Singing to me is an activity in which I can sing any song that I love, express my feelings (I don`t sing when I`m not in the mood), and escape to my own world. I don`t know how it was started, but whenever I start to sing, some people will say that I know how to sing and have a beautiful voice. I love black music (but not really into hip-hop and raps), and they say that I have black voice. I must admit that I listen to music by Peabo Bryson, Brian McKnight, Lauryn Hill, Whitney Houston, Al Jarreau, Eric Bennet, Luther Vandross, Christina Aguilera, and many more. Indonesian singers will be music by Harvey Malaiholo, Reza Artamevia, Krisdayanti, Rio Febrian, and many more. I try to imitate the way they sing. According to some people`s opinion, therefore, I`m truly thankful to God for this gift of talent He bestows upon me (at least that's what I think).
I sing in almost every occasion, but never have I sung during shower. Some people will think this is pretty odd as the fact is that many people sing during shower. A research found that singing in a shower may be a healing to human`s brain. We all know that songs have healing qualities and we can tell each of us if we are in a good mood based on humming or singing. But why must it always be in shower? Was it most of us are too shy to sing or hum alone? (I know I am actually one of them)
An interesting fact is that in shower room, or bathroom, one`s vocal change. In reality, most of us can`t sing; only 0.001% of the population can sing with any degree of expertise. Researchers found that here, in this private room, those who can`t sing can sound two or three level better than the originals. This is probably because of the acoustics of the tiled walls or because of the sense of privacy in a bathroom that one can be as creative as he/she can and produces a better result. Or, (oops, pardon me) since there is no one there to judge his or her awfulness in singing. Anyway, singing is the best way to keep up your mood and as what The Carpenters would say in their song "Sing" (Words & Music by Joe Raposo):
Sing, sing a song Sing out loud Sing out strong Sing of good things not bad Sing of happy not sad.
Sing, sing a song Make it simple to last Your whole life long Don't worry that it's not Good enough for anyone Else to hear Just sing, sing a song.
Sing, sing a song Let the world sing along Sing of love there could be Sing for you and for me.
Sing, sing a song Make it simple to last Your whole life long Don't worry that it's not Good enough for anyone Else to hear Just sing, sing a song.
Anyhow, let us make the world a melodious place to be.
The newly elected President of the Republic of Indonesia, Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has finally announced his Cabinet of Ministers at the State Palace, Wednesday, October 20, 2004 at 11:50 PM Jakarta time. There are 36 Ministers for this new Cabinet including the Attorney General. They will be sworn in tomorrow, Thursday, October 21, 2004 at 10:00 AM Jakarta time at the State Palace. Congratulation to those who have been appointed Ministers in this Cabinet entitled "United Indonesia" ("Indonesia Bersatu" - Bahasa Indonesia), may you all unite as an excellent team, working hand-in-hand to develop a better Indonesia. Below is the list of the Government of Indonesia for period of 2004 - 2009.
- President: Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono
- Vice President: Jusuf Kalla
The Coordinating Ministers: - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs: Adm. (ret) Widodo A. S.
- Coordinating Minister for the Economy: Aburizal Bakrie
- Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare: Alwi Shihab
The Ministers who lead Departments: - Minister of Home Affairs: Lt. Gen. (ret) Muh. Ma'aruf
- Minister of Foreign Affairs: Hassan Wirajuda
- Minister of Defense: Juwono Sudarsono
- Minister of Justice and Human Rights: Hamid Awaluddin
- Minister of Finance: Yusuf Anwar
- Minister of Energy and Natural Resources: Purnomo Yusgiantoro
- Minister of Industry: Andung Nitimihardja
- Minister of Trade: Mari E. Pangestu
- Minister of Agriculture: Anton Apriyantono
- Minister of Forestry: M.S. Kaban
- Minister of Transportation: Hatta Radjasa
- Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: Freddy Numberi
- Minister of Health Services: Siti Fadilah Supardi
- Minister of Manpower and Transmigration: Fahmi Idris
- Minister of Public Works: Joko Kirmanto
- Minister of Education: Bambang Soedibyo
- Minister of Social Services: Bachtiar Chamsyah
- Minister of Religious Affairs: M. Maftuh Basyuni
- Minister of Culture and Tourism: Jero Watjik
The State Ministers: - State Minister for Research and Technology: Kusmayanto Kadiman
- State Minister for Cooperatives, and Small and Medium Enterprises: Suryadarma Ali
- State Minister for Environment: Rachmat Witoelar
- State Minister for Women Empowerment: Meutia Hatta Swasono
- State Minister for Administrative Reform: Taufik Effendi
- State Minister for Acceleration of Development in Backwards Regions: Syaifulah Yusuf
- State Minister for State Enterprises: Soegiarto
- State Minister for Information and Communication: Sofyan A. Djalil
- State Minister for Public Housing: M. Yusuf Anshari
- State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs: Adyaksa Dault
- State Minister for the National Development Planning Agency (Head of Bappenas): Sri Mulyani Indrawati
The title means welcome Ramadhan, as the holy month in Islamic calendar has arrived and I am truly thankful to be given a chance to be alive and experience Ramadhan once again. I don`t think I need to explain what Moslems do during this holy month (I assume many people know this), but I think I have to share with you what I`ve learned so far before Ramadhan and will try to do my best to practice those lessons.
1. Never fear to speak the truth although the truth may kill you. People have minds and hearts; they will take proper positions to support you.
2. When you`re stuck between two conflicting parties, it`s best to remain neutral and not to spread what other party`s opinion to the opposing party. Remain silent and be a good listener.
3. There are things that are not appropriate to be shared with good/close friends, family, or even spouse.
4. There`s an adage saying if there is a friend who betrays you, then blame that friend of yours. But if there are two or more friends who betray you, then blame yourself.
Well, it`s always easy to say but difficult to do what we have said. Anyway, I would congratulate my two dear friends, Dinar Yasmina M. Samoeri for being promoted as the President of the Indonesian Student Association (PERMIAS) of St. Louis chapter for 2004 - 2005 and Edhy Trisno Rahardjo for being promoted as the President of the Indonesian Student Association of the University of Missouri - St. Louis chapter for 2004 - 2005. I believe in both of you, I`ve witnessed your efforts during the preparation and the performance of the Indonesian Night 2004: A Passage to the Immaculate Eden - Indonesia at the UM - St. Louis last October 2, 2004. You guys are also supported by other tremendous officers. One thing that comes across my mind is the fact that Amanda Trisia Supriadi has been promoted as an officer of one of these organizations for three times in a row! That shows how people believe in her efforts and credibility and I know personally how busy she is as she is not only the officer of ISA but also the officer of other organizations in UM - St. Louis. To all the new officers, I once again congratulate them and I would like to remind them that what is valuable and wonderful is not the outcome (events, performances, fundraisings, barbecue parties, etc), but is the effort and the teamwork. Outcome to certain extent has different perceptions among different persons, but effort and teamwork remain the same in people`s mind.
As for me, I can only regret the fact that I`m not going to be a part of the upcoming Indonesian Night 2005. I will return straight to Jakarta once I finish my school on May 2005 (well, probably on June 2005 as I will fly to Washington DC to visit my family for a month). I just hope that the committee will send me a free VCD of the Indonesian Night 2005 (gosh, I haven`t even received the one of the Indonesian Night 2004). One more thing, I just got this beautiful yet terrifying story (but a fact based on my belief) from the bulletin board at friendster.com. This is actually based on Islamic belief, but for those of you who are not Moslems, I think it`s also important to know it so it will encourage you to do more good deeds before we all die.
The voice that only the dead can hear
The 3 things that come along with the dead are family, wealth, and deeds. Only two of those that leave after the dead is buried, which are family and wealth. But deeds will remain with the dead forever.
When the soul leaves the body, the dying hears a voice shouting from the sky "Fulon, oh the son of Fulon Are you leaving the world or is the world leaving you? Were you collecting money (wealth) or were you collected (driven) by money (wealth)? Were you conquering the world or were you conquered (defeated) by the world? Did you drown (control) the world or were you drowned (controlled) in the world?"
When the dead is laid to be bathed, he/she hears a voice shouting from the sky "Fulon, oh the son of Fulon You were once strong and firm but why are you now laying there motionless? You were once an excellent speaker and were talkative but why are you now laying there in silence? You used to be an excellent listener but why are you now laying deaf? You used to have many good/best friends but why are they now leaving you without any sign?"
When the dead is dressed in a white sheet (kafan), he/she hears a voice shouting from the sky "Fulon, oh the son of Fulon Be happy if you befriended with good deeds You`ll be doomed if you befriended with the wrath of Allah (God)
Fulon, oh the son of Fulon You are about to embark in a journey A faraway journey without anything to bring with You have left your house and never will you return You are now ready to embark to a destination filled with ambiguity"
When the dead is carried to his/her final resting place, he/she hears a voice shouting from the sky "Fulon, oh the son of Fulon Be very happy if you did good deeds Be very happy if you died with purity Be very happy when your life had started with obedience"
When the dead is being prayed, he/she hears a voice shouting from the sky "Fulon, oh the son of Fulon If they were good deeds then they will be shown to you in delight If they were bad deeds then they will be shown to you horribly"
When the dead is laid in his/her grave, he/she hears a voice shouting from the sky "Fulon, oh the son of Fulon What have you prepared from your magnificent mansion in your world for the next life here which will be empty and dark?
Fulon, oh the son of Fulon Once you were laughing gaily, now you cry in my stomach Once you were happy and gay, now you mourn in my stomach Once you talked many words, now you shut your mouth in silence here in my stomach"
When all people leave the dead alone in his/her grave, Allah speaks to him/her "My creature, You are now left alone With no friend and no relative Here in a small and dark place They have left you all alone in this place while you once disobeyed me because of them Now I will show you my true love for you The true love which will amaze the whole universe I will love you even more than a love from a mother to her child"
To those calm and serene souls, Allah has spoken "To all of you calm souls Return to your God with a content heart and be blessed by Him Then gather in the circle of my blessed people and enter my heaven"
I know that the words in the above story seem odd to most of you, as I translated them straight from Bahasa Indonesia. Well, I just realize that there are no more stories to share with in this post, come and visit my blog next week. Happy Ramadhan, and please forgive any mistake that I`ve done or any word that I wrote above.
I was just listening to my MP3, Mireille Mathieu "un homme et une femme" (a man and a woman), when its sweet jazzy tune transferred my imagination back to my early 5 1/2 years of childhood (1980 - 1985). I spent those years in Antony, a small town located just 15 km or 20 minutes from Paris hence it is still a part of the region of Ile-de-France. Not much I can tell about this town as I was just a 2-year-old toddler when I got there and a 7-year old when I returned back to Jakarta, Indonesia. All I remember was blurry memory but I have committed myself to share this with you.
My Dad earned his master and doctoral degrees from the Universite Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne. This is the main reason why I had my early years abroad. Unlike me who have the luxury to live in a 2-bedroom apartment, the three of us had to share one bedroom, one bathroom, a small living room connected with the kitchen and dining room. Worst of all, the living room was even smaller than my current bedroom! The family grew larger with the addition of my Brother in 1982. The apartment, or batiment as what the French called it, was located on the north side of the town, as you can see on the map below, almost near the Parc de Sceaux, one of the famous parks in this region.
I recall my parents used to take me and my Brother playing there, I rode the tricycle (yes, tricycle, what can you expect from a toddler?) while my baby Brother (FYI, he is 22-year old now and is living in UK) learned his first steps. My Mom would look after us while my Dad was studying, busy with his textbooks and research articles. The park is oh so beautiful, with lush trees that make up a forest, pavilions, a waterfall, nature trails, fishing holes, jogging paths, picnic areas, even a contemporary gallery, a museum and two chateaux (castles). The picture below is taken from Chatenay-Malabry et la Maison de Chateaubriand.
The history of the park traversed back to 1670 when Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the finance minister of Louis XIV, purchased a land and transformed it into a magnificent estate. Like famous chateaux in France, the landscape of the park was designed by Andre Le Notre. The King himself was a frequent visitor here, especially during the lavish inauguration of the Sceaux in 1677. Later, the estate became the residence of the son of Louis XIV from Madame de Montespan, the Duc de Maine. However, it was the Duchess de Maine who reigned here in which one of her lavish festivals complete with fireworks, "Nuits de Sceaux" (nights of the Sceaux), lured the French social-elite, attracting Paris and Versailles. The picture of the minister below is taken from Placentia: the Early Years.
Well, I don`t want to bore you with history any further, let`s talk about what I had in mind. I remember during the fall season, the park would be very magnificent, forest with colors such as yellow, red, orange. In the spring and summer, it would be filled with green carpets and beautiful flowers everywhere. During winter, all the trees had no leafs, everywhere was white, and the giant ponds would be all frozen, creating an exciting panorama. I would always visit this park when I got bored or got back from school, or when my Dad needed to relax after a long-day of studying. Picture below is a courtesy of Erica Lennard from Staleywise Gallery.
When it was not in winter, the ponds were very magnificent, with lots of waterfalls and water fountains. You can see the picture of one of the ponds below taken from paristoday.free.fr.
Uuuuhhh, if only I could relive those days, when I and my Bro were innocents, and my parents were thirty-something. OK, enough daydreaming, I need to resume my study and turn off that MP3 as I have an exam tomorrow. I will try my best to keep up with this blog every Sunday, so bare with me until next weekend. For more information about this park, please visit http://www.thiscityparis.com/travel-sceaux.html or http://www.ville-antony.fr/default.cfm as these sites were where I got all the information. Please do not distribute any picture from this blog.
Description: A man born an artist and raised as an analyst. A man who tries to see everything from the good side. A man who tries to mature every second, every moment, but tries to see the world through the eyes of a child. A man who uses music as his main source of inspiration and as his secondary air to breathe.
