A Criminal’s Mind When I was about 9 years old, my housemaid talked about an article in Kompas newspaper. It was about a lady who forced her housemaid to lie face down on an ironing board. She then ironed that maid’s back. Hearing that, I thought to myself, “How on earth could someone think of ironing a human’s body?” To me, it was as if the article wrote about a bajaj that flew to Hong Kong. But as I grew up and met more ‘real people’, I began to understand. I understood the pain of feeling mistreated, the agony of…

The Robbers I was so excited when I saw a pair of Kekeno fur seals dancing on the beach. I set up my camera and prepared to capture the best moments. Then a group of foreign tourists from the country of my ancestors ran onto the beach, with their thunderous voices. While splashing through the water, they began posing and taking each other’s pictures. With that, the Kekeno pair dove back into the sea. If there was ever a time I regretted never making time to learn my ancestors’ language, it was right then, and right there, on Taiaroa Head….

What is Your Life Made of? There are people who call themselves foodies, yet the food they seek can be completely different. Some travel from one Michelin-starred restaurant to another, or even set aside part of their salary each month just for the chance to dine at one. Others save their money to travel the world in search of authentic street food. Speaking of traveling, I also know people who call themselves travelers. But this, too, can take many different forms. One day, during a trip, I had dinner with friends from different countries. An Australian friend shared how he…

Do You Remember When? Several days ago, I met up with old friends. For some of us, it had been about 10 years since we last saw each other. We first met more than 20 years ago during a journey across Indonesia. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we had a lot in common, despite our different ethnicities and religions. During the reunion, we laughed about the joys and frustrations we had shared on those trips. Every time a memory resurfaced, someone would say, “Hey, do you remember when we…” and the stories would just keep flowing….

How Does Time Fly in a Butterfly? A few days ago, I watched a YouTube video about Jo Nagai (10), who discovered that butterflies can pass down memories to their offspring. But Jo didn’t arrive at this conclusion all of a sudden. It all began when he noticed that the butterflies emerging from the caterpillars he had raised in his home laboratory remembered him. In an interview, Jo expressed his delight at realizing that the butterflies remembered him. One of his butterfly partners looked exactly like this butterfly from a lavender farm in Furano, Japan. I wonder if this butterfly…