My Liberated Mind

For both men and women (as there are now more men paying more attention to their appearance),  having wrinkled skin face is clearly uncool. And it is kind of easy to get some anti-wrinkle advice from experts, like stay out of the sun, moisturize, don't smoke.

But as I read Real age , I discovered some more worthtrying tricks we have never figured before. And this does not involve some ultra expensive branded anti aging products, concoctions, etc.
So here are three more ways to a wrinkle-free face, just like a baby:

• Eat soy : Soy is great for healing photodamage caused by sun exposure. If you are living in Indonesia, tahu and tempe are two great foods that can help you tighten back your sagging facial skin. Try some other soy-based foods like soy milk, tofu, etc. For girls and women, soy contains isoflavon that give you protection against breast or ovary cancer.
  
• Have a cup of cocoa: Cocoa contains two antioxidants (epicatechin and catechin) that help protect skin from sun rays, hydrate skin, boost blood circulation.
  
• Sleep on your back: More sleeplines can be found on people's facial skin and these people tend to sleep on their face. It reminds me of why Prophet Mohammed discourages us to sleep with our face touching the bed.

And to add some more, I have my own wrinkle-free habits: sipping some cups of green tea, facing life with a decent amount of humor, and enjoy each second of this life as a huge gift God has given to me. Cheers!

A mother said to her kid:

Sweetie, if I've learned anything in life, it's that sometimes things get in your path and you have a choice. You can either smash right into them, or you can adjust and move around. But you have to do one or the other in order to move forward.

Nothing can be more annoying than waiting. Don't you realize even life is waiting? Life is waiting for death, basically. When your waiting for something good seems hopeless and endless and fruitless, perhaps what you can just do is waiting, and definitely praying for divine help.

This afternoon was ultimately mundane, nothing special was happening,until my cell phone rang. It was a text, coming not from my close pals or acquintainces but from a short number (6768). I wondered what the content was. "It must be something newsworthy or a junk advertisement", I thought. And I impatiently pressed the 'read' button only to find these words:

Meutia Hatta dukung MUI boikot  Kedatangan Miyabi. Anda setuju dengan pemboikotan tersebut? Ketik POLL SETUJU atau POLL TDK SETUJU sms ke 6768, Raih 1 Unit BLACKBERRY

I know how controversial she and her plan to play a movie here have been becoming these days. The news telling the escalating rejection is always buzzing, day and night, on TV, the Internet. And now, cellular world gets infected??!! Unbelievable! She is  such a news maker, indeed.

I happened to watch TV, and found our fellow Indonesian blogger, Raditya Dika,  elaborating on the controversy, which has dragged him because he is the scriptwriter  of the movie entitled "Menculik Miyabi", if I'm not mistaken. Considering Miyabi's reputation, it does make sense why some militant Islamic organizations and lots of moslem scholars despise the idea for EVER!

It is so true she is an irressistible hottie but can't she figure out finding another job? Swimsuit model, maybe? (Ah, not even better, but at the very least she wears 'something')
About the text I received above, I simply do not know how to answer. Should I say 'yes' or 'no'? Anyone, help me ? Who knows I'll win the Blackberry promised.

After three days, it is itchy enough for me to post something on my blog. Until now, my  blog's longest record of staying un-updated is 3 days. I decided to grab my laptop back and write something, though I was just recently diagnosed for a 'minor' eye strain. Ohhh, my poor eyes were screaming for help. That is why I cut off my online hours considerably. I take a break as many times as I could, instead of having my eyeballs glued to the screen 8 straight hours like before (sorry for the bad opening paragraph,just in case you wonder why I staye d hibernated for three days).

Straight to the point, my post title above is an outstanding book title authored by Elizabeth Gilbert, an American woman trying to seek a balanced life. Frankly speaking, I knew this book last year when Gilbert was invited to be the guest of The Oprah Show. She  gave up her glamorous world and life and  spent her time in Italy, India, and Indonesia just to redefine who she was and what she actually wanted because she thought in her previous phase of life, she had become someone she did not even know. You can find some attention-grabbing spiritual experiences here. In a nutshell, it is mainly concerned with identity search, the essence of life. It sounds too philosophical but it is something worthreading or , if I prefer to say, a must-read. And what makes this book special is the fact that it speaks about Bali and Indonesia. And what makes it more happening is it is about to be filmed and starred by Julia Roberts. So you can guess this movie is just going to be a blast! 

I was just home minutes ago with my mouth agape and red. Not because of  awe, shock, dismay or disbelief but because I had a bowl of hot soup as my dinner. I love hot food but that soup was absolutely beyond my definition of 'hot'.

So here I am not going to talk about the soup but instead, I am about to  elaborate  something about the food seller. As usual, I went to my favorite food stall. It was not a luxurious food stall where everyone going there is a savvy executive or wealthy men riding his limousine. It was modest, if I cannot say 'plain'. 

I took a seat on the floor (no chair is provided, so it is like Japanese restaurant in some way) after having ordered some meals. The food seller named Muh (I have no idea about his full name, who cares anyway? That's all that matters)  was cooking in front of me and having some small chat with a middle-aged lady curious about his previous years of his life. To cut a long story short, I eavesdropped  heard some pieces of what they both were grumbling about. Muh told her his late dad passed away in 1999, and ever since he has tried to continue what his dad was doing, i.e. running a food stall, just like what he does now. What really made me touched was when this seemingly poor guy quipped "I am just trying to continue what dad had done and after all, none of my  younger siblings wants to do this, ma'am." Oh, poor him, he spoke like he never had a choice.

The point is, must we become someone like our father (or in general, our parents)? We already share his whole DNAs and now should we be his copycat, too?

This is also a problem I am perpetually facing, setting my own career as an education practitioner and a government civil servant seems so unlikely to happen for me. I don't know why I hate being the follower of my parents (both of them are teachers and govt civil servants). There is an urge inside pushing me to set the trend instead of following the trend. But again, I don't know why it looks like the harder I want to stay away from that world, the farther I get swept away by the sucking power of that world. 

(image credit:balebengong.net)

The last time we were talking about faith commercialization, Yusuf Mansyur told us how sinful it is to have the primary ambition to be a sermonizer merely to enjoy earthly financial benefits. 

Being a sermonizer then was questioned by one of the audience as something closer to profession or contract. Mansyur again emphasized on how he manages his own sermonizing activities as charity or social service without involving any written contract. He admitted he never asks for a given sum of money to anybody after giving sermon. Soetrisno Bachir, however, stated that this might leave more room for TV stations to take advantage of the legal certainty absence.The last question from one of the audience was how we ought to view some  female celebrities who happened to be wearing veils/  jilbab only during Ramadhan. Komarudin Hidayat thought that people in Indonesia tend to practice their faith in a more relaxed fashion. Indonesian moslems are practicing Islamic teachings with less binding, restrictive, rigid type of interpretation. When women in Arab must wear burqa or hijab, Indonesian moslem women have more options to choose from.

Bachir afterwards warned us that the people as TV viewers should be smart enough before idolizing female celebs only because they wear veil during fasting month. 

To wrap up the discussion, Norhaidi Hasan the analyst uttered," All these things provide the society with lots more choices, which in turn can be beneficial to  eradicate the seeds of radicalism just before they are about to grow. Having more options channels the potential of radicalism. And always bear in mind that sermonizers take a  key role in changing the society towards a better nation."

It was quite a shock to read an article stating Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, one of anti-Jews world leaders and a denier of Hollocaust tragedy, possesses a Jewish root in his family. I figured how illogical it is for someone born Jew like him to hate people sharing the same root with him.

The blast started from this:

The picture is a print edition of The Telegraph and the zoom is on the president's personal document. Inside it, Ahmadinejad was known to have a Jewish name "Sabourjian" (which means 'weaver of the Sabour'). 

Regardless of the validity of the news, can it be a way to discrediting this vocal moslem leader? Seriously, Ahmadinejad's allegedly Jewish origin could be troublesome for him a very long time ago, but why did it just arise? It is of course possible  for anybody in Middle East to have  Jewish  root as they derived from the genetically identical ancestors. Ahmadinejad might be of Jewish origin but I still smell something fishy about it. There is a feeling telling that this is just not right or at least, doubtful?

It is always fun to reminisce the sweet old times. Each of us has at least one past moment to recall when we are growing older someday. And thank God, I have got many moments to recall. Regardless of the fact that the memory can reprovoke positive or negative emotions, I still love any of the memories I have up to now.

I graduated in the end of November, 4 years ago, from a state university in Semarang(I cannot see the necessity to mention the whole details right now ^_^ ). Though I had left the campus (which is located just right on top of a hill, if that can be called a hill) for almost 4 years, I go there occasionally just to find out if things are like they were when I was still there, studying there, having fun there, (oftentimes) going nuts and cutting the 'cords' as though nothing was ever problem.

And yes, some things do stay the same. These green painted benches are still the same benches I saw and sat on 4 years ago. The trees are the same but definitely much taller and bushier than before. The trees do not really provide much shade actually. At noon though the air is relatively cooler but the sunlight just falls down straight to the paved yard. I would prefer sitting around the B3 building rather than sunbathing in the yard. It was more convenient to have a chat with classmates while sitting along the hallway. Though the floor was sometimes dirty, it was fine as I used my thick Oxford dictionary as my sitting mat (sadly I lost it).

This is the hallway of my  former campus. One noticable change is the paint. So miserable to see the paint surface of the building is now falling through. Blame on the weather and the people sticking the announcement sheets.

After Aceh, Yogyakarta, West Java, it is now the turn of West Sumatra to suffer from the  sudden quake. It is an accidental post I dedicate to the West Sumatra earthquake casualties. Actually I learned the news of the 7.6 earth quake hitting the city of Padang yesterday evening. I signed in for my twitter but what I found to read was Najwa Shihab's most recent tweet telling a major earthquake hitting the west part of Sumatra and a tsunami hitting the Pacific islands. I retweeted her tweet and went downstairs to find some TV stations airing news about the quake. I thought this must have been really massive, though it was not as massive as 2004 Aceh earthquake and tsunami disaster.

When the quake hit West Java, I just recalled my friends who are now teaching at Undip. They are Sundanese and I simply asked to one of them whether they and their family were OK or not. And a couple of seconds ago I just texted another friend of mine who happens to be a native of Padang. He works in Pontianak, Borneo but I am still waiting for his reply  just in case something bad happens to his family.

So far, according to what I heard from the SCTV news anchor few minutes ago, the dead casualties number has reached 529, which covers the capital of West Sumatra and the surrounding area like Padang Pariaman which is told to be the nearest spot to the earthquake epicentrum.

And what makes me deeply concerned with the whole earthquake series is that as far as I am concerned there has been NO research or efforts conducted by Indonesian scientists or researchers to lessen the impact of earthquake. I think all Indonesian citizens know better than anyone else that they are living just near the Fire Ring where a series of great volcanoes exist and eternally moving plates of earth. There must be lots more earthquake like this or worse than this but why does the government seem to be ignorant of this? Living in a high-risk area does not mean we have to simply pray day and night so that the quake will not strike. We have got to do something about it. And waiting for the goverment's initiative is absolutely not an option. Either Indonesia is too large or our government is not quite responsive to deal with the aftermath consequences or even to give some tips to people on how to protect better their lives and properties from quake.

One of the doable efforts is socializing how to build a house that is relatively more earthquake-proof. So we at least contribute positively to our own safety. Never think that the government should take full responsibility of our own safety. It is now our turn to be a smart society that is more aware of the potential risks around us and equip ourselves with knowledge to prevent bigger loss in the future. 

There are some great articles on ehow about making our house more earthquake-proof you may find useful if you think prevention is better than cure. 

If earthquake is much too powerful enemy, then we have to be at least dead with our hardest fight. And our hardest fight is securing our lives.

(image taken from www.padangkini.com)

Don't know why while there are so many newer and far more sophisticated mobile phones launched and landed on the market, I still get fascinated by this LG phone. It used to cost IDR 2,900,000 at the first time it was thrown to the Indonesian market but now it costs less than IDR 1,500,000, which is certainly tempting to me. My motorola V3i has gotten some scratches and they are getting more and more visible, making it look less shiny than before. And what I complain about most is the battery lifetime. It sucks, to be frank. I initiated buying an extra battery just in case I need more power to resume my dropped call due to sudden loss of energy supply. The slim battery seems to hold only a 'slim' amount of energy for the phone. The one and only thing that succeeds to make me keep my motorola is its design.

I know judging the book by its cover is contrary to popular belief proverb. But in the 21st century mobile devices world, design is one of the key factors contributing to the vendors' profits. 

When most people get infatuated with 3G or HSDPA or any other advanced technology innovations, I love this phone even though it is designed to operate in triband  GSM network only. Good bye 3G and video call! I can afford to buy 3G enabled phones but the problem is..can they function properly ? 

Unlike other slim sliding phones we may find in stores, LG KF510 is born to be strong. Fragility is not its middle name. Anti-scratch fine tempered glass covers the whole phone surface. And the metal frame is claimed to be strong enough to protect the inner  delicate components.

The  user interface is also said to be one of its contributing factors in attracting more buyers. The touch user interface which functions as direction pad just like in conventional phones is activated after the sliding is drawn downward. 

There is nothing special with this phone apart from the two points explained above.  This however does not underrate some of the features embedded in it. The camera is 3 MP in resolution. Armed with flash light, autofocus, various camera modes, and shake reduction, LG KF510 is ready to capture tons of cool pictures and videos.

The screen is standard, 240x320 pixels (QVGA resolution) with agreeable brightness level. Radio FM can be activated as we plug the handsfree into the specified port.

I cannot complain more about the memory capacity. Though it is small (only 16MB shared internal memory), I can purchase a transflash/ micro SD to save more files.

As for the battery lifetime, it is moderate. It is powered by 800 mAh li-ion battery that may survive from 2 up to 3 days (for standby mode).

Today is Oct 28, which means this is our 81st commemoration of Youth Pledge (Sumpah Pemuda). Seeing on Metro TV some Indonesian girls and boys being asked by the reporter "Can you mention correctly three points of Youth Pledge?". Most of them were giving the wrong answer, showing their teeth while grinning in front of camera. But is memorizing the Youth Pledge points enough to show how profound and thorough our nationalism and respect to what our late heroes had done for the nation are??

This laptop is the one I am using now , which is  named Compaq Presario V3803.  At the first time I saw it in store I thought it was just perfect, classy, glossy, it seemed to have everything it took to be my eternal gadget friend. As time went by, however, I realized how heavy the laptop for my  somewhat petite back and shoulders has become ( it weighs 2,4 kgs or so). Sometimes I've got to go somewhere with the laptop on my back and later end up having a backache. And that's enough to give me sound reason to consider purchasing a new, much lighter laptop, which is more unlikely to hurt my back and shoulders ever again.

These last two days I was almost completely off the radar. Only checking on my comment box and shoutmix, wanting to know who visited my blog and left some words there, just to write some feedback responses, I myself had no mood to write literally .Those two days are perhaps some of my most frustrating moments. Well, ok..let's not go into that. And anyway I'm writing this post to purge myself, not to hash those details I want so much to forget.

Watching some great talkshows like Today's Dialogue, Save Our Nation (both are aired by Metro TV) and Tatap Muka (produced by TV One) featuring greatly influential figures has become one of my hobbies. Freshly invigorating opinions, warm exchange of ideas,  so many things to get from the shows but sadly I fail to find the excerpts of the intelligent discussions on some sites owned by the TV stations broadcasting the shows. Thus, I tried to make some brief and concise notes on these precious ideas conveyed amidst the discussions, and later to get my notes published on my dear blog.

In this post, I would like to show you some witty banters uttered by several outstanding figures in this republic. Hosted by Kania Sutisnawinata, the show was quite lively. And with four male keynote speakers, Kania managed to lead the discussion elegantly.

The four speakers invited here were Soetrisno Bachir (politician, Partai Amanat Nasional top official ), Komarudin Hidayat (moslem intellectual), Yusuf Mansyur (moslem sermonizer, cleric and scholar) and Noorhaidi Hasan (analyst).

The show began with severe criticism about programs airing during sahur time. The programs were considered inappropriate as they displayed too much humor, instead of Islamic teachings and values.  

Mr. Hidayat stated that it is advisable TV stations broadcast some worthwatching  programs that specialize on diverse topics. Therefore, by the end of Ramadhan our TV viewers might have more profound understanding and knowledge on Islam kept on their mind.

What might seem hilarious was a question and answer session. Some university students were attending the show as audience and they were welcomed to ask question(s) to the speakers. The first student blatantly said that he preferred watching the comical sahur programs as watching the jokes kept him wide awake. He asked to Yusuf Mansyur the question "How  many rupiahs do sermonizers get from each of their sermon?" The second student was also asking a pretty much similar question "Is it OK for a sermonizer to spread the religious advice for the sake of his/her own fame?".

The four speakers were ready to provide varied answers. Komarudin Hidayat said it is quite normal and of course decent enough for a sermonizer to ask for people's understanding. Sermonizers can ask for some money as long as the amount is agreed between two sides; the inviter and the invitee (in this case, the sermonizers). If the amount is above the normalcy, added Hidayat, asking for it then becomes prohibited. Hidayat suggested the third party role such as a professional event organizer, just to prevent further misunderstanding.

Noorhadi Hasan had quite different opinion. He said  the rate fixing mechanism like this would naturally lead to a healthier sermonizing competition.

Upon hearing this, Yusuf Mansyur was directly clarifying his own stance in this matter. He, as a sermonizer, never states verbally and directly how much money he must get after giving sermon. He even tried to explain that the rate may come up from the people around him, but definitely not himself. And this is just taken for granted. Mansyur later elaborated that living a life as a sermonizer with the aim to earn some financial benefits is certainly not what a good sermonizer has on mind.

(to be continued)

How fast can you repeatedly press the keypads of your cell phone? Fast enough? Or have you encountered someone who can text a lot while doing other things and send the text within seconds?

Cellular technology seems to be the second most revolutionary breakthrough throughout human civilization after the first appearance of alphabets, said an expert whose name I totally forgot. What struck me most is that most people in the past had never felt necessary to have a cell phone as their daily companion. Wired communication (the telephone) had provided all what they wanted and needed, thought people at that time. But they were wrong!

Have you heard that two of the late former Indonesian Republic presidents, Soeharto and Gus Dur, are going to be awarded a national hero title? If this is the first time you heard the news, this is something you need to know. The awarding plan seems to stir a new controversy, in particular Soeharto's candidacy here.

 

The controversy started to arise because some people and parties think that Soeharto had done more 'destruction' than development to this country and nation. This is contrary to the  past fact that Soeharto in his lifetime used to be called 'Bapak Pembangunan Indonesia'  (Indonesian Development Father). Fadjroel Rohman, an anti-corruption activist, blatantly and firmly opposes the idea even though based on the regulation on national heroes title awarding, Soeharto is eligible enough to nominate. Rohman seemed to be more in favor of Gus Dur's nomination since he acknowledged Gus Dur's significant role in spreading pluralism and democracy in Indonesia but at the same time repeatedly gave reasons why Soeharto ought not to be awarded national hero title. Despite Soeharto's all good deeds, Rohman added, Soeharto was proven to be the corruptest leader (Rohman said the claim was issued by the United Nation's investigation report, not his own groundless accusation).

 

While Gus Dur's pluralist reputation gave him an advantage to gain support  to being  a  national hero, Soeharto's corrupt notoriety has wiped out all his noble hardwork and dedication to this nation.

So what do you think, should the late president Soeharto get the title or not?

Korean cell phones always hold certain fascination that I can't resist. The design, dimension, looks always catch my full attention. 

I know very well Nokia is the market leader especially here, in Indonesia. Most of cell phone buyers tend to spend their money to bring Nokia handsets home. I'm not anti Nokia but I'm not Nokia's biggest fan either. But being the mainstream is not really me.

One day I spotted someone's article on the Jakarta Post, which informed me how sick the writer felt about the rampant yet subtle 'white beauty' campaign on mass media. The writer who apparently was a Caucasian expatriate elaborated the moment she visited a village and was shortly surrounded by a flock of inhabitants who just wanted to come and see her. The  swarming villagers kept staring at her, saying how fair her skin tone was, how pointed her nose was, and how lucky it was to have such Caucasian looks. 

Your cell phone may mirror your personality

The classic proverb "a person's eyes are the windows to his soul" might need revising. Amidst current rapidly growing developments in communication technology, your eyes are not the one and only window to your soul, reader. These are some findings I gathered after conducting what so-called unscientific, groundless research on a cell phone user personality. This is based purely on my daily observation, which of course you may or may not believe.




These are some characteristics a phone user may have based on some criteria.  Read it through and tell me if my 'research' findings are correct, exaggerated, or wrong.

Based on cell phone's form factor

• Candybar : conventional, modest, functionality-minded
  
• Clamshell : superficial, caring too much about appearance/ looks, feminine, unmanly, impractical, spoiled and fragile
• Flip : hip, fresh and funky
  
• Swivel : swingy, easily changing mind, playful, childlike
  
• Slide : glamorous, classy, poised, secretive, proud

Based on cell phone's segmentation 

• Entry-level : thrifty, modest, dull
  
• Fashion : self-conscious, selfish, shallow, sensitive, indoor
  
• Business : firm, determined, responsive, controlled, stable
  
• Multimedia : merry, carefree, outspoken, crowd-loving, full of surprise, creative
  
• Rugged : careless, adventurous, outdoor, harsh, stubborn

Based on cell phone's brands

• Nokia : mainstream-thinking, obedient, regular, predictable
  
• Motorola : generous, savvy, show-off, extravagant
  
• Local, not-so-famous brands : price-conscious, greedy, demanding, brave
  
• Korean brands (LG & Samsung) : superficial, elegant, professional, worldly, hardworking (workaholic), fashionable
  
• Sony Ericsson : lively, vibrant, youthful
  
• Blackberry : demanding, determined, impressive, hardworking
  
• Vertu : untouchable, lavish, financially-imprudent
  
• Apple : agile, active, avant-garde

 Based on cell phone's prominent feature(s)

• QWERTY : communicative, practical, industrious
  
• Megapixel video-camera : lively,showy
• GPS : exploratory, independent
  
• Dual SIM :  unreliable, clandestine
  
• Complete connectivity (Bluetooth, WiFi, EDGE, 3G) :  easily bored, insatiable, innovative
  
• Various games : playful, mischievous, daring, careless,
  
• Long standby and talk time : mobile, busy, practical, chatty
  
• Music player and FM radio : musical, sociable
  

Based on ringtones and alerts

• default/ simple ringtones : uncreative, ordinary
  
• vibrating mode : secretive, polite, considerate, stealthy
  
• vibration & loud ringtones : talkative, comandeering, bossy, haughty, expressive
  
• loud and unusual ringtones/ message alerts : creative, extraordinary, perverse
• gradually louder ringtones : thoughtful, tactful
  

This just in, another tragicomedy arises in Indonesia. Check out the story of Mbok Minah - an unfortunate elderly lady in Darmakradenan, Ajibarang, Banyumas, Central Java - who was reportedly arrested after being charged of stealing THREE cocoas (worth IDR 2,100) at PT Rumpun Sari plantation. On metrotvnews.com, it was reported after she 'took' stealthily those three cocoas to plant the seeds on her own field, she was taken to court by PT Rumpun Sari so as to make the other cocoa 'thieves' (other villagers living around the plantation who sometimes do exactly what Minah did) think a thousand times before stealing the company's cocoas. But another tragicomedy is yet to come.

In the meantime, a 57-year-old man named Aguswandi Tanjung had been accused of making use of electricity from a public facility socket illegally (Kompas Cetak). The ill-fated man has been detained since September 8 allegedly due to his resistance against  the unfair policies made by ITC Roxy Mas developer, where he has been running two kiosks.

DetikNews covered another headline about (perhaps) the most sought-after siblings in the republic after Noordin Moh. top was shot dead, i.e. Anggoro and Anggodo. The younger sibling, Anggodo, has been dealing with a lot of prosecutions after his 'private' phone conversations tape with some of his scheming cohorts was exposed to the rest of the world without mercy. As we can see, however, neither Anggodo nor Anggoro is now announced to be officially charged of any crimes although their misdeeds are so  unforgivably degrading to the nation. It feels like every time I hear their names I am instantly nauseated. Don't ask me why. 


As for what is happening to our law enforcement these days, I could do nothing but fly the red-white flag at half-mast as I'm mourning for this nation's utterly chaotic and hopelessly miserable law enforcement. Day by day, this nation is like sinking deeper and deeper, and it doesn't take a long time for us to reach the bottom. We grass roots absolutely can do anything effectual about this but we do hope those elites who are just around the axis of power realize that whatever they do is effecting the whole nation and of course determining our future. If this continues, I may be an abstainer in the 2014 general elections. I swear!

Najwa in action: When beauty and intelligence come in the same package
 

Najwa Shihab is always a magnet for TV audience particularly news programs lovers.  Miss Shihab (who is no longer 'miss' as she is married and has given birth to a son) is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding female anchors this nation has ever had. This wide-eyed daughter of Quraish Shihab also topped the best and the most celebrated Metro TV's anchors list airing a couple of days ago. The rest were Fifi Aleyda Yahya, Sumi Yang, Tomy Cokro, Prabu Revolusi Frida Lidwina, Desi 'the relic' Anwar,  Kania Sutisnawinata, Zelda Safitri, and Meutia Hafidz (if I'm not mistaken, the order wasn't precisely that way actually). Perhaps that is why Metro TV gave her a new responsibility, to anchor a newly launched talkshow program named after her, MATA NAJWA (The Eyes of Najwa). But why eyes? Chances are Metro TV got inspired by Sony Muchlison's remark about the dashing anchor's alluring eyes. Sony said Shihab's best physical feature is her captivating pair of eyes and who dares to deny that?

(image URL: http://www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/teens/images/goshtv/tv_homepage.gif)

Hi guys, previously on my post about Mata Najwa, I gave some comments on the show's format and 'packaging'. It was quite fun to have a new show here amidst the raging stream of Indonesian electronic cinemas (sinetron) which provide an endless supply of drama and romance that I am getting fed up with.

Speaking of sinetrons, don't we realize recently drama and romance have been the major themes decorating our TV screens? And even you're watching a news program, if you're really aware, there are some parts of news that merely highlight the dramatic and melancholic side of someone's life.

Welcome back, people. After a fortnight missing posting an article about Mata Najwa, I'm now back to give some updates about the show. I am not about to tell you about the second episode of Mata Najwa (one that hashed the details of the most earth-shaking scandal in the century: Century Gate). I guess you and I have it enough. We see news on Century Gate scattered almost anywhere on TV while surfing the channels. Posting one more piece of news about that would only nauseate me and you. Furthermore, the scandal is more an issue to solve than a topic of discussion. The more we are trying to know, the more we're likely to see a blind guess, libel, false accusation, groundless prejudice, etc. Just look at how screwed up things have become after too many people speak. I don't mind freedom of speech but when that freedom has been overly practiced and taken for granted, I'd say the situation is as disastrous as the deprivation of such freedom during ORBA (Orde Baru- a period when Soeharto reigned) to the nation. Too much of something is as bad as too little of something. We love freedom yet at the same time need boundaries. I'm not against freedom of speech but we just need a balanced situation.

Yesterday (Dec 9, 2009) was international anti-corruption day. Demonstrations against corruption (and corruptors) ran rampant almost in any city and little town on the Indonesian archipelago. The corruption eradication undertaking has of course been becoming the nation's huge concern particularly after the earth-shattering Century scandal involving  the country's elites. Call me selfish, but I don't give the scandal damn. What they  can always show to us -the citizens-  is an endless supply of stomach-sickening scandals, dramatic scenes at trials, press releases full of denial and disclaimer, and piles of other dirty political maneuvers. 

Some presents might end up getting returned. 
Have we ever wondered why we somehow get what we give to other people? We give them a bundle of roses and we the following day discover a box of edelweisses on our door steps. We gifted them a sack of pythons yesterday and we today have our house swarmed by dozens of anacondas. 

But some gifts are for keeps.
Often times people are tempted by "what if..." questions. "What if I were that billionaire?", "What if I were a well-known celebrity?", "What if I had a skinnier figure?", "What if I could've built a bigger house and could've married a prettier, sexier, and hotter wife?". Nothing can stop us imagining how geat our dull life will be if we can manifest those 'what-if' dreams into reality. We, nevertheless, most of the time forget how precious what we already have in hand. We forget how troubled a billionaire can be when he finds out he suffered from a huge loss in stock market or how anxious he always feels everyday to know his kids could get hurt by kidnappers. We forget how stressful a life as public figure could turn. We never know how pricey, miserable and painful it is for those skinny models to stay slim even though they know their well-being is at high stake. There  are points where we should stop wishing and say by heart "This is who I am and it's all that I've got from God". Mahatma Gandhi once said, "This world is enough for everyone's need, not greed". No one knows better what we need than God does.


Other presents come when you least expect them.
When we found out a friend stabbed us from the back, we must've thanked God for giving us a chance to learn the truth. When we lost someone we loved, we must've thanked the Almighty for the opportunity to fortify ourselves and let our immature souls grow without our beloved one since being together doesn't last forever and doesn't always mean better.



And everyone knows the biggest present comes in the smallest box. 
That's why we always have a reason to be grateful for every single predicament we undergo. Getting F in writing class may make us the best writer in the world. Being poverty-stricken might lead us to becoming a persevere and affluent entrepreneur. Being bullied and called 'chicken' by our classmates can make us the most fearless general at battlefields. Napoleon was said to be short but he once ruled almost the entire Europe.


Then there are those boxes you wish you had never opened. 
Curious Pandora opened the forbidden box and she regretted that badly. Like Pandora, everyone has his own forbidden box. But now that the box is already opened, we must face it and get rid of it for good or leave it and get haunted by it for the rest of our life.

Watching American TV shows, there are some noticable patterns that brunets are disfavored especially compared to their blond counterparts. I have seen some American TVshows and I thought that it was just a coincidence that the blond chicks. However, recently when I watched some TV show that is much hyped (overly hyped at times), I arrived to one conclusion that this is not a sheer coincidence. It happens repeatedly, to be honest. In this TV show called Gossip Girl that CW, there are several central characters

Last night the fourth episode of Mata Najwa was airing on Metro TV. The chosen guests, again,  were marvelous. I assume this episode really succeeded to bring together two groups of politicians or politic practitioners taking part in Indonesian politics. The first was of course the older generation, which was represented in the show by the former MPR (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat) chairman, Amien Rais. Everyone in the republic knows well this political veteran's outstanding reputation. Amien ran for presidential elections in 2004 but failed. He was also marching in the foremost row when the 1998 major reform blasted and took tolls. The second was the younger and fresher generation, represented by a bunch of young yet brilliant politicians calling themselves Kabinet Indonesia Muda (Young Indonesian Cabinet).

Here is some news to spread today. If you're one of those bloggers, who are blogging on blogger.com platform, the two innovations could sound like a breakthrough. As we know, blogger.com and Google are working under the same management and how many times have we heard about Google's expansive and groundbreaking steps in the virtual world?  Google Wave, Android, and what's next? Google has been aggressively making inventions and major improvements almost in  every possible aspect. Hence now  that blogger.com and Google start emerging some new improvement into our blogging activities doesn't really become a hugely unexpected surprise. The innovations certainly are made to enable us to blog with more ease and comfort. Can hardly wait to use the new features? So here's the recap, guys.