The Museum Tour

Yesterday, I decided to take you for a museum tour. You were reluctant to go, because none of your friends or cousins could join us. I was a bit sad, because that means you didn’t think that you would have fun, just going with me. But I knew that you would, like always.

The first museum that we went to was the Textile Museum at Jalan SK Tubun, Tanah Abang. The textile collection was actually a bit pathetic. I wonder how can a textile museum display only such a limited collection, especially when we all know how rich our country is when it comes to textile and clothes. But then, that was expected.

My intention coming to this museum was not to look at the textile, but to let you learn how to make a hand made batik (batik tulis). At the back of the museum, at a pendopo, kids and adults were busy making batik in a traditional way. You began with copying the desired design onto a cloth, put on the hot wax according to the design, color it with any colors that you wish, dry it, and voila, you have created a beautiful hand-made batik handkerchief.


After a quick lunch, we went to the second museum, the armed forces museum, Satria Mandala, at Jalan Gatot Subroto. Needless to say, you were very excited, walking briskly from one room to another.

I like this museum, Apart from the National Museum, I think this is the best museum I have visited in Jakarta. It was quite big, with spacious open air area where they displayed old aircrafts, tanks and other war vehicles. The collection was quite many and well taken care of. Most importantly, when you were inside, the air-con worked very well. The only downside was, there was no tour guide available to take us through the collections. What a pity.

At the end of the day, you enjoyed the day very much. So, going just with mom can be as much fun, right honey?
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Holiday Program 2008

As always, when you are having a long mid year holiday, I enroll you to a holiday program. Last three years, you joined DoctoRabbit in Lebak Bulus. The year after, it was KidSport in Pondok Indah. And then, last year you went to DoctoRabbit again, but the one in Pondok Indah. This year, I signed you up to FastracKids.

They had three different themes for three weeks. The first one was Broadway Superstars, where kids learned to become actors and actresses, make-up artists, fashion designers and performance directors. The second one was Hi-Tech Whizkids, where kids were asked to make their own invention, and challenged to throw their ideas on new discoveries that would help them in their daily life. The third one was Millionaire Kids, where you learned the basic of economics, entrepreneurship, marketing and promotion.

I signed you up for the second and third theme.

On the last day of the program, parents were invited to attend a bazaar. I took a day off for this. When I came to the school, I was greeted by a little girl selling kids-made choco cookie. And as I went up the stairs, I saw some posters made by the kids, inviting people to come to the bazaar with their own words. I smiled, it was so amusing….. I saw other kids selling choco cookie and some artworks in the class, but I couldn’t find you. After waiting for about 15 minutes, you showed up all sweaty, with a jug of lemonade and plastic glasses on your hands. Apparently, you were selling the lemonade to the neighboring people!

At the end of the class, the money was distributed evenly to all the kids. Everybody received Rp14.000,-! I guess you can say that this is the first amount of money that you ever earned in your life. And you earned it by selling lemonade. I’m so proud of you…
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Indonesian Science Festival

You are always amused by science experiments and that's why I took you to PIM this Sunday. Not to shop, but because they are holding the 2007 Indonesian Science Festival. Actually, I wasn't really expecting much, I thought it's just going to be the boring science exhibition. Well, I was wrong!

The booths, though not all were ready for the visitors, displayed and demonstrated science in a very attractive way, especially for children like you. There are a lot of experiments that you can try, so instead of listening to the usual boring explanation, children can try and experience the wonder of science directly. Most of these fun booths were organized by DoctoRabbit.

To me, the most interesting booth was the one where they have this 6 grader student explained about various things that happen in our every day life, from how the wind blows in the morning and at night, how food are processed in our body, how a laser pointer works, to the 9 planets of our galaxy.

I was so impressed by Rizki, a very young scientist, who is a student of SD Cilandak Barat 06. The way he explained things were so clear and interesting. No wonder you spent nearly half hour chatting with him.

This is how science is supposed to be, fun and cool.

Picture shows Rizki explaining about how laser pointer works

The 2007 Indonesian Science Festival is officially held from
13-19 August 2007 at the North Skywalk 1st fl. and North Atrium,
Pondok Indah Mall 2.

First Grade, Second Semester

You have just finished your second semester evaluation test last week, and thank God, you have done very well. Here’s the result of your test:

Pendidikan Agama Islam: 9.2
PKN: 9.5
IPA: 9.3
Bahasa Indonesia: 9.3
IPS: 8
Bahasa Inggris: 8.8
Matematika: 9.8

And following are some of your answers to the test that I found it quite amusing:

The Question: Apa akibatnya bila tidak ada tata tertib
Your Answer: Hidup akan berantakan

The Question: Mengapa malam hari udara terasa lebih dingin daripada siang hari?
Your Answer: Karena siang hari panas banget

The Question: Mengapa bola lebih mudah bergerak daripada kotak sepatu?
Your Answer: Karena kotak sepatu itu kotak

The Question: Buatlah kalimat sesuai gambar di samping (a picture of a kid singing)
Your Answer: Rudi bernyanyi di rumah dikasih tau ke anggota keluarganya supaya keluarganya senang

I'm actually quite surprised on how the school structure the questions. I feel that some of the questions are not supposed to be for children your age. But what do you know, you can answer it anyway. I guess kids nowadays are way smarter than what they used to be.

And I'm so proud of you.

The Net, now from Home

We now have access to internet from home! No limit access, for only Rp150 thousand per month! Now this is what I call a fantastic deal: with that amount of money, the service is excellent while the access speed is amazing.

So today, we spent the afternoon surfing the net. We visited the sites of all your favorite characters, from Ben 10, Jimmy Neutron, Danny Phantom, Spiderman, Chalk Zone, Totally Spies and many more.

You have also learned to look for information in Google. You even looked for sites that have your name. And there it was, the Wikipedia says that your name can be translated into English as effort, vigor, diligence, and zeal. Hm, isn’t Google wonderful? Isn't the net the most brilliant thing men ever invented?

MTV, Is It For You?

I think everybody agrees that TV programs can affect the way you think, they way you act, both in a positive and negative way. That’s why I try to be very careful, yet liberal about it.

When you began watching TV regularly, I only let you watch Disney Playhouse, and sometimes, Disney Channels. Then, when you were nearly 6, I let you watch Cartoon Network and sometimes, Nickleodeon. Some people misunderstands, you know, that as long as it’s cartoons, it’s save for children to watch. Well, I don’t think that’s the case. There are actually a lot of violence even in cartoons.

But as you get older, it will be more difficult for me to make restriction on what to and not to watch. That’s why whenever I’m home, we always watch the TV together, and I try to explain about the scene whenever I feel I need to. Usually, you just said ignorantly “yeah, yeah, I know, it’s only on TV…….”. Well, at least I tried.

These past few days, however, I notice that you began to stop clicking the channels at MTV. You seem to enjoy the music and the programs where people do silly things. I’m not sure if it’s a good thing, but I let you watch it anyway. In fact, I think it would be better if we watch it together, rather than you watch it when I’m not around. You know, sometimes people keep on doing something just because they get more curious (of the reason why they are not being allowed to do it). And I don’t want that to happen to you.

Anyway, I can perfectly understand when you want to watch Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon, but MTV……, with all those sexy music shows and wacky programs? Aren’t you too young to enjoy it?

The Ben 10 Watch

I’m sorry, honey, the Ben 10 watch that I promised to get you if you have good grades is sold out every where. Even Tante Shilla couldn’t get it in Singapore. Apparently it is such an “in” thing.

You have been asking for this thing since about 2 weeks ago. Some of your friends, including your best friend Rafi, already got it. And it was sooo cool you said. Just like in the TV series, with that watch you can make-believe that you transform into a super hero just by pushing the button, either to be xlr8, canon bolt, upgrade, fourarms, ghost freak, diamond head, heat blast, grey matter, stinkfly, rip jaws, wild mutt, wild fin (what strange names they have…!!!)

So I told you, I would buy it for you as a reward if you manage to have good grades in your mid semester test. And you made it! You called me on my cell when the results was announced. “Mama, I have 9.8 for math, 9.5 for English, 9.2 for Bahasa, but only 8 for science….,” you said excitedly. Well, what do you know, it is a much better result than the last mid-test. Unfortunately, the watch is sold out everywhere. I know you are so disappointed.

But honey, in life, there will be disappointments. Things will not always turn out as what we want to. And when this happen, there is nothing we can do but make the best of what we have, be grateful of what we have. Don’t loose hope though, who knows, the best is yet to come.

Just like in your case. I really want to keep my promise for getting you that Ben 10 watch. But since it is nowhere to be bought, I was thinking to buy you the Ben 10 character instead. It will cost me twice the watch……, so…., I don’t know….., I haven’t decided yet…..

PlayStation

You are always good at making stuff, and very creative too. Yesterday, when I got home, I found you with something that I first couldn’t figure out what. But when you hold it in the proper way, I couldn’t help but smile, a make-believe-play station!

You know that I wouldn’t buy you that game, yet. You never really whine for it, but I know that you actually want it, very much. Hence, this silly make-believe-playstation, made from two plastic photo frames (got them as a game prize in my last office away day), complete with a cable that you can plug into the TV.

I think there is still a controversy on whether this kind of game is good for kids your age. I once read a child expert (Kak Seto if I’m not mistaken) commenting that playstation can actually bring a positive impact, because it involves strategy and quick decision. But of course, as long as the kids are not addicted to it.

And now, there is this new kind of playstation at a quite reasonable price, Rp399 thousand. The game comes in various cartoon character version, such as the Hot Wheels, Avatar, and many more. Toy City and Metro display this new version of playstation at strategic spots and kids are allowed to try and play that game. In fact, just this afternoon, you spent almost an hour at Toy City playing that game (it was the Avatar version, your fave).

Seeing how much fun you had when playing that game actually makes me so tempted to buy it for you. But I’m not sure that you will not get addicted. And you know I will not always be around to remind you to stop if you are playing the game for too long. So until I am absolutely sure that I can trust you with that game, I will not buy it for you. I hope you don’t mind. (I still think your make-believe-playstation is so cute though……)

Comics

I think you have just begun to like reading comics. I bought you comics before -Batman, Cars - but you did not seem to be too interested. After flipping a few pages, usually you just let it lying there.

But with the one you bought last week end, I can feel the difference. It was a comic on Avatar, The Legend of Aang. The size is quite handy, with colorful pictures.

You began reading it as soon as we paid for it. You kept on reading it on the car, and you read it again before going to sleep. And yesterday, when we went to the mall, you brought it with you and you just sat down reading it whenever possible. You told me what the story was all about, and you asked me to buy you the second series.

I wonder though, whether comics are good for kids your age. Some people said that comics are good as an introductory to the habit of reading. The colorful pictures will make kids like you enjoy the book and eventually, enjoy reading. But other people said that it makes kids lazy to read real books, because with comics, they can tell the story just by reading it a bit and looking at the pictures.

Hm, I wonder whether there is a study on this issue.

A Visit To The National Museum

This might be a bit late, but I think I need to put it here as a record. After all, not every kid has the opportunity to have their picture featured in Kompas, the number one daily in the country.

Yes, the picture here is your picture, with your cousin Annisa, when we were visiting Museum Nasional (also known as Musium Gajah, because of the big elephant statue in front of the building), during your school holiday last January 2007. I think it was the last day of your school holiday, and I haven’t really taken you anywhere. So, I took a day off but wasn’t sure where to take you…., and suddenly, the idea popped up, why not go to the National Museum and also the National Monument? And to my surprise, you were really enjoying your tour!

The tour guide at the Museum was very friendly and really tried to make the tour interesting for kids like you. However, the questions you kept on asking were “Why is this thing broken? Why is this thing not mended properly? Why is there no lamp in this room?”. I couldn’t help but smile. You were not really interested in the things they displayed there, but more to the orderly of the museum. And it was the National Museum that we are supposed to be proud of.

Come to think of it, we shouldn’t be too surprised. You know how much they charge for the entrance fee? Rp750,- for adults and Rp250,- for children under 17!!! Cheaper than the parking fee! I think they put it low so that people will not be hesitant to come and visit. But you know how our people are, the more you pay, the more you appreciate and the less you pay, the less you appreciate. So, I don’t think it works. If we were to pay higher (I’m sure tourists wouldn’t mind paying a bit more), they can use the money to mend the museum more properly, have more tour guides, adding more collection and perhaps have a good promotion program that will make the museums a more popular place to visit.

What do you say?

Encouraging and Not-so-Encouraging Articles in Tempo

By now, everybody knows that Pluto is no longer a planet in our galaxy. The decision made by the International Astronomcal Union (IAU) is widely spread globally and there is no way that people that has access to internet or print media have not heard about it – unless they are damn ignorant.

This is why I was really disturbed when I read Tempo this morning. Not by the scientific part., but the part about how our teachers are going to explain Pluto’s new status to their pupils. Their response – as written by Tempo – startled me.

A teacher from Padang said that he’s now more careful in reading the newspapers. He is waiting for the news from Ministry of Education whether they should explain this latest development to their students. Otherwise, he will just stick to the 9 planets, as this is what the formal guide book from the Ministry says.

I am speechless. This is so “the old regime”, whereby there have to be guidance and approval from the top level. If this is the kind of attitude our teachers have, what would become to our children?

Fortunately, Tempo also carried out a very encouraging news about Indonesian students that have just won the Foreign Minister’s Award in Asia Cup International Court Moot Competition. The team consists of four law students of University of Indonesia. And they are all very young, one is aged 18, the other three aged 20. It’s not easy to be able to shine in that kind of competition.

The competition required them to debate and argue, just like real lawyers in court. That’s why they have to be very fluent in English and know inside out about what they are talking about. Their competitors come from renown universities, such as Kyoto and Osaka University, National University of Singapore etc. And they beat them all. Wow, their parents must be very proud.

Now, I am picturing you being a lawyer in a reputable firm - about twenty five years from now. Would I like that?

(Written on September 8, 2006)

First Evaluation Test

You are going to have your first evaluation test this week. The first test will be on the subject of PKN (Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan - Nationalism), whereby you have to understand - or in your case to memorize - the five religions in Indonesia, also what their house of worship and religious celebration days are called. You are also required to know about different culture in Indonesia, their local songs and traditional dances. The subject is aimed to make us respect differences in our country.

On the subject of religions, I can see that all those words are hollow to you. Otherwise, you would have asked me why there are so many religions, while they all have the same intention. Or what makes one choose one? I don’t know how, but there must be a better way – rather just than just asking a kid to memorize what each house of worship are called – to make a kid understand the concept of respecting others’ belief, isn’t?

And when we talked about culture, I asked you whether your teacher have explained about Indonesia as the biggest archipelago, have your teacher showed you a map of Indonesia. And surprisingly (well, actually I’m not really surprised), they haven’t! Now, what good is it to know that the song Ampar-ampar Pisang is from South Kalimantan and Tari Piring (the Plate Dance) is originated from South Sumatera when you don’t even understand that Indonesia is the largest archipelago? Not to mention the words Bhinneka Tunggal Ika which must sound meaningless to you?

Another thing that I found it strange is about the number of books that you have for the various subjects. According to the national curriculum, first graders are not supposed to master reading and writing. You are supposed to begin learning about it. But contradictively, your entire lesson requires you to be able to read and write. You have books for every subject. You even have a multiple choice as part of your day-to-day practice. Isn’t it strange? Luckily, you have no problem in reading or writing since I hired a teacher to give you extra lesson twice a week when you were in the kindergarten.

---ooOoo---

Anyway, after dinner, you picked up a book about our planet, different countries and different seasons. Now, this was more interesting to you. You studied a picture of planet earth carefully

You: There is a lot of water on our planet
Me: Yes, our planet mostly consists of water. That’s also why you should never litter, to prevent flood
You: No, I never litter (Good!). If I litter, there will be flood, and when there’s flood, we will have more and more water on earth

You paused, still looking at the picture, then:
You: But how come the water doesn’t fall off from our planet?
Me: Because there is gravity. This gravity also makes us always stand on the ground

Then I went on explaining excitedly about galaxies and universe, up to a point that it’s getting too much for you. So you just laughed and shouted “Mama, I’m getting confused, you are being too animated …..!” Ha…ha…ha, this reminds me that I am talking to a 6-year-old, I shouldn’t be too excited!

Hm, I wonder whether you will turn out to be a good citizen of the universe, rather than just being a good Indonesian citizen as what the subject of PKN is trying to achieve. Who knows, maybe you will be the first person encountering a friendly alien? Or maybe you will be the one discovering a new planet with human beings? With the kind of interest and enthusiasm that you showed me, I believe it is not impossible.

(Written on September 4, 2006)