Tuesday, 06 March 2007 @ 7:40pm.
Here are some things I have thought about and experienced lately…
On Saturday, I went to a 1,000th day memorial service for one of my friend’s dad. Indonesians often have ceremonies on the 3rd, 7th, 40th, 100th, and 1,000th day after their loved ones have passed. The service I attended was in my friend’s home and there was a Catholic mass. The priest said some beautiful things. My favorite comment was that the service was not a time for mourning, but rather an example of how love can continue on and bring people together. It was a reunion filled with good memories. It was great to see people of different generations and backgrounds sharing in the remembrance of my friend’s father and breaking bread together. While I didn’t know most of the people there, I was struck by how comfortable everything and everybody was that evening. If a person is partly reflected in his/her family and friendships , then my friend’s father must have been/is one really special person.
I recently watched the Indonesian film “Arisan!” (2003). “Arisan” refers to regular social gatherings (usually once a month) where members contribute to a pot of money and take turns at winning the money via a lottery system. It is a very common practice in Indonesia at all socioeconomic levels of society. In addition to its social function, an arisan is useful because people can make large purchases sooner rather than later since savings can take a long time to accumulate. The movie includes different characters: two gay men (one is “open” and the other is “closeted”), career women, jealous wives, cheating husbands, snobby rich elites, etc. “Arisan!” is said to be the first Indonesian film with an openly gay theme, though I wonder if there have been other films, but they have not yet been allowed to air in theaters nationwide? “Arisan!” is also the first Indonesian film to use high-definition color enhancement. Though the movie was a bit slow in certain parts, some of the Jakarta slang passed over my head, and I was occasionally shocked by the amount of money some elites have and what they do with it, I still liked it and recommend the film.
While I was researching some items online, I came across an article that characterized the fight against corruption in Indonesia as Sisyphean. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary says that “Sisyphus” was “a legendary king of Corinth condemned eternally to repeat the cycle of rolling a heavy rock up a hill in Hades only to have it roll down again as it nears the top.” Are anti-corruption efforts really a lost cause? The general public often sees corruption as a regular occurrence at all levels of government and non-government life, and while there are many who are passive about changing the status quo, there are others who continue with their slow, but sure anti-corruption work.
If you can believe it, I only have 24 days left here. Work is piling up by the minute, but I hope to handle the tasks with patience and diligence! Wish me luck. 
Are you interested in international development jobs? Check out http://www.devnetjobs.org/. A friend was recently looking for employment and happened to mention this site, so I thought I’d let more people know about it.
The 3rd International Java Jazz Festival was this past weekend, but alas, tickets were “mahal sekali” (very expensive). Oh well. I did get a small dose of art by viewing a collection of Chinese paintings. Sometimes the hotels and malls in Jakarta have art exhibits, which is convenient for artlovers and buyers.
