visiting iona's backyard

a time of gifts

2012-01-01T13:17:00.000+01:00

" i hope for health and happiness every single day"...

2011-12-27T13:10:00.002+01:00

lights above nongzhan qiao, after work, trying to get some merry between christmas-new years days

dumplings for warm

2011-12-22T12:41:00.004+01:00

have been spending late nights at the office. one work after another, and have been trying to get all things done. obviously, it doesnt simple at it is, the more detail and seemed unnecessary the things you do, the more time for you to finish it. time runs fast.

and in this winter night, where everything looks even darker than you could possibly imagine in summer glories, people are celebrating winter dumpling day. the rumour said that today is offcially winter and it is time to gather and eat dumpling. i am not sure what the history was all about, however fortunately i have hansera to tell me the local stories.

dumpling looks like a human ear. long time ago, the farmers living in northern china where winter was harsh while they also still to survive with the modest clothes to make them stay warm. so, when winter comes, in the late dark and cold-cold night, they boiled dumplings in hot water and eat it together in the hope that the-ear-look-alike food would make them feel warmer and keep their ear not to freeze.

having dumpling in the place called northeast (dongbei), makes it all reasonably warm for one's winter night. red colors and noisy conversation just seem working hard to get through the night.

rickshaw time

2011-07-10T08:06:00.004+02:00

the night has just lost its shimmering velvet lights, it gets darker but people conversely gone wilder in summer heat. all noisy gets out of tounges and minds, while are produced by wheels driving its path along the asphalt lanes. summer nights gone zigzag, marking the end of the soon be missing weekend. people bet farewell after dinner, and the schedule soon will roll again. i do not know whether to like or dislike sunday night, but it gives me impression that life has alot of celebration.

sunday night also has dilemma, like other nights of the week. in this intersection, every now and then, people find it as place to fight for a cab. from all direction, people with bags or just a bunch of friens give their best energy to stand and wait for the long awaited taxis, in which the inadequate amount has created the act of scavenging taxi. i do not want to lose this sunday's excitement with getting emotionally exhausting because of lack of taxi in this neighbourhood.

in the midst of figuring out how i can reach home, a sight of rickshaw standing around the corner of the streets ignited my intuition. this could be a best deal, a joyful ride and locally substantive. the rickshaw man was kind and offered me a reasonable price. the first rickshwa ride in this old capital, they have it improved by having an electric bycicle to pull it-unlike the old times with man running in front to pull the cab behind. my choice was a logical ones, and i did not miss the excitement.

we passed lines of cars waiting in the intersection. i can see the landscape of this city under the lights, some shade of dark immersed through small alleys, while the echo of people chit chat outside in the courtyard buzzing amongst trees that grow greener only in summer. my rickshaw was speeding moderately, and i could not help myself to think of how i miss jakarta and its bajaj.

hahaha...

a street of sour and sweet

2011-07-07T04:57:00.005+02:00

i'm in the south. a capital of province in the south of mainland, a place literally meant 'south tranquility'. summer heat feels more familiar, because it does not go with dryness, rather more humid that it feels closer to the tropical heat, the warmenss of home.

traveling time to wander the whole city is always less sufficient. we only have a time between lunch and picking up our suitcases for flying home. but thanks to a friend's idea, the short time is worthed and full of surprises.

the small street where the driver took us was resemble to the small cities in our home country. green trees were lining up along the roadside and the leaves were glowing dimmly in summer. there were alot of food stalls and the merchants kept themshelves busy making small steam buns, selling bananas, stirring noddles or making pickles from fruits, like this:

this is truly like home, papaya with sour-sweet-spicy sauce. just let it soaked for a while and enjoy! the chill of cold soaked fruits give the pleasure of summer days. with chopsticks, the seller allowing you pick whatever you like, put them in the basket. if you like spicy, ask the seller to add chillies, in which she'll do it separately. while in our home country, this delicatessen is well known for its sour and sweet excitements, a mouthwathering choice especially when the heat comes along with slow breeze of tropical winds.

what a pleasant surprise...

dessert that far from desert

2011-07-03T11:29:00.003+02:00

some people might mis-pronounced dessert and desert. since the capital is got an abundant of sunshine today, the temperature raises and heat wave is on the way. my lazy weekend is almost end, and my plan to visit art galleries can not accomplished due to myself enjoying buying times in this virtual reality.

the day goes even more challenging than to conquer summer heat, which is a shock over local's regulation. this has really toned down everything. i hope this will not cause a perpetual stagnation to personal visions while living here.

back to the dessert and desert word. the point is this afternoon i hope to find a nice and chilled situation, like an oase in this such of desert temperature capital. a thought of having a desert is definitely a good solution. furthermore, i got a pear and a strawberry yoghurt from the fridge, and by adding a considerable amount of honey...voila, a refreshing dessert to help myself escape from this feel-like-desert circumstance.

inflexibility

2011-07-03T11:18:00.002+02:00

just got a glimpse of how tight financial regulation makes less ownership for those who possess the utmost right of ownership to their own account. only a long term visiting resident, but still is treated equally with sovereign citizens. perhaps, this is just the tip of the iceberg, that the shrinking of today's world has alerted every nations to adopt strigent acts, and when it comes to individual like us, better consider to the old school wisdom of saving.

...under your matress or pillows.

a premature season

2011-06-23T08:39:00.001+02:00

summer days feel like the autumn, that is probably the most logical impression one could get on thses days. though the heat was irrepalceable, yet sunshine could still allowed to be away. heavy clouds above there make the heat trapped beneath the surface of earth and the void of thin air. the day is supposed to be bright on this hour, sometime in the early evening, but all we can see just cloudy skies and heavy fog in its surrounding. a premature season. the greyness of september and october might be similar with this year's june of summer, except for the chiller temperature of course.

summer has not matured yet, or has it been to overcooked that it lost the intense of brightness already?

i can see through my window, the pine trees that have grown green surrounded with a slight white condesed water mixed with dusty material and forming the-not-so-pristine-white color of fog, filling up the entire space. the heat is out there to make the summer still be summer, not to lose its identity. but the precipitation of fog makes a mesmerized impression of a premature season.

that is just lovely.

a contemplate sunday

2011-06-19T15:50:00.002+02:00

things happened yet we still unequipped with sufficient knowledge to understand where this will lead, perhaps more allocation of time needed to mastery in life.

Lyrics and Music: Mike Scott

i tried to do the things in my own way

i tried to do what people say

but i was going nowhere fast

and now i'm turning to you at last

what do you want me to do

what so you want me to do

what do you want me to do, lord

i can see the lights of home

but i can't get there on my own

i can see the landing strip

but i need you to guide my ship

i've been a fool and i've been a clown

i've let the enemy turn me around

i've wasted love and i've wasted time

i've been proud and i've been blind

there's such a lot of things to change

a whole world to rearrange

and if you show me how

i'll begin right now

what do you want me to do

what so you want me to do

cause I'm listenin'

thanks for such a sincere song, rod...

summer heat summer fall

2011-06-14T15:59:00.002+02:00

the middle of this year, the beginning of summer heat is here, for the next couple of months ahead. i enjoy the warm breeze as i stroll along the pedestrian walk around my work place. people look fabolous with their summer attire, so colorfur and seem full of energy. the summer is girls' best friend, a full season to showcase the collection of your closet while it also intrigues more creativity to get new match from the old stuff.

summer oh summer, the season feels so vibrant yet sometimes suffocate of extreme heat. at this time of the day, short summer rain will do to ease the tense suffocation. i feel like my body always urge for more liquid supply, water, fruit or just an occasional moment in a bathtub. these days, everything also runs like the time is forever, the daylight remain tender outside while i walk home from office, the dimming afternoon looks poetic that i feel closer to the dream, or dormant days in the old continent. the tepid memory chills me and leaves an impression as sweet as oregano smells on the pasta, as the cinnamon pour down onto the baking banana cake. sweet oh sweet, but doesnt last forever, it is here for the next season as well. a circle in the sun.

summer falls in short yet thunderous. dusty roads suddenly get washed and all that remain is silvery wet roads and fresh wind. tonight the evening comes with uplifting shower. tone down the rising heat and yellow storm from gobi. ah, capital looks so lovely this evening. the lights of street lamps shimmering and swinging in the summer breeze. goede avond peking...

turn back time

2011-06-02T15:32:00.005+02:00

working days sometimes can be so exhausting. i am kind of missing the academic life lately. the changing of four seasons in other old continent. pages to read, papers to be written. time to consume all the burden of being a student. or maybe there is a little freedon left here that suffocates me to turn back time, the care free days with diaries, bikes and old wooden chairs in caffees around het plein.

. . .

sunday mayday

2011-05-01T07:33:00.000+02:00

today is mayday. a labour's day. the day supposed to be for liberation. many people stand for what is right, the truth, the reason to believe. and think about all the desire on this earth, i would say that every now and then, people will choose what they believe in.

here in place where i live now, it is celebrated as the national holiday. the class of workers is the engine of revolution. their stance in the production line makes them in the middle of the social ladder, the in-between class, the most sensitive amongst the settled ones. they could generate a revolution because of this state of mind amid the social condition. a fruit of mere industrialisation, the invention in every century.

today's mayday, lets just call it a day. a wrap. road that once has been chosen is the one than has been travelled. while the road less preferred has strecthed as long as it could, finds its own path. the time we make up our mind, is the time we take one over another. the road taken will follow its line, close another option and open for the new option. like goo goo dolls said: every new beginning comes from other beginning's end.

mayday in early spring. weird, i feel so much relieved now.

pierrie

2011-04-25T16:18:00.000+02:00

a name of beverage, sparkling water to be exactly. these days, when the weather gets warmer, my need to quench thirst is by having a drink with the freshness of soda but no sugar at all. i like to have it in the middle of the day after lunch just to let the greasy out of the throat. the fresh feeling of gulping it so much resemble to the spring's nature whose going by. the rain is quite often recently, and it left a crispy cold air that so fresh than the one in winter. it has humidity and thus it does not dry. so moisture that you feel everything rejuvenate again, like the impression i got when i am having this sparkling water, a glass or two, with or without lemon.

flowers are in bloom and colors of nature revive. once the petals are blossomming in such fresh air, soon they will fall and fly away put the leaves on the branches as the weather gets warm. so then summer gives green turn mature under the bright sunshine.

rain and wind, brings chilly and refreshing everything. the spring in beijing usually followed by sand storm blown from gobi desert. people change their coats and fashion has light colors on the stage now.

2011-04-03T17:16:00.000+02:00

ritan, early spring, the year of rabbit.

the altar of the sun

2011-04-03T16:17:00.000+02:00

it is very interesting to reside in this city. the time is here to stay, it truly is. you can see the past, the present and the future altogether in this capital. like all the ancient capital, the city has some gardens in every corner of it. and in my neighbourhood, there is ritan park.

in chinese, the name means the altar of the sun. maybe it used to be a place where the emperor bowed to the sun up in the sky and offerings were sent out there for the good wishes. nowadays, the park has been a witness to this country's opening its door and let the outsiders in. in the surrounding is the complex of embassies where all the foreign dignitaries come and reside for the sake of the two country's good relations. the compounds there are those of the first established in china. that is why the neighborhood looks like an old town in a big city. and of course, the park sited in it.

ritan park was packed these days. inhabitants come and go for strolling in a morning or in the evening. when i entered the gate, there were families and elders enjoying the spring sun. the trees have just started to become green and the breezy wind was a bit dry. soon dusty win from the gobi will be blown here but today it has not yet. in the middle of the park, there was a little pagoda and people gathered around with conversation in the air. an old man was standing in the middle and he was playing his saxophone. an old and yet a familiar tune was played. it brought a different taste to the old time's atmosphere in there. a mixture of time and blend of culture.

i was glad because i live in such a good neighborhood. i even could plan some daily exercise here. well...i hope i dont feel lazy soon.

week end's companion

2011-03-27T15:54:00.000+02:00

week end around central business district can be so much quite. walking on empty streets, amid skyrocketting buildings, it feels like you are among the few that left in the city. my neighbourhood is nice though, for an old-fashioned like myself, it is healthy to stay in a futuristic environment like this area. other wise i would seize the day like the feeling of having a king's of convenience-homesick-a slow pace of film rolling in moderate speed, playing the scenes on the wall while the sunset chewing the blue sky with intimate desire. sentimental while also somewhere in distant.

as i spend more and more weekends in this area, i find more and more nice thing to be listed as "friendly facts". here they are:

a big colorful screen on the top of the roof in the shopping mall's pedestrian street.

the iconic inspiring building that always gives me the sense of living in the inspiring new century.

moving on

2011-02-16T16:00:00.000+01:00

its all set and done. things should be packed have been in the boxes sealed. things to bring along have been put in order in the suitcases. ticket is in my hand and i have a back pack with me. its heavy but full of hope. a wish that the journey which i would embark soon will bring luck.

of all the moving out experiences have always been so exhaustive, enthrilling and bewildered. for one it consumes physical energy, and promising for the coming possible encounterings. moving out from a place to another in a certain period of time make me feel a bit lost. every pile to sort out would bring back the old plans, old books, and old funny little things collected from the past. in the end myself got surprised how time flies without compromise.

moving out also implies moving on. thats how life works for us. accompanied with my inner sense of curiosity. of anxiety. of hope. meanwhile, the flight schedulling keeps rolling, like a maestro, it orients me, to the north capital.

country side rain

2011-01-23T15:23:00.000+01:00

it rains all the time this weekend. the road gets so slippery but we manage to stay on road. traversing the southern inland of celebes, from one city to another. for an intended purpose to the impromptu ones.

it has always been a refreshing journey, through hills and forest. our stop over is a place of one of the people who inhabit a remote village located along the main road of celebes. the small family has a daughter who decided to return home after graduated from a reputable university in makassar. now she spends most of the time helping her parents taking care their plants and selling the domestic products as their small stall by the road. some are avocados and papayas. it is generally practiced for local people to place their home-based production of fruits, traditional food or drinks in a small stall made of bamboo by the road. it aims to attract the travelers with cars or buses to stop over and make a small shopping for refreshment.

the air is considerably chilly since the place located in a high plain of celebes terrain. the blowing wind brings the whisper of rain. small beads of crystal clear water transform themselves into raindrops. falling the rooftop, the greyish asphalt, the green leaves and the lives. the longer time passes by, the heavier it pours down. punching the earth and every surface it faces with determined sounds of wave. sometimes it sounds like a war drum beats heavily. on some other time, it makes a intangible curtain which revealed slowly in silent.

a country side rain gives life a chance to continue. for plants to grow, for animal to quench their thirst, for human to take a break. once a while in our lives, we need to slow down, take the lower gear for pacing down and make a moment to be in present. buying time and wait for the right moment to take another step. like a man who decides to stop over. spending the hour of the day under a stage house and waiting for the rain to stop. he takes off his helmet and tries to count how much the raindrop will pour on the land today.

the nature goes like a circle. there is always time for changing season. soon the rain will rain and time for make a move is coming. should be no hesitant because the every thing will be just fine. a rainbow will appear and a country side rain remains sweet and fresh.

colour of seoul

2010-12-26T15:25:00.003+01:00

days in this city were not packed with long hours of walking throughout the city, but i am content that this time i can spend a quality time with best friend of mine. the winter frost is exhilarating and yet there are still a lot to explore. my thought of seoul will linger, fly away across the northeast sky and then stored in the bigger narration of our universe.

interestingly, seoul is somehow beyond my expectation. i thought of a modern city with crowded alleys where people exhibit what the city has offered from the industrious gains. i was thinking of hong kong where tall buildings run to the sky and stand close to each other. i was thinking of those who dress up fashionably but end up the day in small shabby corner on beijing's alleys. the place where modernity and life still stand side by side in a considerably distant. however, my imagination was not the reality. i saw a hilly city by a river, and white skycrapers scattered evenly. each side of the river was full of markets, small cafes, offices and people commute in convenient means of transportation. there were people on streets walking in their winter fashion, cheer up in democratized political system. pop stars of top chart or tv series look so pretty in big posters or lcd. modernity is an inherent status here. for the young generation, it is embedded as they grow up. for older generation, it is an achievement from what they have been through.

modernity also equals to high technology. it is not a mere latest version of a cell phone, but it is showed through the quality of fabric for textiles, a choice of building design, sophisticate stationaries or a simple yet down to earth closet seater. so colorful.

it was only because time constraint, i should restrain myself to explore the city. ah ya, of course the extreme winter was also impeding. i came with unoccupied winter fashion. i got my legs freezing when we have to get of the car and run to our place. it has been awhile for a discomforting winter, though i still can find a fine adjustment in enjoying the cold air. if the sun shines brighter and longer, a promise of a changing season will come. and i could not wait for another opportunity to visit this city some time soon. looking for a color that stick in my mind and conquer a piece of corner in my memory land:

first glimpse of an impromptly morning.

2010-12-24T16:39:00.005+01:00

my designtion was confusing and very impromptu. and after 6 hours of flying crossing the continent's eastern part,i am glad to enjoy the chance.

a morning still upon incheon and the vehicle carried us going through beginning of a day towards the bustling capital city. the sun looked pale in its winter cloak and misty winter frost disposed slowly with soft breeze from the north. i felt a bit sleepy but my body seemed to be fully awaken now. i observed this new place as far as i can see, with no high expectation. my eyes caught a dramatic scene when we passes a bridge. above the freezing river, factory's chimneys were lining up and hissing the smoky disposal into the air. it was all in silver. the reflection of pale's sun on the river stood still as the winter conquered. meanwhile on the land, those metal big tubes gave away its digestion toward the morning's sky, the air was so cold, minus 13 and it looked to me that the smoke was freezing in its bulb shape. what a morning. what an industry. it reflected a forgotten spirit to make self-sufficient to themselves.

coto and all the nostalgic memories

2010-12-19T12:30:00.007+01:00

my understanding of makassar emerges from the frequent visit to the city since i was a child. that time it was still called ujung pandang. this city is an old trading city back to the colonial period. the seaport was famous of its seafaring ethnic that could reach the cape of good hope in southern tip of africa. aside from this romantic history, i like the city because of some particularities. they are the symbol of how i make friend with the city.

the experience of walking along the somba opu street is the classic one. there are a lot of jewelry stores, because saving gold is traditionally an important investment for the locals. most people consider it as a state of fashion and social status, of course. on the end of the road, there is an old shop that sells souvenirs. the funny thing is, i always feel obliged to visit the shop whenever i come to makassar. it seems to me that the shop is one of the elements that constructs the city. it would not feel like visiting makassar without having oneself visiting the shop. i really like the shop. the location and how it has been the statement of the city. here is the shop:

i often get a pack of traditional coffee from that shop. a personal glimpse from the place makes me recognise makassar closer.

another round of makassar is from coto, the traditional beef soup. although i can find a delicious coto in jakarta, but having coto in a particular food stall in makassar could make one's journey is complete. the green building is packed with many visitors all the time. they serve coto in small ceramic bowl with rice cakes, lemon and spices. the smell of cooked meat mixed with spicy is mouth watering. meanwhile coto is served in white and bigger bowl in jakarta. the similar type of bowl for chicken noddle soup or meat ball soup, or soto, or sayur asem. in metropolitan, they oversimplify things for the sake of efficiency. take a look at this:

the wonderful thing of visiting a place is that getting your personal insight of it. i am sure you have many different frames of makassar, despite all the typical land marks. but this special spot, be it the shop or the ceramic bowl, makes the city closer to you, a part of your memory.

a long journey

2010-12-18T12:51:00.002+01:00

the long journey with dai wei has finally reached the epilogue. trapped in his memory for almost a year, i manage to understand that life should be taken seriously. every morning, i went through one or two pages before shower time, the narration sewed by dai wei's reminiscing vision of his past life really has inspired me. to face the day ahead.

yesterday, i closed the last page of beijing coma, with so much passion for life it has injected to my inner self. i really like the author, since i read his travelogue across china, he remains as one of the most adorable author on contemporary chinese literature. this bulky narration of dai wei was so intense that i could not imagine how detail and grandiose a human body could be. how complex the transformation of a society could be amid the generation gap and a missing lacuna in its history. how love could be an eternal realm which only can become another form through madness.

while the sunrise of the new millennium arises, it brings a new hope that to some point, modernization sometimes creates a fragile picture of reality. and only those who awake from the state of comatose will be those who are liberated, enlightened.

an immense detail that could speak with thousand words. thank you, ma jian.

rock the island

2010-12-11T12:00:00.002+01:00

flying northward in a local airline in a fine monday morning. the wind blows smoothly. i enjoyed the trip with mix feeling. although my very morning was quite a drama, i am pleased the rest of the morning has greeted me in its glorious way.

we were flying northward, the northern islands dubbed themselves as the northern pearl. the third trip in early december after makassar. we were received in great hospitality. group of dancers in yellow and goldish dresses performed in local spirit and instrument as well. a malay ethnic, those who inhabit some northern part of sumatera island. it was exactly an hour we spent from hang nadim international airport to this air force airport.

this northern pearl isolates herself from the mainland. i was amazed with the remoteness and how it creates a beautiful escape. by looking at the south china sea before us, the water was sparkling in turquoise. with an abundant of sunshine, the busiest sea lanes in the world, in contrast, looked calm and yet proud to be a strategic place in security. despite its high political value, the place has another thing to offer, which is the scattered huge rocks in the beaches, so huge that they looked like the giant menhir coming from ancient ages.

december rain

2010-12-04T09:34:00.002+01:00

time surely flies, and year end is coming to town. all december rains come by in the afternoon or morning, but i am still here.

it has been a year since my return to this homeland, and many things have happened and the changes linger. there are more people coming to tjikini street, mostly in early evening. during the weekends, people even has press conference or social gathering, and it makes the place so crowded. it is good though, that the market buys the place. however, in those moments, i miss the old tjikini's morning and afternoon, so silent and only the old man who pull the garbage bin across the street with his orange uniform. now that the visitors are more dress-up with old style glasses and tights, women in gala-dinner-make-up style sometimes are spotted in here. the gravity of this place is getting high profile. that not only the loners come for self contemplation, but also those who yearning for socializing in this cosmopolitan.

it is getting interesting. and despite all the controversy, i still can find a piece of corner in this place, with a little effort and squeezing, of course. the december look on the streets are emerging, an i am still here, going with the evolving time.

a glimpse on the land of gods

2010-11-27T09:54:00.003+01:00

my memory of bali is very delicate and unstructured. the first encounter was back when i was a child. it was a family trip when my brother and mother celebrated their birthday there, if i am not mistaken. years pass and the second time i visited it was in the end of 2003 or early 2004, i guess. but i did not spend a lot of time perusing the so called land of gods. i was totally working and hardly got a chance to get out of my room. then people around me come and go to bali, but i do not bother myself to find a personal reason for going there either. i always think that i had traveled there, so it is done anyway.

however, this year i finally get another chance to visit bali. five workdays in great hotel which isolated far from the vivid kuta or so. the pattern remains, i did not have chance to sneak out and enjoy the beauty of bali. it is all good. i think it is great to work in such refreshing environment like in nusa dua. i heard many stories of the must-see places, but in the end i am content with my own gain. some traditional fabric from bali. the pattern is interesting, a bit similar to prints from south sulawesi or nusa tenggara. the different is they are in colorful composition. it is called endek. the shopkeeper explained that the fabric is used around the waist, like saroong. but i have my own vision, it is going to be so much attractive in long dress. traditional fabric is gaining its high reputation these days. many people start to make use of them as part of the modern clothing. and i am happy to find more interesting types or motives of it from kinds of ethnic in this country. my finding of 'endek' adds a significant print to the collection of memory about bali.

the last night of our workdays in bali, we dined at a seafood restaurant located in jimbaran beach. the long summer breeze along the shore really made the ambience. they put groups of wooden table and chairs on the sand with candle light on each of them. true, how romantic. there was a traditional performance on a small stage that facing the beach where tables for visitors were. it was a barong dance, i suppose, that was performing when our group entered the place. the stage had dim lights and simple decoration, quite enough to shape the traditional gate of bali. i find the colorful lights hanging in the outer part of the stage were frantically ironic. a gasp on my heart as my mind suddenly thought of mass industry in the second i saw it. i tried to reconnect with my childhood memory of bali, whether i had this picture of colorful lightballs before during my first visit to bali. i found none.

we sat on a long table, as there were more then 10 people of us. my vision encircled the place. the sound of traditional balinese music came out from a bad quality speaker and echoed to the low waves that reaching the shore. it was out of serenity. it was like a las vegas now, commercial performance to attract the market. the music stopped, then a group of street singers came to tables where the foreigners seating. later i realized they only perform in front of the foreign tourists not the locals, like us. maybe they were not so proud to show how good their english in front of us. i thought we all deserve equal right of entertainment.

the food was good, and apparently was able to make me back on my appetite. always try to look for the good side of the story. i guess the other group nearby our table was also content with the authentic cuisine of this maritime land. i could not identify which country they come from, although i heard many english words all the time. they looked so young, maybe early 20es, because they still have the innocent look on their faces. unpolished brightness lurking from their eyes, and i can sense their high ambition to conquer the world, visit as many foreign lands as they could, liberate their minds as far as they could. so vivid in the night. in a second, i retreated to myself and tried to enlist what i have done when i was in the same years as they are now. not many foreign lands, but i was traveling through lines of words, i guess that time.

the night we went home with the memory of good time in jimbaran, with satisfaction that our job has been successfully done. i believe every one of us had their own picture of bali. mine as well. i wish next time i visit bali, i will find something that more reserved and contemplating, not so commercialized as i saw that night.

happy birthday mom

2010-11-26T17:08:00.001+01:00

mom, i love you
you are the light given to me
from the soft womb of life
until i am able to set out free

mom, i wish you happy birthday
may you be happy with the children now
may you always have the smile upon your face
and be the best you can be

i love you mom
for today i would share with you
a gift for you and myself
i have found my soul mate

my lovely mom, i hope you will cherish it
the way i do
i am so grateful for your education
that i know how to give color of my own
i know how to live as i learn

mom, this is my gift

a witness to history

2010-11-14T09:38:00.000+01:00

today is a lazy cloudy sunday, and i have walked in through the front gate of the office. the blue tricycle just left along with its smooth sound generated from the gas that fuels its engine. i have a half day shift to complete. through this morning to the mid day, i must stick to the internet and all news it resonates and making the summary of report by the end of the duty. if there is something urgent and related to our interest, i should quickly pass it on to the authority above me so that proper actions will follow.

today, we are witnessing one of the enduring acts in history. the release of pro democracy activist in myanmar covers all the news site and channels. while me whose on duty have to make a report on it. i do not expect that today's shift would deal with a history making part, in fact, it is.

concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

2010-09-22T23:19:00.000+02:00

approximately 20 hours of flying, my back felt so stiff and my skin-mostly face skin got dried. the flight across pacific ocean was principally smooth. light turbulence and crowded cabin were very much tolerated, while two stops over made the journey long and exhausting. but in the morning light, a glimpse of new frontier down below on earth, alerted me that the vast continent, a new different encounter beyond my border has come along. tall buildings towering the city.

long before this most awaited journey, i really liked listening to alicia keys' empire state of mind. and i could not believe that i someday can really visit the inspiring city of empire state of mind. it was a true concrete jungle where dreams are made of.

because you are in new york. september, the beginning of autumn and the start of series annual meeting of the united nations. the city became more vibrant with huge variety of human kind. i lived in a one bed room apartment of my friend for a week stay. it was 10 minutes walk to our headquarter, and 5 minutes to the un office. the multilateral atmosphere was so dense, showed in people who walked around the blocks, ethnic clothes, black suit and glasses, high heels, and multi languanges spread through the air of the city. a vibrant week.

my working hours were racing with long hours fatigue, and i could not manage the jet-lag in the first few days. during the days, i must strive to keep my eyes open and not falling asleep and when the night come, i was so fresh and ready to run. it was good in a way though, because during the day my head of delegation would go to the meeting with limited member so i can just stand by in the office. after the meeting in the afternoon-a morning already in asia, my normal biology hour- we must make report and prepare for the next day agenda. and the work continued untill 2-3am. time square and all the broadway lights should not far from here, but i nearly do not have plenty of time to have a look. the last few nights i managed to have a quick sight seeing, enjoying the landmark of new york, a total glimpse. i actually really wanted to see the empire state building, i guess next time.

so it was true. the city is like a jungle, but not filled with trees but towering building. they all made from dreams, for what ever reasons and vision behind. it is the empire state of mind. the translation of your envisioned dream in this world.

new york, autumn 2010.

living tjikini

2010-06-26T16:17:00.001+02:00

from the many spots in jakarta, i love tjikini street the most. occupied with many old buildings lining up from the post office to taman ismail marzuki, i always find myself so accessible to eternity, whenever i spend mornings, noons and nights here. i often have myself lost in the window view, whenever raindrops pouring down, or a bread seller cycling in the road.

many acquaintances happen, more and more each day the street gets more personalized.
there are many corners, seats and songs to come by ever day.

going home

2010-06-15T12:02:00.000+02:00

some people say "home is where the heart is". so, there might be no clear definition whether it should be a place, a location or simply refers to something abstract, an idea. well, in cases for refugees, they might say those are homeless because they do not have a concrete building to stay and let their lives happen in it. but in cases for those who refuge themselves from any physical definition, a place called home is where you can feel content and satisfied with all you have. and for the word--where the heart is--refers a person that dear to us.

of course, there are many people who we love dearly, but among those special ones, who is the one that make you can not live without. from time to time, we try to deny the truth due to reality does not suit with our inner voice. and thus, we define the soul searching has not ended yet and carried on until we stop to the real home. along the way, we construct what we want to believe, we accept the reality that belongs to us, we cherish people destined to meet along the way, we create new dreams as the sign boards in our journeys. we pick and choose all the details in life in order to make a clear picture of our own imagination. but what if, some day, our truth is being challenged? should we react and reconstruct, or just disregard because nothing is perfect and truth needs a test of time to affirm its prudent. a genuine value of 'our' universe.

once the test is passed, we can convince that is our home. where our heart can rest assured that we are safe to inhibit this world. because in times of trouble and joy, we can always have destination to seek salvation.

loving jakarta

2010-05-31T06:28:00.003+02:00

a metropolitan. an egg shell. a massive yard of concrete buildings. a night of stormy star lights. a misty morning of empty streets with burning inspiration.

many months after residing back to jakarta, i finally got the feeling. it is so refreshing to know that one could enjoy this city the way i absorb it now. despite its heavily polluted air, which i discontent so far, the capital indeed has something to open my mind. its people and the way life leads me to reality. this is the place where people going by with motorcycle, of where food stalls selling stirred food with oily pan, of where local dialect narrated from one mouth to another-from one mind to another-.

a place with a particular street, the tjikini street.

if i were asked what is the best thing to describe jakarta, i would say tjikini street.

a one way street, and good atmosphere to sum up all your feeling about jakarta. a little city within the city. it has its own citizen that run their own commercial activities. a place where you can spend one entire day with many purposes and gains only in one street. meeting up with friends, colleagues, strangers, enemies, and lovers. having yourself a contemplating coffee time or cheering up your past in reunion.

but most of all, an afternoon in a cafe, with good companion of coffee and people.

at this moment, one could ask whether the day would crawl as if forever is now and then.

life is your stage

2009-12-08T07:53:00.003+01:00

You can dance if you like
You can sing every line of every song
No, you don't have to steal the show
It was your show all along
As the orchestra plays
The people take the seats
There's no room left in this house
It's only you and me
And if life is your stage
I'll be watching

Hold up a light for me
Hold up a light for me

And I'll be watching you
Everything that you do

As we start, rehearsing every scene
The words to everything
We realize that the crowd is listening
And then the tears, fall down on your face
In exactly the right place
As the people start to stand up in the aisles

You can hear the sound of violins
On every street tonight
You can see all lovers dancing around
I'll be watching

Chorus
Hold up a light for me
Hold up a light for me

And I'll be watching you

All things you see
End up where they should be
All the things you see
End up where they should be

Hold up a light for me
Hold up a light for me

And I'll be watching you.
everyone is listening
and life is your stage

(performed by take that)

you were all yellow

2009-12-03T10:42:00.001+01:00

that was all yellow...

love it when it rains in djakarta

2009-11-23T11:39:00.003+01:00

rainy season is coming and i always like the idea of seeing a pouring rain on streets, where streetlights starting to shine, muttering the shadows that emerge from the scene. this is djakarta that i know from time to time. rain is full of happiness coming down from the silvery skies.

beyond finnish forests and lakes, there is...

2009-08-21T11:09:00.001+02:00

a place where something is about to come true...

an offshore fortress

2009-08-08T11:58:00.002+02:00

the ferry was packed with people, and i cherished the ticket i got early this morning at the market square. my new friends were delighted, their smiles were bright as the sunshine above, while the morning summer heat was surely too convincing to have a fair weather for the rest of the day.

this time was suomelinna, they called it a fortress, a world heritage for the world, a place for getting a substantially tanned skin for the finns. getting to the other side of the gulf only took less than 15 minutes. the ferry ran slow, there was no need for hurry, like all the finns, time stood still in the north. we took a stroll around the shore, and took pictures of us wearing the nice white hat i got from the lowlands. they were amused by the impression it creates of wearing it.

suomelinna, i had it with clear blue sky. wild flowers colored my vision of the grass, and rocky cliff isolated one's dream from the reality. this place should have a lot of historical explanation, but the summer impeded all desire to delve into it. the brightness of the day only wanted a superficial encounter, it was not time to get too serious.

suomi gulf

2009-08-08T09:08:00.004+02:00

first weekend in suomi land. the class i attend is a very interesting ones. the subject pleases my appetite, and most of all it offers me new things to learn about.

helsinki itself is a tranquil place in the north, filled with abundance of spaces and rooms spreading all over the city, which is in contrast to its sparse population. having myself squeezed in one of the most dense country for some time, i am surprised to find such a lot of space in this town. This can be seen from the design of the buildings which is mostly made in larger scale. compared to other old cities in europe, helsinki asks people to enlarge their comfort zone as broad as they want to. this contributes to the timid character of the finnish people, not to mention their-winter-morning-eye-glimpses.

but most importantly, i am glad my first weekend was not a waste. bright summer day supplemented with a stroll along the gulf, from katajanokka to the market square, and beyond its last frontier which brings me to the park and restaurants. those places were packed with good dresses and the smell of good times.

katajanokka

2009-08-05T03:30:00.005+02:00

my lodge was arranged in katajanokka. the first glimpse of this area was the russian-style orthodox church that stood in the mouth of entrance to katajanokka. like other streets in helsinki, which was far less crowded, the roads were resembled to empty canal that dried out of water, no meaningful currents. when the first time i took the tram to this place, i was not expecting to find out that tram could possibly the core driving force of living vein of katajanokka. residents live in the four-storey buildings, designed with finnish touch. pedestrians mostly people who enjoyed jogging in the neighborhood every afternoon, or the travelers who stayed at the big lodge where i stayed.

katajanokka has a direct access to market square and to city centre within walking distance. and for that, the old russian church was sort of a gate in marking where was katajanokka and where was the other part of helsinki. if you happened to walk across the park closed to the church, you should keep yourself aware because an old lady might jump out of the marshy grass and asked for some coins. in fact, city planning of the city positioned some clusters of residents which eventually constructed the whole helsinki. katajanokka, one of them, which was located nearby the heart of the city and being one of the oldest clusters in town. that was why old buildings dominated the area and perpetuated the early 20 century atmosphere. there was a red-brick "kino", or cinema where i thought the building should have been more that just a movie theater. something surreal brought by the wind from baltic sea stayed there, intruded into the layers of those red bricks. perhaps memories of fishermen, or estonian trader harbored in helsinki somewhere in time.

tervetuola

2009-08-04T10:25:00.001+02:00

the first day in suomi land was full of sunshine. last night i was greeted by a mix of tranquility in my surrounding. i took a shuttle bus from vantaa airport to helsinki, and bought my bus ticket on the bus-fresh from the driver's hand. his english was eloquently spoken but his expression said something more than just saying: welcome, you, foreigner.

encountering suomi land gave me new impression which was quite different from other european lands. the night was still young and left a slight purple and red above, a kind of nostalgic picture.

arrival in the bus station, the time was almost midnight. people talking in finnish were crossing the streets and running slowly to the big buildings around the square. i carried my luggage and tried to follow the direction from the information paper i printed from the internet. i was about to catch a tram.

few minutes passed on, the metal vehicle approached the place where i stood. it moved towards me that it got me a feeling of being alienated, i thought i should have known the form of this mean of transportation, but i was questioning myself whether i would find it familiar or completely strange and awkward. the summer night in helsinki was getting darker and i still felt unsettled with all these encounterings.

the lodge was nice, i could not ask for more, it has everything one could ask for a traveling. clean sheet and blanket has been placed neatly and for that it made my sleep last night more sound.

going north

2009-08-03T17:22:00.002+02:00

sitting in this huge waiting room, i indulge myself with the scenery of blue sky and bright sunshine. what a lovely afternoon, planes come and go, with bustling sound across the runaway. inside, i am only with my travel backpack, and a thought about the place i will visit soon. i have only few information about the country and the city, all i know it is very beautiful in winter. cold and full of serenity. some people say cold is another kind of beauty anyway. there is still some time before boarding time, and i feel a certain unfamiliar feeling attached into the reality surround me. because some where in the seabed of my mind, there are vivid pictures of the hectic days behind me. it has been like an organized mess, full of hopping on and off from one platform to the other, from one cup of koffie verkeerd to another tea, from one companion of sunshine and late summer rain, from one old acquaintance to another instant exchange. there are so many random happening lately, and i hope this northward journey will help me to slow things down a while, so i can really feel where is where, what is what. i hope it will be an inspiring one, fiuhh...

moving out

2009-07-19T16:57:00.001+02:00

these days, there are alot of things occupied my mind. moving to one city to another, and getting to know that there are some things that have been restored somewhere around the old and hidden places and never been used properly. it is not easy to pack the unpack things, especially when you realize how much you have attached yourself into the place. indeed, home is the first universe.

there are boxes to fill, papers to tear and stuff to be cleaned. looking at the amount of the things that have been accumulated in my place, i can recall all the dreams and plans i had in my mind when i decided to collect these things, or to keep it in here. now that i have to move out, there is optimism in the air, yet in the same time, i feel ironic to know that to certain point, human can not meet all the boundaries of time space. these things i restored, some remain untouched, the one which once was picked with full of inspiration. it looks different now, since i have to put it aside since my space and time have been occupied with the following things or plans. as i clean the place, i have myself uprooted from the closeness and familiarity which i have been embedded all these times.

there is no short cut

2009-07-16T00:56:00.003+02:00

how many times people always try to say that there is no shortcut in learning process. that people should possess an inextricably endurance throughout the journey, because gaining knowledge is never been an easy task on humanity. a friend of mine had just enforced me to focus on the positive side of the journey instead of dragging the never ending 'why question' in my mind. it would only put myself to give weight on the negative side and lose determination to bring the best from the given condition. well...as a sophomore who is standing almost in the end of this institutionalized-studious journey, my immortality has caused me to consciously figuring out what should i have done to make things better. and better. despite of the effort i've been pouring down, i should regard the present result as the beginning of the coming long journey ahead. it is not a period mark which ends a sentence. yet, it is put as a period to mark the begin of new sentences. and for that, i'm grateful.

indeed, there is always things need to be reconciled. regardless of what ever it is, the present time does not require an immediate understanding and better comprehension. time is all i need.

inner holland part 2

2009-06-19T00:35:00.001+02:00

the second glimpse of inner holland would the city village of wageningen. the reason why i dubbed it as a city village was primarily based on my personal impression of the city, and i did not mean to disregard the city integrity. on a bright evening, i arrived at the central station, a cool breeze of hinterland wind, the city called my name. the summer was getting older and trees were so thick in green, some yellow sparkling, a remembrance of a home coming sun. the strong breeze had moved leaves to dance lively, each tree made their own melody, and all of them along the street were reciting poems. i could not stop staring at them along the journey from train station to my destination. their voice was friendly and relaxing, asking myself for resting awhile after such a laborious days. a labor for the inlanders.

i spent the first night in the city by giving myself a proper rest. fortunately, the place where i stay was equipped with big windows that give a liberating view to the open sky. what a lovely mid summer evening i had, where i can see a clear night sky above there with the smiles of the angels, de sterren.

inner holland part 1

2009-06-18T23:52:00.002+02:00

for some reasons, i have to spend a couple of days in the northeast of holland. it was a good opportunity for me to get some insights about this country. i have lived in big cities of eastern holland, and for that i get familiar with strong wind from the north sea or the multi-cultural atmosphere where people from foreign countries walking down the street and speaking with their own mother tongue. but in this part of the lowlands, everything feels more preserved, a bit of conservative taste is floating in the air.

from where i come from, the name of deventer is historically related to a figure whose played an important role in the colonial period of far east indisch. but during my stay in this city, i could not manage myself to see the statue of van deventer. first i think i was because this historical fact did not in my list, and secondly i think it was also because my visit did not have anything to do with history lesson. i think these two are basically the same. after all, i only wanted to get myself a short escape for a while, after months of exhaustive academic writing process.

the city looks more like a medieval entity left to the modern time. like i've mentioned before, big cities in the east coast have the cosmopolitan soul, they are like the symbol of the modern time, the representation of the early industrial centuries. but having myself being in deventer, i feel like everything looks older than the legacy of the modern time. maybe because there was small stoned castle in the city. it stands slightly in 75 degree, the remaining witness of old centuries.

step by step closer

2009-06-15T00:53:00.002+02:00

step by step closer to the final, the summit of all these steps i've travelled throughout the path. all the effort that i have endured throughout the bad and good times, it shall finally reach a point. where all hills should lead to valley, where cloudy days should be cast away with warm shiny days. the more i get closer to the peak, the more i feel that i'm conditioned to stay focus. and today, i reached the-long-and-winding-summit by clicking the 'send' button on my computer, with subject addrressed to my supervisor and the book of source called, ephorus.

so long my boat of words, the product of my self contemplation to this untidy subject on international poltics among nations. i wish you a very nice journey and pray that you will be treated well in the eyes of the judges. before i pull off this anchor that bound you with my personal scholarly realm, let us hand in hand pray that your journey will be carried by all the kindness that weather and the ocean can bring you. let us whisper our hope that the wind will be warm and sky will be clear. and for all the conversation we had throughout the changing seasons will be up there in the sparks of the stars. let them carry us to the homeward wind, to the almighty we sail our pray.

soothing sound of...

2009-06-11T01:53:00.001+02:00

early in the morning, it's been raining since last night. i whispered to myself:
"woke to the sound of soothing rain..."

a quick wandering

2009-06-10T01:14:00.006+02:00

i've been spending hours after hours sitting in the wooden chair with all my body and soul pondering to the screen, the ocean of words. trying to structure the substance and make it ordinary to the eyes of the commons, and not a foreigner to the mind of the scholars. after having myself decided to listen to my utter conscious that longing for a short escape, i went down to the road and got me and maxwell a ride. the weather was not very bright, but it was still lovely, i must say. it was like having a december in the summer-to quote from a friend's status this morning-indeed, it has been like early autumn instead of bright summer. the sky was covered with bunch of clouds, sometimes light showers pouring down and let the wind breezes its soft whisper through my window. there is always nice to have a look on the weather.

the day was still long and it gave sometime to go for short biking trip, just to strecth my legs and fresh my exhausted mind. i thought this might be the chance to get to know the city i've been living for quite sometime. indeed the quick wandering went well, so thoughtful and yet liberating in the same time. the trip brought me to the beach, to the long sandy shore by the kurhaus. as i got off my bike, and let myself strolling down along the shore, a mixed sound of music welcomed me. some peopel gathered in one of the cafes, having early dinner with nice beat of classic disco. their conversation was like rattling and humming, i was not in the mood to pay attention to words, so better left them like a mumbling sound of bees. i liked it anyway.

looking at the wide north sea before my eyes, it made me realize it has been awhile since the last time i went to the beach. and today everything was just right, the place was not crowded, and not too quite. it was fun to walk along the shore alone. that moment all you can do just walk, and walk, and walk... during that time, some interesting things might get by and make you want to stop and look for awhile. it could make you think of something, some place, some people. it also could inspire you to do something, to want something, to feel something. basically, you always can have kinds of impression from anything around. and for that, i amused myself by taking some pictures of sand castle people made every summer, or a flock of seagulls that having a sunbathing under the afternoon sun. my favorite one was the picture of the sun itself. it's kind of remind me to the beatle's song...lucy in the sky of diamond. i wonder where is lucy and what is the diamond.

apparently, the quick wandering has pumped up some energy for me. on the way back home, i met a friend and had myself a little walk with her. she cheered me up and told me to take everythig easily. what a nice epilogue for the day.

tunes of the unexpected

2009-05-23T01:05:00.006+02:00

i have been amazed by the tunes of the unexpected played by a local radio station lately. few nights in a row, the tunes come like a long lost friend and rejuvenate my repository mind to recollect pieces of time that unfashionably spread across my inner universe and bring them all again to the surface...

after the rain

2009-05-22T00:46:00.000+02:00

after the rain, the air feels clearer now. some people say raindrops in spring save a wonderful summer. and recently there has been unscheduled showers come to the lowlands randomly. hopefully this is a promise of bright summer. falling leaves scattered on the canal seem have been carried away by the down pourings last week. the bicycle path along northend garden gives no resistant voice to bike's wheel, provides the rider with a deafening silence under the shades of green. the crowd of bikers are not always in massive flow, sometimes there are few of them, but during the weekend there could be a group of youngsters or family biking in constant biking along the road. the bell are rung to ask for a passage permission. today the road is empty. there is only falling brownies leaves floating in the air, while blue sky above is covered with thick green of summer plants. how i cherish the atmosphere after the rain. it is just pure.

xomer apeture

2009-05-14T10:32:00.003+02:00

a hazy afternoon in iona's backyard. the day was quite windy and it made trees pouring down leaves as if it was an early autumn already. it shouldnt yet to arrive, there is one season to celebrate for those leaves. on the way cycling to iona's backyard, i was passing a canal nearby the northend garden. my eyes were amazed by the reflection on the water, a clear vision of the upside wolrd in downside reverse. brown leaves littering the water ground and all stood still in dignity. the summer is resounding its coming, and the river calls the clouds for rains, and the trees hold the greens not too be shaked by gusty north winds. reflection of the upside world on the water, made an afternoon in iona's backyard silently overwhelmed. a xomer apeture for letting the envoy of coming season come to town.

feels like a crawling snail

2009-05-09T00:18:00.002+02:00

it is not easy to keep myself intact these days. i try to have good music as the loyal company for my enduring time of thinking, but it just distracts my intention to some imagined world out there. i try to find a window seat in the train, change the room without changing the essence of scholarly contemplation. indeed, some people next to me add the noise to my surrounding, and it confuses me whether to feel disturbed or entertained. everything is basically here now, i just need to stay focus and the skill of a good tailor, for sewing these materials into a decent readable work. i feel like a crawling snail. fiuh...

a day for an orange

2009-04-30T18:30:00.005+02:00

april has a bunch of festivites in the air. after a long day of biking and flower addicted imagination, the orange day is the edge of the month, quite an overwhelmed closure in the lowlands. actually, it is not about the fruit, but i guess the idea probably comes from the fruit. a landlord once ruled in southern france then moved northward and conquered a flat land in the tip of north sea. by then, the landlord established his own empire which has lasted for several hundred years. a day for an orange is dedicated to commemorate the birth of the previous queen, the landlord's decendant. since then, everybody celebrates the day. whether it is because the love to the queen that makes people hold parties everywhere, or because people want to enjoy the long holiday, i cant never be assured to explain why the lowlands turn to be self-proclaimed orange in this one single day. all in all, confusion does not always lead to asking question. better not this time, and enjoy the orange.

een prettige dag van de bloemencorso

2009-04-25T23:10:00.009+02:00

the last week of april would be the weekend for flower parade. i guess, this annual event usually takes place to officially mark the presence of spring. the parade will depart from noordwijk for the final destination at haarlem. and for this year, some friends have set the plan for another biking trip to catch the parade on road nearby lisse, on its way to haarlem. the lunch boxes have been packed and nicely put in our backpacks, along with cameras and bottles of water. i have managed myself to get a nice hat which can keep my face on shade of the immense sunlight. what a spring bystander i am.

after biking around twenty minutes, we arrived at the crossroad of lisse, a point where we wanted to enjoy the parade. apparently, we were not the only spectators, there were already alot of people parked their cars and set their picnic mat or flipped chairs to get the best view of those flowers in cars. it was quite crowded but people still managed to line up along the road in a good order. soon the police would block the road and not even bikers can pass the road. so it was a precise attempt to get there early.

almost like in the cinderella fairytale, the parade started to resonate its coming right in the middle of the day. obviously the parade was accopanied by a bunch of marching band groups. i can hear the sound of cymbal, drums or trumpet played. one by one the car decorated with colorful flowers moving slowly in front of us. some companies used the event to advertise their business as well. and for this reason, i found the decorator was very creative to turn a boring truck or van into a charming vehicle with extended roof of purple lavender or vivid window in lilies curtain. aside from that, the parade also displayed this year's theme which was everything about books. thus, each car carried a special theme translated from a popular book, for instance asterix and obelix, or around the world in eighty days. my favorite one was the asterix and obelix. the fact that they also made idefix, the dog and the big stone which always carried by obelix made the display was fascinating.

the parade only took around one and a half hour. the day was still young as the sun shines longer now. i would feel myself a pitty if i rode my bike and went home. that would be a waste to pass such a day pass without enjoying the season. so, i decided to bike further, as some of my friends wanted to go home. fortunately, a friend had the same intention to extend the biking trip a bit further, just to know the surrounding. so we were biking for another hours, and i was content to find another flower fields around lisse. of course, it makes me even more overwhelmed because i can take pictures of them with my camera and my visual memory, here.

on nationalism

2009-04-21T23:44:00.001+02:00

it is the subject which is quite abstract for one to give the precise definition. of course it is always attached to the notion of state or nationhood. but this becomes more problematic when an individual finds hard to choose what nation he is really attached to. in this case, it is easier to use sensitive issues to trigger the real sense of nationalism. for me, the awareness of being a particular person under a certain national flag immerse when people bluntly 'baptized' my ethnicity just because my physical appearance. do not judge a book by its cover. i unconsciously refuse that label and strive to convince them my indigenous root. this happened on lunch time today. i was busy with task as a student should have been dipped themselves before class, and a guy just asking direction with me in other language instead of the internationally recognized english. i was surprised to consider on what basis he can conclude that i speak the language he used. i bet my reflection on this real world just resembles to the notion of particular ethnic group in this world. fortunately, because of some reason, i can speak the language that he used to ask me. but with all my respect, my ability to speak this language not because of kinship obligatory reason, but it was purely a genuine reason for the sake of life conquest. after all, that was not the first time i have been unilaterally dubbed as member of particular ethnic. and for that, i found my self helpless to prove this misperception on every acquaintance with strangers. for this reason, my nationalism should endure the untold truth.

the fanfare friday

2009-04-17T23:01:00.003+02:00

today is a special day for those who are the big fan of doing sport. please pay attention to the italic word, because i'm not referring to those who are expert in commenting and analyzing score or strategies in sport matches. in this case, this afternoon is the big fanfare for people who are fond of jongging. the singel loop, a six kilometers of marathon and it goes around the five 'singel' in leiden. one of the main ruoute is wittesingel, a tranquil passage of canal that runs in front of the university's main library. some of my friends take part and im glad i can get some pictures of them. since leiden is a small city, the six kilometers does not take long time for those self-trained athletes to reach the finish line. but there is no winner and loser, because everybody apparently gets a medal. a souvenir for participating in this so-leiden activity. once you get the medal and you are officially baptized as the true citizen of this city. yay!

a little note on early afternoon

2009-04-15T00:56:00.001+02:00

an early afternoon spent by the small lake of buitenhof. summer is coming but spring still on its way to the fullest. trees are in hazy green, with little hopes on the edge of barren branches. waiting the world to have them on its course. i took a little notice of the passing tram from the hedge of maroon tulips. the red strips were just perfectly fit to add a small peculiarity of the day.

starlight

2009-04-12T22:51:00.002+02:00

everyone is celebrating passendag in the lowlands. times for painted eggs, from the real ones to those symbolic identity. but my passenvakantie is quite tranquil, as silence as the starlight across the canal. while others prefer to have a weekend getaway somewhere around the continent, i choose witte singel for hours of typing and trying to catch up the implied meanings of concepts. i aint fancy holiday for another short trip. some friends are coming from the south and east, and we rather have a big dinner for fourteen people with peking ducks served on the table. the red napkins and small cups decorate the whole session and we are content for this gathering. saturday night at leiden, my day is completely full by having these starlights across the canal. their sparks enlighten the dark corners in its surrounding, while their reflections on water make the night has been more crowded than ever.

when the book is open

2009-04-05T00:24:00.002+02:00

when the book is open, you can start to read the story. a journey, surely needs a map. but it still can work out fine with a help of virtual guidance, lets called it instinct. as the weather forecast defines today will be mostly sunny, a trip along the lowlands should be a good idea for weekend. from a bike shop in the central station, the bikes are rent with a promise to the owner that they should be returned before midnight. when the wheels have been rolled for a constant speed of sunday trip, there has been a lot to be seen along the journey. the story for the day has started. trees along the small roads and highways are starting to be dyed in green. some of them are even in lovely pink and vibrant yellow. or maybe the sun has made them to look differently. the weather is being so hospitable to facilitate such journey. as the page of the book is open one by one, the scene leads the trip from a small lake by the old city to the sandy beach of the lowlands. the lake is painted in silver shadow of the noon's cloud, and there is a fishing boat far in the middle. the tranquility of the journey is uninterrupted. some small friends of flowers look above to the shoes of those who are carrying the bikes over the green field. with such a good manner, they ask not to step on the grass, because their friends still strive for growing tall and embracing the summer. word of apology is whispered, followed with careful glance on grass. someone is trying to get closer to the nature. as the journey goes on, another page brings the trip to field of colorful bloemen. the fields are vast, another continent in the continent. they have their own territory, like a square of sovereignty with rows and lines under the cloudless skies. each country mostly has a majority of ethnic groups without an exception to some minorities to be distinctive. rules and law are established, that is the reason why they look perfectly in order. like another part of the international community, these fairy states also might encounter invasion from foreign forces. and for that it is the authority for the peacekeeping forces to warn the illegality of such occupation. fortunately the international police is rigorously responsible of its duty. he is barking and sending vicious glances to those who carelessly step on these sovereignities for the sake of timely souvenirs, or in other words, pictures. in this case, those who like to take mementos of these highly condensed yellow, purple or orange, should be able to follow the manner in their territorial space. this is how things apply in the family of nations. the book continues to put the sequence into play. the day is still longer as if the daylight is forever. the journey is heading to the beach. it is amazing to notice how the northsea has such a strong characteristic. it can present itself very well to those in the lands, even though there is miles to go to reach the shore. strong and cold wind are whispering in midst of young afternoon. almost in a silent rhyme, it is like touching the air to define its abtract definition. one can just follow where the sea breeze is really coming from, in order to identify the place where the ocean meets the land. almost afternoon, and the day is starting to dress in soft yet vivid golden. after taking rest for sometime, the road is still long on the way back to where the home of these bikes. the exploration of roads keeps going. in tranquility. the bikes wander across the lands, in precise speed and absorbed mind. words are here and there. some complete the story trhough articulation. while some transform themselves into another kind. like holding a cup of ice tea to explain the state of exhaustion and starvation. or ringing a bell for testing one's awareness of other's presentable skill. the bicycle pad is like the narrative of the whole scene. it makes all the elements umbilically tied for such a well grounded reality.

thick and thin

2009-04-01T00:05:00.000+02:00

these days spring has marked its presence in the lowlands. while the days get longer, the nights now are so timid that they refrain themselves from the sun. the room for colors is now being open. there are enormous lights and range of colors as you can see from the canal to the central station. bare branches of tress have their small green lights, a promise of the coming season. when you open your window every morning, fresh air penetrates through the thinned glass window, and so swiftly to wake your sleepy eyes. lets not talk about the plenty flowers throughout the grassland in this land. there are abundant sunlight for them to consume. this changing season looks so vivid with the thick and thin it has painted in my surrounding. sometimes the reflection of buildings on the water looks sober when clouds coming and hindering the bright yellow light. while for another moment, everything can be inexorably illuminated than its shadow appears so thick...as if it were really there. built on the surface of a small stream in town.

a light shower of thursday

2009-03-26T23:45:00.000+01:00

an old man's shadow appeared on every stone blocks that construct one side of the hall of the knight. tonight, the shadow moved as his body walked slowly into the binnenhof, a square in silence. above all, the scenery was just dimmed in light shower of thursday. soon he was left behind and the cobbled stone road made sounds of whispers. they were reciting the past where people from different generations have walked on it, on behalf of many purposes. the city was tranquil in spring. no overwhelmed warmth. moving toward passage, soon the intersection of noordeinde would be there. bare trees still shone with silver lights left from the winter and a pizza restaurant looked populous, inhabited by the dining-outs who tried to make the best of thursday shopping night. there was the intersection. people standing on both side of the roads, waiting for the tram. their clothes, shoes and hairstyle were immersed in the shadow of light rainy day. the air was clear yet the small pieces of rain can put a slight of obscurity in one's vision. hm...the wind was so refreshing. and manequins in lights were watching those who belonged to the outside. turn right and the street would lead to the long and enchanting alley. both sides of the street always have something entertaining. moved..keep moving, closer to the destination. i felt wet penetrated from my face. and my trouser too. i thought i need to increase the pace, otherwise the rain would conquer me. the book store was still open but my time was not conditioned for that. and the small cafe closed its door, hindering the warmth to go outside and greeted this biking person.

with or without tomatoes

2009-03-24T20:14:00.003+01:00

i find cooking is another way to contemplate with the world. once you step in the kitchen, and open the fridge and grab fresh vegetables from it. the conversation with yourself has just started. your mind are fulled with words, some of them are very well structure, but not for the most of them. this scattered letters or scenes stay afloat, that is why you need to digest the very core intention you want to convey. just wash the tomatoes please...and put them on the plate. you start to sort out the certain unsettled words one by one as your mind figures out the order of tonight's dinner. time goes by and silently classifies the random into simple sentences or concepts. it seems you have managed to take control again. it is not the world that dominates you, but it is you now that construct this universe. i can see this contemplating process is quite fruitful. the stirred dish is garnished with yellow sweet corn and a bit greenish from the onion leaves. so colorful and hopefully healthy. i just realized this time i did not put sliced tomatoes. no wonder it is less red yet tastes more solid. with or without tomatoes, the construction of the world today remains intact with my personal purpose. the words have been organized now, the floating letters reside to where they used to be. i guess my need of tomatoes has transformed into something else. it has developed beyond my ordinary sense of humanity. it soothes me.

what makes spring beautiful

2009-03-19T22:38:00.005+01:00

the ice cream shop has opened now, where it was previously a shop selling socks and ladies stuffs. there is an ice cream stall in front of the noordeinde palace now. i precisely remember it started to open since the first day of march. and the tiny purple friends are opening their eyes and embracing the world. they are surrounding the old tree nearby the central station. spring is coming, tacitly shy but never loses its immerse.

tapestry

2009-03-08T18:29:00.015+01:00

fijne vrouwendag, s'Gravenhage 2009

sail away

2009-03-07T10:48:00.001+01:00

witte singel was really, really dimmed into serenity. only the sound from the saddle, produced from metal rails run the two wheels vehicle. the world encountered me from the vision my eyes catched and the scene my brain interpreted. my skin sent the message of comfortable air that sensed from my cheek. and the nose breathed the morning in neutrality, a balance between sweet and sour. like a void floating in unamity. and there, outside the bordeline of myself and the universe, i entered the serenity of witte singel. bathed in silver shadow of the sober sunlight, green yard and the surface of the canal stood hand in hand facing the wooden bridge over there. ducks and boat were catching glimpses of greetings, in their own languanges. though each were foreign to another, understanding seemed easier if we managed to contextualize it. no chaos of translation. the vehicle stopped as my foot touched the ground. i wanted to enjoy how the boat leaves its trace on the surface of the canal. the boat kept sailing away, and left small ebbs and tides which eventually reached the green shore. where the duck were there in their friendly traits. sail away boat, find yourself the circle route of canals in this city. until it brings you back to witte singel, to make another ebbs and tides under the bridge.

somethingsremainunsettled

2009-03-04T23:59:00.004+01:00

a news anchor pointed to the map on the screen and showed the prediction of air movement on the next day. appeared on the screen a gradual bold blue above certain places while dots of sun also scattered on some other places across the continents. he begun the forecast by saying somethings remain unsettled. like the weather, everything indeed is constantly moving. however, my personal achievement today also confirmed that things need to be refined, reexamine, reconsider, reformulate, revisited. very much unsettled. thanks to the weather forecast, somehow i feel not so alone on this stage. unsettled means it keeps moving, searching for the very right in time and condition to settle. i just need a strong argument and clarification.

vogels

2009-03-02T08:32:00.001+01:00

a particular impression i got few days ago seems to open itself for an explanation. i wonder whether march is the month for the seagulls to fly back to the beach from their temporary exile on the last season. and now, it is time to back home, to taste the freshness of salty air and, of course, fresh fish. my assumption is not an academic one, but it was drawn from a simple wall post in the city library where i can conclude this. moreoever, a flock of seagulls flying above the palace recently and the ice cream shop in the centrum has opened since yesterday. neither seagulls nor the ice cream shop has said it clearly, but they represent the coming spring.

marching into the spring

2009-03-01T21:16:00.005+01:00

first day of march. the weather gets warmer these days. it makes the snowy winter nights have flown away, like history written ages ago. after the month for marching is coming, the promise of blossom and revelry dreams. i hear the sound of seagulls today, they flew and made quite a noise chirping. the scene was so much resemble to sandy beach where endless sound of tides emerge and re-emerge in constant atttempts. soon there will be eternal sunshine on the beach, where the dusk and dawn stand close to each other. oh dear nature, this changing seasons have touched my heart so dearly.

as early as it gets

2009-02-28T20:31:00.000+01:00

most people prefer to wake late on saturday morning. but this is not for people who likes to have a comfy morning walk at noordeinde. while the gray sky remained, waiting relentlessly for getting ripe and pouring down the rain, the long passage had gradually been packed with pedestrian. glimpses to art works at the galleries, and short conversation about old books or morning talks with hot coffee served with a view. from a distance, music were playing from the old wooden vehicle, a very much authentic attribute for weekend in the lowlands. i always can find a muse for this mixture of sounds and figures around noordeinde. it seems everything that makes a perfect beginning to that day were there. as my steps approaching the book store in the passage, an old lady wearing blue coat and a hat stepped out of the book store and walking right in front of me. her coat was so blue that it took me to the memory of beautiful stones that i used to read in my childhood story books. saphire, hidden in an old oak tree. how wonderful to know the fact that getting up early every saturday morning would always bring the chance of having such encounters with the world.

note on friday

2009-02-27T18:08:00.002+01:00

i don't do too much dreaming these days. these days...

i've been out walking. i don't do too much talking these days. these days..

(quote from a song written by glenn campbell. dedicated to the suzerain state on the western tip of europe, where gray sky lingers like an endless love song)

fiuhh..

i dream of alcazar

2009-02-25T23:32:00.008+01:00

i dream of alcazar tonight. though days in seville have blown in the wind, like the floating snowflakes. these days dreams appear so vivid. as if they were here to stay, like a poem written on tree. i see the tangerines linger in yellow, reaching out to the blue sky above. alcazar, i wish the night of tales will be there before i go to bed. i wish the sparks of its torches embrace my dream in boundless territory, places to soar and return home again. in modest garden with fairies of spring. alcazar, i wish the wuthering heights and stormy nights will be sober, as you open the pages and start ravelling me into your spell.

unagi, the monster

2009-02-21T23:00:00.001+01:00

rotterdam. the wooden plate looked shiny as if it has been regularly polished. there was one left, covered with seeweed on the top and tanned delicious piece, waiting to be picked up. every body tried to delay the action, wished time would slow down and gave disgestion done whatever it can be done at the moment. and unagi was still there, unpercipitated gazing. the clock was tickling, dinner time was approaching. we can see it from the purple sky outside the big glass window. the drought of ice tea had severed, even miso, the soup, could not quench the thirst. no where to escape, except conquering the monster. the last one left unaccompanied, torn between desire and pessimistic vision of self-fulfillment. at last, finally someone ate the monster. safe the table into a relieved exhale.

let's call it a day

2009-02-16T23:17:00.002+01:00

time is certainly immeasurable. it is not easy to count how much your life has progressed within a minute, an hour or a day. if you take a handful of sand and try to grasp it concretely, the more effort you make, the easier for you to let it one by one pouring down loosely from the palm of your hand. just like a day comes in the morning untill late night. it becomes part of your life in an invisible way. not by the tickling of a clock in the belltower, but by realizing how it has made a change in one day of your life.

love of a bike

2009-02-14T20:18:00.001+01:00

this is not to celebrate the v-day, but i rather think how the bike is really feeling now? they dress him up so fashionable that they disregard the real function of the bike. sure, i would love to have my bike looks pretty, but i also want to ride it. the bike has been standing there for days. one night i saw some people put him there and decorated him with all those pink ribbons. maybe they did it for commemoration. since then i always see him standing there by the canal. when the sun is bright, he looks fancy in soft blushing red. if the day prefers to let the rain comes in the afternoon, its catchy existence makes the gray sky looks lighter.

iberia

2009-01-28T21:26:00.004+01:00

that's all my friend, january for iberia. i really enjoyed this exhaustive yet awesome journey. i realize that this peninsula is a very diverse place, but compare to this universe, this is only a small spot on earth. from the west coast of cabo da roca, i know that the secret of men's greatest discovery was made in the name of god. and to the east shore of barcelona, there was i met gaudi who captured the essence of universe. while down to the south, the legacy of two civilizatons filled up the atmosphere and written on the street. yet, the faces of southern spaniards can tell thousand of words. in the hinterland of ronda, their faces told you that once people from the opposite shore of the mediterranean sea were here and built their sanctuary. as now i can feel how melancholy life beneath the mountainous land, so i cherish the sound of guitar played and the silver peak of sierra nevada.

as this morning i stepped into the lowlands, the bitter winter remained beautiful in bright sunny sky. school will start soon, and this sophomore will delve into the abstract scholarly world. the icy morning was heated by the warm hot chocolate, the temperate elixir for cold. moreover, i cant wait to see my friends, as we will have chinese dinner tonight in our most favorite chinese restaurant. adios, iberia!

anselma

2009-01-27T23:44:00.003+01:00

indeed, there is always something unexpected on every journey. be it nasty weather that has to keep you inside from exploring new places, or little information about the whereabout of the true local haven. on the last night in andalucia, of course before flying back to the reality of life in the lowlands, i had the chance to experience the real musical tradition of the southern spaniards. it was in anselma. the local bar that performs flamenco. the star was not a young beautiful woman, but a lady in such a 'developed' age that took the floor and stirred the atmosphere. there were no people talking in english, except us. and the wall were covered with old photographs and posters that portrayed the life of the city.

like a cinderella in the fairytale, everything turned life on twelve o'clock sharply. empty chairs suddenly occupied and drinks flew from the bar to the wooden little table. a man started to play the guitar while his companion hit the wooden box where he was seating on. clapping hands made sounds in pattern and he started to sing. after that, time passed by from hour to hour. and every time the song ended, "ole!" people shouted lively. the lady was special. she sung like she was telling us a story. i noticed people replied her with pieces of sentences, which she followed to sing those words. sometimes when the guitar was played in low volume, she talked with audience and even commented to their appearance or how they behave. they all looked so familiar to each other. maybe it was because they speak the same languange. or it was probably because they often spent nights together in anselma. for me, that was the last night in andalucia, the land where washington irving described in melancholy sweet tradition of singing. indeed, his story enforced my experience. i saw the andalucian were sensitive and delicate. they are fond of expressing their emotion through music. the songs they sing are reflecting the way they feel this world.

sevilla in monday

2009-01-26T23:23:00.001+01:00

there were nothing much to do in monday. my andalucia trip was almost over, and i felt extremely exhausted these days. after the rainy sunday, luckily monday was wonderful. the sky was blue and the day was warm. since alcazar was closed on monday, so the big agenda for today was only visiting the cathedral in the centre of the city. they said this was one of the biggest cathedral in europe. meanwhile, my main intention to visit this cathedral was because i wanted to see the tomb of christopher colombus which was inside the building. since he was the big man in the world history, his tomb was located inside of the cathedral as to appreciate his journey to discover the new world in the name of god. that was my guess.

aside the tomb, the tower of the cathedral was also quite fascinating. you need to walk all the way to the top, because there were no stairs. in fact, the small alley was extraordinary. it was like a flat floor which circling to the tower. therefore, it took extra effort to the top, not only time consuming but also energy consuming. however, once you get to the top, the effort was worthwhile. the whole sevilla was stretched before your eyes. and if you spend quite awhile, the bells might surprise you as they ring every hour regularly. from the four corner of the tower, you can see different face of sevilla. one side shows the main square which ends up to the alcazar. while the other side shows the bullfighting ring in the distance. from the top, you can even conclude that most of the buildings down there were painted in white. lovely isn't?

mezquita

2009-01-25T01:07:00.001+01:00

sunday morning, rain is falling. it seemed that where ever i go, the rain always follows me. today, the rain accompanied my pilgrimage to the historical mosque in moslem history, the mosque of cordoba.

the easiest way to cordoba from sevilla was by bus, which runs with unfriendly schedule especially on sunday. however, i always believe there is something valuable on every journey i embark. like a treasure, it takes extra effort to unveil the real value of every acquaintance. as it was in cordoba. arrived in cordoba was already in midday, and the vibrant of the city reverberted the lonely rainy sunday. with less visitors in the bus station, and there were only locals busy with their daily commute. the light rain that keep pouring down on earth of andalucia made the scene even more isolated. it was like stranded in the upland and lost in translation. and the only thing you can do was keep on walking the trip as you have planned before. there was no turning point, meanwhile your distance increased farther. my own salavation was the thought of the mezquita. my fountain to quench my thirst in this journey. i hope the excitement would be equally paid off, with what ever i migth absorb during this trip.

the mezquita was open to visitor at 2pm in sunday. from the outer landscape, the mosque was built in earthly color of brown. despite the history predominantly told us about the magnificent of mosque in cordoba, it is now a cathedral. following to the declining of moslem rule in iberia peninsula, it latter being transformed as a chuch. i tried to find the mihrab, the place where the leader of prayer stands facing mecca in islam ritual. i didnt find it. the only thing that remained was a floating idea, that once there was a great mosque here.

beneath the green steppe of andalucia

2009-01-24T00:05:00.002+01:00

departing from malaga that morning, it was fair weather, unlike yesterday. this was the second weekend outside the lowlands, and it felt like million years already. i have travelled far from north down to the south and traversed sovereign lands, rivers and castles. the insight has gradually amounted as my traveling days longer. it has been awhile aways from the mundane schedule a sophomore should have, and the liberating feeling has moderate now. i still try to keep myself sober from the depletion of changing lodges and short-term encounter with new surroundings. i wonder how many unfinished glimpses and thoughts i have absorbed and slowly ignored as my journey continued. those unwritten observation has mounted in my mind, they grew thicker waiting to be written down. once again, i tried to stay sober so as my journey will be a modest one, neither excessively unpredictable nor extremely rigid. just put everything in their precise proportion accordingly.

aside from those domestic order discussion, today's next destination was supposed to be the last one before flying back to the lowlands from madrid. we wanted to catch the bus at eleven in the morning, and we arrived at the platform just few minutes after the driver closed the door and slowly departed. we were staring to the driver with questioning look whether he would stop the bus and let us in. in fact, he did. i guess this was a privilege one can enjoy in country except the strict lowlands.

from the coastline of malaga, we traversed westward to the innerland. during the first hour, the bus crossed the mountanious roads surrounded by rocky hills with small creeks flow beneath. while another hour, we witnessed the landscape of the land has changed into flat green steppe. a geographich mark for where people can build cities on it. apparently sevilla was one of it. this was the old kingdom resided its soveriegnty, a place where the kingdom's rules and law were issued by king and his courts. beneath the green steppe of andalucia.

plaza de toros de ronda

2009-01-23T23:48:00.002+01:00

this is where the first bull fighting was officially recognized by the spanish kingdom. although bull fighting only takes place on summer, but the bull ring is open for visitor throughout the year. in the museum, there were alot of stories about famous matador, the bull fighter. they also displayed all the nitty gritty of bull fighting traditions. from posters, pink socks and the embroidered robe called mantilla. it seemed that bull fighting is kind of respectful sport for the royals as to illustrate the heroic spirit of the true spaniards.

nevertheless, ronda was not merely famous for its bull fighting tradition. the characteristic of this city was also special because it was built upon two hedge of gorges. the tall and green stone cliff on each side becomes the foundation of this old city. moreover, the journey to ronda from malaga has added special impression on my trip that day. the weather was not very friendly. waves of mediterranean sea were in chaos and severe winds brought up rain in the coastline, while in the highlands its absence has pulled down the foggy air closer to the earth surface. when the bus was still driving along the coastline, i felt like in the middle of battle because the high tide in the ocean looked like angry soldiers with their spears and swords. but when the bus reached the hill, i felt like walking in a dream, because everything looked so unreal when covered with thin layered of white clouds around. this two contradictions both have alienated me in the middle of nowhere. furthermore, when i finally arrived in ronda, the city in a way has reinforced this fairyland state of mind. by looking at the old gorges that built this city, it was feel like visiting a fairy town, a timeless place with untouchable reality an immortal can reserve.

by the mediterranean sea

2009-01-22T23:18:00.004+01:00

malaga, the city by the mediterranean sea. the journer took approximately 2 hours on road from granada. it was amazing to see the landscape along the road. apparently i was descending from the uphill granada to the coastline of southern iberia peninsula. i saw rocky hills and bare trees that survived during the changing seasons. little houses in the distance, they were independently residing on the hill slope and quite isolated from the each other.this scenery brought me to be fully aware of the vastness of this land. from bare trees to snowy peaks, the vegetation was diverse as the latitude was distinctively unique from one to another.

during the two hours trip, there was occasionally shower, just to fresh up the driver mind so as he was able to remained cautious on driving. and for the traveller, it was a sweet surrender to another color to paint the countryside with sparkling raindrops. i stayed awake during the journey, because you can really encounter the real face of a land from the way you measure the distinctive features encountered on road. and for me, it was a process to learn this land more, aside from the famous world heritage and cultural performances. this primitive way was immensely resourceful.

by chance, i got to know that malaga was the birth place of pablo picasso. picasso museum in malaga exhibited more than 200 paintings of picasso. looking from an ordinary people's perspective, the life of this man was so dramatic. or maybe that was the big different between an ordinary people and people who put themshelves on such a high note in the world history.

because the city was located by the sea, i can clearly see the deep turqoise green of mediterranean sea. the borderline between two continents.

red castle

2009-01-21T14:54:00.001+01:00

alhambra, or meand res castle in arabic. the moor built in on the steep cliff and used strong material that it can last for centuries. washington irving mentioned that locals believed the moor buried their treasure under the castle. some tales even said that the construction of the castle was protected by the power of witchcraft as the moor dedicated themselves to it for the protection of their property. i dont know whether this is only to mesmerize the visitors as they will find themselves walk in fairyland of alhambra. for me, the red castle was huge and sober. the decoration was completely different with other architecture influenced by the western thought. as the moor were decicated moslems, they designed the castle beautifully but without the intention to exceed the almighty's perfection. so as the mortal is belonged to human, so they were fully aware that their creation were imperfect and not even close to it. but their 'imperfect' was already made a magnificent work of art.

in the valley of sierra nevada

2009-01-20T21:48:00.003+01:00

arrival on granada was greeted by soft rain in the morning. it was still early when we reached the place where we should disembark our stuff and get ourselves some rest in the nights. the city was on the valley of sierra nevada, and the thought of having a milder winter in andalucia was mistakenly calculated. they said that the weather will be cold for some days ahead. later i discovered in washington irving's travel journal, he wrote that it was the silver peaks of sierra nevada that always bring cold winter and moderate summer. yes, i can see the eternal snowy peaks of sierra nevada on the way to this city. no wonder, the atmosphere were not so different with the lowlands low temperature.

the lodge were so strategic. i mean, it was very close to the downtown and the albayzin district. after getting off from the bus, we crossed a big street and entered a small alley comprised of tiers all the way to the top. along the sidewalk of this alley, there were alot of souvernir shops, most of them were from morroco. the sellers were locals but they still carried the distinguish moorish features on their faces. after turned left at some point, the road were even smaller and steeper. the place was friendly and, of course, provided us with warm bed and hot tea. a salavation from the savage of wandering.

after felt comfortably full with sweet bread and hot tea, we spent the rest of afternoon by exploring the albayzin and some main sights in the neighbourhood. it was resemble with alfama, but this time without laundry outside in the balcony. and also the houses were mostly painted in white, different from the colorful houses in alfama. these are some glimpses in albayzin...

after walking for quite awhile, we reached an open square in the highland where we can see the city at the down hill. aside from the liberating view, a big red castle stood still right in front of our eyes. though it was far from where we were, but the palace looked so huge and filled with glory from the past. that was alhambra. i looked on it, and searched for any clue to value how many events have been carved on its walls. it looked so mysterious. it was like one of the palaces described in the 1001 nights' tales. another episodic story of arabian nights. i guess, i will dream of alhambra tonight.

deceived by dali

2009-01-19T14:54:00.001+01:00

monday was not an april mop. but i was deceived by dali, the surrealist. this morning i woke early to catch a train to figuerres, the hometown of salvador dali. i heard that he was a man of surrealism during my junior high, as his creation of art was far from the simplistic ordinary life. and for this reason, it was easy for us to get confused or even to get deceived.

i arrived at figuerres right in the midday, after taking two hours train departed from clot train station in barcelona. the first impression about the city was quiet, nothing interested me besides the traffic of ordinary life. as i approached to the city centre, the sign to dali's museum was recognizable. it lead us to the big red wall building with big eggs attached on the top the roof. it obviously the place where we were heading for. but too bad it was closed on monday. so we can not get inside and see what exactly salvador dali had created. actually, my travelmate had made a phone call to the museum's office to check whether they were open or not. and they replied that they were open throughout the year. in fact, there was no door that open in this museum. i confirmed it with a shopkeeper who were working on the souvenir shop nearby. she replied with her rough english that it was closed on monday. i wonder this might be another surrealist fact that should not be taken seriously, except walked back to the train station and heading for barcelona.

the great book of nature

2009-01-18T21:26:00.001+01:00

the organic root of gaudi's architecture is mostly inspired by the nature. his first impression of the world was from the surrounding nature during his childhood period. being raised in the farmland, his encountered with trees, corn and honeycomb had made the world was different from his perspective. while the classic feature of his little town had influenced his illustration of a city. he preserved the essential features of city in medieval period by transferring these into another form of chimneys and bell towers. the functions remain, nevertheless the structure has changed according to the architect's complexion view of the world.

seeing gaudi's buildings was a new experience for me. it was like a short course of art history. his ideas contributed to the emergence of modernism in barcelona. it was during the early 19 century where this city had become a major industrial city in southern europe, the society also had turned to be more sophisticated. following to the advance quality of life, the number of high class society considerably increased. therefore, their spending on food, fashion and art were also unexceptional. in this respect, rich people were eager to have beautiful residents as to state their position in the society. this consequently had pulled gaudi to become their architect.

but for gaudi, work as an architect was more like to create a bridge between human and the nature. he tended to place his designs as part of the big universe. on the other hand, he also considered the nature to be the boundless source of inspiration. one of the pillars in sagrada familia explained that he was intending to bring the forest into the temple. as the pillars illustrated tall trees in the forest with hole that used to appear if its branch was cut down. yes, i would say that it was his effort to read the big book of nature.

a diamond in the sky

2009-01-17T20:50:00.001+01:00

from the western coast of iberia peninsula to the eastern coast, i catched the glance of barcelona. a city where gaudi built high tower to gaze a radiant welcome for the approaching sailors . though winter should be milder here, but this year was an exceptional. as low temperature crossed the europe brought freezing winds, citizen and visitors have to deal with this too.

fortunately it was sunny during the day, so i can leave out the thought of getting an umbrella. when the sun glanced at me this morning, suddenly i felt the excitement of wandering. a promising fragments for this journey. indeed, it was true. park de guell fascinated me. it seemed that barcelona was the right place to quench one thirst of art. the architecture and the landscape were diverse. some buildings designed by antoni gaudi, the notorious la rambla and the spirit of modernism intertwined together. the representation of the city was just so artistic. despite the crowded fashion street, there was a mixture of knowledge in the air. an old city that survived over the centuries and therefore it has been a homage for merchants and poets. as a foreigner in this land, there was so much to learn from every glimpse i laid my eyes on this city.

yet, the story was just about to begin from here. for today i found a diamond in the sky. as the sun was brilliant, it enchanted children for amusement. and a man with his simple bucket filled with liquid soap, he flew a bubble to the air cheered with children laughs. people were staring as the bubble flew up to the sky. it transparent anatomy let the sunlight easily penetrated, and left a spectrum of rainbow attached on its glossy layer. like a shining diamond in the sky.

obrigado!

2009-01-16T23:16:00.000+01:00

lisboa's night was chilly and tranquil. tomorrow will be another time for new destination, but my heart stand still in the midst of night in lisboa. i could not agree more to the fact that this place has charmed me in a way which should be considered awkward by others. i love for the cool breeze blowing from the atlantic ocean, a mesmerize call for hometown glory. and the narrow streets of alfama with hanging laundry outside in the balcony, a warm welcome sign for wanderer.

the night went slowly as i enjoyed my simple dinner at the kitchen. this time was special, companied by depeche mode i absorbed the quality of another work of art, cooking. obviously my instant food can not compare with the hand made dinner steamed with thoughtful calculation of time and ingredients. the chef was an artist. he cooked as he listened to the music. let them two inspire him. this had made lisboa night even merrier.

the thought of lisboa was moist to me. not only because of the colorful little tiles on the wall but also because the heavy rain that had dissolved these colors into my mind, decorated with sweet "pastel" and the rocly coast in cabo da roca. so lovely yet so isolated. that was the beauty that lingers and hardly to vanish.

since 1837

2009-01-15T22:03:00.003+01:00

the big picture of lisboa today was grey. it rained heavily as the clouds did not want to share it in other lands. i took my soaked boot along the road from the al-ubxuna to the alfama alleys. and the little umbrella can not stop the rain to spread the wet everywhere. indeed, there is always something interesting to experience in every journey.

from the top of the sao jorge castle, i learned that the arabs were the initiator to build the city. however, as other conqurer came and took over the castle, later the romans were the newly ruler that eventually expanded the city. as the merchants increasingly arrived in the port from the new world, the coast became densely populated. and the population should be expanded beyond the castle walls. some of the arabs reminiscents can still be founded. the undecorated walls, and the absence of human figures or statues enforce the fact that islam culture once inhabited this place.

the journey continued as the rain linger in the sky. this time alfama, the district with colorful buildings and small streets still have the radiant smile even the sky was not bright. i saw the locals hung their laundry outside on their balcony. i wonder whether they ever calculate that the rain will make those undried clothes remain wet. later, i learned from a friend that it was supposedly a symbol to welcome the visitor. hm... it takes time for foreigner to understand the local right?

as the evening approached, the outskirt city belem offered a sweet moment to end the journey. this time the rain has passed and left it traces everywhere. the old cookies shop in bellem is famous since the 1837. their main product was the baked sweet cookies with the creamy inside. it is served warm with tea or coffee. i sipped my tea as i chewed the sweetness of today´s rain. delicately soft and it sticks the whole frame of lisboa in my mind.

where the land meets the ocean

2009-01-14T00:29:00.000+01:00

upper from the lisboa, there were sintra and cabo da roca. however, cabo da roca gave me more than an impression of the blue ocean. it was an indescribable feeling. the trip by bus from sintra took approximately 40 minutes. the road was small and steep as we were passing the mountainous sintra down to the west coast land. fair weather was accompanying along the trip.

cabo da roca is a cliff where it is recognized as the most western point of the european continent. up in the top of the cliff, there is a monumental cross, a symbol of the explorer who sailed the ocean in the name of god. while standing on the top of the hill, we can hear the fearless sound of waves hit the rocky cliff. an overwhelmed feeling. as if there is nothing in this world except the very moment when you are in it. aside the rocky hill, the vegetation of cabo da roca was also naturally attractive. some wild flowers growing patiently throughout the ebb and tide.

the sunset was already approaching. and the sudden rain left soft traces in the whole scene of cabo da roca in front of my eyes. this time i decided to come closer to the hill top once again. this time the sound of the wave was getting tame. a shy blue ocean was whispering softly to the ear of the horizon. telling the sun to take a rest, and let the moon take care of the universe. i looked up to the sky, there was a bold line of orange and grey painted in a blue canvas. so tranquil as the visitors mostly have left. my friend was inside the visitors´office and i was with myself close to the hedge of the shore. it is true what people say "silent is golden, but my eyes can see".

terça-feira in lisboa

2009-01-13T10:45:00.001+01:00

the first day out of the lowlands. first a transit at barajas, and it was snowy. it was quite seldom to meet the white snow in the south. but this winter, is different. i looked through the window and the green was conquered by the white. barajas in white welcomed me. two hours transit in barajas, there was nothing much to do. i had a proper lunch, but the menu was a standard one. unlike the lowlands, whereas everything was extremely familiar with me, this place looked like a stranger for me, even for only a temporary acquaintance.

i think barajas does not want to look friendly. it kept distance for the visitors and passenger for its own safety. no trash can, no locker and extreme baggage control. a lesson learned from the unforgettable attack.

arrived in lisboa was greeted by a sunny blue sky. a warm feeling suddenly entrenched my mind. i thought the lowlands has painted its grey sober atmosphere to my hinterland. meanwhile, this place seemed to offer another lively scene for this schedule-tied sophomore. entering lisboa by a couch trip took less than a thirty minutes. and the journey was enjoyable, since the trip slowly introduced me with the face of lisboa. tall buildings painted with bright colors, and the decoration was extravaganza. unlike the roman buildings in rome or prague, i seldom see human figures in lisboa´s buildings. most of them are flowers or curves that artistically shape like ribbons.

my journey with the couch ended in rossi square. i think it was a period of post-post-christmas sale, so the streets were packed by people grabbing their shopping bags. of course, some afternoon walkers were also strolling along the city square, the sound of conversation and the smell of local land. the blend of it was like a vague insanity. so thick and opaque.

skating

2009-01-11T23:28:00.001+01:00

the little lake nearby the binnenhof is frozen now. its like an icy land over there, and people are getting around for skating. the sunny yet chilly sunday, i can see the ducks are walking above the ice, and the skating shoes are dancing cheerfuly.

the sunny sunday

a girl playing with a dog

binnenhof

the brightest night

2009-01-10T23:06:00.003+01:00

they said today the moon is going to perform its very best, to shine for the brightest night of the year. it sounds quite overwhelming, because the new year has just started with the thousand of hopes and wishes flying everywhere, make the icy winter turn warmer and friendly. so by chance, i took a picture of the full moon. looking above to the silver smile, the moon was there, and there was the moon.

the sun illuminates the day

2009-01-09T22:58:00.001+01:00

even the fairness of the season can defeat the cold winter. taking from a scene in the noordeinde passage, this picture reflects the misty winter morning that greeted by the slight yellow dust throughout the air. the the sun illuminates the day.

the day has it all

2008-12-31T18:11:00.000+01:00

today is the last day of the year. and it is time for everything in the universe to show the entirety of them all. as for the day, today has it all. from the freezing blue sky of winter to the year end sale along the passage, my mind comes to a conclusion that the year end has to be completed first before another year comes along. fireworks and champagne will soon be served and cheering laughs will be heard as well. while all the canal are starting to freeze, and there is no way for boats and ducks to float, yet the winter has offered another kind of serenity for a year end. to quote from shakespeare, all is well ends well. or to excerpt another fancy words from a particular song, "every new beginning is some other begining's end". though time is irreversible, but i believe that time is our friend. we should be patience with it, and let it leads us.

for me, i also have personal outcome that i have achieved so far. but lets put it aside for a moment. because most of all, the year has been a complete one for me. for i have you today.

reading room

2008-12-30T17:45:00.000+01:00

despite of the comfy room in elandstraat, there is another hideway for hours of uninterrupted reading time. as the international city of law and justice, s'gravenhage has equipped herself not only with the international court of justice, but also with a credible law library with an outstanding collection. and there is the place where i spend hours of the day. located very close to the place i live, it becomes my nearest escape corner. regardless of its abundant sources which are considerably sufficient for my study, its tranquility also provides me the warmness of a little home outside my own place. maybe its because the big windows that show the tall bare trees in winter misty sky, or it probably because the librarian always treat the books nicely so that i have never had trouble every time i started a conversation with a book i read. all in all, it is another place in this city, where time always shows its hospitality.

vredepaleis from the top of dorus building

frozen bike

2008-12-29T18:33:00.002+01:00

look at this bike. although this is not my bike, however it really represents how my bike will look like. i left it at the bicycle shed, and since the winter has been increasingly cold, i think it has left some traces of dusty snow on top of the bike's pad.

have a little faith in me

2008-12-27T22:25:00.002+01:00

after spending half of the day with good food and taking the so called candid pictures, the day ended its brightness in a little place for hot drinks in down town. sitting in a wooden chair, a sweet tunes catched an attention. the singer played it very well, and he spoke softly about the time. and for time, there would be no end, like an endless circle that makes an eight. the song was just nicely fit to the winter. as the night always comes with its darkness, it entices the feeling of wanting for security.

a dusk of elandstraat

2008-12-26T22:57:00.000+01:00

the second day of christmas. the day was tranquil as no one wanted to spend time outside their homes. though the sun made the day colored with blue sky and yellow sun, but it was insufficient to bring the happiness to the streets and cafes. the city was occupied by the silence of celebration. it did not look overwhelmed, but the humbleness of joy painted the faces and the smiles i have seen all the way. coming out of its serenity, the calm winter night was slowly approaching. it left traces in the sky, a dusk of violet and orange.

hear them sing

2008-12-24T19:05:00.003+01:00

at one of my favorite spots in this city, there was a choir and a tall bright tree right in the middle of the the passage. people and time are getting closer to the tip of the joyful season. in the mean time, these people, they were kind of holding back the time by their seasonal songs. as they successfully have stopped people to have a considerable glance to the performance, their enchanting voices were also filling the emptiness for those who can not be with their loved ones. my mind wandered around the idea of those soldiers in battlefield, far away in the desert of nowhere. i guesss, they only have to celebrate it with the starry nights and the endless wishes out of the mountainous hills. but when i found myself in the middle of the crowd in the passage onceagain, warm thoughts suddenly got into me. though i am not in the middle of the celebration, but while myself was hearing them sing, the lovely thought of home has dismantled an alien in a foreign land.

in between

2008-12-23T11:52:00.000+01:00

in times between...

for the nitty gritty life enriching ingredients

2008-12-22T14:17:00.005+01:00

obviously the distant does not a big problem today. since the world is shrinking, or should i say...flattening (?), thoughts are easily flying across the continent. as the menu of today is about the nitty gritty life enrinching ingredients, the fears and dreams were pouring down like a light rain in winter from a long best friend from down there in south. talking about how days can leave such impressions that actually offer the space for us to retroactively digest all the subtleties in it. and put it in the wok, steam it for another consecutive moment. let the ingredients enrich the main dish.