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The case of reading and preserving Indonesian literature

In March 2016, a study conducted by Central Connecticut State University (CCTU) entitled “Most Literate Nation of the World” placed Indonesia as the 60th most literate nation out of 61 nations on the list, above only Botswana, and below fellow ASEAN member Thailand. A survey by UNESCO in 2012 records that only one out of 1,000 people in Indonesia have an interest in reading. It might sound meagre enough, but what if we ask this next question: how many of the 0.1 percent read books that were written by an Indonesian author?

In most developed countries, especially English-speaking countries, high school students are taught to read books, being exposed to the work of English literature greats like Mark Twain and Shakespeare and encouraged to enjoy and find fun in reading literature. However, in Indonesia, this practice is rare or not practiced at all. Yes, we are taught about the history of Indonesian literature and the periods that divide the styles of literature in Indonesia, but we are not given time to read in class nor are we properly taught to read and appreciate the works of our own people.

Why you should try these new-style ‘wedangan’ spots in Surakarta

“Wedangan” or hanging out at a warung hik (local coffee stalls) while enjoying wedang (a drink), which may be tea, coffee or ginger tea and is usually accompanied by snacks such as roasted jadah (sticky rice), tempeh, tofu cooked with spices, nasi kucing (a small rice portion wrapped in banana leaves), has been an old but maintained tradition in Surakarta, Central Java.

In the past, warung hik was easily identified by its simple street-side presence with dimmed lighting, and were scattered around Surakarta, as well as Yogyakarta. In fact, people are more familiar with the Yogyakarta term for warung hik, “angkringan”.

Struggling with stress? Consider exercising, study says

There are many ways to handle stress and mental blocks, but it turns out that exercising is one thing definitely worth considering.

Stress from work is said to not only have the potential to disturb mental health but also physical health as it can raise heart disease risks, such as  blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Outliving the walking dead in Dubai

With a gun in my hand and limitless ammunition, I was given only one task: shoot as many zombies as possible.

The instruction was pretty clear: destroy the target — one or two bullets should be enough for one zombie if you aim for its head — and stay clear from the perimeter. But upon entering the poorly lit setting with a very convincing horror-movie atmosphere, trying to see where I’m going while at the same time keeping an eye out if any lurking zombies are behind, to the right or left of me, the fully loaded gun and little confidence that I had could not prepare me enough for the terror that comes next.

In merely seconds, I was surrounded by one, two, three and soon, countless of soulless corpses; all creeping toward me. They were everywhere; I tried to shoot as fast and as accurate as I could while trying not to focus too much on their spine-chilling appearances.

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