Friday, December 31, 2010

Highlights of 2010

Now that the year is coming to an end, so here I took a little journey to my old journal and looking back at what I've been through the past 364 days. Not much that I remembered, but some impressive moments were recorded and most of them are totally unforgettable. Some were sweet and some were bitter, and through along the time, some might have changed the way I live my life as it glides, as it might also changed my life completely. Most of the memories were fun, heart-throbbing, and discovered it with my dear friends and family.
So here's the sneak peek.

[+] March :
- Went to Jakarta bringing some bacuks and kejuaromas for the Safehouse people - followed by lunch (and dinner) party with Mita, Yohanna, Panda, Virgo, Winda, Benny, Dini 'Bang Imam', and later on Lewi. Lewi gave me Anne Rice's book, and Tante Yoh gave me the Powerpuff Girls' blanket :D
- Had lunch with Monika, Astrid Amonk and her boyfriend Andre at Thai & I PIM the next day, then we hung around from Heavenly Blush to XXI to Bakerzin up 'till night.
- I had my NPWP finally.
- I got free tickets for Kings of Convenience concert in Ritz Carlton Pacific Place! Went to the gig with Monika, met Tante Yoh, Kania Nunung, crashed at Starbucks few hours before with Mita, Profy, Waldo, Lewi, Eriq, Dea, Lemez, and bunch of people I forgot who else XD Oh there you are Shafiq and Emita XD
- Had nasi gila at Senayan with the girls after the concert, right before I catch the X-Trans travel car at 2 am. LOL

[+] April :
- Visiting Mom and had a trip to Jogja-Magelang. Merapi was fine at that time, I took a couple shots of the gorgeous mount. And some cool photos from the traditional events in Magelang. And of course, the food fiestas.
- A sudden one-day trip to Jakarta for a talkshow interview with Radio Netherland at Four Seasons Hotel. It was a nice chat, and met some friends afterward before I went back to Bandung on the same day.

[+] May :
- Spent few days holiday at my Grandma's villa in Bogor. Hopped to some cafes and cool spots, went back home with the super-lusty Black Russian Pie and Roti Unyil.
- I dealt with the sexual harrassment thread from my former Korean boss. The head office retrieved him back to South Korea, thank goodness. But the process was very rocky and I had to deal with some dramas at the immigration office. I think this was the most horrible time of the year, but thank God I had my friends who supported me at that time. I overcame the drama and everything went well, eventually. Thank you, guys, sincerely :)
- I moved out to the head office - as a result of the earlier drama.

[+] June :
- I got another free tickets to a concert - this time thanks to Wowo. It's the Wonder Girls concert! held in Balai Kartini Jakarta. Went to see them with Wo, Monika, Anita (Mon's cousin), Tia Sassy, Dea, and Desy. Had a great lunch at Mr. Parks' Grand Indonesia first. The concert was great and the crowds were crazy! :D

[+] July :
- My birthday! LOL. I always love July as it's my favorite month of the year, and I had a great birthday this time. Spent it with my friends and boyfriend - I brought some foods to the office and then had dinner with Wo.

[+] August :
- Monika and Amonk came to Bandung, just in time for my first initiation ceremony. Despite all the 'tilang' drama and Mon's mules2, Amonk's no-jacket whines, we had dinner altogether with Wowo and Vero at the Korean House, crashed at Congo cafe afterwards, and lunch bacuk at Legoh the next day. Good times!

[+] September :
- Spent Idul Fitri in Bogor with my Grandma, Dad, and all relatives. Had 3 different feasts in 2 days, then met some friends at GI before hitting the train station to Jogja.
- Spent the rest of the Idul Fitri holiday in Magelang with Mom, my sisters, my brother and all the relatives. Another feasts and family gathering.
- Hani 'Pupus' went to Bandung and it was our first time meeting, in Legoh :)
- Got invitation to this some-kind-of-party at Legoh, directly from the chef, LOL! Free meals for everybody, good time, good food, good friends, great soiree, Leon :) Look forward for upcoming event(s) ;D

[+] October :
- Pasar Seni ITB 101010! Monika came all the way for this event, and went there with Wowo too. Met Nita Ennit, Fifi, etc. It was an iconic event, the crowds were tremendous but we're all had fun!
- I had a new bookshelf :P
- Festival Jajanan Bango at lapangan Tegalega with Panda, Ari Patria, Petra, Catur, Anom, Nhie, Wowo :D Food all day long! ... Ended it with awesome fireworks and dripping wet from the rain till we got home LOL.
- Went on an incognito trip to Jakarta with Leon from Koil for a music video shooting of Endank Soekamti. Spent the day around the city with him with in Sushi Tei, Plaza Indonesia, Burger King, incuding the busway ride XD It was a weird and fun day, LOL. Went back to Bandung at 2 am.

[+] November :
- Went to Bandung World Jazz in Sabuga with Leon. Pretty good show, and pretty much food we had there, LOL! We stayed until the very last performance of the first day, didn't get the chance to see the 2nd day though. But it was fun nonetheless :)

[+] December :
- Another crazy food adventures with Monika, Wowo, and Vero :D Including Angry Birds frenzy, like, say whaaaatt? XD Too bad we missed the dim sum morning, since none of us are morning person :P Oh well, there will be another time.
- Bandung Drums Day at Sabuga with Leon. Met a lot of people, mostly musicians. And Olva! It was fun :)
- Having a New Year's Eve in Wowo's place with plenty of home-made Spaghetti bolognaise and caesar salad.

Of course there were other events happened which I lost track of time, including :
- Hanging out with Winda and Nino and his family around Bandung
- Trip to jakarta for the Pizza Hut birthday party of Mita Lewi etc etc, I don't remember when, but it was the first time I met Reny Kanon and Dani Uciel :)
And so on, and so on. Many things happened and it was all great. I probably can not remember it all now, but it all spiced up my life up till now and I will more than glad to have it again with you in the upcoming year.
Let's cross our fingers for a better- and much more fun and crazy adventures in 2011!
Happy new year, everyone :)

{posted by Chibi on 11:14 PM} +

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Happy Mother's Day

Tadi pagi pas gue berangkat ke kantor naik angkot, di dalam angkot gue duduk berhadapan ama satu anak kecil dan ibunya. Gue yakin sih itu ibunya. Well, ibu dan anak ini lumayan menarik perhatian gue. Karena walaupun bajunya agak lusuh, tapi cukup rapi dan anak ini manis sekali. Setelah agak lama gue perhatiin, gue baru menyadari kalau ternyata anak ini tuna wicara, alias bisu. Si anak manis ini duduk bersebelahan dengan ibunya, dan melihat ke luar jendela angkot dengan tatapan antusias yang sampe berbinar-binar gitu matanya. Setiap dia melewati tempat-tempat yang menarik perhatiannya, dia akan menunjuk-nunjuk tempat itu dan menarik lengan ibunya. Lalu dia akan mulai berbicara dengan gerakan tubuhnya - yang gue yakin sih bukan bahasa isyarat untuk orang-orang tuna wicara yang resmi - tapi bahasa isyarat yang sederhana dan cukup mudah dimengerti, bahkan oleh gue.
Sesekali mulutnya bergerak seperti mengucapkan sesuatu, tapi nggak ada suara yang keluar dari bibirnya. Dia pengen beli balon. Dia pengen ke supermarket dan beli es krim, lalu memakannya. Sesimpel itu. Dan setiap kali anak itu bercakap-cakap dengan gerakan tubuhnya, si ibu memperhatikan dengan seksama sambil tersenyum, dan menjawab setiap gerakan si anak manis ini dengan gerakan juga. "Nanti kita beli balon.". "Kalau kamu sudah makan, nanti kita beli es krim.".
Sewaktu jari si anak ini tergores resleting tas ibunya, si anak ini nggak mengaduh, dia cuma mengernyit dan ibunya cepat-cepat mengambil jari anak itu dan memeriksanya. Ada darah sedikit, tapi anak ini nggak menangis, hanya terdiam dan ibunya membersihkan luka dengan tisu lalu tersenyum sambil mengusap kepala si anak itu.
Pemandangan di depan gue tadi itu lumayan menyentuh buat gue. Anak itu manis sekali, dan walaupun dia tuna wicara, tapi keceriaan yang dia miliki sama seperti keceriaan anak-anak lain yang diajak berjalan-jalan oleh ibunya. Matanya tetap berbinar-binar kalau melihat hal-hal yang menarik. Wajahnya tetap mengernyit waktu jarinya sakit. Tapi dia nggak rewel. Dan ibunya sabar sekali menjawab setiap antusiasme si anak ini.

Pernah keinget nggak, masa kecil kita? Gue nggak tau sih kalo kalian, tapi gue cukup mengingat masa kecil gue. Terutama ketika nyokap gue menjemput gue pulang sekolah dan mengajak gue makan es krim. Waktu nyokap gue mengajak gue jalan-jalan ke Ratu Plaza (jaman gue kecil, itu mall paling keren se-Jakarta) dan beli baju baru. Waktu gue diajak ke tempat kerja nyokap dan ditemani oleh teman-teman nyokap gue supaya gue nggak bosen dan rewel.

Gue jadi ngerasa, dulu waktu kecil, hubungan gue dan nyokap itu dekat sekali ya. Seperti si anak kecil yang manis dan ibunya di angkot itu. Gue rasa sih emang begitu, setiap ibu selalu perhatian banget sama anaknya. Sampe anaknya gede. Buktinya walaupun sekarang gue udah gede, udah (sangat) bandel, dan udah nggak serumah lagi ama nyokap gue, tapi tetep aja nyokap gue paling perhatian sama gue. Gue rasa sih emang bener, kasih sayang ibu sepanjang jalan. Nggak akan pernah ilang. Walaupun gue, kita, sebagi anak, kadang ngerasa kesel, sebel, bosen, marah, atau apapunlah terhadap orang tua, tapi tetep aja, kasih sayang orang tua nggak ada matinya.
Gue nggak ngomongin soal orang tua yang suka menyiksa anaknya, ya. Buat gue itu sih orang gila, jadi nggak perlu dibahas di sini lah. Gue cuma mau lihat kasih sayang orang tua pada umumnya, ibu khususnya - ke kita. Kasih sayang yang kadang kita rasa suka berkurang - padahal sih sebenernya tetep sama aja, tapi kitanya yang kadang bersikap seolah ada jurang pemisah di antara ibu dan anak. Kita yang mulai mengadakan pertentangan-pertentangan dengan sikap ibunda - yang sebenernya nggak berubah dari jaman kita kecil.
Maybe we changed. Or maybe not. Maybe we're just adjusting to our world, our conditions. But parents love us unconditionally.
I just hope that I could always love them back as much, as I should.
Suatu saat, mungkin gue - kita - juga bakal jadi orang tua, dan gue harap gue juga akan mampu memberikan kasih sayang gue ke anak-anak gue tanpa syarat dan never-ending seperti yang gue dapetin selama ini.

Buat Mama, Eyang, dan para ibu - termasuk teman-teman yang sudah menjadi ibu, selamat hari Ibu ya.
Terima kasih atas kasih sayang tanpa henti buat anak-anak yang (nggak selalu) manis ini. Terima kasih buat segala usaha dan jerih payah untuk menghadapi sikap anak-anak yang kadang manis kadang nyebelin setengah mati. I love you too :)

{posted by Chibi on 6:54 AM} +

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Menulis Itu Gampang

Siapa bilang? Hahahaha. Banyak sih yang bilang begitu. Bahkan kadang-kadang gue sendiri juga ngomong hal yang sama. Apalagi kalo ada temen yang nanya atau berkeluh-kesah tentang tulisan, atau bahkan kalo gue pengen baca tulisan orang. Hmm, berarti mungkin lebih pas kalo dibilang "menyuruh orang lain menulis itu gampang." :P Hehehe. Bener kan?

Contohnya gue. Pas gue tau ada temen yang suka nulis blog tapi jarang update, gue sering banget menowel-nowel mereka supaya meng-update tulisan di blognya. "Ayo dong nulis lagi," atau "Kok belum ada postingan baru," atau apalah. Dan seperti biasa, kalo mereka mulai mengeluh ga tau nulis apa, gue akan dengan entengnya ngomong "Ah, nulis kan gampang."
Tapi sendirinya, update tulisan di blog aja baru sekarang, hehehehe. Ini pun sebenernya gara-gara gue tengsin liat blog temen yang kemarin gue paksa-paksa nulis, eh kok ya beneran lho dia mengupdate blognya. Goblik, gue kan jadi malu :P Dan setelah pagi ini gue menghadap layar monitor PC gue dan membuka program Word, trus gue mulai bengong menatap blank page putih itu. Gue mau nulis apa ya? O___o

Sebenernya mungkin emang menulis itu gampang. Tinggal tuangin aja apa yang ada di kepala. Nah masalahnya, yang nongol di otak gue itu biasanya random banget, nggak terstruktur, loncat-loncat, dan kebanyakan sih nggak penting. Kalo untuk dirangkai dan dijadiin satu entri tulisan yang bermutu, musti agak usaha sedikit biar keliatannya bagus atau minimal ada yang mau baca. Tapi kalo emang beneran cuma pengen nuangin isi kepala, akhirnya pilihan jatuh ke media jejaring sosial lain yang lebih simpel, misalnya Facebook, Twitter, Plurk. Microbblogging is always the easiest way to share what's on your mind. Tinggal ngeclap. Nggak usah banyak-banyak, cuma 140 karakter. Tapi sering, hehehe. Makanya kalo ada yang nanya "Chib kok lu nggak nulis blog lagi sih?", gue masih bisa jawab, "Nulis kok, tapi microblogging, alias nge-tweet dan nge-Plurk." Hehehe.

Tapi kadang-kadang pas otak gue lagi agak beresan dikit, emang gue suka punya ide-ide menarik yang bisa gue susun jadi satu cerita fiksi. Malah kadang saking serunya, bisa selesai satu short-fic dalam sejam, atau satu draft long-fic sembari ngabisin segelas es teh manis jumbo (hiperbolis ya? Iya deh, plus seporsi keju aroma :P). Itu kalo lagi pas dapet ide bagus atau suasananya mendukung. Rasanya nulis itu emang gampang. Atau kalo untuk kerjaan, pas udah dapet semua materi tulisan dan udah suka ama topik bahasan yang musti gue tulis, rasanya bikin dua sampe lima artikel sih nggak berasa.. Tau-tau lho kok kepanjangan. Hahaha.
Tapi kalo otak lagi bego (yang kayanya sih lebih sering jadi teflon daripada kondisi prima), ya gitu deh. Nulis satu paragraf aja nggak maju-maju.

Makanya gue suka salut ama orang-orang yang bisa produktif menulis tiap hari (bukan cuma nulis status FB atau shout di Plurk/Twitter ya), bahkan nulis puisi (!!! Gue nggak mungkin bisa secanggih itu sih) atau nulis lagu, atau nulis novel dalam waktu yang relatif singkat. Dan lebih kagum lagi sama orang-orang yang jarang nulis, tapi sekalinya diminta ternyata beneran bisa nulis minimal beberapa paragraf yang menarik.

Jadi kalo gue rasa sih, menulis itu emang gampang. Seharusnya. Tinggal gimana kita ngatur isi kepala yang mau dituangin itu jadi susunan kalimat (yang tentunya lebih dari 140 karakter), dan yang penting lagi, niat. Kalo udah niat sih gue yakin apa pun juga gampang. Dan yang namanya niat itu kan motivasinya banyak. Bisa duit honor, ajakan/paksaan temen, challenge (tantangan kaya 30 Hari Menulis itu, atau NaNoWriMo), gengsi, atau kaya gue sekarang, karena malu dan ga mau kalah ama orang lain yang udah update blog duluan hihihi. Tau-tau udah banyak aja kan entri tulisan gue kali ini :P
Jadi, kapan kamu akan menulis lagi? :D

{posted by Chibi on 10:39 PM} +

Song:'80s-'90s songs; Matt Hires; some rocks
Obsession: Publishing my book
Reading: Horrible Histories
Movie: Clueless
Addiction: Books & Mp3
Project: Reviews and Translations