The Risky Journal

In one week, Muslims all around the world will welcome the holy month of Ramadan. In this month of devotion, evaluation and reflection, Muslims are all expected to increase their prayers so that after the month ends, they will become better persons. The Holy Quran has taught Muslims that during the Holy Month, they should have more worshipping activities. Muslims are essentially taught to be closer to the Creator. However, my two year stay in Jakarta has taught me a different face of Ramadan The capital city has taught me that Ramadan is the month of discounts and sales. Starting next week, malls around the city will probably start offering discounts that are so hard for us to ignore. Thus, during Ramadan, instead of swarming mosques, people will swarm malls. Sales and discounts have clouded our memories of a promise that God once made. We suddenly forgot He once said that our one good deed would be counted as ten good deeds during Ramadan. We suddenly forgot th

News Giant Battle Credit: Pulsk.com As the presidential election draws closer, observing some major media in Indonesia has become a very interesting activity to do. By doing such a thing, one can really learn how media actively engages in the nation’s political environment. This post was written as a simple result of observation in some online media. I observed the twitter accounts of television stations Metro TV and TVone. Metro TV belongs to the Media Group owned by businessman Surya Paloh, who happens to be the chairman of the National Democratic Party (NasDem). In this presidential election, the party sides with presidential and vice presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Jusuf Kalla, or known as JK. Meanwhile, TV One belongs to the Viva News group owned by businessman Aburizal Bakrie, who chairs the Golkar Party. The party chooses to support presidential and vice presidential candidate Prabowo and Hatta Rajasa. I once wrote in this blog about m

Credit: Todayonline.com It has been a week since the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) announced that instead of nominating its chairperson as it used to do, the party would endorse its most famous member, Jakarta Governor Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, as a presidential candidate in the upcoming election. Public is split into two: those who support the nomination and who are against it. The supporters deem that Jokowi, who won the second runner up in the 2012 World Mayor Prize, needs to join the race to reach the nation’s top office because he represents a fresh figure and a young leader. Public also deem him worthy enough to grace all people of Indonesia with his humble characteristic, a rare trait among many nation’s contemporary political elites. However, Jokowi's participation is met with lots of criticisms. Jokowi, who was elected as the Jakarta Governor in 2012, still has three more years until the end of his term at the capital city. His participation i

Lego, the ubiquitous colored plastic brick toys, has paved its way to the big screen. And guess what? Their first ever 3D animated movie should be on your must-watch list. The Lego Movie follows the life of Emmet (voice of ChrisPratt ), a yellow-skinned construction worker, who finds a piece of relic that is sought by everyone. In the movie opening, sorcerer Vituvius ( Morgan Freeman ) prophesizes that anyone finding the relic would save the world from the Lord Business ( Will Ferrel ). Emmet should fulfill his destiny to become “The Special One”, a master builder destined to save the world. Accompanied by his faithful companions, Wyldstyle ( Elizabeth Bank ), Batman ( Will Arnett ) and Vituvius, Emmet embarks on an adventurous journey that will forever change not only his life but also the world. During the adventure, Emmet and his friends must avoid from being captured by the Lord Business and his trusted servant, Bad Cop ( LiamNeeson ). One hundred and forty minutes run

I still recalled a day when Laskar Pelangi , a 2008 film inspired by Andrea Hirata’s best-selling novel of the same title, became the talk of the town. The same happened when Sang Pemimpi , the second adaptation to the second Laskar Pelangi novel was released in 2010. Therefore, hopes were high that the third sequel of Laskar Pelangi  would follow their steps. Produced by Mira Lesmana and directed by Riri Reza , LaskarPelangi and Sang Pemimp i have definitely secured their places in Indonesia’s film history as key films that will be discussed in years to come. They are a good example of movie adaptation. Not only did they enjoy commercial success, they were also considered as acclaimed cinematic products. Mira and Riri are indeed well-known for their magic hands. Their initial works – Kuldesak (1998) , Petualangan Sherina (2000) and AdaApa dengan Cinta? (2002)- have brought Indonesia’s film industry to a renaissance era.   However, the movie geniuses are absent in

Known as the city of malls, probably only few people know that Jakarta actually also houses dozens of museums. A wikipedia post lists more than 30 museums in the city! So, if you have been bored to visit shopping centers, you probably want to visit those museums. I have made a vow that I will visit museums more often this year. So far I have visited five museums. Why visiting museums? it's cheap and you can learn lots of things. For starter, last Sunday, I visited the National Museum located in Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 18. The museum, which is also known as Museum Gajah (thanks to an elephant statue in front of its building), is located just across the Monas shelter of Transjakarta bus.