Napak Tilas 2011

Kurang dari 24 jam; 2012 sudah di depan mata. Saya baca ulang Resolusi 2011 dan agak ngeri melihat dari 10 poin hanya 3 yang tercapai ._____.  Saya tulis resolusi itu di sebuah buku, saya taruh buku itu di lemari, dan saya baru membukanya lagi dari saat pertama menulisnya. Errr...bahkan saya sempat ‘lupa’ dengan poin-poin yang saya jadikan resolusi tahun ini.

Postingan ini tidak dimaksudkan untuk membahas resolusi tahun ini ataupun 2012 nanti. Saya buat ini untuk kilas balik 2011 versi saya. Saya ingin menuliskan hal-hal yang happening bagi saya sepanjang tahun ini. Untuk apa? Sebagai pengingat, tentu saja.

Dan, apa yang saya tulis di postingan ini belum tentu semua hal yang baru ada di tahun 2011. Bisa saja lagu terfavorit saya di tahun ini adalah lagu yang ada sejak 2008. Intinya sih ini adalah hal-hal yang sesuatu banget buat saya di tahun 2011; hal-hal yang mengingatkan saya pada tahun ini, meskipun sebenarnya sudah ada sejak tahun kapan.

*meluncur ke dalam Pensieve*

My Dearest Cousin's Wedding

Marriage is a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose - Beverly Nicholas

(Tidak) Semalam di Malaysia - Day 4

Senin, 5 Desember 2011

Hari terakhir di Penang. Kami kembali bangun pagi agar tak telat naik bis menuju bandara. Beruntung kami tak perlu menunggu terlalu lama. Bis masih sepi penumpang. AC yang dingin membuat badan saya menggigil.

 Bye, Super 8!

(Tidak) Semalam di Malaysia - Day 3

Minggu, 4 Desember 2011

Kali ini, kami bisa bangun lebih siang. Lebih santai. Acara hari ini adalah jalan-jalan mengelilingi Penang dan mengembara dari mall ke mall. Rencana jalan-jalan mengeksplor Penang gagal setelah bis gratisan yang kami tumpangi ternyata hanya berputar-putar di area itu-itu saja. Kami pikir bis akan membawa kami sampai pelosok Penang. Akhirnya rencana kedualah yang kami jalankan.

(Tidak) Semalam di Malaysia - Day 2

Sabtu, 3 Desember 2011

Kami berempat bangun pagi untuk persiapan perjalanan menuju Kuala Lumpur. Pukul enam pagi, Penang masih gelap gulita seperti subuh di Indonesia. Kami berjalan kaki menuju pool bis. Setelah konfirmasi ini-itu soal keberangkatan bis, pukul delapan lewat bis kami mulai jalan menuju ibu kota Malaysia.

Penang- Kuala Lumpur punyak waktu tempuh lima jam. Saya isi lima jam itu dengan tidur, menyetel iPod, tidur, melihat-lihat pemadangan, tidur, makan, tidur, memotret, tidur. Tapi saya sepenuhnya terbangun saat bis melewati Jembatan Penang. Saya merasakan sensasi aneh ketika melihat lautan menyatu dengan langit di ujung paling seberang. Saya seperti ingin melongok ke yang paling ujung itu, untuk membuktikan kalau bumi itu benar bulat. Ah, rupanya kantuk membuat pikiran saya melantur.

 Lihat iPod yang sudah kami siapkan untuk menemani perjalanan

Setelah istirahat sekali yang lumayan mengurangi penat, kami tiba di Kuala Lumpur pukul satu. Niat awal naik kereta menuju Petronas Towers surut melihat mengularnya antrian. Kami memutuskan naik taksi untuk mengirit waktu. Kami hanya punya sehari di Kuala Lumpur, tak boleh disia-siakan untuk hal-hal yang memboroskan waktu.

Di jalan, saya memuaskan mata memandang sekeliling. Kota ini lebih rapi dibanding ibu kota negara sendiri. Tak lama, terlihat bangunan yang menjadi ikon Malaysia itu. Petronas atau juga dikenal dengan Twin Towers menjulang tinggi, terlihat dominan di antara bangunan yang lain. Begitu tingginya hingga mata saya silau terkena cahaya matahari ketika mendongak untuk melihat ujungnya.

(Tidak) Semalam di Malaysia - Day 1

Jumat, 2 Desember 2011

Lewat pukul dua dini hari. Di luar hujan lebat. Taksi yang kami tumpangi melaju dengan kecepatan sedang, memercikkan air ke badan taksi setiap kali melewati genangan. Duduk di belakang bersama dua teman membuat saya merasa hangat. Seorang teman yang lain duduk di depan, sibuk dengan ponselnya. Kantuk masih terasa karena tidur yang kurang dari dua jam. Lapar membuat martabak dingin yang dibeli beberapa jam sebelumnya dijadikan camilan sepanjang jalan. Sampai di Bandara Soekarno-Hatta, belum ada tanda-tanda Terminal 3 sudah dibuka.

Hampir pukul tiga dini hari. Di luar hujan rintik. Udara malam masih menyisakan dinginnya. Seorang teman yang kedinginan menyesap Milo panas. Seorang teman yang lain mulai menjajal kameranya. Seorang lainnya berkeliling, melihat-lihat papan jadwal, tak betah hanya duduk diam.

Sudah pukul lima pagi. Kami berempat sudah siap dengan tas ransel masing-masing. Memori kamera sudah mulai berkurang. Paspor dan tiket sudah diamankan di tempat terpisah. Langit masih gelap ketika kami menaiki pesawat yang identik dengan warna merah. Pagi itu, kami tengah bersiap menuju Malaysia.

Hipnosis?

Ah, sudah lama tak menulis di blog ini. Setelah di bulan sebelumnya saya menulis sampai delapan postingan, hingga minggu keempat bulan Desember ini belum satu pun tulisan yang saya buat. Saya punya banyak bahan untuk dijadikan tulisan. Sungguh. Tapi saya sedang suntuk mengolah kata. Gejala awalnya adalah kesulitan menemukan kalimat pembuka.

Ketika membuka-buka folder laptop, saya melihat ada tulisan yang setengah jadi. Tiga bulan tertunda. Ini tentang pengalaman saya dihipnotis, kalau boleh dibilang begitu. Sudah ada lima paragraf; sayang kalau tak ditamatkan. Biarlah saya selesaikan dulu satu yang ini.

Awal Oktober kemarin saya mengikuti pelatihan di Bandung selama tiga hari. Bukan pelatihannya yang hendak saya bahas, tapi sesi terakhir di hari terakhir yang ingin saya ceritakan. Sesi berjudul EQ dan Kekuatan Pikiran ini dilakukan menjelang kegiatan usai.

Ada sekitar 15 peserta pelatihan dalam ruangan. Kami duduk di kursi yang sudah diatur membentuk Letter U. Instruktur meminta kami memejamkan mata, dengan masing-masing ujung jari tangan kiri dan kanan bertautan. Masih dengan mata terpejam, arah pandangan kami lurus ke depan.

Tak berapa lama, lampu dimatikan. Lagu instrumental mulai disetel. Instruktur memberikan aba-aba. Ia menyuruh kami membayangkan turun melalui lift dari gedung sepuluh lantai.

“Semakin menuju lantai bawah, Anda akan semakin rileks”, ujarnya. Ini mengingatkan saya pada gaya hipnotis yang biasa saya lihat di televisi. Otak saya berputar, menyadari kemungkinan ini adalah bagian dari teknik hipnotis yang akan dilakukan instruktur. Terlebih, di awal pertemuan saat ia memperkenalkan diri melalui CV super panjangnya, saya sempat melihat Hypnotherapy masuk menjadi salah satu yang digelutinya.

Tiba-tiba saya diserang rasa ngantuk. Semakin kecil angka yang disebutkan instruktur, semakin saya tak bisa mempertahankan kepala supaya tetap menghadap lurus ke depan. Di tengah-tengah penghitungan angka, kepala saya miring ke bahu sebelah kanan. Saya tidak bisa mengendalikannya. Seperti ada kekuatan lebih besar yang mengarahkan. Ketika instruktur menyebut angka satu, kepala saya sudah sepenuhnya menunduk. Dagu saya menyentuh dada.

Hola, Filipina! : Time to Say Goodbye

I suppose to write this note in Bahasa. In fact, I’ve already written three paragraphs before I changed my mind. If there’s person who has to read this note, it should be my Filipino friend. I don’t want them just stare at my note to look at the pictures, while I’m trying to say to the world that I have wonderful time there. So, I write this in English. It’s fine though it means I’ll write three times slower. It’s okay though it means dictionaries (yes, for Indonesia-English and English-Indonesia, and English-English) will be my best friends during the night. It doesn’t matter though it means I’ll need more coffee to keep me stay awake. Ahemm...

If you read the first note of my trip to Philippines, you’d know that I have friends there. My virtual friends; since we are connected through social networks. Thank you to Mark Zuckerberg and whoever-the-founder-of-Twitter-is to let us know each other. I don’t want to tell you how and why I met my awesome friends. It will need another note to explain it.

Anyway, what I want to tell you is the moment when I met them in person. It somehow made me excited. I would meet people that along this time just only appeared in my timeline and wall. I couldn’t wait!

Me Meets Chloe

The first friend I met was Chloe. We met in Fully Booked Gateway on Saturday at about 5 pm. She wore all black. She was there when I came to Fully Booked. I smiled when I recognized her looking at books.

“Chloe?”, I asked her.

I don’t know why I didn’t say something like ‘halo’ or ‘bonjour’ or something Filipino like ‘mabuhay’.

She turned to me, “Yeah. And you?”

I ran to airport and took the first flight to Indonesia.

That dialogue’s only written in my drama queen script. I know you know. First of all, I would never ever run to airport. I hate running. It’d make sense if I took a cab to go there. And, on that Saturday, I didn’t have more Pesos to buy ticket. I probably went to Embassy of The Republic of Indonesia in Manila and pretended to get lost, and asked them to take me home on behalf of me as Indonesian citizen. Moreover, Chloe recognized me, too =’)

And that was the beginning of the awkward moment. I wanted to shake her hand when I noticed that her right arm was bandaged. It looked hurt. So I reached her left hand, and I almost shake her left hand with my left hand. Thank you, Brain! Thank you for being so creative when I needed it the most.

I introduced her to my friend Tina. We didn’t talk much. She’s quite quiet. I asked her to join Angel, Tina, and I to have dinner, but she couldn’t. She got accident in the morning that day that made her arm bandaged. She couldn’t stay longer then.

Before leaving, she gave me gifts in pink and green bags, her favorite colours. As she walked to exit door, I realized that it was meet with Chloe herself – not the gifts – that made me happy.

Fully Booked Gateway where I met Chloe

One mission accomplished. I couldn’t wait to have dinner with Angel!

Dinner with Angel

Saturday night. It was almost 7 pm when Angel texted me. She was there in food court in Gateway. She came in time. Oh no. I always had this guilty feeling every time I came late. Or later – in this case.

Dinner with Angel was definitely different with meeting Chloe. I mean, I knew my time with Angel would be longer. We would have more conversations. That was the time when my English speaking skill’s challenged. It would be the success parameter of my English exercise every single night before I went to Philippines.

I taught myself to nod confidently or smile whenever I don’t know what to respond. Oh. At least, I had Tina with me. I could use ‘ask a friend’ option when I was clueless.

Angel wore blue t-shirt. I guess it’s her favorite colour. We met in front of KFC corner, in the middle of crowded people. Did I say something about Saturday night? No wonder this place was full of couple people.

She smiled when we met. I smiled. I shaked her hand and introduced Tina to her. Angel asked me where to eat. Burgoo. I wanted to eat there, just because my friend said that we could draw on its dining table while waiting for our meal. I thought the idea was cute.

Tina and I ordered chicken steak while Angel had Jambalaya for herself. The last time she went to Burgoo, she ordered the same menu. It must be delish! I might try that too once I come back to Philippines (- don’t ask me when). And, I liked the steak though the portion was too big to me.

Angel talked a lot. I liked it. She was nice that I felt comfortable talking to her. I made mistakes, I made her repeat the questions, I was speechless sometimes, but I enjoyed our conversation very mucho. We talked for about two hours, but I still felt like want to talk to her again. Angel gave me books and I thanked her for that =)

Before we finish our dinner, I asked Angel to say something in Tagalog. She giggled and thought it was silly, but she did it too. Months ago, I had to search through Youtube just to hear people speaking Tagalog. I was so curious with that language. During my trip in Philippines, I heard lots of people talking in Tagalog, but it must be different to hear it from a friend-that-speaks-English-to-me-all-the-time.

That was why I was excited to listen to every word she said though I didn’t understand about any single word. She explained the meaning, though. Super thanks, Angel! ;) From Burgoo, we went to giant Christmas tree in Gateway area. We took pictures there. We watched choir performance, too.

I had a great time that Saturday!

Two missions accomplished. I couldn’t wait to sing with Shiela and HardCorr Fans (HCF) friends!

Jamming with Shiela and Filipino HCF Friends

Paco Park is so Irish. Seriously. It’s green, vintage, and beautiful. I want to get married there.

.....

Skip ‘the get-married’ part. I have something more interesting to tell.

I met Shiela and Filipino HCF friends in Paco Park on Sunday afternoon. Few hours before, Tina and I were too tired that we cancelled our plan to Greenhills. After packed our bags and checked out from Eurotel Cubao, we went to Paco Park.

We came in time. Not much people there. Tina was amazed with white doves while I was amazed with the old church.

“I can stay here all day long reading a book,” I said it to Tina.

“Well... I prefer beach, actually,” She said it while busy taking pictures of the doves.

Then I saw them. Two girls with guitars. Not long after that, I saw more people with violins. Then I saw Shiela in grey shirt. I came closer to them. I felt like Indonesian HCF Ambassador that came to Filipino HCF meeting. It was official.

I know Shiela when she won HCF logo competition held by our Sharon Corr. Yep, she’s so talented. I adore her drawings. She’s one of my Facebook friends then.

When I told her about my trip to Philippines, she said Filipino HCF would gather on November 20th, when I was still there. She asked me whether I could join them.

The old me would say ‘no’.

I mean, talk to a new person could make me nervous, and now I have to talk with more people. In English. But since I learn about trying new things and meeting new people, I said ‘yes’. In fact, I was sooo excited to meet them!

There were nine Filipino HCF that I met: Lowell, Tian, AJ, Christine, Ai, Shel Beeh, Jane Sano, Patricia, and Shiela herself. They had a plan to record a video to Xmas present for The Corrs. They asked me to join =’) They had medley songs to sing: one Andrea’s song, two Sharon’s songs, and the rest was The Corrs’. The Corrs unite us all!

We started practising. I was in heaven. The Corrs Heaven Fandom. They played guitars, tin whistles, violins – playing The Corrs’ songs. They were so talented that I was glad I didn’t show them my tin whistle. Yeah, it was more than a year I had that gold-green tin whistle but I still couldn’t play it well T_T The only song I guess I could play is Lough Erin Shore. I wish I could join every gathering they held so I could learn from them.

I always dream this day. The day that I meet another HCF and sing and talk like no other band exists. Sure Indonesia has Indonesian HCF, but we never meet in person. We just share our interest in Facebook fan page. We never gather like Filipino HCF did. We never have a real project to give something for The Corrs. Or it’s just me that don’t know about our gathering?

My Filipino HCF friends were not only musically talented, but also great to befriend with. They were nice and.... nice. I felt like home when I was with them. I enjoyed my time so much that 2 hours with them was not enough.

It was 4 pm when I had to go to airport. Shiela gave me a hug. And oh, Shiela gave me her drawing! I love it!

I said goodbye to my Filipino HCF friends. They accompanied Tina and I outside Paco Park to look for a cab. When we got a cab, they told the cab driver to take us to Terminal 3 NAIA.

They waved hands. The cab ran slowly.

“Stop!”, I told the cab driver.

I jumped out of the cab.

“Tina, this is the time when you have to continue the journey without me. I stay here in Philippines. Send my best regards to Mr. Minister,” I said it with deep voice.

My wish.

All I could do was waving back at my friends.

Three missions accomplished. Time to go home.

Epilogue

Journey to airport was never this hard. Moreover, the flight destination was Indonesia, my beloved country. It shouldn’t be difficult. I looked at Manila buildings and streets and vehicles through the window cab. I wish I could stay longer.

Then a song was played in cab radio. Tina sang along with the song; ‘American Pie’ by Don McLean.

Bye-bye Miss American Pie...

Oh no, in a time like that, I didn’t need any song with ‘bye-bye’ word in it. It made me sadder =(

I wondered why it was hard to leave Philippines. I mean, I had a great time too when I was in the other countries I visited. Then I knew the answer.

I have nice friends there.

When you are in foreign country, a text from native friends asking about your day can make your day. Then they ask you about the trip, they recommend you places to visit, they offer to tour you around, they wish you good times, they want to meet you too! And simple thing like ‘Hey... I just walk passed your hotel, I’m on my way to work.’ can make you happy. Because it means that somebody knows you are there. Somebody remembers you.

I had a great time in Philippines.

Philippines treated me good.

Thank you =’)

Hola, Filipina! : The Awkward Moments

A: I like talking to you. You talk much.
X: Yeah… I talk a lot.
A: *duh!*

A: Good morning. Can you help me?
Y: Of course I can help you, Ma’am. What can I do for you?
A: I’m afraid I left the key in my room.

A: *sending FB message* I want to go to FullyBooked in Getway.
- few minutes later -
A: *sending another FB message* I've just realized that I do mistake. It's not FullyBooked in Getway, but it's Gateway in Quezon City.

*at Pizza Hut after shopping in SM Mall*
A: We should go to Ali Mall.
Y: Yeah *busy with cellphone*
A: I believe it’s near here.
Y: ……
A: ……
Y: *still busy with cellphone* Oh well, we’re in Ali Mall now!
A: What?
Y: *look at surrounding* Even the trash can has ‘Ali Mall’ on it.

A: blablabla…blablabla… *suddenly quiet* I’m speechless. I’m sorry, I’m speechless. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m sorry.

*at Burgoo Restaurant where we can draw on the dining table*
X: I don’t know what to draw.
A: It’s so Indonesian!!

Y: What do you want to drink?
A: I want hooot tea, please.
Y: Okay, one haaaat tea.
A: Yeah, hooot tea.
Y: Haaat tea.

A: *sending DM* Ewww... I made a mistake. I booked Eurotel Bulacan instead of Eurotel Araneta. I thought there's only one Eurotel in Quezon. Is Bulacan far from Gateway?
X: *replying DM* Yes, very var.

*at SM Mall, in snack area*
Y: *speaking Tagalog* *seems explaining about product discount*
A: *nodding*
- few minutes later –
X: *speaking Tagalog* *seems explaining about product discount*
A: *smiling*
- few minutes later –
Z: *speaking* *seems explaining about product discount*
A: I’m sorry?
Z: *speaking* *seems explaining about product discount*
A: Can you explain it in English?
Z: I’M SPEAKING IN ENGLISH, MA’AM.
A: *dead white*
Z: Where do you come from, Ma’am?
A: *preparing the answers. Malaysia? Cambodia? Vietnam? Bhutan?*
Z: Where do you come from, Ma’am?
A: *nervous* Indonesia.
Z: …..
A: *faint*

A is always me.

Hola, Filipina! : Places to Visit

Sebelum berangkat ke Filipina, saya sudah punya rencana untuk mengunjungi beberapa tempat wisata di sana. Tapi ternyata empat hari tidak cukup untuk mengeksplor itu semua. Sebagian besar waktu saya habiskan di mall. FYI, Metro Manila punya banyak sekali mall besar. Beruntung saya masih bisa meluangkan waktu yang sedikit itu ke Intramuros dan Ayala Museum. Dalam postingan kali ini saya akan cerita tentang dua tujuan wisata tersebut.

Intramuros

Intramuros adalah yang paling pertama kami sebut saat menyusun rencana perjalanan ke Filipina saking iconic-nya sebagai tempat wisata. Tempat ini merupakan kota tua-nya Manila; dan kalau dilihat dari postcard yang pernah saya dapat dari teman Filipina saya, Intramuros lebih dari bagus sebagai tempat untuk berfoto-foto.

Saya dan Mbak Tina datang ke Intramuros hari Sabtu pagi-pagi. Dari Ayala Avenue, kami naik MRT ke Taft Avenue. Dari sana kami lanjut naik LRT ke Central. Turun di Central, kami lanjutkan perjalanan naik pedicab – seperti becak di Indonesia, tapi dikayuh dengan sepeda. Awalnya kami ingin naik jeepney, sayangnya tidak ada yang menuju Intramuros. Mau jalan juga lumayan jauh.

Naik pedicab di sana sama seperti naik bajaj di Jakarta. Adventurous! Bikin deg-degan. Bayangkan saja, si bapak pengayuh ini akan turun dan mengangkat pedicab-nya (plus dua penumpang di dalamnya) ketika hendak naik ke atas trotoar yang lebih tinggi dari ruas jalan. Dan sama seperti bajaj, hanya si pengayuh dan Tuhan yang tahu kemana kendaraan akan berbelok. Tapi, harganya memang sangat murah. Saya dan Mbak Tina sampai memberi lebih.

Sepanjang jalan, yang kami lihat adalah bangunan-bangunan tua yang artistik. Kami berencana turun di Fort Santiago, karena itu adalah icon Intramuros. Kesan pertama saya tentang Fort Santiago adalah rindang. Dan sejuk. Dan bersih. Udaranya segar meskipun agak lembab. Tamannya rapi dengan pepohonan di pinggir jalan. Beberapa calesa - sejenis kereta kuda – hilir mudik membawa penumpang yang rata-rata anak-anak. Iya, bahkan di sepagi itu Fort Santiago sudah memiliki banyak pengunjung.

Karena bagusnya, banyak yang berfoto-foto di sana. Ini saya ambil gambar beberapa di antaranya.

Puas mengelilingi Fort Santiago, saya dan Mbak Tina memutuskan pulang. Sebenarnya masih banyak tempat menarik lainnya di Intramuros, tapi kami diburu waktu untuk check out dari InterContinental Hotel. Kami sempat melewati Manila Cathedral yang megah dan foto-foto juga di sana.