Let me tell you the story of a small room which has made me lied several times, my small guest room. It was an empty room i previously used as storage room. Then friends start coming and give me a visit, so do relatives. I saw i have to renew the function of this room.
So i bought some furnitures to make it a pleasant room to rest and relax. It was when i bought a bed for this room that i, accidentally, lied :-p The delivery men, as it’s a common thing to ask in our society, asked such a loaded question to me when they finished installed the bed. “Where is your husband?”. Oh my ! haha, unintentionally i simply answered “he’s in Jogja, studying” π Ahh forgive me dear God π Just cant help myself to such loaded question π Another lie was when i bought a small cabinet, the delivery man again asked “Where is your husband? Is he still at work?”. Me (this time grinned inside) answer politely “owh he’s in Jogja, studying”. That’s the only answer one wants to hear huh? They would ask no more question then. Oh my! Why can’t people just stay away from one’s private life? Is it unnaceptable if a single girl own a house of her own and live by herself? Haha, it drives me nut :-p But i hope those answers which is not inexplicable why i said so, would be a prayer, aamiin π
Olrait, let’s go back to the re-arranging of my small guest room! I spent hours after office hours to change the lay out. It really is a small room. I had to push the bed to another side, take out the rug, books, boxes to make everything fit in that small space. Pfuuhh, really was a hard work after office hours, and mainly because i did it myself :-p
exactly like a broken sinking boat
But i managed it! I changed the lay out, changed the bedsheet & cushions cover with the new one, cleaned the rug, re-arranged my books ( i found out that i have Diary of Bride’s Maid, Hujan Bulan Juni, and another poetry book from a friend, he got his poems published π ).Β And here is the new look of my small guest room.
I managed to move that twin bed to another corner of the room, big achievement!
boxes, well arrangement :-p
surprisingly found my long lost books π erhh, see that 3 greeting cards? it can also be used as decoration π
Owh would love to show you the cushion π My mom would say no to this kinda style, she love uniformity while i love to try new ideas π That was one of my favorite bedsheets but it only has one cushion cover. So i bought that pink floral cover another day, though it doesn’t have the same pattern with the bedsheet but it goes nsync with the total idea, right ? Uhmmm.. i love it π so colorful but chick π
so many patterns that go n’sync π
You know when you only have a small space, likely it limits yourself from having numerous idea on how to decorate it. Me too, let alone the fact that i also has limited budget haha π So i go this way: use some tiny details to enhance your room π Just a little touch that sweeten the room. Here i shared you the pic.
vintage pail, chinesse chimes, gips souvenir, glass tulip (taken from a friend’s room in weenapad hehe), rattan box & flower box : just a little touch you can put anywhere in your room π
Owh in one corner i also put my future board. I pinned some other little things there like picture in Tanah Lot with some friends, a violin recital ticket, a ramayana ballet ticket, a movie ticket (midnight, literally! we came home at 3 or something in the morning :-p), those good memories you want to remember π I also pinned some of my future plans.
Well, i think the room is so me ya? haha π but anytime you had a chance to visit me and my city, you’re very welcome to stay at this room, enjoy !
Ada saja alasan bagus untuk kembali sibuk di dapur bersama wajan, pisau, talenan, dan bumbu-bumbu. Kali ini alasannya adalah stock beras yang tak kunjung habis :-p Well, 5kg beras organik di dapurku masih saja belon habis padahal belinya dari akhir Mei π Bukan lagi on diet, tetapi kemaren-kemaren emang lagi rempong dan malas tingkat dewa untuk memasak. Nah daripada berasnya jadi jelek, mari kita kembali memasak & membawa bekal makanan rumahan ke kantor. Sekalian mendepak jauh-jauh rasa malas :-p
Selesai dengan rutinitas ibadah pagi, beberes rumah dan cucian, lalu melangkah ke arah kulkas. Uhmm… mau masak apa ya? Klo dilihat dari aturan first in first out kulkas ini maka sayuran bunga bawang mendapat kehormatan untuk diolah tadi pagi. FYI, sayur bunga bawang ini adalah sayuran favoritku, bentuknya seperti batang panjang berwarna hijau dengan kuncup bunga bawang di ujungnya. Entah nama resminya apa, tetapi mama dan aku sepakat menyebut sayur favoritku itu “bunga bawang”. Tiap pulang ke Padang pasti mama bikin tumisan sayuran ini. Uhmm.. nanti pulang liburan lebaran gantian aku yang pamer tumisan bunga bawang hasil modifikasiku ini π
Jadi recipe yang ga sengaja aku invented tadi pagi itu sebenernya hasil campur-campur berbagai bahan dan bumbu dasar saja, dengan takaran sekenanya, feeling aja π Owh let me remind you that i didn’t measure any amount of the inggredients used in this recipe. Just use your feeling and sense, in the end you will taste a nice recipe. Well, it’s really is depend on how good your sense of spices is haha π
Here it is!
Bahan:
Sekitar 1-2 ons udang dikupas bersih
1 tahu yun yi putih potong dadu sedang
satu ikat sayur daun bawang, potong-potong panjang 2cm
1 pack jamur tiram segar, cincang kasar (tear it with ur finger, no need to use knife)
6 bh cabe hijau, iris-iris 0,5cm
2 siung bawang merah, iris tipis
1 siung bawang putih, iris tipis
1 ruas bawang daun diiris tipis
oyster sauce or saus tiram
garam
minyak goreng, sedikit aja untuk menumis
Cara masaknya (simple sekali, biasalaaa, yang bikin resep juga masih pemula hehe) :
tumis irisan bawang merah & bawang putih sampai wangi
masukkan irisan cabe hijau, tumis sampai wangi (dan bikin bersin hehe π
tambahkan irisan bawang daun, tumis lagi sebentar
masukkan udang dan tahu bersamaan
tambahkan garam secukupnya, aduk rata
terus tambahkan saus tiram secukupnya, aduk rata.
masukkan sayurannya
Nah, klo udang nya sudah mulai berubah warna kemerahan, baru deh tambahin sedikit air untuk kuahnya π sedikit aja untuk membantu agar sayurannya jadi empuk. Owyaa, klo pingin kuahnya agak kental, tambahin sedikit air larutan tepung maizena
biarkan beberapa menit sampai matang, selesai dehhh π
Gampang kan ? Enak loh, udah gitu ringkes coz ga perlu memasak terpisah antara lauk dan sayuran hehe (dasar koki malas :-p ). Lumayan niy bisa masak cepet buat buka puasa sepulang dari kantor.
Sedikit mengenai saus tiram or oyster sauce, dulu waktu di Rotterdam, tiap kali memasak, i rarely taste my recipe while cooking. I had my “assistant” or let’s say my quality control did it for me π Nah quality control ku itu, namanya mbak Pipi si kaus kaki panjang ( π ) setiap kali bikin tumisan suka menambahkan sedikit saus tiram ke dalam masakannya. She said “oyster sauce can fix the taste” π Pssttt! she asked me to mention her name on this writing π I’ll put her photo as well haha π
aq & mbak pipi lagi di dapur apartemen qta, ini abis jadi koki pesta baso di musim salju π
And it does! It works that way, the oyster sauce can add flavour that blended perfectly with your recipe (whewww bahasaku!). It fixes taste π
Owyaa, whatever you stored in your fridge, whatever spices you had, just mix them happily! Follow your feeling, keep trying untill you find the perfect amount of spices that taste better on your recipe π
Not untill today that i observe archives on my phone, namely whatsapp; messages; and phone log. Those are media you intensely use to communicate with your close relatives, unlike social media where you talk to almost anyone. Don’t ask why nor to get me wrong, i’m just in needs in doing such things. Olrait, let me tell you that my 6 years or so of auditing had left me of such a “vigilance” strongly attached in mind. Thanks to my former boss who stuffed me with this “it’s not good to be suspicious but vigilant”.
I’d, you’d thank nowadays bigger storage space on what so called smart phone: you don’t have to delete any of the history of your activities on your phone, not untill it’s becoming as sluggish as a snail and at that point you need to get rid of somethings. Well, it’s really is such a wise word if i told you not to delete any π Pssttt… unless you commit any crime :-p
There will be time when you allegedly need to look back over things and people, surely through what they have been said… As conversation goes, things been said, things might have hurt one, one might forgets, even regrets, or one might forgive yet hard to forget… And people do change, even you yourself!
Therefore, me seeing the needs of reviewing over things yet people, and let alone your relation with them. Going through an archives of conversation, tracing back what might been uttered wrongly, figuring out one’s feeling when things said, thenΒ perhaps finally seeing the bitter reality one might have missed since it’s covered by the nice words… Or else, realizing since when did one (or you) changed, why, and how. Yet, you might also accidentally find the answer of how you should keep everything to be right on track, simply by looking back on what have been said.
So, tell me who smartly regularly does check over conversation archives to review and observe things one might have missed? and see how it correlates with one’s mood swing & (further) alter relationship?
I came accross to this blog when i was about to start reading some new books of “Little House On The Praire”. Yep, June is almost gone, and so the other half year will be completed soon. I see i need a new wishing list as the old one almost fully checked π
Menjadi doktor, mungkin itu sebuah angan bagi kebanyakan kita termasuk saya. Dahulu bisa lanjut ke jenjang Master saja, bagi saya sudah sebuah lompatan yang sangat jauh, apalagi jadi doktor tidak pernah terbersit dalam hati. Tapi berdasarkan pengalaman saya, semua orang bisa melanjutkan ke jenjang S3 (PhD/Doktor) jika memiliki keinginan yang kuat dan persiapan yang matang.
Untuk bisa melanjutkan study ke program doktor atau PhD, perlu beberapa βsenjataβ yang harus dipersiapkan. Berikut beberapa hal yang perlu dilakukan dalam proses pelamaran PhD, terutama yang project based sepanjang pengetahuan saya dan hanya mungkin berlaku di negara2 sekitar Belgia. Mungkin beberapa negara memiliki prosedur yang berbeda.
Jenis PhD
Full Time Research. Untuk program ini, riset PhD dilakukan di Universitas Β selama 3-5 tahun (tergantung universitas dan juga supervisor) Β kadang di kombinasikan dengan beberapa course jika diperlukan.
Sandwich Program. PhD tipe ini dilakukan sebagian waktu di host university di eropa, dan sebagian lagi di salahβ¦
Errh, another relationship-related-article? π I am also wondering why i read those kinds of articles recently :-pΒ And this one, i brought it to you since i know, couples expect their marriage to last forever, dont they? So do us. We had that kind of conversation, basically about things we need to agree to establish the core foundation of our own later on. Yes, later on, since we’re still working at our relationship and expecting to tie the knot someday, aamiin π So here it is, originally written by Karl A. Pillemer, Ph.D., a Professor of Human Development, Cornell University; Author, “30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans” (well, i didnt read his book, FYI :-p).
*****
It’s June, the month we traditionally associate with getting married. And more than ever, marriage is seen as threatened. Over the past half century, rates of marriage have fallen, people are waiting longer to get married, and divorce rates have increased, leading to the oft-cited statistic that around half of all U. S. marriages will end in divorce.
There’s a flip side to these sobering statistics, however. Marriage is still the ideal for most people in American society. In surveys of high school seniors, fewer than 10 percent say they do not expect to marry. Ultimately, 90 percent of Americans will wind up tying the knot.
So here we have a paradox. Most people want to get married and there is considerable research evidence that marriage has a wide range of benefits. But too often, the joy that accompanies the wedding celebration turns sour, and nearly half of couples who stand at the altar in hopeful excitement find themselves starting over after the trauma of divorce.
In our surveys of the life wisdom of the oldest Americans, I was particularly interested in their advice about finding a life partner and staying married. Many of the elders we talked with in the Legacy Project had been married for 30, 40, 50 or more years. Others had experienced disastrous marriages – but offered advice for how younger people can avoid the same fiascoes.
Here are their three top (and somewhat surprising) lessons:
Marry Someone a Lot Like You
I asked hundreds of elders what is most important for a long and happy marriage and their advice was just about unanimous: Opposites may attract, but they don’t make for great and lasting marriages. Based on their long experiences both in and out of love relationships, their first lesson is this: You are much more likely to have a satisfying marriage for a lifetime when you and your mate are fundamentally similar. And the most important thing to look for is similarity in your core values.
Take Emma Sylvester, who at 87 has been married for 58 years. As she put it with a smile, “It’s quite an achievement.”
I didn’t know it when I got married, but in retrospect I know it’s important to have the same basic values. In other words, if you’re a free spender, marry somebody who understands that. If you’re frugal, you need to marry somebody who understands that, because money is one of the stumbling blocks in marriages. And fortunately we had the same values on most things. Because of this, we really didn’t argue. And we really didn’t agonize over things. We came to our decisions by just realizing that we had usually the same goals. We both believed in education. We wanted to be moral according to society’s standards, to raise our children to be good citizens, and to be responsible in terms of finances.
Arguments emerge over apparently trivial issues, the elders told us, because they really reflect underlying values. Whether the wife purchases an expensive golf club or the husband a new electronic toy is not the core issue in what can become a monumental fight, but rather the deeper attitude toward what money means and whether the financial interests of the couple are more important than indulging an individual whim.
The elders urge people committing to a relationship to ask the question: Do we believe the same things in life are important? If problems develop in the relationship, these experts on long marriages say that value differences are likely to be at the heart of the problem.
Never Expect Your Partner to Change after Marriage
What about taking a leap of faith on the marriage under the assumption that you can change your partner after you’re married? The elders were as clear about this possibility as can be: Forget about it. According to them, entering into a marriage with the goal of changing one’s partner is a fool’s errand.
Rosie Eberle, 80 and happily married for 56 years, had a blunt comment to make about the entering into a marriage expecting to change one’s partner: “It’s just plain stupid.” She went on:
For heaven’s sake, don’t say “Oh, he’s this way now but he won’t always be like that.” Because they usually are, and you have to be careful, that’s all. So don’t marry someone and then think, “Oh, well he’ll change.” Or “I’m going to change him.” Believe me, it doesn’t happen. But people get real stubborn, and believe that can change a person later on, which never works.
Friendship Is as Important as Love
When asked the question: “What’s the secret to a long, happy marriage such as yours?” a common answer from people in long marriages was: “I married my best friend.” Similarly, from those whose marriages did not succeed, I often heard: “Well, we were good at love, but we never learned how to be friends.”
This response sounds peculiar, given that we are schooled in our culture to differentiate between friendship and romantic love. Indeed, television shows like “Will and Grace” and “Sex and the City” popularize the view that cross-sex friendship works best (or only) when one of the friends is gay. We see friends and spouse as two separate social categories that have different functions.
In contrast, the elders say that the special qualities of friendship are exactly what you want in your marriage. We typically look forward to being with friends, we relish their company, we relax with them, we share common interests and we talk openly. In contrast, we all encounter people who do not feel they can talk easily to their spouse (next time you are out for a fancy dinner, observe the couples who manage only a few uncomfortable words over two hours). What the elders suggest is that you look for the qualities of a friend — the capacity to comfortably “hang out” — in the person you choose to marry. As one 87-year old told me: “Think back to the playground when you were a child. Your spouse should be that other kid you would most like to play with!”
According to the elders, all marriages have to undergo a transition from the initial thrill of romantic attraction and — many were honest about it — overwhelming sexual desire to the stages when other things must become as or more significant. After being swept off one’s feet by true love, the elders caution you to ask “What’s next?” Will you wake up next to the same person for five or six decades and still find a person you like as well as love?
Patty Banas, 80, made a go of a first marriage when young, divorced, and then “got it right” in her very happy second marriage. She had one recommendation:
Be sure that you’re really good friends. That is the most important thing. All this — all the romance and the bells and the whistles and stuff is all very nice but it doesn’t last. Be sure that you’re really, very good friends.
As a relationship is moving into a serious phase, a question couples can and should discuss is: If we weren’t in love, would be friends? And when we move to something other than heart-thumping passion, what is there that will keep us together? (Hint: The answer should not be kids.) The answer is friendship, and if you don’t have it, don’t get married — it’s that simple.
Marriage will probably never go out of style in our culture. Why? There’s no more evocative summation than that from Ellie Banks, the mother of the most famous June bride of all in the 1950s film classic Father of the Bride:
“Oh, Stanley. I don’t know how to explain. A wedding. A church wedding. Well it’s, it’s what every girl dreams of. A bridal dress, the orange blossoms, the music. It’s something lovely to remember all the rest of her life.”
But after the bouquet is thrown and the last grain of rice is swept up, the realistic approach of those who have experienced decades of marriage can help us make our unions last.
He asked me what movie did i have tonite, i told him “Strangers Again”. A good one, short but -in the matter of relationship- it hits the nail on the head. I watched it first time when i was still in Rotterdam, where internet connection was so damn good, no buffering when you watched online :-p
Here, i’m telling what was the movie all about, repeating the sentences, what has been spoken between Marissa & Josh.
So, every relationship goes trough stages. Where and how each stage develops is ultimately up to each person. While we always hope for the best, we often can’t avoid the inevitable. That’s been said on the story board π
Oopss, this is not Marissa & Josh π I just like this lovebirds’ pic I took when our class went to Brussel π
Strangers, again
We’re just wasting time.
And now you think I’m stupid.
You know I don’t think that, Marissa.
You don’t say it but I know you’re thinking it.
Well of course I’m thinking it right now! This whole thing is stupid!
See?
See what? It is! Who cares if I wanna leave early? Even you barely know her and you’re mad at me?
Yah! ‘Coz you think I’m annoying you!
Oh my God, this isn’t even about us! This is about your co-worker’s lame potluck that you feel obligated to go to because she has no friends. If we go, that counts! We don’t have to stay the whole four hours.
But it is about us! It’s about you understanding what’s important to me!
Eating homemade potato salad and playing the scrabble tournament is important to you?
This is stupid.
That’s what I just said!
YOU’RE stupid.
You know what, I’m willing to let that one go, can you just tell me if we can leave early or not, please?
Josh, you tell me.
What?
Look, I’m sorry I brought it up. Can you just decide and I’ll do whatever?
No, Josh, not this time. I’m not gonna tell you what to do because you’re just gonna use it against me saying ‘I always do what you say’. No more.
Hey, this one wasn’t my fault. There’s no reason for this.
You’re right. There is no reason for this.
It wasn’t always like this. I can’t really remember when it was but I know for sure we weren’t like this. She used to be… my unicorn. You know, unbelievable. Crazy special. The girl i thought could never exist. But, as time went on, from one stage of our relationship to the next, the path that started off so innocent and fun has taken us to that. But, like most, we started off as strangers, at Stage 1: Meeting. Thanks to a shoelace, actually.
STAGE 1: Meeting
Excuse me. Excuse me, your shoelaces are untied.
Oh! Thanks.
No prob…
I could have not planned it better even if I tried. But thank goodness the city hadn’t fixed their park trails in five years.
I didn’t tell her that it was my first time running in about nine months and somehow, we ended up going for almost five miles that day. It’s so pathetic to see how guys would do just about anything for the right girl, but it paid off because I got her number.
We really hit it off that day. I think so, at least. I blocked out for a few minutes but when I woke up, I remembered I made a pretty good connection. From that point on, we were at Stage 2: The Chase. Some say it’s the best part.
STAGE 2: The Chase
All I wanted was to know more about her. All I wanted to do was to hang out with her.
Β Ready?
Ohhh.…
The only person I wanted to talk to was her. She was the number one priority. And every time I saw her, butterflies. She was everything that I thought could be perfect in a girl. And as soon as it felt right,
Β Would you be my girlfriend?
Yeah.
With this simple word, we began our relationship, taking us into Stage 3: The Honeymoon.
STAGE 3: The Honeymoon
Everyone calls it this, and for good reason. It was the time when we could finally fully express our affection to each other and do all the things we wanted to do as a couple. It was a dream come true. The girl I wanted to be with so, so badly was finally mine. But eventually, the fire cooled and both of us simmered down to normalcy. By the end of it all, we had a bajillion pictures with each other, knew every detail of our everyday lives, and like any normal healthy couple, we entered Stage 4: Comfortable.
STAGE 4: Comfortable
Β What do you wanna do tonight?
I dunno. Whatever.
Now, being comfortable isn’t necessarily bad. It’s when we could trully be ourselves. But it depends on what you do with that comfort. Some use it positively, continuing to work at their relationship and grow together, but others allow it to create distance and, for Marissa and I, it made us take each other for granted.
Β Hey! What are you doing? It’s Tuesday, why aren’t you dressed?
Oh, yeah. I totally forgot. Can we skip it? I don’t feel like going.
This whole thing was your idea.
I… I know. I just kinda have other things to do. Um, next week, yeah?
Alright.
Whether it’s taking each other for granted, or people changing over time, the bottom line is, someone stops stying and feelings aren’t as strong as before. This could happen over a few months or a few years. For us, it was one and a half years when we hit Stage 5: Tolerance.
STAGE 5: Tolerance
When Marissa and I got to this stage, I couldn’t believe it and I was pretty disappointed. Somehow, the girl I was so crazy about a year ago had turned into someone who just wasn’t that special anymore. It happened so gradually that I didn’t even see it coming but there we were, just tolerating each other.
Oh gosh. Don’t even ask me about my day.
I won’t.
I swear my co-workers are trying to get me to quit!
Where do you want to eat tonight?
Wherever you wanna go.
Can you just decide? I asked you.
And I’m being flexible, you pick.
Oh jeez, you’re like a five-year-old, someone else has to tell you what to do.
Normally, I’m gonna let that go but I’m having a bad day, too, so…
What did you just say?
Arguing is one thing but feeling dissatisfied and unhappy with the relationship is another. We tried various times to try and make changes, to fix things but, like so many couples out there, it wasn’t enough. We became one of those relationships where it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. And let me tell you, that’s never a good way to describe a relationship.
Β Well, I guess I’m gonna sleep now.
Okay.
Goodnight.
Night.
It wasn’t long before we were in Stage 6: Downhill. There’s not much time left once you’re here. The effort to try make to make things work just isn’t worth it anymore.
STAGE 6: Downhill
Problems continue, arguments don’t get solved… I don’t even really remember what we argued about.
Β I can’t talk to you right now. You’re…
Why won’t you just…
I can’t believe that y…
Well how could you jus…
Β What did we argue about?
Marissa and I, sad to say, are nearing the end of this stage. What’s next is what happens to everyone at some point, the end of the line, the worst stage ever. Breaking up.
STAGE 7: Breaking Up
I don’t know when it’ll happen or how, but I hope we can leave it on good, mutual terms, if that’s ever truly possible.
I think it’s for the best.
Fine.
And this is when the two of us will start a new path, one that leads right back to where we started, strangers. The change will be so drastic and so blunt that we’ll probably wanna get back together right away just to restore what’s normal.
Hello?
Hey, Marissa. I miss you.
Are you drunk?
But this does not always happen and the distance will grow. Eventually, the two of us will move on, or find someone new.
And even when we both get over the past and try to remain friends, things will never be the same.
Our lives will continue on in different directions toward the inevitable end, becoming strangers again. And everything we shared will become fragments of memories from so long ago, I’ll question if it even really happened. And all that’ll be left is this, a box of random stuff from a faded period of time when this stranger was the most important person in my life. What a shame.
Β “This is to remind you of how hard you fell for me when we first met. Haha. Josh, I’m so glad we have each other in our lives. I know that no matter what, we’ll make it through; and we’ll always have a tomorrow together. Happy Anniversary!”
5 months earlier, near the end of Stage 4)
Do you realize there’s only two options for our future together? It’s either we break up or we get married.
Never really thought of that.
Think we’ll get married?
Jeez, that’s a loaded question. Why? You wanna get married to me?
I don’t know right now.
Me neither.
Do you wanna break up with me?
Of course not.
Well, it’s gonna be one or the other.
What do you think will happen if we don’t end up together? Are we gonna hate each other? D’you think we’ll keep in touch?
I think that if life separates us and we end up in totally different places, I’ll always remember when our paths aligned for this period of time… And I’ll be thankful for that. I hope that wherever you are, you’ll be thankful, too. I think that’s the best we can wish for.
*****
Now, it’s note to myself, note to ourselves:
Me personally, i never wish us to be in the stage 6 nor 7. There would be ups and downs surely. Just be tolerance to me as there will be sometimes when i might turn into a person who will consume most of your patience. And so i tell myself the same way. I’m wishing we’ll continue working on our relationship and never becoming strangers again, and you could be the man…
Paris, finally! The girls and i departed from Rotterdam late at night. Literally late at night, 12.oo! We’re quite insane for staying outside late at night at the end of winter time. Our bodies chilled due to the cold temperature and the wind blow. Our sleepy eyes kept starring from distance, searching for any bus that looked like the one we saw on the website (Milotreizen.nl)! At Zuidplein, we were desperately waiting for the 32 euro round ticket bus and so happy when the bus was finally arrived picking us π
Paris… Paris… Paris. Eiffel was looked so grant with the ray of light from late sunrise. Public toilets are a way too arrogant for they can only be used afterΒ somebody activated them through a computerized system. So, when it’s not their working hour yet, there is no use for pushing all buttons on the toilet panel, nor praying that the toilet door will open when you really wants to pee :-p Wise word i would say to foreigners in the strange land where natives only willing to speak their French language: find Asian look, you can ask them anything in English πΒ Ah for ladies, we admits that saying “beauty kills” in the form of heels π In Paris, it really kills you :-p Stairs… stairs… stairs. I wonder how those french ladies manage their steps with heels, step up and step down the stairs, chase the metro in an ellegant style :-p And i must ask, why must women wearing veils (Muslim, arent they?) beg for money almost in every corner of Paris? Like telling the world that Muslim are poor, sad π¦ But I was so happy when i walked together with some French Muslim to the Great Mosque of Paris π
Paris in black and white, on that late winter day…
Perhaps this is just another story of my life, yet i’m praying it to be forever part of my life, part of the present and the future, not to be the past only…
It’s funny how we met again after years π
Yes, it’s been years and for those period of time, we’re nobody to each other. I remember we never went hanging out together, not even once, nor that we had any conversation. I knew you-you knew me-we’re classmates-we’re flatmates-we graduated-we came back home-end of the story!
Then, i’ve got a message! It was during my busy days on my new stage of life, another new city, another new school. Nothing, but you’re asking me about this scholarship π and (again) I was too busy and being akwardly excited with my new life, hence i was just being straight forward to your question and not intended to ask even a “how are you”. Well, i don’t really remember, forgive me, dear…
Time flies by. Again, i was too busy with another new terra incognita, another new school, insanely excited with new countries i’ve visited, and -sadly admit- a series of heartbreaks π I guess so were you ? Each of us was busy living one’s life. Not even a short message during that year, and both don’t really bother… not at all π
I came back from that terra incognita which is now no longer a terra incognita for me. I was happy to be home again. Yet, i was sad to have another failed relationship… Well, things were just not run well for me π Being unemployed after sometimes, i played a lot with my social account. It’s weird how all of sudden your social account appeared on mine. I don’t remember seeing any updates from you, not even once. There i found out you’re in the city where i have once been π
And i found myself typing that short message “what?? you’re there?” and i left you my number. I guess that’s how we met again after years? π
We’re lost in numbers π I kept texting to your old number and got no reply. And so did you, kept texting to my number but got no reply π Each of us were wondering why wouldn’t you reply to my message? Each of us had this “owkay, he/she doesn’t really want to see me” in our minds π Later we found out that you no had longer used your old number that’s why i got no reply, and you have misstyped my numbers that’s why i never received any of your text :-p
Nonetheless, i met your friend in an event and my message was well delivered to you π You accompanied me during my last minutes there untill my train was ready to go.
Ever since, our story flows. There is distance between us, literally distance, we both admit. Don’t we? Me myself, i feel like i’ve popped up into your life from out of nowhere, in the middle of your big plan. You shocked me with your every text about the future, where you included me on that.
Therefore, dear.. I need time to convince myself. Forgive me for responding and behaving akwardly like a kid π I ask the Almighty, seeking His blessing for what seems to be a very nice future plan. I ask his blessing for the plans that you have for me. We both need to convince ourselves, don’t we?
“O Allah, I ask You to show me what is best, through Your knowledge, and I ask You to empower me, through Your power, and I beg You to grant me Your tremendous favor, for You have power, while I am without power, and You have knowledge, while I am without knowledge, and You are the One who knows all things invisible.
O Allah, if You know that this undertaking is in the best interests of my religion, my life in this world, and my life in the Hereafter, and can yield successful results in both the short term and the long term, then make it possible for me and make it easy for me, and then bless me in it.
If not, then turn it away from me, and make it easy for me to do well, wherever I may happen to be,Β and make me content with Your verdict, O Most Merciful of the merciful.'”
We’re competing with time. Me myself is competing with your papers, discussions, research, to get to know you better… A great journey ahead is waiting for you. I know you’re longing to it though you said several time that you’d like me to be there accompanying you. I asked you “whose journey is that going to be?” and you replied “it’s ours, isn’t it?”. I’d love to, dear… I do love to π
In the meantime, we have to make this relationship works… It says good relationships don’t just happen, it will take time, patience, and two people who truly want to be together. I know it, as you have promised me that you’ll do your best to make ours works π
Hujan diiringi kilatan petir dan sahutan guruh di sore hari tadi seperti tak akan berhenti untuk waktu yang lumayan lama. Saat menyimpan selimut-selimut tebal yang baru kuambil dari laundry tadi, mataku memandang ke arah jendela kamar depan. Ada bocah yang berlarian bernyanyi di bawah hujan, riang sekali sepertinya. Mau tak mau aku tersenyum melihat tingkah polah si bocah, he was like getting tranced under the rain, so happy with the rain π
Owh, apa itu ? Si bocah ternyata menggendong karung sampah! Sigap tangan nya memeriksa kantong sampah di depan rumahku yang sampai sore ternyata masih tak diambil petugas sampah komplekSelintas data thesisku mampir di memory ku, tentang salah satu respondenku yang mengawali karir memulung nya saat anak-anak hanya karena orang tua nya tak mampu memberi uang jajan. Aku pun teringat box di atas kulkas yang penuh recehan, receh yang biasa kupakai untuk menyudahi nyanyian asal pengamen yang suka mendadak mampir di minggu pagi. Bocah itu pasti mau deh dikasih recehan buat jajan, pikirku.
Dari balik jendela ini aku melihat mereka mengais sampah di bawah deras hujan
Setengah berlari aku mengambil box itu dari atas kulkas dan segera membuka pintu depan. Lohh.. kemana bocah tadi ?? cepat sekali menghilangnya? Beberapa menit kemudian kembali terdengar suara nyanyian riang nya π Itu dia! Segera kupanggil “Jang, ke sini!”. Ia mengangguk dan menghampiriku. “Mau uang receh ga?” tanyaku. Sambil menggigil kedinginan ia mengangguk, kuberikan kantong plastik yang kuisi receh itu. Ia pun berucap terima kasih lalu kemudian berlari lagi menghampiri karung sampahnya.
Tak berapa lama, suara bocah lain memanggil namanya. Owh ternyata sore ini ada dua pemulung cilik yang “bermain hujan” di tempat sampah rumah-rumah blok ini. Pintu depan masih kubiarkan terbuka. Sambil melihat bocah satunya lagi, aku teringat pengalaman bersama anak-anak jalanan saat di Jogja dulu. Mas Cilik temanku pernah bilang, sebagai volunteer, aku harus berlaku adil pada semua anak, tidak boleh membeda-bedakan anak. Uhmm… kupanggil bocah satunya lagi itu, sambil memberikan dua butir apel. Aku bilang padanya untuk memanggil temannya tadi.
Hujan masih terusΒ turun, petir masih terus berkilatan. Dua bocah pemulung itu masih berteduh di teras rumahku yang nyaris basah semua. Mereka sibuk melahap apel-apel yang kuberikan π Pasti lapar sekali, bekerja mengumpulkan sampah di tengah rintik hujan yang deras… Karena hujan yang tak kunjung mereda dan lantai teras yang basah, akhirnya aku ajak mereka masuk ke rumah. Maafkan aku ya Tuhan, karena masih saja “tidak rela” tubuh-tubuh mungil mereka yang basah kuyup duduk di sofa rotan ku π¦ Kejam sekali membiarkan mereka duduk di lantai yang dingin, sementara aku berpiyama hangat dan mengenakan kaos kaki yang hangat pula duduk santaiΒ di sofa itu π¦ Untung karpet tua lungsuran tanteku masih kulipat dan kusimpan rapi, kugelar dengan lipatan yang lumayan tebal di lantai ruang tamu, kubiarkan mereka duduk di sana π Setidaknya tidak sedingin kalau duduk di lantai… Maafkan aku ya Tuhan… sebersit rasa tidak ikhlas masih saja ada hingga mereka harus duduk di karpet di lantai…
Sambil menunggu dan berharap hujan segera reda, bocah-bocah itu menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaanku. Bocah pertama yang kupanggil itu namanya Wildan, umur delapan tahun, bersekolah di salah satu SD, masih kelas satu. Bocah yang terakhir namanya Apuk, umurnya 10 tahun. Apuk bilang dia belum pernah bersekolah. Saat aku tanya apakah dia bisa membaca, dia menggeleng. Kukejar dengan pertanyaan “kenapa engga belajar membaca sama Wildan?” dengan ekspresi lucu dia menjawab “dia nya juga belon bisa baca” π Wildan yang dari tadi sibuk mengunyah apelnya, dan sebagai “tersangka” yang dibilang Apuk belum bisa membaca menimpali obrolan kami itu dengan sedikit pamer “kamu bisa berhitung sampai seratus engga? aku mah bisa” π Hahaha π bocah-bocah π
Apuk bilang sehari-hari ia dapat uang 4 ribu rupiah dari sekilo sampah. Wildan meralatnya, satu kilo sampah itu harga nya dua ribu saja π Owh mungkin karena Apuk belum bisa membaca dan menulis ya? Aku bilang Apuk bahwa dia harus belajar membaca dan berhitung, biar dia tidak dibohongi soal timbangan dan harga sampahnya π Apuk juga bilang dia punya sepuluh adik! Huwaaa umurnya 10 tahun tapi punya 10 adik? secara matematika sederhana tidak masuk akal bukan, kecuali adiknya kembar semua? akhirnya kembali lagi: mungkin karena Apuk tidak bisa membaca dan berhitung…
Diumur sepuluh tahun Apuk belum bisa membaca dan berhitung sama sekali. Dulu aku umur 6 tahun sudah menerima surat pertama yang dikirimkan via pos oleh pamanku, dan bangga disuruh membacakannya di depan teman-teman satu sekolahan seusai upacara bendera. Di umur 6 tahun itu pula aku terbiasa membaca majalah anak-anak sambil berdiri di bagian depan vespa papa saat beliau membawaku pulang dari playground: Ananda, Tom-tom, Aku Anak Saleh… dan diumur 12 tahun aku sudah dipercaya mama mengatur pengeluaran ku sendiri, kelas 1 SMP aku sudah membuat pembukuan uang masuk (uang jajan dari mama), uang keluar (kupake buat jajan dan ongkos bis) dan menyisihkan sedikit buat tabungan.
Wildan terlalu asik dengan apel nya hehehe π Kutanya lagi Apuk soal uang hasil menjual sampahnya, apa temuan thesisku dulu juga berlaku padanya (anak pemulung berusaha mendapatkan uang saku sendiri dengan memulung). Apuk bilang uangnya dipake buat beli beras… Wildan mengiyakan ucapan Apuk “iya, dia mah uangnya dipake beli beras. kalo aku mah ada cengcelengan (tabungan, red)”. Kutanya lagi Apuk apakah dia punya kakak. Apuk menjawab “punya, tapi kerjanya di Irian”. I bet he has no idea how far Irian from Sukabumi is “jauhnya? pernah diajak ke sana engga?”. Apuk kembali menjawab “kan kerja nya di kapal, si teteh yang diajakin mah”. Owh berarti dia punya dua kakak. Kakak, lihat ini adikmu harusnya bersekolah…
Kutawari mereka biskuit yang sekarang susah sekali habisnya (i’m not on diet! no, i’m not :-p). Apuk bersemangat mengambil beberapa keping sekaligus biskuit verkade dari wadahnya, Wildan menolaknya sambil terus asik menggigiti apel yang sudah mau habis π Dari pintu depan yang kubiarkan terbuka, kulihat ada cacing yang terbawa percikan hujan di lantai teras. Melihatku bergidik ngeri melihat cacing itu, Apuk pun sigap menangkap cacing itu dan melemparnya jauh-jauh. Lalu sigap pula tangannya meraih kantong yang berisi biskuit tadi. Aku bilang pada Apuk untuk mencuci tangannya dulu sebelum memegang makanan, dia pun menurutinya π
Bocah-bocah itu lalu larut dalam diskusi kecil mereka sendiri, mungkin sedang mempertimbangkan apakah akan tetap menunggu hujan reda sambil berteduh di ruang tamu ku atau menerobos derasnya bersama karung-karung sampah mereka. Apuk bilang hari ini dia belum berhasil menjual sampah sedikit pun. Aku ingat box recehku tadi masih terisi setengah, sebaiknya memang untuk Apuk. Senyumnya lucu sekali saat aku menyerahkan recehan dalam kantong kecil untuknya π Lalu setelah berbisik-bisik lagi, Apuk yang jadi juru bicara pamit hendak pulang, menerobos hujan yang memang sepertinya enggan berhenti…
Kulihat di teras tak ada sandal mereka… jadi mereka mengais sampah dari satu rumah ke rumah yang lain tanpa alas kaki! Ada untung nya juga temanku yang kupinjami semua perlengkapanku saat kost di Jogja dulu membawa kembali pulang semua milikku, dari karpet, setrika, hingga 3 sandal jepit yang biasa kupakai di rumah Srikaloka π terlalu banyak sandal jepit menganggur di rumah ini, sementara penghuni nya cuma hanya ada aku. Kuberikan dua pasang sandal jepit episode jogja itu kepada mereka, tidak apa-apa kegedean daripada mereka tidak memakai sandal sama sekali, padahal lingkunga kerja pemulung adalah lingkkungan kerja yang lumayan vulnerable.. mulai dari segala macam kuman penyakit di tempat sampah, hingga barang-barang rongsokan yang bisa membahayakan kaki dan tangan.
Akhirnya dua bocah pemulung itu pulang sambil berucap terima kasih. Padahal di luar sana masih saja hujan deras dan gelap senja mulai menghampiri. Semoga saja Apuk punya kesempatan untuk bisa belajar membaca, menulis dan berhitung, dan semoga Wildan juga bisa terus melanjutkan pendidikannya.
Dua bocah pemulung dan derasnya hujan, terima kasih untuk pembelajaran sore tadi π
My neighbour bought me some new muffin cups! It’s a yaaiiiyyy since i’ve been looking for it and it was always like sold out from any bake shop :-p So i started googling recipe, a simple one, less sophiticated yet tasty π
And here it goes, i tried this recipe from Recipee World. But i modified it by filling some raisin into the dough π
Ingredients:
* 4 eggs
* 200 grams of sugar (7 ounces) –> you can add a bit coz using this amount, it doesnt taste so sweet :-p
* 1/2 teaspoon of Ovalet (Cake enhancer)
* 100 ml of fresh milk
* 150 grams of carrot, peeled and shreded
* 200 grams of medium protein flour (7 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon of corn starch (maizena)
* 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder
* Some salt
* Some orange food colouring and some raisin for filling
Directions:
1. Stir the eggs, sugar and ovallet until they swell and all white. Then add in the flour, corn starch, vanilla powder and salt. Mix well.
2. Pour the milk little-by-little while mixing the dough.
3. Add the carrots, stir well.
4. Take 1/3 of the dough, then add the food colouring.
5. Pour the basic dough (not coloured) in a muffin cups that had been coated with oil, then pour the orange dough on top of the basic dough. then put some raisin on the top of it before you steam it. Steam it for about 20 minutes or so, until theyβre done. Take it away.
6. Get them out from the muffin cups, decorate, and serve.
Owh please noted that you have to take out the water from shreded carrot. I did it this way: put the shreded carrot into a sieve and then punch it with your palm until the water goes out π too much water will screw your cake :-p
Owyaa, if you steam the cake, it’s better to use cooking oil for coating the cup instead of margarine. And..who called me when i was about to steam my cake? Dear, next time we’ll bake the cake, and you’ll help me coating the cup with margarine hehe π
And here they are, carrot cupcakes filled with raisin π
carrot cupcake filled with raisin π
And if you don’t like raisin, you can put another dried fruit into the dough. Owkay readers, you can give it a try π