Nyoman, the Man
Here's an almost accidental friend who turned out to be a true one. Nyoman Koen Krisnawan is an Indonesian first name as everyone in the country disputes that they don't have surnames, and since it's not the same as how Brazilians do their own (Pele, Ronaldinho, Nene), it's difficult to conclude about its singularity. But there are hints though; you can tell former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri is a daughter of the country's founder-leader Sukarno.
Nyoman comes from the beautiful island of Bali, famous for its beachers but was also a vulnerable place. The huge bombing in its Kota Beach in 2002 took the lives of 202 people, mostly tourists from countries loyal to America's fight against terrorists, which was perceived to target the Muslims. And while Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country in the world, not all people are Muslims. I was lucky and blessed to visit the cultural city of Jogjakarta during the Singles For Christ 2002 Regional Conference. There are thousands of Christians in this country (but still very minority to the entire nation due to its enormous population). Nyoman himself is neither a Muslim nor Christian even if his mother is (that is why Kris is one of his names) a believer of Christ.
I met this guy at work at PCCW, my first employer here in Hong Kong. I thought he was a resident nerd who worked for a long time and also a Filipino since my colleague Jay seems so friendly to him. Even Onin was talking about him. I did not know he is an Indonesian for at the time I haven't met a lot of foreigners such that I can't seem to distinguish a Chinese from a Korean from a Japanese physically (now I can). Indonesians and Filipinos belong to one race and so there are lots of similarities in physical and cultural structure. It is said that there are hundreds if not thousands or words commonly spoken in Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia. With this being said, I still can't understand the Indonesian language. I classify it along with Cantonese as a noisy language, unlike Thai, Vietnamese or even Japanese.
We did not stay as colleagues for long for I was part of those let go by PCCW in late 2001 but we still did keep in touch. Shortly before I left the company, I was in his team along with an Indian guy named Rahul and our team leader Johnson. It was a multinational team whose fate as a group was doomed as manifested in that ominous phrase from Rahul 'I hope this is not a send off lunch with you guys'. That was the last day I saw him; both I and Rahul were fired.
But shortly after I got another job I still got to see Nyoman, going for squash games where he would masterfully shred me to pieces, or take refuge of the winter chill on an Indonesian restaurant in Sheung Wan. Along with colleague friends Steven and Patrick, the four of us enjoy each other's company cracking jokes or telling stories from distant shores.
But time has come that Nyoman's contract will not be renewed and that he'd be leaving Hong Kong on summer of 2003. The ever historically-rich brain of mine recalled those days when he was so excited to hear how my description of Jogjakarta is: raucous motorcycles plying in all directions of the city central, the rather funny name of the hotel where we stayed and of course his university: Gadja Mada.
I got the chance to travel to Malaysia during the "Amazing Race" trip that includes Singapore and Thailand in five days. There we met up and almost reunited with Onin who is already working in Kuala Lumpur. He even drove all the way from KL to Genting Highlands, getting lost at times, using a borrowed car. Just like the old times, same topic, older faces.
He came over last April to "collect" his remaining savings in Hong Kong. He decided to go back to Jakarta (in a sharp, strong "r" accent) and start a business or find a wife. Somehow I believe what he tells me but at times when his facial expression suggests otherwise, then I will have my reservations. He's a funny guy who'll get you irritated with his subtle overtures. I met other Indonesians in the Jogjakarta Conference (Juliana, Irmawaty, etc), and in KL Devi Afianto and they are very warm and humble people. Perhaps we Filipinos influenced Nyoman a little bit. He ocassionally brags about "sige sige" or "ayun!", common Tagalog expressions not understood by common Indons.
To Nyoman, whatever your plans are, my friend, good luck.
Nyoman comes from the beautiful island of Bali, famous for its beachers but was also a vulnerable place. The huge bombing in its Kota Beach in 2002 took the lives of 202 people, mostly tourists from countries loyal to America's fight against terrorists, which was perceived to target the Muslims. And while Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country in the world, not all people are Muslims. I was lucky and blessed to visit the cultural city of Jogjakarta during the Singles For Christ 2002 Regional Conference. There are thousands of Christians in this country (but still very minority to the entire nation due to its enormous population). Nyoman himself is neither a Muslim nor Christian even if his mother is (that is why Kris is one of his names) a believer of Christ.
I met this guy at work at PCCW, my first employer here in Hong Kong. I thought he was a resident nerd who worked for a long time and also a Filipino since my colleague Jay seems so friendly to him. Even Onin was talking about him. I did not know he is an Indonesian for at the time I haven't met a lot of foreigners such that I can't seem to distinguish a Chinese from a Korean from a Japanese physically (now I can). Indonesians and Filipinos belong to one race and so there are lots of similarities in physical and cultural structure. It is said that there are hundreds if not thousands or words commonly spoken in Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia. With this being said, I still can't understand the Indonesian language. I classify it along with Cantonese as a noisy language, unlike Thai, Vietnamese or even Japanese.
We did not stay as colleagues for long for I was part of those let go by PCCW in late 2001 but we still did keep in touch. Shortly before I left the company, I was in his team along with an Indian guy named Rahul and our team leader Johnson. It was a multinational team whose fate as a group was doomed as manifested in that ominous phrase from Rahul 'I hope this is not a send off lunch with you guys'. That was the last day I saw him; both I and Rahul were fired.
But shortly after I got another job I still got to see Nyoman, going for squash games where he would masterfully shred me to pieces, or take refuge of the winter chill on an Indonesian restaurant in Sheung Wan. Along with colleague friends Steven and Patrick, the four of us enjoy each other's company cracking jokes or telling stories from distant shores.
But time has come that Nyoman's contract will not be renewed and that he'd be leaving Hong Kong on summer of 2003. The ever historically-rich brain of mine recalled those days when he was so excited to hear how my description of Jogjakarta is: raucous motorcycles plying in all directions of the city central, the rather funny name of the hotel where we stayed and of course his university: Gadja Mada.
I got the chance to travel to Malaysia during the "Amazing Race" trip that includes Singapore and Thailand in five days. There we met up and almost reunited with Onin who is already working in Kuala Lumpur. He even drove all the way from KL to Genting Highlands, getting lost at times, using a borrowed car. Just like the old times, same topic, older faces.
He came over last April to "collect" his remaining savings in Hong Kong. He decided to go back to Jakarta (in a sharp, strong "r" accent) and start a business or find a wife. Somehow I believe what he tells me but at times when his facial expression suggests otherwise, then I will have my reservations. He's a funny guy who'll get you irritated with his subtle overtures. I met other Indonesians in the Jogjakarta Conference (Juliana, Irmawaty, etc), and in KL Devi Afianto and they are very warm and humble people. Perhaps we Filipinos influenced Nyoman a little bit. He ocassionally brags about "sige sige" or "ayun!", common Tagalog expressions not understood by common Indons.
To Nyoman, whatever your plans are, my friend, good luck.
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11:00 PM
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