Sastra Dokter

Waktu agak lebih muda dari sekarang (ya, bangsa dua puluh tahunan silamlah, hehehe...) saya suka membaca novel-novel karangan Marga T dan Mira W. Saya kira kebanyakan remaja perempuan masa itu (mungkin juga kini, entahlah, saya tidak mengikuti perkembangan dunia penerbitan populer lagi) memiliki kecenderungan sama. Terutama waktu dimabuk cinta monyet: sepertinya saya (kami?) bisa mengidentifikasi tokoh cerita dengan diri sendiri.

Buat saya, kedua penulis itu layak diberi catatan sendiri. Khususnya Marga, yang novel Karmila-nya boleh dikata menandai permulaan gaya penulisan sederhana dengan pangsa pasar yang jelas: perempuan muda. Embrio chicklit, sebelum istilah terakhir itu tercipta. Lebih dari itu, Karmila di mata saya adalah salah satu ikon sebuah periode historik yang unik: episode Slamet Raharjo dan Christine Hakim, Teguh Karya dan Eros Jarot, Guruh Gypsy dan Chrisye, bahkan Panbers dan Rinto Harahap. Generasi bunga Indonesia, walaupun para karakter dalam novel-novel Marga jelas lebih pruden.

Marga dan Mira dan mungkin sampai taraf tertentu Eddy D. Iskandar tidak akan pernah dikategorikan penulis "serius". Padahal Karmila menimbulkan gelombang penulisan gaya baru. Dan Badai Pasti Berlalu begitu monumental: perdebatan mengenai nilai sastranya, filmnya yang melahirkan bintang-bintang baru (dan terbukti di kemudian hari menjadi orang-orang besar dunia film Indonesia), ilustrasi musiknya yang oleh seorang kritikus bahkan digelari "magnum opus". Pengaruhnya masih terasa dua dasawarsa berikutnya ketika Badai Pasti Berlalu digarap ulang, dalam bentuk sinetron (halo, Dian Nitami!) serta film layar lebar yang mencoba mengulang resep orisinalnya: menampilkan dua pemain (relatif) baru. Yang gagal, karena sepertinya lebih banyak menuang caci maki daripada dorongan, apalagi pujian. Sampai sekarang pun, karya pop Marga masih berhasil menimbulkan polemik (coba ikuti di sini).

Sudah lama saya penasaran, seperti apa Marga T sebenarnya. Dulu saya cuma tahu kalau dia dokter, keturunan Cina, dan Katolik. Tapi sosoknya tidak muncul di majalah-majalah, gambarnya tidak terpampang di koran-koran. Baru waktu menulis entri ini saya menemukan informasi singkat tentang perempuan yang katanya bertubuh mungil dan bernama Marga Tjoa. Kurang lengkap, tapi sudah jauh mendingan. Paling tidak, penasaran saya terobati sedikit.

Konon Marga sendiri yang memang menghindari publikasi. Di salah satu halaman situs yang memuat data dirinya (cuma satu, harus pakai bayar -- yang saya hindari dengan trik tertentu hehehhe... -- itupun tanpa foto), ia mengatakan bahwa menjadi terkenal bakal menyulitkannya dan menghambat inspirasi.

Bisa jadi Marga memang seperti yang diakunya: seorang dokter yang mencintai menulis, dan menulis demi menulis (pusing tak? Samaaaaaaaaa...), walaupun saya rasa dia juga dikenai tenggat waktu oleh penerbitnya. Mungkin juga karena tanpa publikasi besar-besaran, karyanya sudah dicari orang. Marga tidak perlu diwawancara, memberikan pendapat untuk isu-isu terkini, difoto untuk sampul mengilat majalah-majalah perempuan -- bahkan tidak juga untuk sampul belakang bukunya sendiri. Tanpa melontarkan komentar kontroversial, tulisannya sudah diperdebatkan dan inspirasional. Padahal boleh dikata hampir semua bukunya menggunakan formula yang sama: perempuan ketemu laki-laki, dan ada variasi masalah. Salah satu atau semua tokoh utamanya dokter. Akhir cerita hampir selalu bahagia (kecuali untuk Gema Sebuah Hati dan versi awal Bukan Impian Semusim -- yang kemudian direvisi atas permintaan pembacanya). Oya, mereka yang mengikuti karya-karya Marga juga bisa melihat perubahan gaya bahasa dan penamaan tokoh-tokohnya yang semakin kurang usum, hehehe...

Omong-omong, walaupun Karmila selalu dipandang sebagai masterpiece Marga, bagi saya karyanya yang paling dahsyat adalah Gema Sebuah Hati. Seperti Pada Sebuah Kapal-nya NH Dini, buku ini sangat diwarnai oleh pengalaman pribadi pengarangnya. Mungkin karena itu pula ikatan emosinya sangat kental. Sejarah pergantian rejim yang berlumur darah bangsa ini dilihat dari kacamata seorang korban: keturunan Cina yang tidak diterima di golongan apapun. Partisan berarti selamat, dan netralitas menjadi musuh diri sendiri. Golongan yang menang menjadi pahlawan, tapi pahlawan kemudian menjelma jadi perampok. Gema Sebuah Hati bukan sekedar buku pop, tapi kilasan balik suatu masa kelabu, yang bisa aplikatif pada tahun berapapun.

I'm an alien, I'm an udik girl in New York

Being in New York for two days, and choosing to head home on Saturday night - while I could've spent my weekend in the world's liveliest city - had me contemplating during the three hour train trip back to DC on how uncool I've become . I remember the thing that crossed my mind when the van I rode on was passing through Queensboro Bridge, and I was looking down at the tops of the buildings, Manhattan's modern day castles: what an incredible city it is. Fascinating. Absorbing.

I wonder whether I'm missing something. Maybe I should've been spending more times in New York, or travelling there more frequently. Maybe finally I will be able to adhere to its lifestyle and hence consider myself being part of today's urban, sophisticated female workforce, the likes of "Sex and the City" casts.

New York always gives me the mixed feelings. It often reminds me to Jakarta: the crowds, the noises, the rush, the traffic jams, the lights, the hypes, the glamour. It is not a place you'll refer to as "beautiful". Old and new buildings often cram in one spot. It's eclectic, in both positive and negative ways. I find breathing there a bit difficult at times, despite the Central Park (unless you're walking on Fifth Avenue), and even in residential areas like Forest Hill or Rego Park (where many Indonesians live, hehehe...), probably due to Manhattan's abundant high rises.

On the other hand, like Jakarta, the somewhat irregularity is charming. And the unpredictability is exciting. New York gives you everything you want and offers other things that you haven't even thought before. It reads your mind and plays with your wildest fantasies. Yes, you'll never get bored there.

In DC, things are -- as much opposite to New York as it can be -- rather predictable. By all accounts, DC is a beautiful place. Its delicate mansions, its small parks, its cherry blossoms, its neatness. Even around the ghettos in the South East, the area contributing to placing DC among highest crime rates in the States.

It is also the contrasts that gives DC its unique character. Behind the conservative dresses lie liberal minds (DC has always been a Democrat basis). The home of the second biggest Cathedral in the US is also the place where you'll find rainbow flagged churches. And inspite of the tremendous exposes to diverse cultures and world affairs thanks to the countless foreign missions, DC retains its small-town ambience. How else will you explain The Washington Post's Sunday family columns, containing wedding announcements of Mr. and Mrs. Payne's daughter to Colonel and Mrs. Williams' son?

Such an ambiguity is seemingly inherent in me. Or perhaps deep down I remain an udik girl. Years ago, an edition of "Jakarta Jakarta" magazine's earlier version put an article about Surabaya, labeling it "the big city with kampung mentality". There I was, the girl from Surabaya who was drawn by Jakarta's dynamics. I often hated Jakarta, missing Surabaya the hometown, but would always opt for Jakarta to be my working ground. And, yes, I can be as much kampungan as possible, heheheh...

DC, of course, is not a choice. I was assigned here. Yet it has the similar tranquility to Surabaya's (I know many will not agree with me in using "tranquil" to describe Surabaya, hehehe.. but that's how I feel!). I am familiar with it. It's stamped all over me, at least while I'm here. New York, on the other hand, boosts my spirit, though it's not necessarily comforting. I feel Sting as soon as I walk out of Penn Station, inhaling the not-so-fresh air, polluted by the honking taxis, indulging my eyes with the sight of stylish New Yorkers with their colorful trenches and stiletto boots, ready to grasp whatever Big Apple provides (practically everything). It's relieving, though, to know that when I have enough with it, it will only take three hours to be back home, where cars still patiently wait when you're crossing the street and strangers hold the door for you as you step in.

Je M'ennuie de Toi

(+) Je m'ennuie de toi.

(-) He??? Maksudmu????

(+) *mulai ragu-ragu* Er... maksudnya: saya kangen kamu.

(-) Oh. Harusnya "tu me manques" *icon senyum*.

(-) "Je m'ennuie de toi" artinya: kamu ngebosenin deh.

(+) Hahahaha... biasa, pakai Google Translator!


Moral cerita ini:
Katakan isi hatimu dalam bahasa lain. Lebih baik lagi dalam bahasa yang tidak dikuasai kedua belah pihak. Kemudian salahkan Google Translator, heheheh...

Open-Minded

(+) Something's been occupying my mind lately.

(-) What?

(+) Do you notice the buzzes about civil union and gay stuff and others?

(-) Uhm. It's been around for quite some time, hasn't it? Why?

(+) Well, you see... *coughing* you know that I'm not a shallow person, right? I mean, we have lots of gay friends. I didn't even blink when Steve confessed to me that he's gay. Yes, of course it made me awkward for a while, but I guess since I'd figured it out long before he told me, things has returned to normal between us. He's still one of the guys.

(-) *getting impatient* And your point is...

(+) I need to tell you this. *pause* I'm a bit disturbed with all these accusations towards the conservative churches that are against gay church leadership, claiming that they are being discriminative. I mean.. it's one of the basic principles, that men are paired with women. I'd defend my gay friends any day if they ever get discriminated at work for their sexual orientation, for instance. Hecks, I might even back them if they ask for a civil union! But demanding that the church recognizes gay marriages, or allows a gay to lead it, is a bit too much.
(-) Well, just to remind you, until recently some churches banned women from being preachers.

(+) I know. But it's not the same case. God created a man AND a woman in equality, so both sexes have the same right.

(-) Wow, wait. You said first that you will support civil union but you refuse gay marriage? Aren't they the same?

(+) Not quite. Civil union goes under men's regulation. Well, yeah, it's gay marriage acknowledged by the State, by men. But I don't think the church ought to give the same treatment if it is against its basic principles.

(-) Hahahhaa... Honey, you are hypocrite! And inconsistent!

(+) *sighs* Maybe I am. This thing has been lingering in my mind, and it started to annoy me as Steve's practically condemning it. As if it's the only subject that he keeps talking about everytime we hang out together.

(-) You could simply tell him to shut up *wicked grin*.

(+) Hahaha... I can tell him that I hate his complaining about it forever, then he'll ask why. Then I'll answer him what I think, then he'll accuse me for being shallow, or worse, inhumane. Perfect!

(-) *smiling* First of all, you are sure that his being gay doesn't affect your friendship, right? He's still all the same to you, right?

(+) *hesitant for a few seconds* Well... in the beginning it was kinda awkward. Not anymore, though. He's a sensitive guy. He introduced me to his boyfriend once, we go out together occasionally, but he never blabbers about what will follow when they're alone.

(-) Then listening to him is the least you can do, being his closest friend. Or if that really bothers you, tell him. But please point out that, regardless your firm stance on the issue, he remains a dear friend to you. If he's that cool and as open minded as you are, he'll listen to you too.

Bila Cinta Ditolak...

Mumpung mendekati Valentine's Day, perkenankanlah saya berbagi kisah nyata berikut, yang sedang menjadi kepala berita di media massa AS (dan mungkin sudah beredar juga di Indonesia, di tengah-tengah rangkaian berita soal banjir).

Lisa Nowak, seorang astronot, mengendarai mobil sejauh 950 mil dari Houston ke Orlando, mengenakan pamper khusus misi luar angkasa, supaya tidak perlu singgah ke kamar kecil dalam perjalanannya. Tujuannya: menemui seorang perempuan lain sesama staf NASA, Colleen Shipman, yang diyakini Lisa telah berhubungan dengan William Oefelein, juga pilot NASA.
Untuk mempersingkat cerita, Lisa berhasil mencegat Colleen yang baru tiba di Orlando dengan pesawat, dan mencoba menyerangnya. Dasar sesama staf NASA yang tangguh, Colleen berhasil meloloskan diri dan melaporkan penyerangan itu.

Hubungan Lisa dengan William? Kalau menurut catatan polisi, sesuai pengakuan Lisa kemudian, mereka "lebih dari teman tapi belum sampai tahap romantis." Lisa sendiri masih terikat perkawinan dengan tiga orang anak (walau keluarganya kemudian menyampaikan bahwa Lisa telah berpisah dari suaminya).

Ck. Memang cinta punya kekuatan dahsyat. Eh, ini cinta atau infatuasi ya?

Moral of the story: carilah selingkuhan yang setia. Paling tidak enak loh, diselingkuhi selingkuhan, soalnya tidak ada dasar menggugatnya, hehehe... Mustinya Lisa juga belajar dari orang Indonesia: bila cinta ditolak, dukun bertindak. Lebih aman, belum tentu terbukti dan sepertinya belum ada dasar hukum penindakannya.

Lempar Batu Sembunyi Tangan

Jakarta's heavily criticized governor said he could not be held responsible for the worst floods to hit the city of 12 million in memory, saying they were a natural phenomenon.

"There is no point in throwing abuse around," Governor Sutiyoso, who like many Indonesians uses one name, told el-Shinta radio station. (Washington Post, February 5, 2007)

Yeah, right. As if the flood weren't the national capital's ANNUAL disaster, we can even dub it our rainy season festival! . While the residents may well be accounted for their environmental recklessness and ignorance, the governor -- whose responsibility (for his significant sum of paycheck) includes installing public facilities, and who witnesses how this so-called natural phenomenon affects his area every bloody year -- CAN be held responsible for not taking adequate and NECESSARY precatious measures.

Ayayayay... who are you trying to fool, siree??

Soliloquy

Aneh.

Ketika kita punya semua waktu di dunia, ketika jarak tidak lagi jadi masalah, kamu menjadi semakin asing buat saya.

Padahal: Saya bisa memelukmu sewaktu-waktu. Mengecupmu tanpa harus ragu. Dan bukankah ini yang sebenarnya selalu saya nanti-nanti?

Tapi dengan sedih saya harus bilang bahwa hasrat untukmu sudah mati.

Aneh.

Ternyata kehilangan hendak bisa lebih mengiris hati daripada gapaian yang menyentuh ruang kosong.

Di mana saya? Di mana kamu? Gelembung kita saling menjauh.