My electra complex tendency have been translated differently in my reporting assignments. I seem to have been dealing with lots of elderlies, instead of handsome, nurturing men in their 40s or 50s :)

For instance, I was once assigned to write a profile of a man who just turned 100. A good human interest story, you said? Not as easy as it looks. I had to attend the centennial man's huge birthday bash thrown by his family. After a seemingly endless prayers and testimonials and speeches, I finally got the chance to interview the already half-deaf man on 11 p.m..

When the article's done, my editor said, "There's something missing in this story." I was flabbergasted, "What??? What's missing??". Deadpan, he replied "His sex life." :(

This morning, I interviewed a 77 year-old noted cleric, who still looked really healthy, and not at all senile, despite using walking cane. When we were talking, an old man approached, greeted the kyai, asking about his health.

"I'm good," the kyai said, "Although, my left leg is killing me. I just had a surgery." Then he gave out the list of surgery he'd gone through: "Bypass surgery, hernia, and cyst removal."
I made a mistake by asking "Cyst? Where?" and freaked out when he turned around. I thought he was going to show the scar, but instead only pointed to somewhere on his back. Pheeww.

The old man smiled, saying proudly, "I've been through a lot of surgery too. I only have one kidney left. My empedu gland? Gone. Prostate gland? No more," while pointing the stomache areas where the organs supposed to be.

I was frightened, visualizing the shattered organs and starting to see those poor old men as walking corpses. I then thanked the cleric, and fled. I'm such a bad person.

Posted by hera at 7:36 PM | Permalinks | Comments   

But I will !! Yay!!

PS: Aih, susah kali masukkin foto di blogger ini :'( Jadinya kurang dramatis hehe.

Posted by hera at 6:40 PM | Permalinks | Comments   

They say don't bite the hands that feed you, but I just couldn't resist:)

Anyway, proofreading is not the best thing about the paper I work for (could I be more secretive? hehe). We've been bitchin' about it, but a number of typos still evident despite the layers of proofreader, including desk editor, managing editor, copy editor and people at the production department.

Tired of the typos, some colleagues even wanted to make a wall of shame, where they would glue the enlarged photocopy of the part of the paper with typos on it so that everyone can read them.

The wall of shame has yet to be installed, but the colleagues managed to make a list of three funniest mistakes. Here they are:

1. ".... xxx (not a real name)... a migrant worker... was raped... wounded stomache..". So far, there was nothing wrong with the article (except for the lame writing :)). But right beside the article was a three-column picture of the poor girl, with her face exposed, as well as her very wound she showed to the camera.
Perhaps, it was more of politically incorrect and insensitive than funny. But until now, we couldn't help but laugh at the clumsiness.

2. A picture of, I'm not really sure, but I think it was Green Day, holding an award they just won. And as proudly as the rock group was the title of the caption : GRANNY AWARD.

3. Again, I wasn't sure on which article it was. I guess I didn't read it because the headline was too shocking. It was about bus, and written oh so proudly was PUBIC BUS.
It gave us, bitchy reporters, good laugh. But it wasn't very amusing for the readers as some sent letters that day, which forced the paper to publish an apology the next day.

The most recent typo I found, meanwhile, was about SBY's trip to US, where he claimed to experience JET LEG. Sigh..

Posted by hera at 4:25 PM | Permalinks | Comments   

One of the things that keeps me from being a full blown atheist:) is God's own sense of humor. It's cruel at times, twisted at others, but most of the time just brilliant. Like right now.

So, amid my exhaustion, as some of the jokes are on me, I manage to laugh it all out. Just brilliant:)

Posted by hera at 4:15 PM | Permalinks | Comments   

Cocky boy (CB): "Well, if it isn't good bye then..."
Moi (M) : "Yes, good luck"
CB : "Didn't you apply for the job too?"
M : (Smile sincerely) "Well, yes, I did"
CB : (Trying to look cool) "You did take the test? And then what happened, you didn't get the
callback?"
M : (Still smiling, expecting this to come from CB) "No, I didn't"
CB : "Hmmm.. And how the xxx (fellow applicant) is holding up?"
M : "Fine, I guess. We're actually glad we didn't make it because we didn't really want the job."
CB : (Playing his lips, still tries to look cool) "Hmm.. I heard xxx would file a complaint because
she didn't get the job as promised?" (smile)
M : "I don't know about that. But she has the right to do so because what the company did to
her was very, very unethical."
CB : "Hmm... (playing with his lips again). Ok then, see you later (patting my chair)."

Ordinarily, a dialog like this would set my rage on fire:) But this time, I feel a huge victory instead.

Posted by hera at 8:30 PM | Permalinks | Comments   

Local gossip shows, can't stand 'em, can't live without 'em. Yes, they're all absurd, they follow the same pattern, they're pat and predictable, and the hosts' comments are inane and often sexist. Yet, I keep watching them as they serve some sort of escapism:) I would get sick of them, but I keep coming back.

Last week, though, a gossip caught my attention. It was about this rising rock star, a 24 year-old who happens to be a womanizer, who knocked up another woman. This time, she's already married. I was, like, cool! Finally, an exciting and undisguised gossip! Now, this is rock n roll!

The narrations from all the gossip shows' hosts, however, ruined it for me. They babbled about morality, how the parents of the singer and the knocked up girl should've taught their children better, and how the so-called Indonesian/Eastern values have shifted. A particular gossip show even has the nerve to have a tag line "No sex before marriage." Oh, fuck off.

Now, the following is an excerpt of my article a while ago, about the absurdity of the local gossip shows, or also known as infotainment, and how to make it better. I want to insert the excerpt here because I'm such a narcissistic bitch who takes cue from other bloggers that self-advertisement won't hurt (but it's certainly nauseating:)).

Here it is:

...So, I got to thinking -- how to upgrade the (local gossip) shows to a higher level of babble:

Straight Talk: Stop asking single or obviously gay celebrities ("he's 55 and still looking for love, living quietly with his poodle Fifi ...") when they will get married. And quit nagging married couples when they will have kids. Also, spreading unfounded divorce or breakup rumors only serves to show your tackiness.
Dish the Dirt: It's a gossip show, so none of this half-baked stuff, please. We want all the dirty laundry -- stained, torn and faded -- washed in public! We want to know who has used the casting couch to climb to stardom, who has been nipped and tucked and whether it's true that Krisdayanti's monthly makeup expenditure is equivalent to the annual budget of a small Central Java regency.
Needle Points: Offer a few well-placed verbal jabs at celebrities who are famous for being famous, holier than thou, experts at self-aggrandizement, etc. Basically, mock them all! For instance, in the case of actress/singer Dewi Yull divorcing actor Ray Sahetapy, everyone knows that the other woman is older, and richer. Instead of pitting the two women against each other, somebody should ask Ray when was the last time he actually worked for a living.
Plumb the Depths: Go to reliable and relevant sources; interviewing the religious tutor of Ray's mistress' children will sure make her famous in her neighborhood, but it gets you nowhere in finding out the truth of the matter.
Different Strokes. As a start in being more creative, get pointers from E! Entertainment. Take a look at the worst celebrity makeover, the best kept secret, the fat salaries and high cost of maintenance, the competition among local divas, etc, all done with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Discretionary Power: Get the story, yes, but it's still crucial to remain ethical when reporting on issues like rape, drug addiction and HIV/AIDS. The coverage of the rape case involving teen heartthrob Faisal, for instance, was biased, star-struck and blatantly sexist.

I know that the critics and moralists want to banish the shows from the airwaves. I say no; there is an audience for them. And it has to be said that they reflect who we are as people: Nosy, fickle, uncreative, judgmental and apolitical. We get the leaders we deserve, and the same goes for our TV shows.

Posted by hera at 12:36 PM | Permalinks | Comments   

Warning: The accuracy of the following legend is highly questionable, so don't hold on too much on it:)

Legend has it that Jakarta (and Greater Jakarta) is, like, a gigantic dragon with its head resides on the area of Tangerang in the west, while its tails occupies Bekasi, in the east.

Feng-shui-wise, the areas of the head and the tail will bring great fortunes to those who reside and make money there (what about the rest of the body? I have no idea). That was probably why tycoon JR decided to build his property empire in both areas.

Now, I didn't know about the legend until I bought the house in Lippo Karawaci, Tangerang, recently. But come to think of it, since my shio is dragon, it's no wonder that I feel like home once I'm there:) It's, like, calling out to me :D

It has been five days since I, err, we, officially moved into the new house. It's very, very exciting to finally have our own place. I even took a leave so that I can clean and arrange the house and everything. Although, since it's such a small house and we don't have that many stuff yet, everything is set in just three days. That included assembling a breakfast table ALL BY MYSELF. Yes, since I moved here, I took a new interest in doing all the houseworks. Next in line: Painting.

On the fourth day, though, I got really bored staying home, and desperate housewife no more! So, I went to, yes, Jakarta :) and guess what? I got a little disoriented. I'm already used to the nice and clean environment, everything is in order, scheduled, secure, neat.. and bam! Here comes all the chaos again.

We still have to adapt to being commuters. From only 10 minutes to work, we now have to spend 90 minutes up to 2 hours on the road (it only takes 30 minutes though outside rush hours). It's pretty exhausting, but we'll manage. Why? Because now, we have a place to be called home.

Posted by hera at 2:19 PM | Permalinks | Comments