Harder than fiction

First post of the year. Have you guys seen movies such as the Notebook, or the most recent, The Dilemma. Both of the story reflects some sort of story that might exist in the real world. The difference is, it makes good yet entertaining or even touching movies.

Let's say the Notebook. (Spoiler Alert!) The mother of the female leads character have to live with the man who she didn't fully love. Touching eh? No people in the world would want that kind of live!

Then, the Dilemma. There are situation where you don't know wether you have to tell your best friend an ugly truth. In the movie, it might be entertaining for the audience, but believe me people, you don't wanna be in that position.

From that case situation you'll find that those kind of things are more than possible to happen in one's life and it would be very hard to deal with. You also might find your life in an author's book. Anyhow, as we always knows, life is stranger than fiction, and we can do nothing but live it and let it flow.

Can't Be Tamed

Not a tiger, lion, elephant or any other beast. They can be tamed. You know what? Taming your own senses are much harder than taming those beast. All of your senses are rough and wild I might say. They can do anything without your conscious.

You eyes could see bad things and won't stop for it. For instance, seeing pornography, seeing those who in needs but we sometimes refuse to recognize it.

Your hand is, i think, the hardest to tame physically. When you failed to tame them, hands that support you do generous things could hurt those you love physically, most of the time. Same things for your feet.

Your ears, who can stand against gossip, rumor. Everybody, I have to say, love gossip! Those ears could reject the fact, could slip the truth when information come to an ear, and gone out from another.

Your mouth, could be the wildest, the hardest to tame. They could ultimately destroy one's mood. In extreme case, they could kill, not literally though, but they have capability to do so. They could do bad things out of nowhere, spontaneously. They are the most danger of all.

That's it for now. Christmas is coming! I can't believe it's almost Christmas again.

When Peoples Walk

It's been a time since I last post something in here. Actually couple time I had something that crossed my mind, but I didn't pour it here and I soon forget about it. Now, I have something in my head, and I'm gonna write it now, here.

When people are walking, they various style of viewing their way. Some of them see it straight forward, some are looking all the way around ( I do this!), and some walk with their head down.

People who see the road straight forward, I think they are the people who see everything to the forward, they might not care or bother things. I do think that people who do this are people with determination and they might unaware with the danger that comes from below, back and around them.

People who walk with their head down, people might say that those who did this are people who felt inferior and they might say that people should not walk like this. I disagree. These people are people who are down to the earth, they don't forget the land where they step, they also might be aware of things that might makes them tripped.

People might say that people who see around when walking might don't have principle. Well, I think people who do see around when walking are people who are fully aware of his/her surrounding. They are aware for what might tripped them, what might hit them from right or left, what might stab them from the back, and most importantly they knows what ahead of them.

I think that's all. I don't think I write this well. People might disagree, but hey, it's merely my personal opinion. I have no mean of insulting people here.

When People Stress

Stress is something that is inevitable in people's life. No matter how you do, it will look and come to you. In some case, stress is able to take one's life literally.

After several stress attack, I just know there are some way to counter it and people often use this methods as well.

1. Drink. People usually drink (alcohol) to forget their stress. It is proofed effective temporarily.

2. Extreme Case: usage of drugs. Yes, it's an extreme case, it is said able to distract people from their stress, and even from their regular life.

3. Hobby. Hobby? Yes, it's able to distract. It's harmless in most occasion, and able to fill in your world, also kick stress aside. It's one of the constructive way to kill stress. I develop my photography interest during my stress period sometimes ago.

4. Drink non-alcohol. The same as the 1st point, the difference is you don't drink any alcohol. Coffee, tea, juices are the common example.

5. Find a getaway. Find somewhere pleasant, calming. It's really helpful.

That's it. To clarify, I won't say that currently I am being attacked by stress nor I currently living a happy life, but I just want to share something that crossed my mind (again). Lol. Thanksgiving is coming! Yeay!

Saturated

Ever feeling done anything and even though you seems happy, but you're not? Or feeling saturated?

Funny to know that happened. You're laughing, you're playing, you're hanging out, but inside you're not. You feels something is empty, and you wonder how to fill it. How sucks is that? The possible answer to do recover from that is to find some getaway.

The getaway could be anything. You could get some lone time to think or to enjoy yourself. For example, if I feeling that, I'll go to the city alone, and hunt some good photos. Or I could have a lone time in Starbucks and have a cup of coffee..

That's just a possibility. I know it sound somewhat gloomy, but it doesn't mean that I'm feeling that, but well, I just feel want to post it. A short one.

Architectural Life

First of all, I have to send my condolences to the victims of recent natural disaster in Indonesia. May the one who left behind able to handle the loss.

Anyhow, I feel like to share my life and my opinion as the rookie in architectural studies. It might be exaggerating and not true (well, true to me.).

First of all, the time. We, architecture student have two day on one day. Confused? Let me explain it in points. Basically, night is divided into another time of day.

8-11 PM is our second morning.

11-2 AM is our second afternoon.

2-4 AM is our real night.

Second point, if someone asked who are our bestfriend, I would say that our bestfriends are ruler, scale, and pencil (yeah, we are all can be considered anti-sosial due to our time at the studio/lab)

Third point, you'll learn how to cherish time when you're studying architecture. Every time you spent is for drawing. Even if you have some spare time during weekdays, you'll use it for taking a nap (fyi, we don't sleep, just taking nap).

Last but not least, architect mostly work on their own. It's really hard to join venture, working on some design. I tried it, even though we're able to work well, clash between our opinion is inevitable.

Some extra: we all hate redoing things (revising our project). It's very time consuming.

Well, I think it's the end of my post. It's been delayed for a week since I wrote it. Happy November!

Homesick

I guess it's been a while eh? No, currently I'm not having a homesick, I just wanna talk about it, for now.

It's been a couple month for me and my friends here in DVC (it's my 5th month, some entering their 3rd), and they started to miss their home for some reason. It could be because they live alone in here (literally no roommate), or the extreme case, being alienated and having only a few friends.

As far as I know, there are two friends of mine who having those symptom, one manage to overcome it, while the other is just begun feeling it. She feel alone simply because she has few to trust, really few, and I guess she miss her condition back in Indonesia.

Does anyone know how to help her?

Anyhow, in case you're questioning wether I had or have homesick yet or not, yeah. I had once, but not in high stadium. I manage to recover quickly.

I believe homesick have to be cured as soon as possible. If it don't it will ruin both of our daily and academic life. Try to cheer.

The Truth

It's been a time since that wrongly-written post. Anyhow, I didn't post a blog not because of that post, nonetheless because I have no idea to post until now.

Gossip. People do love gossips, some even can be said wandering around looking for it. Often we found that the gossip are nothing but lie or false story (hoax) and those gossips are unknown by the gossiper, literally killing/hurting the subject of the gossip.

The truth. Those who goes with gossip, I believe they know nothing about the truth. Even the people are telling them the truth, they wouldn't listen for they would think, that the responds (which sometimes basically are the truth) merely the form of the subject's self-defense.

Remember this line(s). Don't be discourage just because of gossip. You (and maybe your best friends) know the truth. They can talk or think anything they like about you, but they won't by any chance, know the truth better than you (and again, maybe your best friends) do.

So, why you think about it so much? Sometimes you can say, fuck gossip! Yes, I know I can be considered as hypocrite for despising gossip (yes, I do like gossip), but I won't add more than I heard, and I'm not a story teller who tell story to everyone.

I will do my best not to 'sell' my BEST friend.

About the previous post.

About the previous post, I think I sounded kinda selfish or self-centered, but anyway, I'm not like that. Well, that's merely my personal opinion, and well..

Anyway, that things happened for some times ago. Frankly I do hope whoever saw the previous post not to think of me as a bad one. And, that's natural ain't it?

And also, I would like to apologize to those who feel offended or else. Really sorry. I'm not that selfish, but that's human nature.

Thank you.

Trust A Few, Fear The Rest

That quote, is taken from the poster of X-Men. It does mean about we have to trust some of the mutant, and fear the rest of it. Somehow, those quote applied here, in the real life.

As I left high school, I currently experience the college life. Several month after start it, I realize that I have to pay attention to the others. I do learn a lesson, still learning though, that I can't trust a lot of people. I have to pay attention to what I said to other, because I really don't know what they really are, whether they might spoil things to other people or nit. Most of them are nice, but all of them has some quite unacceptable but. By seeing (not viewing), we might be able to know who to trust, vice versa,

Life in college/university is different with high school. One of my housemate who come from Taiwan once said: "I prefer has a few friend. To many friends would cause drama(s). I'm tired of dramas."

I think she's quite right. I'm able to accept that.

To See, Not to View

The title, what is the different?

One of my teacher once told me "to see, not to view". It once used by him to tell us the basic things to do in order to learn photography well. To view is to see something in flash, but to see itself is to identify everything you see to every detail.

3 month after he told me that, I realize that that quote has a deeper meaning. It doesn't always deal for photography, cinematography or other visual art form. It also has some meaning for life.

We often judge something only from one situation, sometimes ignoring the fact or even the other information about the same situation, meaning we ignore them. This kind of things is as the same as when we view something. We don't know anything about the detail. If we keep doing this, there are possibilities when we tell others about what we judge, and as a result will create a prejudice which often is a bad one.

For example, we would say a man who lease his apartment units is being dishonest for his price is more expensive than the other unit in the same apartment. People are telling us that he is. For they think way he run the business is tricky, but they don't understand for they are short-minded. Their short mind is the one that gives us a prejudice about that poor man, that actually is not that dishonest.

In the other hand, if we are able "to see", we would think about his business, about it is natural if he seek for profit, how acceptable his price actually is if we're able to understand it (and it is understandable). When we see things that happened, we have to think it deeply, is it what really what happened? Or what is the real background, or the purpose or the reason of a happening.

We always have to see, not to view.

Risk of Studying Oversea

First of all, I don't mean to offend anyone by posting this post. No, I'm not mad at anyone. I just wanna share the things that bother my head recently.

It's been about 2 month since I arrive and study here in DVC and I have seen lots of Indonesian student beside me. In my class there are about 20 Indonesian who came this summer. 2 months, and I have made some conclusion.

We are consist of people with different background, yet personalities. There are quite a lot of good people here, and unfortunately, even though it is natural, they have a lot of but as well. Yes, we are all far from perfect.

Let's give an example, I have a friend which I respect the most when I first met him, for he is the one who looks mature. But as times goes by, he disappoint me in some sort of ways, by the way he done something.

Next, I have another friend who shows her selfish nature a lot. In a situation, we can see how she only care about is her own good, and rule out others. I know it, but unfortunately I still can't accept it.

Then, there are one who is far from stable, he is yet to show his maturity and he has an ability to make friend and enemies.

Put aside the bad side for a while. I also has some good friend who (I do hope) I can rely on. A good friend who has quite mature thinking and personality when it is needed.

Well, to think about that, we are all far from perfect. All we have to is live our live, as best as we can.

I Miss Them

Sooner or later, I would definitely miss a lot of things. I just realize that I miss them. This morning, I had a dream that I goes home to Indonesia, only to spend a weekend (sounds crazy, but hey, it's only a dream), there I saw my father, my friends such as Hans, ManDik, Chris, Ivan, etc. I just realize that I miss them so much.

What I miss right now:

-My family.

-My choir

-My church

-My Lector Family

-The ambience when speaking in the church

-bunch of Indonesian food

-XXI/Blitz

and last but not least for now, my friends. I shouldn't name each of them should I?

No matter how good here in US, no matter how comfortable here, there's no place better than my home, surrounded by my family and friends.

Scary Things That Happened

I know, I haven't post anything since....the time I can't remember. And, to be Frank, this isn't a good time to post for I have an essay to work on, but anyway, I should post it before that thing evaporate.

Some friend of mine came to Pleasant Hill on June 13th. One of them, named Kevin told me some scary shit. Soon after their arrival, our agent brought them to Holiday Inn in Concord. When he arrived there, he saw Edgar, who came with him along with other people, talk to a person. That person is described as wearing a maroon red shirt, wear a black jacket that has orange motive in it, has spiky hair, and the height about the same as I am. His lips is very similar to me, and so does the way he laugh. Practically, he was stating that he saw me talking to Edgar when they were in Holiday Inn. Then he said that that person vanished when our agent gave them their room key and he didn't see him when our agent took them to Denny's later.

He was sure that I was there. It happened on June 14th, around 12 a.m and I was in my apartment along with my other mate. So, basically, it's impossible for me to be in Holiday Inn at that time! Later, Edgar said that he didn't talk to nobody before he received his room key.

So, who is that person who really like me? Was it a ghost who is using my image? Or is it my alter ego? Well.....guess it.

Mellow Day

My second post, since I arrived in United States of America. So far is so good for me. I've been through some boring session, and now I'm quite settled in here. Everything was fine and enjoyable, we're all happy until this moment.

Problem are arising. Most of my friends have to face problems of their own, their disagreement either with their family or girl/boyfriend. It just so natural. A boy or girl studies oversea, soon, they break up.

I have to appreciate friends of mine who stay together even though they are apart for almost a year, they are so great. I do hope that they stay together, as long as they can.

Anyway, I have things to concern beside that. Not that I have problem, but, I have goals to achieve.

Hello from Pleasant Hill, CA!

Hello, it's been a time since I post a blog here. Well, it's almost a week, oh, it's more than a week actually! Let's straight to the point.

To tell the truth, I quite get bored when people asking: "hey how is SF?" or something like that. Here it is: sometimes it's cold, sometimes it freaking hot! And FYI, I'm in Pleasant Hill, a small town that located 1 hour from San Francisco.



I think this all I can say for now. The next post, I think I will post about my friends and my life in here. Aah, it would be so much fun! Oh, Almost forgot. I'm happy here, and I haven't been attacked by homesick, yet. And yes, I miss my family and friends in Indonesia.

Goodbye

I should've post something, I would, but I always forgot to. Well, I haven't. Anyway, this is the day I'm going abroad. To study, alright.

Well, this song Leaving on a Jet Plane, I feel it's suit me quite well now.
Here it is:

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

So hug me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, hey, I hate to go....

That's all I can post. Blame twitter for this.

Wajahnya di Malam Hari

Suatu hari, aku melintasi Jakarta, melintasi daerah barat dan pusat seperti jalan K.H.Hasyim Ashari, jalan Kyai Tapa, serta daerah Kebon Kelapa, aku melihat suatu pemandangan yang unik. Ternyata Jakarta telah memperlihatkan kepadaku satu dari sekian wajah yang dimilikinya, ia memperlihatkan wajahnya pada malam hari.

Sepanjang jalan, aku melihat di sepanjang jalan, orang-orang yang melawan waktu, terus membuka tenda makanan, dengan harapan ada orang yang singgah di tengah malam.

Sesekali aku melihat bajaj-bajaj yang diparkir di sisi jalan. Jika kau perhatikan, akan terlihat sang pengemudi tertidur di dalamnya. Bukan karena tidak mau, tapi sering kali mereka tidak mempunyai apa pun selain bajaj mereka.

Kemudian, jikalau engkau melihat di depan teralis gedung-gedung yang saling berhimpit di sana, engkau akan melihat seseorang yang tidur hanya dengan beralaskan kardus.

Lalu, aku melihat sebuah keluarga, mirip dengan kondisi orang tadi, mereka harus tidur di depan sebuah gedung, beralaskan kardus/kertas koran. Yang ada pada mereka hanya satu dengan yang lain, serta satu buah air mineral gelas dan sepotong roti untuk mereka semua.

Miris aku melihatnya. Kalian, yang masih mempunyai tempat tinggal, tercukupi kebutuhannya, serta masih bisa melihat tulisan ini, bersyukurlah!

Ingin rasanya kulakukan sesuatu, tapi apa daya. Aku masih belum mampu. Kuharap di saat aku mampu, aku masih memiliki rasa kasihan dan peduli yang sama dengan kumiliki sekarang. Pada saatnya nanti, maukah kau membantuku menolong mereka?

Degradation

"Wow, I'm graduating from high school, but I do wanna play child's sand art"

"I'm about to attend college and right now I'm watching Toy Story 1 and 2 (again) and cried like a little child."

"I'm 17 going on 18, and I'm visiting theme park, excited like a little boy taken there by my pa and ma."

Those kind of quotes, were heard by me recently, and I thought some of it too. Why could those things slip to our mind lately? We're graduating from high school, and about to attend college but we often think like we're 5th or even 3rd grader!

One night, i finally come with an answer, rises in my mine. All of us, the senior high student are afraid. Deep down inside, we're afraid of growing up. Some of us, afraid of losing things we enjoyed, things we loved, things we have in this moment.

Deep down inside we're all wanna be forever young.

Menghitung Hari

Ya menghitung hari. Itulah keadaan dari siswa-siswi kelas 3 atau 12 SMA. Mereka menunggu pengumuman kelulusan mereka. Sembari menunggu, mereka diberikan sebuah kebebasan terselubung, kebebasan yang benar-benar bebas atau kebebasan semu.

Benar-benar bebas, apabila mereka pasti lulus, semu, apabila hasil yang mereka ketahui mengecewakan.

Ada sebuah fenomena yang mencuri perhatian penulis beberapa tahun terakhir, siswa-siswi yang selesai ujian (sekolah) biasa merayakannya dengan cara mencoret-coret baju seragam mereka. Menurutku, hal tersebut cukup bodoh. Mengapa? Mereka melakukannya karena merasa sudah lulus, perjuangan sudah usai! Seharusnya mereka menunggu dengan sabar, sampai lonceng pengumuman dibunyikan. Setelah itu, terserah mereka mau merayakannya dengan cara apa.

Berdoalah, karena hari pengumuman sudah dekat. Harapkan yang terbaik.