Jody Wirawan Interactive Biography
2/28/10
Hi All,
I'd like to announce a new addition to Jody's Memorial that's been posted for his birthday this year :). It's an interactive map of Jody's life that includes point by point descriptions of events as well as videos, pictures, and other misc types of media. This is a very exciting inclusion to the Memorial because it's the most complete biography for Jody ever compiled.
There's a wide spectrum of people looking to find out more details about Jody's life right now, ranging from those who've only seen his name on a list to those who knew him personally. I think this will be a great tool for people interested in him and will also provide a good base for those wanting to look deeper into the elements of his life. Also, this can be continuously added to so that it becomes even more informative as time goes on.
The best part is that it's something that Jody would have really liked. He loved to travel and was very proud of all the places he'd been...something this biography is able to showcase very well. Anyway words just don't do this justice so check it out for yourself at:
http://jodywirawan.com/interactivebiography
Happy Birthday Jody!!
Expanded Interactive Biography
2/26/10
Hi All,
I know that some of you are stopping by this blog today to see what's being posted on Jody's Memorial for his birthday. We are working on something very different and interactive that will hopefully be finished by the end of today.
I'm extremely excited about this and I think it will be both informative and something that Jody would have really loved. Stay tuned, I'll post a new blog with a link to it as soon as it's ready.
Thanks,
Anita
Blog Adjustments
2/18/10
Making some adjustments to this blog to reflect it's changing function. This started out as the sole memorial site for Jody but now that's being taken care of over at http://jodywirawan.com.
Since this blog is now serving mainly in an update notification capacity I'm stripping the layout down to the basics to make it easier to focus on the info. This is an ongoing project for the next week so things might look a little off from time to time. Please excuse the mess :)
Thanks,
Anita
Posted A New Story About Jody
11/5/09
Hi All,
I've decided to post an unfinished version of the story that I said I would publish back in September. I wasn't able to finish it yet because it was just too hard to think back to those times so I was giving it a break, intending to finish and publish it later.
Recent events have put a worldwide spotlight on the epidemic of tragic deaths at Fort Hood and that in turn has lead to a lot of people trying to find out more about the person that Jody was. Because of that I've decided to just put the story up in it's unfinished state because it shows an important part of his life. It was a very sad time for him because of the things that were happening at home but also happy because of the love and care that his grandmother showed him. The run on sentences and brackets are not what I had hoped to publish on his memorial site but the facts are there and that's what counts.
Click here to read the story about Jody.
Thanks,
Anita
Changed Guestbook Link
10/1/09
Changed the Guestbook url to combat spammers. Guestbook is now at:
http://jodywirawan.com/guestbook/jody.php
Thanks,
Anita
New Site About Jody
8/31/09
Hi Everyone,
I'd like to announce a new website about Jody up at:
http://www.jodywirawan.com
What's different?
We've drawn on ideas from the memorial blog and made it into a more well rounded website. One of the problems with the blog format was that it was difficult for people to navigate and see all the content. So at this new site there are dedicated sections like a gallery for pictures/videos/cards and a page for stories. The blog will still be there but it'll now be a place where updates and edits are announced so that it's easy to keep up with new things that are posted.
I'd like to give major credit to Jennifer for the concept and construction of this website. No doubt it's a monumental task to have to build any site from scratch. But she also had extra challenges like transitioning content from the blog, making it accessible to people from parts of the world with vastly different (and conflicting) web access, and above all making sure that the site expresses who Jody was as a person. It's amazing and I couldn't be more proud of how it turned out. And after watching all the work that went into it I have to say that I have serious respect for people who design websites :).
The Guestbook
I think the most interesting part about this new site is the guestbook. Yes it's a place for visitors to the site to leave messages or comments...but it also goes beyond that and draws on things people have written in other places about Jody. It's a collaborative effort and I think over time it will tell a unique (and unpredictable) kind of story. It's just starting out right now so feel free to add something yourself, it's open to anyone at any time:
http://jodywirawan.com/guestbook/jody.php
September Story
Lastly, September is here and this is a heartbreaking month for anyone that knew Jody or even for those that just knew of his story. Twenty-two is too young for anyone to die and it's easy to get overwhelmed thinking about all the things he won't get to do. It's only natural to think about absence when someone dies, but what about their life?
We all knew Jody in different ways and have different stories to tell about him. I want to tell you about one part of his life that most people don't know about but was an important part of who he was. It's not finished right now but I'll be posting it in the next few days on the Stories page. Anyway until then please take a look at the new site, hope you like it!
http://www.jodywirawan.com
Thanks,
Anita
Update:
The story about Jody mentioned in this post is now up at his memorial:
http://jodywirawan.com/stories.html#gerald
Jody Wirawan Memorial Birthday Card
2/26/09
A card commemorating the birth of Jody Michael Wirawan. Jody was born on February 26th, 1986 at a naval hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. The picture on the front of the card is from Jody's first birthday party in Depok, Indonesia. The inside has pictures from his childhood and high school graduation. And the back has Alaska's state flower, the Forget Me Not.
Click on pictures for larger view.
