Happy Eid!

Ah, I really miss celebrating Eid back home!

I am used to taking part in celebrating the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, a celebration that is similar to Thanksgiving to westerners and Chinese New Year to those of Chinese origin.

My country is the biggest Muslim nation in Asia and based on the population, I dare say it is the biggest in the world. I guess it makes sense to make this celebration a national holiday.

I don't think any Indonesian can deny the fact that this holiday is the perfect holiday and I believe they will agree with my reason below:

1. It is a national holiday, so employees are paid to enjoy it.
2. Having the privilege to spend some time off with our loved ones.
3. Freedom from traffic due to the majority of people making a living in Jakarta are from other cities.
4. Getting some extra money on top of your salary.
5. Enjoying the typical holiday food

About the extra money, if you work in Indonesia, you are entitled of some extra money known as Tunjangan Hari Raya (THR) and this is legally mandated by Indonesia's Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration. Isn't it great, paid holiday with some extra income? The value differs by region, but within the Jakarta region the amount cannot be less than your monthly salary and it has to be paid in advance.

Living in Florida, I am not at all thinking about the extra money although having a job right now would be nice. I am thinking of all the good time I could have spent back home with family and friends and of course, the typical holiday food such as...

Diamond (firm rice cake cooked in woven coconut leaves)

Braised chicken in coconut milk

Chicken liver and gizzard in spicy gravy

My mouth is watering looking at those pictures. I really have to learn how to make them.

To my celebrating friends, I wish you all a Happy Eid! Eat some of those dishes for me :)

We are all on borrowed time

I have always thought if we do things right we will be able to predict what's to come. I still think this is true to some extent but the truth is, we'll never know what life will throw at us. We can only control it to a certain point but then we have to let go - jump to the unknown or some say; have faith.

Life is a journey so everybody says. Full of ups and downs, filled with turns that might turn your whole life around and surprises that are sometimes unpleasant. Often you find yourself holding on to a string, fighting for your dear life.

A few weeks ago my husband and I went out for a dinner with his old colleague and wife. Both are beautiful people and together they are so lovely. They are one of those couples that you can connect with right away and know that they are genuine. Everything went great, the meal and the ambiance were good and we all had a great time. Two weeks after we heard news that he had a massive heart attack and now he is on the heart transplant list. From what I gathered, he has been living a very healthy life, no smokes, no drugs, nothing out of the norm. It startles me when things like this happen, even the doctors are confused and still figuring out what caused the sudden heart attack. What a turn of events!

It really hits home when something like this happens to someone near you even if you have just met that someone. We really are living on borrowed time. I guess the question everyone should ask themselves is what have we done with the little time that was lent to us.

MERDEKA!

That is an Indonesian word for freedom or independent. The freedom they have longed for after years of long suffering under the ruling of Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese. And when I say long suffering, I mean LONG suffering. According to the country's history, the colonialism period started when the Portuguese arrived at 1511 and our independence day was on Aug 17, 1945, so that was 434 years of endurance!

The word is not only used in Indonesia alone. It is also spoken in Malaysia, one of the closest neighboring countries. In Malay language, this term has acquired the meaning of free slave. Just the right word to describe the situation, don't you agree?

The word itself is derived from Sanskrit, meaning rich, prosperous and powerful. Some may wonder why Sanskrit; isn't that the classical language of India. What was the relationship between the Indonesian and the Indian? Well... thanks to historians and paleontologists who have unearthed ancient stones and copper inscriptions, we now know that the first immigrant was from Gujarat, a state in India. See the connection now?

Here is how the word is pronounced:
merdeka

And today, Aug 17, 2011 marked the 66th birthday of my beloved country.
I salute you, beloved!
Sekali Merdeka Tetap Merdeka! (or in English: Freedom once and for all!)

5º00´ S 120º00´ E

An archipelago in South East Asia with more than 15,000 islands, where less than half are occupied, positioned between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean on the equator is where I am from. A country called Indonesia, a place I proudly call home.

August is the birthday month and I have been thinking of my beloved country lately. There is always this mix of feelings whenever I think or talk about it. The land is so pretty, rich in history and culture, yet so corrupted. It is just sad to see how greed has consumed the leader and how power has overcome conscience.

I am not a historian so I don't know the history in detail and the history that I know is what I learned from my elementary years to my high school years. I am not a politician either so I am in no position to judge our politicians. But looking back at history and standing from a citizen's point of view, I dare say I miss the 32 years of reign of the second president, Soeharto. He was not the best leader but he was not the worst either. He was not the most educated person, he came from a very humble beginning. He came from a military background and (I think) had no political knowledge at all. But under his military ruling style, Soeharto had endeavored to achieve his national development goals and reach substantial progress in various fields, progress which had been enjoyed by the majority of people.  Sometimes I think Indonesia needs a leader like Soeharto, only wiser.

This year, Indonesia is 66 years old and that is 53 years under military ruling and 13 years and counting in trying to practice democracy. Obviously there are so many things to unlearn and learn. If I had to sum my country up in a sentence, I'd say that it is a republic who was once under military ruling and who is now learning to practice democracy. 

Keep it up, beloved country. Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young. As Winston Churchill once said "Never, never, never give up!".