the story still continues » Asia

Protecting Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia

amellie — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 23:01:00 +0000

About two years ago, I wrote a post about the Saudi government’s plan to abolish its infamous sponsorship system (kafala), which has been constantly criticized by human rights groups. The plan to cancel the system was immediately welcomed …

An Escape to Tidung Island (Part 2)

amellie — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:57:32 +0000

(Read the Part 1 first)

After successfully got a good deal for the room, we dropped dead to sleep. We were just tooooo tired! I blamed the World Cup Final for this! We hadn't had a good sleep …

An Escape to Tidung Island (Part 1)

amellie — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:10:13 +0000

(Embrace yourself, this is going to be a loooong post!) Yes, I went to Indonesia last June. It was honestly a sudden decision. Mom had been bragging me about coming back and I kept on resisting; hoping that I could …

The Idea of Going Back for Good

amellie — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:01:54 +0000

I am not going to lie to anyone and I'm not being hypocrite. I do enjoy living abroad, despite of cultural and language differences, despite of being minority, and many other things. I don't care about those people who have …

True Friends

amellie — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:46:09 +0000

I used to be so careless about everything. When I had problems, I could get them out of my head in a matter of one night. By the time I woke up, I felt like I was reborn. I felt …

Being a Muslim (and Practicing) in a Western Country

amellie — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:35:25 +0000

When I went to an Indonesian mosque in Den Haag to break my fast, I was left with astonishment. I was told to sit in a room designated for children and youngsters — there were perhaps 30 pupils or even …

Campaign Against Abuse of Workers

amellie — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:49:27 +0000

I have final exams and assignments in the next few weeks, but I just can’t resist to write about this ad campaign. The campaign is called Rahma which means mercy in Arabic. The main purpose of this campaign is to …

Emirates Experience

amellie — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 07:53:24 +0000

When I traveled back to Brisbane with my mom at the end of November to attend my graduation ceremony, we flew with Emirates (EK) for the first time. One exciting thing about traveling to Brisbane with EK was that I …

Arabic Music – Part 2

amellie — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:16:27 +0000

Read the first part of this posting.

I remember one day at a hotel in Jeddah, there was a group of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims chatting and sitting in a lounge. I was walking towards the lounge, when suddenly Haifa Wehbe…

Arabic Music – Part 1

amellie — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:56:21 +0000

People in Indonesia have a common misconception about Arabic music. They think that Arabic music is always composed for religious use. This is not true. Like Indonesian and Western music, Arabic music is composed of various themes, including love (mostly!!). …