Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Mirror mirror on the wall rectify my error,

Cast your magic, ease the pain,

Relieve me from relentless terror,





Mirror mirror on the wall, save me from this plight,

Double time, half the pay, five voices all demanding,

Yet only my two hands to type the fight,



Mirror mirror on the wall, lead me to the dragon’s lair,

Beg the King to grant me wings and mighty roar,

Whence I transcend this bitter end, discharging every chore.





Mirror mirror on the wall, the day is nearly done,

Reflect upon my intellect, and how this war was won,

With fallen wings into the terrain,

Tomorrow it all starts again!


(collaborated with a friend)

My Dear Annoying Train

O, dear my ugly loving train,


You broke my heart again,

Over and over you constantly let me down,

Leaving me stranded in the rain now and then,



O, dear my hideous darling train,

Feet sore, toes got trampled over,

Beads of sweat rolled down like a river,

How dare you said sorry and sorry again!



O, dear my obnoxious silly train,

You taxed me with overpriced horrible service!

While delayed was your pathetic excuse,

So lame as an obselete song,

Forgotten and abandoned!



O, dear my sweet annoying train,

Poor as you were,

I had no choice but to love thee,

My Dear Playful Rain

It's January morn, lad!


thundering downpours woke me in the dead of the cold,

torrential rains battered my window sill,

while the sun hid behind the invisible wall!

Making the day a hellish dull!



O, stop thy mocking grin!

I need my sun to shine again,

a little dance to make my skies smile!

So I can hurriedly be off my way!

O, you mischievous spoiled rain!

Stop ruin my day for just today,

I had no mood to play jest with thee,

For I had affairs to attend soon!



O, wicked heartless rain!

It’s almost 7 yet thy still dally,

Binding me with thy childish whine,

Be good and I shall be your most wonderful companion!

Be bad then I shall be thy most fearsome foe!

Stop Gender-Biased Regulation against Women!

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/14/imo-view-stop-gender-biased-regulation.html

The year of 2012 closed with heinous crimes against women. It again underlined that violence against women continued to persist as one of the most heinous, systematic and prevalent human rights abuses in the world, including Indonesia.


A 23 year old medical student in New Delhi was brutally gang-raped on a moving public bus in front of her boyfriend, then thrown semi-naked on the road to die . A few weeks later, she died due her massive internal injuries after being savagely beaten during the rape. Slow response by authorities marked by patriarchal system had incited widespread outrage led into riots throughout the city. This incident reminded us that patriarchal system elaborating the oppression of women, failed to protect women against violence in public places.

Shortly after, I watched the news of the tragic end of an eleven year old girl. Previously, she was treated under intensive care unit (ICU) at Persahabatan Hospital, East Jakarta, due to unabated seizures on Saturday. While she was administered medication to cure the seizure, doctors found vaginal and rectal wounds on the fifth-grade student. It was suspected that she suffered sexual assaults prior to her deteriorating condition. Her injuries were suspected to have caused brain infection leading to her death. Again, it was another failure on how family and the society as a whole failed to protect women against violence by sexual predators.

Afterward, I read on the news that Aceh, the only province that followed Sharia (Islamic Law) would soon issue regulation banning women passengers to sit straddling in motorbikes. The Major of Lhokseumawe said the regulation was aimed to save people's "morals and behaviors." Further, he elaborated that straddling the bike seat violated Islamic values.

I was enraged. It was way beyond my sane understanding. It was the most outrageous and bizarre 'joke' I've heard in the beginning of 2013. How come the ways we sit on motorcycles determine the morality of men! It also meant women were not allowed to drive motorcycles! How could we drive if the law forbad us to straddle! I see no common sense in this upcoming law!

I am a woman and a Muslim. I always sit "side-saddle" when I take ojek (motorcycle taxi) for convenience reason. But I sit straddling while driving my motorbike! I can assure you that the way I sit doesn't cause moral decadence of my neighbors or viewers! I don't read any such regulation either in the Holy Book or Hadist.

The law is discriminatory and has a gender bias. It is formulated by patriarchal regulators and systems that always see women as seed of 'evil.' Thus, they need to put a leash on us like we are some sort of animals! Gee, sometimes I just don’t understand the way ‘civilized’ men think!

If the central government ever passed the proposed regulation, our legal pendulum would swing to yet another extreme. Gender bias has run rampant in our court system. It took many painful years for our legal systems to recognize women as victim of domestic violence. Women still have long way to go fighting for equality in front of the law.



Instead of inventing such ludicrous set of rules, the authority should develop laws and regulations that could ensure and safeguard the protection of women against heinous crimes of raping and beating, also discrimination. Men should respect women the way they respect their mothers, sisters or wives. The laws accordingly should be free from prejudice and gender-biased.

Ring out the Old, Bring in the New

http://www2.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/01/07/imo-view-ring-out-old-bring-new.html

Time has elapsed quickly. The New Year is fast approaching. Within the next couple of hours, we will be welcoming 2013. People will look for a fabulous way to kick off the New Year's Eve. Jakarta is gearing up for variety of celebrations including fireworks and entertainment throughout the city to accommodate the needs.

Some people celebrate the New Year with a stay at the hotel, villa or particular inn with family and relatives. Some people get dressed up and dance the night away at a party or club. Many people however will flock the streets heading to countdown craze spots around the city's landmarks to watch the firework shows. Some choose to stay in home during this buzzing time of the year, doing contemplative prayer or planning to make new year's resolution.

As for me, I prefer to avoid being stuck in a gridlock of the horrendous roads in Jakarta, which will be even more chaotic than usual on that eve. Not to mention the torment of staying alert from pickpockets grabbing your phone, wallet or bag in overcrowded areas. I rather see the firework shows from my window lighted by my good neighbors! It's more convenient, safer, and cheaper!

For that reason, a few hours before such pandemonium took place, I hurriedly paid my novels and left the bookstore. I planned to spend the last night of the year to read while seeing the firecrackers. I hailed an angkot (public minivan) heading to Depok terminal. I rushed off by the time it arrived at the station. I heard trumpets blaring, like squeaking ducks! Firecrackers lit up with such noises!The deluge rage had began! I sped up my strides!

As I headed for the location of the next angkot for my residence, my eyes caught a sight of a lanky boy of eight walking sloppily. A plastic band neatly tucked rows of trumpets on his thin shoulders. A faint drizzle greeted the earth. He walked faster. Then, I remembered my elder brother had asked me earlier to buy a trumpet for my six years old nephew. I caught up my speed with the boy. I tapped his back lightly to stop him.

Old habit died hard. All of a sudden, I was talking with him, digging more information about him. He lived with his parents in a nearby kampung (village) near the station. His name was Muhammad Fatahillah with a nickname of Toya. This was his first time to sell trumpets for the New Year. Usually, he ran errands to get extra money from ojek payung (renting an umbrella during the rain) to shoe polishing. He told me he was in his second grade. His father was a becak (a three wheelers bicycle) driver while his mum was a full time housewife. He had an elder brother of twelve and two younger brothers of five and three.

Asked further whether his parents made him work on street, he shook his head.

"NO, they don't ask me to work! I just wanna help my parents."

I smiled at him. There was a lump in my heart. I brushed off his matted hair and signaled him to stop. We had to cross the railway. We dashed in a hurry once we saw no trains passing by.

"What is your wish for the new year?" I asked cautiously.

His face went blank for a fleeting moment.

"I don't know. I just want to get as much money tonight to bring home!"

It was like a dagger to the heart. Amid the merry and grand celebration of the approaching new year, here was an innocent little boy carried a great burden over his shoulders. It was a stark contrast of reality. Old or new, past or present, we will keep meeting many young Toya roaming on the streets.

I sincerely pray that despite the odds, these children will survive the day. They can be whoever they wanna be so long they keep their dream alive and fight for it.

Happy New Year Toya! May all the best things come to your way always!

The Overspent Snobs

http://www2.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/12/24/imo-view-the-overspent-snobs.html

Can you hear the bells chime? It’s Christmas soon! New Year is approaching! Jakarta’s malls are in full swing with sparkling decorations and ready for the year-end shopping spree. These malls will undoubtedly provide special prices and discounts to add to the exuberance of year-end sales! Midnight sales! Shop till you drop! The mirthless shops attendants wearing silly red Santa hats are in every corner of the malls to attract shoppers. It is the time for every shopping mall to turn into a huge arena for the overspent snobs!


Such frenzy doesn’t even spare my colleagues. It is addicted like drug! Some of my colleagues love to buy things they don’t even need. Without doubts, additional huge discounts will make all the glittering blinking branded items the more alluring. Sometimes, they don’t care if they have to pay that bit extra and go for a prestige brand. As with any modern shoppers, they tend to buy things to make a statement, to show off their status. They don’t even listen to my whinnies and protests.

“C’mon! We have worked so hard, honey! It’s time to spoil ourselves!” They would argue.

Well, what can I say? It’s their money. They have every right to spend them on whatever they want! It’s not my problem if they purchase more than they simply need to demonstrate a base materialism, to gain a certain status! By the end of the day, they simply try to live the lifestyle of their – two paycheck friends. They spend more than is fiscally prudent! It’s all about consumerism!

It is not surprising if many of us trapped into the so-called modern consumerism. We watch the how our idols live in what seem to be ‘fairy tale on television. We see advertising and commercials prescribe what’s fashionable and what’s not, what’s elegant and what’s not, what’s important and what’s not, and so forth. We read about lifestyle of celebrities and other public figures. We scrutinize how they live, what they wear, where they go. We admire their ‘classy’ life. They become our ‘reference group.’

Consciously and unconsciously, such shows find their way to transform us. They affect us. We assimilate the information and try to build a twin image of what we see in the media over and over again. Wearing particular brands, living in a certain kind of home and going to fancy restaurants emphasize support for a particular image. It’s an image in the world as we know portrayed in those Medias. Living the reference group’s lifestyle will upgrade our status! Classy and fancy! The result is that many of us have become participants in an upscale spending of consumerism.

As for me, I try always to buy things that I need, and not things that I want. I don’t want to fall into the consumption culture, a movement of people who are downshifting – by working less, earning less, and living their consumer lives much more deliberately. Living such a life would be suffocating. I can’t imagine live from paycheck to another paycheck.

But I still love to go with my colleagues to the shopping malls. To annoy them I would say “spend less than you earn” otherwise “earn more than you spend!

In response, they would purse their lips and left in a hurry, lol.

The Forgotten

As if an annual ritual in the closing year, some of my colleagues send me emails and messages questioning the fate of our anomaly group. A new year relates to salary increase approved by The House of Representatives. It always brings a bitter sweet feeling. Every fiber of our core hopes it will bring changes to our current state. Yet, deep down, we somehow know that it will only bring a sad premonition, a taste of hopelessness. No matter how much digit IPK (working performance index) we get, our salary will remain staying as an anomaly that will always have a domino effect on other facilities we receive. With higher grade, higher IPK, we receive less and less every year. We are the forgotten, lost inside the collective memory of the policy makers.


As always, words of wisdom are left as our soothsayer. It stands as a remedy to our broken spirit. Yet, this year, perhaps, I no longer have such comforting words for my colleagues sharing the same boat with me. That would be asking them to swallow a hot iron down their throat. It would be just cruel.

All I can offer now is an encouragement of not to give up. My Dear fellow anomaly group, great moments are born from great opportunity. Let's prove it right! We have bled, cried, and fell; over and over again these past three years. We have seen how high ranking officials always try to save their own neck first. We have witnessed how we are sacrificed as the poor lambs. We have been cut, scarred, and trampled over and over again. We have suffered losses. We have endured too many.


Yet, we refuse to back down. We refuse to give up. We refuse to go down without a fight. We may tumble and crumble. We seal the wound, then heal. Someday, we will see a wind of change. Someday, we will witness that even a voice from a commoner can make a diiference.



As in life, it is all just a game of inches. We have a thorny bridge to cross, a hellish road to conquer. We put one foot in front of the other and keep on moving inch by inch, yard by yard. That's what makes it different. Winning or losing doesn't matter because we have given our best.



People will say we will lose the battle. But I can assure you that we are the winners so long we pay our dues. So long we hold our head high and complete our job satisfactorily. This misfortune will not break our character. This will make us stronger. We will prove them that we are so much better!