Somehow, Detik’s journalist found out about the video and tried to confirm it with the Chief Public Relations Officer of The Indonesian Police Headquarters, Inspector General Sisno Adiwinoto.

“Pictures can be manipulated,” he answered. Mr. Adiwinoto suspected that whoever posted the pictures must have a certain intention to discredit Indonesia’s tourism. “Balinese are so aware that tourism is important for them, and they believe in Karma,” he added.

Mr. Adiwinoto also regretted the two Canadians for not being “a good foreigner” and reported the whole incident.

“If we found any bad police, we will hang him if necessary,” he said.

Well, Pak Sisno must have learn a lot from Mr. Roy Suryo whom at many occasions helped the Police in any IT related crime cases. But perhaps, sir, you can start by finding out who was the smiling officer on the video, right?

Here’s a transcript of the dialogue between the two Canadians (C) and the police officer (P). (I just love the officers effort to speak English)

(P): Where’re you from?

(C): Canada..

(P): Wah Kanada (laugh-wonder what’s so funny)

(C): Yeah, long way..

(P): Until when your stay finish?

(C): Two days

(P): Two days more?

(C): Yeah, we leave the day after tomorrow. 29th.

(The officer stood for a moment and mumbles in Balinese to someone else..)

(P): Where you stay, sir?

(C): Agung Villa in Seminyak

(P): You no driving license?

(C): Off course I have driving license. It’s not with me.

(P): Where?

(C): At hotel

(P): The big or small? (showing a blue card). Why you not bring? (laugh-still don’t understand why)

(C): I’m not very smart uh? Not very smart.

(P): (Laugh again-gosh he’s full of laughter)

(P): Okay, now we give you two options ya. The first, because you not bring, in Indonesian law traffic you must be prenalize ya. Because you not bring, you broken traffic law. We give you two option. The first you pay fine. Alone you pay fine there, in Denpasar. And the second..

(C): I pay fine here

(P): Yeaah.. Because me warning tomorrow you bring. Otherwise, many-many accident, tourist.

(C): Understand the problem..

(P): Sir, because any accident not good for you.

(C): No.. no. Sure.. sure..

(P): Many accident, the tourist and local people boom.. (gesturing a crash -or something- with his clinched fist). Identitiy not. Just identity motor cycle. Where? Me call, where? (gesturing a phone call) Tourist people identity not..

(C): No idea. Understand understand

(P): I warning, because tomorrow you bring, ya. (I think he was referring to the license)

(C): Okay.. okay..

(P): Now you pay fine there or here?

(C): Pay here..

(P): In Denpasar not good for you because you entry for the justice again

(C): Yeah, no problem. I live in Vietnam. I pay many fines in Vietnam..

(P): (laugh-again?) Okay.. okay.. Now you pay fine here, I help you, just 50 thousand..

(C): I got it.. I got it..

(P): Tomorrow you bring ya… (the license)

(C): I’m not very smart, uh? I don’t think..

(P): Many many tourist forget maybe..

(C): Uluwatu? Just straight? (the other canadian asked for direction)

(P): Seven.. Seven.. (accepting the money)

(C): Seven minutes..

(P): Yeah

(C): and so if I go Uluwatu and come back is it no problem?

(P): Come back just one way.. (laugh-gosh he’s a joker)

(C): Tomorrow I bring, uh?

(P): Okay, and tomorrow you bring ya

(C): Okay, thank you sir..

(P): Thank you (politely opening door for the two guys)

They went out, climbed on the motorcycle, asked for direction, and off they go. The guy on the back then took a shot of himself saying :

“That was Indonesian justice..”

However an encounter with a dear old friend whom I just found out also blogs, brought me to an interesting discussion on bridge blogging at Pak Ong’s blog. It’s interesting to read about what Pak Ong, Jakartass, Jennie, Marisa, Rebecca, Pak Fatih and some other guy debating about a bridge (and also about ‘mutual masturbation among unattractive expat men’ ha ha ha).

Okay, cool, so I thought. I got a clearer picture about bridge blogging. So now what’s my take on bridge blogging -you might ask- ? Well strangely I was again reminded at an unforgettable moment with my lecturer a few.. ok, many years back. He was returning a paper that I wrote with -not that I’m bragging, but as usual- an “A” written on it. This is what he then said:

“Rane, I’m always fascinated by the way you include so many quotations, theories and definitions in every single paper you submit to me. It shows that you read a lot. That’s Good ! But if you dont mind me asking, when are you going to start writing?“

Bam!! Coming from a person I really admire, that was the biggest blow I’ve ever received in my live since I noticed that Boy George was actually a guy and even bigger than finding out that Dumbledore is gay.. dooh !

I’m just so happy that my encounter with Misty which brought me to Pak Ong’s spawned conversations on bridge blogging, in turn brought me back to this blog which I started a few months back and never return afterwards. Well I’m back, hoping that I would keep writing again in English.

No I don’t intend to be a bridge. I just want to write and make acquaintance with other writers or bloggers -call it whatever you want-.

And once I press that publish button, I dont have control over it any longer. I may delete them, but can I delete what’s already in other people’s mind? So whatever label others put upon my writing here, it’s out of my control. Call me a blogger, a blogger who builds a bridge, an artist, a guy with lot’s of time in his hand, a dork, a jerk, a nerd.. whatsoever.. its definitily fine with me.

So let’s spit it out!!

________
* image taken from freeimages.co.uk.

Why?

..and you know what? I never understand why does the bloody sun is always depicted as smiling cheerfully. Have you seen the sun on those bloody Telletubbies movie? It’s bloody horrible isn’t it?

I think its just a . . .

Look at these bloody people around you. Take a look at their eyes. So bloody empty. They look like a bloody walking corpse! Even that bus driver looks like a bloody zombie.

I don’t really . . .

You know, I just hate it when people greet each bloody other with one of those standard “Isn’t it a lovely morning?” shit! What a bunch of bloody hypocrit, don’t you think so?

Well, maybe its . . .

Oops, this is where I should get off. You know, my bloody boss will kill me if I’m late even for only a bloody minute. You were about to say something just now? Oh never mind. We’ll talk again tomorrow. Have a bloody lovely morning!

ok . . .

No.. no.. I’m not complaining here. I just want to introduce you to a famous Indonesian proverb: “Hangat-hangat Tahi (Tai) Ayam” or literally translated as “Warm as a chicken’s shit!“

If you have ever stepped on a fresh from the ‘oven’ chicken shit, or better yet experienced a crazy chicken whom out of the blue suddenly decided to turn your head into it’s personal toilet, then you would easily understand the proverb.

I’ve experience both and I can tell you that a fresh chicken’s shit felt very warm, but just for a short while. After that it turns cold and smelly..

So when you start something full of eagerness and ends up the opposite, then your action would be called “Hangat-hangat tai ayam!”.

~~~

There you go! An addition to the knowledge of a famous Indonesian proverb …

... along with a very good example, which is me and this blog hahaha..

Well he is telling the truth. He is an ordinary human after all. The past few days, I’ve been stuffing my poor old MP3 player with quite a variety of Iwan Fals’ old song, and this is just a few days after he released his latest album “50:50“. Why?

Listening to Iwan Fals’s latest album is like listening to Bob Dylan singing “You Belong To Me” in one of “Natural Born Killer’s” original soundtrack (1994). Thats why! It’s good, but it’s definitely not Dylan. It’s just not!

For whatever reason, many legendary musicians had tried making a comeback. Nothing wrong with that. But I just think they have to leave the past behind and bring back something different.

Whatever they do, the past will remain in the past. But like Bob Dylan, what Iwan Fals did in his past works is actually a timeless message to the young musicians nowadays. What’s the message? Time Magazine did a great job of summing it up in the following paragraph:

“Here’s why Iwan Fals matters: because boy bands don’t take on dictatorships. They don’t stand up when everyone else is hunkering down. They don’t put to song what others are afraid to put in print. Pop stars should give a damn–when they do, remarkable transformations are possible.” (Quoted from Time Magazine’s Asian Heroes edition)

To many Indonesian’s, Kartini Day means showing up at schools or office in traditional attire, especially kebaya dress for the ladies. Kebaya is a traditional Javanese dress where Kartini is always depicted wearing them. Even the women street cleaners and bus drivers showed up in their kebaya’s and I’m quite sure it’s not easy to work in such attire.

Honestly, I just don’t understand the significance of wearing such traditional attire on every April 21st. Well, I must admit it sure is fun to dress differently once in a while. I still remember how I used to show up as Sultan Hasanuddin, another national hero from South Sulawesi. Why? Because it’s simple. I don’t have to rent any of the clothes. Just simply wear a black shirt, a sarong and mum’s table cloth as headwear.

To me, celebrating Kartini Day means we are reminded again about her struggle against discrimination towards women. During her time women never got the chance to study or even to express their ideas and so often are mistreated. Kartini fought for equality Something which ironically many of us still take for granted. This is what Kartini Day is all about, beyond just wearing all those traditional attire.

So Happy Kartini Day!

Related links:
- List of Indonesia’s National Hero
- Kartini on Wikipedia
- Kartini on yourtruehero.org
- Kartini on CHNM’s Women In World History

My dad is 60 over. He is still quite active and travels a lot around Indonesia as well as other part of the world as part of his work. If he can do it, so can many other seniors his age or even more. There are so many senior bloggers out there. According to Boing-boing, the oldest blogger in the world is 92 years old Donald Crowdis from Canada, but others believe that Olive Riley from Australia is much older as she is 107. Olive actually does not blog directly. She has an assistant to do it based on her story. But 80 years old Peter or well known as geriatric1927 did it himself. He’s probably the oldest vlogger on you tube.

Well actually no matter how old they are, the blogosphere needs more senior bloggers. We need them for their vast experience and wisdom. Something we really lack nowadays. Don’t you think so?

In the blogosphere, it’s never too old to blog. So what are you waiting for, grandpa?