BIG HOPES FOR JAKARTA

I was born in Jakarta. And I've been spending 26years my life in Jakarta. The big city that have been Indonesian Dream for long time. Every people from every regions in Jakarta comes to try their fortune in big city. They comes with many different background with big hopes and dream to be winner. They leave their convenience & comfortable place in village with big hopes. Although most of them regreeted and decided to get back to village.

22 June 2008, Jakarta has been 481 years. There must be so many stories behind. Even that happy, bad, sad, good stories. But it has enriched our Jakarta Heritage.

Jakarta is teh capital city of Indonesia. Its also the biggest & the most modern city in Indonesia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa (397-1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942), and Djakarta (1942-1972).

The History of Jakarta dates back to at least the 14th Century with the development of a small port of Hindu Pajajaran Kingdom at the mouth of Ciliwung River. Searching for the fabled “Spice Island”, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive and establish a fortress on the site in the early 16th Century.

The old port attacked by a neighboring sultanate under leadership of Prince Fatahillah. After the assault, the Portuguese navy fleet destroyed. Fatahillah changed the name of the Sunda Kelapa port to Jayakarta, meaning “Total Victory”, commemorating the defeat of the local Hindu Kingdom and their European allies. According to some historians, this event took place on June 22, 1527, a date that later was officially recognized as the birth of the city of Jakarta.

It was to this town that Dutch spice merchants came in the late 16th Century and began a trading association with Europe that s dictate the story df Jakarta, and Indonesia as a nation, for nearly 350 years. Under the aggressive leadership of Jan Pieterzoon Coen, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) proceeded forcibly to take session to the town of Jayakarta, renaming it Batavia in 1619; from here, they ruled Indonesia for more than three centuries. Following the Japanese invasion and rule of the country frôm 1942-1945, on August 17, 1945, Indonesia’s first President Soekarno proclaimed Indonesia independence and Jakarta Became the accepted nation’s capital.

Over the last several decades, Jakarta has proudly developed into one of Asia's most prominent metropolitan centers. With a current population of nearly nine million, Jakarta has undergone dramatic growth. Today, Jakarta's skyline is covered by modern highrises. The many state-of-the-art shopping centers, recreation complexes and toll-roads have become hallmarks of the city. The quality of life and the general welfare of its inhabitants have improved considerably with the city's fast pace of development. Jakarta's cultural richness and dynamic growth contribute significantly to its growing importance as one of the world's leading capital cities.

Jakarta is one of Indonesia's designated tourist areas. It is a gateway to other tourist destinations in Indonesia and is equipped with all the means of modern transportation by air, sea, rail, or by land. It has the largest and most modern airport in the country (Bandara Soekarno-Hatta), the most important harbour in Indonesia (Tanjung Priok) and is well-connected by rail of good roads to other destinations in Java, Sumatra, and Bali, Busway.

Jakarta, once considered as primarily a stop-over to more worthwhile destinations in the country, has become a major destinations in its own right. Visitors come for Jakarta'' complete facilities and attractions that are in many ways unique and not available elsewhere. In the field of tourism Jakarta offers four and five star hotels on par with similar establishments elsewhere in the world, convention facilities, amusement parks, shopping centers, historical buildings, museums, tours, and many other tourist attractions. Almost every 1km there must be shopping centre. Even many strategic areas in Jakarta is surrounded by more than 2 shopping centre. E.g. Senayan is surrounded by Plaza Senayan, Senayan City, STC, and what else? The worse is Blok M. In very close time Blok M will not only be surrounded by Plaza Blok M, Blok M Pasaraya, Blok M Mall, Melawai, but also Blok M Square. Wow.......It will be shopping paradise. But how about with the seller, merchants?

Foreign banking has remained centred in Jakarta, but investments have spread out over the provinces in the past decade. Though it is still the major stop for bussiness people looking for chances and possibilities in Indonesia.

The famous thing from Jakarta is the crowded traffi. Traffic Jam in everywhere. Will busway solve the transportation problem? I dont think now. May be next couple years. Could you imagine?Busway will reduce roadway 1/3 to 1/2 space of road will be allocated for busway. But private cars, bus, public transportation are still going on. Hem..........terribly traffic Jam. Ok........I hope Fauzi Bowo can fulfill our big hopes for Jakarta. Lets hand in hand to make Jakarta better.

Happy anniversary Jakarta 481th! Long live Jakarta!!!

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THE GIRLS OF RIYADH

Last week I read another marvelous novel. The novel which was based on true story. Well, I guessed. Because the novel mentioned it. GIRLS OF RIYADH is being referred to as "Saudi Arabian-style of S** and the City". A secret look into the lives of professional women as they search for love. But this love story is set in the conservatively Islamic Riyadh as opposed to the melting pot of Manhattan. Riyadh girls dance, eat McDonald's and shop, but only with each other. Their link to the male world is through cell phones and online chat rooms, and even then they are not allowed to choose with whom they can spend the rest of their lives.

Rajaa Alsanea's book follows the storylines of four fictional women, which is a style found in many contemporary novels. In all of these books, four women's lives interchange throughout the pages. Some are more conservative, some are more liberal, some are bold, some are shy, but all represent different faculties of the feminine experience. When each set of four is taken as a whole, the female reader is more apt to be able to identify with at least one of the characters.

In this particular novel, Gamrah is the most conservative, Sadeem is the hopeless romantic, Michelle brazenly questions her society's restrictions, and Lamees is the one who succeeds in getting exactly what she wants. At first it's hard to keep the characters, and their various love interests, straight. But as time goes on and the characteristics of the individual personalities are revealed, their intertwining story becomes clear and fascinating.

What makes this so much different from the chick-lit that has come before is the setting. Alsanea holds her own as a writer, but her background is what sets her apart. As Americans we are generally unfamiliar with the goings-on of the Saudi Arabian elite. Even some of the elite themselves aren't very familiar with what goes on behind closed doors, or at least they aren't open to talk about it freely. Thus, while S**AND THE CITY blazed a trail for American women to be open about s**, GIRLS OF RIYADH blazed a trail for not just openness about s** but about love, religion and the limitations presented by family and society.

The only thing that feels disjointed about GIRLS OF RIYADH is the unnamed narrator, who tells the story about her friends through emails sent out to a mailing list every Friday after prayers. The narrator doesn't seem to serve much purpose, minus responding to hate mail and praise that she receives after every post. It is as if Alsanea wants to show how controversial her book is to someone who might question that fact, but the story alone educates the reader as to the sensitive nature of the subject matter. Instead, the narrator's responses seem only to break the pattern of the story itself and provide an unwanted interruption to its flow.

And I amazed with the story. And I guessed, there is undercover Saudi Arabian girl. Yeah..........

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THE HISTORY OF TAJ MAHAL

A week a go I was addicted to novel about The Legend of Taj Mahal. I started from the book "Beneat of A Marble Sky". The author is John Shors. I'm not really sure, it was a true story or some fictional story surrounding the building of the Taj Mahal. While historians agree that the Taj Mahal was built by an emperor in the seventeenth century who was grieving the loss of his wife, the true details surrounding this story have been lost. John Shors imagines them in Beneath a Marble Sky, bringing to life a story of love, war, beauty and tragedy. Its a fabulous story that inspire me alot.

Beneath a Marble Sky starts when Princess Jahanara is old. She is living in secret, and telling her story to her granddaughters for the first time. The reader is told that Aurangzeb, her brother, is the emperor. When no one can overhear, she tells them a fantastic tale of her true identity and their heritage. The woman is Jahanara, daughter of Shah Jahan, a descendant of Emperor Jahangir, the Emperor of Hindustan in the early 1600s who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The recent years have been the only peaceful ones Jahanara has know since the days of her youth, now forced to hide from her brother, the Emperor Alamgir, "Conqueror of the World," who would put his sister to death if he knew where to find her as he did with his brothers. As the oldest child, Jahanara is favored by both parents for her beauty and intelligence and willingly accepts an arranged marriage, although she is unhappy with her husband, who beats and humiliates her.

The Emperor Shah Jahan is obsessed with the Taj Mahal, directing his daughter to oversee the daily progress of the building; there she meets the love of her life, Isa. Through her father's machinations, Jahanara is able to enjoy private moments with her lover and bears him a daughter, convincing her husband the girl is his. With Isa and her daughter, life is bearable for Jaharana.

After the death of his wife, the bereft Shah Jahan, barely able to attend to the business of his kingdom, allows his warlike son Aurangzeb too much freedom, intending the more compassionate Dara to assume the throne after he dies. Unfortunately, Aurangzeb (later known as Alamgir) becomes more powerful, eventually seizing the throne and imprisoning his father, slaying any brothers who might claim the throne.

The following years are filled with turmoil for Jahanara, separated from her beloved and their daughter and eventually imprisoned with her father. Through a series of twists and turns, the princess endures years of hardship and betrayal, using her extraordinary guile to escape from her brother. In the most desperate hours of her confinement, the princess draws strength from the love of her mother and memories of the early years.

The struggles of the princess to protect her ailing father, endure the enforced distance from her lover and daughter and live with the constant acid of Alamgir's hate are depicted in vivid detail. Only with patience and cunning does Jahanara manage to survive, learning the true nature of humanity with the unexpected aid of those who also loved her mother.

Filled with the harsh beauty of the desert and the inimitable Taj Mahal, Shors guides the reader through the Scheherazade-like mysteries of the Middle East: the luxuries of the harem, the clashing swords of war and the ties of love that cannot be broken. With a passion that transcends the ages, the daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan learns the true meaning of her heritage and the obligations of royalty.

But its a dangerous book for people who doesnt really understand about Islam. I'm worried people will think Aurangzeb, Jahanara, Shah Jahan, Dara, Isa were trully muslim who has aplied Islam totally. In the book, Jahanara did zina with Isa, her lover. But we are as a reader will think that its true. Jahanara has a bad husband who always do zinah with woman slavers. He always hurts Jahanara. And Jahanara amrried her for the sake of political practice. Her daddy forced her to marry.

But then when Jahanara fell in love with Isa. But she was still in marriage although she was unhappy. She decided to run away with her lover Isa. She did zinah and gave birth Arjumand. Her the only daughter. And Shah Jahan permitted her to do that. Even Shah Jahan facilitated her. Its confusing.

Then Aurangzeb, the cruel emperor who always quoted verses in Quran to everybody is not a good muslem. He did zinah, killed many people even his own brother, as he also intended to kill Jahanara and Shah Jahan also. He is a tricky man. Wuahhhhh........there are not muslim.

First I thought because the author is a British and not a muslim. So he interpreted the history on his own imagination. Its a trully fictional story. Then I tried to read another book about Taj Mahal. A story of Mughal India by Timeri N. Murari. It has different point of view.

When his queen Arjumand Banu-Mumtaz-i-Mahal-the Chosen One of the Palace-died, Shah Jahan wanted to build a monument that was the image of his perfect love for her. For twenty-two years, twenty thousand men laboured day and night to fulfill the emperor's obsession. The result was the Taj Mahal, a marble mausoleum lined with gold, silver and precious jewels.

This powerful novel narrates the story of the Taj on two parallel levels. The first one tells the passionate love story of Shah Jahan and Arjumand. The second recounts the later years of Shah Jahan's reign, the building of the Taj Mahal and the bloody pursuit of the fabulous Peacock throne by his sons. Intertwined in the building is the story of Murthi, the Hindu master craftsman sent as a gift to the emperor to carve the famous marble jail around Arjumand's sarcophagus.

Murari has skilfully recreated the period against which the story is set, the sensual opulence of the palace, the grinding poverty of seventeenth century India, the vicissitudes of Shah Jahan's reign and the historical background of the conflict between men of different faiths.

Anyway, both of good novels. But please be objective when you read this books. Dont judge Muslim as you read on that books. Peace!!!

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Where is my Spirit?

This year i really lose my spirit to finish my writing. I feel little bit depressed. Everybody expecting my other writings. But I'm stuck. Where is my spirit? Life problem came and went to hit my spirit.

Yesterday was worst day. I was sinking in problem. Problem that I made by myself. It was nightmare. Ya Allah....!

My bestfriend Irma sent me nice sms:

In times of difficulties. Dont ever say! "Allah I have a big problem"

But "Hey problem, I have a big Allah and everything will be allright"

HAMASAH!

Subhanallah, seems Allah will never leave me alone. Even when I was down, ALLAH sent me guardian angel in shape of bestfriend. Alhamdulillah...........

May be i just need little time to recover my spirit. I know I'll be very success:-)

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SCSM IN MOVIE

Well, I've dreamed it since two years ago. I hope this year it will come true. As a producer in Jakarta who has produced some movies interested to make my novel 'Surat Cinta Saiful Malook' to movie. Masha Allah, its been 3rd times the issues of movie. It has rocked my heart many times. I hope its really come true.

Why I'm so much sure with this producer. They called me to talk on Friday. Friday is my blessings day. All happiness happened on Friday. I was born, got some awards, my publisher called me for 1st publishing, job interview, etc on Friday. Each job interview on Friday, I always passed it succesfully. Even when I got my 1st interview in recent company. I love Friday.....

So my fans........SCSM in Movie is not dream anymore. Its coming very soon. Insha Allah.

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PMS

Few days behind I was so mellow, emotional and became irritated. I've made some people became peevish. I also felt something strange with my body. Last nite, I woke up for tahajud and sahr as usual. I usually do fast sunnah every Monday-Thursday. But why today was not so comfort. I was weak and had been hungry before lunch. And yeah, its happened.

Yeah, i realized the strange things that happened to me was PMS. What is PMS? The term PMS stands for Premenstrual Syndrome, a familiar acronym used to describe a cyclical challenge with a confusing array of physical, emotional or behavioral responses experienced by an amazingly large number of women every month in the days and even weeks before their menstrual periods begin. In spite of widespread myth, misinformation and politically incorrect sexist jokes, the truth about PMS is that it is real-as real as any other legitimately recognized physical condition with a combination of physical and emotional responses that are all too often dismissed as trivial. In fact, PMS responses are known to challenge health, change normal routine and impact lifestyle.

Almost all woman will become more irritated & emotional when they are getting closer with their period. So beware! Never ever wake up a sleeping lion. Hehhehe...........They will become so much angry only for small reasons.

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THE HOLY WOMAN

Last night I read a nice novel. The tittle is THE HOLY WOMAN. It was a nice story about 'Shahzadi Ibadat'. Its about life journey of a Pakistani girl, Zarri Bano. Sarri Banois a most fortunate young woman. She has wealth, beauty and brains, and plenty of freedom. At the age 27, she remains unmarried, since none of the suitors she has met at University in Karachi or within her privileged family circle come close to her ideal man.Then she meets Sikander Din, a handsome young business tycoon, who sweeps her off her feet. The pair fall in love and wish to marry, but Zarri Bano’s father Habib Khan has other ideas. Imagining his daughter has been snubbed, he takes an instant dislike to Sikander (in Indonesian spelling Iskandar, or Alexander in west). A family tragedy follows. Jafar, the Khans’ only son is killed in a riding accident and Habib is left with a terrible dilemma: who will inherit and manage his lands?

Resurrecting an ancient and terrible tradition, Habib decides to make Zarri Bano his heiress. After a ceremony of marriage to Quran, she will lead a life of religious duty, and of celibacy. Wedding, children, the love of a man and a woman – all will be denied to her.

For Zarri Bano is about to become her clan’s Shahzadi Ibadat – The Holy Woman. Its a fabulous story of Qaisra Shahraz! I think Qaisra is a Pakistani and she knows better about that culture. Wow......inspiring story. I hope i'll follow soon.

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