ANGEL

God not only put humans in this world, he also put angels among humans for them to learn. He put His angels here to help us, to make us feel His hands, to tell us not to give up. Further more, God sent His angels here to love us. But sometimes we humans are failed to see, to feel, until God called his angels back, and we are alone now.

The Angel that God has put, doesn’t have wings but can fly, doesn’t glow but has shiny eyes, doesn’t even have angelic face.

He didn’t come with a white dress, but with the orange suit. He didn’t come with a soft image, but with the bold one. He didn’t come with a pair of wings to fly, but with CPL. He didn’t come with flawless body, but with the strong one you’ve ever seen. He didn’t come with a white hello, but with the most ingenious brain you’ll have ever known.

He didn’t fall from the sky, but be born from a lucky woman’s womb. He didn’t talk much, but his smile defines God’s creation. His words are not knives, but cottons that can cover your wounds. His sentences are not his gun to hurt others, but a poem that motivates you. His jokes might not be so funny, but makes you forget your sadness.

He talked to everybody as if everyone was his brother. He greeted old people as if they’re all his parents. He teased little children as if they were friends. He smiled to all humans as if we humans were kind.

We judge each other in this world, but he didn’t. He replied all bad words with smile, He paid back all good deeds with the better ones. He responded mistakes with prayers.

Once you noticed him you talked to him, forever you’ll keep him in your mind. Once you know him, forever you’ll realize such a generous heart he has. Once you smiled to him, then you’re gonna see a beautiful smile you’ll never forget. Once you stare at him, you are gonna wonder how God’s made those shiny eyes. Once you mess up with him, forever you are going to understand that fight is not always the answer. Once you’re in trouble, gladly he helped you with his hands. Once you forgot to say thank you, he would never mind as he never asked any return. Once he flown away, suddenly you will understand that you just have known an angel.

“Dear God, thank you for giving a chance to know an angel. Thank you for sending me him for a while so I can change. I would never ask WHY for that very little time you gave me, for that unspoken words, and for those dreams that are not coming true. I would just ask: if I could have another chance to do it all over again, I promise I would be so much better, and I would never pass any chance to show the love that I have.”

ARE WE MEANT TO BE?

How many times have you spent your time for dating somebody that finally leads you to an end? How many times have you done a perfect first date that leads you to a goodbye? How many times in your life, you try so hard to keep a relationship, but finally there’s nothing you can do but walk out? How many times have you tried, succeeded, and failed for a finding the ONE? I always believe that somebody must be meant to be with somebody. They must love each other, and take care one another. At least that’s what I learned from those Disney Princess’ movies (yea rite’). No, that’s what I learn from life, that we do need love as our way home, as a right place to rest your head, your heart, your soul. So every time I see somebody, my question will be: “Are we meant to be?” (with that look and two hands folded upon my chest). No, I never say it directly to the person, or even say it out loud. That question is only for me, myself, and my mind. That question now seems so tough for me, since I’ve asked it like for…thousand times. “Are we meant to be?” then finally he leaves without explanation. “Are we meant to be?” then I found him falling for another girl. “Are we meant to be?” but we didn’t get along so well. “Are we meant to be?” then after few tiring years we had to say goodbye. “Are we meant to be?” and directly he said we’re just friends. “Are we meant to be?” and his attitude drove me crazy. “Are we meant to be?” then he had to go abroad for the study. “Are we meant to be?” then his dog bites my shoes. “Are we meant to be?” then I found him interesting to another man. (Man!) “Are we meant to be?” and right away I turned off by his laugh. “Are we meant to be?” then we realized we spoke different language, eat different meal, and come from totally DIFFERENT world. “Are we meant to be?” then suddenly I wasn’t the one he’s been looking for. “Are we meant to be?” and so on and so on and so on…. Are we meant to be? Or are we not? That’s the only thing that I wanna know when I start my relationship with somebody. That’s the only thing I’d like to know when I start to get to know an interesting person, because somehow I’m tired of trying and failing. I’m tired of those spectacular dates, and finally find that he’s not the one. I’m tired with all the effort I’ve made, for only ended up being his best friend. And in this desperate times, I go to bed with a new question in my head: “Am I meant to be with somebody( somewhere, in this world)? Or Am I not?” and thinking about those wasted times with the unright one. Then I came to a conclusion: “I’ve been searching for the right one everywhere, I’m exhausted. Where is he?” (Is he somewhere back in the past? Is he somewhere a long my way to the office? Is he right beside me now? Or is he somebody that hasn’t come yet?) *any idea where is he? Have you ever thought about this too? Or it’s just me, myself, and my silly question?

Saturday Night With Jakarta

One of the advantages living in Jakarta city is : you don’t need a boyfriend to have a date on Saturday night. You can do everything all alone with your own way. You can have your own fine dinner, catch a movie, or even take a look on some new magazine on a book store. You also can call up a random friend (or a best friend will make it good), and make a spontaneous plan. Midnight shopping is one of good ways how to spend your fabulous Saturday night. All you have to prepare are Money, cell phone, a high comfortable yet fashionable clothes, and for sure a pair of good shoes (since it will take you to good places too). Money: it’s the core of your Saturday night’s activity. With cash (please say no to credit cards), you can have variety of activities. For example, first you go for dinner, then you shop and stop for some shot, and continuing your shop (or even just window shop) till you get drop ( I know this rhyme seems so disgusting). Karaoke also seems so okay for your activity. Listening to live music in one fine lounge, window shopping, or a silent coffee time with book, are filling my Saturday nights puurfeectttly. Cell phone is one of the important things. It will help you to check who’s available that night, to call up some random friends, and to call a cab when you seem so impossible to walk along the road and stop one (for some reason: you might be get drunk, get too full with your meal, or you might lose your energy to lift your new things from the boutique). A high comfortable yet fashionable clothes will help you to feel better in two ways. First it will go up with you as you walk on the road, as you dance with your own rhyme, as you try on new clothes in a fitting room, and as you have a grand dinner, it will hide your sudden big belly (and make you look skinny). Second, people will never take their eyes off of you since it’s highly in fashion. You will feel so much better since it’s beautiful and painless (for your body). A pair of good shoes will go with you along your beautiful journey on Saturday night. It wont hurt your feet when you run for the 75% discount in the corner boutique. It wont make you slip as you walk slightly passing a cute guy in a lounge. And it will make you look gorgeous when it’s match with your clothes. So, there’s no reason you sit alone at your home and doing nothing but cry/ think hard / watch romantic desperate movies/ eat a bucket of chicken wings and ice cream/ spoil your parents’ night (you pick one of these desperate activities) on Saturday night, just because you don’t have a ‘date’ (boyfriend). With money, cell phone, clothes, shoes, and of course the city, you can have a beautiful date on Saturday night.( See? Boyfriend is not the only way to have a date on Saturday night) . Oo I love this city!

Five Little Monkeys

Five little monkeys, jumping on the bed.
One fell down and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor, the doctor said
No more monkey jumping on the bed!

Four little monkeys, jumping on the bed.
One fell down and bumped his head.
Mama called the doctor, the doctor said
No more monkey jumping on the bed!

Three little monkeys, jumping on the bed.
…
…

Two little monkeys, jumping….

One little monkey…………….

No more monkey jumping on the bed!

This funny poem is read by so many little children in the world. One of them is my cousin, Daniel, 4 years old. He comes visit me almost every Sunday with his family. At home, we talk, laugh, sing, and sometimes watch: Dora the explorer, SpongeBob sometimes, Thomas few times, or Barney.

Last week, no watching, no singing, but reading the poem. He read it over and over. As I listened to it, I started to think why these monkeys could not learn from others. For example, the first monkey fell down, and the doctor said ‘no more monkeys jumping on the bed’, but why the second one, jumped, and finally bumped his head too, so there were three left. And the third one did exactly the same thing, and got the same thing too. It happened over and over, until none’s left on the bed.

I realized somehow, the poem is talking about us. About how we people can not learn from the others. How we ignore the suggest from other people. Just like monkey who kept jumping even the doctor suggested not to do so. It’s so funny how we live in the vicious cycle. We keep doing others’ mistake instead avoiding to do so.

The young beautiful Indonesian artist showed that thing. Thousands drug dealers and users out there are punished. And she refused to see, to learn from them. Jakarta people also refused to see Semarang and Aceh people for they annual flood. We keep throw the rubbish everywhere, and build as many shopping centre as it could. So when February comes, here we are Jakarta: “get your boot and lifebuoy and rubber boat. Jakarta somehow turns into bikini bottom (where spongebob lives with his friends).”

I don’t have to give longer explanation about the examples, because everyday as we walk to the office, as we drive on the road, as we sit on the bus, we see some regular mistakes are being done over and over. We have eyes, but we refuse to see, have ears but refuse to listen, have mind but refuse to learn.

If the second monkey on the poem used his ears to listened to the doctor and stayed calm, there would be four monkeys left (even more, if two of them were in love and decided to have kids). So the poem would be read like this:
Five little monkeys, jumping on the bed
One fell down and bumped his head
Mama called the doctor, the doctor said
No more monkey jumping on the bed!

Four little monkeys jumping on the bed
One said “hey, don’t do something like that!
remember the doctor and what he said.
Here we are now sitting on the bed.

Four little monkeys sitting on the bed
They discuss all things they had,
Remembered their old pall who has passed
And decided do something great.
(JUST IF)

So, we pick: Are we little monkeys on the poem, who keep doing others’ mistake? Or can we use our eyes, ears, and mind to inspire others for not doing the same mistake?
See, listen, analyze, and learn from others.

Thanks to my Daniel and his five little monkeys.


Daniel captured his face after reading the poem

Fall

Is it the effect of global warming?
Or the pole of my heart is melted by you
Is it because the ozone we’re lacking?
Cause your strange smile effects me directly to the heart.
Is it because of the sound pollution,
Or my ears keep hearing your voice?
Is it because the trees rarely exist in the city,
that you’re the only beautiful thing I see?
Is it the gravitation,Or is it you, who make me fall….

3 Tales Princess

This week, I met my three princess in the Disney’s live show at Istora Senayan. They are Snow White, Cinderella, and Belle from Beauty and The Beast. As I saw them dancing and singing together with the other Disney’s characters, I discovered three philosophies from each fairy tales.

Snow White, who lived with the seven ‘wacky’ dwarfs, was never frown for what she’s got. Her mother wanted to kill her(just because her fair beauty), she stuck up with seven unhandsome little guys, and she had to do all the cleaning and dishing in that dusty tiny house. This is what I call as be thankful. There was nothing in her life seemed to be positive. But Snow White sang all the time and gladly loved the seven wacky man. How bout us? Do we ever be thankful when our life seems to be so down? Why do we protest all the time?

Cinderella’s story is about her dreams and some people who just wanted to ruin it away. Her dream is dancing with the prince charming at the ball. She did everything to go there, including prepare her sisters’ needs and do all her mom’s orders. But her step family gave her a lot of duty just to keep her away from the ball. But somehow, she did. She went to the ball and danced with the Prince Charming. If you can still remember Cinderella’s song: ……No matter what your heart is bleeding if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true…. So that’s all the Cinderella about. Who ever wanted to ruin your dream, just don’t let them. And keep believing in what you believe.

Belle, she has done a great sacrifice for his father. She replaced her father to be punished by the beast. In this fairy tale, I saw a brave woman who can do everything. She didn’t think about herself could be eaten by the beast. I just admire this beautiful young woman who never put herself first in everything. I also admire herself for her passion to books.

So from these three Princess whom I like since I was little, I can learn so many things. I watched their movies when I was four, and couldn’t stop admiring their beauty. And when I grow up, I don’t stop praise these three princess for the philosophies they give.

Never Give Up! (My Laskar Pelangi, the steel and the sword)

After seeing Laskar Pelangi with some friends, we talked about this movie at the restaurant. If those kids in the movie had to get through a long long way to get the school, We had to get through a long long journey just to find out that “They” (he in plural form) are not into us. My gals had been through so many things with men just to find out that these ingenious creatures are taken or simply not into them. We were once so depressed about what do people call as a broken heart. But for us now, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. We delivered the message of a broken heart as a message of moving on. And we simply translate the words ‘moving on’ as an action to get a so much better life. The bleeding hearts are covered up with thick bandages that we call friendship. And the bruise can only be cured with a plate of super banana split. We see ourselves as steel, and those experiences are the steps of making sword. A steel has to be hit, punched, to be thrown to the fire, until it gets a perfect shapes and sharp enough to cut all things. Same with us. We need to pass the hard things to be stronger. But what if the steel is taken when the process is being done? The steel wont ever be a sword. Never! The conclusion is, we just can’t give up in our hard days. Because somehow, hard days lead us to the brighter ones. The hits, punches, and the bruise form us into a beautiful shape. So the broken heart, the tears, could transform us into a strong beautiful woman, as long as we don’t give up in our hard days. If the kids in the movie didn’t give up to get themselves education, we shouldn’t give up either to educate ourselves in domain of love and life. Whatever your problems now, either your boyfriend left you, your boss fired you, or your perfect man suddenly disappeared, just Never Give Up!