Few months ago I went to Ujung Genteng to see a sea turtle laying her eggs. The turtle came from the Indian ocean. It's a vast ocean that borders Indonesia on the south. Its waves is well known among surfers.
Before seeing the turtle my group and I released 2 baby turtles to the sea. Their sizes were half of my palm. After 30 years the baby turtles, that we released, will come back to the same shore to lay their eggs.
To see the mother turtle we had to walked 600 meters one way. Walking on the sand at 1 am was tiring and it was dark also. Our guide warned us not to point our flashlights to the sea because the sea turtles eyes were sensitive to light and they would feel threaten if they saw us going near to their nests.
Some minutes later we arrived at the nest of a turtle. The guide held us for few minutes for the turtle to have her some privacy. The turtle was huge. Twice times my size wide. The female turtle, that I saw that night, was 90 years old and very grumpy. She swung her flippers if we swarmed too close to her.
At that night there were also few groups beside mine. All of us were so eager to see the turtle closely. Flash light from our camera didn't stop taking her picture. The more eager we were, the grumpier the turtle became. I pity the turtle because some people pointed their flashy camera right to her eyes.
I couldn't stay long taking the turtle picture because I got dizzy looking at the flashy camera light. I could imagine how dizzy the turtle was.
Indonesia sea turtles are protected one of the endangered animals. Let's preserve and protect them.
Watching Sea Turtle
Weekend Trip
I'm back from a trip. From May 14th-16th I went to Ujung Genteng, West Java, for the weekend. I went with a group of 15 people whom I met on an online backpacking community. It was our first trip together. Although we were strangers, when we first met, we got along fast and built friendships on the trip.
The journey was 8 hours one way. It was a bumpy ride because the location was deep in a village. I barely slept because of the uneven terrain. One minute I fell asleep but the next minute I woke up with neck pain. I should've brought neck support to help me sleep.
In the morning we went to a nearby waterfall. At midday we walked along the coastline so that we could arrive at the turtle park in the afternoon to release baby turtles to the sea. After that in the evening we went to see a turtle laying her eggs. We walked in the dark because sea turtle eyes are sensitive to light. Walking in the dark was like walking in a big planetarium. I could the the stars above and I could see the silhouettes of the other people around me. Although it wasn't pitch black at all I had to watch my step because logs and coral were everywhere. Too bad my camera couldn't capture the wonder of the night sky.
It was a fantastic experience!
Getting Hit On
I take public transport to go home.
This happened few months back in 2009. As soon as I entered the door. I FELT that a man kept looking at me. I say FELT because I didn't look straight into his eyes but from the corner of my eyes I could FEEL that he kept looking at me.
For few minutes on the road he was silent. Then he broke the silence by asking where I came from before hopping in. "From office", I replied briefly. Then he asked where my office is. "Near here". He kept and kept asking me. I replied because I didn't want to be rude and there were few passengers in the vehicle so I thought it was safe. I didn't bother to ask something about him because i wasn't interested in knowing him.
I didn't complain and he thought that I was open for his further questions. He kept asking about what my job is and what I do at my job. During the interrogation we sat on a long bench next to each other. I saw that next to him was a lot of space for him to sit but he kept pushing his way to me and sticking plus rubbing his shoulder into me. I was disgusted and creeped! Again I didn't yell at him because I didn't want to be rude and impolite to a much older person. He looked like 35-40 something.
At that very moment I felt that there was something wrong with him and I needed to stand up for myself. I said to him, "Sir, why don't you ask questions to other women around. There are plenty". I waved to a woman sitting in front of me, "Miss, miss, this man needs a word with you". This not so gentleman pulled his shoulder off of me. I was relieved but my heart was still beating fast and my body was shaking a bit.
Then his last words before stepping out of the vehicle were, "I'm a member of a movie committee". I didn't buy his words because I'm a graphic designer and I know that the relation of graphic designing and movie making doesn't click.
How do you deal with the situation of getting hit on?
Sumimasen, Love
Do you believe in fate?
If you meet the person of your dreams, would you ask for their name and number directly to them? Or do you prefer to ask the person to write the name and number on a bank note?
Chie Tanaka, a young model who works in Taiwan, is overwhelmed by her work pressure. One day she left Taipei for Kaohsiung for a day off, where she met Wu Huai Chung in a museum. Chung is an employee at the museum and is well known for his daydreaming habit. The boy was captured by Chie's smile and tailed her anywhere.
In a coffee shop, Chie was in panic because she couldn't find her wallet. She didn't realized that she had lost it in the museum. Chung had appeared to save the day and kindly lent her his money to pay the bill. On the $500 note Chung asked Chie to write her name and number. Telling her that she will be his girlfriend on the day that the note come back to his hand. Chie paid the bill with the money and secretly left Chung.
On the same day they met again in a church. I can't tell whether it was a pure accident or not. They enjoyed the day together. During that time Chung retrieved his note back but didn't realized it. Because of it, he used the money to buy a ticket. By the end of the movie they went separate ways and the note didn't go back to Chung for the second time.
This movie reminds me of a Hollywood movie. Serendipity. Both main characters are separated and united by fate. The difference is the Hollywood movie has a happily ever after ending while this Asian movie has an open ending.
Personally I prefer the Asian movie ending to the Hollywood one because it feels more realistic. Splitting ways with a stranger, whom I known for only one day, is more likely to happen. The ending is open to the viewers' imagination, whether the both characters will meet again in 10 years time or not. It's a nice movie that gives a heart warming feeling. I enjoyed every bit of it.
Having Baby Out of Wedlock
Recently, a young Indonesian celebrity, age 21, became hot news in the media. She is a shining star but was caught red-handed in a drug case. Since then her popularity quickly diminished. Suddenly she caught the attention of the media because she was pregnant in jail. At that time she didn't tell anyone whose baby she was having.
The public gave her a mixed response. Some berated her and some supported her. On February 24th, 2010 she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Today a man, another celebrity, admitted in a live broadcast that he's the baby's father. The girl has forgiven the man but she doesn't want to marry him.
Having a baby out of wedlock alone is already shameful in Indonesia. Furthermore, it was the first time a celebrity has admitted he was a father in a live broadcast. The public is truly shocked because this kind of act would have been done secretly away from the man and the girl's family.
I personally think the girl should be forgiven, but her careless behavior should not be an example for other youngsters. I salute both the man and the girl's big heart for the sake of the baby.
Had they both been living in a western country, they would have received a lot less fuss. I think this kind of circumstance is commonly accepted among westerners.
What about Asians living in western countries? Would they make a fuss if this incident happened in their neighborhood?