Esia Hidayah

Indonesian Muslims struggling to balance work with the holy fasting month of Ramadan are relying on special cellphones to help them keep the faith.

Islamic gadgets are especially popular in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country (sic), during Ramadan, when religious fervor is high and devout Muslims abstain from food, drink, profanities and sexual activities from dawn-to-dusk.

The green-and-white limited edition Hidayah phone, which means divine guidance in Arabic, sounds the "azan" call to prayer five times a day as well as the bang of the traditional bedug drum used at sunset to signal the end of the fast.

It also wakes Muslims up with religious songs before the dawn prayers so they can eat a final meal.

(more here)

Very creative, eh?!

Siz

Wow!

Nearly a year ago I found this posting on Arabisto. It says that male belly dancing is back in vogue. Yes. Male. Belly dancing.

The idea seems wrong indeed. Even some of the nomadlife crew were shocked when I brought up the discussion in the forum. But there are evidence in history (ahem, according to wikipedia) that male do belly dance. It must be interesting to see a masculine form of an elegant, feminine, lady-like dance being performed by a male (especially if they are manly men!).

Then, as I was searching for some pictures of belly dance, I found this image and I was astounded.

EILAT, Israel: Israeli male belly dancer and costume designer Asi Haskal performs during the Eilat Festival of Oriental Dance, 19 January 2006, at the Israeli resort city of Eilat.More than 700 professional and armature Israeli belly dancers participated in a long weekend oriental festival of workshops, lectures and performances in the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat, with Jordan bordering to the east and Egypt to the west, highlights the diversity of Israeli belly dance whose deep roots are set in the Arab world, of which Israel is a part. The Israeli style of belly dance acquired its reputation from the great diversity of styles, the ethnic backgrounds of the teachers, variety of styles ranging from classical Egyptian to Turkish Sufi, and from ancient tribal to modern cabaret. AFP PHOTO/GALI TIBBON ... (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

A wedding and the mud

Perhaps I should comment on it? Maybe I shouldn't? Nonetheless, I need to rant!

A couple of weeks ago was a big day for Adinda Bakrie, a niece of the Coordinating Minister of People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, as she's marrying Seng-Hoo Ong (pictured right with Adinda). Rumour has it that the family is spending two-digits billion rupiah for the wedding: they’re hiring Preston Bailey (aka Oprah's favourite decorator) as the wedding decorator, and Il Divo and Sting as entertainers. I'm not gonna say more about it... (but read the goss here)

It sounds extravagant. But it makes sense once you take notice of their background.

The Bakrie family is one of the most prominent families in Indonesia and has been inaugurated as the richest family in Indonesia by Forbes and Globe Asia Magazine. Their businesses expand from property development, energy, coal mining, to plantations and telecommunications.

But this wedding may be a bit controversial too.

The Bakries, was the major shareholder of Lapindo Brantas before they sold their shares to Minarak Lapindo Jaya. Yes, you heard that right! Lapindo is the company directly linked to the Lapindo Mud Volcano in East Java.

So as you may have guessed, there are protests. Especially since Aburizal Bakrie holds a significant role in the Indonesian cabinet. Many said that with this super posh wedding, the family doesn't show any concern to the mud volcano victims.

I'd like to prove that wrong.

Point A) The prolonged Lapindo disaster is a victim of indecisiveness, politics, corruption... Officials may have kept (or have been keeping) compensation money in the bank, and let it stay there for a few months (or years!). An then they will take all the interest grown from the savings for their personal use.

Point B) Lapindo Brantas has introduced the 'cash and resettlement' scheme. Basically, datas of victims will be collated, along with the value of their properties. Then, Lapindo, through Minarak, will build houses for them. The value of houses built by Minarak will then be matched to that of the previous houses. E.g. if my house - which has been destroyed by the mud volcano - is less expensive than the one Minarak build for me, I'd receive the extra value in cash.

So the Bakrie has actually been spending a huge amount of money to compensate victms. Why protest?

Pointing fingers at the Bakries is an easy way out. Linking this wedding to the debatable disaster is too simplistic (can you – for one – explain the cause of the disaster? Is it natural? Or is it caused by human error?).

I’m so sick of hearing, "ooohh!!! Check out the Bakries! Look at their lifestyle and let's compare it to the victim of the Lapindo disaster..." On this wedding in particular, comments on mailing lists were just obnoxious! It's their money, for crying out loud. And they don't get it easy.

FYI, at least the Bakries aren't like the Soehartos. *cough* New order regime. *cough*

If you don't know what the Bakries' philanthropic activities, perhaps that happens because they don't want to publicise that! They have been spending so much money for social causes. Mrs Tatty Bakrie donated IDR 1.120 billion to the Indonesian Thalassaemia Foundation. And the Adinda-Seng couple has donated 20 per cent of the money they received from their wedding to 500 orphans in Jakarta.

Ahem, how much money has the Suhartos paid for Indonesia?

Back to Adinda’s wedding... Dude, it’s a wedding. Every couple wants to make it memorable, every parents wants to celebrate that for their kids. If they want to spend it as much as they want, or as little as they wish, it’s up to them.

Guuhhh!!!

Siz

Surprise! Surprise!

I was surprised when I saw this photo. Putri Raemawasti, a 22 years old representative from Indonesia for the 2008 Miss Universe contest. She is in a bikini.

I was speechless.

Before she headed to Vietnam for the pageant, she said that she would wear a one-piece for the swimsuit contest. And look what she was wearing: a two piece swimsuit.

Indonesia's participation at the Miss Universe contest has always been a controversy, despite the fact that we also send representatives to other beauty pageants such as Miss World and Miss International. And it is the swimsuit competition that has been the major issue. The debate has always been the same: about degradation of women and pornography.

I understand the main purpose of swimsuit contest. It is used to assess the contestant's confidence. Not every woman can walk in a skimpy swimsuit in front of judges, other contestants, and gazillions of viewers around the world. I salute those women!

I don't have any problems about us sending our representatives for Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Whatever. I strongly believe that every woman has the right to be beautiful, inside and out, and that every woman has the right to use their beauty for what ever purpose.

But I do disrespect people (not just women) who compromise their values in order to win something. I think it's cheap! And that's probably what Raemawasti did with this swimsuit thing. She wanted to win, I understand, but that cannot justify her reason to wear that bikini. Maybe it's pressure... but I just thought beauty queens are supposed to stand up for themselves.

Putri, honey, I truly hope you've learned a lesson here. And to the aspiring Putri Indonesia, I hope you learn a lesson from this too.

Siz

PS: in case you've been wondering what's our best achievement in the pageantry, Indonesia got in to the Miss Universe top 15 back in 2005.

PPS: No, I don't want to be a beauty queen. I'm too petite and I can't stand the "must-ness" to be elegant at all times. Egh!

Where Europe, Africa and the Mideast meet in Tunisia

"Tunis, just inland from the Mediterranean, is known quite well by Europeans — particularly the British and the French, who take cheap flights south so they can be on the nearby beaches in just a few hours. But for most Americans, it is off the beaten path, as Morocco is the much more conventional destination for those who venture to North Africa.

"But the Tunis area has an extraordinary amount to offer — and in a way it features more variety and even history, you could argue, than Fez or Marrakesh. The list includes its unrivaled medina, whose alleys and covered passageways go on for miles, filled with markets, mosques and cafes; the nearby ruins of the ancient Phoenician port city of Carthage; the bustling beach town of La Marsa; and the charming hillside village of Sidi Bou Said, where the blue-and-white painted homes have views reaching out for miles over the gentle waters of the Gulf of Tunis." (IHT)

I have to admit I miss this country. I had as much good times as I had challenging ones. It is a beautiful country with an extraordinary level of warmth. I will definitely be coming back to Tunisia one day.

And obviously this article was so much better written than the one I did, published by the Jakarta Post in October last year about the medina of Tunis. :D

Siz

Jakarta

It's been almost two years since I came to this city. A city of 14 million people in population that I should call home. I have my family here - my big fat family (ahem, I have 28 first cousins just from my mum side). But I still find it difficult to call this city my home.

Perhaps it's the people whom I feel difficult to relate to. I don't understand the people, I don't understand the city.

In my view, most of Jakartans my age spend most of their social time at the bars and the hottest night clubs. They're trendy and beautiful. They have the latest gadgets, wear designer clothes, and perhaps don't drive expensive car because they have their own chauffeur. Many girls use their free time working as models. They're not gonna talk to you unless you look hot and have lots of funky friends. Sometimes I actually feel I was in LA rather than in the capital of a third world country.

I remember my time in Australia, particularly during my days in AIESEC. Gosh! I miss those guys. Some of them are pretty fluffy and pretentiously ambitious, but some others really keep it real. They're down to earth, they're dreamers, they know what they want. And most importantly for me, their idea of fun is not spending a lot of their income only to look cool and hip.

Maybe it's the city. I hate it. Traffic jam awaits you everywhere, at any time of the day, in any day of the week. The pollution is overwhelming, the heat is unbearable, the humidity is disgusting. Jakarta is a metropolitan city. We have tons of shopping centers, amusement parks, museums...all a big city could offer in entertainment. But I don't seem to enjoy any of it... I like going to the beach and spend some relaxing time on the seashore watching the waves and hearing the sea breeze. This is probably why you quite often see my facebook status, "Allya is missing Sidi Bou Said".

I was talking to my friend who lives in Sohar, Oman, and he complained how I don't use all the goodness of living in a metropolitan city. He probably thinks Jakarta is comparable to London. London's cool, Jakarta isn't. I don't think Jakarta is sexy, although I know its people think it is.

History is another thing. I find it really difficult to find traces of history in Jakarta. Although Jakarta has monuments, historical sites and buildings, museums, I can't see its people as being able to appreciate where they are coming from. Is it too easy if I conclude that this comes from the apathetic youth of Jakarta? Or is it part of the mentality of a used to be occupied nation?

I don't feel this is my home. I think I miss a city so laid back people don't worry about what other people think of them. A city where I can sip a cup of coffee beside the street while reading a good book. A city where I can have a decent conversation about anything from life to the hottest topics that happens in the country and the world - not the hottest gossip or clothes or gadgets - with a close friend. A city where the air is so clean that you can enjoy a walk in the park. A city where you can go from a museum to a concert hall by foot. A city where you can embrace the modernity of the future, but can still find bits and pieces which could remind you of the past.

Where should I live? I do long to travel.

Siz

One of the reasons why I want to move to Dubai

...is this.

PS: I'm starting a new blog about everything and anything that are happening in the MENA region. If you're interested to be one of its contributors, let me know by replying to this post (and leaving your email address)!!