Friday 31 December 2010

akhir drama garuda

(peringatan: ini bukan soal sepakbola)
"Kalau tahu begitu, saya ga bakal issue-kan tiketnya."
Oke, itu mungkin bukan kalimat lengkapnya, tapi kira-kira begitulah maksudnya. Yang barusan bilang begitu adalah seorang staf dari Garuda Indonesia, namanya Sisillea. Garuda Indonesia sendiri sudah berbaik hati mensponsori tiket pulang gue kemarin.
Pernyataan itu dia lontarkan karena gue menolak membayar kekurangan biaya-biaya tambahan untuk tiket gue, yang baru gue ketahui lima jam sebelum keberangkatan. Gue jelas enggan menanggung biaya-biaya yang ga pernah disinggung selama hampir dua bulan kami berkorespondensi. Apalagi, hal itu terjadi karena Sari, staf lain yang mengurus tiket gue, lupa.

Dan gue kaget banget sampai ga bisa merespon pernyataan itu, bahkan sampai sambungan telepon itu berakhir.

Sisillea ini sudah membiarkan gue terkatung-katung dengan informasi yang minim selama hampir dua bulan korespondensi terkait prosedur pencairan tiket sponsor.
Dia ga menjelaskan ke gue dari awal komponen-komponen biaya apa aja yang harus gue tanggung dari tiket yang disponsori itu. Padahal gue udah konfirmasi kalau gue mau pulang hari Rabu, 22 Desember 2010, tiga minggu sebelumnya.
Kurang dari seminggu sebelum hari keberangkatan, dia bilang kalau gue harus issue tiket di Jakarta dan suruh gue minta tolong orang lain buat issue tiket, tapi ga ngasih tahu teknisnya dan apa aja yang harus dipersiapkan, walhasil gue ga bisa menemukan siapapun untuk dimintai tolong.
Ketika akhirnya gue meminta kesediaan dia untuk dikirimi duit sama nyokap gue dan jadi perantara untuk bayarin tiket, dia hanya bilang kalau gue perlu bayar biaya servis.
Sepanjang hari Selasa, ga ada inisiatif dari Sisillea dan Sari untuk mengabari status tiket gue, sampai gue kirim email ke Sisillea malamnya.
Baru saat itulah dia bilang kalau sistem di Jakarta lagi down, dan tiket baru bisa di-issue kemungkinan besok paginya. Bayangkan, malam sebelum keberangkatan, Sisillea mengusulkan untuk gue menjadwal ulang tanggal!
Rabu jam sembilan pagi, gue dapat email dari Sisillea, yang bilang kalau ternyata ada dua komponen biaya lain yang ternyata lupa diperhitungkan sama Sari, yaitu pajak pemerintah dan fuel surcharge, totalnya lima puluh empat dolar. Dia sendiri menyadari kalau itu adalah kelalaian dari pihak dia, dan menyatakan kalau Sari akan mengurus tiket gue supaya gue tetap bisa pulang sesuai rencana.

Dan barusan dia bilang kalau dia berharap ga pernah issue tiket itu buat gue?

Oke, mari kita perjelas.
Pertama, maskapai penerbangan nasional ini sudah setuju untuk memberi gue bantuan sponsor berupa tiket, dan sudah mengabari gue bahkan sebelum gue berangkat ke Thailand. Tapi, kemudian gue harus menunggu kabar dari mereka selama hampir tiga bulan, sebelum kemudian berinisiatif datang ke kantor perwakilan mereka di Bangkok untuk menindaklanjuti proposal itu. Tadi, Sisillea berargumentasi kalau pihak yang menyetujui pemberian sponsor ini sudah tidak bekerja di sana lagi, dan dia sudah rela "direpotkan" sama urusan proposal gue karena dia pernah menghubungi gue. Seharusnya, pensponsoran untuk gue ini bukan lagi jadi urusan dia, melainkan jadi tanggungjawabnya Sari, yang ngurusin issue tiket gue. Tapi bahkan si Sari ini hampir ga pernah berkorespondensi sama gue. Sekali-sekalinya dia kirim email adalah buat ngirimin pindaian tiket dan receipt-nya, itupun setelah Sisillea menelepon gue seminggu setelah gue pulang, dan gue bilang kalo gue belum pernah ada kontak sama sekali dengan Sari.

"Saya tahu kami lalai. Tapi saya sudah kasih izin Sari untuk issue tiket mbak Puji. Kalau begini kan jadinya Sari yang harus menanggung (biaya sisa itu)," katanya, ketika gue bilang kalau gue ga mau bertanggungjawab atas kelalaian mereka.

Dengan segala hormat, gue yakin gue ga perlu tahu bagaimana mekanisme internal mereka untuk menyetujui sebuah proposal. Yang lebih penting buat gue adalah mengetahui hak dan kewajiban gue sebagai penerima sponsor, dan itu termasuk bagaimana prosedur issue tiket dan komponen-komponen biaya yang harus gue tanggung, dan bukan dua hari menjelang keberangkatan.

Kedua, gue berkorespondensi dengan Sisillea selama hampir dua bulan, tapi gue hampir ga pernah mendapatkan informasi dari dia tanpa bertanya sebelumnya. Itupun banyak banget pertanyaan gue yang ga pernah direspon. Ketika gue diminta issue tiket di Jakarta, dan otomatis harus minta tolong orang lain, gue tanya seperti apa teknisnya, dan apa aja yang harus dipersiapkan. Sebelumnya, gue udah tanya biaya-biaya apa yang harus gue tanggung, berapa besarnya, dan harus dibayar dengan mata uang apa. Gue tanya tentang bagasi pun ga dijawab.

Karena gue ga kunjung dapat jawaban, sementara tanggal keberangkatan semakin dekat, gue memutuskan minta tolong Sisillea buat issue tiket gue dua hari sebelum hari-H. Baru saat itulah gue tahu kalau gue harus bayar biaya servis sebesar tiga puluh dolar. Dan hanya itu saja, tanpa pajak pemerintah apalagi fuel surcharge. Gue baru dapat nomor rekening Sisillea pada Senin malam, jadi otomatis tiket baru bisa diproses keesokan harinya. Tapi kemudian ternyata hari Selasa itu sistem ticketing-nya rusak.

Gue baru dapat kode booking tiketnya hari Rabu, beberapa menit sebelum jam sebelas siang. Gue disuruh langsung ke bandara buat re-issue tiket di kantor penjualan. Tiket itu baru betulan ada di tangan gue dua jam sebelum keberangkatan. Oh ya, karena gue ga dapat informasi yang jelas terkait bagasi (20 atau 30 kilo? baca ini), akhirnya gue kena excess baggage dan harus bayar dua ribu baht lebih. Jumlah itu berarti hampir setengah dari biaya hidup gue sebulan di Bangkok, setelah hampir enam puluh persen beasiswa gue ditelan oleh sewa apartemen.

Kalau Sisillea bisa lebih responsif dalam menjelaskan semua detail itu selama korespondensi, yang berarti gue tahu sejak awal bahwa biaya yang harus gue keluarkan supaya tiket bisa di-issue adalah $84 dan bukan $30, tentu tiket gue bisa siap lebih awal. Pun gue akan dengan senang hati membayar penuh. Andaikan memang dia berniat baik untuk membantu gue mendapatkan sponsorship, seharusnya segala informasi yang gue butuhkan terkait itu tidak diberikan di saat-saat terakhir, dan bahkan tidak berpikiran untuk tidak mengeluarkan tiket gue, kan?

Ketiga, Sari yang konon bertanggungjawab dalam memproses tiket gue, ternyata lupa memperhitungkan komponen-komponen biaya lain yang seharusnya gue tanggung. Akhirnya, gue diberitahu kalau tiket gue belum di-issue, karena gue harus bayar dua komponen lain, dengan total sebesar lima puluh empat dolar, lima jam sebelum keberangkatan.

Alasan lupa inilah yang membuat gue enggan membayar "sisa kekurangan". Ayolah, ini kan pekerjaan mereka sehari-hari, mereka yang lebih tahu apa dan bagaimananya, masa bisa lupa, sih? Oke, staf maskapai penerbangan juga manusia. Bisa lupa. Tapi bukannya gue ga pernah minta informasi tentang itu sama sekali lho ya, justru pertanyaan-pertanyaan gue itu ga pernah dijawab dengan jelas. Menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan itu di detik-detik terakhir jelas bukan sebuah sikap yang profesional. Maka itu adalah kelalaian mereka, dan sudah sewajarnya kalau yang bertanggungjawab adalah mereka.

Singkat cerita, pada akhirnya gue berhasil pulang ke Indonesia tanggal 22 Desember 2010. Tidak ada penjadwalan ulang, berarti misi membuat kejutan Hari Ibu buat nyokap gue berhasil. Dan pagi ini, setelah beberapa pembicaraan lewat telepon dengan staf ticketing dan juga Sisillea, mereka mengikuti kemauan gue yang enggan bertanggungjawab atas kelalaian dan misinformasi dari pihak mereka. Cukup melegakan.

Dan untunglah, Sisillea tidak sempat melaksanakan idenya untuk tidak mencairkan tiket. Tidak memberikan apa yang sudah jelas-jelas menjadi hak gue, jelas lebih tidak profesional daripada "hanya" teledor menginformasikan komponen-komponen biaya tiket.

Akhirnya, terima kasih banyak, Garuda Indonesia. Salam buat stafnya yang mengurus sponsorship ya. Jangan lupa ingatkan mereka untuk menginformasikan hak dan kewajiban penerima sponsor jauh-jauh hari, supaya tidak ada Sisillea-Sisillea yang lain, yang merespon keberatan konsumen dengan pernyataan yang tidak bijaksana.

Thursday 30 December 2010

nilai!

hari ini disapa lewat twitter sama ken. dia mengabarkan dengan gembira kalau dia lulus kelas principles of economics, salah satu dari enam kelas yang diambilnya pas semester pertukaran kemarin. gue kira dia udah dapet kiriman transkrip nilai dari kampus, tapi ternyata dia ngecek langsung di situs office of the registrar. malorie juga mengonfirmasi ini, tapi dia belum sempat lihat nilainya.

singkat cerita, akhirnya gue berhasil buka situs yang dimaksud dan melihat langsung nilai-nilai itu. per 27 desember 2010, baru empat dari lima mata kuliah yang udah keluar nilainya. thai culture doang yang belum ada.

mengingat nilai-nilai itu ga bakal terpakai di transkrip gue di indonesia, awalnya gue ga terlalu penasaran. apalagi, ajarn golf, sang dosen performing arts, udah sempet ngasih tahu nilai gue buat mata kuliah dia. eh tapi ternyata gue langsung antusias, begitu tahu kalau nilainya bisa dilihat secara online dalam waktu kurang dari sebulan setelah ujian.


kapan ya, di unpad juga bisa kaya begini...

Thursday 23 December 2010

day twenty-three: new name

"Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?"
okay, now pretend that you, reader(s), is a (are) stranger(s).

hello, the name is daya. it means "compassion" in hindi, and "strength" in bahasa. "daya" has its own significance in sikhism, which concept says to not ignore tragedies that take place in the world but to face them head-on and do whatever is possible within ones means, so says wikipedia. i found the concept to be beautiful and can be universally embraced.

moreover, the choice upon the name goes with a hope that i can be both compassionate and strong; to have the strength so i can exercise compassion, and the compassion so i can stay strong during hard times. hey, come to think of it, i would love to name my future daughter with this!

surprise surprise!

i am home for mother's day. it was meant to be a surprise, which was almost spoilt by the irresponsible officer from my national airline, but i managed anyway.

it was five minutes before wednesday, december 22 2010, ends. i called my baby sister's mobile phone using my dad's number once i got in front of the gate. i am eternally grateful for having him picked me up at the airport, speeding up all the way home so i can make it before midnight, and most of all, to conspire with me all along with this plan.

it was priceless.
the frustrating moments waiting for my sponsored ticket to be issued, the stomach i left empty since the night before until i got my meal aboard because of the exhausting ticket hassle that eliminates my appetite (even my snickers addiction!), the trouble sleeping because worrying that the plan might not going to be concretised - for the particular national airline officer suggested me to reschedule the night before my planned departure date, the craze at the airport for getting my ticket three hours before the departure time and suddenly realised that my luggage was overweight...
everything did not matter anymore once i saw my mother's surprised (if not outraged) face in front of the door, heard her saying, "DASAR ANAK BANDEL!" and pinched my waist, and had her in my arms.

i do not need any camera to capture the moment and expressions, for it will linger in my memory for, like, ever.

so, yeah. that is to be said, i am back for good. please feel free to reach me. let's arrange any sort of temu kangen. but do not bother asking for souvenirs. lol.

Wednesday 22 December 2010

day twenty-two: travel

"How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?"
i travelled mostly by plane and bus. okay, and now i can imagine sherlock holmes says, "quite an observation but i was hoping that you can go deeper."

compared to 2009, in 2010 i travelled to less places, particularly within the country. but this year, i travelled further and longer. i spent almost two weeks in germany for an international student festival, and almost five months in thailand for an exchange semester. to make those trips happened, i travelled to the capital city quite a lot of times in the first half of the year. during both my abroad trips, i visited several cities in the countries. oh, and i also had a transit in dubai, the airport was nice.

travelling was tough this year, considering the distance, which affect the cost of the travel, that i almost cannot afford. thus, i have to seek around for help, looking for generous people to fund my trip(s). funding my travel to europe was quite a challenge, but it worth all the hassle. the same thing goes with my trip to thailand, which ended up getting a sponsored ticket from my national airline.

and i am leaving home today!
regardless of how some staffs of my national airline are being neglecting and uncooperative in helping me getting my sponsored ticket, i am excited to surprise my mother by sending myself for mother's day.

oh - and as for any travel next year, i am not planning any overseas trips because mum will disapprove such spending, unless it will be completely free. however, i am thinking of graduating this year and working overseas soon afterwards.

(this post was saved as a draft, because it was impossible to post it right afterwards - it will definitely spoil the surprise! plus, at the moment, i was still unsure whether or not i could get my ticket today. roarr!)

Tuesday 21 December 2010

day twenty-one: future self

"Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)"
this is an interesting one. i am quite awful in imagining my future self, for i want too many things for too many times, so i'd go only with the bonus question instead.


dear soon-to-be 13 year old puji maharani,

you have just graduated from primary school and are starting your days in secondary school. enjoy them. do not listen to your teachers who think that skipping classes for joining competitions is wrong. have fun having legitimate days of not attending school. keep your expectations low, regardless how pushy your teachers can be - they have their own politics and it is none of your business. keep yourself humble. seek for more positive thoughts during hard times. do not give up on your swimming lessons. build friendships and keep them last. cherish every moment with everyone - they do not stay forever. and you will go abroad to study, so stick with that particular dream.

from bangkok with love,

your future self

Monday 20 December 2010

day twenty: beyond avoidance

"What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)"
i should have defend myself less and listen more to the counterpart, for the world is not as small as my mind. but i did not, because there was simply too many differences and a lot of times i was too worried of being considered as wrong.

i should have been more careful on spending resources. i did not do it because i thought i could restrain the desire to spend during the day, but then i surrendered later at nigh, at a very much late hour.

i should have brought more souvenirs from my country, and sent more postcards when i was still in bangkok. i always forgot that you cannot bring too much souvenirs from home, for it can be something for people live faraway from you to remember you by.

i should have taken more pictures. i did not take as much (or so i thought) because i thought that my camera failed to capture the best of what i saw. so it is either to be grateful for what i have now, or saving up more to buy a better one later.

Saturday 18 December 2010

day eighteen: try

"What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn't go for it?"
i want to try to be more welcoming to challenges, and to bid them farewell properly when their time is up. i wanted to try thai boxing. i want to try to stick to my budget. i want to try exercising regularly, i want to try to speed up. i want to try not to look for excuses not to try. and i want to try not to over-predict, so whatever happens - after me trying -, happens.

Friday 17 December 2010

day seventeen: lesson learned

"What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?"
i learned that trying would do no harm to one's will, but will bring them a little closer to their dream. and the best point of letting go of a dream is when one can acknowledge that there is no dream impossible to reach. oh, and there is no such thing as failure. when one could not lay their hands on what they wish for, it will be somehow compensated.

how will i apply the lesson going forward? by simply, simply trying...

Thursday 16 December 2010

day sixteen: friendship

"How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?"
the change was not so much of a sudden burst, but it seemed that the idea had been there for so long yet I have not come to an understanding until just now. it was rachel, a filipino friend of my fellow asean scholars, who said it to me on the airport link train when we were on our way back after sending malorie to the airport.

we were talking about malorie and her group mates in marketing class, and i told her about feeling left out every time people in my surroundings speak in thai, which includes my classmates when we are supposed to do group works. i got somewhat annoyed with the fact that being an exchange student did not give me a privilege in entering their established local circles, nor accommodating me who could not speak in their tongue.

then she told me that there are things we simply cannot change or stop from happening. therefore, you just need to enjoy yourself and not making too much fuss about it, nor how people might think of you.

and i cannot agree more. some people just will never stop being jerks anyway.

setelah pindahan

gue nulis postingan ini di sebuah kondominium berkamar satu di lantai sepuluh gedung lumpini place rama 8. sejak check-out dari rongmuang apartment kemarin sore supaya ga harus bayar tagihan sebulan penuh, gue bakal tinggal di sini sampai balik ke indonesia nanti. kepindahan gue ke sini menjadi mungkin berkat kemurahan hati hrain, temen kuliah tuk di thammasat university. kondominium yang gue tinggali ini dia fungsikan sebagai guest house buat tamu-tamu keluarganya yang dateng ke bangkok, jadi aslinya memang ga dihuni. dia sendiri tinggal sama keluarganya di rumah yang jaraknya 15 kilometer dari kondominium. jadilah gue dikasih kunci, dan ditinggal sendirian sampai tiba waktunya pulang kampung.

tempat gue bakal tinggal selama beberapa waktu ke depan ini beda banget sama yang gue huni beberapa bulan belakangan.

lumpini place rama 8 ini letaknya bukan di daerah lumpini yang ada mrt-nya. kondominium ini bisa punya nama "lumpini" karena developernya adalah lumpini development, yang punya beberapa kondominium lain dengan nama depan yang sama di lokasi yang berbeda. nah, kalau kondominium gue ini letaknya di deket rama 8 bridge, jembatan penghubung dua bagian kota bangkok yang terpisah sungai chao phraya. chulalongkorn university, rongmuang apartment, mal mbk, kbri, bahkan grand palace, ada di sisi yang berseberangan dengan lumpini place rama 8. "the other side of the river", begitulah sisi kota bangkok di mana gue berada sekarang biasa disebut. sisi yang, selama empat bulan lebih gue tinggal di bangkok, belum pernah gue jelajahi.

berada di sisi lain sungai ternyata berdampak pada faktor mobilitas. dulu, gue cukup naik bus satu kali ke mana-mana. ke kampus pun cuma lima menit naik ojek dengan ongkos 30 baht atau kurang dari sepuluh ribu rupiah. kalau pulang malam, karena apartemen gue yang ga bisa dijangkau tanpa lewat soi (gang) yang agak sepi, naik taksi dari daerah siam atau petchaburi ga lebih dari 50 baht atau 15 ribu rupiah. sekarang gue harus naik bus setidaknya dua kali, karena gue harus naik bus 57 sampai jembatan pinklao, terus ganti bus 79 untuk menjangkau sisi bangkok di seberang sungai. dua bus itu jugalah yang harus gue naiki kalau mau pergi ke department store terdekat, cuma beda arah jalan aja. untung kondominiumnya pas banget ada di pinggir jalan raya, jadi gue ga perlu naik taksi lagi kalau pulang malam karena takut gelap, hehehe. asal gue setia dengan bus sebagai alat transportasi, ongkos yang perlu gue keluarin ga nyampe lima belas ribu rupiah.

lupakan pula akses internet tak terbatas dengan 400 baht sebulan yang ada di apartemen lama, karena di sini wifi-nya ga gratis bahkan buat penghuni, tapi harus bayar prepaid account gitu. karena kondominium ini aslinya ga ada yang menghuni, maka hrain ga pernah beli prepaid wifi. pas gue coba online pake wifi lokal, ternyata gue bisa akses google, tapi cuma bisa sampai gmail doang. sedihnya tinggal di tempat yang bagus tapi ga ada internet, serasa terpenjara di sangkar emas... huhuhu. jadilah semalam gue beralih ke sumber hiburan yang sudah lama ga bisa gue akses: televisi!

kamar gue di tempat yang dulu sih judulnya studio apartment, meskipun wujudnya ga beda jauh sama kamar kos biasa yang berkamar mandi dalam, dengan balkon buat tempat cuci-jemur. tempat tinggal gue sekarang punya satu kamar tidur, living room kecil, kamar mandi dengan bath tub (reaksi pas pertama kali masuk: asik, bisa berendam kaya di rumah!), dan dapur dengan kompor listrik yang sayangnya lagi rusak. di sini juga ada pusat kebugaran dan kolam renang di lantai empat, yang gratis buat penghuni.

tapi, pergantian suasana dengan pindah ke kondominium ternyata juga berdampak pada pemandangan yang bisa dinikmati dari balkon. kalau di apartemen lama dulu gue cuma bisa liat tiang beton jalan tol dari lantai empat, sekarang gue bisa liat bangunan dan jalanan dari lantai sepuluh. pun gue ga tinggal di lantai paling atas seperti yang disarankan neng gisha, karena bangunan kondominium ini punya dua belas lantai.

p.s: postingan ini akhirnya bisa diunggah setelah gue meluncur ke restoran tepat di samping kondominium, yang menyediakan makanan dengan harga murah dan wifi gratis. gue berhasil download satu episode serial sherlock dengan kecepatan rata-rata 500 kbps! sadis deh. sialnya gue lupa bawa charger laptop, jadi gue harus cabut sekarang :(

Wednesday 15 December 2010

day fifteen: five minutes

Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
i have got five things:

1. when i went to my national airline's sales office with my former boyfriend. a moment of reconciliation after years of not communicating at all is something worth remembering, for the sake of friendship re-forming.

2. when i went to corporations and institutions looking for sponsorship to fund my germany trip and got one rejection after another. it was a lot tougher and more resource-consuming than i thought, yet it taught me to set my priorities better.

3. when i left the train from hamburg airport to hamburg main train station, and the cold spring wind stroked my cheeks. a starting point of my dream adventure should survive any chance of memory loss.

4. when i came to my dean's office to ask him to write a recommendation for my exchange application, and he asked, "when do you plan to graduate? has that included your exchange period?". it changed my old mantra, "prepare for the worst, hope for the best", to "prepare for the best".

5. when i sent malorie to the airport for her flight back home to the philippines. it was intense and emotional to finally realise that the time of my life was to end very soon. without her and ken, that went home already a couple of days beforehand, my stay in bangkok is no longer to have an exchange semester under a scholarship scheme given for asean student by chulalongkorn university's faculty of communication arts.

Tuesday 14 December 2010

day fourteen: appreciate

What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
the chance to go to europe. it was a perfect trip, with a perfect timing, on a shoestring. how did i express gratitude for it? i did not max out my credit card spending. believe me, that was tough.

Monday 13 December 2010

day thirteen: action

When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step?
coming home from bangkok means coming back to reality. the idea to conquer it is to finish college by next october, and i need to make it happen or else my mum can be not so pleased. so, next step after bangkok is to come back to jatinangor, to do an internship at a printed media and another at an electronic one, and to re-orient and continue working on what i have researched in thailand. honestly, i truly hope that i do not have to turn 24 before i get my degree.

Sunday 12 December 2010

day twelve: body integration

This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn't mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
when i was writing the answers for my philosophy final exam three weeks ago. it was my first ever exam in which i answered everything in english. long answers with so-called logical elaboration. hand-written. in two and a half hours. i was so proud of myself afterwards, albeit the back ache.

Saturday 11 December 2010

day eleven: 11 things

What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
wow, this is tough. i keep on thinking of more things that i need. okay, here goes...

1. clothes. i will donate the old ones since i am not good at selling things. it will reduce the clutter in my wardrobe, and help me to pack less things when i travel.
2. midnight snacks. pretty much self-explanatory. in the name of sweet indulgence and all.
3. regret. for better-balanced self esteem.
4. people on facebook that i never actually interact with. i do not think one can really brag about having five thousand friends on facebook - they are acquaintances, not friends. but don't let me discourage you to go for the friends' limit, though.
5. eating out too often. home-cooked meals are the best. learnt through experience in bangkok.
6. blackberry. hahaha. one cellphone is enough for me, as long as i can call, text, and access my email.
7. worrying too much. it is all in the mind, and i need a peaceful one.
8. comparing myself to others. see number 3.
9. arguing with mum too much.
10. depending on the housekeeper.
11. expecting the love of my life will come tomorrow. too much expectation will kill you.

Friday 10 December 2010

day ten: wisdom

What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
my wisest decision i made this year was to simply try.
i tried to apply for an exchange program. i did it although the toefl requirement that asked for was in an internet or computer score (i have the paper one instead, and i thought it would not going to be considered albeit my score is not under the requirement standard). i asked my teachers' to write me recommendation, and got them, despite their concern of me graduating late. i applied regardless of the document shipping fee, while some others may just simply need to drop their application at their international office. while applying, i was also a full-time journalism student with too many assignments, and a future delegate for an international student festival that requires me to look for sponsorships so i can fund my travel. before applying on this one, i have applied to many others - and failed.

but what i had in my mind was only a mantra, "just go ahead, there is no harm in trying."
so i did. and i am glad i did.

how did it play out?
i am now in bangkok. my exchange semester has just finished. i had the time of my life. and i am currently counting down the days to come home.

Thursday 9 December 2010

day nine: the party

"What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans."
chulalongkorn university international night on november 24. a social gathering for international students studying in chulalongkorn university. met the university president and the board as well. not so much music, but it varied from thai traditional songs to agnes monica and inul daratista, which are happen to be indonesian singers. the food and drink were pleasant, albeit bite-size. i was overdressed with my national costume when almost everybody else wore casuals. i wonder, though, why asians talked with asians; and people from the west, like europe and the states, were chatting among themselves.

(ajarn smith from faculty of communication arts, me, president of chulalongkorn university, ken, mal)

Wednesday 8 December 2010

day eight: beautifully different

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you'll find they're what make you beautiful.
i think i can never really say i am totally different from everybody else. nobody are. we, all of us, share some similarities and differences with others at the same time.

then, what makes me beautifully different?

i am no different with anyone else who has strong determination yet constantly procrastinating.
i am no different with any girl who believes that woman should be independent - to some extent.
i am no different with any daughters who argue with their mothers every now and then and hate the circumstances causing it, but will gladly take a bullet for them nevertheless.
i am no different with my besties who loves sushi, and goes to sushi parlour together while having sessions of "pouring worldly burdens out of the system".
i am no different with anybody who takes chances and chases their dreams.
i am no different with anyone else who went through hard times and managed to smile (and laugh) it all off afterwards.
i am no different with people who keeps their deepest thoughts to themselves.
i am no different with anyone else who is bad in concealing their true feelings - most of what i feel are usually etched on my face so clearly.
i am no different with those who enjoys solitude in the weekend with good books, musics, and something to nibble.
and i am no different with those who believes that you can never know too much to learn more.

Tuesday 7 December 2010

day seven: community

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?
it is somewhat scary to be in a foreign country and staying there for some time all by yourself, especially when i do not speak the national language. still, i want to embrace its uniqueness and enjoy the atmosphere as much as i can, with as many people as possible. while locals can be a very useful source of information, it would also be lovely to meet people from across the globe coming to the country. that was how i introduced myself to couchsurfing.

long story short, i went to a couchsurfing meeting in bangkok on a sunday night, when it was also a halloween party. i met people, both locals and travellers. the host, hayko from germany, was nice. i talked to some people, had dinner with some others, hang out with random people. but then there was a somewhat-old man, probably over fifty, started to initiate conversation and ended up hit on me. i did not like the fact that the party ended up that way, while the community itself claimed as anything but a dating site.

so i never come to the couchsurfing meeting any more. later i heard, couchsurfing sunday meetings are now cancelled per next sunday (12/12). they lose the meeting place, which is at sawasdee house in khao san road, because some people kept on bringing outside food and drinks and it pissed the owner off.

i feel sorry for the whole outcome, despite of hayko's reminder, on both food and drink issue as well as banning people with more than two negative references in their couchsurfing profile, in his last invitation for the meeting.

but lesson learnt from the couchsurfing meeting that night anyway: i am not a party girl. call me boring.

di akhir semester pertukaran

sebel deh sama blogger, sekarang kalau mau posting jadi rada riweuh karena ikon-ikon buat format teks dan masukin link atau gambar, pokonya yang ada di atas boks buat nulis blognya, itu gambar-gambarnya pada ilang. jadi sempet suka salah klik gitu. jadi harus dideketin dulu si ikonnya, sambil liat keterangan yang muncul di samping kursor. oh, ini align right, di sebelah kirinya align centre, di sebelah kanannya justify full. gilak, sampe hafal gitu akhirnya gue, hahaha. ah ternyata ada blessing in disguise-nya juga.

maka begitulah, akhirnya gue memutuskan untuk kembali posting setelah beberapa lama pundung sama blogger. dan sibuk ujian akhir semester. ah, masih zaman ya angkatan dua ribu enam ikutan uas? yang penting kan ujiannya di bangkok, bukan di jatinangor... kalo yang terakhir itu mah ujiannya langsung sidang job training, sidang usmas, sidang kompre, sama sidang skripsi aja deh. hihihi.

sekilas info nih, universitas chulalongkorn ini punya dua sistem kurikulum yang berbeda, thai program dan english program - atau international program. semacam itulah. nah, kedua program ini punya kalender akademik yang berbeda juga. yang english program mulai tahun akademiknya di bulan agustus, sedangkan yang thai program bulan oktober. jadi, pas yang english program lagi uts alias ujian tengah semester, thai program lagi uas, dan sebaliknya.

gue ga tau terlalu detail soal kalender akademiknya thai program, tapi mari bicarakan saja yang punya english program. lama kuliahnya enam belas minggu termasuk musim ujian akhir masing-masing buat semester ganjil dan genap. habis itu libur dua bulan, di akhir setiap semester. biasanya, libur di akhir semester ganjil bakal dipakai magang (rata-rata sih tahun ketiga atau keempat yang begini, kalau yang lebih muda sih lebih bebas mau ngapain), dan di akhir semester genap dipakai buat semester pendek. sama seperti umumnya di indonesia, semester pendek itu ga wajib.

karena itulah, sebenarnya gue hanya perlu tinggal di thailand selama empat bulan. dan setelah ujian akhir semester gue resmi berakhir hari jumat kemarin, sesungguhnya gue udah boleh pulang (eh kok kaya abis dirawat di rumah sakit ya jadinya?). itulah mengapa ken udah pulang dari hari sabtu, dan mal bakal pulang besok. karena semester ganjil sudah berakhir, dan mahasiswa english program di kampus gue bakal mulai kuliah lagi bulan maret. jadi sekarang mereka libur panjaaaaaaaang... bisa menikmati libur akhir tahun tanpa kepikiran ujian akhir semester di awal januari tahun depannya (hahaha jadwal unpad banget ini mah).

lantas apa gerangan yang membuat gue belum juga kembali ke tanah air?
pertama, karena proyek kuliah performing arts gue belum selesai. karena judulnya performing arts, maka gue harus bikin pertunjukan lah ya. dan karena anak-anak di kelas ini ga mau pertunjukannya pas minggu uas, jadilah tanggal mainnya tanggal 9 desember ini.
kedua, karena belum ada kabar lebih lanjut dari garuda indonesia terkait tiket bangkok-jakarta yang rencananya mau mereka sponsori. mbak-mbak yang bertugas menghubungi gue (dan lama banget nunggu balesan emailnya) itu ternyata lagi cuti, dan baru bakal balik kerja lagi besok. padahal kan gue udah pengen pulaaaaang... kangen gurilem banget banget deh. meh.
ketiga, karena proyek penelitian gue tentang penyensoran iklan televisi itu masih mentok di satu lagi narasumber kunci yang belum gue wawancara, yaitu anggota komite sensornya. udah dua kali aja gitu ya gue jadwal-ulang wawancaranya, bahkan yang terakhir itu gue udah sempet pergi ke kampus di mana beliau mengajar, yang mana ongkos ke sana aja butuh seratus baht bolak-balik. dan gue baru nyadar kalo gue janjian wawancara lagi sama dia hari kamis, pas banget sama hari pertunjukan buat performing arts. graow graow.
tadinya gue juga berniat buat main ke kamboja, vietnam, dan laos, di mana beberapa temen gue udah menanti dan siap menampung. sayang sekali ternyata kami belum berjodoh tahun ini.

mari akhiri tulisan ini dengan sebuah kabar gembira: museum patung lilin madame tussaud's sudah dibuka di bangkok sejak tanggal empat! dan karena baru buka, ada promosi tiket beli satu gratis satu, yang gue udah beli berdua bareng mal, dan bakal kami nikmati enam jam dari sekarang. kalau harus bayar harga tiket masuk penuhnya, yang mana senilai 700 baht (210 ribu rupiah), gue jelas bakal bilang tidak. lah ya masa lebih mahal dari yang di berlin...

Monday 6 December 2010

day six: make

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
steamed chicken fillet. i am currently in love with this dish. during my stay in bangkok, i cooked with a rice cooker a friend lent me. also can be used to steam stuffs, the particular appliance becomes very versatile, and apparently creates versatile dishes too.

my version of steamed chicken fillet is very easy to make. just sprinkle some seasoning powder (i use instant mushroom seasoning powder, the package claimed that it is msg-free) over the surface then steam it. leave it for about fifteen minutes. to save time, you can cook rice and then just put the steamer (with the raw chicken) on the top. both of them will be perfectly ready to eat at the same time.

okay, i am hungry now.

Sunday 5 December 2010

day five: let go

What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?
this.

(picture taken from here.)

i won an essay competition and i got the chance to represent a youth organisation in my country to a youth conference in egypt. it was a trip for over a week, and everything was free of charge. the problem is, the schedule clashed with my first week of exchange semester in thailand.

so i chose to fly to bangkok instead of cairo.

it was an exceptionally hard decision. i did not care when people complained about how "greedy" i was in terms of taking chances, when i told them that it was super tough for me to let go of that chance. in fact, i still do not. i still feel somewhat unhappy every time i remembered about it, and wished that i pulled a way through to make it happened.

but i am not writing this to comment on what other people thought about the matter. or lamenting the past.

an on-line chat with an acquaintance i met last year in a tobacco company-sponsored student event proved that i am not the only one in such circumstance and should choose only one thing over the others. his situation was a lot more tough, since he had not one but two chances. he let go of the chance to join a six-months exchange in canada and a pilgrimage prize trip to went to the states for two months.

letting go has always become something particularly difficult for me, especially when it comes to my dreams, when they are just about to come true but then they are gone, just like "poof!". i think it will always be that way in my case. but then, it is like "one 'letting go' at a time". it takes time to get it done. and when it is, i believe that something else is waiting. something else that suits me better.

Saturday 4 December 2010

day four: wonder

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

through conversations with people i newly met.
i talked a lot. then i (tried to) listen a little bit more. i did not try to defend my values or principles because i did not feel that they are prone to attacks simply because they may be different with others's. i gained some perspectives. i found out the reason why some people think in a completely different way, not simply blindly embracing an assertion that everybody is indeed different.


(picture taken from here.)

Friday 3 December 2010

day three: moment

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colours).
some time between end of may and early june, cannot recall the exact time and date. i was walking along the quiet paved street of greifswald, germany. the sun was bright even at eight in the evening, when almost all shops had closed two hours earlier. all by myself, covered in my black winter coat like a cocoon, tried to hide from the blistering wind, singing bengawan solo. i thought i can smell the summer coming.


Thursday 2 December 2010

day two: writing

What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

(picture taken from here.)

procrastination, of course. but i have fun doing it. procrastination brings me that particular thrill of being chased by time. in the end, having the job done in time also resulting an odd satisfaction of beating time. given more than enough lesson of passing the deadline with no decent work produced, the moral of procrastination for me is this: if the deadline is a week, do not start working a day before. do it two days before instead. i consider that quite an improvement. heheh.

however, let us take the idea of writing more to blog-updating, then i have a more specified reason than procrastinating - or more relevantly, the reason why i procrastinate: because blogger enables me to adjust the posting date. every post with #reverb10 label posted before december 11th are written on december 11th. i only leave the time as is.

Wednesday 1 December 2010

day one: one word

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you're choosing that word. Now, imagine it's one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
my professors used to say something like "strive for conciseness, not wordiness". but one word? tough one. 2010 is beyond words. but okay, this is the beginning of the challenge anyway and i am not going to lose it at the first day. so here goes, encapsulating the year in a single word: timing.

the more i think about it, the more i realise that things happening in 2010 are of their own perfect moments. two of my biggest dreams came true. i went to europe. i study abroad for an exchange. and somebody else - not me, not my mother - paid most of the expenses.

beforehand, i tried and tried and tried. then all the hassle and obstacles put me away from the dream, at the very moment when i have never been closer to it. i sulked. i mourned. i felt sorry for myself. i was engulfed in jealousy for seeing people getting things i have always dreamed of. i kept on questioning why. i wonder if it is about me, if what i want to is something i actually do not deserve. i could not help comparing myself to others.

but then they happened anyway. in their own way, they were materialised. and that time i was enlightened: it is not about me being less capable or potential. it is just about time. what i deserve, and what deserves me, will come by eventually.

i did not sit still and wait, though. as i wrote earlier, i tried. i believe that there is no harm in trying. i do not want anything to stop me from trying to get what i want. as long as i can still work on it, i will. it is better to tried something and not getting it, rather than not getting something because you did not even try it. the latter involves guilt and/or disappointment. the former does not.

so that's what i did. i tried. i simply tried. trial and error may happen every now and then. but hey, at least i have enough bravery to do so. to try, and face the possibility of the error(s). then let the universe decide the perfect timing to grant whatever i plead for.

living in bangkok for almost half a year is a time full of perfect timing. to learn housekeeping skills, to live with and to understand people who speaks and thinks in a completely different way, to manage the limited scholarship budget, to live completely on my own faraway from home - to name a few. but somehow it also feels like a perfect timing when God finally trust you for something so precious you have to spend a lot of time and effort before finally gets it. it feels lovely.

now let us take a leap for a year ahead. 2011 shall means continue living in reality, real responsibility, real steps to take to mark my undergraduate academic life to an end. in a single word: graduation.

reverb10

i am now working on this project called #reverb10. basically, this is a 31-days challenge of reflecting on the whole year 2010. i think it is more interesting and elaborative compared to the ordinary so-called new year resolution. besides, it is a personal challenge for myself to post regularly. however, i found this project quite late, so i have to work on the first two weeks in a mere couple of days before i can make daily post, just to keep up with the pace.

why english, now?

oh well, simple... living in bangkok for over four months makes my english rusty. english is spoken as a second language here, so no detailed grammar knowledge would be necessary when you talk with people. hence, i think i need to write more in english to work on my grammar. i have been neglecting it for quite some time, and exercising it by doing assignments was not quite helping. plus, i have been writing this blog in my mother tongue because i do not have a lot of chances using it here, and i feel the need to do so to escape after speaking english throughout the day. so, yeah.

anyway, pardon the grammar mistakes, please. oh dear, i cannot believe how i am so eagle-eyed in spotting other people's and how i am greatly annoyed by it. i hate grammar when i was in high school, for God's sake.