December 28, 2009

Since when…

does a President need to “clarify” things to an author?

Apa karena pengarang itu George Aditjondro, keeper of all things anti corruption? Padahal isi buku yang judulnya serem itu, konon adalah studi literatur terhadap informasi yang sudah terbit?

Dulu, jaman Orde Baru Pak Harto, saat informasi (sangat) terbatas bila dibandingkan saat ini, buku seperti “Membongkar Gurita Cikeas” sangat menggoda, karena bisa jadi ada (banyak) data rahasia muncul dalam tulisan-tulisan.

Sekarang bagaimana? Ini jaman web 2.0 bung! Google, Facebook, Twitter, Blog. Yang rajin mencari, pasti nemu sesuatu. Tidak cari pun, beberapa stasiun TV siap dengan berbagai wawancara ekslusif, rekaman eksklusif (wiretapping is so Watergate!). Seru deh.

Tapi konon sebuah toko buku besar sudah menarik buku tersebut dari rak bukunya karena ada telepon dari pihak tertentu. Haduh toko buku, punyalah nyali sedikit! Sebelum ada polisi datang razia seharusnya telepon gelap tidak perlu dipedulikan! Takut amat.

Jujur saya geli membaca komentar seorang pembaca kompas.com yang menyatakan bahwa mungkin yang menyebar isu adalah pihak penjual sendiri karena waktu launching kurang ramai dan perlu ada kehebohan supaya buku dicari orang… wah, dulu tuh ada cerita novel yang pernah saya baca, seorang pemilik stasiun TV Amerika jadi provokator perang saudara di Timur Tengah supaya TVnya laku!

Dan sekarang orang menghimbau/meminta/menuntut Presiden sendiri untuk klarifikasi isi buku? Halaah? Seriously? Sejak kapan Presiden harus klarifikasi? Sampai titik ini rasanya tidak ada alasan Pak Presiden harus klarifikasi.

Sebaliknya pihak kepresidenan pun santai aja deh. Menurut saya tidak perlu ramai. Jangan terpancing. Atau ya sekalian tim hukum yang bergerak apabila memang ada dirasakan ada character assassination atau pencemaran nama baik.

Bapak dan ibu di DPR, kalau mau usul sesuatu, yang konstrukti laah. Masih banyak PR bapak dan ibu, banyak undang-undang perlu evaluasi, anggaran perlu dilihat kembali dan lain-lain…

Jadi, let’s get back to work deh!

November 25, 2009

Quote from President Barack Obama’s Speech on launch of “Educate to Innovate”

Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama dalam pidato peluncuran program “Educate to Innovate” :

The leadership of tomorrow depends on how we educate our students, especially in those fields who hold promise of future innovations and innovators. That’s why education in math and science is so important.”

Time and again, we have let partisan and petty bickering, stand in the way of progress. Time and again, we have let our children down.”

Jadi dapatkah kita sejenak menaruh drama politik di belakang (seberapa pun pentingnya pemberantasan korupsi) untuk juga memberi energi yang sama untuk perbaikan pendidikan? Apalagi bila pendidikan yang baik juga dapat menghasilkan orang-orang yang tidak korupsi?

November 24, 2009

The Heart is not Rational

About five years ago, a certain “event” caused to me to utter the phrase “Matter of the hearts is never rational”.

And how true that is. While biologically, the Heart (Bahasa Indonesia: “Jantung”) is the major organ in our body which distributes absolutely important oxygen to our cells, we often use the word “heart” (Bahasa Indonesia: “Hati”) when we feel something we can’t really explain with our rational and logic. Falling in love is never logical. The question “What do you see in him/her?” always appears in conversation as we stumble in trying to explain why we love him/her.

So as I ponder some news that has upset me today, I can only seek comfort that based on previous experience (that’s the work of the brain :-) ) the brain will understand the heart, eventually.

November 23, 2009

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

DISCLAIMER: VERY PERSONAL INDIVIDUAL POINT OF VIEW. IT’S MY BLOG, GET YOUR OWN BLOG IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH ME & WANT TO THROW ROCKS AT THE PRESIDENT :-)

Boy I bet that’s how our President feels right now, between a rock and a hard place…

Some things are more obvious than others, and the general consensus is that he could’ve and should’ve dealt with it sooner but (and this is a rhetorical question) can you really blame the guy? Remember, rhetorical :-) And to rub salt on his wound, he’s being compared to the former no 2, but that’s okay, he can take it (I think). He is after all, the President :-)

Now… :::getting on soapbox:::

In a country where people get jailed for a civil case (you mean Prita M was a flight risk? Seriously?) or dragged to court for 3 measly pieces of cacao (those with law degrees should be ashamed for not flying directly to defend Mbok Minah at her trial), or charged for charging (pun intended) their mobiles in the corridor of their apartment, do you really wonder why Bibit & Chandra was arrested? Yeah I know that the case against them reeked of set-up so bad you could probably smell it in the North Pole. But praising KPK to the skies is not really my idea trying to create a corruption free country. Not diminishing their accomplishments but KPK is not (in my very humble opinion) the be-all-end-all solution of eradicating corruption. They are very advanced, and seem to learn from prior experiences how to get the guy, and they managed to build strong cases against some suspects, but again, they are only one piece of the puzzle. However, if you read, listen and watch the media right now, you would think they’ve descended from the heavens to save us mere mortals :-)

I work in a place that uses government money, and just learning about the budgeting system can make you stomach churn and you will understand how people can “work” the system to their liking. That’s just an example, and the horror story that came out of the recordings is also an example. I’m not saying anything more or pointing fingers, but my point is that there needs to be an overhaul of the budgeting system (which I hear is currently planned for 2011?) in order to reduce the opportunities for corruption. Without that, I don’t think we have a real chance of a corruption free country no matter who the President is, so for those playing the “what if” game…well, keep playing if it makes you happy. No objection from me :-D .

And whose job is it to blow away corruption and make sure the country isn’t robbed? For me, it’s all of us. Although social networking is sometimes seen as a time waster, I love the increase in awareness of society for serious issues that has come up as a result of all the social networks (now, if we could reduce the addiction to farmville it’s icing on the cake hahahaha… don’t hate me, farmers! I love you all!) Hopefully, we can create the change and make our country as great as it could be!

:::getting off soapbox:::

REPEAT DISCLAIMER: VERY PERSONAL INDIVIDUAL POINT OF VIEW. IT’S MY BLOG, GET YOUR OWN BLOG IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH ME & WANT TO THROW ROCKS AT THE PRESIDENT :-)

November 8, 2009

How about addicted to Twitter? Just 36%

How addicted to Twitter are you?

Created by Oatmeal

November 8, 2009

Addicted to Facebook? Just 67%

How Addicted to Facebook Are You?

Created by Oatmeal

October 5, 2009

For the child in all of us…

orange kitty

orange kitty

Ever had a toy that you loved and cherished forever (or so it seems)? For me it was a chimp called Jocko. Around 30something years ago, my Dad brought Jocko home from Germany. Dad explained that Jocko was special because he had a “knopf im ohr”. He was made by a famous toy company named Steiff. Steiff made high quality soft toys, all in Germany (no “made in China” for them!). Obviously, more expensive than other soft toys. Their trademark was the “knopf im ohr” or the “button in the ear”. Expensive? Obviously. My Dad must have skipped some meals in Germany to get me Jocko (I LOVE YOU DAD). Jocko became my best friend, sleeping next to me on my bed. I loved soft toys as a kid (and an adult, too!).

Years passed and since I moved around a lot in the 90s, Jocko got lost somewhere in the jungle that was my soft toy collection. I had tons (or at least a few boxes) of cuddy soft toys.

However, I always remembered Jocko because of the “knopf im ohr”. When I got the chance to visit Germany, I realized how precious and expensive Steiff toys are, which made me love my Dad even more. Then one day last week, I saw the orange kitty in the store, and I fell in love all over again with Steiff. The 50% discount helped also :-) .

Anyway, this is dedicated to my Dad, and to the kid in all of us… everybody needs at least ONE cuddly soft toy in their lives!

the famous "knopf im ohr"

the famous "knopf im ohr"

knopf im ohr

September 16, 2009

You are missed, Pak…

The beginning of the semester is usually chaotic, and this semester is no exception. For the past two weeks, my patience has been tested by the fact that when I arrive to start the lab course, the doors to the lab have not been opened yet, and the tech doesn’t have the key.

What the…?

Then it hit me. Until last year, I did not have any problems because one of my colleagues have opened the doors to the lab every Wednesday morning without fail. This July he passed away.

Since then, things have not been the same.

You are sorely missed Pak, I wish you were still with us :-(

Al Fatihah untuk Bp. Ellyzar IM Adil MS.

September 15, 2009

The Biologist in me totally gets this!

2PM …Which Will Likely Also End in a Cell.

Lecturer, discussing cell membranes: “So now the membrane has potential… unlike my career.”

Physiology Lecture
Melbourne University
Australia

Overheard by: martinasnape
via Overheard in the Office, Sep 11, 2009

I’m still laughing…

July 26, 2009

What do you believe in?

This quote deserves a blog post:

First there is a time when we believe everything, then for a little while we believe with discrimination, then we believe nothing whatever, and then we believe everything again – and, moreover, give reasons why we believe.
– Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

For those who want to know who Lichtenberg is, please click here. For me, this quote says a lot, and has made me ask myself, where am I at this moment?