Surabaya Living

The monsoon rains come down in torrents, but Surabayans go about their daily business as usual. Blessings from the skies are not taken for granted and their philosophy reflects a healthy approach to life. They say "we don't have floods, but the water does rise".

Street life is much the same in most of Indonesia. Families of 3 or 4 on a motorbike are a common sight amidst the hustle and bustle of the pasar or market.

Ibu (lady) goes to market in a bechak ......

....while this ibu takes a nap when trading is slow.

Mobile food stalls sell local favourites like bakso, a beef ball noodle soup.

Oven-grilled lamb is the house speciality of this zinc-walled shop-house. Despite the impoverishment the potted plants give a nice finishing touch and an indication of being house-proud.

Bird keeping, as it is termed, is part and parcel of the Indonesian lifestyle. One in five urban households keep birds, which according to a survey "reminds urban migrants of their village life". Doves and canaries are the most popular while the orange-headed thrush is the coveted prize. This hobby, while having stress-relieving effects, has its downside in that conservationists fear the decline in wild bird species and extinction in some. With the advent of song-bird contests every weekend, bird-trapping has become a lucrative sport. Birds are trained to sing for 20-40 minutes. A winning bird can garner millions of rupiah for its owner which increases its value and becomes a highly sought after commodity.

Go to http://www.birdkeeping.blogspot.com/ for more insight to this unique hobby.
The Indonesians are an industrious and enterprising people in their homeland and abroad. In KL, the Chow Kit area could be called 'Little Indonesia', as 90% of the trade is conducted by the Indonesian community, many of whom have become permanent residents.

On the other side of the coin, luxury abounds in the western district of Surabaya where the nouveau riche stake their claim around swanky golf courses in gated -community residential estates.

The penchant for roman columns is glaringly obvious, as every other mansion apes this decadent style.
While wealth is flaunted, the high-walled enclosures reveal a deep-seated fear for safety. To the unaccustomed eye the question is "why bother to build a mansion if you are going to wall yourself in?" Well, I think the answer is, "because we can!"

Meanwhile the general populace enjoy the beauty of nature quietly and live life as it should be. Dawn sees the good practice of early morning exercise at the neighbourhood school grounds. In these trying times of financial instability, the current Mayor has enabled the use of public areas for income-generating purposes for the rakyat (citizens). The Kali Mas riverside has been beautified to accommodate food stalls to achieve this goal.

A surprising change for the better is the creation of smoke free zones. The Surabaya Plaza Suites, offers this haven. Much to the indignation of the smoking members of our group, all guests are required to sign an agreement and undertaking to keep the premises smoke-free or pay a fine of one million rupiah (USD80). Has Surabaya become greener? Yes it has, thanks to a community project involving Tree-Planting to commemorate auspicious events for example:- marriage - 5 trees, birth of child - 2 trees and for divorce 10 trees! Kudos to the Mayor for getting his priorities right. You're the Man!

Surabaya Revisited - The Rocky Story

For me, Indonesia always holds an unmistakable lure, be it Bali, Jogjakarta or Surabaya. There is magic in the air and each trip has been one discovery after another.

Since our last visit 3 years ago, I have gained a friend who hails from Surabaya. Rocky, is a yogi of Japanese-Indonesian heritage, whom I met on a yoga retreat to Bhutan, a year and a half ago. Sympatico would describe our relationship.

Luck was on my side when he confirmed he was in Surabaya at the time of my visit, and not on one of his frequent sojourns to Bali for personal yoga classes with his clients.

He had arranged a packed program for me starting with a special yoga class in a spa. It was there that the next surprise unfolded - an interview by the local daily, Jawa Pos (Java Post) for a feature article. This included a photo shoot for the spread. It turned out to be an interactive interview, where I learnt as much of Surabaya living as they did of my lifestyle.

Yoga practitioners will be interested to know that since our hoo-hah about yoga in Malaysia, Indonesia has come out with a fatwa against the practice of yoga for muslims! They blame us for this turn of events.

Many photographs later, we were off for a well-earned meal of ikan panggang (grilled fish) and pepper crab at a seafood restaurant. Yum.

The next day I attended a 7 am yoga class at Atlas Gym where Rocky had been instrumental in establishing the yoga studio. His poster stands as evidence by the poolside.

The gym has 2 swimming pools, tennis, squash, weights, machines, Pilates, dance, yoga and a couple of cafeterias which serve up a tasty nasi goreng ( fried rice). The yoga classes are popular as you can see from the number of mats laid out. You are allotted a place number upon booking for a class. By the end of the class there were mats occupying every available space - easily close to 50!

After yoga, I found Rocky working out with his personal trainer. I was given a few tips for great abs and was off to the machines.

True to fitness regimes, we kept up to the 2-hourly feeding schedule. Breakfast was a tasty fried kuey teow (flat rice noodles), not particularly a health food option, before checking out his latest project for the past year - the building of Rumah Rocky (Rocky's House). It is situated in the older residential area of East Surabaya amongst plenty of greenery and quiet narrow lanes.

Earlier I had asked as to the theme of his house - 'Indian' was the reply. As soon as I laid my eyes upon the structure, I was immediately reminded of the Red Fort or Lal Quila, one of old Delhi's monuments of red sandstone walls with turrets and bastions. The 2-storey building was 75% complete under the watchful eye of the proud owner.

Rocky tells me that he has ended up being the architect, contractor and interior decorator to achieve the outcome and effect he wants. This is his dream - a yoga studio-cum-home in gentle surroundings.

The ground floor studio is spacious with a granite feature wall recessed behind the white Mogul arches. A small pantry to cater for refreshments for clients is tucked away in a quiet nook.

The emphasis on natural ventilation of the entire house has been painstakingly thought through by the architect-cum-contractor. This vent goes all the way around the house and through to the top floor providing good air circulation. Go green Rocky!The mezzanine houses the studio apartment and a private balcony. Being a keen shopper, the walk-in-cupboard has been dedicated a luxurious space within the bathroom suite.The upstairs studio is almost double the size of the downstairs one. It is slated to be a hot studio. Note the through ventilation idea again...From the studio, the view of the surrounding neighbourhood is capitivating.

As I walked down the steps of this puri (Indonesian castle), I felt very happy for my friend who has managed to fulfill his dreams and aspirations so aesthetically. Namaste Rocky...

The Reader

The Reader, directed by Stephen Daldry, set in post WWII Germany, is adapted from the best seller of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. The author was involved in the making of the movie from start to finish and insisted it be in English.

The book took 10 years to translate. The Germans have a word for it: Vergangenheitsbewtigung — more or less, “coming to terms with the past.” It’s not an easy concept to translate into English; even less so, perhaps, into the American idiom.

The Story

The melancholic Michael Berg (Ralph Finnes) reflects on his past as certain images and places trigger his memory of the summer of 1958 when he was 15 years old.

It was by chance the young Michael (David Kross) met Hannah Schmidt (Kate Winslet), a 30-something tram conducter, on the way back from school. He was feeling sick and she gave him a helping hand. It turned out to be scarlet fever which left him bedridden for months.

On recovery, he brought a bouquet of flowers to thank her but her response was cold. His attraction to her brought him back on a second visit which lead to the begining of a summer infatuation that was to have had a profound effect on the young Michael.

Apart from the intimacy, the couple had a fairly detached relationship until the reading started. From the Odyssey to Lady Chatterley's Lover, Michael read to Hannah, initially after the love-making but then she turned the tables and insisted on the reading first.

The spoiler: No, I wont be that mean to spoil it for you . . .

Reviews

The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw - Friday 2 January 2009

Under the gloss of high production value, under the sheen of hardback good taste, there is something naive and glib and meretricious. It left a very strange taste in my mouth.

Telegraph.co.uk, Mike McCahill - 31 December 2008

The revelation of evil not only confounds the characters here; it numbs the film, stifles whatever wayward life it once had in it.

Rotten Tomatoes
The Reader is a thoughtful and absorbing film, which is packed with delicately-structured twists and punctuated with truly impressive performances.

A superbly crafted yet oddly unmoving film that's easier to admire than to genuinely like.

Best evidence of what a magnetic presence Kate Winslet is: When her role diminishes in the second half of The Reader, the movie disintegrates.

A slow-moving but absorbing story of sexual awakening and moral dilemmas.

At times The Reader is an interesting exploration of both the needs of man and the limits of law. But there are so many dead spots in the film after it gets rolling that the rolling too often comes to a stop.

Have a good read or viewing . . .

Old Friends

It would seem natural to talk of old friends on Valentines Day.

It never ceases to amaze me the surprises life has in store for us; around the next corner, the next day or the next minute.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from someone I met in 1970.

Although an image would not emerge immediately, the unravelling of the story came to light after painstaking meanderings through the archives of the memory banks yielding flashes of images, snippets of conversations and of course emotions at the time.

As I discovered, events like grave illness in the family play a major role in literally wiping out all evidence of attendant episodes in one's life. Perhaps wiping out may be too strong, but certainly buried deep would be appropriate. Priding myself as one who remembers details more than some, I was annoyed to be confronted with this obvious lapse.

Short of self hypnosis, this became an exercise in self-analysis evoking emotions from sadness, disbelief, anger, grief and finally acceptance. The journey was exciting and left me with a sense of wanting to know more. The realisation of ones individual vulnerability is humbling.

Perception is in the eyes of the beholder. We each lay significance on things that impact us personally affecting the flavour of memories. This is a good thing because when the two sides do eventually come together, the canvas becomes complete. So here's to old and new friends where ever you may be. Savour life.

Dubai - People shots

The population of the emirate was 1,422,000 as of the 2006 census, which included 1,073,000 males and 349,000 females. As of 1998, 17% of the population of the emirate was made up of UAE nationals. The rest comprised the Asian expatriate population, namely Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan, and only 3% of the total population was categorised as "Western".

The 3% enjoying the beach

The rest enjoying the beach in their own way.
Emirati ladies at Gold Souk
Diverse ethnicity

This demographic profile may change with the current economic climate in a tailspin. A number of recent reports on the state of the real estate market in Dubai show prices for residential properties falling by anything from 20% to 50%, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the market which will consequently affect the construction sector.

Expat workers on their day off at the Creek

Expat children

The raffle offers 2 luxurious ES350 and LX470 Lexus cars
and Dh100,000 in cash & Dh3 million cash prizes in fortnightly raffles.

Perched on a bench

Emirati family time

Costa cruise group on stop-over

Water taxi across the Creek
Water taxi at sunset

Exotic movie set?

Emiratis at old Souk

Outside the mosque