Bali Day 7
It has been a great unforgetable experience. Rare opportunities and invaluable practical knowledge in the studio. Warm friendly Balinese people. Beautiful beaches and peaceful neighborhoods. Finally, I am definately going to miss my personal make-up artist! LOL
My news program in JogjaTV called Good Morning Jogja concentrated more on education, tourism, and ceremonies taking place around Jogja. Lintas Mancanegara is such a challenge for me because I must present news starting from natural disasters to bombs and plane crashes, from collapsed houses to gruesome amateur videos of Israeli attacks, to Kofi Annan’s speech. Uugh, I had to force myself not to show the true emotions in my heart or I’d start to cry!
Bali Day 6
I’ve spent most of the day with my family. Strange, knowing your relatives doing something you oppose, eat pork. When I arrived, they had just finished roasting a pig.
Ugh… It looked so… untempting.
I left the scene and explored their home. They had quite a few heritages from our ancestors such as private sacred temples, traditional wooden decorative walls, and a typical Balinese front gate or gapura.
Apparently as I was strolling along, my relative was on her way to give morning offerings to the Gods. It was common knowledge to never deliberately step on the offerings, which are usually if not placed on the temples then on door steps and street corners. It may bring you harm for you have disrespected the Gods.
Bali Day 5
Today was supposed to be a big day for Kite flyers on the island. A Kite Festival was being held. Apparantly today was not such a good day for flying kites. NO WIND. So most of the big decorative kites couldn’t get up in the air. I saw some groups walking home earlier. Too bad.
On that same beach, I came across another Ngaben ceremony.
Bali Day 4
Another day off. I took the time to visit Nusa Dua or Two Islands on the southern coast of Bali. Luckily, my friend had a car and time to take me around.
Mini Beach Bus!
Bali Day 3
Taking the day off, I encountered a stress reliever…
next picture! 
My cute LiL neighbor! Daughter of the dormitory owner. When she was with me, she just couldn’t stop asking for her next picture to be taken! “Foto lagi…” Awww how could I refuse to such adorable words?!
<- her mood transformation -> 
When I needed to go to the studio, she would put on this awful look upon her round chubby face. But when I promised to come back, she would put her sweetest smile back on. Awww… “Last pic, ok? I’ll be back.” That’s all I had to say to make her smile. Awww…
Bali Day 2
NGABEN CEREMONY
A few days earlier, the neighborhood had just lost a well respected man. His family had the privilege to hold a cremation ceremony for the deceased today. My dorm family had to attend and I too was invited. My dorm mother was very kind to let me borrow one of her Balinese kebaya so that I would fit in with the people. Blue and black are the colors most suitable for such sorrowful occasions.
I was excited. I’ve never expected to be able to observe such rare occasion. A cremation ceremony is too expensive for common people to hold. Some even get burried first and wait till there were enough deceased to have a ceremony together. For this reason, I’ve asked permission for taking pictures and the family didn’t seem to mind. Well, here are some of the shots I’ve taken.
The Ceremony Prayers & Music
The Offerings
The Cremation Process
Unfortunately, I had to do a Breaking News about the Pangandaran tsunami so I missed the burning of the tower structure. Here I can only show the before and after pictures of the process. The death bed, made of banana trunks and the wrapped ashes and bones in white fabric and decoration.
The Release of Ashes into the Sea
Bali Day 1
PART II
I was picked up at the dorm by motorcycle. It’s actually nice to get around Bali in two wheels. You can really feel the sea breeze brush against your cool cheeks. Mmmm…. I think I’m gona like it here.
That night, my first chance on air at BaliTV…
A TSUNAMI HIT THE SOUTHERN COAST OF JAVA: PANGANDARAN BEACH
It turned out to be one of the toughest news I’ve presented on air.
What an experience! ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE.
Bali Day 1
PART I
Early that morning, mom and papa dropped me off at Adisucipto airport. I said goodbye and reminded them to watch me every night at 8:30 pm Central-Indonesian Time. I can see their eyes in disbelief, that their only daughter is finally starting to get her independance. I just returned from Sumatra Island and also did community service in the East Flores Islands. Something that most of my girl-friends’ parents wont permit.
I only brought 1 little suitcase and a plastic bag full of bakpia (a snack unique to Jogja). As I exited the Ngurah Rai airport, the soft gush of warm air outside reminded me of the time the whole KKN Flotim community service gang waited for our bus ride to Jogja, on the very spot I was standing. I waited for around 20 minutes in a daze, untill I realized some guy in a black uniform with the ’sun at horizon’ logo was holding up a sign with my name on it. Hmmm… I wondered how long he stared at me and not realize that I was actually the one he’s been looking for all along.
Through the peaceful and familiar sidewalks, the driver drove me to BaliTV. Some red cows just passed by the street and some girls in Balinese wrap-around sarong and kebaya top did some prayers at the altar of their private pura temple.
Here we are, I thought. The studio was huge. I can’t even descripe in 1 sentence. Yes, at times our neighbor’s grass is always greener. Though, this time, I’m actually proud of where I’m from. I’ve learned a lot from where I’m from and I’ll learn a lot more here where they’ve sent me. We’ll see how it goes. I must get back to the dormatory so I can place my stuff and freshen up for my first job on air. See you later…
What about me?
About my REAL name? Ah!
Shakespeare once wrote:
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.”
–From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
So, what’s wrong with calling myself dolphina?
That which thy call me by any other word wouldn’t sound as charismatic.