Head to Head

Waiting to take off: a plane and a dragonfly (Makassar)

Luck be the Lady!

(photo by Lisa Saputra)

Lisa shot the most adorable photo of the week. love the colorings. the ladybug here hitchhikes our bus on the way back from Tanjung Lesung to Jakarta. Even bug needs holiday!

Twinkle, Twinkle (God's Lamps)

To light up the dark, God switches on his lights....

I love the way Ayu Utami describes light emitting things in the sky in her third novel, Bilangan Fu. She calls them “lampu-lampu Tuhan” or God’s lamps. The stars and the moon.

After being overshadowed by dark clouds all the way to Pulau Biawak* I was glad to see the clear sky, full of stars to gaze at. Although I ain’t a romantic person, it’s fun to guess what constellation is appearing. In the near complete darkness it is beautiful to see some things lit up the sky. Although it lasted only an hour, I was satisfied to find the Scorpion before the dark cloud painted the sky.

And there under the lone mangrove tree by the pier, I saw planktons lit the water by blinking. It looked like someone was igniting match in the water. If the rig lamps were unlit, the planktons would set the beach twinkling in the midnight!

On the way home, the sky was dark blue. I was knocked down by seasickness. I fell asleep, rocked by the strong waves. Then I woke up to the smell of rotting fish. I knew the boat was entering the estuary.

Up above my head, I saw dark clouds fading. The moon started appearing, like a silver coin. Slowly, I could see it forming. Half moon. But to my surprise, it sent a strong light, forming the biggest halo I’ve ever seen. The river was lit by the moon. It was the only ‘lamp’ (the boatman hadn’t even fix the battery-torch) yet strong enough to see the forms on terra firma.

I sat up and saw, at left and right I saw lines of trees and thickets of bush. Fireflies lit them up, almost like fairy lamps light up christmas trees. I’ve never seen fireflies that numerous! When I was small, I used to see fireflies in the garden, on passionfruit vines, and caught some. It’d been long since the last time I saw a firefly!

I was relieved to see lamps, meaning the port was near. But there I stood on the boat, admiring the moon and every single twinkle of fireflies. God’s lamps.

* Indramayu, West Java,

Vegetal & Animal@Gunung Gede

Wallace mentioned Gede Pangrango more than twice in his book. I tried to climb Gunung Gede twice. on the last attempt last weekend, friends and i finally made it to the summit. all the way, i saw so many astonishing and rich vegetation and animals. i even saw a silvery monkey (owa jawa) eating leaves, snails, birds, and flowering plants. all in their perfect forms that i felt i should call it--quoting Wallace's term--"luxuriance"! i felt so happy!

Breakfast Salad, Unlikely

Hendra spotted it. Miss Pundung nearly jumped off the chair. i've never seen scarab so beautiful and mahogany like this! he took a good grip on the rattan chair. I tried to persuade him to move on the leaf. Here he was, sitting pretty.

Taman Safari

That Alfred Russell Wallace Moment

Everyone is a scientist in their own right. And when we saw this exotic insect in Tulamben, we admired and immortalized it (not with some chemicals and pin for sure). Just felt that we felt the eureka-moment-of-joy Mr. Wallace had had felt!

(from left: courtesy of Rosa Widiyarini, moi, Ricka Ristianti)

Tea Time!

i know moths and butterflies suck nectar. just don't know that they also like tea!

last night after watching Teater Koma's Sin Jin Kwie (it was 00.15), i agreed to sit and have tea with Rahma, Mada and Iie. Tea in beer glass as usual. I stirred the long tsp to dissolve sugar and then i put it on the table, "sunny side up".

Minutes later flew a moth: brown, ugly, hairy. uninteresting. It walked toward the tsp and then putting his long tongue to the bowl of the spoon.

There was virtually no liquid in the spoon. but it put its tongue there and stood for like five minutes. perhaps it was sipping traces of the sweet liquid.

then Iie took a spoonful and pour it into the spoon.

the moth stood motionless. i thought the warm liquid must have burnt its tongue. So i blew it gently...the moth flipped its wings repeatedly, never to leave the spoon. it turned out that it was sucking the sweet tea and seemed enjoying the spoonful!

Butterfly lovers

Last week when i went to that shop for groceries, it played a traditional Chinese music over the speakers. I thought, oh next week is Chinese new year! that's why.

It took me a minute to recognise what song: Butterfly Lovers Concerto! It was a version i never heard. Before, I only knew Vanessa-Mae's version: an orchestra backing her solo violin. It's one of my fav piece of orchestral music.

Then I remember Fiona ever mentioned this: Butterfly Lovers? That's Sampek Engtay!

Ah really? So I, as always, consulted Wikipedia: It's about a boy met girl. A Romeo, a Juliet. They were Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. In our dialect, they became Sampek Engtay.

I checked this video. this vid is cool. amazing. it makes me think of how a hundred legs become six and a wingless body become winged. that's the wonder of fasting, eh?

First Song of Magicicadas

Zzrrrrt zrrrrt zrrrrt zzzzrrrrrrt
Zzzzrrrt zrrrt rrrt rrrrt

I am in your village
to be exact beyond it
I am about to cross there

I lift up my eyes to the sky
and level them to the thatched roof
among sugar cane leaves
beyond this green revine
there where happy i've always been

and I can feel my heart's at ease
for there I know you are for me awaitin'

the ravine is wide and deep
i am walking in the path
where all have walked before
so too have the cattle, ducks and buffalos

the beige and slender sticks of bamboos
dance in a stange movement

the music is even more strange
to my ears for i am a lowland man

it goes zzrrt zrrrt zrrrt zrrrt
like millions of schoolmates putting their index finger
in front of their mouths and they pout
and hiss: sssst ssst ssst

it tickles my ears
it's the first song of the monsoon

Rulers of the World

They outnumber humankind
they're troops
establishing kingdoms of their own
here's my tribute!


everywhere I go, I often find insects mating. It's a good sign yes?

Slender Lightning Bugs!

Smitten by this song Fireflies by Owl City. why 10 millions? why ten thousands?
people are obsessed with numbers yes? as in a thousand oceans
well then. this song is kinda fun and makes me remember of fireflies at Argopuro house, Nongkojajar. been so long since the last time i saw them!


You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep
'Cause they fill the open air,
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude, but I would just stand and stare


I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
'Cause everything is never as it seems


'Cause I get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they try to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head,
A sock hop beneath my bed,
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread (thread, thread)


Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
Cuz I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep?
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep


To ten million fireflies
I'm weird 'cause I hate good-byes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell (said farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar


I'd like to make myself believe
That planet Earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams

la Vie en Rose (Life in Pink!)

Pink!

Wonder of Creation

Almost everywhere I go, I see insects mating. wonderful.
they rule this earth.

these moths are inhabitants of wind slapped Tidung Island, Jakarta.

Ant Weaving

Observing this orchid, i found this big fiery red ant we call rangrang.

Margarineflies

Why people called the lovely winged insect butterfly is not my problem. The problem is they seem to be virtually unseen in the city like this.

last trip to Cilember (2006) and recently to Pulau Pramuka brought me some hope, especially when reading "Butterflies Sanctuary" boards.

"You're late, Mas. It's long been deserted. Look at the dome," said a mister at Cilember.
The dome was half open so was that at Pulau Pramuka.

The moral of the story: butterflies are meant to be free (or people should care for the wires)

Xem

laron!

look at this fascinating insect. after heavy rain, we'd fill buckets with water and put them under the lamps. that's how we collected laron (termites) to be...eaten! yea! some like it fried, some like it in omelette. i no longer eat it.

this adult termite along with two other friends visited my room last night and flew around. after several maneuvres, they shed their wings, i don't know why. hours later i found them died (i didnt spray or step on them). but i appreciate their visit, they remind me of the days when i was little. good ones.

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Samson Wasp

"Out of the strong comes something sweet"

Samson's riddle came across my mind when I saw a wasp sucking nutrients from a water snake carcass on the beach of Nusa Dua. It really amazed me. I read that wasps often attack smaller insects but i never knew that dead animals are listed on their menu. Beautiful.



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Metallic Dragon

Very good looking dragonfly poses on a leaf by the river of Curug Cilember. I had never seen this kind before. The ruby red variant is more common.

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Parking Moth

At first I thought this was butterfly. But take a closer look. It is a moth. I don’t know how butterflies deal with cold weather, but I am sure this moth adapts well with the average 10 to 20 degree Celcius temperature of Dieng Plateau, Central Java. See the thick body and hairy wings. It is as if the hair is designed to protect the moth from extreme temperature. Beautiful.

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Pearly necklace

when i was a little kid i read Bobo magazine: a young slave falls into deep thoughts. He’s disturbed by the fact that he has no money or possession to give to the princess who invites everybody in the castle to her birthday celebration. Long story short, one morning on the d-day, while he’s working in the garden, he sees a spider web sprinkled with the morning dew. It twinkles like diamonds. He runs into the castle and presents it to the princess. “This is the most beautiful gift I’ve ever got,” says the princess.

Don’t worry, since there was no princess around, I left this web untouched on Dieng Plateau :)

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