actor of the Movie: Dujardin and... The DOG!!!

Venezuelan Embassy Celebrates Dignity with Hispanic Film Enthusiasts

The Fourth February National Dignity Day goes beyond a historical event for Venezuelan. While the celebration has started a day before in the Bolivarian country, The Embassy of Venezuela in Indonesia had a film screening party with Club de Cine Amigos Cervantes (Amigos Cervantes Film Club) to commemorate its 20^th anniversary.

Two embassy’s cars parked in front of Aula Cervantes Jakarta that afternoon, 4^th February 2012. Some Venezuelan light bites, brought by the embassy, were served before the film projection started. The friendly Charge d’Affaires of Venezuelan Embassy Elena Csiky, blended easily with the crowd although it was the first collaboration ever between the two groups.

A fifteen minute opening documentary “La Revolución de La Mayoria” (The Revolution of The Majority) gives the depiction of people movement in 1992, which brought down Carlos Andres Perez. The special program by Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) also put the ongoing President Hugo Chávez on limelight, as he led the coup d’état.

The Head of Mission of Veneuelan Embassy to Indonesia (in pink)

“Although he (Chávez) was losing at that moment, the morality of the occasion is to open people’s mind to move forward after the Bolivarian thought, for the people to have a good life and integration to make a big nation,” the Venezuelan representative explained the importance behind the day.

The winning movie of 2006 Trieste Festival of Latin-American Cinema’s Special Jury Prize “El Caracazo” (The Caracazo) kept the audiences on their seat for the 110 minutes after. The feature also portrays the biggest riot ever in Venezuelan history, which took place in the capital Caracas.

Raise Your Glass!

The event drew more viewers than the club’s previous film screenings. It also pulled off promoting participants’ knowledge on Venezuelan history. Club de Cine Amigos Cervantes was initiated by Spanish language course’s students of Trisakti Language Centre Grogol, and supported by Instituto Cervantes, a worldwide Spanish language and cultural centre owned by the Spanish government. The club however does not confine its activity covering movies only from Spain, yet it supports also Latin-American cinema. They schedule the screening on the second and fourth Saturday every month in Aula Cervantes.

Venezuelan Yumm

Generousity in Jogjakarta, A New Year's Note

Beautiful artworks. Awesome things to see. Those were my expectation before wandering around Jogjakarta last New Year trip. Yet shoe-stringing allowed me to find something I didn't expect before: people generousity; which amazed me more than artworks and tourist attractions.

KALIURANG GODDESS

In the first two days in Kaliurang, northern Jogjakarta, my friend Margareth and I absolutely acted like a tourist. We visited a museum of Javanese art and culture Ullen Sentalu, which I believe the best repository I've ever visited in Indonesia. It is well-designed, well-organised, and most importantly well-maintained. I was happy spending IDR 25 thousand for a museum tour and a special royal drink they served. 

One of Well-designed Spot the Museum Has

Meanwhile in the second day, we went trekking the volcano which just erupted last year, end of 2010. It was indeed a though journey, not only because of the challenging trek, but also seeing the ruins it caused. My mind went to hundreds lives taken by it.

We love Kaliurang and we love the hotel Vogels. Cool weather and warm host, yet transportation access to get back there at night is quite difficult. With taxi it may cost IDR 100 thousand, too luxurious for backpackers. So we decided to go downtown by a public bus the next day, then tried to find a hostel there. As we were waiting for the transport to come on the road, the son of the host texted me. His big family who was staying there for a vacation wanted to go downtown too, and we could go with them. Offer was accepted.

At Vogels, left to right: Mr. Christian Awuy, me, the friendly ibu who works there,
Margareth, and Aldrin Mr.Awuy's son

I thought they would drop us somewhere close to the city central area Malioboro Street, but they took us to the beach. It is supposed to be their family holiday, I thought, yet they allowed us two strangers to join. Moreover, we had have not talked more than five lines to the auntie before she invited us. Aunt Yoshiko, yes her father is Japanese, treated us like family. Okay not only her, everyone in that big warm family.

"Come on Florence, Margareth, let's play on the beach," she asked. Then another auntie said, "just order the grilled corn if you like some" as some members of the family were enjoying the common Indonesian street food.

It was lunch time, then again we were invited. We told them about our plan down town. Well not exactly a plan as we hadn't known yet where to sleep that night. An uncle came to me and handed me his name card. On the back of his name card was written an address of Museum Batik Hotel. He said, "if you can't find anywhere to sleep tonight, please come here." I knew later that the hotel belongs to a relative too. Free ride, free lunch, and now free hotel? No no... the ride and the lunch are more than enough. Of course we did not want to bother more.

Mrs.Yoshiko in the black and white stripes shirt and her family and the two strangers
during lunch in Depok Beach

CITY KINDNESS (and not so kind too)

We arrived downtown in the evening, 30th December 2011. As everyone has predicted, most inns would no longer able to accommodate guests. We walked with hope despite we were quite exhausted. We checked a few hostels which seemingly doubled their price, yet could not give double advancement on their facilities, so we kept saying no. Most importantly, their price did not match our budget. 

Finally we found this place, a house of Mr.Inul, located in Sosrowijayan area too. He doesn't advertise like other hostels, not even a signboard was placed, but he did rent rooms. He has three guests rooms and we were lucky we could rent one at least for a night, as it had been booked for the following night.

It is located in a Sosrowijayan's gate

Trying to get a place to sleep the next day, we went to our French friend Phil's place. We talked to the owner of Anda Losmen, where he stayed, but he kept rejecting our advance booking. The next morning Phil saw someone checking out, then he wanted to book for us. 

Then again he said no for an absurd reason: foreign clients only! I was not happy at all with it. If only I had not spoken to him in Indonesian the night before, I might get a room. According to my previous travel experiences before, I didn't look Indonesian to some people. In Bali they kept asking me whether I was Japanese, Korean, Thai, even unusual ones like Dutch or Swedish (haha...). Anyway, I could not believe he was quite discriminative to his potential guests.

Margareth and I thought: Okay it's New Year anyway, let's go through the night without sleep as we would have an afternoon shuttle bus back to Jakarta. So, we decided to put our backpack to Phil's room as we would travel back to Jakarta together. 

Phil and we went to the Sultan Palace that morning, then we met Phil's friend Susan a Singaporean and Ivy a local. Then we went to Taman Sari and met Laura a solo traveler from New Zealand and Theresa a Jakartan. We had dinner at the sultan's brother house, which made a very beautiful Gadri Restaurant. He still uses the place as his home, so I still am wondering now how his family can handle with such little privacy with customers keep coming in and out. 

Gadri Restaurant

Gadri's Blewong Rice and Javanese Beer

Before midnight, Margareth and I went to Mr.Inul's house to get our bags. We had a conversation with him. He knew that we could not find a place to sleep that New Year's eve, so he insisted us to use his living-room freely. Not even a penny we had to pay as he said he could not give us a proper room to sleep. What a very nice man! He believes "pay it forward" concept. He helps people now, and maybe someday his son needs help like we did, other people may pay his generousity back to his son. However, according to our plan, we would get our bags and put it at Phil's. So, we thanked him for his goodwill, but no thank as we did not want to bother him more. 

Other friends had been waiting at Anda. As Phil had just entered the main door with our bags, the owner showered him with rejection. He said that it was Phil's room and no one (or no bags) deserve the room but Phil himself. All of us, we went: WTF???!!! Even my bag, a dead thing which actually is foreign produced, he could not receive. So, we went back to Mr.Inul's house to put our luggage there. Two locals which live only steps away, yet they have a very different attitude. Wow! 

Forgot the rejections. It was New Year; maybe he will be given a new heart in 2012 (LOL). So there were seven of us during the countdown. Happy New Year! Beer toast in front of Sosrowijayan's Circle K, fireworks rocketed and one failed to fly (Thank God no one was injured), then we ended up in a small cafe nearby. The only cafe which still had seats available.

NY Fellas. First row left to right: Margareth, Ivy, and Susan. Back row: Laura, Phil, There, and Me

There were two foreigners with giant backpack came, looked tired and hopeless. Laura and I had a conversation with them then we found out that they are British, they had just climbed Bromo Mountain, they had just arrived in Jogjakarta at 11 by bus, and they could not find a place to rest. They could not even think anymore due to the great tiresome. So, I took them to Mr.Inul's place, hoping that he would also accept these two travellers. Just as I thought, Mr.Inul rocks! He let them stayed in his old couch, even offered them coffee and tea to relax.

No matter how beautiful the city of Jogjakarta is, it was the beautiful heart of the people awestruck me. The warm big family of Mrs.Yoshiko and lovely small family of Mr.Inul gave me more than just a fine experience in Jogjakarta. I will always remember the New Year's Eve 2011-2012 as the time of people generousity, which I'll try to pay to others along the way in 2012.

Some other random pictures I took:

another hilite: Kopi Joss, cafe with charcoal

street art

another street art, it is said: Jogjakarta still is special

found this signboard in Sosrowijayan. I guess not so international then?

Jogjakarta's Seven Eleven, they literally open from seven to eleven

Jogjakarta, the home of leather puppet's makers