Kukka Goes To Hanoi

So... It started with a phone call from a number I didn't recognized. I almost ignore it like I always do to unknown numbers. But this time I decided to take it. It turned out it was from Skaci, Kukka's computer course. The first thing that popped in my head was "Uh oh... What did she do?" :)) Skaci told me that Kukka was chosen to compete in ASEAN Cyber Kids Camp 2019 in Hanoi along with Cloudine, another student from Skaci. I was like "...HUH...?" ASEAN??? Hanoi??? Kukka???" I asked her to repeat everything from the beginning. Slowly. :)) It took a bit of a time before I told Hubster about it. Because... Well... Kukka did win the Skaci Bintaro Cyber Kids 2 years in a row but I didn't expect this to happen. 

Anyways after that surprising phone call, the commotion began. Starting from discussing whether or not we should let Kukka go to Hanoi alone (with Cloudine & 1 Skaci chaperone) to finally deciding that I do have to come along with her to Vietnam. The (next) biggest problem was right on those dates when the event was held, August 12th - 15th, Hubster's schedule was packed. Really. I saw his timeline and there's no free time at all. Finding the right person to go with us was not an easy thing. Why not just me? Well... You know :) Or not? Well... There's always a possibility that I might get seizures like...anywhere? Plane. Hotel. Tourist sites. I could even get lost!!! I still get lost in the middle of my favorites malls for god sakes! This is so annoying -__- So yeah... I really had to have a chaperone of my own :)) Now... I can't really remember how this idea came and who had it first, but after lots of well-thought-out discussions Hubster and I finally decided that I should bring Dewi along to this trip. Yes. THAT Dewi. Our maid. She's been with us a long time now which means we can trust her. Dewi knows my condition and has experiences how to treat me if anything happens. She's smart, healthy and quick. Dewi also has great initiative to do this and that. Basically she was the best person to come along with me and Kukka to Hanoi. It was Hubster who told Dewi about the news. I don't really remember exactly what Hubster said but when he did Dewi surely was very surprised and obviously happy. Next was making a passport for Dewi since she didn't have one. I had the duty to find the best deals of airlines tickets and hotel. We decided to take the same planes, Singapore Airlines, and stayed at Melia Hanoi, the same hotel with the kids and Ibu Sofie, the chaperone from Skaci Pusat. And so the adventure began.

Day 1, August 12th

When we arrived in Hanoi a guy from the event picked us up and took us to Hotel Melia Hanoi. His name is difficult for us to pronounce and too hard for me to remember :)) But he is a very nice guy. The minute we all sat comfortably in the car he gave us a box of Vietnamese local cake. They look and feel sort of like mochi. But more colorful. Anyways... After exchanging phone numbers I finally understand the chaperone's name: Dan Le. But still. I couldn't pronounce it correctly. :)) On the way to the hotel we passed by some historical buildings and famous local places. Dan Le gave us informations just like a tourist guide would do. But I didn't pay too much attention because all I wanted was take a shower and just lay down on the bed. AND SLEEP!!! :)) Yes. Those were the first things I did when I finally got in the bedroom which I shared with Dewi. Kukka stayed in the same bedroom with Bu Sofie and Cloudine as she supposed to. I told Kukka again and again that the fact I was there shouldn't change a thing. That she should...pretend that I wasn't there. Just because I tagged along didn't mean that she could sleep in my bedroom and be with me all time. I told Kukka that me being there in Hanoi with her was for my (and her Bapa's) peace of mind. That...at least I was in the same city, the same time zone, the same country with her :)) Then after an evening stroll to a restaurant named Quan An Ngon and back to the hotel,  Dewi, Kukka and I decided to go to sleep. Because we needed it. Very much. Zzz....

Day 2, August 13th

Alhamdulillah I had a very good sleep. I don't think I woke up even once which I usually do since I'm taking the necessary pills. Then at 6am in the morning, when it was time for me to take my morning pills I heard "Selamat pagi Bu..." I almost jumped out of my bed!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!! I TOTALLY FORGOT THAT DEWI WAS ON THE OTHER BED NEXT TO MINE!!!! Dewi laughed and thought I was being hilarious. Well... The shock was real!!! :))) Then it was time for breakfast. My favorite moment. My baby and I met in the restaurant. She said she had a pretty okay night sleep :) BTW this was Dewi's first time enjoying breakfast buffet in a hotel. I told Dewi that she could eat whatever she wanted which was served on the buffet. She was like "Huh??? Ngga bayar Bu???" My mistake :) I didn't explain how things are working in a hotel. I guess it was because I assumed that everybody knows :D Minutes after I told her that everything is free, the food, the drinks, the dessert and other stuff, Dewi ate a lot! :)) She basically tried every single thing in the buffet, I had to remind her that we still had 3 more mornings/breakfast times. After breakfast I saw this lady on the Buffalo Tours tourist desk. Her name is Nham Thi Van and her english name is Lucy. Lucy is probably the first and only person in Hanoi who I can understand very well. Her english is excellent! Because I could understand her very well, after I booked a half-day trip to Ha Long Bay, I decided to ask Lucy about other tourist sites in Hanoi. Thanks to Lucy, Dewi and I finally had a tourist map! :)) She circled and written all the places that we should visit. Starting from the hotel and back. Meanwhile this day was Kukka's first day in ASEAN Cyber Kids Camp in the hotel's Function Room. And since I already booked a tour for tomorrow, today was the only time Dewi and I could walk around the town and buy souvenirs. Most importantly Mom's wish: a handbag :) 

But first thing first: The Vietnamese Women's Museum. It's on my list and was worth every minute of it. After that Dewi and I went to the Red Bridge on Hoàn Kiem Lake. 

The park was beautiful but the weather was too damn hot for me to be on the famous bridge. And there were too many people taking pictures on it. Just looking at the crowd made me dizzy already. So I took some pictures with the red bridge as the background. Just for the sake of having a proof that I was at least NEAR that bridge. Right??? Right???? :)) I took some time to relax on the park bench right next to Hoan Kiem Lake, enjoying the shade under the trees, looking at the people here and there. It was really nice. I think I even managed to snooze a little bit. I can't really remember where Dewi was. I think she did manage to be on the bridge after I told her to go. She made sure I was okay  and bought me a sausage stick for snack. Then the journey continued. It was already noon and I thought it was time to look for some souvenirs. So we went to this area which is apparently quite famous for buying souvenirs. Luong Van Chan Street. I walked passed lots of souvenirs shops but none of them felt right. For example, shop A is too expensive while I considered shop B's owner to be rude. Why rude? Well... I don't want to spend my money in a shop where the owner just sit around on a leaning chair, sweating and "offered" me by pointing the stuff with words that I couldn't understand. She didn't even bother to stand up. No thank you. So I continued to walk and walk again with sweat all over my body. After about 3-4 shops I finally found this souvenir shop which has nice goods and most importantly the young lady in the shop was polite and friendly. After I looked around and finally set my heart on cute notebooks for Kukka's friends and a gorgeous handbag for Mom, it was time to bargain. The bargaining was quite tough because of the language. It was hilarious too. The three of us, the shop lady, Dewi and me used everything to be able to communicate with each other. English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Sunda, Bahasa Jawa, Vietnamese, Google Translator, fingers, hand gestures, drawings, calculator... :)))) At the end, the young lady gave up :))) I got everything I wanted and didn't have to spend too much. At least not as much as if I went to other souvenir shops. Finally my heart was at ease so I decided to go back to the hotel. After all... The next day would be Ha Long Bay. I needed all the energy I could have. I even ordered room service for dinner so I wouldn't have to move my butt :))

Day 3, August 14th
While the girls were getting ready to impress everybody with their presentation, my destination was Ha Long Bay. Ah yes... The second you hear that name you'll be thinking of this beautiful place ALLAH has created. To be honest I was a bit worried because I did read here and there that Ha Long Bay now is not as beautiful as it used to be. That there's a lot trash in the water etc. But... When I got there........ WOW. I said good luck and goodbye to Kukka and Cloudine then I got into a luxury bus from Buffalo Tours with Dewi. The bus was full of tourists #DUH. Mostly old couples. The guide's name was... Well... I only remember his english name: Ben. Ben's english is very good. Very understandable :) He's funny too. Ben explained almost every historical building we passed by. The first stop was the pearl farm on the way to the harbour. Ha Long Pearl. OH. MY. GOD. The pearls....... EXQUISITE!!!!! I really wanted them all!!!! Even the smallest one caught my eyes but of course they're very expensive. Even the tiniest earrings cost about... Oh nevermind :)) And so the journey continued. Next destination was the harbour. We got into a cruise ship, one of Genesis Cruise. I recommend it. Worth every penny. Seriously. Anyways... Our cruise stopped at Hang Luón or Luon Cave and it was time for kayaking. Yes. :)) At first I hesitated because it was a medium-sized kayak (10 adults) but then I thought "I'M HERE!!! MAKE EVERY MINUTE COUNT!". I got in with Dewi and 7 other passengers from the Genesis Cruise and 1 kayaker. We caused quite a ruckus when we got into the kayak. It turned out it wasn't that easy!!! The kayak kept swaying left and right everytime a passenger stepped it. And all of us screamed like it was the end of the world :)) Ben said some passengers did fall down into the water and that story certainly didn't make us feel any better :)) Then we all finally sat down and the kayak moved slowly. All of us listened to Ben carefully and enjoyed the breathtaking view. The kayak moved in to Surprise Cave. When we were in the cave I wondered how it would be like to spend the night inside :D Then we passed by The Monkey Island. It was beautiful AND funny. Why? Well... First of all it's beautiful because the island itself is full of lush trees in the middle of serene water. It's stunning. Aaaaaand theeeen... The monkeys! They were just...there. Minding their own business. I saw a mother with her baby. Then there were these 2 monkeys hanging from the trees. The funniest part of it was the fact that it felt more like they're the one who are watching us. Not the other way around :)) It's like "Oh hey! Humans!!! Aaaawww..." :))) 

Next was Ti Top Island where you can climb on 400 stairs and if you get to the top of the island you can get the best view down into Ha Long Bay. You CAN. Me? I COULDN'T :)) I caused quite a ruckus here. Before we got out of the cruise Ben already warned us about the 400 stairs that we have to climb to get up. He also reminded us about the heat. So if you think you couldn't make it, just stay in the cruise, enjoy the cold drink and wait for us, he said. Dewi reminded me to think it through. I felt...challenged? I said again and again that I could make it. I would just walk slowly and take my time, I said. Dewi gave up. I think not only she was worried that something might happen to me, but also IF something happened, she would be the one who is responsible for it :)) So yeah... I joined the others and took about 5 steps on the steep stairs. Did I tell you that the weather was very very hot??? Yeah... Okay. 5 stairs more or less. Then I started to shiver. My eyes were blurry and my hands were shaking. Still I thought I could make it. But then my sane self warned me something like "Hey you! If you keep doing this and somewhere in the middle of these steep stairs you get a seizure... You are a danger to other people. You fall down, the person behind you will be next and so on. There are old people here. Think about them" ................. I gave up. I told Dewi I would wait for her in the ship. As if walking back down the stairs didn't already cause a lot of trouble... Our cruise ship already got off the dock because it would be harbouring on the other side of the island!!! It took Ben, the people on the harbour, a very loud speaker and the people on the cruise to come back just to pick me up. Sorry guys... :D Oh yes! Did I already say that IT WAS VERY VERY HOT?????? :D When I got back in the cruise ship the first thing the crew did was giving me a wet towel :D GOD! At that moment all I could think about was the bathtub back at the hotel. But the experience was totally worth every drop of sweat. So while Dewi and the rest of the gang were "fried" outside, some old couples and I were enjoying cold drinks and leaning on comfortable seats. I don't know how long it took until they came back looking like they just got beaten up by sunrays LOL!!! Dewi kept saying that it was the best decision for me to go back to the ship. By the way the most annoying part of this whole trip was the lack of communication I had with Kukka. Although I already connected to the local operator, the signal was bad. All the time I was having fun I also couldn't stop thinking about my baby back in the city. After all... Today was Judging Day....  

And theeeeen finally at 16:05 I received the news from Ibu Sofie - Skaci. "Alhamdulillah dapat SILVER". WOW!!! I was sooooo surprised and obviously proud! I mean... The fact that Kukka was chosen to be one of the kids who represent Indonesia in this event was already a big prize itself. I didn't expect her and Cloudine to win an award. Not to mention Silver!!! Ibu Sofie called and I spoke with Kukka on then phone. She sounded very happy and I think the first thing she asked me was "Are you proud of me?" My precious Godsend :* I couldn't wait to go back to the hotel and shower my baby with kisses. After taking a long bath of course :D So yeah... When Dewi and I finally got back to the hotel, my baby came to my room. I hugged and kissed her like crazy! And of course. The most important part of this winning thing was the fact that if she won any prizes, her beloved Bapa would buy her Robux -_- She reminded me again and again about this. #SIGH 

Anyways since it was the last night in Hanoi, I decided to get an extra bed for Dewi and pushed the twin beds together so that Kukka could sleep with me. While I decided to stay in the room and rest, Dewi asked for permission to go out. She said "Kapan lagi Buu..." :)) I think she came back around 11pm. We flew back to Jakarta the next day and alhamdulillah we arrived at home safe and sound. Healthy and happy :) 

Invasion To Thai

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans” – John Lennon

How true… Sejak aku & Keke di McCann & become inseparable, kita rencana traveling ke Shen Zhen, ber-3 sama Santy. Rencananya nabung dulu. Rencananya shopping, foto-foto, jalan-jalan. Just us, the girls… Rencana tinggal rencana ya, Ke… Siapa sangka, karena 1 & laen hal, tadinya 3, tinggal jadi 2 :p Lagi-lagi rencana, April ini, Keke & aku mau ke Singapore, belanja di IKEA buat ngisi rumah. Ngga taunya…

…Life happened.
Suatu hari aku iseng cerita sama Ica, Dentsu mau ke Pattaya dalam rangka Adfest. Iseng juga aku bilang pengen nyusul. Ngga tau karena manis banget ato he just wanted to get rid of me for a couple of days :D aku dibolehin pergiii!!! Awalnya sendiri, tapi ngga tau kenapa Ica berubah pikiran. I guess he thought it was VERY necessary to bring someone, who could guard me from…what/whomever :)) Who's the best bodyguard other than Keke!! Dasar emang anaknya hoki, bisa aja dapet tiket dalam waktu singkat! Aku juga buru-buru browsing hotel & booking. Praise the internet! All set. Everything’s ready. Just need to bring our sweet asses to the plane ;)

Then Life happened again.
Sadly, Uchie, my sister in law, had a miscarriage on her 3-mo pregnancy. Waktu dia nanya (with her sad yet envious voice) kapan aku berangkat ke Bangkok, I wasn’t very enthusiastic. It wasn’t the perfect time to brag about my trip. Tiba-tiba kepikiran… Kenapa ngga ngajak Uchie juga!?! Singkat cerita aku telepon Ica & voila! Uchie’s going too!! Talking about a blessing in disguise ya, ‘Chie :)

Our adventure dimulai di Soekarno-Hatta, 14 Maret. Ternyata nama kita dipanggil-panggil karena udah final call :D Pas masuk pesawat, kayanya semua orang melototin. Jam 2AM sampe di airport Bangkok yang sekarang udah super canggih. Langsung sibuk popotoan. Trus naek taxi super keren ke Pattaya. Nyampe Pattaya Park Beach Resort jam 3 pagi. Ternyata check-in baru jam 8! Tidurlah kita di sofa kaya gelandangan. Hotelnya ngga sesuai ekspektasi. Ala hotel taun 80an gitu.. Tapi yaah… Cuman semalem juga. Lagipula most of the time, kita spend di luar. Keliling naek angkot 'pribadi'. It was crazy F U N! Makan mie pinggir jalan yang murmer, liat gay bar (Handyboys Agogo Bar! The guys only wear (kaya) singlet & celdal Hings putih! Hih!), belanja di Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, cekikikan sambil nebak “Ini cewe ato cowo ya?” tiap liat cewe cantik etc.

Besok paginya berangkat ke Bangkok. Ke hotel pun pake perjuangan. Komunikasi bener-bener ngga lancar :D I remembered, waktu 2004 ke Bangkok, jarang banget ada orang yang bisa ngomong Inggris. Aku pikir 2007 udah banyak kemajuan. Ternyata sama aja!! Yang lebih gila lagi, ternyata ngga semua orang bisa baca huruf latin! Hayaaah! Mendikbud-nya perlu diganti tuh! Pantesaaaan waktu aku ngasih alamat hotel, si supir taxi megang kertasnya kebalik. Aku ambil, dibalik, kasih ke dia lagi. Eeh, sama si gemblung itu dipegang kebalik lagi! 4 x!!! Akhirnya aku teriak “KEBALIIIK ATUH AKAAANG!!!” Udah lah! Cape-cape pake inggris, nyunda juga efeknya sama :p Selaen bahasa, matahari yang judes banget juga bikin perjalanan kita tambah seru! Padahal kita jalan kakiii mlulu! Alhasil bodi belang-belang deh! Yang paling bikin gempor, pulang tengah malem naek MRT, trus dari stasiun ke hotel jalan kaki, dengan lots of shopping bags di 2 tangan! Tapi nyampe di hotel we’ve always managed to laugh & still having fun. Malah sebelum mandi, nyempetin kongkow di café hotel. Padahal kulit udah lengket semua. Ngga tau deh kalo ada yang ngendus, asemnya kaya apa! Pantesss ngga ada yang gebet-gebet :))

Selama 5 hari di Bangkok, setiap hari kita cuma tidur paling lama 6 jam. Selesai breakfast langsung buka peta, bikin rencana ini-itu, trus jalan. Mostly shopping :D Tapi kita juga nyempetin liat The Reclining Budha – Wat Pho, temples, Mini Siam. Oya, di Wat Pho, kita bole ngambil stik yang ada nomernya. Misal, aku dapet no 23, aku robek kertas no 23 yang ada di dinding. Isi kertasnya ramalan gitu. I liked to read them all coz the words were…soothing.

Setiap hari kita pulang sekitar midnite. Bongkar belanjaan, saling pamer & komentar, trus mandi. Ngga ketinggalan nikmatin snack pengantar tidur, dari manisan mangga, stroberi, ‘martabak’ isi pisang, kwetiaw ato pop mie merk MAMA rasa Creamy Tom Yam yang uenaaaak banget! Sumpah deh! Di Bangkok, kerjaannya kalo bukan shopping, makan!! Tom Yam is a must. Mo di pinggir jalan kek, di mall kek: Tom Yam! Aku berhasil mesen bebek 1x, di warteg. Rasanya? 11-12 ma Duck King!!

5 hari ternyata belom cukup juga untuk ngubek-ngubek (mall) Bangkok :D Suami-suami udah nelponin & SMS mlulu. Tapi yang paling bikin kita ber-3 (mau ngga mau) pulang sih sebenernya duit yang semakin menipis! :p Akhirnya, 19 Maret 02.30AM kita pulang.

Thanx to my Love for giving me & my friends such a fun present :x Thanx to Dentsu yang udah ngirim bos-bos tercintaku berikut 2 partner kesayanganku ke Pattaya jadi ada excuse untuk ke sana (meskipun cuman ketemu Ipz selama sejam. Itu pun karena beli Boblbee ya, Ipz? :p AKHIRNYAAA!!! Setelah obsesi 2 taun!! )

Thanx to Life. For being so…happening :))


Wanna see more pics? Check out the Flickr Badge on the right side bar or these links:
Pattaya - Multiply
Bangkok - Multiply

BALADA KAUM HAWA

Sometimes I (almost) hate being a woman (YES, guys… News flash! I STILL AM A WOMAN. Well, at least in this particular case :P). Katanya makhluk paling sensitif. Tapi ironically, sama hal-hal sensi dalam hidup orang lain, dia bisa jadi makhluk PALING NGGA SENSITIF. & semua berawal sejak kita cukup umur untuk nikah. Cowo? Ah, mereka sih kalo ketemu hal-hal yang begini ngga bakalan dipikirin! Malah bingung kali, kenapa mesti sensi :D Ada 3 ‘kesensian’ yang sering ditanggepin dengan ‘ketidaksensian’ to be specific:

SENSI #1 “Kapan nikah?”
Pertanyaan ini bisa dijawab dengan senyum manis kalo tangan lagi ngegandeng cowo berprospek. Jawaban bisa bervariasi & ‘aman’: “Insya Allah taun depan.”; “Oh, kita mau nyelesaiin kuliah dulu.”; “Nanti kalo tabungan udah cukup.” etc.
Tapi kalo kita belum punya pacar ato punya tapi ngga ada masa depannya, ini yang ribet. “Udah punya calon belum?”; “Kapan nyusul si Neneng?”; “Aduh, buru-buru atuh.. Jangan sampe dilangkahin lagi.” etc. Tawaran demi tawaran pun berdatangan. “Nanti dikenalin sama si Dogol deh! Tajir & udah siap nikah.”; “Sama si Ujang aja. Biasa sih tapi baiiiik deh!”; “Bo, seumur gini sih dapet duda berperut buncit juga udah bagus lah!” etc. Yang kaya gini, paling sering kejadian di acara keluarga atau kawinan temen, di saat hampir semua orang dateng as couples. Tapi tau ngga yang PALING nyebelin menurutku apa? Orang-orang yang dulu manyun karena jomblo, berkomentar PERSIS kaya gitu once THEY got married. Now, where’s that bloody sensitivity go when you need it? Yang ada malah bikin sensi tauu!! Untung SENSI #1 ngga aku alamin. Tapi ngeliat beberapa temen deketku stress karena digituin, sebelnya sampe ke ubun-ubun. They said they just want to help. Yeah, by shutting up their mouth!

SENSI #2 “Udah hamil?”
Nah, begitu SENSI #1 berhasil diatasin, ada #2. Bagi yang mau nikah, ati-ati. Bisa jadi sehari setelah ijab kabul, bakal ada yang nanya: “Gimana? Udah isi belum?”. Kalau belum hamil juga, bulan depannya, & depannya, & seterusnya akan dapet pertanyaan serupa. Pertanyaan ini lebih susah dihindarin karena lokasinya ngga pandang bulu. Bisa di mall, di terminal, di WC, dll. Yang paling nyebelin? Oh, banyak! Contoh: “Belum hamil juga? Aduh sini deh gue ajarin!”; “Posisi lo salah kali! Atau salah lubang!”; “Wah payah lo! Hamil aja ngga bisa!” etc. Untuk kalimat terakhir, orangnya hampir aku gampar. She was lucky coz aku masih inget bahwa kita sekantor & ada kemungkinan kerja bareng. I said some things afterwards & now she never dares to be alone with me anymore. What I wanted was to stick a giant megaphone in her mouth & shove it to her ass! But that’s me :) Other people are nicer.
That’s not all! Orang-orang yang dulunya reproductive challenged, begitu hamil langsung lupa. Malah cerita ini-itu, pamer ini-itu. Ngga inget rasanya dulu kaya apa kalo ada yang cerita. Now, where’s that bloody sensitivity go when you need it? Padahal ada juga kok yang bisa berempati meskipun mereka excited dengan kehamilannya. Begitu ketemu aku, ngga sedikit pun ngomongin calon bayinya, which makes me justru pengen tau & malah nanya-nanya dengan semangat. But the others… They said they’re just being happy. Yeah… Congratz.

SENSI #3 “Udah punya cucu?”
My mom once told me, it will never end. Begitu pertanyaan: Udah punya pacar-udah kawin-udah punya anak-udah punya mantu terlewati, berikutnya adalah: “Cucunya udah berapa?”. Halaaaaaaaaah… Sampe mati kita harus ketemu sama pertanyaan-pertanyaan seperti ini??? Iya kalo anak-mantu sangat produktif sampe bisa ngasih belasan cucu. Nah kalo ngga? Again, akan adaaa aja orang yang dulunya mengalami hal yang sama, tapi ngelakuinnya ke orang laen once they have like a gizzilion grandchildren. Now, where’s that bloody sensitivity go when you need it? But hey! They said they’re just being proud. #$%^%$#!!!

Alhamdulillah SENSI #1 ngga pernah aku alamin & SENSI#2 work in progress :p Suatu hari nanti, mungkin aku bakal berkumpul dengan ibu-ibu yang saling pamer kehebatan & jumlah cucunya. Mungkin saat itu aku juga udah punya cucu. Mungkin juga ngga. Yang pasti aku berharap & berusaha untuk ngga jadi orang yang sebelin saat ini. Dengan ngelontarin pertanyaan-pernyataan yang sangat insensitif.

Semoga aku bisa pegang janjiku ini. Kalo suatu hari nanti I do it otherwise, tolong ingetin ya? Tampar kalo perlu :D


(ditulis dalam keadaan boseeeen setengah mampus karena udah 5 hari terkapar gara-gara tipes)

Ladies Only

Okay, all boys out? Sip ;p

Tadi pagi, pas ngaca, aku senyam-senyum sendiri. Ternyata 3 kancing teratas kaosku belom dikancing. Alhasil.. Ya.. Tau sendiri lah.. Menyembul di sana-sini :) Untung suami udah pergi duluan. Kalo ngga, pasti dia protes dengan muka sedikit galak tapi tetep manja “Duh, baju apa itu? *beep* kemana-mana! Mau ketemu siapa sih?” Tapi meskipun dia ngga ada, buru-buru aku kancing sampe pol. (I know you’re reading this, Honey. And I REALLY did buttoned them all! :D)

Masih senyam-senyum sendiri di taxi, aku inget nasib temen-temen cewekku. Banyak yang pernah & masih mengalami hal yang sama. Dapet protes semi atau keras beneran dari pasangannya gara-gara si kancing ini. Alesannya very obvious. Pacar ato suami most of the girls I know ngga rela bagian bodi cewenya yang aduhai diliat banyak orang. Repot banget tuh pasti kalo dapet cewenya yang super trendi. Apalagi kalo trendnya serba mini & ketat, ato even transparan :p

Salah satu temen baekku, let’s named her Tania, lebih pusing lagi. Hampir tiap hari berantem sama suaminya gara-gara baju. Menurut Tania, baju yang dia pake udah super sopan kalo dibanding wanita karir lain di kantornya. Rok hanya sebatas lutut. Pake blazer dan kemeja sopan. Tapi ternyata jarak antar kancing pun jadi masalah banget buat suaminya. Harus dipenitiin! Belom lagi kalo kemeja ato roknya ada belahan di pinggirnya! Wah, udah ngga lolos sensor itu sih! Jadinya, karena masih pengen dianggap trendi sama rekan sejawat & client, dia niru aksi yang aku pikir hanya kejadian di film-film. Tania berangkat dari rumah bareng suami pake baju serba tertutup. The only thing she doesn’t wear mungkin cuman jilbab :D Tapi begitu sampe di kantor… JENG JENG! A totally different outfit! :D Tapi tetep di garis sopan demi menghormati suaminya. I must admit, this girl has courage. Kebayang ngga kalo pas lagi sial niiiih..tiba-tiba dia ketemu suaminya di jalan? :D

Kalo ditilik-tilik lagi, sebenernya kenapa ya si doi marah kalo cewenya keliatan paha ato cleavage-nya? Pemikiranku selama perjalanan dari Casablanca ke Prapanca baru menghasilkan 1: Si cowo ngga mau cewenya dihorniin cowo laen. Mungkin baru di sini makhluk cowo bisa berempati!! Yet still with a touch of selfishness :p Kalo dia liat cewe ber-cleavage di jalanan ato di mal, dia deg-degan. Mungkin juga terus ngelamun jorok :)) Nah, ngga mustahil dong, ada cowo laen yang horny gara-gara liat pantat cewenya yang dibalut celana ketat, dengan sedikit g-string mengintip keluar?! Makanya, untuk menghindari kejadian kaya gitu, mending si cewe dilarang aja! Ngga boleh pake kaos ketat, ngga boleh pake rok mini, kemeja dikancing sampe kerah, ngga boleh pake hipsters, dll. Kalo pada akhirnya si cowo masih bisa “menikmati” cewe-cewe laen yang kancing bajunya “lepas” 3 ke bawah, ya salah pacar si cewe itu! Yang penting elo ngga bisa liat toket cewe gue, kata si doi ke cowo-cowo “sial” di luar sana :p

Akhirnya, lagi-lagi, cowo yang lebih beruntung. Gimana dengan kita? Apa yang bisa kita "nikmatin" dari cowo-cowo di luar sana? Scara bagian-bagian yang asik justru ketutup semua. Tampangnya? Basi! :p Jaman sekarang banyak cowo berwajah biasa tapi punya aura yang bikin keringet dingin. Pantatnya? Hmm.. Ya boleh lah tapi it’s sooo last year! Dadanya? Mesti ada alesan yang cukup kuat buat si cowo kalo sampe harus buka baju.

Apalagi kalo sampe harus buka celana!!! :p

Blognected

Salah satu 'keuntungan' jadi blogger yang aktif adalah dapet temen baru. Ngga pernah ketemu langsung, tapi begitu baca blognya trus cocok, rasanya langsung akrab :) Ada loo yang baik banget sampe ngirim hadiah buku, for no reason at all (makasih, Intan ;)). Terus ada fenomena asik juga nih, yaitu posting berantai. Pas blogwalking ke Miund (temen ketemu di dunia perblogan juga), I saw my name & pengen langsung ngelunasin 'tagihannya'. Here goes:

7 Facts About Me:
1. Seneng ketawa
2. Honest...err... Blak-blakan lebih tepat kali ya :D
3. Can be very nasty & galak mendadak
4. Seneng makan enak (Like.. Duh!)
5. Berani cenderung nekad
6. Berkepribadian ganda :D (self diagnosed)
7. Overall obliviously extremely complicated

7 Cita-cita:
1. Jadi istri yang shalihah buat Mein Schatz
2. Jadi ibu yang terbaik buat anak-anakku nanti
3. Jadi anak yang shalihah biar Mom & Dad happy
4. Selamat dunia akhirat :D
5. Nulis & nerbitin buku (cerita anak)
6. Mendadak tinggi 21 senti jadi 175 cm :D
7. Punya rumah besar biar bisa melihara Husky & Carpet Phyton

7 Tempat yang pengen didatengin:
1. Vienna; ketemu temen lama & nunjukin suami tempat favoritku
2. Mesir; pengen manjat piramid
3. Stonehenge
4. Amanresort mana aja! Random select. Apalagi kalo gratis :D
5. Central Park
6. (Calon) rumah di Emerald Townhouse Bintaro
7. Yang deket aja lah! Ikea Damansara!

7 Tempat enak buat makan:
1. Chili's!!! Pas banget kalo lagi pengen makan kaya babi :p
2. Rumah! Gepuk & sambel terasi Si Bibi!!
3. Duck King Plangi!
4. Pat Thai Casablanca
5. Bebek Bengil Ubud (best mash I ever tasted!)
6. Rumah Bude Eti di Semarang. I miss her delicious ayam bakar
7. Sami Moro Depok!!!

7 Ucapan terimakasih:
1. Allah SWT for making my life this...unique :D
2. Mom & Dad. Do I need to say more?
3. Mein Ein und Alles
4. Kekeeee!!!
5. Penemu kacamata berlensa minus!!
6. Penemu internet!!!
7. All the (un)fortunate events yang bikin aku jadi kaya sekarang

7 Perempuan yang diminta nerusin posting berantai ini:
1. Keke
2. Alia
3. Melly
4. Nine
5. Ecky
6. Intan
7. Tante
(kenapa harus perempuan ya??)

Neng Miuuuuund! Lunas yeuh! :p

Where's Love?

Suatu hari aku & Keke lagi saling update cerita. Setelah puas cerita tentang kehidupan masing-masing, kita mulai pindah topik tentang seorang temen yang sama-sama kita kenal. Boleh dibilang, cerita cinta si M ini cukup dramatis. Setelah gonta-ganti pacar & hidup bak cewe-cewe cosmopolitan pada umumnya, dia sempet settle sama seorang cowok yang sepertinya sangat dia puja. Ngga taunya, beberapa taun kemudian mereka putus. Jadilah si M menjomblo. Sayangnya, kebiasaan-kebiasaan buruk si M yang dulu sempet ilang karena influence cowoknya, muncul lagi. The usual anak muda stuff lah ;) Trus Keke bilang “Kasian juga sih gua liatnya. Apalagi kalo dibandingin sama yang laen. Kita udah kemana, dia masih di “situ-situ” aja. Malah mundur kali!”
Hmmm…I never thought of it that way. Was Keke right? Kalo yang dia maksud dengan ‘kita udah kemana’ itu seperti udah nikah, pengen/punya rumah, pengen/punya anak, punya rencana untuk ‘naek kelas’ ke fase kehidupan selanjutnya, maybe she’s right. But maybe, M couldn’t help it. It wasn’t her choice to be single again. Keadaan yang bikin dia jadi single lagi. And to think that M wasn’t my only friend who had to go through these dramas…
Take my good friend Ecky. From her story, she always had a tough life, sebagai Kembang Desa Cisayong yang pindah ke ibukota :D Setelah bersusah payah adjusting dengan kehidupan di kota besar (hihihihihi maap maap, Ex.. Can’t help it) she also had an incredibly complicated love story :) Luckily, Ecky was smart enough to set herself free before things got waaaaay too tangled. And now, (I hope) she’s happier, she has a promising career, brand new (I hope good-influencer) friends, & no boyfriend. Yes, she still is single & yes, she still has a hard time too, being alone & all. Yes, there were times she was out of track, but who wasn’t? We all had our own wild times at least once in our life, right? … Right? … RIGHT??? :D
Maybe falling for the wrong girls/guys, being drunk in & out of clubs, commiting promiscuity, heartbroken too many times, making mistakes which could never be forgiven or forgotten, were the things that some of us HAD to go through to get what we want. There are wrong, definitely. But at the end of the day, the point is how to be back on our sober feet, yes? Itu pasti yang dimaksud Keke. Supaya ngga di ‘situ-situ’ aja. Mungkin iya, si M masih di ‘situ-situ’ aja sekarang. Karena apparently she hasn’t learn anything from her past. Maybe it’s not her time yet, to be mature. Maybe just like the rest of us, she's still a little girl inside. Maybe she just need somebody to guide her to learn from her mistakes. Sometimes we do need to put our ego aside & ask to our parents, our siblings, our friends, to show us the right path. Personally, I don’t think that M’s wrong. Maybe her way to get things yang sedikit salah. But just like Ecky & some of my single friends, M is just looking for love.

The right kind of love.

To Ecky: Am proud of you & stay on track, girl ;)

Cheating: Where do you draw the line?

Buzz!
X: Kalo menurut kamu, SMS, chatting & teleponan yang intens udah masuk kategori slingkuh ga?
Me: Why? Kamu slingkuh??
X: Ngga. Temenku. Aku lagi berdebat sama dia soal ini.
Me: Jadi lagi debat ma diri sendiri nih :P
X: Bukaaan! Temenkuuu sumpeee
(Me mikir)
X: So? Slingkuh apa bukan? Ngga pernah ketemu, ngga pernah jalan bareng, ngga pernah ngapa-ngapain. Cuma saling curhat lewat SMS, chatting & telepon.
Me: Curhat? Intens?
X: Yup
Me: Tiap hari?
X: Seringnya sih gitu. Atau kadang cuma iseng aja.
Me: Iseng?
X: Cuma nanya lagi ngapain aja kok heheh
Me: Yeeeee!! Curhat soal?
X: Seringnya sih soal pasangan masing-masing
Me: Wadoh
X: Gawat ya?
Me: Hmmm…. Kalo menurutku curhat itu bisa create emotional bonding. Lama-lama kalo ada apa-apa selalu curhat sama dia, kalo lagi butuh, ada masalah, nyarinya dia. Trus lama-lama ya depending sama dia. Actually, this case is so cliché. Eventually lead to slingkuh karena ngerasa senasib sepenanggungan misalnya. Apalagi kalo curhat soal "kekurangan" pasangan sendiri. So… SMS, chatting, teleponan intens… Yup, slingkuh. Meski mungkin di level terendah
X: Hmm.. Masa sih?
Me: Yeeeeee :P Itu kan menurut akuuuuu! Terserah kamu!
X: Hmm…. Lagian kan cuma temenan. Masa cewe-cowo ngga bole temenan sih
Me: Temenan, yearrrite :) Ya bole laaahh.. Tapi in some cases there's only a very fine line yang ngebatesinnya. Curhatnya sesama perempuan lebih jelas, ngga ribet :)
X: Iya ya..
Me: Udaaaah.. Curhat sama aku aja :)
X: Hehe iya ya? Eh… Emang kamu ngga pernah curhat sama cowo?
Me: Pernah lah! Apalagi sebelum kawin :P & semakin membuktikan pendapatku. Tapi sejak kawin pilih-pilih banget. Takuuuuuut :D Kalo sama temen curhatku yang cowo, I already had “that” conversation years ago & now he knows where to stand. So, dia ngga lagi menyalahartikan curhatanku & jadi teman ngobrol yang asik. Soalnya, kadang kita perlu perspektif cowo juga sih :) Apalagi kalo curhatnya soal cowo juga :D fight fire with fire
X: Kamu curhat ma cowo cuma ma dia aja?
Me: Kalo temen perempuan ngga ada yang bisa bantu, iya
X: Cowo laen ngga pernah?
Me: Selama masih punya temen cewe, knapa ngga curhat sama cewe dulu aja.
X: Kalo lagi perlu perspektif cowo?
Me: Ya udah curhat sama temen cowo yang itu
X: Yang "know where to stand" tadi?
Me: Yup
X: Ngga sama cowo laen? Siapaaaa gitu
(Sigh)
Me: Lagi nyoba prinsip baru & alhamdulillah sejauh ini sukses. Prinsip "Mending ngga usah mulai daripada ngga bisa mundur, giving a wrong impression & memberi harkos"
X: Harkos?
Me: Harapan kosong :D
X: Halaaaah! Hmm.. Jadi kalo dah pasti ngga ada rasa, gpp ya?
Me: Well.. What do I know :)
X: Trus kalo...meski ngga/belom ada rasa tapi bawaannya pengen curhat ma dia terus, berarti udah slingkuh ya?
Me: Menurut kamu Bill Clinton got a blow job from Monica Lewinsky artinya mereka having sex atau ngga?
X: ????????????
(Gubraaaaak di ujung sana)
Me: Exactly :p

"Jomblo is no crime"

Ihihihihihih aku ketawa sendiri pas baca status YM salah satu temenku ini. Kebaca nih! Pasti saat ini dia lagi ngga punya pacar. Padahal temenku ini termasuk cewek yang laku berat. Kayanya tiap abis putus ma satu cowo, langsung punya cowo baru deh! Padahal banyak juga yang bilang kalo seusia kita gini nyari pacar lebih susah. Akhirnya I lost track & never ask her again. Pusing :) Ntar aja kali kalo udah ada yang pasti-pasti. Hehehehe
Jomblo, jadi kata yang happening banget ya sekarang ini. Almost like a trend :) Single people say this word with pride "Gue jomblo" It wouldn't be a surprise if there's actually a group of people flaunting their singlehood by wearing "Jombloers" tees. :p Kayanya bilang "Gue jomblo" juga lebih enak & santai diomongin pas ada orang nanya daripada "Gue ngga punya pacar" atau "Gue single" Kesannya ngga malu-maluin gitu. Ngga ada kesan ngga laku ato minta dikasihanin karena baru di-dumped sama pacar. Kesannya "Gue jomblo" = "I'm single by choice" = "Kasian banget elo-elo yang punya pacar, ngga bisa bebas gitu" (regardless if you're being dumped or not).
Sayang, kata jomblo belom happening pas aku lagi jomblo :P Coz nowadays, I think, jomblo means powerful, full of fun, & free spirit. Sekarang makin banyak artikel yang ngebahas asiknya jadi jomblo, tempat-tempat yang cool buat jombloers, ato film-film oke tentang orang single yang inspiring. Kalo dulu sih kali lebih banyak artikel yang ngebahas "How To Get A New Boy/Girlfriend in X Days" ato "How To Wallow After A Hard Break Up" Artikel-artikel yang menurutku jadi menjatuhkan lajangers & make them feel miserable :D Makanya yang ada pas putus tuh bawaannya nangiiiis melulu. Ngurung diri di kamar, ngga mau keluar rumah, apalagi hangout ke tempat-tempat yang happening. Hih! Bisa-bisa ketemu mantan di sana! Lebih parah lagi kalo ketemu dia ma pacar barunya sementara gue masih sendiri gini, "cuma" jalan ma temen-temen.
Nah, kalo sekaraaaaang! Weits! I'm having fun nih ma temen-temen gue! Oh, yang ini bukan cowo gue, cuma temen jalan. Oh, yang kemaren itu beda lagi! Yang di Centro? Itu sih temen jalan khusus clubbing. Weks weks weks :p Eat that, you !@#%
Hah... Enaknya jadi anak muda jaman sekarang :D Hampir semuanya dibikin jadi lebih asik & nyenengin hati. Kalo udah kaya gini, jadi makin brasa tuanya. Hehehe So, yes, my friend. Jomblo is no crime. Tapi sebagai yang tua juga, I feel obligated to say this. Stay true to yourself. If you really are comfortable with your singlehood, then have fun, go mad & take care of your body & soul. Asal jangan boongin diri sendiri karena gengsi. Kalo emang sedih, ya sedih aja :) Mo curhat, nangis, hayu aja. Ngerasa kesepian & pengen dicariin kandidat pacar, ngaku aja. It's okay. But do move on & read those god damn articles. They might do you some good after all. So, Jombloers, rock on!

Closure

Kayla had a boyfriend of 10 years. They spent almost half their lives together. Bisa ditebak, begitu dewasa mereka pun mulai berencana untuk nikah suatu hari nanti. Tapi siapa sangka, begitu Kayla udah settle & comfort dengan pekerjaan barunya, dia mulai ragu dengan pacarnya. Ngga ada cowo laen, ngga ada having a crush on somebody else. She just felt that something wasn’t right between them but maintained to stay together. Until one day, for whatever reason, she decided to quit. Quit from his life…& her life with him. Keputusan yang berat banget. Karena biar bagaimanapun, sebetulnya Kayla masih cinta berat sama cowonya. Setiap kali ngedenger ato ngga sengaja ngucap namanya, aer mata Kayla selalu netes. Bahkan waktu dia udah punya cowo baru sekalipun. Cowo yang bener-bener dia cintain & anggap lebih baek dari mantannya itu. Singkat cerita, Kayla nikah deh sama cowo barunya ini & ngga pernah ketemu ato berhubungan lagi sama mantannya yang dulu itu.
Beberapa taun kemudian Kayla ngaku, masih suka deg-degan kalo inget sama mantannya. Apalagi kalo ngga sengaja ketemu mantan-bakal-ade ipar ato mertuanya di mall ato dimana pun. Cerita-cerita tentang mantannya masih sering dia denger, dari temen ato dari keluarga. Suatu hari aku pernah nanya, kenapa sih ngga coba telepon, just to say hello or something. She refused for a reason I might never know or understand. Mungkin maksudnya baek, untuk menghindari hal-hal yang ngga diinginkan. Kalo alasannya itu, aku setuju. Tapi lately she got me thinking again. Terlebih waktu dia cerita bahwa akhir-akhir ini dia sering mimpiin si mantan & dapet informasi dari seorang informan sukarela bahwa si mantan itu baru putus sama pacarnya. Was it some kind of a sign, she asked me. I dunno. Mungkin. Tapi sign apa juga?
Sampe detik ini pun, aku ngga pernah tau alasen yang sebenernya kenapa kamu milih putus. Padahal aku tau, dulu kamu cinta banget sama cowo itu. It’s okay. You were not meant to be together. Life goes on. Tapi kayanya ada yang masih ngeganjel di hati kamu ya? Mungkin ngga, karena blom pernah ada closure di antara kamu berdua? Ngga ada pembicaraan serius dari hati ke hati, tanpa saling menuding penuh emosi, yang ngebahas alasan logis & non logis kenapa dulu kamu milih putus. Mungkin sampe detik ini si cowo ngga pernah tau & masih bertanya-tanya apa kira-kira salahnya dia sampe diputusin kaya gitu. “Sekarang sih udah ngga penting!” Mungkin. Tapi mungkin juga penting. Cukup penting malah, kalo sampe di bawah alam sadar, kamu masih kepikiran sama dia. Kayanya dulu aku udah pernah nyaranin ini juga, & kamu nolak (ato jangan-jangan udah tapi ngga cerita?). Again, I would say this once again. Closure. Try it & you might not regret it.

*Kalo ada persamaan cerita & nama karakter dalam postingan ini, anggap aja hanya kebetulan belaka :p Peace*

The Middleman (Woman)

Tadi malem pas lagi asik maen The Sims 2 tiba-tiba hpku bunyi. It's one of my best friends. Hmm..ada apa nih? I hope she's okay. Temenku yang 1 ini emang suka ngagetin soalnya. Ngga taunya she's in the middle of a classic "good friend VS friend's ex boyfriend" situation :p Wow! This is tricky. Apparently, the ex boyfriend desperately wanted her friend back. Tapi si cewe dah kapok balik lagi ma mantannya. Pokonya keukeuh ngga mau. Dasar cowo! Begitu udah hopeless, langsung deh begging ke temen deket si mantan. Basi! :p
So, why did my friend call me? Obviously, she's in a dilemma. Soalnya cerita tentang cowo ini jarang banget yang "bagus". "Laporan" orang biasanya either he's hitting on another girl atau bahkan udah punya cewe lagi di kantor laen. Ckckckckck.. "Tapi kayanya dia bener-bener desperate deh, Far.. Lusuh banget, kaya stress gitu. Trus kalo dia ngga tulus, masa sih sampe curhat ma gue? Gue kan ngga deket-deket amat ma dia. Gue kenal dia juga dari temen gue ini. Gimana yaaa?" Huaaaaa males banget emang kalo urusannya temen kita sama pasangannya! Office problem? No problemo, just shoot! So which client sucks? Money matters? Kalo ada rejeki, pasti bakal ngebantu. Tapi kalo udah urusan relationship, hmmm... Mesti hati-hati banget nih! Especially if you're not THAT close sama temen kamu. Soalnya ada nih jenis temen yang asik diajak maen, tapi ngga tau kenapa kalo urusan curhat masih mikir-mikir dulu. Jadi, kita juga ngga bisa seenaknya dong ngutarain pendapat kita tentang pacar/suami/istrinya?! Sejauh ini aja, aku hanya bisa "ngomong" jujur sama Keke soal apa pun. Kalo sama yang laen, kayanya harus mikir 1000 x dulu.
On 2nd thought, seakrab apa pun kita sama temen kita, kalo menyangkut masalah relationship emang ngga bisa sembarangan. One day you're unseparable & share the most intimate thoughts with your best friend, the next day she "dumped" you just becoz she has a new boyfriend who apparently doesn't like you very much. Huh! Dalem? Emang! :D Personally, ini adalah pengalaman yang lumayan traumatis buat aku, secara aku kalo sama sahabat "all out" :D Anyway, baeknya sih emang selalu jadi kubu yang netral. But, then again, susah juga maintain netral kalo yang 1 temen kita "beneran", yang 1-nya lagi temen karena "kenal dari si X".
So, what kind of advice did I give my confused friend? It doesn't matter, really. Coz in the end, all you could depend on is your gut. Does your heart say "Bilang aja! Kasih tau ke dia bahwa menurut elo cowo itu brengsek!"? Tell her :) Or does your heart whispers "Udah lah, suruh balik aja lagi. Kalo ternyata ngga oke, ya tinggal putus. Gampang kan?"? Don't tell her. Either way, it's safer nyelipin kalimat "Menurut aku sih... Itu menurutku looo.. Terserah kamu." Pikir aja sendiri baeknya gimana. Salah atau bener, everything has its own risks. Yes? :)

To Freak or To Be Freak

Akhirnya kemaren aku "berjodoh" sama si Amoy (Sheila) setelah udah nyoba ribuan kali untuk ketemuan tapi ngga pernah klop jadwalnya. Kalo Keke ngga tiba-tiba nelepon & bilang bahwa dia ada di taxi & udah ada di deket Gedung Niaga, ngga jadi lagi tuh! Singkat cerita akhirnya kita ke Sup Sip di Dharmawangsa Square. Si Amoy masih di jalan abis syuting tapi obrolan jalan terus antara aku & Keke. Kayanya napsu banget pengen semua diceritain. :p Berdua Keke obrolan masih rada exklusif, cerita yang hanya kita berdua yang tau. Tapi 1 thing I've come to notice. Kok kebanyakan yang diobrolin seputar kerjaan ya??? Biasanya soal kerjaan cuman dapet porsi kecil. Selebihnya pasti tentang hal-hal yang lebih juicy. ;p Tapi yang diobrolin kemaren tuh syutingan, lemburan, picingan, frilensan, kantoran, CDan.. Uuuugh! Boseeeeeeen!! Belok bentar ke soal perjodohan antar temen tapi ngga tau kenapa balik lagi ke soal kerjaan. Berenti bentar trus ngebahas Mango Salad yang kurang oke & Tom Yam yang lumayan sampe mesen mangkok ke 2, tapi teteeeeeup! Ngomongin kerjaan lagi.
Agak lama akhirnya si Amoy datang juga. Standar cipika-cipiki, ngomentarin rambut barunya yang bule, dia agak gemukan, bajunya yang mecing seperti biasa dll. Salahnya aku nanya "Abis syuting apa tadi?" Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Gara-gara pertanyaan itu nyambung lagi deh ngomongin kerjaan. Damn, Farika! You're never good in basa-basi so stop trying! Si Amoy cerita susahnya syuting pake bayi, tempatnya jauh, panasnya minta ampun, perut maag karena kebanyakan makan, PHnya apa, director-nya siapa blablablablablabla. Rasanya aku udah usaha banget membelokkan omongan ke topik yang lebih menarik like....boys? :p Tapi akhirnya aku nyerah & mulai deh ngebahas mantan klien yang super dung-dung, TVC apa yang keren sekarang sampai ke soal siapa aja agency yang bakal ikut "tempur" dalam waktu deket ini tanpa nge-reveal strategi masing-masing. Eeeekh... Just reminding about it makes me nauseous. Padahal di awal obrolan ada yang ngomong gini: "Iya nih, lagi jenuh-jenuhnya gue ma kerjaan! Pengen resign.." Hmm..dia orang keberapa ya yang ngomong kaya gitu sama aku? Tapi tanpa disadarin yang dia omongin tetep soal kerjaan, soal iklan. :)
I can't help but wonder apa orang yang kerjanya di bank juga kaya kita gini. Tiap ketemuan, of all the best topics in the world, yang dibahas tetep soal kredit macet, suku bunga & kurs valuta asing. Jadi inget, dulu ada CW yang cerita bahwa dia & pacarnya yang AD made a pact. Pokonya tiap mereka lagi berdua, ngga boleh sama sekali ngebahas soal iklan whatsoever :D I'm sure it's not becoz of their passion has faded. Soalnya kalo iya pasti udah pada resign dari jaman kapan tau. Manusiawi aja kali. Every man will reach a certain point in his life when he feels that enough is enough...at least for now. Bahwa nanti bakal "naek" lagi sih mungkin aja :) Sekarang mungkin pilihannya adalah whether to freak out karena udah jenuh banget ato...ya kalo udah jenuh aja masih tetep dijadiin topik paling hangat, that means you're "chosen" to be an (advertising) freak for life. Got the point? You have no choice!! :D

(Late) Teens VS (Very) Late Twenties

It started like regular Fridays. I already had plans karena suami bakal kerja sampe malem. Option 1 ikut Ipz & Mas Agus ke Centro; 2. Dinner sama si Amoy; 3. Maen The Sims 2 sampe suami pulang. Ngga taunya Keke telepon & dia punya tiket ke MTV Vote di Vertigo untuk 2 orang. MTV???? Eeeeuwh! So?? "ADA PETER PAN BO!!!! KITA BISA LIAT AA ARIEL!!!" WEKS???? ARIEL??

Flashback --> Yes, kami perempuan pecinta Ariel. So, sue me! Bukan Peter Pan, tapi Ariel. Heheh.. Sejak video klip Peter Pan pertama kali muncul kita udah tergila-gila & janji untuk nonton konsernya bareng. Time flew. Sibuk kerja, sibuk nikah, Keke hamil, salah tanggal etc. Liat si Aa secara live akhirnya hanya jadi "Khayalan Tingkat Tinggi".

Of course I was willing to overlook the possibility of getting all crammed up between those ABGs. Demi Aa yang 1 ini. Dasar ngga gaul, mesti nanya satpam dulu lagi Vertigo ada di lantai berapa! Sebenernya kita laper berat & aku pengen pipis. Tapi ah sudahlah! Kurang penting! Kabarnya si Aa bakal manggung jam 9 teng nih.. Begitu sampe udah kedengeran teriakan ABG. Duh, tiba-tiba aku ngerasa sangat ngga comfy. Ngga tau Keke... Tapi detik itu aku ngerasa ngga betah. I don't feel like I belong there. Kayanya ABG sekarang udah kebanyakan gaya. Heheh. Tapi udah setengah jalan. Fate would finally lead us to si Aa. Di dalem udah penuh banget & semuanya "trendy" & wangi. Ngga kaya kita, buruh iklan yang super lusuh. Eniwei, tempatnya sempit, stage-nya kecil, which is good. Berarti bisa lumayan deket liat Ariel. Huaaaa! Meski harus pasrah kena sexual harassment karena asli nempel banget depan belakang, akhirnya kita dapet tempat lumayan. Sempet keganggu sama cowo yang seenaknya ngeroko di sebelahku. Galakku keluar :p Tapi tanpa protes abis dimarahin "tante", dia langsung pergi. Another problem. Ada yang besar & empuk nempel di belakangku. Serasa tidur di kasur sambil berdiri nih... Pas nengok ngga taunya cewe "besar"! Yang nyebelin si "kasur" ini makin nempel aja & ngedorong aku ke depan. Huh! "The power of the dark side" was definitely with me that nite. Tanpa bantuan siapa pun aku berhasil mempertahankan diri dari dorongan orang yang badannya jauh lebih besar. Hihihi! Asli, I didn't move at all. Stiff like a statue. Yeee! Padahal sempet sesak nafas tuh! Maklum.. ABG sekarang tinggi-tinggi! :p Akhirnya sih dia nyerah. Soalnya aku ngga ngerasa ada kasur lagi di belakangku. Heuheuheu...

Lagi asik-asik nikmatin "kemenangan" tiba-tiba suasana heboh. 1 per 1 personil Peter Pan naek panggung. Come on, don't waste my time! Just give me that... Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Minggir kalian, ABG-ABG!! Akhirnya!!! Kita ketemu juga! :D AA ARIEL!!! Teteh-teteh di sini, Aa!! Aku & Keke ketawa-ketawa kegirangan! Ternyata jauh lebih ganteng aslinya!! Bukannya dengerin dia nyanyi, kita malah heboh ngebahas mukanya, kulitnya, badannya, rambutnya, suaranya, hidungnya... Okay, okay, I stop. :D :D :D

The girlie side of me

I may not wear a mini skirt or any skirt for that matter. Just jeans, tees, leather jacket & boots. I may not wear any make up, just a faint of powder on my face. Cute stuff animals, pretty mirrors, or pictures in Happy House frames, you won't find them on my desk. & I don't collect baby pictures or the hottest chicklits. I'm a fan of Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson & A Perfect Circle. & no need to tell me about zodiac & personality. I don't dig them that much :)
What I DO have, as far as I can remember, are scraps of paper back from college with lots of funny scribble & sweet poetry from my husband-to-be, movie tickets and resto receipts from our endless dates, an ordinary piece of brown tile with "Happy birthday, Farika. I will always love you." written on it with some kind of a paint, as a present from an old friend who had a forever crush on me (I kept it coz I thought it was very sweet of him. Usahanya itu looo...), old, meaningless e-mails from various of people whom I consider to have a special bond with me..or they're just damn funny :D, sepasang kucing dari porselen yang udah pecah jadi 3 (ngga dibuang karena dari someone very special back in the old days) & many many things more. But there's 1 in particular, which I treasured very much. SMS! Yup! Makanya seneng banget punya HP canggih karena kapasitas SMSnya pasti banyak. ;p Udah ketebak sih... Paling banyak ya pasti SMS dari Ica. :D Basi banget ya? Tapi ngga cuma dari dia aja ko! Orang yang menduduki posisi 2 my beloved brother. Trus ada dari Keke & kadang orang lain yang dalam waktu yang ngga tentu bakal dihapus juga. Kalo dari Ica sih no way jose la ya! heheh Nah, makanya kalo benda-benda itu sampe ilang, I'll be oddly devastated. No biggie, most people would say. Well, it's damn BIG to me though... Malah sampe nangis. Belum lagi kebiasaanku untuk mikir pake hati, bukan otak sampe Ica sering kesel. :p Kalo kata Mba Dini AKA Busen, mantan partnerku, itu wajar. It's so Cancerian she said. Well, I don't know about that :D
Jadiiii, tetep ada sisi cewenya juga doooong! Treasuring things for sentimental reasons. Oooy so girlie!! Trus akhir-akhir ini jadi cengeng. Liat adegan sedih dikiiiiit aja udah berurai air mata. Padahal cartoon :D Hmm..apalagi kira-kira yang membuktikan bahwa aku bisa jadi "cewe" banget ya?? Sometimes it's best to let other people tell you how you really are. Somehow they just know you better than you yourself. ;p