Showing posts with label Journal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journal. Show all posts

January 1, 2014

of 2013

I suppose it's the last day of the year. And here I am in bed, reading a book. 
But then I decided I might as well just write something. I can't possibly think of a better way to spend new year's eve. I like the silence. 

Well, I have to say I am more than grateful to have learned so many things this year. A lot, actually. People say third year is the hardest year in college. I wholeheartedly agree. Knowing some circumstances, this year is the most challenging, not only physically but mentally too. This year revealed things about me that I did not even have the slightest idea before. I shall be thankful to God for unveiling those mysteries to me.

People leave. And so, I've experienced being left not too long ago. It hurts. So bad. Nonetheless, I've met new great people. Inspiring people actually. And I am more than glad to call them my friends. I shall be thankful to God for showing me the world through their eyes. 

I looked at the past so many times this year, rewinding the moments of the past. It's pretty messy, and it is still unclear when it will be resolved. But hey, there is this Egyptian Arabic proverb that says "what's coming is better than what is gone". And to this day, I don't see a reason why I have to disagree.


Good night.

December 24, 2013

Home, I guess.


3AM. Bahrain's time.

I can finally rest my aching body on this super cozy bed of my sister's. But, no matter how hard I try to sleep, my eyes just won't close. I guess the 14 hours plane ride from Hong Kong wasn't as tiring as I would've expected. Or perhaps, it's the jet lag. After all, it's 9AM in Korea.

I got home exactly about 2 hours ago. My mother helped me unpacked my huge, yet half empty luggage. I can't really recall why I bought that huge luggage. I never really fill the other side. That luggage is always pretty much half empty whenever I use it.

This is my third time here, and this house would be the third house I will be living in. I guess it has always been a tradition in my family to move in a new house every year. My mom likes to move from house to house. I like it too. So as I recall, we never really stay in a house more than 2 years long.

Words can't describe how glad I am to finally see my parents after 2 years. I'm quite surprised how they didn't really change physically. My mom is still beautiful as always. I don't know how, but she hasn't aged a bit. So is my dad. I'm not saying just because they're my parents, but it's the truth. 

Oh and I miss my little sister. She's not coming this winter. I really wish she was right here with me, in her room. I'm certain we'd be talking and laughing until the sun comes up. 


I know I'm home. But why does it feel weird? I know I'm here but I'm not supposed to be. I feel like I belong elsewhere and I should be elsewhere doing something else. I don't know if it's my mind--again-- playing with me.

Hopefully this is just a temporary madness.


December 23, 2013

In between

Current view : 
4 Cathay Pacific planes parked in their corresponded gates and the Thai airlines airplane which is literally in front of me on the other side of the glass is connected to the catering services container by this 2 meter-long yellow metal bridge. And airport workers probably are checking the mechanic stuff.

I am currently writing from Hong Kong Airport in Gate 44. 1 hour away from Busan, the current city I'm living in. 5 hours away from Bahrain, my current destination where my much-missed parents live. And 2 hours away from Jakarta, the place I miss the most. Starbucks' hot green tea on my left of my laptop and my almost 6-years-old ipod classic on my right, playing Dexys Midnight Runners' Come On Eileen. Feeling grateful that I have escaped the cruel weather of Busan. I couldn't stand the cold. To be honest, it was the wind that killed my days.

This time, 6 hours is all I get to wander around Hong Kong. The last time I went to Bahrain, I had to transit for 14 hours. Alone. Good thing, I enjoy my own company. I really enjoy flights and traveling journey. But this time, I decided to just stay in, instead of wandering around Hong Kong. Walking along the long walk of this airport is something I don't get to do on a daily basis. The multi-bilingual announcement and the foreign language spoken is indeed the thing you would hear in an airport. I just had to turn off my ipod and enjoy whatever that goes through my ears. 

-- Korean obviously reminds me my current university life which I am more than happy to take a break from.
-- Mandarin reminds me of the one-year mandarin lesson I took with my uncle when I was in middle school in Egypt. I remembered being obsessed with the korean language but I couldn't take korean lesson because they had this rule where I had to be 17 in order to take the lessons. So then, my parents convinced me to take Mandarin instead, because it was more popular at that time.
-- Japanese reminds me of the first time I got a C grade in college. I took Japanese last year thinking that it would be fun learning another language. Well, apparently I was wrong. I had to learn Japanese in Korean. Plus, the professor gave us Hanja to study too. It was mad. I pretty much studied all night for the exam and C is all I got.   
-- French reminds of Paris, the city I was born. I miss it. It was probably the first language I spoke fluently. Too bad, I'm not good at it anymore. And I hate myself for not trying hard to even try to maintain that one sexy language. I still understand when people talk, but I find responding quite hard. I mixed up a lot with English.  
-- Urdu reminds me of my middle school days. I went to Pakistan International School Cairo in which there were lots of Indians and Pakistanis. One of my best friends, Beenish is a smart and beautiful pakistani. She used to teach me Urdu. I like how Urdu sounds, and I would love to learn it again.
-- Arabic reminds me of Egypt, the place I remember the most while growing up. I loved living there! But learning Arabic was indeed very difficult. It was confusing. Interesting though. I learned that each Arab country has their own Arabic language. I though they all speak the same Arabic. The Arabic calligraphy is one my favorite art. This is probably the reason why I enjoy visiting big mosques with the Arabic calligraphy patterned on their walls. It is just divine. I would build my own house with a touch of Arabic calligraphy on the walls. 

Eventually my faux leather boots wore me out that I had to get a book to read and a warm drink to kill this headache that has been going on since last night. Sleeping in a cold empty room without a blanket and a pillow is indeed not very comfortable. After some time, I then decided to write.


( Just now, an old man speaking in english accent just asked me to look out for his bag while he orders his coffee. *random )

December 17, 2013

Trust

I watched So I Married An Axe Murderer earlier today. Regardless of Sixpence Non The Richer's There She Goes being played almost every 15 minutes in the movie, I indeed love the soundtrack. Also, I would kill to live in Harriet's house. It seems that lights are not really required seeing the windows are pretty much wall-sized wide. I love the natural sunlight in a house. 

This movie is really light and simple. Although, trust was the main issue. Yes, pretty strong. And so, I concluded that I had to write something about trust. 

To me, trust means when you believe in someone entirely. Exclusively, a basic form of belief. Something or someone that you could depend on solely with your mind, heart and soul. Trust is something that you gain from someone and offer to someone, it cannot be bargained. Something primal and instinctive.

I'd say I do have some trust issue. There are literally less than 5 people in this planet that I trust. It's probably because I encountered twist of events that made me this way; I don't trust people easily. Instead, I have levels of trust that I give away to people. For example, I trust my typography professor to teach me about fonts, but I don't trust him to teach me motion graphics; I trust a taxi driver here to drive me around Busan, but I don't trust me to drive me around Jakarta; I trust my parents and my sister basically on everything. Simple and logical. 

Unconsciously, we give away our trust to people around us everyday. We give the parts of us everyday without realizing our act of trust to those people. Those parts are the essential, basic, instinctive part that have always been there ever since the first human ever walked on Earth. Trust is something that we are not supposed to give away easily except to God. Something that you should hold on to.

I can't seem to really, entirely, with my heart, 100% trust anyone yet. I have not yet found a person that I could count on completely, that I could really on wholly. Though, I know that someday I will find that person. All this time, most people that I used to trust ended up making me regret for giving them my trust. They just keep showing me why I shouldn't trust them. It's kind of disappointing when one misuse my trust. 

Trust is often misused. Hard to gain, easy to lose. Encountering events in life, I've learned that even being wrong has a positive side ; it gives you that feeling of knowing what's right. Everything has a bright side!


"Trust is like a mirror, once it's broken you can never look at it the same way again."

November 26, 2013

"Always"

(a caution of word : It's just those days where I wish I go to Hogwarts)

The coldness of this winter month surely contributed to the lazy nights as I felt safe and sound at three in the morning, under two layers of blanket where an overloaded exaggeration covered up my head as I witness my all-time favorite movies from this 13-inch screen. Divine.

Given the fact that it's always been impossible for me to either watch one Harry Potter movie without watching all of them or to read a Harry Potter book without reading all of them, the Harry Potter movie and reading marathon have always been my cup of tea. And will "always" be. My eyes were the most splendid body part of the week as I get to witness all the Harry Potter movies in the past 12 years in a week. This took me back to my childhood days. 

I remember watching the first Harry Potter movie exactly 12 years ago, in this very month back in 2001 when I was 9 years old. I could still remember Frank Sinatra's Can't Take My Eyes Off of You being played in the small break in the middle of the movie. Yes, cinemas in Indonesia used to give a small break in the middle of the movies. I didn't quite understand the movie because obviously I couldn't really speak English. Let alone english, I couldn't even speak my own language, bahasa Indonesia that well. Regardless of my assumption by just observing their body language, I was truly amazed by the movie. It's like I've never seen anything like it before. To me, it was something new. Including the almighty British accent. 

I then moved to the land of pyramids and eventually watch the the third, fourth and the fifth movie there. I remember having all the 13 posters of the third movie I got from a Harry Potter edition magazine hung on the wall of my room in that apartment in Mohandessin street. Not to mention, the action figure of Harry in the gryffindor quidditch uniform on his nimbus 2000 that stood on my lamp table right next to my bed. That was when I started to read the series. My mother got me the first three books from this second hand bookstore in Ma'adi. There were all in french. I must say I was quite disappointed they weren't in english. As I recall, my french skills became a potentially problematic issue as my english got better. Even so, I'd consider myself a fool if I didn't read the book just because I didn't want to read Voldemort's complication in french. 

Going back to Indonesia and transferred to a new high school in the first year, fresh air must have been very difficult to come by as I incontrovertibly gave my all on my academics and the wearisome adaptations. Even Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince couldn't mess up my relationship with my A-level Biology book. I couldn't help but indulge the countless fascinating scientific terms in that 20mm thick book. How could I possibly missed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince? (believe me, I've been asking myself that question for years). Silly of me. It took me long enough to finally watch the sixth movie which I watched at home when it came out in the TV. It actually felt weird watching a harry potter movie that I haven't watched in the cinema first, in TV. Not to repeat the silliness of mine again, I certainly made sure that I had to watch the seventh movie in the cinema. And so, I did. 

Moving to Korea, I got to use a smart phone which gives loads privileges. I then finally read all the series in english using the pdf reader. I desperately need to get all the books. In english. Seriously. I watched the last movie two years ago in my first year here. It was very emotional. I couldn't possibly think of a better ending than the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. I just hate to go with the fact that I won't be looking forward to another Harry Potter movie or book. However, as J.K Rowling stated that whether you come back by page, or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home is indeed true. At least that's what I feel. If I am amazed at anything, it is at how crazy that I can re-watch all the movies again and again and still have the reactions like I've never seen it. Even though I basically mouth to their lines. And I do take pride in it. As for the books, I just wish I could read the books for the first time again.

The greatest thing about these books is the life lessons I get that I never could have dreamed of. They are basically relevant in our lives that we never could have imagined. 
-- Dumbledore taught me that sometimes we must pick between what is right and what is easy. And he also taught me the existence of life beyond death.
-- Hagrid taught me to be loyal to those who are loyal to you.
-- Snape taught me to be brave. To fight for a true love.
-- Lupin taught me that no matter how bad things get, there's always a way to survive.
-- Sirius taught me that your family does not define who you are.
-- Voldemort taught me that the things you fear the most are the things you understand the least.
-- Arthur taught me that to follow your dream is far more important than following the crowd.
-- Molly taught me that I can always rely on my mother.
-- Narcissa taught me that family always come first.
-- Luna taught me that being myself is more interesting that being someone else.
-- Neville taught me that standing up to your friends is harder than standing up to your own enemy. 
-- Malfoy taught me that everyone has feelings and that we never really grow up until we face an impossible task.
-- Hermione taught me that cleverness is far more important than looks.
-- Ron taught me that a true friend stays with you until the end.
-- Harry taught me that we must fight as though everyone depends on us and that anything can happen if you really fight for it.
Last but not least, I learned that people can be really bad in this world, but as long as there are people willing to fight for what is right, and to fight for love, the world can still be a nice place. 

Eight movies, seven books, there I was, somewhere in that magical world, away from the world I am living in. Harry has always been my childhood hero. A one of a kind hero. Growing up with Harry, Ron and Hermione is anything I could ask for a proper childhood. In some way, Harry Potter will always own a place in one's heart. And by all means, there is no necessarily need for further endearment.

For a moment, or maybe way longer than a moment, I really wish Harry Potter's world does exist. 
There will be nothing quite like Harry Potter again.

Thank you J.K Rowling, for giving me such a magical childhood. 




November 18, 2013

The way I see it

Setelah seharian gak mandi dan cuma berkutat dengan berbagai macam program adobe dari mulai bangun sampai mau tidur lagi, dari mulai mata yang susah dibuka tapi kebuka juga sampai gak tahan pengen merem dan tidur aja, gw pun buka youtube dan mencari hiburan. Ya begitulah gw, bukannya tidur malah nyari hiburan dulu. Abisnya, tidur jam 1 rasanya kurang afdol gitu, kayak ada yang kurang. Maklum, setelah seharian super duper galau dengan tugas yang numpuk (tapi mending galau tugas sih, capek galau mainstream gak kelar-kelar), gw berhak dong ketawa ketiwi sedikit. After all, it's sunday. Dan menurut gw, so far ini cara paling enak buat nikmatin hari minggu. Setelah kuliah full dari hari senin sampai jumat, terus main seharian di hari sabtunya, hari minggu itu emang pas banget buat mager-guling-gulingan-di-kasur sambil nugas (kalau inget dan niat). 

Anyway, pas banget dengan kondisi gw yang lagi butuh hiburan, malesbanget.com baru aja nge-upload episode baru dari Jalan-Jalan Men 2013. Sebenarnya udah di-upload satu hari yang lalu, tapi entah kenapa video Jalan-Jalan Men gak pernah muncul di my subscriptions page gw di youtube. Ujung-ujungnya, harus gw cari juga. Jalan-Jalan Men adalah acara travel series Indonesia dari malesbanget.com dimana Jebraw dan Naya adalah host-nya. Sebenarnya, malesbanget.com terbentuk di tahun 2002, tapi acara ini baru ada sejak pertengahan tahun lalu. Dan gw ngikutin sejak itu. Ini acara super duper keren banget level dewa demi apa pun gak paham lagi. Kalau kata Jebraw, triple pecah. Ini acara bercerita tentang Jebraw dan Naya yang mencari harta karun di Indonesia. Bukan hanya menelusuri tempat-tempat yang emang udah terkenal di Indonesia tapi mereka juga ke tempat-tempat di pelosok Indonesia yang mungkin belum pernah diketahui. Ini acara amatlah sangat berhasil memperlihatkan ke-imba-an kekayaan Indonesia. Every single episode of this show amazes me. Ini satu-satunya acara yang setiap episodenya hanya berdurasi kurang lebih 20 menit gak pernah gagal membuat gw ketawa, terpukau, terpesona, merinding, terkagum-kagum mangap gak kelar-kelar, bahkan meneteskan air mata saking tersentuhnya (rada lebay, but true story).

Di episode kali ini, mereka ke Labuan Bajo yang berada di NTB. Sebagian besar penduduknya bermatapencaharian petani. Pemandangan sawah yang dilihat dari atas gunung sih fix cakep. Beda dari episode-episode lain, episode kali ini lebih fokus ke interaksi dengan orang-orang bajo. Mereka ini tinggal di desa yang berada di atas gunung. Walaupun cuma berdurasi kurang dari 20 menit, gw belajar banyak dari episode ini. Sebagai orang yang biasa dengan tinggal di kota, gw tertampar melihat betapa simpelnya mereka menjalani hidup ini. Mereka gak perlu kesejahteraan materi karena mereka udah punya kesejahteraan akal dan hati (aseek). Makanan sehari-hari mereka langsung dari alam sekitar mereka. Fresh. They're basically living to just keep on living. Gak ada tuh yang namanya galau-galauan. Beda banget dari orang kota yang udah kenal uang dan bahkan dijadikan patokan untuk menilai segala sesuatu hal. Itu yang membuat orang gak pernah puas dengan apa yang mereka punya, dan selalu ingin lebih. Padahal terkadang apa yang kita mau bukanlah sesuatu yang kita butuhkan. Dan kita selalu merasa yang kita gak punya itu lebih indah dari yang kita punya. Padahal, kalau di lihat-lihat sih yang kita punya itu sama indahnya dengan apa yang kita gak punya. Satu lagi yang gw belajar dari orang-orang Bajo yang sangatlah ramah. Mereka gak menyambut tourist sebagai tourist, tapi tourists disambut seperti keluarga sendiri. Katanya, menurut mereka tourist yang ke Bajo itu orang berkelana yang telah pulang kembali. No wonder, they were very welcome and were able to interact really fast with the tourists as if they knew them. Dengan kata lain, sosialisasi mereka tinggi. Bahkan bisa dibilang lebih tinggi di banding kita yang ngaku-ngaku anak "sosial" banget. Sosial "media". Apa iya kita makin sosial? Menurut gw sih enggak. Justru dengan bertambah fokusnya kita dengan dunia maya, kita makin socially awkward. Ugly truth.

Yang gw suka banget dari Jalan-Jalan Men adalah cinematography mereka yang epic banget (sekedar info, nama tim mereka tim epic lho). I'm in love with the way they capture Indonesia. Simply, breathtaking. Sudut-sudut mereka ambil gambar itu wow banget. Ditambah dengan Jebraw dan Naya yang ngebawa acara ini effortlessly asik. They're really awesome people. Indonesians are indeed awesome! So is indonesia. Di sini, sangatlah bisa dilihat kalau orang Indonesia itu emang ramah orang-orangnya. Selain kekayaan Indonesia yang berlimpahan dan keramahan orang-orangnya yang membuat gw berterima kasih dilahirkan sebagai orang Indonesia, makanan Indonesia juga merupakan salah satu alasannya. Gw gak kebayang kalau gw gak dilahirkan sebagai orang Indonesia dimana gw gak bisa nikmatin rujak, sate, bubur, soto, nasi padang, rawon, rendang, dkk in my daily life. I dare say, "makanan Indonesia itu baru yang namanya makanan!" (iklan banget)

Gw gak setuju dengan pernyataan dimana kita harus melupakan perbedaan di antara kita untuk menjadi satu. Justru, perbedaan itulah yang harus kita perhatikan dan hargai. Instead of ignoring the fact that we are different, I think we should embrace that difference. Itulah Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (perasaan post gw sebelum sebelum ini juga ngomongin Bhinneka Tunggal Ika). Perbedaan itulah yang membuat Indonesia unik. Perbedaan budaya, perbedaan bahasa, perbedaan agama, makanan juga amatlah sangat beragam, warna kulit yang berbeda-beda, tanah aja beda-beda (secara indonesia negara kepulauan). Cara pandang dari berbagai macam orang pun berbeda-beda. Dengan perbedaan itulah, kita seharusnya bisa saling melengkapi satu sama lain. Dan barulah bersatu.

Orang-orang Indonesia selalu bertanya kapan Indonesia akan berubah? Gw juga dulu salah satu dari orang-orang yang hidup dengan pertanyaan-pertanyaan seperti ini. Bahkan, gw dulu ngata-ngatain Indonesia. Tapi gw sadar caki maki gw gak bakal ngerubah Indonesia (bikin capek ngomel, iya). Justru kita yang harus berubah, karena perubahan itu mulai dari kita sendiri. Jujur, gw masih belajar mencintai negeri gw ini. Dan itu adalah sebuah proses yang indah (caelah). Dengan pandangan kita yang selalu negatif terhadap Indonesia, apakah kita layak mendapatkan semua keindahan Indonesia? Gw rasa enggak. 

Berkat acara ini, keinginan gw untuk keliling Indonesia semakin menjadi-jadi. Yups, dibanding keliling dunia, gw lebih pengen keliling Indonesia. Bisa dibilang acara ini has changed my perspective about Indonesia. So far, gw baru ke pulau Jawa, Sulawesi dan Bali aja, gw sangat kagum dengan ketiga pulau tersebut. Gimana kalau liat harta-harta yang pulau-pulau lain punya? Dulu gw pengen keliling Indonesia karena menurut gw itu keharusan gw sebagai orang Indonesia. Tapi sekarang alasan itu pun berubah. Gw pengen keliling Indonesia karena pengen melihat kekayaan alam negeri sendiri dengan mata kepala sendiri. Gw pengen mengenal Indonesia lebih jauh. Dan gw yakin dengan berkeliling Indonesia, gw bisa belajar banyak hal dan mungkin bisa merubah gw menjadi lebih baik dengan melihat Indonesia dari berbagai macam sudut pandang orang-orang yang berbeda. Indonesia has a lot to offer. Apa yang anda mau, Indonesia punya. Entah itu dari segi alam, ataupun budaya. Dari pengalaman gw travelling ke berbagai negara, Indonesia is the richest country in this world. Gw emang belum keliling dunia, but so far that's the way I see it.


Pertanyaannya bukanlah "Apa yang Indonesia punya?", tapi "Apa yang Indonesia gak punya?".

November 16, 2013

Another Subconscious Arbitrary Interpretation


Lights.

The crowd was enjoyable. It wasn't over-crowded. Some way it kept me from getting carried away with all the vulnerable emotions. Yes, they are still there, haunting me. It felt good standing there. Countlessly pressing the shutter button of my G12. I just had to ignore the bitterly cold weather. It wasn't that freezing actually. But denim button up on a denim semi-blazer surely wasn't the right attire. My hands were numb. I should have known denim certainly do not keep you warm. In fact, the black shawl that was wrapped around my neck saved the day. Going back to my room after actually leaving my dormitory just for the sake of getting that shawl is absolutely another good decision apart from getting my self a hot white chocolate mocha latte today.

I couldn't afford to ignore another subconscious arbitrary interpretation of mine. Supposing that there was only one light shining, then it wouldn't make it as a pavilion. And if the lights were one color, it would probably be dull. Well, it wouldn't be as appealing as the colorful one I saw. This reminds me of the official national motto of Indonesia, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika which is translated as "Unity in Diversity". Just saying.

November 11, 2013

Gratified

There's this feeling where I know, I have to write regardless all the duties that needs to be done. That includes the never-ending portfolio book project, web design, packaging design, and few errands such as buying salts and cooking oil. I am in desperate need of those two. Yes, I use loads of salts. I don't get how this country produce the not-so-salty salt. I guess that's how much they pay attention to their health. Not that I'm dissatisfied with the way they make their salts, but it's just everything I take in here is tasteless. O-kay presuming that I go on, this post will most likely end up being a list of reasons why nothing beats the amazingly-oh-so-delicious taste of Indonesian food.

Enough rambling (about salt. Seriously?). Apart from the fact that I can no longer wear flats these days, I loved my weekend. Those three days were well-spent with the faces I don't normally see in weekdays. We all have different majors. I hope that explains. Owing to the fact that  the only class I've got on friday is at 8am, I'm pretty much free the rest of the day. So, to me friday is weekend. Same thing occurs on monday. Whereas every single soul in this planet complains about how crappy their monday morning is, 60 minutes starting from 9 is the only time I have to listen to Mr. Sean's lecture and I'm back in bed for the rest of the day. Thus, in 4 out of 7 days, I get freedom (as long as I'm not bothered with any of my academic stuff). How I'm overly fond of this semester's schedule. 

Friday
I finally had KFC again after God knows when was the last time I had it. Back home, KFC's paket panas may be my forever-no.1-option when boke-ness strikes, however I absolutely wouldn't consider consuming KFC in that same situation here (I wonder if they still have it in their menu). After almost 3 years living here, not only finding a rubbish bin is rather a difficult task, so is finding a KFC. Therefore, I would say eating KFC here is somehow uncommon. You could either take the subway to Sentum City or transit to Seomyeon and head for Nampo-dong. Those are the 2 places that has KFC and definitely not a destination I often go. There's actually one located in Haeundae, but apparently it has been closed down recently. Thus, that leaves me with only two KCFs in the whole Busan (sigh). Also, KFC back home tastes so much better. Not that I'm being subjective, but taking it back to the health issues, I guess they're putting less vetsin/MSG. Indonesians tend to use loads of it (for the sake of tastiness). And unfortunately, KFC here costs more (sigh again). Long story short, KFC back home is obviously preferable. Wow, a whole paragraph just for a chicken. I'm obsessed. 

Saturday
Despite of the heavy rain that was pouring down all day long, the so-called Lee Jae Mo Pizza which is located in Nampo-dong that everyone recommended filled up my belly. We had the bulgalbi and the hot chicken. It was indeed irresistibly tasty, absolutely delicious, fluffy, milky-cheesed, crazy-spicy, satisfying (palu Thor pun jatuh). I still don't get how koreans make sweet potato pizza. Creative, though. I like sweet potato, but anything sweet potato-flavored just doesn't work for me. And ending the rainy saturday with La Petite Gateau's soufflé as a dessert was definitely peerless. Nevertheless I did eat it like I haven't had any meal for the past 2 days. That soufflé didn't even last for 2 minutes on the table. I should unconditionally go back for the sake of the tart. 

Sunday
Regardless of the fact I did not shower the whole day, I managed to get off my bed and eat my delivered late-lunch with friends. Yes, the very same people I hang out with the past 2 days. Basically, we had what we had on friday and saturday ; chicken and pizza. Mother nature saved me on this lazy-sunday by combining both, tandoori chicken and pepperoni pizza for the perfect lunch. Clearly, a long nap came next. A really really long one. 




I can say, I am gratified.

November 8, 2013

Dilemma

3AM. 5 hours to tomorrow morning's 8o'clock video class. To be precise, 3 hours and a half to my friday morning alarm. 

I'm having those days where I see sleeps are just a waste of time. I feel like I'm gonna miss out on something if I sleep. It's actually only been 2 days I'm feeling like this. I was super super lazy at the beginning of the week. Today, I'm pretty much the opposite. Naps aren't my highlights anymore. I tend to sleep after 3 and surviving the whole day without taking a nap turns out to be one of my latest capability. Not bad. 

And here I am facing another dilemma I, myself have created - choosing my own logo. Yup, it all began last night when I suddenly decided to make myself a new logo. I narrowed it down to two :


It still a tough choice. I can't choose, really. My eyes are turning red from looking at the screen so much for more than 8 hours straight. It has become a habit of mine.

November 6, 2013

Pergantian

Lagi-lagi kemageran saya masih berlanjut sampai detik ini pun. Entah kenapa badan berasa berat sekali. Apa mungkin karena kebanyakan tidur? Tapi hari ini saya gak tidur seharian. Justru bisa dibilang hari ini saya lumayan produktif dibanding hari-hari kemarin.

Walaupun kelas hari ini baru mulai jam 1 siang, jam 10 saya udah bangun (berkat alarm sih). Dan setelah sekian lama gak bikin egg toast, pagi ini dengan lahap saya menyantap egg toast bikinan sendiri *super satisfied. Dan di kelas pun, dimana saya yang biasanya lelap tidur dan bisa-bisanya mimpi, walaupun disertai keluhan saya buka illustrator dan mengerjakan itu buku portfolio yang gak kelar-kelar GAK PAHAM LAGI

Ketika kelas tiga jam itu kelar, seharusnya saya dan teman saya langsung cabut ke tempat les. Berhubung melihat langit yang rada mendung, ditambah juga dengan gerimis, serta udara yang sejuk, batal lah kami ke sana. Sesimpel percakapan pendek ini : 

S : Gila ini udara sih bikin mager bgt, enaknya tidur ini mah!
M : Yauda, kita balik aja yuk! Besok aja kita ke sananya.
S : Okeh sip.

Rencana kami ke sana selalu batal dari minggu ke minggu. Entah berapa banyak alasan kami. Dan kali ini, udara sejuk lah alasan kami.

Udara di Busan yang semakin hari semakin dingin (ya iyalah, namanya juga mau winter) bikin kemageran yang udah level akut ini mendobel. Gak kuat rasanya keluar dari kamar (derita anak tropis). Perjalanan yang biasanya sebentar terasa sangat panjang. Belum lagi kejadian saltum seperti hari ini yang bikin saya menggigil sepanjang hari. Salah saya juga sih gak ngecek weather forecast sebelum memilih baju. Weather forecast emang sangatlah penting buat yang tinggal di Busan yang cuacanya cukup labil. 

Cuaca labil ini lah yang bikin gak enaknya pergantian musim. Siang masih berasa panas, tapi kalau udah sore mulai berasa dingin. Baju yang saya pakai dari pagi berasa pas dengan cuaca. Tapi, berasa super salah pakai baju itu ketika kelar kelas sore atau malam. Rada serba salah. Dan lagi-lagi, di pergantian musim ini, AC satu asrama di matiin kurang lebih selama seminggu. Jadi, siang-siang saya dipenuhi dengan keluhan-keluhan kepanasan. Belum lagi kamar saya yang menghadap ke depan, jadi sa.ngat.lah terekspos dengan sinar matahari (ampe silau). Beruntunglah orang-orang yang kamarnya menghadap ke hutan (jadinya kamar mereka adem-adem gimana gitu). 

Hal kedua yang bikin gak enaknya pergantian musim sih cukup common, yaitu sakit. Yup, semua orang jadi batuk pilek. Dan itu sudah menjadi hal biasa di kampus gw. Orang-orang jadi bindeng dan batuk-batuk. Virus dimana-mana. Minyak kayu putih pun selalu setia menemani setiap saat (udah kayak iklan). Untung saya baru aja dapat kiriman stok antangin dari mama. Walau ke ujung dunia (ca elah), saya gak akan bisa pisah dari minyak kayu putih dan antangin. Namanya juga orang Indonesia.


Dan lagi-lagi, hari ini saya cuma bisa berharap supaya besok gak dikalahkan rasa malas lagi. 

Repeated

Today was another unproductive day.

It's 2AM and I just got back from a 4-hour meeting with the committee of KKI, proceed by another meeting with MIKy. Yup, there are still many things left to do even after the whole thing is done. Making documents, evaluation, protocols, deadlines etc. 

The thing about getting back to my room this late is that I have to do everything quietly. Duh obviously. My roommate is asleep. The only light that's been guiding me doing my night routines is the light from my laptop's screen. And obviously I can't cook. So, I'm just going to enjoy the creepy sounds my stomach makes. I was going to fast tomorrow, but I guess I won't since I can't eat suhoor right now. God, I'm starved.

This is terrible. My eyes are wide awake and I'm extremely hungry. Sleeping all day at weekdays is indeed wrong. Naps have been my highlight nowadays. Today was just like sunday and monday all over again. I did nothing except stayed in bed watching random videos, reading random articles. Forgetting that the draft of my portfolio book is due tomorrow. I even slept in today's classes. I even dreamt, even though it was only for 10 minutes. I'm still pretty amazed at how I can sleep through anything and dream at those few-minutes-sleep. I'm an expert! 

I skipped a class at noon today just to take a nap. I was so lazy to go this English class which is located up the hill. Plus, the class is just an hour long but the walk to the class is somehow troublesome. I regret taking this class. Big regret. I thought it would be fun since it is a conversation class (I enjoy talking in English), but it turns out making conversation with Koreans is totally frustrating. And in every single class, twice a week, all we do is make conversation. The professor doesn't teach much. I don't get how are they so bad at English, yet English is their major. Moreover, they're in their third year. I have to repeat three to four times every time I ask a question until they get what I'm saying. There was a time where I was so frustrated that I couldn't bother to repeat what I was saying that I just said "Pass!". I just thought going to that English class would just make my day even crappier. And I couldn't afford another mood ruiner at the beginning of the week. 

I just hope the rest of this week won't be unproductive as the beginning of the week. 

November 2, 2013

Sukses!

Meski mata ini terasa 5 watt, kaki dan tangan terasa mau patah, rambut pun masih keras dan kaku karena di semprot hairspray, hasrat jari-jari untuk menulis tentang malam ini pun saya turuti.

Lima jam yang lalu, tepatnya pukul 7 malam terlaksanakanlah Knock Knock Indonesia 2013 yang berjudul "The Lost Emerald". Tema ini diambil dari lokasi geografis Indonesia yang berada di garis jamrud khatulistiwa. Acara tahunan yang dibuat oleh  MIKy (Mahasiswa Indonesia Kyungsung University) berkolaborasi dengan KITA (Kyungsung Indonesian Traditional Dance Association) ini menampilkan seni tari, nyanyi dan drama tradisional. Pertunjukkan yang menceritakan seorang pemuda yang mencari emerald di seluruh Indonesia ini ditampilkan melalui drama berpadukan tari-tari tradisional yang berdurasi kurang lebih 1,5 jam.

Seperti hari-hari lain, pagi ini saya bangun dengan penuh perjuangan. Disertai keluhan saya beranjak dari kasur untuk bersiap-siap. Entah mengapa tenang rasanya. Tapi aneh. Bagaimana saya tidak merasa aneh, 5 hari terakhir ini kami latihan setiap malam seakan-akan hari ini adalah hari besar keramat kedua setelah lebaran (bisa jadi). Dan di hari-H, malah berasa biasa-biasa saja. Saya berpikir mungkin karena ini kedua kalinya saya tampil di Knock Knock Indonesia, jadi tidak se-panik tahun lalu. 

Pukul 10, backstage Concert Hall di kampus saya sudah di penuhi oleh orang-orang yang sibuk mendandani dan didandani, memakaikan dan dipakaikan kostum yang agak ribet. Saya yang tidak diizinkan untuk memakai kostum oleh panitia kostum (karena akan susah nari Saman saat gladi bersih jika memakai kostum Bali), hanya bisa duduk di pojokan mengagumi indahnya beragam warna warni kostum dan make-up yang mewarnai ruang tunggu ini. Iri sekali saya melihat orang-orang yang sudah bisa berfoto-foto dengan full-kostum (nasib penari Bali yang double dengan tari Saman). Sementara di panggung, panitia hari H sibuk dengan urusan ticketing, perlengkapan, kamera, sound system, lighting, hingga kursi tambahan. 

Entah mengapa, waktu bersiap-siap terasa sangat lama. Saya yang bisa tidur dalam kondisi apa pun, menyempatkan diri untuk tidur sejenak. Walau sempat-sempatnya tidur, makan siang yang berupa chicken mayo (semacam nasi campur) tak bisa saya lahap dengan enak. Hanya beberapa suap yang masuk ke dalam perut (personal reasons *halah). Tahun lalu, karena saya panitia perlengkapan, sibuklah saya dengan perlengkapan-perlengkapan di atas panggung. Kali ini, saya bisa ber haha-hihi dengan teman-teman di backstage. Karena lama mengurus sound system, gladi bersih yang seharusnya dimulai pukul 3, baru bisa di mulai pukul 4. Lagi-lagi saking tenangnya, gladi bersih pun tidak berasa seperti gladi bersih (biasanya tetep dag dig dug gitu). Lantaran rambut yang sudah di hairdo ala "Bali", menari Saman pun tidak leluasa. Belum lagi, hilangnya tempo di antara kami penari dan penabuh gendang yang sempat membuat kami berhenti di tengah-tengah. Dengan kata lain, hancur. Karena itulah, tari Saman kembali lagi ke panggung untuk marking yang kedua kalinya. Pelatih kami yang juga ketua KITA, tidak dapat berkata apa pun. Kekecewaan terlihat jelas di wajahnya. "Kita udah gak bisa latihan lagi, kita cuma bisa berdoa", itulah kata-kata terakhir sebelum acara di mulai. 

Melihat apa yang telah terjadi saat gladi bersih, perasaan tenang yang saya rasakan sejak pagi ini berubah total menjadi harap-harap cemas, panik, tidak sabar, senang, ragu. Intinya, campur aduk. Setelah tari Saman marking untuk kedua kalinya, belum sempat makan malam, saya langsung di bebet oleh kain Bali sepanjang 8 meter yang bahannya sangatlah tidak nyaman. Alhasil, lagi-lagi KKI tahun ini pun saya tidak sempat makan malam. Jangankan makan, nafas saja susah. Saya jadi kagum dengan penari-penari Bali.

Detik-detik terakhir sebelum acara mulai, kondisi backstage sangatlah kacau balau. Make-up bertebaran, bungkus makanan berada diatas meja make-up, tumpahan minuman karena kesenggol tidak langsung dilap, tas-tas berserakan, berbagai macam lipstick tersebar di penjuru ruangan, alas kaki yang tidak tersusun dengan rapih. Gara-gara kekisruhan tersebut, salah satu teman saya yang juga menari Bali pun kehilangan bokornya. Lebih tepatnya, karena kondisi yang sudah mepet, bokor bukan milik sendiri pun jadi. Karena tari Bali pembuka, bukan main kita panik mencari bokor tersebut yang ujung-ujungnya tertimbun di dalam tumpukan barang-barang yang seharusnya tidak berada disitu. Tepat 10 menit sebelum acara dimulai, di suasana ruang tunggu yang tegang ini, kami yang berpakaian beragam kostum tradisional Indonesia dan dalam beragam agama, kami pun saling menggenggam tangan dan berdoa untuk kesuksesan acara ini. Dan setelah berdoa, akhirnya saya bisa foto full-kostum Bali lengkap dengan penari Bali lainnya. Ini pertama kalinya kami tampil dengan kostum asli Bali (karena alasan dana, kami biasanya meminjam kostum tari Batak *miris).

Tepat pukul 7, kata sambutan pun mulai terdengar dari speaker. Saya yang berada kurang lebih satu meter dari panggung tak henti-hentinya menadahkan tangan, melepas doa. Telapak tangan yang dingin dan basah berkali saya lapkan ke kain Bali yang dililitkan ke tubuh saya. Dan tanpa saya sadari, mata saya pun berkaca-kaca (waduh make-up). Saya juga tidak tahu kenapa saya mengurai air mata saat itu. Lagu tari Pendet pun di putar, dengan hati deg-degan saya pun berjalan ala "pendet" ke panggung. Luar biasa takjub melihat Concert Hall penuh sesak oleh penonton. Agak beda dengan tahun lalu dimana kami bingung siapa yang kami mau undang. Bahkan, jumlah penonton yang duduk di tangga dan di kursi tambahan cukup banyak. 

Kembali ke backstage, dengan bantuan dua teman saya proses melepas lilitan kain 8 meter lalu ganti ke kostum saman cukup cepat. Akhirnya saya bisa bernafas lega. Agar tidak tertukar dan tidak menambahkan keberantakan di ruang ganti, dengan rapih saya lipat kembali kostum Bali tersebut. Setelah itu, barulah saya bergegas ke ruang make-up. Dan tiba-tiba teriakan "Tari Pukat stand-by!" terdengar. Panik tidak karuan. Bagaimana tidak panik, urutan Tari Saman adalah setelah Tari Pukat, sedangkan rambut belum dicepol dan make-up saya masih make-up Tari Bali. Dengan kecepatan bantuan 6 tangan yang saya juga tidak mengerti, kurang dari satu menit rambut saya sudah dicepol dan make-up pun sudah berubah menjadi make-up Tari Saman. Hebat! 

Setelah bergabung dengan penari Saman lainnya yang sudah stand-by di dekat panggung, tak henti-hentinya saya ucapkan "Bismillah". Mengingat buruknya gladi bersih kami tadi, perasaan khawatir tak kunjung pergi. Lampu sorot mati, dan kami pun berjalan lalu berlutut di atas panggung menunggu nyalanya lampu. Mulailah kami menepuk-nepuk kedua tangan dengan gaya Tari Saman. Seperti biasa, kami yang dipacu oleh adrenaline yang semakin meninggi, mengambil nada dasar yang cukup tinggi. Alhasil, rasanya saat itu Concert Hall seakan mau pecah dengan teriakan kami. Alhamdulillah, hampir tidak ada salah. Senyum lebar pun menghiasi muka saya saat pose terakhir. Lega. Sudah 3 tahun saya tampil Tari Saman di negeri gingseng ini, dan perasaan di setiap tampil berbeda-beda. Namun, saya paling bangga tampil di KKI dimana ini acara yang kami buat dengan susah payah untuk mempertunjukkan budaya Indonesia. 

Setelah Tari Saman selesai, masuklah Tari Kecak yang merupakan klimaks acara ini. Senang rasanya bisa menyaksikan Tari Kecak, walaupun hanya dari samping panggung (karena selama latihan selalu mengerjakan tugas, jadi biasanya tidak begitu memerhatikan). Dengan bantuan lighting yang bernuansa kemerah-merahan, perkelahian antara sang pemuda dan jin yang disertai dengan lantunan "cak cak cak cak.." terdengar sangat memukau. Kami yang menonton dari samping panggung pun ikut bersorak dan bertepuk tangan. Menuju akhir acara yaitu closing, semua penari menari bersama diiringi medley lagu "Dansa Yok Dansa", "Cinta Indonesia", dan "Zamrud Khatulistiwa". Dikibarkannya sang merah putih di atas panggung, kami bernyanyi tidak putus-putus sampai iringan dari tim Musik pun berhenti. Sama seperti tahun lalu, lagu "Bendera" yang dinyanyikan oleh Coklat pun diputar sebagai lagu terakhir. Penuh nasionalisme, kami ikut menyanyikan lagu tersebut. Akhirnya selesai juga dan turunlah tirai merah yang menandai selesainya acara kami. Dengan otomatis, kami saling berpelukan diiringi dengan banjir air mata. Kali ini, saya tahu air mata ini adalah air mata senang. Puas rasanya bisa memperkenalkan kekayaan budaya Indonesia di negeri orang. Inilah bentuk nasionalisme kami. 


Sukar dipercaya, rasanya tadi kemenangan tergenggam.

October 25, 2013

Wee wee weekend!

Selesai juga minggu UTS ini. Sebenarnya minggu UTS gak ngaruh ke gw sih. Secara di jurusan gw udah gak ada lagi yang namanya ujian. Ujian tuh pas tahun pertama doang ujian theory-theory gtu. Itu pun cuma satu atau dua pelajaran. Sisanya hanyalah tugas-tugas yang gak ada hentinya. Dan sampai detik ini pun, hanyalah deadline-deadline tugas yang selalu ada tiap minggu. Intinya ujian gak ujian, minggu-minggu gw di penuhin tugas menugas.

Dan lagi-lagi seperti biasa, kalau lagi minggu rusuh ujian begini, anak-anak design selalu aja dapet celotehan "enak yah santai, gak ada ujian, gak harus pusing-pusing belajar cuman gambar-gambar gitu". Pertamanya sih fine-fine aja, lama-lama capek juga dengerinnya *gak terima di sepelekan. Iya memang benar, justru di minggu UTS kadang-kadang malah beberapa kelas di liburkan karena biasanya satu minggu sebelum minggu ujian itu deadline projectnya. Jadi, dosen meliburkan dengan tujuan memberi kita waktu buat belajar pelajaran lain. Well, karena gw gak ambil pelajaran lain yang aneh-aneh, rada santai sih. Di samping pelajaran jurusan, gw ambil pelajaran jurusan inggris buat naikin IP. Dan juga udah eneg belajar pelajaran jurusan ama dosen orang korea. Jadi butuh refreshing dikit. Ya itung-itung, biar gak lupa juga ama bahasa inggris (udah kebanyakan bahasa yang di pelajarin). So, ujian gw hanya pelajaran inggris yang emang gak perlu belajar. Bukannya sombong, tapi walaupun pelajaran jurusan inggris, gw berasa itu pelajaran anak TK. Dengan kata lain, gampang. 

Setiap jurusan itu ada enak dan gak enaknya masing-masing. Dan menurut gw gak bisa di compare. Ya kali jurusan design ada ujiannya, soal macam apa yang akan ada di kertas ujiannya? Karena praktek, pastinya hanyalag ada project-project dibanding ujian. So, gak bisa juga di bilang enak kalau anak design gak usah pusing-pusing belajar karena kita gak ada ujian. Justru, menurut gw, anak-anak design itu lebih stres. Karena kami diharuskan untuk berkreasi, berimajinasi, sedangkan jurusan lain mengikuti teori buku (deritanya kuliah di sini adalah buku-bukunya dalam bahasa korea, jadi itu susahnya). Misalnya, betapa susahnya kami menguras otak buat mencari ide atau sebuah concept. Belum lagi nyeseknya, kalau ternyata ide atau concept tersebut ternyata udah ada yang pakai. Kami gak bisa jalan kalau concept belum fix. Dan mikirin concept itu gak segampang itu karena banyak banget hal-hal yang perlu di pertimbangkan seperti target design tersebut, sesuai dan tidak sesuainya dengan temanya, dan masih banyak lagi. Dan kalau concept udah fix, mulai lah galau-galau lain berdatangan. Contoh, warna dan font adalah galau utama gw. Walaupun pemilihan warna gw itu-itu aja, tetep aja setengah mati milih warna, bisa berjam-jam. Dan biasanya nih, besoknya pas otak udah kembali fresh lagi baru nyadar kalau pemilihan warna kemarin itu ternyata rada aneh dan jadi gak sreg. Ujung-ujungnya nyari warna lain lagi. Pemilihan font juga salah satu galau yang membutuhkan waktu lama. Entah itu besar kecil font tersebut, warna apa font tersebut, pakai huruf besar atau kecil, jarak antar kata dan huruf, dimana penempatannya, dkk. Mau font apa aja lama banget nyarinya. Udah ketemu pun, mesti di obrak-abrik lagi.

Pokoknya, memutuskan segala sesuatu hal itu pasti ada resikonya. Sama dengan halnya gw memilih design, gw tau kalau setiap minggunya bakal kebanjiran tugas. Dari awal semester sampe akhir semester pasti gak ada abisnya. Satu-satunya minggu tenang memang minggu ujian dimana orang pontang-panting bergadang belajar. Tapi di minggu biasa, merekalah yang santai dimana gw nahan ngantuk ngerjain tugas. Tapi jujur, gw gak pernah nyeloteh kenapa mereka bisa santai di minggu biasa karena gw tau semua itu ada resikonya. Gw malah bersyukur gw gak harus berkutat dengan buku-buku tebal penuh dengan tulisan bulet-bulet dan kotak-kotak. Dan kalau emang enjoy, walaupun capek pasti di bawa seneng, toh lo melakukan something that you actually love. 


October 20, 2013

A friday-like Saturday!

I know I keep saying this, but delicious (and pricey) food plus friends are always the best combination for the weekend! It was really cloudy though.



Garden Salad

Jack Daniels' Chopped Steak

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Brownie + Vanilla Icecream

with Meiska

September 22, 2013

Honey Pie

We finally had another "Outfit of the Day" shoot. We kept it simple with a "Street Style" theme. At first  we wanted to eat brunch at Cafe de Mods, but they said they're not going to have the brunch menu until next month so we ended up getting some burritos at Dos Mas. The bright side is I spent less penny for today's lunch than I would have. Seriously, I'm broke. Yet, I still had a Chocolate cafe at the Mods which tasted so much like milo. Oh and we had Honey Pie! I've never tasted anything like it before. The cream and the honey is just oh my God words can't come out. The way it crumbles in your mouth is just heavenly. I definitely recommend Mods' Honey Pie.


Finally, my tribal-ish necklace that made my neck itchy all day making its debut today!

the Honey Pie!




And voila, the outfits!






Due to the weather that is getting chillier, I ended up in bed with a headache. Although, I take it as a good thing since I'm so more than ready for fall.