Friday, December 29, 2006

New Year Reflection

Back then, I used to make New Year Resolution. Two times, the most, if that’s still count as ‘used to’. Because I’ve never actually fulfill it, or even looked at it, I pissed off and quitted lah! (It’s Singlish I don’t want to adopt, but after hearing and speaking and even reading about Singlish, some sentences do feel more appropriate with lah etc. Kekekeke).

So, I’d be grateful instead. I’ve led good life, maybe I’m stuck into something routine already, many times I questioned myself, why on earth I’m not as adventurous as I want to be? Sometimes I feel bored too, but actually, boring life is good life. Can you disagree with that? Boring life, in normal term, means that your life is good; we don’t have adrenalin rush of something bad happens or things like not having enough money to buy food, ‘being fired’ because you lose it with the boss etc ‘, so I’m grateful, very grateful indeed.

Although it feels that long, or too fast, BAM I am ALMOST thirty, please let me say it now that I STILL can, I hope I can recall my last ten years, at least. I have limited memory now.


1996.

Er.
Oh, maybe my highlight of this year was to join Kapa and met many new friends, friends that I liked to be with because they had seen me high and low, the shower-free and the over-done of me. I gained many good new friends and enjoyed great activities. I even went rock climbing with somebody from Boedoet. Who doesn’t know that school? They have their graffiti everywhere.
That time, everything; Endurance? Wet? Crazy? Bring it on. My body regenerated every few days and no back pain could stop me. Aha! Good ol’ days.


1997.

- And I went for quite an unforgettable journey with my Mom to visit my Dad in the middle of Borneo juggle. Before that, we stayed for a few days in hotel, my home town, and hung out with my lifelong friend. Some Satpam jerk thought we were some kind of ‘happy’ girls, because we rode motorbike and went in and out hotel. Lost my temper, lucky my peaceful friend was more sensible. I was ready to punch some nose, capable or not, I couldn’t think.
Be a co-pilot. : ) of an eight-seater plane.
Stayed in crazy house. It was a company house, the one my Dad stayed. But it was creepy, creepiest house of my lifetime. Picture these;
Mosaic and blood-maroon exterior (those mosaic Chinese like to use for tomb) with two gigantic statues. Blood maroon interior, funny smell and various dried animals hanging here and there.
House was multilevel; it had with two dark empty rooms facing living and bathroom.
Bathroom came with water tub that I couldn’t see the bottom of it.
Upper floor and bedroom with no false ceiling, we actually had to sleep with bats hanging up there, red mouthed with their fangs and tiny eyes. Some very friendly ones flew down to my pillow during midnight. I didn’t actually feel uncomfortable sleeping under the bats colony, but the dark room disturbed me more, couldn’t look at it and wouldn’t sit in front of it. After us, the family who stayed there found their daughter passed away one day sitting in the living room with eyes open looking at the dark room.
Huaah!
We were glad we forced my Dad to move out.

- Went to the gigantic Borneo jungle to see Orang Utan (hihihi) up close and personal, while surviving Malaria (?), nobody knew and I was too clueless to tell what I was having, what’s that, red spot, extreme cold and fever? I thought Oh, it’s the weather.
Being few meters away from the huge floating black crocodiles, but they were sleeping, at least, that’s what we thought. The local said, Crocodileee on the left… as casual as Kondektur said Tukang Sayur di kiri
Anyway, they won’t eat anybody unless you fall into the water, which is unlikely because the boat side was high (half a meter, blink blink).


1998.

- If I got it right. It was the first time I came to Sinciapo. I was impressed to be somewhere foreign, but I was impressed more with the rudeness of the people that time too, and the language. My positive memory was with the MRT system, of course, compared with the one I used to take Depok-Kota. Here, we don’t need to take care of ourselves.
Unless you are super careless, there is almost no possibility for you to fall between the carriages, or position yourself in the middle of the track while the train is approaching (We actually did it for the sake of not missing the next train, few minutes away or just to be able to cross the track to reach to the opposite road (Is it Indonesian braveness, independence or stupidity? I also don’t know : ). Sometimes I just can’t help to think whether my Singaporean friends can survive riding the Jabotabek, infamous train in Indonesia or even my sworn-with-car-since-young Indonesian friends), or went back to retrieve the slipper caught in the middle of the track. (It was early Monday morning, had gone two hours worth of journey from home to hostel, only to realize that I wore Dad’s slipper when it fell from my feet while I was crossing the train track. Stu- Stu- Stu-))

- Riot in Indonesia.
I just can’t forget the way my friends made fun of the TV footage showing the looting came together with the riot. Maybe I could see the horror they had yet to see because I was super worried about my family, house and shop at home. But we were extremely lucky, except the material lost; nothing matters more than life and dignity. But to put it dramatically, I never look at human being the same way again, I came to know what they are capable of, I guess, Chinese in Indonesia also never look at life in there the same way again. It’s the scar nobody ever able to cure.
The irony is, somehow I could understand the so-called motivation, jealousy maybe in extreme way, and the lack of wisdom as the most dangerous fuel. Pasca riot, when I looked at those looters, one image, a woman with a child on her lap, sitting on the road pavement, selling her ‘catch’ on a piece of plastic sheet. I was mesmerized to see how ordinary she was, but at one moment, she turned into a beast, she might break something, she stole, she might slit a throat, she might scream murderous words. What drove her? Poverty? Jealousy? Or simply being provoked? Lack of wisdom? Or, at the peak of some anger, lack of brain? Stupidity? The thirst of blood?

Not a better thing, I saw the new hate and anger from the riot victims, I heard them cursing, crying, mourning, which was something every person with sense would do, but the dangerous thing was, they aimed their hate and anger to particular race and religion group, which is something…similar.

Somehow, in my own world of thinking, I guess our creator never suspect that when he made us with variety, with different skin and hair colors, could result to endless stupidity and conflict that lasts forever. But again, I guess, even if we all look the same, we will still find something different we can argue and kill for.
I suspect we were created with too much brain, if not, we could just run around naked, live in the burrow, mate twice a year, and kill only when we were hungry, at least, hungry for food is the better reason? Huh?

1998 was a scary year, but no year is bad as long as I still have my family together.


1999.

Final year at the University. Busy but memorable. Staying at the University, fought through the nights to finish the final assignment. Sleeping bags, pajama, emergency pantry and ‘bedroom’, our thoughtful Korean friend who brought supper for us and smoke-ridden computer to help us finish the year.
Had Christmas miracle where I actually got better GPA than what I was thought (apparently I just miscalculated). If I had known I would miss the suffering moment during the sleepless night, I would appreciate it more. But I did appreciate it, I did celebrate it. It’s tiring, crazy, exhausting, stressful, but we had same reasons to laugh.
Damn new generations who use computer for everything, you don’t know the fun you miss of making a simple mistake can cost you.


2000.

- Graduation!
Maybe it’s the first and the last time I wore those Kebaya, the traditional Indonesia clothing. You need to wear a layer of don’t know what, then sarong and the flowery external blouse. The good thing is, you don’t need stocking for that! The bad thing for me was, during midday, on the way to family photo shoot, the inner layer made me itch like crazy, it was like bitten by the mosquito on the palm, itchy but you can’t do anything, and a kilogram makeup on the face looked terrible under sunlight. I looked at my friends, who were all dressed the same, and saw the brick colored face and heavy eyelashes and purple eye contour, I was terrified and all the more, I looked the same too. But at least I was lucky enough to use my own hair for the hairstyle, rather than those who had to use the big ball of heavy wig. Freaky. But it was once in the lifetime, so okay, one day of suffering as a closure for four and a half years of memorable…youth? Mhehehe.

- Move to Batam
Although I had many considerations, from the beginning, it was a GO. I always had a feeling that I would work somewhere far away and I had that chance.
It was a blast, meeting new people, new place, a job. I guess, young spirit beats it all, I was eager and fearless to try everything. Although the negativity from friends around affected me, I had never actually feeling down or gave up, never entertained the thought of going back to Jakarta, no matter how hard the life was. I thought if I went back, I’d be taking a step backward, although it shouldn’t be that way. I’m glad I made that decision. To be honest, it was fun, although miserable, I was happy. There are not many opportunity to enjoy our heart out with many great friends with same level of craziness, and to play multiplayer war game with the supervisor, who was and is also a close friend.

- Big brother’s marriage! Strange. We were growing up fast.
I feel comfortable with my sister in-law, maybe in some ways, we are quite alike. I’m glad I don’t need to sweet talk; she is frank, independent and fun to be with. It’s good that all my sister in laws are normal girls. The first sign of abnormal girl, in my point of view, is the one who speak with fake voice, sweeten, soften and manja version. Argh, it’s just too much to bear. That voice only restricted to couple, not public, not friends.


2001.

- It might be the first time I’ve ever thought, How if I gone? What would I regret for not doing? That was because I was having quite an interesting and shitty day during my first job interview here. I had swollen ankle, as a result of failing from staircase (this staircase wouldn’t pass any safety regulation), I spoilt my umbrella (the wind blew it up and broke all the bones), so I had to run with swollen ankle in the heavy rain clutching folders, files and bags, with 20 dollar in my pocket in foreign country, and I had no idea where the interview place was, I only knew it’s across the country from the point I stood. Then when I rode the ferry back to Batam, the storm was very rough and the ferry rocked like crazy. I didn’t think of those stupido ‘near-death’ experience but at that point I made some decision that I shouldn’t delay something for the sake of proper timing of a relationship.

- Got a job here!
During all the paperwork process, we worked freelance with the boss, travel to and fro every weekend, but our life was getting better, we didn’t need to worry about how to make the ends meet and able to spend on better things, shopping (which we hardly do at all) and afforded the flight back to Jakarta for the missing @%$%*# paperwork. My lecturers came as angels to me, I remember many of them did some good effort to advice me and helped me obtain some paperwork from the university.
During the weekends, and a month, we stayed in our boss’s house. He was a great person, it’s quite unimaginable to stay at boss’s house, his wife cooked for us and they treated us like family. Our friend also helped us during the process.
Good to know, nice people are everywhere when you need them.
We officially moved our life here around August.

- 9/11, I guess it was a shock to everyone. It was sad to see crying family of victims in the TV. Words, sms-es, emails were flying around between friends asking about others who live far apart. It was a breakthrough of everything. Every time a thing happen, a revenge almost always follows, for the wrong reason, for the wrong target. That's the limit of human brain.
Educated people or not: Indonesian, American, Australian, British, Chinese, etc, we can always see the ugly and stupid side of everyone in the name of races and religions.


2002.

- The company was falling apart as it expanded too soon. From a great prosperous beginning, it turned to a disaster, with supervisor from hell, I was relieved to go out too.
Got new job, move to another house.

- Bali bombing. It was sad because it was few months apart after our visit. I had never liked Bali from the words I heard, but when I went there, I fell in love with the spirit of freedom and modest people, it reminded me somehow with Jakarta before the riot.

- First time I met my nephew when he was visiting with my brother and wife. He was the cutest, the liveliest and smartest kid for his age, 6 months, it was very very fun to have him in the house. At least, he didn’t afraid of me, which I thought most kids would.


2003.

Busy, busy, busy year.
- Getting married, officially 3 times. Registration here, Church Ceremony in Batam, and Wedding Party in Jakarta. Busy busy busy. Move to another house and went back again to Jakarta for my younger brother’s wedding. It’s amazing how words can sum up all those things.

- Crazy Sars outbreak. I was actually feeling very scared and helpless at one point of time. So, this is how fragile human being, one day you are able to drop dead just like that. We took all the precaution we could, everyone became a cleaner person and monitoring temperature became a daily must. People were aware of each other health because of the contagious dissease.

2004.

- Went for honeymooning to OZ; Melbourne, Gold Coast and Sidney. It was good to see different country and different lifestyle. Feel in love with the hospitality of the people. They were very friendly and helpful. It was a very enjoyable and best three weeks.

- After postponing it for a year, we finally took Open Water Course, gained great friends along the way; most of them become our regular dive companions until now.

- Tsunami Boxing Day 2004, it was the first time I felt so depressed about something that didn’t affect me directly. The crazy and unimaginable living situation of the survivors disturbed me the most. Lucky, the world was lending a helping hand, too bad; most of the fund went into the wrong people, the most despicable act from people who had the heart to corrupt the food and sanitation money from those struggling with lives. Idiot!
But Kudo to friends who jumped directly into the site to make sure things are delivered to the right hand, and we could have an ease of mind that we didn’t contribute to fatten the heartless pigs.

2005 & 2006, I had my brain backup-ed.

So I had good years, always, hopefully will always. : )

With all the good wish, good hope and good will, let's close this year with big smile and thanks, and:

Happy New Year 2007!


___________________________________________________________

It’s only possible to live happily ever after on day to day basis.
- Margaret Bonnano

People who say that money isn’t everything in life are usually broke.
- Malcolm Forbes

Life is extinct on other planet because their scientists were more advanced than ours.
- Anonymous

The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple.
- Oscar Wilde

I think that people want peace so much that one of these days the government had better get out of their way and let them have it.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise.
- Samuel Johnson

A pessimist is one who feels bad when he feels good for fear he’ll fear worse when he feels better.
- Anonymous

If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other causes for prejudice by noon.
- George Aiken

I never believe in Santa Claus because I knew no white dude would come into my neighborhood after dark.
- Dick Gregory

Sunday, December 24, 2006

My Grown Up Christmas List

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
Can you still help somehow?
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream

So here's my lifeful wish
My grown up Christmas List
Not for myself
But for a world in need

No more lives torn apart
That wars will never start
And time will heal our hearts
Every man will have a friend
That right will always win
And love will never end
This is my grown up Christmas List

May kindness rules our lives
Not just the strong survive
Sweet tears for all the thousand years on mind
This is the world I pray
We will all share some way
Help me begin by reaching out my hand

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree
Well heaven only knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul

Why does this illusion call the innocence of you?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth
No...

No more lives torn apart
That wars will never start
And time will heal our hearts
Every man will have a friend
That right will always win
And love will never end
This is my grown up Christmas List

This is the prayer that I will keep
This is my grown up Christmas list
Christmas list

Friday, December 15, 2006

Ten Days To Christmas

Kumaha nih, udah tanggal segini masih gak berasa-berasa Natal juga. Benernya dimana-mana udah banyak rame-ramean hiasan Natal, dan di mall maupun di radio udah banyak lagu Natal. Pohon Natal gue yang cekingpun udah mengundara.
Kadang2 kalau lagi lewat di mall dari dan menuju kantor begitu denger lagu Natal biasanya meresap bentar, tapi entah kenapa, gue jadi agak lupa, apa yang yang bikin Natal kayak Natal selaen lagunya?

Mungkin dari dulu gitu-gitu aja kali ya : )

Natal disini., pernah kita lewatin dengan jalan-jalan di Orchard yang penuh dengan orang dari ujung ke ujung. Bagusnya sih banyak choir grup disana-sini dan mereka rata-rata bagus, gak asiknya itu ramenya dengan orang-orang. Tapi rata-rata semua orang heppi, make gelang2an glow in the dark, topi dengan tanduk rusa raksasa atau topi Santa, nyembur-nyemburin busa kalengan dan pita warna warni kemana-mana, kenal maupun gak kenal. Pemborosan sih, tapi sekali-sekali, mungkin jangan terlalu dipikirin, biarpun besoknya harus melihat orang membersihkan jalan seinci demi seinci dari warna-warna yang nempel di pavement. Seminggu kemudian, Tahun Baru, lebih meriah lagi, karena notabene, semua orang merayakan Tahun Baru. Biarpun keramaian pas Natal juga terdiri dari beribu-ribu orang non-Kristen yang ikut merayakan.

Pernah juga kita merayakan Tahun Baru dengan temen-temen nyelam yang baru nemu di tahun pertama kita mulai hobi itu, rame-rame ngumpul di restoran club dekat pantai, dan gue inget banget waktu itu tertarik dengan ide merasakan pergantian tahun didalam air. Untungnya kita belom memenuhi persyaratan buat nyelam malam, jadi kita cuman nonton. Soalnya kacau juga jadinya. Jadi serombongan penyelam (yang bayar buat melakukannya) bawa-bawa papan yang ada tulisan glow in the dark HAPPY NEW YEAR 2005.
Bayangin aja diving di dekat pier dengan, mungkin zero visibility, akhirnya keleng beleng ada yang kelihatannya terpisah dengan groupnya dan pas mereka nongol di ujung lainnya pier, tulisannya tinggal H PY E EAR 2 0 , udah itu nongolnya kecepetan, jadinya mereka ikutan countdown dengan muka udah disurface. Gak berapa lama, keplak keplak cepyak cepyak ada satu manusia kodok laen manjat ke atas pier dengan satu kaki kodoknya ilang dibawah air. Apes. Apes. Finsnya sama persis dengan gue punya, hmm, mungkin bisa gue pake buat cadangan kalo nemu, tapi ogah banget suruh gue nyilem di air butek gitu. Kekeke.
Gue inget pula waktu itu sambil countdown, gak berenti-berenti melihat ke horizon, ngeliat ombak yang lebih gede dari biasanya, karena bagaimanapun, itu cuma beberapa hari dari tsunami Boxing Day. Waktu itu kita juga belom nyadar segitu banyaknya korban jiwa dan kesengsaraan.

Ngomong-ngomong soal kesengsaraan manusia, gue baru kelar habis baca buku berjudul Emergency Sex, karya Kenneth Cain, Heidi Postlewait dan Andrew Thomson. Ketiga-tiganya adalah volunteer dari United Nation dan mereka pernah bertugas di Cambodia, Somalia, Haiti, Rwanda dan beberapa tempat lagi. Dan buku ini adalah jurnal mereka.
Dari situ gue baru tau, seperti apa kehidupan mereka di kancah perang. Dari berleha-leha makan gaji buta dan seks bebas sampai ketika mereka harus berkecimpung diantara mayat-mayat membusuk dan menyaksikan kebrutalan perang. Bukunya jelas, jujur dan banyak menceritakan kenyataan-kenyataan mengerikan yang terjadi pada manusia yang bikin gue, membayangkan aja sulit. Waktu tidur ditengah buku, mau gak mau, gue termimpi-mimpi juga, mengingat, gue memang tukang mimpi.
Herannya buku itu gue gali dari tumpukan Book Sale, yang terbuang dan didiskon habis-habisan. Gue pernah melihat buku tentang topik serupa tapi mereka begitu cepat turun dari display utama sehingga susah buat nyarinya lagi. Waktu milih buku ini aja gue tertarik dengan tulisannya yang lumayan besar dan pacing yang kelihatannya gak berat, maklum, mata udah kecapean ngeliat computer, baca buku inipun eksklusif hanya untuk dirumah, soalnya, judulnya mungkin bikin orang-orang di MRT mengernyitkan muka dan berpikir gue cewek ngebet yang baca buku jorok.
Hoh.

Setelah baca buku itu, gue milih2 buku laen dari rak, tapi mau gak mau gue kepengaruh dan jadi males baca buku fiksi. Karena, fiksi itu ternyata gak segila kenyataan, dan fiksi udah jarang menipu gue, jadi gue baca deh buku yang udah lama gue beli yang gak pernah gue baca karena keriting dan tulisannya kecil-kecil, Schindler’s List. Tahun lalu gue beli VCDnya dan nonton lagi, tapi banyak hal yang ternyata tidak begitu gue mengerti.

Scarlet toddler. Semua pasti ingat kalo pernah nonton filemnya/baca bukunya.

Ngomong-ngomong soal fiksi, gue dibeliin tumpukan, dan gue maksud tumpukan, buku poket Gober bebek. Lebih dari 50 buku dibeliin Asung, si koko gendut yang gak begitu gendut lagi dan dibawain bokap melewati Hang Nadim Batam dan Ferry Singapura. Setelah baca segitu banyak tentang keluarga bebek, banyak juga gue temui kalo mereka kadang-kadang nasty abis. Terutama si Gober pelit, gue sebel ama orang pelit, ceritanya banyak yang lucu tapi ada beberapa pula yang saking pelitnya bikin sebel juga! Di satu cerita, demi mendapatkan jalur kereta, dia bekerjasama dengan Untung dan mereka memfitnah Donal biar masuk penjara. Gila juga kan, buku anak-anak, kok kesennya fitnah wajar-wajar aja. Trus tentang Agus Angsa, yang bener-bener malas, ampe malas yang bikin sebel. Ha. Kebanyakan diserep bacanya kali’.

Anyway, Christmas is coming. I’m feeling it. : )
Yang penting buat Christmas bukan hari H-nya, mungkin juga bukan perayaannya, tapi mungkin, spiritnya?
Btw, gue punya ponakan baru, baru minggu lalu, dan katanya bapaknya udah kurusan tiga kilo. Hehehhehehehe.

____________________________________________________________________________________

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.
- Henny Youngman

I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas with a note on it saying, toys not included.
- Bernard Manning

The trouble with the Internet is that it's replacing masturbation as a leisure activity.
- Patrick Murray

The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.
- Tom Clancy

A man falls down a flight of stairs and somebody rushes over to him and asks, "Did you miss a step?"
"No," he answers, "I hit every one of them!"

- Milton Berle

We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.
- Phyllis Diller

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Surga Ada Di Kaki Orang Tua

On yesterday newspaper, there was an article that caught my eyes. I have seen similar a topic not so long ago in another newspaper.
It’s story about an elderly in China who committed arson. He is seventy, and the reason that made him do it is very pitiful, he just want to go to the prison, where he could get food and shelter. He was just release from five-year prison term for the same act, with the same reason.
The news followed by some statistic fact that although this case is extreme, it is a fact that many elderly, specifically in China, doesn’t have anybody to take care or provide for them, their children moved to big town to find a better life and leave them.

As I said, not so long ago, there were some articles in the news paper about elderly suicides rate her in Singapore. The reasons, they are lonely, they children don’t care about them and sometimes they feel they have become a burden and the children don’t treat them well. It’s quite common that some elderly passed away alone in their flat and not to be found until days or weeks after, because children hardly visit them.

It’s indeed a very very sad reality that is growing in modern society.
Long gone the days when children feel obligated to take care of their parents and respect and even fear of them. Long gone also the day when mother in law is a living hell.
Look around me and my family, sometimes I feel sad to see my parents and my mother in law’s effort to make them ‘needed.’ Of course, they don’t have to do that because they have filial children and even in-laws. But read between the lines, they can’t help to think that they have to contribute something, by being helpful and always being there when we need them for fear of being rejected like others.
It’s heartbreaking to oversee their fear. At these age, when they are supposed to enjoy life, they never stop caring and worrying about us. Something I keep telling them that they need to enjoy life and their hardwork and they don’t need to save for us anymore as we can take care of ourselves. I can see my dad’s target is being postponed years by years, from making sure all of us have good education, married, and now, they are worrying about our children.

Maybe most of the people never realized how much effort a parent puts into their children. From the moment the mother carries them, goes through the pain of labor, cry and worried when the children are hurt, wait by the bed when the children are sick and forgive them when they are rude and ungrateful, sacrifice their own pleasures and needs for the children, give them time, love and everything.

And some of the angels still end up on the street. : ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ”

I received this one long time ago, unknown writer, original in Indonesian. It makes me think really hard, and shed some hurt and shameful tears.


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Ketika aku sudah tua, bukan lagi aku yang semula
Mengertilah, bersabarlah terhadap aku
Ketika pakaianku terciprat sup, ketika aku lupa bagaimana mengikat sepatu,
Ingatlah bahaimana dahulu aku mengajarimu.

Ketika aku berulang-ulang berkata-kata tentang sesuatu yang telah bosan kau dengar, bersabarlah mendengarkan, jangan memutuskan pembicaraanku.
Ketika kau kecil, aku harus selalu mengulang cerita yang telah beribu-ribu kali kuceritakan agar kau tidur.

Ketika aku memerlukanmu untuk memandikanku, jangan marah padaku.
Ingatkah sewaktu kecil aku harus memakai segala cara untuk membujukmu mandi?

Ketika aku tak paham sedikitpun tentang teknologi dan hal-hal baru, jangan mengejekku.
Pikirkan bagaimana dahulu aku begitu sabar menjawab setiap “mengapa” darimu.

Ketika aku tak dapat berjalan, ulurkan tanganmu yang masih kuat untuk memapahku.
Seperti aku memapahmu saat kau belajar berjalan waktu kau masih kecil.

Ketika aku melupakan pembicaraan kita, berilah aku waktu untuk mengingat.
Sebenarnya bagiku, apa yang dibicarakan tidak penting, asalkan kau disamping mendengarkan, aku sudah sangat puas.

Ketika kau memandang aku yang sudah mulau menua, janganlah berduka.
Mengertilah aku, dukung aku, sepeti aku menghadapimu ketika kamu belajar menjalani kehidupan.
Waktu itu aku memberi petunjuk bagaimana menjalani kehidupan ini, sekarang temanilah aku menjalankan sisa hidupku.

Beri aku cinta dan kesabaran, aku akan memberikan senyum penuh rasa syukur.
Dalam senyum ini terdapat cintaku yang tak terhingga untukmu.

Ayah dan Ibu



---


When I’m old, and not the person I used to be,
Please understand and be patient with me.

When my clothes are being tainted by soup, and I forget hoe to tie my shoelaces,
Please remember how I used to teach you those things.

When I keep saying and repeating the same stories,
Please listen to them patiently, don’t shut me down.
When you were little, I repeated the fairy tales a thousand times so you could sleep.

When you need you to bathe me, don’t be angry with me.
Remember I had to use everyway I could to make you shower when you were small.

When I don’t understand a single bit about technology and new things, don’t laugh at me.
Think about how patient I used to answer every ‘Why’ from you.

When I can’t walk, show me your hand and reach out for me,
Think about how I used to hold you when you learned to walk.

When I forget about our conversations, give me time to remember.
Actually the conversations are not important to me, but having you listening by my side.

When you see me growing old, don’t be sad.
Understand me, support me, as what I used to do when you started to learn about life.
Back then, I showed you how to face life, now accompany me to go through the rest of mine.

Give me love and patience, I will give you thankful smile,
Smile that carry my unlimited love for you.

Mom And Dad.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Where Are All The People Come From?

I have forgotten that shopping is a very exhausting activity, well, maybe not shopping in particular, by being in the crowd.
On Sunday, we went to Sytex, quarterly computer and electronic exhibition, the main purpose was to look for camera for my Dad, the exact same camera with mine, because it’s easy to use, and it’s good and I also want to finally change it to the color that I want so my dad will have mine I will have his as usual kids are always so selfish but don’t get wrong I have asked for his approval bla bla..

But then, the original agenda has gone to the side, because there were some sales; fashions, bags etc and another exhibition called Big Boyz Toys. By the time we touched down Expo MRT, things were not looking good. There were humans, everywhere, every cm of the road, every steps of the stair! I imagined the nightmare we were going to face, and hell it was. We separated at first, me and mil went to the sales, while Hubby and Willy went to the Sytex, when I wanted to catch up with them, it was very hard to reunite. Sytex was completely un-walkable, it was almost impossible to look through things, not even to purchase, and the color of the camera that I want was not available, so we went to the Big Boyz to look for the pool table cover. They had the cover in good price, but it’s heavy! I think once we put the cover on the top, it’d be tedious to remove it, especially by one person. So we looked around at other things.

There were quite a lot of cool things; big motorbike, tracking bike, Harley (not only those kind for big guy with leather jacket who need to unwind their armpit) but the whole black model with low-positioned handle, adventure tracking jeep, and for guys, mud wrestling by girls, he ho, and..motorboat! Whoa! Two boats, I guess 22 footer, with and without cover were displayed there. Three of us ended up chatting and asked for information while pretending like buyers.
Then, we sat outside at the curb, and started to dream how it would be like if we shared a boat. It’s usable for a simply getaway to the sea, to wakeboarding and we could even use it for our weekend diving trip to Malaysia. The boat came in handy with 3 years Marina membership and Course for two people, the only thing didn’t come in handy was the money of course. So if somebody happened to walk alongside the curb, they could see three dekil people drooling and looking at the brochure, if Leo was there, the drool would become a pool.

Anyway, I also can’t figure out why it was so tiring, we didn’t do much shopping and walking, but I feel like I have just climb a mountain. It’s aching all over the body, and I slept like I was being knocked out.

Crazy, crazy sinciapo. If only everyone have a boat, it won’t be this crowded on the weekend. Hik.

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Everytime I stare at the moon on lonely nights, I always wonder, What the hell is that rabbit doing there?

Few of us can stand prosperity. Another man’s, I mean.
- Mark Twain

Writing is learning to say nothing, more cleverly every day.
- William Allingham