I am not sure why I decided to publish this now, out of the blue. This encounter occured almost two years ago.
The story came in mind where I somehow landed at COMFORT Taxi's website during one of my aimless virtual tour. On one of the pages, they listed the names of taxi drivers who have been awarded for their good service, sincerity and willingness to help the needy. It rang a bell. And this is how the story went...
In around mid 2004 (I think it was 19 August), I got my first "kiss". Unfortunately, that first exter-familial kiss came NOT from a homo-sapiens but rather from something belongs to Apis genus, a bee or hornet or something like that I am not too sure and don't really care.
All I knew was I got a sudden pang of bitter pain, and I could see a part of my left palm was swollen. And hardened. And blue-ish. And very very very extremely painful. It somehow benumbed the motoric movements. I had to maintain my arm at 90-degrees bent position.
I was somewhere in Telok Belangah, near the highway. There were not many people there. In fact, I couldn't see anyone in sight except those inside the cars and riding motorcycles, which were useless.
I went to a panic state and managed to call my friend whom I know has some doctor-friends. Fortunately, those doctors are with her at that moment and the first suggestion was to go to hospital.
In the midst of panic feeling, I could feel that the pain "crawled" and got closer and closer to my shoulder. I flagged a cab, luckily could found one immediately.
When the driver asked me for destination, I quickly answered "Hospital!!". He started realizing the height of the situation and he asked me why. I could only answered "Bee-sting!!". He looked at my swollen and blue-ish palm and my stationarily bent arms. He stepped on his gas and told me "I'll find the NEAREST clinic for you. Don't worry, just stay calm." The taxi was speeding.
He stopped for a while, only later that I knew that he went down and asked a person where could he find the nearest clinic. In front of the pointed clinic, he stopped and refused the payment. He just said "don't care about payment, please just go immediately and see doctor!! It's a short ride anyway." I tried to open my wallet with my right hand but he insisted "Please just GO!!! Go see the doctor and DON'T pay me a cent. Take a good care of yourself."
Being extremely panic and having the pain crawling higher and higher to my shoulder, I just dashed out from the cab and reciting "thank you thank you thank you..." to the taxi driver.
I stormed to the clinic and after knowing my situation, the nurse let me cut the queue and therefore I was able to see the doctor immediately.
"You're lucky", the doctor said after examining my hand and giving me an anti-histamine. "If the sting reaches your heart, you may not know what its reaction is and what will happen to you." It's at the shoulder already, remember?
The doctor gave me some medicine, some of which were pain-killers and sleeping pills. His last advice was to call an ambulance immediately when I have the slightest difficulty in breathing at night or on the next day. While waiting for a cab back home, I still had time and energy to call my boss and let him know that I would be on MC on the next day. I wonder...
Despite the jab that I've got, the pain was still unbearable, in fact it became more and more unbearable. One confession to make, that night I didn't take a shower at all *ugh*. So I just washed my face and brushed my teeth. Let me tell you, even those simple tasks at that time seems more difficult than stepping on the moon.
I slept in a foetus-position, due to the extreme pain which was not getting better at all. I was sweating despite the aircon for bearing the pain. Here the sleeping pills came in rescue. I really went to sleep due to the high dose that the doctor gave. I remember even when I was dozing off, I was still fighting with the pain. So it's the high-dose coupled with my tiredness.
My hand was back to normal only after one and a half day after the incident. The mark stayed for weeks. Luckily I didn't have to call any ambulance at all *grin*.
That "Good-Samaritan" taxi driver trully deserves an accolade for what he has done. But I didn't do anything, I somehow regret that. Though I know that my circumstance that time didn't really give me the chance to check out his name, driver number or even the plate number.
So with this, by publishing this story, I wish he gets what he deserves in a way that perhaps only God knows. Eventhough I have no idea who he is and where he is now, let God do in His own mystrerious way. Is it possible?
Song playing in radio: "I Swear", exactly the song that Christine and I liked to sing together 12 years ago wuakakakakkaka =D sounds so romantic, huh? Again I remind you, we are both a 100% straight female....
Thursday, June 29, 2006
write while still can
"Welcome to the most gruelling program in SMA!"
(SMA = Singapore-MIT Alliance)
That's how the dear director first greeted the 11 students in CE (Computational Engineering Program). Though similar, CE is structured slightly different from the rest. With that comes different expectation and standard, which unfortunately is rather higher.
The "gruelling" part is not an understatement according to some seniors. Reinforcement of this statement may come from many. One of the real-case example, according to the dear director, is that some of the previous batch students are confirmed NOT to be able to complete the program on time.
I was disillusioned by the sharing of some close friends who have undergone MST (Manufacturing System and Technology) of SMA before. According to them, life in MST is only about projects, exam and assignments. True enough, as when I wanted to have a human conversation with them (a.k.a meeting face-to-face and not virtually) I travelled back to NTU as travelling to city area for them might mean some unfinished or imperfect assignments. Even on Sunday, the atheneum will be full of students.
I thought, there should be NOTHING worse than that.
And only today that I know that I was wrong all along. They (it's a plural word) told me that indeed CE is the toughest. Only seconds after that Prof Khoo came into the room and reinforced it with his "gruelling" statement. Ha, I am trapped now. But well, there's no turning back so just wish me luck.
There's no mercy in SMA. The minimum GPA requirement is (damn) fixed. Another real-case examples said that some of ex-students had been really expelled and worse still, they have to PAY BACK. Everything, from tuition fee (both MIT and NUS) and also stipends and other amount that SMA had spent for them.
Even Prof Khoo said that we really went pale after hearing all this. Man, really, it was beyond our "expectation".
So if you see I write much less here, you know why...
(SMA = Singapore-MIT Alliance)
That's how the dear director first greeted the 11 students in CE (Computational Engineering Program). Though similar, CE is structured slightly different from the rest. With that comes different expectation and standard, which unfortunately is rather higher.
The "gruelling" part is not an understatement according to some seniors. Reinforcement of this statement may come from many. One of the real-case example, according to the dear director, is that some of the previous batch students are confirmed NOT to be able to complete the program on time.
I was disillusioned by the sharing of some close friends who have undergone MST (Manufacturing System and Technology) of SMA before. According to them, life in MST is only about projects, exam and assignments. True enough, as when I wanted to have a human conversation with them (a.k.a meeting face-to-face and not virtually) I travelled back to NTU as travelling to city area for them might mean some unfinished or imperfect assignments. Even on Sunday, the atheneum will be full of students.
I thought, there should be NOTHING worse than that.
And only today that I know that I was wrong all along. They (it's a plural word) told me that indeed CE is the toughest. Only seconds after that Prof Khoo came into the room and reinforced it with his "gruelling" statement. Ha, I am trapped now. But well, there's no turning back so just wish me luck.
There's no mercy in SMA. The minimum GPA requirement is (damn) fixed. Another real-case examples said that some of ex-students had been really expelled and worse still, they have to PAY BACK. Everything, from tuition fee (both MIT and NUS) and also stipends and other amount that SMA had spent for them.
Even Prof Khoo said that we really went pale after hearing all this. Man, really, it was beyond our "expectation".
So if you see I write much less here, you know why...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Apa yang kamu suka dari bola?
Soccer is indeed a universal language. Bahkan kata bola yang berarti harafiah sebuah benda bulat yang bisa senang ria menggelinding ke sana ke mari, sudah diidentifikasikan dan diasosiasikan dengan sepak bola. Mana pernah anda mendengar ada orang bilang "Main bola yuk" tapi bawa bola basket, voli, pingpong, tennis atau bola-bola sport lainnya? Nggak pernah kan?
Seluruh pecinta sepak bola di dunia ini sedang semarak dengan gegap gempita FIFA World Cup 2006 yang bener-bener bikin saya pengen punya visa gratis nan otomatis tanpa belit-belit, tiket gratis pesawat pulang pergi, akomodasi dan tiket nonton di stadion di Germany.
Satu contoh yang membuktikan kalau bahasa bola itu bahasa yang universal banget, terjadi waktu saya di airport Soekarno-Hatta, menjelang keberangkatan saya pulang balik ke Singapore. Sebelum boarding ke pesawat, orang-orang yang memenuhi boarding gate D1 itu banyak yang memusatkan perhatian ke sebuah televisi yang tergantung yang sedang menayangkan SCTV walaupun rada kresek-kresek. Orang-orang terutama kaum pria banyak yang mencari tempat strategis untuk menonton, untuk menghindari keseleo leher kalo pilih tempat yang gak bagus. Termasuk juga saya.
Saat itu Germany sedang melawan Sweden. Jujur saja saya bela Germany. Ahh, saya emang selalu suka sama cowok-cowok super gesit, gak plin-plan, super cepat dan tajam dalam bertindak. Pokoknya mantep deh. Cowok memble sih, walaupun sedikit doank, lewat... hahahhahahahaha =D
Ada satu anak bule yang rupanya berasal dari Swedia. Awal mulanya kita nonton sendiri-sendiri, diem-dieman dari posisi duduk masing-masing. Si Swedish boy ini pun memulai percakapan dengan bapak-bapak sambil meminta a quick update of what he had missed. Dari situ, mulai orang-orang mau berkerumun lebih dekat lagi ke televisi (me included). Dan mulailah pada ngobrol dan berkomen dan meringis bareng-bareng ketika Swedia gak berhasil nge-goal pas ada kesempatan penalty. Dan semua juga bilang "yaaaaahh..." melukiskan kekecewaannya ketika kami harus benar-benar masuk pesawat.
Banyak teman, terutama pria, yang menggoda saya pasti nonton bola karena pemainnya ganteng-ganteng dan body-nya six-packs and not six-months.
Padahal, jujur aja, it doesn't appeal to me at all. I like watching soccer only for the game. Purely for the game. Karena kalo ditanya bela siapa, jujur saja saya emang gak fanatik ke negara manapun. Tapi emang favorit tentu negara-negara yang ber-pria-kan orang-orang yang cepat, tajam, taktis, strategis, gak suka emosi pokoknya mantep deh.
Contohnya ya Brazil, Germany dan Netherlands.
Kalo lagi nonton bola, saya suka spirit yang ada di lapangan dan di kalangan penonton. Orang-orang banyak yang nanya, apa serunya nonton bola.. 1 bola direbutin 20 orang? Lho, justru itu serunya kan. Nonton bola-bola itu berpindah kaki... Mata gak bisa lepas ngikutin bola. Namanya nonton bola, ya liatnya ke kaki pemain... bukan ke mukanya. Jadi mana tau siapa yang ganteng dan siapa yang nggak? Ya gak? Kalo pas keliatan bodynya yang bidang dan six-packs (ouuwww..) nah itu bonus.
Pertama kali nonton bola tuh pas World Cup 1998. Sang kakak baru hengkang ke Singapore, lagi liburan gak ada kerjaan di rumah, akhirnya ikut juga ajakan adik laki-laki semata wayang (cowok satu-satunya gitu lho) untuk begadang berduaan nonton bola. Dengan rajinnya dia kasi tau, itu namanya offside, itu namanya anu, itu ini, itu itu, etc. Plus tambahan gossip "tau gak, orang itu istrinya sekian".
Keranjingan deh, walaupun gak sampe gandrung-gandrung amat. Alias, gua cuma nonton World Cup dan Piala Eropa. Masih gak rela untuk begadang nontonin liga-liga.
Sayang seribu sayang, liburan kemarin gua sempat didera flu yang tak berperikepecintabolaan. Alias, gua ga berani menyiksa diri begadang-begadang. Cuma ketika flu jahanam tersebut itu mereda baru gua berani nonton yang jam 2 pagi WIB. Kalo kata nyokap sih, dengerin gua nonton aja gak kalah seru dari bolanya itu sendiri. Kalo bukan yang subuh punya, kan gua nonton di ruang tamu. Sering kedengeran di kamar nyokap ngakak-ngakak dengerin komen-komen dan teriakan-teriakan gua plus loncatan-loncatan gua yang emang seru boneng itu.
Kalo subuh, ga berani ganggu di bawah so cuma nonton di kamar adik gua. What a blessing for him as he often fell asleep but never missed the goal. Soalnya gua akan refleks bangunin dia dan dia akan liat siaran ulang goal nya yang bisa dari berbagai angle itu. Tapi sepinter-pinternya menahan diri, tetep aja nyokap bisa denger dan tau kalo gua nonton bola... Seru, man.. seru... mana mungkin bungkam seribu basa?
Tapi kalo disuruh coba main bola? Nggak lah ya... Mana kuat lari ngukur lapangan gitu. Hahahaha =D beda sama adik gua yang tiap minggu rutin rela-rela cabut dari rumah jam 6 pagi untuk main bola sampe keringetan (kalo kata nyokap "grombyos"). Iya, si pecinta tidur itu....
Sekarang, namanya udah jadi anak perantauan yang numpang di rumah orang. Kalo subuh-subuh nonton bola rasanya kok kurang ilok. Mana mereka orang-orang yang sudah agak berumur dan biasa tidur cepet. Yah nasib.
So, kalo di jalan denger ada orang ngomongin bola, liat nick MSN temen-temen yang berbau bola, liat koran uncle-uncle di bus yang lagi baca tentang bola, rasanya badan ini gemeteran sampe ke jempol kaki dan kelingking.
Ah, bola... Siapa sih yang nemuin yah? I like the spirit, the noise, the strength, etc. Walau kadang gak tega dan masih ber-empati juga ke team yang kalah. Apalagi kalo liat goalkeepernya gagal menyelamatkan kandang walau sampe berdarah-darah... Kasian juga sih.
Berbahagialah kalian yang masih bisa nonton bola terus...
Seluruh pecinta sepak bola di dunia ini sedang semarak dengan gegap gempita FIFA World Cup 2006 yang bener-bener bikin saya pengen punya visa gratis nan otomatis tanpa belit-belit, tiket gratis pesawat pulang pergi, akomodasi dan tiket nonton di stadion di Germany.
Satu contoh yang membuktikan kalau bahasa bola itu bahasa yang universal banget, terjadi waktu saya di airport Soekarno-Hatta, menjelang keberangkatan saya pulang balik ke Singapore. Sebelum boarding ke pesawat, orang-orang yang memenuhi boarding gate D1 itu banyak yang memusatkan perhatian ke sebuah televisi yang tergantung yang sedang menayangkan SCTV walaupun rada kresek-kresek. Orang-orang terutama kaum pria banyak yang mencari tempat strategis untuk menonton, untuk menghindari keseleo leher kalo pilih tempat yang gak bagus. Termasuk juga saya.
Saat itu Germany sedang melawan Sweden. Jujur saja saya bela Germany. Ahh, saya emang selalu suka sama cowok-cowok super gesit, gak plin-plan, super cepat dan tajam dalam bertindak. Pokoknya mantep deh. Cowok memble sih, walaupun sedikit doank, lewat... hahahhahahahaha =D
Ada satu anak bule yang rupanya berasal dari Swedia. Awal mulanya kita nonton sendiri-sendiri, diem-dieman dari posisi duduk masing-masing. Si Swedish boy ini pun memulai percakapan dengan bapak-bapak sambil meminta a quick update of what he had missed. Dari situ, mulai orang-orang mau berkerumun lebih dekat lagi ke televisi (me included). Dan mulailah pada ngobrol dan berkomen dan meringis bareng-bareng ketika Swedia gak berhasil nge-goal pas ada kesempatan penalty. Dan semua juga bilang "yaaaaahh..." melukiskan kekecewaannya ketika kami harus benar-benar masuk pesawat.
Banyak teman, terutama pria, yang menggoda saya pasti nonton bola karena pemainnya ganteng-ganteng dan body-nya six-packs and not six-months.
Padahal, jujur aja, it doesn't appeal to me at all. I like watching soccer only for the game. Purely for the game. Karena kalo ditanya bela siapa, jujur saja saya emang gak fanatik ke negara manapun. Tapi emang favorit tentu negara-negara yang ber-pria-kan orang-orang yang cepat, tajam, taktis, strategis, gak suka emosi pokoknya mantep deh.
Contohnya ya Brazil, Germany dan Netherlands.
Kalo lagi nonton bola, saya suka spirit yang ada di lapangan dan di kalangan penonton. Orang-orang banyak yang nanya, apa serunya nonton bola.. 1 bola direbutin 20 orang? Lho, justru itu serunya kan. Nonton bola-bola itu berpindah kaki... Mata gak bisa lepas ngikutin bola. Namanya nonton bola, ya liatnya ke kaki pemain... bukan ke mukanya. Jadi mana tau siapa yang ganteng dan siapa yang nggak? Ya gak? Kalo pas keliatan bodynya yang bidang dan six-packs (ouuwww..) nah itu bonus.
Pertama kali nonton bola tuh pas World Cup 1998. Sang kakak baru hengkang ke Singapore, lagi liburan gak ada kerjaan di rumah, akhirnya ikut juga ajakan adik laki-laki semata wayang (cowok satu-satunya gitu lho) untuk begadang berduaan nonton bola. Dengan rajinnya dia kasi tau, itu namanya offside, itu namanya anu, itu ini, itu itu, etc. Plus tambahan gossip "tau gak, orang itu istrinya sekian".
Keranjingan deh, walaupun gak sampe gandrung-gandrung amat. Alias, gua cuma nonton World Cup dan Piala Eropa. Masih gak rela untuk begadang nontonin liga-liga.
Sayang seribu sayang, liburan kemarin gua sempat didera flu yang tak berperikepecintabolaan. Alias, gua ga berani menyiksa diri begadang-begadang. Cuma ketika flu jahanam tersebut itu mereda baru gua berani nonton yang jam 2 pagi WIB. Kalo kata nyokap sih, dengerin gua nonton aja gak kalah seru dari bolanya itu sendiri. Kalo bukan yang subuh punya, kan gua nonton di ruang tamu. Sering kedengeran di kamar nyokap ngakak-ngakak dengerin komen-komen dan teriakan-teriakan gua plus loncatan-loncatan gua yang emang seru boneng itu.
Kalo subuh, ga berani ganggu di bawah so cuma nonton di kamar adik gua. What a blessing for him as he often fell asleep but never missed the goal. Soalnya gua akan refleks bangunin dia dan dia akan liat siaran ulang goal nya yang bisa dari berbagai angle itu. Tapi sepinter-pinternya menahan diri, tetep aja nyokap bisa denger dan tau kalo gua nonton bola... Seru, man.. seru... mana mungkin bungkam seribu basa?
Tapi kalo disuruh coba main bola? Nggak lah ya... Mana kuat lari ngukur lapangan gitu. Hahahaha =D beda sama adik gua yang tiap minggu rutin rela-rela cabut dari rumah jam 6 pagi untuk main bola sampe keringetan (kalo kata nyokap "grombyos"). Iya, si pecinta tidur itu....
Sekarang, namanya udah jadi anak perantauan yang numpang di rumah orang. Kalo subuh-subuh nonton bola rasanya kok kurang ilok. Mana mereka orang-orang yang sudah agak berumur dan biasa tidur cepet. Yah nasib.
So, kalo di jalan denger ada orang ngomongin bola, liat nick MSN temen-temen yang berbau bola, liat koran uncle-uncle di bus yang lagi baca tentang bola, rasanya badan ini gemeteran sampe ke jempol kaki dan kelingking.
Ah, bola... Siapa sih yang nemuin yah? I like the spirit, the noise, the strength, etc. Walau kadang gak tega dan masih ber-empati juga ke team yang kalah. Apalagi kalo liat goalkeepernya gagal menyelamatkan kandang walau sampe berdarah-darah... Kasian juga sih.
Berbahagialah kalian yang masih bisa nonton bola terus...
She Found Me!!
Surprise surprise!!
Hari Sabtu kemarin, iseng-iseng gua buka Friendster. Gak tau ada angin apa yang bikin gua buka Friendster setelah udah lama gak buka. I just had a hunch.
And true indeed, something was waiting for me. A message from a friend whom I haven't met for 12 years!! Not only that, it's been around 1-2 years that we lost contacts.
Christine itu, temen baik gua pas gua ikutan homestay di Singapore tahun 1994. Jaman masih culun banget, gua masih kurus kering cengkiwing. Kalo bokap bilang lung-lit alias balung-kulit thok.
I found a big sister figure in her. First of all, dia tinggi banget. Jaman itu, di usia 15 tahun dia udah menjulang sampai 173 cm. Otomatis, kita semua jadi mungil kalo sama dia. Gua pun masih 163 cm, emang pertumbuhan gua rada telat. Awal-awalnya, kita gak deket-deket amat karena gak sekamar. BTW kita gak tinggal di rumah penduduk tapi di resort (enak banget kaaaan...) tepatnya NTUC Pasir Ris Resort. Wih enak deh, having fun melulu.... dan ngabisin duit ortu hiks.
Karena porsi ketawa kita berdua sama alias kalo ngakak suka gak berperikemanusiaan, bagaikan ada magnet yang mempersatukan orang-orang yang ketawanya gak sopan kita pun jadi semakin deket. Akhirnya deketlah kita....
Daaaaann.. suatu hari kita kepikiran untuk sepedaan bareng. Awalnya ga berdua doank tapi kemudian satu per satu kecapean dan balik ke kandang. Iseng-iseng coba sepeda tandem, so berduaanlah kita menyusuri cycling route yang ulu alias jauh dari peradaban banget, sampe ke beach nya. Beach nya ini private jadi pas kita ke sana hampir tak dapat ditemukan makhluk lain yang berjudul manusia.
Dipikir-pikir, mesra amat yah? Sepeda tandem-an, ketawa-ketawa, becanda, cerita-cerita, nyanyi-nyanyi sepanjang jalan... Duduk-duduk sebelahan di pantai sambil terus ngobrol, nulis-nulis di pasir (aihh...). Sayang, minus foto-foto. It was really the utopia for people in love... Sayangnya we are both female and 100% straight hahahahaha =D
We've been very close after that. Tapi apa mau di kata, nasib belum mempertemukan kita sampai sekarang. Kampung halamannya di Surabaya sementara gua di Jakarta. Dia pun pindah ke Singapore untuk sekolah. Sarana komunikasi kita saat itu adalah surat-suratan alias snail-mail yang mesti nunggu berminggu-minggu sampe dapet balesannya. Kirim-kiriman kado, kartu dan foto. Pokoknya tulisannya yang rapiiiiii banget itu selalu gua tunggu-tunggu deh. Kalo dia pas lagi di Surabaya kita juga sering telpon-telponan.
Dan kemudian pindahlah dia ke Canada. Surat-suratan pun jadi semakin lama nunggunya. Benar-benar melatih kesabaran. Sampai akhirnya datanglah internet dengan fasilitas e-mailnya ke generasi kita. Contact melalui e-mail pun berjalan lagi. Sayang, jarang kita bisa MSN-an karena perbedaan waktu yang terlalu jauh.
Kemudian pindahlah gua ke Singapore. Ditelan oleh kesibukan masing-masing, frekuensi e-mail dan chatting pun jadi jauh berkurang. Sering berbulan-bulan bisa gak ada contact. Waktu sadar lagi, hotmail account nya udah bounced back. Begitu pula hotmail account gua. Usaha dan upaya kita pun menemui jalan buntu. Sudah kira-kira 2 tahun kita benar-benar putus hubungan. Beberapa kali gua coba meng-google namanya dan mencarinya di Friendster, tetep aja gak berhasil. Rupanya emang dia belum ada Friendster Account by then.
Sekarang dia udah berdomisili di Jakarta, sementara gua taun depan udah akan melanglang ke US (gak jodoh banget sih), untungnya ga permanent. Dan gua happyyyyyyyyy banget I was among the first names she search once she's acquainted with Friendster and untunglah gua juga gak pake nama aneh-aneh di Friendster.
Kangen banget ngobrol bareng, cerita-cerita dan yang pasti denger ketawanya yang kenceng dan renyah dan selalu ada itu...
So, moral of the story: mungkin emang ada baiknya untuk me-maintain your original hotmail account walau udah dari jaman kuda banget hehehehe =D
PS: sejak kita gak ketemuan emang gua masih nambah tinggi, tapi teteeep aja ga bisa ngalahin dia =( boro-boro ngalahin, 170 cm aja cuma hampiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrr...
Hari Sabtu kemarin, iseng-iseng gua buka Friendster. Gak tau ada angin apa yang bikin gua buka Friendster setelah udah lama gak buka. I just had a hunch.
And true indeed, something was waiting for me. A message from a friend whom I haven't met for 12 years!! Not only that, it's been around 1-2 years that we lost contacts.
Christine itu, temen baik gua pas gua ikutan homestay di Singapore tahun 1994. Jaman masih culun banget, gua masih kurus kering cengkiwing. Kalo bokap bilang lung-lit alias balung-kulit thok.
I found a big sister figure in her. First of all, dia tinggi banget. Jaman itu, di usia 15 tahun dia udah menjulang sampai 173 cm. Otomatis, kita semua jadi mungil kalo sama dia. Gua pun masih 163 cm, emang pertumbuhan gua rada telat. Awal-awalnya, kita gak deket-deket amat karena gak sekamar. BTW kita gak tinggal di rumah penduduk tapi di resort (enak banget kaaaan...) tepatnya NTUC Pasir Ris Resort. Wih enak deh, having fun melulu.... dan ngabisin duit ortu hiks.
Karena porsi ketawa kita berdua sama alias kalo ngakak suka gak berperikemanusiaan, bagaikan ada magnet yang mempersatukan orang-orang yang ketawanya gak sopan kita pun jadi semakin deket. Akhirnya deketlah kita....
Daaaaann.. suatu hari kita kepikiran untuk sepedaan bareng. Awalnya ga berdua doank tapi kemudian satu per satu kecapean dan balik ke kandang. Iseng-iseng coba sepeda tandem, so berduaanlah kita menyusuri cycling route yang ulu alias jauh dari peradaban banget, sampe ke beach nya. Beach nya ini private jadi pas kita ke sana hampir tak dapat ditemukan makhluk lain yang berjudul manusia.
Dipikir-pikir, mesra amat yah? Sepeda tandem-an, ketawa-ketawa, becanda, cerita-cerita, nyanyi-nyanyi sepanjang jalan... Duduk-duduk sebelahan di pantai sambil terus ngobrol, nulis-nulis di pasir (aihh...). Sayang, minus foto-foto. It was really the utopia for people in love... Sayangnya we are both female and 100% straight hahahahaha =D
We've been very close after that. Tapi apa mau di kata, nasib belum mempertemukan kita sampai sekarang. Kampung halamannya di Surabaya sementara gua di Jakarta. Dia pun pindah ke Singapore untuk sekolah. Sarana komunikasi kita saat itu adalah surat-suratan alias snail-mail yang mesti nunggu berminggu-minggu sampe dapet balesannya. Kirim-kiriman kado, kartu dan foto. Pokoknya tulisannya yang rapiiiiii banget itu selalu gua tunggu-tunggu deh. Kalo dia pas lagi di Surabaya kita juga sering telpon-telponan.
Dan kemudian pindahlah dia ke Canada. Surat-suratan pun jadi semakin lama nunggunya. Benar-benar melatih kesabaran. Sampai akhirnya datanglah internet dengan fasilitas e-mailnya ke generasi kita. Contact melalui e-mail pun berjalan lagi. Sayang, jarang kita bisa MSN-an karena perbedaan waktu yang terlalu jauh.
Kemudian pindahlah gua ke Singapore. Ditelan oleh kesibukan masing-masing, frekuensi e-mail dan chatting pun jadi jauh berkurang. Sering berbulan-bulan bisa gak ada contact. Waktu sadar lagi, hotmail account nya udah bounced back. Begitu pula hotmail account gua. Usaha dan upaya kita pun menemui jalan buntu. Sudah kira-kira 2 tahun kita benar-benar putus hubungan. Beberapa kali gua coba meng-google namanya dan mencarinya di Friendster, tetep aja gak berhasil. Rupanya emang dia belum ada Friendster Account by then.
Sekarang dia udah berdomisili di Jakarta, sementara gua taun depan udah akan melanglang ke US (gak jodoh banget sih), untungnya ga permanent. Dan gua happyyyyyyyyy banget I was among the first names she search once she's acquainted with Friendster and untunglah gua juga gak pake nama aneh-aneh di Friendster.
Kangen banget ngobrol bareng, cerita-cerita dan yang pasti denger ketawanya yang kenceng dan renyah dan selalu ada itu...
So, moral of the story: mungkin emang ada baiknya untuk me-maintain your original hotmail account walau udah dari jaman kuda banget hehehehe =D
PS: sejak kita gak ketemuan emang gua masih nambah tinggi, tapi teteeep aja ga bisa ngalahin dia =( boro-boro ngalahin, 170 cm aja cuma hampiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirrr...
Sunday, June 25, 2006
The Unfamiliar
Having a flight alone, I am no stranger to that.
But this time, it's simply different. Not only because it's my trip back to reality after the longest and most relax (in a doing-nothing kinda way) holiday I've had in years, it's also a trip to the unfamiliar terrain.
New environment, new school, new life.
I'm not yet familiar with this room, house and surroundings.
I'm staying with people with whom I didn't share any intimate closeness (yet -- I hope).
I'll be moving forward to a new school, new class mates, new cultures, new everything.
Survival is still in question mark.
"How if I've forgotten how to study where the rests are still fresh from school?"
My friends have settled in their own lives and careers, and with no common activities/affiliations among us, meeting up may not be a guaranteed promise.
Will I be lonely or will I fit in?
Uncertain. That's the feeling that accompanies me during my journey back.
But this time, it's simply different. Not only because it's my trip back to reality after the longest and most relax (in a doing-nothing kinda way) holiday I've had in years, it's also a trip to the unfamiliar terrain.
New environment, new school, new life.
I'm not yet familiar with this room, house and surroundings.
I'm staying with people with whom I didn't share any intimate closeness (yet -- I hope).
I'll be moving forward to a new school, new class mates, new cultures, new everything.
Survival is still in question mark.
"How if I've forgotten how to study where the rests are still fresh from school?"
My friends have settled in their own lives and careers, and with no common activities/affiliations among us, meeting up may not be a guaranteed promise.
Will I be lonely or will I fit in?
Uncertain. That's the feeling that accompanies me during my journey back.
The 23rd Hour
Qatar Airways has been exact last night. It landed in Singapore at 02.20 am. The discrepancy was only less than 10 minutes from the scheduled arrival time. With my frequent flight to-and-fro Jakarta-Singapore and others, I could conclude that it's not a very common occurence.
So almost 24 hours (which means, one full day) now that I've been back in Singapore.
The first thing I miss is the WORLD CUP shows. SCTV has given us so much of convenience by providing the LIVE Telecast of the matches. Unlike Singapore, where you need to subscribe for Cable TV, which means money. With SCTV, you just need to bear with loads of advertisements in between.
Anyway, this holiday has been a real holiday for me. Three weeks without thinking about school or works are just heaven. I spent most of my times at home, too lazy to beat the metropolitan traffic. It's as if everybody is competing to claim the beaten asphalt as their own. Their wish is the rule.
Some conclusions:
1. The celebrity gossip in Infotainments are just TOO MUCH. The worst of all, not only their life doesn't concern ours at all (sangatlah tidak penting), almost all of them share the same video montages. Exactly the same interview, viewed from the same angle. It will just give us nothing more than satiety.
2. You can find in Jakarta what you want to find in Singapore.
3. The prices are no longer cheaper than in Singapore, especially for food.
4. Indonesian food has become less and less attractive to me. Many of them must be categorized into my banned list now, thanks to my IBS.
5. The traffic gets crazier than ever, highway included.
6. The money you need to spend on education is more and more each year. Our parents are now sighing with relief, knowing what they need to pay for our generation is peanuts compared to the prevailing school fees nowadays.
7. etc.
Despite all these, my family is still the same as ever, Bibi Marni's secret recipes remain, and Indonesia is still generous in giving World Cup Live Telecast. That's enough for me.
And yeah, the bakery is getting more and more Bread-Talk like, with floss, sausages, quirky names and funky outlook. Hopefully all the more classical bakeries know that I will always still be looking for the conservative, classic roti coklat (chocolate bread). I guess I looked for Holland Bakery in every mall that I went to. Remain your business, please.
Anybody in Singapore knows where to find tape singkong and tape ketan here? Bandrek and sekoteng? Karedok? Martabak duren? Tempe goreng? Pisang goreng?
So almost 24 hours (which means, one full day) now that I've been back in Singapore.
The first thing I miss is the WORLD CUP shows. SCTV has given us so much of convenience by providing the LIVE Telecast of the matches. Unlike Singapore, where you need to subscribe for Cable TV, which means money. With SCTV, you just need to bear with loads of advertisements in between.
Anyway, this holiday has been a real holiday for me. Three weeks without thinking about school or works are just heaven. I spent most of my times at home, too lazy to beat the metropolitan traffic. It's as if everybody is competing to claim the beaten asphalt as their own. Their wish is the rule.
Some conclusions:
1. The celebrity gossip in Infotainments are just TOO MUCH. The worst of all, not only their life doesn't concern ours at all (sangatlah tidak penting), almost all of them share the same video montages. Exactly the same interview, viewed from the same angle. It will just give us nothing more than satiety.
2. You can find in Jakarta what you want to find in Singapore.
3. The prices are no longer cheaper than in Singapore, especially for food.
4. Indonesian food has become less and less attractive to me. Many of them must be categorized into my banned list now, thanks to my IBS.
5. The traffic gets crazier than ever, highway included.
6. The money you need to spend on education is more and more each year. Our parents are now sighing with relief, knowing what they need to pay for our generation is peanuts compared to the prevailing school fees nowadays.
7. etc.
Despite all these, my family is still the same as ever, Bibi Marni's secret recipes remain, and Indonesia is still generous in giving World Cup Live Telecast. That's enough for me.
And yeah, the bakery is getting more and more Bread-Talk like, with floss, sausages, quirky names and funky outlook. Hopefully all the more classical bakeries know that I will always still be looking for the conservative, classic roti coklat (chocolate bread). I guess I looked for Holland Bakery in every mall that I went to. Remain your business, please.
Anybody in Singapore knows where to find tape singkong and tape ketan here? Bandrek and sekoteng? Karedok? Martabak duren? Tempe goreng? Pisang goreng?
Sunday, June 11, 2006
The Unemployed Was Having Reunions...
The Mechatronics Gank gathered again, at last. I guess it's the first time we have a complete gathering outside school projects and assignments. A small group though, only five people: two girls (including me) and three guys.
We had our dinner at Sakae Sushi, West Mall on one Saturday before I went back to Jakarta. None of us had changed. The vain is still vain, the one with peculiar interest still has it, the one most cheerful still is, the one most bully-able is still the victim, and the last one is me. Still the same.
But a mechatronics gank will still be a mechatronic gank. Although our conversation has covered various topics: about career, love, life and other usual stuffs that quarter-aged people used to talk about, one topic wasn't missed out. It was none other than 'Mechatronics'.
Somebody started it, the rest continued. I just rolled my eyes. Triggered when that somebody saw a vending machine. Then they started discussing about various mechanisms of vending machines. Oh well, not an interesting topic for you I know.
My second reunion was just few days ago, at Huang Ting Restaurant, Taman Anggrek Mall. It was the first one for me after THIRTEEN years!!! It's my primary school reunion. Oh my God, it's just like a part of my history surfaced again.
You know, I was a girl you love to hate in my earlier years hahahahahhaa.... damn bossy. Perhaps that's why primary school days weren't on top of my memory list. Some people say I have an elephant memory but it needs effort to dig my 'recorded' primary school days. And as I moved to another secondary school afterwards, I got lost with their conversation sometimes.
It DIDN'T make I enjoyed it less though. They're planning to have a bigger reunion next week. We'll see... surely I have to rake my brain again to recognize who is who.
Wait for another update!!
PS: Though my memory has 'faded', I still remember clearly whom I kicked, hit and whose hair I pulled...
We had our dinner at Sakae Sushi, West Mall on one Saturday before I went back to Jakarta. None of us had changed. The vain is still vain, the one with peculiar interest still has it, the one most cheerful still is, the one most bully-able is still the victim, and the last one is me. Still the same.
But a mechatronics gank will still be a mechatronic gank. Although our conversation has covered various topics: about career, love, life and other usual stuffs that quarter-aged people used to talk about, one topic wasn't missed out. It was none other than 'Mechatronics'.
Somebody started it, the rest continued. I just rolled my eyes. Triggered when that somebody saw a vending machine. Then they started discussing about various mechanisms of vending machines. Oh well, not an interesting topic for you I know.
My second reunion was just few days ago, at Huang Ting Restaurant, Taman Anggrek Mall. It was the first one for me after THIRTEEN years!!! It's my primary school reunion. Oh my God, it's just like a part of my history surfaced again.
You know, I was a girl you love to hate in my earlier years hahahahahhaa.... damn bossy. Perhaps that's why primary school days weren't on top of my memory list. Some people say I have an elephant memory but it needs effort to dig my 'recorded' primary school days. And as I moved to another secondary school afterwards, I got lost with their conversation sometimes.
It DIDN'T make I enjoyed it less though. They're planning to have a bigger reunion next week. We'll see... surely I have to rake my brain again to recognize who is who.
Wait for another update!!
PS: Though my memory has 'faded', I still remember clearly whom I kicked, hit and whose hair I pulled...
Diary of an Unemployed Who Is... AT HOME!!
It feels sooooo good to be at home. To be with your parents, siblings, the familiar routine, familliar smell of the kitchen, the familiar taste of food even as simple as banana fritters (a.k.a pisang goreng), the familiar humorous banter, the familiar laughter which is so typical, and of course, the food specially made by Bibi Marni which is just impossible to be duplicated.
And to put an icing on top of it, I have NO schedule, NO obligation, NO task, basically nothing to trigger my notorious uptightness.
I still wake up early though. It's such a waste to spend this holiday on bed. But it's also my only chance to have an eight-hour sleep everyday. Undisturbed.
I guess I have to really treasure this period before I start with exams, assignments, projects etc etc etc at school, which is starting next July.
For those in Jakarta, I am sorry if I haven't contacted you. Hahaha my laziness still enjoys its heyday... so forgive me, please.
PS: Man, this pisang goreng is just soooo good.
And to put an icing on top of it, I have NO schedule, NO obligation, NO task, basically nothing to trigger my notorious uptightness.
I still wake up early though. It's such a waste to spend this holiday on bed. But it's also my only chance to have an eight-hour sleep everyday. Undisturbed.
I guess I have to really treasure this period before I start with exams, assignments, projects etc etc etc at school, which is starting next July.
For those in Jakarta, I am sorry if I haven't contacted you. Hahaha my laziness still enjoys its heyday... so forgive me, please.
PS: Man, this pisang goreng is just soooo good.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Diary of an Unemployed
So what did I do on my first day of unemployment?First thing, finally I wake up after 7am *grin*. Showered, had breakfast, read newspaper and chit chatted with the owner, well, the usual stuffs.
Did my laundry, then continued with my painting at the backyard. Man, it was hot. And a nearby house is undergoing its renovation which is soooo noisy. Can you imagine that that sound replaces the earlier sound of birds chirping? A spoiler, but we can’t help it.
Had lunch (fried rice and egg – a simple one), packing up my painting stuffs. Had another shower and off I went to Suntec when it started drizzling. Luckily it only rained buckets after I got on the bus. Sometimes I think God loves me too much, it can even be in minute-detail.
In the bus I started reading the book that my boss and his wife gave to me as a farewell gift. KNOPPIX HACKS, (and check this also) a book about LINUX programming and all the wonders you can do with it (that I am still yet to explore). Another ex-colleague gave me a bookmark with initial ‘P’ which is for my middle name – the one non-Indonesians normally choose to call me.
My main purpose to go to Suntec is to visit the PC fair and buy something from it, something that I really need. I thought I am clever by avoiding weekend, lunch-hours and after office hours. But the fact is, Suntec was a human ocean today. The PC fair is REALLY crowded. It was like everybody tried to shuffle brochures and surveys to you. Smiling politely to refuse will just tire you down. So I just grabbed the thing I need, paid and went off. Then I went down to level 4 which is holding a World Book Fair. No wonder Suntec is really really really full of people today. I even thought that some people purposely take leave for these fairs. I went out from the hall carrying few new books. Sigh. Really can’t control my lust over books.
Then I went to buy the nice gelato that I’ve mentioned previously. I tried pineapple and pistachios. I still prefer the After Eight though, but this gelato’s still a cut above the rest compared to others.
Went to Carrefour to buy some groceries then had my dinner at Subway. This is my only permitted fast food and I just love it soooo much. It tastes so fresh.
Then, agaiiiiin… I was suddenly in the middle of human ocean again, at the bus stop!! The one just in front of Suntec Convention Center. I saw the taxi queue is snaking. And after people get off the buses, the previously packed buses were almost empty. Which means that almost all the passengers are heading to Suntec.
I simply can’t imagine how is it during weekend… Or will it be better since all kiasu people have come on weekdays?
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