Calm before the Storm
Today is the day after the storm. The storm refers to the violent eruption from Gunung Sanbowo in the island of Sumatra just north-west of Jawa. I heard on the airwaves in Kota Malang, East Jawa. We have another 145 active volcanoes to contend with. This year is the second active voice we in Indonesia have heard and felt. Altogether 147 active volcanoes that will speak but only when.....
Got up at 04:30. It was raining heavily. The outside was dark and quiet. Thinking of the past a lot. Possible friends, former colleagues and ex-schoolmates, whether they were still alive. I have tried to reconnect with the past, 50 years back in time but always I hit a dead end. What I write here is not really a blog, that is heavy stuff, what I do here is to pen my thots about myself starting from getting up from bed to before I call it a day.
Continuing from this morning, the rain has abated. Good news. Too much rain will also be hard on most folks. I started the day reminiscing about past friends and colleagues. Especially childhood friends from the early days of childhood. The group which ran about naked and barefooted. Yes, even slippers wendre a commodity that we can ill afford. It is a nice-to-have but not a must-have. Most of my group settled in Holland as we were once a colony of Holland.
The two years I spent in Kuala Lumpur did not help much in terms of language barriers but it was an eye-opener as to how low our standards were when compared with the Malaysians in general. Even today the elite of Indonesian society seek treatment from Singapore. In Singapore, we may see the best pool of medical talent but soaring and exorbitant prices have sort of barred the ordinary Indonesian from treatment in Singapore. For us we have to seek the services of a modest and humble treatment from a Kedokteran PNS (Pegawai Negeri Sipil) or a doctor from the civil service.
The sun is now arising from the eastern skyline and it is comforting the day will soon be a shining and burning hot weather which we are accustomed to. For those holding the BPJS (or Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial) can at least have access to public medical treatment.
It is almost sundown, the time to eat, wash up and then to bed. Feeling a bit under the weather while continuing the process of weaning from a potent medication. It has helped but I feel it is time for the drug to go. I will try and keep trying to locate my long lost friends over the internet. I am not very optimistic about my chances but I have got to try. I hope they are well and still around.
