The Choir Conductor's Written Address

The Choir Conductor’s Written Address

Is it possible that we (his choir of old age members) are not great (hebat), very great?

Is it possible that all of you are not great, very great?

Is it possible that His creation is not great, very great?

If The Creator of all these creations were not super-super great?

To you who are aged, you certainly could improve yourself and even may surpass us.

To you who are young, don’t take us as example but perform your concert as twice as great as is ours now.

That was his written address in the Bahasa to the audience in a church in Jakarta.

Sure, I think, but most of us don’t believe or don’t know, how splendid, magnificent we are equipped,  of what we can achieve which is almost unbelievable. That’s why we often don’t attain, reach  what we’re capable of. And I remember Opa Johan who still was able to bicycle some 50 Km in old age. 

July 2008

May 2011

My Poor Shooting, Recording Results Trigger Me To Creativity

My Poor Shooting, Recording Results Trigger Me To Creativity

But for my bad shooting and recording with my mini Canon PowerShot A 490 camera, out of worthless trash, scraps I got, - chase a butterfly, a bird in flight, ... - did I start to learn and succeeded to create nice photo’s, mini videos and movies with the superbe editing tools of Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker, without which I would never have been able to do so. And I’m just a beginner.

Chew’s Pictures blog and my mini videos in You Tube bear witness to it.

May 2011

The Pancuran

The Pancuran

I always longed, wanted to visit the source of a rivulet but never succeeded to reach it. It's to far away, too difficult to visit it. I'm lucky to find these pancurans with water coming out of a natural spring at the foot of a hill.

 

 

 

For days, months, years, ... it is flowing. What a joy to see, to hear and feel the water falling.

The villagers are grateful with it. They take a bath, wash and have their cool drinking-water,  purer than our bottled aqua water.  See You Tube: chewginhoa.

May 2011

He Is Behind The Times

He Is Behind The Times

“Hong Kie, Boy’s friend is successful and has now some two new shops opened in Mangga Dua trade center. So said Boy to me with much respect.

Well what is there to be proud of, even though he would open a Mall in New York. Nothing to envy? I have opened a kiosk in Word Press, Blogger and You Tube, N.B. for free you know?

My things, - they are my treasures - are not for sale. I give them away wholeheartedly, yet mine never diminish and are always with me. I only can become richer. I don’t have to go out, stay to guard, watch over them, serve the visitors. Anyone could have, take them, who would want to steal them? Ha, ha, ha. He, Boy’s friend is behind the times. I don’t need a lot of money. Just with a computer, wherever I am, whenever I want, I can visit my kiosks. Aren’t you proud to have such a smart husband you dear little fool?”

So said Opa Johan to his wife.

May 2011

We, Man Would Mourn

We, Man Would Mourn

  

As I remember, said si Buyung, Jakarta ranked number three as the city that’s most polluted in the world.  There was a warning ad of one full page in our foremost paper with a picture that should depict a girl or was it a woman with a snout, or a short trunk of an elephant with feet of a horse. She was the consequence,  result of air pollution in time, so it said. It was so ugly that I never want to keep it. The first thing I thought when I saw her, was, there wouldn’t be any man who ever would court, more over ever marry her.

                                         

I don’t know which city, where people parked their cars vertically as the city was flooding with cars. I’m tempted to challenge the imagination of our engineers to create a car that’s not just “one in  one”  but “more than one in one” to  cope with problems of parking space, traffic jams, and pollution.

The cover part of the car opened, seats folded it becomes a pick up.  Wheels drawn up into its body, the fan placed behind, the car becomes a motor boat. By taking out its body as a match box it could be used as a movable home, …

   

More over, if the car could run on just plain water. No pollution. While raising our reputation in the world.

But still better would be the decrease of our population, as not to have our children, our grand children , … flooded, drowned by cars, pollution, trapped in traffic jams, cramped in flats  as chickens in giant batteries in dreary surroundings, without gardens, warbling birds, without wild life as they’re extinct.

Why have our population grow so large towards hell, while we could create a heaven on earth by lowering this with family planning.

Hi, you dream girls, fairies of this age, we man would mourn when you would become unsightly as the result of pollution. We implore you: “Just one child, for the good of our generations to come, to have them still lovely, handsome, healthy, happy and … never feeling too old to be young.” That was his address.

Bisnis Indonesia September 24, 1991

Jayakarta August 16, 1993

May 2011

Old Portrait Of Tien

Old Portrait Of  T i e n

Tien was a bit crazy, silly in the eyes of people. Just got Rp. 200.- (that was more than 50 years ago) as “Cinderella” for some days, of which Rp. 100.- was sacrificed to buy three apples and some oranges. Two apples and some oranges she gave wholeheartedly to her “colleagues”.

She had no one who cares for her except Mother Nature. She had no home but she always found a way to crawl somewhere in and had a lodging for the night.

She worked so hard that she sometimes nodded to the merriment of her co-housemaids. Every time she awoke with  a start.

Yet, she had been a teacher before. But no one wanted her. The only one who wanted her, her “prince”, stole her money by borrowing and not return it.

Tien was as a weed, whom no one wanted. She’s “hell” a fury but also a blessing. She got poor, simple fare,  but that cheap, worthless food was perhaps tastier and nutritious: The fish head, shrimps head, the chicken head and feet (ceker they say}, frogs spine, no coca cola’s, no white polished rice but brown rice. She slept on a bench without mattress and pillow, mosquito net, did rough, course work and without being pursued, these treatments had become a blessing in disguise. 

She sleeps anywhere as sound as ever, has a keen appetite, is strong and healthy, has good teeth, though having no recourse to a dentist, forgets her worries almost immediately and harbors no hate, ill will. Those are her riches, her treasures.

Certainly, Mother Nature loves all her children. Every dark side has its sunny side.

May 2011

You May Kiss Opa When You Are 17 Years Old

You May Kiss Opa When You Are 17 Years Old

So said Opa Johan to his grandchild, “but now you won’t, except you could steal a kiss.” And she “vowed” to do so, witnessed by all the family members. Can you imagine her eager to steal a kiss. He’s sitting in front in the car and she, from behind, waiting patiently for a chance by luring him into oblivion suddenly attacks. When she doesn’t succeed, she tried to force a kiss by tying him up with her hands and he said: “foul, it doesn’t count.” When she succeeded she triumphantly proclaimed her victory “One – Zero, Two … - Zero”.

But as she grew up into a beautiful girl she felt a bit awkward.

“Then I’ll free her of  her promise on her 17th year as her birthday present  and tell her that it was just to tease her, a playful deal between a little girl and an adult. Every time she, a little girl, so anxious to kiss an old scarecrow like me that was a lot more than when it were offered, given freely. But this was done, taken by force despite my prohibition. I was so grateful, I didn’t tell her, no one.  How great that was can you imagine. Ha, ha, ha.” he said to me.

And I mused to never promise, vow if you can’t keep your vow; promise to love, be faithful forever if later you’d be sorry, repent to be bound, tied by it as I remember Si Bhuta, our pigeon, so free, still giring, (passionate in love running after its mate), faithful without vows or severe oaths even in old age, though she’s crippled, old, “ugly” and can’t fly, and I felt ashamed.

July 2008

How To Steal A Kiss

Opa Johan’s granddaughter wrote a  letter how she succeeded, managed to steal a kiss of granddad without having to wait 10 years more. Her letter was  in Indonesian.

To Opa:

How kiss opa? Like this: talk about songs or music and wait, patient. And we must sit beside or behind (in the car). That’s the way. Want to kiss you must sit.

So my story, one day I, oma, opa papi, mami and etc. in the car. We talked songs, then he’s hit. Every time I always hit a kiss opa. (without first having to wait till 17 years old)

From Angela

March 2004

May 2011

The Sweet Queen Of Beauty

The Sweet Queen Of Beauty

“How ingenious  when Nature arranges” said si Upik, pointing at the ‘eyes’ at the bottom of the manggiston. “If there are six, or five ‘eyes’ then inside will be followed by also six or five lumps of fruits without fail.”

“And … only if you know how to open it. Not the way to open a duku by pinching the fruit with thumb and forefinger, but by making a delicate incision around the outer part without damaging the inside. Then carefully open it as you open a jewel box and sshhh … Behold the sweet, lovely Queen of Beauty slumbering on a dark brown couch. Beautiful as a water lily, white, pure as fresh fallen snow, sweet, delicious, not less than honey. A fruit worth to be presented to the Gods.” So said si Upik,

Suara Karya, May 24 1997

May 2011

The Divine Spark

The Divine Spark

When a fallen hero might speak he would say: “I’m not a hero but just a human being as any other. It’s a God who drives, urges me to do  a so impossible humanly feat. Were it for me, I don’t even want to, couldn’t even do, couldn’t even have the nerve, the courage to.

So also are the poets, painters, thinkers, composers, … It’s a God who enlightened them with the Divine Spark, otherwise they never could create such wonderful works or thoughts. And it certainly is  not a privilege of God’s chosen, favored people only.”

December 1976

May 2011

Opa Johan's Nicest Ache

Opa Johan’s Nicest Ache

“Oh, oh, how it hurts” said Opa Johan’s wife.

“Do you think that only your rheumatism is hurting? Tooth-ache is not less hurting. Only you haven’t ever experienced it.” said her husband. “Well, choose an ache that’s nicest if there was one, stomach-ache, head-ache? Is there an ache which is not hurting, torturing?”

“Those women who practice their morning health exercises look so very healthy. They probably are seldom ill. “It’s true that good health is invaluable, money can’t buy as people say.” so said his wife.

“Oh, don’t be mistaken.  Anyhow, it doesn’t assure, secure one to be invulnerable to illnesses, sickness, decease. Sure, they are healthy, but they have other ailments  which we don’t see, hear. They don’t walk limping as you do,  their feet are not swollen, their body temperature not high, their voice not hoarse, don’t cough or lying ill in bed.

 “But their ailments could be an empty purse, heart-ache, jealousy, cheated, tricked, pursued by debts, which are not less pain-, hurtful  Suppose then, at that time - don’t be angry, this  is only ‘if’’ – if I run away with … ,” he whispered, “wouldn’t you be very, very hurt for days, weeks, you hardly could sleep,  eat? What’s the pain of your rheumatism? Almost nothing.” he comforted.

“The nicest ache, - just guess - is ‘love-ache’, you little fool. Ha, ha, ha.” as he kissed her.

August 2000   

May 2011

The Volley Ball Coach Thoughts On Coaching

The Volley Ball Coach Thoughts On Coaching

Some coaches were proud that they were certified coaches. They would start with showing pictures from a book, how to position, keep, move the hands, pass the ball, move side ways or forward, backward, how to warm up, how to jump, spike, blog, serve, about the size of the court, the net height, in and out, how to count and before you ever touched the ball it was time to leave and you still don’t know how to play, pass the ball. You almost don’t remember anything and you’re inclined to hate playing volley ball.

He is so clever that what is so simple seem so difficult and he smiles, is proud if you do it wrongly and don’t understand him.

I remember one of my volley ball players, when ordered to assist me in exercizing, I took the worst  beginner. Only he – he is uncertified though - could do it very well. He took a ball, exercized, played with her or him with the ball without much ado so encouragingly that it was so exciting, so easy that they loved it. He would smile and say “sure, you can”.

A good coach, guide, teacher, professor takes you straight to the point not via many byways to show off. It seems so simple, so easy what is so difficult.

May 2011

The Subtle Thief

The Subtle Thief

Fences, walls, barriers, guards, safes, bank accounts, credit cards, wouldn’t protect you. Caught, he wouldn’t be sued before the court though he has stolen the richest thing that is even more than all the world’s riches. 

Something like this is depicted on a billboard in Jakarta with the words “not just any man” who succeeded to steal, her heart, an angel in a barren desert, so it seems to say.

Her eyes are lovelier, brighter than the most precious stones.

Her whisper divine music.

When she comes I forget all

And I don’t care,

Whether tomorrow is Doomsday.

So he sings.

May 2011

Recipe For Staying Young

Recipe For Staying Young

There was an ink spot on a blank letter paper. Si Upik turned and turned the paper and contemplated, then , drawing lines and colored around the ink spot. The result was a nice letter paper which she send on her friend’s birthday.

“So, don’t be distressed, stressed, lament, loose your common sense when you encounter an “ink spot”. Just be a bit creative, patient and calm. When you’re  getting wet by rain, or fall in to a stream, why not have your shower in the rain or swim in the stream?

Like nasi menjadi bubur, rice becoming porridge, well, make a delicious chicken porridge out of it,  as to stay young.! Ha, ha ha.”. I remember her recipe for me.

Berita Buana, September 9, 1996

May 2011

The Choir Conductor's Question

The Choir Conductor’s Question

Whose is the choir DIASEBAD (DIatas SEtengah aBAD or over half a centuries old)? It’s ours, yours and mine. You, we have worked very hard for it. We have build it together. Not the church, nor the elders and neither the deacons. They have contributed nothing to our existence except the opportunity to exercise and sing in the church. We decide what we would offer. We take no orders.

May 2011

I Drank Water From My Lover's Mouth

I Drank Water From My Lover’s Mouth

“Lovers on TV kiss such stupid, long kisses. I drank my water out of my lover’s mouth. Ha. Ha. “ So told Opa Johan me.

May 2011

The Choir Conductor's Thoughts

The Choir Conductor’s Thoughts

Oh, what a lot, what a riches, I, we’ve gained! At least a better, stronger voice.

I’ve not just enjoyed music by hearing it perfect on CD or live in a concert hall, but performed it myself together with my choir and but an electronic organ, not an orchestra, yet enjoyed it even more though imperfect. Analyzing the musical score revealing the harmony, its beauty and enjoy it.

As when I  think of us who are now about 60 – 80 years of age, starting to exercise and sing eight years  before with almost no formal musical education and singing lessons.

Just think of such beautiful songs of “God So Loved The World” of Stainer, “The Divine Redeemer” of Gounod, or “Wie Der Hirsch Schreit Nach Frischem Wasser” of Mendelsohn.  We even took the courage to sing though but some numbers of  the “St. John’s Passion” of Bach, “Die Jahreszeiten” of Haydn. “Die Zauberflote” of Mozart. It took us months to master just one of it but we willingly, patiently exercised which gave us hours of joy, excitement and happiness.  How we loved the songs,  as I remember some 150 pieces, each one beautiful, unforgettable. How I, we, even enjoyed the charming “50 Lecons De Chant” of Concone. Am I ever so grateful to the composers. So he said to me.

Remember, this is Indonesian English. 

May 2011

Terry Schiavo

Terri Schiavo

Unyielding, her life was so invaluable, Terri Schiavo was kept alive for fifteen years while she had but little/no chance to live. In the Iraq war, not only one, but hundreds, thousands of healthy, happy people, very eager to live, were killed, maimed or wounded on purpose as though worthless among the warring, quarreling  nations.

April 2005

May 2011

Psalm Of David Of This Age 1

Psalm Of David Of This Age 1

In the direction to the greatest I couldn’t reach its limits, in the direction to the smallest I found a universe. In the direction to the past I found an eternity, no beginning, in the direction to the future I also found an eternity, no end, in the direction towards the middle, (where is the middle?) again an eternity.

I seem to be lost. I don’t know when, which age am I in eternity? Where is East, where is West and North or South? What is front, what behind, what is above and what below in the universe?

Yet am I  happy, though only present as a tiny spot in His magnificent unimaginable creation.

How happy is even the fern, moss, … though having no voice, no flowers, no defenses, no feet, wings and fixed for life to the same place.

1973

May 2011

Just Lucky To Be Born In This Age

Just Lucky To Be Born In This Age

All my fond thoughts which I wrote, the beautiful, valuable things I encounter, recorded, shot with my camera. they’re alive in my blog, in my picture’s blog, in You Tube. And I still want to write in Wikipedia about classified Volley Ball, bring back to “life” all my old valuable  recordings on tape and CD in You Tube.

What a joy and share this with you. Just open my blogs or You Tube, anywhere you are, whenever, whatever you want. We don’t need a player or a place to store them.

I don’t have to write with pen and ink in note-books, or type them on the type-machine, post them to a news paper anymore. It is even better than having them in books, in albums, on tape, CD, VCD, DVD. How lucky, happy, how grateful I am to be born in this age. And I thought of people who lived generations before me who haven’t access to what we have got now, what this age provides and I think of those, my grand-grand ... -children what they would have and enjoy in the future.

May 2011

On Being Earthly

On Being Earthly

Isn’t it a joy, a happiness, a heavenly gift, to be earthly-bound?

Be attached to my dog, my cat, my fighting cock,

Be attached to my choir, an old servant, a food stall vendor,

Be bound to my bed, my home, the environment, my country, my people,

Forgetting myself in a hobby, my “art”, my “philosophy”,

A mother, child-bound,

I, myself a man, bound to you MM, a woman and  vice-versa 

And to hunger, to thirst

After enjoyment, warmth, love and freedom

And all wishes, longings of being human

And all the dear things that bind, draw us to the earth.

Should I choose the happiness of being freed of desires, wishes, suffering,

As is the sage, the wise or those in Nirvana?

I don’t repent the suffering that accompanies it. 

Buda  forgive me my foolishness.

1975

May 2011

Study In Harmony

Study In Harmony

I would never have found these lovely chord progressions – You Tube: Study In Harmony 2 - were I to study harmony as educated according to the formal, accepted standards, rules, ways. How happy I am. It’s a precious gift to myself.

May 2011

Plus & Minus

Plus & Minus

Solomon had a lot of pluses that favored him. He was a king, handsome, young, rich, intelligent, wise. He certainly would be loved, liked especially by women because of his pluses. But suppose he became poor, sick, a prisoner, perhaps he would be left alone as what was liked, loved of him were his pluses.  

A vagrant, has a lot of minuses. He is poor, dirty, not handsome, has no proper education, has his home and sleeps under a bridge. Who would have him as a friend, like or marry him? But  if there was one who still would like or love him then he certainly must have some thing very good, special, at least recognize him as a human being, not observed, seen by others. And I think of Subandrio who had so many minuses as he was prisoner with a death sentence, shunned by the community and old, yet was chosen among all men by a loving woman to be her husband. That would be an invaluable  credit to them as they were loved, liked despite so many minuses.     

Suppose there was a painting with a plus of being extraordinary costly. Than there’s no credit to the painting as the owner treasures it because it was of a high money value. When it’s value drops, he might throw it away. And so is a flower, a fruit, a job, a sport, a hobby, …  with many pluses. When the pluses fall so will their eagerness for it, also fall, drop, flop, then leave it, stop, throw or go away.

That’s the drawback, disadvantage, weakness behind a lot of pluses as it was pursued because of the pluses, on the other hand, there’s the advantage, strength behind many minuses since it was pursued, achieved despite the minuses. A man with a big minus of being blind could still “see”, read and write.

May 2011

Remember This Is Leisurely Reading

Remember, This Is Leisurely Reading

I’ve no pretension to be complete, to be right, to be scientific,  historic, theological, artistic, to write good English, Dutch, Indonesian, to clever talk, except playful thoughts, talks for leisured pastime.  

May 2011

Musing On Shooting Pictures

Musing On Shooting Pictures

Sitting, enjoying my picnic with the “Gunung Salak” Mountain in front of me, I couldn’t desire, command the clouds the sky as I wanted to be. Any other time it will be different.  You should wait for just the right time and it might be a very long time to see the most beautiful scene, besides to have your camera with you and be trained to shoot well.

I once saw such a beautiful valley somewhere while picnicking near Sentul, so delightful, charming that I felt I would refuse visiting Europe, America were the opportunity offered me. But at that time I didn’t have  a camera yet.

Could you command, order a beautiful sunset?

I’m happy, content with what I’ve got. I’m lucky enough when I can get one really good, beautiful picture. 

May 2011