The fathers of all boy bands

(This picture is taken from the Montreal Gazette)

Do you recognize these faces?

The old kids on the block have reunited, apparently. Of course, they still retain their old name: New Kids On The Block. Gee, some people just refuse to grow up, don't they?

Nevertheless, how the hell did I manage to miss their concert last night? I did hear about them coming to town a few weeks ago, but somehow that idea just sat quietly at the back of my mind.



They came to Indonesia many years ago - I think at that time I was in grade five - and my two best friends went to their concert. Although their visit to Indonesia generated bad publicity for the group as people and journalists reported how stuck up these kids were, I have always rather regretted not having the guts to ask my parents if they'd give me the money to buy the (expensive) tickets to watch NKOTB perform.



I am seriously contemplating to watch their concert in Boston. After all, kapan lagi gua bisa 'hangin' tough' bareng boyband favorit gua?

Ethics and Religious Education in Quebec

I just saw a tv program that told about a new educational program for primary school children in Quebec called Ethics and Religious Education. It is still in a pilot stage and the purpose of this new program is to teach school children about the various 'major religions' of the world and subsequently, foster a tolerant mentality towards them. This means that, if their parent once sat in class listening to the stories of Jesus and his twelve sidekicks (only), now the kid can skip that and learn not only about Christianity, but also Judaism and Islam instead, for example. Great, huh? What an appropriate new school program for children brought up in a world full of news of bomb threats and bombs actually going off.

Unfortunately, some parents (backed by some Christian religious authorities) do not agree. They have organized a resistance group and filed petitions to have their children exempted from this program. The good thing is, theirs seems to be a lost cause. School boards around the region have rejected their plea, leaving behind a trail of pissed off parents.

One parent was quoted to say that he is worried that if his kids learn about other religions on top of Catholicism, they will become confused by too many choices. Another said that the course threatens his children's Christian faith. A child's Christian faith? I don't believe that there is such a thing. As much as I don't believe in a young Muslim girl wearing a veil just because her mother does.

The purpose of sending your children to school is to equip them with life skills. Skills that will ensure their survival in society, especially one that is becoming more and more diverse. If these parents want their children to have Christian faith, that kind of education should take place at home, where the children learn about Christian faith by observing their parents living according to those values.

There was an incident recently in the Laurentians where a Jewish man was assaulted. The Gazette reported that "A group of young guys started staring at us and then, from five metres away, they threw a whole bunch of coins at us - I don't know, maybe thinking, 'Jews are cheap' - a typical joke," recalled Haouzi." The incident led to poor Haouzi being punched and injured. A witness nearby refused to call the police.

While fundamentalists and racists can never be completely eradicated, a program that teaches about what your neighbours believe in and how, deep inside, we're all more or less the same, can ensure their numbers stay low. I have to admit, I am guilty of an ignorant thought from time to time too, but maybe that's because I didn't grow up with an Ethics and Religious Education course.

Just another stolen bike in Montreal

Akhirnya apa yang semua sudah wanti-wanti terjadi juga. SEPEDAKU DICOLONG ORANG. Pagi itu, hari Jumat, sepeda yang hampir dua bulan terakhir ini nongkrong setia di rue Sherbrooke menunggu pemiliknya bangun dan berangkat ke kantor sudah lenyap, walaupun tidak tanpa bekas. Si maling yang beroperasi pada malam hari itu menyisakan gembok sepeda gua sebagai kenang-kenangan. Sopan juga tuh maling. Yang bikin gua bingung, gimana caranya dia ngelepasin gembok tersebut dari sepeda gua tanpa tanda-tanda forced entry?

Lucunya, dua hari sebelum sepeda itu hilang, gua sempet mengambil foto ini:

Ceritanya gua lagi jalan-jalan malem, dan setelah gua foto sebuah rumah (yg malam itu terlihat cantik sekali di bawah sinar lampu jalanan), gua terkesima karena ternyata sepeda gua juga nggak kalah cantik di bawah lampu jalanan yang sama.

Gara-gara si maling itu pula, gua mesti keluar duit beli sepeda baru. But, like all the wise men and women before me have said, all things happen for a reason. And the reason is, my new bike - which is cheaper - is actually a much better bike, though it's uglier and rustier. Still, sebel aje mesti keluar duit lagi. I was doing so well with this week's budget. Grrrr....

Marilah kita sama-sama berdoa supaya sepeda baru gua bernasib lebih mujur.