Life is a rollercoaster

. . . its bout being tight . . . full of rules and traps . . . you bet you could’ve had some time to breath

. . . its more horrid . . . . as if the storms had been cursed on you . . . but then, the sun suddenly shines after the storms

. . . . you’re left stranded . . . with all the sunshine . . . its turns out to be a fatamorgana . . . leaving you with nothin to do

. . . . your eyes are open to dreams . . . but thunder ripts apart and unleashes a volley of possibilities

. . . going deeper inside, questioning the truths and deceits on what may have sprouted, straightening things up one at a time

. . . face the phase of new lights, that’ll then serve to speeding up the environment and pace round us

It’s all bout shifting gears, back and forth, kicking the throttle and brakes swiftly, while thinking what needs to be finished of first . . . . as you up and downs in seconds

A waiting of the 1st year :D

Hahahahaha . . . . stessed out in work. Just spending our weekend to mybe Bandng a the farthest. You world suddenly feel dull and colored in black and white. You just then think of the time when the 1st year has passed n May later on. All the possibilities . . . all the dreams . . . all the ecstasy just flows into your bloodflow. As this title is dedicated to, lets see the places where I can go and get myself lost after quite some while . . .

1. Singapore
I know it kinda feels cliche or un nationalistic to go to this island country. But I swear that seeing some order in somewhere not Indonesian would really soothe up my mind. Besides, its only an hour away with just a few hundred thousands if u manage to get a promo ticket.

For me personally, its not bout the shopping (where most people are hyped up) nor the foods (Indonesia has better variety), its just simple talking a stroll done the roads and feel the fresh air once in a while. Not to mention stopping by any bookstore and browse for some titles that u might not see in your home city.

2. Malang
Dear sweat ngalam, never could I forget u. Despite the fact that my times in Malang so on would be li’ll bit dull since friends have scattered all over Indonesia, its always nice to come back. Feel the cool mornings and surroundings . . . it just rejuvenates your soul.

But lying in home wouldn’t be bad as there’s always something for me to do back here. It’s usually the small tiny works that are often left due to work that gets me worked up he. Oh yeah . . . there are also my “kids” waiting anxiously for me, letting me playing with them after months of absence.But most of all, its all bout seeing my family here, having a chit chat about life and all unimportant things :P.

3. Yogyakarta
Here, its obviously bout spending my time with my love. But un like usual visits, I’ld really love to go see some places outside the downtown. Even it takes to rent a vehicle, I’ld reckon it’ll be great seeing places that haven’t been visited for a long time or those that I haven’t visited yet.

4. Perth
Hahaha . . . the ultimate place to visit. Its just that I feel indebted to this city. Having the feeling to come see her every once in a while and say hello. Besides, it is this city that have brought me countless memories and experience in such a short time. Just for old times sake . . .

A week full of SHIT!!

Moanday . . . well, start of a week where things just don’t start of your way. When you have to do things against your will. Times where you just have to grumble upon the stuffs being thrown at you.

X-cuseday . . . the miserables continue . . . this time, make up some things to cover up for the mess that has happened. Be it true or false, but the world demands a scape goat or some sugarcoating for all the stains resulted.

Waitnesday . . . and all of a sudden, you’ve been left stranded longin for something you don’t even know its worth waitin for. Left behind and alone . . . . just holdin on . . . just holding on . . .

Thirstday . . . after tire waitin, your left limping and dead thirsty. Draggin your almost dead body and craving for an almost impossible oasis just for a gulp of water . . . . or maybe its just something more abstract that we are thirstful of?

Friedday . . . after being almost dead, your now hot heated being steamed to death due to the intense heat of the world that cooks you till ready to be served to those who have the heart to eat you alive . . . .

Shatteredday . . . .aaaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhh . . . . . eaten alive, next thing you’ll find is yourself shattered to piece in a “I don’t know who’s stomach is this” condition. Finding your hand, legs, head and body shattered all over the place, kind feels like you were in hell (or have we arrived there yet?)

Shunnedday . . . . Aaaahhhh . . . .last of the tortures . . . left alone in solitude in some sort of a 2mx2mx2m room . . . enough to leave you out cramped while you squeeze yourself in a miserable space

Hahahaha . . . .jangan khawatir . . . in bukan adegan film atau kejadian nyata yang gw alami. Hanya sekedar khayalan gilak bagaimana jika kita memandang tiap2 hari dengan negative thinking. Those things above might sprout in head. But please, life isn’t as miserable as what I’ve depicted :D

(Un)Wanted

Wanted? Or maybe in fact really unwanted for me . . . anyway . . . here are a list of some things, or items to be precise, that’s been bothering my mind for the past moments. As if there’s been a devil incepted to my soul, endlessly prompting me to burn my wallet and get these things . . . here they are . . . . .

1. Be Be . . . BB . . The Blackberry
Nope, it ain’t some sort of fruit or a juice. It’s nowadays one of those handheld gadgets that you see people hold in their palms every second. Basically a phone, or maybe a smart phone if you wanna keep up 2 date, but what makes it uber famous (in Indonesia) is because of its dedicated Blackberry Messenger thru a sole internet link. Why people are so drooling for this is because they say it’ll keep you in contact every mili second. Add it with a good internet line, you’re pretty much in a virtual neighborhood.

And the fact most of my mates have this puny little thingy, they keep roaring the lame fact that it’ll keep you up in the vibes. Yeah . . . like hell I’ll fall for that. But what’s really itching my mind is the undeniable fact that it gives you unlimited access to the internet (if you use a full package that is). Another thing that has really bothering my faith . . . . T_T.

Hence, up to to this very moment, I’m still clinging on to not buying that gadget. Not only do I lack the money needed so, but I also feel that my current activities haven’t called for such need. So to me . . . it’ll still be a fruit for me, just let it be :P

2. Android Smartphone
Compared to a BB, I’ld really love to buy this one. But then . . . . the lack of money forbids me so. Hahaha . . . and to make things worst, I been buying recent tabloids and magazine on cellphone, making me fantasize on having one >.<

What makes it soooo lovable. Okay . . . it features the android OS itself, which as they say, boast the flexibility to do anything to your phone (due to its linux basis). Next is the availability of having tons of software to customize your phone as you wish. What next?eeerrrr . . . . . . . . . i think its again about the techs itself, boasting the latest techs and specs with it.

But then its all a dream. Coupled with the fact that I still do love my current phone makes me thinking twice on do I really need an Android yet???


3. Credit Card
Ahaaa . . . one of those smart yet devilish cards on earth. Yes it saves you in times of empty wallet, yes it does lead you to a convenient lifestyle having many vendors and places offering discounts and cash backs if you posses a certain card, yes it does gives you the thought that you are rich, but then . . . . . . . its all just an illusion.

Its just basically a card that allows you the privilege to borrow money from your bank. But little do people nowadays realize that by possessing one, you’ld better get your cash flows on track and strict as a late payment would hit you hard wit soaring interest rates. Hence, it’ll only serve you best if you can pay your debts on time and in full payments.

In here, the problems add up, particularly coz of credit card fraud. Regardless where you use it, be it the net or in any vendors, you’re always exposed to the risk of getting your card number stolen. If so, just be prepared for some unwanted usage of your card which might prompt you to cancel your card.
End note, if you decide to have one, makes sure you can manage your money first and have a healthy lifestyle as this card could be both you saviour and devil at the same time.

4. Bigger internet access
Huaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh . . . . . . i wonder why the internet connection in Indonesia SUCKS !! Really makes me miss my times back abroad where I had an abundant amount of bandwith at my disposal T_T.

But thinking of having a bigger access would really blow my wallet. Not only that, you still suffer from the possibility that your speed is not as they promoted in the ads. Therefor, I’m again stuck on how to keep myself connected to the world.

Again, if there were one, which can be searched for, my account keeps reminding me of how low I am on my cash flow each month if I force myself >.<. Thus, its all a in the end, just a dream of something that I hope to have. Better start of by being thankfull for the things I have even though its the least rather than not having anything at all . . . . .

Heads up high

Life is as it is . . . bright . . . dull . . . dark . . .or colorful

It goes back to what glasses we use . . .

Nevertheless, our age would always be a rainbow, shining thru after the rain

They will sometimes be cold, tough, and sometimes frightening

But worry not love, you’re not alone . . . . as we humans are meant to be together

Names may be shouted on us . . . things could be thrown to faces . . . or even stabbed from behind

Fear not dear . . . believe in Karma, and let the heavens do their job, for our lives are too precious for heavens work

Pray for light and forgiveness to be bestowed upon them while we go on thru life

It’s not bout looks . . . its takes heart and mind to whether the journey thru this mundane world, as it’ll wind away and show the eternity of ones soul

Road could lead astray . . . and it would be our belief that’ll keep us on track
Heads up . . . proud enough and smile to the world, for we have got to this moment

Look ever forward . . . see the promised future that we’ve both envisioned, and race thru all things till the heaven’s ring by

Our Nexus

You laugh . . . I laugh . . .

You cry . . . I cry . . .

You moan . . . I listen . . .

You fall . . . I bring you up . . .

You share . . . we enjoy . . .

You astray . . . I remind . . .

You silence . . . I ask why?

You dream . . . we vision

You smile . . . we love . . .

Our hearts intertwined with each other, makes you also do the same with me

Thru tears, laughs and dreams we’ve shared together, we are visioning an endless nexus, unbreakable ever

The thorns would always bite us . . . but it’ll be us to tirelessly grab our hands and go thru it unscathed

It doesn’t always need logic . . . just complement it with our hearts and sense, hence countless possibilities are em bowed to us

Can’t wait to make all this official . . . waiting for the heavens to lay their greetings on us :)

The Extinct~Manga

Graphic novels . . . . or manga as they say in nihongo. I bet, every people nowadays have at least read a manga once. To good to be true, the magic of reading a manga, where you can choose your desired title, really does leave you stunned and leaving wanting to wait for the next chapter.

Practically in Indonesia, graphic novels are from Japan, the percentage is around 97% I believe. It was only recently that those from Korea and the US tried to go thru the Indonesian market offering their variety of titles and genres. Regardless so, each every one of them has their own market.

Back to myself, I can remember reading these tiny books ever since grade 3. Back then in Singapore, it was a luxury to read such books as we had to go to Indonesia to get one that was already translated in Indonesian. I remember that one of my favorite manga was one called “Kenji”. A classic title that even manga oldschoolers till now would highly regard this title due to its story and artwork.

And as I grew older, the title’s I read expanded. But it wasn’t till my Uni days that the number of titles and my enthusiasm towards manga really exploded :P. Hundreds of titles I read and more genres I enjoyed. It surely did in someway, broaden my view of what’s happening in the world in a more surreal graphically way. And it also heightened up my interest in Japanese stuffs as almost of the titles I read where from Japan.

Not only I read them in hard copy format, I also progressed on to downloading the soft copies from the internet. With the number of titles available increasing, I slowly shifted away from my regular comic rental to self picking them from the internet. Not only its cheaper, but we also get the privileged to have them straight or sooner than waiting for the official printed version in Indonesia.

But then . . . why called it extinct? Well....pretty much due to the sudden fact that I just stopped reading them for now apparent reason. To say not reading at all would be wrong cause I do read some selected titles, just for the sake of finishing them of due to their interesting story. No apparent clear reason can be found to why I just stopped suddenly. Guess it might be the thought that I had to move on in life and do something more worthwhile.

Unlike philately where it has been dead and left in the cupboards, manga isn’t total dead to me. It’s just fading away, surely for to be extinct some day in my life. Till then, just enjoy on what’s left . . . .

The Extinct~Philately

Who doesn’t know philately? For total newbies, its practically the hobby of collecting stamps and related items pertaining to it. Though it looks boring, but honestly, it is one of the few hobbies where not only you collect items, but you also get to know all new other things as you go by. This is because stamps always depict something in them which sooner or later, would tickle our curiosity to get to know something new related to their inserted illustration.

Well, that’s enough for the introduction. Let’s start of with one my extinct pet hobbies. To say extinct means that I’ve once had a good time enjoying doing this till I suddenly stopped doing so . . . .

I can’t clearly remember since when I liked stating collection these small perforated items. Guess it was around grade 5 back then in S’pore. It escalated when I moved on living in Jakarta. During these times, I continued to a more serious level by collecting other stamp related items such as FDC’s and stamp sheets. It surely cost me a lot of money, which meant I had to keep saving to be able to get the latest item each every publishing.

By collecting them, it also meant I had to hunt for items that where rare or those that I haven’t had yet back then. And not only collecting all them, but I also had to go all the excitement of carefully covering them with protective plastics to guard them from fungi before storing them in the stamp book. To sum them up, it carefully trained my attention to detail and heart to patiently saving to get new ones.

But as they say, all good things must come to an end. The same goes for philately. My entrance to uni practically robbed my time and attention to take care of my hobby. Hence, it just faded away suddenly without saying good bye.

And now . . . the years have passed since I last brought my last stamp set. Every once in a while, it does tickle me to start collecting stamps again. This nostalgic feeling sure is lovely. But I also have to be honest with myself that current conditions require me to be pragmatic and use my money for better stuffs now and later. Therefore, my dearest collections would pretty be much kept safely in my cupboard, far from light and fungi that could destroy them . . . .

Jugglin

Come on . . . who doesn’t know juggling?you know . . . those kind of things clowns throw and catch at the circuses, throwing 2 till 4 objects, catching and throwing them simultaneously in a steady rhythm. Such entertaining feat at the circuses, little known by us, is somethin, we humans, often long for in our life?

You meab we long for throw and catching items like what those clowns do???nope2 . . . nai2 . . tidak2 . . .it’s not bout the throwing, but it’s all about how we can handling various things in life in a steady rhythm, without having to break any one of what we handle. Jeeezzz...sure sounds tough eh?

Basically, its all bout multitasking. One simple word that sounds easy, but in reality, even the smartest people have a bloody hard time in dealing with this. The ability to take care, handle and think at the same time on all sorts of things in life, One would really wonder, what does it take to be able to juggle all mundane aspects in life?Is there any cheat on being able to synchronize our life?

It’s not all bout the brain . . . but does it need heart?Who knows?Even I’m pondering the answer till this very second. But one thing I feel, its as if we always need someone and or somethin to be precise, to constantly remind us, of what has to be shifted, back and forth, to get our life in shape.

That certain something . . . or someone, is the very fact that we humans, cannot live by ourselves. Our weak and mundane existence shall always call for a reminder, so we know that there are things that we need to take care of and not just think of ourselves.

Its the very harmony of ones self and other to be able to juggle all the things we face in life. Be it seen or not, one must be ready to face all things together . . .

Memelihara Nikmat Terbaik

Always . . . repeating as it does . . yet I seem to fail to learn and stand up again . . . this condition surely shows my ineptness and disregard to live up and guard my health . . . one things that has been constantly laggin my daily activities.

I’ve really wondered what keeps me behind in terms of health and stamina. Memory brings me back to around my high school days. It seems that I always get a streak of common cold every once a year. Things go worse for me on my college years. My bronchitis suddenly went on a rampage, striking me even more every year, limping me as I struggle on to keep up with my studies and my body.

I remember, it was around the end of my bachelor times that I finally got he guts to have some time of my own to start of some joggin session. Though it started slow, I managed to pile it up with some body building and more physical sessions. Even though it all seemed to not have an effect to my outer appearance of my body, I felt the subtle change that my stamina did seem to last a bit longer. Little that I realized that I still had to add em up with a better eating diet. But these enlightenment had to wait till my times down under.

Down under, some way or another, I thought I had to do somethin to keep my health top notch. Otherwise, I might be ending myself frequently visiting the health service center and my local drugstore for being occupied by endless sickness. Lucky enough, my schedules and the meals really did support me to have a better physical exercise and diet. Things finally did show results at the end of my first semester, I really did see a physical difference on my body. Furthermore, I also sensed myself being healthier than before, despite having a common cold once that semester.

Then again, what made my physical appearance and health change was the fact that mos of my times were filled up with physical activities, namely my work in the butcher and cycling everywhere wih ma bike. With all this during the next 1,5 years later on, I guess that what made my health pretty much in top notch condition through out my years down under. Add’em up with meals that seem to have lesser fat and more protein, I seem to enjoy myself for being in my prime time.

Anyway, all good things must come to an end. So does my time there. Then again, I didn't have to wait long to get sick soon as I was suddenly struck with a diarrhea days after I landed in Jakarta. Done with that, I thought to keep my body in shape by exercising every day til also fill up my days waiting for a definite job to come. One thing that I noticed, even though I seem to keep up with my exercise regime, my body was slowly gaining weight. I guess thats all coz of the meal intake here in Indo as they obviously are more dense in fat and cholesterol.

With the coming of a definite job, my heart was once again at ease. But then again, it was another start of a roller coaster as I started to maintain my health and start of a binge eating at the training site. Coupled with the lack of proper exercise and spartaneous work loads when deployment came, I finally succumbed to typhoid symptom >.< . The first in the last 3 years, this really stroke me hard. Ever since, I started to think about how I should properly keep up with my health as the workload seem to be never ending spartaneous.

But then, new deployment comes, and there I go . . . back to square one again. This time, I’ve been already struck with double absent ism due to common cold. In terms of the illness, it’s a better thing since its just a common cold compared to the previous. But in terms of health, I’m not progressing. With the upcoming works and deployments still unknown, I’ve gotta start off proving that I don’t seem wimpy and weak. Something must be DONE !!!

Hence, my mind has been pretty much occupied with ideas and concrete brainstorming on how to mitigate such things to happen again. Till now, I’ve come up with some sort of personal doctrine, which involves the need to keep up with my exercise and maintain it with proper supplements as well maintaining a balanced diet. As for supplements, I guess a twice a day intake of honey with be a must, a daily intake of milk and multivtamins at the morning and ginger aile with eucalyptus ointment when nite falls. Most of all, I really gotta start setting myself to do some daily workouts. At first, I guess I’m gonna start of low by walking round the apartment. I’m also thinking to buy a bike, But I guess that’s gonna wait till my monies allow me to do so.

As for now, I’lbetter get myself in goo shape ASAP as I’ve only 1 more day to recover before returning to the hell of office work. Jya ne . . . .

Draggin ma feet

Just realized it’s been almost a month since the last time I wrote somethin. My guess was around before Eid. If that’s so then gotta say Happy Eid Mubarak (masih sempet ngga’ ya :P ?). A month . . a whole lot of things have passed . . . its just a few weeks ago . . . but already seemed like a year ago.

I guess I’ll pick up before Eid. The aura in the office was already full of vacation leave. Luckily transactions followed suit around those days, so we were pretty much left with plenty of time to enjoy work. It was also during these times that we finally could go home on time !! :D. As we were meant to go home on 16.30, reality really bites for not able to do so. Thanks to the japs that really make life hard for socializing . . . .

Though it was a happy time that I could finally enjoy my Eid @ home after 2 years doing it abroad, the sensation was already different. I now had to do it in time constraints as collective leave was only given for 5 days. That equates to 4 days to me since I had to go back earlier due to the unluckiness of getting a ticket a day quicker than supposed to be. Though short, I just had to make the best of things, from seeing relatives to my girl.

My free day in Jakarta had to be filled up properly. But the word “properly” still means I have to do some left over home chores. So . . . before lingering round the city alone, some washing & cleaning had to be settled first. Cruising round the city, it sure was pleasant to enjoy the roads of Jakarta when most of its citizens are on leave to their home/ancestral towns. Wished things were always like this . . . .

But work called and there I was back again on my desk. This time, my final week in the FRD. Though things were still slow due to the vacation, I had to patch things up for my upcoming presentation and the transition to the next department. All those rounds of things really left my body kinda low on blood. Literally, I was already starting to drag my body around.

The next week, I was already on the credit service department. And as my previous mentor said, It’s not about the quantity here . . . it’s more on the quality side. The work gets more and more tedious with piles of paper work to finish of each every end of the day. There was almost one day that I even really felt I was literally already drowning inside the papers :-S.

With a shortage of workers and the rising pile of workload due to EoM . . . . . things were really gettin worst. I really made one cancellation and caused another one for my workmate. Not a really good thing to do while I’m still starting to get myself settled in the new dept. But really . . . . . with all those + the lack of proper health and stamina, working lately has really been a bloody struggle for me. Going back home really means just laying my back on the bed as I almost have literally no energy at all to do something worthwhile . . . Life has been degraded to just waiting for weekend to come and catch up with the missed sleep that have passed.

As things would still continue on . . . . with worsen conditions to expect, guess the only thing left is to drag my feet quicker and quicker to catch up with the pace of others . . . . . . . . .

I wish . . . . .

I wish…langit jakarta biru cerah tanpa polusi penuh timbal . . . I wish…jalanan jakarta lengang tanpa adanya kemacetan parah yang membuat dir ita di jalan . . . I wish…jakarta tidak sumpek dengan mal yang bikin hidup semakin hedon . . . . I wish…transportasi umum di jakarta punya rute lengkap nan terintegrasi . . . . I wish….jakarta penuh dengan taman tempat keluarga bercengkrama dan bermain secara alami . . . . I wish….jakarta tidak pernah banjir tiap tahunnya palagi 5 tahunan . . . . I wish….I wish….I wish ………

Macet sampe mencreeeettttttttt . . . . .

G tau apa yang bikin aq ngebet banget pengen nulis ini . . . rasanya emang kejengkelanku akan macetnya Jakarta dah sampe ubun. I know bukan aku saja yang ngerasa demikian, I bet there’s millions. But the thing is, does anyone know how to settle such things that even the so called people who think and have the required capability and knowledge do so? Well . . . in this short writing, I’ld like to share a bit of my mind on how to settle the problems of traffic congestions in Jakarta. I know it might not please some people . . . but then . . . it’s worth a try ;)

1. Pemutihan SIM

Kenapa aku berpikir ini adalah hal yang bisa dilakukan adalah karena berangkat dari beberapa fakta bahwa jumlah pengendara bermotor baik roda 2 ataupun 4 sudah sungguh banyak. Dan bagi yang tiap harinya bergelut di jalan raya mengemudikan kendaraannya pasti akan sedikit banyak terheran-heran dan kegeregetan dan tingkah laku dan sikap berkendara dari beberapa jika tidak sebagian besar pengendara yang tidak kenal sopan santun dan etika.

Hal ini aku pikir berangkat dari kesalahan di awal pengurusan SIM yang kalau kita mau jujur mengakui . . . amat sangat mudah untuk didapat. Ayolah . . . mari kita sama2 tidak munafik. Jika kita inget ketika kita mengurus SIM, akan kita dapati betapa mudahnya dan simple syarat yang harus dipenuhi (padahal ini saja masih ngurus sendiri dan engga’ pake calo). Cukup memenuhi syarat administrative dan ujian tertulis . . . nunggu . . . dan voila !! You’ve just got a driving license and ready to roll the streets of Indonesia >:).

But wait . . . masa engga’ ada tes praktek :-/ ??? Theoretically there should be one, namun fakta di lapangan berbicara bahwa hal ini tidak pernah dilakukan oleh polisi yang menguji kita. Bagi mereka, cukuplah mereka tahu bahwa kita bisa dan tahu cara membawa kendaraan secara mendasar. Apakah hal ini cukup? I don’t think so . . . coz it’s not just a matter of able to drive, but also a matter of how to act and behave on the street when driving. And to be honest, i really think most drivers in Indonesia do lack this basic knowledge and ability to behave appropriately and courteously. They might be good drivers in terms of skill but speaking of acting politely? We’re just mere noobs T.T

Karena inilah, saya fikir bahwa perlu diadakan pemutihan SIM untuk menyaring kembali siapa2 saja yang bener2 layak tuk mengemudikan kendaraan dengan kemampuan mendasar mengemudi yang mumpuni sekaligus sopan dan bertata krama. Jika dilakukan, perkiraan pribadiku sih mengatakan g bakal ada 20% dari total pemilik SIM (semua jenis) yang bener2 layak memiliki SIM. Lumayanlah kalo begini, tentu jalanan2 di Indo akan sedikit lebih sepi dan para pengendara lebih sopan di jalan :D.

2. Pembenahan dan penambahan transportasi massal

As for this part, it’s not just about repairing and adding, it’s also about providing mass transportation that suits all kind of people regardless of their class. Jika kita liat fakta yang ada tentang transportasi massal di Indonesia, sebenarnya sudah ada langkah2 perbaikan dan pembenahan (walo mungkin masih bisa dikatakan tambah sulam solusinya >_>). Hanya saja, sepertinya kok yang naik transportasi massal g pernah yang dari golongan “the have” ato para pemakai dasi nan berjas? Padahal golongan2 ini saja di luar negeri sangat mau dan lebih prefer menggunakan transportasi umum daripada menaiki kendaraan pribadi mereka yang cozy.

Ada gerangan apakah . . . hmmmm . . . Well, i think it all has to do with another fact that the public transportation in Indonesia are pretty much lousy and has a low class look to it. Add them up with the condition that they are frequently late and overcrowded; no wonder high class people get an ill feeling to ride them.
That’s one thing, but there are also many subsets of public transportation that needs to be mended. Aspects such as integration of every transportation mode, punctuality, infrastructure building and funding (and all other factors that I might have forgot or mentioned) all play a vital role in enabling a good and suitable public transportation mode to go on track.

3. Law Enforcement

Huehehehe . . . ok . . sapa yang pernah ditawari damai ma polisi ketika kita melakukan pelanggaran? Atau jangan2 kita malah yang ngajak polisi damai :P ? Terlepas siapa mengajak siapa, yang jelas sudah jadi rahasia umum bahwa penegakan hukum untuk pelanggaran lalu lintas di jalan bisa dikatakan masih belum bisa membuat pelanggar2 jera. Seringkali banyak pelanggaran (ok . . . try to list some of them, I’m just tired to do so xP) terjadi di jalanan tapi polisi malah membiarkannya.

Entah karena kurang berani, kurang personel, kurang alat pendukung, atau kurang . . . . yang jelas hal ini masih menjadi salah satu hal pendukung tertibnya lalu lintas yang dirasa masih kurang. Yang ada juga adalah kenyataan bahwa polisi (bersama pemerintah) baru melakukan tindakan nyata setelah terjadi suatu peristiwa yang memakan korban jiwa atau menimbulkan kerusakan umum yang sangat parah. Jika demikian, tampak nyatalah bagaimana reaktifnya aparat polisi kita >.<

Sekedar saran sih . . . alangkah baiknya jika polisi juga terus dan terus mengampanyekan langkah2 preventif meminimalisir pelanggaran sehingga kemacetan dapat dicegah. Unless Indonesian people are already out of their minds, I’m sure the police can play their role in helping threading out traffic congestions ;)

4. Perangkat hukum

Terkait dengan poin sebelumnya diatas . . . perangkat hukum kita juga sepertinya juga masih keteteran tuk memberikan efek jera sekaligus tidak bisa mendukung terciptanya terobosan2 baru dalam terciptanya kelancaran lalu lintas. Entah karena apa ya . . . pemerintah kita kok kesannya lambat nan lelet tuk memberikan paying hukum yang memadai hiks...hiks...hiks... T_T

5. Political goodwill

Menjawab permasalahan poin diatas, nampaklah nyata kenapa pemerintah lelet. G lebih karena kurangnya niat dan keberanian mereka tuk menerapkan hukum yang jelas dan tegas demi terciptanya kondisi lalu lintas yang lancar dan kondusif. Kalopun ada niat baik dari pemerintah . . . lagi2 niat yang ada hanyalah bersifat tambal sulam dan tidak komprehensif menyangkut berbagai aspek yang terkait. Jadinya . . . seringkali beberapa pihak merasa diuntungkan, beberapa yang lain menolak dengan keras . . . beberapa saat kemacetan reda . . . namun beberapa saat kemudian menjadi macet dan tambah paraaaahhh . . . :(

6. Car producers

On this part . . . I’m quite ambivalent to say whether car producers have a role or not in making ou traffic congestion problems worst or not :-?. But, we just cannot deny the fact that Indonesia as one of the largest market for car producers, also contribute to the rising increase in car usage, especially on an individual level. Ditambah lagi dengan semakin dimudahkannya kepemilikan mobil beserta cara pembayarannya, rasanya membeli mobil sekarang dah seperti beli kacang goreng.

Rasanya ini dululah tuk sementara. Aku tahu bahwa isi tulisanku ini masihlah dangkal tuk bener2 menyatakan satu per satu sebab kemacetan. Tapi ya namanya juga isi hati yang jengkel atas kemacetan (terutama di Jakarta) jadinya ya terciptalah notes/blog ini. I bet there are other ingineous minds out there that can help and try to solve one of Indonesia’s worst problems. Feel free to comment ya ;)

Music Memories (Part 2)

1. Sparkling

One thing that always caughts me when listening to this song is how I first started to gain my own money by working part time as a butcher. In the midst of studying hard, this moment was a breakthrough to me as it challenged myself to do better and more. It also reminded me of the times when I had the spark of attraction to the opposite after quite some while.

2. My Heart Draws A Dream

Masa ketika sedang nganggur2nya setelah usai kuliah S1 . . . yang aku inget pasti bahwa ni lagu kluar pas ketika bulan ramadhan, ketika aku, adhi n nandar mari cangkruk’an ning mc D bengi2 :P. Yang pasti, ni lagu juga semakin membuat niatku kukuh tuk menjalani S2 di ozzy beberapa bulan usai ini 

3. Eien

One klip from BoA yang akhirnya menampilkan dansa yang cukup rumit bagiku. Keluar di awal bulan februari 2009, entah kenapa liriknya ketika itu bener2 mencerminkan kegalauan hatiku atas suatu hal yang tidak bisa kucapai. But now . . . it’s really just about the dances that inspires me and how that memory led on to a whole new eternity for me now ;)

MY 5 BEST GUNDAM MECHA’S

1. WING ZERO CUSTOM (XXXG - 00W0)

This mecha is nothing short of one word . . . BADASS!! And it really does live up to its name. The ability to bust up one space colony makes it pretty much overpowered. But that’s why I like it soooooo much :D. Not to mention its angel like wings make it a perfect gundam who can whip up the enemy frontline with a angelic look but devastating result :)). Too bad, the story of this mecha didn’t live long. But its legacy as one of the strongest gundam’s live on ;).

2. HI NU GUNDAM (RX-93-2)

This cool gundam could count as one of the best out there. It even inspired the making of Strike Freedom for the SEED series. With the best newtype pilot out there, it sure had a name for it self. The only shortback is that this mecha never really made it to the animation line as it was only depicted in the novel. Nevertheless, even thru the writing itself we can know the sheer power and ability of what this gundam can do >:).

3. 00 RAISER GUNDAM (GN-0000+0 RAISER)

I’ld say the series itself was a breakthrough in terms of story and design. Though it ended up not as what the series started in a hype as expected, this series to me rolled out one of the best designs and gundam to date. With all the techs and specs in it, it surely turned out to be one devastating weapon for a lad who turned out to be the first pure innovator. This in the end abled the mecha to unleash its full potential in battle. I’m hoping how it’s successor the 00 Qan[T] would carry on this mecha’s legacy :-?.

4. ZETA GUNDAM (MSZ-006)

Ok . . . . this might not be one of the strongest out there in terms of strength and firepower. But why I chose this was because this mecha is a breakthrough !! The first transformable gundam led to a huge series of transformable lines later on. In other words . . . its sort of a gran pa for the transforming gundams :D.

5. UNICORN GUNDAM (RX-0)

What took my attention of this gundam is its hidden mode underneath its skin. Though I’ve yet to see what this mecha can do more in the upcoming OVA’s, I’m already pretty much impressed by its design and potential strength that it poses due to the NT System it boasts. One last thing . . . it’s finally a UC mecha! The first one after ages . . . really an oldschool one :D.

The sky is your limit . . .

A really hard month . . . one tough month to be precise. Even though had my birthday at this month, it turned out to be one bloody and messy month in the end. Not to mention all these came during the holy month of Ramadhan (1st one in Indo after 2 years :D ). Hence, I felt that I’ve been pushed to the limits by the heavens both physically and mentally.

After novusland, more work was awaiting us. It wasn’t long after this that I got transferred to another unit within my ongoing department. As things looked easy before, things turned out hellish for the next couple of weeks. A series of faults, mistakes and errors in my work raised an alarm from other co-workers. This caused myself to be under scrutiny for my ability to do things correctly and timely.

It wasn’t bout work solely that made me into this. A volley of of work stuffs like preparing the TRP ifthtar, relationship quarrels and the decrease in body fitness and stamina added up to all the mess. On a physical side, I’ve already lost a whopping 6 kg in a mere 3 weeks (still counting) during fasting. Not to mention losing a couple of mL’s of blood due to frequent nosebleeds. Mentally? bloody tired and drained would be two words to help describe my condition.

When I thought all hell would be unleashed at me during this holy month, I then realized, it is at this very moments that my patience, firmness and consciousness is put to the ultimate test. I might be able to say such things rite now since the storm that I’ve been going thru has pretty much weathered away. But if I look back 3 weeks ago . . . damn . . . things were so low and poor for me. I even failed to think properly and calmly due to all the hectic and mess caused.

But what really caused me to do so? Ineptness to listen and implement given solutions would be one cause. My nature of listening things first while needing to internalize it later on seemed to not work and be accepted in the work place at they demanded quick and thorough response. And that gave me one punch. One more things was the lacking of anger and emotion venting for myself. It might sound stupid, but the ongoing pile of stress and workload also forced me for the need to vent out all negative excess emotions in myself in good and healthy manner . . . which I was obviously low on . . . . T_T

Therefore, with the slightest will to settle things, I embarked on a 2 day therapy session with my sweet psychologist to help me weather things up. In some ways it work but id does need more practice and patience. Another things is to keep my ears and heart open to new and constant critic from anyone. It’s not like my ability to mess things up was given in the first place, it was just about how I haven’t harnessed my potentials and even ended up neglecting myself.

Speaking of potentials, a small chat with my work mentor gave a little bit of flashback on how I’ve been neglecting my potentials and leaving them away unharnessed. When she asked how I would put my right and left arm together, she said that my position ended up with myself as someone who has high potentials in art . . . ART???? AAARRRTTTTTT???? Huahahahahaha . . . . . seriously . . . I was laughing in my heart when I heard this. Why coz I really do suck in this area. Even though I did learn the piano and painting when I was young, it never ever did any result nor caught my firm passion. Even if there was one art that I really put my passion to was martial arts.

However, things gave a turn when I told this to my mentor. She said that all my experiences were a waste since they had to stop at such early levels. I do admit so. And then she continued on that even such experience shows that I do have the potential to excel in arts. I just have to put more time, effort and passion in learning to do so. It’s such a waste to not let my experience continue on in these areas as all I needed was a little more effort and practice. Well . . well . . .well . . . that was one life lecture that really hit me. And I have to be honest that she was right on the spot.

With this, I was then left wondering, have I been neglecting a whole lot of things in my life where I actually could have been good at? Have I not given my 100% in all areas of my life?If the sky is my limit . . . than what means must I take to reach the sky??

PS : Why do I wonder that I end up with more and more answers :P

Learning . . . . BREEEAAAAKKKKK !!!!

AAaaarrrrgghhhhh . . . patah seakan patah beneran . . . the visit back to novus back was somehow .......errrrrrrrrrrrrr . . . emotionally drainful. With the hopes of simply rejuvenating myself . . . i guess i had put too much hopes on this visit.

I don’t know why at first . . . but slowly as the days past, i couldn’t deny the feeling that there was something wrong with me. It slowly started as a subtle sign of loneliness . . . withdrawal and tiredness. But i guess it took me almost the whole journey there to finally understand whats lingering inside me.
Side effects anyone?surely there was . . . and it almost came out really nasty as I felt the urge to suddenly punch someone in the face or even take a cigarette. Luckily neither was done, but those signs finally gave me the kickback that there was definitely something bad on me. And I had to do something soon at least to not let someone else hurt.

Why it happen. If u ask for a root, then i guess i’m kinda feelin fed up with all the routines around me. As u know from previous blogs, having “my” time lately has been really hard. Your life has been like a piece of cake, being sliced and given to other people leaving only nothing or at least a small portion for yourself. Good thing for others as they get to know u more, but for me . . . hmmppfff . . . can’t really say anything.

What can I say now is that I wanna keep a distance from the others for the moment, try to find back my lost soul and preserving what’s left of my sanity. One thing is for sure, the learning break did manage to break my mind into pieces. Good thing for me, it did kinda leave my head in a somewhat fragmented brain, making me into some kind of limbo. Gotta get back to my reality as life is to short to keep myself occupied in my breakness . . . .

Taking a toll. . .

Darn . . . tanpa kuduga kerja ini pada akhirnya membawa dampak yang tidak kusangka . . . gejala tipes ringan yang pada akhirnya memaksaku tuk istirahat 2 hari. Gara2 aku juga sih g segera memeriksakan batukku ke dokter seusai dari Novus. Jadinya kaya gini deh . . . Sekarang sih dah mendingan. But really, i need to boost my stamina as other busy things are waiting me to do.

Kerjapun demikian, semakin hari semakin memuncak kesibukannya. Dan hal ini jujur saja membuat diri ini terlena dan melupakan hal2 lain yang justru membuatkan sadar tuk kembali menapakkan kaki ke bumi. Things like reading . . . watching movies alone and writing has really been a luxurious thing for me to do lately. Such things that keeps my sanity in place is now being slowly eroded from the palm of my hands. It seems the next couple of weeks would be my struggle to take and fight back slowly my precious activities. If not, I might not end up not being myself. Just a mere self in a soulless fleshed container being a puppet of the surroundings.

And now with the BSMR gone, I’d really like to start do so. Try to find back my rhythm. Like it or not, it seems solitude has really been my best companion in one way or another as it is thru solitariness that I can gain a peace of mind of things thats strangles me. But then . . . this to . . . is one of the most things that is being taken away from me . . .

Alon alon asal kelakon . . . better i thing rather than taking a toll but it would just hurt me in the end . . .

Now . . . .

I can't stop melting from your kisses

I can't be mute when you're speaking

I can't stop longing for your hugs

I can't be blind upon your looks

but most of all . . .

I cannot deny on your gracefulness :)

Then . . . .

Dear . . . did you ever realize how lucky I am? For knowing and getting to know you . . .

For once ago . . . just seeing your photo was just ordinary . . . and now it feels so extraordinary

On hearing your name was then normal, now . . . it has made me above normal

As then I was hard ice . . . now I slowly melt upon you

And how you change me from extreme to modesty

And now . . . .

Music Memories (Part 1)

When i go thru the playlist of my iPod, same as it may be over the times, it always delivers the moments and images of life’s history. Reliving and reminiscing . . . I’ll slowly start a list of what says what ;)

1. Jojoshi . . . one of laruku’s best ballad 4 me ;). What’s special from this ballad is the sheer feeling of serenity and flowing passion of love. It brings me back on my bachelor days, still young and naive and at the very start of listening to larc’s song. I was damn intrigued by the lyrics which I knew was romantic and lyricfull. The sense of everlasting care despite the changing seasons 

2. Nanairo no Ashita~brand new beat . . . One of BoA’s songs that has the best dances. It reminds me of my time of slumber and finding of meaning in the early 2006s. With its cheerful lyrics and dances, it was able to inspire me through the times of lonliness back then.

3. No.1 . . . the one song from BoA that really hooked me up. Started from a mere coincidence of helping my brotha . . . it was me who in fact got mesmerized by the upbeat and flowing color of this song. Addig the PV, it really left itself in my playlist and to always remind me of letting someone to be always my No.1 ;)

4. When You Say Nothing At All . . . a song from my early high school times. The thought of this song back then was how letting the sense of silence with our loved ones enabled the progress of even better understanding each other. You don’t have to talk too much, just let your hearts to listen to each other and feel how serenity can help heal and bond.

5. Drink It Down . . . one of the rockiest songs I’ve heard till now . . . still....courtesy of larc. It gave me the thought of hitting everything in my way back then when I was still putting my foundation on studies in Perth. To drink down every suffer, pain and discontent, that lead me to focus my thoughts on study which Alhamdulillah succeeded.

That’ll be all for now. I’ll be sure to make a continuation of this as there ae plenty more to write down to. Jya ne ;)

Young Dreams

Ever remember what you wanted to be when you were a child? Those young and cheerful days where you would just sprout out innocent wishes of we would like to be once grown up. The endless imagination and hopes of a certain someone and something to become. And yet, once grown up, have we yet bothered to look back and see what we yearned of back in those youthful days?

For such thing personally, it just gives me the smiles and giggles on what happened back then. It certainly was a time that all our wants were based on what we liked and mostly exposed to back then. The earliest thing that I could remember was wanting to be an astronaut :D. Why such the lavish yet almost impossible feat that even an Indonesian couldn’t achieve until now? I guess it was all due to my fascination of space and all its celestial objects that prompted me to dream of being the certain person to be able to see them directly in the space up there in the sky.

Upon this dream, I guess the closest step for me was when I went to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida way back then when I was a kid around 1991-1992. The sheer excitement to come and see for yourself, how all the well known gadgets and instruments on space exploration were put to exhibit in that place. It really put me in a surreal feeling as if your one of those people that really did go up in space.
And as you grow up upon the years, things changes and dreams also follow forth. My next things to be was pretty much simple . . . to be a postman :P. After the highs, now all I wanted to be was way down in the earths. Again . . . naze? This one was just merely because at that time I was infuriated with philately aKa stamp collecting. My simple thought was if I would be working as a post officer, I would get easy access to stamps anywhere and everywhere :)). Pretty lame reason but hey, It’s just a memory to be remembered. In terms of a hobby, I also would think that this hobby is one of the ones I’ve maintain for quite some time before letting it go for something else. I also sometimes feel the tickle in myself to come back and mingle again with those objects even until now since it really leaves me the sense of nostalgic when I reminisce back on hunting and collecting new and old stamps ;)).

After this point onwards, I guess it was a period of void and vacancy of hobbies and dreams. The need of pragmatism and daily I think crumbled my dreams to be something. Even when I still wanted one to be, It would have to be something more realistic and achievable in my state as I grew older. I guess that’s one phase that would eventually happen to someone once you age and reach the step of maturity. Innocent dreams change to pragmatic and often dull wishes, leaving out the youthful passion of something happy to become. If this is the case, one would wonder why such thing often happens to ones life.

As far as I would be concerned, it might be the constant exposure to the cruel reality outside, how you would face them yet struggling to maintain the innocence of ones dream. Such thing wouldn’t be an easy journey as life is cruel and would eat up your very virtue on something. I too have experienced it. It might sound sad doing so, but never I have regretted the process as I believed it was something that would lead myself to something newer too. Personally, it was just a matter of letting things flow. The only thing that changed was the fact that I slowly realized that . . . my life was almost left dreamless, living as a drone that was told to be.

Stop for a while, look back and start envisioning the future that was something that I had to do sooner or later I thought, and honestly, it wasn’t an easy, not to say a pleasant process. I had to compromise most of the things I’ve gone through and yet, keeping myself to be let astray by this world. When did this happen, I guess sometime in the midst of Perthian lands just a couple of years ago. Needless to say, I have to be grateful for this process, since it has enlightened and matured me to some extent. It was from this point onwards that I finally realized the places that I can be and could go. If I look back at my past standards, it wouldn’t be one fulfilling thing, but rest assured, I still believe it would be something that lead me to something I would finally yearn and proud of. The humble desire to just come back to earth and submit yourself towards the modest dream of devoting life to religiousness. Upon this final dream, all I can say is Amin Ya Allah Ya Rabb. It might now match to what I’m coming to become, but that’s the only innocence inside me that’s left to keep and dream of . . .

Early Last Year ~ Like Father . . . Like Son

Okok . . . you all might be wondering, why would I again, bring this period up. I do personally understand and remember that this time of my life was pretty much devastating. Not only on a personal level but also caused some fundamental changes to my way of thinking. But that is why then again I would like to bring it up again as there were many things unexplored in terms of what changed.

On a trivial and observable level, the changes that happened included my sudden change on not reading manga’s on a routine scale and getting a girlfriend. But some subtle changes did in fact happen to me. Changes that involved how I saw myself and in relation to my closest people around me.
The realization mostly happened due to my increasing interaction with my parents these past couple of months since that time. It couldn’t be helped, for I haven’t been living together properly as a family since the past couple of years since I was sent to Malang. During these times, I realized some things about how I am and been doing things.

Simple facts like my forgetfulness, inability to be intuitive and most of all, my ineptness in basic social communication were revealed. Ever since, I have been always trying my best to improve and excel in those areas where I lack. Still progressing slowly and the fruits of success are showing. However, the rest of the revelations are mostly related on a DNA level.

What I meant above is the fact that most of my traits are traits that I inherited from my father. Hahaha . . . honestly the last person I would be and now, I just realized that I indeed inherit most of my father’s traits, good and bad. Not in terms of traits, but currently, I’m also in the verge of also following the footsteps of my father’s career . . . a banker literally . . .

There’s a saying, the harder you dislike something, the harder it’ll hit back and return to you. Well, I guess that’s what happening to me rite now. Why I said he’s the last person I’d be cause I still can remember how my father’s trait has caused me mental hardships all these times. But then again, I also cannot deny that my recent success in study also happened due to the fact that I adopted most of my father’s tricks and traits in studying.

But then again, my girl once said to me, you’ve gotta let go of those hatred and disdain feelings, and embrace the fact of who you are. Only then that you will be able to excel far beyond your heritage. I guess that’s how I should put things rite now. Besides, I’m just feeling too old far a quarrel. I’ve been thinking, better to harness those given facts to the best of my advantage and make truce with past (which is with my dad).

Hence, here I am now, being the almost complete shadow of my dad. Nevertheless how facts may be, I still yearn to be someone different. Regardless so, seems I have to harness what’s already given in my DNA. I may have gained my masters, but in terms of life, I guess I have to admit that I need to learn a lot from my dad.

Ichi nen ato de . . . .

Ichi nen no mae ni . . . I made you speechless with my confession of love

Clueless of how it might end up . . . you sincerely accepted as things were

Since, we started low but sure, regardless of the thousands of miles that separated

Like rubber, I would bounce back to your place every once in a while when possible, just to fulfill the feelings of longing and seeing

As promised, we would get closer as life grew older, but the snailish pace can do sometimes feel slow

But hey, why bother or sad? Once we reminisce back, proud we are that we have made, a small yet fundamental milestone for each one of us :)

And as the days passes onwards, I can slowly feel and see, that our dreams are slowly manifesting, to what we both vibrated, hoped, yearned and visioned together.

Hence, as the numbers tingle back to the same one last year, I can only say thank you for everything until this moment, never stop or tired to together grasp the moment that we we will forever be united

Indeed, the road is still tough, but hey, as long as it's with you, I believe we can achieve it, not half and half :P, but together . . . body and soul ;)

Though my body is far, my soul is with you

Though our eyes are different, we envision the same things

Though our hearts are separated, we vibrate the same resonance

Together >:D< . . . Happy :) . . . Resonating ;). . . Vibrant ;)) . . . Understanding :D . . . Caring ;;) . . and Loving :*

Anyway . . . By The Way . . . Busway . . .

Sudah minggu keempatku dsini, mulai pelan2 menghayati pengalaman tinggal di jakarte (kaya P4 jaman dlu aja :P). Dan sebagai awal tk mengenal kota yang dahulu pernah cukup lama kutinggali, harus dimulai dengan mengenal lebih dekat jalur2 transportasi. As u know . . .transportasi merupakan life line bagi kota sebesar Jakarta, so selagi belum punya kendaraan pribadi, it is worth knowing the various routes and transport methods inside this mega city.

Dibandingkan 10 tahun lalu aja, Jakarta alhamdulillah telah tambah macet (lho kok malah disukurin sih >.<). Oleh karena itu, pemda DKI telah timbul suatu ide bagus beberapa tahun terakhir yakni dengan membangun suatu jaringan transportasi yang dinamakan dengan busway. Ide ini diambil dari cara serupa di Negara Bolivia nun jauh di sebarang samudera. Konon katanya disana dengan adanya hal ini, jalan2 kagak macet. Dan diharapkan….mantera penerapan metode ini akan bisa membuat Jakarta bebas macet :P.

Well . . . pertama2 emang sih busway ini keliatan mantap. But as things go on at the first place in this country, things get worst as time passes by. Walo dalam tahun2 berikutnya jalur busway telah ditambah berikut dengan armadanya, sepertinya kemacetan tetap menghantui ibukota negeri tercinta ini. Dengan pengamatan sekilas, selain masalah tidak berkurangnya kemacetan, sepertinya ada beberapa aspek lain yang bisa ditelaah dibalik kegagalan yang ada.

Dari yang bisa kulihat, ide melepas harga tiket dengan nilai awal Rp 3.500 terkesan . . . wow…murang banget ciiiinnggggg xD, dan itu tetap berlaku sekalipun pindah koridor2 lain di Jakarta. In other words, hanya berbekal 3500 kita bisa bebas keliling Jakarta hanya dengan busway sodara2. Dan Pemda DKI akan memberikan diskon sehingga harga jadi Rp2000 apabila kita mau berangkata antara jam 5 sampe 7 pagi x).

Namun demikian, disinilah juga mulai salah satu masalahnya. Dengan harga flat segitu, bisa dikatakan pemda DKI nombok membiayai tiket2 itu. Apalagi banyak penumpang yang ternyata suka pindah2 koridor. So . . . jadilah mereka berpikir tuk menaikkan harga ato mengubah skema harganya (demikianlah rumor2 terbaru yang didengar) untuk menaikkan pendapatan mereka yang tergerus oleh semakin banyaknya free rider yang suka pindah koridor.

Next, ternyata emang seiring waktu, mutu layanan dari busway ini sendiri mengalami degradasi yang cukup mengganggu. Sekalipun seiring bergantinya tahun, koridor2 baru dibuka, sayangnya hal ini tidak diimbangi pula dengan peningkatan layanan bus itu sendiri dengan segala tetek bengeknya. Contoh yang bisa kita ambil adalah bahwa jalur2 busway masih sering diserobot oleh kendaraan2 yang tidak semestinya. Hal ini membuat lama tempuh busway menjadi semakin lama dan tidak nyaman karena tetap terjebak kemacetan kota ini.

Berikutnya, fasilitas dari busway itu sendiri seperti bus dan haltenya, bisa dikatakan jauh dari rasa nyaman yang membuat segenap penduduk kota ini mau berpindah ke fasilitas busway. Hawa panas dan masih seringnya fasilitas busway diserobot para PKL, pengemis, pengamen menjadi salah satu dari sekian banyak ketidaknyamanan yang kerap kita rasakan dalam penggunaan busway.

On an other perspective outside of what the busway’s have to offer, the lack of private transportation limitation is also a crucial cause of why people still can use their own cars freely. IMO, there should be some sort of levy or tax for any car ownage. The money earned can be put to develop better and comfortable public transportation. This would also discourage people on wanting to have more and more private cars. If the numbers of private cars ownings are not limited, any sort of new ideas regarding public transportation would be doomed as a failure because people still have the option to own their own cars at an affordable price.

So, it all goes back in the end to the political will from the government to take a holistic approach in tackling traffic congestion. Not only providing new methods, but also taking another step to limit private transport ownings. With this only can Jakarta be freed from their never ending curse of traffic congestion and heavy pollution.

. . . . さよなら Perth

Hmmm….it has been quite a while since I last wrote something bout my life. Most of the previous writings where thematic ones that I did intendidly write to kill of time and let flow of some ideas In my head. As they all have been thrown out, I’m now being amazed on how much part of my life I haven’t documented recently.

Ok . . . sekembalinya dari Indonesia ke Perth, menjalani masa2 terakhirku dsana, aq berharap semua berjalan sesuai rencana. Well. . . layaknya hidup, sayangnya banyak yang tidak sesuai harapan. Contoh pertama, harapan tuk kembali kerja ternyata kembali hanyalah sebuah harapan semu. G bisa sepenuhnya menyalahkan boz-q karena mereka sendiri sedang dalam tahap downsizing yang mengharuskan mereka tuk mengurangi jam kerja pegawai. So . . . jadilah aq salah satu kroban yang terkena. Efeknya kea q . . . jelasnya adalah tidak dapatnya aq gaji dan kesempatan kerja di hari2 terakhirku di Perth.

My Graduation? It went well to be honest. And I was glad with the whole process over the last 2 years that have led me to that moment. Rarely do I feel the condition where I really feel proud for myself. I can’t even remember the last time I did. A mention of Distinction on my Graduation Ceremony really raise my pride. Despite the fact that even such moments wouldn’tlast forever, I just wanted to savor that moment . . . that night for myself . . .

Asides the ceremony, I also had to accompany my parents who paid a visit to attend my ceremony. The days with them was fun, but also had its ups and downs. Really made me tired mentally having being able to endure the various needs and wants from parents that have limited access and all sorts of stuffs. The thing it almost made me feel sick due to the lack of rest after they went home.

And came back Pandu, with his family of course. His ceremony was a bit crowded due to the fact that several others of my friends were graduating on the same day. So it was pretty much the last chance for me to see them back then. Happy I was seeing them graduating and continue on with their lives. After the hard work they’ve done, I can only pray that we all succeed in our lives and may once meet again someday.

With pandu’s family visiting Perth, it was also a chance for me to catch up on places that I haven’ t been to. To name a few were the Araluen Botanical Park and Caversham Wildlife Park. The first one was damn tiring as it was bloody hot in the midst of my fasting. Lucky I managed to succeed throughout the day even though I was left sleeping for the rest of the day due to fatigue.For the Wildlife Park, basically it was the second time, being the first time was with my parents. But since my first visit was so unsatisfactory cause we arrived there just minutes before it was gonna close, so this last visit really was fun for me. I just enjoyed the moments to take photos with the kangaroos and koalas while also feeding the kangaroos ^^.

As for my last week in Perth, I just used it to try the cuisines of restaurants I slipped past during my 2 years stay. Though I didn’t managed to try them all, It was still a plesant moment as it still relive my desire to try the best cuisines in Perth. The climax was the dinner I attended on one of my friend’s treat in Northbridge where it was attended by around 25 of friends all together.
My last days in Perth was also in the midst of a heat wave, reaching up to 42 degrees celcius. Man….i guess this is what you call one last gift :P. Damnm it was hot, having needing to finish of some administrational matters on campus and the counsulate. In regards to the administrational matters, I would have to say, they were costly. But since I had to, there was no other choice for me. Just hope I’ve finished my matter in Perth.

Last days there were used to teach the TPA and bid farewell to the crew. I also did bid farewell to my workplace. Too bad most of them were absent, but I made sure to send them a message of gratitude for all the help and support they have provided me over the last two years. For my housemates, I treated them to a new fish and chip in Freo as one last courtesy for all the help over the past 3 months. Though short, my time together with them was damn fun and hilarious :D. Hope to see and meet them soon.

Then came my night to depart. Accompanied by some friends that made it to meet me for the last time, I bid farewell to them. Sayonara Perth . . . Youkoso Jakarta. Thank you for all the precious memories and times. It really has left a wonderful mark in my heart . . .

Siri . . Siri . . . Siri . . . .

Hmmm…as for this post, you can think of it as a continuation to the previous post. For those who don’t understand what the title means, well . . . it refers to the practice of secret marriage. The act of secret marriage has long been done in Indonesia for all sorts of reasons. And the current news is that it’ll be considered a criminal act for the perpetrator’s and the facilitators. Hmm . . . quite the debate this is (Yoda Mode: ON).

But before we step on how we should think about this matter, allow me to explain the different facts in regard to this type of marriage. The first type, is where you conduct a marriage as according to what is asked in the Islamic Law. The only difference is that you do not register your marriage to the civilian register. The second type is where you marry someone, but with the absent of the bride’s guardian.

With what’s going on, the worst part is the government is banning this practice by generalizing the above facts into one. Even though they did not, it is clear that banning this kind of practice not only contradicts Islamic law, but it also won’t even settle the problems they say happened due to this cause.

Despite the facts above, the proponents seem to be generalizing stuffs without taking a deeper look on why such phenomenon has happened. The cause itself is due to a wide range of reasoning, from poverty, intention to hide a certain marriage, working reasons, and all other possible cause. For poverty, well, it is known that the cost to register a marriage isn’t cheap in this country, so rather than banning sirri marriage, I was thinking why can’t the state make marriage registering cheaper or even free? Then at least people won’t have to hide their marriage.

Speaking of hiding marriages, some even do it due to working contract constraints or work conditions. It is well known that some work require for us to be single for a certain period of the work. In regards to this, I would rather hide my marriage. But it would be better for any kind of work to be not decided on our marital status. I mean. Marriage itself is a personal and sacred thing, why make it harder for married couple to get a job. Wouldn’t this just promote further acts of pre-marital sex? And when you already love someone and are determined to live the life of matrimony, wouldn’t it be just cruel just to hide your marriage for the sake of your work? It would be in my thoughts . . .

In short, the thought of banning this kind of marriage should really be reconsidered. I wouldn’t say it’ll even make things better, but it’ll just make things worse. To make things better, I’ld rather recommend to change and reform the practice of the marriage registration, make it cheap, make marriage simple, now wonder people now are used to having pre-marital sex cause they already think that marriage itself is a tedious yet expensive precesiion to begin with . . .

. . . with Distinction :)

Accounting (Business and Society) 571 . . . warm and interesting as I learned the new horizons and perspectives on how accounting could have and had contributed to business and society. The only class that had more than 8 people till the end of my studies :P. What was memorable? The period of the 3 weeks of hell where I had to prepare a presentation in the midst of a fever >.< .

Accounting (Financial Theory) 561 . . . a 360 degree approach from the normal accounting theory I received in my bachelor days. A more intriguing yet demanding class till the end. Hoped that all lecturers in Indonesia were as fun and motivating as Alistair Brown eventhough he was demanding in the assignments :P

Accounting (Managerial) 565 . . . a more discussion packed class. Thought of having calculations, but it was really more on the managerial kind of things and how it affected the accounting aspect of the company. Forced us to take a holistic and comprehensive view of a company’s case in order to solve the matter.

Auditing (Issues) 570 . . . you would think it was the “real” auditing stuff . . . instead . . . it was more discussion on how auditing affected and was affected by other things. Had lesser students. The funniest part was Inderpal’s cheek that was always red :)).

Accounting (Financial Issues) 562 . . . back with Grantley . . . this time with a more real accounting touch with all those journals and debit credit thingys. Introduced us to the IFRS and all its tib dits. Still….hard to impress him on the final assignments. Nevertheless, it did refresh us on how to do basic accounting matters :D

Accounting (Governance and Ethics) 564 . . . just 4 people . . . the least till that time . . . again….just discussions but this time it was more on the ethical parts of accountants and their challenges. Made us look deeper into the various conditions that could lead to ethical problems in real life cases.

Accounting (Statement Analysis) 573 . . . the most bloodiest and hardest class till the end that I consider. An endless waltz of work on the appointed company to reveal and make a valiation for the next 3 years T_T. But with the help and assistance from fellow group mate, managed to end it beautifully with the highest mark on that semester B-).

Accounting (Financial Issues) 563 . . . broke the record for having the least students . . . just 3 !! Hence, class had to be cancelled and it was made to a office discussion in Alistair’s room. The assignments were again horrendous as we had to read chunks and heaps of journals. But this time . . . it paid off well as I finally gained a HD for his class xD

Accounting (Information Systems) 572 . . . first class in the evenings . . . couldn’t make the most of things due to the lack of discussions and insighty I gain from previous encounters in my bachelor days. But it did add some usefull knowledge on the IS part. A fair result was gained in the end :).

Applied Statistics 501 . . . a mandatory unit that I had to take due to the nature of my course :( . Learning stats again from square one . . . it really took me some heavy and tremendous efforts to secure a HD mark for this unit. The only good things here was that I learned how to use SPSS for stats stuffs :P.

Statistical Data Analysis 674 . . . the sistes unit of the above one . . . it does complement each other for this unit as it implies, puts more emphasis on the analysing part of the statistical result. Had the most students in class around 20 as it was a mixed class from various courses. Couldn’t make the best out of this due to some groupwork disagreements :((.

Accounting (Advanced Auditing) 576 . . back with all the auditing process and stuffs and also back with Inderpal :P. This one really refreshened and put a better insight to me on how audits should be really done. Could have gained better marks had I been more thoughtful on the audit materials that I had previously.

Accounting (Public Sector) 567 . . . all I can say is that this unit went anti climax for me. A mixture of bad luck, insufficient knowledge because of the lack of discussion and teachings on ozzy public sector matters and the stern attitude of the teacher. And it all was wraped up with a final assignment that had nothing to do with public sector itself :-S

Business Research Methods 600 . . . a nite class again…this time with a nihon jin :D. Though didn’t have the chance to practice my nihongo . . . things were up and down for me in this class as I frequently skipped class due to the in evitable boredom of the class. In the end, had to make up a good research proposal just to secure a distinction mark.

Finance (Principles) 515 . . . again . . . another force majeur class that I had to attend duet to mnay of my intended units being phased off. The good thing is, I had another chance to rebuild my finance basic after some not so happy times with finance back in my bachelor days. Though the marks weren’t that good, I would say I was happy enough attending this class ;)

And there goes, my 16 unit period of fast packed and killer moments of study and hard core assignments. The reward? A mention of distinction on my graduation certificate is something I really didn’t suspect would come. Happy? Sure I am :D. At least I know that my two years hard work has finally paid off to some extent. But be not complacent, for this is also the start of a new beginning, the start of my ascending to the work force. My only hope that what I have learnt in Uni up till now is enough as my basic to start work and earn a living for myself. It’ll obviously be tougher, but that’s life . . . ;)

11022010 . . . . :)

BREAK !!

Haha . . . the above might have many meanings . . . but in my case, it has to do more with making something not working. And why does it have anything to do with me? Well . . for me . . . I seem to have this bizarre love and hate relationship with gadgets . . . any gadgets especially that have to do with sophisticated technology. Love . . . for I really do like how they can easily simplify our daily life and how they really help us enjoy life, but hate . . . it all goes down to one thing . . . I always have the sheer tendency to break almost every single gadget that goes to my possession . . .

You might think I’m exaggerating things . . . unfortunately no . . . it has been the case in the past years. And it was just recently that I just realized this uber weird tendency of mine. It all started by my mom’s attention on how I would almost break anything I would use. And my uncles last night again confirmed this when we had some chit chat. One of my uncles said, I was literally born to break and destroy things >.< . Wow . . . now that’s not something you would really be proud of . . .
Nevertheless, some of you might be wondering, what things have I succeeded in destroying, making it not work, or at least breaking some parts. Well. . Here’s the concise list of things I’ve achieved over the past years . . . courtesy of anatomyinteristi :D . . . .

1. My PDA, it was an iPAQ something made by Hewlett Packard. Given by my dad who got it by some gift or door prize he said as a replacement for my stolen mobile phone. The antenna finally gave in as it broke up leaving the inner cords exposed. It happened after like 2-2.5 years of usage. On average, it was quite long, but not long enough to survive my “black aura”
2. My iPod, I’m talking bout the white iPod video my dad again gave me. It just suddenly passed away without any known cause early last year.
3. My laptop, the ACER one. Yep . . . that one just went kaboom to its IC’s on the mobo after a mere 1.5 years after I bought it .
4. Nokia 7610, this one was given down by my mom after I’ld broken the antenna of my PDA. Used it around 1-1.5 years before it abruptly wasn’t able to send text messages . . .
5. The Honda Accord Cielo, my dad’s favourite car. Again, this one also received my wrath as it has been pounded by numerous scratches on its lower left bumper . . . it is also still continuing to be tortured by unfortunately not sufficient care of usage . . .
6. My Brotha’s Creative MP3 player . . . I wouldn’t forget this one as it just went dead after I borrowed and used it . . . obviously . . . it did leave a bemused and unpleasant face on my brother as he just had it for a week !
7. My bicycle . . . the first one I used in Perth. This one wasn’t new and I just bought it for $40. After a 1.25 year of service, it finally gave in with complex problems on its gear, tires and brakes . . . really sad as I did love the bike coz of its service it gave to me . . . . . :((
8. Ah yes . . . the Toyota Corolla . . . this one had its radiator pipe kaboom in the middle of a journey to home on 2007. Though it’s still in service in the hands of my dad now, it still had to endure an extensive service and repair to get it back on the roads.
9. My room’s handle . . . this one really caught the attention of my uncle as he was amazed how such a simple thing could have been broken in my hands as it was meant to withstand daily usage . . .
10. The gate locks . . . looking by this one . . . anyone would be staggered on how I could have broke the keys into two while it was still inside the locks . . .
11. If you want to include another . . . add my recent mobile which was the SE C902 . . . though still in good shape, it did experience a sudden break down in terms of not able to start up. The repair cost . . . a whopping $60 bucks :-S
12. The sink at my workplace . . . this one really happened unexpectedly as I forgot to lower the water and instead opened the smallest knob, blowing out the whole water from the wall T_T

Well . . . that’s some to list. And Im quite certain there are still dozens of things I’ve broken but haven’t been listed above. Damn . . . gotta really use things with the utmost care and respect, as they all seem to break down at one point sooner or later . . . With all those above, I do remember Kamen Rider Decade’s saying . . . the destroyer of worlds . . .well . . . in my case . . . I guess I’m the destroyer of gadgets . . . .

Ku Kan Rindu . . .

Gonna miss those days, of riding my bike to school and work, menempuh 3-6 kilo dari sharehouse . . .

Gonna miss those days, jatuh bangun mengerjakan assignment siang dan malam . . . demi memenuhi cita-cita dan harapan orang tua . . .

Gonna miss those days, walking down the streets of perth, menyegarkan pikiran dan jiwa, sejenak dari rutinitas hidup yang pekat

Gonna miss those days, of eating salami, polony, sausages and meats that would be expensive if would have bought it in Indonesia . . .

Gonna miss those days, of working in the butcher, serving the customers with all their attitudes . . .

Gonna miss those days, of waking up in the night, just to find that speck of hope and luck on life . . .

Gonna miss those days, teaching and interacting with those kids on Sunday, hoping that they would grow up to be fair and religious adults . . .

Gonna miss those days, of walking done the isles of coles and IGA, shop for my daily needs for the sake of living . . .

Gonna miss those days, of eating kebab, for the kebab’s there are authentic and big, enough to fill my stomach for a meal

Gonna miss those days, of using the instant messenger, for it enabled me to keep my contacts and friends, saving me from total isolation

Gonna miss those days, of walking down the pathways of curtin, for the Uni view is just wide and green enough to enjoy the whole study process there

Gonna miss those days, of downloading in the ABACUS labs, for it vastly expanded my data collection and my whole other collection 

Gonna miss those days, of watching movies alone on almost every Tuesdays, as it allowed me to enjoy some quality solitude time for myself in the midst of life hecticness

Gonna miss those days, on finding and buying stuffs from the internet, as it allowed me to poses stuffs that were beyond thought when I was still in Indonesia

Gonna miss those days, on enjoying the Sunday market, finding second-hand yet cheap and usable items for daily needs

Gonna miss those days, of spending and gaining ozzy dollars, as it boosted my life’s savings to levels of enabling me to dream :P

Gonna miss those days, of cold winters, for it reminded me of my childhood and allowed me to once again feel the seasons untold in the equator

Gonna miss those days, of enjoying the events at the consulate, as it enabled Indonesians to meet each other and enjoy the scarcity of Indonesian cuisine 

Gonna miss those days, of meeting new friends, Indonesians or not, for it expanded my networking and horizons on life . . .

. . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . .

Honestly, there are still dozens, maybe hundreds of things I would love to list, however, regardless of what they are, may they all be a lovable memory that will I always cherish and savor for times to come in my mind, for they all have helped me live enjoyable days along the whole 2 years in Perth . . .

UAN . . . engga . . . UAN . . . engga . . .

By the looks of the title, I bet some of you might have guessed what this is all about . . .yep . . . the dreaded final national exams faced by all students of class XII nationwide. Dreaded coz it absolutely determines the fate of the whole study for 3 years in high school, whether they graduate or not graduate . . .
Might seem like a simple and mundane matter, it has been able to stir the crowds and opinions of thousands of people across the nation. Either they support or oppose the implementation of a nationwide final exam, what’s really interesting is the fact that it illustrates how horrendous and messed up the education system is in my sadly beloved country.

For starters . . . the whole UAN thingy happened way back around the 70s as a tool to determine the graduation of high school kids. As years passed by, it had been through various changes in terms of names, implementation methods and what is being examined. In my days, it was called EBTANAS and put up 6 units to be examined, in which the subjects are determined by what major you’re taking at the time, whether science, social or languages.

And now it has changed names, but not only name. What changed and caused the whole controversy until now is the fact that this examination turned up to be the sole instrument to determine if a student passes high school. In my days, the final exam was one of the various instruments used aside the students 3 years evaluation by their home class teacher and their report. But now, everyone sees the final exam as some sort of final judgment that overlooks and disregards a student’s achievement and learning process over the pass 3 years they have been through.

On this part, honestly, I am in no position to judge whether this way is a fair way to conduct things, but if I were asked my personal opinion, I would say that things can be a lot more fairer if a student’s is evaluated on a comprehensive basis on all aspects from class X to the time they graduate. I mean, the essence of learning is all about internalizing everything we have learn't and gained from education and how we can implement and understand it through our lives. So it takes a lot of consideration to decide whether someone has failed or not. And using the final exam as a sole tool, I wouldn’t say it’s a good idea . . .

On the other hand, the final exam is also notorious for the fact that it raises its passing mark every year. What seen wrong is that the rise is seen as disregarding the fact that the education level and quality is not yet equally spread across the republic. Hence, for the opponents, they see that the government is turning a blind eye on the fact that they have yet to educate the citizens with equal quality on those in the established areas and cities.

I have to admit that the government still has its homework on providing better and equal education across the nation. But on the other hand, this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t raise the standards slowly. If this republic have to wait till all things are equal in terms of educational quality, I’m afraid that it’ll be too late. The fact now is that we are far left behind in terms of standards of graduation. And it ought to be done immediately while taking care of all the other problems simultaneously.

For the students, I can often see they do have idle time to protest the final exam. While it is a good thing to convey your thoughts and ideas in a healthy manner, I would rather prefer you guys to prepare for the exams thoroughly. The decision to tackle the final exam implementation, if it were to ever happen, would take years and a lot of consideration from the higher ups. By then, you might have entered college . . or even worked. So . . . its clear to put your efforts on what is inevitable . . . also with plenty amount of prayers too . . . last word . . . May
God Speed You ;).

Ngelhencyyerr . . . .

Back again with da raiting….I guess It has been around 2 weeks since I last wrote something. Had some errands to do and finish of before reminding myself to keep track of my life’s journey on the blog. Let’s get going on the story the pal . . . . . ;)

Setelah usai ber-IELTS ria…pulanglah diriku ke Malang. Capek…tapi cukup senang karena tidak dinyana bisa ketemu “watashi no aisuru” disana. Setelah berdamai dan bermaaf2an….sempetlah kita berkencan sejenak ditengah jadwal2 kita yang tidak menentu. Dalam hal ini, aq harus berterima kasih ama Chandra yang telah meminjamkan kamar dan sepedanya demi istirahat dan kelancaran kencan kita . . . thanks bro ;).

At Malang, what I did was merely reading books and assembling the Gundam’s that I had brought. There were also a bunch of movies and drama’s that I had to catch up with. Haven’t finished them till now, but at least most of them are done. Other than that, it was mostly being a driver for my mom who had to go places during her stay at Malang.

The next week, I found myself at Jakarta for the next couple of days. My days here were mostly hanging round the mall (due to the lack of natural recreation sites >.<) and indulging myself with the finest foods that my dad treated when nite came. Though delicious (and expensive :P) . . . I felt kinda guilty these foods as they were “expensive” and were not my style as they would easily cause me to gain weight in an instance. In the end . . . my worries came true . . .:-S

Aside that, I used my time to roam the streets of Jakarta with a car finally. I do have to admit, driving in Jakarta needs extra patience and skill as it’s a jungle out there. My route wasn’t far, just a trip to PIM, Citos and round the block again thru the Jagorawi toll road before getting back to home. No scratches to the car luckily, but it did leave my foot in quite the ache as I had to continuously keep hitting the clutch >_>. Nevertheless, my time in Jakarta was something new as I did some self driving. A note to myself, I gotta continuously try the roads to risen my driving time and increase the skills of “Jakarta driving” :P.

Next . . . was Jogja. But before that . . . mulih nang Malang sik sa’ wengi. Apesnya . . . moro2 awakmu kena diare sing cukup nggara’no awak lemes. Ketambahan AC sing ngowos pas ndek travel di perjalanan ke Jogja . . . jadilah diriku nggreges bin kembung sesampainya di Jogja. Sampai besok siangnya . . . kondisi badanku bener2 panas dalem nan nggliyeng. The good news . . . aq punya pacar yang sungguh baik dan terampil dalam merawat diriku sampai sembuh disana . . . makasih banyak ya hun atas kebaikan dan waktunya merawat diriku :-*

The bad news . . . kondisi badanku ini memaksaku tuk menyesuaikan tujuan wisata yang mau didatangi. Walhasil, hanya tempat2 di dalam kota Jogja aja yang bisa kujelajahi. Not bad though . . . coz ujung2nya tetep mendapatkan wisata kuliner yang mantap :D. Lumayanlah . . . bisa ngembaliin bobot badanku yang sempet drop gara2 diare sepulang dari Jakarta :P. Kalo ada kesempatan lain ke Jogja . . . aq piker harus lebih di-plan kegiatannya dan diperluas tempat2 yang mo dituju . . . semoga kesampaian :).

Dan sekarang . . . kembali di Malang menikmati waktu2 terakhirku disini sebelum nantinya harus menetap di Jakarta demi pencarian kerja. Entah kapan lagi bisa mengunjungi Malang. . . tapi perkiraan terjelekku sih ya pas Lebaran nantinya. Cukup lama juga . . . jadinya mumpung bisa ya selesaikan urusan2 yang hanya bisa diselesaikan di Malang. Kegiatan2nya ya paling2 sekitar baca buku, ngerawat gundam, ma ngrumat barang2 pribadi yang jarang2 kusentuh. Just gotta enjoy these idle time while you still have it ;).

I guess that’s for all . . . dunno when’s the next posting gonna be . . . may be still in Indo or when I’m back in Perth. Let’s just pray for the best . . . jya ne xD.

P . . . E . . . R . . . T . . . H

You gave me a journey . . . endless as it seemed . . . widening a vision and horizon of ones shell

You offered a second chance . . . to redeem and make up for past mistakes ever made

You gave me life . . . knowing how the world works . . . how naiveness is ones enemy for the future

You dropped me tears . . . for the un-knowing of life and all its ups and downs

You pushed me to the limits . . . doing things that would seem impossible had not I moved here

You taught me pain . . . to complement the tears that I’ve shed round these times

You threw me opportunities . . . putting me on a different level beyond expectations

You let me mature . . . experiencing the every days of life in solitude and togetherness

You let me love . . . granting me an angel (insya Allah) to share life with

You let me dream again . . . awakening sleeping visions of youth and idealism
However . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You also slammed me back to the ground . . . reminding me where I should start of with

Nevertheless . . . I am endlessly in debt and would always feel gratitude towards all I felt, encountered and experienced here . . . for it shall always form a new me for what’s to come.

May everything that has been grown . . . sowed . . . and started . . . continue to foster and forever grow in our hearts and mind for benevolences. As it will be the last thing that will keep our nexuses for eternity . . . .

12012010 . . . Ao sora no shita de

Menghujam Tanah

“Bermimpilah . . . maka Tuhan akan memeluk mimpi-mimpi itu . . . “

Sepenggal kutipan kata2 dari Arai, tokoh di tetralogi Laskar Pelangi. Sungguh . . . suatu rangkaian kata2 yang menggugah optimisme dan semangat siapapun yang membacanya. Seakan seribu tenaga membuncah diri kita dan jalanan seterjal apapun akan lapang disapu gelora kekuatan angan-angan.

On a personal level, I really embraced these words, especially when I finished the first three books of the series. Back then, it was one of the motivations that kept me running thru the never ending storms of life in Perth. Even till now, I keep these words high, believing myself that I still have more to encounter and see in the near future.

However, as life is, it is also cruel and unpredictable. My initial dreams and thoughts of directly trying my luck for a job abroad would have to be buried . . . once and for all. Reason? Merely due to the fact that I failed to gain my parents blessings. It might sound lame. But there’s nothing left to it. Without it, even though I can force myself, it would all feel empty and meaningless.

Wondering bout this and when I reminisce back half a year ago, all seemed very contradictory. The basic results were same, but back then, I just felt content and accepting my very fact that I would have to work back home. But I guess recent talks and urges from friends and acquaintances sparked that last hope within me to again . . . pursue the attempt to try and get a job in aussie.

With it, I then applied for another IELTS test. Nevertheless, I forgot about that very factor that would be the basis of what I would be doing . . . a blessing. And now, it would seem that everything is in ashes . . . hopeless . . . and plain without a streak of light for me. Despite so . . . it doesn’t seem that way.

The last week . . . I’ve been trying to make peace for myself towards this stunning revelation that slammed me back to the ground. Trying to find the very meaning, any possibilities and also . . . introspecting on my journey and my future steps. It wasn’t until a couple of days ago that something very simple . . . gave me the idea and thought that everything can be done . . . whenever and wherever we are.

A mere session at the movie watching “Sang Pemimpi”, the second instalment of the Laskar Pelangi tetralogy really gave me a spark to again try my final card and work there. But my best friend of mine reminded me that . . . start your dreams from where you stand . . . it doesn’t have to be far away . . . just do it one by one from where the chances are the most visible and feasible. Simple words that really left me stunned.

Thoses words, really hyped up the truce process within me. Now . . . I can finally say that I can finally made peace with myself and accept what I have to do as starters. All I can do back in Perth on my last days there, is to just savor the very last moments and reminisce a very very splendid and colourful journey in my life.

Though it seem by others that I’m wasting my very talents, skills and chances, recent events and back thinking again and once again, strengthened my intention to stay here . . . at least for some while before soaring high again sometime. On a personal scale, I have yet one final wish that I want to fulfil, one wish that can only be started here, as it is also a step to redeem my self as being a fallen angel. It is with this step, I am hoping myself to be a better person for the closest people around me, as I also realized, regardless of high my dreams might be, it would be all meaningless if you just leave your closest ones without any guidance, care, and help they might need.

As an epilogue, I would quote a sentence that I have just found from a novel that I just brought. It says “Often . . . we must do something else and take detours and beat round the bush to be someone we want to be”. If it is so . . . then I would regard what I will be doing in the near future as an act of bouncing back down to earth before finally be an angel and soar high and mighty in the skies . . . amin :).

Pressure on ME !!

Next round . . . another step of hard hitting self reversing and up side downs to start of what’s gonna be a new step in life. Painful as it goes, there’s a saying that you’ll be able to conquesr the world once you’ve known who you are . . . well…lets just hope this is the start of me conquering the world :P

Ok…ok….enough intermezzo . . . well…pressure ehh… again . . . please do not ask how I knew I was suffering from this . . . damn . . . I curse myself for forgetting why I had these in the beginning . . . the process of recalling and reminiscing is just too long . . . not to mention painful in some occasions. But . . it’s gotta be done little by little . . .

Fiuuhh . . . I just kinda think that I often freak out whenever things go out of my reach or what I intended. It often happened way back in my days when I once came back to Indo after years of living abroad. The sheer life of typical Indonesians that was full of pressure, unorder and quick pace really fuzzed out my brain. End result . . . it then caused me to forget the necessary things that I had to remember when time called upon it. As I grew, I trained myself not only to deal with it, but also to put some countermeasure towards it. Though till this very moment, I’m still struggling to overcome this horrible habit, some measures have succeeding in at least lessening the negative impact. It just needs continuous practice and self adapting in order to have any good effects.

What have I done? Hmmm . . . . as far as I remember, I tried to be somewhat ignorant. I know it sounds kinda bad or something, but this really I fact has aided me in un-worrying about the unnecessary aspects of my life. But then, in any further writings later on, this too has brought upon me several side effects that also contribute to my major bad habit. Next . . . in conjunction to this step, writing down a plan has also helped me in putting all into proper order. Hence, I wouldn’t have to worry too much on any future uncertainties. Last . . . is to forecast any potential and possible outcomes of what I might end up doing or experiencing. Hey . . . I realize that my steps above might seem somewhat too uptight and strict. By doing so, I do admit that all those above still needs some polishing, but in the mean while . . . all is good mate .

Aside any personal side effects above mentioned, I guess the only challenge for me is to learn not to freak out on any future unwanted conditions that I might face. Usually, it all happened due to my lack of life experiences that I ought to have. Hence, I should by now learn all the important things on life. Such kinda things can’t be learnt thru colleges and schools, but often must be experienced first hand.

By enriching ourselves, we can then learn to overcome the sensation of being under pressure and live a more carefree life. I just ought to remember, pressures, whatever and how it would be, will always exist in life. But how we deal and cope with it, determines the quality on how we live our life. It’s about juggling the ups and downs in life that we are able to enjoy things as they are . . . 