On Thursday night, I finally watched The Passion of The Christ, a movie that I¡¦d been wanting to watch since I¡¦d first heard about. But then when it was already showing in the cinema, I found myself still reluctant and procrastinating so often to actually go to the cinema and watch it. Last Thursday night was the right time to watch the movie, because it was the same night, more than two thousands years ago, when Jesus held the last supper with his disciples.

After I watched it, I realized why I had been reluctant and procrastinating unconsciously. I think it was the reluctance to be reminded of our faith, and of our sins, especially. I think the bigger sin is not the hatred toward God, but the ignorance toward the issue.

The movie pictures the last twelve hours of Jesus life in this mortal world, the hardest hours of His life and it was then become the core of Christian religion.

The Passion of The Christ is a hard movie to watch. In contrast to those easy movies we watch to enlighten ourselves, at the other extreme, this movie won¡¦t let you relax even a while. During the movie and even several hours afterward, you¡¦ll feel thrilled with highly intense emotion. Some cried incessantly during the movie, some had to take their eyes off the screen, some just tried hard to halt their tears from falling. Everybody was touched, and sad, to see their hero have to endure such a torture that probably beyond human capability.

The scenes were made exactly according to what had written in the Bible. For the Christians, this is the story they heard from times to times. Every years during this time (before Easter), the drama was played in front of the church. We know this story so well. But to see it in the screen, to watch every detail of the suffering, still have the strong emotional wave to move us to cry.

Then it would come a question in our mind. Isn¡¦t Jesus God? Why would God do such a thing? Why He has to endure the suffer and the humiliation to that extend? The answer is in the core of the Christian teaching: Love. You can see in the cover of the movie, below the title : ¡§You are my friends and the greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them.¡¨ I guess this is the implying message of the movie. The objective is to show us the extend of Christ¡¦s love, and how He taught us about love. And despite what we had done, God still love us.

Look at all the Jews public in the movie. They all represented us. Their sins are our sins. Look at Peter who denied God for his own safety. It¡¦s something we would easily do. Look at Judas, he betrayed his good friend for his own advantage. Governor Pilate, who wash his hand and do not want to take responsibility. And the cheering soldiers¡K are we really happy to see God suffer? --- But then it was not easy to believe. I realized we would probably do the same in that given situation. We would question and demand prove, that He is really God.

If He was God then why He not free Himself? This is the question in the movie. They also questioned Him and demanded prove that He can ruin a building and build it back within three days. --- I think Our Creator can do so much more than that, but it was not that simple the work of God. And it was not according to our frame of thinking. God works in His own way. --- Jesus did not free Himself. Instead He endured all the sufferings and fulfilled His tasks from His Father. The movie is full of messages, and like the Christian religions, is full of signs and symbols that from times to times we are trying to comprehend and realize in our life.

It was such a coincidence that presidential election in Indonesia take place at relatively the same time with the presidential election in Taiwan. Instead of being in my country for the first direct presidential election ever for me, I found myself being in Taiwan and watching the ever-increasing heat of presidential election here.

The election is due to take place Saturday, 20 March 2004. The tension felt strongly nowadays not only in the political elite level. But in the street, anywhere, you can feel the tight competition between the two parties---only two parties for this year election in Taiwan---and people are taking that back to their home.

I see people here have a serious concern about the election and high participation to support their chosen party. They came down the street at the campaign---most of them with the whole family---and really pay attention to the activities before the elections, such as presidential debate and follow the news closely.

I talked to a friend recently---an Indonesian friend who had acquired Taiwan ID. She told me her concern that despite the impression that her chosen party is winning (has more support from the people), her chosen party still has possibility to lose.

Her concern represents the concern of most of the people in Taiwan. And it represents hope from the people, to have their aspirations. Well, I kinda miss that feeling. For Indonesia's upcoming election, I don't have any hope whatsoever and still don't know which party to support. It's like, it's going to be the same anyway, regardless of who is winning. The hope for somebody to take charge and solve Indonesia's problems would be like an utopia. Ohh, God, save my country!

The movie Lost in Translation was inspired by the director (Sofia Copolla)'s visit to Japan. For those who doesn't speak Japanese, it would be less convenient, a little bit difficult maybe to survive in Japan, because only a little portion of the people speak English. The same situation applies to Taiwan. Had Sofia visited Taiwan and not visited Japan, the movie would probably be set in Taipei instead.

This is one of the things that had taken me aback about Taiwan. Despite its advanced economic development and the high procentage of its educated population, English is not a common thing, even in capital Taipei. Actually, it was only recently that Taiwan is working hard to teach its people English. English courses (with native speakers) are growing like mushrooms in the wet seasons. English native speakers are welcomed, to Taiwan to teach their mother language, and most of them would find it relatively easy to get a job as an English teacher here.

I'd been wondering what has caused this lack of English and found several explanations. Look at the bookstores, it is difficult to find English bookstores in Taipei. Again, only recently, a big English bookstores finally opened in Taipei to satisfy English readers hunger for good books. Before the store---called Page One, a Singapore-based company---it was quite difficult to find English books. There were big bookstores that sell English books, of course, but only a very small portion. And now, even after Page One, and inside Page One itself, most people are still reading in Chinese, because Page One sells Chinese books as well. Well of course it would be easier to read in our mother tongue, but i mean, from the material point of view, everything is translated into Chinese. Books, magazines, TV, movies, and even actor's name---ALL have their Chinese version. Imagine all your favorite English movies suddenly changed their title into Chinese and you suddenly don't know your favorite actor because you have not known his Chinese name. It's funny though.

In school, from the lowest level to the University, lessons are tought in Chinese (of course). And all the materials are in Chinese, even the materials from western countries. Everything is translated, even for the university students. So, university graduates are not used to using English. It's one of the disadvantage for the comfort of reading translated materials.

Several times when I met friends from western countries, and after having a little chat with me, they would usually say, "Your English is good." "Is your lesson in Indonesia being tought in English?" (the answer is no, but we were used to English materials) and other comments that implied that they don't usually see non western people with good English. (Whereas I'm not that good) Well, probably. Or probably they were just being nice to me.

You would not see a lot of people reading in English in public places. If they do, they're probably foreigners, or Taiwanese who had studied abroad. And the number of both foreigners and Taiwanese who had studied abroad is growing rapidly. I saw a lot of locals reading books or magazines which contents was learning English materials. I saw them in the bus, in the MRT, in the bus stop, in the cafes. People of Taiwan are working hard to fix their English, which is good for me, so that I can learn with them. In that way, one day Sofia would not need to make the sequel of Lost in Translation, the Taiwan version. :P