Floryory
Interview
Here’s a video of me interviewing my partner Yosephine on the autobiography that she just wrote. Enjoy :)
The Little Thing I Earned
Growing up, i guess life has never really been hard for me. Except for high school. High school is very, very confusing for me. All i want to do is just to get out of this place and call my own shots. But as i’ve mentioned before, this stage of my life is very confusing. Nothing is sure, nothing is precise. I guess this should be the part where i learn to make decisions. It’s time for me to learn about choices. Well, quoting Jean Paul Sartre, “we are condemned to be free”.
Back when i was around 9 or 10 years old, i was studying pretty hard to pass my school’s equivalent test of High Scope’s School Wide Assessment, but for elementary. It was pretty tiring, so one day, my mom, along with my aunt, took me to the mall for a break. So after we had our lunch, we were just walking around window shopping. As we walk, i saw a DVD stan in the middle of the hall, and there were barbie movies being displayed, it definitely catch my attention. So i took the Barbie: The Princess And The Pauper dvd, which is Barbie’s first musical, and showed it to my mom. I literally begged her to buy it for me. I wanted it so bad. But, it was very close to the assessment week. So finally after a lot of begging, my mom let me have the dvd, BUT i had to wait until the end of the assessment week to watch it. And i agreed. I had to. So everyday after school, when i got home the first thing i did was to sit on the sofa and hold the Barbie dvd in my hand. I just sat there and stare at it, reading the synopsis over and over again everyday, and i remember praying to God so i can just finish the test as soon as possible and to help me get satisfying score. And finally at the end of the whole tests, i went home, and i was super excited because i can finally pop the dvd in the player. I got home, ran, changed my clothes, washed my face and feet, and finally, sit in front of the TV. When the opening music plays, i was so happy i smiled as wide as my lips let me.
I know, its nothing much, i do realize that my childhood have been fun and easy. And how i’m grateful for that. But from that simple experience, i do learn some important values in life. I learned that by being patient and working hard, good things will come in the end. And the outcome will be even more special when u work your bones and sweat to get it. Although as a young adult that i am right now, most of the time i have forgotten this simple lesson, but now i remember. I remember the happy child that i was. I remember the happy simple life i had. Looking back, i can’t help thinking what i’d do to go back. What i’d do to have that simple life and the innocence i once have and lost. If i can earn it, i would. And this also teaches me, that time is precious. We cannot rewind, pause, make it slower, or prolong it. We can only go forward.
Keep going forward.
Soul On Ice by Eldridge Cleaver (Chapter 1)
Eldridge Cleaver was eighteen-years-old in 1954 when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed segregation. On June 18 of that year, he began a sentence in Folsom Prison for possession of marijuana. Cleaver says it was an important year for him in many ways. Not only did he begin the prison sentence, he became aware of his position as a “black in white America.” Cleaver assures the reader that he’s always been aware of the color of his skin, but was suddenly aware to what it meant. He talks of the social status that he hadn’t known existed until the mass demonstrations began. He said he and other blacks were suddenly against everything that represented America, right down to hot dogs and baseball.
In Prison he started reading many political books, and when he got out of prison, he decided ti become an outlaw. He refused to submit and object to white people’s law. He became a rapist. And then he got back to prison and reflect on himself. He realized that he hadn’t been justified, he was wrong. He realized that by hating others is loving one self-less.
This was a really good excerpt from the book. And quite controversial and pretty brave. he admitted that at first he raped black girls in the ghetto as practice before he raped white girls-as his real intention. Which just showed how much he hated everything that he sacrifices a part of his race.
In this phase of his life, He was a very intense, extreme, and angry man. He despised everything. His confusion was very noticeable during his time in prison when he realized he had a preference for white women. He hated the fact that he was a victim of the standards of beauty set by white people. He hated the fact that he had a preference for a race he despised the most and which he considered the source of all the problem in his life and in America.
A simple lesson i can take from this story is that i can reflect on myself, whatever my problem, confusion, or anger is, that i can always take some time to reflect on ourselves and become the best of myself.
Fed Shut Down File- Sharing Site; Hackers Attack Justice Department Site
Those of you who spend a lot of your time in front of your computers must be hanging their jaws in shock. What is the best file-sharing site we know? Yes, it’s Megaupload. And yes the Justice Department has shut it down. 
And here we are, left with our finger busy on the keyboard to find a replacement…..or furiously typing protests and comments.
So in short, the Justice Department accused Megaupload with helping millions of people gain access to pirated movies, music, and TV programs, often before the items are released for sale. 15 minutes after the Justice Department made its announcement, the hacker collective called Anonymous revealed on twitter that justice.gov had been taken offline. Anonymous sent so much traffic to justice.gov that its servers crash.
However, before Megaupload was taken down, they issued a statement denying all the allegations. According to Megaupload, the majority of their internet traffic is legitimate. And if the content industry wants to take advantage of their popularity, they are ready to fight back. As for now, the Department is still investigating the roots of this problems.
Well, i guess my main question is, why so sudden? Megaupload has been around for so long, and all of a sudden they take it down. why not a year go?
Personally, i cant blame the departments for those allegations, which from my point of view, is actually true. Megaupload DID provide us access to free pirated music and movies. But on the other hand, don’t you agree that mega upload has also helped the society in spreading information and knowledge, and in a way educate the generation? and even work of art!
Well, what do you think?
A Working Man’s Death
Sulfur. A chemical element with atomic number 16. This white stone-like element is widely mined for industry. As quoted in wikipedia.com sulfur is very needed because :
“ Sulfur is an essential element for all life, and is widely used in biochemical processes. In metabolic reactions, sulfur compounds serve as both fuels and respiratory (oxygen-replacing) materials for simple organisms. Sulfur in organic form is present in the vitamins biotine and thiamine, the latter being named for the Greek word for sulfur. Sulfur is an important part of many enzymes and in antioxidant molecules like glutathione and thioredoxin. Organically bonded sulfur is a component of all proteins, as the amino acid cysteine and methionine. Disulfide bonds are largely responsible for the mechanical strength and insolubility of the protein keratin, found in outer skin, hair, and feathers, and the element contributes to their pungent odor when burned.”
Right, so now we all understand how essential sulfur is in our lives.
But, for one second, have we ever thought about the people behind this? The hands working behind every manufactured things and material we now use and see and touch? I pretty much doubt it.
Today i saw this documentary, “A Working Man’s Death”, about sulfur miners in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. It was a pretty simple video, but well i have to say quite informative. In this documentary we can see the lives of these workers who climbs up a volcano called “Kawah Ijen”, break sulfur with their how, and put them in their baskets, carry it on their shoulders down the mountain. Everyday. If you think they carry only tiny amount of sulfur like you see in that picture, well nope. Everyday down the mountain they have to carry down around 70kg of raw sulfur, then to be sold at a very low price. For 100kg, they only get no more than Rp66.000.
These workers are in a very high risk of death, injuries, and health problems. Everyday they have to inhale sulfur straight into their lungs. Which can be very toxic to their bodies. And then they have to carry so much weight on their shoulders which can cause spine scoliosis, or simply, bend their back bones permanently. I carry my schoolbag on the same side of my shoulders everyday and already i have a mild scoliosis to the right, let alone 70kg. And not to mention, the number injuries and death of accidents every year. What saddens me even more is the confessions from some of the workers that they do not like their jobs and they keep praying to God that maybe one day they can get out of it. This is a sad example of how contrast people’s lives can be in one country. Also proof of the economic instability in this country.
These workers live in the rural areas of the villages in Indonesia. Education and modernization haven’t really grasped in these parts of the country. People here still believes in old mystical myths and rituals. Every year they kill a goat up on the mountain as an offering to the gods or whatever creature they believe is guarding that mountain. According to one of the workers, if they don’t give the offering, at least one person will die in that mountain, and believe it or not, it has happened. I know, very illogical, and i believe you’re thinking of a million logical explanation for the accidents. Yeah me too. But don’t you think it is possible that there is a bigger power, beyond us and beyond our logic?
“ All three lead actors, James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Natalie Wood, died young under tragic circumstances: Dean died in a car accident, Mineo was stabbed, and Wood drowned. In addition, Edward Platt committed suicide in 1974. ”
