Yang Patah Tumbuh, Yang Hilang Berganti

A lovely song from Banda Neira, because today is an extra day :)

[Weekender] Photography Discussion, Book Fair And All That Jazz

From here

After all the floods we had in Jakarta and its surrounding areas in the past few days, we all deserve some relaxation this weekend.  

A friend informed me about a photography discussion #SnatcherClass that will be held at Titik Temu MBlocSpace on Feb. 29 at 10 am (for more info, check IG @arieslukman). I also saw another photography talk with Darwis Triadi on the same day (Feb. 29) at National Museum at 3 pm (for more info, check IG @museum_nasional_indonesia). Hmmm, how about coming to both events?

If you are in the mood for some Islamic reading materials, come and grab the books at Islamic Book Fair 2020, held at JCC until March 1.

Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival is coming to J-town! The three-day jazz festival will be held from Feb. 28 (yes, tonight) to March 1 at Jakarta International Expo.

There is also Plaza Indonesia Film Festival (PIFF) 2020, with movie screening held on Feb. 24-28 (today is the last day, though) with 'The Lighthouse', 'Honeyland', 'The Science of Fictions' and other movies in the lineup. For more information, check IG @plazaindonesia.

Wishing you a dry, safe and peaceful weekend!

I Got Another Freelance Job On The Topic That I Love

Before resigning from one of the jobs last year, I thought I would slow down this year. But an ex boss contacted me in early December 2019 and asked if I could help him out with a new project coming. He knew I worked for a Singapore-based media research company, and he was making a similar entity, so he thought I would be a good fit in his team. I went to his office and meet the other team members, had discussion about my daily schedule (aka my other jobs) and how we could turn the wheels around because we wanted this to work out well. 

That meeting happened in early December, and he told me to wait. So I waited, and resigned from that job. Resigning from that one was never meant to put all hopes on this job. I just wanted to leave things that no longer make me happy anymore. December and January passed without any progress from this project. Then early this month, the ex boss called again to inform that I should start working the next day.

[Say whaaat???]

Boy, I am grateful that I have a strong heart. Otherwise, I could have a heart attack right there. The boss put me in touch with one of the team members, who gave me the step-by-step SOP for the daily report. The first day was a mess. But we are learning to find our dynamics as a team, and so far we are doing good. It has been three weeks and I am starting to enjoy this new project. 

So, what is the project about? In general, it's also a media monitoring job, with the topic of environment, which was broken down to seven subtopics: direct mention of the client's name, climate change, forestry, lowlands, one map, palm oil, coastal&ocean, and biodiversity. I love the topics, which was why I said yes to this project in the first place.

The team provided the links for online news, while I have to scour six e-paper (Kompas, Bisnis Indonesia, Investor Daily, Tempo, Media Indonesia and The Jakarta Post) every morning. They gave me the passwords to the e-paper. Wow, this job is like a custom-made project for a person who loves to read newspaper and environment issues (read: me). All e-paper are already available at 3 am, except for Tempo (5 am), while I start working on the SG job at 5.20 am. 

Basically, I have to finish 80 percent of this environmental medmon project before 5.20 am. I can edit and finish the remaining of the report while working on the SG reports. Fortunately, the team members have been very helpful and they adjusted the schedule to make things working out for me to finish the report on time. I think what makes me liking the project is the trust the boss gives to the team members, me included.

I will work on this project until February 2021. It's not even a month has passed, and I really hope it will be extended. 

[Movie] SEMES7A, A Movie About Indonesia, Environment And People Who Are Trying To Save Both

From here

2019 | Director: Chairun Nissa |

I got a free ticket to watch this movie through a giveaway contest. I have barely won any giveaway, so I was very excited when I got it.

The documentary tells seven areas across Indonesia and seven people who are trying to save the environment using the local wisdom and the belief system they hold onto. Watching this movie will remind you that Indonesia is more than just beautiful natural resources, but this equatorial jewel also has rich culture and kind people.

First to be featured in the movie is Bali, a predominantly Hindu community in a predominantly Muslim country. The Hindu community in Bali celebrates Nyepi, Day of Silence, when people are not allowed to light up fire or electronic devices and talk or make any sound. A report says that Nyepi cut 30,000 cubic meter carbon.

From Bali, the film moves to Sungai Utik, West Kalimantan, where a Dayak community tries to guard the forest using the local wisdom that has been passed for generations. For example, in one year, an adult can only cut down three trees (CMIIW). They only hunt boars, and leave the orangutans at peace. 

Meanwhile, a community in Pameu, Aceh faces challenge in their life as the wild elephants destroyed the paddy field. Some consider killing or poisoning the elephants, but some others decide to take a step back and let the elephants to roam the land. As Aceh is called the terrace of Mecca, the Islamic cleric gives sermon that emphasizes the importance of maintaining harmony with the environment,

An effort to restore micro hydro power plant in Ruteng, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara is featured in the movie. The Catholic priest leads the community to generate electricity from the rivers, and when a recent flood destroys the turbine house and the levee, the community decides to chip in to bring back the clean energy to their village.

Another local wisdom is shown by the mothers community in Kapatcol, Raja Ampat, Papua as theyput a sasi (a ban to fish or take anything from a certain sea area for a certain period of time) to protect the sea. [Tangent: sasi is a common practice in Maluku and Papua, I once saw similar procession in Kei Kecil island, Maluku.] After the sasi is lifted, the mothers harvest the sea products, only take the big ones and return the small ones back into the sea.

The movie takes us to Yogyakarta, where Bumi Langit is located. The permaculture farming and food forest run by Iskandar Waworuntu and his family teaches audience that there is an alternative for better agriculture system that does not destroy the environment.

Kebun Kumara in Jakarta is the last story to close the movie. Founded by young couple Sandra and Dhira, Kebun Kumara tries to bring the greenery back into urban areas through urban farming. [Tangent: I went here last year for a gardening class, you can check their activity on IG @kebunkumara] 

There was a movie discussion after the screening with the director explaining on the process, the challenge and the hope for the movie. Ilun, as the director often called, explained that the movie featured seven communities and seven people due to the movie duration. So it was all about practicality, not lucky number. 

She ties in the seven stories by moving from one island community (Bali) to a tribe (West Kalimantan) to a village (Aceh) to a hamlet (East Nusa Tenggara) to a community (Papua) to a family (Yogyakarta) and to a young couple (Jakarta). Apart from the environment issue, she also features religion as one of the main themes, to show that all religions teach humans to take care of the environment, not destroy it.

It is an interesting movie to watch. Go and watch this if you have the opportunity.

[Weekender] Getting Classical With Tchaikovsky Or Il Costume Atelier

From here

Hello lovelies, how are you?

Are you a fan of classic music? There is Tchaikovsky Night by Jakarta Concert Orchestra with Avip Priatna on Feb. 21 at 7.30 pm (yes, tonight) at Usmar Ismail Hall. The orchestra will play the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, which was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878. Beside the famous piece, they will also play Tchaikovsky's Symphony no 5 in E minor and Marche Slave in B flat minor Op. 31. To book the ticket, go to theresonanz.com/ticketing. 

The costumes from Il Costume Atelier are being exhibited at the Italian Cultural Institute in Menteng, Central Jakarta, until Feb. 22. This exhibition is held in conjunction with the Leonardo Opera Omnia exhibition, held to mark the 500th anniversary of da Vinci's passing at Bank Museum in Central Jakarta from Feb. 6 to March. 3. 

Another fashion event this weekend is Muslim Fashion Festival, held on Feb. 20-23 at JCC. There must be a ticketing for this event, I just don't know where to find it.

It's been a tough week for me. I think I will pour a cup of hot chocolate and have an easy weekend. Have a great one, y'all!

[Movie] Kim Ji-young Born 1982

From here

2019 | 1 hour 58 minutes | Director: Kim Do-young

I watched this movie after 'Parasite' won the 2020 Oscar, and I would recommend anyone to watch this. South Korean movies have solid stories and touching ways to deliver the message, this movie just made me crying, in a good way, of course.

An adaptation from the novel of the same title by Cho Nam-joo, the movie centers on Kim Ji-young (Jung Yu-mi), a young mom of a five year-old girl Ah-young, who feels that she is not doing well enough. She spends the days taking care of household chores, the baby and the family, but she will feel empty every time she watch the sun set from the apartment's balcony.

Her husband Jung Dae-hyun (Gong Yoo) is worried because he sees how Ji-young often speaks as if she is inhabited by her mother/older sister/late grandma. At first he thinks it's postpartum syndrome, but as their daughter grows older, the signs continue. Ji-young sometimes drinks beer in the middle of the night, and does not remember anything about it. He urges her to see a psychiatrist, but she keeps skirting the subject, especially when she knows that the cost is expensive.

As the movie progress, audience will learn slowly on the cause behind Ji-young's condition. The movie moves back and forth, showing Ji-young when she was little, when she was teenager and during her employee stint period. Her mother, who quitted school to work as a tailor and supported the family, once told little Ji-young that she dreamed of becoming a teacher, but she had to give up dream to fend for the family.

Another scene shows how teenage Ji-young is being harassed in a bus. She manages to escape after she asks help from a woman who sees that she looks uncomfortable. However, her father blames Ji-young for wearing short skirt. Her father also once told her to just get married, during which her mother cut him short and encouraged her to pursue her dream and live the life she wants.

Before she was married, Ji-young works in a company. She admired her female boss, and once thought that the boss hated her. But the boss explained that the company needed a solid team that could spend long time. The boss, reflecting on her own situation as a working mom, did not want to place Ji-young in a difficult situation. The innocent Ji-young confidently said that she would still do well like the boss after she was married and had children.

Once Ji-young was married, the patriarchal culture and the societal pressure in South Korea that demand women to get married and have children come barreling down. Dae-hyun asks her to try having children, although she is still not ready. Similar pressure is also faced by Ji-young's older sister, Eun-young, who is still single, but she just shrugs it off.

It turns out that patriarchal culture and rigid family structure become the main cause of Ji-young's mental breakdown. In one scene, Ji-young should visit her mother-in-law with Dae-hyun. Just when she is about to complete her dish washing duty, her sister-in-law comes and her mother-in-law asks her to serve food for the newly visiting family members.

While Dae-hyun does not understand what exactly has happened, he knows that his wife is not feeling well. He sees how Ji-young's face lit up when informing him about a new job offer from the former boss, and suggests that he takes parental leave to take care of Ah-young on her first year at the new office. He just wants to see Ji-young happy again, and if a new job will bring back the woman he loves, he will do anything. However, when Dae-hyun's mother hears the news, she scolds Ji-young for putting her son's career at stake by telling him to take parental leave. The conversation with the mother-in-law sends Ji-young to another depression state, which makes her talking as if she is her late grandmother.

Dae-hyun finally breaks the fact to Ji-young, by showing a video of her talking like her mother. Taking the news bravely, Ji-young decides to put her mental health first. She turns down the job offer to start therapy sessions with the psychiatrist that Dae-hyun suggests, starts journaling, and stands up when several people say she is not a capable mother behind her back.

My take on this movie: I guess all Asians have similar condition, because the family structure is more than just nuclear family, but also unite the families from both the husband and wife. It's important to get a spouse who really love and take you as you are, not as the extended family demands her/him to be. Also, couples should communicate on their vision ahead of the marriage. Some women still want to work in office and do something in the community, but they have to end their dream because the patriarchal culture deems their dreams are unworthy. I love that Ji-young and Dae-hyun work together to solve the issue because that's what good marriage is. Happy women make happy families, and in the end will make happy nation.

[Weekender] Let's Meet Leonardo While He Is In Town

From NowJakarta

Yeay, it's already Friday! What is your plan for today and the weekend? The weather has been cloudy with a chance of rain and some thunderstorms lately, so I've been staying in. I hope to go out some place this weekend.

Here are a few events that I've found on the newspapers and websites.

To mark the 500th anniversary of the demise of the Renaissance master, Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Jakarta present the traveling exhibition, Leonardo Opera Omnia, produced by RAI Com and the Italian Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry. The exhibition is held in Museum Mandiri, 1st floor, Jl. Lapangan Stasiun No. 1, until March 3, 2020. For the event's info in Bahasa, here's an article on Destinasian.

Kinosaurus will hold a movie screening of 'Postcard from the Zoo' on Feb. 15, 2020, start at 9.30 pm. For more information: kinosaurusjakarta.com.

Festival Sinema Australia returns this month with top list films to be screened in six cities, including Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, Mataram, Bandung and Yogyakarta. This year's festival will screen eight films, from feature-length film to documentary, from Feb. 14 to Feb. 29. Tickets for the screenings are free, but you should book a seat on fsai2020.eventbrite.com.

Children's Art Space Color In Space by Mit Jai In in Museum MACAN. The museum is collaborating with Thai artist Mit Jai Inn in UOB Museum MACAN Children's Art Space Commission. Children will be able to immerse themselves in the environment that is set up to resemble a cave. For more information, visit www.museummacan.org.

Wishing you a fun weekend with your loved ones!

[Weekender] A Dose Of Stars, Music And Long-Lasting Friendship This Weekend

Photo from National Gallery

Hello lovelies, after what seems like a century, allow me to try to bring back the Weekender agenda to this blog.  In the past, I had the info for the weekend events from the newspapers. Since I worked in a media company, I always had many newspapers to read on a daily basis. Now that a new freelance work gives me the opportunity to read the e-paper version, let's put them into good use. Here are some events for this weekend, as found on Kompas, Feb. 7, page 18 and other source.

On Feb. 8, the Jakarta Amateur Astronomy Association (HAAJ) will invite visitors to learn more about meteors, comets, asteroids etc using observation devices in Planetarium, Taman Ismail Marzuki. The event will be held between 4 pm and 8 pm for free, visitors only need to show their ID or student cards upon entering the multimedia room.

The Instagram account of mblocspace (@mblocspace) says that there will be #mblocmusicmarket on Feb. 7-9. The sessions held during the three-day event include talkshow, workshop and concert, with the tickets can be purchased on Loket.com.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Indonesia-Russia diplomatic relationship, which fell on Feb. 3, 2020, National Gallery will hold an exhibition featuring paintings made by Russia's leading artists. The paintings show the beautiful scenery and culture of Indonesia as captured by the artists when they visited the Emerald of Equator. National Gallery also collaborates with National Archives (ANRI) to feature the historical archives that show the relationship between Indonesia and Russia. The event will be held until Feb. 17.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

[Movie] Knives Out - An Agatha Christie-esque Mystery Thriller Movie

From here

[Disclaimer: Beware of spoilers. But of course, when I write movie review, you can always expect spoilers. LOL.]

I have been hearing rave reviews about Knives Out, so when a friend asked me to accompany her to the movie, this Agatha Christie fan was definitely in. I watched this movie last month, or was it last year, I forgot, but the fact is this movie has been put back in the theaters show how good it is.

The movie is written, produced and directed by Rian Johnson. At the 77th Golden Globe, it received three nominations. This month, Lionsgate announced that a sequel is in the works, possibly centered on Daniel Craig's character.

First of all, this movie has an all-star cast, such as Christopher Plummer who was the charming Captain von Trapp in 'The Sound of Music (oh how he aged beautifully like a fine wine, but I digress), Don Johnson (I still remember him from Miami Vice days), Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Toni Collette. But the one who steals the spotlight is doe-eyed Ana de Armas.

Ok, let's start with the basic opening.

Wealthy crime novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), celebrates his 85th birthday and invites his family to his mansion. The next day, Fran (Edi Patterson) the housekeeper finds him dead with his throat slit. The police are convinced that it is a suicide, but an anonymous party has hired private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to investigate the case.

During the interview with the family members, the detective finds that Harlan did not get along with most of them as he threatened son-in-law Richard (Don Johnson) to expose his cheating with wife Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), cut off daughter-in-law Joni's (Toni Collette) allowance for stealing from him, fired his son Walt (Michael Shannon) from publishing company and had an argument with grandson Ransom (Chris Evans). Detective Blanc later confirms with Harlan's nurse Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), who has a unique trait: she cannot lie without vomiting.

[More spoiler ahead. You can stop here if you like.]

At the reading of the will, the family discovers that Harlan left everything to Marta. As everyone getting mixed sentiments against her, she flees the house, with the help of Ransom. To calm her down, Ransom takes her to have something to eat a restaurant and, knowing that she can empty her stomach upon the thought of lying, asks her to tell the truth. Marta tells Ransom about the night before Harlan's death, that she gave Harlan the wrong medicine, which led Harlan to commit suicide because he knew that Marta's mother is still an undocumented immigrant and a suicide case can clear Marta off any charges to continue working and taking care of her mother. Ransom offers to help her with a share of the inheritance.

Marta receives a blackmail note with a partial photocopy of Harlan's toxicology report. She and Ransom go to the medical examiner's office, but it was burned down. When she checks her email, she reads a similar blackmail note with an address. Detective Blanc and the police, who is examining the fire that burned down the building, spot Marta and Ransom. After a brief car chase, the police catch Ransom and Blanc tells her that Harlan's mother saw him climbing down from Harlan's room.

Marta goes to the address in the email and finds Fran drugged, along with her missing medication bag. She hesitates to help as Fran can link her to to Harlan's death, but she still performs CPR and calls 911 ambulance. Marta confesses to Blanc, and they go back to Thrombey Manor, where she gets the full toxicology report in Fran's hidden cannabis stash. Marta is about to confess to the family, but Blanc stops her after reading the report.

The detective ushers her into a room and tells her his deduction: during the party, Ransom learned that Harlan would give everything to Marta, Ransom left the house and returned from back door, swapped the labels on Marta's medication vials and took the antidote so she would kill him with an overdose of morphine, making her ineligible to claim the inheritance. However, Marta actually administered the correct medicine because as registered nurse she can tell which medicine to give without reading the labels, and therefore, she is innocent. After the death is reported as suicide, Ransom hired Blanc. Fran later saw him hiding Marta's bag and sent him a blackmail note. Realizing that Marta had unknowingly given Harlan the correct medicine, Ransom forwarded the mail to Marta. He also burned the medical examiner's office, drugged Fran and emailed the location to Marta, to frame her for Fran's murder.

[My mind was already exploded at this phase. But wait, there's more.]

Blanc and Marta collaborate to make Ransom confesses by saying that Fran survives and ready to testify against Ransom. Enraged, Ransom admits everything and vow revenge, and the police records his words. Fran has died, actually, and Marta vomits on Ransom.

I can't wait for a sequel and I will look forward to watch the next movie by Rian Johnson.

The Benefits Of Choosing #LatePost On Social Media

Ten years ago, when I was traveling with my uni friend Aneen, I saw her taking photos on every corner and then posting them on her BlackBerry device. I was still a smartphone-less person at that time, so I took photos with my camera, which I would download later to hard drive and then posted the photos through PC/laptop when I have arrived back in the office.

Now that I'm a smartphone owner, I still retain the habit of #latepost on social media. For many people, I am considered a dinosaur that refused to keep up with the trend. But after trying on several social media, here are the benefits of #latepost that I found:

1.  It's a matter of security. There have been stories of houses being burglarized when people post their holiday photos real-time. Enough said.

2. Rather than updating the feed/wall/status every minute along the trip, I can focus on the five senses. Of course I will take photos, but I will not be busy picking which photo to post, filtering the selected photo and drafting the caption. I will just take photos, and enjoy the moment, the sight, the smell, the sound, the taste and the touch.

3. I can escape from the 'Hey, can you buy me some souvenir while you're there?' question. LOL, this is such a typical question of Indonesians (and most Southeast Asian nations too, I heard). It's not that I don't want to buy souvenir, I just don't have the strength and willpower to lug a heavy suitcase filled with souvenirs.

4. With the gap between the trip and the post, I have more time for the thought process to pick which photo/story to post and which to keep to myself. I think it is better to keep some things about yourself as a mystery. Many people often forget that the digital files can be tracked down by future employers/spouses/in-laws. Digital world is now as dangerous as the real life. Be wise in putting ourselves out there.

5. In relation to number #4 above, I have felt that writing the caption/status on social media is very tricky. Written words have stronger punch than verbal sayings. Sometimes people will misinterpret the words as a show off our accomplishment, when we only meant to share information. With #latepost, I have the time to calm the emotion and spend more time to think about the proper wordings to use. Nevertheless, the caption is still a tricky thing to do.

6. Being the introvert that I am, the #latepost setting really helps when I want to explore the area on my own. I can see things that I like about a shop/anything really in my neighborhood, take a picture and share it later on WhatsApp status. And I don't need to worry about anyone suddenly sliding into my DM and saying:"Hey, I know this place. I'm in the area, let's meet." I am sorry if this sounds strange for extroverts, but this is just how I roll.

7. The #latepost will bring back the good memories about the trip amidst the hectic work schedule. It's like extending your holiday, a kind of escapism or a trip down memory lane, whichever the reason is a #latepost can always put smiles back into my face.

Do you feel any benefit from #latepost setting?