“Socks Kaki” - Anakku Bilingual & It’s OK!

Sejak Kukka masih di perut, aku & Ica sepakat untuk ngajarin dia bahasa asing sedini mungkin. Rencananya sih aku pake Bahasa Jerman, Ica pake Bahasa Inggris. Along the way we thought that it would be too much. Lagipula Jerman-ku udah lama ngga dipake & udah banyak yang lupa :D Akhirnya kita mutusin untuk nerapin ESL (English as Second Language). Jadilah setiap malem, sebelum dibacain ayat-ayat Al Quran, aku bacain cerita Hans Christian Andersen versi Inggris keras-keras. Yes, I read your birthday gift every night, Neng :) Bari jeung ngos-ngosan karena hamil makin tua, napas makin pendek :p And so, Kukka & I are communicating exclusively in English ever since.

Aku termasuk tipe ibu yang percaya bahwa ngga ada 1 hal pun yang kita ajarin ke anak itu bakal sia-sia. Seringkali Kukka tetep asik maen ato cuek melengos sementara aku berbusa-busa nyanyiin Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes atau lagu angka atau alfabet. Bodo amat orang di sekitarku eneg dengernya, aku tetep aja ulang terus :)) Hasilnya? One day way before turning 2yo, out of the blue, Kukka pointed to a picture in her book & said “Egg!”. Atau beberapa minggu kemudian dengan santainya dia berhitung “One, two, three, twelve, twenty!” Salah urutan, iya. Tapi ternyata di otaknya udah nempel tuh angka-angka yang aku ucapin setiap naik-turun tangga :p

Aku juga termasuk tipe ibu yang percaya bahwa anak (kecil) itu PINTER. Never, ever underestimate them & think that they don’t know what you’re talking about. They have a brain like a sponge & most of us parents don’t realize what they’re capable of. Banyak orang/temen yang tau aku nerapin ESL. Biasanya pertanyaannya sama: “Ngga takut anaknya bingung ya?” Dan bukannya aku ngga tau bahwa ada aja yang “mencibir” ato malah ngecap so’. Ajarin aja dulu anaknya Bahasa Ibunya. Kalo udah bener, baru ajarin bahasa lain. Ato, gimana generasi masa depan mau cinta tanah airnya, diajarin bahasanya aja ngga. Gitu katanya :)

First of all, thank you very much. Second of all, mind your own business & teach your kid whatever you want to teach, but don't tell me how to raise my child. My daughter is MY responsibility. Whatever things I want to teach her, is my choice. I probably don’t need to give you my reasons but since we’re already here...

Aku hanya pengen yang terbaik untuk Kukka. Diantara banyak hal baik lainnya, aku pengen Kukka jadi anak yang ngga cuma pinter otaknya, tapi juga pinter menggunakan semua kepinterannya itu nanti, buat dia & lingkungannya. Harusnya, ya buat negerinya juga. Kukka akan “hidup” di jaman yang jauh lebih keras dari sekarang. Jaman yang butuh kemampuan ngga cuma Bahasa Inggris, tapi bahasa & keahlian lainnya. Kalo CUMA Inggris aja dia ngga bisa, gimana dia mau bertahan? Apalagi ngebantu negerinya untuk jadi a better place to live in. Aku mungkin bukan termasuk WNI yang nasionalis tapi ngga berarti juga aku pengen Kukka jadi WNI yang apatis terhadap apapun yang terjadi dengan negerinya. Dan kalo dia udah bisa diajarin dari sekarang, kenapa mesti ditunda sampe otaknya udah keburu penuh dengan hal yang lain? Malah kasian nanti harus extra keras belajarnya.

Ngga kerasa sekarang Kukka udah 2 taun aja & alhamdulillah kosa katanya udah lumayan banyak. Malah udah bisa bikin kalimat-kalimat seperti “Opa is sick.” atau “Where’s the red ball?” atau “Oh no, Kukka’s book is gone!”. Iya, iya. Kosa kata Inggris-nya Kukka jauh lebih banyak daripada Indonesia-nya. But she’s getting there ko! Setiap hari ada aja kata baru yang dia ucapin. Ngga jarang juga yang keluar dari mulutnya kecampur-campur, misal “Socks kaki!” atau "Where mana?" :)) But she is capable in switching languages automatically. Ke Mba-nya, Kukka nanya “Mana susu, Mba?”, tapi begitu nengok ke aku, she asked “Where’s Kukka’s milk, Bubu?”

So yes, my daughter speaks English more than Indonesian now & sometimes she got confused. But she’s just 2yo for God’s sake, so just give her a break :)

Angel

For years I've asked Allah for a child

A child with the kindest heart

Who'll never hesitate to help those in need

A child with the warmest smile

Who'll brighten everybody's day

A child with the prettiest face

Who'll healed her loved ones' broken hearts

A child with the smartest mind

Who'll make the world a better place to live one day

For years I've asked Allah for a child

Two years ago He sent me an angel instead

Happy 2nd birthday, My Little Godsend

A Heartbreaking Event

Diawali dengan demam 38C Senin (5/7) sore, suhu badan Kukka naik turun terus. Obat penurun panas ngga bantu banyak. Malah di saat Kukka tidur, suhu badannya sampai 40.4C. Pantes aja dia rewel & ngga bisa tidur. Biasanya kalo ngga enak badan atau sakit, Kukka keliatan biasa aja. Ngga rewel, banyak makan, banyak minum, banyak gerak. But not this time... Hari ketiga aku bawa ke lab. Ternyata Kukka kena typhoid/tifes :( Aku yakin 100% Kukka kena tifes bukan dari makanan. Kita curiga dari air kran. Kalo mandi, Kukka suka sengaja mangap supaya ada air yang masuk mulutnya. Sementara air di Kota Wisata itu jelek sekali :(

Akhirnya karena takut dia dehidrasi & kemungkinan DBD, Kukka dirawat di RSIA Permata Cibubur. Masya Allah, sedih banget rasanya liat Kukka di UGD. Meskipun lemes, tenaganya tetep luar biasa pas berontak karena ngga mau dipasang infus. Butuh 3 orang, termasuk aku untuk megangin Kukka. Sambil nangis aku peluk kepalanya & I told her that everything was gonna be okay. Then again, my baby is a brave girl. Belom 5 menit infus kepasang, dia udah “terbiasa”. Malah ngomentarin bantalan penyangganya yang “Purple!” & meski sambil beruraian air mata, Kukka minta “Cake!” Akhirnya sambil nunggu dianter ke kamar, ngemil lah dia :))

Hari pertama di RS, Kukka dijenguk sama cousin kesayangannya, Alyna. Nini, Aki, Ua Fifi & Kaka Nami were there too. Malemnya Enin, Papah, Uncle Harry & Ferry juga dateng. Besoknya temen-temen Kukka dari Kota Wisata juga dateng ngejenguk. Lucu banget! Mereka sampe bela-belain naek taksi berempat + 1 mba. Malah katanya karena ngga sabar nunggu taksinya dateng, mereka nekad pengen jalan kaki ke RS, yang btw jauh banget dari KotWis kalo jalan kaki sih :)) FYI aja nih, temen-temen Kukka ini dari kelas 1 - 5 SD. They love Kukka that much, I suppose.

Alhamdulillah di RS Kukka bisa tidur nyenyak. Panasnya juga turun & stabil. The downside about having to stay at the hospital was Kukka stresssss! Hari pertama sih masih tergolong “normal”. Karena tau ngga mungkin minta sama ibunya, Kukka begging ke mbanya yang biasanya emang selalu ngeiyain permintaan Kukka. Dia minta dibukain infus ya jelas aja mbanya ngga ngasih juga :p Then she picked up the hospital phone & said “Hawow? Bapa! Buka! Bapa buka! Plis...” :D :D :D

Hari kedua level kesabaran Kukka menurun tajam :D Sambil teriak & menggeram, dia tarik selang infusnya & gigitin bantalannya. Duduk dilantai, tendang-tendang tiang infusan, lempar semua barang yang bisa dilempar, digendong ngga mau, didudukin ngga mau. Lama-lama ibunya ikutan stresssss! :D There wasn’t much that I could do except watching her moves so she’d stay safe. Lama-lama ya kecapean sendiri & tidur.

Alhamdulillah 3x diambil darah, hasilnya bikin lega. No sign of DBD. Altho Kukka did develop some kind of rash. Dokter Suraiyah bilang dipantau aja dulu. Bisa jadi kena Rubeola (beda nih sama Rubella). Ngga taunya bener. Selaen tifes grade 4, Kukka juga kena campak!!! Makin lama, ruamnya makin banyak. Muka & seluruh badannya merah-merah. Ya Allah... Pantes aja Si Bebicus ngga berdaya gitu... Knowing that Kukka didn’t HAVE TO stay at the hospital, kita langsung minta pulang. Ica & aku yakin di rumah Kukka bakal lebih happy & insya Allah jadi lebih cepet sembuh :)

And now I’m very happy to share the good news that Kukka is back to her oldself :D I don’t know for sure whether she’s already completely 100% healthy again or not. But her skin is now clear from rash, no fever, drinks lots & lots of water & can’t be stopped from bouncing on the bed. Satu-satunya yang keliatan “agak mengkhawatirkan” adalah napsu makannya yang besaaaar sekali. Kukka eats a lot, yes. But now, it’s like...too much :D

Right now I’m probably the happiest person on earth :) To see my baby girl is healthy & happy really is priceless. Yet I will never forget the feeling when I had to take Kukka to the hospital. I felt like I failed big time. I felt like a bad mother who couldn’t keep her child healthy & stayed away from hospitals...

*Kukka's photodiary in the hospital can be seen here"

34

Another year gone, reduced from this thing I called life.

What have I been doing? What have I become?

What have I achieved these past 34 years?

Have I been a devoted servant to Allah SWT?

Have I been a good daughter to my loving parents?

Have I been a faithful wife to my other half?

Have I been a loving mother to my only child?

Have I been a loyal friend to my caring friends?

Have I become a better person than years before?

I can’t help questioning because as the years go by, I realize that life is not getting any easier. There are times when I feel that I’m living a problem-free, super-easy, happy life. I would laugh and smile and dance up and down, wondering why some people can’t stop complaining about their lifes.

But when the wheel turned down, as in life it always does, I would feel like the most miserable person on earth. Nobody seemed to care about my feelings and the people I love were taking me for granted. Then I would cry, being depressed and ungrateful. Forgetting about all the wonderful things that Allah have been giving me since the second I was born.

As I get older, I should have turn wiser and better. But am I? Wiser? Better? I don’t know... All I know that life is so god damn hard and with all the things that happen in this world, it’s even harder for a person to BE and STAY good.

So today, as I woke up this morning, I put on a smile and said to myself:

“Hi! I’m Farika. I’m 34 years old and I’m blessed.”

I’ve been reciting these words in my head again and again, and hope that they’ll help me to stay sane and focused for at least another year ahead (unless Allah has another plan, of course :D). Insya Allah I can be a better woman than I am today and be a worthy soul to my God in the afterlife.

Amin.

The Unhuman I’ve Become

I was never been born as a chatty or chirpy kind of girl. But I wasn’t the quiet type either. Yes, a lot of my friends said that marriage has changed me. They said I’m more quiet & reserved. Some even said ‘ngga asik’. But those who knew me better said I’m turning into a better person :) I guess there’s always 2 sides of me: the crazy side & the loner type. And I can’t please everybody :p But these last 2-3 years the loner is taking over. And that..is..not..good.

Awalnya aku ngga terlalu nyadarin. But lately I’ve just been having this strange kind of need to be around people more often. Like, I was looking forward to go to my junior high reunion atau mengiyakan ajakan temen (yang biasanya selalu aku tolak) untuk ketemuan. Atau di lain waktu aku giat nyari info pengajian supaya bisa ngga cuma ngumpul, tapi juga sekalian ibadah. Dan yang paling “aneh”, I’m more than willing to meet new people in new places & occasions :D

Iseng-iseng, ceritalah aku soal keanehan ini ke Si Neng. Tanggepannya cukup mengejutkan. Dia bilang dia juga nyadarin banget & ada 1 kejadian yang sangat berkesan buat dia soal perubahanku ini, yaitu pas aku dipertemukan dengan sepupunya untuk ngambil tiket nonton New Moon. Meskipun waktu itu baru dikenalin, Si Neng said during dinner, I was actually very “rame” & komunikatif sama sepupunya itu. And then she said it “Now you are more...human.”

DANG!! :D

Until then, I didn’t realize how unhuman I was this whole time. Naturally Si Neng blamed the computer & the internet for my “mutation” :D That’s the thing about social medias. You think you’re still in touch with your 1000 friends. Karena bisa jadi tiap hari bales-balesan message di wall FB ato Twitter. Or chat for hours di YM or BBM. So in your mind, hubungan masih akrab-akrab aja. Tapi pas suatu hari dijadiin ketemuan, eh saling diem-dieman garing heheh... I don’t want to end up in a situation like that.

And so here I am, in a quest of becoming human (again). So far, not bad lah! Like the other day I got back in touch with an old friend from Russia. I haven’t seen him since 2002 & sengaja ngga kontek2 lagi. One thing leads to another, he’s back & we met again. I promise him this time I won’t disappear :)

May 15th was the coolest. Setelah 6 taun saling sapa, saling muji, temenan di FB & Twitter, akhirnya aku ketemu Neng Wenni & Miund :) Sebenernya udah lama banget pengen ketemu. Tapi ternyata emang momentumnya ya baru kemaren itu. Lunch berempat ngerayain bday-nya Si Neng di Sushi Tei, sambil ngobrol kaya emang udah sering ketemu sebelumnya. I hope we can do it again some time soon, girls :)

Yesterday I happily tagged along Si Neng to an event she’s been working on. Met her friends, wasn’t very chatty tho because of my sore throat. But I was there, exchange few words & laughter.

So I guess I’m in the right track, don’t you think? :)

Why My 2yo is on Twitter

Yes, Kukka has a Twitter account & has 20 followers so far. Please note that I didn’t put any kind of pressure on her followers. They followed Kukka because they wanted to. Surprisingly, Kukka’s followers are not entirely mutual as mine. 5 of them are total strangers to us. But they’re following Kukka anyways. I think that’s sweet. Since Kukka’s tweets are...childish? :)

She used to blog (Godsend) when she was still in the womb. But now, since she has a lot of things to learn, she couldn’t find the time. So instead, she microblogged :D Her blog had a lot of visitors too. Yang komen emang sedikit tapi surprisingly, silent readers-nya banyak. Beberapa temen sampe ada yang extra nge-buzz di YM hanya untuk memuji “tulisannya” Kukka. Kebanyakan perempuan & banyak yang bilang mereka enjoy banget bacanya, bikin terharu & ketawa, kadang juga sampe bikin nangis. Ngga sedikit juga yang nyaranin aku untuk bikin blognya Kukka jadi buku. Dari situ banyak juga yang nanya, kok aku sampe kepikiran (& punya waktu :p) untuk bikin blog Godsend. Ditambah sekarang, Kukka nge-tweet :p

Well, awalnya Godsend aku tulis cuma buat aku sendiri. I started writing it when I was 3 months pregnant with Kukka. Idenya udah kepikiran dari sebelum hamil. Tapi direalisasiinnya baru setelah 3 bulan. Why? Because I didn’t want to write something yang bisa bikin aku sedih hancur berantakan kalo sampe ada apa-apa dengan kehamilanku waktu itu. “3 months” is the magic number (of pregnancy months). It’s when everything is supposedly “safe”. After that, I shared it with my husband. Aku lupa komentarnya Ica exactly. What I still remember is, he was enjoying Godsend too. Besides, it helped Ica to keep up & learn about what was going on with me. Since he was tooooo lazy to read the babybooks (tsk.. MEN!!!) Ngga tau gimana, Godsend’s readers grew and grew. Lots of people knew about Si Baiyi :) I... Err.. Kukka :D posted her month-to-month growth, USG pictures, her first experiences etc. Sayangnya, setelah lahir Kukka ngga pernah update blognya lagi. Padahal ada banyak hal yang pengen di-share. & so her geeky-internet junkie mom signed her up on Twitter :D Sejak saat itu Kukka bisa share her pictures, kata-kata pertama, ability terbaru dll. Ok, tapi buat apa? Pamer ke seluruh pelosok dunia maya bahwa anaknya bisa ini-itu? Difoto di sini-di situ?

Honestly, buat aku :) Sure. Orangtua mana yang ngga enjoy & pengen pamerin anaknya setiap detik :p Tapi Godsend & @kukkaiko dibikin purely for selfish reason.

“Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car.

And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record,

and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.”

- Leonard Shelby: Memento-

That’s why aku pengen simpen semuaaa hal yang berhubungan dengan Kukka di suatu tempat yang bisa aku akses kapanpun, dimanapun. Suatu hari nanti aku pengen tau kapan & lagi apa aku pas Kukka pertama kalinya nendang perutku dari dalem. Semuanya ada di blog. Kalo dia udah besar, nanya kapan bisa ngomong “Castle”, aku punya tweet-nya dengan tanggal yang akurat. Tinggal klik hashtag #wordinprogress, voila! Bahwa ternyata banyak juga yang menikmati, I take it as a sweet bonus. So, yes. My 2yo is on Twitter because & for her mother. I hope when she grows up, she’ll not be too embarrassed by it :)

Oh but no, Kukka doesn’t have an FB account. At least not until she’s 17 :D

What’s Your Relationship Kryptonite?

I believe that every relationship has one thing, or more, that could turn the relationship into a ticking bomb & makes the love go weak, if not...dead. A relationship kryptonite.

Probably the most common relationship kryptonite is THE Ex lover. That one particular ex who keeps haunting you & your lover. The one who seems like he/she can’t let the two of you be in love in peace. The one who keeps calling & texting, asking totally “ngga penting” questions. And now since that god damn Facebook is around, it keeps easier for the ex to annoy you by commenting on your lover’s status or photos. I’ve “dedicated” a whole post about this one :p Read Neverending Problem Mantan if you’re interested.

After the Ex Factor, there’s a Friend Factor. I’ve blogged about this too (Karma Drama). About a “friendly” relationship of the opposite sex. A friend of mine commented on my post “Kalo kata temen gue, punya temen baru lawan jenis, di usia kita sekarang, dan jadi temen deket is bullshit!” Yet, there’s no way you can forbid your lover not to have (opp sex) friends, no? There you go. Another kryptonite :)

Then in some cases, there’s an intimacy issue. You’re into each other but as you get ‘closer’, there’s this kyrptonite. It could come in a form of bad body odor, an ugly handicap, bad habit or a sick addiction...

And what about a dark past? That can be a relationship kryptonite too, can it? You think as time goes by, you can handle or even forget his/her ugly past. But who are you kidding? Bad memory combined with suspicion are like cancer. It spreads in your every thought and it eats you alive. And at a certain point, you’ll explode and your relationship dies.

So, what? Better not to have a relationship at all and spare yourself all the sadness and depression? That’s for you to decide ;)

As for me, I’m a mostly happily married woman with the most beautiful daughter in the world. Bad things happened, yes. And sometimes there’s nothing I can do about it. But good things are happening more each day. So, I vote for relationship and try to be as far as I could from the kryptonite :D

When A Son Gives Back...

...big chance it won’t be something emotional touchy-feely stuff. It would be something that his parents need. Like... A holiday. That was exactly what my husband gave to his parents :) Dari awal, objective liburan ini adalah untuk menyenangkan orangtua. Itu juga alasan suamiku milih Vietnam, tempat yang belum pernah dikunjungin bapak-ibunya. Dan seperti biasa, istrinya deh yang disuruh ngurus ini-itu :p

Alhamdulillah semua pusing & ke-senewen-an ilang karena sepertinya liburannya sukses. Well, agak melenceng dari rencana awalnya. Dari rumah aku udah sibuk nge-print tempat-tempat yang wajib dikunjungin. Museums, Pagoda etc. Tapi prakteknya, liburan kita malah berubah jadi wisata kuliner. Which if I may add, was very satisfying & I didn’t mind at all :)) So, please jangan tanya soal Pagoda mana yang kita kunjungin, Museum apa yang kita datengin. But do ask makan dimana & apa aja :))

Hari pertama kita sampe di Ho Chi Minh City sekitar jam 8 malem. Selesai check-in di Sherwood Residence, kita langsung cari makan. It was kinda difficult karena udah malem. Setelah keliling kita sampe di restaurant Din Ky di 137 C Nguyen Trai - Q1. Dari luar sih kaya resto cina biasa. Tapi makanannya enaaak! Sumpah bukan karena kita kelaperan berat! Tapi emang enak! Nah di resto ini juga aku “nemuin” cocolan baru. Si cocolan yang bagiku super sedap ini dateng bareng deep fried chicken wings. Keliatannya sangat ngga menggugah selera karena ternyata ingredients-nya cuma pepper+garam+perasan lime. Tapi sumpah enaaak! Asinpedesasem gitu rasanya *nelenludahbeneran*

Hari kedua otakku udah penuh rencana. Kertas gebetan berisi tujuan-tujuan penting ngga lupa dibawa. Sebelum kemana-mana kita mampir dulu di Asia Sun Travel untuk ngurus hotel di Vung Tau besok. Abis itu baru deh ke Tujuan 1 naek taxi. Eeeeh tapi begitu nyampe di depan Hall of the Ten Hells, Ica bilang “Cari makan aja yuk!” :)) Di situlah awal wisata kuliner kami dimulai. Kita makan siang di Nha Hang Ngon atas rekomendasi si Mister resepsionis Sherwood. Katanya kita wajib makan di sini. Oh, & Ngon artinya “delicious” :) So, naturally we went there. And yes, the food WAS delicious. Tempatnya juga bagus. We ate like crazy people & yang paling asik, ngga mendadak bokek :D Abis makan kita jalan kaki keliling kota. Ho Chi Minh City ternyata bener-bener puanaaass & terik menyilaukan mata. Tapi kita tetep semangat jalan & foto-foto. Sempet juga mampir di Fahasa English Bookstore. Malemnya kita ke Night Market di luar Ben Thanh untuk belanja oleh-oleh. Biasa lah... Stuff like fridge magnets, T-Shirts, patung, tas etc. Yang bikin beda? Mereka jualan kopi :) Ada banyak macemnya, salah satunya Weasel Coffee or Kopi Luwak.

Hari ketiga kita berangkat ke Long Hai Beach, Vung Tau naek Ford Everest & supir sewaan. Seperti “kebanyakan” orang Vietnam yang kita temuin, si supir ngga bisa ngomong bahasa Inggris :D Jadi seringkali kita sengaja ngomong pake bahasa Indo. Toh hasilnya sama aja :p Yang ribet, kadang pake bahasa tarzan pun tetep ngga nyambung! Perjalanan ke Vung Tau lumayan lama. Sekitar 3 jam. Alhamdulillah sepanjang jalan Kukka tidur :D Kalo ngga, aku bisa sakit badan heheh... Sampe di Anoasis Beach Resort aku legaaa banget! Karena ternyata aslinya seindah foto-foto di website-nya :D Alhamdulillah... The beach was breathtaking & it was all ours karena sepi & letaknya tepat dibelakang resort tempat kita nginep. Kukka was super excited! Sekarang dia udah gede. Udah lebih ngerti asiknya pantai :) Dulu waktu ke Bali, dia cuma amazed sama pasir. Sekarang Kukka udah bisa nikmatin rasanya kesiram ombak :D Sesekali Kukka jilat-jilat bibirnya. Asin :p Tapi maen aer tetep lanjut!! Diangkat dari pantai, meronta-ronta. Dicemplungin ke kolam renang, baru anteng. Diangkat dari kolam, ngomel-ngomel. Direndam di bath tub, baru ketawa lagi :)) Yang parah, di depan kamar langsung ada kolam renang. Jadi Kukka bawaannya pengen keluaaar terus. Padahal sumpah mati di luar itu panasnyaaa minta ampun!!! Sampe akhirnya Ica & Kukka berenang pake payung hihihi!

Hari keempat kita balik lagi ke Ho Chi Minh. Belanja silk di China Town Market, makan siang di resto steak Ostrich, belanja souvenir di Ben Thanh Market & the highlight of the day: dinner di floating restaurant di Sai Gon River. This one is a must. Terserah mau pilih kapal yang mana. I bet they all serve tasty food. Yang penting mungkin jangan lupa bawa jaket ato pashmina ya! Terutama kalo mau bawa anak. Anginnya kenceeeng & kinda chilly. But it was beautiful :)

Hari terakhir kita sempetin mampir ke “distrik Muslim” & makan siang di resto Halal@Saigon & liat Sai Gon Central Mosque meski cuma dari seberang jalan :D Di sini ibu mertuaku akhirnya ketemu juga sama “temannya”, perempuan berjilbab heheh... Abis itu kita belanja tas & pernak-pernik lucu di toko Ombo, seberang Sheraton Hotel. I was very happy in this store. Soalnya bisa beliin tas lucu buat my mom, sister & niece. Jam 20.20 kita take off & alhamdulillah jam 23.10 mendarat di Jakarta.

Long story short, our trip was fun & the most important thing, Ibu & Bapak seemed very happy & enjoyed it too. I’m very proud of my husband. He worked hard so we could all enjoy this holiday. I know you’re not into this “sort of thing” but Insya Allah, kebahagiaan Ibu & Bapak jadi doa & berkah yang priceless buat kamu di akhirat, Yang :)

I Love You Today

Ulang taun pernikahan taun ini tergolong “menyedihkan”. Karena Ica lagi sibuuuk banget! Pas hari H malah nginep di Anyer gara-gara shooting. Waktu aku curhat bahwa 6 Maret taun ini ngga asik, Ica bilang kan masih akan ada 50 6 Maret lainnya. Kalo aku ngeluh soal beginian, Ica sering pake jawaban model begitu. Masih ada X ulang taun yang bisa kita rayain bareng lah, masih ada 50 taun kita bisa sama-sama lah, masih ada 100 liburan bareng lah & sejenisnya. Yang cewe kedengeran tukang komplen & cengeng, yang cowo tukang ngegombal :D

Now this shows how different sometimes Ica & I can be. Terlepas dari gombal ato ngga (or it’s his only way to shut her wife up :p), Ica itu lebih “pede” soal masa depan. Sementara aku serba parnoan. I have this tendency to remind myself constantly that we won’t live forever. That death is just around the corner. Depressing? Yeah, maybe :)) And FYI, this is not my first blog post about death. Read this if you’re in the mood for some heavy thinking ;))

I say, live like there’s no tomorrow! Never forget to tell “I love you” to the people you love. Call your mother & have a nice chat. Take your dad to places he likes. Text your brothers & sisters that you miss them. Trace every corner of your daughter’s face & whisper the very best of prayers a mother can give to her child. Hug & kiss your soulmate as if you would never have the chance to do it later.

And no, babe. This is not me whining about how we couldn’t spend our 6th anniversary together. For today, this is simply another way of mine to say:

I LOVE YOU :*

6th

That day, your warm hand held mine so tightly the entire night. Your eyes sparkled so bright and lively. Just like those fireworks we’ve managed to light up the dark sky. And then under the bright full moon, you sang me a song with your mesmerizing voice. You were smiling the whole time. Oh God knows how I love your smile! I still remember how that heart-melting smile curled perfectly on the face of a man I adore so much.

It was a perfect day. It was the day we got married. And I thought it was the happiest day of my life. But it wasn’t.

The happiest day of my life is when I wake up, it’s you who I see beside me.
The happiest day of my life is when I look at you together with our beautiful child.
The happiest day of my life is when I hold you & hear your heart beats peacefully.

Happy 6th Anniversary, my love.
Know that the happiest day of my life is whenever I’m with you.

English Speaking PRT

Sejak Kukka berumur 1 taun, aku & Ica sepakat untuk nerapin ESL (English as Second Language). Yang artinya, aku harus konsisten & eksklusif bicara pake bahasa Inggris sama Kukka, sementara sama yang lain pake bahasa Indonesia, termasuk sama bapanya. Dulu sih rencananya aku mau ngajarin bahasa Jerman, Ica yang bicara pake english. Tapi karena takut Kukka bingung, ya udah kita stick sama english aja dulu. Lagipula ibunya udah kurang fasih Jerman-nya karena udah lama ngga punya temen ngobrol :(

Alhamdulillah sepertinya Kukka termasuk anak yang cepat bisa bicara. Emang anaknya pada dasarnya napsu banget pengen bisa ngomong, sebelum setaun pun udah bisa ngomong “Apa” & “Bapa”. Soal ini, aku patut berterimakasih sama PRT-ku, Mela, yang sehari-hari juga ikut ngurusin Kukka. Untung banget Kukka punya mba yang banyak omong. Kalo mereka lagi berdua, rumah ngga pernah sepi. Selalu ada aja yang “diobrolin”. Dan yang bikin aku seneng, Mela bicaranya seperti ke orang dewasa. Ngga pernah pake bahasa yang di”anak-anak”-in. Normal aja. Kalo ngajak Kukka ngelakuin sesuatu, Mela juga ngejelasin benda, keadaan, cara kerja & segala sesuatu yang ada di sekeliling. Makan ato minum, Kukka diingetin untuk ngomong “Bismillah” & “Alhamdulillah”. Dia juga ngajarin Kukka Iqra, meski baru sampe tahap “Ba” & “Tsa” :) Lucky me punya PRT yang ngga hanya beneran sayang & care sama Kukka, tapi juga tergolong pinter.

Mela punya rasa ingin tahu & semangat belajar yang tinggi. Salah satu contoh, kalo abis makan di restoran, diem-diem dia perhatiin & “meneliti” rasa makanan yang aku pesen. 2 hari kemudian, makanan yang persis sama udah terhidang di meja dengan rasa yang lumayan enak. Nah, kalo aku bicara ato bacain buku ke Kukka, aku notice dia juga merhatiin dengan seksama. Lagu-lagu anak-anak yang biasa aku nyanyiin buat Kukka, dia simpen di HPnya & nyoba untuk ikutin nyanyiannya, based on what she's hearing. Buku-buku Kukka dia coba baca juga. Setiap kali nemenin Kukka nonton Barney, dia juga suka ngulang kata-kata yang ada di film itu. Sebenernya dulu Ica pernah bilang sama aku untuk sekalian ngajarin Mela english. Waktu itu aku iya-iya aja sambil mikir dalem hati “Ngga usah deh... Nanti ngga bisa ngomong rahasia-rahasiaan lagi sama Ica.” Hihihihi....

I should’ve known better karena pada suatu pagi Ica & aku denger Kukka lagi main sama temen barunya di lantai bawah. Ngga berapa lama kita pun turun. Eh, si temen baru itu ternyata udah ngga ada. So I asked “Where’s your friend, Kukka?”. Dan dari belakang Mela nyaut dengan santai “Udah pulang tadi.”

Wekweeeeeeeeeew!! :))) Ica melongo, aku cengar-cengir kaget. “Gawat juga nih kalo si Mela bisa bahasa Inggris! Kamu harus mulai ajarin aku Jerman, yang!”, kata Ica yang masih takjub sama jawaban Mela.

Heheh... Ternyata lumayan juga kursus Inggris “kelas conversation” aku ini. Ibarat sekali tepuk, dapet 2 nyamuk :))

Ready For Another?

Masuk 2010 pikiranku “terganggu” oleh satu pertanyaan yang aku ajuin ke diri sendiri. Am I ready for another baby? Dan pertanyaan yang lebih basic lagi, do I want another one?

Honestly, I don’t know. Dalam hati kecil, masih ada keinginan punya baby lagi. Apalagi kaka iparku sekarang lagi hamil 3 bulan. Wuih... Kayanya seru kalo inget jaman hamil dulu. Bener kata sebagian orang. Kalo udah pernah hamil, enjoyed it, pasti ngiler pengen hamil lagi kalo liat bumil lain. Belom lagi masalah biological clock. Let’s face it, I’m not young anymore :)) And they say 35 is when the yellow lights goes on. Taun ini, kalo masih dikasih umur, aku 34. Hamil 9 bulan. Itung, itung, itung... Kalo mau ngelahirin sebelum 35, ya harus hamil taun ini!!!!!!

HUAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

Tapi begitu liat Kukka, seringkali aku langsung mantap dalam hati. Ngga ah! She’s more than enough. She’s almost perfect. Lagipula, tampangnya Kukka kayanya ngga cocok punya ade :) Selaen itu aku senewen sendiri mikirin bisa fokus ato ngga ngebesarin Kukka secara emotionally. Knowing me, kalo sampe insya Allah hamil lagi, pasti aku bakal ngebatasin diri banget secara fisik. Takut kenapa-kenapa kalo sampe kecapean dll. Meanwhile I have an Energizer toddler running around our house who also constantly wants to be with me :) Will I be able to handle it? Handle her? Handle the pregnancy?

The pregnancy. Ah, yes... Untuk hamilnya aja bakal sebuah perjuangan sendiri. Like my lovely husband said, will I be able to take the pain, the struggle, the commitment to regularly or even daily visit the doctor? Dengan mantap aku bisa jawab, the pain, I CAN handle! Daily hormon shots? Ambil darah seminggu 3x? Blah. Just like being pinched by a baby :p It’s the “inside” struggle that keeps me thinking. Most of all, it’s Kukka that I’m worrying about.

But then again, lots of mothers are doing it. Sepupuku udah punya newborn baby pas anak perempuannya baru umur 1.5 taun!! She’s doing great & so is her daughter. Dan kalo mikir lagi that there could be another mini mixture of me & my loveofmylife, my heart would just melt & says yes, yes, yes let’s do it!!! :D And Kukka is a sweet, caring & affectionate child. She already loves babies. I’m sure she’ll make a great big sister. And if Allah say yes to everything we’ve planned, Kukka will be above 2 years old. She could be enrolling in a preschool. Probably she will be the one who wouldn’t have time for me. To busy learning, playing & being a social butterfly like my friend said :))

Tapi, tapi, baruuu aja beberapa bulan ini aku bisa nikmatin bercangkir-cangkir kopi lagi & ehm...beberapa gelas Chili’s’ Margharita hihihi... Baruuuu aja bisa terima job freelance yang pake ngantor. Baruuu aja lepas dari tanggungjawab menyusui. Eh, dicampakkan tepatnya :)) Am I really ready to let those “freedom” go AGAIN???

But look at those cute little babiessss! Aaaaaaw!!! Baby boys! Baby girls! Their angelic smiles!... Their sweet scents... Who can resist those??? I want one!!

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!!! Soooo much to think about!!

Cocky Immigration Rookie

Mungkin juga sih si dia ini udah lama jadi pegawai di Imigrasi Jakarta Selatan. Tapi kelakuannya kaya orang baru! Yang ngerasa keren & “berkuasa” nge-interview & motret orang-orang yang pengen bikin paspor. Dia pikir orang jadi takut & segan berhadapan sama pegawai berseragam coklat lusuhnya itu?!? Basi banget!

Jadi nyesel udah menyahut panggilannya dengan ramah & senyum. Nyesel juga udah sopan ngejawab pertanyaan-pertanyaannya. Tapi makin banyak pertanyaan yang dia ajuin, makin nyebelin kelakuannya, intonasinya, ekspresinya yang cenderung ke arah ngga sopan jadinya.

You’re being cocky? Well then, meet the bitchy me!!!

3 pertanyaan terakhir aku jawab dengan nada judes. Komentarnya “Panjang banget sih nama suaminya! Ulangi!”, aku tanggepin dengan “Buat orang conge'an emang kedengerannya panjang.” Waktu dia protes karena harus ngulang pertanyaan 2x, aku semprot dengan “Makanya kalau nanya mulutnya dibuka lebar dong!”. Dia ngasih pulpen buat tandatangan, aku kembaliin dengan lemparan. Terakhir dia bilang sambil kumur-kumur “Udah.” Aku ngelengos keluar ruangan.

Buat apa berterimakasih sama orang berkelakuan kampret kaya gini! Dan yang paling nyebelin, gara-gara si kampret ini niatku untuk punya foto paspor yang nyengir lebar jadi gagal total deh! Kampret!!

Jadi begini rasanya...

Dulu aku ngga ngerti & mungkin juga sempet nganggap lebay, kalo ada seorang ibu yang bilang “Duh sedih banget ngeliat anak sakit... Mending aku aja deh yang sakit, yang demam, yang batuk, yang pilek, yang diinfus, yang ditusuk jarum suntik, yang kesakitan. Asal jangan anakku.”

Dulu aku suka bingung & mungkin juga sempet nganggap mengada-ada, kalo ada seorang ibu yang bilang “Anakku sakit. Aku semaleman ngga bisa tidur. Anakku gerak dikit ato bersuara, aku langsung bangun, panik.”

Jadi begini rasanya punya anak...

Setiap kali denger dia batuk, aku sedih. Ngeliat dia cuma bisa tiduran karena lemas, mataku berkaca-kaca. Ngeliat dia meringis karena obatnya pahit, pengen aku buang obatnya. Setiap kali meluk badannya yang panas, remuk rasanya hati ini. Nyeritain keadaannya dalam sedikit kalimat begini aja, aku beruraian airmata.

Cepat sembuh ya, cantikku. Doa Bubu ngga pernah putus buat Kukka :*

Farewell, AA-56

Never thought it would really come to this. The day when we have to say goodbye to our home of 2 years & 8 months. Forgive me for being too melancholy.

But this was our first house where we spent the days as husband & wife. Where I learned to manage a household, complete with a maid & a driver. Believe me, it ain’t easy!! :p

It was also in this house when we were struggling to have a baby. And it was on this 2nd floor where I’ve spent the first 3 months of my long-awaited pregnancy with Kukka. Oh I could still remember how I’ve dreaded those stairs :)

This is the house where Kukka had spent her first years, tasted her first food, learned her first steps & words, & most importantly, here she met her first dear friends.

And in this house is where I’m learning to be a mother.

AA-56, you have witnessed a lot of our tears, joy, laughter & most of all, love. Thank you for being our home.

We will be seeing you :)

The Reunion Diet

Facebook brings reunion back in style. Foto-foto pas reunian bertebaran di home FB. Ada yang reuni TK, ada juga yang reuni geng maen dulu. Reunion is the new black. Beberapa hari yang lalu seorang temen nanya, udah pernah ikut reuni-reunian belom. Aku bilang insya Allah baru bulan depan nanti ada reuni SMP. Terus dia nanya lagi “Persiapan elo apa aja?”

He??? Persiapan apa ya? Baju? Well I got plenty of nice clothes. Kayanya ngga perlu beli baju baru deh! :p Maybe I should get my hair done, since modelnya udah ngacir-ngacir kaya pantat bebek. Kalopun perlu siap-siap, harusnya aku ngintip profile temen-temen SMP & mulai menghafal muka & nama coz I’m sooo bad with faces & names. Tapi terus tiba-tiba dia nanya lagi “Elo udah mulai diet?”

What the..!?!?

“Bo! Kalo reuni kan bakal ketemu sama mantan-mantan pacar, fans & rival! Elo harus senantiasa tampil sexy & desirable seperti dulu dong! Let them know what they’ve been missing. Belom lagi kalo di sana banyak calon yang ‘potensial’!! Jadi diet & baju yang sip mah kudu tuh!”

....... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!!!

So, inikah trend diet terbaru?? Another reason for you to go on a diet? Jangan-jangan bentar lagi bakal ada iklan tempat/cara diet terbaru dengan headline picisan “Reuni sudah dekat? Tak perlu lagi diet ketat!”

Kalo emang karena pengen tampil sehat & oke sih ya sah-sah aja ya.. Dan males juga kali denger komen-komen ngga penting yang insensitive kaya “Wah, elo sekarang gemuk banget dibanding dulu!” Tapi kalo alesannya untuk bikin mantan “nyesel”, ko ya ngga penting banget hihihihihi!

So I told her, I don’t do the reunion diet, I don’t have yet the perfect outfit & I WILL bring my husband & daughter with me. Don’t hold your breath coz you ain’t gonna see me prancing around & flaunt ma booty at the reunion :p

“Bener juga sih... Elo mah ngga perlu diet kalo datengnya bawa suami yang ganteng & anak yang gemesin!”

........

So.... I'm actually fat but don't need a diet coz I'm bringing my "presentable" family? You soooo don't get my point here, girl! *tepok jidat*

Are You Raising A Brat?

I found an interesting article today. “I can’t stand brats - and the parents who (don’t) raise them”. The minute I read that article, I instantly like the author. I kept telling Diane Clehane in my head “I feel you. I really do.”

I love babies but not so crazy about 3 yrs and above. But I do like them in a tolerable way. Unlike my husband who doesn’t like children but his own. But as much as I’m friendly to kids, I can be also be a mean witch. My child or others, if they’re being a brat & nice, calm words don’t work, I never hesitate to scold them. Most of the time it works & so far I never been “attacked” by their angry parents. But if they do, I would tell it straight to their faces & say “It’s your fault.”

Yes. I do believe that how your kids behave is how you teach & show them. As far as I can remember, I was never been a little brat because my parents didn’t raise me to be one. Sure, I was kinda spoiled & cried a lot :D But I never acted out in public. I had my mom who teach me how to behave & I had my dad who I respected *afraid of* :p He rarely raised his voice on me. Even when I accidentally broke the car door. He just walked to me, looked angry & snapped his finger to my ear. I didn’t feel a thing :D It was his presence alone which made me not wanting to be a little brat.

So yes, I was never the little girl who wailed in the toy store because my mom didn’t buy me what I wanted. I never screamed & ran around inside a mosque when people were praying. I never sat facing & staring at other people in the restaurant. In many ways my parents were probably spoiling me but in some ways they also taught me discipline, the right & the wrong. Now I think I grew up pretty nicely :D I guess that’s is exactly what I want to give to my daughter too.

I love my Kukka to death. If I had the power, I would give her absolutely anything she wants. With condition, IF it’s reasonable and it’s good for her. It’s been only 1.5 years, but I do think I’m a tough mom. A couple of times Kukka would cry for no reason at all but being spoiled. She threw things & hit me or the maid. I immediately took her to my room without saying a word, put her on the bed & let her cry out until she’s exhausted. During a pause I asked her “Are you done? If you are, you can play again outside & be a sweet girl.” Kukka acted out again & I let her be. I was able to ignore her hugs, her puppy-eyed look & funny blabber. I was being a mean mom :p I told her I didn’t want her. Not until she would stop crying & be a sweet girl again. And voila! She did. She walked to me & hugged me. No more crying :)

Some people would think that I’m being unreasonable. But I know my daughter. One thing I’ve learned about motherhood is never underestimate your child. Don’t think that she doesn’t understand what you’re saying because she does. She might act like she doesn’t but deep down she’s able to grasp the meaning of it.

I realize that we’re having a handful child here. She’s going to be a tough girl to handle. Many time my husband & I would talk about how Kukka’s going to be when she’s a teenager. We would sigh & be desperate for a second :p Like any other mothers, I have my worries. But lucky me I have a husband who shares the same belief in raising a child. So I’m pretty confident that with Allah’s guidance, my husband & family’s support, I can raise my daughter to be a beautiful little woman inside & out. Amin.

2010

No, this post is not about my new year’s resolution. Come to think of it, I never make any kind of resolution. It’s only January 5th 2010 but already big things are happening in my life.

This month we will be spending our last days in our little house in Emerald Townhouse AA-56. Because in Feb, we will be staying at my brother in law’s house in Kota Wisata for a couple of months. Cibubur... That should be an adventure :D After that, insya Allah when it's ready, we will move into our new lovely home at Emerald Garden. Can’t hardly wait for that!

What else? Oh yeah, we also bought a new car! It’s a family car and our first “brand new” car. I’m so excited! I already imagine driving it and taking Kukka for a spin. Well, actually it’s the driver who drives but it’s totally the same thing :p

Another big thing is my baby is getting bigger, obviously :) So big she refuses to be breastfed & pick a chocolate UHT milk instead :D So that’s one more big thing for me. I no longer breastfeed Kukka. It’s sad but to think that I had the privilege to give her ASI for 1.5 years, I could only be grateful :)

Kukka is way smarter than I thought. She picks things up like new words easily. I keep reminding my husband to watch his language around Kukka coz she could imitate the word just like that! I think it wouldn’t be long until the words that are coming out of her mouth have real meanings :D

As for my other half, he’s also doing great. He’s making cool & funny ads (another one will be on air on Jan 7th), he’s healthy & I do think he’s happy. I like the fact that he’s having fun at work. But why I love him even more is that he also love to spend time with his wife & daughter. Whenever he has the time, he chooses us. Well, actually he chooses to be with Kukka but since she & I are a package, that doesn’t give him any choice :p

Oh, my sister also plays a big part in making my 2010 fun :) She came to visit us all the way from Canada. I’m trying to spend lots of time with her since I’m no longer tied up with office hours. Yesterday we went to Sukabumi to visit our grandma. That was a fun road trip. I’m looking forward to spend more time with her until Jan 15th.

Only one thing that makes me sad tho. 2 days ago my dad was submitted to the hospital & he is still there. He’s doing great but still... It’s a heartbreaking sight to see him lying on the hospital bed. If he wasn’t sick, he would be in Senayan City or Pacific Place, enjoying life by eating plates of delicious sushi at Sushi Tei. I can only pray that he will be healthy again. Maybe Kukka & I should take him out for a lunch at Sushi Tei. He would love that. He always lights up when he sees Kukka.

It’s only Jan 5th but big things are happening as I speak. Alhamdulillah...

FENOMENA ABABIL

Akhir-akhir ini sering inget waktu masih ABG dulu, which was a very, very, very long time ago :D Hidup kayanya seneng-seneng terus. Kalopun ditimpa masalah, paling parah “cuma” gara-gara patah hati. Emang sih dunia serasa ambruk & ngga ada harapan hidup lagi. Tapi begitu udah punya pacar baru, life went on as fast as lightning on a stormy night :p

So yes, I still think ABG’s life was simpler back then. Why? Well, we didn’t spend our time FBing, BBMing, YMing or tweeting, which means more real, human-life socializing. We didn't need the latest BlackBerry or iPhone. We didn’t have the need to update our status every single minute. We didn’t have to show our existence by posting cool “lomo”-ish pictures in FB. Sementara ABG yang aku liat sekarang?

Well, okay. Yang rajin update status, posting pictures ato tweeting bukan ABG doang :p Tapi sampe hari ini, aku belom ketemu tuh yang “seumuran” minta di-like statusnya :)) Paling minta di-follow :p So, if you pay attention to ABG’s language in FB or Twitter, term-term kaya gini pasti ngga asing lagi:

“Gue baru update status! Like-in dong!”
“Like-in foto gue dong!”
“Sepi banget! Mention dong!!”
“Yang masih bangun jam segini, RT!”

Hihihihihi! Seriously! These terms crack me up all the time!!! Apparently, semua itu berhubungan dengan eksistensi, which is very, very important buat ABABIL. Ya ngga? :)

And when they do have “serious” problems, social networking sites could make things nastier. Saling menjelekkan & perang status lah... Caci-maki di Twitter lah... Makin mengerikan karena bahasa yang mereka pake juga ngga tanggung-tanggung. Mereka berani & bebas banget berekspresi. Eventho they know that their parents are in their friends’ list :D

Mikirin ABG jaman sekarang mau ngga mau jadi mikirin ABG jaman nanti. Jaman Kukka kalo ABG nanti tepatnya. One word. SEREEEEEEEEEEEEM!!!! :D Model cewe ABG kaya apa dia nanti, what her friends will be like, what sort of things she will into. Tiap liat anak perempuan yang menuju dewasa sekarang jadi selalu bertanya-tanya: Kukka bakal hang out di tempat kaya gini juga ngga ya? Kukka bakal pake baju model itu juga ngga ya? And on and on and on. *sigh* Well.... I guess I just have to wait & see & pray, that whatever type of ABG Kukka will become, she will be a kind-hearted, shalihah little woman :)

And besides, Kukka’s mother is already sign up in almost every kind of social networking sites & she’s a god damn good stalker hihihihihi :p

A Wise Man Said...

A dear friend is in grief. Kaka tersayangnya harus cerai dari suaminya karena si suami selingkuh. Temenku & keluarganya bener-bener terpukul & sedih banget. Mereka bener-bener ngga nyangka bahwa keluarga mereka sampe harus ada yang pisah kaya gitu. Tapi dengan bijak, suami temenku menimpali. And I quote:

“Nah itu salahnya.. Perpisahan itu sesuatu yang mutlak akan terjadi. Penyebabnya cuma 2, meninggal dan cerai. Harusnya kita bisa mikir bahwa sesuatu bisa terjadi, termasuk perceraian. Kalo kita mikir gitu, insya Allah kita akan selalu berusaha menghindari kesalahan sekecil apapun. Sehingga kesalahan yang ada ngga numpuk dan akhirnya muntah sehingga terjadi perceraian.”

Denger kalimat ini, terus terang aku ternganga :D Terpesona abisss... Apalagi mengingat setelan suami temenku ini hihihi... Personally, I think it was very well said. Nobody said marriage is easy & obviously, nobody can predict what would or could happen in the future. All we could do is being the best spouse one should deserve. Treat the other half the way you want to be treated. Setelah itu, akan selalu ada 2 ending. Happily ever after or fucked up in the middle of the journey.

Temenku bilang, susah ya jadi suami-istri jaman sekarang. Banyak banget godaan & cobaannya. Batasan antar temen lain jenis semakin samar. Sun-sunan & panggilan Sayang-Cantik-Ganteng-Sexy-Babe begitu murah diobral. Bikin ngeles jadi gampang, kalo ke-gep sama pasangan lagi imel-imelan ato chatting pake embel-embel “Cantik” ato “Baby”. “Ah, itu kan cuma becandaan antar temen aja. Sama yang lain juga aku gitu!”, kata si tukang selingkuh. Pasangannya cuma bisa sedih sendiri. Emang bener juga sih... Tapi itu juga artinya setiap kali panggilan sayang itu ditujukan buat dia, jadi ngga spesial sama sekali... Belom lagi soal pelukan. Asik-asik aja gitu meluk suami/istri orang. Alasannya kalo ngga lagi mabok, ya biar dibilang gaul & akrab. Ngga kepikir sama sekali gimana perasaan pasangan masing-masing di luar sana. Yang dipeluk sama aja. Ngelesnya ngga enak nanti kalo nolak ato emang doyan. Padahal kalo kita tegas karena benar, aku rasa ngga masalah. Kalo marah, ya emang dianya aja yang edan :p Dan kaya masalah masih kurang banyak, ada lagi satu yang selalu menghantui: masalah M A N T A N.

Aku bilang... Lillahi ta'ala aja... Kalo ngga, bisa sakit jiwa :)