Me and The Boys

Knights and Day

2010-06-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Last nite, after more than 5 years (which feels forever !), I managed to get my hubbie go to a movie. We were attending this wedding reception in Kalibata and it was very crowded - both of us a bit claustrophobic person - immediately heads to the door after offering our sincere congratulations to the bride and groom.

"Let's go to Roti Bakar Eddy instead" - my hubbie suggested.

I think this is a very rare opportunity - a nite date only the two of us without the krucils. so I say we should go see movie. Thank god he agreed, and we then heads off to Pejaten Village.

That night, there were "Toy Story, Letters to Juliet, Karate Kid, and Knights and Day" played in the theatre. Hearing that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz starring the Knights and Day, I straight into buying the ticket for it.

The movie was very entertaining, a perfect combination of action and comedy. I would not believe that Tom Cruise has the talent to be a bit comic - imagine a more relaxed "Ethan Hunt" in the Mission Impossible, combined with the cute and adorable Cameron Diaz. The movie flows quickly with different location as background - charming Austria, dangerous bull fight in Spain, and off course Kansas, the place where Roy Miller (Cruise) first met June Havens (Diaz).

Roy Miller is a special trained agent that went rouge (or not depends on how you look at it) who met Diaz on his way to save a genius geek who invented an eternal battery power - small enough to be handheld, but big enough to light up an entirely small city ! He was chased both by CIA and also by Spanish mafia - both wants the battery for different reasons.

June, whose life is mediocre, find Roy secret identity is alluring. Travelling with Roy to save the genius guy (sorry - forgot his name), she is amazed that Roy is very attentive to her need and safety. At first she did not know whose to believe, as Roy also act as if he is the bad guy. This is what interesting about the movie. You will keep guessing if Roy is in deed the bad guy or our hero.

Cruise and Diaz is definitely not young anymore, but the combination and chemistry of these star is really what makes the movie so entertaining...

I think I need to watch it again soon ... !

A blisfull 'Eid

2008-10-07T01:26:00.000-07:00

This year, Ramadhan and 'Eid brought new feeling to me. A kind of feeling that I have never felt before. Like a lost soul, I often find myself trapped in a routine, days just passes by, week after week, and nothing has changed in a way I do my ibadah to Allah SWT.

For long I was very envy seeing other people really enjoy their daily pray, some even seems to long for the time to do the pray and have the opportunity to face the god Almighty. Frankly speaking, my five times prayers seems to be a routine, one that I do because I am afraid of the sin. Often I do it near the end of the time, and I do not have the enjoyment of doing it. I rarely say my pray after Shalat, likewise Shalat Sunnah.

This year, I started something different. And I felt the changes instantly. I felt that all my body is energised when I do shalat, my head is light up every time I surrender my life, my hope in my pray, as I feel his presence. Allah sees me - all that I have done with all of his blessings. I am so ashamed feeling that I have this little bit of proud for what I have achieved, and yet none of that would happen if he does not give his blessing.

'Eid is different this year, as I am not trapped in the mall to find 'accesories' to celebrate 'Eid. I am growing, step by step insha allah to a better me.

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The Exorcist

2008-09-29T01:16:00.000-07:00

I was probably too ignorant to share the news that we have moved to our own house starting 15 May. As newly moved, we enjoyed every bit of the house which is very close to my office. The children seems to like it too, now that they have small backyard to run around.

It was not until third week of July when my youngest was restless at night, and he started to 'see' things. At first I tried to calm him down and dismiss his idea that he sees something on a big tree in our backyard. However, things get weirder that one night when the three of us (my husband was out of town for a week) laying at bed in the children's room fakhri said "mama, what's that noise?"

I shook my head and facing fakhri said "nothing, just close your eyes."

But fakhri can't sleep and said again "I hear people whispering" and the next night he said "I hear people making sound with their teeth". I instantly got a goose bump, since at that time fakhri did not wear his hearing aid, yet he described the sound very clearly!!!

We then slept at my room, and fakhri did not want to see outside of my window and wanted to be carried on my shoulder until he was asleep. Clearly he was very afraid of something. I check with my first son, but alhamdulillah Mizan seems did not experienced the same thing.

When my husband learnt what happen he then contact his mother who refered us to this ustadz who practice rukyah. I learned that if a person can see or hear 'something that normal people can,t that's mean he/she has same frequency with the 'thing'. He needs to be cleaned by a method called 'rukyah' and thatks what we planned for fakhri. Unfortunately fakhri did not want to cooperate, even to be touched by pak ustadz.
I then asked my brother what to do. From then on we read Qur'an every nite reciting. Surah Al-Baqarah, and recite Al-Ikhlas, An-Nas, Al-Falaq three times plus Ayat Kursi, blow my palms and touch it all over fakhri. Alhamdulillah Fakhri was much calmer and can sleep through the nite.

Only later when situation is under control that I knew both my house staff was also 'teased'. The first one got her feet pulled and slapped when she was taking a nap while there were nobody at home. The second girl hear voice saying "hahaha hihihi hehehe huhuhu hohoho" when she and her friends were teleconferencing over the hp#

Mobile blogging

2008-09-29T00:30:00.000-07:00

Let's see if this works#
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First Day at School

2008-08-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

A little bit late, this is the note from the first day at school.

Today, 14th August is the first day of school for Mizan. Fakhri's pre-school does not start until the 17th, but he wake up early this morning and insists that he goes to school and wear the uniform.

So here we are at school, Mizan is on class 1E, along with other 24 children. Mr. Abdullah and Ms. Nina are his class room teacher. The first 3 days at school is intended for orientation, and last only up to 10 a.m

Mizan looks not sure of what to expect at school, but I am glad he does not seems to worry with the new environment, new school, new friends. He seems fine with it and does not ask much about school. Only after 1 week of school he understands the typical program and activities, and make new friends that he is able to share about his day at school.

Fakhri on the other hand, are very estathic with the new school. When I asked what he is going to do at school, he said "(play) slide !" His school has a big kids playground with 2 slides, and climbing areas. As Fakhri school has not begin, I use the opportunity to meet his class room teacher Ms Obi and Ms Dinant. I explain to them about Fakhri's situation, and make them aware about what to do in a situation where Fakhri's magnet detached from his head, or when the battery needs replacement. Alhamdulillah the teachers look very welcome and confident that they can manage Fakhri's device in the class. In fact, when I compare Fakhri's playgroup with Mizan's, I found Fakhri's school is more discipline and encourage self-independent much more than Mizan's. No parents or baby sitters are allowed on the school premised starting the second week, and the teachers are very capable in handling the kids crying and screaming. They hold, carry and soothe them with all kinds of persuasion, something I admire in these teachers....

After first week of school, I received a text message from Fakhri's teacher that says Fakhri is independent, and follow the teacher's instruction at class very well. I was very happy to hear the complement, as Fakhri was the only one that does not cry at all since the first day at school.

Lima hari berkesan di Bali

2008-08-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

Liburan sekolah tahun ini, kami sekelurga plus kakek + neneknya Mizan pergi ke Bali. Sengaja dirancang jauh-jauh hari, alhamdulillah liburan kali ini sangat mengesankan tanpa rintangan berarti dan semua orang tampaknya enjoy dengan program yang disusun secara rapi dan cermat (hehehe emang hobi saya atur-atur....).

Hari pertama usai mendarat kami langsung ke Ubud (setelah sebelumnya mampir ke pantai Kuta untuk makan siang dan bersantai sejenak). Berdasar rekomendasi kawan baik, kami menginap di Agung Raka Bungalow. Tempatnya enak, harganya relatif murah, makan pagi juga mengenyangkan. Paling pas sebenarnya untuk honeymoon, karena di belakang banyak bungalow yang berada di pinggir sawah, jadi pemandangannya bener-bener asyik, dan ga terlalu hectic. Mizan dan Fakhri bisa puas berenang di kolam yang ga terlalu besar tapi relatif sepi tanpa gangguan tamu lain.

Malamnya kami langsung menjajal Bebek Bengil, yang psst... katanya jadi beken setelah Bianca dan Mick Jagger menjadikan resto ini sebagai tempat resepsi pernikahan mereka di Bali. Bebeknya soo... crispy dan tidak bau, tapi kalau boleh komentar harganya kurang bersahabat dengan turis lokal, satu porsi bebek + nasi harganya sekitar Rp. 60 rb belum pajak. Menimbang tempatnya yang romantis dan nicely decorated, anggaplah impas paling ngga bisa bilang udah pernah makan di sana..hahaha.

Hari kedua kami langsung tancap gas mobil sewaan ke Bedugul. Di tengah jalan, karena ketidak fasihan membaca peta, kami baru menyadari kalau jalan yang ditempuh ke Kintamani. Tapi namanya juga liburan, take it easy! Jadilah kami ke Kintamani. Jalan yang ditempuh ternyata relatif sepi dan tanpa hambatan. Cuma 1.5 jam kami sudah sampai di Kintamani. The view was breathtaking ! Sudah 2 kali ke sini, masih saja terpesona melihat gunung disaput kabut tipis dengan danau membentang di hadapannya.... Kami pun turun ke danau, tapi ternyata kami hampir saja 'dirampok' pedagang yang menawarkan dagangannya secara paksa, bahkan ada yang memijit-mijit punggung saya menawarkan massage ...hii... buru-buru saja kami menyingkir. Syukurnya, salah seorang teman suami saya memiliki resto + bungalow tidak jau dari dermaga Kintamani itu. Kami pun pindah ke sana dengan harapan dapat diskon makan siang...:)

Usut punya usut, ternyata sang pemilik resto itu lulusan almamater yang sama dengan saya, dan anak bungsunya adik kelas saya ! What a small world ! Tempatnya benar-benar asyik, lihat deh foto-fotonya di bawah ini. Mizan tiba-tiba punya hobi baru memancing bersama sang Nenek yang memang jago dari masa kecilnya.

Esok harinya, kami memantapkan diri pergi ke Bedugul. Alhamdulillah kali ini tidak kesasar lagi. Di Bedugul kami melihat banyak restoran muslim, bahkan ada masjid besar yang berdiri tepat di depan danau Bedugul. Setelah beberapa hari tidak mendengar adzan, panggilan shalat terasa sangat sejuk menyirami hati. Bedugul sangat cantik, setelah puas berfoto-foto, kamipun berangkat menuju Nusa Dua, tempat menginap kami selanjutnya.

Kami sampai di Nusa Dua setelah Maghrib. Kali ini semua terpesona dengan hotelnya yang berbentuk semacam apartment 2 kamar lengkap dengan perabot masak-memasak dan ruang keluarga yang besar. "Pasti mahal !" kata ayah saya, saya cuma tersenyum saja karena dengan sedikit riset di internet, saya dapat bungalow ini cuma seharga Rp. 800 rb/malam. Saya rasa harga sedikit murah karena letaknya tidak persis di depan pantai. Tapi tidak mengapa, jalan kaki 10 menit saja dari pintu belakang hotel, kami sudah sampai di pantai Nusa Dua yang bersih dan tidak sepenuh pantai Kuta.

Esok paginya, kami berangkat menuju GWK atau Garuda Wishnu Kencana. Saya yang belum pernah ke sini sebelumnya cukup takjub melihat bagaiman gunung kapur di 'potong' dan dibentuk secara artistik menjadi latar untuk Patung GWK itu. Patungnya sendiri belum selesai, kita baru bisa melihat kepala Garuda, Kepala dan Tangan Wishnu. Kalau patungnya sudah berdiri dan fully assembled dengar-dengar bakal setinggi Empire State Building di New York.

Dari sana kami ke Uluwatu, namun sesampainya di sana, rombongan tidak berani masuk karena monyet-monyet yang ganas. Saya, ibu, dan Mizan masuk ke dalam dan kami sama sekali tidak menyesal. Pura Uluwatu terletak di atas tebing ratusan meter di tepi semenanjung. Kalau melihat ke bawah, rasanya perut seketika mual membayangkan kemungkinan terburuk.

Malam itu adalah malam terakhir kami di Bali, jadi kami memanfaat waktu yang ada untuk menjajal sedapnya seafood pantai jimbaran sembari menikmati sunset. Berdasar riset, yang direkomendasikan adalah kafe Menega - yang sempat menjadi sasaran Bom Bali II. Tidak salah memang, walaupun penuhnya minta ampun, tapi bumbunya benar-benar pas dan harganya relatif sama dengan makan di Muara Angke ! Berenam kami mengabiskan Rp. 300 rb, itu sudah termasuk Udang Windu, Cumi, Kerang, dan 2 macam ikan ! Suasana makan di pinggir pantai sembari melihat sunset adalah sesuatu yang tidak terlupakan....

Akhirnya, tibalah saat kami harus berpisah dengan Bali.... Sedikit shopping di Kuta kami lakukan sebelum akhirnya berangkat menuju Bandara.

Mizan & Anin

2008-05-30T01:03:00.000-07:00

Seperti biasa, saya mengantar si sulung ke sekolah. Terjadilah pembicaraan seperti ini di dalam mobil:
"Mah, jadi ya nanti abang dibelikan Handphone kalau sudah kelas 3 SD?"
Saya pikir, wah kemajuan nih... kemarin-kemarin soalnya Mizan ngotot dibelikan HP saat ini juga...
"OK Bang..." kata saya, dengan perasaan sedikit curiga dari mana 'kelas 3 SD' muncul.
Mizan nyambung "HPnya Nokia ya Mah.. yang bisa dilipet". Saya diam saja. "Biar rasain tuh Kak Anin... ga bisa sombong lagi.. kan aku juga punya HP Nokia...."
Oh.. itu toh asal muasalnya...saya tertawa dalam hati. Anin adalah anak temennya Mas Eko - mantan pacar a.k.a suami saya. Minggu lalu Mizan dibawa ke kantor sama bapaknya, dan di sanalah dia ketemu Anin. Pertemuan pertama mereka diawali dengan Mizan mendekati dengan PeDe mengajak kenalan.
"Kamu kelas berapa ?" tanya Mizan.
Anin menjawab "Kelas 3 SD, kamu?"
Mizan hanya diam...hahaha... ga lucu kan kalau dia ngaku masih TK B... soalnya badannya sama tingginya dengan Anin.
Kembali lagi ke dalam mobil, Mizan tiba-tiba bilang, "Kalau aku udah punya HP Nokia, nanti Kak Anin pasti mau jadi pacaran sama aku..."
Gleg !
"Pacaran itu apa sih Bang ?" aku berusaha tenang.
"Mah... kayaknya abang udah nemu neh siapa calon istri abang nanti.... "
"Siapa ?" (pura-pura bego)
"Kak Anin...."
Haduh.... abang..... mama pikir masih lama lagi pembicaraan seperti ini bakal muncul... ternyata.....

Beda Budaya... Beda Bahasa... Beda Pemikiran ?

2008-05-30T00:36:00.001-07:00

Minggu pertama saya di Houston terasa cukup berat. Bukannya mengeluh, cuma sedikit sharing bahwa saya baru bisa keluar dari hotel di hari ke-tiga, itupun hanya keliling-keliling komplek hotel yang luasnya berhektar-hektar itu. Rasanya seperti dalam kapal (vessel), sampai paru-paru terasa sesak karena hanya menghirup udara dari AC selama 3 hari berturut-turut. Ketika berhasil keluar menghirup udara segar... ah... sungguh menyenangkan !

Di kursus ini cuma saya sendiri yang dari Indonesia... lainnya kebanyakan dari US, Canada, Inggris, dan Spanyol. Ada juga yang dari Scottland, Ireland, Australia, Trinidad, Brazil, dan yang paling dekat dengan Indo: Vietnam.

Kalau di kantor di Jakarta saya terbiasa berkomunikasi (pasif dan aktif) dalam bahasa Inggris, ternyata berbahasa Inggris 24 jam dalam sehari sungguh melelahkan... Berbicara mengenai pekerjaan dalam bahasa Inggris yang baku mungkin umum bagi saya, tapi ketika berhadapan dengan teman-teman dari US, Canada dan Inggris dalam kelompoknya, suasananya sungguh berbeda dengan berbicara dengan mereka di Jakarta. Ternyata sulit sekali menangkap arti obrolan mereka yang sering menggunakan istilah slang atau non formal. Rasanya ketika kita mau buka mulut selalu ketinggalan karena sering kita men-translate dulu dalam pikiran kita, sementara mereka sudah cas-cis-cus sambung menyambung. Kadang rasanya hanya ingin bicara kalau ditanya saja..hehehe...pundung.....

Kalau di Jakarta, mungkin karena berada di negara orang, para bule itu cenderung bicara lebih lambat dan menggunakan bahasa baku. Kalau grammar kita salah-salah dikit mereka pun mengerti. Tapi di Houston sini, mereka sering ga ngerti kalau kita salah grammar sedikit, kadang suka ngebetulin lagi... ih... sebel juga !

Yang kayak gini sempet bikin saya mangkel pas kerja kelompok. Rasanya mau sumbang pendapat kok ga pas terus timingnya. Saking keselnya saya diem aja, tapi ngerjain tugas lain sementara mereka sibuk berdebat. Saya jadi berpikir, apa ini karena waktu sekolah saya tidak terlatih untuk berbicara di depan umum ya... juga tidak terlatih menulis essay ... sehingga kemampuan bicara saya jadi kalah kalau dibanding mereka, padahal kalau dari segi isi pembicaraan sih ga kalah..... cuma dari segi 'kosmetik' dan 'wrapping' masih banyak yang harus ditingkatkan.

Ada lagi yang lucu... kalau mereka melempar joke .... karena beda budaya, sering yang lucu bagi mereka tidak lucu bagi kita atau sebaliknya. Jadi yang sering terjadi adalah... saya tertawa ketika semua orang sudah selesai tertawa....hahahaha....

Dan 'gongnya' adalah ketika pada hari-hari terakhir di sana, saking rindunya berbahasa Indonesia, saya menyapa rekan dari Vietnam seperti berikut:

"Hi Lien Ha, apa kabar ? Capek ya ?"

Terang aja yang ditanya cuma bengong...hahahaha...

NASA - Houston Space Center

2008-05-18T19:53:00.001-07:00

As per scheduled, today's program is half day visit to NASA continued by half day shopping in Katy Mall. I tell you about the Katy Mall later on.

About 20 of us took the organised transportation bus to go to NASA. A day before a ticket of $12 has been purchased through the conference management team. The original ticket price is around $ 20, so we got discount. There is also another option which is to become a member, this way you never have to pay again for your multiple visits in a year time.

The door was open promptly at 10 a.m. When we enter the building, we can see a giant playground & climb activity for children on the right side, and in front of us is the door leading to the Tram. Before boarding the tram, they took our pictures with a greenbackdrop - which turn out they digitally changed into some NASA backdrop.

Me and Gene Kranz -

the flight director who took Apollo 13 safely back to the earth

on a dinner held separately as part of my course program

First stop is the Mission Control Building, where they control and monitor the astronouts activities in the International Space Station (ISS). Through a glass window we can see the flight director and his team take in charge and schedule the activities in ISS. The flight director held the highest hierarchy in the mission, even President of USA can not overrule him when he is in a mission. The guide explained that the ISS that seems floating above earlth is in fact moving with speed of 17,000 mph that means the astronouts experiences 16 sunrise and 16 sunset every day !!

Next stop is the building where they put the mock up of Space Shuttle - to train astrounots on the living environment outside of earth. To feel the "no gravity" situation, astronouts are "drowned" with their full suites into a big tank. Looks like NASA is very busy in their mission to put "living quarters" on the moon which I heard will be sometime in 2020, and their first mission to Mars which is planned for 2030.

We then stopped at the "Rocket Park" - where inside a warehouse building they displayed the Saturn V Rocket - one of the rocket that launch the Apollo mission. It is huge..... as you can see below.

And finally, the tram went back and I went to the souvenir shop to pick up something for my family. The space center have a lot of other attractions such as the Gallery where you can see the moon rock, or "blast off" where you can experience the high thrust when you are in space shuttle, but unfortunately I do not have time as we are heading to Katy Mills Outlet Mall at 1 pm.

Crusing the Clear Lake - Gulf of Mexico

2008-05-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Akhirnya... setelah seminggu penuh kursus dari pagi sampai malam (termasuk kerja kelompok bikin case studies), hari ini puncaknya minggu pertama terlewati. Cape banget rasanya tiap malam tidur jam 11 paling cepat... cape pikiran juga karena tau di kantor banyak kerjaan yang ga kepegang.... Belum rasa kangen sama anak2 di rumah. Kok ya kepikiran mereka terus, mudah2an mereka sehat2 saja.....

Barusan pulang dari naik kapal pesiar di Clear Lake sama teman-teman kursus satu cadre. Entah kenapa dikasih nama Clear Lake, yang jelas itu bukan Lake (lebih tepat disebut Teluk Meksiko a.k.a Gulf of Mexico) dan tidak Clear, karena airnya keruh.

Anyway, great experiences... ini foto-fotonya...

Transiting in Hongkong

2008-05-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Surprise... I can write before I arrive in Houston !

That's good news, the bad news is I thought that my flight going directly Singapore to San Francisco. Little that I know, this flight is going to have 1 hour transit inHongkong. So you can imagine to get to Houston, I have to transit in 3 cities, 3 countries Singapore, Hongkong, and San Francisco ! Not good eh... ?

Another good news is I found mini USB Charger in Changi. It costed me Sing $ 27, but it allows me to get connected to the world... so be it...

All right, I'm about to re-boarding in again.

With Love from Chiang Kai Sek Airport
Hongkong

On My Way to Houston

2008-05-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

Yep.. right... I'm heading US now.. Houston to be more precise. I was enrolled to this good course last year but I had to postponed due to work-life balance. Now, I have no excuse not to go. Besides, not all people can be nominated to this course - so why waste the chance.

That's the good part.

The sad part is to leave the kids behind for 2 whole weeks.

My eldest, he never complaint before if I had to travel abroad. But today, he hugged me closely... and said..... "So you are going to come back 2 weeks from now ? It's two Sunday from now, isn't it ? It's too long... " and he started asking what was this trip all about.

From Jakarta I'm gonna transit in Singapore ... for 1 hour. That's not enough time for me to find a USB charger for my cell phone. I don't know, seems that I always left behind something... That really gets me uneasy... I did not tell my husband that I forgot to bring my cell phone charger, I know what his reaction would be !

From there I will fly 17 hours non stop to San Francisco, and take Continental Airline to Houston. This is my first 'alone' trip, don't have anybody from my office ... and what's not fun about it is I need to speak English 24/7 and go around Houston for sightseeing (most probably) by myself.

Anyway.... I'm about to Pray now in the next mushala... Probably I will not write until I arrive and settle in Houstonian Hotel. I'll share nice pictures of Houston... and probably SFO airport later on...

Wassalam,
From Esplanade Lounge - Soekarno Hatta Airport

Edensor – Desa di Negeri di awan...

2008-04-30T03:19:00.000-07:00

Membaca Andrea Hirata serasa mengarungi lautan… kadang rasa mulas mendera akibat tertawa tergelak-gelak, tak jarang datang perasaan terombang-ambing dibuai kekaguman membaca detail deskripsi rumus-rumus fisika dan nama latin tumbuhan atau binatang yang saya sendiri pun sudah lupa… membuat sel-sel kelabu dalam otak saya berputar ..... “Kalau begitu apa ya yang saya pelajari dari SD sampai SMA….?”

Apa yang saya bisa katakan tentang trilogy Laskar Pelangi selain bahwa saya tergila-gila pada tutur kata Andrea ? Bagai candu, ketagihan mencari ‘ending’ dari kisah perjalanan hidup ‘Ikal’ … dan terhenyak ketika menemui kenyataan bahwa buku ke-4 “Maryamah Karpov” belum diterbitkan. Andrea bagai menyirap saya ke alam yang lain, mengenang kenakalan di masa-masa ketika masih bau kencur di SD dan mengingat betapa banyak pahlawan tanpa tanda jasa yang telah berjasa ikut membuat kita menjadi kita yang sekarang. Andrea juga dengan cantiknya mengemas sudut pandang ironi dalam jalinan kata-katanya. Ironi yang terjadi dalam kehidupan ini, dari sudut pandang lelaki kecil dengan metafora yang kadang-kadang berlebihan … tapi tetap membuat kita tersenyum kecut ketika membacanya.

Mungkin juga karena saya punya sentimen tersendiri dengan ‘background’ cerita ini. Saya juga dibesarkan di lingkungan keluarga Muhammadiyah, dan saya bersekolah di SD Muhammadiyah. Nilai-nilai luhur yang diajarkan KH. Ahmad Dahlan seperti “Fastabiqul Khairat”, berlomba-lomba dalam kebaikan, bukanlah sesuatu yang aneh di telinga ini, dan sungguh membacanya kembali membangkitkan memori tersendiri tentang masa kecil saya.

Sayang buku kedua rasanya tidak terlalu istimewa, lebih menyorot kenakalan anak laki-laki usia tanggung dan beberapa jalinan ceritanya serasa tumpang tindih dengan Laskar Pelangi.

Buku ketiga…. Inilah dia magnet selanjutnya. Perjalanan idealisme si anak Belitung di negeri seberang samudra. “The Law of Attractions” … nampaknya bukan sekedar teori. Hmm… perlu dicoba juga….”Saya ingin pension dini dan tidak pusing memikirkan keuangan keluarga”… hehehe.

Selalu terpesona membaca cerita dari negeri di awan… obsesi ingin sempat merasakan menetap di sana tanpa rasa khawatir… menikmati indahnya Edensor… bila di Eropa ada Edensor, seharusnya di mana pun kita berada ada Edensor…. Tak perlu suatu desa di suatu Negara, tapi taman hati yang luas tempat kita bisa beristirahat tanpa rasa cemas… karena hanya ada kedamaian dan ketenangan di sana……

London Pictures

2008-03-30T23:18:00.001-07:00

London Trip

2008-03-26T04:34:00.000-07:00

Hi... I'm in Changi at the moment, blogging from the Airline Lounge while waiting for my flight to Jakarta in about 2 hours from now.

Just back from London, basically a fantastic trip - where you arrive there one day and you directly go back to Jakarta the next day. Fantastic cause you don't get to feel the jetlag and boom you're flying back again, leaving your body busy in translating the correct date and time.

But anyway... I'm still grateful the flight was nice, and I still get one day to get around the city. I was in London for a business meeting with my colleagues from office - one that unfortunately I can't share about right now... as it is still classified confidential. Anyway, I'm not here to talk business. I like to share about my personal experience in London.

One thing I can advise to you is not to visit London in March. We learned from BBC that it would be freezing, so I packed an overcoat, shawl, jacket and handgloves. Turns out I was still freezing. The temperatures was about 1-2 degrees celcius when we started our walk hunting for breakfast in the Oxford Street on the morning of 24th March. The stores were still closed, but we managed to find a Halal kiosk that sells coffee and all kinds of pastries. First thing I like about London - It's not hard to find Halal Food, a bit like here in Singapore.

The hotel we stayed in was just at the end of the famous Oxford Street, however - here comes my second advise - do prepare lots - at least doubled - budget if you travelling to London. I'm not talking only about the exchange rate of 2.1 x US$, but also that the price of a hotel room here are outrageous. To stay in the nice downtown area major chain hotel, you must be prepared to spend at least 200 GBP or around US$ 400. The hotel my company used to stay in central London charge about US$ 500/nite.

OK moving on, to get around efficiently we decided to take the Hop-On and Hop Off bus. We get in at the Piccadilly Circus, and the bus went around the route to landmarks of London such as Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, London Eye, London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Downing Street No. 10. We were on the upper deck of the red double decker bus, and we literally freezing our butts as we realized the rain changed to delicate form of snow. It was SNOWING !! You may call me corny, but it was my first experience with Snow... so despite I was freezing to death in that bus, my heart was singing ! Lalalala......

The bus stopped a while alongside Thames River - where you could hop off and get in the boat cruising the famous yet muddy Thames River. It was true, the water was not clear instead it was Brown, much like our Ciliwung River. It turned out we have to hop off and change bus. Something attracted my attention, as I saw far behind the London Eye - suddenly stopped moving. Later I learned from TV news that London Eye did stopped that afternoon due to power/electricity shutdown. People are being kept in the high altitude about 1.5 hours ! Phiuh... I thank God we did not take the ride as we planned that afternoon.

In the afternoon, we took a tube down to Harrods. My colleagues convinced me there's something you can buy at that high-class jetset stores, and frankly speaking I get lured. The stores was full of Arabic people - they spent lots of money I believe, cause I did check on one jacket price tag and it says 1200 GBP which is about US$2,400 or Rp.24 million. Well, it's no wonder considering current sky rocketing oil price certainly brought a lot of cash to Middle East countries. At the end we bought some souvenirs, like the famous plastic bags with HARRODS logo on it, and that costs me Rp. 220 rb ! I ended up spending about US$250 only for souvenirs.

The second thing I like about London, is how polite the people are - although they are pretty snob as well. But, I can feel their warmth and they seems to accept moslems better than Americans. I saw in BBC this morning that Al-Qur'an preaching is considered to be included in the school curriculum, and one article in the Daily Telegraph suggests that by 2020, Moslems going to Mosque will outnumber Christians going to Church.

Even in the office complex in Sunbury, I can found mosque in almost every floor. Very encouraging.

Someday I'm gonna be back here, and I will spend a proper time to visit the places I desribed above. If there's some city I would like to stay outside of Indonesia, I think it will be London.

Gotta go... need to grab some souvenirs (again) for my sons...

Wassalam,

Istiqamah

2008-03-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Ada pelajaran berharga dari Rasulullah kepada kita semua. Ketika salah seorang sahabat meminta kepadanya sebuah nasihat yang akan membimbingnya ke syurga, kekasih Allah itu berkata, “Beriman kepada Allah dan istiqamah”. Beriman kepada Allah tidak cukup dirasakan dalam hati, dia juga harus dilafalkan. Karena dengan melafalkan niscaya hal itu terinternalisasi dalam diri kita. Semacam metode “self-motivation”, kalau kita senantiasa mengulang-ulang tujuan kita, niscaya segala daya upaya kita akan tercurah untuk menggapai tujuan itu. Dengan analogi yang sama, rasa iman kita yang kadang turun kadang naik ini pun sebaiknya dilafalkan. Kita beriman kepada Allah, kita beriman kepada tanda-tanda kekuasaan Allah. Bentuk nyatanya adalah apapun yang terjadi pada diri dan sekitar kita, kita sangkutkan kembali kepada Allah. Dengan menyebut dan mengagungkan nama-Nya, niscaya akan menambah rasa keimanan dalam hati.

Istiqamah, dalam bahasa sehari-hari bisa diterjemahkan sebagai konsisten. Tentunya konsisten dalam berbuat kebajikan agar selalu mendapat ridha Allah. Ketika kita dalam keadaan senang, mungkin tidak susah berbuat baik – walau kesenangan itu bisa juga suatu ujian. Namun ketika kita sedang ditimpa kemalangan, sungguh berat rasanya untuk bisa menerima takdir Allah itu dan di sisi lain tetap istiqamah dan tidak suudzan kepada Nya. Apa yang menurut kita baik belum tentu adalah yang baik di sisi Allah, sebaliknya apa yang tidak kita inginkan siapa tahu ada makna tersirat di baliknya yang ingin diajarkan Allah pada kita.

Mungkin mudah berkata begini kalau bukan kita yang mengalaminya. Saya rasa masing-masing kita pernah mengalami suatu saat di mana kita sudah berusaha sekuat hati, tenaga dan pikiran untuk mencapai suatu tujuan yang kelihatannya tidak sulit bagi orang lain tapi ternyata sangat sulit bagi kita. Dan Allah ternyata belum mengabulkan keinginan kita. Apakah kita lantas berkecil hati, suudzan kepada Allah karena tidak menerima semua usaha kita…. ?

Perasaan-perasaan itu sangat manusiawi. Begitulah perasaan saya hari ini saat melihat adik saya dan istrinya dengan muka sembab di meja makan. Seharusnya hari ini adik ipar saya tersayang melakukan test kehamilan – mereka melakukan inseminasi kira-kira 3 minggu sebelumnya. Sayang Allah belum berkehendak, belum sempat test dilakukan dia menyadari kalau dirinya datang bulan. Tangis pun meledak, ayah merangkulnya dan aku hanya bisa mencium ubun-ubun kepala adik iparku sambil berbisik,”Yang sabar ya… nanti bisa dicoba lagi….” Di ujung meja kulihat adik laki-lakiku yang tepekur, makna tatapannya tak mudah dibaca, namun kekecewaan jelas membayang di matanya.

Ya Allah,
Jika ada dua orang manusia yang sudah siap menimang buah hati
Mereka inilah orangnya
Sang calon bapak yang ‘alim
Dan calon ibu yang cantik dan pintar
Dari mereka akan hadir anak-anak gagah, cantik, pintar dan shaleh
Hanya bila Engkau perkenankan Ya Allah….
Izinkanlah…..

Ultah Abang ke-6

2008-03-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

Tanggal 15 Maret kemarin, Mizan – sulungku – berulang tahun yang ke-6. Tahun ini dia nampaknya sudah mengerti betul arti ulang tahun, sehingga banyak sekali ‘requirements’ nya dari jenis kue ulang tahun yang diinginkan, hadiah yang diinginkan, dan ‘kenang-kenangan’ untuk dibagikan ke teman-teman sekolahnya.

Jadilah aku dan si Mas berangkat Sabtu pagi ke Asemka guna mencari ‘kenang-kenangan’ untuk dibagikan ke para undangan. Siapa yang sudah pergi ke Asemka pasti tahu pasar macam apa di sana. Siapa yang belum... well.... put it like this.... it’s a heaven on earth for children toys, accessories, and school supplies (from books and water bottle to school bags). Cara termudah untuk pergi ke Asemka adalah dengan naik busway sampai terminal busway kota. Dari sana, tinggal jalan kaki sekitar 250 m dan sampai deh. Kalau ga mau terlalu lama menghabiskan waktu di busway, saran saya adalah parkir mobil di Sarinah, barulah dari sana naik busway.

Ok, long story short – setelah pikir punya pikir akhirnya kami sepakat membelikan jam tangan anak-anak dengan bermacam motif lucu yang lagi happening seperti Naruto, Ben 10, Barbie, dll. Terakhir kami lihat di mall dekat rumah harganya sekitar Rp. 35 rb-an, tapi di sini… cukup Rp. 12,500 saja – mau ambil kurang dari selusin harganya juga sama. Saya jadi curiga harga mainan di sini jauh lebih murah dari pasar Prumpung – tempat kami biasa beli mainan buat anak-anak. “Next time kayaknya perlu disambangin lagi pasar ini,” saya membuat catatan dalam hati.

Sebelum hari “H”, abang sudah sibuk cari tahu apakah saya dan si Mas sudah membelikan hadiah ulang tahun sesuai pesanannya. Tahun ini dia lagi tergila-gila dengan permainan “Bakugan”. Saya lihat permainannya di TV, itu adalah semacam permainan strategy yang nampaknya lebih cocok untuk anak SD. Tapi si abang ngotot karena hamper semua temannya sudah punya mainan itu. Saya mengelak, harganya terlalu mahal. Tapi ternyata abang lebih pintar. Tidak jebol di Mama, langsung tembak ke Bos Besar. Dan berhasil !!

Tapi memang si Mas suka usil juga. Sudah tahu anaknya penasaran setengah mati, si Papa ini masih pegang rahasia dengan teguh soal hadialh ulang tahun itu. Lucu juga lihat si abang blingsatan, kamar kami sudah habis digeledahnya sambil berpura-pura manis bertanya “Bapak udah beli hadiah bakugannya belum ?” Kesal ditanya terus, si Bapak menjawab,”Kata siapa Bapak beli Bakugan ? Bapak belinya Barbie kok !”

Air muka Abang – yang nggak terbiasa lihat bapaknya bercanda – langsung berubah. “Barbie ? Kan abang laki-laki!” protesnya.

“Oh, Ken maksud Bapak…..”

Tambah bingung…. “Kenapa Ken, kan bang bilang Bakugan…..”

“Bakugannya ga ada, adanya cuma Ken. Kalau ga mau ya udah”

“Ya udah deh...Ken aja” kata sulungku pasrah. Hehehe...kasihan juga liat mukanya melas gitu. Dan itu ga berakhir di situ. Si Mas dengan kreatifnya membungkus hadiah mahal yang wujudnya cuma sedikit lebih besar dari kelereng itu dengan berlapis-lapis, dibungkus kertas kado, koran berlapis-lapis, masuk lagi ke dalam tas sekolah, masuk ke dalam kotak bekas sepatu, dan seterusnya dan terakhir dimasukkan ke kantong jinjing belanjaan dari kertas.

Terbayang kan waktu acara buka kado, bagaimana ngebetnya abang buka kado dari sang Bapak ? Tapi kita berhasil meredam dan memaksa dia membuka kado Bapak yang terakhir. Dan inilah gongnya…. Dengan berapi-api Mizan menyobek satu demi satu pembungkus kado dari sang Bapak. Ketika sampai ke kotak sepatu semua tamu berseru “Wah... sepatu !” dan abang dengan air muka ga percaya langsung membuka kotak sepatu dan berseru “Ada lagi!”. Si Bapak masih dengan usil menyerukan “Abang semangat banget mau dapat Barbie!” Jelas si abang tambah panas. Terakhir dari kado sebesar kotak sepatu boot, dia memegang kotak tissue… dan kami berteriak “Barbie…Barbie….Tissue… Tissue….” Membuat Mizan makin gila membuka kotak tissue itu dan ketika akhirnya dia menemukan apa yang dicarinya air mukanya itu …… sangat susah untuk dilukiskan….. Senyumnya melebar…. Hilang sudah kecemasan dan rasa malu kalau sungguh dia dibelikan boneka Barbie oleh ayahnya. Sebagai gantinya dia mengacung-acungkan Bakugan dan segera mendaratkan ciuman di pipi bapaknya yang tertawa geli melihat tingkah sang buah hatinya.

Mizan anakku sayang
Enam tahun sudah umurmu
Terasa baru kemarin
Kau dalam buaianku

Tahun ini kau sudah pandai membaca
Bahkan dengan lantang kau bacakan baris-baris puisi
Tahun depan akankah kau masih
Mau menerima peluk dan ciuman dariku

Ayat-Ayat Cinta – The Movie

2008-03-09T22:02:00.000-07:00

Tiga hari yang lalu – tepat di hari Nyepi – saya, ibu dan adik ipar pergi menonton film yang sedang banyak diperbincangkan, Ayat-Ayat Cinta. Tiap-tiap kami telah membaca novelnya yang spektakuler, membukakan mata kami akan keindahan Islam dari hal-hal kecil pada kehidupan sehari-hari, membuktikan betapa Islam adalah Rahmatan Lil-‘Alamin. Ayat-Ayat Cinta – The Novel – lebih dari sekedar cerita cinta, penuh dengan pesan agama yang anehnya tidak terasa menggurui karena dituangkan dalam tutur bahasa yang menyejukkan. Semua wanita yang membaca Ayat-Ayat Cinta niscaya menghayalkan betapa bahagianya bila suaminya seperti sosok Fakhri: seorang tahfidz Qur’an yang ‘alim, pintar, memiliki hati yang lembut, menghormati perempuan, dan sangat romantis kepada istrinya. Buku ini mengajarkan bagaimana seorang adab dan akhlak seorang muslim dalam kehidupan metropolis zaman sekarang yang serba cepat dan serba individualistis. Bagi saya buku ini adalah buku cinta yang sebenarnya, yang tidak mengumbar nafsu berahi kepada lawan jenis sebelum menikah, namun ketika lawan jenis itu telah menjadi sah baginya berubah menjadi seorang pecinta ulung yang penuh dengan kata-kata indah dan perbuatan yang mengagungkan sang wanita. Buku ini membuka mata saya bagaimana cinta itu diajarkan dalam Islam, dan dengan bahasanya yang menawan, Habiburrahman El-Shirazy telah memikat pembacanya dalam kisah cinta yang menyentuh kalbu dengan kerinduan kepada Allah, karena cinta yang hakiki adalah cinta kepada Allah.

Sayangnya…. semua itu tidak terasa ketika kita menonton filmnya. Dari awal, adegan demi adegan terasa mengusik nurani saya melihat bagaimana bebasnya Fakhri dan Maria – gadis Kristen koptik tetangganya – pergi berdua-dua ke kampus atau saat mereka berdua bercakap-cakap di tepi sungai Nil dengan saling menatap mesra. Fokus dari film ini adalah percintaan segi tiga Fakhri-Aisha-Maria dengan puncaknya sidang pengadilan Fakhri yang dituduh memperkosa Noura – gadis Mesir muslim tetangga flatnya. Keshalihan Fakhri tidak tampak sama sekali dalam film ini, yang ada hanyalah keluguan seorang pemuda kampung mahasiswa Al-Azhar yang sering nampak ragu dengan keimanan yang dia miliki. Sama sekali bukan sosok Fakhri yang diceritakan di novelnya. Terlalu banyak detil yang tidak diperhatikan yang bagi saya justru terasa sangat mengganggu. Bagaimana mungkin seorang ‘alim seperti Fakhri minum dengan tangan kiri – yang kita tahu dalam Hadits dinyatakan seperti perilaku syaitan – atau minum sambil berdiri dan berjalan – yang disebut sebagai perilaku hewan dalam Hadits. Hal lain yang mengganggu ialah menjawab salam, kita tahu salam yang kita gunakan untuk Non Muslim tidak sepatutnya menggunakan Assalammu’alaikum tapi itulah yang terjadi di film ini.

Puncaknya adalah adanya adegan-adegan Hollywood di dalam film ini. Kalau kita sering menonton film produksi Hollywood sering kita menjumpai sang tokoh utama yang kontroversional dan alasan yang dia kemukakan adalah : “Saya dulu sangat religius, tapi apa yang saya dapat sebagai balasan ? Tuhan melupakan saya, Tuhan meninggalkan saya, Dia membiarkan saya ditimpa berbagai kemalangan di dunia ini, Apa salah saya sehingga Tuhan menghukum saya seperti ini?”. Pengingkaran dan menyalah-nyalahkan Tuhan adalah bukti nyata kualitas iman seseorang yang berada di lapisan terbawah. Untuk seseorang dengan kualitas keimanan seperti Fakhri, kata-kata semacam ini sangat tidak pantas diucapkan. Hal yang lebih pantas adalah introspeksi diri, muhasabah dan kontemplasi ke dalam, persis seperti yang ada di novelnya. Adegan Hollywood lainnya adalah penggambaran malam pertama Fakhri dan Aisha, dimana seharusnya disinilah ditampilkan adab malam pertama yang islami sesuai bukunya. Islam mengajarkan cara bermesraan yang santun, dimulai dengan mengecup ubun2 istri dan shalat berjamaah bersama memohon diberikan kebaikan atas kehidupan baru mereka. Tapi yang terjadi adalah adegan percintaan diakhiri ciuman ala Hollywood.

Singkatnya, film ini lebih tepat disebut adaptasi dari novel bersangkutan, karena penokohan karakternya yang tidak sama. Fakhri dalam film bukanlah sosok Fakhri dalam novel. Pertimbangannya apa, saya rasa lebih kepada unsur komersialitas, dan kenyataan bahwa Negara kita adalah Negara dengan berbagai macam agama – sehingga rasanya sang produser/sutradara/penulis scenario takut untuk dicap fanatik kalau terlalu mengikuti alur cerita dan penokohan karakter dalam novel. Hasil akhirnya adalah film yang kehilangan ruh dan nafasnya, Islam yang digambarkan masih Islam yang dangkal karena sebagian besar nilai Islam yang ditampilkan di bukunya tidak muncul sama sekali.

Terlepas dari itu, bagi orang yang belum membaca bukunya insya allah akan tercerahkan menonton film ini. Saran saya bagi yang sudah menonton – lebih baik bacalah bukunya dan anda akan terhanyut dengan keindahan Islam yang begitu luar biasa.

Love in Time of Cholera

2008-03-05T00:47:00.000-08:00

I recently read several love story novel, two of which are Love in Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Ayat-Ayat Cinta by Habiburrahman El-Shirazy.

I was prompted to read Love In Time of Cholera by my colleague in office, who adores this novel and in fact almost anything written by the same author who was a Noble Prize winner for his other novel: One hundred Years of Solitude. Moreover, I remember that this novel was 'the thing' that reunite the couples in the movie "Serendipity", so it must be a good novel.

It is a love story with setting around 19th century, so it was time for poetry and rhyme and long love letters. A bit boring - sometimes, as it elaborates certain things that proved not be essentials to the whole story e.g only serves as background. It was about a guy - Florentino Azaria - who keep his devotion towards his first love for more than 50 years ! The girls he's fallen in love to - Fermina Daza - has broke her promise to marry him and marry someone else instead. If you only read the excerpts that you will instantly take side with Azaria, the poor man. But when I read the book, the melancholy Azaria does not attract me at all rather than feeling pity and sorry for him. And the fact that he 'take revenge' by sleeping with more than 500 women in his waiting period of 50 years for Fermina Daza to be come widow give him even lower score.

In the other hand, I think Fermina Daza does not love anybody other than herself. She does not love her husband, not Azaria whom she feel sorry for, she only gives a damns about herself. I am instantly in love with Dr.Urbino - Fermina's husband - who has all the good traits a man should have. Frankly speaking, I do not know why Fermina is not happy with him who posed not only as husband, but also as protector and a friend - all at the same time.

That gets me introspecting that we all quite often take everything for granted. We have a loyal husband, a good father for the kids, and yet we still feel sorry to ourselves if our husband is not romantic like what we read in the novel. We always compare what we have with what we don't have and instead of feeling accomplished more often we feel behind.

Overall, I would recommend you to read the book if you're a romance freak. For me, it turns me off seeing a man cry so often as depicted in the book and the movie. However you can still enjoy the movie - especially Dr.Urbino who is played by the charismatic Benjamin Bratt.

I'll post my thoughts on Ayat-Ayat Cinta later on.

Is The World Running out of Oil ?

2008-02-27T19:40:00.000-08:00

When demand is bigger than supply, the price increase. But is it that simple to describe the phenomenon of oil price in the last year ?

Read on this interesting article.

However, bigger question lies. Is the world really running out of oil ?

FACTBOX: Why oil prices are at a record high
Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:31am EST(Reuters) - U.S. crude oil hit an all-time high of $101.89 a barrel on February 27, closing in on an inflation-adjusted peak of $102.53 seen in 1980.Robust demand for crude, real and threatened disruptions to supply and a weak U.S. dollar have fuelled the rally from a dip below $50 at the start of 2007.

FUNDS - Investment flows from pension and hedge funds into commodities including oil have boomed, as has speculative trading.At the same time, a global credit crunch has brought some other markets, such as the U.S. asset-backed commercial paper market, to a virtual standstill.Some of that money has found its way into energy and commodities, analysts say.

DOLLAR WEAKNESS - The fall in the value of the dollar against other major currencies has helped drive buying across commodities as investors view dollar assets as relatively cheap.It has also reduced the purchasing power of OPEC's revenues and increased the purchasing power of some non-dollar consumers.OPEC oil ministers have noted that although prices are rising to record nominal levels, inflation and the dollar have softened the impact.Some analysts say investors have been using oil as a hedge against the weaker dollar.

DEMAND - While previous price spikes have been triggered by supply disruptions, demand is a main driver of the current rally.Global demand growth has slowed after a surge in 2004 but is still rising, despite an economic slowdown in top consumer the United States. Higher prices have so far had a limited effect on economic growth.Analysts say the world is coping with high nominal prices because, adjusted for exchange rates and inflation, they are lower than during previous price spikes and some economies have become less energy intensive.

OPEC SUPPLY RESTRAINT - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, source of more than a third of the world's oil, started to reduce oil output in late 2006 to stem a fall in prices.Fewer OPEC barrels entering the market helped propel the rally and consumer nations led by the International Energy Agency have urged OPEC to pump more oil.At meetings in December and earlier in February, OPEC left output unchanged. Some in OPEC, such as Iran, want the group to cut supplies at the next OPEC meeting, on March 5.

VENEZUELA - A row between OPEC member Venezuela and Exxon Mobil Corp., the largest fully publicly traded oil company, has prompted price gains this month.Venezuela has suspended oil exports to Exxon, escalating the country's fight with the U.S. oil firm over compensation for an nationalized oil project. Venezuela has also threatened to cut exports to the United States.Oil producers in the Middle East have assured the United States that they could compensate for a supply disruption if Venezuela slows exports.

NIGERIA - Supply of crude from Nigeria, Africa's largest oil exporter, has been cut since February 2006 because of militant attacks on the country's oil industry.Oil companies have detailed about 515,000 bpd of shut Nigerian production due to militant attacks and sabotage.

REFINERY BOTTLENECKS - Limited additions to refining capacity in major consumer nations such as the United States are partly behind rising crude prices.The International Energy Agency said last year additional global refining capacity over the next five years will lag earlier expectations as rising costs and a shortage of engineers delay construction.

IRAQ - Iraq is struggling to get its oil industry back on its feet after decades of wars, sanctions and underinvestment.Exports of Kirkuk crude from the country's north are stabilizing as the system recovers from technical problems that had mostly idled the pipeline since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Serendipity

2008-02-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

Do you believe in coincidences ?

In real life I have met several coincidences - the last one is pretty strange: the previous owner of my car turns out to be my cousins ! The story started when I bought a car several years ago from a man - just call him Andi - and now I need to find him to ask for his ID to extend the car's registration license (STNK). I tried to call his office, handphones, homes - all end up with no luck. Then one day I attended a wedding reception of my cousins, and there I met Andi, who turns out to be the cousin of my cousin's wife!!

But what about love ? Some people are trying hard to find their soul mate, and others - probably - rely on serendipity. A nice coincidences - which for me is more like destiny rather than luck. All the old and new theories can claim that mating in human is the act of preserving blood line - heredity. That man tend to seek certain qualifications from women and vice versa, and those qualifications are merely physical - like the lower waist ratio to hip, the broad shoulder - all traits that shows a good chance of producing a good offspring. Other theory says the mating is natural instinct and thus use sense - where a certain sense of male/female body is attractive to certain male/femail, and not to others. That this sense is what's created chemistry - the reaction when two people falling in love.

All of that theories and some people stilll have difficulty in finding their mate. Is there something that people forget ?

For me the answer is God's will. God plays important role in all of this. Serendipity - is not merely a luck or coincidence.

Dolphin Mall - Miami

2008-02-21T03:38:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not !

I read about this mall in Republika news paper in January, and I wonder how it feels to be there - and in March here I was in the middle of the mall!

It was an outlet type of mall where you can find original stuff like Nike, Reebok, Guess with cut prices. I shop like crazy....In the end, I was broke considering I have no pocket money for this overseas assignment.

Ah yang penting happy kan...dan belanjanya kan sebagian besar buat oleh2 (alasan....)

IFC Mall Hongkong

2008-02-21T03:31:00.000-08:00

While waiting for The Peak to open, I stroll around the IFC mall, which does not look much different from our Senayan City....

The only different is you can find Ben & Jerry Ice Cream here !

Madame Tussaud - Hongkong, March 2007

2008-02-21T03:16:00.000-08:00

On the way back from Miami, I stopped over in Hongkong and use the extra 8 hours I have to explore the famous "The Peak". Alone, I took the bus to get to the tram terminal and then by tram hike an (almost) 45 degree slope to get to the peak. There's Madame Tussaud Museum at the Peak. Here I am with several of the really famous "people."

2008-02-21T03:07:00.000-08:00

Ah... if only I bring my swimsuit. It was 11 degree celcius during the day and 6 degrees in the night. Although the sun shine, but the wind was very cold. I almost wear my jacket in the beach !

2008-02-21T03:03:00.000-08:00

This is the famous Miami Beach where they shoot the Miami Vice !

The background is my hotel, if you see carefully, the architecture in Miami is art-deco. All of the cities are full of this kind of buildings, feels like you're in the year of 70's. One night we took a ride to the site where Giannini Versace was shot to death - the house was sold to someone else and is closed for public, but we can take a picture in front of it.

2008-02-21T02:58:00.000-08:00

This is the Loews Hotel where we have the 3 days SDDN conference.

It is very posh - have its own private beach and located in the high end area where the boutiques along the street displays outrageous pricey stuffs.

I prefer to go to the famous Dolphin Outlet Mall where you can find original Levi's 501 jeans for $ 30!

Miami

2008-02-21T02:52:00.001-08:00

Just arrived at Miami Airport after 24 hours flying from Jakarta-Hongkong-LA.

Mizan Ulang Tahun ke-5

2007-05-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Ini hari ulang tahunku yang ke-5, lihat deh ... Mama beli kue ulang tahunku di CITOS tuh... strawberry cheese cake kesukaanku. Malam ini, semua hadir... Eyang, Ibu, Mak Oja, Tek Dhi, Inyik, Nenek datang deh sama-sama memanjatkan do'a syukur dan bernyanyi selamat ulang tahun buatku!

Ulang tahunku yang ke-5 ini, aku dapat kado yang udah lama aku minta dari Bapak dan Mama! Scooter !! Dan ternyata scooter yang aku dapat keren banget lho.. warnanya biru metalik... walaupun sekarang aku belum bisa maininnya tapi pasti ga lama lagi aku bisa....

Nah kalau acara di sekolahku diadain hari Sabtunya.... Khusus untuk acara ini Tek Dhi bantuin pesenin kue spesial dengan karakter kesukaanku... Buzz Lightyear ! Aku tahu mama dan Tek Dhi telpon ke sana ke mari untuk pesen kue ini... soalnya rada mepet sih pesennya. Untung aja dapet...dan bagus sekali kan... aku aja sampe ga tega makannya.... Tapi akhirnya si Buzz aku makan juga... Amm... Manis !!

Di sekolah acaranya dipandu ibu guru.... aku seneng deh.... walaupun ga dapet kado dari teman-teman karena mama memang ga nyebar undangan... Kata Mama biar teman-teman ga usah bawa kado.... Abis pulang sekolah, aku, Mama dan Bapak bagi bingkisan ke teman-teman yang kurang beruntung di panti asuhan... Lebih baik begitu kan....

Fakhri

2007-05-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Setelah abang... giliran Fakhri deh....

Namaku Fakhri Makarim Yudanto... umur (saat ini) 20 bulan. Aku punya blog khusus sih... tapi di sana kebanyakan tentang kemajuan-ku. Kemajuan apa ? Mendingan buka aja deh di http://fakhri-makarim.blogspot.com

Lanjut ya... aku lahir tanggal 10 September 2005, 12 hari sebelum Bapak ulang tahun yang ke 31.. jadi itung-itung aku itu kado untuk Bapak.... hehehe. Aku tuh suka iseng dan jail... suka ngelawak juga... kadang-kadang aku suka bikin muka lucu sampai mama terpingkal-pingkal...

O ya... aku tuh seneng banget punya abang seperti abang mizan... segala kelakuannya aku ikutin.. termasuk loncat-loncat dari kasur! Tentu aja ini semua bikin mama teriak-teriak ga keruan dan kita berdua tambah loncat-loncat deh...

Segitu dulu ya... janji buka blog ku ya... tapi aku akan ikut tulis di sini juga kok...

Mizan

2007-05-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hai semua.... ceritanya mama punya blog baru nih dan aku disuruh ikutan isi....Isi apa ya ??

Namaku Mizan Alfarishi Yudanto.... tapi panggilannya abang... bahkan sebelum aku punya adik hehehe... Udah bisa ditebak kan aku anak pertama, lahir di Jakarta, 15 Maret 2002.

Aku sekarang sekolah di TK Aisyiah kelas A-1, ibu gurunya bu Nina. Orangnya sabar dan baik....deh. Hobiku segala sesuatu yang berhubungan dengan angkasa luar... mulai dari buku pengetahuan, film discovery channel, majalah, mainan roket & astronaut, pokoknya semua yang berhubungan dengan luar angkasa ! Tau kan kenapa... karena kalau udah besar aku mau jadi astronaut !!

Kecil-kecil gini, aku tuh udah hapal nama-nama 8 planet di tata surya kita. Kenapa delapan katamu ? Belum tahu ya... itu karena Pluto sekarang tidak dianggap planet lain melainkan asteroids, karena ukurannya yang lebih kecil dari ukuran standard planet. Kalau bicara soal luar angkasa ga ada habisnya deh.....Tapi kalau mau tau hobiku yang lain.. baca buku, menggambar (roket, kapal selam, pesawat), dan ..... ini kata mama ... NGOMONG !

Kalau aku ngomong... cepat dan kadang terlalu bersemangat..... juga susah disetop. Habis rasanya kalau disetop nanti aku lupa aku mau ngomong apa...hehehe. Mama dan bapak suka jengkel sih kalau aku suka nyelak omongan mereka....

Aku sekarang udah punya adik.... biar nanti dia perkenalin diri sendiri deh....