Rabu, 19 Agustus 2015

Inside Out

Rabu, 19 Agustus 2015

Film terakhir yang kutonton sebelum menulis ini, membuatku berpikir, siapakah di antara kelima emosi, yang paling dominan dalam mengendalikan pikiranku? Kurasa itu si Marah. Kadang aku merasa itu si Takut. Si Jijik juga bisa menjadi sangat kuat. Si Bahagia sangat lemah. Dan ada si Sedih. Si Sedih sangat kuat, namun begitu dibenci oleh keempat temannya.

Si Sedih adalah yang paling jahat. Si Sedih sangat membenci si Bahagia, dan terus membuatnya lemah. Padahal si Bahagia adalah yang paling disukai oleh yang lainnya, si Marah, si Takut, dan si Jijik.
Si Jijik paling merasa jijik terhadap si Sedih. Si Marah paling merasa marah terhadap si Sedih. Si Takut paling takut terhadap si Sedih. Dan si Bahagia, yang tetap bahagia walau terlalu lemah untuk menonjolkan dirinya, tahu bahwa dirinya akan sangat bahagia ketika bisa menyingkirkan si Sedih, jauh ke jurang yang dalam, gelap, dan terlupakan, menghilang bersama memori-memori yang tidak dibutuhkan.

Lalu ada menara-menara. Menara-menara apa saja yang ada di dalam pikiranku, yang membangun kepribadian dan karakter dasarku?

Selama duapuluhsembilan tahun, Menara Keluarga tetap berdiri kokoh, walaupun terus menghadapi gempa bumi dan badai yang sangat dahsyat. Teman-teman dan persahabatan bergabung di dalamnya selama 13 – 14 tahun terakhir.

Menara hobi berdiri tidak kalah kokohnya. Walaupun kokoh, populasi di menara ini sudah terlalu jauh melebihi kapasitas, sehingga hobi-hobi yang berada di dalamnya tidak pernah berhenti berperang untuk mempertahankan diri masing-masing. Pemimpinnya adalah hobi menulis, yang tidak tergeserkan dari tahta selama 24 tahun. Hobi menggambar, walaupun sudah lebih dulu berada di sana, tidak sekuat hobi menulis, karena kadang ia kehilangan tempatnya. Hobi-hobi lainnya memenuhi menara bagaikan penumpang commuter line menuju pusat kota di tengah-tengah jam berangkat kerja.

Para hobi itu saling rebut, saling dorong, saling desak, saling menjatuhkan. Namun hanya sedikit dari mereka yang benar-benar jatuh ke jurang. Kebanyakan hobi yang terlempar dari menara mencengkram dinding jurang dengan begitu kuat, dan segera memanjat naik, kembali ke menara. Kalaupun mereka jatuh sampai ke dasar jurang, beberapa hobi memiliki ukuran yang cukup besar untuk memanjat dinding kembali ke menara dengan mudah. Ketika sedang berusaha memanjat, seringkali hobi-hobi itu menggoyahkan menara-menara lainnya.

Dan akhirnya, karena satu menara tidak cukup lagi untuk menampung populasi hobi, para hobi itu keluar dan menaklukkan menara-menara lainnya, hingga akhirnya, dari kelima menara, para hobi menempati empat menara, bercokol dengan gagahnya mengepung menara Keluarga dan Teman.
Penghuni ketiga menara yang telah direbut sudah dijatuhkan ke dasar jurang untuk dilupakan selama-lamanya, sehingga aku tidak ingat lagi, apa dan siapa sajakah mereka.



Kereta-kereta yang mengantarkan pemikiran datang dari berbagai stasiun, tanpa aturan, saling bertabrakan, dan menyebabkan kekacauan di ruang kendali, sementara para pengendali sedang berkomplot untuk membunuh si Sedih. Keadaan begitu kacau. Bohlam ide yang berbeda-beda dipasang dan dicopot dengan begitu cepat, bahkan sebelum satupun dari ide-ide itu terlaksana.

Bahagia itu Sederhana: Sebuah Kondisi Ideal untuk Menulis

Rabu, 19 Agustus 2015

Kondisi yang sangat ideal bagiku adalah, saat aku memiliki uang, waktu, dan tenaga yang tidak ada habisnya. Aku akan duduk di balkon rumahku yang menghadap ke laut, atau danau, atau sawah, apapun. Pemandangan alam apapun yang indah. Tidak penting apakah rumahku besar atau kecil, mewah atau sederhana, selama pemandangan di sekitarnya begitu asri, alami, tenang, jauh dari kebisingan kota, jauh dari manusia.
Di mejaku terdapat sebuah notebook dalam kondisi yang sangat bagus, dengan memory tidak terbatas, dan koneksi internet tercepat tanpa batas. Di sebelah meja, sebuah lemari pendingin berisi kaleng-kaleng minuman kopi bersoda, rootbeer, dan bir manis tanpa alkohol. Berbagai macam cemilan juga sudah tersedia, kalau sewaktu-waktu aku merasa lapar di tengah-tengah keasyikan menulis. Aneka keju, zaitun hitam dari italia dan yunani, salmon mentah, agar-agar bening dan kenyal rasa buah-buahan, rumput laut kering, semua makanan enak yang kusuka dalam jumlah persediaan yang seolah tiada habisnya. Dan tentu saja botol-botol berisi air mineral di atas lemari pendingin, karena aku tidak pernah suka air mineral dingin. Semua itu ada dalam jangkauanku, sehingga aku tidak perlu berdiri untuk meraih mereka kapanpun aku mau.
Di kolong kursi dan meja yang kududuki, seekor anjing menemaniku, tertidur dengan bahagia, menempel di kakiku. Anjing itu besar, kuat, dan lincah. Namun, di siang hari yang cerah dan berangin seperti itu, anjing paling lincah sekalipun akan memilih untuk tertidur manis di kaki tuannya. Ya, anjing, satu atau lebih. Tidak seperti anak kecil, semakin banyak anjing, aku akan semakin senang. Yah, selama ada pengurus anjing tentunya.

Di dalam kondisi yang sangat ideal itu, aku mungkin justru akan kesulitan untuk fokus pada kegiatanku menulis, karena kegiatanku terus berganti dari makan, minum, melihat pemandangan, dan menjatuhkan diri ke kolong meja untuk berbaring malas di samping si anjing, atau anjing-anjing. Tapi itu tidak akan jadi masalah, karena aku punya seluruh waktu di dunia untuk menyelesaikan tulisanku.

Rabu, 17 Juni 2015

I Just Wanna Thank God

My condition today

The negative side of me is really, really, really upset and angry.
I was supposed to still be happy about my vacation, writing about it, telling everyone about my story, but I have to deal with the police instead. I was supposed to plan my next vacation trip to Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, anywhere good, but now I don’t know if I would be able to go, because I had to pay my father back. My father was supposed to fill his apartment, but the money has been used for our vacation instead, because the money for our vacation has been stolen.
And after a beautiful days in paradise, now I have to be back in this shit hole, full of shitty people. Only shit people everywhere. And guess what! Now I don’t have a maid! She’s gone!

But you know, I’m so lucky. The reason I’ve been unhappy is actually because I’ve refused to accept that I’m lucky and my life is so much better than most people. I mean, look at my family, look at my life, look at me. I have a wonderful family.
My mom and dad are still here, and they are the best parents in the world. They raise their children very well, with love and responsibility. How many people out there have lost their parents? How many people out there, even have never met their parents? How many people out there are coming from broken home family? How many parents out there got divorce?
I have a sister and a brother, so I know how it feels to have both female and male sibling. They are the best brother and sister. My family is always happy and we love each other. All we ever have to deal is just a little ridiculous family drama. And we have a dog, also the best dog anyone can have. He’s so funny, smart, loyal, and of course love us very much.
I live in a more than proper house. We have a very comfortable and homey house with friendly neighborhood. We live in a peaceful environment.
Me and my siblings finished our school and get a good jobs with good income, and we start to enjoy our life as a real adult. We’re healthy, young, and happy. We can go anywhere we want, do anything we want, because we have the money, the health, and the time.
Maybe our money has been stolen. But we’ve been to Italy, France, Greece, Netherlands, Switzerland, and so much more beautiful countries. Most people don’t have that opportunity.
And I haven’t mentioned my friends. I have so many close friends, and I love them all. They love me, they care about me, they enjoy my companion as I enjoy theirs. I’m so lucky to have everything in this world. So, I just want to thank God for giving me this perfect life. I have nothing to complain about.
I just need to do something with all I have, and do something to share my happiness with the ones don’t have the same opportunity as I do.


So, I will work very hard, with joy and happiness, and positive attitude. And when it’s time, I’ll make my family and friends happy. I’ll help people. I’ll protect the animals and environment. I’ve been spending most of my life thinking about myself. It’s time to think about other people too.

Oh and of course... when it's time... I'll leave Indonesia and go to live in Italy for good!

Kamis, 04 Juni 2015

Las Chillin' Morning in This Very Balcony

Friday, May 22, 2015

This would be my last chillin' morning here.

I start to get used to this kinda morning. This is what I've been doing for the last three days. Waking up at 6, which can only happens because that means 10 am in Jakarta and I'm still having jetlag. So yeah, jetlag is good for me.

Mom, dad, and my sister are always still sleeping. So I can really enjoy a brief moment of silent and calmness. I just get out of our bedroom and go to the balcony. The air is really fresh, the view is really nice, and the sky is showing beautiful sunrise.

So I just sit here, watching the sunrise, looking around. Each minute the city below is getting busier and busier. Cars and motorbikes passing, people walking, some of them are running. I'm clearly not staying in the best part of this city, but this is still a nice scene. This is what a "good morning" literally means.

So I just sit and watch. And write my blog while I can think clearly. If I smoke, I might have been enjoying a cigar or two here. But I don't.

This morning the sky looks kinda pale. I think it's going to rain soon. Yesterday and the day before, the sun was shining really bright. The air was warm. But this one I'm enjoying now, is still a nice morning.

So this would be our last day in Athens before we go to the famous Santorini. Thing about european city is, it is really easy to get used to live in the city. Just like when I visited Holland and Milan,  at the very first time of course everything still confuses me. But the second time and after, I already feel like home. I know exactly where the nearest station is, I know how to reach the place I want to visit, I know where to buy food and water, I just get used to my routine. And I'm gonna miss it so much when I leave.

Okay, it's 7.20 now, Greece time. The other days, it was really sunny at this time. But I won't say this is not my day. Because I'm gonna make the best of my last day in Athens. And by last day, I mean last day before Santorini. Because after that I'll be back to Athens to catch my flight back to Jakarta. And I really wish I could visit Athens again and again in the years ahead.


Kalimera!

Rabu, 20 Mei 2015

Kalimera!

Monday, May 18, 2015

So here I am, finally in Greece, after all the dramas.

On Sunday, May 17, my sister and I left home at 4 pm, her boyfriend took us to the airport. Our plane took off at 8.30 West Indo Time. It was our first time going to Europe in economy class. I thought it would be unpleasant, but it turned out to be a really fine experience. Everyone was so nice to us. The check-in counter guy gave us seats in an empty row near the business class. There were four seats in the row, but the other two were empty, so we had an entire row for us. We could sleep almost properly. The food was nice too. So many cheeses, salmon, and olives: my three most favorite foods!

After a twelve hours flight, we landed in Istanbul, Turkey. My sister got transferred to Athens real soon. Her plane left Istanbul right away. But mine was still 6 hours after. So for 5 hours I gotta wait there.

It was an interesting five hours btw.

I brought a book to read while waiting. It was a classic lit, "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. I finished it in no time, so the next few hours I just sat there and watched people.

I really love being in an international airport. I really enjoy watching those people. I just sit there and watch them, observe them, their look, the characters of their faces, their colors, the way they dress.

Most Turkish women have strong mediteran faces: big, deep eyes, very thin eyebrows, long eye lashes, sharp chin, full lips, and the noses are thin, sharp, rather big compared to indonesian, but smaller than most european people. They have fair skin, but some have darker skin. Some have dark hair, some are blond or very light brown. They're very beautiful.

The men are rather attractive, maybe for the Indonesian eye, Indonesian taste: tall, white, deep eyes, thick eyebrows, long eyelashes up and under their big eyes, sharp nose, and they all have nice smiles. Most of them have lots of facial hair.

I also tried to guess where the other beautiful people come from. There's a group of asian tourists. Of course it's easy to tell that they are asians. They have asian eyes, asian skin, asian hair, and dress the asian way. Japanese people have softer faces, proper noses, small lips, and are very cute-looking. Their style is simple yet effortlessly fashionable. I saw that Japanese girl with a long black skirt, t-shirt, cardigan, and unique kinda keds with big ribbon.

Anyway, there is too much to tell you in words. I'll post some pictures later, when I get my laptop. Point is, they're all beautiful. They're all very good looking and fashionable. I feel like I was browsing Pinterest.

It's all beautiful to see. I sat and made sketches of some of them. Then my phone was outta battery, so I needed to recharge. I looked for a stop contact to connect with my charger. I could recharge my battery in Starbucks. But it meant I had to sit and buy something. So I ordered some drinks. I was about to pay with a sheet of 50 euro.

Be continued

Very nice starbucks guy, very nice old man from cape town, he's traveling, to israel. Very nice young man, samir from egypt, leaving for manchester, works and lives at leeds. Very beautiful young girl, mazzeo daiana, from argentina, she went to visit myconos with her mom. She's very smart and n

The Istanbul airport experience.Most interesting seven hours of waiting.Arrived at Athens at 1 pm.Bought mineral water and some snack, the cashier guy seemed so surprised when I said, “Eucharisto!”First he looked so surprised, and then he looked so happy, and with a big smile, put his hand on his chest and said loudly, “Paragalo!”He seemed surprised that I said thank you in his language. I was really surprised to see him surprised. And later I learned that everytime I said “Eucharisto” to the Greeks I met, they all have the same reaction: surprised, happy, say “paragalo” with all their hearts. Oh I really love the Greeks!I didn’t know how impressing saying “Eucharisto” was. It was just thank you. I know that in most European countries, or maybe in most countries, when a tourist said “Thank you” in the country’s language, it was nothing special. Everybody, I’m sure, every tourist, can say standard phrases like “Thank you”, “Excuse me”, “Good morning” in the language spoken by the country they’re visiting.When I traveled to Milan, Venice, Genoa, Pisa, they didn’t look so surprised when I said “Grazie mille” or “Buongiorno” or “Scusi” or “Buona notte” or any standard phrases. They didn’t seemed surprised either when I could have some daily conversation. I’m pretty fluent in Italian.But the Greeks… oh my God. They’re so humble and adorable.

Selasa, 19 Mei 2015

Pelajaran Berharga: Penipuan Tour and Travel (part 6)

Minggu, 17 Mei, 2015

Dan, sementara gue nulis, gue lagi di gate, nunggu boarding pesawat yang akan membawa gue dan adek gue ke Yunani. Bokap nyokap udah di Amsterdam, dan akan menemui kita di Athens.

Gue bersyukur banget akhirnya masalah ini selesai dan gue tetep berangkat ke Yunani, seperti yang sudah lama sekali gue impikan. Gue berterimakasih banget sama semua orang yang udah membantu gue dalam masalah ini, terutama PWD.

Dia udah nganterin gue ke KH, bawa KH ke polda, nungguin di polda semaleman, nganterin gue dan korban-korban buat ngeprint bukti-bukti, beliin minuman, nenangin gue. Bahkan akhirnya gue bisa tetep berangkat karena dia bantuin gue mesen tiket lagi, pake credit card dia. Gue sayang sama PWD dan gue tau kalo dia pun sayang sama gue. Tapi masalah yang berat-berat gini lah yang bener-bener nunjukin ke gue, apa yang sahabat gue rela lakukan untuk nolongin gue dari masalah. Padahal selama ini tiap PWD punya masalah, gue nggak pernah bisa bantu. Cuma bisa menghibur dan mendoakan.

So, here it is, the end of the story.

Pelajaran Berharga: Penipuan Tour and Travel (part 5)

Minggu, 17 Mei, 2015

Rombongan korban yang menyeret KH ke kantor polisi tiba di Polda Metro Jaya jam 11 malem. Di situ lah akhirnya gue ketemu KH. Karena waktu gue sampe apartemen, KH udah duluan dibawa ke polda.

Selama ini gue kira, kalo ada orang yang berusaha nyuri dari gue sekecil apapun, baru berusaha aja, bakal gue gebukin abis-abisan, kalo perlu sampe sekarat. Tapi ternyata, pas ngeliat KH gue nggak ngerasa apa-apa. Gue nggak mau gebukin dia, gue nggak mau maki-maki dia, gue bahkan sama sekali nggak marah.

Mungkin karena gue masih nganggep dia temen gue. Mungkin karena gue masih syok dan nggak percaya. Mungkin saking lemesnya gue mikirin...

Gue dan adek gue jagain KH semaleman, tidur di mobil. Polisi Indonesia tolol.