"Broadcast Yourself"

“Broadcast Yourself”

Those are You Tube’s challenging, inspiring words.

So I take courage to broadcast myself through You Tube, though only armed, equipped with my digital PowerShot A 490  camera and a computer. I don’t care whether my broadcasting isn’t profesionally done. In the meantime will I have learned how to improve, how to fade in, to fade out and a lot more.

My camera even is capable to record sounds and I have now my choir DIASEBAD (DI Atas SEtengah aBAD)  - old agers of over half a century -, members of a small church in Jakarta, without ever having had singing lessons before, without formal musical education, without audition,  recorded and uploaded.

Thanks to the refusals, rejections of publishers to publish my book have I now published it myself, N.B. for free in Wordpress and Blogger. Picasa moreover collected my pictures from my picture’s blog and published them without my doings and Google indirectly published them.

What a joy to fly my lovely little “kite” not very high, for anyone to see and eventually to attack but I wont go down, let me down.

April 2011

Sex Is Nature's Boon

Sex Is Nature’s Boon

“Winarsih, a girl from Wonogiri is just one among perhaps thousands other victims as published in a news paper. Did you read it?” So said pak Arif to me.

A pet dog could be treated preventing its pregnancy but why is there no information to young people about how to  prevent an undesired pregnancy?  Is it meant  to preserve their virginity, to prevent them from sin?

For married women a pregnancy would be welcomed,  but for an unmarried girl it means catastrophe, hell. Then they are forced, threatened by the people to marry, while they aren’t ready to raise a family.

Abort the pregnancy, with all the dangers of an abortion, face the huge cost of it and be prosecuted? Otherwise she would give birth to a “fatherless”, unlawful child – so, people would mock -  and open to shame and blame. Or, when there’s no way out, desperately commit suicide as Winarsih.  Could she, or girls have access to information and free clinical assistance how to prevent an unwanted pregnancy, such a tragedy wouldn’t have happened. (Remember, this is Indonesia 1990)

Who can escape the urging force of sex, except very old decrepit people. A holy man too - they say -, even those who are married could slip, fall, moreover those that aren’t  yet married.

While sex is Nature’s boon, not something to bemoan, deplore,  be ashamed of. “Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for blessed are those who …” honor, respect it.

Ilona Staller, the lovely lady, an ex people’s representative of Italy has as motto: “Destroy weapons of nuclear energy. Instead, increase sexual energy.”   

The Chinese philosophy has “Yin”, the female principle and “Yang”,the male principle. When “Yin” and “Yang” meet, go together, there’s heaven, harmony.

So pak Arif told me his thoughts.

From Media Indonesia, March 28, 1990

April 2011

Musing On You Tube

Musing On You Tube

No need to buy, to store CD’s, DVD’s or even save them in your computer. And there is even more than what you ever can buy, store, borrow, enjoy. We don’t need CD, DVD players any more and old, forgotten recordings on tapes, records will come to life again in You Tube.

With internet one can have piano, guitar and what not, lessons without a teacher.

That’s now, not in the future. That’s great.

April 2011

Phone Call: Mr. So And So Passed Away

Phone Call: Mr. So And So Passed Away

Suppose there was no good, kind person to deliver us such a phone call, we wouldn’t have this headache of torturing ourselves to visit and say our condolences, wearing a sad, sorrowful face, sit, looking as though lost for a very long time. When one wants to be good, visit him or her when he/she was still alive and healthy, not when he/she has passed away. 

How could I ever feel sorry,  when I almost never saw him. It was different when Foxy died. I, we, our family mourned silently. We missed her as she was so very near, so dear to us. Every day I embraced her and she slept with me, even more than a human being. Why couldn’t we, the whole world silently sorrow as when Princess Diana died without having to visit her?

Suppose one of our loved ones passes away, I wont have an ad about it or trouble my self to inform my people as they never could feel, imagine  such a loss. No consoling, comforting words, sermon whatever could efface this. Moreover, I certainly couldn’t stand seeing people acting, feigning to be very sad.

For a loved one there’s no compulsion. We come willingly without having to say “We’re so Sorry”. No one needs to know it. So comments si upik when she got a phone call telling her, some uncle passed away.



Foxy was buried in our garden. So she’s still near us. Si upik silently wept, cleaned the earth of fallen leaves, planted some plants and laid some flowers on her grave.

May 2000

April 2011

Musing On Weddings

Musing On Weddings

How luxurious the invitation card which could cost as much as a novelette. It’s not mere entertaining a friend or someone in a food stall in Pecenongan, but invite, and entertain hundreds of guests in a grand five star hotel of the city. Dishes of crab, prawn, shrimps, fish, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, turkey(!), many kinds of cakes, pudding, fanta, coca cola, beer, wine, grapes, orange, banana,  ice cream, and a special wedding cake-ice cream as wide as a table and as high as the plafond(!). Too much even to taste all of them and one could eat as heartily as one likes and think of it, it’s free. It’s no wonder that what’s left over as waste on the plates of the guests, possibly could nourish and make happy more than a hundred hungry, poor people.

How sad the fate of tens of flower arrangements as billboards, paraded in the halls instead of  seeing their beauty. Then it’s left behind as it could take some trucks to carry them away and a big hall or garden to store. Only the cards are collected for the purpose to say “thank you”. Not to say about the presents  if one receives four wash machines,  ten clocks, dozens of plates, spoons, forks, while just one or a dozen is sufficient. (Remember, this is Indonesia 1994) 

“Hurrah”, said the flower shop owners and farmers, beauty salons, catering businesses and all those who are involved from hotel managers to car parking service personnel for the guests. “It’s trendy and prestigious” said the young successful executives. “We hope that wedding celebrations on a grand scale will be the norm and observed, our economy will prosper.”

A huge sum for the wedding and all the fuss, the headaches about the event .is waylaying the couple Then it slowly dawned on me the words of a song   "Love, ... the golden crown, that makes a man  a  king", not the glitter of the wedding.

 

"Si Bhuta is ‘giring’”, (passionate in love running after its mate). So said my boy to me, though she’s crippled and can’t fly. Si Bhuta who was bathing happily together in a wash tub (without being ashamed), when freed from a far away distance could fly so high that it seemed something tiny flickering in the sun and suddenly dived down home steeply, was shot dead by someone. The whole family silently sorrowed, wept.

Suppose man could love as a pigeon pair, they would be king and queen for life. Those, who, that love, would never grow old, would stay young forever. “Never Too Old To Be Young” so says the song. How sad is the story of  Princess Diana that started with a wedding as grand as only could happen, imagined in a fairy tale.

I then remembered the venerable sage as told in the Mahabharata  who changed himself and his “fairy” into a deer to celebrate their wedding, free from ceremony, guests and far from the bustle of the world; or as Sam Pek and Eng Tay  who happily were flying as butterflies together. And as souvenir,- I might add - which would be remembered, cherished as long as life, not a golden ring, but a child, the most precious jewel of lovers, the gift of the Gods. How beautiful that would be. 

From Jayakarta, January 27, 1994

April 2011

Lovely Weeds

Lovely Weeds

No one sees them except as dirt, weeds, to be cleared, cleansed from the wall, the roadside, the ditches, ... with  August 17, our National Day.

Mother Nature planted, cared for them, nobody else.

When I visited the cemetery near Rancamaya, while hunting for wild flowers with my camera, many women workers came to me. They thought I were a relative and said that they  were to clear the tomb from the weeds.

I said: "Why? Look, they're so beautiful." They were astonished someone was asserting, saying that.

Musing About My "Jammed" Ball Point

Musing About My “Jammed” Ball Point

My ball point wouldn’t run smoothly. Perhaps the ink is dried up. No wonder as I now rarely use it. Both my type writers have I given away to   pen friends in the country. Just by using a very old type of computer, my ball point, those writing machines now are superfluous, more over the slate pencil and slate and the penholder of former times.

I remember the new curriculum for the elementary school. Is it still necessary for children to be able to write, or sufficient to be able to type? With the progress of technology, perhaps one doesn’t need to be able to type, but just be able to talk which immediately could be transformed into typed script.

Logarithm tables are now useless with the introduction of calculators. The vendors, small shop owners now have one to calculate with ease, fast, accurate, without learning a lot about  arithmetic. For pupils of the elementary school we could device a computer that could handle  algebra, mathematics, geography, biology, physics, … How fine to be freed of the burden of learning by heart. Should a child spend nine years to finish its elementary education? He could then finish it perhaps within a year.

With faxing, letters are send faster than express letters and even telegrams. One doesn’t need to buy envelopes, stamps, waste time, effort to go and post somewhere. The government post services will be superfluous.

These changes happen so fast, yet am I not yet 70 years old. With the progress of technology, would it make man stronger, more intelligent or on the contrary make him weak and dense because laxness to exert his brains and body? 

What we now think as great, superb, will be something out of date in the year 10.000 as a man riding on a camel to flying in a super jet.

In my mind’s eye at that age I see the earth so green, so serene, except the warble of birds, gurgling creeks, whispering leaves in the wind. I seldom see a man, or is it an alien of outer space who is sailing in the air.

Oh, how nice to travel in the air. I didn’t see any roads, streets, highways, railroads, airports. There are no cars, trucks, buses, trains, planes, no factories, … They’re extinct, they don’t need them anymore. If there was, it must be a space vehicle.  

They live in ray ban capsules as ray ban glasses, light as though a spiders web, easy to set up anywhere, in the air, floating on a lake or river or in the sea among fishes, anemones and coral reefs.

It is so easy for them to regulate the number of population by family planning and so rebuild the earth into a paradise to be happy for man and all creatures. There’s no sense to burden the earth with a huge world population as it is to day.

I then started from my reverie as I imagined our people race, compete to build tall skyscrapers, luxurious real estates, giant factories, enlarging the cities, broadening the streets to cope with the endless increase of the world population or … to take the chance, advantage to become rich. And thus, the land which was so green so fertile, so serene before, is turning barren, the traffic jammed, life  and the government burdened, overwhelmed with headaches.

It’s now 1994 and that was but in the year 10.000 A.D.. What about the year 50.000 A.D.?

                   From Berita Buana, September 9, 1994

April 2011

Is God Male Or Female?

Is God Male Or Female?

Opa Johan’s E Mail To His Grandchildren:

No one has ever seen God.

The Bible depicts Him as Father.

There was a story of blind men who  met an elephant on their way.  “God is like a coconut tree” said one who felt one of its feet. “No,  He is like a snake”,  just feel it.” as he  got the trunk. “He is as hard as stone,”  as another felt its tusk. “He is like a wall.” said he who touched its huge body.  So they disputed about God as they have never seen how an elephant looks like.

The Chinese philosophers said that “God” (Tao)  is unimaginable. If one would expound this, libraries of books, wouldn’t have been able to capture, picture It. It would take an eternity of talk and still we haven’t known anything, uncovered It.

A little girl said, “ Do you want to know how God looks like? It’s so easy. Wait, I will picture Him for you.” and took her pencil to draw. (From Chicken Soup For The Soul)

“Sure God is created, pictured after her own image. God, the devil, an angel is pictured after ours. We’ve never seen them except in pictures, paintings and in the bible.” said pak Arif.

April 2011

Opa Johan's Disturbed Sleep

Opa Johan’s Disturbed Sleep

“There was a soft tapping on the door. Our daughter came in and spread her mattress on the floor to sleep with us as she couldn’t sleep in her room. Then she returned to her room.. Madam took a look, what’s the matter and she stayed a very long while and getting vexed I then on purpose shut the door, so she can’t come in.” So said opa Johan to me.  

“Could I realize at that time that it was the owner of the dog, our neighbor, that wasn’t responsible who caused the trouble, keeping people awake by having the dog whining as he wants to get out of his cage, I wouldn’t have quarreled so furiously with her. My daughter wouldn’t have hurt feelings towards me.”

Imagine what it has brought them. His daughter couldn’t sleep, she disturbed her parent’s sleep, went to the night watch man on duty to wake up  the servant who was in charge to take care of the dog, on her way she got a bite from a stray dog, got a sore inflammation, while he quarreled with his wife, instead of quarreling with the dog owner, lack of sleep of four people and other inconveniences.

So, I mused, many conflicts, quarrels, inconveniences could be prevented. They are caused by something outside us. Were  we more responsible, careful in our work, doings, decisions, all that, those conflicts, quarrels wouldn’t have happened.  and when it does happen, it could be overcome without being angry, with one another if only we realize, know who, what is at fault. In this case it’s the owner of the dog, leaving the dog to the care of a servant who isn’t responsible.

And we should have the courage to say so, to say “no”. And I think of war. Life would then be brighter, happier.

May 2008

April 2011

She Isn't Offended About That

She Isn’t Offended About That

Would you mind, shun beauty, were she, flowers, growing, living close, near, next to a garbage heap, in the mud, dirt? Yet, she isn’t offended about that.

April 2011

On The IQ-Test

On The IQ-Test

What, glorify, measure Man on mere intelligence?

Mere knowledge?

Mere courage?

Mere loyalty?

Mere strength?

Mere wealth?

Mere success?

Mere appearance, good looks?

Mere talent for art, creativity?

Mere …

That is an insult, humiliating human dignity, for Man is so vast, limitless and cannot be limited or narrowed down to our standards, to what we think he is.

September 1986

April 2011

On Punishment

On Punishment

One day during our training session, a choir member kindly brought us Jagung bakwan (corn cake) as snack for our break. My wife whispered to me: “Don’t take.”

At home she told me  It was as tough as leather. What our aged members endured eating this. Aal went outside to “finish” hers, Nono had it as a dog with a big lump of meat, stopping his mouth, biting it with his false teeth. Jeanie said: “Thank you, it’s very nice” while slowly nibbling it. Our benefactor,  ate herself and as she doesn’t enjoy it, swallowed as fast as she could. There was no one who wasn’t free from this torture. And imagine, she said that she had saved a part for tomorrow and planned to gladden some thirty of her choir members of over 60 years old with this.

In the car, my wife said to our son who was driving us home, 

“There’s a lot that’s left over, take it home for your family”.

“Why did you say so in the car?” I asked.

“Yes sure, what should I do with it myself?”

And we laughed imagining him, his  wife, his daughter, their curses and faces and down to the nurse of their toddler, then further down to empok, the cook and she after tasting it making faces, promptly throws it in the garbage bin as she had no one more below her, to vent her anger, disappointment. How wise! Oh, what fun! 

Suppose you want to punish someone here in Indonesia, you can do this in  a similar way. Just bless them, surprise them with for instance a cartload of some 50 Durians, one of the favorite fruits here.  They would eat as much as they can and for a long time as is possible, as they haven’t the heart to throw it away or hurt the benefactor as being ungrateful when they pass it on to others. They can’t say “no”, nor reject. Then they worry about choosing someone lucky to  equally bless them with a lot of overripe, half spoiled Durians left.

They will say: “It’s very nice, thank you a lot, very kind of you” for a punishment.

So you should have the courage to say “no” to refuse, to reject and the punishment for bad baked “Bakwan”,  of too many “Durians” will be returned to the “benefactor” himself.

June 2008

April 2011

I Remember Them, Not Their Names

I Remember Them, Not Their Names

I’m happy when I still remember them as I hear Beethoven’s “Freude Schoner Gotterfunken”, even without remembering Beethoven’s name or its title at all.

chewspictures.blogspot.com are my photo’s of trees, plants, flowers, birds, insects. animals, fishes, hills, lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys, ... I don’t care how they’re called. But they are as close relatives, kin, old good friends, a welcome home to me. I’m happy as I meet, see, hear, visit them again.     

I always long, return to my picture blog with fond affection.

 

April 2011

Old Portrait Of The Bus Driver

Old Portrait Of The Bus Driver

What a style,  how manly, majestic he was seated on his throne. How polite his gesture of refusing new passengers along the roadside by courteously waving his hand and bowing his head.. There was a warm friendly almost a big family atmosphere in his over crowded bus, the soft music, the soft light, curtained windows, some humorous pictures, writings were pasted on the front window pane - e.g. Cinderella and Charles Bronson - How easily he held his driving wheel, lighting his cigarette, overtaking all other cars with his very big, long Mercedes bus with such ease and that with so many windings, slopes along a small road. He is indeed Sang Juara (the Champion) as is pasted on the writings.

What a way of saying farewell, goodbye to the passengers. He just said “hati-hati”, (be careful) and aided passengers who had some difficulty in climbing down his bus out of the high emergency exit door, as the entrance of  his bus was stormed by new passengers.

And that was already 8 o’clock in the evening and he had been driving since morning and he should drive the same route again Jakarta – Sukabumi. About midnight will he arrive. Fortunately it is not so crowded as it is during the lebaran (Moslem feast day) season. That was about 40 years ago.

I think there are not many drivers who do bus-driving as profession with dignity and enjoy it.

April 2011

Could Never Know Before

Could Never Know Before

No one could ever explain, tell me until I experienced it myself. Suddenly, unexpected did I know, realize what it was: fear, hate, envy, disappointment, shame, pain, sorrow, anger, vengeance. They came like wind, unhindered. I couldn’t flee, escape from it and when it was over, there was no trace left.

Would you mind if others also could be overpowered with such feelings, emotions? Except he is no human being but a God.

Courage, joy, affection, love, happiness enter in a similar way. Could you prevent a budding smile, a burst of laughter?

January 1974

April 2011

Not What's Much A Lot Is Good, But ...

Not What’s Much, A Lot Is Good, But …

 As a child I was taught, advised to read, to learn a lot for my own good. So said Pak Arif to me.

What’s reading a lot? News, information, books? Almost wasting your time, burden yourself with a lot of worthless knowing. Reading a lot of novels? Why hurry and almost not enjoy it?   Seeing TV, hearing a lot CD’s, I’ll get sated. 

Learn a lot?. I’ve learned driving a car, but I have forgotten how to drive now. I’ve forgotten of what I’ve learned before: Mandarin, French, Biology, Civics, Grammar, … And I think of the foolish praise of general knowledge, perhaps for the sake to be esteemed, regarded as an intellectual, educated,  sophisticated citizen. What does it profit me of just knowing Bach but haven’t  heard  a piece and enjoyed it? What’s knowing Picasso, Hemingway, Darwin, Newton, It’s even better to forget them but remember, enjoy his music, his paintings, his novels, value their thoughts.

There’s the captivating  “Not Smarter Than A Fifth Grader” Starworld program on TV showing that  we’re not smarter than a fifth grader.

I remember a Dutch saying, - who was it who said this beautiful thought? - Niet het vele is goed maar het goede is veel. Not what is much, a lot is good, valuable but what is good that’s worth much, worth a lot and invaluable.

I would learn to read less, but good, interesting topics,  slow down, read it twice, … understand, enjoy it.  When I want to know something, I can look it up in a dictionary, encyclopedia or search via Google.

Why waste, burden  my life with reading, learning, hearing, seeing a lot with what I don’t like.

I never learned to remember the heroes, the kingdoms in the Mahabharata,  But I still remember them and their stories after half a century. The Choir Conductor performs the pieces he loves with his choir and so remembers, even enjoys them better than on CD or VCD. Suppose subjects were taught like reading War And Peace, history, would then come to live, we would love the subject. rather than hate them  as dead, stale, dreary, burdensome to be learned by heart. The Sea around Us, The Insect World Of Jean Henri Farbre would become unforgettable oceanography, entomology. And I imagine children in the future studying by internet showing Wild Life and other subjects live as on TV.

As I think of your Home Page, why should you hurry and turn out a lot of low quality writings. Certainly, you would like to dress it  pleasing to the eye but that would take you a lot of time to learn the tailor’s trade and it doesn’t make your writings any the better. Good quality would always remain the same despite a poor appearance.

 So Pak Arif advised me.

July 2008

April 2011

Joys On An Empty Purse

Joys On An Empty Purse

What a joy, delight for people on an empty purse, fishing here in Pantai Indah Kapuk with your bekal i.e. your parcel eating with your fingers, your tea out of a small plastic bag sipping with or without a straw, sitting the whole day even without  catching a fish.

April 2011

Musing On My Letters

Musing On My Letters

My reader’s letters almost never could come in a place of honor in wellknown newspapers some 20-30 years ago and even till today. They were regarded so trivial, negligible, have no big issues, no big author’s name and were often rejected by the great, very important editors. My letters were received by “surat kabar kampungan” i.e. second grade news papers,  of the lower class, for uneducated, not well-read readers, placed in an almost unnoticed corner.

Yet, am I proud as my trivial matters, which were so negligible are still alive now and I believe will be in the future in my blog.  But many writings of the clever, educated, wellknown people, high class for high classers, might be forgotten without a trace left. Well let them publish it now in a blog. Likely no one would read them, they are too clever, unintelligible, to difficult to read no one would understand and on top of it very boring, dreary, devoid of philosophy. Then publish it in a book for honor’s sake for his admirers to enjoy. Ha, ha. 

Publish my letters, my thoughts in a great, foremost newspaper, publisher? Oh not anymore. I’m grateful for Google, Blogger, Wordpress, Picassa Web Albums, You Tube, ... who made it possible to publish for free.  I have published them in my blog and make me a great e blogbook one day.

April 2011

Never Too Old To Be Young

Never Too Old To Be Young

The first time I saw “Snow White” of Walt Disney some fifty years ago, I, then still a child, could hardly sleep as I and the seven dwarfs and all the inhabitants in the wood fell in love with her.

When some 30 years later the film was played again, I didn’t want to miss the chance for my children to see this film.

TV also showed the film on its 50^th Anniversary with short episodes, highlights of the original film. Yet, seeing but parts of it, I again was enchanted as when I was a child, but with deeper, richer understanding, although a married man, having grey hair and could already have grandchildren. “You’re Never Too Old To Be Young” said one of the songs. For days the song and all the other songs lingered in my mind. Grateful as I felt, realized how good life was for those who were always feeling young.

From Bisnis Indonesia,

March 21, 1990

April 2011

Better Know Or Not Know 3

Better Know Or Not Know 3

Better know, be conscious of good and evil as grown ups are.

Or not know, be unconscious of good and evil as all creatures and little children are.

April 2011

Miss Vain

Miss Vain

Pak Arif watched a little girl in a restaurant who enjoyed looking closely at her self in the mirror, tossed her hair backwards, turned her head this way, that way for a long time. “What a ‘Miss Vain’.” But then he whispered to me. “I myself am  just as vain as she is as I exert a lot, perhaps even more to  heighten my inner appearance no one could ever know. Ha, ha, ha.”

July 2008

April 2011

Khadafy

Khadafy

Some comments in Indonesia:

“How brave, Khadafy wouldn’t surrender to the pressure of the foreign powerful states, even of the NATO. He is like an ant that bravely, indignantly fights back the giant oppressor that invades his nest.  He is not as President Mubarack who - in fact – was forced to step down.”

“How unfair is the free zone flight rule, while Khadafy’s air forces are forbidden to fly over its own country, the strong coalition, NATO forces are allowed to fly, invade   Lybia and bomb, shoot it and justify themselves with the excuse of protecting the people from Khadafy’s  cruelties. While a non politition a lay man as I am would feel it as a no common sense, insane decision.”

“The United Nations? Wow that’s clique system, brotherhood, fraternity.To have the courage to stand alone, be different, not surrender to the will of the majority, the strong states. That’s what The United Nations should observe and be proud of.”

“But Khadafy is a scoundrell and has hired soldiers face, subdue, shoot the demonstrators and those of his own soldiers who didn’t obey to shoot the uprising be death-sentenced.”

“He has committed many crimes as they now say but why not take Khadafy before the international court at that time, why just now when there is an uprising? He certainly has his good works.”

”What a shame, the United Nations decided to force Khadafy to leave his country. Is that their business to decide this question instead of the people themselves? Imagine, what if our late president Suharto was banned, exiled by foreign intervention from Indonesia. How degrading. Rusia and China never would tolerate foreign intervention in their country, and no country, no United Nation dares."

“Suppose Khadafy falls because the foreign forces intervened, shoot, bomb his country, attack his loyalists and what if they leave him at the mercy of his enemies. That really is a cruel fate. His enemies would not  give him a fair trial but tear him to pieces as Sadam Husein, the fierce strong lion was. If Sadam weren’t captured, his country not invaded by the foreign forces, he might still be chosen by his people as president in Irak despite his many foes and enemies.”

“But Khadafy really is brave, He wouldn’t surrender to the terms, conditions for peace when he is forced to step down. He demands that he still be chief, leader, the man of Lybia. There’s no question about that and that is an honorable demand, claim.”

That’s what some people think.

I hope Khadafy will be that brave, strong.

April 2011

Our Eyes Can't See Them

Our Eyes Can’t See Them

Sure, you are lovely, but your mother is yet lovelier and your grandmother even more so. Don’t think the old are not very lovely, not very nice, not very clever, not very strong, have no courage, ... Only our eyes can’t see them.

So said opa Johan to his granddaughter.

April 2011

Musing On My Blogbook Making

Musing On My BlogBook Making

I’ve got a preview of my blogbook in the making. Imagine of what it can do:

order the articles according to date, oldest first or last, change the order to your wishes, it makes it’s own index according to the order of the posts. You could delete, erase posts overfluous or not wanted, except you can’t edit the posts.

I imagine new features in the future:

The possibility to change the size, font, colour of the letters, of the pages. You could than easily turn forward or backward or click a title you want to open. Besides, you are not limited and could have as many pages as you want, read it as a real book before you.

Then will I download my blog and edit and make me myself my e blogbook.

Moreover, you could do it yourself if you want to. You need not print, purchase one and you could have it whenever, wherever you are for free as I think of what Google, Yahoo, You Tube does for free. Except you want to make me rich.

A blogbook? Forget it. I’ll make me myself an e blogbook at that time. Oh, what a joy.

April 2011

Lovely Guppies

Lovely Guppies

When I was a child, we, my younger brother and I were going out for guppies. It was an adventure. With our hands cautiously in the water  we caught them one at a time. They were in a drain that was with clear water in front of our house in Laan Trivelli, (now Tanah Abang 2), put them in a tincan and kept them in our washbasin.

We couldn’t afford to have an aquarium but that was not less beautiful, with tiny pieces of coral, stones or a weed as waterplant. And it was because they were in a washbasin that you could see the beautiful colors of the male fish clearly and NB each one is differently colored. I would like to call them Paradise fish, yet almost no one notices, cares for them as they are so small.

You could see them graciously courting the bigger female fish. The leaders have their own territory. You could see them fight, that was so exciting, they turn dark. We could sit for hours watching them. And we gave them a name, the “White Butterfly”, its tail was as the wings of a butterfly, the “Champion” who almost always won, the “Knocked Down Uncounscious” who was so severely hurt in a fight that for a moment it was uncounscious, the “Speckled” as it has a beautiful colored spot in its backfin, ... They were unafraid and swim into your palm in the water.

I was surprised and happy to see, find them still survive in an open ditch, draining our foul wash water from the households There are still a lot guppies in this ditch but I can’t catch them with my camera.

Our ditch in front of our house and many other ditches are hundred percent covered. There is no fish anymore and as there arise many eateries, foodstalls, these open ditches become stagnant with foul dish-wash water no fish, water creatures could ever live.  In former times you could find them almost in any ditch, occasionally see a crab, or fish an eel. It’s a pity, sad that they one day become extinct.

April 2011