WONDER WOMAN

This is a story about someone wanting to be a wonder woman. Reminds me that almost all my friends label me as a forceful individual.

Fortunately it keeps her the spirit of staying up on the ground even when the soil slants. Fortunately it keeps her moving forward despite her feet gaining mud all over forcing her to stuck. Unfortunately, I’m (not) a wonder woman – as much as I want it to be! She thought.

While sitting there, she was thinking about a research proposal – not even all wrapped up… she has PERISAI 2008 in her head – an annual event coming for a concern on HIV/AIDS issue… she was moving back and forth through past and near future accompanied by Time, she make friends with him now and then.

There she was 10 years ago, over-excited with a brand new shiny computer (which has been donated and now belonged to one who is in need most). Over the years, this wonder woman wanna-be decided to move her world to another dimension where little kids see as a stage of adultery. She was captivated and absorbed all that her senses could afford. Bending the rules is seductive.

She has been through pain – perforce to enjoy by now, she has anger… sadness coming like rain in monsoon… envy over others (which is considered normal coz she hasn’t been in a situation where she sticks out a knife over one’s throat, although somehow she wants to experience the sensation, hihi…), she already has things she deserves – should be grateful to that… and she has (also) happiness.

Though, she doesn’t (yet) have some things she pursues – well, others undergo the same line of life… she is still running away from her shadow… coz she thinks shadow for wonder woman is a wicked mimicker!

A dear friend Time is, whispering that she should be careful of what she wishes for… of becoming a wonder woman! She laughed, what’s wrong with being a wonder woman? He said you’re too strong to even survive the bliss if you’re wonder woman… surviving is not about being strong but it’s about losing yourself to gain consciousness.

Wonder woman beats her enemy and stays between time gaining none but victoriously-ail sense coming from her defeated opponent.

Well, I haven’t decided on becoming a wonder woman just yet, but I want to be a wonder woman, she firmed. Have it your way then, Time said… “It’s no exaggeration to say the undecideds could go one way or another,” he quoted George W. Bush.

C'est Normal

At some point, it’s not an easy job to distinct normality.

I say he’s normal… just like any other kids I get acquainted up to today. But as I spent less than 5mins with him, he’s so far from normal.

His eyes… his face… his acknowledgment to the surrounding class… I looked up at my host-mother, Hillary, and found the same feeling in her eyes as she chatted with all these kids in a messy classroom. As much, this isn’t a normal school for anyone would care.

The feeling kept me distanced from those cheerful pupils running about the room, as I took their pictures… it speaks for itself and I was stunned!

What’s normal?

Is it the approved condition that we’re running daily? Is it something agreed by majority? Which makes few who don’t are deviants. Is falling different a sin? Does born disabled make you different?

What if we are… what if the whole world are different… one is accustomed to eat using hand, while others prefer spoon and fork yet another is used to chopstick. But is it truly different? Alas, we’re all having a meal course.

What if we are… what if the whole world are different… some believers pray 5 times a day in a mosque, the others go to church every Sunday, not far away people come to temple for blessing…the rest believe in no God! Whilst in some hidden parts out there a belief is left unexplained. And is it really that different? When all those beliefs worship God, prosperity and peace on earth.

Is it mistaken to be (out of) normal? Can you explain which is normal when diversity and mixture are essence in the life of every human being…

As the little boy sang Garuda Indonesia (Indonesia’s anthem) while raising his hand for honor, I took one last picture of him before we left. After finishing his stutter singing, he grabbed me by the hand, “kke… ssiin..ni..laagi… yaa..(come again please)” he stammered.

And I kissed him goodbye. I will little fellow.

Travel-Banned

I don’t think traveling is so hard… really!

Masalahnya hanya biaya, waktu, dan pilihan… dua opsi sebelumnya rasanya akan mudah dipenuhi once you have decided to commit karena dua hal itu akan mempengaruhi sepanjang perjalanan, mulai dari pre-departure preparation sampai pada when you’re at the point to after the trip.

Yang bikin ribet menurutku malah opsi ketiga… bayangin kalau jalan sendirian kita udah harus perhitungan dengan dua opsi sebelumnya, apalagi kalo anggota perjalanan tenyata beranak...

Persiapan jalan-jalan keliling ASIA ini misalnya, rencana kami – me and couple of friends – berawal dari ide seorang kawan lama ke Korea cuma aku tampik dengan alasan pengurusan visa, aku mengajukan ide brilian mejadi ‘backpackers’ keliling Asia (yang paling-paling hanya melalui 3-4 negara) di samping ngga terlalu mahal, kita (kagi-lagi) ngga perlu khawatir soal visa.

Persiapan dimulai dengan mencari teman sperjuangan – yang ternyata hard to get…

Banyak kenyataan yang harus aku telan pahit dari teman-teman yang selama ini aku (thought) kenal dengan baik… [kenapa pahit? Coz pastinya setiap kita punya prinsip hidup yang dipegang, well, let’s just say it never crosses my mind they’d simply fall to that area…

Perjalanan yang akan kami tempuh rencananya – berdasarkan itinerary rancangan-ku – meliputi Singapur-Malaysia-Thailand… I try to make it as simple as possible coz as far as I am aware of anggota perjalanan kami belum pernah ada yang travel light and traveling backpack to overseas countries, mind the closest shores…

Ada satu dua teman yang mendelik ketika ditawari itinerary itu,

“Why Malaysia?” mang kenapa dengan Malaysia, tanyaku balik.

“Nasionalisme,” jawaban pendek yang bisa aja kujadikan debat kusir sepanjang jaman – sebagai lulusan HI [bukan Hubungan Intim yee..] – but, I’d rather not…

Karena kupikir ini bukan lagi masalah kumpulan pengetahuan di kepala melainkan soal hati…

Sudah jadi rahasia umum kalau bangsaku dan Malaysia – meski dikatakan saudara serumpun – udah persis kayak kucung garong di lorong-lorong gelap kota Roma, siap menerkam intaian kapan saja

Cuma ko aku agak kurang sreg dengan asumsi ato jawaban yang mereka berikan… [maaf] kesannya sekenanya aja!

“Orang-orangnya menyebalkan… bukan hanya pemerintahannya, tapi orang-orangnya menyebalkan, mereka ngga respect kalo ada orang-orang kita di sekitarnya,” kata salah seorang kawan yang selama ini sudah sering berbagi isi kepala denganku.

Yang lain menimpali,

“Ini soal rasa kebangsaan, mereka udah menginjak-injak kita… ngapain ke sana? Lagipula ngga ada yang bagus diliat di sana…” aduh, miris banget ngga seh jawabannya.

Sepanjang aku hidup sampai sekarang, aku slalu percaya generalitas itu TIDAK BERLAKU di mana pun! Karena bahkan dalam mata kuliah hukum international yang aku pelajari di kuliah dulu, HAK ASASI manusia yang diakui universal pun penerapannya belum tentu mencangkup seluruh lapisan bumi ini, belum lagi bermacam kontroversi pada pasal-pasal enactment-nya… trus ini lagee… nasionalisme dibawa-bawa, bisa pecah perang dunia ke 3, 4, 5, dst, dech… sooner than a blink.

Terlepas dari siapa yang salah dan benar [karena kedua privileged options tersebut menurutku sejatinya hanya milik Tuhan] dari perseteruan ini, masing-masing pihak yang terlibat di dalamnya seharusnya tidak membawa suasana makin keruh…

Besides, I think each and every person on this earth deserves to defend him/her self… and if you can’t, the country will provide you with one!

Kalau ini masalah martabat dan harga diri yang udah nyangkut urusan kebernegaraan… sudah sepatutnya masing-masing dari kita mempertahankan diri dari prinsip yang sudah dipegang teguh selama ini… believe me no one will attack you unless they know you’re weak or you’re seen weak! Either you be strong or respect yourself of being strong so that people won’t pass your backyard discourteously. Or else… it’s you’re mistake I presume ;p

Apa kita bisa yakin semua orang Malaysia itu menyebalkan? Apa benar mereka serupa dengan nickname mereka Malingsia…

Apa kita bisa yakin semua orang Indonesia bisa baik dengan senyuman seperti di iklan-iklan selamanya? Apa kita benar sheer Indon? (apa kata dunia with all those riots and human-rights violation issues we have… sigh)

Apa benar kalau jalan-jalan ke negara-negara lainnya akan lebih baik? Apakah yakin mereka lebih ramah dan pemurah?

Pada akhirnya, orang baik dan orang jahat bisa ada di mana saja (I think I’ve wrote about this before – also in this blog).

Memang, Indonesia saja belum habis kutapaki… dan kalau bisa memilih (lagi-lagi soal pilihan) lebih baik jalan-jalan sekitaran Indonesia saja. Tapi apa bisa dikata, perjalanan kali ini tidak sendiri… dan karena tidak sendirian itu pulalah opsi ‘pilihan’ jadi semakin rumit saja diuraikan.

WHOAAA…

Vu Du Ciel

I may not be one of those straight-A students, but as much as I can remember I always push myself hard to achieve. And I believe people have different standard on how and up to what they’d cart their luggage ahead for a goal.

“But hey, I am not that big achiever myself…” me.

(why not picture yourself one day in a sky-crapper building in the elegance of the city and look down – what is it that you see?)

I see streets rife with cars, bike, street vendors and pedestrians.

I see little creatures running down from traffic lights to another just to catch on a glimpse of coins from pity hand over the window. They’re just kids!

I see pick pockets undergo their rituals breeding from careless commuters of Jakarta.

I also notice long marches cruising the streets causing traffic and swearing long before the messages they bought reach members of the parliament… at their desks, at coffee shop sipping flavor, at a hotel room – shame! Or at a longing dream attained boredom – droll!

On my vision to the sky… I see the sun keeping its heat near my head. Scholar may stress this is so near global warming.

Price of fuel is rocketing, number of poor is hitting the ceiling, children wander wonder what all these would bring them to… future is so short that even time is no longer in counting!

I may not be one of those bright-students earning medal for wizarding competition, but it doesn’t take a village to understand that we’re sinking…

And I am still here over roof-tops looking under where people seamless to care!

everyday life as a problem

Then why is everyday life a problem as bell hooks puts it succinctly? If I may say it’s because we occasionally draw bird-view over realm.

Let me take an example of an embarrassing plus prevalent statement of a prominent name in this state.

“So I say, the future price installment and increase on oil will not hugely effect dominant population of poor in this country… those people are ones who never really effected by the subsidy the government cover 200 billion rupiahs over fuel. They are ones who don’t have cars, bike nor travel by public transports… whereas they are the sole object for the nation development…” said our minister of finance captured in a national TV station.

(I wonder who she is trying to point out on her statement).

Even our vice-p is giving his absurd saying that goes, “These riots over the hike of fuel price should go head to head with the poor, coz this is all for their sake that the government decided to cut down our subsidy…to help them”

(I wonder whether he sees television while at free and realizes who are those people waving, calling, and protesting down the streets of every municipal areas – or perhaps he’s tuning channel from overseas).