Inspirational Indonesian Quotes

Waktu berjalan ke Barat di waktu pagi hari matahari mengikutiku di belakang. Aku berjalan mengikuti bayang-bayangku sendiri yang memanjang di depan. Aku dan matahari tidak bertengkar tentang siapa di antara kami yang telah menciptakan bayang-bayang, aku dan bayang-bayang tidak bertengkar tentang siapa di antara kami yang harus berjalan di depan.

Apalah gunanya impian bila tidak diwujudkan?

Write what you know," my ass. Now, I'm not suggesting that you write about my ass. But although you do not, in fact, know my ass, I give you permission to write about it. And if you think you need my permission to write about my ass ("What right do I have, as a male, twenty-something, single, childfree, immigrant Indonesian Buddhist, to pretend to understand the ass of an Anglo American middle-aged married female Freethinker?") or about anything, then you lack the courage, curiosity and imagination to write good fiction, so please find something else to do.

What a joy this book is! I love recipe books, but it’s short-lived; I enjoy the pictures for several minutes, read a few pages, and then my eyes glaze over. They are basically books to be used in the kitchen for one recipe at a time. This book, however, is in a different class altogether and designed to be read in its entirety. It’s in its own sui generis category; it has recipes at the end of most of the twenty-one chapters, but it’s a book to be read from cover to cover, yet it could easily be read chapter by chapter, in any order, as they are all self-contained. Every bite-sized chapter is a flowing narrative from a well-stocked brain encompassing Balinese culture, geography and history, while not losing its main focus: food. As you would expect from a scholar with a PhD in history from Columbia University, the subject matter has been meticulously researched, not from books and articles and other people’s work, but from actually being on the ground and in the markets and in the kitchens of Balinese families, where the Balinese themselves learn their culinary skills, hands on, passed down orally, manually and practically from generation to generation. Vivienne Kruger has lived in Bali long enough to get it right. That’s no mean feat, as the subject has not been fully studied before. Yes, there are so-called Balinese recipe books, most, if I’m not mistaken, written by foreigners, and heavily adapted. The dishes have not, until now, been systematically placed in their proper cultural context, which is extremely important for the Balinese, nor has there been any examination of the numerous varieties of each type of recipe, nor have they been given their true Balinese names. This groundbreaking book is a pleasure to read, not just for its fascinating content, which I learnt a lot from, but for the exuberance, enthusiasm and originality of the language. There’s not a dull sentence in the book. You just can’t wait to read the next phrase. There are eye-opening and jaw-dropping passages for the general reader as Kruger describes delicacies from the village of Tengkudak in Tabanan district — grasshoppers, dragonflies, eels and live baby bees — and explains how they are caught and cooked. She does not shy away from controversial subjects, such as eating dog and turtle. Parts of it are not for the faint-hearted, but other parts make you want to go out and join the participants, such as the Nusa Lembongan fishermen, who sail their outriggers at 5.30 a.m. The author quotes Miguel Covarrubias, the great Mexican observer of the 1930s, who wrote “The Island of Bali.” It has inspired all writers since, including myself and my co-author, Ni Wayan Murni, in our book “Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World.” There is, however, no bibliography, which I found strange at first. I can only imagine it’s a reflection of how original the subject matter is; there simply are no other sources. Throughout the book Kruger mentions Balinese and Indonesian words and sometimes discusses their derivations. It’s a Herculean task. I was intrigued to read that “satay” comes from the Tamil word for flesh ( sathai ) and that South Indians brought satay to Southeast Asia before Indonesia developed its own tradition. The book is full of interesting tidbits like this. The book contains 47 recipes in all, 11 of which came from Murni’s own restaurant, Murni’s Warung, in Ubud. Mr Dolphin of Warung Dolphin in Lovina also contributed a number of recipes. Kruger adds an introduction to each recipe, with a detailed and usually very personal commentary. I think my favorite, though, is from a village priest (pemangku), I Made Arnila of the Ganesha (Siwa) Temple in Lovina. water. I am sure most will enjoy this book enormously; I certainly did.” Review published in The Jakarta Globe, April 17, 2014. Jonathan Copeland is an author and photographer based in Bali. thejakartaglobe/features/spiritual-journey-culinary-world-bali

If there is no perfection of a work , be sure the perfection of a plan.

Yang sudah terlanjur terjadi tidak bisa kita batakan. Kita yan harus memutuskan, mau bangkit atau diam saja membiarkan diri tenggelam.

Jika kamu beruntung hari ini, belum tentu sepanjang tahun kamu akan mengalami keberuntungan. Setiap orang akan bertemu ujian hidupnya. Bukan berarti kamu nggak bisa bahagia. Bahagia atau tidak, kamu sendiri yang memutuskan.

Jalan apapun yang kalian pilih, bersinarlah di manapun kalian berada.

It’s a beautiful, holy place. A cafeteria full of people from all over the world who have been displaced in a foreign country, each with a different history. Where did they come from and how far did they travel? Why are they all here? To find the galangal no American supermarket stocks to make the Indonesian curry that their father loves?

Selalu bersyukur dalam segala hal. Bahkan, ketika menemukan hal kecil untuk aku syukuri.

Cuma kerupuk seblak yang masih enak meski melempem. Semangat manusia, mana enak kalau layu? - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Manusia harus mampu berdiri lagi, terlepas sesering apapun kita terjatuh. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Manusia ‘kan memang juara dalam hidupnya masing-masing. Ada yang lebih penting. Mereka sekarang mengerti, sejak lahir ke dunia, mereka sudah menang bersaing dari sel telur lainnya. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Mereka yang berhenti mencari kesempurnaan, dan belajar kalau di dunia ini memang enggak pernah ada yang sempurna - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Ada ruang rasa yang tetap bisa dinikmati walau bentuknya berantakan. Pancong lumer setengah matang saja, masih enak dimakan. Manusia mau mencari sempurna? Sempurna itu enggak pernah ada. Yang ada perihal menerima dengan lapang dada. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Bisa jadi impian kita enggak sejalan dengan kenyataan. Tapi percaya deh, hidup selalu menyuguhkan piring-piring kebahagiaan. Makan saja makananmu, jangan menginginkan piring orang lain. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Si ingin sembuh, dari lukanya, dari hidupnya yang selama ini ia nikmati meski yang disuguhkan hari - secangkir getir, adonan kemarahan dan kebencian, dan pedas yang lahir dari mulut-mulut jahat orang di sekitarnya. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Aku tahu, proses hidup Kak Si, ternyata enggak pernah mudah. Aku juga mengerti, sekarang kalau mau dapat sesuatu, dan mencapai banyak hal yang kita ingin, kita perlu berusaha. Semua enggak tiba-tiba ada - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Ternyata, orang bijak itu mereka yang bisa menerima keadaan dengan enggak mudah menyerah. Mereka yang tetap tumbuh meski terinjak seperti rerumputan. Mereka yang melihat hidup enggak pakai kacamata kuda. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Kita sudah melakukan usaha terbaik dari yang kita bisa. Tuhan pasti kasih hasil yang jauh lebih baik dari yang kita duga - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Yang pasti, semuanya seperti mi instan ini, biar instan, tetap saja perlu proses tanpa banyak protes. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Bagaimanapun, manusia tidak akan bisa hidup sendiri, pasti membutuhkan orang lain. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Kegagalan tidak pernah ada. Bukan gagal namanya, manusia memang harus belajar untuk menjadi lebih baik lagi dari kejadian-kejadian yang tidak seirama dengan keinginannya. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Badai hidup rupanya telah mengajarkan Si untuk tetap kokoh tertiup angin sekencang bagaimanapun. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Kamu bikin aku mengerti, kadang terlalu kepedean itu, perlu juga sih. Rendah hati harus, rendah diri jangan. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Maaf kalau aku merebut apa yang jadi milikmu. Maaf aku belum bisa menjadi kakak terbaik. Aku cuma mau bilang, aku menyayangimu. Bagaimana bisa aku ingin mengambil apa yang jadi milikmu? Kita pernah berada di rahim yang sama, rahim Bunda. Kita pernah ada dalam tubuh yang sama, tubuh Ayah. Kita sama, meski tak serupa. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Percaya dirimu terlalu tinggi Bi, melebihi tingginya sasakan rambut ibu-ibu yang ingin pergi kondangan - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Tuhan enggak pernah membiarkan manusia hidup untuk kalah, meski setiap harinya manusia harus digeprek, dipukul, dilapisi tepung, dan dipanaskan dalam penggorengan penuh minyak agar matang sekaligus layak dinikmati. Enggak apaapa kalau pernah lelah asal pantang menyerah. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Yesha benar. Membiarkan Si jadi seekor burung elang yang terus berjalan sendirian. Ia sekarang jadi singa hutan, juara dalam tiap kehidupan. Yesha merasa tepat, tidak selalu melindungi Si dari dunia yang kadang memang terasa jahat. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi

Bi menyadari satu hal. Ia tidak akan pernah menemukan apa yang selama ini dicari - kesempurnaan. Ternyata, semua orang punya rumpang dalam hidupnya masing-masing. - Piring Bahagia Si dan Bi