Anggrek Putih

A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one

2011-01-24T21:55:00.003+07:00

I've always liked a short story with a simple message so profound I'd remember it all my life. Here is one:

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry. The wound is still there."

The anti-telemarketer

2010-12-10T08:12:00.002+07:00

Does any of you still bothered by telemarketers? Then try one of the following; taken from zefrank.com

Use a husky, dirty phone sex voice but ask normal questions about the proposed offer. “Is it a low interest rate? mmmmm…I like low interest rates…really low…”

In an outrageously excited tone: “Thank god you called!!!” Explain that an online psychic told you that your future lover would randomly call disguised as an asshole.

Say you are hard of hearing and see how loud they will shout into the phone.

Allow the telemarketer to fully explain his offer. When he is finished explain that his company hired you to randomly spot check telemarketers on their performance. Tell him that he did a good job overall, but that he is a bit monotone and needs to fluctuate his tone of voice more to sound convincing. He also should pause longer between sentences, and more clearly pronounce the letter “s”. Tell him you won’t report him if he repeats his speech to you with the appropriate corrections. Repeat.

Be incredibly polite as they explain their offer, but make farting noises once in a while and ask whether there is something wrong with the connection.

In an annoyed tone cut the telemarketer off mid sentence : “Dan, stop screwing around…we have to get rid of this body fast, did you find a chainsaw or not?”

“Congratulations! You’re the 100th caller on the (insert local radio station) Sweet Vacation Giveaway Blast Marathon. You’ve just won a pair of tickets to Negril, Jamaica and the use of Sean Paul’s celebrity vacation house.” Take down her address and send her all of your L.L.Bean catalogues for the rest of your life...after you use them as liner for your cat’s litter box.

Flirt.

Keep repeating, “I knew you were going to say that…”

Stutter on a syllable of an obvious word in a sentence… see how long it takes before he completes the phrase. When he does, get upset, and say “That really hurts my fee…fee… fee… fee…feel…fee… fee… fee…” ad infinitum.
Pee on the phone while he’s talking.

Mid pitch, stop him and complement him on his wonderful voice. Explain that you are a voiceover scout and might have a breakthrough commercial job for him. Ask if he wouldn’t mind doing a quick test. Ask him to say in a deep husky voice “May cause dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting and shortness of breath. A small number of participants in a recent clinical trial experienced weight loss, irregular clotting, abnormally frequent and/or painful urination and hair loss. Results may vary”

Ask how much it would take to get him to stop working as a telemarketer. Start at $1000. Say you are dead serious.
Ask if he will be your friend if you sign up.

Tie obscure facts about Barbara Streisand to everything thing he says,, “2.3% interest rate? oh my…did you know Barbara was 23 when she filmed Funny Girl…”

Every few minutes repeat, “You’re going to have to bear with me, I have a slight short term memory loss problem…who is this again?”

“Oh my god, I used to have your job…does Bob still work there (repeat names until you find a match)…which building are you in?” Escalate coincidence until you both realize that you sat in the same chair. Explain that you had to quit work when your genitals mysteriously vanished.

Regardless of the offer tell him you’ll take 7. If he asks what you mean say he drives a hard bargain and you’ll take 9, but that’s as far as you’ll go.

Every half-minute ask him to hold and pretend to scream at your invalid mother. “You want to use the bathroom??? Well stop whining and get up out of the wheelchair for a change. You just sit there and think about that for a while, mother. Can’t you see I’m on the damn phone?”

Forgive him. Tell him you did. Over and over again, until he hangs up. Then secretly take it back.

How do you know he's the one?

2010-06-04T14:03:00.002+07:00

A friend asked, "How do you know he’s the one?"

She asked because as we all know, there’s always a possibility that things can fall apart in the future no matter how wonderful things are right now.

Well, I think I found the answer in the following statement,

“If the thought of not being with the person you’re with makes your heart ache, you figure out a way to make it work. You amend your plans. You change your vision of how you thought your life would turn out and you make a go of it.”

Love is...

2010-02-15T13:08:00.003+07:00

“Love is a temporary madness.
It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides.
And when it subsides you have to make a decision.
You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.
Because this is what love is.
Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion.
That is just being “in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are.
Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. ”
- unknown

What Goes Around Comes Around Perbuatan Baik Akan Berbuah Baik

2010-01-06T10:42:00.000+07:00

The man slowly looked up.
This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life.
Her coat was new.

Dengan perlahan-lahan orang itu memandang ke atas.
Tampak olehnya seorang wanita yang pasti biasa hidup mewah.
Mantel bulunya tampak baru.

She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him,
like so many others had done before.

Wanita itu terlihat seperti seorang yang tidak pernah kelaparan seumur hidupnya.
Sekilas terpikir di benaknya bahwa tentu wanita itu akan mengolok-olok dia
seperti yang sering dilakukan banyak orang sebelumnya.

"Leave me alone," he growled...
To his amazement,the woman continued standing.
She was smiling – her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows.

“Tinggalkan aku sendirian,” gumamnya dengan marah…
Tapi dia merasa heran karena wanita itu tetap berdiri disitu.
Wanita itu tersenyum – sebaris giginya yang putih rata tampak berkilauan.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically.
"I've just come from dining with the president.. Now go away."

”Apakah anda lapar?” wanita itu bertanya.
“Tidak,” jawabnya mengejek.
”Saya baru saja selesai makan malam dengan Presiden... Sekarang pergilah.”

The woman's smile became even broader.

Senyum wanita itu melebar.

Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily.
"I said to leave me alone..”

Tiba-tiba tangan yang lemah lembut mencoba mengangkatnya untuk berdiri.
“Nyonya, apa yang kau lakukan?” orang itu bertanya dengan marah.
”Aku sudah bilang, biarkan aku sendirian.”

Just then a policeman came up.
"Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..

Pada saat itu seorang polisi mendekati.
“Ada masalah apa, nyonya?” dia bertanya..

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered...
"I'm just trying to get this man to his feet.
Will you help me?"

Tidak ada masalah sama sekali, pak,” jawab wanita itu.
“Saya hanya berusaha mengangkat orang ini berdiri pada kakinya.
Bolehkah anda menolong saya?”

The officer scratched his head.
"That's old Jack.
He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years..
What do you want with him?"

Polisi itu menggaruk-garuk kepalanya..
“Itu adalah si Jack tua.
Dia sudah beberapa tahun menggelandang disini.
Apa yang hendak anda lakukan kepadanya?”

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked.
"I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

“Anda lihat cafeteria itu disana?” dia bertanya.
”Saya mau memberikan makanan kepadanya
dan membawa dia menghindar dari hawa yang dingin ini untuk sementara.”

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted.
"I don't want to go in there!"
Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.

“Apakah anda sudah gila, nyonya?” gelandangan itu menolak tanpa bergeming.
“Aku tidak mau pergi kesana!”
Pada saat itu ia merasakan tangan-tangan yang kuat memegang lengannya yang sebelah lagi
dan mengangkat dia berdiri pada kakinya.

"Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.."

”Biarkan aku pergi, pak polisi. Aku tidak berbuat salah apa pun..”

"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered.
"Don't blow it.

“Ini adalah kesempatan baik untukmu, Jack,” jawab polisi itu.
“Jangan sia-siakan itu, kawan.”

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.
It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

Akhirnya dan dengan susah payah, wanita dan polisi itu berhasil membawa Jack kedalam cafetaria dan mendudukkan dia di meja yang berada di sudut ruangan.
Hari sudah mulai larut sehingga tidak banyak lagi kebanyakan orang yang makan pagi sudah pergi dan mereka langganan untuk makan siang masih belum tiba.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table.
"What's going on here, officer?" he asked.
"What is all this, is this man in trouble?"

Manager cafeteria itu berjalan mendekati dan berdiri disamping meja itu.
”Ada apa ini, pak polisi?” dia bertanya..
“Apa artinya ini, apakah orang ini membuat masalah?”

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed,"the policeman answered.

Nyonya ini telah membawa orang ini ke sini untuk makan,” jawab polisi itu.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily.
"Having a person like that here is bad for business."

”Tidak ditempat ini!” jawab manager itu dengan marah.
”Membiarkan orang seperti ini berada disini buruk untuk bisnis kami.”

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin.
"See, lady. I told you so.
Now if you'll let me go.
I didn't want to come here in the first place."

Jack tua tersenyum menyeringai dengan giginya yang ompong.
“Kau lihat itu, nyonya. Saya 'kan sudah katakan.
Nah, sekarang biarkanlah aku pergi.
Saya memang dari semula tidak mau datang kemari."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled.
"Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates,
the banking firm down the street?"

Wanita itu berpaling kepada manager cafeteria itu sambil tersenyum.
“Pak, kenalkah anda kepada Eddy and Associates,
perusahaan perbankan yang ada disudut jalan itu?”

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently.
"They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.."

“Tentu saja aku kenal mereka," jawabnya tak sabar.
"Mereka mengadakan pertemuan mingguan mereka di salah satu ruangan pesta VIP-ku.."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

“Dan anda mendapat keuntungan yang lumayan menyediakan makanan untuk pertemuan mingguan ini?”

"What business is that of yours?"

"Apakah urusanmu dengan hal itu?”

“I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."

”Saya, Pak, adalah Penelope Eddy, President dan CEO dari perusahaan itu.”

"Oh.."

”Oh..”

The woman smiled again..
"I thought that might make a difference."

Wanita itu tersenyum lagi..
”Saya memang berpikir bahwa itu mungkin bisa membuat perubahan dalam sikap anda.”

She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh.
"Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

Dia melirik kepada polisi yang sedang berusaha menahan tawanya.
“Pak polisi, apakah anda mau ikut serta dengan kami menikmati secangkir kopi dan sarapan?”

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied.
"I'm on duty."

“Oh, tidak, terima kasih, nyonya,” jawab polisi itu.
“Saya sedang bertugas.”

"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am.. That would be very nice."

“Kalau begitu, mungkin secangkir kopi untuk anda bawa pergi?”
“Baiklah, nyonya.. Itu sangat baik, terima kasih.”

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel..
"I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

Manager cafeteria itu langsung berbalik dan berkata..
”Saya akan mengambil kopinya untuk anda, pak polisi.”

The officer watched him walk away...
"You certainly put him in his place," he said.

Polisi itu memandang manager itu berjalan pergi...
”Anda sudah menyadarkan dia akan posisinya dengan baik,” katanya.

"That was not my intent...
Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

"Itu bukanlah tujuan saya sebenarnya…
Percaya atau tidak, saya mempunyai alasan untuk melakukan semua ini.”

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest.
She stared at him intently.

Wanita itu duduk diseberang tamunya yang melongo keheranan.
Ia memandangi muka tamunya dengan penuh perhatian.

"Jack, do you remember me?"

”Jack, apakah anda masih ingat kepada saya?”

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes.
"I think so – I mean you do look familiar."

Si Jack tua memandang wajah wanita itu dengan matanya yang mulai lamur dan berkaca-kaca.
“Saya rasa begitu – maksud saya, wajah anda memang kelihatan saya kenal.”

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said.
"Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

“Mungkin aku sekarang kelihatan lebih tua,” dia berkata.
“Mungkin juga aku sudah tidak sekurus dahulu ketika engkau bekerja disini, dan aku berjalan masuk melalui pintu itu, kedinginan dan sangat lapar.”

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly.
He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.

“Nyonya?” polisi itu bertanya keheranan.
Dia tidak percaya bahwa seorang wanita yang terlihat begitu cemerlang pernah kelaparan...

"I was just out of college," the woman began.
"I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything.
Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment...
I walked the streets for days.
It was February and I was cold and nearly starving.
I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat.."

“Saya baru saja tamat dari Perguruan Tinggi,” wanita itu memulai kisahnya.
“Saya datang ke kota ini untuk mencari pekerjaan, tapi tidak berhasil mendapatkan pekerjaan apa pun.
Akhirnya uangku tersisa hingga beberapa sen saja, dan saya telah diusir dari apartmentku... Saya hidup dijalanan untuk beberapa hari.
Saat itu bulan Februari dan saya sangat kedinginan dan hampir mati kelaparan.
Saya melihat tempat ini dan berjalan masuk dengan harapan bisa memperoleh sesuatu yang dapat kumakan..”

Jack lit up with a smile.
"Now I remember," he said.
"I was behind the serving counter.
You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat.
I said that it was against company policy."

Jack mulai tersenyum.
“Sekarang saya ingat,” katanya.
“Saya waktu itu berdiri dibalik meja itu melayani langganan.
Anda mendekati saya dan bertanya kalau anda bisa melakukan apa saja dengan upah sesuatu untuk dimakan.
Saya berkata bahwa itu melanggar peraturan dari perusahaan ini.

"I know," the woman continued.
"Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it.
I was afraid that you would get into trouble.
Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register, I knew then that everything would be all right..."

“Saya tahu,” wanita itu melanjutkan.
“Kemudian anda membuatkan saya sandwich roast beef yang paling besar yang pernah saya lihat seumur hidup, dan memberikan saya secangkir kopi, dan menyuruh saya untuk pergi duduk di sudut cafeteria ini dan menikmatinya.
Saya takut waktu itu anda akan mengalami masalah karena saya.
Kemudian saya melihat anda memasukkan uang dan mencetak harga makanan saya itu di mesin hitung, dan saya tahu bahwa semuanya akan baik-baik saja.

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"Jadi anda mendirikan perusahaan anda sendiri?” kata si Jack tua..

"I got a job that very afternoon.
I worked my way up."

"Saya mendapat pekerjaan pada sore hari itu juga.
Saya mulai bekerja dari bawah dan makin meningkat."

"Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered.."
She opened her purse and pulled out a business card.

"Akhirnya saya mendirikan perusahaan saya sendiri, dan dengan pertolongan Tuhan, saya berhasil..”
Dia membuka tasnya dan mengeluarkan sebuah kartu nama.

"When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr.Lyons.
He's the personnel director of my company.
I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office."

“Sehabis anda makan, saya mau anda pergi menemui Mr.Lyons.
Dia adalah direktur personil dari perusahaan saya.
Saya akan berbicara dengan dia sekarang, dan saya yakin dia akan menemukan suatu pekerjaan yang anda dapat lakukan di kantor.”

She smiled.
"I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet.
If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."

Dia tersenyum.
“Saya pikir dia juga akan dapat memberikan kepada anda sedikit uang pinjaman supaya anda bisa membeli pakaian dan mendapat tempat tinggal sampai anda bisa mandiri.
Kalau anda memerlukan apa saja dikemudian hari, pintu saya selalu terbuka bagi anda."

There were tears in the old man's eyes.
"How can I ever thank you?" he asked.

Orang tua itu berlinangan air mata.
”Bagaimana saya dapat berterima kasih kepada anda?” dia bertanya.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered.
"To God goes the glory.
He led me to you."

“Jangan berterima kasih kepadaku,” jawab wanita itu.
“Bagi Allah segala kemuliaan.
Dialah yang telah menuntun saya kepada anda.”

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways.."Thank you for your help officer," she said.

Diluar cafeteria itu, polisi dan wanita itu berhenti sejenak di depan pintu sebelum mereka berpisah…
"Terima kasih untuk pertolongan anda, pak polisi” dia berkata.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered.
"Thank you.
I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget.
And thank you for the coffee."

“Sebaliknya, Ny. Eddy,” dia menjawab.
“Terima kasih.
Saya menyaksikan sebuah mujizat hari ini, sesuatu yang tidak akan pernah saya lupakan seumur hidup.
Dan terima kasih untuk kopinya."

Have a Wonderful Day.
May God bless you always and don't forget that when you "cast your bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be returned to you.
God is so big He can cover the whole world with His love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.

Semoga anda menghadapi hari yang gemilang.
Kiranya Tuhan memberkati anda selalu dan jangan pernah lupa bahwa kalau anda “menaburkan roti anda diatas air,” anda tidak akan pernah tahu bagaimana itu akan dikembalikan kepada anda.
Tuhan itu begitu besar sehingga Dia dapat menutupi seluruh bumi ini dengan kasihNya, dan sebaliknya Dia begitu kecil sehingga bisa masuk dan bersemayam didalam hatimu.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go.
Only 1 of 2 things will happen; either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly!

Apabila Tuhan Allah membimbing anda kesebuah tebing jurang, bergantunglah sepenuhnya kepadaNya dan berserah.
Hanya ada dua hal yang dapat terjadi; bahwa Dia akan menangkap anda ketika anda jatuh, atau Dia akan mengajarkan kepada anda bagaimana untuk terbang!

To Quote Facebook, "What's on my mind..." part two

2009-11-21T10:52:00.003+07:00

Talking face to face beats IM conversations.

But if talking face to face is not possible, it's better to converse through IM than nothing at all.

Then IM conversation needs to be done without crazy ideas that makes you think things that are not happening running through your head.

Period.

To Quote Facebook, "What's on my mind..."

2009-11-20T16:45:00.005+07:00

Talking face to face beats IM conversations.

Period.

St. Cloud

2009-08-11T15:28:00.003+07:00

Was browsing the mall last Sunday when we passed a tour agency booth. My dear Daddy’s dream is to spend the holiday with the whole family (him, mom and their three daughters) on a long trip somewhere captivating. So there he was, talking to one of the rep. As they were discussing the available promotions, it was brought up that my sister and I went to school in Minnesota.

“I studied there too. In St. Paul. In fact, I went to St. Cloud before transferring to St. Paul.”

“No Way!! St. Cloud?? That’s where I went!” I said.

Turned out he went there in 1987… The only Indonesians were his brother and himself.

We chatted a little bit about how cold the weather was and he told me that he still remembers the highway to get from St. Cloud to Minneapolis. He was like, I ninety…. I said, I-94 and he enthusiastically said “that’s it! I-94!” He also said how he misses St. Cloud.

Hopefully I’ll have a chance to visit St. Cloud again one day ‘cause I missed it too. And when that chance arrives, I will be with the love of my life, sharing the little memories I had at every little places all around that tiny city.

Seedling

2009-01-21T09:23:00.003+07:00

When you feel deeply about someone, could you pin down the exact moment when it switched from 'it doesn't exist' to 'it exists'?

I guess it all started as a tiny seed of possibility. With a little bit of luck, the seed grows into a little bud of interest. Then the steady nurturing and watering of conversations and interactions helps it to be a beautiful flower of love and caring.

Don't you think?

Indonesian Mother's Day

2008-12-22T09:44:00.002+07:00

Here in Indonesia, mother's day falls on December 22nd. I think mother's day celebration is important because it reminds us at to say thank you to our mom, at least once a year. Although once a year is of course not enough for all that our mom has done for us.

Moreover, it's because

“A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking, it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking”

So whether it is mother's day or not at where ever you are right now, let's say Thank You to our dear mother today and at any chance we get.

For my mom, thank you for all you've done for our family, especially for your love and care for me. I don't think I can thank you enough. I love you!

LOVE

2008-12-19T16:10:00.005+07:00

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

LOVE is all that I can give to you
LOVE is more than just a game for two
two in LOVE can make it
take my HEART but please don't break it
LOVE was made for me and you

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T15:37:00.003+07:00

Photo courtesy of John Brassner, posted on Engrish.com

Kare

2008-11-26T14:45:00.003+07:00

Bos anda-anda sekalian orang apa? Bos saya orang negeri Acha-Acha!

Pagi ini saya mendapat titipan CD darinya. Isinya seputar pekerjaan tentunya. Ketika siang menjelang sore, saya berniat melihat isi CD tersebut. Ketika saya keluarkan CD dari tempatnya, tercium bau bumbu masak.

Rupanya bos saya nge-burn CD sambil masak kare!

Stuck!

2008-11-14T14:43:00.005+07:00

Yesterday, I got my heels stuck in a gap on a driveway when a car was coming towards me!! Luckily it was a driveway in front of a hospital lobby so the car wasn't driving very fast. But it honked at me!! Can't you see a girl panicking??!

But unlike The Wedding Planner, no one came to my rescue. It wasn't that dramatic anyway. :P

Relationship

2008-11-13T10:54:00.003+07:00

I'm so bad at maintaining relationships... No, I'm not talking about romantic relationship. I'm talking about friendships.

Yesterday, I called one of my long time best friend. We haven't spoken for a while. I like to email, but she likes to text. So when I email, she didn't reply, when she texts, I rarely reply. After a while, I have no desire to write her emails. Same goes for her, she has no desire to text me.

Phone calls are rare. If we do talk on the phone we talk more about another person, who is also our best friend. We were like a group of friends that used to do three-way emails.

So about the phone conversation I mentioned earlier. After a few small talks, we were both at lost for words... I was feeling very awkward, I don't know if she did too but she ended the phone call by saying that she didn't want to interrupt my dinner. (I was in a restaurant for a family gathering, but I was still waiting for other people to come.)

I was reflecting on this little happening in my life this morning and I realize, how I have lost contact with many of my friends, just because we aren't walking in the same path anymore. The separation was mostly a sentimental one. We were saying we'll miss each other and that we'll keep in touch. Then for a while we did keep in touch. Made a few visits. Then reduced to phone calls. Then reduced to just emails. Then... like the story above. Nggak nyambung... (lit: not connected, bad chemistry, etc.)

So, how can people still connect with so many acquaintaces? Do you have a how-to-keep-a-friendship-going kind of article?

Life is Wonderful

2008-11-10T12:00:00.001+07:00

by Jason Mraz

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying

It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

La la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Al la la la la

It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is our love
Ah la la la la la

It takes some silence to make sound
It takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life is meaningful
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life it is...so... wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful

I have no regrets! (Or may I say, I should have no regrets...)

2008-11-06T10:41:00.004+07:00

Hello friends in the US,

so, what does change feel like? Everyone must be full of anticipation over there. Heh... what am I talking about, everyone IS full of anticipation all aroudn the world!

Our local newspaper here put huge Obama picture on the front page. His profile was broadcasted on TV. People talked and still talks about him. I even heard a rumour about a house that he lived in when he was a child in Menteng, Jakarta, that someone offered to buy the house for 150 million rupiah (a really big sum of money in our country) but was rejected.

Okay, enough about the new US president-elect. I was going to talk about change. Deciding to have change for me means going towards the unknown. A really frightening journey. Good change, or we-think-it-is-good change holds great expectation. We start thinking what awesome things we're going to get with the change.

But what if the outcome isn't as good as we'd like it to be? Dissapointment, frustration, and all things that sometimes can make us dwell in the past. We'll start thinking, 'I wish I can go back through time.' Making us unable to enjoy the moment, be it good or bad. And when we've realized that we've drowned in self pity for too long, we have missed so much.

So from now on, the phrase 'I have no regrets' should be our slogan. People make mistakes. From those mistakes, we learn something, unfortunately the hard way. But still, we learn something. The way I see it, change is a good thing. When the change gives positive outcome, good for us. On the contrary, when it gives negative outcomes, be strong to take responsibility for the decisions we've made.

A post written when a nostalgic feeling came up while flipping through pictures of the US.

Mom

2008-11-05T09:14:00.002+07:00

On Monday, I had to get to a course I'm taking in my church right after work. That day I didn't drive because mom took the car. The other one was in repair. It was raining hard and so the traffic wasn't smooth at all.

I called mom to make sure she got home already. If that was the case, I was going to head back home first and clean up. Turned out she was also at church, having arisan. Since my route back from the office passed the road close to church, I usually walk to church if time doesn't permit me to go home first. But that day was raining. Wetness wasn't an encouragement to walk even a short distance. So mom said to get off the bus and wait for her under the bus shelter and she would pick me up.

So I wait. A few minutes passed... In my opinion, I have waited too long and I started to get into a bad mood. Finally mom showed up and I got into the car where a box of nasi campur, or rice mixed with meat, was waiting for me. That get my mood into a slightly better turn but not much since the box doesn't contain a spoon or anything for me to start eating!

After a long fight to get through the chaotic traffic, I got off the car with my box of rice with 15 minutes to spare before my course started. I borrowed spoon from the church worker and found a table to eat my dinner. When I sat down, a friend of my mom who was the course committee said to me, "Your mom loves you so much!"

And THAT made me realize how I often took lots of thing for granted. Including having a loving and caring mother....

Mami, thank you ya buat nasi campurnya. I love you!

And also, thank you God for the reminder that You have given me a wonderful mother.

Wake Up!

2008-11-03T10:56:00.003+07:00

Get an alarm clock and turn off your cellphone at night! Turns out having a cell phone next to your bed can downgrade our sleeping quality!!

A study conducted at MIT showed that:

exposure to electromagnetic radiation resulted in disturbed sleep patterns, potentially affecting your body's ability to recover from a day of stress. This news is an eye-opening finding for gadget fans who have trouble nodding off at night, especially those who use the alarm clock function on their phones.

I was planning to get a real alarm clock anyway. But this will definitely remind me to get one SOON.

Starting Out

2008-10-13T10:06:00.002+07:00

A new beginning.

Hate it...

Hating the uncertainty....

Hating being clueless....

Hating being the new person....

How much sleep do you really need?

2008-06-12T04:14:00.001+07:00

According to Time,

Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hours and 7.5 hours a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 6.5 hours, they don't live quite as long.

Oh no, I slept too much...

Patut Diketahui

2008-06-06T12:38:00.006+07:00

Google, search engine canggih langganan, juga tersedia dalam bahasa Jawa!!

Just for the sake of posting

2007-08-18T10:58:00.000+07:00

Today, it really feels like I'm finally done with UMD. Why? Because today I finally return my office keys to the department. And as I walked back to the bus stop, I decided to take the long way. Passing some classrooms that I've taught in or took class at. Most of them are locked since it's summer, so I mostly just peaked through the window. There was one auditorium class that I really liked but the classroom was totally dark and I couldn't see a thing. Then I passed the corridor that was closed mostly through last year because of renovation. It was finally done and it looked great. Kinda looked out of place though...

And I also took a picture of the big chewing gum machine in front of the cafeteria that I walk by every time I enter or leave campus. I rarely see anybody putting a coin through it. I wonder if they've refilled it since it was first 'planted' there...

And finally here is where I get off the bus every morning (I mean mornings when I have to be on campus ^-^).

Common sense? Apparently not!

2007-07-06T08:14:00.000+07:00

Paying for my groceries at the register counter, I was focusing on the register machine to make sure all the discounts were accounted for and if the prices made sense. Then as I picked up my groceries bags, there was one which had a case of eggs under a container of oxyclean and a handsoap. Lucky I looked!

I thought everyone knows that food should be separated from any chemical product. Especially food which are not sealed like eggs... Especially someone working at a grocery store... Mbak mbak, waktu di training sambil mikirin apaan ya?

Curiosity

2007-07-02T01:26:00.000+07:00

In church today, I notice a very curious little girl. She's probably around 4 years old. On the pews of my church, there are clippers to hold envelopes for visitors to donate to the church. This little girl pulled out an envelope and played with it.

After a while, she decided to put the envelope back on to the clipper. However, she didn't know that it was a clipper so she tried to slide the envelope in. She tried and tried with no success. Amazingly, she just won't stop trying. Then very cleverly, she open the envelope so it would be thinner. Cute! But still, she didn't succeed. Then, she figured out that she need to make a gap for the envelope to be able to fit in. So she tried pulling the clipper. But the clipper stayed resilient.

Finally, she asked for her mother to help. Her mom also didn't know it was a clipper. But only about 3 seconds, she figured out where to push and opened the clipper. And with that, the envelope was back where it belonged.

The little girl was determined to do it herself. So she pulled the envelope again, and tried to figure out how to open the clipper. When she succeeded, I wonder how she must have felt. Must be really happy cause she repeated pulling the envelope and putting it back several time.

Congratulations, little girl. You've learned something new today! :)

Warning!!!

2007-06-28T03:44:00.001+07:00

Warning!!!
Originally uploaded by .:: çë©!Ŀΐα ::.

Warning sign picture taken at MSP airport, May 2007.

The sign reads:

"Passengers are advised that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has determined that Bandara Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia does not maintain and administer effective aviation security measures."

Oh Tidak...

2007-05-27T11:58:00.000+07:00

Masih tentang website DikmentiDKI..., kali ini serius deh, klik link yg baru saya kasih. Silakan ngakak sepuas-puasnya.

Secuplik paragraf...:

Keeping abreast of education world of that's everyday in correct readinging by head On Duty DIKMENTI Provinsi DKI Jakarta, either through kliping of through Newspaper of and also news of through media Internet . Do not seldom Bang Margani ( Chummy Greeting ) often stir to collect info education world , and surely library do not be overcome . Such as those which in tracing by Editor dikmentidki.go.id

Aduh... malu!!!

Jadi pengen sukarela menawarkan jasa penterjemah...

Bahasa Gado-Gado

2007-05-27T11:43:00.000+07:00

Tiba2 aja penasaran sama peringkat SMU di Jakarta.

Browsing, nyampe di http://www.dikmentidki.go.id/.

Daftar berita ditulis dalam format Judul, Tanggal terbit.

Bahasa pengantarnya bisa pilih, Indonesia atau English.

Lucunya, ... ah susah dijelaskan pake kata2. Mending langsung kasih contoh konkrit:

Bahasa Daerah Terancam Punah, Tanggal 23 May 2007

Hehe... mungkin saya yang ketinggalan jaman, Mei dah gak in, lebih keren May. (gak tahan pengen nyindir :P)

Pengen ngasih tau, tapi gak penting deh. Ya sudah lah.

The West has Mickey Mouse, The East has Doraemon!

2007-04-17T19:22:00.000+07:00

Well, it belongs to the Japanese, but it can represent the East, can't it?

Doraemon is that one show I've been watching since I was little and still love till now. Every Sunday morning, exactly 8 am, the TV in my house would be on. Since we had to leave the house by 9 am for Church every Sunday, our parents made a rule that the TV can't be turned on before we're ready for Church. So my sister and I would gladly wake up by 7, take a shower, dress up. Then, eat our breakfast while watching Doraemon.

And then a few days ago, I found the I can watch the show online. Listening to the opening song was so nostalgic. :) Also, it turns out that in Japan, there's a Doraemon movie every year. I've seen a couple and they're all good! Here's the trailer for this year's movie:

Dear Diary...

2007-04-14T11:48:00.000+07:00

Today I turned twenty four. Not quite a quarter of century yet, but I'm getting there. Life achievement? I don't think I have anything worth mentioning... heck, nothing even comes to mind! I'll be doing an interview with a big time company in two weeks so I guess that's one. I mean, just being considered as a candidate satisfied me already. I just hope I wouldn't screw up so bad. So anyone out there, if you have a slot in your prayer list, I would like to enlist for the spot if that's okay with you. :)

How did today went? I guess not too bad. I didn't tell anyone today's my birthday because for me it's not that special. But then some friends congratulate me and ask if I had any plans. When I told them I would only attend class and then go home, they said, Kasian deh lo! For lack of a better translation, "That's so sad!" And a couple of that triggered my feeling of loneliness and self-pity for the rest of the day. Moreover, I got a nasty paper cut on my left ring finger. That's always a day-wrecker.

But then I got a call from a friend and we chatted a while. Made my day a bit. Then another call from my dear sister Pei made it even better. After my last class, my friend asked if I wanted to have supper together in the cafeteria. So I decided to tell her that it's my birthday and we decided to go out for dinner before coming back to watch a student opera performance on campus. While watching the show, another friend called and left a message. I called him back after I got back home but couldn't get through so I just left him my gratitude for his call. Because by the time I saw him calling, I was already feeling that my birthday wasn't so bad after all. Then, when I got home, my two best friends were online so we chatted and talked about random things. Oh how I miss those gals.

So, even without a plan, I can still have a happy birthday. So have faith, however it is that your day started, don't let it bring you down cause you never know! It might turn out to be a good day after all.

April Shower Snow

2007-04-04T02:13:00.000+07:00

Another Global Warming phenomenon? Could be. This year's weather have been absurd. It was raining in November and today we have snow shower in April. It definitely shocked everyone.

Finally, an update. I've been really busy since this weekend; doing my taxes, homework, presentation preparation, and a phone interview! It's my fault I got to this state of chaos. I could have finish my taxes a while ago. And one of my homework was assigned before Spring Break. But when the due dates are far in the future, I just don't get enough motivation to do the tasks I had. Should've, could've, would've. It's always been my weakness. A really bad habit that's hard to throw away...

Back from Spring Break

2007-03-19T08:41:00.000+07:00

Yeah, my spring break has ended. Puas, fel? It was a great vacation, one of the best I've had since this is the first time I'm traveling alone. Although I went to a place where I know a few people. It feels so good when you walk out from an airport and have people welcome you, doesn't it?

God had been good to me this past week. The forecast said it was going to be cloudy and rainy but we had some good sunny days during my stay in Seattle. I even went up the Space Needle on a clear and sunny day. Although it was a little bit chilly because of the wind, it didn't matter. I also gained a new friend. Since my cousin can't get off work, her friend became sort of my tour guide around the city. Thanks, for that, Mark!

Few of the pictures I took are up on Flickr. I'll add more when I'm not feeling lazy... :P

Now, a pretty good personality quiz!

My aura is...
red
Red has come to be associated with extreme emotions like passion and anger. And indeed, people with a red aura often experience love and rage more strongly than others on the aura spectrum. Although they do have strong personalities, reds aren't just great balls of fire. They usually find a way to channel their feelings and express them physically. They tend to be extremely grounded in the body and prefer to work with their hands. They get a lot of satisfaction from completing tasks with tangible results--building sets for the school play, moving furniture around a room or fixing a car, for example. As you can imagine, these down-to-earth types value action over thought or abstract ideas.

What color is your aura?

The description is somewhat me, but I can't believe that my personality is symbolized by such a bold color. ^0^

Dreams, Spring Break, etc

2007-03-11T08:43:00.000+07:00

Spring break has finally arrived, which means that I really need to be working hard finishing my project. But that can wait after spring break! *grin*

I'm gonna spend my week in Seattle. After a long time wanting to see what Seattle looks like, I will finally have it. This is because my cousin has been bragging about how great Seattle is ever since her first stay in that rainy city 8 or 9 years ago. So I have really high expectation for this vacation. I even got too excited that I thought I'm leaving this morning. Luckily I called my cousin and she corrected me, letting me know that I'm supposed to get to Seattle TOMORROW!! haha...

So today, I went window shopping at the mall with Natasha. Or, shopping for Natasha, window shopping for me. hehe... I only got a body butter at Bath and Body for my overly dry skin caused by the very dry weather of Minnesota. Mainly because I don't find anything good to buy and also I'm thinking I should wait till I get to Seattle and spend my money there.

A few days ago I had a premonition-like dream. So, Natasha called at about 7.30 am which woke me up. But I was still very sleepy, so I didn't pick up the phone and just continue sleeping. This is when I start dreaming. I dreamed that I picked up the phone and had a chat with Natasha. I don't remember if we had any meaningful conversation but the 1 sentence that stick with me was Natasha telling me that the next day was going to be her birthday. ~The End~

Short and unimportant. But then in the afternoon I called Natasha after I got to school to return her call. And we talked about our break plans. Since I'm not going to be in Duluth, she said we should arrange to get together after the break because *drumrolls* it IS her birthday on the 18th. I can't believe what I heard!! I thought it was so amazing that I have to share it here.

Seattle, here I come!

Today

2007-03-04T02:44:00.000+07:00

Snow Pictures

2007-03-02T21:12:00.000+07:00

So yesterday, I still couldn't believe I'd have a day off today because of the weather. So I set up my alarm clock like usual at 7.45 am. When the alarm went off, I immediately call the school's Snow Advisory Hotline. And it's true, school's close today. I planned to get back to sleep. But I guess I was to excited knowing I won't have to go to school today that I'm fully awake! Funny, when I HAVE to go to school, I would snooze my alarm clock over and over, but when I don't have to, I can't get back to sleep... :P

So I decided to take some pictures of the snow. I don't want to get outside yet since I don't want to dip my leg in the snow and wet myself. (my landlord is probably feeling too cold to shovel the snow ^-^)

Snow Hill behind my apartment building.

Front door.
Someone just walked in before I took the picture so you can kinda see how high the snow accumulated last night.

A closer look on the trace the opened door left behind.

White all over!!
That is a couple of staircase down, covered with snow. The pole in the middle is the railing.

Icing on Duluth :D

Winter Storm

2007-03-02T13:29:00.000+07:00

So, after having a very dry winter, Duluth got its share of snow. It's like all the snow that supposed to fall for the past 3 months decided to fall this week. Aside from the blizzard-like strong winds, I don't mind having lots of snow. The sight of everything covered with the white snow is very pretty. I was going to take some pictures today when I realized how dead my camera's battery was. :P

Oh well, maybe tomorrow if the wind is not too strong. Anyway, because of this strong wind since this afternoon, UMD is closed since 2pm today and the whole day tomorrow. Meaning:

long weekend ~ yay!
a couple of extra days before I gotta do my project presentation ~ yay! yay!

Here's a cute clip for Panda Lovers:

Ocha ♥ Dany, wish you all the best!!

2007-02-21T11:45:00.000+07:00

I was chatting with my friend and she reminded me that tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. That reminds me. The day after tomorrow, my closest childhood friend is going to be married!!

This isn't a new news for me. I've known it since last year when she first told me she was engaged. But the reality of the real thing happening in less than a day, that makes me think if my turn would one day come....

Celebrate the Pig Year ~\\(^o^)//~

2007-02-19T00:09:00.000+07:00

Happy Chinese New Year!! I had fun last night celebrating with the Chinese here in Duluth. Here is some interesting and funny math joke in the spirit of the Pig year. Enjoy!

Human = eat + sleep + work + enjoy
Pigs = eat + sleep
Hence, Human = Pigs + work + enjoy
If Human - enjoy = Pigs + work, then
Human that don't know enjoy = pigs that work

Men = eat + sleep + earn money
Pigs = eat + sleep
Hence, Men = Pigs + earn money
If Men - earn money = Pigs, then
Men that don't earn money = Pigs

Women = eat + sleep + spend
Pigs = eat + sleep
Hence, Women = Pigs + spend
If Women - spend = Pigs, then
Women that don't spend = Pigs

Summary:
Men earn money not to let women become pigs!
Women spend not to let men become pigs!

Men + Women = 2 Pigs

Wish all the pigs happy forever!

Ada Aktivis Indonesia Yang Malu-maluin!!

2007-02-15T04:23:00.000+07:00

Selagi nungguin kelas jam 4 nanti, gue baca2 berita seputar banjir Jakarta di Liputan 6. Satu laporan berjudul, Pesan Singkat Penjarahan. Biasalah, di Indonesia; sumber derita satu orang bisa jadi sumber pendapatan orang lain. PENJARAHAN... Tega bener yah.

Jadi seminggu setelah banjir, mulai beredar SMS ajakan menjarah Hero dan kawan-kawan. Usut punya usut, biang keladinya Iwan Sumule, aktivis sebuah partai politik, yang juga bergelar Ketua Dewan Perwakilan Daerah Jakarta Banteng Muda Indonesia. Public Figure gitu loh!!.

Dan kali ini nggak polisi nggak salah tangkep kok. Soalnya nih orang ngaku ngirim SMS tersebut. Maksudnya bercanda kali yah, dia ngirimnya ke kenalan aja. Tapi apa ya gak mikir gitu... dampaknya bisa jadi kaya apa. Dasar geblek!

Edit: However,

One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch, right?!

So, maju terus Indonesiaku!!!!

Learning Chinese

2007-02-09T04:05:00.000+07:00

Learning the Chinese language has been so much fun! I don't remember why I resented learning it in the past... My dad had been trying to get me into learning Chinese since a long time ago. But I just didn't have the will to do it. And so I ended up just remembering a very tiny portion of it, not enough to at least converse simple dialogues. However, I'm having a blast now.

I greeted my dad in Chinese the last time I called him. I sure surprised him by that. LOL... Glad I can still make my dad happy by just doing this simple things.~\\(^0^)//~

再见! ;)

2007-02-08T00:59:00.000+07:00

If only I had all the money in the world, I would make myself a custom made earphone, fit for me and only me....

Flooded Jakarta

2007-02-06T02:16:00.000+07:00

When disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis striked Indonesia, my beloved city Jakarta was not affected. No, those natural disasters are not the enemy of my city. The enemy of my city is floods... The last bad one happened on the year 2002. At that time, my high school was closed and classes were conducted temporarily at a different place.

This year, another flood strikes. And the news said this time, it's worst than last time. They said it's the worst flood in 15 years. Well, they say a picture worths a thousand words. So here it is, a picture of one of the area from above.

Click on the picture above to look at other pictures of what Jakarta looks like because of the flood.

Keep Your Promises, People!

2007-02-04T22:09:00.000+07:00

It is very disappointing when someone made a promise and didn't keep it. Urgh! It frustrates me. Even more so when this time my best friend does so without thinking that I might be sacrificing my precious getting-up-late-on-the-weekend time expecting she'll show up soon. >,<

Yeah.. I sometimes make some empty promises too. So this is a lesson for me, not to easily say, 'I'll do this, I'll do that, I promise.' However, when the promise is about meeting someone, I always meet my end of the promise. I even try to be there 5 minutes early most of the time.

I expected too much... I was so excited about this I woke up before my alarm clock went off... And now, I'm waiting and waiting and waiting.......

Keep your promise, or don't promise anything at all.

Dreams

2007-02-02T11:08:00.000+07:00

I was chatting with my 2 sisters and my baby sister said she had a weird dream. She said she dreamt that she was out eating at an all-you-can-eat restaurant where all the dishes looked wonderfully tasty. And then she stopped. The two of us were waiting for the rest of the story so we went silent. Turned out that was it. She was just telling us about her dream to let us know how she wished she really was in that kind of restaurant.

Anyway, then I thought, at least she's dreaming. I either rarely dream when I'm sleeping, or I rarely remember my dream. I think it's the first though cause it feels that way most of the time. I know my younger sister dreams a lot, I mean LOTS! And often times it's really interesting dreams. Ones that can be conversation topics. I wonder why I never had dreams like that...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-01-27T11:34:00.000+07:00

Finally, some news about the last of the Harry Potter series!

And this is real because I know this from Barnes and Noble. But noooo, it's not available for ordering yet. However, you can sign up to be among the first ones to know when it IS available for ordering. Crazy! Up until now, I only notice signs like, "Preorder now!" and not "Sign up now and we'll let you know when you can preorder!"

Harry Potter was the book that got me into reading. It was at the beginning of my third year during high school. I remember thinking that reading novels instead of mangas is a sign of growing up. (I do not claim this as a fact. It's just me and my thoughts). So, when I saw the promo for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the bookstore, it caught my attention. I bought my first Harry Potter and I was hooked immediately. However, this book was the Indonesian version.

I don't remember how I figured out that there were sequels to the book. Probably through my classmates. I got my book before the craze happened at my high school. So by the time everybody was getting to get a hold of the book, I've finished reading it and was trying to get one of my friend to read it. I think I forced her to borrow my copy. She was so skeptical about it just because she doesn't want to do what everyone was doing. She wanted to be unique or something. But hah! As soon as she started reading, she finished it in 3 days and now, she's a bigger fan than I am. Funny how that works...

So now it is 7 years since then... WOW! 7 years.... I can't wait to read this last book. But it's sad too because that means I'll have nothing to look forward for after this book. Oh wait, there'll still be the movies... ^-^

3 weeks into 2007

2007-01-21T12:15:00.000+07:00

If you're in need of crying like mad, I have a solution for you. Watch the Japanese Drama called "1 Litre of Tears" and you're guaranteed to produce a litre of tears (possibly more...) along the series. The story is so touching especially since it's based on a true story. Not only that, it's also inspiring.

The drama is based on the diary of Aya Kitou, who had Spinocerebellar Atrophy starting at a very young age. The disease caused her to lose control over her body but not her mental ability. A very cruel disease... Yet Aya struggled bravely through the end, writing until she can no longer hold a pen and in the end inspired a lot of readers after her writings were published.

So, if you think like you wanted to die, watch this series before continuing the thought.
If you think you're unfortunate, and yet you're reading this on a computer, watch this series and think again.
If you're procrastinating, watch this series and be grateful that you're being lazy out of your own will and not because there's no other choice for you.

On a lighter note, I need to remind myself next time, NOT to do laundry on a Saturday... I started at around 11 am, and finished at 7 pm!! Apparently Saturday is everybody's laundry day.

2007 Has Arrived!

2007-01-02T04:15:00.000+07:00

Happy New Year everyone! Today is the day when I'll be doing this for the next couple of weeks: write down '06, scratch it and replace it with '07. It always takes me a while to remember the new year.

Anyway, since it snowed quite a lot yesterday, today the ground is finally covered with thick snow. So I really wanted to go out and take a walk. Turned out the weather is nice too. But it wasn't really fun walking alone outside. I tried calling some friends but no one picked up. Oh well, I did manage to capture a couple of shots of the snow.

PS: I had my first toothache of the year... :( Hope it's nothing bad... cause I hate going to the dentist.

Taking Our Time

2006-12-30T01:50:00.000+07:00

Just 2 days ago, I found out that Lisa would go to St. Cloud on the 7th. So yesterday, I packed my bags and went to St. Cloud. Now, here I am, in my sister's room, typing up happily imagining the fun I'll have here. St. Cloud-ers wouldn't understand how I could be so happy, "stuck in St. Cloud." But in my heart, St. Cloud has become my home away from home.

Well yesterday, while transfering in Minneapolis, I met up with my cousin and her boyfriend to kill the 7 hours wait. First we headed to Quang, a famous Viatnemese restaurant in Minneapolis. Everyday, it would be packed with people that you would have to wait to be seated, especially during lunch hour. Luckily, we came just an hour before it started to get crowded. But then the waitress seems to get lost because there were too many empty seats. She took about a minute to decide which one she would point us to.

Finally seated, we ordered and had a good meal. Throughout the time we ate, there was one waiter that kept asking us if the meal was good. Everytime he passed our table, he would ask. It was so annoying!! I mean once or twice is expected. But no more! But seriously, this waiter had a problem. After we finished, he brought us our bill and said, "Take your time... don't go yet." And we were like, o_0 "Ooo... kay...." We did talk some more and didn't leave immediately. Then he passed our table again and filled our water glasses and said again, "Oh, still here? Take your time, take your time." So we laughed and decided to leave. My cousin thought the waiter was being rude and sarcastic. Oh well... interesting waiter.

We then went to Ikea and walked around. Their designs are so amazing, I hope one day I'll be able to have my house decorated with Ikea stuffs. From Ikea, we went to the IMAX theatre to watch "A Night at the Museum." Highly recommended! This was the first Ben Stiller movie I trully like.

And now I have to shower and get ready for a wonderful week ahead. Oh, and wake my sister up :P

Christmas Presents

2006-12-26T02:01:00.000+07:00

This what I got for christmas...

Thank you guys!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

2006-12-25T13:39:00.000+07:00

Merry christmas and happy holidays to all of you readers! Hope you have a good break to get ready for the next year.

Since this year's winter has been really mild, there's no white christmas here. Not even a trace of snow is visible. I'm not crazy for snow or anything. It's just that I felt christmas in the US doesn't feel like a big holiday at all. Especially in a small town like Duluth. When I walked home from the church this evening, I looked around and it's really just the same as any other day. I walked by 2 big hospitals and no extra lighting at all! There's a balcony with christmas light saying "Happy Holidays", not turned on by the way, and that's about it. Sad isn't it. Moreover, no snow... so really doesn't feel like holiday at all.

In the church I feel the christmas spirit a little bit as it is full and some people dressed up. But still not as grand as the celebration back home. I remember one time my friend and I lead the offering procession during christmas, dancing wearing special costumes. And we practiced, seriously for it. Today's mass, the people leading the procession don't even dress up. They just wear jeans and sweater. So boring!

Oh well. One of my dream is to spend christmas in a big city, New York maybe? Stay at a nice hotel. Oh how I wish I'm rich... :P

7 reasons why single women are single

2006-11-27T11:26:00.000+07:00

I got this from a drama series where a group of single women are complaining about their single status. These are their claim why they haven't got boyfriends yet. I thought I'd write it here for fun. :D

Good men are ugly.

Cute guys have lousy personalities.

Cute guys with good character are married.

Cute single guys with good character are poor.

Cute single rich guys with good character aren't interested in them.

Cute single rich guys with good character who are interested in them are playboys.

Cute single rich guys with good character who are interested in them and aren't playboys are gays.

Quality vs. Quantity

2006-11-19T12:19:00.000+07:00

In his diary, Soe Hok Gie once wrote

"Seorang filsuf Yunani pernah menulis... nasib terbaik adalah tidak dilahirkan, yang kedua dilahirkan tapi mati muda, dan yang tersial adalah umur tua. Rasa-rasanya memang begitu. Bahagialah mereka yang mati muda."

which translate to

"A Greek philosopher once said... The best fate is that of the unborns, the second one is that of those who die young, and the distant third is that of those who die in the old age. I feel that this is right: Happy are those who die young."

But how do you feel?

"Long monotone life or short exciting one?" has been attached to my nickname for several days now and I've gotten calls from my friends letting me know their preferences. As you probably expected, 100% preferred the short exciting one. Well actually, several said they wanted long AND exciting life. Hahaha, don't we all?

If I have to choose between the two, I honestly can't pick between the two. Borrowing the term from one of my friends, is quantity more important? Or is it quality? I'd like to say I want exciting life cause my life's pretty boring now. But having it short doesn't sound that great either. What if it is too short? As a human being, people always wants more. More money, more time!

Say you know you can only live for another 3 months. Wouldn't you wish you can live longer? The quality of life you're having, in terms of excitement, wouldn't matter so much anymore. Even if it's just a usual everyday life, you'll take it. Because when you know it's going to be taken away from you very soon, the little unimportant things that you've taken for granted before becomes important then. So in this situation, quantity becomes more important.

So it seems most people agrees with Gie. But I think it's a tough balancing act...

As a side note, I didn't specify the word monotone. So it doesn't mean that it's an unhappy monotone life. This has something to do with presumptions and expectations, right? Well, that's a different topic. It just popped into my mind so I thought I'd write it down.

Stray Cats

2006-11-11T07:29:00.000+07:00

I've been living in the US for almost 6 years now and one thing that's different from Indonesia is the matter of stray cats (and dogs). Back home, stray cats are an every day eyesight. But here, there are no such things as stray cats. Wild deers... lots, squirrels... Everywhere, but stray cats? Nada!

However, in the past 4 weeks or so, I've seen 4 stray cats and they're all different cats. I saw 2 running across the street towards my apartment building, 1 at an old shack by my apartment's back door, and 1 in St. Cloud, crossing the street from Coborns. What is happening here?? o_0

November Rain

2006-11-08T07:03:00.000+07:00

I can't believe it's raining outside... It's November, supposed to be snowing! But I don't mind the warm temperature... Yeah anything above the freezing point is considered warm for Minnesotans! heheh.. Although I'm sure if Kumiko hears what I said, she's say that it's bad!! This means Global Warming is in effect, right this moment. It should be snowing and cold and freezing! It's November!

Hishashiburi~

2006-10-24T15:40:00.000+07:00

Haih~ tonight is one of those night where I can never seem to manage to fall asleep. Had those nights before? It sucks right? And this happens when I had planned to wake up early tomorrow. I might as well not try to sleep at all.

The thing is there's a sign on my apartment's entrance that tomorrow, there will be a fire drill sometime between 8 am and 10 am. Was planning to leave before that starts. But what can I do, I probably will be asleep in an hour or so and won't be able to wake up then. Sigh...

Haven't updated this blog for a while. Kinda lost interest to write lately. No particular reason, just can't seem to find any topic to write about. But anyway, I have one now. Well, more like a question...

You've must have heard that there has been so much protests on cosmetic products tested on animals. So now if you look at, say, your lotion. Most likely you'll find a statement that says, "This product is not tested on animals." So I was wondering, how are they sure that the product is safe? What do they tested it on?

Okay, don't mind me, just rambling here. Since this is me not being able to sleep after tossing and turning on my bed for 2 hrs or so...

2006-10-12T09:54:00.000+07:00

First snow of the season falls down today. Winter has arrived...

The Weekend

2006-10-08T10:09:00.000+07:00

Just finished watching Meteor Garden 2. Finally! I think it's the best TV series I've ever watched. Great quality, unlike the Indonesian sinetron (electronic cinema) back home, so lame... Anyway, if I were Shancai, I would pick Lei instead of Daomingse. But that's just me :P

This weekend is pretty good for me. Not just wasting time by myself as I usually would. Went to Nicaise's son's 1st birthday party yesterday. The food were awesome! And plenty... I was so full coming home from the party. And what was even more wonderful is that all of us who were present represents the entire world. Well... maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit. But seriously, the countries represented were Cameroon, Peru, China, Srilanka, Indonesia, and of course, United States. Very cool!

Today is the most productive weekend of mine this semester. I met with Natasha to study together. She was working on her thesis and I worked on my Linear Models homework. Although we started off by talking about Grey's Anatomy for a while, we did get some work done. Oh, by the way, don't forget to read my other blog about Grey's Anatomy!

Tomorrow, is Sunday. So sad, cause it means the next day would be Monday... Oh well, I'll think of it as a day closer to the next weekend. Till next time!

Starbucks

2006-10-02T10:21:00.000+07:00

Pulang gereja hari ini males rasanya masak untuk makan siang. Akhirnya karena kebetulan udaranya juga lagi enak banget, gue jalan menelurusi downtown Duluth, menuju Starbucks. Gue sih berharap soup ada di menu list mereka, eh ternyata nggak ada... Akhirnya gue pesen Iced Caramel Latte sama Blueberry Coffee Cake. A treat once in a while should be good, right?

Sambil menikmati jajanan ala bule, gue duduk disamping jendela, sambil baca buku. Sesekali gue perhatiin mobil2 yang berenti di jalan raya depan Starbucks soalnya Starbucks letaknya tepat didepan lampu lalu lintas. Lalu pemandangan didepan gue menarik perhatian. Ada 2 costumer Starbucks yang juga lagi ngopi, duduk di 2 meja yang berbeda nggak jauh didepan meja gue. Yang satu bapak2 lumayan tua, rambutnya udah 50% uban. Yang satunya lagi perempuan muda, anak kuliahan. Si Bapak keliatan jelas dari meja gue, tapi si cewe ketutupan pintu masuk. Si Bapak nggak bawa bacaan apa2, jadi ngopi sambil ngeliat aja keluar jendela. Rupanya si cewe juga nggak ngapa2in, soalnya gue lalu ngeliat si cewe mindahin barang2nya ke meja si bapak, trus mereka salaman.

Gue heran, kok bisa yah mereka kenalan gitu aja. Coba di gue tiba2 disapa bapak2 di coffee shop. Palingan gue senyumin aja, trus ngabur ato pura2 sibuk sendiri. Takut kale...

Time According to Meredith

2006-10-01T02:34:00.000+07:00

The notion of time has always facinated me. Eventhough time runs in a constant manner for everyone in the universe (otherwise, clocks and watches wouldn't work the same way all over the world), time can feel different to any of us in any given time. 5 minutes seems to be such a short length of time most of the time but sometimes, 5 minutes is such a long time to wait.

Grey's Anatomy season 3's premiere episode is titled "Time has Come Today". As always, Meredith's voice over in this episode is something I can relate to. After digging through the internet for the exact words, I finally found it in Wikipedia! Hah! My favorite online encyclopedia.

So here it is...

Time takes pleasure in kicking our asses.
For even the strongest of us it seems to play tricks.
Slowing down... hovering until it freezes.
Leaving us stuck in a moment-
unable to move in one direction or the other.

Time waits for no man.
Time heals all wounds.
All any of us can want is more time.
Time to stand up.
Time to grow up.
Time to let go.
Time.

If you like it and you want more, I've created another blog which documents the voice overs of Meredith from each episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Click here to check it out.

Mr. Curiosity

2006-09-30T23:50:00.000+07:00

Jason Mraz - Mr.A-Z

Hey Mr. Curiosity
Is it true what they've been saying about you
Are you killing me?
You took care of the cat already
And for those who think it's heavy
Is it the truth
Or is it only gossip
Call it mystery or anything
Just as long as you'd call me
I sent the message on did you get it when I left it
See this catastrophic event
It wasn't meant to mean no harm
But to think there's nothing wrong is a problem

I'm looking for love this time
Sounding hopeful but it's making me cry
Love is a mystery
Mr. Curious...

Come back to me
Mr. waiting ever patient can't you see
That I'm the same the way you left me
In a hurry to spell check me
And I'm underlined already in envy green
And pencil red
And I've forgotten what you've said
Will you stop working for the dead and return
Mr. curious well I need some inspiration
It's my birthday and I cannot find no cause for celebration
The scenario is grave but I'll be braver when you save me
From this situation laden with hearsay

I'm looking for love this time
Sounding hopeful but it's making me cry
And love is a mystery
Mr. Curiosity
Be Mr. please
Do come and find me, oh
Find, find me, find me

I'm looking for love this time
Sounding hopeful but it's making me cry
Trying not to ask why
Cause love is a mystery
Mr. curiosity
Be Mr. please
Do come and find me

Love is blinding when the timing's never right
Oh who am I to beg for difference
Finding love in just an instant
I'm outta my mind, at least I've tried
Well I tried, I tried...

Love

2006-09-28T08:43:00.000+07:00

During my vacation at my parents' house, I dug through our family old photo collections. Unexpectedly, I found a photo album of my mom and dad's photos while they were still in college. When I told them about it, we looked through the pictures together. It was so much fun seeing their reactions as they flipped through the pages and remembering old times.

There was one particular picture that is so special. It was the picture of my mom and dad's group of friends, the ones they hang out with then. The picture is in black and white. My mom asked if my dad remembers the color of the dress that she was wearing in the picture. Amazingly enough, he remembers it still with such great details.

I thought it was sooooo romantic! Isn't it great how you can remember all the little things about someone you cared about so much.

2006-09-26T09:40:00.000+07:00

Ketika seseorang menyatakan bahwa kini ia single tanpa kau bertanya padanya, apakah hal tersebut sebuah undangan untuk masuk kedalam hatinya?

Finally, nice weather

2006-09-25T11:27:00.000+07:00

In a catholic church mass, there is a part where you offer a sign of peace to the people around you by shaking hands while saying "Peace be with you." Back home, whenever I extend my hand, I received a hand shake. It was always a fun time for me. We had a special song for it and I always had my family to shake my hands with. When I was in St. Cloud it felt a bit lonely because I didn't know anybody there but it's still fine because most of the time, the church is packed with people and we offer each other peace gladly.

Today was different. The church I attend here is never packed. Instead of a choir, there is only 1 lady (always the same lady) singing and 1 person playing organ/piano. During the offering of peace today I turned back and saw a woman standing straight. I extended my hand to her while smiling. She saw it, looked up to me and said peace. I still have my hand extended, hoping she would grab it. But no, she just turned her gaze forward, ignoring me. I was shocked. How could someone attending the church, home of the loving God, be so cold?

Anyway, after 2 days of nonstop raining, today's weather was very nice. I even decided to have a walk around my block after I threw the garbage outside. Hopefully it'll stay this way for a while.

Bowling

2006-09-24T06:51:00.000+07:00

Went bowling with some friends today. Haven't done that for a long time. And by this I meant bowling, as well as socializing. It was so great! This weekend was a blast, sushi yesterday and bowling today? Heavenly...

Anyway, I bowled badly, which didn't really matter because all of us are beginner. So no pressure whatsoever. But in 2 games, I scored a strike once, played inconsistently, my scored ranged from 0 to a strike each time I threw the ball, and my total were a low thirties and a low sixties. Crazy!!

2006-09-23T10:39:00.000+07:00

Just got back with some friends. We have an early dinner, in the Zen House Duluth. We had sushi and tempura. For pictures, I have it all in Flickr so just click the link on my side bar!

Now, for some laugh, check this out!

This is what a frustrated mathematician might do...

While someone who doesn't really understand the trigonometry might do this...

Have you ever done something like this in a math test before?

Now this one cracks me up the most since this is real...

My version of the Devil Wears Prada

2006-09-21T10:59:00.000+07:00

She doesn't exactly wear Prada or any of the expensive brand. But you can say she is one of the stylish people in where I am now. Her looks differ by the day. My first impression of her was how nice she was. I also noticed that she likes to tell stories.

However today I realized, she doesn't just like to tell stories. She likes to tell stories that compliment herself in some ways. Someone she knows made a mistake and she blab all about it to everybody about how awful it was and how she would never do that. Now once maybe acceptable. Nobody's perfect. But she did this over and over again, it made me think if she realized that she was giving bad impressions out...

2006-09-20T05:33:00.000+07:00

5.30 pm, perpustakaan.
Menghabiskan waktu sambil membaca novel bestseller.

Sejak pindah ke Amerika, gue suka ngabisin waktu di perpustakaan. Enak aja gitu, tenang nggak ada yang ngganggu. Tapi juga luas jadi selalu aja ada bagian yang bisa gue eksplor. Mau main komputer sepuasnya bisa. Kalo udah bosen tinggal cari2 aja buku untuk dibaca. Kalo bosen, cari yang lain.

Tapi tiba-tiba aja barusan, suasana hening terpecah oleh suara seorang perempuan tertawa terbahak-bahak. Bukan.. bukan kuntilanak kok (Ih.. syerem!) Tapi ada seorang bule pirang tak tau diri, entah lagi baca apaan, ketawa seenak udelnya. Nggak cuman sekali, berkali-kali! Sadar dong mbak, ini perpustakaan, bukan kafe....

Wonderful Saturday

2006-09-17T08:41:00.000+07:00

As I usually just stayed at home on Saturdays, today is a special day. The international club had their annual tour and picnic for the new students to meet up with the returning students. The tour wasn't all that impressive since we went through the same routes as last year. And we didn't even stop on the sites this time so no picture op...

Anyway, the volunteer that drove us was a very nice gentleman. Talks a lot too, which I don't mind because I find it hard to find topics to talk about when I'm not in my comfort zone (i.e. close friends all around). After the tour, we went back to UMD for some foods. The usual burgers and hot dogs, typical American outdoor party foods, vegetarian lasagnas, and several types of currys with the roti pratha (or whatever it is called :P). And, sodas and cookies.

I met with an Indonesian adopted Swedish! Too bad she doesn't speak Indonesian anymore, that would have been nice.

After that I went to watch the students from India played a couple games of cricket. I ended up talking with the girls instead of watching the game though. What can I say, I don't enjoy watching sports that much so talking is definitely better.

By the time I got home and cleaned up, it was already 7 pm. My day's almost up. And it's such a nice feeling thinking, "Hey, I can be social, at least once in a long while... "

Stop This Train

2006-09-15T22:54:00.000+07:00

John Mayer - Continuum

no, I'm not colorblind
I know the world is black and white
try to keep an open mind
just can't sleep on this tonight

stop this train
I wanna get off and go home again
I can't take the speed it's movin' in
I know I can't
but honestly won't someone stop this train

don't know how else to say it
don't wanna see my parents go
one generation's led the way
for findin' life out on my own

stop this train
I wanna get off and go home again
I can't take the speed it's movin' in
I know I can't
but honestly won't someone stop this train

so scared of gettin' older
I'm only good at being young
so I play the numbers game
to find a way to say that
life has just begun

had a talk with my old man
said help me understand
he said turn 68
you renegotiate
don't stop this train
don't for a minute change the place you're in
don't think I couldn't ever understand
I tried my hand
John, honestly
we'll never stop this train

once in a while when it's good
it'll feel like it should
and they're all still around
and you're still safe and sound
and you don't miss a thing
till you cry when you're driving
away in the dark

singing
stop this train
I wanna get off and go home again
I can't take the speed it's movin' in
I know I can't
'cause now I see
I'll never stop this train

And today I feel homesick again....

2006-09-07T04:03:00.000+07:00

My countdown towards graduation has begun. Approximately 8 months from today I'll have the title MSc. following my name. Excited? Not really... Rather, I feel anxious about all the things I have to do this year. My comprehensive exam that I took after my first year at UMD wasn't that great. My mentor got access to it AND expressed her dissapointment to me. Boy does that absorb all the good feeling in you! And then the project report that I'll have to write! That's the one I fear the most.

So, with all these happiness-depriving-feelings inside of me I'm homesick yet again.

DEMALSIN???!!

2006-08-30T18:32:00.000+07:00

Apa nama penyakit yang paling merugikan didunia? Menurut gue jawabannya bukan AIDS, bukan juga flu burung ato penyakit2 mematikan lainnya. Menurut gue jawabannya adalah kemalasan...

Rasa malas bisa bikin orang menunda-nunda pekerjaan. Murid-murid yang seharusnya belajar keras demi menimba ilmu merasa males. Akhirnya nilai pas-pasan asal lulus. Waktu ngelamar kerja, wawasan kurang, nggak diterima kerja di perusahaan impian. Akhirnya cari kerja asal keterima. Kerja ngerasa nggak enjoy jadi males-malesan. Bukannya nyelesaiin laporan malah browsing, chatting nggak jelas. Akibatnya jadi karyawan yang nggak produktif, gaji nggak naik-naik (abis gak dapet2 promosi, kalah melulu sama yang rajin-rajin). Yang ada jadi orang nggak bahagia banget.

Maaf, bukan maksud hati menguliahi, justru ini lagi curhat. Lagi males banget nih... Semakin dikit kegiatan gue, semakin parah aja rasa malesnya. Kenapa juga nggak ditemukan "DEMALSIN: obat mengatasi rasa malas." Halah!

Film Indonesia

2006-08-28T19:42:00.000+07:00

Dalam rangka mendukung perfilman Indonesia, kalo lagi pulang ke Indo, gue suka nontonin film2 yang kira2 bagus. Biasanya sih referensi gue adek gue yang paling kecil. Jadi kadang yah gak sesuai selera. Tapi tetep aja, namanya juga perfilman Indonesia baru aja mulai berkembang, wajar lah kalo sekarang itu masih dalam tahap belajar.

Tapi ini bukan tulisan untuk ngebahas dengan serius perfilman Indonesia. Gue cuman mau ngasih tau satu hal yang menurut gue lucu. Tadi barusan gue nonton VCD film Indonesia. Di bagian credits seperti biasa dimulai dengan daftar nama Produser, Co-Produser, Pemain, dsb, dsb, dsb... Kemudian muncul nama PAWANG HUJAN. Kocak! Bisa dijamin, yang kaya gini cuma ada di film Indonesia aja tuh.

Back to Duluth

2006-08-24T18:32:00.000+07:00

Habis sudah liburanku di Jakarta. Yang namanya liburan, mau seminggu kek, sebulan kek, setaon kek, kayanya kalo udah berakhir pasti akan buat kita mikir, "Gila, cepet banget nih liburan abisnya..."

Dan selama di Jakarta, males banget yang namanya main internet. Pertama, koneksi lambat banget, kedua, misalnya mau gue sabar2 nungguin koneksi yang lelet itu juga, tagihan telpon nyokap gue bakal melambung tingiiiii.....

Setelah balik shoutbox blog gue kena spammers gitu, males benerinnya... Trus dapet 1 komentar anonimus...

hellow.. i've been enjoying ur blogs for so long.. where r u now?
update dongg.. :D

Duh, ternyata ada yang rajin bacain tulisan2 gue yang seringkali gak ada gunanya... Aku Tersanjung! (Sinetron abis... :P) Thanks yah! Makanya sering2 kasih feedback yah, bias gue nggak ngerasa nulis buat diri gue sendiri aja.

Once Upon a Time in IKEA

2006-06-08T10:02:00.000+07:00

I have comitted a terrible crime!

Waktu lagi jalan2 di IKEA, ada sekeranjang penuh boneka buat model gambar dari kayu.

Temen gue nanya,
"Buat apaan sih boneka kaya gini?"
"Buat model gambar lah! Kaya misalnya..."

Sambil ngejelasin ke temen gue, gue ambil satu boneka. Maksud hati gue mau bikin boneka itu ke posisi split. Lalu, "KRAK!" Kaki kanan boneka itu terpisah dari seluruh badannya... I literally gasp! Waktu berhenti sejenak di dunia gue. Terus temen gue bilang, "Cil, taro pelan2, ayo kita kabur!" And that was exactly what I did. Kaget bo!

Tega

2006-06-02T06:19:00.000+07:00

Orang lagi susah, kehilangan harta benda gara-gara gempa, masih ada juga orang yang kurang ajar. Dari Kompas, gue baca berita kalo warga Klaten keracunan nasi bungkus yang dibagikan oleh seseorang yang tidak diketahui identitasnya. Kok ya tega...

Update: Hari ini baru kepikiran... ada kemungkinan yang ngebagiin nasi bungkus gak tau juga yah kalo nasi bungkusnya dah basi ato gak tau lah kenapa sampe bisa nyebabin orang sedesa keracunan. Kali aja ketuker sama yang punya kemaren...

So You Think You Can Dance?

2006-06-01T09:12:00.000+07:00

Pepatah bilang, "Coba-coba bertanam mumbang, siapa tahu jadi kelapa" - tetap berusaha walaupun peluang keberhasilan tidaklah besar. OK, gue tau, mungkin ini pertama kalinya elo ketemu pepatah kaya gitu. Tapi gue nggak ngarang kok, gue kutip pepatah tersebut dari Wikiquote.

Intinya, entah barusan atau suatu saat di masa lalu, elo pernah dapet nasihat yang senada. Versi bokap gue: "Kalo nggak dicoba, mana tau?" Tapi kalo gue tau hasilnya 100% pasti gagal, apa perlu gue tetep nyoba? Masalahnya, gue baru aja nonton So You Think You Can Dance? Show tentang kompetisi dansa a la American Idol. Dan kaya American Idol, peserta harus audisi untuk lanjut ke babak final. Dari sekian banyak peserta yang masuk TV, gue bilang cuman 10% yang beneran bisa nari. 90% lainnya ampun deh!! Ngeliatnya nggak tahan...

Dua hal yang bikin gue mikir... Pertama, diantara 90% yang nggak bisa nari itu, banyak yang ngaku kalo mereka pelatih (ballet, tap dance, swing dance, dan berbagai macam jenis tarian lainnya). Kalo beneran, kasian amat yah murid2nya diplorotin... Ada juga yang di aplikasi bilang kalo dia anggota semacem Ballet Company. Dan waktu gue liat dia audisi. Omaigutnes... Dari gerakan tangannya aja gue bisa tau kalo dia bukan penari. Jadi, dia bo'ong, atau dia emang anggota Ballet Company tapi bukan penari? Bodyguard mungkin (abis badannya berotot...)??

OK, hal yang kedua, gue liat terutama di audisinya American Idol, banyak yang dapet dukungan solid dari temen atau anggota keluarganya walaupun suaranya cuman cocok untuk nyanyi di lingkungan keluarga deket. Hmmm... kalo gue mendingan temen2 gue ngasih tau suara gue sumbang daripada gue dengan pedenya mempermalukan diri didepan orang banyak, lebih parah lagi, national TV bo!

Berita Duka

2006-05-28T00:06:00.000+07:00

Gempa besar berkekuatan 6.2 skala Richter mengguncang Yogyakarta dan daerah sekitar Sabtu pagi saat banyak orang masih terlelap. Dari berita terakhir yang gue baca di CNN, bencana kali ini memakan 3000 korban jiwa, dan pastinya angka ini masih akan tumbuh lebih besar lagi.

Coba lihat berita foto dari CNN, menyayat hati banget...

Ironisnya, fokus bencana alam belakangan ini ditujukan ke meletusnya Gunung Merapim bukan gempa bumi.

pupuk?

2006-05-27T09:14:00.000+07:00

Baru selesai nonton Monalisa Smile, nyalain MSN, dan seseorang memanggil. Kirain mau ngasih tau, "Eh, ada gempa di Yogya loh barusan..." Ternyata pesannya adalah, "Harga pupuk naik..." -_-

Coba...

2006-05-18T09:33:00.000+07:00

"Coba telpon itu bisa dipake dimanapun kapanpun yah..."

Begitu kata mamiku ditelepon tadi sewaktu kita harus udahan ngobrol karena si mami harus siap2 pergi. Kirain mamiku itu masih pengen ngobrol sama anak pertamanya lebih lama. Eh, ternyata maksudnya ditujukan buat anak keduanya yang baru lepas landas dari Hong Kong menuju Jakarta

Sebenernya bukannya nggak bisa sih. Dengan perkembangan teknologi jaman sekarang gitu loh. Komunikasi antar negara, bahkan antar benua sih, kecil! Tapi kalo cuma gara2 adek gue transit 3 jam di Hong Kong, terus kita mesti set up biar HP dia bisa nelpon dari sana sih, ngapain repot2?

Anyway, kalimat senada imaginasi nyokap gue diatas yang paling sering muncul dipikiran kalian semua apa? This one's mine: Coba gue punya pintu kemana sajanya Doraemon. Heck, coba gue punya Doraemon!

Nasionalisme

2006-05-12T03:15:00.000+07:00

"Masa sih untuk meningkatkan rasa nasionalisme perlu ke luar negeri dulu??"

Mengutip pertanyaan seorang teman blogger. Bener nggak sih?

Buat gue pribadi, setelah pergi meninggalkan Indonesia, gue sadar kalo gue cinta Indonesia. Budayanya beragam banget dan menarik. Lalu tumbuh keinginan untuk belajar lebih banyak tentang Indonesia. Dan gue jadi bangga banget sama hal2 yang berkaitan dengan Indonesia. Denger berita kalo SBY nominasi nobelis, bangga dong! (kapan sih seleksinya?) Liat liputan CNN tentang aktivitas Gunung Merapi, hati gue gembira. (Indonesia masuk CNN loh!) Ketemu orang yang tau sesuatu tentang Indonesia juga bisa buat gue seneng. (Kaya advisor gue yang bisa nyanyi Bengawan Solo!) Dan gue berangan2 Indonesia dalam waktu dekat bisa dikenal di mata dunia dengan reputasi yang bagus.

Gue tau banyak orang yang keluar dari Indonesia dan 100% meninggalkan Indonesia. Nggak mau berurusan dengan segala hal yang berbau Indonesia. Sampai2 ada yang lupa caranya berbahasa Indonesia. Sesuatu yang traumatis mungkin pernah menimpa orang2 seperti itu yah dulunya. Sayang...

Banyak juga orang yang meninggalkan Indonesia dan nggak mau balik lagi karena kondisi hidup di tempat mereka sekarang lebih menjanjikan. Hidup di Indonesia itu besar pasak daripada tiang. Gaya hidupnya mahal, tapi pendapatan orang rata2 dikit banget! Alhasil Indonesia banyak kehilangan orang2 yang bisa buat bangsa ini maju. Soalnya ya itu, mereka lebih baik nyumbang keterampilan dimana kerja mereka dihargai besar.

Gue pengen pulang dan kerja di Indonesia. Gue pengen keterampilan gue bisa dipake untuk kemajuan Indonesia. Gue pengen Indonesia maju. Tapi usaha satu orang apa artinya? Apa ada cukup orang yang tumbuh nasionalismenya setelah tinggal di luar negri dan mau pulang ke Indonesia? Jadi keinginan gue itu mungkin cuman jadi mimpi indah belaka.

Gue pernah berandai2; Nanti kalo gue udah jadi orang kaya, gue mau ngasih beasiswa buat anak2 Indonesia untuk sekolah ke luar negri minimal setaon. Maksudnya buat menumbuhkan rasa cinta Indonesia deh intinya. Bisa terwujud nggak ya?

Hard Rock FM Jakarta Online

2006-05-12T00:00:00.000+07:00

oh senangnya gue baru nemu kalo bisa streaming radio HardRock FM Jakarta. Selain makanan, yang gue kangenin dari Indo siaran radionya. Walaupun penyiarnya suka jayus, walaupun penyiarnya suka sok2 berbahasa inggris pas2an, gue sukaaa... Apalagi kalo lagi iklan, suka banyak yang lucu2. Radio disini kalo pasang lagu diulang2 terus, programnya sangat tidak bervariasi.

Tapi satu yang ganggu gue waktu lagi denger siaran barusan. Pendengar boleh sms untuk jawab quiz yang lagi berlangsung. SMS itu harus berisi nama, jenis kelamin, dan jawaban quiz. What has gender got to do with the quiz?

Minggu Finals

2006-05-10T02:58:00.000+07:00

Final week semester ke-dua gue udah beres separo. Harusnya mau diberesin sekalian hari ini dua2nya. Tapi berhubung seperti biasa, sindrom "bersih-bersih saat rasa malas belajar" menyerang, gue putusin hari ini satu aja deh yang gue kerjain. Kemaren bukannya belajar gue soalnya malah bersih2 dapur. Hmm... sekarang waktunya koreksi final anak2 freshmen gak tau diri itu. Males.....

Iklan Master Card

2006-05-01T04:59:00.000+07:00

Lagi buka Kompas.com, gue liat ada iklan Master Card versi Indonesia.

Serunya berbelanja di Bangkok: 20,000 Baht
Pijat ala Thai: 3,300 Baht
Melakukannya dua hari berturut-turut: priceless

Loh kok priceless? Mestinya versi Indonesia ya 100% bahasa Indonesia yah...

Serunya berbelanja di Bangkok: 20,000 Baht
Pijat ala Thai: 3,300 Baht
Melakukannya dua hari berturut-turut: tak ternilai

Nggak mantep yah? :P

Random Thought: Kecap

2006-04-29T10:04:00.000+07:00

Siapa yang nggak suka kecap manis? Kayanya nggak ada deh. Enak banget gitu loh. Tapi sesuka2nya gue sama kecap manis, gue nggak sampe gila segala macem dikecapin sampe item...

Waktu lagi ngobrol2 sama Asti dan Ninda, kita sampe ke topik makanan dan ngebahas kecap manis. Lalu tercetuslah ide makan spaghetti pake kecap manis. Ha?? Nggak banget deh! Tapi Ninda ngotot spaghetti kecap manis itu enak. Hmmm... Kebetulan gak lama setelah itu, Asti masak spaghetti. Pertamanya Asti yang pengen nyobain idenya Ninda, akhirnya semua kepingin dan semua setuju kalo spaghetti kecap manis itu enak! :P Bukan spagehetti Italia lagi sih jadinya, lebih kaya mi Jawa...

OK, ngomong2 soal kecap, pada penasaran nggak sih apa hubungan antara kecap dan ketchup (saos tomat bahasa kerennya)? Dulu gue sempet mikir, apa istilah ketchup dibawa oleh kaum Belanda kali yah, trus kupingnya orang Indo nangkep, dan dipakelah istilah kecap(cara baca ketchup) untuk saos2 berwarna kecoklatan, misalnya kecap manis, kecap asin, kecap ikan dan kecap2 lainnya kalo ada.

Ternyata kenyataannya kebalik loh bow! Justru istilah ketchup itu diperkirakan berakar dari istilah kecap kita! Nggak ada yang tau pasti sih. Tapi menurut Wiki, kemungkinan kecap asalnya dari bahasa Malay, yang nggak lain adalah akar bahasa Indonesia. Oke deh!! :)

Cheaters!

2006-04-21T02:44:00.000+07:00

Hari ini hari gue ngasih quiz untuk murid2 ter-(gak ku)sayang gue. Seperti biasa, gue bawa bahan bacaan buat ngabisin waktu. Biasanya sih gue sekali2 angkat mata, patroli pandangan kesekeliling kelas, just to make sure everyone's doing their own work.

Hari ini, gue yakin banget ada 1 murid gue yang nyontek. Namanya orang lagi test kan biasanya serius ngerjain. Ini orang satu matanya nggak bisa diem. Dia lirik kiri, trus lirik gue, trus liat ke mejanya sendiri. Lirik kiri, lirik depan, lirik bawah. Hmmm... dikiranya gara2 dia pake topi, gue gak bisa liat kali yah kalo matanya lagi belanja.

Jadi gue yang biasanya konsen ke buku bacaan gue kalo lagi nungguin kuis, kali ini gue berdiri didepan, pasang posisi siap siaga.

Yang dicontekin anak pinter sih. Jadi gue peduli. Kalo yang dicontekin geblek sih, salahnya sendiri nyontek... hehehe...

Masih Seputar Telur Paskah

2006-04-19T22:25:00.000+07:00

~ Awesome

Happy Easter!

2006-04-15T11:36:00.000+07:00

Paskah. Kalo natal dikonsumerisasikan dengan pohon natal berhiaskan segala pernak-pernik bernuansa merah, valentine dengan bunga mawar dan warna pink, paskah adalah waktunya mendekorasi dengan telur warna-warni dan sang kelinci paskah. (Si Easter Bunny mungkin cuman di Amrik aja sih...) Apa yah hubungannya kelinci sama paskah? Apa juga hubungannya telur sama paskah? Ada yang tau? Hubungi gue.

Ngomong-ngomong soal telur paskah, dulu jaman-jaman masih ada pelajaran prakarya, agenda kita di minggu menjelang paskah pasti menghias telur. Tapi, lain dari hiasan telur paskah di sini yang biasanya hanya diwarnai dengan motif totol-totol kaya macan tutul, polos satu warna atau lebih, bergaris-garis zig-zag, sampe corak-corak kreatif tergantung sang penghias. Hiasan telur ala Indonesia adalah dengan menyulap si telur jadi karakter ciptaan kita. Paling populer sih biasanya telur sarjana. Kenapa yah?

Favorit gue juga sih, entah kenapa. Kalo nggak salah pernah juga gue buat telur santa klaus. Mungkin malah beberapa kali, gampang sih. Tinggal gunting kertas merah bentuk segitiga, gulung sampe berbentuk kerucut, jadi topi deh. Untuk jenggotnya, pake kapas dong. Tinggal gambar mata, dan hidung, jadi deh. (Mulutnya kan ketutup jenggot putih tebelnya...) Pernah niat banget, gue buat telur cewek, dan untuk rambutnya gue tempelin benang wol, terus dikepang dua... hihihi...

Sayangnya karena nggak pernah terpikir untuk diabadikan, gue nggak inget lagi tuh pernah buat karakter apa aja. Boro-boro difoto. Sampe rumah biasanya cuman gue tunjukin ke orang-orang rumah, trus langsung dimakan! Tapi seniat-niatnya, nggak pernah gue sampe seniat orang ini...

2006-04-12T01:44:00.000+07:00

My advisor: Did I tell you that someone called me asking about you? Someone is interested in hiring you. But I told her that you're not graduating this year and to consider you for next year instead.

*senang*

Dedicated for my best friend

2006-04-02T00:29:00.000+07:00

Before leaving Jakarta, I didn't know what it means to "maintain a friendship." I took the people around me for granted. I was so happy to be constantly surrounded by my beloved family that I don't think I needed a friend outside of them.

You know how parents usually complaint about their daughters spending so much on the telephone it nearly send them to bankruptcy? Well, not my parents, or should I say, not this daughter. I rarely call my friends just for the fun of it. My friends usually were the one who called, and often times our conversations were filled with homework questions. And badly enough, I remember that when someone called just to chat, I often times thought, what a waste of times! So as you might guess, I didn't have a lot of real friends back then. Didn't feel it was any problem though, 'cause hey, I've got mom or dad or my sisters who was just a shout away. I realized that at the worst, it made my social skills nearly ZERO.

Then I left for the US. The first couple of years was still full of fun. I lived with my cousin. Her friends became my friends. Lively! The next year wasn't too bad. My cousin left for Seattle, but I still have a few friends that I made the first couple of years. The fourth year my sister came to town. Then I made new friends, her friends became my friend. See the pattern now? Yep, I always knew someone from somebody else. I think I probably made only one real friend on my own during my stay in St. Cloud. Pathetic!

I started having problem since I moved to Duluth. This time, I moved to a completely new place. Didn't know anyone and no Indonesian (which if there had been any would have made it a lot easier...) I pushed myself, I wanted to know people. But still it's so hard! My conversations with the people I knew here is as far as, how are you, what kind of class you're taking, stuff like that. NOW I finally feel I have a problem.

But at this time, I started to get close again to my childhood friend. We started emailing each other about our problems and life story. We used to do everything together. Our moms are friends. We went to the same school for 12 years, we went to the same church, we took the same extracurricular activities, we both were kind of antisocial, me because of the reasons I've put above, her because of her attitude problem she used to have.

She considered me her best friend. Me? I didn't. If you would asked me then who I considered to be my best friend, I don't think I would have mentioned her name. But I'm grateful that we're still friends until this moment. Now I will proudly say that I'm lucky to have a friend like her.

She's become this wonderful person. Her life is not problem free, but she has so much faith in God. The way she talks now is different, very wise. When I went back last winter break, I hang out with her a lot. I brought her when I met with my high school friends. The most fun part we had was when our family spent about 4 days in her mom's hometown.

Now she's preparing for her wedding next year. I hate it that I know I wouldn't be able to make it. I was so happy when she gave me the big news. I couldn't stop smiling that day. This is for you cha... My confession and my apology. May we always be the best of friends.

'everything' or everything?

2006-03-25T10:06:00.000+07:00

Spring break kemaren gue nyobain toko bagel baru di SCSU. Tempatnya dari luar menarik perhatian. Dindingnya dihiasi warna-warni ceria. Kok nggak kepikiran ngambil fotonya yah... Anyway, gue nyobain beli salah satu menu mereka, bagel dog.

Waktu itu, satu2nya bagel dog yang tersisa cuman plain, tanpa topping. Jadi kita tanya,

"Ada yang pake topping nggak?"
"Kalo mau dibuatin baru, tunggu 15 menit."
"15 menit? Gak masalah... Pilihan toppingnya apa aja?"
"We have 'Everything and Cheese'."
"Everything itu apa aja?"

Sejenak sang tukang jaga pasang tampang bingung. Trus dia nunjukin setoples topping yang gak jelas bentuknya. Akhirnya kita manggut2 aja.

"Ok deh, I'll take that one."

Saatnya makan! Kita buka bungkusnya, dan... bagel gue bertopping 'everything and cheese'. Oooo... 'everything and cheese' itu nama toppingnya toh! Gue dan Feli baru ngeh saat itu. Kirain tadi mereka ada topping everything, i.e. Semuanya tersedia, nggak ada yang kosong, dan keju. Jadi ceritanya yang jual dan yang beli sama2 geblek...

Sunset

2006-03-17T09:40:00.000+07:00

Taken on the way to St. Cloud

Spring Break 2006, St. Cloud

2006-03-12T23:52:00.000+07:00

Ngobrol ngalur ngidul sama Asti.
Jalan2 tanpa tujuan muter2 St Cloud gara2 udah waktunya pulang tapi belom selese ngobrol.
Makan di Pho San.
Maen sama Kara & Keila.
Hang out bareng Feli.
Makan di Garvey (Makin parah...)

Futton

2006-03-09T08:18:00.000+07:00

God works in His own mysterious way. Dan hari gue ngerasa ungkapan itu emang bener. Sejak kemaren, apartemen gue panas dan pengap. Radiator pemanas di kamar mandi dan ruang tamu kenceng banget nyemburin uap panas. Alhasil didalem apartemen rasanya udah kaya dikukus. Untungnya kamar tidur gue nggak ada radiatornya, jadi semalem gue tidur buka jendela sedikit udah serasa tidur pake AC kalo di Jakarta.

Gara2 kemaren gue baru pulang malem, gue nggak langsung telpon landlord gue. Lagian heater gue itu mulai kerja keras mungkin sore, jadi sepanas2nya, masih bisa tahan lah gue.

Hari ini seperti biasa bangun pagi, berangkat kuliah. Pulang2, wuih~~ baru kerasa pengapnya. Serasa di sauna. Jadi langsung gue telpon landlord gue minta tolong... Abisnya radiator gue dikasih ruji2 gitu. Maksudnya biar keren kali, nggak keliatan radiatornya. Sebenernya sih nggak perlu landlord buat ngecilin heater, cuman butuh obeng. Tapi dasar gue baru sekarang ini ketemu sama heater model lama, nggak ngerti cara gede kecilin gimana... Gue taunya yang tinggal geser mau temperatur seberapa...

Abis ngecilin heater, dia cerita. Ada tenant yang baru keluar, ninggalin futton masih bagus. Dia tanya gue mau nggak. Ya mau lah! hehehe... Katanya waktu mereka lagi mikir mau diapain itu futton, mereka inget ke gue. hahaha.. maklum, graduate student dengan pendapatan seret, ruang tamu apartemen gue nggak ada sofanya. Gue cuman kasih matras dari busa, gue lipet dua, ditutupin bedcover sebagai tempat duduk. Cukup empuk buat duduk maksimal 1 jam.... Kok ya mereka nyadar gue butuh sofa :D

Shakespeare

2006-03-04T04:58:00.000+07:00

Kemaren adalah hari yang lain dari biasanya buat gue. Dalam sehari, gue ketemu sama kata Shakespeare 4 kali.

Pertama, waktu gue lagi maen scramble di MIRC...

Kedua, di kelas probability models, guru gue ngasih contoh soal,

How long does it take a monkey to type the complete work of Shakespeare, given that the monkey types randomly?

Ketiga, di kelas inference, guru gue yang satu lagi juga ngasih contoh yang berhubungan sama Shakespeare. Lupa... apaan yah ceritanya?

Keempat, gue pergi ke colloquium math. Guest speaker kali ini cewek US pertama di tim olimpiade matematikanya Amerika. Di presentasinya, dia juga refer ke Shakespeare untuk analogi Matematika dan Literatur.

Apakah kemaren hari Shakespeare nasional di Amerika...?

Polar Bear Plunge

2006-02-13T11:19:00.000+07:00

Let me show you how Minnesotans spend winter time...

Last Saturday, I went to my first Polar Bear Plunge. Well, not my plunge... I just came to watch!

This event was to raise funds for the special olympics. The slogan for the event: "Freezin for a reason." Well, I was freezing while watching them jumped into Lake Superior. It was around 20 F I think. It was amazing watching those people do it. Some of them even jumped in several times... The event was held for 2 hours and there were almost always people jumping in every 5 minutes.

Anyway, Grey's Anatomy is my new fave tv show. Today episode's closing sentence was:

If you know today's your last day in the world, how would you spend it?

I know for sure, I won't be plunging into Lake Superior...

It's February already?!

2006-02-06T11:04:00.000+07:00

Rasanya perayaan taon baruan belom lama. Hari ini digereja, buka buku misa, tertera "5 February." Gila, waktu emang salah satu misteri hidup yah. Disaat yang sama, satu orang bisa ngerasa kalo waktu itu lambat banget kaya siput sementara orang lain ngerasa waktu berjalan terlalu cepet. Aneh tapi nyata! Mestinya waktu jadi salah satu objek di museumnya Ripley's Believe It Or Not yah. Pajang jam dinding dengan keterangan,

Time, constant and yet different to each of its travellers.

Hari ini puas gue nonton Charmed. Lumayan, TNT lagi seharian pasang back to back episodes of Charmed. Akhirnya gue nonton beberapa episode yang ketinggalan2, to fill in the gaps. :D

Okay, time for me to hit the bed!

Presiden kita calon nobelis loh!

2006-01-31T10:17:00.000+07:00

Presiden kita, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, SBY panggilan populernya, dinominasikan untuk Nobel Perdamaian 2006. Nah gitu dong sekali2, ada berita positif tentang Indonesia. SBY dinominasikan oleh anggota senior komite Hubungan International Kongres Amerika Serikat, Robert Wesler (Kompas, 30 Januari 2006). Intinya sih nominasi didasarkan atas tindakan SBY untuk mengatasi konflik GAM di Aceh.

Sebagai orang Indonesia, bangga dong yah!!!

Tapi namanya orang pasti ada yang sirik aja deh. Di artikel yang ini, ada yang protes dengan alasan dasar nominasi SBY untuk dapet nobel perdamaian kurang relevan. Katanya kondisi Indonesia sekarang masih "carut marut." Whatever that means. Yah mas, yang positif dong! Gue sih berharap aja event yang kaya gini bisa memotivasi lebih banyak orang Indonesia untuk berprestasi gitu loh.

Pengen mooncake!

2006-01-29T00:57:00.000+07:00

Let's say sayonara to the chicken...

and welcome the dogs!

Gong Xi Fat Chai! Angpaonya donks!

My long lost baggage is back!

2006-01-26T22:35:00.000+07:00

Selasa kemarin akhirnya gue bertemu dengan koper gue lengkap dengan semua isi yang gue bawa dari Jakarta. Nambah satu, surat keterangan dari Custom kalo koper gue udah diperiksa dan bebas masuk ke US. Seneng banget waktu dapet telpon dari Duluth airport kalo koper gue ada disana. Lebih seneng lagi waktu bongkar2 koper. Tapi bete waktu excitement dah ilang, diganti rasa males mesti ngeberesin semua barang2 yang udah dibongkar dari koper... :P

Tapi gue kecewa sama American Airlines (AA). Waktu lagi panik soal koper gue, gue baca artikel ttg situasi gue. Disitu ditulis kalo kita naik connecting flight, airlines yang bertanggung jawab soal koper kita adalah airlines terakhir yang ngebawa kita ke tempat tujuan. Jadi dalam kasus gue, AA tanggung jawab mesti nyariin koper gue dan ngembaliin tuh koper. Mestinya, koper itu kan juga pake tiket waktu gue check in, paling lambat 2 hari lah udah ketemu dong. Eh, ini sampe seminggu lebih bo! Dan mending gue bisa tau status koper gue gimana, lagi dikirim kek, lagi di transfer kek, apa kek... Ini nggak, nggak ada yang tau koper gue kemana. Mana customer servicenya payah. Masa mau ngomong sama operator nggak bisa!! Bikin gue tambah stress.

Waktu akhirnya ketemu, gue minta tolong temen gue anterin ke airport buat ngambil koper gue. Gue dikasih tau harus ambil di counter Northwest (NW). Sampe disana, mas2 di counter NW ngajak gue masuk gudang untuk cari koper gue. Baru dia buka pintu, gue liat koper gue. Saking senengnya gue langsung bilang, "That's mine!" Tanpa ragu2, si mas2 NW langsung ngeluarin koper gue dari gudang dan dikasih ke gue, "Here you go." Gue nggak dimintain ID, nggak dimintain tag ID koper gue.

"Do I have to sign a release form?"
"No, you're free to go."

Gile yeh! Kalo gue salah ambil koper orang gimana??

Sebaliknya, gue pernah ketinggalan pesawat waktu lagi pulang ke Jakarta. Jadi gue ganti pesawat. Hasilnya, koper gue nyangkut di Taiwan, nggak sampe ke Jakarta. Setelah gue lapor, 3 hari kemudian, koper gue sampe dengan selamat di rumah. Dianterin!

Iya sih, cuman dengan 1 contoh kaya gitu gue nggak bisa bilang Indo is better than US. Tapi tetep aja gue mo bilang, AA sucks! :P

ngantre laundry

2006-01-23T04:54:00.000+07:00

Hari ini waktunya mencuci baju! Rencananya pulang gereja gue mau taro baju di mesin cuci. Trus masak 'n makan siang. Lalu pindahin baju dari mesin cuci ke dryer. Tunggu sejam sambil nonton tv. Disetrika rapi, masukin ke lemari. Ternyata, 2 mesin cuci yang ada di basement dipake. Oke deh, ngalah... 2 jam kemudian gue coba lagi. Baru gue mo nutup pintu apartemen. Eh didepan gue ada cewek turun bawa sekeranjang baju kotor. Yeh... giliran gue!! Karena gue butuh dua mesin, satu buat cuci sprei, gue batal nyuci lagi deh. *Inget2 jangan nyuci baju hari Minggu, ngantre!!*