�Agent of Change�s Paradox: Young Civil Servant and Corruption

Becoming a civil servant in a national institute is sooo stunning and elegiac, never thought i am falling in this kind of circumstances. Its December already, it means I have been working here for 11 months. Halfway through that year I managed to learn many things about public administration. The system here is more complicated than what I learned in university. When I was a student in university I learned about how community empowered theirself without government�s power, most of community I observed were distrust to government�s role to develop community. So do I. Haha!

When I was in 2nd year student in university, I did a research about inclusive education, my research question was how did disabled community develop a fair access education for them and how did they empower theirself despite of discrimination in public sector. One of my finding is; mostly of policies for disabled people were undermanaged, there was an assimetric communication between government�s departments and disabled people. Somehow, the government uses disabled people as commodity to increase voices in general election, they create an image as they care about democracy and minority voice, or to get fund from international aid. I think I do agree with South American aphorism; There is never underdeveloped country; there is always undermanaged country. Yup! Because of that political interest in policies we had, country development should be understood in a management context. Whoever the leader, whatever the party, whenever the period, the main issue is not the struggle of political power, but how to create a continuity of development�s aim.


That was about how my sceptical thought towards government started. Then couple months ago, I decided to join in this government policy institute. It was my own conscious choice. I will take whatever the consequence.

CRAP!


Ya! Whatever the consequence...


But now, it is really hard for me to understand this circumstances in this environment. Government institutions are related to bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is hierarchical naturally, and relevant to power. When it comes of billion rupiahs projects, especially in physical development projects, it is impossible that these corrupt young civil servants work without the approval of their supervisors. Couple days ago, I read a headline in KOMPAS, the biggest newspaper in Indonesia; young civil servants who own suspicious �fat accounts� were likely to work alone. The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) previously reported that 50 % of young civil servants (25-35 y/o) involved in corruption, including 10 individuals who possessed personal bank accounts containing hundreds of billion rupiah. PPATK also reported that 2000 something reports of suspicious transaction in government institutions have been remaining unrevealed by the judiciary. Corruption has been inflicting the country to financial loss and poverty. It also destroys Indonesia�s development priciples: Pancasila. One more shocking fact; A nationalist movement did a research in 2006. It reported that only 4, 5 % university students in this country say that Pancasila is still suitable as a country priciple. What on earth is happening? God, hope you must be kidding this time. Okay, I am so over.


Indonesia is in high level of corruption. The young generation shall change this situation. But now, in fact, some of youth are corrupting, and it shocked me out. I am 24 years old, I am also young. Why youth ask about youth? Confuse? Me too! In real situation I had a weird experience. When I was in Sumedang District, West Java, I assisted the government officers to make a workload analysis. They seemed not interest with it, whereas they really need it for bureaucracy reformation. So, I came to them, be patient and slowly made they understand about workload analysis, finally, the made it perfectly. I don�t know why, after that, they gave me moneys in an envelope, which was not my right because I officially got paid before. I asked them �What is it for?� They can�t answer it, only �Just take it, miss!� I hardly refused it, but they didn�t want to be refused. I just left the money in the table.


Another experience, when I went to another town for office bussines, I got transportation fund which the amount was officially fixed by ministry of financial in a document what so called General Cost Standards (Standar Biaya Umum/ SBU). But the administration of my office cut 30 % of the fund for unclear reason. I have no time and power to sue it. Once again.


Talking about habit of corruption, sometimes, and somehow, it also happens in society. I saw a mom asked her child to buy vegetables, then she didn�t ask for the change. When I was in supermarket, a customer next to me should get the change, though its only 50 cent, but he didn�t ask for that. So, who to blame?

What about Law that regulates about corruption? Ya, we do have Law No. 20/ 2001. But its not strong enough. It regulates about death punishment for corruption suspect when the country is in a crysis situation, but the committee of judges have no enough courageus to execute death punishment because of the fucking human right reason. If I were Abraham Samad, the new head of Corruption Erradication Commision (KPK), I will shoot every proven corruptor die. Ow, this is only my emotional opinion.

Then, what should we do the as Indonesian youth? I repeat a cliche; just start it from ourself. Ask for change, don�t let unfairly situation press you. Just think about how many people will trapped in poverty if corruption happens more and more. Wherever we are working, we will work together to create a free corruption environment. Last, don�t be bore to love our country.

Moves to the beat to the rythim... never resist or quit, take some speed... We are the change that Indonesia need... You�ve been asking for the world to change, aint nothings gonna change if you not decide to do a thing...
-Bandung, Dec 12 2011, Now playing; Generasi Synergy by Barry Likumahuwa Project-

Always Feel Good After Walking in Tea Garden

Last weekend, me and mery, a new friend from Palembang, Sumatra, went to Tea Garden near Tangkuban Perahu crater. It was very cold there. Maybe it was 8 celcious degree. Heavy rain after that, flood in Lembang street. Can you believe it? Flood in a highland, it happened. My motorcycle striked down. But it was a fun day. We talked to local people, got so many information about tourism objects in West Java. Lesson learned we got is; whatever our aim, just keep on focussing and struggling to reach it. It will always result a beautiful achievement. Whatever. Thank you so much Merry!

Cooking Story Part 4: Coming Back To My Kitchen; it is Indonesian Chicken Noodles Turn

Dear my blog, I am sorry I fail to keep my pledge; posting at least three posts a month. Haha! Cliche reason; I was busy last two months. Busy and stressed at work even at weekends until i lost my passion to cook for a while. So, this time I decided to cook Indonesia Chicken Noodles. Why? Actually I�ve been dying to eat Chicken Noodles since couple days ago, hehe... I am a big fan of noodles!! Here they are....

Prepare:
- 250 grams of dried noodles
- Mustard greens, as much as you want. Mince and boil it.
- Onion leaves, as much as you want. Mince it.
- Fried red onion, as much as you want, as garnish.
- 2 chicken thigh fillets. Mince it into small piece.
- 2 Chicken feets (it will make a tasteful stock for the soup)
- 4 tea spoon of salty soy sauce
- A table spoon of sweet soy sauce
- 4 table spoon of oil
- 4 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 4 Glasses of water
- a tea spoon of salt
- 2 tea spoon of turmeric powder
- A tea spoon of black pepper
- A tea spoon of white pepper

How to cook:
1. Heat 2 tea spoon of oil, fry the a half of the chopped garlic, then enter the minced chicken, black pepper, salt soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and a tea spoon of turmeric. Cook until its thickening.
2. Boil the dried noodles. Leak through.
3. Boil the chicken feets, other half of chopped garlic, salt and a tea spoon of turmeric.
4. Set a bowl with enough dried noodles, mustard greens, onion leaves, fried onion, and fried chicken. Serve with the soup. Done.

Soooooo... easy right? Actually this recipe influenced by javanese and chinese cuisine. However, this can be an alternative if you want to make something with noodles.

Cooking Story part 3: First Tasteful Failed Shape Handmade Pancake

If someone asks me why did I choose pancake for this cooking trial i will answer because of the restaurant in the dept store i visited couple weeks ago. Yaa, i know, in fact, nobody asked me :p. I went for eat in Indian Restaurant in Bandung few weeks ago, K99 Curry house, people said its the best Indian restaurant here, especially for south Indian food. I was dying to taste Naan bread, but they ran out of it. Sooo, then I took a revenge, and asked about delicious food around Pasteur street to my friend who has been living in Bandung for a looooong time. She told me that I should go to Giant, a department store near K99 Curry house, she said I can find many delicious food in the 1st floor.


I found a tempting pancake cafe there. So I ordered the double one with maple syrup and cappucino. Huahahaha... Thats my portion! When I tasted it at the first spooon... ummmmmmmmm I want to cook this kind of pancake!! No matter what. I was not success to get the recipe from the owner. Okay, that doesnt mean i give up. Well, at least he told me the main ingredients like wheat flour, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder, and salt. Standard. Okay, yesterday was my time to try the recipe on my own way.

Just prepare:

150 grams of wheat flour
250 mls of milk
3 eggs, divide the egg yolk, shake the white until it blown enough; I called the shaken white with snow egg
1 tea spoon of baking powder
1 tea spoon of salt
72 grams of sugar flour
Maple syrup. Anyway, its hard for me to find that kind of syrup here, so i changed it to mocca topping
Margarine

How to cook:
- 1st dough; Mix the wheat flour, sugar flour, baking powder, egg yolk, and salt, shake it 15 minutes in slow speed of mixer.
- Add the snow egg to the 1st dough, shake it 10 minutes in slow speed of mixer.
- Fry it into a margarined pan
- Put maple syrup or other topping as garnish

Thats my ngasal recipe of pancake, huehehe... and the result, it tasted delicious but the shape wasnt blowing enough like i eat in Giant. But, next time, i will try it again with improved recipe :D. I think, next time i have to shake the first dough longer before I add the snow egg or I have to add more flour? Well lets see.
If you ask me why dont I search the recipe in google? i ll say, i dont want because i want to create my own recipe :p. Haha! Sooo, just dont do the recipe i shared unless u will get failed shape of pancake =))

Sheridan Animation App Available

If you are interested in applying to Sheridan College or just want to learn more about the program, there is now an app available for the iPad. There is a lot more information in the app about the program and the portfolio submission than there is on the Sheridan website.

Menuai Kesuksesan, Menampung Pengabaian; Membaca Jalan Baru Analisis Dinamika Kebijakan Publik

Abainya pembuat kebijakan terhadap satu isu dan kepentingan bukan berarti kegagalan pada kebijakan yang dibuatnya. Pengabaian ini dapat menjadi kekuatan bagi suksesnya kebijakan periode berikutnya.


Judul Buku : The Importance of Neglect in Policy-Making
Pengarang : Michiel S. De Vries
Penerbit : Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Kolasi : XV, 203 halaman

Perang dunia II pada dekade terakhir kolonialisme Belanda di Indonesia membawa sejumlah konsekuensi logis yang cukup signifikan bagi Belanda. Pendudukan Nazi Jerman di negeri kincir angin itu telah mengakibatkan kemiskinan pada titik klimaks. Kini, negeri yang dulu terpuruk itu menjadi salah satu negara dengan ekonomi paling kuat dengan peringkat terbesar ke tujuh untuk Produk Domestik Bruto (PDB) per kapita. Michiel S. De Vries, seorang professor Administrasi Publik pada Institute of Management Research, Radbound University Nijmegen, kemudian menyoroti fenomena ini dengan metode penelitian longitudinal. Ia mengamati perubahan fokus dan fleksibilitas kebijakan publik pemerintah Belanda dari tahun 1940 hingga 2000.


Periodisasi yang kemudian disebutnya dengan istilah generasi kebijakan ini dibaginya ke dalam lima periode. Dengan pisau analisis teori ekonomi tentang kelangkaan dan perpaduan teori sosiologi mahzab fungsional-struktural serta teori kebudayaan, penelitian ini menghasilkan salah satu temuan pentingnya yakni isu yang diabaikan dalam kebijakan periode sebelumnya, bisa jadi isu yang krusial untuk mendukung kesuksesan kebijakan berikutnya.


Dari penelitian longitudinal itulah kemudian Vries menghasilkan salah satu tesis bahwa perubahan yang terjadi dalam setiap periodisasi itu mengikuti masalah-masalah yang terjadi pada setiap konteksnya. Seperti halnya dinyatakan teori kebijakan publik klasik bahwa kebijakan diciptakan mengikuti masalah pada konteksnya masing-masing. Buku ini tidak sekadar menjabarkan pencapaian dan bagaimana kebijakan itu dicetuskan di Belanda, namun juga proses perubahan yang terjadi. Vries menyatakan bahwa arus utama kebijakan dalam setiap periode telah berhasil mencapai tujuannya. Akan tetapi, setiap periodisasi membuahkan kritik tentang hal-hal yang diabaikan dalam isu kebijakan dan reaksi dari kelompok-kelompok yang belum terakomodasi aspirasinya. Vries berpendapat, kritik akan isu-isu yang diabaikan dalam kebijakan ini bukanlah suatu simtom kegagalan, melainkan konsekuensi dari suksesnya suatu kebijakan.


Buku yang diterbitkan pada 2010 ini dibagi dalam enam bagian. Bagian pertama, Vries menjabarkan penyebab perubahan kebijakan dan bagaimana memprediksi perubahan arah kebijakan. Beberapa ilmuwan sosial berpendapat bahwa perubahan kebijakan merupakan sesuatu hal yang tidak mungkin untuk dilakukan. Peran ilmu sosial saat ini masih pada tataran penyedia instrumen kebijakan dan menjelaskan apa yang sudah terjadi. Namun, Vries menolak anggapan tersebut. Vries berargumen bahwa ilmu sosial memang sangat dinamis, begitu pula kebijakan, sehingga sulit untuk diprediksi arah perubahan dan resiko yang mungkin muncul di periode selanjutnya. Kedinamisan ilmu sosial bukanlah penghalang bagi prediksi perubahan dan resiko.


Dengan indikator dan parameter yang jelas dan terukur, kebijakan akan dapat diramalkan dengan baik. Dalam rangka menjelaskan dan mempredikasi perubahan kebijakan, seorang analis tidak hanya harus menginvestigasi namun juga mencari isu apa saja yang diabaikan pada suatu periode. Dalam pembuatan kebijakan terkadang pemerintah mengabaikan satu isu yang mungkin akan muncul dan mendominasi di masa berikutnya. Pernyataan tersebut ini terbukti pada sebuah penelitian longitudinal yang dilakukan Zvi Nammenwirth, seperti yang dicontohkan Vries. Nammenwirth menganalisis perubahan kebijakan yang terjadi sepanjang 1815 hingga 1980. Dengan metodologi content analysis pada setiap pidato kepresidenan Amerika Serikat (AS), Nammenwirth mencatat kata-kata dan konsep yang ditekankan pada setiap pidato.


Di akhir analisis Nammenwirth, ia menyodorkan konklusi bahwa kebijakan bukanlah suatu yang sangat tergantung pada kejadian-kejadian krusial yang tiba-tiba terjadi pada suatu masa- yang tidak mungkin diprediksi- dan hanya bisa dijabarkan setelah efek kebijakan terjadi. Namun arah kebijakan setiap waktu dapat diprediksi jauh-jauh hari sebelum itu terjadi dengan hanya dari melihat aspek yang diprioritaskan dan aspek yang diabaikan. Prediksi Nammenwirth sempat tidak dipercaya oleh beberapa analis kebijakan publik. Namun, prediksinya terbukti benar justru saat ia sudah meninggal, salah satunya tentang bom demokratisasi jilid ketiga di Amerika -yang lebih mirip imperialisme pada negara lain- pada 1980. Agaknya hal tersebutlah yang kian menarik perhatian Vries dalam melakukan penelitian longitudinal tentang perubahan kebijakan dengan lokus yang berbeda. Lebih lanjut, Vries menjabarkan teori-teori formal perubahan kebijakan dan peran krusial isu yang diabaikan pada periode sebelumnya pada bagian kedua.

Salah satu teori formal yang diungkapkan Vries yakni tentang kemunculan kebijakan. Kebijakan muncul dari isu-isu dan tuntutan yang muncul dari masyarakat. Dalam tahapan pembuatan kebijakan, tidak semua tuntutan dapat diwujudkan bersamaan. Terdapat beberapa aspek yang harus ditekankan terlebih dahulu dan ada yang ditunda untuk diwujudkan. Penundaan inilah yang yang dalam bahasa Vries menjadi diabaikan sementara.


Pada bagian ketiga, penjabaran perubahan kebijakan di Belanda pada kelima periode sepanjang 1940-2000 dirunutkan oleh Vries. Pertama-tama, Vries mengidentifikasi periode yang menekankan pengabaian-pengabaian yang sama pada periode sebelumnya. Vries menemukan adanya empat aspek penekanan dan pengabaian dalam setiap periodenya yakni apa yang disebutnya dengan korporatisme partai politik, kesejahteraan, demokrasi dan efisiensi. Keempat aspek tersebut mengalami fluktuasi perhatian pembuat kebijakan pada setiap periodenya. Fluktuasi tersebut, dalam analisis Vries disebabkan oleh tiga faktor yakni dinamika tujuan kebijakan, perubahan penggunaaan instrumen kebijakan dan perubahan peran kelompok aktor yang berbeda dalam proses kebijakan. Meskipun ada isu yang diabaikan dalam setiap periodenya, Vries menilai fokus pada setiap periode membawa hasil dari tujuan yang ingin dicapai.


Dinamika instrumen kebijakan yang berbeda dijabarkan Vries pada bagian keempat. Instrumen kebijakan ini antara lain pengadilan, ekonomi, organisasi dan komunikasi. Tipologi instrumen kebijakan tersebut dijelaskan lebih lanjut oleh Vries, antara lain: Pertama, Instrumen hukum, yang terdiri dari Undang-Undang (UU), peraturan, instruksi, resolusi, yurisprudensi, ordonansi, dan peraturan formal lainnya. Instrumen ini merupakan instrumen yang paling memiliki keuatan dibanding instrumen lain, karena ia memiliki wewenang untuk mengatur, menyeragamkan dan memberikan sanksi sebagai onsekuensi bila melanggar. Kedua, Instrumen ekonomi, termasuk subsidi, hadiah, pajak dan retribusi. Instrumen ini menghasilkan perilaku yang lebih menarik secara finansial. Ketiga, Instrumen komunikasi, nasehat, konseling dan transfer informasi, untuk mengubah perilaku warga negara. Keempat, instrumen organisasi seperti restrukturisasi dan manajemen. Vries menunjukan bahwa penggunaaan setiap keempat instrumen kebijakan yang telah disebutkan diatas mengubah secara periodik dan bersamaan dengan perubahan yang berbeda pada bagian sebelumnya. Pada dekade terakhir, keempatnya menggantikan secara dominan sebagai alat independen untuk menganalisis pembangunan masyarakat.


Partisipasi publik jelas krusial akan dikenakan pada instrumen sebagaimana dijelaskan pada bagian empat. Pada bagian kelima, Vries menjabarkan peran aktor masyarakat dalam pembuatan kebijakan secara periodik dan bersamaan. Bagian ini pertama kali membedakan empat tipe aktor masyarakat interaktif berdasar dua dimensi yakni dimensi yang cenderung konvergen dan antagonis terhadap pembuat kebijakan. Basis-basis dimensi keempat tipe aktor masyarakat itu antara lain masyarakat sebagai kelompok target, kelompok kepentingan, sebagai klien dan sebagai rekan. Vries mengungkapkan bahwa empat peran ini menjadi dominan dalam tindakan sukses antara tahun 1945 dan 2000. Tipe aktor ini kemudian berpengaruh pada pencapaian elit dalam keberhasilannya membangun hubungan dengan masyarakat.


Dalam analisis longitudinal yang lebih umum, dominasi tipe aktor berpengaruh di Eropa. Analisis dimulai sejak awal 1950 an ketika pembuat kebijakan merasa ada gap antara perilaku yang diharapkan dan konflik kepentingan yang senyatanya terjadi pada masyarakat. Pembuat kebijakan berpandangan bahwa masyarakat pada intinya merupakan sesuatu yang harus dikendalikan. Perubahan tipe aktor ini mulai nampak pada 1980. Pada saat itu masyarakat seperti klien dan pemerintah seperi penyedia layanan. Pada awal 1990, pemerintah menganggap kelompok masyarakat sebagai partner. Maka kemudian ditemukan penggunaan yang meningkat akan negosiasi yang lebih sering mengenai kontrak sosial tentang UU dan regulasi, serta pencarian win-win solution.


Jika pada bagian-bagian sebelumnya telah terungkap latar belakang, teori perubahan kebijakan dan analisis temuan Vries tentang perubahan kebijakan pada lokus Belanda, pada bagian terakhir ini, Vries membandingkan antara pijakan teori dan temuannya. Ia menunjukan suatu model dengan spesifikasi pertimbangan kepentingan aktor dalam memahami perubahan kebijakan yang fundamental. Berikutnya, ia mengusulkan model ini untuk pembangunan di Eropa, dan Belanda setelah tahun 2000. Pemerintah baik menurut Vries merupakan yang bersungguh-sungguh untuk tidak menangani beberapa masalah bersamaan dalam sekali. Terdapat beberapa dilema dalam memprioritaskan fokus kebijakan antara lain; dilema antara pengutamaan demokrasi, proses kebijakan dan efisiensi, juga dilema antara peraihan tujuan jangka pendek dan kefektifan jangka panjang, serta dilema diantara menekankan efisiensi dan responsif terhadap pelbagai kepentingan. Menanggapi dilema ini, Vries tetap merekomendasikan pembuat kebijakan utnuk tetap fokus namun fleksibel dalam perubahan kebijakan.


Secara umum, buku ini sangat detail menjabarkan analisis Vries tentang perubahan yang terjadi dalam konteks Belanda. Namun, apa yang dijabarkan Vries mengenai aspek penekakan dan pengabaian kebijakan tentu tidak akan sama dalam konteks negara lainnya. Sangat disayangkan, pada bagian terkahir buku ini, Vries belum menjelaskan secara detail mengenai mekanisme fokus dan fleksibilitas dalam pembuatan kebijakan. Terlepas dari beberapa kekurangannya, buku ini memunculkan pisau analisis baru terhadap perubahan kebijakan. Buku ini juga memberi pemahaman baru mengenai tahapan dan metodologi analisis perubahan kebijakan yang menyeluruh.

Heloo October

Nggak kerasa sekarang udah pertengahan Oktober. Sampai tengah bulan ini aku hampir gila memikirkan dan mengerjakan penelitian yang sebenarnya bukan minatku serta dengan manajemen buruk. Harusnya koordinatornya bukan aku, tapi entah kenapa di tengah jalan seakan-akan aku ikut kerepotan ngoordinatori teknis dan substantif. Hmm.. aku benci selalu terjebak di hal-hal kayak gini. But, well ya sekalian pembelajaran lah, asal rewardnya setimpal sih gapapa.

Ternyata institusi tempatku bekerja nggak sebagus yang aku bayangkan. Pada nggak honi tu diskusi. Di kampus dulu kami sering diskusi dan dosen2nya menghasilkan penelitian yang mendalam dan praktis. Metode penelitian jelas pas di kampus, disini penelitian cenderung tanpa metode. Hanya sedikit orang yang benar-benar mampu dan berpengalaman dalam isu administrasi pemerintahan, tapi ada yang parahnya, dia masuk di jabatan struktural tertinggi disini tapi berteori saja masih salah. Keliatan banget jarang baca, sooo, kayaknya aku nggak bakal bertahan lama disini. Suatu saat kalau aku sekolah lagi aku bakalan keluar dari sini. I miss Yogyakarta, I miss my campus, the people there are smart, witty, open minded and multicultural, everything is just vice versa here :((.

Anyway, karena aku bingung mau posting apalagi, pada postingan berikutnya kulampirkan resensi buku yang udah aku tulis di jurnal akademis terbitan aku kerja. Cheers semua!!

Taka and This Delicous �Chili Pepper� Life

I have tried to not make a political post of broken heart, because i think people will get disturbed by my melodrama story. But its my blog, my catharsis, huh! I am not that such drama queen, but i feel better when i think about my sadness. Maybe i am just addicted to painful of something i can�t have. A kind of obsessive compulsive.

Maybe I am ridiculous but, Lord, I am thankful for loosing many things. I am thankful for chances to belong. Though hurt, Loosing many things taught me about inner peace. We have to let them go, because, someday we will lose much bigger things like memorable stuffs, branded stuffs, job, people we loved, finally, we ll lose our soul, walk alone and face death. We have to and we will face them even when they are biting and hurt, right?

I can say, loosing many things realizes me that life is as delicious as chili pepper. Actually my Japanese friend, Taka said that after I told him about my broken heart story. Then, he said, �actually, I couldn't find words on your relationship.. but now you seemed to be fine. Anytime and anywhere we crash some troubles unexpectedly. But I believe that all of them is meaningful for our fruitful life like chili pepper of Yogyakarta, right?haha,� after that, i laughed all the day. His quote was quite funny for me.

Taka used to hate hot and biting food with chili and pepper of course. But i disagreed with him. I told him that chili in Indonesian food is the most wanted and dominating spice. Even it tastes hot and biting, many Indonesian addicted to it. Foods would be more tasty with chili. Indonesian people would feel incomplete without chili in their food. You-foreigner- dont believe? Ask your Indonesian friend who stay abroad. My brother lives in Milan, Italy, and sometimes he is dying of chilis.

I think Taka now agree with my idea that chili is delicious. My point is; even some people think that chili is ridiculous and biting but it is addictive, amazing, sensational, and delicious. Chili also has a lot of vitamin C, its good for your diet program :p. There are benefit, delicacy and enjoyment in hot and ridiculousness. And there will always so much hot hot hot chili pepper that we have to taste!

Cooking Story Part 2 : Nasi Goreng Kunyit

Mulai sekarang aku berjanji pada diriku sendiri untuk ngeblog sebulan minimal tiga kali. Menulis itu seperti sebuah penyembuhan bagiku. Janji untuk ngeblog itu bagiku terdengar klise dan pernah kuucapkan sebelumnya. Mmmm, maksudku sekarang aku meralatnya menjadi ngeblog dengan intensitas pemakaian bahasa Indonesia lebih sering. Seperti terlihat pada arsip blogku, beberapa tulisan terakhir kutulis dengan bahasa inggris. Blog ini memiliki beberapa pengnjung setia. Hanya sedikit. Kukira salah satu diantara mereka ada yang memilih untuk berhenti menyimak blogku. Dia yang hanya bisa memahami tulisan dengan bahasa Inggris, India dan Urdu. Dia... penyemangatku. Dia... bume-ku, b****** u�r my everything. I never found someone love me like he did.


Aku cukup bisa memahami keputusannya untuk tidak lagi menyimak blogku, mungkin dia menganggap tulisan ini seperti serpihan kaca yang siap menghujamnya bertubi-tubi ketika ia membaca ceritaku atau mengingat apapun tentangku. Sikapku yang kadang grusa-grusu itu menyakitinya. Kukira aku pantas mendapatkan ini semua. Kata Lelu, sahabatku, kami berdua sama-sama cerdas, saking cerdasnya kami bahkan tidak bisa mempercayai satu sama lain. Skeptis. But, bume, dont you think that this is hurt for me also? I feel pain too! You�ve been turning my whole life so blue during these days, bume!! Biking, reading, working, wacthing movies, and everything I did couldnt cure this deep painful. Well, but i think writing and cooking make me feel comfort and better nowadays. I know I do well, and you will be fine, bume.


Memasak sama menyembuhkannya dengan menulis. Merasakan lezatnya karya seni meleleh dalam mulutmu itu bahagianya seperti ketika kamu harus memikul es berkilo-kilo di pundakmu lalu muncul kehangatan yang melelehkan bebanmu seketika.


Oke, kembali ke judul awal ya, namanya juga cooking story. Mengapa aku memberi judul depan dengan kata-kata Cooking strory? Cerita Memasak? Yang jelas aku tidak sedang menulis buku resep sekarang. I just want to spill my story out. Its a story about how cooking changes point of view, my concicousness, and my life. Oke, oke, I come straight now. Here we go....


Libur lebaran kemarin simbah memberikanku penggerus batu untuk dibawa di Bandung. Itu cukup jadi kejutan bagiku mengingat waktu itu aku membutuhkan benda itu di Bandung dan tak kunjung kutemukan bendanya. Jika ditemukan pun pasti kualitasnya tidak sebaik yang kumau dan harganya terlalu mahal. Kok bisa ya jiwa kami bisa sebegini terkoneksi?


Kemarin mbak Danik, teman kosku meminjam penggerus batu itu. Benda hitam seberat 10 kilo itu habis kupakai untuk ngulek kunyit untuk bumbu perkedel jagung. Dengan semangat, mba Danik mulai menggerus bumbu untuk nasi gorengnya, dan warnanya jadi agak kuning karena pengaruh kunyit yang susah dibersihkan. Warna itu terlihat menarik. Ini mencuri perhatianku selama lebih dari 24 jam setelahnya.

Aku pun mulai membayangkan jika ada dua jempol kunir yang kugerus bersama tiga siung bawag putih sampai halus lalu ditumis bersama setengah sendok makan margarin nonkolesterol kemudian dimasukan potogan bawang merah, garam, petai dan cabe rawit, pasti kombinasi dari kekhasan rasa bumbu-bumbu itu menghasilkan nasi goreng yang membuatku ketagihan. Aku sudah mencobanya sore ini, bentuknya jadinya seperti nasi kuning dengan tambahan-tambahan bumbu dan rempah. Aku juga menambahkan toping telur dadar dan daun seledri. Itu saja. Sederhana tapi enak. Cukup jarang bagiku bisa memasak nasi goreng seenak ini.


Yang kucatat kali ini adalah;

- Untuk selalu menggunakan nasi yang tidak terlalu lembek, gunakan nasi yang pulen cenderung agak keras.
- Gunakan sutil kayu, untuk mengaduk nasi goreng yang padat, sutil kayu akan bekerja lebih baik dan kuat daripada sutil stanless stil
- Bagi yang menghindari MSG, sekarang tersedia penyedap rasa non MSG dan dibuat dari kaldu jamur. Dijamin sehat dan bebas kolesterol. Bisa dicari di supermarket yang menyediakan barang impor. Sayang sekali ya, orang indonesia belum pada peduli dengan isu kesehatan seperti ini, sehingga lebih banyak produsen makanan sehat dari manca.


Yak, mungkin segitu dulu cerita memasaku, gambar jadinya ada diatas, hehehe, menggoda gak? :D... and last but not least... wish u were here, bume!! I miss the way you teach me indian herbs. I miss the way you talking about commerce even i dont understand. Imiss the way you stare at me. I miss the way you talk. I miss the way you tease me. I miss the you mad. I miss your smile. I miss the way you love me, I miss all things in you... Maaf ya, mungkin buat temen-temen yang baca, aku ini semacam jijay, hehe ... emang! Akhirnyaaaa... selamat memasak semuaaaaa!

Cooking Story Part 1: Javanese Chicken Soup (Recipe and hints)

For me, cooking is the greatest art over across the universe. I think I am falling in love with great food taste. I�ve been starting cooking for since I was kid. Mom used to ask me to help for cooking. I thought cooking is boring, but I wrong. Its amazing to taste delicious art melt in your mouth. I like cooking because I like eating. Actually, I started cook everyday because cooking makes my living cost cheaper! :D


I went places for tasting various culinary from different cultures . Somehow, tasting spices and identifying those in my mind increases my curiousity to cook. I failed so many time because foods weren�t tasted delicious but I learned many things. I believe everybody can cook, even better than me.


I remember when I was in college, I used to watch Julie and Julia Movie and Julia Child's cooking show during dinner. She was so energetic, so humble, so humorous, so impressive, so instructive. She really knows how to cook with fun and resulted perfect arts. She was even better than chefs in Masterchef Indonesia reality show. They cook soo serious and judge contestants arrogantly. Tongues are different. Can�t we make cooking fun?

This is first time I write about cooking. I write about Indonesian Chicken Soup cooking. Simplest recipe for beginner, but wasn�t that simple for me. I cooked chicken soup many times, resulted many tastes of soup. First of all, for 4 portions, Indonesian chicken soup needs carrots, cabage, stringbean, spring onion, celery and of course, chicken. To make the gravy, you need water,salt, chicken (for stock), fried onion slices, red onion slices, and peppers. If you dont want to fry the onion ist okay, but i suggest you to fry it before you put it to the water. The taste would be more delicous. I can say, onion is the prime spice of indonesian food. After the water boiled, you can put the vegetables to the gravy. Wait 3 minutes, dont be too long, otherwise the vegetables nutrition would be lost.

Hints;
� Always begin with cold water, never warm or hot.

� When tasting to adjust flavors, use a stainless steel spoon, not a wooden or sterling silver spoon. Wood and silver disguise flavor on the tongue.

� If you must avoid salt, know that the flavor will be greatly diminished. Adding no-salt or low-sodium broth concentrate will help.

� Don't turn your nose up at this: Chicken feet add not only robust flavor, but gelatinous body to the soup. Fresh chicken feet need to be scalded about five minutes so the skin and toenails can be removed before adding to the stockpot. Calf feet, veal knuckles and beef marrow bones achieve the same goal. Bones also leach nutritious calcium and minerals into the soup.

� If at all possible, do not use chicken that has been frozen. Freezing forces moisture from the tissues. When the bird is thawed, all that moisture ends up down the drain, leaving a dry and tasteless chicken.

� Unthawed frozen vegetables should not be added to the soup until the last 15 minutes of cooking time.

� Don't let the soup boil. It should simmer very gently or the meat will become tough and the broth cloudy.

� Dark meat has more flavor than white meat. If you are using chicken parts rather than a whole chicken, keep this in mind. Using only all white meat will result in a much less flavorful result.

� For those concerned about fat, make the soup in two stages. Cook the chicken with its aromatic vegetables and herbs on one day. Strain the meat and flavorings from the broth. Refrigerate the broth until the fat solidifies on top. Save the fat for other uses or discard. Continue with the soup. Do keep in mind that the majority of the flavor is in the fat.

� If you are planning ahead, cook the chicken with vegetables and herbs. Freeze the strained stock. If your planned future use includes chicken meat, freeze the meat in the stock to keep it from drying out. You can later thaw and add fresh vegetables, pasta or rice.

� For a richer broth, remove the chicken from the bones as soon as it is tender and refrigerate. Add the bones back to the soup and continue simmering until desired strength is achieved. Strain and proceed.

Advice From Amanda Zima

Amanda Zima is a graduate of the Sheridan animation program and she has put together a site (still in progress) that is aimed at helping people create portfolios that will gain them acceptance.

Go here to read Amanda's advice.

Get Along with My Honey Money

Actually i am not good at managing money. I was a money spender. Lavish. Specifically, when i was a college student. My parents covered my living cost, tuition fee, etc. I worked as a freelance journalist in my last year of study. I pledged to myself that i wont ask my parents for living cost. I want to be an autonomous woman. Haha! That was such a conceited, huh?

I knew its hard to earn money. But, knowing that earning money wasnt that simple made me more lavish. I was sooo excited by money i�ve got. I did shop clothes, books, and many things. I didn�t think that i need money tomorow, the day after tomorow, the day after the day after tomorow, and so on.


One day, i ran out of money when i really needed it. I experienced at taking debts. Worst financial experience i�ve got. Ask for debts to friends again? Oh, thats big NO NO!! I decided another solution. It was in Ramadhan month when muslims do fasting. Then i used my hobby. I like cooking, i cooked appetizer a lot for breakfasting. Then I sold it. Even it was quite difficult to sell, I got profit, though less. At least, i got lesson learned about how to sell and simple marketing method.

Talking about debt, Ambrose Bierce, was an American Journalist from 18th century, ever said; Debt is an ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slavedriver. I do agree. I used to be trappped on debts. Once you engange to debt, you will get more addict to it. Somehow, it will pull you down into deep misery because you have to return. Thats what I learned from my experience and �The Confession of Shopahollic� book. Rebecca Bloomwood, a character in the novel, is a success columnist in a lifestyle magazine, she has much money, and she has credit cards too. She really addicted to branded stuffs. She did shopping a lot. One day, she couldnt return the debts of credit cards, everything became worse. How does she fix her finacial problems? It would be better for you to read the novel, or watch it in movie :P

I believe that our sallary is always enough for living cost and investment. It depends on how we use and manage it. You dont believe? I interviewed a person in Gunung Kidul, a remote area distric in Province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He works on his own farming, plants cassava and eggplant. No other income. His income even lower than worldbank poverty absulute terms. The bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$1.25 per day, and moderate poverty as less than $2 a day. It has been estimated that in 2008. He has his own house. Somehow, he can pay for his family necesary, pay for his children school tuition, and he lives happy. Be careful you people who work in welfare survey field, why? because welfare indicator in every person is different, depends on culture value, internal and external factors.

Now, i am working as civil servant far away from my hometown, i am living alone. For some people the sallary isnt enough to cover my necesary. I dont agree. I am thankful because i got a job i wanted, match to my passion. My sallary is more than enough. Even I can share a little part of my income to other and also spare it to invest in planned saving and mutual fund. The main aim of investment is to put money into something with the expectation of gain, that upon thorough analysis, has a high degree of security of principle, as well as security of return, within an expected period of time. The reason why i choose planned saving and mixed mutual fund is because they have lower risk than other mutual fund product. Another reason is because their requirements of initial investment isnt too much, minimum investment is 200,000 rupiahs, and you can top it up monthly.


In mutual fund, they have NAV that sometimes increases monthly, but sometimes decreases, it depends on rate of inflation. NAV stands for net asset value. This is the market value of one share of a mutual fund. It is calculated each business day by adding up the total market values of each investment in the mutual fund and then subtracting management fees and marketing fees. That total is then divided by the number of outstanding mutual shares. Outstanding shares are the number of shares owned by everyone who is currently invested. For example, a year ago, One NAV is 2,100 IDR, and i bought 210,000 IDR, it means i got 100 NAV. But now it increases to 25%, which is 2,600 IDR. If i want to sell my mutual fund this month, I ll get 2,600 x 100 = 260,000. Imagine when you top it up for years.

After three or four years you can use it if its realy urgent or you can sell your mutualfund and buy golds. From now on, i promise to myself to not take debts and keep on investing, no matter what financial problem I got. Trust me, its really important to invest your money when you got job. Faster better, younger better.

Life is better without coffee mate

After a doctor told me that I had gastritis couple years ago, I promise, I won�t drink coffee anymore. I haven�t been drinking coffee for 3 years, but last week I got terrible situation hit myself. It feels like souless. I thought I become a zombie. Haha! Actually my boyfriend just broke our relationship. He blamed me so much, though I think he did mistakes. We broke up-made up-broke up- made up- soooo many times. Okay, leave it. It doesn�t important.

Where were we? Okay, after that, I forgot of my pledge, found coffee in my kitchen, drank it without sugar. My flat mate was surprised and said; �You drink coffee without sugar or at least adding cream. Now I see you really enjoy that thick bitter one. That�s a joke!�

�Really? did I do a strange thing?�

�Look at yourself, Tiwi, as far I know, you don�t like coffee, it will increase acid in your gastric, then make it worse.�

We became quiet. I stared at the cup, and I realized that for the first time after 3 years, I just drank the most bitter bitter bitter coffee in my life. The strange fact is I could taste a sweet part from that coffee when I had it in my mouth. The myth is true! It�s a symptom that I am okay. When I was in college, my friend told me; �If you drink coffee even without sugar when you feel terrible, and you can taste a sweet part of that, don�t worry, you are okay.�

A day after broke my sacred pledge �okay this time I am soo over- I was fine. No bad things happened in my gastric. My life is better. I cook, read books, eat, and work as usual. But he crossed my mind always. It wasn�t that hurt but quite frightening. I think coffee cured me.

Yesterday, my boyfriend called me, and we made up. As usual, I think we need times to break then make it up again. Strange? Confuse? Me too. But, that�s love. Hurts. Stupid. Courage. Sweet. Motivates. Sweet things come again. I know, there is no life such Cinderella story, happily ever after, sweet things surrounding. I prefer to get bitter sometimes. Like a coffee, life is better when it tastes bitter. Why? Because too much sugar or sweetener will make it worse. Trust me or not, it happened in my life.

Why I hate politicians....

It was a crowded afternoon when I realized something crossed my mind. I used to not interested with politics, i mean, practical politic related to excecutive, legislative and judicative power. I hate politic. But, in fact, just because I do not take an interest in politics does not mean politics will not take an interest in me. In general election, the function of people, i mean citizens �including me and you-, is only to get majority voices. General election was the most ridiculus thing from government start. Why? Because, Indonesia is a big modern state, which much bigger than a city state �as Plato's concept--. To elevate, generally, citizens prosperity is a must.

Elevation is an initial step of democration. Many of us think, decide independently to elevate. Democracy increases welfare and prosperity. Is that true? I think, Its not about how far we practice democracy, how hard problems we faced, but its all about how perfect the policy, how trustworthy the human resources in government.
Many books about ideal public policy read in indonesia,then why citizens havent got welfare yet? Because excecutives and legislatives are too busy of their own political debt. UUD1945 as primary constitution describes about managing social justice&procitizens economy,but it means nothing,defeated by political debt.

Politicians will do everything to get power, including eat his friends and take debts. Its kinda circle of evil when everything returns to political debt,&my head is spining as usual. There's no other way besides deepening civil society power, education is the best weapon to change circumstances, emancipate society. But education is expensive, seems I am geting in circle of evil again, my head is spining again. Okay, another way is to talk direcltly to policy maker. But, everytime i meet politicians and talk about policy is always about money. Oh, I hate politicians!

Welcoming new netbook

Dear beloved blogy, finally I do blogging again after broke couple of months. Since my netbook broke, I can�t write in this blog. Haha! How am I doing? New flat means new lovely kitchen means new netbook. Well, Its time for me to think about my new project about cooking. I ll make a new blog about my cooking story. I ll write also in this blog about my thoughts and my live. Okay, here it comes! But, since i am busy of other works,i have to wait few days :D

Gus Mus dan Gaya Perlawanannya terhadap Kekerasan Atas Nama Agama

Gus Mus, beliau adalah salah satu penyair dan ulama favoritku. Kepribadiannya yang kritis, terbuka dan bersahaja jelas memikat siapa saja baik non muslim maupun muslim. Kali ini saya tidak bicara dalam konteks agama. Melainkan tokoh kemanusiaan dalam sampulnya yang lain. Aku selalu merasa ada sensadi kedamaian kala menyimak puisi, tulisan dan kiacauannya di twitter.


Beberapa hari yang lalu aksi bom bunuh diri kembali terjadi di Cirebon. Tak segan-segan, si pelaku membidik kepolisian kini. Tepat sebelum peledakan itu terjadi saya baru saha berbincang dengan seorang kawan, boleh dibilang dia merupakan peneliti dari gerakan-gerakan agama radikal. Mayoritas penganut gerakan ini ternyata kadang tidak mengetahui apa yang dilantangkannya, terbakar emosi, berpendidikan (formal) rendah, dan rata-rata berasal dari ekonomi menengah kebawah. Kaitannya dengan seorang Gus Mus, kenapa saya bilang dia tokoh kemanusiaan dalam sampulnya yang lain, itu sangat sesuai dengan kicauannya kemarin; �Tips agar tidak disesatkan atau direkrut sebagai bom: Jangan kumpulkan dalam dirimu: kebodohan, kemiskinan, dan semangat beragama berlebihan,�. Bagiku, orang-orang yang percaya bahwa perang dan bom bunuh diri bisa membawanya ke surga mungkin lupa bahwa ia bisa menciptakan surga di bumi tanpa harus melampaui takdirNya.


Sekali lagi, karena kali ini saya bicara Gus Mus, berikut dua puisinya yang cukup menghentak menurut saya;


ALLAHU AKBAR

Allahu Akbar!
Pekik kalian menghalilintar
Membuat makhluk-makhluk kecil tergetar
Allahu Akbar!


Allah Maha Besar
Urat-urat leher kalian membesar
Meneriakkan Allahu Akbar
Dan dengan semangat jihad
Nafsu kebencian kalian membakar
Apa saja yang kalian anggap mungkar

Allahu Akbar, Allah Maha Besar!
Seandainya 5 milyar manusia
Penghuni bumi sebesar debu ini
Sesat semua atau saleh semua
Tak sedikit pun mempengaruhi
KebesaranNya

Melihat keganasan kalian aku yakin
Kalian belum pernah bertemu Ar-Rahman
Yang kasih sayangNya meliputi segalanya
Bagaimana kau begitu berani mengatasnamakanNya
Ketika dengan pongah kau melibas mereka
Yang sedang mencari jalan menujuNya?

Mengapa kalau mereka
Memang pantas masuk neraka
Tidak kalian biarkan Tuhan mereka
Yang menyiksa mereka
Kapan kalian mendapat mandat
Wewenang dariNya untuk menyiksa dan melaknat?

Allahu Akbar!
Syirik adalah dosa paling besar
Dan syirik yang paling akbar
Adalah mensekutukanNya
Dengan mempertuhankan diri sendiri
Dengan memutlakkan kebenaran sendiri

Laa ilaaha illaLlah! 2005
________________________________________

Kau ini Bagaimana

Kau ini bagaimana
Atawa Aku harus bagaimana

Kau ini bagaimana
Kau bilang aku merdeka
Kau memilihkan untukku segalanya


Kau suruh aku berpikir
Aku berpikir, kau tuduh aku kafir
Aku harus bagaimana
Kau bilang bergeraklah, aku bergerak kau curigai
Kau bilang jangan banyak tingkah. Aku diam saja, kau waspadai


Kau ini bagaimana
Kau suruh aku memegang prinsip.
Aku memegang prinip kau tuduh aku kaku..
Kau suruh aku tolerant
Aku tolerant, Kau bilang aku plin-plan
Aku harus bagaimana
Aku Kau suruh maju, aku mau maju kau srimpung kakiku
Kau suruh aku bekerja
Aku bekerja�kau ganggu aku


kau ini bagaimana
Kau suruh aku taqwa, khotbah keagamaanmu membuat ku sakit jiwa
Kau suruh aku mengikutimu, langkahmu tak jelas arahnya
Aku harus bagaimana
Aku Kau suruh menghormati hukum, kebijaksanaanmu menyepelekannya
Aku Kau suruh berdisisplin
Kau menyontohkan yang lain


Kau ini bagaimana
Kau bilang tuhan sangat dekat
Kau sendiri memanggil-manggilnya dengan pengeras suara setiap saat
Kau bilang kau suka damai, kau ajak aku setiap hari bertikai
Aku harus bagaimana
Aku Kau suruh membangun, aku membangun kau meruskkanya
Aku Kau suruh menabung,aku menabung kau menghabiskannya


Kau ini bagaimana
Kaus suruh aku menggarap sawah, sawahku kau tanami rumah-rumah
Kau bilang aku harus punya rumah
Aku punya Rumah kau meratakannya dengan tanah
Aku harus bagaimana..
Aku kau larang berjudi..
Permainan spekulasimu menjad-jadi
Aku Kau suruh betanggung jawab..
Kau sendiri terus berucap wallahu a�lam bishowab
Kau ini bagaimana
Kau suruh aku jujur ,aku jujur kau tipu aku
Kau suruh aku sabar, aku sabar kau injak tengkukku


Aku harus bagaimana
Aku Kau suruh memilihmu sebagai wakilku, sudah kupilih kau bertindak sendiri semaumu
Kau bilang kau selalu memikirkanku, aku sapa saja kau merasa terganggu
Kau ini bagaimana
Kau bilang bicaralah, aku bicara kau bilang aku ceriwisss
Kau bilang jangan banyak bicara. Aku bungkam , kau tuduh aku apatis
Aku harus bagaimana
Kau bilang kritiklah
Aku kritik kau marah
Kau bilang carikan alternatifnya, aku kasih alternatif, kau bilang jangan mendikte saja


Kau ini bagaimana
Aku bilang terserah kau
Kau tidak mau
Aku bilang terserah kita
Kau tak suka
Aku bilang terserah aku
kau memakiku
Kau ini bagaimana�..
Atau aku harus bagaimana�?


Gus Mus 1987

Rekomendasi Tiwi untuk Film Wajib Tonton Bulan ini

Film-film berikut ini memang sudah pernah merajai box office beberapa bulan yang lalu. Bahkan pemain-pemainnya mendapat Oscar -beberapa-. Tapi, film ini tak akan ketinggalan jaman. Bila dibandingkan dengan film-film Indonesia, disaat Box Office sudah sampai film permainan dan retorika pikiran, film Indonesia masih saja terjerumus pada ide-ide yang tidak substantif, lihat saja dari judul-judulnya; Tali Pocong Perawan, Hantu datang Bulan, atau judul-judul film lain yang bergenre drama yang judulnya saja aku ga hafal saking tidak substantifnya. Ini baru yang namanya ketinggalan kereta modernisasi.

1. The Ghost Writer

Film yang diambil dari kisah nyata ini bercerita tentang Adam Lang, mantan perdana menteri Inggris yang ingin mengenang kejayaan masa lalunya. Maka, ia menyewa seorang ghost writer untuk menuliskan biografinya. Alih-alih menulis biografi yang bagus, si ghost writer ini malah menemukan fakta-fakta baru dari hasil risetnya. Fakta-fakta inilah yang membahayakan Adam Lang. Fakta apakah? Tonton sendiri aje yeeee... pokoknya penuh retorika pikiran

2. Black Swan

Film ini bercerita tentang rivalitas dua penari balet yakni Nina dan Lily. Mila Kunis dan Natalie Portman -si cantik yang berhasil menerima Oscar dari film ini- memerankan si Black Swan dan Swan lake dengan amat sempurna, kalau aku boleh bilang. Keduanya sering memainkan sisi baik dan buruk melalui peran Swan Lake dan Black Swan, sebuah komposisi balet klasik asal Rusia yang dipopulerkan Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky antara 1875�1876. Sutradara pementasan Swan Lake sendiri dipercayakan Aronofsky pada aktor Perancis bermata biru, Vincent Cassel yang memerankan Thomas Leroy.

Konflik terjadi saat keduanya bersahabat dan sama-sama ingin memenangkan hati sang sutradara. Dalam alur inilah permainan pikiran yang dimainkan keduanya nampak gamblang dijabarkan.

3. Inception

Ini juaranya Oscar! Permainan pikiran yang sebenarnya! CEO muda nan tampan bernama Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) berniat mencuri rahasia negara dengan cara yang tak biasa. Yaitu, memanipulasi pikiran orang lain melalui mimpi.
Dia membentuk tim untuk melancarkan misinya tersebut. Cobb menggandeng Ariadne, Arthur, dan Eames. Ariadne adalah mahasiswi yang bertugas membangun dunia mimpi, Arthur bertanggung jawab dalam pencarian asal usul target, sedangkan Eames ditugasi menghipnotis dan memalsu data fisik dari si target.

Cobb dan timnya menemukan sebuah teknologi yang mampu menembus mimpi orang lain dan memanipulasi pikiran mereka di alam bawah sadar. Jadilah mereka beraksi untuk mengatur mimpi orang lain sesuai yang Cobb kehendaki. Salah satu targetnya adalah Robert Fischer Jr., pewaris kerajaan bisnis.

Mencuri mimpi adalah "senjata" yang paling berbahaya. Namun, kemampuan khusus itu harus dibayar mahal. Cobb menjadi buron internasional hingga kehilangan semua hal yang dicintainya. Seperti apa proyek spektakuler ini akan berakhir? Tonton sendiri yaaaa... ntar takutnya dikira spoiler, hehe

Disaster Education for Preparedness: A Story from Japan

Couple months ago, I accompanied my friends to do a research from Graduate School of International Development (GSID) Nagoya University, Japan. Every class year have to take an overseas fieldwork program and they should come to a third word country to do a 2 weeks research. Their topic was about comprehensive disaster risk reduction measures/policy by government and disaster awareness and preparation of local people in Bantul district, Yogyakarta. They focused in two kind of policy: first, disaster proof housing and second, disaster education.

A friend of mine from GSID told me that he felt strange about Bantul disaster victims and damages. More than 5,700 people died, more than 30 thousand people got injured and 200 thousand houses were destroyed. He thinks that the damage was too serious �Although, it just 5.9 magnitude earthquake,� he said. That fact of damages raised his curiousity to find the answer by a research. The research revealed that there were asymmetric coordination from every single department in handling aids after disaster, no fixed standard of disaster proof housing and poor disaster education program. �But, I think the most important to build is local people awareness of disaster. In Japan, it is important to spread the idea through disaster education that infrastructure, such as schools, which works for mitigating disaster should be built with earthquake-proof way,� he said. So, in this article I would like to concern about disaster education.


Disaster education is one of the important disaster mitigation way. The intention of defining �disaster education� is that I think people would act the way they have learned when disaster happens, and people would prepare for future disaster from the information or education provided by government and community. In Japan, they held disaster simulation monthly in each school from kindergarten to senior high school. Most of households prepare emergency bag to bring when disaster happen. Education material is exist in some subject matter such as geography, biology, and Japanese language. Disaster education idea in Japan could be tracked from 1854.

A man called Gihei (Gohei) Hamaguchi, the most influential resident of Hiro village, was at home on a small plateau overlooking a bay about which most of the village houses were. He became aware of something unusual in the offing when he saw the sea running away from the beach after he felt an earthquake. He knew all the traditions of the coast and realized that tsunami would be likely to come soon. But it was too late to send a message to the village before tsunami strikes the village. Then he made up his mind to set fire to a number of rice-stacks which were the crystal of farmers� labour of the year. Because of the fire, village people came up to the plateau in a hurry and found themselves saved from the violence of tsunami. After Tsunami struck, After the tsunami that swept main part of Hiro village in 1854, Gihei Hamaguchi sponsored village people for tree planting and construction of a protective embankment 5m high and 20m wide at the base. The tsunami struck again 100 years later, and the village saved. It became local wisdom and famous history of disaster mitigation in Japan. (source of this story Hamada, M., Kiyono, J., Kunizaki, N. and Suzuki, T.: Why didn�t you tell us earlier? ��Fire of rice-stacks�, Support activities for the education of disaster mitigation in Banda Aceh-, Journal of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 90, No. 6, hlm. 43-46, 2005.)


That�s a story I shared today. People think that disaster mitigation program in Japan is established enough and many countries learn about it to Japan. However, my friends told me that March 11 2011 tsunami totally changed Japanese mind about disaster preparedness. Now, disaster study centers, NGO and government are doing some research to improve their disaster preparedness and mitigation program from recent tsunami experience.

Narxizus Travelingcuz

Last weekend, my bestfriends came to my place, its Bandung. We got along together after a 'disaster' last time. We went to some fun places in Bandung city. First, we went to Asia-African Conference museum. The idea of establishing the Museum of the Asian-African Conference had been materialized by Joop Ave, the Executive Chairman of the Committee of the 25th Anniversary of the Asian-African Conference and Director General of Protocol and Consular in the Department of Foreign Affairs . I saw Netherlands awesome old architecture building when I was walking around there.

Second, we went to The Postal Museum. The existence of museum Pos Indonesia, which located not far from Gedung Sate, not loses from the journey of histories Pos Indonesia enterprise. This building established on July 27 1920 with wide of the building 706 meters, designed by Architect Ir. J. Berger and Leutdsgebouwdienst with Italian architecture from renaissance and colleted of stamps from any country. Because of break out the World War II at final 1941, period of Japanese, and independent revolution, cause Museum PTT not be interest, although the existence nearly forgotten. For doing their function as a museum, on 1980 management of Perum Pos and dan Giro formed a unit to rekindle again the existence of Museum PTT. Coincide of the birth day Postel to 38, on September 27, 1983 this museum opening by tourism and telecommunication ministry, Achmad Tahir and namely Museum Pos dan Giro.

Third, we went to Cihampleas Walk (Ciwalk) Cihampelas Walk is a different area, beautiful and clean it was conditioned visitors to be more comfortable shopping. A walk in Cihampelas at noon, afternoon, and night will feel different atmosphere.