"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. 

Things that have made my week

on Monday, watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

on Tuesday, watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

on Wednesday, watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

on Thursday, watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

on Friday, watched Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix

on Saturday, watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

on Sunday, watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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?".

Two Things

ONE

After having a pretty long conversation with friends about how their names are greek, it makes me want to have a greek name too. Not that I don't like my name (in fact, I wrote a whole post about how I'm amazed with my name). It's just that greek names sound really intriguingly appealing to me that eventually the idea of changing the name of this blog with a greek name came up. I then googled about the greek mythology names which I found to be a really good read. Aegle, goddess of radiant good health takes me back to the meaning of my first name. I grew fond of this word.

TWO

My middle name which means musk aroma originated from a small member of the deer family, called Moschidae. I then combine both words into one word, moschidaegle. I know it's supposed to be the other way around according to the order of my name, but I couldn't help taking the "ae" in both words making it as a conjunction. Creating words can actually be fun.

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.

The name is Saras

Apparently it runs in my blood to have random questions popping out in my head in the most unpredicted time of the day. It all started this morning at packaging design class, where I was actually working on my web design project. There's something about me and doing a certain project not in its actual class. I always seem to do that. It all depends on my mood which apparently is not always synchronized with my schedule. Staring at my logo, "What does my name actually mean?" suddenly came up in my mind.

Being the typical me, instead of ignoring the question and moving on with the project, I started googling my name. I remembered God knows when I once asked my mother what my name means. She told me "Saras" actually means mentally healthy (waras) in Javanese. Honestly, I thought she was joking (secara waras sangatlah tidak merepresentasikan gw). Yup, she jokes a lot, so I often don't really take her seriously when I really should do.

I found a fair amount of different meanings of "Saras" in different languages. It turns out my mother wasn't joking. One of the meanings, (1) mentally healthy was right. She then told me later (after I asked her again) she gave me that name hoping that I'd be in good health mentally and physically. I don't know about mentally (just kidding), but thanks God I've never been that badly sick where I had to be put in a hospital bed. And I don't wish to. The other one I found was (2) quintessence. It's from sanskrit which is originally a historical Indo-Aryan language. As a matter of fact, it is actually a classic Indian language. Another one I found from the sanskrit is, (3) pond. The Rigvedic term refers to stagnant water. I then got to know about a holy river in India named Sarasvati which is one of the main Rigvedic rivers. "Vati" means to own. So, the word "Sarasvati" signify the meaning of owning something or to have a tendency to keep flowing like water in the river. The Hindi Goddess "Sarasvati" was originally a personification of this river which has the meaning of "the source of life". 

My middle name, "Syazwina" means Kasturi (musk). As mention in the holy Quran, it is a substance with which are sealed the pure drinks of Paradise. My mother told me that it has this really good scent. Then I read somewhere that musk is to be the king of all scents. Apparently, it is that good. That makes "smell the scent of Kasturi" on the top of my bucket list. Other than its usage as a fragrance, it is also used in medicine. In that aspect, I was utterly clueless. Kasturi is also used as a detoxofier and is a potent aphrodisiac. O-kay now I'm pretty amazed. 

And finally "Salim" - my last name which happens to be my family name simply means, to be safe. 

Despite being teased as 'Saras 008' (some Indonesian girl superhero that was really popular back in the late 90s) by most Indonesians ever since I was a little whenever I introduce myself, I personally think Saras is a great name. In all my life, I've never been to a school where a lot of people named Saras can be found. Sarah and Sara are most commonly used. Thus, luckily I was always the only Saras in all the schools I've been to. Yeay to that! And currently in this campus where only 115 Indonesians can be found, I'm the only Saras in this campus. Well, who wouldn't be happy having something that only you have? Even if it's something as simply as a name.

I would like to thank my much loved parents for giving me such a great name.

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.