what is really to worry about

benjamin paradza, a public policy student and a classmate of mine, delivered a public lecture today on the judiciary in zimbabwe. ben was a high court judge back then in zimbabwe. one of his court decisions did not please the leader, mr. robert mugabe. long story short, his life were threatened and he had to leave the country and enter new zealand as a refugee.

sometimes we indonesians see our freedom of speech, the freedom of a judicial system to make independent judgement and the capacity of us to exercise all of that without fear, for granted. and paradoxically, sometimes we worry that freedom of speech would lead us to only messy situations.

but what is really to worry about?

i personally trust that indonesians are capable of exercising a check and balance system - it might not be smooth, but it's there. the capacity of us for doing so is so fundamental, as it assures that everybody is heard and be heard, whether they like or not, whether they agree or disagree. and the fact that the state protects our freedom of speech, is something that we really should not take for granted.

i hope the state would never change their mind. i really can't think of the otherwise.

good to be back

long time no post.

i have been busy studying (yes you read that right) as next week my classes will start.

ahh..the thrill of postgraduate life.

it's good to be back.

percakapan jarak jauh tidak penting dengan bebeb

bebeb = adikku yg berusia 15 tahun (nama asli: ade)

berikut adalah percakapan hari ini yg tidak penting:

diana: beb masa besok aku mo ngopi sama cowok yg aku bahkan tidak begitu kenal
bebeb: apa? mbak diana mo kencan?
diana: enggak beb bukan kencan, minum kopi
bebeb: ciyyeehh kakakku sudah beranjak dewasa, sudah balig nyahaahhaaaahaha (bebeb = adik yang suka melecehkan kakaknya, diana = kakak yang tidak punya wibawa)

bebeb: emang namanya siapa?
diana: s-----h
bebeb: siapa? surap? urap?
diana: beb, jangan dibuat main deh, kayak nama kamu gak aneh aja kalo disebut sama bule, 'what is your name? what? eddy? edi?'

bebeb: iya jadi kak masa ada anak teknik yang suka sama aku...makanya kakak cepetan punya pacar dong, jadi ade juga boleh pacaran, yah yah
diana: aku bilang mama ah! hahahahahahaha (diana = tipikal kakak culas dan pengadu)
bebeb: kakak jangan bilang mama! nanti aku bilangin ke mama kalau kakak disana kerjaannya ---- ---- sama ----- -----
diana: halah kamu tapi kan gak punya bukti weeeekkk (sambil menjulurkan lidah, padahal jarak jauh, refleks yang aneh)
bebeb: punya sih! kakak kan waktu itu kirim fotonya di ym
diana: (terdiam menyadari kebodohan)
diana: ya udah deh aku gak bilang mama, aku cerita ke attika-chan tapi boleh ya

microwave chicken and no surprises

oil price hits $129 per barrel today. are we in recession already? this one looks like it's going to stay pretty long.

former jakarta governor (and the most respected one) - mr. ali sadikin died yesterday. may you rest in peace.

cooking raw chicken by just microwave-ing it turned out very simple and tasty too. i've seen my flatmate alice done it couple of times but was too reluctant to try it, as i thought that it is beyond the traditional way of cooking (fry, boil, grill, stew), and microwave, i thought, is just for heating purposes. my perception thus has changed. although my mother would so not approve cooking raw chicken using microwave.

i gain 1.2 kilos due to the excessive party foods and drinks and my sudden cravings on mince pie and chips on 10pm every night. dammit. i am not going back to THAT size anymore. i joined the campus gym yesterday but only for the group exercise classes. yesterday we did yoga and i couldn't do the boat position. my belly and thighs are so big they have a sense of gravity of their own. and now i am having stiff muscles. ooh shoot.

i am overplaying radiohead's no surprises. and rialto's and good old smashing pumpkins. i miss the old-schools. they make me feel mushy and depressed and sorrowful and i like it.