tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188617852012-02-27T20:57:18.661+07:00We are a group of Indonesians, ranting about our beloved country. This blog is a result of many people grumbling about many things in many ways. <br> <i>Feedback: indonesia.anonymus at gmail dot com</i>Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-68117823615175211892010-03-17T23:52:00.002+07:002010-03-18T00:02:10.502+07:00

When we read about Obama being a rock-star president, we thought that was mostly in the US. But no. Mr O is coming and goodness gracious look at all the frenzy!So let's get this straight: For those who think Obama would do things differrently from previous US presidents just because he grew up here, you may want to revisit that thought a little bit.Yes, he lived here in Jakarta. But he was seven!

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-79667027798406708322010-03-05T15:39:00.001+07:002010-03-05T15:42:47.126+07:00

We regularly read the Jakarta Post and have been for a very long time. From time to time we criticized it, so it is only fair if we praise them when they wrote something nice.It's about the Bank Century bailout scandal that now has turned into a circus.Towards the end of the editorial, the paper wrote:"If there is one valuable lesson from Century, it is the sad revelation that Indonesia is being

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-25271605641331813392010-02-23T16:58:00.003+07:002010-02-24T15:40:04.912+07:00

7. Life(Note: this is part 7 of 'the journey' series. To read from the beginning, click here.)I have been racking my brain trying to find things from my trip that I think is worth sharing, alas to no avail. Oh well. Too bad I did not keep notes along the way. So I guess this would be the last post of the series.It would be nice, of course, if after I got back from the trip, and after all of my

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-75539619482276834822010-02-08T17:08:00.003+07:002010-02-23T17:38:39.993+07:00

6. The Big Sister(Note: this is part 6 of 'the journey' series. To read from the beginning, click here.)One day I was on a bus, on my way to the next city. At one point, we passed a market, and the bus slowed down into a crawl. It was a hot day and the bus of course had no air conditioning. So while struggling to overcome the heat, I looked outside and tried to find fresh air through the gap in

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-61900381647262878222010-02-05T22:43:00.005+07:002010-02-05T22:59:41.006+07:00

(Note: this is part 5 of 'the journey' series. To read from the beginning, click here.)5. Breakfast at Sutini'sSomehow, when it comes to food, it was not the lunches or the dinners that I remember most from my trip. It was the breakfasts. Lunch was always hectic because I was always running around. And dinner, well, most of the time I was just too exhausted to even enjoy anything.But breakfasts

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-81965866533194089332010-01-13T17:50:00.003+07:002010-01-14T21:24:37.003+07:00

(Note: this is part 4 of 'the journey' series. To read from the beginning, click here.)4. The BaggageAs expected, being a first timer in this public-transport trip along Java, I lost a bag.I brought two bags for this trip: a backpack and a sport-bag (the one with a shoulder strap). My reason at the time was, in case I wanted to spend more than one day in a city, then I can just use my backpack

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-45120794439437412462009-12-24T16:44:00.010+07:002010-01-14T21:42:37.178+07:00

3. Feel like a fool(Note: this is part 3 of 'the journey' series. To read from the beginning, click here.)I started my trip at the inter-city bus station. So there I was, standing there, looking around when suddenly it hit me: I have never done this before. (I do travel, but mostly by flying, and a couple of times by train. But never by inter-city bus).That means, I did not know which bus I

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-91493411142916202412009-12-18T23:12:00.007+07:002010-01-14T21:24:07.997+07:00

2. The toilet psychology(Note: this is part 2 of 'the journey' series. To read from the beginning, click here.)One bad thing I did not realize until too late about taking this trip was that it will involve using public toilet. A lot.I have been fortunate all my life. My parents are well-off and they protected me really well. They made sure my world is a comfortable world. That's both good and bad

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-39653331506629386362009-12-18T17:35:00.002+07:002010-01-13T18:12:27.277+07:00

1. IntroductionMy name is Al, and as my colleagues have written previously, I just got back from my 3 week leave, taking a trip from west to east of Java, using only public transports.Before I start, I thought I should clarify a few points first.Number one, I am not a writer. I don't write and I am bad at it. So the "journey of a broken heart" posts you are about to read all have been kindly

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-78873911523443117872009-12-18T00:06:00.005+07:002010-02-24T15:32:08.635+07:00

Our young colleague, Al, is brokenhearted. His girlfriend dumped him, saying he spent too much time at work. to add salt to the wound, she is now planning to marry the rebound-guy whom she met not long after she left Al.Al is devastated. One secretary claimed she saw him crying near the water-cooler. Al denied it.But not all is lost: His hardwork paid off and he just got himself promoted. But

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-35906294848926542982009-10-14T17:24:00.003+07:002009-11-13T18:13:07.839+07:00

We read an opinion today by the Jakarta Post [1] and couldn't keep wondering why on earth they would write something like this. It's on Obama not coming to Indonesia in his Asia tour.Read the whole thing there but here is some taste of it:------" [...] Indonesia – the world’s third-largest democracy and country with the world’s largest Muslim population – is of vital strategic importance to the

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-80195432067636888242009-10-06T20:25:00.002+07:002009-10-06T20:42:07.183+07:00

It's God's will, some say. And we hear this time and time again when disaster strikes (such as the recent earthquake that took way too many lives.)It's God's will, some say.Sure, some of us Indonesians (if not most of us) are religious in one way or another. So respecting God's will is an instinctive response.It's God's will.Is it?OK, earthquake is a natural phenomenon, but if we really look at

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-85178090830754468022009-09-11T17:10:00.006+07:002009-09-11T19:52:03.177+07:00

In the past (and in our book) we wrote our opinion that drug users should not be thrown to jail.That drug users are not criminals. They committed no crime.(We think for an act to be considered a crime, there should be at least a victim. Either a loss or damage of property, injury, death etc.When people use drugs, there is no other victim other than themselves.This should set a clear

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-62372275295787946192009-09-09T15:13:00.003+07:002009-09-09T15:19:40.909+07:00

It's quite touching to from time to time receive an email or two from dear readers asking why we don't write very often.That's very sweet. Thank you.And if we could, we would blog more. It's fun. More fun than working, really.Unfortunately it is difficult to write something when most of our time we are exhausted doing this mundane things we call our job.(Just like everybody else we have to earn

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-3892325666967194272009-08-17T18:49:00.002+07:002009-08-17T18:52:07.727+07:00

More than a decade ago there was this thought in our mind, whenever we looked at our children:What if, one day, in the future, our children looked at us and ask:"Mom, Dad, What have you done? Why did you leave behind this poor, corrupt and undemocratic country? Why didn't you do something to change it? Now we have to fix everything..."So now, looking back, we are relieved to know that we can say:

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-21057461489783246282009-08-07T20:54:00.005+07:002009-08-07T21:06:51.553+07:00

Aparrently in Sudan women get flogged for wearing trousers.From the New York Times [1]:"The 1991 indecency law was adopted by Sudan's Islamic regime which came to power after a coup led by President Omar Al Bashir in 1989. It follows a strict interpretation of Islamic law that imposes physical punishment on ''those who commit an indecent act that violates public morale; or who dress indecently.''

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-48305232138025854942009-07-29T17:22:00.010+07:002009-07-30T13:58:19.015+07:00

Our young friend Roni went on assignment a while back. On the plane he had an interesting conversation with a fellow passenger. Here it goes, in his own words:I got on the plane and found my seat. Next to me was an elderly gentleman. Grey hair, nice batik shirt. Awfully familiar face although I still couldn't remember where I saw him before.While waiting for the plane to take off, I emptied my

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-17314559779470599202009-07-09T20:20:00.005+07:002009-07-09T20:31:04.045+07:00

That seems to be the theme these days, since it is 'almost' certain that SBY will keep his job for another term.It would be an understatement if we say we are not touched by the whole democratic process. Watching people going to the voting booth, having their say, and see for themselves how their votes actually matter.You see, we here at the IA compound are not young (average age of 54) and we

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-66404032024424391192009-06-29T18:04:00.004+07:002009-06-30T03:56:48.520+07:00

Is it just us or is there more and more ads about 'how to get rich' on many Indonesian blogs?Do you notice them? Some are about how to make money through internet ads, some offering multilevel marketing gimmicks, and some selling ebooks on how to get rich without even trying, which sounds like scams than anything else.Let's get it straight:we are not criticizing those who place the ads. People

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-15798876366808758072009-05-28T18:32:00.004+07:002009-05-28T18:58:02.598+07:00

(A friend of a friend wrote this in a social networking site. We translate, edit and publish it here with her permission. We added the footnote to make sure all sources are cited. A slighty more original version in bahasa Indonesia can be found at our other blog here.)---Dear friends,It's such a relieve to finally cast my vote in the election.A relieve because before this I did not even know

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-79319570575667485102009-05-26T14:47:00.000+07:002009-05-26T14:48:13.626+07:00

A bunch of Muslim clerics in East Java "are seeking ways to regulate online behavior in Indonesia, saying the exploding popularity of social networking sites like Facebook could encourage illicit sex" [1].Oh, please.Anybody still wonders why Islamic parties are losing votes in the recent election?--------Eskimo: "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to Hell?"Priest: "Not if you did not

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-31026949293949020282009-05-19T15:26:00.007+07:002009-05-20T19:52:21.269+07:00

"Vice presidency is like a spare tire. It has no power to do anything." said Prabowo's henchman at the Gerindra party [1].But that was a week ago. This week, apparently it is ok for Prabowo to be a spare tire in Megawati bandwagon, and it will be made official on May 24 [2].People, however, have not forgotten about his past."His past? You mean his crime against humanity thing?" asked one

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-33273530461120231252009-05-14T21:51:00.002+07:002009-05-14T21:56:09.290+07:00

And hence we forget things.With all the excitement of having published a book, we forgot to mention a friend who has made it possible.Without him, this blog will just be a little blog in the corner of cyberspace.Thanks to him, now it is also a little book in the corner of a bookshop. (We did mention and thank him in the book, but we thought we should mention him here too, so here it is).He is

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-85123156800497645412009-05-12T23:22:00.001+07:002009-05-12T23:25:55.655+07:00

What do you know. Global warming may cause Indonesia to shrink, like a wool sweater in a tumble dryer.With the rise of the sea level, it is said that 8 of 92 Indonesia's outmost small islands are vulnerable. They are Kepala, Dolangan, Manterawu, Fani, Fanildo, Brass, Laag and Nipah islands.Although small, they are important: They serve as baselines for Indonesian sea territory. So if one of this

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18861785.post-47876622964292644582009-05-07T14:37:00.003+07:002009-05-07T16:37:12.376+07:00

But it is.With humility we present to you our first book, published by Gramedia Pustaka Utama.It's in Bahasa Indonesia, so our sincere apology to our english-speaking readers.in keeping with this blog's tradition of being non-profit, net income from the book's royalty (if it sells, that is!) will be directed to charitable activities in education.Already available at Gramedia bookstores.Kopi Merah

Indonesia Anonymushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08082457164468524565noreply@blogger.com15