The Prince to Wed

After decades of affair, Britain's most famous unmarried couple got permission to wed from the Queen.

The ceremony on 8 April will be held at Windsor Castle, the place where Diana spent lots of her time with her children. Camilla won't take the title the Princess of Wales, but the Duchess of Cornwall or later on the Princess Consort.

If only the Queen granted them the permission much sooner...

Lunar New Year

Today is the beginning of Chinese New Year. Gong Xi fat chai!
Almost everywhere you read: Chinese Rooster Year, yes almost. According to one website that I found, it is NOT Rooster, but Hen because it is a Green Wooden Chicken of which has a female character. But we are living in a patriarchal world... So Rooster it is.

Now, there are two things I didn't understand.

First, In Indonesian papers I saw they put 'Chinese year 2556' starts today, while in other websites they put year 4702 or 4703. The explanation of year 4702 and 4703 is the difference of the starting point. The year 4702 came from the old legend about the Yellow King who became king in 2697BC. According to the legend the inauguration of Yellow King was held in the spring of 2697BC. However he used other starting point in his calendar, namely the winter solstice day which was around December 23rd in 2698BC. Therefore some people believe we are entering the year 4703.

So far I couldn't find any explanation on the year 2556. Can anyone help?

Second, They said because on the 9th is a new moon day, therefore it is the first day of the first Chinese month. However, Islamic/Javanese/Balinese calendars which are also lunar calendars marked February 10th to be their first day of the year.

The last time I checked, we only have one moon. So can anyone please explain to me how is it possible?

Tidur

Paling tidak sepertiga umur kita dihabiskan melakukannya. Ada yang hanya butuh 5 jam sehari, ada yang butuh 9 jam. Tiap orang membutuhkan lama yang berbeda, walau menurut ahlinya rata² manusia dewasa membutuhkan tidur selama 7-9 jam sehari.

Tapi jangan dikira saat tidur itu kita membuang waktu, kita membutuh kan tidur. Saat tidur badan kita memang istirahat, tapi tidak demikian dengan otak kita. Otak kita tetap bekerja memonitor tubuh kita bahkan kadang bekerja lebih aktif daripada saat kita terjaga, ia juga 'mengisi kembali' tenaganya. Yang jelas tidur itu diperlukan untuk menjaga kemampuan kognitif kita.

Coba perhatikan, bila kita kurang tidur maka kita akan kurang awas dan otak kita seakan lamban bekerja. Efek kurang tidur ternyata hampir sama dengan efek minum alkohol, menurut penelitian bila kita melek selama 17 jam tanpa henti, efeknya hampir sama seperti kita minum 2 gelas anggur. Selain itu emosi kita juga terganggu bila kurang tidur, biasanya kita jadi lebih cepat naik darah selain menambah stress. Malah menurut penelitian terakhir, efek kurang tidur adalah obesitas yang dikarenakan terganggunya hormon yang menekan nafsu makan yang biasanya dikeluarkan saat tidur.

Kalau diperhatikan, saat bayi harus diajari untuk dapat tidur tanpa terbangun² di tengah malam. Begitu juga anak² sulit disuruh tidur, bila dituruti mereka maunya bermain saja. Sementara, remaja biasanya justru sulit dibangunkan. Bila telah dewasa dan tidak terkena insomnia, orang tua biasanya justru berkurang tidurnya. Ternyata tidur itu tidak mudah. Semua perbedaan ini dikarenakan oleh bioritmik manusia, jam tubuh kita yang mengatur badan kita harus istirahat atau bekerja.

Menurut penelitian, manusia boleh dibilang terbagi dua, mereka yang jam circadiannya seperti burung hantu (Owl) yang dapat berfungsi sampai jauh malam tapi sulit bangun pagi, dan mereka yang seperti burung Lark (bhs Indonesianya apa ya?) yang pagi² sudah bangun seiring matahari terbit tapi cenderung cepat tidur. Memang kebanyakan orang bioritmiknya seperti lark, jadi jam hidup merekalah yang boleh dibilang jam normal. Mereka yang bioritmiknya seperti burung hantu sering dicap malas karena masih molor saat orang lain sudah bangun, padahal hal ini sudah diatur gennya!

Jam circadian ini pula yang menyebabkan jetlag bila kita bepergian ke tempat yang berbeda zona waktunya. Mereka yang mengalami jetlag biasanya kesulitan menyesuaikan diri dengan waktu setempat, karena badannya masih mengikuti waktu tempat asal. Untuk mengatasinya, disarankan untuk segera mengikuti ritme hidup di tempat tujuan, tidak mengkonsumsi alkohol selama perjalanan, makan yang ringan, dan juga sport.

Tea - a mirror of soul

Bukan, saya bukan mau bercerita tentang minuman, tapi film yang baru saja world premiere di Rotterdam Film Festival yang sedang berlangsung. Film karya Frank Scheffer ini dibuat berdasarkan opera Tea karya Tan Dun, seorang komposer Cina yang beken dengan soundtrack Couching Tiger Hidden Dragon serta Hero.

Selain wawancara baik dengan Tan Dun, Xu Ying sang librettist (penulis teks Opera) maupun Pierre Audi sang sutradara opera, film ini juga menampilkan upacara meminum teh Jepang, Wayang Cina dan pemandangan yang ada hubungannya dengan (pembuatan) teh serta tentunya opera Tea itu sendiri. Opera Tea bercerita tentang pangeran Seikyo dari Jepang yang jatuh cinta dengan putri Lan dari dinasti Tang di Cina. Sayangnya hubungan cinta keduanya terputus saat Lan terbunuh ketika mencoba menghentikan duel memperebutkan buku Wisdom of Tea antara kakaknya dan sang kekasih. Seikyo yang patah hati akhirnya menjadi biarawan yang di hari tuanya minum teh dari cawan yang kosong.

Teh sebagai metafor hidup digambarkan membutuhkan dua elemen yang bertolak belakang, api dan air, yang harus seimbang. Bila terlalu banyak api, maka daun teh akan terbakar; sementara bila kurang api atau panasnya, maka daun teh tersebut akan tidak terbuka. Sederhana tapi mengena.

Seperti film² yang ada hubungannya dengan Tan Dun, soundtrack film ini indah sekali, seimbang antara unsur barat dan timurnya, dengan sekelumit suara organik seperti suara air, kertas, serta keramik yang memberikan rasa yang khas Tan Dun. Sayangnya, ada kesan film ini dibuat tergesa-gesa, kejar tayang pada IFFR, asal tau saja ini satu²nya film yang tidak di screening terlebih dahulu oleh panitia penyelenggara! Mungkin bila dipoles lagi secara visual film ini akan lebih indah. Menurut saya, terutama pada scene-scene outdoor warnanya nanggung, kurang sexy. Warnanya kurang keluar, bila dibanding scene indoor-nya. Entah itu sengaja atau tidak saat post production, yang kalau tidak salah ingat dikerjakan di Belanda, yang jelas bagi saya itu mengganggu mata walaupun montagenya keren.

Sebagai suatu paket, film Tea yg diproduksi Allegri Film amat menarik, dan patut ditonton

What I've learned so far from Tsunami

1. Knowledge is the key
When I read the story of Tilly Smith and the people of Simeulue island, Indonesia, it confirmed that knowledge is the key. They are survived because of their knowledge on what to do when tsunami happens.

Tilly, a 10 years old British kid saved about hundred of people in Phuket, Thailand, by remembering her class discussion on earthquake and tsunami just before the Christmas vacation. In stead of running to the sea when the sea level subsided like lots of the tsunami victims did, she urged people to retreat to a higher ground.

The same thing happened in Simeulue which located only 40km from the epicenter of the earthquake on Dec. 26th 2004. The people of Simeulue remembered folktale about tsunami in the area decades ago, they ran to a higher ground as soon as there was an earthquake, as the result of it, only a handful people died. Compared this story with those in Banda Aceh and Meulaboh where a lot of people running toward the sea to collect those fishes or to admire the scenery which led to thousands of dead.

It is sad to admit that in a country that lies on the 'ring of fire' such as Indonesia, there were no public training/drilling what so ever that have anything to do with any catastrophes. Sure tsunami is mentioned in, I believe, elementary and middle school's geography books, but there are no drills. Not even a fire drill for that matter. I hope in the future more will be done to prepare the mass during a calamity.

2. Show me the money
Yes, it's wonderful to see that the whole world united to help the victims of Asian tsunami. People and government are pledging money, so far more than $1billion and $4billion respectively. But there's a catch. Not all pledges materialized. It happened time and again after big disasters. Some just simply didn't deliver what they promised. Some diverted the money from, for example, existing loans, or other emergencies.

In the Bam, Iran disaster, out of $1.1billion pledged by both governments and organizations only $17.5million had been materialized. After hurricane Mitch disaster in Latin America in 1998, out of $3.5billion promised by foreign governments and $5.2billion by international organizations only less than one third had been sent. Similar scenario happened in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and other countries hit by disasters.

Based on these incidents, UN asked governments and organizations to keep their promises. They need to show the world 'the money'. So, those of you out there who pledged to donate something, please keep your promise and donate what you pledged.

3. Where all the money goes
The other night there was this discussion on Belgium TV about donations. It was said that organizations such as OXFAM takes about 5% of the donation to cover their administration expenses while other organizations usually take about 10 to 15%. I found it quite fair, after all those expenses had to be paid somehow and they (and their people) did all the works.

However, I'm not sure about paying the salaries of foreign consultants who are hired by reconstruction projects like the ones of World Bank. Usually their salaries are paid by the money we got from World Bank Loans, so in fact, we are screwed twice. After the tsunami destroyed everything, we got loan that we have to pay back with interest. Then we have to paid foreigners more than we paid our people to give us consultation.

Then there is this problem about donors didn't keep their promised as I mentioned earlier.

On other occasion, there was this guy from a charity organization on Dutch TV who said there were times when he had no other choice but to pay some corrupt individuals in order to get the aid to the victims! I've heard similar stories from people back home, on how some people are using this calamity for their own gain, by asking for a bribe, or selling donated things. My gosh, how low can you go?

There are also some problems with logistic, for example in the case of Bam, Iran; they sent summer tents instead of Winter tents that is/was needed. There were cases of shipments of expired medicines to calamities locations before, all of which costs time and money.

So I wonder how much money ended up by those who needed.

4. The line between giving assistance and taking advantage is blurring
World Help, a US based Christian charity, planned to spread their evangelistic work in Indonesia by relocating Acehnese orphans mostly, if it's not all of 300 of them, are Moslem, to Christian orphanage near Jakarta. Their old website stated: "We do not want to just distribute help and leave. We are committed to bring help and hope to these children. We want them to know that Jesus loves them and plant Christian principles as early as possible in their age. To accomplish this means long-term commitment." The acts confirmed what had feared by Moslem that some missionary group would exploit the tragedy and tries to convert people.

The group's president Reverend Brewer is quoted saying, "It's no different than what Mother Teresa did by taking Hindu orphan children and placing them in a Roman Catholic children's home in [Calcutta], and she won the Nobel Peace Prize for doing that." Well, it IS different than what Mother Teresa did, she helped people. Period. Unlike World Help, She didn't help people in exchange for something else. In fact she said:

There is only one God and He is God to all;
therefore it is important that everyone is seen as equal before God.
I've always said we should help a Hindu become a better Hindu,
a Muslim become a better Muslim,
a Catholic become a better Catholic.

Now, in World Help’s new site it is said: ‘Since we are unable to assist the children in Indonesia whom we had originally hoped to help, we will also be identifying children in other countries who have been orphaned and need immediate assistance.’
Isn’t it strange? I mean if you just want to help for the sake of helping, you can still help those children; Just don’t ask them to convert, you are not helping anyone by doing that, you just make things more difficult for those who are there to help.

Thinking of this, I can't help but wondering the ulterior motives of the people who said they want to help.

Does the USA help us because they can, or are they trying to send out better image across Moslem world?
Does Saudi Arabia help us because they can, or because they didn't want to be called stingy and doesn't care about their Moslem brothers in Aceh or their helps' families in Srilanka, Bangladesh or Thailand?
Does Front Pembela Islam help Aceh because they can, or are they trying to sell softer image?