the atheist philosopher

The amphitheater was full of scholars, the men of future, the seeds of leaders, derived from various cultural backgrounds. There beautifully stood Hypatia in front of all men, passionately shared what were known and unknown, the unsolved mysteries of the Earth. There sat Orestes among the proud scholars, admiring the stunning Astronomer, desiring her. Nobody had the idea that there, Davus, the Philosopher's slave, secretly soaked himself in all her teaching, secretly fell in love with his mistress.

Just outside the school, the Pagans and the Christians were mocking each other, ridiculing the opposites' gods. Both sides were arrogant, bragged their gods disgustingly. Both sides assumed that everyone who was not in their faith was wrong, then reserved the right to be punished; which was the reason why one day the Pagan felt the need to kill the Christians only to figure out that they're actually outnumbered, then hid in their great Library of Alexandria.

When the Roman authority finally declared that the Christians should be allowed to enter the Library, Hypatia knew that the sciences are in serious thread. The literatures, hypotheses, poems were about to be eradicated by the rage of angry Christians; not to mention the building, statues, the art.. Then she rushed to the rolls of scripts, saving the most importants as many as she could followed by her students and the slaves. While Davus the slave and his confused head helped nothing than wandering around to finally join the angry men, stated himself a Christian. A free man by then.

..........

Years went by and the world changed phase. The Pagan believers were then Christians, including Orestes who had become the Prefect of Alexandria. Then that the Pagans were outcasted, the conflict continued, with the Jews.

One day the Christians successfully attacked the Jews in a theater show on Sabbath day, only because it's Sabbath and they knew that the Jews wouldn't fight back. The Jews claimed the state of unfairness and disrespect on the attack while the arrogant Christians defensively argued that they should've been attending church on Sabbath instead of indulging themselves at the theater. Unable to win in the court, the Jews took revenge by spreading a fire hoax to trap the Christians in one room, then stoned them. The Christians' response to this was full of anger and hatred. Though their mouths said it's god's portion to punish the enemies, they cursed and screamed like mad dogs.

Davus, he grew up in a peaceful surrounding. His mistress didn't treat him as a slave but as a friend. 'Slave' was only an attribute given to him, only got him closer to Hypatia into her personal matters without being able to respond her casually: cleansing rituals, discussions, daily talks.. He never thought that the freedom he pursued was that cruel. He thought Christianity was about forgiveness and care, helping the poor and share as The Book said; not judgmental, narrow minded and even more, brutal. His head once again was full of conflicts as he began to question his so-called faith.

..........

While the world was under a political chaos and despite the new rule forbid her to teach, Hypatia's cravings for science stood still. Observing the stars, wondering the circle as a perfect shape, examining the orbits, and above all, wondering what they all mean.

She had no idea that the Bishop has a rough relationship with the Prefect, only because Orestes the Prefect didn't want to bow in front of their Holy Book after the Bishop stated that only men were considered honorable, no single woman had the right to speak her mind - moreover to teach, and no single woman had the right to show herself in public unless her body was fully cloth-covered, or she would be accused of witch craft. Orestes was still in love with Hypatia. The wise man of the religion deemed that Orestes' faith had been biased with his affection to the Philosopher, and the only way to save her was to have her christened, while the Christian monks outside had planned to kill her.

Davus heard the plan. He ran hard to her house, trying to warn Hypatia, just to figure out that she wasn't home.

Meanwhile at the Prefect's place, given the chance to rethink the rhetorical option, she stated thing that she'd been believing in.

"You don't question what you believe, or cannot. I must."

Soon, her life was at the verge of a catastrophe. Now fully aware of the risk she had taken, she walked home elegantly, refusing the offer of dedicated guards to escort her.

Davus was too late. The violent monks had found her, dragged her along the street to a church named Caesareum, ripped off her cloth, then prepared to execute her.

As the monks busy gathering stones to slay her, Davus secretly suffocated Hypatia so she wouldn't have to bear the pain of thrown stones. His heart was torn, memories flashed tearfully, regretfully.

Then died Hypatia, the uppermost, the supremest.

____________

from the movie Agora (2009), directed by Alejandro Amenabar.

a little time for myself

inside | outside

computer corner

featuring my 10 years old bro :)

an interesting space

I've been interested to - and ever since, wanting to draw - this photocopy service space near my house. I observe that this man has a very compact living + working space that includes everything he needs daily.

I went photocopy something this morning just so I can draw it :D

the life.

Slightly last year on an anonymous, ordinary day, I wrote on my old blog a gibberish issue about a common attitude of any ordinary people. It is: the sense of self that everything is going to be okay. The sense of self that if there's any disaster, misfortune, or any other bad luck, it's not going to be me; it's anyone else's matter. The sense of self that if there's something that the world need; a change, an improvement, a sacrifice, then it's someone else's responsibility but me. I gave examples about war, accident, crime, earthquake, homosexuality, philosophical thought. And the list continues to add with atheism, bankruptcy, crisis and so forth.

I presume this kind of things happen as an idealized vision of a life, of a family. Just see the image of a happy, nice family on any commercial ad broadcasted on television. A couple, having two nice kids, living in a sleek modern house, buying a new car, touring the neighborhood. Well this image may appear in a society as everyone's hope for a good living. For most, a life is simply being born, growing up and go to school, achieving good scores in any subject, going to a prestigious college, easily getting a job with the so called proper salary, getting married, having kids, getting old, watching the kids grow up, having grandchildren, then die peacefully. I don't judge here, that if you have such vision, then you're wrong, at all. But unconsciously we miss a lot of details that involve both external and internal factors and after all, seriously, life is not that simple.

Going home early, avoiding bad guys, doing everything on the straight line, over-protecting your kids, then you think everything's going to be alright? I don't think so.

The world is rough and cruel. Closing your eyes to everything you don't want is not the way to solve any problems. Intrigues. Pretenders. Heartaches. Greed. Syndicates. Just when you think your day is hard enough, you'll figure out that something bigger and meaner might happen to you the next day. And just when you think you're mature enough to face everything in your life no matter how old you are, please rethink.

keroncong tenggara

Last Friday me and two friends, Galih and Lalitia went seeing 'Keroncong Tenggara' performed at Salihara.

And I have to say nothing else. Very beautiful.

the sexiness of female wayang

I've never paid attention to any detail of a wayang, until one day I need to work with a design that involved the figure of wayang. The first thing I did was searched the image of some female wayang[s] and re-sketched them using my personal judgments and interpretations. I was never aware of what they are wearing, which body parts resemble what, which lines are what, until I finished my sketches.

Guess what?
I found them sexy.

The issue that came across my mind was: why is it so skinny, why it has bright skin color, small eyes, sharp nose? I don't think the characteristics of these puppets match the common appearance of Javanese women. Was it the ideal shape? Was it the dream of any woman; even since hundred years ago? Was it because the raise of wayang was in the same time line when the Dutch colonized the country? Was it the picture of the beautiful mistress?

Anyway, if I keep talking about it then we may need to discuss it with some experts from the social-culture major. Let's just go back to the sexiness:


Forget Jessica Alba :p

to keep me sane

wrong

I drew this old chinese style ornament with a mindset that the pattern was the same on each side. So I confidently mirrored every line. After finishing the sketch, I looked back to the ornament and guess what: it is not a simple mirrored pattern; which makes my sketch inaccurate.

Isn't it what we always do in life? Simplifying seems the best way to digest the problem, finally solving it. But is it the way things work? What about doing something that is already wrong since the beginning? Can we really undo ourselves as the computer does?

a house without drawings

"This house was made without drawings! I myself built this," he proudly said. He's no architect. He's no contractor. He's the stone man, a worker. You probably can not see the beauty of this house from my sketch for my style in drawing lines, but this house is really a good one; it's a big house but humble, earthy colors, green garden, big windows. Seems comfortable, and livable. The stone man himself made this house without drawings.

A very big failure for you, hey architects, if you're bluffing arrogantly with pride -because you may not be smarter than this stone man. He doesn't need to become a professor, nor the PhD. He knows how to create a livable house with his trained skills of building, and he just did. He doesn't talk as if he knew everything; the one that architects do.

1987

the antisocial

Yes. I was that excited. The vision to do sketch hunt at Kota Tua Jakarta seemed fun; I didn't predict the heat of the day.

Me and my friend, Novel planned to do a kind of hunting. Sketch hunt for me, photo hunt for her. We agreed to meet at the railway station's A&W -the all American restaurant :D. While waiting for her to come, I tried some sketches of the station.

It was very crowded, and I did the wrong proportion:


while the right proportion is this [I stretched my sketch haha]:


Soon after Novel arrived, we went to Museum Fatahillah's front yard. Unfortunately, it was the brightest time of the day, I guess. The glare of the sun dazzled our eyes. So..... I didn't sketch Museum Fatahillah. Instead, I did Museum Wayang and it's neighbors, under the tree.


And soon, we moved to the nearby Cafe Batavia. A luxurious one, actually. And we can't afford the meal :p



and I did a pointless drawing:


Then we went to Plaza Indonesia before it's too late hehe. I mean: before the work hour was over, avoiding the crowd of the commuters. To be honest, I didn't really know, what were we going to do at PI. Well, we did have an appointment with some friends, but I just don't understand the objective of this meeting. Also the composition of the attenders.. was just weird.

So we arrived at PI, find a place to eat and sit, then heard the other customers' very loud conversation.


Then we moved to Canteen. Which doesn't look like a canteen. I enjoyed the food, but didn't enjoy the meeting heeeee.... peace, everyone :D

the unfinished sketch

I was accompanying my mother and her friends to PGI Cikini Hospital, to visit a family friend who got stroke last night. As usual, I stole sometime to sketch. The hospital's area is constructed by a group of interesting old buildings that I believe, had changed function in many times. Unfortunately, the visit wasn't long enough; letting the unwell friend to have proper rest time. So I was failed to finish my sketch. However, I tried to do some 'finishing' using black and white watercolour:

happy new year

Thank you, dear neighbors and surroundings, for letting me see your beautiful fireworks on this new year's eve. And if you did go out to see the full moon.. damn. Should've been outside more often during new year, I guess. How I've missed a lot of fireworks these past years. Happy 2010.

a trip to solo

24.12.09, 05:00 AM. Finally after all these years, I went to Solo, again. The last time I went there was... I forget. Maybe when I was on junior high. Or not. Maybe when I was a sixth grader, or fourth grader. I always envy someone who does mudik often. Well it's not really my hometown. It's my parents'. hehe. We went to Solo by car, and I took my turn to drive. Shift #1 hehe. You know, it's kinda weird when you've finally grown up, you have the ability and also responsibility as an adult, and you have to do the same thing as your parents do. In this case: driving. The last time I traveled far away with my parents by car, I was still a young kid. I didn't even know how driving is like. And I didn't take care of anything. The only thing I know was I traveled, being inside the car for a long time, then suddenly I got to the destination. I didn't have to worry about the speed, the trucks, other cars, other passengers. But now, well.. I think it's one way to realize that I'm an adult.


Our first stop was at Pringsewu, Cirebon, for a lunch. By the time we got there, I've been driving for 6.5 hours. Next driving turn was my father's.


Next stop was Semarang. Really, I was sooo sorry that we stopped at Pizza Hut. hmpf..... So it was a very heavy rain and traffic jam. And also flood. And we had no other choice other than that everywhere's restaurant. And you have to know: suddenly the electricity went off. At the restaurant. hahahaha. What a funny beginning. I forgot what time did we finally arrived at Solo, but the only thing I remember was, suddenly it's Christmas day already.


So, Merry Christmas. Happy Holiday. It's time too sleep. he.


After breakfast. We went to my uncle's house, met all those relatives I didn't even remember each. haha.


Lunch time, everyone was eating inside the house; eh, at least grabbing food inside the house before going back to the front yard hehe. So the it became a bit unoccupied. I missed the durian :(

This is what all the trip's about: my uncle's 85th birthday. Old enough, huh? And this is the front elevation of his house. hahaha. Does it have any relation?


26.12.09 Before lunch. Me and my cousin went to Villa Park Banjarsari. I really don't have any idea why the heck did they name the place that way. It just doesn't fit everything about the place. And it has a monument inside the park. A patriotic monument; which makes the name more unfit.


Actually I have another sketch of this monument, but I can't find the file. And I'm too lazy to re-scan the sketch hehe.

The neighborhood's gate.

Boring, sleepy day after lunch. I really didn't know what to do, I was stuck in uncle's home. Everyone said that they need to practice their singing; therefor they need me to play the guitar. But they didn't. And I couldn't go out in case they need me in sudden. How bored it was, that I sketch everything unimportant, then I fell asleep. Hoahm..




Then me and my cousin finally decided to go out, took a walk for a moment.


Unfinished sketch of Bank Indonesia Surakarta. Soon after I started sketching, the unfortunate rain came and my mother called: time to go back to Kepatihan Kulon. Hmpf.


View from the hotel room.

27.12.09 Me and my cousin began the sandal jepit journey walking the city. My first target for today: The famous Perusahaan Roti Orion, where everyone buys local snacks for gifts.


Next target: Pasar Gede a.k.a The Grand Market :D drawing this surely makes my skin goes darker hehe.


After the market here comes the Bank. Redrawing the [also] famous Bank Indonesia Surakarta which competition for its new building was launched few months ago, and the deadline for the competition will be on January 11th hehe. I know it from Pak Gun. So this building is located in one corner of an intersection. On the intersection there are traffic lights. I drew this building from another corner. You have to know. Drawing this is not easy, at all. I've told you that there are traffic lights. Means: cars stopped. And also buses. And it covers my view to the building, so I needed to wait for a few seconds every time the lamp went red. And it also mean, the car, motorcycle, bicycle, becak passangers and drivers stared at me curiously.


Really, I'm so proud of this sketch. I don't mean to brag, but just proving myself that I can do such detailed thing makes me happy :)

Then we continued our sendal jepit journey, only to find a thick wall surrounds a very large area. And we entered the area soon as we found a gate.


This is kinda funny, I guess, for we didn't know what area is that, what buildings are there. No sign, no name, no introduction to the place.. After entering the gate, and still with confusion, we felt the need to find a security a.k.a bapak satpam or someone in uniform or someone that looks in duty and go ask them. We figured out that it's the famous Istana Mangkunegaran haha. Now tell me, how silly it was?


A strange, old, broken building on the backyard of Mankunegaran. Probably it's the army's.


So this is a map that I drew based on.. my memory of the places. And instinct. hehe. I could't find any accurate map at that time, and it's not easy to get the map instantly in the city: the hotel doesn't have it, the museum's guide told us to ask the tourism board, the bookstores were closed - it's holiday. The only city map I saw was the one that hung at the museum's wall, as a decoration.


Another eating place.

28.12.09 The next day, we went seeing the city by car. It's still a sandal jepit journey for me hehe but this time we went to some further places that can't be reached walking. And also, we means me, my cousin, my brother and my parents.


The typical 'angkringan' that we'll find in most trading places in the city. This one sells soto, in front of Pasar Klewer.


The figure of Kyai Raja Mala. It was placed on the head of the ship to scare the enemies. Raja Mala itself is... well.. I don't really know hehe and I don't want to speculate. But as far as I know, the origin word, Mala, means evil. You know, as in 'malapetaka'. Now that makes the name means 'the King of Evil'. So far, this is my favorite sketch :p

Pakubuwono X's ride, displayed at Museum Karaton Surakarta. I was amazed to see its European style and decorations, including the figure of a very European angel there.

What if you went to a school, where its gate is this:


29.12.09 was time to go home. Another loooonggg waaayyy round. And this is our last stop: Rumah Makan Bu Nani, Pekalongan.


Well, not really. We stopped at a gas station after this, actually, where I took my turn to drive. Going fast between the trucks and trailers through the stormy night was great :D