SAHABAT Foundation, Care That Empowers Others

Probably the closest Kiva version in Indonesia. Still early and in need for many more loaners. The things is, it requires that the money we put in cannot be withdrawn back in any way. So, it's more like a charity than loan, but they distribute it as loan. Sounds like a little discouragement to me but if you are willing to give charity anyway, why not this? Perhaps because it's still new and they need a stable amount of fund to distribute.

SAHABAT HOMEPAGE.Care That Empowers Others

Higher Equilibrium

I think I can start to question about the principle: “do what you want others do onto you” (or something like that, I forgot the exact aphorism, I am as I say repeatedly very bad with remembering details). What I am saying is, if that’s one way to reach an equilibrium (of a balanced relationship amongst human being), well could there be a higher equilibrium that we can aim? I think there is. And by saying higher I mean: with a more reliable characteristic, more sustainable, truer. I should say I’d rather go with: “do what your heart tells you to do”, no matter what, as long as it rings true to your heart. If everybody search the voice (which dictates our act) in the inside, I tend to believe that we all, in the end will reach a higher equilibrium, the more authentic one. Even if that’s a long way to go, I even don’t know if it’s possible to achieve, as there seems no limit to anything, but at least we are moving higher. Whereas, the first principle, although seems like more possible (easier) to achieve, it stagnates. Not to mention that I think it is almost impossible to work perfectly either.

In other words, the first principle cannot bring us to equilibrium (even in the short term) as well. There seems to be always somebody, due to some reasons, who will violate this principle, maybe intentionally, maybe unintentionally, it does not matter. The latter point of view on the other hand, is always perfect, at least from the point of view of the one(s) who stay(s) true to their heart. With this point of view, even when somebody else (by general standard) harms us, when we accept it as their true being, nothing should be regretted, or considered as mistake, because it’s all dynamic (perhaps eternal) process, for all of us to go to higher level.

It depends on our point of view, really, whether to look at things in shorter or longer term, and if longer, how much longer. When you look at things in timeless (or should I say, time-irrelevant) point of view, what we do really makes no different. It only makes different to us whether we acts true or not, in other words, whether it brings us to (closer to) peace or not. I don’t know if it makes sense or not, perhaps I will laugh at it later (perhaps due to my language barrier), just feel like wanting to share. :)

Let's Join Kiva

It's been more than a year since I joined as Kiva loaner in June 1, 2010. I had pledged a target that I would make one loan each month, and now I have (only) made 6 loans, it means, it's just around half of my target. Although, I personally don't think it's that bad, well, many things (required money) happened last year, so I'm glad I still made it. I hope to make more. I think lending productive loans is a great way to help, it's empowering. A little disappointment though is how few it is loans going to Indonesia, and if there were some, it always goes to Bali, with the same type of business. I just wish there can be more Kiva field workers in Indonesia, working in other parts of the country. I'm sure many small entrepreneurs, especially from the poorest, can make great use of it.

The link to join:

http://kiva.org/invitedby/yogi5309

The importance of physics and the inexplicability of chemistry

I should probably be apologizing, that the first post after such a long purgatory *smirk* has to be a rant. But if I just promise that this will be just once (in a while :p), will it be OK? ;-) Anyway, I just thought that in a positive way, it might be healthy to be honest about being shallow and physical once in a while.
I've been more or less watching movies the whole days of these (supposedly) stormy days when I wrote this. Well, in between I was editing an article, revising a paper, and (unsuccessfully) sketching.
Billy Elliot made in to my favorite movie list. Other than that, there was my complaining, allegedly a superficial one, about how not interesting to watch Meg Ryan these days. I am trying to convince myself I am not that physical, but perhaps I must admit I actually am. Meg Ryan is probably a different case though, I mean it's not purely physical. Because I used to like her, a lot, circa Sleepless in Seattle, that later led me to become a When Harry Met Sally worshiper. Then came that awful affair and divorce, and that disastrous plastic surgery. Now watching her in movies becomes annoying. The voice, a child-like that apparently sounded cute before, just don't suit her anymore. And no matter how hard I try not to be too judging about her misguided surgery, it just disturbed me to watch her being pursued by a younger love interest (Adam Brody, he's too cute) in In The Land of Women. The only nice scenes in this movie were the ones where Olympia Dukakis was in, the rest is pretty much insignificant.
The second complain, purely physical this time, is concerning Shia Lebouf. How I could be led into watching him requires an own explanation. I mean, transformer, hello, we must know what kind of movie is that, right? It's something too obvious not to try, without even trying. I am quite judgmental aren't I, when it comes to movies, or books. Remember my rants on the likes of titanic and twilight series. Anyway, it was Carey Mulligan that brought me to him. I was watching An Education, and instantly attracted to her. Her resemblance to Katie Holmes, but without that irksome 'sneer', wouldn't it be irresistible?! And in that particular movie, her haircut reminded me of the much-loved Ginnifer Goodwin's in the recent Something Borrowed. So, I did some googling and ended up to this Shia. That they were dating. OK, then apparently this guy has a more significant movie, the sequel of Wall Street with Michael Douglas so be it, where he met Mulligan. So, I tried watching and prepared to be smitten. So, it's got to be either his acting is extraordinary or he possesses a chick-magnetic aura that he became this hype, which I, with my mere mortal eyes, just failed to see. Well, his appearance failed to glue my eyes on the screen, or even rather eluded my appetite to continue watching, that in the end, I could not be conclusive about his acting quality. Narrow-droopy shoulders, round-small face, where is the charm? Am I too demanding? I mean this is the guy, who perhaps, I don't know, everybody seems to think is hot. How he could swoon Megan Fox slightly off her then nuptial track, the current transformer's whoever girl, and this great talent and beauty of Carey Mulligan, is to me perplexing. Oh well I suppose chemistry is the most inexplicable branch of "science". My little comfort on such seemingly cruel resentment is how he seems to be too well confident on the existence of such charm, yet negligent in terms of its consequence, as implied by his tactless confession on the Foxy affair.