Normally I despise arrogance.
But these days I'm craving for the aloofness, audacity, hauteur.
Class.
And the elegant humility.
I'm watching it vanishing, in despair.
At lost
Last Christmas
Nope, this ain't about Wham's "tacky" (according to my gal pal Renata) Christmas song. But this year marks my last Christmas in this country, at least for this tenure.
And, yeah, another non white Christmas.
But Christmas is not time for self-pity. It's not time to whine.
Neither it is merely about gifts and parties (though I wouldn't mind them. Anyone inviting me?;))
It's about joy (not in materialistic term), and love, and the celebration of humanity. It's about giving thanks for the life granted to us. It's about giving back the Love that has created us.
As I mentioned earlier, Christmas is the time of giving. So maybe it's about time Santa's (hm, judging by the look, I suspect it's Zwaarte Piet posing as Santa Claus!) clients be the giver and do a favor for Santa -- spare him a dime, for instance ;).
Merry Christmas everyone! You may or may not celebrate it, but I wish you all - regardless your background - a joyous time!
I love her, I love her, I love her
Recently fell in love with this gal, Kristin Chenoweth. Very cute, smart, funny, with a voice that can launch a thousand ships :).
I've driven my niece crazy for singing this song constantly. It fits me really well, you know. Especially this part:
So many years my heart has waited
Who'd have thought that love could be so caffeinated?
Fellow coffee AND tea addicts (tea DOES contain caffein too, right?) will understand *winks*.
The Untrustworthy Wiki
Proof that Wiki shall not be regarded a reliable source: I was surprised to find a con journalist actually has a page in Indonesian Wikipedia.
I should not name him here, nor will I provide any link. But I am more than happy to spill a few things: he once worked for a Jakarta-based English newspaper, he has a press ID from a publisher that his family has a share (and it's well-known in Sumatera), he loves calling himself a "White House correspondent", and the last thing I heard about him is the outrageous news that he is marrying a television personae.
Needless to say, he already has a poor reputation among Indonesian journalists (at least, according to some people I know in the media industry). And the stubborn girl still wants to marry him? It must've been a psychological error caused by her abduction. I can only wish her the best of luck. Unless he undergoes a lobotomy, it's small chance that he's changed even a bit.
The Wiki page praises him to be the first Indonesian journalist to bla.. bla.. bla... (must not reveal more than that, sorry). I suspect he was the one who submitted the piece to Wiki. Or her, under his spelling. Ugh.
Jamie Lynn
It was a shocking news for her. All she could do was staring at the doctor - who didn't try to cover her pity but remained professional. She felt numb for a killing five minute silence.
Deep down, she knew she wasn't surprised. She had used that test pack, hadn't she? The doctor only confirmed her fear.
The doctor continued for a while, explaining possibilities before her. "In the end," she said with apparent sympathy in her voice, "it's your decision."
She completely understood it. She always had. That was pure accident. Or was it? Wasn't it recklessness?
But there was no use crying over spilled milk. She had to think. Think. It wouldn't take long for her mom to get a clue. Sooner or later, the press would find out. Time was not on her side.
It took her a couple of weeks to make the decision and go telling it to her mom. As she had predicted, she was furious about it.
"Why, Jamie Lynn? Why? How could you?"
She had cried on her pillow every night. She had wet her boyfriend's shirt. It felt like she wouldn't be able to produce more tears. But it broke her heart watching the lady who had given birth to her, raised her, and been totally devoted to her children's career, crumbled.
It was the last thing she would do on earth, disappointing her parents like this. They had had enough. With the big sister who is struggling with her alcoholism and mental problem. In public.
She had been portrayed by the media as the only sane person in the family. Her parents had always been unfairly judged by the brutish spectators, blamed for her sister's behavior.
It was never easy for her. She grew up in spotlight. Tried to make a living in the spotlight. Yes, she got the fame, but with an expensive price. Somehow, people are more demanding to those who they claim have better and glamorous life than the average.
At 16, she had decided to bear the consequences of her own action. Be a mother. Risk loosing things on her hand now: youth, career, reputation, and the future. How many people much older than her have the comparable amount of courage?
Jamie Lynn Spears is our own kid. She may live in a society that, on surface, seems more tolerant to one of the so-called deadly sins: lust. This shows that Americans are just as conservative. Many suggest that her show be canceled, because she is a now a bad role model. To a certain extent, Americans -- just like Indonesians -- prefer to close their eyes to the inconvenient truth. I personally have another idea: Let Zoey get pregnant, so teenagers will learn that young love isn't all about mishy-mushy, but also requires a heck lot of self-restraint.
Jamie Lynn is still quite lucky, though. Had she not been able to keep her showbiz career, she would most likely be able to continue her education. Her family and friends will still possibly support her. The society might label her a "failure", but not "slut".
If she were in Indonesia, she might be forced to get illegal abortion. If her school found out, she would be expelled with no hesitation. Her family would abandon her; her friends would be forbidden to be anywhere near her by their parents. In Indonesia, she'd better learn her mistake by being a hypocrite rather than being responsible.
Tentang Pilihan
Hir,
waktu saya baca tulisan Buyung tentang pilihan yang diambil temannya (oke, teman dari teman -- aduh, tidak praktis sekali ditulis di sini!), saya teringat kamu. Kalau si Petrus ini tidak merasa terbebani gengsi diploma Harvard-nya, juga tidak mengkalkulasi biaya yang sudah terbuang selama kuliah (biarpun barangkali dia dulu dapat beasiswa, tentu ada pengeluaran hidup kan? Dan siapa bilang tinggal di Massachusetts murah?), kamu meninggalkan promosi yang sudah di tangan dan menyepi di titik ketinggian 1.200 meter dari permukaan laut.
Tentunya saya kaget waktu kamu mengabarkan akan meninggalkan kota berdebu hiruk pikuk dan gemerlap, tempat kita sama-sama mencari penghasilan. Saya merasa kepergianmu mendadak, keputusanmu impulsif. Tapi belakangan saya sadar bahwa kamu dan tempat itu seperti perjodohan yang sudah ditetapkan di surga. Dari dulu kamu suka asyik sendiri di balik lembaran-lembaran National Geographics (kamu pasti senang ya, majalah ini sekarang sudah terbit dalam bahasa kita). Matamu berbinar-binar ketika berbicara mengenai salah satu sudut bumi, keajaiban alam, manusia. Dan kenapa juga saya harus heran -- bukankah kamu kerap mengajak saya menelusuri tempat yang dedaunannya masih lebat, yang bising bukan oleh bunyi klakson tetapi oleh deras air terjun. Saya selalu mengiyakan ajakanmu dengan antusias -- walau kemudian kita ternyata tidak pernah bepergian bersama ke sana.
Baru sekarang saya kira saya bisa memahami apa yang kamu rasakan, Hir. Rasa kerdil di tengah keluasan langit yang membebaskan. Mendengar suara ombak yang memecah karang dengan ganas -- tapi pada saat yang sama menyajikan kebiruan yang indah. Puncak-puncak gunung tempat bersemayamnya dewa-dewa purba. Kesenyapan yang mencekam namun dirindukan. Ke mana saja saya selama ini? Namun saya bersyukur, saya masih diberi kesempatan menikmatinya.
Saya tidak, belum, tidak (begitulah inkonsistensi saya!) seberani kamu, Hir, untuk meninggalkan yang saya punya saat ini dan mengejar impian yang bahkan belum saya impikan; baru sebatas gambar-gambar terpisah yang singgah sekejap dan pergi dari kepala saya. Apalagi mata saya melihat kecantikan yang kamu gambarkan itu justru karena kesempatan yang dimungkinkan oleh pekerjaan saya ini.
Saya ingat percakapan dengan seseorang bertahun-tahun lampau: tentang pilihan dan kesempatan. Baginya, tidak semua hal punya dua nuansa, pilihan tak selalu tersedia. Kala itu saya tak sepakat dengannya. Saya berkeras bahwa resiko adalah masalah pilihan juga.
Sekarang saya berpikir kalau-kalau dia tidak sepenuhnya salah dan saya tidak sepenuhnya benar. Pilihan kan bisa berbentuk buah simalakama, tanpa yang ketiga itu (dijual). Saya mungkin penganut mazhab realis, tapi cukup sadar bahwa hidup tidak selalu tentang zero sum game.
Ah, sudahlah Hir. Sebagaimana dulu, saya mengikuti saja jalan di depan saya. Saya lebih suka kejutan, walaupun tidak selalu mengharapkannya. Siapa tahu, satu ketika kita bisa sama-sama menjelajah Timbuktu yang bukan tempat Donal Bebek melancong, atau mengusap batu penegak Kuil Matahari. Bahkan mungkin kita beruntung bertemu dengan orang Tagaeri -- kalau garis mereka belum punah. Melihat cheetah berlari anggun dengan kaki-kakinya yang panjang dan luwes di savannah Namibia.
Lagi-lagi soal mimpi ya Hir? Untunglah dalam mimpi kita dapat menciptakan sendiri pilihan-pilihan kita. Hm, mungkin sekarang saya harus mulai dulu dari berani bermimpi.
Baru sekarang saya kira saya bisa memahami apa yang kamu rasakan, Hir. Rasa kerdil di tengah keluasan langit yang membebaskan. Mendengar suara ombak yang memecah karang dengan ganas -- tapi pada saat yang sama menyajikan kebiruan yang indah. Puncak-puncak gunung tempat bersemayamnya dewa-dewa purba. Kesenyapan yang mencekam namun dirindukan. Ke mana saja saya selama ini? Namun saya bersyukur, saya masih diberi kesempatan menikmatinya.
Saya tidak, belum, tidak (begitulah inkonsistensi saya!) seberani kamu, Hir, untuk meninggalkan yang saya punya saat ini dan mengejar impian yang bahkan belum saya impikan; baru sebatas gambar-gambar terpisah yang singgah sekejap dan pergi dari kepala saya. Apalagi mata saya melihat kecantikan yang kamu gambarkan itu justru karena kesempatan yang dimungkinkan oleh pekerjaan saya ini.
Saya ingat percakapan dengan seseorang bertahun-tahun lampau: tentang pilihan dan kesempatan. Baginya, tidak semua hal punya dua nuansa, pilihan tak selalu tersedia. Kala itu saya tak sepakat dengannya. Saya berkeras bahwa resiko adalah masalah pilihan juga.
Sekarang saya berpikir kalau-kalau dia tidak sepenuhnya salah dan saya tidak sepenuhnya benar. Pilihan kan bisa berbentuk buah simalakama, tanpa yang ketiga itu (dijual). Saya mungkin penganut mazhab realis, tapi cukup sadar bahwa hidup tidak selalu tentang zero sum game.
Ah, sudahlah Hir. Sebagaimana dulu, saya mengikuti saja jalan di depan saya. Saya lebih suka kejutan, walaupun tidak selalu mengharapkannya. Siapa tahu, satu ketika kita bisa sama-sama menjelajah Timbuktu yang bukan tempat Donal Bebek melancong, atau mengusap batu penegak Kuil Matahari. Bahkan mungkin kita beruntung bertemu dengan orang Tagaeri -- kalau garis mereka belum punah. Melihat cheetah berlari anggun dengan kaki-kakinya yang panjang dan luwes di savannah Namibia.
Lagi-lagi soal mimpi ya Hir? Untunglah dalam mimpi kita dapat menciptakan sendiri pilihan-pilihan kita. Hm, mungkin sekarang saya harus mulai dulu dari berani bermimpi.
Deep condolences
... to the family and friends of my co-workers, who were killed in an accident. May they rest in peace :(.
I'm turning into a fangirl. Can't wait to see this one!
Notes:
1) Not yet clear whether it will be the official poster of the movie. So far this is the best out of a few options (poster's pic is taken from here).
2) Very, very clever marketing work. Teasers, rumors, posts on IMDB boards (proof that I spend too much time there) and "leaks" in YouTube.
Cool things leave you cold feet
I'm actually talking about those so-called cool widgets many bloggers put in their blogs. Here's the actual case: After an ample amount of time spent on a nice blog, I just realized that I left a trace on it. That box on the right made a stark evidence of my visit, not only to the aforementioned blog, but also other blogs which I happened to read following the links:
- Washington, D.C. left via xxx
- Washington, D.C. left via yyy
- Washington, D.C. left via zzz
Shoot!
That was my second exposure to the horror fact that complete anonymousness (yes, it's the correct word, I've checked it!) doesn't exist anymore. The first time I encountered it, I was a bit shocked, but then I tried to ignore it. I think I'm supposed to get used to it by the second time -- apparently not, because I even feel more annoyed than ever.
Being totally helpless when it comes to the blogging technology - or perhaps IT in general - I never really cared what I should or should not install for my blog. I learned the very basic HTML only to get a layout that isn't too unpleasant for these eyes. I used to put a sitemeter but later on decided to take it out as I don't see the necessity. I do check my Google analytics very randomly (and very rarely, I must say), yet it's never a must. [Note: it can be fun, though, to find some dudes in an unknown place in Africa dropped by this blog].
Maybe that is why blogging and the blogosphere lately have been quite uncomfortable to me. It used to be really fun when you just write whatever you like there, hop in other people's blogs, make comments if you want to, or just write a brief greeting in the shoutbox to make people aware you're out there and at the same time convey your message that you ARE inviting them to your blog. And if you want to remain anonymous - or, for some cases, pseudonymous - be it. No drama, no fight over stupid things and micro-mini issues, everybody's happy. If some jerks leave you unfriendly comments (hence unacceptable!), you just laugh at it and continue what you're doing.
It's getting too serious. Now everyone seems eager to get the longest list of blogrolls (well, maybe this one isn't so new) and comments. Now there are abundant discussions on blogging ethics and self-censorship. Now there are tips to keep your blogging spirit high and encourage others to blog. Now YOU want to know who's visiting your blog. Geeze! It.Is.Too.Much. I start to feel like a fugitive. Or a turkey in Thanksgiving week. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!
A Gorgeous Mom and the Little Angel
It's amazing how my sister retains her maternal glow after Abby was delivered. And isn't the little angel the cutest baby in the world? Oh oh.. can hardly wait until I hold her with my own hands!
Victim
Sometimes, you are a victim when you think you are a victim.
And if you continue thinking you are a victim, maybe the world isn't the place for you. After all, my dear, life isn't about a box of chocolate. Get real.
Fashion of Denial
It was surprising and a bit disappointing. I had been back to the East Coast expecting chilly air that will freeze me to the bone. Instead I ended up carrying my coat and watching people around with a weird feeling. It was definitely more than fifty degree (Fahrenheit, not Celcius, this frigging country has successfully brainwashed me) and most of them were either wearing overcoats, cashmere sweaters, or thick layers of shawl around their neck.
What happened?! It's not THAT cold and if not for the yellow and red leaved trees one can easily mistake this as spring time. They must've clothed based on the calender, not their climate sense.
I suspect it's some kind of denial. Washingtonians seem to be too afraid to admit that winter is getting warmer and warmer. And by putting on outfits that should actually go for lower temperature, they can assure themselves that winter this year is no different to the previous ones.
Creepy. The town must've turned Republican in only a week. Fenty's fault, Fenty's fault.
Ibu Baru Yang Ambisius
... Delivery scheduleku tanggal 27, tapi aku pengen lebih cepat, soalnya ada ujian tanggal 1. ...
Sent:
09:05:07 pm
11/23/2007
Waktu itu balasan dari saya:
Kamu mau melahirkan tanggal 27 terus tanggal 1-nya ujian? Gila kali ya! You are going to be super busy with the baby! Minta ujian susulan dong sama dosennya!
Mungkin Tuhan mendengar doa adik saya, si mahasiswa-sekaligus-dosen-yang-ambisius-ingin-ikut-ujian-segera-setelah-melahirkan, ini. Sesuai harapannya, Abigail Manuela Naulibasa Simanjuntak datang tiga hari lebih cepat dari yang dijadwalkan -- dan berbagi tanggal kelahiran dengan neneknya! (Maq, selamat ultah ya! Emaq baru dapat hadiah ulang tahun paling oke sejagat kan? Cucu pertama!)
Kalau dengar laporan adik saya barusan, keponakan tercinta ini mewarisi gigantisme keluarga saya: panjang 52 cm, berat 3.8 kilogram. Ipar saya pasti kegirangan, karena cita-citanya "memperbaiki keturunan" tercapai sudah, hahahah... no offense to you, Bro!
Isu terkini buat saya adalah panggilan yang saya inginkan dari si kecil Abby. Aju (seperti selama ini)? Tante? (terlalu biasa). Mbokdhe? (ini mah nekat, lah kami mBatak murni-ni-ni-ni). Auntie? (mengikuti jejak si Eda, tapi sepertinya oke juga).
Scribbling from the West Coast
1. Those who say there's no place like New York are definitely the typical disilussioned New Yorkers. Go to San Francisco -- it has everything New York does, except the filthy subways.
2. San Franciscans must be the healthiest people in the world -- or at least in the US. Those fattening snacks will be washed away by the hilly streets!
3. You'll never get bored in San Francisco. NEVER. You'll only get exhausted.
4. Learn French or Swahili or Icelandic before you travel with fellow Indonesians there (make sure ALL of you master at least the basic conversation in those languages). You think you can make nasty comments about people around you in Bahasa Indonesia? Wait until you hear some of them talking back to you in Javanese.
5. LA is the most hyperbolized city. While most people might associate it with grandeur and glamour, I find it boring. Too much hype, I think. In fact, it only reminds me of Jakarta, especially after I got stuck in the worst traffic jam on the freeway! Traffic jams on freeway?????
6. Hollywood lives up to its reputation. As the movie production mecca, I mean. Faux all the way. Yeah, you can tell, I hate it. Sorry, Angelians (double apology if I just made the wrong address. How do you wish to be referred to, anyway?).
On the Director's Chair
Human being is a fascinating object. Especially when it comes to emotions and inner thoughts -- things not visible even under the super-accurate electric microscope. Not captured by the most technologically advanced micro-camera inserted in the neurons (if such device exists). Things that you can only -- at best -- hypothesize and make prediction thereof. Or merely assumptions, I'll say.
Often times humans remains a mystery to each 0ther. And that makes it even more exciting for them. Humans try to understand themselves, eager to be able to tell their strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps it's part of humans survival efforts, an instinct inherited from generations to generations, for millions years.
Studies about human personalities are alive both with the academic level as well as an individual trait. To some people, their fascination in personalities goes to the length of seeing other human being as their object: to test, to exploit, to play with their emotions, and by that are attempting to fit the pieces into the completed jigsaw picture. For personal satisfaction.
The best example of this might be portrayed by a fictional story: Agatha Christie's book, "Hercule Poirot's Christmas". Fellow Christie's fans may remember the plot: Simeon Lee, a multimillionaire, knowing he's dying, invites all his family members "for Christmas". Nothing to do with familial sentiment, he's more interested to bring out the evil inside them. As they gather, he intentionally insults his children, brags about his illegitimate offsprings, shows off favoritism, and announces that he is changing his will. All to force them to take off their masks and reveal their true characters. Nevertheless, this is a deadly game, and in a few days Simeon Lee gets murdered.
Simeon Lee may be an extreme sample -- after all, this is a fictional character. However, it is hard to argue that there are people who like to sit on The Director's chair, create a situation, explore characters' personality and exploit them to get a certain effect. I'm not very religious, but I think there is strong reason God prohibited Earth's first couple to touch the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Lucifer had disclosed it to Eve: you will be like God. To be more precise: feel like God, without the possession of God's wisdom.
O yeah, I am not a saint. I put a large picture of a cat on my Friendster page, knowing a certain someone will get pissed off because it: it features a cat -- the ultimate animal-to-hate for her -- and it represents me -- the ultimate person-to-hate.
Often times humans remains a mystery to each 0ther. And that makes it even more exciting for them. Humans try to understand themselves, eager to be able to tell their strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps it's part of humans survival efforts, an instinct inherited from generations to generations, for millions years.
Studies about human personalities are alive both with the academic level as well as an individual trait. To some people, their fascination in personalities goes to the length of seeing other human being as their object: to test, to exploit, to play with their emotions, and by that are attempting to fit the pieces into the completed jigsaw picture. For personal satisfaction.
The best example of this might be portrayed by a fictional story: Agatha Christie's book, "Hercule Poirot's Christmas". Fellow Christie's fans may remember the plot: Simeon Lee, a multimillionaire, knowing he's dying, invites all his family members "for Christmas". Nothing to do with familial sentiment, he's more interested to bring out the evil inside them. As they gather, he intentionally insults his children, brags about his illegitimate offsprings, shows off favoritism, and announces that he is changing his will. All to force them to take off their masks and reveal their true characters. Nevertheless, this is a deadly game, and in a few days Simeon Lee gets murdered.
Simeon Lee may be an extreme sample -- after all, this is a fictional character. However, it is hard to argue that there are people who like to sit on The Director's chair, create a situation, explore characters' personality and exploit them to get a certain effect. I'm not very religious, but I think there is strong reason God prohibited Earth's first couple to touch the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Lucifer had disclosed it to Eve: you will be like God. To be more precise: feel like God, without the possession of God's wisdom.
O yeah, I am not a saint. I put a large picture of a cat on my Friendster page, knowing a certain someone will get pissed off because it: it features a cat -- the ultimate animal-to-hate for her -- and it represents me -- the ultimate person-to-hate.
How tall is the Ivy tower?
"So how did it go, Mbak?" asked this girl. "Sorry, Eli and I had to go early".
"I know. Eli had told me you guys have class at six, right?"
"True true true. So?"
"Well...," I hesitated for a few seconds. "I'm kinda disappointed, actually. You see, last week the Ambassador and I had an extensive discussion with a group of high school students, in a small town of North Carolina. When I say 'small', I mean small. One hundred and fifty thousand people in habitant. They fired us with brilliant questions, all with sufficient knowledge of Indonesia. Indeed, they are Advanced Program students. But still..." *sighs*
*Chuckles* "Georgetown sucks. Don't you know that?"
"Ha! You should tell me more, girl!"
"You know what it is. Unimportant questions, sugar-coated with sophisticated vocabularies. They are incessantly depressing." (I remember Eli commented that the girl, while being among the smartest people in the program, is often very quiet.)
She and Eli are taking their master's degree in one of the best schools in international relations in the country. The school that is also famous for its wide array of high-profile alumni, and practically has become State Department's human resources department.
Moral of the story: I guess American diplomats are not that well-trained, hehehe...
The Wonderful Wizard of Hollywood
After Hollywood, Bollywood... what will be next? Hoggywood (a suspicious derivative of Hogwarts)? Hm, doesn't sound so appealing, it better suits the Gauls (Obelix, in particular, if you know what I mean).
Not long later there will be the Indonesian spinoffs, I daresay. I can imagine the bombastic titles:
- "Suster Ngesot: I Had an Affair with Dhani Dewa!"
- "Police Break In Pocongs Orgy"
- "Timun Mas's Bad Hair Day"
Add as many as you wish, folks :D.
Picture is taken from here. Yes, my guilty pleasure! :(
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
It was exactly on the parking lot that this conversation between me and my niece happened.
"You see," I tried to catch my breath as we walked down to Sir Coy, "these developed countries don't even care to fulfil their commitment, while they keep condemning us for our reducing number of trees."
Of course I was talking about the cap-and-trade system of the Kyoto Protocol. Or better name: crap-and-trade system, as the parties seem to blame each other most of the time and look for loopholes to escape from their obligation.
We were arguing earlier about a thing as small as turning off the lamps in our apartment. I usually let the computer on all the time and will prefer the lamps on too. I often remind my niece that the rent is inclusive of gas and electricity, and I therefore need not worry about the bills.
"I know," she answered back, rolling her eyes. "But we ought to save the energy for the environment."
Hence came my short lecture (and pointless defense) on developed industrial countries failing to live up to their emission trading commitment. "Remember, we don't have sufficient sources to do all those works. We don't have the money and the technology. Yet we keep being pushed, maybe even beyond our limit, while they can go away with it.
So I see my wasting their energy as a sort of compensation. We already paid for it."
"I totally understand," she responded after a while. "But if the whole world think like you do, it will be armageddon in an instant. Everyone continues harming the earth for stupid reasons such as everyone else is doing it anyway. I wouldn't give a damn about whether I get compensated for a super-easy task like turning off the lamps for I know this will eventually secure my future."
She was right, for sure. And I had known that earlier, even before I offered my insensible rationalization.
The convo brought me back to another chat I had with my sister. We were talking about, let's say, a room with a view.
"I guess the view from floor 16 should be awesome," I said.
"Well, the view is actually the creek. But they're gonna do something about it," my sister replied.
A filthy creek in Jakarta will be the most unpleasant sight. So I interpreted the treatment that my sister just mentioned as cleaning up the water, like the Surabaya's government had done to the Kalimas River.
"No, no, it's not like that," my sister corrected me. "Actually they will pave the area, plant some new trees and make a fountain."
What?
Suddenly I could hear Joni Mitchell singing.
Trading for luxury. The man-made paradise. Designed by architects, who are probably young people, at times wearing cool branded t-shirts that read "Save the Environment".
Isn't it also nice to see teenagers in the shopping malls, with their trendy outfits and hairdos, showing their concern by sporting their red bracelets with statements on environmental issues . Then they don't even care to turn off the tap water after they finish washing their hands.
Or celebrities who take part in shows or gigs with boasting labels such as "Live Earth", and refuse to share vehicles with other artists to go to the events.
There's me as well, who don't turn off the lights when leaving the house. Unofficially a first class hypocrite.
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got 'til they're gone...
I hope they won't, ironically, pave our Paradise Island in preparation of the Climate Change Convention.
Nial
Halo Lenje, apa kabar? Kata si Tia lagi di NYC. Berapa lama? Udah pulang? - Nial-.
Sender: Nial Djuliarso
+1917***********
Iya, betul, Nial Djuliarso yang itu. Pianis jazz muda lulusan Berklee College dan Juilliard School, yang sempat tampil di Java Jazz, juga di North Sea Jazz Festival dan tempat-tempat prestisius lain seperti Kennedy Center di DC dan - tentunya - Carnegie Hall di New York.
Walau sudah beberapa kali mendengar namanya (saya bukan jazz aficionado), baru tahun lalu saya ketemu dia, waktu dia sedang main ke kota saya yang kecil untuk mengantarkan CD-nya ke boss saya. Saya agak kaget ketika bertukar sapa pertama kali dengan anak muda kurus pemalu dan sangat rendah hati itu. Saya sebelumnya membayangkan sosok yang akan tampil sangat percaya diri, mungkin menjurus arogan, acuh, dan menolak berbahasa Indonesia (seperti banyak - sedihnya- anak Indonesia yang menetap di Amerika sejak masa SMA). Hal yang mungkin akan saya maklumi saja, mengingat prestasinya.
Bukan cuma terhadap saya saja sikap manisnya diperlihatkan. Teman saya, seorang penggemar jazz yang sempat bercakap-cakap dengannya di Jakarta, memperoleh kesan yang sama. (Baca ceritanya di sini).
Kalau sedang latihan, Nial juga membiarkan dirinya direcoki orang lain, termasuk Tia, sang kepala biro kantor berita tapi tidak punya anak buah. Dia dengan senang hati akan mengiringi para pengganggu ini menyanyi seenak perut mereka. Untungnya, karena dia yang mengiringi, suara mereka menjadi sedikit lebih bagus dari aslinya *nyengir*.
Eh, eh, maaf ya, tulisan pertama setelah sekian lama ini isinya super ringan dan agak pamer. Maksud hati sih bukan begitu. Aslinya MEMANG mau pamer. Maklum, namanya juga orang medioker, kan ingin kelihatan lebih menonjol dong daripada yang benar-benar berbakat atau berkuasa, hehehe...
Aduh, teman-teman, saya kangen kalian semua! Habis ini saya singgah ke rumah maya kalian ya!
What's Next, Obama in a Sitcom?
It's no secret that politicians always crave for attention and never hesitate to kick anyone out of their way for even a brief spotlight moment.
Now, what if the spotlight does actually cast on their face? With the camera rolling -- and this time, thank God, somebody yells "Cut!" and they will stop whatever they're doing or saying?
On the count of three, let's cheer together: "Yaaaaaaaayyy!!!"
Being recognized in Capitol Hill is one thing. In Hollywood, it means you can always fulfill your secret of being the Star. Yes, with capital S. After all, it takes years, lots of ass kissing, hours of sweating your butt for crafting remarks which you wish - pray, to be exact, if you are indeed religious as you often state, especially before the Midwestern audience - will move people (Note: puking doesn't count as a gesture of 'being moved'), spending a heft amount of money for campaigns and marketing your ideas as well as making as many promises to your potential sponsors. You may do similar things in Tinseltown, but at least there are chances that you'll be the next Brad Pitt/Jessica Biel (if you have the look) or Dustin Hoffman/Glenn Close (if you don't) -- where you can be loved or hated but will never be blamed for ruining the lives of 300 million people at home, and other 5 billions abroad.
Oh yes, I haven't made any point.
Which is unnecessary. It's just a short comment *cough* on Senator Patrick Leahy's involvement in the next Batman flick, The Dark Knight. Senator Leahy is a long time Batman fan, and he has even done voice over for Batman cartoons, written the preface for a Batman book and had small roles in the last two Batman features (according to this site, also the main inspiration for this post hehehehe...).
Given that Senator Leahy is constantly criticizing Indonesia's record on human rights abuses and subsequently the TNI, I can only shudder, thinking that he may try to influence the scriptwriter to somehow create a villain with a particular background on Indonesia's vicious army. Hm. Wirantoman? *grins* How will the character be like?
The US have got plenty of former entertainers plunging into the politics -- but in Indonesia, we have BOTH! We have Sophan Sophiaan and Aji Massaid and Sys NS, but we also have some famous non-actors in Indonesia who have made it to the movie industry, notably the lawyers, even ex high dignitaries! So, despite Senator Leahy's less sympathetic opinion about Indonesia, I'm actually thinking of introducing him to this group of people. He can get useful inside tips from the not-so-honorable Mr. Ruhut Sitompul, or Mr. Yusril Ihza Mahendra who apparently has swifted his career track to the other direction.
This said, it's highly possible that in the future we'll see a string of American politicians appearing on the silver screen. While supermodels have been swept away by actresses gracing the cover of fashion magazines, similar case might happen in the movie industry. Who knows, Oscar 2012 may be marked by actors/politicians (or the other way around, your call) in the best leading performance nominations!
And the world will be a better place? Yeah right! :p.
By the way, how's everyone doing? Long time no see!
Hairspray Pedophile
Padahal tadinya saya tidak peduli padanya maupun film yang membuatnya terkenal itu. Alah, tontonan anak kecil :D. Gara-gara penampilannya di bawah ini (dari film "Hairspray" tentunya!), saya mendadak jadi pedofili.
Tapi begitu saya lihat dia lagi dengan warna rambut asli yang lebih terang dan model poni panjang menutupi mata, dia jadi sama saja dengan gerombolan murid sekolah yang mendatangi kantor saya untuk tur singkat atau mengemis permen waktu Halloween. Rasanya malah ingin menyingkap dan menjepit rambut yang menutupi sebagian matanya!
Yah, tapi silakan nikmati aksinya. Dia berbakat kok :). Dan walaupun masih "kecil", kalau dilihat-lihat lagi, ternyata memang ganteng, hehehe...
Snap it like Borat
We may laugh at the poor guy, but he -- of all people -- has created a trend. If Beckham and some other guys can only influence the way MEN dress up these days, Borat's taste has expanded to the ladies' fashion sphere!
His style is not entirely copied, yes, though we can still see the influence. Move over, Diddy! :D
Stand by Me
While I could've been more productive on July Fourth, watching parades or even paying a visit to the closest eateries, I had preferred to browse the Internet almost the whole day to find stuff about Stand by Me. Yeap, the movie. One of my all-time faves, and one of the very few that can always make me sob (though I'll never admit it publicly). Don't ask why. All I can say is, since morning I sort of heard Ben E. King singing it over and over again. In my head, of course.
So there I was, reading all the praises for the movie in IMDB, watching the clips in YouTube (I even posted one in my Multiply page), trying to get the latest news about the actors (con the late River Phoenix, of course, and Jerry O'Connell has been in many gossip pages -- by the way, do you know that he has a younger brother who shares his hunkiness, and is still very single? Ehm!), and checking out practically every single line of Wil Wheaton's blog. I was so hooked with Stand by Me that I didn't even care to turn on the TV for news.
Observing scene by scene and thus entertaining myself with the fond memories stemming from the excerpts, I happened to encounter the eerie fact that the movie has somehow become an omen of the leading casts, particularly Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix. Perhaps it was because the kid actors were more or less (more "more" than "less", actually) the personalities they were enlivening.
Gordie, the role played by Wil Wheaton, became a writer. In real life, Wil Wheaton has published two or three books and is currently a very popular blogger. He is likewise a sensitive guy. Kinda reminds me to my dad, who refused to speak to a girl he had liked in middle school after she made fun of him, and a very loving family man. Only Wil has a wicked sense of humor, which my dad lacks of.
River Phoenix, like his character Chris, was a bright young man raised in a rather unusual family, and was forced to be mature way beyond his age, of which too short of a lifetime. I suspect he never fit in to the whole Hollywood life, and maybe had always been reserved. It must be difficult feeling like you're totally different from your peers, because of your background. Seeing his interviews, his gestures suggest that he always had this uneasiness and inconfidence, regardless of how successful he had been. Too bad he passed away before he had the chance to really enjoy his life. Without thinking too hard to ensure that his beloved family will never suffer again (whereas it's completely understandable).
Though Wil mentioned Stand by Me only occasionally, I got the hint that what was projected in the movie reflected the real situation. At least when he said (or wrote, to be exact) that he often looked up to River during the shooting, it resonates the truth, not just another nice saying about a dead man. Wil was a self-confessed nerdy, shy boy, and River -- having always been the caretaker of his family wellbeing even at such a young age -- possibly had sensed it and been sort of a big brother to him, though not as close and protective as Chris to Gordie. And Chris' crying, "I'd like to go some place where nobody ever knows me", sounds like what River would've said years later.
There I go again, creating yet another scenario with my imaginative grey cells, just like other millions of entertainment media suckers.
Anyway, watching Stand by Me all over again brought me back to a conversation with a friend several days earlier. We agreed that the age of eleven, or twelve, or thirteen, is probably one of the most difficult periods. It is the entry into adolescence, the transition time when your body is your worst enemy and suddenly everything familiar becomes alien to you, particularly yourself. Though most of us can get through it quite safely, some may face fierce challenges.
We all can only be twelve once. So was I. But, unlike Gordie, I've been blessed to get Friends -- yes, in capital "F" -- at any point of my life.
When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid
No, I won't be afraid
Not as long as you stand, stand by me
Ah, River Phoenix. I still have my diary from high school, with his picture stuck on the cover. What a waste of talent. What a waste of young life and opportunities laid upon him. Sheesh. Although I hadn't seen him in more than ten years, I know I'll miss him forever.
Officially a She Male?
Below is taken from Antara's website (click the picture to get the larger view):
The subject in the news: Congresswoman Enny Valio Marpega.
Then another one is from Detik (again, click the picture to get the larger view):
The subject: Ammy Valeomavega.
And this is the person that they were talking about:
No wonder the government in Jakarta was really vigilant when he got invited to visit Indonesia. I can suggest some very visible reasons:
1. There is no consensus on his name. Even the press who (presumably) always do the re-checking before a news is published can have as many of its variations as they can. (Hey, maybe they actually like crafting out new names!). Let alone the government who is famous for being careless and ignorant, right?
2. More importantly, there is confusion on the person's sex. He might have been well-known for gearing negative opinions in the House on Papua, but whether he is actually a "she", nobody seems to be sure.
In short, protocol-wise, it is likely to produce a disaster. And we haven't factored out incorrect information from the National Intelligence Agency.
I shall therefore share a few tips to Congressman Faleomavaega:
First, never, EVER, hire people from Cikijing to be your secretary. You may end up having a new birth certificate. Oh, I'm being discriminative here. I think anyone from the western part of Indonesia can have difficulty in pronouncing "f" and "v". I know a "Franky" who lives in Tomok, Samosir Island, who calls himself "Perengki".
[Wait a minute. Perhaps this gentleman is originally from my parents' hometown. I have to check the tarombo, the Batak people's family tree. Maybe "Marpega" is the brother surname to "Marpaung"?]
Second, Papua isn't the only place that can be "dangerous" to you. While you're in Jakarta, you'd better avoid Taman Lawang. Considering the news varieties about your sex, Taman Lawang can be a Hotel California for you: you can always check in, but you can never check out (you never know when your instinct calls you). Or people may get wrong impression with your presence there.
Sir Coy and I.. Inseparable
We must've been match-made in heaven, because despite all the troubles we've been through (or rather: all the troubles HE made me into), we eventually stay together.
Sir Coy (read: Choy), my ten year old, ugly looking Plymouth Grand Voyager, was missing from the parking lot when I was just about to go to office. At first I thought I had gone to the wrong section. Then after spending half an hour searching through the lot, frantic calls to the towing company, and heart beating faster than a drunken Schumacher, I gave up and let the security people survey the area. About an hour later they called me to confirm that it was INDEED missing. I was already a bit calm and therefore could file a report to the police quite articulately.
That was on Friday. Saturday morning, the police from the neighbor county phoned me to inform that Sir Coy had been found. I had thought that it would take longer before they finally locate him. Impressive. And has become a source of speculation among my friends. Sir Coy's less than attractive physique, and his diplomatic tag, should've been a turn off to most car thieves (police will identify him in a second). None of us could think of a logical explanation of his temporary disappearance.
Anyway, how he found his way home isn't the most important thing. It's the fact that we are finally together that makes me think that -- whether we like it or not -- we are each other's destiny. Since the beginning of my owning him, he'd cost me some repairs at the sum which, I figure, has exceeded his actual value. That's the way it goes with old cars, American old cars, to be exact. Two times his engine just stopped, one time I drove recklessly I hit the road block, and several other minor things, all in a short span of two years.
Maybe I'm a freak. Maybe because he's my very first own car. But his imperfection, his scars, his making me almost broke with the constant visits to the garage (and the beloved Mr. Lee, practically our "family doctor") are probably also the reasons that strengthen our bond. Like the most vulnerable child in the family, he demands my full-time attention, yet I love him deeply. I know that I'll be saddened when I have to say goodbye to him next year as my assignment is concluded.
And I'm glad that we still have eleven months of togetherness. What can I say? He completes me :).
:((
Sometimes things as simple as a plate of Indomie goreng and a sunny side can be the best consolation for a crying soul.
Sheesh.. I've been longing to visit this place....
Iklan, "Iklan" dan Kode Etis
Walaupun koresponden media massa nasional sudah tidak banyak lagi di sini, tapi keagresifan kantor Karen Hughes membawa jurnalis Indonesia ke negara ini membuat saya banyak memperoleh teman baru. Yang paling seru buat saya sih ketemu dengan teman-teman dari penerbit daerah yang kadang-kadang namanya pun baru saya dengar. Dan memperoleh cerita mengenai bagaimana mereka berjuang untuk bertahan di tengah arus kompetisi, tidak saja dari sesama media beroplah DAN bermodal kecil, tapi juga nama-nama raksasa yang sudah lama mapan. Saya tidak tahu apakah sesudah mereka kembali ke kota asal mereka, koran mereka masih ada, hehehehe.. moga-moga sih!
Mulai melantur deh saya, seperti biasa. Padahal aslinya saya cuma ingin memberi komentar setelah obrolan tentang sekelompok jurnalis dari beberapa stasiun televisi dan majalah berita yang ikut dengan rombongan salah satu partai besar, waktu melakukan kunjungan ke kota saya. Diikutsertakannya jurnalis ke dalam delegasi bukan hal baru, terutama untuk kunjungan pejabat tinggi negara.
Tapi terus terang pembiayaan jurnalis untuk meliput dilakukan oleh satu partai tertentu baru saya lihat sekarang. Meskipun saya tahu bahwa petinggi partai itu memang dikenal lancar dengan uang, super pemurah dalam memberi tip, sehingga tentu tidak segan-segan mengucurkan dana untuk mempublikasikan kegiatan partainya.
Begitu percayanya orang partainya dengan kemampuan uang, sehingga sempat membuat naik darah koresponden kantor berita kita waktu mengusulkan, "Segera ke sini tanggal sekian ya mbak, buat wawancara si Bapak. Semua kita biayain deh!". Teman saya yang kecil-lincah-kocak dan biasanya penyabar itu memutuskan untuk tidak menghubungi sang orang partai karena sebal, hehehehe...
Si orang partai tidak salah juga. Dia (mungkin) hanya bermaksud mengganti waktu dan biaya yang terbuang, karena teman saya tentunya punya tugas peliputan lain. Cuma caranya itu loh. Apalagi karena partainya memborong wartawan dari beberapa media massa besar, kesan yang ditangkap seolah-olah daya tarik dan reputasi (baik) bisa dibeli. Eh, padahal memang iya ya? Hihihihi...
Di sini, media massa punya kekuatan sangat besar dan mereka berusaha memegang teguh kode etik. Kantor saya pernah punya program mengirim wartawan setempat ke Indonesia untuk meliput tempat-tempat wisata. Surat proposal kami memperoleh balasan negatif, karena mereka tidak mau menerima uang dari lembaga pemerintah. Setiap orang, instansi, perusahaan, dipersilakan mengirim informasi mengenai satu kegiatan, dan terserah mereka apakah akan diliput atau tidak. Sekiranya kami berkeinginan daerah wisata di Indonesia diperkenalkan ke pembaca mereka, mereka menyarankan kami menulis artikel tentang itu.
Bahkan teman-teman Indonesia yang bekerja untuk kantor berita pemerintah di sini juga berkeras untuk membayar kopinya sendiri ketika kami keluar bersama-sama. Padahal acara jalan bersama itu benar-benar dalam kapasitas pertemanan, bukan pekerjaan. Soalnya kalau ketahuan mereka bisa dipecat.
Barangkali memang kode etis tidak perlu diterjemahkan sekaku itu :). Juga pembiayaan perjalanan luar negeri bagi wartawan untuk meliput kegiatan satu partai mungkin bisa disamakan dengan iklan. Toh perusahaan-perusahaan swasta juga melakukan hal serupa ketika meluncurkan produknya: mengundang wartawan dan memberikan "kenang-kenangan". Hanya saya tetap susah menyamakan satu partai -- yang notabene isunya adalah isu sosial politik -- dengan perusahaan komersial. Kecuali kalau partai-partai di negara kita memang bisa dianggap perusahaan komersial. Paling sedikit dari titik pemikiran di mana aktif di partai menjadi sumber penghasilan hidup. Dan sebenarnya tidak salah juga kalau aktor politik beriklan. Lah, kampanye-kampanye kandidasi jabatan tinggi dari pihak yang berbeda-beda kan menggunakan media massa.
Hanya saja saya jadi bertanya-tanya apakah keikutsertaan dalam rombongan satu partai tertentu, dibiayai oleh partai itu, bisa mempengaruhi pemberitaan berimbang tentang partai tersebut, hehehe... Yah, saya memang tidak percaya pada obyektifitas penuh, termasuk obyektifitas jurnalistik. Namun saya merasa ketidakobyektifan berdasar keterikatan emosional atau ideologis tidak bisa disejajarkan dengan yang berdasar, er, pemasukan.
Menarik juga, bahwa salah satu stasiun televisi yang dibiayai ke mari adalah yang juga menonaktifkan presenter acara pariwisatanya setelah yang bersangkutan menulis tentang perlakuan kurang menyenangkan pemerintah negara tetangga. Tentunya, pemerintah negara tetangga itu membiayai kegiatan peliputan pariwisata negaranya dong :D.
Barangkali memang kode etis tidak perlu diterjemahkan sekaku itu :). Juga pembiayaan perjalanan luar negeri bagi wartawan untuk meliput kegiatan satu partai mungkin bisa disamakan dengan iklan. Toh perusahaan-perusahaan swasta juga melakukan hal serupa ketika meluncurkan produknya: mengundang wartawan dan memberikan "kenang-kenangan". Hanya saya tetap susah menyamakan satu partai -- yang notabene isunya adalah isu sosial politik -- dengan perusahaan komersial. Kecuali kalau partai-partai di negara kita memang bisa dianggap perusahaan komersial. Paling sedikit dari titik pemikiran di mana aktif di partai menjadi sumber penghasilan hidup. Dan sebenarnya tidak salah juga kalau aktor politik beriklan. Lah, kampanye-kampanye kandidasi jabatan tinggi dari pihak yang berbeda-beda kan menggunakan media massa.
Hanya saja saya jadi bertanya-tanya apakah keikutsertaan dalam rombongan satu partai tertentu, dibiayai oleh partai itu, bisa mempengaruhi pemberitaan berimbang tentang partai tersebut, hehehe... Yah, saya memang tidak percaya pada obyektifitas penuh, termasuk obyektifitas jurnalistik. Namun saya merasa ketidakobyektifan berdasar keterikatan emosional atau ideologis tidak bisa disejajarkan dengan yang berdasar, er, pemasukan.
Menarik juga, bahwa salah satu stasiun televisi yang dibiayai ke mari adalah yang juga menonaktifkan presenter acara pariwisatanya setelah yang bersangkutan menulis tentang perlakuan kurang menyenangkan pemerintah negara tetangga. Tentunya, pemerintah negara tetangga itu membiayai kegiatan peliputan pariwisata negaranya dong :D.
Sepatu Kaca Bukan Dari Cinderella
Waktu tanpa sengaja melihat iklan yang memunculkan Madonna mengenakan sepatu dengan sol dan hak stilleto tembus pandang, saya menyadari bahwa sekarang sepatu kaca lebih sering saya asosiasikan dengan penari telanjang dan model sampul Penthouse dibandingkan dengan Cinderella.
Pada kali pertama dan terakhir saya menyaksikan pertunjukan striptease, saya menemukan bahwa hampir semua stripper yang tampil malam itu memakai sepatu sejenis: bertali tipis dengan stilleto atau platform yang semuanya tembus pandang. Dan setelah beberapa lama, saya baru tahu kalau busana kaki serupa juga (hampir selalu) menghiasi kaki jenjang para model media "dewasa".
Kenapa ya? Apa memang sepatu seperti itu kelihatan lebih seksi dan mengundang? Atau karena seolah-olah menyimbolkan busana yang transparan? Atau karena mereka membayangkan Cinderella yang seksi, seorang perempuan dengan kecantikan fisik tapi juga memiliki karakter submisif? (Aslinya kan si Upik Abu).
Bagaimana ya kalau pria-pria juga diminta memakai sepatu tembus pandang? Apa mereka akan kelihatan lebih seksi di mata perempuan (rasanya kok tidak juga, hehehe...) atau pria gay?
Secarik Kertas Lusuh
"Si Papa ada, Mam?" tanya saya, membayangkan ayah saya sudah mondar-mandir di sekitar ibu saya, menunggu gilirannya untuk berbicara.
"Lagi ketemuan sama teman-temannya. Mama sih lagi malas keluar, biar dia saja."
"Hehehhe... makanya tumben mama kok ngobrolnya gak buru-buru."
"Lah memang. Nak, ingat gak, kamu kan pernah menulis di blogmu tentang Papa?"
"Hm.. iya. Terus?"
"Entri yang itu diprint adikmu, dan diberikan ke Papa. Ya ampun, sampai lecek kertasnya dibawa sama Papa ke mana-mana. Bolak-balik dia tanya ke Mama, 'Mam, sudah baca tulisan si Lenje yang ini?', dan diperlihatkan lagi ke Mama. Padahal entah sudah berapa puluh kali Mama baca, ya gara-gara si Papa ngeyel mau menunjukkan ke Mama."
Hati saya mencelos mendengarnya. Esoknya saya langsung menelepon oknum yang membawa secarik kertas lusuh bertuliskan satu entri blog saya. Sedikitpun beliau tidak menyinggung soal secarik kertas lusuh itu :), malah dengan semangat bercerita tentang, yah, tentang hal-hal yang biasa diceritakannya kalau sedang ngobrol dengan saya: kritik pedas terhadap pemerintah (tidak termasuk kantor anaknya, hahahha...), harga-harga yang semakin meningkat, gosip keluarga besar, rencana saya sekembali ke tanah air, keluarga adik saya, dan anjing-anjing di rumah yang katanya semakin lucu saja walaupun merusak sofa. Tidak selalu dalam urutan seperti itu, tapi porsi kritikan biasanya yang paling besar *nyengir*.
Soal kertas yang sudah lusuh karena terlalu sering dilipat dan dibuka untuk ditunjukkan ke ibu saya (dan saya curiga pada yang lain juga, entah siapa. Aduh!), saya anggap saja itu akibat kepelupaan beliau -- menurun ke saya! Salah satu cerita favorit saya adalah mengenai ayah saya yang begitu khawatir karena merasa semakin pelupa, sehingga beliau membeli suplemen yang mengandung ginkgo biloba yang konon dapat memacu kerja otak dan mencegah "lupa ingatan". Yang terjadi kemudian: ayah saya lupa minum suplemennya...
Waduh, saya ngerasani beliau panjang lebar begini bukan sekedar karena kangen berat. Saya juga sekalian bermaksud mengucapkan selamat ulang tahun ke pria paling ganteng di dunia ini. Menitipkan doa yang selalu saya lafazkan agar beliau diberi kebahagiaan dan ketenangan, dan agar jangan terlalu memikirkan anak sulungnya yang melajang. Ya kan kira-kira sembilan bulan lagi beliau sudah akan dapat menggendong cucu pertamanya (dari adik saya dong, mosok dari saya). Amin, amin, amin.
Signed, sealed with a kiss, delivered.
Indonebia Yang Membuat Hari Ceria
Para anggota milis ApaKabar atau Mediacare pasti tidak asing dengan nama Indonebia: si pemilik pseudoidentitas yang gemar menuliskan hal-hal provokatif dan ide-ide kontroversial, mulai dari mendorong lebih banyak orang Arab menghamili orang Indonesia (eh, tentunya melalui jalur pernikahan dong, baik yang legal secara hukum negara maupun mutah) sampai dengan terang-terangan memuji-muji tindak kekerasan FPI.
Ketika pertama kali membaca tulisannya, saya mengerutkan kening dan berpikir: orang bodoh dari mana ini. Jujur saja, sempat panas juga, dan bermaksud menulis tanggapan yang pedas. Hal serupa melanda banyak pembaca lain juga, rupanya, menilai dari panjangnya thread atas entrinya, yang sebagian besar mengecamnya.
Tapi lama-lama tulisan Indonebia yang mengaku pendukung PKS nomor satu ini justru membuat saya geli, dan bahkan bertanya-tanya apakah si penulis justru bermaksud mendiskreditkan kelompok radikal dengan cara seperti itu. Apalagi ketika Indonebia dan penulis kontroversial lainnya (seperti Nyonya Muslim Muskitawati) mulai berbalas ejekan, yang buat saya oh sangat menghibur sekali. Dulu ketika saya sedang membutuhkan pelepas kepenatan, saya akan mencari entri terbaru Indonebia.
(Omong-omong, sudah lama saya tidak menengok kedua milis. Kedua pemain masih adakah? Topik apa yang sekarang sedang hangat?)
Beberapa waktu lalu iseng-iseng saya mencari nama Indonebia di jalur maya, menca ri tahu apakah yang bersangkutan punya blog. Sudah pasti dong ada, di sini dan di sini. Seperti di milis, isi blognya juga selalu berhasil membuat saya terbahak-bahak.
Oya, meskipun kadang-kadang terbersit juga keingintahuan, saya tidak pernah berniat repot-repot menyelidiki siapa sosok di balik nama Indonebia seperti yang dilakukan oleh Muhamad Sulhanudin (baca cerita lengkap hasil penyidikannya di sini ). Saya cuma butuh hiburan kok :).
Yayaya... American Idol Again!
I had intended to write this much earlier, the second Jordin was crowned the American Idol of 2007. But of course I decided to delay it, as it would be a spoiler (though many may have got the news from text messages/internet/messengers/buzzes).
I'm not going to rewrite the whole news, we've all had enough of it. Only a few notes.
One, most memorable moments from the finale -- for me -- were Jordin and Blake kissing each other's cheeks at the end of their duet "When I Saw Her Standing There", and Blake kissing Jordin's palm when Ryan Seacrest was about to announce the winner. Those who watched the finale, did you see how Blake often splashed adoring glances to Jordin? Despite their age AND height gap, he might've been having a crush on her, hehehe... that's cute, I think :D. In the Washington Post's review's words: a strong chemistry. Well, well, you know what people say about chemistry between two sexes, right?
Second, right after Melinda was voted off the competition, message billboards and blogs were full of people's disappointment and anger, and many threatened not to watch the final show. Guess what: they actually did -- resulted in the lowest rating of an AI finale in the past few years. Despite the 74 million messages claimed by the show producer, apparently watchers only reached around 30 millions, or a 19% decline from last year's.
This surely poses a serious dilemma to Fox. On one hand, they have to address the disappointment over Melinda's failure, which had seemingly affected the show's rating. But on the other hand it also reflected (theoretically, at least) the viewers' choices -- especially the young crowds, a very potential market target. At this point I have no idea how they're going to do that -- a trick?
Well, it's for them to figure out :D. Meanwhile, I'm sharing with you the video clip featuring the killer duet mentioned above. Cute, cute, cute :D.
The Pattaya Effect
Hm... if the surgeons could do something to the crotch and other related organs, flattening my stomach and "rightsizing" my thighs should be a piece of cake :D.
(Picture courtesy of Sony Witjacksono)
Three to the Top
So now, there are three: Blake, Melinda, Jordin (in alphabetical order).
Of course, I'm talking about the American Idol. What else?
As I'm convinced that the devoted fans of the show have watched -- or are watching? -- the last episode featuring the top three, I'd like to spare my two cents. (If I'm not mistaken, the Indonesian viewers now can watch AI a day after the original one is aired in the US. Good then!). If you think this particular post is gonna be a spoiler, pass it.
I love Jordin. Like always. She's so refreshing. She's not a typical 17 year olds, appearence-wise and vocal wise. She's very, VERY talented. I've loved her since day one, and been hoping that she'll make it to the top. So far, only once did she disappoint me, when she tried to be a rock chick for the Bon Jovi's session. Horrible hairdo. Must've taken advice from Sanjaya :p. Last night, though, she's taken me.
Blake has also been one of my favorites, and I'm glad that he got this far. He dares to be different. There were times when he seemed to be desperately trying the popular path (how else will you explain the beatbox that sometimes feel "maksa banget sih"?), but in the end he always gets his grip. Anyway, I may get snorts from the music industry experts/practicioners for saying this: I think he sounds so European. Looking at the songs he picked, he might've realized that at the first place. One more thing: his decision to dye his hair black can't be more right. Cuter than ever, babe!
Now, Melinda. Contrary to the judges' praises, I don't really like her performance last night. I think she was off pitch at times, and quite notable in - unfortunately - I Believe in You and Me. For this whole AI season, she's been flawless. And yet, I find her getting boring. Yes, boring, not bored. This time, perfection is blah.
My gut tells me this is going to be an all girl final. Say goodbye to Blake... and be prepared to welcome him again when he releases his first album :). He's marketable! Melinda might get the title this year, but I'm sure it's Jordin who we'll hear more in the coming years.
Update:
Although I'd vote for Jordin anytime, and I do like Blake, never would've I thought it was MELINDA, yes, MELINDA who had to fly home. It shocked me as much as other Melinda's fans. Check out message boards and blogs, and you'll find the many people who vow they'll never watch AI again. Some even threaten to boycott the show (how?). Whew. I had the same feeling when Delon got the ticket to Indodol finale a few years ago. I was snapped back to the reality that it IS a popularity contest, and the best, most talented ones are often overlooked by the crowd judging merely from what pleases their WHOLE five senses.
Show business is a mean business. And whether you'll admit it or not, it IS a discriminatory, patrilineal, business. Dessy Fitri, an extremely gifted singer, for instance, never made it big like Krisdayanti. On the other hand, Ramona Purba had had his time of fame, albeit a short one.
Tiga Belas
Entah kenapa, angka 13 bisa betul-betul menunjukkan kesialan buat republik tersayang. Sembilan tahun lalu, tanggal 13 bulan ini, terjadi salah satu tragedi terlaknat dalam sejarahnya. Sembilan tahun berlalu, masih belum ada jawaban siapa pelaku utamanya (walau calon-calon tersangkanya sudah menjadi pembahasan umum). Apalagi hukuman.
Ironis, waktu belahan dunia yang saya tempati sekarang merayakan Hari Ibu, sekian ratus calon ibu kita kehilangan kehormatan mereka. Ah, saya salah. Tepatnya: kehilangan kemanusiaan mereka. Karena mereka tetap terhormat.
Capek saya jadi keparat. Dengan berjuta pertanyaan memalu-malu benak. Dan tanggapan mengambang yang kadang disampaikan melambat menghindar. Karena saya juga tidak tahu jawabannya, dan tidak bisa mengerti kenapa.
Bukan keadilan buta. Bukan pembalasan dendam. Tapi menyelesaikan satu halaman secara tuntas sebelum membuka lembar berikutnya. Supaya buku bisa ditutup dengan keikhlasan.
The Most Eligible Bachelor
As this lady has pointed out: he has an "angelic" face (devilish heart doesn't count), is extremely smart and so wealthy he's practically bought this country off.
And he's single too :). Line up, ladies! (Sorry, gays, as far as I know, he's into women only).
By the way, above is his picture several years back (like, er, twenty years). He has a bit more wrinkles and spots now. You all, however, should not worry too much. Once you observe his bank account, you won't give a damn about his physical appearance!
By the way, above is his picture several years back (like, er, twenty years). He has a bit more wrinkles and spots now. You all, however, should not worry too much. Once you observe his bank account, you won't give a damn about his physical appearance!
Orang-orang Gelap
Seorang kenalan baru saya kemarin bercerita bahwa suaminya mencemaskan kegiatannya membantu beberapa imigran gelap asal Indonesia. Dia kerap menyupiri mereka untuk macam-macam keperluan, termasuk ke dokter. "Mereka malah dapat pengobatan gratis loh, padahal kita saja harus bayar mahal untuk asuransi," komentarnya. "Suami saya kuatir hal ini bisa satu saat jadi masalah buat kami. Padahal kami kan sama-sama orang asing di sini." Suaminya kebetulan warga negara Perancis.
"Ah, tapi itu belum apa-apa," lanjutnya. "Tahu tidak, mbak, di sini ada orang yang membuat rumahnya menjadi tempat tinggal para imigran gelap. Lengkap dengan dapur, kamar mandi, dan lain-lain. Pendeknya seperti apartemenlah. Dia juga menyalurkan mereka ke berbagai tempat yang butuh tenaga, jaringannya luas. Mereka yang ingin pindah tempat kerja, bahkan pindah ke negara bagian lain, tinggal hubungi dia. Tapi beberapa waktu lalu tempatnya digerebek."
Modus lama, walaupun cerita ini baru saya dengar.
Saya tidak tahu persis angka pekerja migran gelap asal Indonesia di AS. Perkiraan kasar kantor kami sih jumlah total masyarakat Indonesia yang bermukim di AS sekitar 80 ribu orang, 75 persennya tidak punya ijin tinggal dan bekerja yang sah, atau sudah lewat batas waktu (overstay). Silakan hitung sendiri.
Motivasi ekonomi jelas mendominasi kelompok ini, walaupun dengan cara berbeda-beda. Paling umum adalah datang dengan visa turis, kemudian mencari kerja apa saja. Kalau tidak ada razia atau masalah, mereka dengan tenang meneruskan aktivitas mereka. Namun ketika muncul indikasi masalah, atau mereka ingin memperoleh pekerjaan lebih baik yang mensyaratkan dokumen-dokumen yang sah, usaha yang paling sering dilakukan adalah meminta suaka.
Di sini letak dilemanya. Di satu pihak, kantor menyesalkan pengajuan suaka teman-teman ini, karena sama saja dengan mengabarkan bahwa di negara kita ada konflik hebat yang menyebabkan mereka harus mencari perlindungan di negara lain. Di pihak lain, kami mengerti bahwa tindakan mereka didasari tidak lain mencari penghidupan yang lebih layak. Buktinya? Acara-acara untuk masyarakat yang diselenggarakan KBRI dan KJRI-KJRI, khususnya perayaan kemerdekaan, pasti dipenuhi masyarakat. Maklum, ini kan kesempatan berkumpul dan makan enak cuma-cuma. Dan tiap tahun pasti ada wajah-wajah baru, hehehe.. Belum lagi acara-acara lain yang diselenggarakan kelompok-kelompok masyarakat. Padahal asumsinya kan kalau mereka memang pelarian politik pasti mereka menolak datang ke kantor-kantor perwakilan pemerintah Indonesia. Walau memang ada juga sih yang berada di sini murni karena masalah politik. Pak Christianto Wibisono, misalnya, atau beberapa teman asal Maluku yang lari ke mari karena konflik di Ambon.
Justru karena sudah memahami pola demikian, sejak 2001 sangat jarang permintaan suaka pemohon asal Indonesia yang diloloskan oleh pemerintah AS. Tapi proses pengajuannya pun sudah merupakan grace period bagi sang pemohon, karena antara waktu pengajuan sampai pengadilan dan keluarnya putusan pengadilan bisa berlangsung setahun. Cukup memberikan ruang bergerak bagi pemohon, sebab dalam jangka waktu tersebut pemohon diijinkan tinggal. Kalau ingin tahu lebih banyak mengenai proses ini, silakan cari dan baca tulisan-tulisan Lia Suntoso yang relevan.
Beberapa bulan lalu, lewat telepon seorang Indonesia di Ohio meminta saya membantu pacarnya dalam proses permintaan visa ke AS. Seperti banyak orang lain, dia keliru mengira bahwa kantor saya atau kantor pusat di Jakarta punya kemampuan atau wewenang mempengaruhi pemberian visa dari negara lain. Setelah bercakap sekian lama di telepon, dia mengakui bahwa ia sendiri sedang mengajukan permintaan suaka. Tujuannya ya seperti sudah saya sebutkan tadi: memperoleh ijin tinggal dan kerja yang sah tanpa batas waktu.
"Ya bagaimana, bu, di Indonesia kan kita susah cari makan," kilahnya. "Saya sih bukan mau menjelek-jelekkan negara sendiri. Habis saya tidak bisa melihat jalan lain. Teman-teman bilang juga ini cara yang paling cepat dan efektif." Tentu saja. Tidak semua orang punya dana memadai di bank sebagai jaminan, dan tidak semua perusahaan (apalagi usaha kecil) mau repot-repot mensponsori.
Kalau lagi iseng, coba baca forum di Kaskus pada topik imigrasi ke AS, atau bekerja di AS, atau tinggal di AS. Isinya pasti serupa, bahkan banyak yang menawarkan trik-trik mengelabui hakim dan petugas imigrasi, heheheh...
Kantor saya juga suka didesak melakukan sesuatu untuk mengupayakan "pemutihan" kasus overstay, atau membantu mencarikan jalan pengubahan visa: dari visa turis (B2) ke visa bekerja sementara (H2-B). Biasanya kalau ada yang melontarkan hal tersebut ke saya, saya mesem-mesem dan menyarankan agar yang bersangkutan mencarikan alamat Hogwarts School. Lah wong untuk satu orang saja belum tentu bisa dilakukan, apalagi untuk 60 ribuan orang.
Seandainya gagasan Bush diterima Kongres, barangkali bisa jadi jalan keluar. Bush telah mencanangkan program pemberian ijin bekerja sementara selama 3 tahun (temporary work permit) kepada para imigran gelap, termasuk yang berasal Indonesia, yang dapat membuktikan bahwa mereka telah memiliki pekerjaan. Lebih jauh lagi, Bush telah menggagaskan peraturan yang nantinya akan memberikan kesempatan kepada para imigran ini untuk menjadi penduduk tetap, bahkan warga negara AS.
Ide Bush itu tampaknya masih kecil kemungkinan diwujudkan dalam waktu dekat. Tentangan tidak saja datang dari kelompok-kelompok yang mengkhawatirkan dampaknya pada keselamatan negara, karena banjir pendatang, tapi juga dari sejumlah kalangan kulit hitam, yang menganggap bahwa lahan kerja kelompok kulit hitam yang selama ini sudah terdesak para pekerja ilegal dari negara-negara Hispanik maupun Asia akan makin menciut.
Karena itu, ya, para pekerja gelap dari Indonesia saat ini, mau tidak mau, harus puas dengan bekerja tanpa asuransi dan fasilitas lain, main kucing-kucingan dengan petugas imigrasi, dan bergerombol di KBRI pada hari perayaan kemerdekaan untuk makan enak. Saya hanya ingin menyarankan mereka agar jangan percaya pada orang-orang yang mengaku-aku bisa menguruskan dokumen tinggal yang sah asal membayar jumlah tertentu (ingat kasus Hans Gouw?). Juga, walaupun kedengarannya pengajuan permintaan suaka bisa jadi jalan keluar sementara, tapi biaya yang harus dikeluarkan untuk pengacara imigrasi juga tidak main-main. Ada loh, pengacara imigrasi -- khususnya di wilayah California, lokasi favorit masyarakat Indonesia -- yang sampai bisa punya rumah di daerah elite. Jangan-jangan penghasilannya sebanding dengan pengacara kasus cerai artis-artis Hollywood, hehehe...
"Ah, tapi itu belum apa-apa," lanjutnya. "Tahu tidak, mbak, di sini ada orang yang membuat rumahnya menjadi tempat tinggal para imigran gelap. Lengkap dengan dapur, kamar mandi, dan lain-lain. Pendeknya seperti apartemenlah. Dia juga menyalurkan mereka ke berbagai tempat yang butuh tenaga, jaringannya luas. Mereka yang ingin pindah tempat kerja, bahkan pindah ke negara bagian lain, tinggal hubungi dia. Tapi beberapa waktu lalu tempatnya digerebek."
Modus lama, walaupun cerita ini baru saya dengar.
Saya tidak tahu persis angka pekerja migran gelap asal Indonesia di AS. Perkiraan kasar kantor kami sih jumlah total masyarakat Indonesia yang bermukim di AS sekitar 80 ribu orang, 75 persennya tidak punya ijin tinggal dan bekerja yang sah, atau sudah lewat batas waktu (overstay). Silakan hitung sendiri.
Motivasi ekonomi jelas mendominasi kelompok ini, walaupun dengan cara berbeda-beda. Paling umum adalah datang dengan visa turis, kemudian mencari kerja apa saja. Kalau tidak ada razia atau masalah, mereka dengan tenang meneruskan aktivitas mereka. Namun ketika muncul indikasi masalah, atau mereka ingin memperoleh pekerjaan lebih baik yang mensyaratkan dokumen-dokumen yang sah, usaha yang paling sering dilakukan adalah meminta suaka.
Di sini letak dilemanya. Di satu pihak, kantor menyesalkan pengajuan suaka teman-teman ini, karena sama saja dengan mengabarkan bahwa di negara kita ada konflik hebat yang menyebabkan mereka harus mencari perlindungan di negara lain. Di pihak lain, kami mengerti bahwa tindakan mereka didasari tidak lain mencari penghidupan yang lebih layak. Buktinya? Acara-acara untuk masyarakat yang diselenggarakan KBRI dan KJRI-KJRI, khususnya perayaan kemerdekaan, pasti dipenuhi masyarakat. Maklum, ini kan kesempatan berkumpul dan makan enak cuma-cuma. Dan tiap tahun pasti ada wajah-wajah baru, hehehe.. Belum lagi acara-acara lain yang diselenggarakan kelompok-kelompok masyarakat. Padahal asumsinya kan kalau mereka memang pelarian politik pasti mereka menolak datang ke kantor-kantor perwakilan pemerintah Indonesia. Walau memang ada juga sih yang berada di sini murni karena masalah politik. Pak Christianto Wibisono, misalnya, atau beberapa teman asal Maluku yang lari ke mari karena konflik di Ambon.
Justru karena sudah memahami pola demikian, sejak 2001 sangat jarang permintaan suaka pemohon asal Indonesia yang diloloskan oleh pemerintah AS. Tapi proses pengajuannya pun sudah merupakan grace period bagi sang pemohon, karena antara waktu pengajuan sampai pengadilan dan keluarnya putusan pengadilan bisa berlangsung setahun. Cukup memberikan ruang bergerak bagi pemohon, sebab dalam jangka waktu tersebut pemohon diijinkan tinggal. Kalau ingin tahu lebih banyak mengenai proses ini, silakan cari dan baca tulisan-tulisan Lia Suntoso yang relevan.
Beberapa bulan lalu, lewat telepon seorang Indonesia di Ohio meminta saya membantu pacarnya dalam proses permintaan visa ke AS. Seperti banyak orang lain, dia keliru mengira bahwa kantor saya atau kantor pusat di Jakarta punya kemampuan atau wewenang mempengaruhi pemberian visa dari negara lain. Setelah bercakap sekian lama di telepon, dia mengakui bahwa ia sendiri sedang mengajukan permintaan suaka. Tujuannya ya seperti sudah saya sebutkan tadi: memperoleh ijin tinggal dan kerja yang sah tanpa batas waktu.
"Ya bagaimana, bu, di Indonesia kan kita susah cari makan," kilahnya. "Saya sih bukan mau menjelek-jelekkan negara sendiri. Habis saya tidak bisa melihat jalan lain. Teman-teman bilang juga ini cara yang paling cepat dan efektif." Tentu saja. Tidak semua orang punya dana memadai di bank sebagai jaminan, dan tidak semua perusahaan (apalagi usaha kecil) mau repot-repot mensponsori.
Kalau lagi iseng, coba baca forum di Kaskus pada topik imigrasi ke AS, atau bekerja di AS, atau tinggal di AS. Isinya pasti serupa, bahkan banyak yang menawarkan trik-trik mengelabui hakim dan petugas imigrasi, heheheh...
Kantor saya juga suka didesak melakukan sesuatu untuk mengupayakan "pemutihan" kasus overstay, atau membantu mencarikan jalan pengubahan visa: dari visa turis (B2) ke visa bekerja sementara (H2-B). Biasanya kalau ada yang melontarkan hal tersebut ke saya, saya mesem-mesem dan menyarankan agar yang bersangkutan mencarikan alamat Hogwarts School. Lah wong untuk satu orang saja belum tentu bisa dilakukan, apalagi untuk 60 ribuan orang.
Seandainya gagasan Bush diterima Kongres, barangkali bisa jadi jalan keluar. Bush telah mencanangkan program pemberian ijin bekerja sementara selama 3 tahun (temporary work permit) kepada para imigran gelap, termasuk yang berasal Indonesia, yang dapat membuktikan bahwa mereka telah memiliki pekerjaan. Lebih jauh lagi, Bush telah menggagaskan peraturan yang nantinya akan memberikan kesempatan kepada para imigran ini untuk menjadi penduduk tetap, bahkan warga negara AS.
Ide Bush itu tampaknya masih kecil kemungkinan diwujudkan dalam waktu dekat. Tentangan tidak saja datang dari kelompok-kelompok yang mengkhawatirkan dampaknya pada keselamatan negara, karena banjir pendatang, tapi juga dari sejumlah kalangan kulit hitam, yang menganggap bahwa lahan kerja kelompok kulit hitam yang selama ini sudah terdesak para pekerja ilegal dari negara-negara Hispanik maupun Asia akan makin menciut.
Karena itu, ya, para pekerja gelap dari Indonesia saat ini, mau tidak mau, harus puas dengan bekerja tanpa asuransi dan fasilitas lain, main kucing-kucingan dengan petugas imigrasi, dan bergerombol di KBRI pada hari perayaan kemerdekaan untuk makan enak. Saya hanya ingin menyarankan mereka agar jangan percaya pada orang-orang yang mengaku-aku bisa menguruskan dokumen tinggal yang sah asal membayar jumlah tertentu (ingat kasus Hans Gouw?). Juga, walaupun kedengarannya pengajuan permintaan suaka bisa jadi jalan keluar sementara, tapi biaya yang harus dikeluarkan untuk pengacara imigrasi juga tidak main-main. Ada loh, pengacara imigrasi -- khususnya di wilayah California, lokasi favorit masyarakat Indonesia -- yang sampai bisa punya rumah di daerah elite. Jangan-jangan penghasilannya sebanding dengan pengacara kasus cerai artis-artis Hollywood, hehehe...
Gegegegege...geGURU!
Saya pasti tergolong murid durhaka, karena saya sudah lupa nama-nama hampir semua guru saya, bahkan nama dosen saya! Memang ada sih yang sosoknya masih melintas di benak saya, seperti Bu Henny, kepala sekolah TK saya dulu. Aneh juga, saya kok malah tak ingat guru kelas saya sendiri ya. (Mungkin karena dulu konon, cerita ibu saya, saya kerap tertidur di kelas kalau sudah bosan berat).
Guru lain yang memiliki kesan khusus bagi saya adalah guru matematika saya waktu SMA, Pak Heru. Tak semata karena perilakunya yang eksentrik, seperti kadang membawa sepedanya masuk ruang guru (!), sesekali merokok di kelas, atau pernah muncul memakai celana pendek pada hari sekolah (!!), tapi juga karena beliau berusaha menerapkan metode CBSA, yang pada masa itu akronimnya pun belum dibuat. Beliau akan menyuruh kami membentuk kelompok-kelompok kecil dan mendiskusikan rumus atau subyek yang baru saja diberikannya. Waktu itu kami sempat terperangah dan saling memandang saling senyum kecil, berpikir: apa yang mau didiskusikan dari angka-angka? Hanya karena bagi murid-murid Indonesia (sekali lagi, waktu itu) perintah seorang guru praktis sama dengan titah dewa, dan argumen adalah barang langka, tentunya kami lakukan juga. Sambil sesekali tercekikik bergosip. Entah apa yang kemudian tertulis di lembar hasil diskusi yang dikumpulkan itu, hehehhe..
Nama bapak guru yang unik-sering membingungkan (namun buat saya pintar sekali menerangkan!) ini muncul kembali bertahun-tahun kemudian dalam percakapan saya dan dua orang rekan kantor sekarang -- seorang teman seangkatan, yang lain adik kelas. Kami sedang menuju tempat penyelenggaraan reuni SMA kami.
"Eh, ingat tidak Pak Heru, guru yang gila itu?" teman seangkatan saya menyerocos. "Dia pernah bla.. bla.. bla..."
"Iya. Pak Heru itu kan bapakku, mbak," adik kelas kami menyahut kalem.
"HAH???" "Yang benar?"
"Lah, namaku kan 'X', diambil dari nama hukum 'X'," lanjut adik kelas itu.
Ups. Untung saya tadi tidak menyambut celetuk teman saya dengan isu lain tentang Pak Heru. Teman seangkatan saya sempat salah tingkah sebelum menyambung, "Oh. Maaf ya. Tapi bapakmu memang gila."
Adik kelas kami cuma ketawa. Sudah terbiasa dia. Justru sekarang giliran saya yang salah tingkah.
[Hm, nanti saya akan kirim email ke si adik kelas ah, menanyakan kabar guru kami yang aneh itu. Moga-moga beliau masih ada.]
Di antara segelintir guru yang masih saya ingat (kan saya sudah bilang di atas tadi, saya tergolong murid durhaka), sepertinya dosen pembimbing skripsi sayalah yang meninggalkan kesan paling mendalam buat saya.
Sejak semester ketiga, ketika mata kuliah kekhususan mulai mendominasi Kartu Rencana Studi, nama beliau mulai santer dibahas. Tentunya dengan nada kuatir dan getir, karena beliau terkenal sulit, kaku, gemar mencecar mahasiswa, terutama yang terlihat sedang melamun atau mengantuk. Cerita-cerita seram dari para kakak tingkat menambah ketar-ketir. Hari pertama saya mengikuti kuliahnya, saya sudah memetakan posisi duduk strategis: deret kedua dari depan, dekat pintu. Deret paling belakang jelas berbahaya, karena justru area itulah yang biasanya diincar. Deret paling depan beresiko memperoleh label "anak alim" atau "anak rajin" -- sama kurang menguntungkannya. Sudah pas itu, deret kedua dari depan, dekat pintu.
Beberapa minggu setelah itu saya masih deg-degan mendengar suara langkah kakinya mendekati ruang kuliah. Tapi lama-lama toh saya terbiasa, dan saya justru menghargai ketegasan sikapnya, terutama setelah beliau menolak paper beberapa teman yang memang "bekerja sama" alias saling copy-paste paper (beliau teliti memeriksa paper-paper yang masuk!). Bukan saya mensyukuri kesialan teman-teman tersebut, tapi rasanya ya kurang adil toh buat yang lain, yang berkutat di perpustakaan sehari-harinya untuk membuat paper mingguan. Dari beliau juga saya pertama kali membuat paper dalam sehari sebagai ujian akhir semester. Di era pra-internet itu, topik paper yang diumumkan pukul 10 pagi untuk kemudian harus diserahkan selambatnya pukul 10 hari berikutnya membuat kami harus terbirit-birit memperebutkan sejumlah buku. (Sambil misuh-misuh, pastinya!). Bapak tercinta ini juga pelit toleransi waktu. Lewat 5 menit dari waktu yang ditetapkan, nilai dikurangi. Yang jelas sih saya tidak merasa perlu mandi dulu sebelum berangkat ke kampus -- mana sempat!
Saya dapat A untuk mata kuliahnya, hihihihi... (maaf, sekalian pamer).
Walaupun kemudian saya makin memahami apa yang diinginkan beliau, saya toh tidak (mau) mimpi bakal memperolehnya sebagai dosen pembimbing. Waduh. Menghadapinya di ruang kuliah bersama 20 mahasiswa lain jelas berbeda dengan berhadapan langsung. Tapi mau bagaimana lagi, sudah ditentukan begitu oleh kampus.
Dalam sesi bimbingan pertama, beliau lebih dulu meminta saya memberikan padanya data pribadi dan tiga kartu pos kosong berperangko. Kemudian baru membahas rencana penyusunan skripsi saya. Saya belakangan tahu tujuan kartu-kartu pos tersebut ketika saya mendapat telepon dari ayah saya yang saat itu bertugas di kota lain. Ayah saya memperoleh kartu pos dari dosen pembimbing saya; isinya menceritakan bahwa saya sekarang sudah dalam tahap pembuatan skripsi, beliau adalah dosen pembimbing saya, dan beliau minta agar ayah saya mendukung saya dalam proses penyusunan skripsi saya.
Ayah saya yang sangat terkesan dengan kartu pos itu memutuskan untuk pergi ke Surabaya dan bertemu langsung dengan dosen pembimbing saya, untuk mengucapkan terima kasih padanya. Kunjungan ayah saya juga tak disangka oleh bapak dosen pembimbing. Saya? Sebal dan menggerutu panjang lebar dalam hati, berpikir bapak saya terlalu membesar-besarkan masalah.
Kartu pos itu menjadi alat kontrol orang tua saya atas proses pengerjaan skripsi saya. Saya lama melalaikan skripsi karena asyik mengamen dengan paduan suara. Tahu-tahu saya ditelepon ayah, yang rupanya mendapat laporan (sudah pasti via kartu pos!) tentang skripsi saya yang belum beranjak dari bab pendahuluan. Haduh! Singkat kata, setelah kiriman tiga kartu pos (disertai telepon interlokal singkat hampir tiap malam), skripsi saya kelar juga.
Dosen pembimbing saya yang cukup nyentrik ini juga idealis. Dibandingkan dosen-dosen lain seangkatannya yang relatif mapan, beliau termasuk tertinggal, karena idealismenya juga. Beliau menolak mengajar sampingan di universitas swasta, karena khawatir bakal menelantarkan pekerjaan utamanya. Penghasilan tambahan yang tidak banyak itu paling-paling dari menulis artikel di koran, proyek penelitian, atau jadi pembicara seminar. Itupun dibatasi sendiri olehnya. Sampai skripsi saya selesai, perabot rumahnya masih minimalis dan pagarnya pun belum jadi :). Saya tidak tahu apakah karena itu rambut dan janggutnya sudah putih semua di usia akhir 30-an. Apapun itu, saya berterima kasih karena kesabarannya dulu atas saya -- walau kalau bicara tetap dengan kata-kata pedas dan satir :)). Sudah lama saya tak berkomunikasi dengannya; terakhir hanya menitipkan salam melalui Pak Ramlan.
Oya, nama dosen pembimbing itu: Djoko Sulistyo. Dan postingan ini saya dedikasikan untuk beliau, serta guru-guru saya yang lain yang sudah saya lupakan namanya.
"Iya. Pak Heru itu kan bapakku, mbak," adik kelas kami menyahut kalem.
"HAH???" "Yang benar?"
"Lah, namaku kan 'X', diambil dari nama hukum 'X'," lanjut adik kelas itu.
Ups. Untung saya tadi tidak menyambut celetuk teman saya dengan isu lain tentang Pak Heru. Teman seangkatan saya sempat salah tingkah sebelum menyambung, "Oh. Maaf ya. Tapi bapakmu memang gila."
Adik kelas kami cuma ketawa. Sudah terbiasa dia. Justru sekarang giliran saya yang salah tingkah.
[Hm, nanti saya akan kirim email ke si adik kelas ah, menanyakan kabar guru kami yang aneh itu. Moga-moga beliau masih ada.]
Di antara segelintir guru yang masih saya ingat (kan saya sudah bilang di atas tadi, saya tergolong murid durhaka), sepertinya dosen pembimbing skripsi sayalah yang meninggalkan kesan paling mendalam buat saya.
Sejak semester ketiga, ketika mata kuliah kekhususan mulai mendominasi Kartu Rencana Studi, nama beliau mulai santer dibahas. Tentunya dengan nada kuatir dan getir, karena beliau terkenal sulit, kaku, gemar mencecar mahasiswa, terutama yang terlihat sedang melamun atau mengantuk. Cerita-cerita seram dari para kakak tingkat menambah ketar-ketir. Hari pertama saya mengikuti kuliahnya, saya sudah memetakan posisi duduk strategis: deret kedua dari depan, dekat pintu. Deret paling belakang jelas berbahaya, karena justru area itulah yang biasanya diincar. Deret paling depan beresiko memperoleh label "anak alim" atau "anak rajin" -- sama kurang menguntungkannya. Sudah pas itu, deret kedua dari depan, dekat pintu.
Beberapa minggu setelah itu saya masih deg-degan mendengar suara langkah kakinya mendekati ruang kuliah. Tapi lama-lama toh saya terbiasa, dan saya justru menghargai ketegasan sikapnya, terutama setelah beliau menolak paper beberapa teman yang memang "bekerja sama" alias saling copy-paste paper (beliau teliti memeriksa paper-paper yang masuk!). Bukan saya mensyukuri kesialan teman-teman tersebut, tapi rasanya ya kurang adil toh buat yang lain, yang berkutat di perpustakaan sehari-harinya untuk membuat paper mingguan. Dari beliau juga saya pertama kali membuat paper dalam sehari sebagai ujian akhir semester. Di era pra-internet itu, topik paper yang diumumkan pukul 10 pagi untuk kemudian harus diserahkan selambatnya pukul 10 hari berikutnya membuat kami harus terbirit-birit memperebutkan sejumlah buku. (Sambil misuh-misuh, pastinya!). Bapak tercinta ini juga pelit toleransi waktu. Lewat 5 menit dari waktu yang ditetapkan, nilai dikurangi. Yang jelas sih saya tidak merasa perlu mandi dulu sebelum berangkat ke kampus -- mana sempat!
Saya dapat A untuk mata kuliahnya, hihihihi... (maaf, sekalian pamer).
Walaupun kemudian saya makin memahami apa yang diinginkan beliau, saya toh tidak (mau) mimpi bakal memperolehnya sebagai dosen pembimbing. Waduh. Menghadapinya di ruang kuliah bersama 20 mahasiswa lain jelas berbeda dengan berhadapan langsung. Tapi mau bagaimana lagi, sudah ditentukan begitu oleh kampus.
Dalam sesi bimbingan pertama, beliau lebih dulu meminta saya memberikan padanya data pribadi dan tiga kartu pos kosong berperangko. Kemudian baru membahas rencana penyusunan skripsi saya. Saya belakangan tahu tujuan kartu-kartu pos tersebut ketika saya mendapat telepon dari ayah saya yang saat itu bertugas di kota lain. Ayah saya memperoleh kartu pos dari dosen pembimbing saya; isinya menceritakan bahwa saya sekarang sudah dalam tahap pembuatan skripsi, beliau adalah dosen pembimbing saya, dan beliau minta agar ayah saya mendukung saya dalam proses penyusunan skripsi saya.
Ayah saya yang sangat terkesan dengan kartu pos itu memutuskan untuk pergi ke Surabaya dan bertemu langsung dengan dosen pembimbing saya, untuk mengucapkan terima kasih padanya. Kunjungan ayah saya juga tak disangka oleh bapak dosen pembimbing. Saya? Sebal dan menggerutu panjang lebar dalam hati, berpikir bapak saya terlalu membesar-besarkan masalah.
Kartu pos itu menjadi alat kontrol orang tua saya atas proses pengerjaan skripsi saya. Saya lama melalaikan skripsi karena asyik mengamen dengan paduan suara. Tahu-tahu saya ditelepon ayah, yang rupanya mendapat laporan (sudah pasti via kartu pos!) tentang skripsi saya yang belum beranjak dari bab pendahuluan. Haduh! Singkat kata, setelah kiriman tiga kartu pos (disertai telepon interlokal singkat hampir tiap malam), skripsi saya kelar juga.
Dosen pembimbing saya yang cukup nyentrik ini juga idealis. Dibandingkan dosen-dosen lain seangkatannya yang relatif mapan, beliau termasuk tertinggal, karena idealismenya juga. Beliau menolak mengajar sampingan di universitas swasta, karena khawatir bakal menelantarkan pekerjaan utamanya. Penghasilan tambahan yang tidak banyak itu paling-paling dari menulis artikel di koran, proyek penelitian, atau jadi pembicara seminar. Itupun dibatasi sendiri olehnya. Sampai skripsi saya selesai, perabot rumahnya masih minimalis dan pagarnya pun belum jadi :). Saya tidak tahu apakah karena itu rambut dan janggutnya sudah putih semua di usia akhir 30-an. Apapun itu, saya berterima kasih karena kesabarannya dulu atas saya -- walau kalau bicara tetap dengan kata-kata pedas dan satir :)). Sudah lama saya tak berkomunikasi dengannya; terakhir hanya menitipkan salam melalui Pak Ramlan.
Oya, nama dosen pembimbing itu: Djoko Sulistyo. Dan postingan ini saya dedikasikan untuk beliau, serta guru-guru saya yang lain yang sudah saya lupakan namanya.
Simon Cowell for Nobel Peace Prize!
You all might have been aware that a few days ago the Senate voted for the deadline of the US troops withdrawal from Iraq. It's been a nauseating issue for years, but with the prospect of a Democratic leadership, there's high hope that it shall be executed soon. If the Bush administration will use its veto right (as they've announced it), people can expect the withdrawal to start sometime next year. But I suspect the administration will have to find a compromising timetable. Bush's approval rating has been so low, and Condi Rice has been on the opposite side of the Hawkish league in many affairs -- the Mid East in particular.
Anyway, most people don't know what kind of battle takes place daily at the Capitol Hill. Up to now the Republicans have been fighting not to let the Iraq's issue weigh down the whole party. Believe me, as unpopular as they may look like from outside, the GOP is still very influential. And despite some different opinions of a number of Republican senators to Bush's policies, they always manage to come up in unison.
Then an almost unanimous Senate's stance on a controversial (even among the Republicans) is somewhat peculiar. Yesterday I found out the answer:
Anyway, most people don't know what kind of battle takes place daily at the Capitol Hill. Up to now the Republicans have been fighting not to let the Iraq's issue weigh down the whole party. Believe me, as unpopular as they may look like from outside, the GOP is still very influential. And despite some different opinions of a number of Republican senators to Bush's policies, they always manage to come up in unison.
Then an almost unanimous Senate's stance on a controversial (even among the Republicans) is somewhat peculiar. Yesterday I found out the answer:
SANJAYA!
It's true! Well, to be exact: Sanjaya and the conservative Americans' latent fear on terrorism. To know what I mean, please click the video below. (Or follow this link).
Those who strive for peace on earth, raise your hand in favor of Simon Cowell's nomination for 2008's Nobel Peace Prize. The sinister guy has definitely envisioned what damage Sanjaya can cause to the current state of international relations. I myself am convinced that the video had managed to force the Republican spectators to change their mindset -- and helped oust Sanjaya for everyone's benefit (this time I can say: finally, there's justice done by the Republicans).
Now that Sanjaya has gone off American Idol, I would also suggest that somebody is kind enough to show Bush this video. It may well change his mind and thus result in Bush's compliance with the Senate's resolution. Something evil can occur should he insist exercising his veto right: Sanjaya being put back on stage!!!!
Cathoven
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I present to you....
THE PRODIGY CAT!
The video showing her "playing the piano" has been swirling around in YouTube for several months. But, as usual, I just got to know that after seeing it on TV. No, she is not merely WALKING on the keys. She's actually sitting on the bench and hitting some keys, playing the similar tunes. She even plays in "duets" with her owner's pupils, hehehhe...
Ah, I love her even more for these facts:
1. I'm fond of cats. Always. In Indonesia, I would stop to rub street cats, and "pasar basah" cats. (Unfortunately here cats are kept at home *sniff sniff*).
2. We share our names! (My full first name, that is).
3. We share some characteristics (adorable and talented, hehehhe... well, this is MY blog, I can say whatever I want about myself *chuckle*).
4. Both us have that, er, cute round belly.
5. And, of course, we are into music.
6. We are camera lovers (though the camera doesn't always return our -- uhm, my -- love).
7. While I often tend to be indecisive, she's pretty consistent (she plays the same "song" over and over again, even in duets, regardless her partner's song *LOL*).
Check out her performance below, or just go directly to YouTube and type the keywords: The Piano-Playing Cat. Her video is on top of the list.
Judging by the video, we can say she's a pro, kekekekk...
Save our children!
It was a shocking news, yet it was apparent that it didn't make it big on the media. The American people were still mourning on the loss of 32 students in the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy, and everyone could care less about other things. Even the bombing that killed almost 200 people in Baghdad only got a few spectators, I guess.
It's a video about a twelve years old boy beheading an adult, accusing the victim to be a "US spy". Those who sent it to the AP Television News in Peshwar -- and circulated it around Pakistan, undoubtedly -- called themselves part of the Taliban militia group.
I am not going to debate about the authenticity of the video. Some may claim that it must be a slick trick of the Western countries and the enemies of Islam to ignite more hatred towards the Muslim world. Their opponents will cry out that this should reinstate the danger of the Islamic radical groups. The victim's father has appeared on television, saying that his son was indeed beheaded being alleged a traitor to the Taliban group. But to this day there is no official statement of the Taliban group on the video.
I have no idea why it seems like the news never showed up Indonesia, though UNICEF has issued a statement condemning it. Maybe there is a silent consensus among the media people to keep it under radar, so as to avoid controversies and prevent possible chaos. If so, kudos to them :).
Anyway, that is not my point.
My first introduction to underage soldiers was actually through that chilling movie, "The Killing Fields". I remember my outrage watching children reporting their own parents' whereabouts to the Khmer Rouge military, and their taking parts in their parents' execution. Several years went by, and I had forgotten the movie, until I read Luigi's previous post about the same issue, which really struck me. Luigi's post had kind of reopened my eyes to the sick reality in another part of the world, and Ishmael Beah's narrative in "A Long Way Gone" made me think long of the children victimized by wars and conflicts everywhere.
Ishmael told the readers how he got into the front line of the civil war in Sierra Leone. For him, it was the question of staying alive, though he once lost his reason to live as his entire family was killed by the rebel group. The military managed to induce this thought to him, practically brainwashed him by telling him (and his peers) every second that fighting was the only way to take revenge for his family's deaths and to stop other children from being orphans like them. Of course, they were also drugged.
I have to say that Ishmael didn't dwell much on his experience in the war -- judging from the number of pages devoted to that particular part -- or how he underwent his recovery process, which is very understandable. I'm quite sure that even now, when he's already safely tucked in the US, breathing air of freedom, and enjoying celebrity life *winks* he still has his occasional nightmares.
While TV documentaries, some news, and articles on child soldiers are available, as well as reports made by the UN and NGOs, I don't think enough attention is given to this serious issue. "The children are our future" remains a meaningless slogan amidst a number of international conventions, the most important one being the Optional Protocol to UN's Convention on the Right of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. One striking fact: the report made by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers disclosed that after the US ratified the Protocol in 2002, the US Army still deployed 62 soldiers aged 17 in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003 and 2004 (though this practice has stopped by the end of 2004, further details of the report are here) -- I wonder whether Americans, with their strict domestic regulations to protect children, are aware of this. Well, similar practices can still be found in any conflict area, including in, yes, Indonesia. Nevertheless, the Protocol has a loophole surprisingly so obvious: Article 3 that gives exemption for state parties from the restriction to use allegedly child soldier on the condition that (a) Such recruitment is genuinely voluntary; (b) Such recruitment is carried out with the informed consent of the person's parents or legal guardians;(c) Such persons are fully informed of the duties involved in such military service; and (d) Such persons provide reliable proof of age prior to acceptance into national military service. YIKES! This is even worse than our national laws!
OK, enough with the lengthy lecture on those legal aspects. It's more important, anyway, to focus on the children.
Children involved in conflict -- voluntarily or forced -- will likely have difficulties in adapting to a peaceful environment. They are often drawn into, and sometimes create, dangerous chaos . Their anxiety, once channeled through violence at wars, slowly consume them. If the city kids who are exposed to violence in action movies and electronic games can turn into killing machines, those who actually commit it will -- at least theoretically -- have higher possibility. Should this not be carefully handled, in the long run they might generate, as Edsye Nana labels it, the victim's victims.
It's especially difficult in post-conflict time as this requires taking care of the children AND the community. Emotional wounds still need to heal; conflicting parties need to cast aside their ego to provide conducive environment for children to, well, heal. EGO. EGO. Hm. I remember a short story in one of Romo Brouwer's article, about a mother who had forced her son to step on his father's blooded shoes. It was a mandate to take revenge of the family's enemy who had killed the father. It's not an alien concept. In the litany of baseless blind justice, parents may have victimized their own kids without realizing it. BUT we, we, we can do something to fix it. IF we are willing and committed to.
It's a video about a twelve years old boy beheading an adult, accusing the victim to be a "US spy". Those who sent it to the AP Television News in Peshwar -- and circulated it around Pakistan, undoubtedly -- called themselves part of the Taliban militia group.
I am not going to debate about the authenticity of the video. Some may claim that it must be a slick trick of the Western countries and the enemies of Islam to ignite more hatred towards the Muslim world. Their opponents will cry out that this should reinstate the danger of the Islamic radical groups. The victim's father has appeared on television, saying that his son was indeed beheaded being alleged a traitor to the Taliban group. But to this day there is no official statement of the Taliban group on the video.
I have no idea why it seems like the news never showed up Indonesia, though UNICEF has issued a statement condemning it. Maybe there is a silent consensus among the media people to keep it under radar, so as to avoid controversies and prevent possible chaos. If so, kudos to them :).
Anyway, that is not my point.
My first introduction to underage soldiers was actually through that chilling movie, "The Killing Fields". I remember my outrage watching children reporting their own parents' whereabouts to the Khmer Rouge military, and their taking parts in their parents' execution. Several years went by, and I had forgotten the movie, until I read Luigi's previous post about the same issue, which really struck me. Luigi's post had kind of reopened my eyes to the sick reality in another part of the world, and Ishmael Beah's narrative in "A Long Way Gone" made me think long of the children victimized by wars and conflicts everywhere.
Ishmael told the readers how he got into the front line of the civil war in Sierra Leone. For him, it was the question of staying alive, though he once lost his reason to live as his entire family was killed by the rebel group. The military managed to induce this thought to him, practically brainwashed him by telling him (and his peers) every second that fighting was the only way to take revenge for his family's deaths and to stop other children from being orphans like them. Of course, they were also drugged.
I have to say that Ishmael didn't dwell much on his experience in the war -- judging from the number of pages devoted to that particular part -- or how he underwent his recovery process, which is very understandable. I'm quite sure that even now, when he's already safely tucked in the US, breathing air of freedom, and enjoying celebrity life *winks* he still has his occasional nightmares.
While TV documentaries, some news, and articles on child soldiers are available, as well as reports made by the UN and NGOs, I don't think enough attention is given to this serious issue. "The children are our future" remains a meaningless slogan amidst a number of international conventions, the most important one being the Optional Protocol to UN's Convention on the Right of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. One striking fact: the report made by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers disclosed that after the US ratified the Protocol in 2002, the US Army still deployed 62 soldiers aged 17 in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2003 and 2004 (though this practice has stopped by the end of 2004, further details of the report are here) -- I wonder whether Americans, with their strict domestic regulations to protect children, are aware of this. Well, similar practices can still be found in any conflict area, including in, yes, Indonesia. Nevertheless, the Protocol has a loophole surprisingly so obvious: Article 3 that gives exemption for state parties from the restriction to use allegedly child soldier on the condition that (a) Such recruitment is genuinely voluntary; (b) Such recruitment is carried out with the informed consent of the person's parents or legal guardians;(c) Such persons are fully informed of the duties involved in such military service; and (d) Such persons provide reliable proof of age prior to acceptance into national military service. YIKES! This is even worse than our national laws!
OK, enough with the lengthy lecture on those legal aspects. It's more important, anyway, to focus on the children.
Children involved in conflict -- voluntarily or forced -- will likely have difficulties in adapting to a peaceful environment. They are often drawn into, and sometimes create, dangerous chaos . Their anxiety, once channeled through violence at wars, slowly consume them. If the city kids who are exposed to violence in action movies and electronic games can turn into killing machines, those who actually commit it will -- at least theoretically -- have higher possibility. Should this not be carefully handled, in the long run they might generate, as Edsye Nana labels it, the victim's victims.
It's especially difficult in post-conflict time as this requires taking care of the children AND the community. Emotional wounds still need to heal; conflicting parties need to cast aside their ego to provide conducive environment for children to, well, heal. EGO. EGO. Hm. I remember a short story in one of Romo Brouwer's article, about a mother who had forced her son to step on his father's blooded shoes. It was a mandate to take revenge of the family's enemy who had killed the father. It's not an alien concept. In the litany of baseless blind justice, parents may have victimized their own kids without realizing it. BUT we, we, we can do something to fix it. IF we are willing and committed to.
Akhirnyaaaaaa...
Penggalan sms adik saya:
"... Mending jangan tidur subuh-subuh, ama kurangin ngopi, sis. Aku sekarang lagi berenti ngerokok nih, tapi ngopinya belum bisa :(".
Yayaya, kalau tidur subuh sih sudah tidak lagi, soalnya akhir-akhir ini gampang mengantuk, seiring dengan sedikit menyempitnya pakaian, hehehhee...
Eh, dia berhenti merokok? Kok bisa?
Balasannya atas pertanyaan saya:
"Hehehehe... selain penghematan, juga ada tanda-tanda pregnancy nih... Jadi buat jaga-jaga toh :). Tapi kok perasaan daya tangkap jadi berkurang ya sejak berenti roken :(. Gak fokus tepatnya!"
Huaaaaaa...!!!! Akhirnyaaaaa... saya bakal jadi tante betulan! Tante kandung!
Aih, sayang, betul sekali keputusanmu itu. Tidak apa-apa kan tidak fokus, tidak lama kok, paling-paling dua tahun saja. Lagipula dengan demikian kamu kan menjadi semakin modern ;).
"... Mending jangan tidur subuh-subuh, ama kurangin ngopi, sis. Aku sekarang lagi berenti ngerokok nih, tapi ngopinya belum bisa :(".
Yayaya, kalau tidur subuh sih sudah tidak lagi, soalnya akhir-akhir ini gampang mengantuk, seiring dengan sedikit menyempitnya pakaian, hehehhee...
Eh, dia berhenti merokok? Kok bisa?
Balasannya atas pertanyaan saya:
"Hehehehe... selain penghematan, juga ada tanda-tanda pregnancy nih... Jadi buat jaga-jaga toh :). Tapi kok perasaan daya tangkap jadi berkurang ya sejak berenti roken :(. Gak fokus tepatnya!"
Huaaaaaa...!!!! Akhirnyaaaaa... saya bakal jadi tante betulan! Tante kandung!
Aih, sayang, betul sekali keputusanmu itu. Tidak apa-apa kan tidak fokus, tidak lama kok, paling-paling dua tahun saja. Lagipula dengan demikian kamu kan menjadi semakin modern ;).
Medan Perang Bernama Sekolah
Masih panas masalah IPDN di tanah air, di sini terjadi peristiwa mengguncangkan, penembakan di kampus Virginia Tech yang menewaskan 32 orang mahasiswa dan staf, dan melukai 30 orang lain. Di sela-sela mengawal sejumlah delegasi dari Jakarta, semua pesawat televisi dihidupkan dan telepon dilakukan untuk memantau situasi. Mengetahui bahwa ada 14 mahasiswa Indonesia berkuliah di Virginia Tech, badan langsung melemas. Dan benar, pagi ini diperoleh kepastian bahwa salah satu korban adalah saudara sebangsa, Partahi Lumbantoruan, yang sedang mengambil gelar Ph.D-nya. (Ah! Teman sekampung juga!)
Kronologinya silakan baca sendiri di situs surat-surat kabar. Yang jelas, semua berita menggambarkan pelakunya dengan tenang menyemburkan peluru dari senjata di tangannya sebelum akhirnya menembak dirinya sendiri. Hebatnya, ia membagi penembakan dalam dua "shift" yang berselang dua jam! Perbedaan dua jam inilah yang memicu kemarahan para mahasiswa Virginia Tech, karena merasa pihak kampus tidak cukup cepat melakukan tindakan preventif. Peringatan pertama tentang adanya penembakan diterima polisi kampus pukul 7:15 pagi, dan email pertama kepada seluruh mahasiswa pukul 9:26.
Peristiwa yang sekarang tercatat sebagai pembunuhan massal di institusi pendidikan terbesar dalam sejarah AS ini tak pelak lagi mengingatkan pada peristiwa serupa di Columbine High School tahun 1999. Kesamaan ini akan makin mencolok, pelaku pembantaian di V Tech adalah mahasiswa sekolah itu juga.
Ironis sekali. Baru beberapa bulan sebelumnya para mahasiswa V Tech dan orang tua mereka ketakutan karena seorang narapidana kabur dikabarkan berada di sekitar kampus tersebut. Ternyata pencabut nyawa justru salah satu dari antara mereka sendiri. Persis Columbine.
Saya jadi bertanya-tanya: ada apa dengan kampus? Ada apa dengan menjadi pelajar?
"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community".
Itu bunyi pernyataan resmi Bush. Eh, biarpun dia musuh bersama banyak orang di dunia (termasuk di negaranya sendiri, heheheh...), kata-katanya betul sangat. Dan menusuk, karena kenyataannya sekarang sekolah memang tidak lagi jadi sanctuary.
Saya teringat kembali IPDN. Kemudian anak SD yang mencoba bunuh diri karena malu tidak bisa membayar uang sekolahnya, yang besarnya hanya senilai ongkos parkir di Jakarta. Totto-Chan yang lebih suka melihat keluar jendela kelas. Dan ketidaknyamanan saya sendiri di masa sekolah dasar dan menengah dulu. Coba saya ingat-ingat apa yang membuat saya tidak nyaman. Teman-teman yang rasanya kurang menerima? Kurang percaya diri karena berbadan besar? (Hehhehe... malah jadi curhat.)
Ketika makin banyak ketidakpastian di luar sana, sekolah sih idealnya menjadi tempat memperoleh jawaban dari berbagai pertanyaan. Setidaknya menjadi tempat berbagi pikiran. Tapi bagaimana kalau sekolah ternyata malah menambah beban? Para guru cuma punya waktu menjejalkan berbagai materi karena sibuk berkutat dengan masalahnya sendiri? Kawan sebaya yang mencari jatidiri dengan unjuk kekuatan semu (dan mungkin untuk menutupi kegamangannya sendiri)?
Kemudian kita juga seolah disesatkan bahwa kekerasan (bisa) menjadi cara terbaik penyelesaian persoalan. Coba bayangkan, si pelaku (yang masih muda ini, 23 tahun) memicu senjatanya dengan kekaleman seseorang yang sedang memainkan Mortal Kombat. Bedanya sasarannya sekarang roboh dengan lumuran darah, dan tidak ada angka pencapaian yang muncul. Dalam dunia hiburan, film-film besutan Quentin Tarantino dianggap memperlihatkan kejenialan justru karena menampilkan kekerasan, dengan "seni". Kekerasan sebagai bentuk sofistikasi? Hm.
Di tengah ekspose kekerasan yang berlangsung terus dan demikian deras, institusi pendidikan sebenarnya memiliki tugas untuk ikut meredamnya. Faktanya ya tidak demikian. Bahkan dalam institusi pendidikan kerap justru ditemui bibit-bibit kekerasan dalam berbagai bentuknya, mulai verbal sampai tindakan fisik, yang belum tentu bisa dikontrol sekolah. Lihat saja contoh Columbine dan IPDN.
Karena itu juga saya bisa memahami kecemasan dan kebingungan seorang teman ketika puteri tunggalnya memasuki usia sekolah. Dengan pertimbangan bahwa sang puteri kelak akan lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu di sekolah, tidak heran bahwa ia berpikir sekolah setidak-tidaknya harus mampu memberikan perhatian yang seimbang dengan yang selama ini diberikannya. Dan ini tentu tidak mudah, apalagi murah :(.
Saya ingin tahu, apakah di sekolah-sekolah dasar dan menengah fungsi psikolog (jaman saya dulu, guru BP) benar-benar dimaksimalkan. Saya ingat, atas permintaan ibu saya, guru BP di SD saya kerap memberikan semangat pada saya untuk menulis (walaupun sarannya agar saya mencoba mengirim tulisan ke majalah anak-anak tidak pernah terwujud, sampai sekarang :p). Berapa banyak guru saat ini yang cukup punya waktu untuk memperhatikan perubahan-perubahan sikap seorang anak, bahkan guru TK? Dan berapa banyak orang tua yang cukup perhatian untuk benar-benar mengikutsertakan guru -- orang yang sehari-hari ditemui oleh anaknya -- dalam proses tumbuh-kembang anaknya?
Kronologinya silakan baca sendiri di situs surat-surat kabar. Yang jelas, semua berita menggambarkan pelakunya dengan tenang menyemburkan peluru dari senjata di tangannya sebelum akhirnya menembak dirinya sendiri. Hebatnya, ia membagi penembakan dalam dua "shift" yang berselang dua jam! Perbedaan dua jam inilah yang memicu kemarahan para mahasiswa Virginia Tech, karena merasa pihak kampus tidak cukup cepat melakukan tindakan preventif. Peringatan pertama tentang adanya penembakan diterima polisi kampus pukul 7:15 pagi, dan email pertama kepada seluruh mahasiswa pukul 9:26.
Peristiwa yang sekarang tercatat sebagai pembunuhan massal di institusi pendidikan terbesar dalam sejarah AS ini tak pelak lagi mengingatkan pada peristiwa serupa di Columbine High School tahun 1999. Kesamaan ini akan makin mencolok, pelaku pembantaian di V Tech adalah mahasiswa sekolah itu juga.
Ironis sekali. Baru beberapa bulan sebelumnya para mahasiswa V Tech dan orang tua mereka ketakutan karena seorang narapidana kabur dikabarkan berada di sekitar kampus tersebut. Ternyata pencabut nyawa justru salah satu dari antara mereka sendiri. Persis Columbine.
Saya jadi bertanya-tanya: ada apa dengan kampus? Ada apa dengan menjadi pelajar?
"Schools should be places of safety and sanctuary and learning. When that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt in every American classroom and every American community".
Itu bunyi pernyataan resmi Bush. Eh, biarpun dia musuh bersama banyak orang di dunia (termasuk di negaranya sendiri, heheheh...), kata-katanya betul sangat. Dan menusuk, karena kenyataannya sekarang sekolah memang tidak lagi jadi sanctuary.
Saya teringat kembali IPDN. Kemudian anak SD yang mencoba bunuh diri karena malu tidak bisa membayar uang sekolahnya, yang besarnya hanya senilai ongkos parkir di Jakarta. Totto-Chan yang lebih suka melihat keluar jendela kelas. Dan ketidaknyamanan saya sendiri di masa sekolah dasar dan menengah dulu. Coba saya ingat-ingat apa yang membuat saya tidak nyaman. Teman-teman yang rasanya kurang menerima? Kurang percaya diri karena berbadan besar? (Hehhehe... malah jadi curhat.)
Ketika makin banyak ketidakpastian di luar sana, sekolah sih idealnya menjadi tempat memperoleh jawaban dari berbagai pertanyaan. Setidaknya menjadi tempat berbagi pikiran. Tapi bagaimana kalau sekolah ternyata malah menambah beban? Para guru cuma punya waktu menjejalkan berbagai materi karena sibuk berkutat dengan masalahnya sendiri? Kawan sebaya yang mencari jatidiri dengan unjuk kekuatan semu (dan mungkin untuk menutupi kegamangannya sendiri)?
Kemudian kita juga seolah disesatkan bahwa kekerasan (bisa) menjadi cara terbaik penyelesaian persoalan. Coba bayangkan, si pelaku (yang masih muda ini, 23 tahun) memicu senjatanya dengan kekaleman seseorang yang sedang memainkan Mortal Kombat. Bedanya sasarannya sekarang roboh dengan lumuran darah, dan tidak ada angka pencapaian yang muncul. Dalam dunia hiburan, film-film besutan Quentin Tarantino dianggap memperlihatkan kejenialan justru karena menampilkan kekerasan, dengan "seni". Kekerasan sebagai bentuk sofistikasi? Hm.
Di tengah ekspose kekerasan yang berlangsung terus dan demikian deras, institusi pendidikan sebenarnya memiliki tugas untuk ikut meredamnya. Faktanya ya tidak demikian. Bahkan dalam institusi pendidikan kerap justru ditemui bibit-bibit kekerasan dalam berbagai bentuknya, mulai verbal sampai tindakan fisik, yang belum tentu bisa dikontrol sekolah. Lihat saja contoh Columbine dan IPDN.
Karena itu juga saya bisa memahami kecemasan dan kebingungan seorang teman ketika puteri tunggalnya memasuki usia sekolah. Dengan pertimbangan bahwa sang puteri kelak akan lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu di sekolah, tidak heran bahwa ia berpikir sekolah setidak-tidaknya harus mampu memberikan perhatian yang seimbang dengan yang selama ini diberikannya. Dan ini tentu tidak mudah, apalagi murah :(.
Saya ingin tahu, apakah di sekolah-sekolah dasar dan menengah fungsi psikolog (jaman saya dulu, guru BP) benar-benar dimaksimalkan. Saya ingat, atas permintaan ibu saya, guru BP di SD saya kerap memberikan semangat pada saya untuk menulis (walaupun sarannya agar saya mencoba mengirim tulisan ke majalah anak-anak tidak pernah terwujud, sampai sekarang :p). Berapa banyak guru saat ini yang cukup punya waktu untuk memperhatikan perubahan-perubahan sikap seorang anak, bahkan guru TK? Dan berapa banyak orang tua yang cukup perhatian untuk benar-benar mengikutsertakan guru -- orang yang sehari-hari ditemui oleh anaknya -- dalam proses tumbuh-kembang anaknya?
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