Politics Brat

My opinion on "International" schools

2008-05-23T01:21:00.001+07:00

This is better than complaining about stupid 100 Years of National Awakening Marxist parade on Gedung Olahraga Bung Karno.

Last night, due to the dreadful second half of MU-Chelsea, I read Supermiring Family written by Febi Wijaya, who is a student of St. Laurensia. I've heard familiar stories about the school - its obsession with biology projects, problematic brats (well...dissenting comments are welcomed), and high teacher turnover. The book confirms those stories.

Which, upon reflection, which might be the sorry state of the so-called international schools in Indonesia. Temasek, Lorens, Sinarmas, Global Jaya, I wonder what are the differences between National +, International, "berwawasan internasional", World, and Classical Schools. And that creep called Hi-Scope who wanted my original diploma as deposit.

1. iB, Cambridge O Level, or IGCSE curriculla

2. demand for "native teachers" for English and Mandarin (which, in proper English, meaning that the school is looking for Indonesian teachers)

3. ex-Christian & Catholic schools students added with some halfies, little expats from Korea & India, and of course ex-public school student

4. HIGH TEACHER TURNOVER. The brats test the limit, their usually-aloof parents complain to the principal, the principal discharges the teacher. Of course, sometimes it's the student that's got expelled. But disclipine is something frantically chased by the school to no avail. Being a foreigner doesn't always help.

5. Fetish with Math, Science, and English. And if the school is scared enough of government regulation, enter PPKn and Bahasa Indonesia. Bahasa Indonesia is certainly useful, but we really need a serious Civic Education.

As usual, the salary sucks.

When I complained about Temasek students, my friend who was from Lorens said same thing there. And well, reading that book made me pondering if I was bloody lucky to survive in Temasek (I didn't resign - the principal said I'm out).

Of course, many teachers could be friends with students, but teaching a hard, unpopular subject with gay textbook that wasn't used anymore, so I had to replace it with handouts that was surely confusing and probably unpopular, I think I was bloody lucky to survive and to love my work.

Even worse, I think I like 50% of Temasek students. Lower than 50%? Okay, certainly not just 10A. That counts for what...more than 10%?

Currently there aren't many options in the job market for me. Luckily I can make excuse that there aren't many schools offering History or other Social Science either. And nooooooooooo way I'd like to teach English. Am I native BTW? Either by the school definition or by dictionary definition, I'm not qualified to be a native. I'm a migrant.

Of course, it's the youth vigour. The mallrats. The anime Romanticism. Plaid skirt. And according to The Sims, a Scholar has to teach in school first. And I've skipped the jobs of Playground Monitor, Teacher Assistant and Primary School Teacher. In Temasek I often thought "George Orwell was a teacher too" (and a colonial policeman, a tramp, a journalist, and a Romantic soldier whose vivid memory of the Spanish Civil War was diarrhea).

When I wanted to be a tutor, of course my idea of students were the lovely, attentive and smart students of La Trobe University School of Politics. Not some little prick who kicked up the wall thinking he's Leonidas from 300. But in the next 6 months there's a micro chance I'd be a tutor - even in Unpar.

And would I back to a school again? Well, let's see...if they need a History teacher for Cambridge A Level, I'm in. I'm also willing to teach Indonesian History, provided I'm permitted to defile the textbook and make up my own version (the true version. The textbook version is the gay version).

I was going to say "yeah, in the end, do the students care?" Surprisingly, some did. At least, a good number of them didn't object - and pretending to pay attention.

Mayor of London

2008-05-03T10:10:00.003+07:00

I'm yet to be offended by Boris Johnson (and he has made a comment on Filipina maid), but his victory serves Red Ken right. You couldn't really invite Chavez & Ahmadinejad to London without inviting divine punishment.

O yeah, have you heard about the Chinese who created a riot? He is endorsed by Permadi.

What kind of father could do this...

2008-04-27T09:58:00.001+07:00

Sorry,

What kind of society lets a father to do this.

Olympic torch (guess what's inside)

2008-04-23T09:34:00.002+07:00

Thank you Jakarta Post ^^. Shame on local tv and Channel News Asia to prefer that kumis called Fauzi Bowo.

Look at the picture: does the guard on the left has an eye for Luna Maya?

News update: Goddammit Philly!

But!

Anyone here also like Perfume? They are so cute.

Republik Mimpi used my article

2008-04-18T21:14:00.001+07:00

Oh the joy.

Replay on Monday 12.30 PM.

Thank YOU, treehuggers and crazy Chinese ultranationalists!

Article #2

2008-04-17T13:07:00.001+07:00

Jakarta Post rules!

West Javanese election - the people have spoken

2008-04-14T23:09:00.002+07:00

It's a crap result, but Golkar and PDIP have crap candidates who still write that they are generals.

In the week where Multiply was blocked by a pro-Golkar government.
And a PPP MP caught in scandal. And defended by a PDIP MP.
And Gus Dur took PKB as his property.

At least this time I'm content I didn't void my vote.

Slank - Gossip Jalanan

2008-04-09T10:28:00.000+07:00

GOSSIP JALANAN

Pernah kah lo denger mafia judi

Katanya banyak uang suap polisi
tentara jadi pengawal pribadi

Apa lo tau mafia narkoba
keluar masuk jadi bandar di penjara
terhukum mati tapi bisa ditunda

Siapa yang tau mafia selangkangan
Tempatnya lendir2 berceceran
Uang jutaan bisa dapat perawan

Kacau balau … 2x negaraku ini …

Ada yang tau mafia peradilan
tangan kanan hukum di kiri pidana
dikasih uang habis perkara

Apa bener ada mafia pemilu
entah gaptek apa manipulasi data
ujungnya beli suara rakyat

Mau tau gak mafia di senayan
kerjanya tukang buat peraturan
bikin UUD ujung2nya duit

Pernahkah gak denger triakan Allahu Akbar
pake peci tapi kelakuan bar bar
ngerusakin bar orang ditampat2

Pemerintah sinting

2008-04-08T10:44:00.001+07:00

Bener...akses YouTube, Multiply, MySpace diblok.

Gelo sia...

God I'm beginning to hate Tibetans...

2008-04-07T12:54:00.002+07:00

My grandfather was right...Tibet should be freed so Chinese don't have to deal with them again.

O yeah, the Chinese should try streetfighting more often.

Real news > April Fool's news

2008-04-02T14:45:00.003+07:00

April Fool's News:

1. The Pope will celebrate Gay Mass
2. Beijing Olympics' women events will start 2 weeks after men events.
3. Virgin Blue is offering "chair-free" tickets.

Real news:
1. Thai Prime Minister is suffering from food poison - so does Gwangju football club
2. Finnish foreign minister resigns after caught sending sexy text messages to an erotic dancer
3. Golden lingerie is popular for Cheng Beng in Malaysia
4. Roy Suryo decided that the face featured on Golkar's hacked website is really his genuine face (but the nude photo was fake).
5. G. Wilders is a persona non grata in Indonesia (sif he's coming here)

I know you're right but shut up

2008-03-23T12:08:00.001+07:00

Internet addiction is an illness, with the most severe cases are in East Asia.

10 years after Jakarta and 5 years after Shock & Awe

2008-03-21T01:13:00.002+07:00

For Unpar competition, I wrote about Jemaah Islamiah. Hope I win ^^v.

Not that happy with riot in Tibet. I wonder if the world, and if Indonesian media are aware - Chinese families are being killed there, besides the Tibetans. It's a repeat of May 98 riot, with Chinese shopkeepers have to put the white lotus flag on their windows, another form of "Milik Pribumi" banner shown on May 98.

Yes, I support Tibet independence, but really, as a Chinese I'm also sad and offended with the anti-Chinese actions. You know, like Jews could feel that any kind of anti-Semitism is unacceptable.

And all the reasons given for the riot was valid. The Tibetans feel marginalized with the Chinese shops and the malls. That's why like in Paris, they felt happy for a day for overturning and burning a Toyota sedan. They feel they can hurt something they really hate - the poverty, the loss of personal identity and the feeling of inferiority before the Chinese.

Yomiuri Shimbun is shamelessly hypocrite when suggesting that Tibetans and Beijing should negotiate. Would they feel the same on the Ainu and Korean-Japanese activists? Same goes to the Chinese government who makes Dalai Lama their own bin Laden. The burnings and lootings were not by the order of the Dalai Lama. It's just what you get in riots.

O yeah, you know it's coming. American media reflect on the war on Iraq. Please enjoy the articles to see how we liberals can be so shamelessly being assholes.

Here's New York Times.

and here's Slate. I thought Chris Hitchens is supposedly classified as either conservative or libertarian.

Our headlines today - Friday 14 March 2008

2008-03-14T12:53:00.002+07:00

1. Abdullah Badawi is an asshole.

2. Alvin Lie sells out. How come he doesn't represent Asia?

3. Well, you must give credit for people like Rosihan Anwar. A true racist who doesn't mask his anti-Chinese view.

Brasilia - a project gone wrong

2008-03-12T11:49:00.003+07:00

Actually, I'm for social engineering (and it was something I really believed at university...say a Jakarta that could be like Singapore or Kuala Lumpur), so this article really saddened me. Too many idiots are living in this world and ruining our hopes and dreams, mocking all the genius' detailed plan and vision.

It's just like ruining piece of art. Imagine - a teenager could shoot a reporter in the engineered capital...it makes no difference at all with the nightmare that is Rio.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/12/brazil

You feel the brutes couldn't overcome legends. But they have done it.

PS: Yes, I am impressed with the plan for the uniform and the type of taxi.

China is officialy suck

2008-03-08T23:45:00.003+07:00

After Bjork (c'mon people! "Free Tibet!" is compulsory on rock concerts! You guys are such n00bs!), now the next victim is Tang Wei.

Yes John, there is a Merchant of Death

2008-03-07T12:45:00.001+07:00

Not just in Mercenaries or Hitman games.

His name is Viktor Bout, a former Red Air Force pilot, and he's busted.

Back from hospital

2008-03-05T10:32:00.004+07:00

Got influenza. The doctor scared it could be tropical diseases like dengue, so I was told to stay for few days. The good thing is now I feel great.

Hillary won Rhode Island (plenty of Asians, I heard), while Obama got Vermont. It's really urgent for Nader for back off, because he's not helping anyone (expect Republicans).

Saw this ad while in Yahoo! Australia. "Marriages are forever". Yes, they are.

Jusuf Kalla is our Dubya

2008-02-25T11:17:00.002+07:00

In Korea:

"Indonesians are getting richer. We have more traffic in Jakarta, because we afford more cars"

and last week he said that Papuans should go for "local wisdom" instead of technology. In other words, please stay undeveloped so we SE Asians could always look down upon you.

The goverment hates you

2008-02-19T21:45:00.004+07:00

1. Automatic transmission cars in Jakarta
2. Singaporean Permanent Residents from Indonesia

So dark the con of man

2008-02-11T22:56:00.000+07:00

Gotcha.

Seminar Pertama Angkatan Darat Republik Indonesia, Bandung (of all places!), Agustus 1966.

...untuk menghilangkan rasa inferior terhadap bangsa kita sendiri serta menghilangkan rasa soeperior pada bangsa Tjina, maka kami memoetoeskan oentoek kembali memakai penjebutan Republik Rakjat Tjina dan warganegara Tjina dari Repoeblik Rakjat Tiongkok dan warga negaranya..."

It's not about communism.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/budaya_tionghua/message/30553

PS: I retrofied all the quotation. Djo.

My friend talked about recession and election

2008-02-07T23:23:00.000+07:00

http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/images/gywo.clinton_mccain.gif

Happy Chinese New Year

2008-02-07T10:02:00.000+07:00

1. "Hey I'm minority too" excuse won't work. If offending black, Jews, and Islam are so unforgivable and deadly, why do excuses are given for Asians (that including South Asians)? Yes, pandas are Chinese animals, but now pandas do not drive with bamboo. They ride Toyota.

2. Tempo has apologized. Take that, you "I-know-European-reference-best" suckers. We Catholics can bite. Again, you have to pay attention to printed news since access to Koran Tempo Interaktif worth 10,000 rupiah per week. Apply online or through SMS.

3. Another example of state racism. You might know the Roma people as "gypsies" (since they were believed to come from Egypt. Actually they came from India).

4. This is serious: What's the best Indonesian term for Chinese-Indonesians? The English term is perfect, but Bahasa Indonesia still demands the neutral, convenient term. Tionghoa still sounds awkward and people don't use it in normal conversation. Cina is still considered offensive so media hedges it with English pronunciation "China". I use Cina because I want to reclaim the word, like the LGBT community had successfully reclaimed "queer". "Black" seems to be more well-accepted in England than in America.

But here - why does the "C" word is so feared in Indonesia? One explanation is that the racism still there, and you can't pretend everything OK after Lunar New Year becomes national holiday. Heck, things could go worse now.

It's not Gary Glitter

2008-02-06T20:01:00.000+07:00

It's Edison Chen.

Don't worry, he did it with adult women.

Unemployment

2008-02-05T11:28:00.000+07:00

On a lighter note of being NEET: Sofyan Wanandi said that business favours fresh graduates on these grounds. They are healthy, so they can work longer hours. They are more easily trained.

So, with 2.5 million new jobs available in Indonesia every year, there are roughly 2.5 million fresh graduate available. Therefore, supply equals demand. Which leave (officially) 10 millions of unemployed on their usual condition. 3.8 million of them are in Jakarta.

As usual you can read this on today's print edition of Jakarta Post, or tomorrow on their website where today's news are available.

Katie Holmes is also unemployable.

Some printed headlines sadly unavailable online

2008-02-02T10:43:00.000+07:00

1. Kompas' headline: "Fasilitas Vital Lumpuh" over the widescreen photo of flood. Dammit, stop being stuffy and just write "Jakarta banjir lagi" or "Kampret"

2. Paul Keating wrote an article defending Soeharto on Jakarta Post, singling out Fairfax media as the source of well-known Australian media hostility on anything Indonesia. If Lee KY or Mahatir wrote something like that, fine. But I seriously asked Keating's Labor credential. Yes, he wished for better relations with Asia (as opposed to Liberal's orientation toward US). But, he said had not it been Soeharto, Australia would face a neighbour that could be communist, Islamist, or just fucked up.

3. You can get this.

4. And you can get anti-Chinese march in Makassar after a girl died during botched abortion. She had a Chinese-Indonesian boyfriend, and allegedly he forced her to do abortion. The part that I don't understand is the locals went ballistic and asked the Chinese community to apologize. Dumbass.

What's out?

2008-01-31T19:13:00.000+07:00

1. John Edwards
2. Liverpool FC

Bye giulani

2008-01-30T10:32:00.000+07:00

McCain's to get endorsement?

Mandatory post about Soeharto

2008-01-29T23:39:00.000+07:00

Hey, McDonald's cheeseburger meal was Rp. 5000 back on his day.

Then holidays to Singapore.

Then better tv programs.

And yeah. I was a non-pribumi and I required SBKRI.

I believe that SBKRI crap is still here.

Letter of the Week bo....

2008-01-29T23:32:00.000+07:00

Secret Asian Man

Bye Heather Ledger

2008-01-23T11:19:00.000+07:00

Yes, it's not definitely suicide, but when his last two roles were Bob Dylan and The Joker...

and they are supposed to be my favorite characters.

Indians, Chinese, and liberalism

2008-01-18T23:33:00.000+07:00

I watched Australian Open with Dad and saw the Star Sports pundit, Vijay Amritraj. This has disturbed my mind for long time - many Indians could talk, dress, think and present themselves like Englishmen, but no Chinese could.

In sports we have Vijay Amritraj, Vijay Singh, and the Indian cricket players like Ganguly, Laxman & Tendulkar. They compete against other Anglo-Saxons in sports & in debate, they could quote Shakespeare & James Joyce, they are witty.

Unfortunately, no point in looking for their Chinese counterpart. We have a Jung Chang, but she's full of anger at China, and she doesn't wear full windsor knot, laughing with an Englishwoman over FA Cup 3rd round replay. Heck, the other Korean or Japanese I could think of also full of anger.

So, why do the Indians absorb British Humanism much better than the Chinese do? Dad said part of the explanation is that Indian culture permits individuality & liberty better than the Chinese culture, as demonstrated by the differences between Mongolian rule in China & Moghul dynasty in India.

India is now a democratic republic, while China is an authoritarian state. Can't be disputed. India was ruled by the British, but so were Singapore & Hong Kong. Yet while the Chinese make bull stocks & semiconductors, their cricket skill can't match the Australians, fail to make badminton a classy sport, bad at soccer (associate football, but Indians are worse), the male dress awfully, and as I said, they are not witty.

As another punch, I switched the channel to Channel News Asia, which advertised a Singaporean financial talk show. The Chinese in ties look as drab as Japanese politicians.

Oxford Union Society's non-existent motion

2008-01-18T23:31:00.000+07:00

This house regrets the foundation of the Republic of Indonesia.