when materialism is considered realistic in today's expensive living and with the self-actualization as a basic human need, asking a fresh gradute to dedicate themselves directly to the community or almameter directly, putting aside all the bling bling of commercial jobs and projects is unfit. the dedication thing may work better for the institution and for the mental health of the dedicator, if she/he already achieved the highest point in the professional world. this may take 5 years or a lifetime, but with the right set of mind instilled, when someone has already had a wealth that could support her/him for the rest of her/his life, what is there more to do than paying back to the society?

so, be rich, people... then come back.

New Zealand Education Fair
Shangri La, Jakarta
18 - 19 March 2006, 11 am - 5 pm

-more info here 

upcoming movies to watch:

• Munich
• V for Vandetta
• Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
• Poseidon
• The Da Vinci Code
• X-Men: The Last Stand
• The Fast And The Furious 3: Tokyo Drift
• Garfield's A Tale Of Two Kitties
• Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Marie Antoinette
• Die Hard 4

released movies to watch:

• Crash
• Domino
• Mrs. Henderson Presents
• Constant Gardener
• Ekspedisi Madewa
• Gie

for those of you speaking Indonesian, this personal opinion may be worth reading.. enjoy..

when there is a group of people in a community (religious? political? religio-political?) with just enough mass and authority, there seems to be a tendency for certain values and perspectives to be pushed to the community. someone with a humanity background may explain this better than i do, but in my view, the reason for this phenomenon may be the group's effort to spread good will (which is fine), prooving their own believes to the community and to themselves (which is sad), or just because the community let them.

of course anyone with faith (to God, to money, to power) will strongly defend what they believe in. however, that almost-blind faith often makes them fail to see other believes in the community. believes that they shoauld respect instead of supress and dish, especially when Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is beared by their national symbol.

oh well... just a 2-cent...

the patriarchic world we currently live in has a long history of gender discrimination and supression. nevertheless, when an allegedly rape victim, 17 year-old girl, received capital punishment in Nigeria for having premarital sex, the picture of the Liberty statue representing equality and prosperity for all seems to linger much further than the dark ages when women had no right to vote.

what happened in Nigeria and Tangerang where the new local law against prostitution managed to hold captive and publicly trialed innocent women, presented the potential terror, if i may use such strong word, of the draft of bill regarding Anti Pornography (which is already governed by the current laws) and Porno-action (which is still not an existing word, by the way). with such biased, prejudiced base and much debated exceptional cases, the implementation of this so-called law, may be far worse than the rigid and manipulative traffic rules. when the government tries to control the morality of its nation, there's bound to be some scapegoats, who may or may not be guilty.

*this entry was started yesterday. this morning, one Kompas article (out of 3 of the same kind) uses the same word, terror. amazing how it often happens. all great minds think alike, i guess..*

the religious groups may not understand how come such a noble intention is not formalized yet. however, the NGOs defending women's rights strongly object to this draft for reasons which do not include spreading devil's intentions into the world. it's not only the intention that is in question (moral? political?) but also the way the law is to be implemented. take the following comparison for example:

Policeman: Sir, you crossed that line.
Accused driver: No, I certainly did NOT. Even if I did, that's because a bus was pushing me aside. It was an accident!
Policeman: Yes, Sir, you did. And I don't care if it was an accident. Now, either you pay me or I'm gonna write you a ticket.

"Moral police": Mam, your skirt just rode up 1 centimeter, making it 1 centimeter less than the allowed measurement.
Accused "porno-actor": No, it certainly did NOT. Even if it did, I was helping my son who fell of the chair. It was an accident!
"Moral police": Yes, Mam, it did. And I don't care if it was an accident, you broke the law. Now, either you give me a kiss on the cheek or I'm gonna arrest you.

aside for the controversial draft of bill...

it's easy not to do anything.

you probably say, "yeah, like.. D'OH!"
no, really. i'm talking about a situation when the motivation and driving force just suddenly decide to take a break for reasons such as mental blockage, unfavored conditions or it just comes to a point when it feels like enough already. oftentimes, this situation is accompanied by cronic bewilderment and undecisive thoughts haunting from every corner. OK, a bit dramatic here..

people would say, "be strong, move one! PERSEVERE...!! YOSSSHHH!!"
but the thing is, coming through such situation is not as straightforward and clear as Hulk smashing everything standing in his way. it takes a whole lot more than pure brute force and strong will.

direction.
is everything really worth it?
what the hell am i doing?
who the hell bought every single Conello Mint to Be at Alfamart in a single day?!?

~i don't think i'll be going anywhere for the time being, virtually and physically
~kinda sad