Opa Johan Teasing His Wife

Opa Johan Teasing His Wife

“Here have some, this is not nice though. Am I not a good husband to always think of you first, my dear little fool?  Ha, ha.” as Opa Johan offered his wife a part of his dish he doesn’t like.

March 2012

The Sawah Or Paddy Field In Former Times

The Sawah Or Paddy Field In Former Times*

I imagine that a paddy corn stalk would be graceful as an ornament such as a necklace, worn on the shoulder, on the breast, around the wrist or hung in a bunch in an entrance, on a door, a window as decoration.

Watch men and women reaping paddy with the ani-ani(very small paddy cutter), women pounding merrily together in self-improvised rithm in the lesung, (a boatlike holed out big trunk of a tree), then clear them from the husks on the tampah(a very broad rounded tray) by throwing the corn up and catching it, up and catching it, up ... There is a Tapanuli song Sege-sege about it,

See a wonderful paddy forest from beneath and waving ripe golden paddy corn in the wind from up above, the saung,(bamboo shelter on a sawah) the wind mills to scare the birds, the buffalow, ...

The sawah(rice-field) with abundant fish and many frogs, the white kuntul fishing-bird, hear the sounds, sight of falling water from sawahto sawah, feel, hear the wind rustling, sighing, blowing in your ears, the suling (flute) so weeping one would get a heartache.

And nearby, a kali(streamlet), a bamboo grove, a desa (village), the picturesque pedati (cart with a triangled or rounded roof) and a driver, drawn by a cow slowly walking on the lonely road so peaceful.

And instead, Indonesians pride themselves with showing the village bamboo cottages,  huts,

saungs, sawahs, tropical rain-forests in an international exhibition which most are no more, almost no more today, yet, they themselves stay, live in houses, mansions, cities, ...

March 2012

* The pictures are of today's.

The Congea

The Congea

Certainly, the orchid is excellent, exquisite, yet love I the congea more. She looks like an orchid, soft purple colored, a beauty with inner winning ways that doesn’t come to the fore-ground. Warm, rich in full bloom, so fair as a veil up in the air. so charming as a crown adorning a woman's hair.

And I remember the Edelweiss on the Gede mountain, so beautiful that I wish I could hand a branch of it as a bouquet to my bride.

February 2011

March 2012

What's Its Name Red Flower

I saw a wonderful plant radiant with red tiny flowers and took it home, yet as I carefully searched it in my computer, I still found a more beautiful slender branch of it which I didn’t notice before. My digital camera did it.  

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A Mind Traveller's Adventures

A Mind Traveller’s Adventures

Sure, I can’t pride myself on having travelled to Switzerland, Paris, Rome, Moskow, Tokyo, New York, ...  yet can I travel to the future, to the past.

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.

The farthest, longest distance to the North, or South or West or East, can’t be found as there were no limits, no East or West, or up above or down below, no left nor right.

Light travels the fastest they say but my mind is yet faster still by far. I toured the stars billion light years far away at my ease, nothing could obstruct, lingered there as long I like,  toured the heavens, the Milky Way, the Universe just in an instant without having to pay, as I travelled leisurely in my mind. Ha, ha.

Though I created Opa Johan, his wife, Pak Arif, The Choir Conductor, The Volley Ball Coach,  si Upik, si Upi, ... my little world, though God created the whole world and all there are, but it’s I created  God, in my mind. Ha, ha.

March 2012

Musing About A Painting

Musing About A Painting

There was a beautiful painting shown of a fairy playing a harp in a cultural exhibition of Iran at the Jakarta’s museum, Jl. Merdeka Barat recently. Too bad, only visitors of the exhibition, only the owner, who could afford to buy it could view and enjoy it. And it is the same were it a famous world exhibition. 

I don’t believe that a painter ever thinks that the man who has bought them, only has the chance, the right to enjoy, love them. A painter would be very happy if the whole world knows his paintings and loves them.

When a writer sells, publishes his writings he always has a copy just as exactly as the original script. But a painter, once he has sold his paintings he almost will never see them anymore. 

It is the dealer, investor in the works of Art that are very happy if the price of the painting soars to a very high level. And who gets it? Not the artist unless he’s already very famous. Van Gogh who died a long time ago was not rich, yet if he could get what they pay for just one painting of him in Christie’s auction house today, he would be a very rich man.

The painting was perhaps hung in a grand hall of the new owner. It’s his pride and honor, though he perhaps doesn’t have the time to view it very often as he might be a very rich, busy, successful businessman. Only his wife, few visitors and his household servant cleaning the hall could view it. 

“Ha.ha. But that’s other one’s pride and honor, he needs someone’s great name, build a big investment in the works of art.” remarks si Upik.

I have seen Rembrandt’s “The Nightwatch” in You Tube. I’m content I can view it there or in someone’s blog.

I’m grateful for reprints of paintings though only in a newspaper, or a calendar in the past, otherwise, how could I know them? An exhibition in You Tube could be visited by far more people from the whole world rather than a live exhibition. Moreover the paintings are preserved for “eternity”. He doesn’t need a large picture gallery to hang them or store them as a heap of goods or money in a safe and he can still sell the original paintings in a live exhibition.

I don’t need a Photo Album, Records, Audio Tapes, CD’s, DVD’s, even a Photo Gallery of the works of art in my computer now. I’m content, grateful as I can visit the world’s gallery of art, concerts, operas, ... in You Tube any time I want without spending a huge sum of money to own the original and travel the world to visit the famous museums of art, concert halls abroad. It’s as though these treasures are mine without  having to buy and store them.

I believe, one day we could have access to all books in the world in all languages in the internet as I think that Man started to write, scratch them on rocks, stones, leaves, ... to preserve his thoughts, imaginations, feelings, ... That, which was impossible in the past will not be impossible in the future.

March 2012

My Travel Into The Year A.D. 10000

My Travel Into The Year A.D. 10000

What we now think as great, superb, will be something out of date in the year 10000 as a man riding on a camel to flying in a super jet.

The earth was so green, so serene, except the warble of birds, gurgling creeks, whispering leaves in the wind. I seldom saw a man, or was it an alien of outer space who was sailing in the air.

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

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

It was so easy for them to regulate the number of population by birth control and so rebuild the earth into a paradise to be happy for man and all creatures.

I then started as I came back and I saw 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, stress and sleepless nights.

It’s now 1994 and that was but in the year 10000 A.D. What about the year 50000 A.D.?                  

From Berita Buana, September 9, 1994

March 2012

Nature

Nature

Nature celebrates the grandness of every new day, the peacefulness of every night. She doesn’t care about the New Year, Christmas, ... Day or “Silent Night”.

March 2012

Remembering Benji, The Unwanted Puppy

Remembering Benji, The Unwanted Puppy

She should be called Lucky, not Benji as she was so lucky to be picked up by si Upik as a very little, dirty, stinking, shivering puppy, left behind in a garbage heap in the rain with her eyes so piteously looking. She had to be given away and was sent to a Hansip (a man in charge to guard our district) who kept street dogs. She was so small, she couldn’t compete with the others for food, yet, almost unbelievable, she was so lucky this little puppy she could crawl and find the way back, entered stumbling through the trellis gate into our house the next day.  Then si Upik decided to take care of her despite her mother’s wishes. She was treated  in a dog’s asylum for her skin decease. She again was lucky she wasn’t killed as the doctor might think that she should better be finished as she was so ugly, stinking,  no one would have, or buy her unless  si Upik  take her back. And she came back after a long time and paid the doctor for his care.

Benji was bald when she came back, grew up, became healthy, beautiful with long hair, so loved. She was regarded as a very loved member of our family. Our coming home was a joy to see her waiting for us on the balcony, then lively, excitedly welcomed us, running to and fro,  jumping up the stairs. She was so courageous that she jumped up,  raged when the thunder threatening roared and when I took her for a walk she gladly went with me, she wasn’t ashamed though when she had her knotted, twisted hair badly cut.  There was no dog jeered at her foolish appearance. It was me that was ashamed, embarrassed walking with her. Ha. Ha.

These are the only pictures of her, I am happy I can preserve it  in You Tube, even though she was already old, feeble and sick. I still see her in my mind.

We all missed her when she died. If  Benji only could be retrieved back to life, I would gladly clean up when she vomits, or spoon her when she’s reluctant to eat, ... But as I now think am I happy that she died. Peaceful now, free from her illness and piteous appearance, instead to live a life of sufferings in old age.

July 2000

March 2012

What A Joy Is Learning 7.2 My Fishpond

What A Joy Is Learning 7.2 My Fishpond

I had built a pond and an island, with shallows, as wide as possible in my small back garden, The very thin, very low wall border was done by very patiently  cementing not smoothly, but by spoonful cementing 100% cement, like building a mini Great Wall of China, working for days, and so must I build also a wall around my island.  These should be very strong even when you stand on or kick it and it’s still strong today after more than 20 years out of use.  Imagine when there would be a leak, how rescue so many fishes, how find the leaking spot? I made emergency outlets, cemented barriers in case of a big rain or leakage and so I became a bit of a water engineer, Ha.ha.

Not a landscape artist, I had Nature be the artist and do the work. There were many kind of water weeds from the marshes, growing, in or floating on the water. They thrived and became a water paradise but after a long time only some, many didn’t survive as perhaps the strongest water weeds changed the water quality as most suited to them, killing the others. I planted the  Yangliu (Chinese willow) in the garden,  there is the Waringin, a bird nested and bats visited.

I had fishes from the marshes, which I took home from my running travels in the country, most have I succeeded to save from drying ditches during a dry season or when villagers were catching fish by poisoning a ditch or pond. Such kind of fishes were not displayed, sold by aquarium-fish sellers, no one would buy them, they were regarded as ordinary, worthless: the cupang, sepat, beunteur, tigerfish, julung-julung, cenang-cenang, freshwater-shrimps, a sawah frog. Snails. They’re watchful, on guard. In the beginning, they live peacefully, prosper, multiply without having to feed them and I had a lot then.

The young generation today haven’t seen them. You almost never would see them again now and I have no pictures of them.

My sawah frog, a superb jumper, grew till it “quacks”, my cenang-cenang  are skilled jumpers, jumping out of the pond in a hard rain. I had a spider weaving her web above the pond, a stray dragonfly laid her eggs, her pupea looks very frightening and was very ferocious too. My wild white water-lily bloomed, I had a waterplant that had their flowers on the floating leaves, the touch me not, planted near the pond became a mini  flambuoyant tree, with its branches stretched over the water, ...

The maanvis (moon fish) parents, an aquarium-fish in a natural surrounding, were watchful brooding, herding, guarding their brood and as they grew, seeing them swimming together as hundreds of aeroplanes was an enchanting sight, 

But as my tiger fish, so innocent before became so big, ferocious, I lost  almost all my cupangs, all my shrimps and was forced to free it in the kali Ciliwung (river) including the snails from the Bogor Botanical Gardens which I succeeded to hatch, became a serious threat razing, grazing my waterplants.

See, watch them swim, eat, fight, make love, brood, ... live rather than learn it as dull as taught at school, so learned but dead and dry as lectured.

I could enjoy learning, love almost anything were I to have the time. Not only Nature, but also Mathematics, Astronomy, Languages, Geography, Oceanography, History, Music, Art, ... and most of all, Life’s Philosophy and learn it by watching, hearing, playing, singing,  painting, doing, investigating, ... it live, not in a hurry, not burdening, torturing your brains. You can never enjoy, eat, learn  more than what is your capacity unless you want to be sick, stressed. You can’t hurry, speed up your life. Life is too short, even thousand years, would you learn it all, yet am I content and happy with the little I achieved, know, am capable of.

March 2012

The Reformer

The Reformer

There’s a fine statue in Jakarta of Harjuna* and Kreshna* standing in their warrior chariot drawn by eight fiery horses. How it stirs the imagination of one who watches this artistic work for a long while.

Harjuna had just shot his arrow into the air, fighting, warring evil spirits which are hovering over the earth, whispering wicked spells into the people’s heart. When these spirits are among happy, cheerful people, unrest, envy, suffering, destruction, quarrels arise and tears are flowing.

“Evil spirits carry disaster, enlightened whisperings bring blessings” said si upik.

I remember Pak Arif’s enlightened thought. He said that he isn’t offended, doesn’t envy others who can afford to stay in a five star hotel, have a mansion as a palace, owning many giant corporations, tour the world, eating steak, ice cream, wine every day and he doesn’t. His feet are worth more than a Mercy, his brain and body are even more than computers and a space station. His health, freedom, happiness is turning the simplest foods into a heavenly meal.

He doesn’t have to trouble, to busy, to worry himself about reforming the country and the people as many people already chase, compete, busy themselves after it. He feels himself so rich, what, whom should he envy, ha, ha, ha, he laughed. In fact, pak Arif could only afford to buy himself a bicycle.

And where the chariot passed, where the horses ran, galloped and stepped, springs were spouting, welling up clear, fresh water. The earth became fertile, green, trees growing, heavy with abundant fruits, the paddy rich in golden showers, flowers bloomed, birds were warbling, butterflies, dragon flies hovering, … even when it was a dreary, dry, rocky region before.

When they passed through the ruins of a fire or the remains of a plunder, there was new construction, when they passed through poor, forlorn villages the villages prosper, there was no unrest, suffering, hate, jealousy, blackmail, And when they visited government buildings, there was no so called Corruption, Collusion, Nepotism anymore. Anywhere, any place they visited became peaceful and something of a paradise.

Following Kreshna’s divine advice, Harjuna traveled, rode the whole land to establish a dream kingdom, Indraprastha. “Oh, no, that’s not Harjuna, but he is the Reformer, building a new, prosperous, happy, peaceful, beautiful Indonesia!” whispered an inner voice and I waked up from my reverie. It’s a pity that this should just only be a dream.

* Note

Harjuna a hero, Kreshna a God in the Mahabharata

From Suara Karya, August 24, 1998

March 2011

March 2012

The Choir Conductor On Being One's Own Teacher

The Choir Conductor On Being One’s Own Teacher

And since I started to conduct the choir some 13 years ago and now am 82 have I still succeeded to improve my voice and of my aged members, succeeded to improve my conducting, not so much as just beating time, which is almost impossible but I, we, believe that it could, as Mr. Chew about human potentials asserted.  “Yes, sure.” He said.

Exercizing my voice, walking, cycling – I still enjoy travelling into the country - subdues my asthma, diabetes and blood pressure, besides gaining good health. I’m so grateful as I think that I can write, read, see, conduct my choir, exercize my eyes, my voice devising my own exercizes, ...  better than before just by being my own teacher, trainer.

We certainly also very much love singing, music, at least for ourselves. Though we’re not talented as Herbie Hancock who started to learn the piano at a very early age, but does old age, lack of talent, disabilties prevent one to learn, enjoy music?

And I thought of the disabled playing wheelchair-tennis, sitting volleyball and Stevie Wonder who’s blind, singing, playing piano and composing.

We’re happy, content to  sing, have our concerts in our little church Bethlehem in Jakarta though just for the church’s small community.

Here he is, the Choir Conductor, exercising his voice, playing the piano, recording, conducting his choir, edit and broadcast it himself in You Tube.

March 2012