It’s never too late

As we know right now that Japan, Europe and USA had admitted that the recession had happened to them. The power of Indonesia’s Economic itself is not really helping every industries condition since most of raw material need to buy with dollars. Which mean that rupiah temporary pressed by dollar. Lots of big company on sector bank, manufacturing has been starting to fire it labors to tighten cash. But somehow there are still plenty that can still survive which is small business.

Small business has small cashflow but small credit compare to multinasional company. But that is the most positive thing that makes lots of bank right now dare to give credit to small business. Small amount but safe and make sense interest. Each small business only get credit starting from Rp 200 million – Rp 500 million. Many Small business can be healthy because of that leverage. Somehow export and import to Europe and USA totally stop, but small business survive because they do business to reach domestic market. The goverment even give some alternative for small business that feel difficult to get leverage. The goverment suggest to make this dying small business cash flow healthier, they need to merger with others who has the same industry and interest.

The trend to be an entrepreneur has been established since few years ago. The small business has proof that they are the one that get no effect from the crisis yet.

Remember the last time story of a young girl who had to married old man ? Either that is a common thing on West Java, it starts becoming a common thing on here. The polygamy where a husband can get a new wife even though his original wife still can give happiness to him, but what all of them can do ? Nothing. Some of woman on this society feel a shame if they have to be a divorcee because her husband fall in love and want to get another wife to fulfill his desire for sex. Most of girl and woman on Indonesia don’t have a strong law to protect them. The society don’t understand that it is a wrong thing to do. We live on modern era, woman has equal place with man. What they believe that woman has to follow her husband words. It is wrong. Woman has right to choose. Never give your happiness and life to man who don’t appreciate you.

How man could treat woman on here has make all of woman should feel ashame. We have been treat dumb by them and the society look alrightfor what happen that man do as a great and wonderful because they can marry more than once and rich. There is something wrong about this thinking. Indirectly they put us a woman as a victim of the man with no power and no brain. A woman is not a machine for man to get a child, it is a person for a man as a partner of life.

The symbol of man domination still become a big problem on Indonesia. When you as a woman has to marry a man on young age or too young because of poverty, it means that man has cut your future for becoming a better person, to get a better education and to have a better life. We should feel sad about what still happens here on woman.

There was a time when someone donate on Pasuruan, the donation will share on Mushola and only woman and girl can get the donation. The donation only about Rp 35000. The sad thing is, the situation was not under control and it made the amount of people to que for donation were too crowd. Many of woman cannot breath because everyone pushed one another, it made some of them fainted. The next thing happen was ironic, because nobody care if someone fainted, the ladies shrug down and they got kick and trampled upon others. Many of the reporters got dillema between catch a good news or help the ladies. For information, most of woman who que  for donation are started from 30-70 years old, some of them even brought their children.

As we can see, the poverty on Indonesia has made people don’t care and don’t understand how valuable life is. They don’t understand unless they could survive for tomorrow. Maybe some of us will say that all of them are stupid. But you don’t know either how the poverty would shape someone’s heart and mindset. They don’t know how to help themselves while goverment and rich people only know how to give money instead of job. Most of them live at the edge of the river while everyday probably the water could come to their home even though the rain don’t come. The view are pretty different while the donor with smile and pride give the money to the poorer. They feel pride because they can donor a bunch of money to poorer while someone shoot their picture for the story on TV or news paper.

We have to fight against poverty on this country not only with money but also help their life and future.

Shopping is part of lifestyle and we would not feel complete without doing that no matter you are a woman or man. As we know lots of mall on Jakarta especially for high class mall like Grand Indonesia, Plaza Indonesia, and Senayan City, Plaza Senayan, and the newest is Pasific Place. So how much money do we need to bring for once you want to buy nice dress ?

The answer is depends on where will your feet would go. If I go to Senayan City where most of it are from European, of course minimum you need to bring Rp 500.000 for each cloth, You only can get t-shirt with bebe label on your shirt. Debenhams Department Store, let say I want to buy a wallet on Guess I can get Rp 400.000 for wallet, Rp 1000.000 for hobo bag. Or you want to find a nice shoes Rp 1.000.000-3.000.000 for Linea label. Hmm you can calculate by yourself. How about Gap or Banana Republik ? More expensive.. al least Rp 1.000.000. This is outside of Bottega Veneta, CK, Gucci, etc which you need to pay minimum Rp 10.000.000. Sweet……

Okay… how about Plaza Senayan ? It’s much better because you can find Sogo and Metro Department Store. where you can find Mark and Spencer, BCBG. Perhaps about Rp 500.000 above.

For the beneath description, no wonder Jakarta people cannot make savings at all. The temptation to watch and touch is very close and difficult to resist.

How about Eating at Mall, ahaaa…… Well… Burger King minimum Rp 25000 above and for food court itself minimum RP 20.000. Usually you need to spend Rp 100.000 for each meal at mall to get nice food (minimum).

Obama has create history. He has became the first black president of USA. The weird thing that not only USA people who feels the enthusiastic, but also on Indonesia. As we know that Indonesia  ever been one of his place to continue studying and living for a few years from his childhood life.  He ever took school  on SDN Menteng 01, Jakarta. when the election final came up with the result, the student on SDN Menteng 01 suddenly raise their voice and happiness, because Obama wins the election.

He just ever lived here, but Indonesian people saw it as the most important thing that world should notice. It is uncommon thing that happen in Indonesia, since most of rumors on Indonesia long time ago that we don’t like USA. But looks like Obama really give a change on everywhere including Indonesia. The happiness for Obama spread on outside USA. Some of his friends on SDN Menteng was interview by TV about Obama, how he lived on Indonesia within short time he stay with his mother and step father.

Does it will change Indonesia to see USA as a different country with Obama as president ? I don’t think it would change too much.

For you who love shopping and love using the most brand fashion, this is the place where exactly that you looking for. The most expensive and exclusive Harvey Nichols coming and took place on Grand Indonesia, Jakarta. This is what you call premium and high class fashion. This fashion store is consist of  Aqua Dessa, Kanebo, Estee Lauder, Shiseido, Erickson Beamon, Tommy Hilfiger, Givenchy, Moschino. Some of this brands are exclusive only on Harvey Nichols and can’t find anywhere else. With the opening of Harvey Nichols on Jakarta, it will becoming the one and only exclusive deoartment store from London on Southeast Asia. And for Harvey Nichols it will be the fifth store of them after Dubai, Hongkong, Istambul, and Riyadh. Not only Department Store, there are food market and winehouse called Social House on first floor that compliment a whole package of new Department Store on Grand Indonesia.

The owner, Mitra Adi Perkasa (MAP) has been known as the most expertise for manage license and franchise brand from foreign country like Europe and US. As you can see that most of expensive Department Store like Debenhams, Sogo, and Seibu are belongs to MAP. With Harvey Nichols came into Indonesia, the definition of Department Store A and A+ will change at all.

For information that Jakarta, Indonesia, have lots of high class mall which it support a company like MAP to grow and dig more profit. Most of this mall carrying the same segment, A and A+.

When you have lots of money, what would you do ? In Indonesia, the moslem man could have more than one wife. Usually, they said that they want to help release the burden of poverty of this lady and family. Why he should marry her instead giving her a job ?

The most spectacular happened and became a headline news everywhere. A rich man 50 years old name Syeh Puji proposed a young girl 12 years old, Ulfa. Many people said it is wrong, very wrong. She is not ready to take care of a husband and builda family, even to give birth of a child. The motive of the family of course money. Syeh Puji persuade them that she will become the president director of his company ( He has huge business of calligraphy). Ulfa itself will become his second wife. People from association of children Indonesia soon approach him to send her back to her family. But when you already claimed as someone wife, is not polite to send her back. It will break her pride and her family’s name.

But think about it that 12 years old. Elementary school who only know playing and having fun. If he want to help her ad her family why he should marry her ? It feels like something wrong. This child of course crying and affraid when she has to send it back by Syeh Puji to her family. What others would tell about her ? Well, everything should be think first before took action. Syeh Puji itself try to cooperate because he is affraid that it will affect his business.

From this sad story, many things happen when money talks in Indonesia. You can do anything and you can have anything. Many people on Indonesia want to go out from poverty and the shortcut can happen when you have a daughter. Usually they will become second, third of forth wive.

It was so embarrassing for Indonesian woman, how this can be happening.  Many Indonesian woman has become an intellect woman, become an important people, and many of them even take care of their family and become the head of the family.

After the wall street incident continue happening, it is really affected Indonesia’s export-import. As we know that Indonesia’s retail sector has huge dependable on foreign raw material or even processing material. Some of Indonesia’s export like crab, tuna, paper, coal, oil, steel are suddenly shrinking and falling down after the trend rose last year. Some of the exporter even had fired half of their labor because no demand for their business from outside Indonesia, especially America since they done tight money right now.

Many people get shocked when the wall street incident happened. We can imagine that the raw material itself will soon not easy to get and very expensive. But yes indeed that Indonesia’s bank and economy right now has better and tougher than 1998. But this global recession will took along time for recovery, in the end the rupiah will get depreciation against dollar again. RIght now the Rupiah position is Rp 11.068 for US $1. The Bank of Indonesia itself since last month had been risen the interest 0,5%. Even though most of other country do the opposite and lowering their interest.

But the good news is the price of oil slightly down and it makes us as a common people feel much better. The fluctuation for gold on Indonesia still unstable but the trend slowly down temporary. We still have to wait what would be happened with Indonesia after Obama take the seat of the president of the United States. Will it get worst of better ?

Apparently most of big companies on Indonesia shrinking their structure organization at the upper management and put lots of people bellow management to grab bigger cash and to tight their money and make it more efficiently. So the next day and months the job is really though on Indonesia too, because most of companies would not have too many income and they cannot raise our salary too large, while the inflation on Indonesia always up and never go down.

Our goverment always said on TV, “Everything is alright, everything is under control. We tougher than what you think.” Oh well, it doesn’t mean we don’t believe it. It’s just that we still can not trust our own goverment power and ability to control this big country. We smell something fishy and like a time bomb tic tac. We better prepare and tight our money and take cash as the save place right now.

When the news came up, many people felt a relieved. 00.15 on Nirbaya hills, Nusakambangan, CIlacap, Jawa Tengah the execution released. At least the justice can be happened on Indonesia. It takes six years to execute Amrozi Cs. They become the headline on TV for many days since the last person among them  caught by the police. The family of the victim of Bali bomb incident are praying on the monument at Bali everyday. They were prayed for today execution. The bomber was executed with opened eyes, it was their requests. The bullet was shot through their chest, one for each person. Soon after the execution had done, the body took to get autopsy and then the executor give the bodies to their families and friends that had been waiting with always shouting “Allahhu Akbar” to be burried.

They were really a danger person. Even though they were in jail, our president apparently got a letter from them, until now our president don’t even want to let us know what the words they give to him. And this three person before died told the story and TV station dig their background how to become a bomber, how to create bomb, and the motive why they put bomb. the incident of bomb Is not only happened twice on Bali, but also on Jakarta few times (church, the embassy, and JW Marriot ).

Many children lost their parents, many wives lost their husbands and have disability because of it. We still don’t understand, why it can be happening to us? The trauma will carry on for the rest of their life. But somehow the bomber itself felt guilty with smile and proud of their success story. Some people even think that they are a hero of Islam, others feel that they should more suffer than that. We need to pray for them, because they don’t know what they had done. May God forgive them.

I saw on each of my experience relationship with friends and relative. Many things had happen for each second you made contact with them. Suddenly you feel pain not in the body but deeper than that, it is in the heart. You have no shield for that because they use emotion to attack it.

We need to realize that sometimes people made mistakes and hurt somebody. Directly or indirectly of course will brings such a bad response and bad memory forever. It could happen to anyone and because of everyone. Not only strangers, but also friends, teacher, lover, parents, or even your own children. Once when I saw the serial movie Brothers and Sisters, the mother said to her daughter while the daughter ask her to forgive and stop the coldwar, the conversation is like this :

” You know I never meant to hurt you ” , said her daughter

” Yes I know ” , the mother response it short. ” But it doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t hurt me” . she make her daughter to understand that she need time to heal.

Even me very often drawn by the wound of the heart, sometimes I try to encourage myself to forget the past and set  a brand new start for new relation with them. But apparently is not easy. I call it a self center vision where you claim that you are the victim. But how about others feeling and background ? Why they could hurt us and why we can be hurt like that ? Who needs to be blame for this ?

Most of people like I did myself will make a huge wall from them the one who had hurt you. But sometimes there are some people who are easy to forgive and compromise, they just look innocent by thinking it’s just a common thing that could happen to somebody else.

Apparently I was amaze with that behavior, and I try to encourage myself that to forgive the one that had hurt you would not make you die. It even release the burden that you always brings everywhere every night and every minute. It took all of your courage and your pride to forgive someone.

Maybe we still have to learn how to manage our feeling.