Quando Ero Piccola

Mi ricordo che quando ero piccola, credevo nei folletti.
Avevo un posto preferito dove cercarli; era all'interno di mia complessa scuola, in uno dei suoi vicoli, perchè là di solito crescevano i grandi funghi.
Si diceva che ai folletti piaceva sedere sui funghi grandi.
Di solito andavo là con la mia amica Shirley, una bambina molto bella.
Sua madre era tedesca e suo padre era indonesiano, ma non sembrava affatto semi-tedesca.
Shirley e Io non vedevamo mai un folletto. Inoltre si diceva che ai folletti non piacesse essere visti, e noi poi eravamo sempre troppo rumorose.
Quindi tutto ciò che facevamo era distruggere quei funghi per punire i folletti.


Grazie Lidia e Paolo per i tuoi aiuti.
Photo by Steve Weaver

Bule

The word 'bule' for some caucasian people who have been living or are now living in Indonesia is considered derogatory word.
I didn't know the meaning of bule at first, but since ten years ago I've become aware that it means albino, white person. Well, being native doesn't mean someone is expert or have better understanding at her/ his language of course.
As far as I know, most Indonesian people never intend that as derogatory remark.

Some of my siblings and I were lighter than average Indonesian when we were kids, and thanks to Mom, we all have pointed nose - though mine is the less pointed one amongst my siblings. That made village people in our neighborhood called us bule, they thought we had western blood and they said we're good-looking. Now, only my brother retains that look.

One very famous Chinese-Indonesian young actress -Agnes Monica- once on an interview were very proud of her newborn niece or nephew who she said very beautiful and '....just like bule.'

Well, I'm not really going to discuss whether it's a derogatory word or not, I'm writing this because of what Filo -my teacher said.

My friends, Filo and I were waiting for an elevator at one apartment, and there were some expats around, and suddenly Filo -who is also an expat and a caucasian- said '...banyak bule ya di sini' (= there are many bule here). She said that quite loud and there were a Caucasian couple right behind us.
Yes, she's quite fluent in Indonesian and she doesn't like to use English at all, we either have to speak Indonesian or her language.

We of course laughed because it's very funny, considering that she's also entitled that word.
She didn't think that other expats might also speak Indonesian language as fluent as her.

I also remember once my other expat friend was proudly telling me a story how he could manage to get tickets for Jakarta International Film Festival although he and his friend were late because the person in charge there let them in. He told me '.....that's the advantage of being bule.' And this somehow makes me annoyed, what a racist Indonesian!

Maybe it depends on the person whether it's considered bad word or not, just like the word 'black people' maybe?
For sure I think some Indonesian people -native or non-native- don't mind to be referred bule cause for them it means good-looking, again showing how racist are Indonesian people :-P

Cucumis

Cucumis is a watermelon for all language lovers, especially for those who like doing translation or who wish to get help in translation.

How does it work?
No money term at all.
You only have to register as its member.
You need points to submit a text to be translated.
You can get points by doing translation.
What if no one needs the translation of your language, or if your language is on weak demand?
Well, you can still earn points by spreading Cucumis to anyone, like what I'm doing now..ehem.. ;-)

So I would thank you in advance if you join Cucumis through my Cucumis.

Other than that translation stuff, this site also provides a place for finding some language exchange partners, for learning, for searching job offers, and/ or for exposing your project to community so to get help in translation.

Merry X'mas?

Can we use or say that?
I kept wondering, since I think I've read somewhere that substituting Christ with X is not Godly at all.
Based on some readings I did on the net, I get to know that the word Christmas was constructed from the old English words Cristes Maesse -then later- Cristes-messe which means The Mass of Christ.

While the letter X is the first letter of Christ's in Greek alphabet, Xristos.

So X (chi) is not at all Christ, but just the Ch.
Therefore X cannot be a substitute to Christ.
Therefore, unless for the sake of laziness, I think it's appreciated to keep His name intact, Christ.

Merry Christmas anyone who comes across Origena!!
And Happy Birthday Jesus!! Sorry I can't yet give you a better gift.

Polyglot Wannabe

A couple of hours ago...
I had some 'hectic' chats.
I tried a little Italian con mio nuovo amico Italiano et a little francais avec un ami de la France, then a friend from China also offered me his language. All at the same time!
But of course 98,99999% of the conversations were still in English! :-D
Language learning is really fun. To be able to practise by chatting is even funer, though I used my wrecked Italian language and my wrecked francaise.
Yes...not only broken, but wrecked! :-D

Upon writing this entry, I found out that Paralink now provides a free Italian-English vv translation!! It didn't have it before. This is great! I made a wish about that and it finally happens!
Paralink by this far, gives the better translation compares to any other free translation machines that I have tried.
For anyone who wants to learn Indonesian, try Kataku (thanks Bouli for the link).
Also, click the picture on the left, it leads to some tips for polyglot wannabe. I fished it when I was searching for an image for this entry.

Slip of My Tongue

This is about my uncooperative Asian tongue.

The bus was really full that evening, I was lucky Leet and I could sit.
At the bus following stop, an old lady entered the bus.
She's short and stood wobbly, because she couldn't reach the strap-hanging.
No one, though most of the bus passengers were young, gave up a seat for her.
After about one or two minutes, I felt guilty if I didn't give her my seat especially because she stood not far from where I sat.

So I got up projecting my hand to her and intended to ask her if she want to sit, but I ended up saying:
"Do you want to sh*t?"

She stared at me, looking surprised or rather shocked?
No response for some seconds. My face felt so warm, I was sure it became red already. I still stood near my seat so no one could take up the place.

After some sort of delay, she finally said
"Well yes luv, thank you" and grinning.

I was relieved but still felt ashamed. I wanted to get out of the bus promptly but we're still far from our flat.
Then Leet suddenly got up too, pressed the stop button and sign me that we exit the bus on the next stop.

"Why did you do that?" asked Leet.
"Did you think people around notice that?"
The bus was chockablock, and I think there was at least one person in between where she stood and me sitting. There's not way people around us didn't hear that, but I was just hoping Leet would say no.

However Leet's reason to exit the bus earlier was not that, but because that old lady -sorry to have say this, but as soon as she sat, the air around filled with very (I mean VERY) stinky odour. That poor ole lady was a vagrant.

Boker Tov

This is a snippet from a sermon given by a humourist Preacher at a Sunday service. During his pilgrimage in Israel, he came across the phrase 'Boker tov' -that he said sounded like 'boker toh'- every morning.

In Israel that's part of hospitality indeed, cos in Hebrew 'boker tov' means 'good morning'.
As for him and for any other fellow pilgrimage participants from Indonesia (perhaps Jakarta especially -since I think 'boker' is a slang in Jakarta) that sounded kinky cos the word 'boker' means 'to defecate' and 'toh' acts as a question tag in Indonesian language.

What a coincidence, since in the morning people indeed usually do the 'disposal process.'
So he said, when he was greeted with 'boker tov,' he replied in confidence: 'Boker.'
Because he did! :-D

Envy

Just when I was about to sleep. On the radio that I was listening to suddenly spoke a caller, a woman. Gosh! She really spoke bloody perfect English with British accent. I was even curious if she's actually Brit. Seemed the radio operator (or announcer?) had my thought, asking her about that without forgetting to praise 'her quite good' but thank God he then corrected it into 'perfect' -which is very true.

She's giggling and no, she's 100% Indonesian. In a humble way she turned giving him a similar praise -which I disagree cos I think this guy accent is only on artificial level- and he seemed so proud of his English. I'm not wrong at all. After the woman crediting him, with no shame or hesitation he admitted his perfect English and that he said is the reason KissFm hires him :-P
Then he continued saying that he's actually not 100% Indonesian but 80% only. Lol, I was wondering why he's suddenly off the track, and that made me to conclude that it was probably the effect of a inferiority feeling that suddenly struck his pride :-D
I think he envies her.
I do envy her perfect English and even envy her more for her Brit accent.

Ok..I must intoxicate my self from this envy before I go resting myself, that's why I'm writing this ENVY!

Finito! Time to dream, hope I'll dream refreshing my English in UK so than I'll wake up with the accent implanted in me already :-D

Trying to abdul anyone?

Stop!!
Before trying to abdul anyone, please make this story your concern ;-)

Man...how English language evolves....
Maybe in Indonesia we could create a new word based on the Dangdut King -Rhoma Irama's notorious lifestyle that currently on the elation of Indonesia infotainments.

So...
Irama /v:
1. to make someone an umpteenth wife, but refuse to admit the fact openly to the public.
2. throw lies about someone

example:
Jangan hanya mengIRAMAkan saya!
Don't just make me your umpteenth wife, but refuse to admit it publicly (this is what Angel Lelga should say to her dear Dangdut King)
or
Don't just throw lies about me.

For all Bahasa Indonesia enthusiasts, the old formal English translation of "irama" is rhythm, but if anyone wants to make me his/ her Indonesian Language tutor, you have to add the new formal meaning of irama into your vocabulary. Agree? ;-)