Thursday, July 30, 2009

Apabila Hari Ini Hari Terakhirku

My dear friend BW sent me this beautiful article. Very touching.
Thx for reminding me again :) as always

Saya teringat kisah saat saya berbincang-bincang dengan salah seorang pengusaha kaya raya di negeri ini. Ketika perbincangan sudah sampai ke tahap "dari hati ke hati," saya beranikan diri untuk bertanya hal yang lebih pribadi. "Pak , mohon maaf, kalau saya boleh tahu adakah hal yang masih ingin Bapak wujudkan dalam hidup ini?"Sambil tersenyum ia berkata, "Beberapa tahun ke depan saya akan mulai menyerahkan sebagian kepemimpinan perusahaan kepada anak-anak saya dan para professional. Setelah itu, saya akan pensiun, menikmati hidup, dan lebih aktif dalam kegiatan sosial. Selain itu saya kepengen bisa traveling ke kota-kota kecil. Kan orang di kota kecil lebih ramah, lebih baik, dan jauh dari stress."
Ketika perbincangan semakin dalam, saya beranikan juga diri saya untuk bertanya tentang apakah ada penyesalan dalam hidupnya. Sejenak ia terdiam lalu dengan mata berkaca-kaca ia berujar, "Ada satu hal yang sangat saya sesali sampai hari ini, yaitu saya belum sempat membawa ibu saya jalan-jalan ke negeri China. Itu adalah impian ibu saya dan sebagai anak yang telah mapan secara ekonomi saya pengen sekali bisa membahagiakan ibu dengan mewujudkan impiannya itu. Tahun demi tahun berlalu dan sesungguhnya saya punya dana serta kesempatan untuk melakukan itu. Hanya saja, waktu itu saya menyepelekan rencana ini. Saya pikir, nanti saja kalau kerjaan saya sudah beres. Ternyata saya terlalu asyik bekerja sehingga ibu saya keburu dipanggil pulang Yang Mahakuasa."
Dari kisah sederhana ini, kita juga boleh belajar satu hal penting. Memang benar, tips untuk menjadi lebih berbahagia adalah dengan menganggap hari ini adalah hari terakhir hidup kita di dunia. Namun, disisi lain, saya kira juga benar bahwa dengan menganggap hari ini sebagai hari terakhir, kita punya kesempatan untuk menunjukkan kasih kita kepada orang-orang yang dekat dihati kita.
Saya ingat seorang wanita karir yang kabarnya hingga hari ini masih mengalami stress berat lantaran selalu menolak permintaan anaknya untuk dimandikan. Ceritanya, selama beberapa waktu, setiap pagi sebelum sang ibu berangkat ke kantor, anaknya yang masih kecil itu meminta sang ibu untuk memandikannya. Setiap kali permintaan itu dilontarkan, selalu terdengar jawaban yang sama, "Mama kan sibuk, Mama harus kerja keras untuk cari uang agar kamu bisa dapat makanan, rumah, mainan, sekolah, dan segalanya yang terbaik. Mama kan sudah sewa dua pembantu khusus untuk mengurus kamu... Jadi ngapain Mama harus mandiin kamu?" Meskipun "lagu" yang didendangkan sang ibu selalu sama, sang anak tetap tidak berubah pendirian. Ia tetap minta dimandikan. Ini terjadi selama berhari-hari dan sang ibu tetap tidak juga mau memandikannya.
Suatu hari anak ini terkena demam berdarah dan beberapa waktu kemudian meninggal. Kali ini, dengan berlinang air mata, sang ibu memandikan -bukan lagi anaknya- melainkan jenazah anaknya. Oh, betapa menyedihkan!
Benar kata orang bijak bahwa hal-hal kecillah yang kerap membuat penyesalan terbesar di hati kita. Tidak ada yang pernah tahu kapan kita akan dipanggil. Tidak ada juga yang tahu kapan orang-orang yang kita kasihi akan dipanggil.
Seorang sahabat yang juga pengusaha pernah berkomentar, "Setiap hari kita diberi kesempatan untuk mengasihi dan juga dikasihi. Itu satu paket! Pada saat kita mengasihi, kita pun dikasihi.
Terkadang karena rutinitas dan kesibukan sendiri, kita jadi lupa sehingga menganggap semuanya biasa-biasa saja." Memang, kadang kita baru betul-betul merasa kehilangan ketika semuanya itu telah pergi untuk selamanya.
Seorang bijak pernah berkata, "Salah satu cara terbaik menunjukkan kasih kita kepada mereka yang telah tiada adalah dengan mengasihi orang-orang yang masih hidup, khususnya orang-orang yang dekat dihati kita." Sebuah nasihat yang amat berharga!
Jadi, selagi masih ada kesempatan, lakukanlah yang terbaik dan jadilah diri kita yang terbaik karena kita tidak pernah tahu kapan hari itu akan tiba. Kasihilah orang-orang yang paling dekat dihati kita seolah-olah hari ini adalah hari terakhir, entah bagi kita atau bagi mereka. Jika ada dorongan di hati untuk melakukan sesuatu bagi orang yang kita kasihi lakukan sekarang jangan tunda. Toh, tidak ada salahnya menganggap ini adalah hari terakhir jika kita bisa memperoleh banyak manfaat positif darinya.
Sepuluh aturan menuju hidup yang lebih berbahagia :
1. Berbagi
2. Melakukan kebaikan
3. Selalu mengucap syukur
4. Bekerja penuh semangat
5. Mengunjungi orangtua dan belajar dari pengalaman mereka
6. Memandang lekat lekat wajah seorang bayi/anak dan mengaguminya
7. Sering tertawa adalah minyak pelumas hidup
8. Berdoa untuk mengetahui jalan Tuhan
9. Membuat rencana seperti Anda akan hidup selamanya - dan itu pasti
10. Hidup seakan akan hari ini adalah hari terakhir hidup Anda dimuka bumi.
Sumber: The Power of Hope - Paulus Winarto
Sent at 10:43 AM on Thursday

Friday, July 24, 2009

Big Dix?

myth has it that man with small "manhood" will choose a big car to compensate his lacking. but it doesnt mean the owner of a small car will have a bigger utensil,
especially when it is shamelessly advertised like on the pic above.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Sympathy of Empathy

The siren was screaming its heart out, but no one seems to care.
That’s what I think when I tried to pull my car over to let the ambulance to pass.
It wasn’t an easy task, the road is so jammed.
What I want to highlight here is that it seems like nobody care about the ambulance, they just won’t let it pass.

I will not pretend that I understand the feeling of the sick patient, or the desperation of patient’s family member, cos I don’t feel anything. So am I an evil person? I admit that I don’t feel the urgency of the patient in ambulance, whom I don’t know personally. He/She simply a stranger for me. I pull over cos I think it is the right thing to do. And always think if I were in their shoes, I’d expect people to pullover.

Last week, I was trying to get a flight to attend a family emergency. The flight was delayed, and after hours of waiting it was then cancelled. At that moment, I was very desperate, feeling very hopeless. I couldn’t understand how can that staffs offering me some complimentary food while all I need is to get to my family ASAP. They are talking to me as if they are reading from a manual. Until I screamed in desperation (and in English) they started to give me attention & get me another flight.

I am very thankful that at least one of them tried very hard to get me to another plane. Very nice of him. But I can’t blame the rest of the staff either; it is not their duty to know how I feel, I am a mere customer and they simply doing their job. But why am I so upset that they are not showing a slight empathy for my despair?

Is it compulsory to have empathy to others? Cos I’d be lying if I said I know the feeling of someone who just lost their dear one, or who just lose their jobs, or in any desperate moments. Not that I never been in the situation before, I have; Not that I unaware of their anxieties, I do. I could shed a tear, I usually do, it still doesn’t match the grief and sorrow that they are having. But honestly, I can’t feel someone else’s pain, just like others can’t feel mine. But I will try to show sincere sympathy which come from the bottom of my heart. I mean it.


Monday, July 13, 2009

Eat My Tofu

Went to supermarket today. The plan was to get some fruits, but then I saw they are preparing fresh soya milk, yummy. Then I was thinking about making my own tofu. Never done it before, but I saw some chef doing it on tv.

So, the ingredients for my "first" tofu recipe are: soya milk, eggs, and a bit of salt. Then i lightly beat the eggs, then slowly mixing soya milk into it, then add abit of salt. Next, for steaming, I wrapped it in cling-wrap, just to avoid steam water to drip on the tofu. Then steamed for about 10-15 mins. The result was ... it became a tofu, the texture is silky, good, but the shape was abit off. I was steaming it in a bowl, I had some difficulties to flip it out.
How does it taste like? I bet my Porkchop is laughing out loud "It's so so you". Like usual, it's my mistake, very careless, I didn't check the soya milk, it was lightly-sweetened soya milk, I should have bought a plain one. So the taste is abit weird. Hahaha, but I promised to make a proper one next time.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

- Silence -

"You are awfully silent now. What happened to you?"
"I am not quiet"
"Yes, you are. You used to be chatty. You seem very careful now. You have learned this silence in a hard way, haven't you?"
"What? I am not silent"
"Your silence is your self-defence. What happened to you?"


Since I had no intention to stretch the conversation further, I simply gave a short denial and quickly changed the topic.
But inside my mind, I keep wondering. Is it true?
This conversation really made me go silent. I was surprised, no, more like shocked.
What made you said so, dear friend? Why? Coming from someone who I haven’t see and talk for years, this is the least I expect to hear.

I remembered that my friends used to call me "bubbly girl" since I was always very talkative and happy.
Maybe, it is true; I have changed. The comment really gave me a big slap on my face. A confirmation. Maybe I have become more quiet and seems sad (or maybe I should say "tense and cautious") or maybe I simply have grown up?
So, what is the answer to your question? It doesn't really matter. What’s the point anyway?

Btw, dear friend, we might not always agree on many things. Until today, we still don’t. But, I really appreciate this honest comment. Despite our occasional contact, seems like you maybe one of the few people who know me very well.
Thank you.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

LOL

pic 01: taken from a female toilet at a "overseas-oriented" company in Jkt
Since it's closed, how to do my deeds? where?

pic 02: taken from the back of international airline's plane seat
What seat bottom? which bottom? Helppppp...!!!

When I am Old

When I am old, no longer what I used to be
Understand me, be patient to me

When I spilled food on my shirt
When I couldn’t wear my own shoes
Remember the time when I patiently teach you to do things

When I absent-mindedly repeating the same sentence that bore you
Listen to me patiently, don’t cut off my sentence
In your early days, I need to repeat the same story again and again until you fallen asleep

When I need you to bathe me
Please don’t blame me
Remember your early days, how I constantly find ways to lure you for your baths

When I am confused by the new and modern things
Don’t laugh at me
Remember the time when I patiently answer all your “why” questions

When two of my legs no longer able to walk
Lend me your young and strong hands to hold and support me
Just like the time I hold your hands for your first steps

When I quickly forgot our conversation
Give me some time to recall it
Actually, the topic is not important to me, as long as you are there to listen to me. I am content

Don’t be remorse to see me age
Understand me, accept me, and support me
Like how I patiently show you about life

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Oil in Water

Oil in water
Trying so hard to mix in
The harder I try, the smaller and weaker I become

Oil in water
Shattered to little droplets
Repelled and washed out

I am tired
Don't belong here

2009 Presidental Election

Today is Indonesian Presidental Election. I've done my duty :) leaving a purple-ish mark on my left pinkie.
This time, I am not going back. Done it here.
It's not as complicated as stated on news. All you need is form A7 from your original election site.No problem at all, all smooth.
May the wise and capable candidate wins. Viva Indonesia!!!