Dear Life,
You have been taking a big turn recently, resigning from your job, getting your boss to agree to let you out a month earlier than you think you would, a hectic week of screening, throwing and packing your stuff ~thank God Mom came to the rescue~ add to it, it's all being done in the fasting month. You manage to slipped in some good times for me and my friends at Xi'an, I always appreciate that, and then it's time for me to come home.
Home, a house where I share a room and a bed with my sister, where my parents often stay the night, where I spend a majority of my time stuck like a glue with my laptop (but then my laptop always stuck with me all the time anyway). I love my home, and the good thing is I'm gonna spend a lot of time making it mine again, after all I left it for a year.
Anyways, It's the end of fasting month. It's Lebaran time, spend a lot of time with families and friends, getting stuffed with absolutely delicious foods, getting a stomach ache, and not a whole lot of other thing to do. So, I'm gonna write and write and wait for a reply to my various job applications, and write some more. Good thing Indonesia doesn't block blogspot!!!!
Sincerely yours,
Me
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
My Post Idol Fever and my realisation about choir
In my frenzy of coming back home to Jakarta on the end of May and going back again to Xi'an in a matter of two weeks, I've given the chance to watch Idol Marathon and the Idol finale. That would be my turning point of not going to have an Idol to fan about. I watch Adam Lambert and fall in love with his music, I yelled *quite loudly* from my bed when he didn't win, and I kept digging for more glambert in the internet.
As I dig more and more videos, I found duet videos of Adam and Allison, and another of Kris and Gokey *note how I only use Gokey's last name*. At first I only notice how good Adam and Allison were and how not good Kris and Gokey. Then I found another video, this one is from the finale show, where Kris and Adam were singing with Queen, another Duet. I found that Adam and Kris really make a great duet, how Kris tried to rock his voice and Adam would adjust his timbre with Kris's voice. It takes effort of both of the singer to make a great duet, they have to adjust to one another.
This draws me to the question, if two singers have to adjust to sing a good song, then how about in a choir? There are about 35 people in one choir, and to sing a good song you have to adjust all 35 into one voice. Shit!! That's hard man. But I know it can be done, I myself is from a choir who can sing as one voice. So when people sometime under estimate choir group as an outlet for singing *because you don't sing Solo, nobody wiil know/recognized you* I think that person is stupid. Because singing in a choir is harder then singing Solo.
From my FB Notes June 3rd 2009
As I dig more and more videos, I found duet videos of Adam and Allison, and another of Kris and Gokey *note how I only use Gokey's last name*. At first I only notice how good Adam and Allison were and how not good Kris and Gokey. Then I found another video, this one is from the finale show, where Kris and Adam were singing with Queen, another Duet. I found that Adam and Kris really make a great duet, how Kris tried to rock his voice and Adam would adjust his timbre with Kris's voice. It takes effort of both of the singer to make a great duet, they have to adjust to one another.
This draws me to the question, if two singers have to adjust to sing a good song, then how about in a choir? There are about 35 people in one choir, and to sing a good song you have to adjust all 35 into one voice. Shit!! That's hard man. But I know it can be done, I myself is from a choir who can sing as one voice. So when people sometime under estimate choir group as an outlet for singing *because you don't sing Solo, nobody wiil know/recognized you* I think that person is stupid. Because singing in a choir is harder then singing Solo.
From my FB Notes June 3rd 2009
Kepada Kita, Kami dan Mereka
Aku marah, lalu aku teriak!
Aku kesal, lalu aku mengomel!
Aku sedih, lalu aku menangis!
Aku..aku... kenapa harus aku. Kenapa tidak Kita, kenapa tidak Kami? Mungkin karena aku adalah aku, tidak bisa dihindari bahwa aku adalah aku! Kita sedang sibuk dengan pekerjaannya, sementara Kami lagi sibuk bermain di negeri mimpi.
Aku berjalan di tengah kota Mereka, kadang dingin kadang panas. Dingin dengan salju yang menumpuk, panas dengan matahari yang membakar. Mereka cukup baik pada Aku, tapi Aku tetaplah Aku. Ia tak bisa menjadi Mereka.
Aku gembira, lalu aku tertawa!
Aku ingin di dengar, tapi Mereka sibuk dengan diri Mereka. Kami masih juga tidur, Kita sepertinya sedang pergi dan tak bisa dihubungi. Aku kembali berjalan, kembali kedinginan dan kepanasan. Aku menulis, Aku membaca, Aku hanyalah aku. Aku tidak tahu bagaimana menjadi Kita, Kami atau Mereka.
Aku marah, dan kali ini aku teriak lebih kencang!
Aku bingung, tapi Aku belum bisa menemukan jawabanya. Aku akan terus berjalan dan mencari. Apa yang di cari? Mungkin mencari Kita, Kami dan Mereka. Aku dengar semua sedang berada di negara antah berantah. Mungkin saat tiba disana aku bisa menjadi bagian dari Kita, Kami, dan Mereka.
From my FB notes June 7th 2009
Aku kesal, lalu aku mengomel!
Aku sedih, lalu aku menangis!
Aku..aku... kenapa harus aku. Kenapa tidak Kita, kenapa tidak Kami? Mungkin karena aku adalah aku, tidak bisa dihindari bahwa aku adalah aku! Kita sedang sibuk dengan pekerjaannya, sementara Kami lagi sibuk bermain di negeri mimpi.
Aku berjalan di tengah kota Mereka, kadang dingin kadang panas. Dingin dengan salju yang menumpuk, panas dengan matahari yang membakar. Mereka cukup baik pada Aku, tapi Aku tetaplah Aku. Ia tak bisa menjadi Mereka.
Aku gembira, lalu aku tertawa!
Aku ingin di dengar, tapi Mereka sibuk dengan diri Mereka. Kami masih juga tidur, Kita sepertinya sedang pergi dan tak bisa dihubungi. Aku kembali berjalan, kembali kedinginan dan kepanasan. Aku menulis, Aku membaca, Aku hanyalah aku. Aku tidak tahu bagaimana menjadi Kita, Kami atau Mereka.
Aku marah, dan kali ini aku teriak lebih kencang!
Aku bingung, tapi Aku belum bisa menemukan jawabanya. Aku akan terus berjalan dan mencari. Apa yang di cari? Mungkin mencari Kita, Kami dan Mereka. Aku dengar semua sedang berada di negara antah berantah. Mungkin saat tiba disana aku bisa menjadi bagian dari Kita, Kami, dan Mereka.
From my FB notes June 7th 2009
The CNN Factor
If you're like me, stuck in a hotel room for most of the day and the most exciting Channel in your TV is either CNN, or Discovery channel, you will notice more and more the CNN factor. Is not that I watch CNN all the time, but watching someone build a bridge across some big lake or chanel became boring after a while. So CNN it is.
Here I am, saturday noon, watching the political Mann, and I guess that is one of the way to understand a country called United States of America. As I watched the report about republican slamming President Obama, republican slamming other republican, I can't help but laugh. It seems that no matter if you are from developed country or developing country people are people. They have their own ego and the urge to fulfill their own needs, the never feels satisfied trait. That is people.
Watching CNN, understanding a developed country, makes me think about my own. We have the same problem with them, but we are trying to mend ourselves. True that we are one of the most corrupt country in the world, one of the poor country in the world, one of the most populous country in the world, but I think we can mend that. If we have the intentions to bring our country to the world eyes, we should be prud of ourselves, and help mend the country we born in. I guess that's the CNN factor for me.
from my FB notes June 13th 2009
Here I am, saturday noon, watching the political Mann, and I guess that is one of the way to understand a country called United States of America. As I watched the report about republican slamming President Obama, republican slamming other republican, I can't help but laugh. It seems that no matter if you are from developed country or developing country people are people. They have their own ego and the urge to fulfill their own needs, the never feels satisfied trait. That is people.
Watching CNN, understanding a developed country, makes me think about my own. We have the same problem with them, but we are trying to mend ourselves. True that we are one of the most corrupt country in the world, one of the poor country in the world, one of the most populous country in the world, but I think we can mend that. If we have the intentions to bring our country to the world eyes, we should be prud of ourselves, and help mend the country we born in. I guess that's the CNN factor for me.
from my FB notes June 13th 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Senja
Melihat senja seperti apa yang kulihat sekarang, mungkin ini senja yang dilihat Seno Gumira Ajidarma ketika ia menulis "Sepotong Senja Untuk Pacarku". Jika bisa, akan kupotong satu ujung senja ini, penuh dengan semburat cahaya matahari berwarna merah, oranye dan kuning. Namun, untuk siapa kuberikan senja itu?
Kupegang dan kusimpan sendiri? Atau kujual? Pasti akan dapat keuntungan yang besar. Kuberikan pada keluargaku? Untuk apa?Jika dipajang di rumah, akan terlalu terang. Bisa jadi seisi rumah tak bisa tidur karena terlalu terang di malam hari. Senja dengan warna yang bercampur aduk dalam latar belakang langit yang terkadang biru.
Aku menikmati udara senja yang semakin dingin di sebuah bangku taman, kutatap matahari yang semakin turun dan warna senja yang mulai ditelan hitamnya malam. Betapa singkatnya senja, betapa indahnya. Senja sudah berakhir kini waktunya untuk pulang.
From: My Notes on FB, December 2nd 2008
Kupegang dan kusimpan sendiri? Atau kujual? Pasti akan dapat keuntungan yang besar. Kuberikan pada keluargaku? Untuk apa?Jika dipajang di rumah, akan terlalu terang. Bisa jadi seisi rumah tak bisa tidur karena terlalu terang di malam hari. Senja dengan warna yang bercampur aduk dalam latar belakang langit yang terkadang biru.
Aku menikmati udara senja yang semakin dingin di sebuah bangku taman, kutatap matahari yang semakin turun dan warna senja yang mulai ditelan hitamnya malam. Betapa singkatnya senja, betapa indahnya. Senja sudah berakhir kini waktunya untuk pulang.
From: My Notes on FB, December 2nd 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Global Recession-
I don't know if by writing this blog then I'm influenced by the news, and media, who (as people say time and again) have the tendency to exaggerate every news that they have.
In the midst of global recession, the Asia region still stand up by its own and managed to help its west counterpart. Its not as if the region is not hurt by this, we have our share of poverty, unemployment, economic crisis, politic instability, etc. But then we do not exclaim our self as a super power country just because our economy managed to pass the point of wealthy.
Before the this economic crisis, we see the west as a wealthy region. A region where poverty is minimal, unemployment is nonexistent, and a very stable economy. But then this happened. The truth is uncovered one by one as we understand that the region's wealth is about debts and more debts. Its like they're all about the image and pride, as long as they look good to the world, its OK. I find that to be so vain, and hypocrite.
It reminds me on my own country's economic crisis on '98, that time the condition was bad, most people (even the rich one) doesn't seem to have any money. And the government was in torn, because of the politic instability, offers of loan seems to be the right way, the only way for us to get out of this mess. But after two years we realize that, loan mean debts. And the debt of my country is mine, my children, my grandchildren, and maybe even my grandchildren grandchildren duty to erase. That's why I'm quite relieved when the new government, formed in 2004, refused to add another debt in our pockets and sort of said "we will make it on our own" and that we will.
Back to the global recession issue, what makes me grateful that I'm born as Asian is that we have a culture of saving, and a bad habit of calculating every single thing that we expend, another thing is we tend to struggle more, maybe its connected to years of history and culture, we learn from what happened before. And that kind of lesson is not the one that you got from Its like what my father always told me "do not make debt!", we learn that its more relieving to be humble yet prosperous.
While the tendency to loan and make a debt is growing in the west, in the east more and more people are saving. This is sort of the crux of the recession, while the west has to cut of their spending, the east have to spend more to make the economy stable. So what shall we do then? I guess we just wait and see.
In the midst of global recession, the Asia region still stand up by its own and managed to help its west counterpart. Its not as if the region is not hurt by this, we have our share of poverty, unemployment, economic crisis, politic instability, etc. But then we do not exclaim our self as a super power country just because our economy managed to pass the point of wealthy.
Before the this economic crisis, we see the west as a wealthy region. A region where poverty is minimal, unemployment is nonexistent, and a very stable economy. But then this happened. The truth is uncovered one by one as we understand that the region's wealth is about debts and more debts. Its like they're all about the image and pride, as long as they look good to the world, its OK. I find that to be so vain, and hypocrite.
It reminds me on my own country's economic crisis on '98, that time the condition was bad, most people (even the rich one) doesn't seem to have any money. And the government was in torn, because of the politic instability, offers of loan seems to be the right way, the only way for us to get out of this mess. But after two years we realize that, loan mean debts. And the debt of my country is mine, my children, my grandchildren, and maybe even my grandchildren grandchildren duty to erase. That's why I'm quite relieved when the new government, formed in 2004, refused to add another debt in our pockets and sort of said "we will make it on our own" and that we will.
Back to the global recession issue, what makes me grateful that I'm born as Asian is that we have a culture of saving, and a bad habit of calculating every single thing that we expend, another thing is we tend to struggle more, maybe its connected to years of history and culture, we learn from what happened before. And that kind of lesson is not the one that you got from Its like what my father always told me "do not make debt!", we learn that its more relieving to be humble yet prosperous.
While the tendency to loan and make a debt is growing in the west, in the east more and more people are saving. This is sort of the crux of the recession, while the west has to cut of their spending, the east have to spend more to make the economy stable. So what shall we do then? I guess we just wait and see.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Back in Xi'an
After a one week break for Lebaran vacation and another week waiting for my visa approval, I am back in this ancient town again. Its colder now, and yesterday night I had my fist breakdown. Alone, and I just got a call from my chinese partner who insisted to visit the cement plant site this morning, a two hours drive from the city.
Although I manage to get a good reason from her about this visit, but I'm already in the state of breaking down so I cried about half an hour, tried to YM my sister but she's either to busy with her own mind or doesn't notice anything weird. Anyway, the infiniters threw me a big hug and sooth my breakdown. Along with half a pack of pringles and a cup of hot and sour soup, don't forget the crackers and the mayo... hihihihihihihi...*food is always the best medicine*
I've done the visit today, it was damn cold. My fingers were blue, and I just can't stand still. The damn thing is, my partner *who sits in the front, right beside the driver* has the tendency to open the window, she said that its to stuffy, no air inside the car. I don't think she realize that I'm freezing to death sitting right behind her.
But, all is well my job is finished for the day. I still have a lot of translation to do, but tomorrow I have a meeting with a client and I guess I'm free after that. Going to meet up with a british friend maybe. Also going to meet up with A Jie on Friday. That's a relief. Planning on joining a halloween party, but don't know with whom.
Although I manage to get a good reason from her about this visit, but I'm already in the state of breaking down so I cried about half an hour, tried to YM my sister but she's either to busy with her own mind or doesn't notice anything weird. Anyway, the infiniters threw me a big hug and sooth my breakdown. Along with half a pack of pringles and a cup of hot and sour soup, don't forget the crackers and the mayo... hihihihihihihi...*food is always the best medicine*
I've done the visit today, it was damn cold. My fingers were blue, and I just can't stand still. The damn thing is, my partner *who sits in the front, right beside the driver* has the tendency to open the window, she said that its to stuffy, no air inside the car. I don't think she realize that I'm freezing to death sitting right behind her.
But, all is well my job is finished for the day. I still have a lot of translation to do, but tomorrow I have a meeting with a client and I guess I'm free after that. Going to meet up with a british friend maybe. Also going to meet up with A Jie on Friday. That's a relief. Planning on joining a halloween party, but don't know with whom.
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