on the King.

We’ve got difficulties ahead, but it really don’t matter to me now, cause I’ve been to the mountain top. and I don’t mind.  Like anybody I would like to live a long life. But I’m not concerned about it now. I just wanna do God’s will. and He’s allowed me to go the mountain. I’ve looked over. I’ve seen the promise land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we’ll get to the promise land!!! So I’m happy tonight, I’m not worried about anything, I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen he glory of the coming of the Lord.

— the speech of the great Dr. King on the night before he was assassinated in April 4, 1968

though he grew up in a pastor’s home, MLK jr. used to  ‘doubt’ Christianity and the resurrection of Jesus Christ up until the age of 13. It was not until he found many ‘profound truth’ in the bible that he started to go radical for it. (wow, I’m not the only “bad” pastor’s kid :p)

he took his faith a million step further since then, by understanding how God the Creator sees human as equally precious as one another, and by turning this understanding into an action when the world  desperately needed someone to stand up for equality.

as a result? his house was bombed twice, his family received death threats, imprisonment (he was jailed 12 times), assassination…and…..

……a crown of glory in Heaven, a fulfilled dream, a legacy, and a better world.

 see, a true King demonstrates power through love.  a true King serves.

————————

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness. only light can do that

Hate cannot drive out hate. only LOVE can do that”

Free at last, free at last. Thank God almighty. I am Free at last.

Happy dr. King’s day everyone may you dream like the King today.

Blue Magic

the color ‘blue’ seems to excite many people these days. ”My favorite hue is Jay-Z blue,” Jay-z rapped on the track “Go Crazy” with Young Jeezy, as he titled his album The Blue Print, The Blue Print II, The Blue Print III. He didn’t stop there of course, he named his firstborn daughter, Blue Ivy Carter last Saturday *congrats momma bey!! *

Jay and Bey are only two among other celebs who name their child ‘Blue’ (Alicia Silverstone named her baby Bear Blue, U2 guitarist The Edge named his daughter Blue Angel, Cher named her son Elijah Blue).

in the 60s, the legendary Harlem gangster Frank Lucas named his top-selling heroin ‘Blue Magic’, representing a 100% pure drugs that turns blue when you put some chemical to it.

how do I know these things again? right, research :p

anyways, the color blue for me though, represents peace, serenity, and coolness.

it also represents the breathtaking richness of Moluccan’s underwater world.

1.6 metric tons of fresh fish per year. only 300,000 explored (mostly for international trading, such as premium class tuna fishes that are shipped straight to L.A every few months, packed and shipped under the ownership rights of a Japanese company). yes, the big eastern blue pond has been underrated even till today, sadly by its own country.

the maritime province has only got 12 seaports that severely need to be revitalized (the local government promised to do something about it last year though, source : republika).

as the only present day example of ocean basin closure as a result subduction of oceanic lithosphere in two opposite directions (source : list of sea.com), Moluccan Sea deserves a better treatment and EXPOSURE. and it’s up to us to represent it, Moluccans. cause it’s our own 21st-century blue magic.

“Blue magic, that’s a brand name. I stand behind it, even when they don’t know me anymore…” – Jay-z (Blue Magic, OST. American Gangster)

*photos courtesy of Chello Pelamonia photography & Anna Soetarso

Introducing the Eastern Paradise

internationally known for centuries as the Spice Islands, Molluca a.k.a Maluku got its beautiful name from the term coined by Arabian traders, Jazirat al-Muluk, which means “the Land of the Kings”

according to the Maluku government’s official website, the nickname is given for the large number of kingdoms and settlements that were established all over the islands of Molucca back in the days, including Arab, China (Tang Dynasty), Sumatra (Sriwijaya Kingdom), East Java (Majapahit Kingdom), Portuguese, Spanish, and of course the 2-century ruler, the Netherlands.

(map by William Blaeu)

Molucca was like this metropolitan where many settlers fought their way all the way there to get precious spices like clove, nutmeg, and mace. the breathtaking beauty of its nature, the blue sea, the ever-rich underwater sites — it was obvious to many, that Molucca was destined to be an Eastern Paradise.

 

I believe Molucca is a sleeping tourism beast. and I, among other fellow-Moluccans, am determined to do anything I can, no matter how small it is (even as simple as making blogposts) to wake him up.

 

the world ain’t seen nothing yet!

(photos courtesy of Anna Soetarso & Grace Herjawan)