Am I that bubbly?

Most of my friends know me as a bubbly person. I act as a cheerful person each day, or at least, try to be cheerful. I can say I'm somewhat childish and this is probably due to my mental age being younger than my real age. Often times I talk about random things with my senpais and some close friends; things that are unusual and stupid (and by the way this habit is not influenced by Cat Valentine). Sometimes some questions I ask bother my senpais because they think "it's abnormal and we should not be talking about it". 

I'm an expressive one as well. I show my anger when I'm angry, I laugh hard when feeling happy, and I cry when feeling sad. Well some people think that it is kind of exaggeration for a boy to be so expressive. I've been through those critics and now I don't care about people thinking of me being very exaggerated because I think it's fine for me to be expressive as long as I don't cause any troubles (well if someone hates me for something I should not bother thinking of it, then I can't help but continuing living my life). I can extremely adore someone or something and I can extremely hate someone or something as well, and usually I straightforwardly tell my senpais about what I think or what I feel about something or someone. 

So, do I sound like an extrovert now? 

Unfortunately, I'm basically an introvert. I don't like being in a crowd of strangers, without any close friends around me. It will kill me somehow. Sometimes I'm afraid to start a conversation with a stranger (unless if my friend is around) and often times I can't help but remaining silent during a peer gathering. What do I have to say? How should I start it? Do I really have to start a conversation? Can't I just wait until someone asks me first? 

Back then I didn't know Mitobe-senpai (he's my senpai's best friend whom I'm not close with until today) and unlike the other senpais, he didn't seem friendly; he always looked cold and hardly ever asked me anything. He once said something and I didn't like it--both the thing he said and the way he said it. I didn't think I'd befriend him because he was so unfriendly. To my surprise, a friend of me had befriended him and they both were kind of good friends. The situation forced me to face Mitobe-senpai and one day, with my friend, I visited his loft for the first time. It was surprising because Mitobe-senpai started to talk more about anything. This morning, during the class I chatted with Mitobe-senpai since Hyuuga-senpai was in his clutch mode and people have told me not to bother him when he is in such mode. We wrote messages in a paper and we talked about each other which helped me to understand Mitobe-senpai better. Later it made me realize that Mitobe-senpai was, to some extent, just like me; we don't really talk to stranger so one has to be close to us before we can open ourselves to them. 

My introversion has caused me to avoid crowds of strangers. There have been some people calling me cold and unapproachable because sometimes I don't talk in a friendly manner to them. I treat them coldly and don't start a conversation. No, it's not that I'm a bad person. I just.. I just don't feel like talking to strangers. I don't know how to start it. I believe I have included such questions in the previous paragraph. People thinking of me being cold and too rigid has caused me to be somewhat 'avoided'. I don't mind being avoided by acquaintances actually because what I want is to be around my close friends. Acquaintances are not my friends, but once I consider someone a friend, then he is a friend for me (although he might not be my close friend or my best friend). As for me, acquaintances are people whom I should not talk with and, even to its extreme, smile at. Why do I have to smile at them while I don't know them? It might sound harsh but.. Whatever. You may call me rude or something but I just don't feel like starting a conversation with a stranger. My senpai's girlfriend must have been upset and she must have disliked me but I don't care. 

What is seen from me each day is my bubbly side, and only few people can see the real side of me. Some people think of me being bubbly so I love being in public place, meeting new people and having lots of fun, but I'm actually a loner sitting at the corner, enjoying Starbucks' venti-size iced hazelnut roast chocolate and listening to Cullum, Bublé, Grande, Lin, or Adele. People know I play Pump It Up, as well as any other music-based arcade games, but do they know about me sitting in a park and enjoying serenity? Do people know that sometimes it's a pleasure for me to walk alone, wandering around the city and taking some pictures of city landscape? I see people walking down the street with their colleagues but I'm walking by myself like a lone ranger. In the midst of the crowd in a shopping mall, I walk by myself, enjoying my drink while looking at fancy displays. People come with their friends and family, but I come alone. Do I feel lonely? 

I don't know. I may feel lonely, but I'm not really lonely. 

Some people appreciate togetherness, while I try to appreciate both togetherness and loneliness. It's not always a bad thing to be alone. I've wandered by myself for a thousand times and I don't mind wandering alone. Discovering new things, seeing fancy things, looking up the sky and realizing how blue it is, and I do it by myself. I don't even ask my jiejie (Chinese word for elder sister) to go out with me to enjoy afternoon sunset. I do some things by myself and I don't like when someone bothers me. Unlike some introverts, I don't really like reading books, although I read books somehow. I prefer reading holiday magazine to thick novels. Why do sometimes people associate introverts with books? 

But sometimes I feel lonely. And when feeling lonely, I don't really need to come to crowded places. I just need a friend, or two to three friends to be with me. Having a nice coffee and listening to good soul music, a good friend is what I need when I'm feeling lonely and unfortunately, I haven't found a very close friend whom I could really rely on. It's sad that I actually have siblings but I still feel lonely. My jiejie complaints a lot about her life and my koko (Hokkien for elder brother) is damn too busy with his daily activities. I think Hyuuga-senpai does not think of me as his close friend; probably I'm just a bubbly kouhai who loves to talk about random things. Mitobe-senpai clearly said that up to this day he and I have no similar interests to talk about. Some friends of mine make groups and I don't think I really belong to one of them. Do I feel sad about this? No, I'm not. I'm just confused. Probably I don't fit in the group, but I don't mind it. I just.. Well is it okay to have no group? 

My mind is actually in a random mode now so I think I have to stop. 

People think that I'm a bubbly person, but I'm not. They don't know me. 

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The most chaotic thing.. when you spit it out all at once...

I think human brain is the most wonderful part of body every human being in this world has. Brain controls everything. It tells you to either scream or stay calm when you step on a LEGO brick. It tells you to drink when you feel thirsty (unless you're fasting). Brain enables human to do lots of things. Human collects information every day and stores them in their brain so let's say that human brain is a super duper extra wonderful data storage. 

Did I just talk about human brain? 

Well, if I did then I must be in a random mode now. 

I did not intend to talk about human brain, nor about super duper extra wonderful data storage (although I need a new external HDD, to be honest). I was about to talk about how feelings and thoughts are "accumulated" and a massive explosion of random thoughts and feelings when bursting all at once. I think a friend of mine (whoops! I can't mention the name) has had this kind of experience which has almost totally changed her. Seriously I can't recognize her anymore, well, not physically because it seems that she remains the same; her appearance doesn't change much. She becomes someone horrifying. She yells a lot, she curses people, and she speaks more sarcastically than ever. I'm afraid she will kill someone and I eventually cut ties because I don't want to be yelled at and cursed. I know nothing about what's going on with her and still I want to live :(

Sometimes I have random thoughts running in my mind and my feelings become so abstract because happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, and confusion blend together so well that it makes me sick. I can't express my feelings because I'm not sure about what I really am feeling. I'd like to burst into tears but I don't know what should I cry for. I can't laugh because somehow I feel hurt inside. I can't smash things around me because I don't even know why should I be angry. I am confused of myself. I have lots of things to say but I really need to spit 'em out all at once so I feel relieved but if I do, that would be a total chaos. As a result, I keep that kind of random feelings accumulated and when I can't bear it anymore, I'll explode like a dynamite (whoooaaa--I came in like a wreeeecking baaaall~), saying all my thoughts at once, yelling at people while crying and laughing at the same time and people would leave me because they think I'm crazy BUT I'M NOT! Really I'm not crazy! 

I came in like a wreeeeeecking baaaall~

Can I have a glass of iced lemonade?

Okay, so it's not good to keep all the things by yourself and keep the randomness accumulated. When you feel something, it'd be better to express your feeling right away because you'll have a better, clear and understandable way to express it. People will know how to react and help you in a right way (when you feel angry or sad). It's not good to yell at people while laughing because you're not a comic and it's not a stand-up comedy show. Laughing while crying is something dramatic that you should actually avoid because your laugh would sound like ha-ha-ha with lots of staccato (and it doesn't sound good). 

Don't you ever miss the upcoming new episode of Sam & Cat #firstclassproblems ! If you miss it, then you have a #firstclassproblems

Oh, I love Cat Valentine!

So whatever this random post is about, just don't miss the upcoming Sam & Cat new episode #firstclassproblems AND don't keep your feelings by yourself. If you feel like expressing it, express your feeling right away. 

Oh, I need Bibbles! 

Am I going crazy now? 

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Wafer Ice Cream Sandwich

So this is what you HAVE TO BUY during your visit in Singapore.. 

Ice cream sandwich! Who doesn't love ice cream sandwich? Well, I love ice cream sandwich and that's not my hand in the picture, but I love chocolate ice cream sandwich. You could find ice cream sandwich stalls almost everywhere, but they are most likely to be seen near shopping areas (I bought one near Bugis Junction and bought one again near Ngee Ann City on the same day). The ice cream comes with various flavors, but my favorite flavors are chocolate and chocomint (it's mint-flavored ice cream with chocolate chunks or, yeah, something like that). The ice cream itself is actually a solid, brick-sized block of ice cream and the stall keeper will cut it into smaller blocks. The small blocks are then nestled between two thin crispy pieces of wafer. The stall keeper will also wrap the sandwich in plastic so the drips won't mess your hand and clothes. 

I love how the ice cream block is so solid because the solidity makes it stiff longer. The ice cream won't easily melt but still you have to eat it soon because the heat will somehow melt the ice cream (well, you know Singapore is hot, eh?). Else, the solidity compliments the crispy wafers so well that when I bite it, I can feel the ice cream melting inside my mouth and the wafer is so crispy, like something crisp and smooth blends together, creating a wonderful sensation (geez it's so mouthwatering!). It's sold for SG$1 only and I think it's worth buying because.. Geez! You gotta feel the sensation! Every time I visit Singapore, I always spend my time to buy this ice cream sandwich. I can easily spot the stall and immediately order two or three sandwiches (I can eat up to five sandwiches a day actually and I don't mind having stomachache because I love ice cream sandwich!). 

I've seen some stalls here in Indonesia selling ice cream sandwich but still, my favorite ice cream sandwich is Singaporean ice cream sandwich. Here in Indonesia, the ice cream is nestled between a flipped loaf of bread and I don't like bread and I don't know why (ask my mom why). Well, in Singapore we can find bread loaf ice cream sandwich too, but still my favorite is wafer ice cream sandwich. I wonder if I can find wafer ice cream sandwich here in Indonesia. 

Geez! You guys really have to try it! It's worth buying! 

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Why should men use three pedals? Why should women be cooking?

Beberapa hari yang lalu saya sempat ngobrol dengan Ahomine-senpai di koridor gedung fakultas; obrolan santai sambil nunggu dosen tiba. Lalu setelah ngobrol kesana kemari, tiba-tiba topik berubah jadi topik otomotif dan transportasi (intinya sih ngomongin tentang mobil dan nyetir mobil). Saya bilang sama senpai kalau saya punya SIM A. Saya bisa bawa mobil transmisi manual, tapi lebih nyaman kalau mengendarai mobil transmisi otomatis. Biar nggak ribet waktu macet, alasan saya. Lalu senpai saya bilang kalau laki-laki itu harusnya mengendarai mobil transmisi manual. "Real man uses three pedals", katanya. Saya cuma bisa ketawa waktu denger senpai sebut hal itu. Akhirnya saya balas dengan satu quote yang pernah saya lihat di linimasa Facebook saya: "Real man does not use three pedals; he drives six tires". Saya dan senpai pun akhirnya ketawa ngakak karena six tires mengacu kepada tiada lain dan tiada bukan, mobil bis. Kebayang deh buat belanja ke C*rr*f**r aja harus bawa bis. Mau belanja apa mau wisata?

Oh ya, sebetulnya yang mau saya bahas bukan tentang bawa bis ke supermarket buat sekedar belanja. Bukan juga tentang pria sejati yang seyogyanya bisa nyetir bis, walaupun ada sih nyerempet sedikit topiknya. Dalam kajian literatur ada yang disebut dengan teori dekonstruksi (deconstruction), dan entah kenapa, to some extent saya sependapat dengan teori ini. Dekonstruksi, dari katanya kita bisa pecah kedalam kata dasar dan imbuhannya: de-konstruksi. Sebetulnya apa sih dekonstruksi ini? Saya bukan orang yang pintar bikin definisi, tapi saya bisa kasih contoh seperti apa dekonstruksi itu. Di bawah ini akan saya sebut beberapa nama-nama orang yang mungkin nggak asing di telinga kita: 

Amelia Earhart. Does the name ring the bell?

atau

Chef Juna Rorimpandey. Does the name ring the bell? 

Ada yang tahu siapa Amelia Earhart? Dia adalah seorang wanita pertama yang terbang sendirian melintasi samudra Atlantik. Yap, dia adalah aviator wanita pertama yang berani terbang di atas samudra Atlantik yang luas dan, kalau teman-teman pernah nonton Titanic pasti tahu kan betapa Atlantik itu tenang-tenang mematikan. Lalu siapa Juna Rorimpandey? Kalau temen-temen dulu suka nonton Master Chef Indonesia, pasti ingat siapa chef ini. Chef Juna yang terkenal perfeksionis dan suka kasih respon pedas kepada para kontestan bakalan susah dilupakan. 

Lalu apa hubungannya dekonstruksi dengan kedua orang itu? 

Jaman dulu, pilot merupakan pekerjaan yang umumnya dilakukan kaum Adam. Pokoknya kalau urusan menerbangkan pesawat, itu urusannya cowo. Sementara jaman dulu, kaum Hawa identik dengan pekerjaan di rumah. Women know kitchen well, katanya. Tapi apa buktinya? Amelia Earhart, yang adalah seorang wanita, justru bisa nerbangin pesawat sendirian lintas samudra. 'Doktrin' bahwa wanita dan mesin tidak cocok dan tidak akan pernah cocok nampaknya hancur lebur begitu saja. Lalu sekarang coba kita lihat chef Juna. Jaman dulu urusan dapur dan masak-memasak itu ahlinya perempuan, tapi kalau sekarang sih kayaknya hukum dapur-milik-wanita udah nggak berlaku lagi karena buktinya banyak banget chef laki-laki. Ya, laki-laki. Kaum Adam yang tadinya difokuskan pada urusan mesin, sekarang jadi harus ngurusin potong wortel sama tomat, tumis bawang putih, dan sebagainya.

Kita bisa lihat adanya keterbalikan dari contoh yang saya kasih. Kalau dekonstruksi bisa membuat kaum Hawa menikmati pekerjaan kaum Adam, dan kaum Adam bisa menikmati pekerjaan kaum Hawa, maka dekonstruksi juga bisa mengubah lebih banyak hal. Kalau berkaitan dengan gender, pasti banyak banget hal yang bisa didekonstruksi. Saya ambil lagi contoh kasus ucapan senpai saya. Kenapa sih ada ucapan bahwa laki nyetir mobil yang tiga pedal? Kenapa sih ada ucapan cewek pake matic aja? Pertanyaan saya satu sih, memangnya siapa yang mengkultuskan hal itu? Apakah memang wajib bagi kaum Adam untuk selalu nyetir mobil transmisi manual? Apa alasan yang logisnya? Kalau alasan yang berkaitan dengan harga diri sebagai cowok atau sebagainya sih saya udah sering dengar dan, well, that's too common. Saya perlu alasan ilmiah, dan asumsi-asumsi semacam ini sangat berpotensi untuk didekonstruksi. Kenapa harus pake transmisi manual kalau transmisi automatic memudahkan kehidupan, dan kenapa diharuskan? Bukankah nyetir mobil adalah pilihan? Setiap orang punya pilihan, untuk nyetir dan untuk tidak nyetir, untuk jalan kaki atau naik bis, untuk nginep di kampus atau nginep di kos, untuk makan atau untuk nggak makan.

Kalau boleh saya ajukan lebih banyak pertanyaan terkait asumsi-asumsi yang biasa kita dengar sehari-hari, saya akan mempertanyakan kenapa vektor maju itu sering sekali digambarkan dengan pergerakan ke arah kanan sementara kemunduran digambarkan ke arah kiri? Kalau kita lihat dari sudut pandang yang mirrored, gerak maju itu jadi ke kiri, bukan ke kanan, dan gerak mundur jadi ke kanan, bukan ke kiri. Kenapa kesucian seringkali diidentikan dengan warna putih, dan kejahatan dengan warna hitam atau merah pekat? Atau hal-hal lain seperti kejantanan cowo yang dilihat dari kekarnya badan dan banyaknya tempe yang nempel di dada dan otot bisep-trisep yang gede, kecantikan perempuan yang dilihat dari bentuk tubuhnya.. Sadar atau tidak kita telah terdoktrin untuk mempercayai hal-hal seperti itu. Memangnya indikator kecantikan itu berat badan? Memangnya indikator kejantanan itu postur tubuh? Kata siapa itu? Ada alasan ilmiahnya?

Dekonstruksi bisa membuat orang menyadari betapa banyak sekali sebetulnya hal-hal yang dianggap realita, tetapi sebetulnya hanya rekayasa. Atau mungkin, lebih tepatnya, realita tapi dimanipulasi oleh sekelompok orang yang memang punya kekuasaan untuk memanipulasinya. Coba lihat iklan produk kecantikan di TV, model-modelnya banyaknya cewe yang langsing, kulitnya putih, rambutnya panjang dan lurus. Terus gimana tuh nasib cewe-cewe yang (sorry) badannya nggak langsung, kulitnya nggak putih, rambutnya nggak lurus? Apakah dengan begitu mereka langsung masuk kategori cewek nggak cantik? Definisi cantik yang seperti apa sih sebetulnya yang kita pahami?

And now I wish I could deconstruct some things in my life..

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[to: Hyuuga-Senpai]

[to: Hyuuga-senpai]

[from: Kuro-kouhai]

[April, 21 2014 - 10:52p.m.]

Senpai, how are you doing? Things go well, right? The game DVDs that you lent to me; I need you to help me to install the games. I find it quite confusing since some discs require this and that and another A-to-Z requirement that I am not so familiar with. By the way, I think I'm gonna re-install the first game you lent the disc to me. The crack file doesn't work and as you've told me, I should not have updated the game through the launcher. I asked Azari about Katy Perry special stuffs for the game but he seemed not recognizing the game edition. I might have to buy the disc myself then. 

But it's not what I'd like to tell you actually. 

Senpai has been so good to me and I thank you for that. I feel like being happy to be a kouhai. Yes, I'm a shadow player so you would not see me playing basketball with you and the team. Thank you for letting me stay in your loft while I wait for my music class. You've got such an extensive loft and the hot water dispenser is running well so your friends could boil water for ramen and I could prepare a glass of warm Milo. I've never played your game console because other senpais had always taken it before I took my turn. You've been wearing blue jacket these days and guess what, I've never seen it before. But it's good since I love blue and I've got too many jackets at home, wondering if some senpais would take some. I gotta clean my closet so I'd have more spaces for new outfits. Senpai plays guitar well and I'd love to sing along. Kuroko has never been seen singing but lucky you and some senpais for seeing him singing. 

But sometimes senpai put a prank on me. Senpai bullies me and sometimes I could not bear it. But Mrs. Safrina is right when she explained about "defense mechanism". At some times senpai would say "Yes it's your fault that you're alive!" and I would think that that would hurt somehow. Not much, but it does. Why have you said such thing? I've never prayed for your death, nor other senpais' death. I could tell I feel offended, well not much, but I do. And why are you sometimes so cold and apathetic? I know we've talked about such thing before and you know this Kuroko hates being ignored. Do I feel ignore or.. did I feel that way? I don't know but please say something to me. I'm not good at playing games but I don't want to be left behind. Do you feel ill or something? Like having a headache or something? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Mitobe-senpai doesn't talk much but you don't fit that way; you'd better say things--well you say things straightforwardly--and inevitably some things are too sharp to say. Well, that's better than saying a lie at least. I met Opan and Lucas this afternoon and we planned about going on a holiday. Will sandy beach be a good place? I'm wishing for a summer holiday actually. Do people play basketball well on sand? 

Senpai should do your homework. I know it's tiring but I can't help but doing it. You should do that, too. The lecturers say that assignments are made to train our language skill and development. Well, I know that too many tasks would kill us--not literally, or could be literally. I'm sorry for being a trouble for senpai but please do not ignore me--well I know I'm a shadow player but Kuroko looks good when he orders ice cream, you know that, too, right? We've eaten ice cream before, lots of ice cream, and there'd be more to come. I cannot wait for my birthday and senpai should come and cut a piece of pizza (other senpais should come, too, and probably bring me some gifts?). I don't like pizza but I like other side dishes like potato wedges or fusili platter. 

Senpai should not hate me. I wish you a good night. I won't tell Agis about what happened. She should not know about it. By the way, I think I'll buy a new pair a shoes like Ijey's one. Not the exactly same design, because I love the palette of piano black, blue, and white. What do you think of grey laces? They must compliment the shoes well. 

Have a good night, senpai

[11:07p.m.]

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[Re-post] Buying memories

PS: Ini sebetulnya note yang ada di Facebook saya (dan kali ini gue refer ke diri sendiri pake "saya" lagi. Yowes lah). Berhubung menurut saya note ini cukup inspiratif (buat saya sih gitu.. nggak tau kalau buat pembaca yang lain), maka saya putuskan untuk re-post itu disini. Pada intinya sih, di note ini saya mencoba melebarkan paradigma orang tentang kebahagiaan; bahwa kebahagiaan itu 1) nggak harus selalu mahal; 2) terkadang nggak ditemukan di tempat-tempat yang orang bilang 'pusatnya' kebahagiaan. 

Mengingat sebuah kalimat yang saya tangkap dari perkuliahan hari Senin kemarin...

"Mungkin di masa depan nanti kita bisa membeli kenangan, ya?"

Mungkin saja sih, walaupun kedengarannya sangat sulit dan mungkin tidak mungkin. Ketika kita hendak menghidupkan sebuah kenangan, misalnya kenangan ketika bermain layangan bersama ayah di lapangan pada sore musim kemarau, bisa jadi 'kan kenangan itu tidak benar-benar persis seratus persen? Pasti ada sesuatu yang beda dari kenangan yang dihidupkan kembali itu. Dan saya merasakan hal ini, beberapa menit yang lalu.

Sepulang dari kampus tadi, saya super duper lapar (padahal sudah ke Maji dan lalu ngopi lagi setelahnya). Ketika saya buka laci stok makanan, saya nemu satu bungkus mi instan dengan merk .................. yang nyempil diantara mi instan lainnya dengan merk yang sudah sangat familiar semacam Mi Zedaaab atau Indomix. Saya langsung excited ketika melihat eksistensi mi instan itu. Sebenarnya saya sendiri yang beli mi itu, hanya saja baru sadar mi itu sudah berada di laci persediaan mi dalam waktu yang cukup lama (mungkin sekitar dua atau tiga minggu). Langsung saja saya masak mi itu dan saya nikmati di ruang makan. Hmm... Rupanya rasa dan aroma mi instan kuah itu masih sama seperti dulu.

Ya, seperti dulu, tapi dulu sekali.

Saya sudah mengenal mi instan merk itu sejak dulu, sejak saya masih SD. Dulu, ketika selesai sekolah biasanya saya pulang, ganti baju, lalu main dengan teman-teman. Kebetulan ada salah satu teman saya yang rumahnya dekat dengan sekolah. Dan di sekitar rumahnya itu, ada sebuah warung kecil yang menjual jajanan khas SD (huhu... jadi rindu jajan cistik ke ibu-ibu pedagang jajanan SD di depan SD Isola). Biasanya ketika hari sudah mulai gelap, sekitar jam lima sore, saya dan teman saya suka mampir ke warung tersebut untuk beli mi instan, dan mi instan yang biasa kita beli adalah mi instan dengan merk yang sama dengan yang saya makan beberapa menit yang lalu!

Dengan duit receh lima ratus rupiah saja, pada saat itu saya sudah bisa menikmati semangkuk mi instan. Yap! Mi itu dijual eceran dengan harga tiga ratus rupiah perbungkus, dan kalau direbus di tempat, harganya jadi lima ratus rupiah. Dari segi rasa, memang sih rasanya biasa saja, tapi tidak bisa dibilang tidak enak juga karena kalau menurut saya rasa dari mi tersebut menunjukkan bahwa mi tersebut masih well edible (tentunya setelah yakin bahwa mi itu belum kadaluarsa). Saya menikmati mi instan kuah (yang penjualnya seringkali lupa memasukkan bubuk cabai ke mi saya) bersama teman saya itu di depan warung itu, atau di rumah teman saya yang kebetulan jaraknya tidak jauh dari warung itu. Ditemani suara televisi yang nyaring dari ruang keluarga rumah teman saya, atau suara radio dari warung tersebut, hilir mudik orang yang lewat di jalan, suara tawa anak-anak kecil yang masih bermain lompat tali di teras, suara deburan air dari kamar mandi umum, decitan katrol sumur yang berputar, dan langit jingga sore hari, saya menikmati mi instan yang notabene hanya lima ratus rupiah itu. Dan saya benar-benar menikmati itu.

Jaman sekarang, lima ratus rupiah untuk beli mi instan dan direbus di tempat, mungkin cukup untuk kuahnya saja. Tapi jaman dulu, dengan lima ratus rupiah saya bisa makan mi instan yang memang, bukan mi instan merk kelas kakap. Ketika saya beberapa menit yang lalu makan mi instan tersebut di ruang makan, saya mencoba menghidupkan lagi kenangan makan mi instan seperti yang saya lakukan dulu bersama teman saya. Rasa dan aroma mi instan yang saya rebus itu masih sama, bahkan pedasnya pun masih sama (dulu, saya kepedasan karena bubuk cabainya, tapi sekarang sih ecek-ecek). Tapi kenangan itu tak sempurna.

Saya tak mendengar suara anak-anak kecil yang tertawa bermain lompat tali, suara televisi yang nyaring yang menyiarkan berita sore, suara radio yang rebek dari warung kecil itu, suara deburan air dari kamar mandi umum, dan suara decitan katrol sumur timba. Saya tak melihat hilir mudik orang yang lewat di jalan, dan juga langit jingga sore. Hanya saya, sendiri, di ruang makan, dengan semangkuk mi instan yang sama, yang hebatnya masih bisa bertahan ditengah gencarnya promosi ramen khas Jepang di kota Bandung. Sebenarnya, saya bisa saja sih masak mi instan itu, lalu makan di teras depan rumah, sambil melihat hilir mudik orang yang lewat di jalan kompleks, melihat langit jingga sore, mendengar suara anak-anak tetangga usia TK yang sekarang gencar bermain RC Car atau anak-anak perempuan usia SD kelas enam yang mengobrol sambil berjalan dan jemarinya yang terus menari di atas hamparan QWERTY keyboard ponsel Blackberry. Mungkin suara decitan katrol sumur timba bisa digantikan dengan suara mesin jet pump yang 'ngahiung' ketika dinyalakan, atau suara air terjun kolam ikan rumah saya sebagai pengganti suara deburan air dari dalam kamar mandi umum. Tapi itu tidak akan membuat kenangan itu hidup lagi dengan sempurna. Ada keramahan dari seorang wanita penjaga warung, semilir angin sore yang sejuk, senyum dan sapa dari orang-orang yang hilir mudik melewati warung tersebut, kehangatan dari kebersamaan dengan teman-teman, rasa pedas yang menghangatkan kerongkongan, perasaan sepi yang terbunuh oleh berisiknya suara radio yang rebek di warung tersebut atau suara siaran televisi yang nyaring, tawa bahagia anak-anak yang bermain di sore hari, dan decitan khas katrol sumur timba--yang sekarang mungkin akan sulit ditemukan di kota besar seperti ini. Dan semua hal tersebut, saya rasakan ketika saya menyisihkan uang jajan sebesar lima ratus rupiah, koin, untuk membeli mi instan kuah dan menikmatinya di sore hari selepas bermain.

Setelah hanya tinggal kuah mi saja yang ada di mangkuk, saya jadi sadar bahwa hanya dengan lima ratus rupiah, jumlah yang di jaman sekarang mungkin tidak ada artinya, saya mendapatkan keramahan orang-orang dan kehangatan dari kebersamaan. Warung itu bukan warung besar. Tidak patut warung itu dibandingkan dengan minimarket waralaba. Ketika hari semakin gelap, bahkan warung itu hanya diterangi oleh dua lampu 'kandang ayam'. Tapi kebahagiaan sederhana semacam itulah yang saya dapatkan dari sana. Mi instan itu; kebahagiaan tidak harus selalu mahal.

Ah, seandainya saya bisa membeli sebuah 'kenangan'...

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[Music Review] Always With Me ~ いつも何度でも

Buat temen-temen yang pernah nonton film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し - Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), kemungkinan pernah dengar salah satu lagu dari kumpulan soundtracknya yang berjudul "Always With Me" (いつも何度でも - Itsumo Nando Demo). Sebetulnya ini lagu sudah lama ada tapi saya masih suka dengerin (kok tiba-tiba gue pake kata "saya" buat refer ke diri sendiri ya? Ah, ya sudahlah). Pertama kali denger lagu ini, saya lagi kumpul bareng temen-temen dan salah satu temen saya, yang seorang pianis, kasih denger lagu ini ke saya. Awalnya saya pikir ini lagu bergenre New Age, semacam lagu-lagunya Yiruma atau Yanni. Ternyata setelah didengar-dengar beberapa kali, saya jadi suka dan langsung cari sendiri lagunya. "Oh, soundtrack dari anime toh" pikir saya setelah dapat informasi tentang lagu ini. Setelah beberapa kali dengar, saya langsung mulai fetching nada dan korda di piano. Yap, saya nggak unduh music sheet buat mainin lagu ini di piano karena saya sejauh ini banyak mengandalkan intuisi dan kemampuan fetching nada (he he he).

"Always With Me" punya aransemen yang syahdu dan karakter suara sang vokalis yang manis. Pengiring utama lagu ini adalah petikan harpa yang menurut saya compliments si vokal. Lagu ini punya pola korda yang canonic (coba cek Canon karya Pachelbel) yang dimainkan berulang-ulang. Overall sih saya ngerasa kalau lagu ini cocok dijadiin lullaby karena aransemennya yang simpel tapi menenangkan. Sayang sekali, tempo si lagu, menurut saya, nggak konstan dan itu buat saya agak bothering meskipun nggak merusak lagu secara keseluruhan. 

Sen (Chihiro) & Haku

Lagu ini di-cover oleh banyak orang. Di Youtube kita bisa lihat beragam cover dengan beragam aransemen. Ada piano solo, ada piano-vokal, ada yang pakai harpa juga, ada yang pakai flute. Pokoknya beragam. Dibawah ini adalah beberapa cover yang saya suka: 

Cover karya Erutan di atas bisa jadi favorit teratas saya. Dan di detik-detik terakhir, ada part kanon yang semuanya dibawakan sama Erutan sendiri. Pokoknya keren! Dan dibawah ini adalah cover-cover lainnya yang jadi favorit saya. 

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Selepas UN

Minggu ini merupakan minggu yang berat buat anak-anak SMA kelas 3 karena mereka harus mengikuti yang namanya Ujian Nasional (UN) supaya bisa melanjutkan ke jenjang pendidikan berikutnya. Sebenernya adanya UN ini dari dulu udah banyak memicu pro-kontra, dan gue termasuk yang kontra sama UN. Gimana nggak? Perjuangan belajar di SMA selama 3 tahun di-judge begitu aja dengan tes selama 4 hari (eh, apa udah jadi 3 hari aja ya sekarang? Tau deh). Kalau misalnya nih nggak lulus (knock on the wood, amit-amit), kan sayang banget tuh belajar tiga tahun tapi ternyata kayak hasilnya kayak begitu. Sementara itu, bakat setiap orang kan beda-beda. Misalnya, bisa aja dia nggak jago matematika tapi bahasa Indonesianya hebat banget, dan dia nggak lulus karena nilai matematikanya yang nggak meeting expectation. Sayang banget, kan? 

And thank God I passed it *wink*

Masa-masa pra-UN merupakan masa-masa yang menurut gue berat. Belajar berjam-jam, mencoba memahami rumus-rumus matematika, fisika, dan kimia yang nggak gue banget (kayaknya gue kesasar masuk jurusan IPA), les bimbingan belajar dan pulang malem, nggak bisa pergi main, dan.. yah, kira-kira begitulah kegiatan sehari-hari sebelum UN. Waktu ujian sendiri gue hanya berharap bahwa semua temen-temen gue lulus. Gue hanya berharap bahwa ada keajaiban yang bisa bikin nilai-nilai UN semua anak-anak pada bagus karena pas jadwal ujian fisika, sepuluh menit pertama ujian gue cuman ngeliatin soal sambil gambar-gambar nggak jelas di lembar soal. Setiap hari selama UN gue selalu bawa Fr*shc*r* ke sekolah (itu loh, minyak angin roll-on yang iklannya dibintangin sama Agnes Monica) karena kalau gue udah mumet dengan soal-soal ujian sains, gue bisa langsung oles minyaknya ke dahi, pelipis, sama ujung hidung gue (malahan temen sebelah gue dan pengawasnya pengen minta juga). Masa pra-UN dan hari-hari UN merupakan momen yang berat yang mau nggak mau harus gue jalani karena sistem pendidikan di negara ini mengharuskan anak-anak SMA mengikuti ujian nasional kalau mau lanjut ke jenjang pendidikan yang lebih tinggi (oh, so kapitalis). 

Tapi masa-masa berat itu telah berlalu. Badai pasti berlalu, dan sudah berlalu. 

*tebar bunga dan cinta*

Pas UN hari terakhir, gue bawa duit lumayan banyak di dompet. Sengaja gue bawa duit banyak karena gue tahu bahwa setelah UN beres kebebasan gue akan kembali. Dan setelah bel bunyi menandakan bahwa UN telah berakhir, semua anak tenggelam dalam euforia. Di hari itu juga, di hari UN beres, gue sama temen-temen langsung ngibrit ke Istana Plaza. And guess what, ternyata yang ngibrit kesana bukan cuman gue; ada juga banyak anak-anak SMA dari sekolah lain yang ngibrit kesana (kayaknya mereka pada sepikiran sama gue). Oh, sushi, ramen, chicken katsu, game master, dan komik Crayon Shinchan.. akhirnya gue bisa melakukan apa yang sempat dilarang dilakukan semasam pra-UN dan UN. Nampaknya selepas UN, anak-anak SMA kelas 3 pada going crazy. Gimana nggak? UN beres itu serasa kita punya bisul segede alaihim yang pecah dan nggak ngeluarin cairan menjijikkan, tapi confetti (kayak bisul di jari Spongebob yang pas pecah malah ngeluarin confetti). Beberapa minggu setelah UN gue habiskan jalan-jalan, main game, nonton film, makan-makan, dan ngopi. Gosh! I've never been so hedonistic before! Kebebasan yang gue dapat, ditambah lagi duit yang nggak kepake-kepake gegara nggak bisa kemana-mana selama minggu-minggu pra-UN bikin gue berasa jadi nouveau riche yang seminggu bisa jalan-jalan sampe empat kali (jangan ditiru ya sikap hedonis kayak begini, soalnya kalau di dunia perkuliahan sikap hedonis itu bisa bikin lo tambah elit, ekonomi sulit). 

At last, UN merupakan ajang yang mau nggak mau harus diikuti, dimana lo mengerahkan segala daya upaya dan mempertaruhkan tiga tahun dalam hidup lo untuk bisa keluar dari dunia putih abu. But trust me, you're not alone. Di saat lo gundah tentang hasil UN, percayalah bahwa di backstage guru-guru lo juga nggak kalah degdegannya. Bokap lo yang lagi di kantor gimana pun juga pasti nggak konsen kerja karena kepikiran anaknya yang lagi di battlefield sana. Bisa jadi juga sayur asem yang dimasak nyokap lo malah jadi sayur asin karena nyokap lo harap-harap cemas tentang anaknya yang lagi ujian. Yang sampe sekarang selalu gue percaya setiap kali mau ujian adalah, apapun yang gue jawab percayalah bahwa gue udah mengerahkan the best of me. Apapun hasilnya, yang penting gue udah berusaha. You, too!  Dan optimislah bahwa lu bakalan lulus UN. Setelah UN beres, percayalah bahwa kebebasan nggak akan kemana. Lu bakalan punya cukup banyak waktu buat rehat dan senang-senang sebelum akhirnya berkutat dengan pendaftaran kuliah dan persiapan kuliah. 

Cheers!

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That old lady

This evening I saw an old lady on my way home, and actually it wasn't the first time I saw her. I've seen her a couple times before. She never changes; she looks the same, wearing dull clothes and a veil, sitting on the sidewalk, with a glass containing some pennies. She is not young anymore; I can say that she is sixty something. I can't tell how long she had been sitting there but she was there this evening and I saw her. She must have been there for a very long time. 

Yes, she is an old beggar. An old beggar. I've seen many old beggars around the city but every time I walk home and see that old lady sitting on the sidewalk, in the heat of the midday sun or under the dim light, I could not help but pausing and coming back to give her some money. She would be happy then and say a little prayer for me, wishing me good luck and bright future. The first time I saw her, I was walking home and she was sitting on the sidewalk, begging for money. I didn't have much time to stop and give some money so I just passed but we shared glances and then I paused. I made a quick decision; I came back to give her some money. She was glad that I came back and said a little prayer for me. I smiled and immediately left. I didn't want to look back because I knew I'd burst into tears. That old lady, she doesn't deserve such life. She should have been at home, sitting on a rocker knitting while listening to music from radio.She deserves a better life. She's not young anymore. Why does she have to 'work' as beggar? Knowing the reality that she is an old lady who begs for money while people ignore her existence, pretending that she's not there--it destroys me. 

Some people say that some beggars are rich in actual; they become beggar because they don't want to work. They've told me that there are so many beggars and buskers around the city and reminded me not to give money to them, but how do people distinguish the 'fake' ones? I decide not to give money to child or teen buskers who sing in buses for money; the money they get would be given to either their parents, or their 'boss'. I never want to give money to a child beggar whose parents are around. Why should their parents work their children for money? Why don't they themselves just work to earn money and make living? Now speaking of old beggars, do I have to give or not? The old lady I've talked about so much, should I stop giving her money or not? What if she's a rich person in actual? 

source: http://almaadin.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/uang-receh.jpg

I know Patrick Star is dummy but sometimes he's brilliant. A brilliant quote by Patrick Star goes like this: "Trusting you is my decision, proving me wrong is yours". I decide to believe that the old lady I often times see sitting on the sidewalk begging for money is the one who really needs money; an old lady whose children are so damn irresponsible to take care of their elderly mother. I decide to believe that the old lady would really use the money people give to her for something good; for her to be able to survive in this very dog-eat-dog world. I decide to believe that every little prayers she says for me are sincere, and I believe that those prayers are sincere. Well, only God knows. 

I guess I'm shedding tears now. Can I have some sheets of tissue? 

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"TOUCH to START"

Every time somebody gives me money, I always immediately put it in my wallet. So yeah, I just got money and immediately put it in my wallet. There are some cards in my wallet. I saw that card; the card that I have not used for quite a long time, the card that I used to insert to that machine to have some fun. I took it out and stared at it for a while. Well, it really has been a long time I guess..

I think I was so addicted to the game that I spent lots of money for it. It was a game that was really haunting me. Thoughts of the game filled up my brain. There was always a sight of note patterns and moving timeline that I could not sleep. I didn't mind spending five bucks a day for several rounds of game. The music from the game kept playing on my mind. My fingers tapped on my desk as if I was tapping on the machine screen. 

It was really haunting. 

But it wasn't just an ordinary game. I have lots of memories about it. I met a lot of people; the game has introduced me to so many people. I found love; the game has once showed me my love. I made friends; the game has connected many people. I was hurt; a song from the game reminded me of my love--well we eventually broke up. It was the game that somehow changed me, changed my life. Back then I was so cold as a person that I rarely greeted and smiled at other players, but the game introduced me to so many great, friendly people that the ice in me melted and I started to open myself to them, later befriending them. The game showed me how people are different to each other; they are unique in their own way. The game taught me how to accept defeat and how important it is to be down to earth while winning something. The game reminded me that there's always someone better than me. The game reminded me that everything needs process; how I was so proud of a friend's improvement as he tried hard to nail one hard song. The game never smashed me back when I smashed its screen. It somehow reminds me of my piano; it never hits me back when I hit its keys so hard. 

Now I can say that the game has 'died'. But no, it is not dead. It's alive here in my mind. The memories of it will always linger on my mind. The music of the game will always play on my mind. I can say that those times when I played the game--when I became so addicted to the game--are the times that I have to be grateful for. 

Auf Wiedersehen, Technika

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(Throwback Monday) Hello, May 28th!

This post would be a reminiscence of my seventeenth (or maybe eighteenth?) birthday. In May 2012 my family and I flew back to Singapore. It had been quite a long time since the last time I flew to Singapore so I really was excited. To my surprise, my parents had planned the date of departure before so we left for Singapore on May 27th which means that I, inevitably, would celebrate my birthday there. As I went on procedure of immigration, the officer checked my passport and asked "What day is today?" and I was like "Well, it's 27th. What's the matter?" The officer smiled and said, "A birthday party tomorrow, isn't it?" and I giggled then. 

Now let's jump to the most exciting part. My relatives and I went to enjoy the night while counting down to midnight. We walked to Serangoon street from our flat. There are so many lanes in the neighborhood and we were kind of lost. Thanks to local people who helped us, we could find our way there. My phone alarm rang at midnight and we had a small celebration in the pedestrian. Yes. Pedestrian. Some people looked at us but we didn't care. My relatives congratulated me and said some little prayers for me. After that small celebration, we went to Mustafa Centre to have a bigger celebration. There are several pedestrian cafes there where you could enjoy a cup of coffee or Tarik tea while chatting with your buddies. I found that perfect spot to celebrate my birthday while enjoying the nightlife of Singapore. A relative went to 7-11 and bought some snacks, including my favorite Pringles. And, of course, we took some pictures. It IS a must. 

First treat for the birthday boy: 10 dollars! Yay! >_<

Say no to shoplifting!

Really love this pic.. like seriously!

Back to our flat ~

Oh, now I'm missing Singapore so much..

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Hey, Sprinkle!

It rained again today. I could not tell whether or not it was a hard rain but it was raining this afternoon; what I knew that rain came down and that's all (I was too busy chatting with a friend about our indie-film plan). The temperature dropped slightly and I started to feel cold. After chatting for a while, I looked out the window, only to find that the rain got lighter. It was sprinkle rain and I always love sprinkle rain. Enthusiastically I opened the window to feel the drops. The atmosphere was so serene--so calm that you could just sleep in the classroom. 

I went downstairs afterwards and took some pictures of the surroundings of faculty building. Then I decided to make a video of afternoon rain for my Instagram (just like what I've done before). I walked out and shot several scenes under the rain. People were looking at me but I didn't care. I just wanted to shoot several scenes. Drops of rain on window panes, wind blowing and hissing through the trees, and water puddles. The drops are so cool. They fall on your face, splashing everywhere like fireworks bursting. You can feel them so fresh. Sprinkle rain falls on puddles; it sounds like a ticktock. People hide beneath their colorful umbrellas. They look like candies. Sprinkle rain is a magical thing for me. I don't mind being wet, as long as I could get several good scenes of afternoon sprinkle rain. 

I remember back then playing in the rain. Lying on easy green grass, I liked when it fell on me. The sound of rain, it is such a sweet music. Looking at the pond, I saw fish swimming happily. Some of them came to the surface, trying to kiss the rain. And frogs! Oh, frogs! They danced and pranced in the rain. I wonder if the frogs, at that time, were listening to Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain". The sky was dark and so grey, but I didn't mind it. I knew that sun would shine later so I didn't mind if the sky was dark, yeah, as long as I could enjoy the magic that sprinkle rain had. Now I am twenty years old and sprinkle rain, still, has its magic. Befriending coffee, jazzy tunes, and good books, I don't mind if the sky goes dark and sprinkle rain comes. The rain still plays the same music, still shows the same magic. It doesn't change. It's always awesome. 

How about you? Can you imagine how magical sprinkle rain is? 

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Hello, "Edit HTML"!

Gue udah lama nggak berkutat dengan "Edit HTML" dan semacamnya. Yeah, you know skrip HTML dipake buat bikin sebuah situs atau modifikasi blog (misalnya). Udah sangat lama, kalo gue bisa bilang, sejak terakhir kali gue berkutat dengan HTML script (dan gue rasa terakhir gue berkutat sama skrip kayak begitu jaman gue SMA, karena di textbook grammar gue nggak ada dijelasin tentang skrip HTML). Waktu itu memang setiap murid ditugaskan buat bikin blog dan berhubung gue pengguna blog sejak SMP, jadi gue tinggal poles aja blog yang gue punya (blog pertama gue--dan masih aktif kok--klik disini). 

Oh, gue inget! HTML script juga dipake pas jaman Friendster pamornya masih tinggi (ada yang dulu pake FS?). Jaman dulu kan setiap akun bisa punya tema yang beda-beda. Nah, gue termasuk orang yang hobi otak-atik tema akun FS gue. Banyak temen-temen gue yang unduh tema dari situs lain. Nah karena anti-mainstream--dan berbekal ilmu dasar skrip HTML yang gue tau dari temen--akhirnya gue otak-atik sendiri lah tema FS gue (yang menurut beberapa temen itu unik dan kece, sampai mereka minta dibikinin). Dari situlah gue udah terbiasa dengan skrip-skrip rumit, ya, HTML itu. 

Jaman berlalu dan Friendster udah kagak tau kemana kabarnya sekarang. Munculnya Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, dan Path bikin gue jauh dari skrip HTML. Semuanya jadi praktis dan otomatis. Di Twitter, karena layout-nya fixed, semua orang punya layout yang sama, walopun warna dan background bisa diubah. Facebook bisa dibilang "sosialis" karena semua orang punya layout dan skema warna yang sama buat akunnya. Di Tumblr kita bisa juga ubah sendiri mau kayak gimana tampilan blog kita, tapi berhubung di Tumblr gue lebih seneng sharing dan reblogging, walhasil gue cuman nyomot aja desain yang ada. Dan sekarang giliran blog. Oh, ini blog kedua gue dan gue ingin sesuatu yang beda, yang nggak mirip sama blog pertama gue. Akhirnya gue cari-cari desain di web dan nemu desain ini (lo bisa dapetin desain ini gratis disini). Sayang sekali pas gue terapin tema ini ke blog, banyak banget fitur-fitur yang ga kepake dan komposisi layout yang acak-acakan. Akhirnya terpaksa gue kembali berkutat dengan skrip HTML. Dengan ingatan yang seadanya dan didukung oleh faktor luck, akhirnya inilah tampilan baru blog gue. Ya.. not bad lah menurut gue walopun sebenernya kalo gue niat baca-baca lagi materi tentang skrip HTML di textbook jaman SMA, I think I could do better than this. And anyway, ini cuman modifikasi tema, bukan bikin dari awal. Desain yang sekarang memang didominasi warna-warna cerah, nggak seperti desain yang pertama yang mirip banget dengan desain blog pertama gue. But at least, desainnya sederhana dan nggak neko-neko, and I love it.  

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Lighthouse of "Beautiful Times"

Kemaren malem gue liat post tentang single barunya Owl City yang judulnya "Beautiful Times". Dan surprisingly, kita bisa unduh lagunya secara cuma-cuma. I was wondering how come Adam spread the single for free, karena biasanya kan single yang dirilis harus kita beli. Waktu gue cek ke situsnya (check it here: beautifultimes.owlcitymusic.com), gue akhirnya percaya kalo single itu bisa diunduh secara cuma-cuma--tentunya dengan ikuti beberapa step yang menurut gue sederhana sekaligus unik. 

Owl City menurut gue adalah musisi yang unik. Nggak hanya dari genre yang diusung, tapi juga dari diksi untuk judul-judul lagunya: "The Saltwater Room", "Alligator Sky", "Hospital Flower", "Early Birdie", and so on and so forth. Aransemennya juga beragam, dari mulai yang catchy dan jenaka, sampai yang bersemangat. Dan di single yang baru ini, menurut gue Owl City tetap mempertahankan ke-Owl City-annya walaupun ada sentuhan dubstep di lagu ini. 

Dan, oh, yang unik lagi adalah cara buat kita dapetin free single ini. Memang musisi kalo mau sukses ga bisa ngasih keunikan di materi lagunya aja, tapi cara promosinya juga. Nggak seperti kalau kita mau unduh lagu di 4shared atau situs-situs semacamnya yang harus nunggu beberapa detik (bahkan menit), masukkin kode di CAPTCHA, terus unduh setelah kodenya diterima, Owl City nyuguhin kita di lamannya (udah gue kasih tautannya di atas) dengan animasi interaktif. 

Disitu kita diminta buat menghubungkan akun Facebook kita ke situs itu, dan tenang aja nggak akan terjadi hal-hal membahayakan buat akun Facebook kita kok. Setelah kita terhubung, pertama kita dikasih liat surat dari Adam Young (semacam surat terima kasih dan puji syukur gitu untuk ulang tahun ke-lima album Ocean Eyes). Setelah kita baca, kita disuguhin semacam game adventure kecil dimana kita sebenernya cuman perlu nunggu layar shifting dari kanan ke kiri, sampai kapal yang muncul di laut mencapai lighthouse. Oya, grafis yang sederhana ini menurut gue sangat menggemaskan, dan bahkan cukup detil (coba aja lo zoom si kapalnya). 

Sisi interaktifnya sebenernya ga neko-neko sih. Setiap kita geserin kursor di area 'game', pasti si layar ikut geser. Awalnya gue bingung kemana harus nyari lighthouse, dan ternyata gue cuman perlu nunggu aja sampe akhirnya si layar shifting sendiri ke kiri dan si kapal akhirnya mencapai lighthouse (dan itu momen paling ngegemesin menurut gue he he he). Sambil geser-geser layar ga jelas dan nunggu tebing ber-lighthouse muncul, kita disuguhin lagu "Beautiful Times". Sebenernya kalo dipikir-pikir sama aja kayak kita nunggu countdown sebelum kita bisa unduh file, kayak di 4shared, atau Rapidshare, atau situs berbagi file lainnya. Cuman dengan cara unik kayak gini, disuguhin lagu dan grafis yang sederhana-tapi-manis, sesi menunggu itu jadi nggak kerasa. 

Kalo udah sampai di lighthouse, bakalan muncul pop-up message kayak gini. Kita bisa unduh lagunya, berbagi tautan ini ke Facebook, dan lainnya. Waktu kita bagi tautan ke Facebook, kita juga disitu bisa tag temen-temen kita. Semacam kita mempromosikan single ini he he he

Lagunya worth downloading kok, jadi mendingan akses sekarang situsnya karena gue nggak tahu kapan situsnya bakalan expire (ato mungkin nggak akan expire). Dan setidaknya, unduh gratis yang ini legal ya he he he...

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[Music Review] Girls' Generation - Mr. Mr. (Album)

Sebetulnya gue mau post review ini di blog pertama, tapi berhubung satu dan lain hal gue nggak sempet buat publish post itu. Jadi, ya sudah gue bikin lagi aja di blog kedua ini. 

Udah lumayan lama berarti semenjak EP ke-empat Girls' Generation dirilis, dan tadinya gue berfikir bahwa review gue bakalan jadi satu dari the first reviews yang muncul di internet. Emang dasar gue yang males, review yang gue bikin nggak kelar-kelar. Tapi gue janji, review post yang satu ini bakalan kelar (he he he). Jadi, "Mr. Mr." adalah EP ke-empat Girls' Generation yang dirilis Februari 2014 kemaren. Sebelumnya, mereka udah post teaser video di Youtube. What I think about EP ini adalah, bahwa EP ini ngasih sesuatu yang menurut gue beda dibandingkan dengan EP atau album-album yang sebelumnya udah dirilis mereka. Dan so far, album ini semacam jadi penanda bahwa Girls' Generation memang sudah nggak lagi 'remaja'

photo source: http://beautifulsonglyrics.blogspot.com/search/label/SNSD

"Mr. Mr." terdiri dari 6 lagu yang genrenya bervariasi. Sebagai pembukaan, "Mr. Mr." jadi track electropop yang cukup catchy. Dengan tempo yang nggak terlalu ngebut, "Mr. Mr." menurut gue adalah track yang mengingatkan gue sama lagu-lagu disko tahun 80an (ditandai sama melodi synth-string yang muncul pas bagian refrain lagu). Track kedua, "Goodbye", ngasih intro yang awalnya gue kira bakalan jadi semacam lagu-lagu pop punya Britney Spears. Ternyata, di lagu kedua ini pas sampai bagian refrain-nya nunjukkin genrenya yang sebenarnya. "Goodbye" adalah lagu pop-rock yang menurut gue cocok banget dibawain di kafe-kafe, karena pas denger lagu ini gue teringat lagu-lagu yang sering dibawain sama band-band di kafe yang sering gue kunjungi dulu. Track ketiga, "Europa", punya genre yang sejalan dengan "Mr. Mr.". Bedanya, "Europa" ngasih sensasi disko tahun 80an yang lebih kental (bayangan gue kalo denger lagu ini adalah suasana disko dan tentunya, disco ball yang mantulin cahaya warna-warni ke dance floor). Overall, tiga lagu pertama di EP ini adalah lagu-lagu favorit gue di EP ini. 

Track keempat, "Wait a Minute", terdengar lebih girly dan centil. Track ini semacam ngebawa lagi image kesembilan anggota Girls' Generation dalam outfit yang mereka pake di MV "Gee" (jadi kayak nostalgia deh). "Back Hug" jadi track kelima di EP ini yang ngebawa suasana yang lebih kalem dan santai; semacam cooling down setelah joget disko di track ketiga, "Europa". Dan sebagai track terakhir, "Soul" kembali meramaikan dengan nuansa R&B yang kental dan tempo yang enerjik. Lagu terakhir ini menurut gue sejalan dengan "Tak Ada Logika"-nya Agnes Monica, ditilik dari aransemen dan tempo. 

Overall, EP keempat Girls' Generation ini bisa gue katakan awesome karena di EP ini Girls' Generation ngasih nuansa yang berbeda. Kalau di "I Got A Boy" kesembilan cewek itu ditampilkan dalam image remaja-remaja gaul, di EP ini (terutama di "Mr. Mr.") kesembilan cewek itu tampil dalam image yang lebih dewasa. Dari segi musik pun sama; lagu-lagu di EP ini sudah nggak secentil lagu-lagu di album-album sebelumnya (semisal "Oh" atau "Gee"). Meskipun begitu, beberapa lagu di EP ini tetep bisa bikin pendengarnya angguk-angguk kepala, atau tapping jari di atas dashboard mobil, atau dance ikut beat lagu. Dan as usual, Tiffany Hwang jadi favorit gue (he he he). 

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The First Post

So this would be the first post on my second blog. I decided to create a new blog for an unknown reason. I don't know it just happened. Suddenly something popped up on my mind saying "Well I think you need to create a new blog" and I just followed what it said. So, voila! This is my second blog and yeah, of course, lots of random things would be posted here.

Creating a new blog does not mean that I leave my first one. No. The old one would still be used and I'll post there some times. I'm going to use either English or Indonesian for my posts (which would be marked by 'English' or 'Indonesian' label). Make sure you prepare yourself first before reading my posts because some of them would make you dizzy.

So.. I think I'm ready for the second post. He he he

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