Secret Service's New Training

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Lamentation for A Balinese Dog

I am just a dog.
Beaten, kicked and starving dog.
I mean you no harm,
just trying to live
between busy street
avoiding myself from getting hit.
Do I also need to be killed?

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A Night with Three Dancers

Despite the constant state of pouring rain, I managed to drive with my friend, L, to a dance performance by three Japanese maestros in Geoks, Singapadu yesterday night. I had no idea what would be performed since it was L who arranged the whole thing and I, as ever the culture vulture, followed faithfully. After walking through a muddy alleyway, with rain strong enough to ruin shoes and hairs, we arrived at the hidden performance hall.

It was more of a school hall with the simplest seating arrangement ever. Plastic chairs and stadium wooden bench. However nobody really care. The room was packed with crowds, mostly Westerners and art community people.

The first performer was Keiin Yoshimura with the dance piece titled Yuki (Snow). There was two candles in each side of the stage, a shamisen player and the dancer, dressed in a white kimono and holding a parasol. She danced beautifully, using the parasol to convey her emotions. I felt sadness, loss, cold and a sense of nostalgia. It turns out, the dance was about a story of a geisha in the verge of becoming a nun and reminiscing over her past love. It is a “Kamigata-mai dance, pure poetry translated into dance and music within an unfolding meditative space."

Without an interlude, the stage was darken off and suddenly audience saw a white hunch-back figure on the stage. The figure stayed in the same position for a while until it started to move. The bald man wearing a crème suit and matching trouser was Yoshito Ohno, performing his piece titled Kuu (Emptiness). To tell you the truth, I didn’t quite catch the meaning of his performance. My limited knowledge on dance performances, was quite tested last night. I could see how he had an amazing contol over his muscles and movement. I could sense that he seemed to dance with an imaginary figure. He was a kid, a woman, an old man at once.

However the performance which affected me the most was by Saga Kobayashi under the title Hakuyou (Whitemelt). For me it was disconcerting at first. The dancer showed up in white dress, muddled long black hair and carrying a candle in her hand. She started to make her way into the front of the stage, half-walking and half-dragging her way. Her body language was strange, not quite a dance movement. The moderator said the piece as butoh. The program’s description of the piece said “body doing butoh, body being invaded…vacant body with nothing inside. Organs dried, trown away like a dead fly. A female fly sits at the bottom…anthena shiffering, eyes twitching.”

To me, she looks like a female ghost in Asian horror movie. I even wonder at some low point during the performance, if Sadako, the she-ghost in Japanese horror movie, Ringu, was inspired by this performance. The body twitching and stacatto movement strikes me as similar. It was not an easy performance to be watched and understood, although I think the whole experience was mystical. I didn’t feel I was sitting in a cramped hall with my butt felt half-numb by sitting on a hard bench. I felt myself transformed into another place. I could sense that this performance has a “soul” in it similar with Calonarang, a sacred dance performance in Bali.

I’m not sure I like it. It was haunting and surely something that I wouldn’t forget in quite a while but I don’t think I’d see another butoh performance in near time. It was however, an eye opener for me. A great honor for Bali, to be able to host a performance from a world reknown maestros. I felt truly priviliged to be able to see such a provocative and strong performances, despite the minimal facility and a rather hasty event preparation.

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Destruction of 18th Century Plantation House in Tangerang

I don’t like starting my Sunday by getting angry. Unfortunately, it was exactly what happened to me this morning and cause this emotional blog outpouring. I have a special interest in historical buildings, cultivated since my years in Jakarta and intense research for my final projet in university. Right this minute, an 18th century rubber plantation house is on its way to be demolished. Its brick was sold piece by piece, for a mere 1.200 IDR (or a pathetic few cents). The house is the only remaining heritage of Indische-Chinese-Javanese architectural style in the world. I said the only, because another buildings was already demolished or improperly “renovated” as a shopping mall, as was the case with Candra Naya.

Right this minute, while the local Tangerang government absently taking a long weekend off, the tearing continues. This house, said to once belonged to a influential Kapitein der Chineezen Oey Djie San, located beside Cisadane River, has two different façade. The one facing Cisadane River has a Chinese style façade where the one facing the street has a Indische style architecture. Guarding the front door, there used to be two quilin lion statues which now perhaps sitting in a warehouse, ready to be auctioned.

Right this minute, the house which has been raped from its antique ornaments, teak wood (priced 1 million rupiah per m³) and terracotta tiles, continues to be torned down. Later, they will be sold to collectors in Australia and Netherland for God-knows-what-price.

Please stop this from happening. A voice can make a different. Please help to save this building by clicking it here.

Kindly urge your family and friends to write to the Tangerang Local Government’s website.

Don’t let this building becoming the Second Candra Naya!

For further information, images and articles about this house please click the links below:

http://cetak.kompas.com/read/xml/2008/12/04/0115123/gedung.tua.di.tangerang.dibongkar

Kompas article (in Bahasa Indonesia)

http://indonesianhistorical.multiply.com/journal/item/3/Sebelum_Tinggal_Puing
current condition of the building (in Bahasa Indonesia)

http://mahandisyoanata.multiply.com/photos/album/109/COUNTRY_HOUSE_OF_RUBBER_PLANTATION_IN_TANGERANG_NEED_YOUR_ATTENTION_

complete historical information, images, interior condition and updates (in English)

http://www.leidenuniv.nl/fsw/nas/pub_houseIndonesia.htm

"The House in Indonesia Between Globalization and Localization" by Peter J.M. Nas (in English)

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SapiMalas’s Must Watched Movies List

Slumdog Millionaire

A boy trying to win 20 million rupees from “Who Wants to be A Millionaire” kind of quiz, win the heart of a girl and dodging the police’s suspicion. Based on a best-seller book titled “Q&A” by Vikas Swarup, it also recently won the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures award as the Best Film of 2008.

Doubt
Meryl Streep as the Principal of Catholic School. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the charismatic priest, accused of “paying too much attention” to one of the student. Enough said.

The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas
I know what will happen since I’ve read the book. I’d love to see how the tragic story from the perspective of a child, will be translated into movie.

Revolutionary Road
Kate Winslet and Leonardo diCaprio are back as a couple! Finally, he looks compatible and believable enough to be Kate’s object of affection. I hope nobody will drown this time.

Tale of Despereaux
(or to be descriptive: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread)
Love the book! I can’t wait to see the Mouse Knight saving The Princess in action.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story about a man who was born in his eighties and aged backwards. I want to see Brad Pitt’s transformation from old age into childhood. Plenty of Oscar buzz included.

Defiance

I can’t get enough of World War II movies. Buff, army guys is one reason. Another reason is I love to see combat action with not too much special effect. This one has Daniel Craig in it. Yummy.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
This movie said to be the next cult hit as “Juno” did last year. The soundtrack already became a instant hit. I find Michael Cera’s dorky face very adorable.

The Brothers Bloom
I find Adrien Brody’s starving feature very sexy. I’d love to see him playing con-man in pursuit of a rich heiress, Rachel Weisz. Rinko Kikuchi who once amazed the audience by her brazen role in Babel, also makes her comeback.

Valkyrie
Dear Tom…finally! I’m getting used of your long absence post-matrimonial bliss period.

Local Color
The yahoo movie description says: A talented but troubled art school student befriends an elderly alcoholic genius painter who has turned his back on art and life. I say, based on the many awards it already won and displayed in the poster, it should be good.

Happy-Go-Lucky
I always try to look at glasses as half-full. I’d like to see how the heroine also struggle to do the same.

Don’t you just love Oscar season! Plenty of good movies, beautiful screenplay and brilliant acting.

More about → SapiMalas’s Must Watched Movies List

To Describe How Suck 21 Cineplex is in Bali...

is to tell you that I just watched "Sex & the City" last Saturday night. I might as well say good bye to watching "Twilight" this year.

Anyone care to make a joint venture for a new theater in Bali?

More about → To Describe How Suck 21 Cineplex is in Bali...

Postcard from Behind A Truck I

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Red Soup for Rainy Days

After some hassle and dazzle, I managed to kidnap my family to try the new restaurant in Tuban, The Red Soup. Upon entering the door, we were welcomed by a bunch of smiling staff and the heat emanating from the front kitchen. Customers have to order and pay first in the cashier, much in the fashion of the food court. On the wall, I found another selection apart from the red soup, which is salad, sandwich and the usual array of easily cooked meals. All are averagely priced 27,000 IDR. For the red soup, we were given the choice of rice or croutons, price included.

The red soup is a homey meal and it said to be one of the Cina Peranakan cuisine, mainly in East Java area. The red soup contains macaroni, carrots, chicken, broccoli, sausage and meatballs. Simply perfect for the gloom rainy days lately in Bali. The sphagetti also quite tasteful and should be tried. The service and cleanliness are good. The interior is quite surprising and somewhat above expectation. It certainly doesn’t feel as homey as the soup. I feel more in a brothel than in the restaurant (that’s the bitchy interior designer me speaking). Good value, good taste. I would keep coming back.

The Red Soup
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai - Tuban (across Rama Tour)
Phone 0361 - 764738

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Anatomy of A Bag

Neno tagged me to spill the chaotic innards of my bag. So here you can see the mess which is my bag and understand the reason why I can't always pick your call on time (because I have to dive my hand into this sea of things). From left to the right: wallet, check book, James Bond's "Quantum of Solace" forgotten theater tickets, Nokia, my precious Moleskin notebook, iPod, make-up bag, hair brush, three pens (because I keep losing them), name card folder, SoyJoy for sugar craving and my current read, Orhan Pamuk's "The Black Book".

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Indonesia: Failure to Launch?

I skipped off work today. It feels wonderful and remind me of a similar joy when I skipped a Chemistry class because of a “monthly woman sickness” and in weak voice told the teacher that I am in “extreme pain”. Needless to say, “the recovery” was happily spent in a café close to the school, drinking soda and hang out with friends. Ah, the joy! Now, I spent it with a leisurely breakfast and newspaper.

So while slurping my daily dose of long black, a headline in today Bali Post got me interested. United States’s NIC Report: 2025, Indonesia Would Become A Strong Country. No kidding. 2025. Seventeen years from now. Which mean if I have a daughter this year, she will be a teenager celebrating sweet 17, when finally I can tell her that finally we are truly a strong and developed country. The very thing Chinese parents now are saying to their sons and daughters.

Another thing which left me wondering about the article is “…Indonesia might have more roles, economically and politically in the international world by 2025, while the country would be more Moslemized and nationalized.” Moslemized? Whoa. Really? Then what about “the rest”? What would have become of them? That one part really got me thinking. Indonesia was born from one philosophy by its founding fathers: Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Diversity as one). Will it change in 2025?

This article also remind me of TIME Magazine’s article in September. The title was: What's Holding Indonesia Back? In the ideal world, Indonesia should be mentioned alongside China and India as the fastest developing country. China only started to be open on the 80’s and India gained its Independence only on 1947. Indonesia started ahead and yet, it seems that the tortoises beat the rabbit. The article mentioned few factors which kept Indonesia from leading the race: corruption, conflicting interest between local and provincial representative in Jakarta and unpredictable legal system (the very same legal system who created Dark Ages Porn Bill.

Why it has to be 2025? Why not sooner? Do we really need seventeen years to be a strong country? Does seventeen years is the time needed to stop the legacy of chronic “corruption, competing interest and confusing regulations”? Does seventeen years is the time needed to have true and brave leaders who truly representing their people instead of representing their own interest? Does seventeen years is the time needed for Indonesian to be wise enough to understand that religion and politic should never mixed and used against each other?

If that’s the case, we better start now. Because by the time my future son or daughter reach seventeen, I want his or her to be proud enough to say loudly and clearly: I am Indonesian (and not just to Iranian taxi driver in Paris, but also to the hotel receptionist at the five-stars hotel he or she gonna be staying).

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Horror Movie Wisdom

1. When it seems that you've killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead.
2. If you find that your house is built upon or near a cemetery, or ws once a church used for black masses, had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion or who performed necrophilia or satanic practices, move away immediately.
3. Do not search the basement, especially when the power has just gone out.
4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they do not know, or if they speak using a voice other than their own, shoot them at once. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Note: it's unlikely they'll die easy, so be prepared.
5. When you have the benefit of numbers, never go alone.
6. If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, leave the room immediately if you value your life.
7. If you're running from the monster, you will most likely trip or fall. If you are female you will.
8. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (God help you if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine, especially if it is called Derry.
9. If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.
10. When something bad is chasing you, bear in mind that when you try to start your car, no matter how reliable the vehicle is normally, you'll have to crank the engine over many times before it will fire up.
11. People arriving to rescue you generally get ambushed by the monster, so don't rely on them as your only means of escape. In fact, expect to be surprised and delayed by encountering their flayed corpse at some point.
12. Do not call the police as they are either evil and will turn you in or will not believe you and laugh at you. Either way, you must handle the problem yourself.
13. If you are using a gun to combat the all-comsuming evil, it is a good idea to quickly find a new means of defense, because no matter how much ammo you have, you'll run out just before you kill the monster (unless your name is Ash, in which case, you'll never have to reload).
14. If you have defeated the monster, pay close attention to the camera, if it pans away for no apparent reason at all, get the heck out of there.
15. Skeptics are always proved wrong in some horrible, nasty, painful way. Be a believer.
16. If you are a child, don't panic! Monsters only attack overly horny teenagers. Children can NOT be killed in a movie, only possessed or absorbed. So cheer up!
17. If you've beaten the monster into a bloody pulp and you're sure he must be dead, take the opportunity to dismember, burn, eat, blow up or otherwise utterly destroy him.

From a forwarded e-mail I received from Mr. D. Thanks D!

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Is Capital Punishment the Right Answer?

"An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind", said Mahatma Gandhi, explaining his Satyagraha philosophy. India, eventually, managed to gave British Empire a good ol’ kick in the arse and declared its independence. Lately, I’ve been thinking hard about the capital punishment. Upon reading “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote, I oppose capital punishment in general. Who are we, other than a mere human-being, to decide when a man must die.

Yet, there were three men whose misdeed was beyond humanity. Whose crime was not merely taking one’s live but also destroyed a community, disintegrated its faith and smeared a religion with blood. They did not repent, did not seek atonement and thoroughly appeared guiltless. Out loud, they proudly screamed a God’s name they thought they had defend in their own imaginary Holy War. When it was decided by law that they would be executed, they were sure they would become a martyr. One’s said, that he will be greeted by a beautiful angel when his time comes.

Indeed, they were executed. Deep in the valley, those three men were shot to death. The operation was held in the utmost secret. Their bodies were bathed and wrapped with white cloth, by their chosen member of family. Upon the body’s arrival in their own village, I thought to myself, who would be grieving for these mass murderer? Apparently, plenty. Apparently, the mass murderer, to their own community, were martyrs. Saint Amrozy, Saint Imam Samudra and Saint Muklas.

How they expressed their fear of death was widely circulated by press. Saint Amrozy hardly could walk, unable to scream his God’s name like he usually did before. Saint Imam Samudra and Saint Muklas tried their best to resisted the fear and loudly screamed their God’s name in the same breath with abusive swear words for the officers. Afterall they did, they were human in the end.

Politically, Indonesia did the right thing. The execution was internationally expected. Later after it was done, the same international public was torn into those who support the capital punishment and those against it. Indonesia did what it supposed to do in the name of justice. It was a brave decision and an ironic one. Ironic, because now Indonesia is back to being listed as a “travel-warning” destination by the very same countries that politically insisted for the justice to be done.

There was a movie about terrorism I once watched not long ago. In the ending, the head of a terrorist group was captured and eventually killed when he resisted. The audience thought it was the end. It did not. He was killed in front of his young son. A young son who someday will ask for revenge. An eye for an eye, and our world is now blind.

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Louis Vuitton's Throw-Away-Your-Money- Bag

I wonder, what will be the next 'it' items after this?

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Wrapping Up Ubud

I missed a lot of interesting events in this Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. I missed Andrea Hirata's session and pre-launch of his fourth book, Maryamah Karpov. I missed book signings, street parade, book launch and priceless sessions. Business happened and I must bid farewell to the festival which just started to heated up.

On the first day of my arrival, I got the chance to joined a superb half-day workshop "Dramatic Ideas" by Tee O'Neill. My class is surrounded by picturesque hill view of Ubud. One just can't ask for a more pretty setting to start writing. Tee was such a supporting and kind teacher. I reached the peak of brain orgasm afterward.

my "classmates" scribbling

After Vikram Seth's session, I darted off to followed Camilla Gibb's Sweetness in the Belly book launch. It has been translated by Mizan Publishing into "Lilly:Pencarian Cinta Seorang Gadis Eropa di Etiopia". There, I met my favorite lit blogger, Sharon Bakar, whose splendid blog, I read almost daily. She kindly acknowledge my rambling blog and encouraging me to blog more about Indonesian literature.

On my last day, I managed to squeezed two sessions. Malaysians Making History with "Truly Asia" writers attending the session (Preeta Samarasan, Faisal Tehrani and Chiew-Siah Tei). With a still sleepy eyes and caffeine stirred-up brain, I went to the session and thoroughly enjoyed it. All three authors read excerpt of their work (I'm still, even until now, haunted by the harrowing excerpt on Preeta's book "Evening is the Whole Day").

Malaysian Making History session

The last session was just amazing. John Berendt, another star in this year festival, was such a charming persona. No wonder he managed to charmed his way to dig the eccentrics appeared in his books, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil & City of the Falling Angels. The session, Evoking a Sense of Place, John Berendt lucidly described his method of writing and in the way, throwing interesting anecdotes and jokingly called himself "state-of-the-art weirdo magnet". My moleskin is full of quotes. The other writer, Cameron Forbes, discussing his book "Under the Volcano: The Story of Bali". Both authors agreed upon the importance of setting to bring reader into their story.

Evoking a Sense of Place session

I was so upset upon leaving this amazing event of my annual brain stimulation. There can't be more perfect place to held this event than Ubud. Hopefully there won't be any incredulous thing preventing me to come next year.

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European Film Festival 2008

Annual European Film Festival is in town! Alliance Francaise Denpasar will play host to this year festival on November 8 & 9. Click here for schedule and synopsis.

Free entry. Be sure to arrive on time for there are only 30 seats available and enjoy.

For details, contact Alliance Francaise Denpasar (0361) 234143

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View from the Car

One beautiful reason to be stuck in the traffic.
Lodtunduh, October 2008.

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All About Eve

Since Retno has kindly tagging me in her blog, I have no other option than continue and so I kindly ask Nara, Li and Stephanie to continue this chain or for anyone, really.

1. I always have a book in my bag (unless my bag is a clutch). I don’t fancy staring into space and nothingness so I read everywhere, very much so until a friend joked that I should get a master for reading.
2. I’m a devoted dog person.
3. I believe in God but not religion because it is already fabricated by far too many people with their own agenda.
4. One movie I absolutely know words-by-words is Finding Nemo.
5. Literary character I feel I have special bond with and whom I think resemble me in many ways is Josephine March.
6. I read three copies of different Sunday newspaper during my late breakfast every week.
7. Each morning, I must get a cup of coffee before I can function properly.
8. I tend to gravitate toward generous, self-deprecatingly funny and open-minded people.
9. I learned about geography from my stamp collection.
10. My major splurge are (and will always be) books and glossy magazines.

When tagged, one must:

1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write six random things about yourself
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

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Halloween Extravaganza

Nobody take costume party as seriously as Heidi Klum, The Goddess of Kali.
or her hubbie, Seal, in:

"Mr. Hopefully-Soon-to-be-President- Barack Obama"

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Porn Mentality Bill

Today marks the day when cultural diversity, ethnic pluralism and freedom of expression will start its way down to the Valley of Perish. Despite the endless array of creative demonstration, endless discussion panel between various organizations and minor protest from few brave representatives, Indonesia now has a porn bill.

Kindly read the definition of Porn Bill (The Jakarta Post, Oct 31, 2008):

Pornography is drawings, sketches, illustrations, photographs, texts, voices, sound, moving pictures, animations, cartoons, poetry, conversations, gestures, or other forms of communicative messages through various kinds of media; and/or performances in front of the public, which may incite obscenity, sexual exploitation and/or violate moral ethics in the community.

So if a sexy and pretty lady in short pants take a walk around the neighborhood with her dog, she can be captured by the police because she “performs in front of the public, which may incite obscenity, sexual exploitation…” Can you imagine the sort of description the police has to written in his law suit document: The 21 year’s old woman was captured on Saturday evening, at 5pm, because she is wearing short pants and wiggling her b…ehind, while taking her dog for a walk and aroused man (policeman?) in the community.

What a stupid, stupid law for this already troubled nation! The next thing I know internet will be disbanded, publication and press would be censored and traditional dancers will have to wear black veil during performances because showing their bare arms and shoulders would be “violating moral ethics in the community “

We might as well go back to Dark Ages by letting religious leaders controlled the country, having a group of fanatics capturing people on the reason of morality and underage marriages “to protect women from becoming the object of violence and rape”.

Visit Indonesia: We Don’t Do Diversity Anymore.

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In Conversation with Vikram Seth

October 16, 2008. Neka Museum – Ubud.

This must be it. The most anticipated event in this year Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. The committee did an excellent job of choosing a bigger venue this time (I still remember the sweat in last year Kiran Desai’s session). The hall in Neka Museum was crowded half an hour before the session started. After successfully squishing my not-so-petit-frame into a chair together with recently bought books to be signed), the Vikram Seth stepped into the stage. Along with him was the moderator, Edwina Blush. She hilariously mimicked a smitten school girl who is about to meet her Teen Idol and huskily said, “I think you all know what it means.”

From then on, Vikram Seth told the audience about his childhood and how he was teasingly called ‘gregarious hermit’ by his school friends. Book was a retreat for this adorable self-deprecating author. A bottle of wine accompanied the conversation and at one point, after a constant wine refilling, an elderly audience next to me said to her friend “She really should stop drinking.” Vikram Seth also shared to the audience about his educational background, his interest to Chinese poetry and how Pushkin’s Onegin influenced his style of writing (hence, The Golden Gate).

The most memorable pieces from this session were the reading. He reads from his children book, Beastly Tales, a poem about The Hare and The Tortoise. Truly a session to remember.

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Literary Treasure from Ubud

All successfully signed by the authors, of course ;-) like this copy of John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil:

or like this copy of Vikram Seth's Two Lives (VIKRAM SETH!):

God, I’m such a literary groupie.

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Baby of the Ball

Just when I thought I might be the youngest in the audience, I saw this cute literary baby. More to come about this year Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.

More about → Baby of the Ball

SapiMalas is Lost in Literary Feast

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival… here I come! More stories, gossips and tales later.
Cheerio!

More about → SapiMalas is Lost in Literary Feast

Suri's Wall of Fame

I have to admit something. I'm a huge fan of this petite socialite. I know she hardly talks in full sentences nor known for some outrageous remarks or diva-esque attitude. Yet. But look at her. Just so adorable. I don't care if her papa is a sofa-hopping-scientologist. I can't wait to see her all grows up, become a talented and famous actress and leading women of the world what they should wear in her apparent fashion style. Never mind that I shudder of envy a little bit because I am now in my twenties and never wore a Burberry dress.

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Au Revoir, Paul Newman

I'm heart broken. I just read the marvelous article about Paul Newman few weeks ago in Vanity Fair September Issue and now he passed away. The article couldn't be more timely and just the perfect tribute to celebrate the life of Paul Newman. Do read it here. I daresay it is one of the most beautiful article I ever read because I cried a little when I read about Paul Newman's death on the internet. To think that we won't be able to see the piercingly beautiful blue eyes again...

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Greed Over Geger

A month ago I watched a cute robot saving human race from morbid obesities and redundancy. Three days ago I spent my night watching a movie about how infertility affecting human race in near-future. Yesterday night I spent watching zombies taken over Great Britain. Those entire movies really do make me wondering. Imagine all the movies about future that you have seen and think about what they all have in common.

Yes, they are all bleak prediction of our future. I suspected HBO plotted a special program called “Extinction of the Human Race”. The imagination of wild Hollywood writers has gives us glimpses of our civilization. Either that we are enslaved by apes, technology or alien; or that we might live inside a satellite in a galaxy far, far away; or else replaced by bionics that looked like Jude Law (you won’t hear me complaining).

In the end, those movies do give us hope. A savior, a plant or an antivirus. Nevertheless, human kind must always suffer first. They killed each other, they hide, they runaway, they do anything to avoid being perished. It brings me to the very point of this entry. Reading The Bali Post this week, I realize that we are actually living the future. This is future. Every action, every wicked crime that has been done is based only for one motive: greed. That is the very thing of which history always begin or end.

Please give me one good reason, other than greed, which motivates Badung’s Board of Regency decided to sell 600,000 metre cubics of sand from Geger Beach? The one beautiful beach in Badung which hasn’t been ruined by industry and commercialism. With the sands, our “honored member of the boards” will also rob hundreds of local seaweed farmers from their source of living; destroy the sea ecosystem and create atrocious erosion. As if global warming signs are not clear enough. Feel free to share your thought on how to save Geger Beach.

Greed, in the end, destroys us all.

More about → Greed Over Geger

Hunting Books in Bali Part I

In Indonesia, book is a luxury. For the price of one new paper-back (either in English or Indonesian) you can feed the whole family of eight with each person getting a portion of nasi goreng and ice tea. Beggars can’t be choosers, and so this sapimalas who consider books as a neccesity (apart from air, coffee and 8 hours sleep) always try to find a way to get her hand on books. The cheaper, the better (call me cheap shit and I couldn’t care less).

In a lot of cases, my book libido don’t get along with my situation. There are always bills to pay and more important needs to be fullfilled (“Eat that books if you are hungry then!” -direct quotation from my mother). I have the buying ability but comes from a family with zero desire to read, my book lust is more or less, uncorroborated.

Local bookseller like Gramedia or Periplus are selling good books but the titles they are selling are hardly intriguing as well as dictated by Oprah or The New York Times Bestseller List. Back in my Jakarta Period, you can always found me wide eyed and drooling all over Aksara or QB Bookstore (which has many interesting titles, unwrapped by plastics and comfy armchairs). I would swipe my card and sacrificed my lunches or Caramel Frappucino Affoggato Style weekly dosage in a heartbeat, with an exchange for a Marquez.

Nevertheless, living in Bali giving me quite an advantage. The next time you are here and visiting beaches around Bali, please pay attention to the tanning tourists (no, not to the chest area) and most likely you’d find them doing one thing: reading. Before they left Bali with most likely over-weight luggage, they’d left their books lying in the room or pool. That is where the exchange bookshop business flourished in Bali.

Meet my favorite bookshop in Kuta: Kerta Bookshop. This small establishment, sandwiched between 24-hours convenient store, ethnic percussion shop and gift shop, has been there since 1975. If you may take a peek to the 50% off section, you’d find history between pages of crumpled old bookswhich perhaps was brought by a hippie back in Flower Power 70's. The books are as varied as the tourists who come to visit Bali. There are summer read (chick-lits and Dan Brown-ish books) but there are also, surprisingly, Cervantes or Tolstoy.

I’ve been a devoted customer for over five years but everytime I come to the bookshop, I was always pleasantly surprised by the treasures I found. Like today, for instance, my recent treasure acquisition:

I don’t think I can find Isabel Allende’s memoir, Ann-Marie MacDonald’s and Sophie Dahl’s new book in the local big bookstore. The prices are sensible, between 45,000 to 150,000 IDR. Bring your already read books and exchange them for a new one. Kerta Bookshop also has a lot of interesting titles in Japanese, Dutch, German, Swedish, Russian, French and travel guide books (left, perhaps by a desperate backpacker). The funny thing is: the books availability depends on tourist season. Just when I came this afternoon, there were many new titles in Russian. Obviously from the “Russian Tourist Boom” in Bali.

I’ve always been fond of supporting local business and this bookshop is really a piece of history. So, stop by and patiently browse the collection. You’d be surprised.

Kerta Bookshop
Jalan Pantai Kuta - Bali
Phone (0361) 758047

More about → Hunting Books in Bali Part I

"Library" of SapiMalas

I just open my precious hard-cover first edition Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Guess what I found? Mould! Yellowing pages! Truly a nightmare! Considering the book was not published a century ago, I only have myself to blame. I immediately took out all the book and aired them outside. Forgive me oh my precious.

This is why I truly need my own library. My current “library” is basically my bedroom. The collection was separated into two places. One is in the multi-tasking cabinet (vanity above and book cabinet below). It is where I put my precious hard-covers, art & history books, albums and coffee table books.

The second “cabinet” is well, not a cabinet. More like a window sill. Oh who am I kidding, it is window sill. Definitely not a good place to put books but I don’t really have any choice at the moment. You see, in my family, me and my father are the only one who actually likes to read. He is now deceased and it left only me. I, somehow, doubt that I can trust my treasure to the hand of my mother (who dusted everything with her chicken feathered broom) or my brother (who simply doesn’t care and think that book is so ‘uncool’). It left me with my window sill. Books in my window sill are the temporaries which means I eventually trade them with new books or second-hands.

However, I also found a very good article in kimbooktu about how to take care of your books (and become a book doctor). Very important information for you who likes to buy antique or second-hand books.

More about → "Library" of SapiMalas

The New Face of Louis Vuitton

After Gisele and Catherine Deneuve comes this two guys. I wonder how much the endorsement fee is.

Taken from a life-size billboard in front of a well-known hairdressing shop.

More about → The New Face of Louis Vuitton

Veiled Sunset

where all goes out to play...

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Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Picture this: green tiered rice fields. Intellectually stimulating literary conversation. You, sipping margarita while brushing shoulders with world reknown writers. Evening book launch under the stars and poetry reading with free-flow cocktails. Sounds like a book worm idea of heaven, isn’t it?

You don’t have to actually breathe your last breath to experience all of that. Just help yourself and come to this year Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, which will take place from 14-19 October. Find yourself queuing for book sign by authors like Vikram Seth, John Berendt, Indra Sinha, Camilla Gibb and many others. And of course, you’ll meet this sapimalas over there. Book your flight and come to meet them (and me) in ‘one of the six best literary festivals in the world’ according to Harper’s Bazaar.

I can tell you for sure there will be a lot more going on than just literature. At least, if it is based from my previous experience.

More about → Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

Wish Upon A Star

Choose that if you will, but all novels are, in a sense, fairy tales. They are pulled from the air and create the magical illusion that are characters you read about are real, are living and the lives that are described have happened. The novelist imagines and conjures but, when the narration ends, has no more idea of what happens to the characters than you, the readers, does. Fiction is so often preferable to life because, sadly, only in fiction can you write the magical incantation at the end: ‘And the lived happily ever after.’

Taken from the last paragraph of Olivia Goldsmith’s last book before she passed away. Don’t you just miss Olivia Goldsmith? I can’t recall when was the last time I read such a good “chick-lit” novel. Her writing has existed even before the term was used to describe women fiction. I do love her strong heroine in “Wish Upon A Star” and it was really pleasant to read a book about self-actualization when the heroine doesn’t need a man to made her realize it.

More about → Wish Upon A Star

Bookcrossing Crossed Me Today

Today is a historical day. Today I found my first bookcrossing book as a result from my accumulated good karma. As perhaps you might have found out from my previous blogs, I am a book fetish. Anything, everything which linked to the word “book” excites me. As per today, I was visiting my family in their hotel. As a restless reader, I found myself in the sad situation where I forgot my book (usually I always have a book in my bag). Almost automatically, I found myself standing in the hotel library and browsing through the huge cabinet full of cosmopolitan books.

Most covers was written in alphabet I couldn’t decipher like “и”. Options was getting limited, either the и book or Danielle Steel’s (not that I despise her work, just her current work). However destiny was smiling at me that minute for I found Olivia Goldsmith’s last book “Wish Upon a Star”. I was not a big fan but considering the option, well, I took it with me to the room.

Just after I sipped my ice lemon tea and lying on the wooden bench by the pool, I opened the first page and I yelped! The bratwurst bellied German couples beside me gave me a scary look but who cares?! I found my first bookcrossing book! WooHoo! For those who doesn’t understand my joy and have no idea what is bookcrossing, please click here.

I joined this marvelous community since 2006 with hardly any hope to find a book. But here I am now, still beaming and holding one in my hand. Why wouldn’t I be with ‘the karma of literature’ now in my possession?

Thank you jodieck, for leaving this book. You made my day :-)

More about → Bookcrossing Crossed Me Today

Something to Think About

However, a study of chimps in the Budongo Forest of Uganda has found that females only call out during copulation with a high-status male, but keep quiet when other females are nearby. This suggests that female chimps are using the copulation call as a way of ensuring that they mate with as many males as possible without other females knowing about it. The study found females keep quiet when other females are around but call out as a tactical ploy to enlist the protection of high-status males against aggressive high-status females, scientists said yesterday.

We are not that far off after all. Click here for the complete article.

More about → Something to Think About

50 Everything

Sapimalas is really a lucky cow. She has been invited to stay over in this hotel for this weekend. However old habits die hard so instead of lingering by the georgeus pool with hill view, she went to the internet center and create a blog.

She can't help but sharing this link to everyone. 50 Best Summer Reads and 50 Best Bookshop from Independent. It's a bright blue sky outside and yet she can't help myself of sneaking a bit of blogging indulgence to this amazing day.

More about → 50 Everything

Recent Treasure Acquisition

A few hour in this year B.I.W.A Charity Bazaar gave me:
a. A beautiful purple summer batik dress
b. A hippie tie-dyed flowing skirt
c. A georgeus mixed silk pillow case for just 5,000 rupiah (!)
d. and the most “expensive” things of all: Edith Wharton’s “The Custom of the Country” and Paul Theroux‘s “The Great Railway Bazaar” for 5,000 rupiah each and which I have been unable to find in any local bookshop (and extra drops of glee because I also did something for charity).

More about → Recent Treasure Acquisition

I'll Keep Reading

Check out this amazing link I got from kimbooktu. If you are a lusty reader who happen to have a lot of free time at work and in need of some fiction injection, you must check this smartly design website. Your boss will never suspect a thing while you're lost to Emily Dickinson's poetry.

More about → I'll Keep Reading

Bali’s Best Street Food #1

Since this is the first edition of my Michelin starred street food review in Bali, I would like to give a serious warning to whoever might tempted to try the food:

1.Prepare your tongue for a serious spicy-ness
2.Prepare your digestion for seriously vicious bacteria; infamously known as “Bali Belly”

3.Most foods reviewed here are NON-HALAL (read: contain pork, unknown indigenous bacteria, occasional human hair or various local insects)
4.Just in case you’re wondering: No, sadly I don’t get any compliment whatsoever this advertising reviw.

So, here we go…

What : Warung Ibu Sri
Where : Gajah Mada Street – Pupuan – Tabanan

If you happened to found yourself in Pupuan, which I believe to be the next Bedugul and not yet attacked by serious mass tourism in buses, you would most likely to find yourself strike by hunger. I blamed it for the weather: chilly, windy and always gloomy. What other options should you having other than strolling through the street food market, right?

It also most likely that the B & B or ‘losmen’ you’re staying doesn’t know the meaning of ‘edible food’ and so you should head down to the town. Around 3pm, you’d find the Gajah Mada Street full with vendors selling all kind of cheap foods which goes well with your pocket and not so well with your cholesterol. Anyhoo, “Warung Ibu Sri” (meaning “Chez Ibu Sri”) located in a small shop.

You can tell the giggling waitress to get you: “Satu porsi nasi campur” (read: One portion of mix rice) and in three minutes they’d bring out this:

Or, you can choose from the many assortments of meats and veggies, displayed in the glass vitrine.

I seriously order you not to miss the crunchy-deep-fried pork fat (also sold in small plastic portion). For the dessert, you can order a portion of traditional Balinese “cakes”, located beautifully in front of Warung Ibu Sri. That is if you can still walk out and talk. In my case, I was only able to moo.

More about → Bali’s Best Street Food #1

Dancing Adenium

Doesn’t it looks like it’s about to go dancing? It sort of reminds me to those giant Ents in Lord of the Rings.

Taken from a recent trip to a plant exhibition in Denpasar.

More about → Dancing Adenium