Farewell to Jogjya!

It time to wrap up and say good bye to the land of Barong and Ramayana or Kratons and Merapi, time to leave behind all that cannot be taken with but fond memories bitter and sweet. This has been one of my most successful journeys yet and my appreciation goes to those who had made it possible namely Dato'Rahim, Leekhai, my cousin Zakaria in Shah Alam and my son Nazri Bahari and to those who gave me their warm friendshhip and confidence like Mr. Tony Penny in Solo and Pak Antok in Jogjya. Then there are those whose whom I met along the journey as fellow travellers like the two Austrians I met in Kuta, Bali and the great underwater world explorer and photographer Mr. Roland Loges from Switzerland who burnt a copy of all his diving pictures on two CDs and what great shots they are! They are an inspiration for me to paint from later. Michael and Anton mentioned in my lst entry will always be in my thoughts whenever i think of the Bromo mountains of Central Java.
My life has been blessed by the fact that i am able to travel and do what I love most and that is capturing life as an artist while on the road. Meeting new faces and touching lives of others whose culture and religious outlook will never the same as mine or my people. Eating and drinking from the same cups and plates dishes and drinks that are only native to this or that region and can never be found anywhere else on the planet and visiting ancient ruins of temples and civilization long gone scattered all over this fantastic landscape called Java.
My sketchbook /journal is half filled with all sorts of brawings and sketches done on site as well as when I have the time in between the sight seeing. I have added another form to it where I have asked fellow artists who I met here to contribute their sketch in the pages and add their cards for future refferences. It is interesthing to find that most has done it quite willingly and in so doing has made this journal alot more valuable. The camera Leekhai loaned me is suppose to be able to tke about 1000 pictures and if so then I have that much pictures to sort out and start loading the best for this blog while others will be used for my upcoming art works and the comicbook I am working on.
When I arrived in this country the Bali terrorists 3 executiton took place and now that I am leaving the Mumbai tragedy is taking place in India, we live in a sad world indeed and why do we have to add to this sadness by negative thoughts and feelings towards eachother? Killing in the name of any belief or religion is totally beyond human acceptance, defies human intelligence and places us at a level worse than animals, but... there is really no just cause where a single life is sacrificed. Islam is again about to take another blow as a religon that is violent in the eyes of the non Muslims of the world and those who think they are doing the religion a favor by killing the innocent aught to have their brains removed so they can enloy life like animals without any care or compassion for others. It is hard enough to be porr and wnting in this life but to have to put up with odelogical tyrants and religious fanatics is pathetic to say the least. Man pride himself of living in a Globalized world, or a borderless world, of being able to touch other lives from across the planet via the Internet and yet we have helped to create nothing but despair for those whose very lives depends on those capable of delivering this reality, the so called age of information and knowledge.
The Buddha a long time ago diagnosed human illness to be of three kinds and that being Greed, Hate and Dellusions or Ignorance. Today man is destroying his freedom and virtues by the very same only in the form of Wealth, Power and Knowledge or Information. Those who has these
three at their command dictates what happens in our modern world and woe unto us when the power that be abusses its authority or lacks the understnding and compassion to rule or make right decissions or worse yet becomes self serving. As the Persian saying goes, when the salt has turned bad what can we depend on to preserve.
I am about to depart from the land that once was influenced by the Hindu Gods, the Tri-Murti of Brahman Vishnu and Shiva, The Creator, Preserver and the Destroyer-Progenator. I am about to leave the land where the poulation today has the largest number of Muslims in the world and what does that tells me? That a handful of Muslims (if that is really who did it in Mumbai) can shatter the beliefs of Billions on this planet who loves peace and happiness above all else in this temporary state of existance we call life and all in the name of the hidu Gods or the Muslim or the Christian God is indeed very and dangerous for modern man. We are indeed head for our self destruction our egotistical nature has eaten up our devine spirit, our greed, hatred and ignorance has overun oue sense of Love and Compassion, Peace and Co-existance. We do indee desrve to be shot by our own hands holding our very own gun to our very own heads and shame on us when our children and grandchildren ever ask why or whatever happened???
Godd Bye Indonesia... the land of Pancasila and Bineka-Tungga-Ika! Selamat Tinggal dan ribuan terima kaseh, emogga Allah cuchuri rahmat ka atas bumi mu.
Assalam-mu-Alaikum.