A day with deejay Meita Kasim<\/p>\n
Jakartan Meita Kasim, 25, owes her looks and velvety voice to
\nLombok and Padang parentage. The popular deejay and music
\ndirector at Hard Rock FM Jakarta also fronts the all-girl group
\nWondergel, an underground rock sensation that launched its first
\nalbum, Wondergel, last year. Currently working on a follow-up
\nalbum, Meita lives with her parents on Jl. Proklomasi, Central
\nJakarta. In conversation with The Jakarta Post's William Furney.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): I wake up at about 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., thinking
\n\"oh dear, if only I had more time to sleep; or oh s___, it's the
\nmorning again\". But I get up and take a shower. I'm Muslim but I
\ndon't often pray as it's not always possible. I either drive to
\nwork or take a bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle). When I
\narrive, I send the office boy out to get breakfast, usually bubur
\nayam (chicken porridge) or some kind of mie (noodles).<\/p>\n
The first thing I do is check my e-mail. There's usually about
\neight to 10, from friends and my recording company. The Internet
\nhas changed my life; I don't think I can live without it. I love
\nto surf.<\/p>\n
The morning and afternoons are taken up with compiling the
\nweekly playlist for Hard Rock FM. The list has over 100 songs --
\nthe ones our listeners want to hear. I think it's good to have a
\nplaylist, but sometimes the other deejays don't like the songs.
\nThey say things like, 'this song sucks, man'. Our listeners are
\nbetween 20 and 30 years old, so we can't play boy bands or heavy
\nmetal. Right now, Two Steps music from the U.K. is hot. It's
\ndance, but the beat is just two steps.<\/p>\n
Being a deejay is like being someone else, like being an
\nactor. When you open the mike, no matter how bad your day has
\nbeen, you have to sound cheerful. But working with Hard Rock FM
\nis great as I get to travel. I've just come back from Taiwan,
\nwhere I was reporting on a Corrs concert.<\/p>\n
Three months ago, I became the music director, so my
\nbroadcasting schedule is not as full as it used to be -- just two
\nor three times a week. Every Monday, I present the 80s list and I
\ntalk about what was hip and cool back then, and, of course, play
\nthe songs. I also present Hard Rock FM's Top 41, our chart show,
\non Saturdays. And I also have a regular show when I play music
\nand say hi to the listeners, which rotates.<\/p>\n
The studio is a single-operation setup, which I like because
\nI'm fully in control. I remember the first broadcast I made from
\nanother radio station, and that was scary. I had butterflies in
\nmy stomach. But I've been doing this since 1993, so it's no big
\ndeal now.<\/p>\n
I break for lunch at 12 p.m. I love all Indonesian food, as
\nwell as Japanese and other Asian food. I'm not such a fan of
\nWestern food -- it's heavier and makes you full so fast. But
\nsometimes, I'll have McDonald's.<\/p>\n
After I left high school, I went to Jayabaya University to
\nstudy international relations and it was there that I started to
\ngo to a lot of gigs with friends. When we went to see a really
\ngreat all-girl band in Blok M (South Jakarta), I thought, \"If
\nthey can do it, so can I.\" So we set up Wondergel. But none of us
\ncould play an instrument. We decided what we wanted to play and
\nfor three months we studies hard. We've performed over 100 times
\nnow. Our biggest gig was when we opened for Dewa 19 in Bandung.
\nBut we all have full-time jobs now and it's getting more
\ndifficult to get together. I'm writing songs, though, for the
\nnext album.<\/p>\n
I write mostly about love. But right now I'm not going out
\nwith anyone. I'm more focussed on my career. I have lots of
\nthings I want to do and it's better if I'm not in an intense
\nrelationship at the moment.<\/p>\n
I'm so concerned about the political situation in this
\ncountry, because it directly affects the economy. I feel very
\nfrustrated about it and wonder when it will end. I really hate it
\nwhen other countries see us as one of the most bankrupt and
\ncorrupt nations in the world, and I do feel ashamed. I ask
\nmyself, \"What the f___ is going on?\"<\/p>\n
When I get home in the evenings, I like to write and play
\nPlayStation. I write in my journal, and also compose poems and
\nshort stories. I have to write every day about my feelings. I'm
\nan introverted person, and I write about what I don't say to
\nother people. It's not that I don't want to express my feelings,
\nit's just that I don't know how. That's probably why I became a
\nmusician.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, I like to go out to cafes. I like to drink
\ncranberry vodka. The last time I was drunk was at a Levis party
\ntwo or three weeks ago. When I got home, I had to sneak in
\nbecause I didn't want my parents to know the state I was in. I
\nsee a lot of people when I'm out, actors and singers, and lots of
\nthem are involved in drugs. Fortunately, I've never touched them
\n-- the only drugs I take are for colds. I hate drugs and I think
\nit's damn stupid to take them. I think famous people take them
\nbecause of the people they hang out with, and their lifestyle. I
\ndon't think it's easy to be a celebrity.<\/p>\n
I don't go to bed at any specific time. Sometimes it's early,
\nabout 10 p.m., but mostly it's about 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. When I'm
\nlying in bed, I like to fantasize -- that's what keeps me awake.
\nI imagine what my life would be like if I were living in another
\ncountry, like the U.K. I've been to the U.S. and Australia, but I
\ndidn't like the States. Maybe if I went to Europe, I could work
\nfor the BBC or MTV. But I wouldn't care, just as long as I was
\nthere; I'd even be a waitress.<\/p>",
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