Dear Washington Post: Grow Up, Please

APEC’s shirt tradition

It’s customary for world leaders to don traditional shirts for a group “family” photo at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. President Obama tried to do away with the ``silly shirts,’’ but this year, they’re back.

Thank you Washington Post for dubbing the custom shirts of the APEC country as silly. It gives me an immense pleasure to know that the even the so-called biggest nation on earth is not immune to dumb-witted and discriminating attitude. I guess us in the third-world under-developed country might have a chance to beat you in your game after all.

The so-called silly shirts are made from the fabric that has been worn by the countries for centuries. Each one of them is is a work of art and a pride to its home country. The Batik of Indonesia, for instance, have been designated by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009. I am thoroughly convinced that it is not because of its "silliness", but more to do with the fact that the art making the fabric has been passed on for centuries and its beauty and variation expands and grew throughout times.

Some questions:
- If antiquity is a desired virtue (i.e antique chairs, antique tapestry) then why do you called our antique (style of) fabric that has been around for hundreds of years "Silly"?
- If art is a desired virtue then why do you called our ancient art that depicted in the patterns of our traditional fabric "Silly"?
- If "green" is a desired virtue then why do you called our all-green fabric which is made from natural ingredients is "Silly"?

Archaeological and culture studies are hip in US, yet you called our fabric "Silly".
People splash paint and made abstract images and called it art, yet you called our fabric "Silly".
A dress woven and colored by using all natural ingredients can fetch big money, yet you called our fabric "Silly".

The making of Batik takes a long, long time. The pattern has to be drawn on the cloth, and then portions of it would be filled with wax so when it is dipped into dyes only the empty spaces colored in dyes. After drying, the cloth then washed in hot water to remove the wax, then the process would be repeated for different colors. The more color you use in that specific cloth, the longer it take to completion. The patterns themselves are a work of art, coming from the people's imagination and perception of the world around them and also from folklore and myths and legends. Each pattern has a special meaning, and on the olden days the rules of who can wear a specific patterns was strictly upheld. It was much more than a piece of art, it was much more than a symbol of wealth, it defined who you are in the society. That is what our "silly" shirt is all about, and I think it can be said the same with all the "silly" shirt depicted in the Washington Post's article.  

Business attire: The United States hosted 2011's APEC summit for the first time since 1993 on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, from Nov. 12 to 13. President Obama, second from left on the bottom row, did away with the tradition of wearing traditional shirts during the summit’s group photo.

I apologize if I don't think much of the all famous white shirt with little crocodile emblem, nor fancy business suit that seemed to be favored by Washington Post. It baffles me why a cookie-cutter outfit that can be purchased and used by anyone, and I mean ANYONE, should be discussed in a much-approved tone than a shirt made with centuries worth of tradition and embodiment of a country's culture and history. I would wear my traditional outfit anytime because that's how I can held my head high: by being proud of who I am and my country and my culture. And at the risk of sounding biased, the Balinese hand-woven Endek and Songket is probably the most beautiful I've ever seen. Other countries, well I guess not so lucky.

Washington Post and other media and people that might buy into the "Silly" shirt stories, stop being such a discriminating jackasses. Each country is different and unique, just as each people is different and unique. Stop making fun of us just because we are different. Stop trying to making us feel so bad and inferior that we eventually leave our culture and follow yours (if you even have any). Stop being the mean girls in high school or the bully on the playground. Grow up, for God's sake.

Note: All photos are screenshot taken from the said article.

Wear 'Em Like (a) Diamond

"Do I love you because you're wonderful, or are you wonderful because I love you?"
- Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella

A friend of mine came to me the other day, happily told me how his new girl been "wearing him like a diamond". Meaning she was just so radiantly enjoying his company and has been proudly showing him off to everyone. Good for him I say, but as usual it made my mind tickle: is he or is he not a diamond? Was he that good that the girl thinks highly of him or did the girl thinks he's super special (whatever the truth is) thus made him a diamond in effect?

To be fair I would think that diamond or not diamond, it was the wearer that will determined the effect. (I know you'll read this dude, rest assure that I think you're super too. So read on lol)



As brilliantly showed by Joshua Bell and Washington Post, not many people can appreciate beauty if taken outside the context. An expensive piece of art placed in your local cafeteria without any brands or expensive tag will not be looked upon, on the contrary a child's scribble being framed and hung in a well-known museum will definitely earn accreditation. And when almost nobody took a second glance of Joshua Bell in the subway, can we really be sure that the crooner on the expensive stage really is as good as he/she was marketed? In the current civilization things need context to structure them, to give value. A diamond will not shine as bright if the wearer is ignorant of its value.

It does sound rather shallow and stupid, doesn't it? Because here's the joke: Beauty is everywhere. And everything is priceless.

When you see an item, it is impossible to fully comprehend the value and beauty of it, since we can only focus to certain characteristics and not the whole meaning of the item as it will take years of research and fruitless brooding. An bouquet of daisies can intrigued the biologist for its species and shape, the philosopher for its significance in life, and a girl simply because it looks so pretty. It is even more so when we're talking about human, since humans are like many-faceted diamonds that will shine differently if shone by a certain light or simply looked from a different angle.



A tour from my Facebook timeline will show (to most people) a motley assembly of friends: the narcissistic, the almost Buddha-ist, the boring family man, the geek, and so on. Not too interesting perhaps, especially since almost none of them showed, ah, the "real bling". However, a closer look of their education/work tells a different story: a doctor and clinic owner, a bank portfolio manager, a financial consultant, master degree in Psychiatry, scholarship graduates from Tokyo University (and German and Singapore and Italy), the list goes on forever.

These are, of course, more than enough reason for me to flaunt my friends like they're diamonds. I have not one or two amazing friends, I have the whole league of them. But this is not what makes me so proud of them.

In that timeline I see someone that is so adapt in material engineering she actually thinking (jokingly she claimed) to send David Guetta her big book of material strength because "Titanium is NOT the strongest metal as he claimed in his song!"; I see a man so dedicated to his family yet still willingly spend time as my personal IT consultant (most of my wealthy clients don't even have one!); I see a girl that dressed and think beautifully (and it's no mean feat); I see people that loves me no matter how broke, how devastated, and how less-pretty I might have been. For these reasons I'll proudly wear them like diamonds and other precious jewels. And I know they feel the same way about me.



I know, I know. It's just words, right? But think about it. What if, what if you can spot the beauty and appreciate the value in every single thing in life? In your friends, in your work, in yourself? What if you can do that? Then you'll be so proud with what you have, so satisfied and feels so complete, it was as if you are graced and decorated with all the precious materials of earth. And the effect will be just as wonderful to the people (or things) around you, because once you appreciate someone/something you have given them self confidence and pride. In the end, everybody happy.

It's all up to you. You can strut blindly as if in fake gold rolexes, or you can stop and appreciate the beauty and proudly show it off like you're covered in diamonds and jewels. An easy choice, I'd say. Me? I'm simply richer than King Solomon's wife. My loved ones ensure that ;)

Melihat Keindahan, Ada Waktu?

Bayangkan anda melihat seorang pemusik di jalanan. Bayangkan anda saat itu sedang terburu-buru. Seberapa pun indahnya, apakah anda akan berhenti untuk mendengar? Mungkin sebagian besar tidak, karena anda "dikejar waktu" dan lagipula, ia hanya pemusik jalanan toh.

Nah sekarang, bayangkan bila pemusik itu ditempatkan di sudut mewah atau cafe terkenal dengan tag: "Tuan A: Pemusik Terkenal"; seberapa buru-burunya pun anda apakah anda akan berhenti untuk melihat? Saya yakin akan banyak yang berhenti melihat.

Terakhir, bayangkan bila sebenarnya si pemusik jalanan itu lah yang pemusik terkenal. Dan anda sebenarnya bisa saja menikmati konser gratis nya di pinggir jalan daripada membayar jutaan untuk konser resminya. Ouch. Menohok ga sih.

Inilah yang terjadi di Washington D.C. Pemusik terkenal Joshua Bell bermain secara incognito ala pemusik jalanan di Stasiun Metro, baca cerita selengkapnya disini. "Acara" ini diselenggarakan oleh Washington Post sebagai bagian dari eksperimen sosial tentang persepsi, selera, dan prioritas orang. Pertanyaan yang ingin dijawab adalah: dalam lingkungan biasa pada jam tidak tepat: Apakah kita mampu melihat keindahan? Apakah kita mau berhenti untuk menghargainya? Apakah kita bisa mengenali bakat dalam konteks yang tak terduga? Ternyata belum tentu.

Dalam buku The Naked Ape, Desmond Morris menggambarkan secara brilian kehidupan masyarakat purba yang tidak dikejar waktu. Kalau dipikir-pikir, sebenarnya siapa yang mengejar kita sehingga kita tidak mampu berhenti sejenak dan mengagumi/menikmati hidup? Kenapa SMS/telepon harus dijawab saat itu juga dan tidak menunggu sampai anda memiliki waktu luwang sebagaimana jaman dahulu dengan surat/pos biasa? Terkadang tanpa sadar kita terus berlari dan mengejar sesuatu, sampai melupakan bahwa hidup cuma sekali, sampai tidak sadar bahwa hidup itu indah.

So yeah, lain kali anda merasa melihat/mendengar/mencium/menyentuh sesuatu yang indah, berhenti sejenak untuk menikmati, manjakan kelima indera kita. Lupakan bahwa "sesuatu" itu tidak berada di tempat yang tepat. Ibaratnya, pemusik jalanan pun bisa anda nikmati musiknya bila ia memang benar-benar bagus. Lihat jauh kedalam, jangan dari kulitnya. Saya yakin hidup anda akan jadi lebih baik :)