Sometimes it's surprising to find there are holes in your your knowledge map of things. I have been following the Great Hamster of Alsace story online. I never knew that hamsters came that far west and imagined their range to end at the eastern Med, and just west of the Urals.
It was a surprise to find that we have such a smart looking hamster living just across the water.
The other night there was a rat in the roof. I was woken up around 3am by a tapping. I tapped back on the wooden bedpost. The tapper replied, and we continued to have a conversation until I could no longer stay awake and drifted off to sleep again. It could only be a rodent of some kind. Or a tapping ghost. Some of the vols, as was Dr Dian, are convinced there are ghosts here. I'm sure all the staff do too. This is Indonesia and there are spirits all around us.
Last night the lights went out again and I stepped outside to talk to the tarsiers.
At first it was difficult to tell the chirp of a tarsier from that of an insect, but the experience of seeing them at Tangkoko and careful listening has made me hear the difference. This difference is mainly in the unregularity of the call.
A chirrup here and then a reply from a family member over there. Usually I hear 3 or 4 calling, but very little chance of seeing them unless you know their sleeping tree.
I have been watching some new Indonesian films I bought on DVD, Some were quite good but a strong nationalistic message rather spoiled them for me. I'll mention two.
It was a surprise to find that we have such a smart looking hamster living just across the water.
The other night there was a rat in the roof. I was woken up around 3am by a tapping. I tapped back on the wooden bedpost. The tapper replied, and we continued to have a conversation until I could no longer stay awake and drifted off to sleep again. It could only be a rodent of some kind. Or a tapping ghost. Some of the vols, as was Dr Dian, are convinced there are ghosts here. I'm sure all the staff do too. This is Indonesia and there are spirits all around us.
Last night the lights went out again and I stepped outside to talk to the tarsiers.
At first it was difficult to tell the chirp of a tarsier from that of an insect, but the experience of seeing them at Tangkoko and careful listening has made me hear the difference. This difference is mainly in the unregularity of the call.
A chirrup here and then a reply from a family member over there. Usually I hear 3 or 4 calling, but very little chance of seeing them unless you know their sleeping tree.
I have been watching some new Indonesian films I bought on DVD, Some were quite good but a strong nationalistic message rather spoiled them for me. I'll mention two.
Tanah Surga….. katanya Heaven on Earth….. they say. Here is an interesting review from an Indonesian blog.
The fil is very well shot and the story well told. For the most part the acting is good though as usual the rural Dyaks are mosttly shown as country bumpkins.
The story is set on the Sarawak/Kalimantan border and there are lots of references to Konfrontasi - the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia in the late sixties. The portrayal of the Malays as vulgar, grasping and arrogant is pretty much racism. Though xenophobia is probably the correct, but harder to say, word. I find it a little disturbing when film makers who should, and probably do, know better jump on the patriotic bandwagon and wave the flag.
Although the flag waving in Tanah Surga is very well done.
5cm was a film I enjoyed mainly because it concerns a climb up Mount Mahameru near Malang. A trip I had hoped to do myself but I never found time.
Here's another Indonesian review in English. This one has some nice pictures from the film. I like the conceit of the film; five friends decide not to see each other for a few months and then meet again in a special place. The special place turns out to involve a climb up Mahameru. The climb has various effects on the friendship of the group but once on the summit when a flag is planted there is suddenly an impassioned paean to Indonesia.
One of the group even turns down the chance to study at Manchester University prefering to study in Indonesia!
Something another Indonesian blogger found completely ridiculous.
A better film about friendship, popular too, is Perahu Kertas - based on a book by the Queen of Sastra Wangi (Chick Lit) Dee Lestari) but it is too youngluvy for me and did it not have the scenery of Mt Mahameru to keep me interested.
I don't know why there seems to be a resurgence of nationalism in Indonesian cinema, but I can make a couple of guesses.
Indonesia is still a young country and most people are still fiercely patriotic, so if a director wants to make a serious film and gain a respectable audience then a dose of patriotic fervour goes down very well and can be used for hiding more subversive themes. To a degree this happens in Tanah Surga, but for me the criticism of Java centred government was feeble compared with the patriotism and anti-Malay elements.
Very hot again this afternoon and everything seems to be hiding in the shade and sleeping.
Except the poor vols down in the Rescue Centre.
The fil is very well shot and the story well told. For the most part the acting is good though as usual the rural Dyaks are mosttly shown as country bumpkins.
The story is set on the Sarawak/Kalimantan border and there are lots of references to Konfrontasi - the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia in the late sixties. The portrayal of the Malays as vulgar, grasping and arrogant is pretty much racism. Though xenophobia is probably the correct, but harder to say, word. I find it a little disturbing when film makers who should, and probably do, know better jump on the patriotic bandwagon and wave the flag.
Although the flag waving in Tanah Surga is very well done.
5cm was a film I enjoyed mainly because it concerns a climb up Mount Mahameru near Malang. A trip I had hoped to do myself but I never found time.
Here's another Indonesian review in English. This one has some nice pictures from the film. I like the conceit of the film; five friends decide not to see each other for a few months and then meet again in a special place. The special place turns out to involve a climb up Mahameru. The climb has various effects on the friendship of the group but once on the summit when a flag is planted there is suddenly an impassioned paean to Indonesia.
One of the group even turns down the chance to study at Manchester University prefering to study in Indonesia!
Something another Indonesian blogger found completely ridiculous.
A better film about friendship, popular too, is Perahu Kertas - based on a book by the Queen of Sastra Wangi (Chick Lit) Dee Lestari) but it is too youngluvy for me and did it not have the scenery of Mt Mahameru to keep me interested.
I don't know why there seems to be a resurgence of nationalism in Indonesian cinema, but I can make a couple of guesses.
Indonesia is still a young country and most people are still fiercely patriotic, so if a director wants to make a serious film and gain a respectable audience then a dose of patriotic fervour goes down very well and can be used for hiding more subversive themes. To a degree this happens in Tanah Surga, but for me the criticism of Java centred government was feeble compared with the patriotism and anti-Malay elements.
Very hot again this afternoon and everything seems to be hiding in the shade and sleeping.
Except the poor vols down in the Rescue Centre.