Manohara Odelia Pinot -- Part XXI -- Mbah Surip

The passing of Mbah Surip was a real loss to the Indonesian Reggae and Rastafarian community. The story of Mbah Surip is an interesting one because he found fame and fortune late in life. Even more interesting is that he was a street artist who finally made his mark beyond the streets where he plied his trade for the greater part of his 60 years. He has died allegedly of a heart attack.

Mbah Surip's most notable claim to fame was a sing called Tak Gendong. This tune became a bit of a smash hit as a ringtone and is estimated to have generated some IDR 4 billion in royalties for Mbah Surip, which also adds to the success, and ultimately the tragedy, of this story.

However, judging from the title you know this is not going to be a Mbah Surip story alone. Manohara and her mother, Daisy, never ones to miss an opportunity for some self-promotion have expressed their sorrow at Mbah Surip's passing.

Apparently, Mano is distraught and has been crying. Mano was a big fan of Mbah Surip. And, it seems that Mbah Surip was also a bit of a fan of Mano, as it is reported that he had recently visited the set of her sinetron to sing her a song. It appears Mbah Surip was made to wait for hours before getting the opportunity to sing and play his guitar for Mano (which is hardly how one would think a fan would treat a favourite artist).

According to Daisy, "Manohara said he is humble, and she is happy that Mbah Surip was happy at the end of his life." And, "Manohara said that she thought Surip had a special aura and that he was very warm and friendly. Mano cared about him deeply."

The longer I watch the Mano saga unfold, the more questions I have about the sincerity of both mother and daughter.

I attach the YouTube version of Tak Gendong for your viewing pleasure.

Ryanair and Vertical Seating

Ryanair are the masters of self-promotion and generating publicity. This is irrespective of whether it is a raunchy calendar of barely clad female cabin staff or suggesting that it is time for pay-as-you-use toilets on aircraft.

So, in keeping true to form, Ryanair has indicated that it is in talks with Boeing about modifying some of its future aircraft orders to incorporate the concept of "vertical seating". To the rest of us this will become known as the standing section of the plane.

Ryanair is Europe's leading budget carrier. So, in that sense the idea makes sense. Standing room only should to all intents and purposes let them cram more people onto a plane and therefore improve profits.

The idea of vertical seating is that there will be a pole or some kind of small stool to lean against according to Stephen McNamara, Ryanair's spokesperson on this one. However, the reality is that it is likely to be more of a standing position than a sitting one.

On short haul flights, this is probably an interesting avenue to explore. Nevertheless, it would seem that the whole rationale of this idea would be that buying a standing room only ticket would have to be cheaper than a traditional seat. If it is not, then why bother to pay the same or more to stand?

I wonder what is next on the Ryanair cost-cutting agenda?

But, for now, it is "Ladies and Gentlemen, we will soon be landing at Birmingham Airport, please return to your standing positions and fasten your standing belts, thank you! And, thank you for flying with Ryanair!"