Balada McD, Makanan Sampah yang Menjadi Mewah

Miss X: 'Kita makan siang dimana hari ini?'
Mas Y: 'Di McD aja yuk …'

-Yang bener aja, makan di tempat lain napa?-

Mas A: 'Eh, aku ada bazzar ni dari si Y, mau bareng ga?'
Mas B: 'Bazzar? Bazzar di daerah mana tu? Kalo waitressnya cakep – cakep, aku ikutan deh'
Mas A: 'Bazzar McD'
Mas B: [jdeng … shock ...]

-Plis deh, bazzar di McDonalds? Ga banget deh-

From my personal point of view, McDonalds has increasingly become a meal for high class Balinese. Almost everyone that I saw in McDonalds come from either middle or high class person. All of them loves McDonalds and will be proud if they have eaten at McDonalds. If you have kids and want to throw party for their birthday, just throw it in McDonalds and you will be considered a high class person. High schools students often go to McDonalds at lunch time and considered McDonalds as a cool place. Families often get dinner at McDonalds with their children. I don’t know what so special about McDonalds that help them to decide to get dinner at McDonalds.

When I was in college, I was thinking that by eating at McDonalds, I would achieve a higher social stature hehehe … So, when my friend told me that he will buy me a double cheese burger at McDonalds, I was so excited. Few days later we went to McDonalds at Simpang Dago. He bought me a double cheese burger but after I ate it, I was so surprise with the taste. I was wondering why would someone go and eat this kind of crap. It didn’t taste anything. It was very plain. I would rather eat Lawar rather than that crap food. And until now, I’m still wondering why our people loves McDonalds so much.

And then, at some point I have the chance to go to the country of McDonalds. I was curious whether there, McDonalds is also highly regarded as in Indonesia. The first time I went to my new school I saw Wendy’s on one corner of the block and McDonalds on the opposite block. After sometime and got used to the area, I realized that McDonalds is not a high class food. McDonalds here are considered as the most cheapest and unhealthy food. High class people here eat organic food, not McDonalds. So, why do we considered McDonalds as cool place and highly regard McDonalds? Only you can answer that question. How about other fast food like Wendy’s, KFC, or BK? Well, pretty much the same.

I Will Always Love Bali

I never thought that I will get many responses for my last blog post. Bli Anton, one of the big boss of the Bali Blogger Community, even post a writing in response for my post. Afterwards, we chat a bit about this problem and I agree with him that this kind of problem already started to happen long time ago, but everything was covered up in the name of economy by some people. And that’s makes me wonder, should I revised the image about Bali that is planted in my mind?

Bli Kadek Suparta said that problems exist in every race, island and province. Though I’m totally agreed with that, I don’t like the facts that killing someone because of a trivial problem which often occurs in Bali. If you want to kill kick someone is the ass then that person has to be someone who made a big sin, for example that freaking dog Soeharto. He made out country like what we see today and he also made his family like what we see today. So, if you want to bang him in his head kick someone in the ass, then I wouldn’t mind at all. [Hope you die pain; may your soul unable to rest in peace; hope the devil will torture your soul in Hell, right sir; no shouldn’t be a sir but dog will be more appropriate]. But if it just a trivial problem like staring each other, border line or problems that occur in a café then it’s unworthy to kill someone.

But probably, all these problems and violence occur because the nature of human as an omnicide being who tend to vanquish everything. Not just other human (homicide), but also the nature (ecocide), other race (genocide) and even themselves (suicide). This was stated by Johan Galtung, a Norwegian sociologist, in one of his writing. But I do think that we can’t generalize and categorized everyone as an omnicide being. We, as the noblest being in the earth, have the knowledge and ability to suppress the omnicide desire. There are so many example of this noble thought around us. The world silent day campaign is one of the examples of our noble thought to fight against ecocide. So let’s fight those desires, the homicide desire, the ecocide desire, and even the suicide desire to make this world a better place to live in.

So, should I revise my image of Bali? I don’t think so. I will always remember Bali as the island of Gods, island of thousand temples and the most peaceful place on earth.

Rahajeng nyanggra rainan Siwa Ratri.

Balinese People These Days

Before the new years eve, I spoke with one of my friend and I said that I predicted there will be another fight that caused by trivial problem during the new years eve celebration in Bali. During this kind of celebration which involved a large group of people, a small frictions or problems which actually not a big deals, can become source of big fight which sometimes leads to fatality. And what I fear the most occur in Kuta, at Dee Jay Café to be exact. Two security guard of the café was killed that night as reported by Balipost. One of the victims died with stab wound on their back, while the other got stab on their back. Both of them were Balinese, Ketut Mustiada (45) from Buleleng and Wayan Suparta (45) from Denpasar. Another victim who survived the horror, Ketut Mustika (40), suffer wound in his hand which almost cuts his right hand artery.

One of Dee Jay Café staff said that the murder occurs outside the café and the café are not related to the murder case. The staff also said that both of the victims were freelance security guard hired only to secure the café. It seems to me that the café trying to wash their hand of this case and they feel have no moral and material responsibility to the victim’s family member. Moral of the incident is to never work as security guard for a café hehehehehe … [just kidding]

As of yesterday, police already caught four suspected person involved in the incident. My main concern is not whether the killer is caught or not, but rather on how we can prevent this kind of “small friction to fatality” problem happen again in the future. We see this kind of cases more often these days in Bali. Is it true that Balinese people become angry easier these days? Well, I certainly hope not because the Balinese people that I know are gentle and warm hearted people with sincere smile on their face.

Happy New Year 2008

Happiness keeps u sweet,
Failures keeps u humble,
Success keeps u glowing,
Only GOD keeps u going.

Let's hope Lindsay Lohan will be cured from her sex addiction.
Let's hope there will be no more crazy story from the Spears family.

Have a blessed & amazing New Year 2008.