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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

international night

hari ini, universitas chulalongkorn mengadakan acara khusus buat mahasiswa internasional. judulnya, international night. kabar tentang acara ini muncul di inbox email gue di awal bulan, dalam bentuk undangan dari kantor urusan internasional. disuruh registrasi, tulis nama-npm-fakultas-asal negara. baiklah, markitar (mari kita mendaftar)! dalam hitungan hari, muncul deh email konfirmasi dari kantor, bilang kalo nama gue udah tercatat. sippp. disuruh pakai national costume? siaaap... gue kan udah antisipasi bawa kebaya dan rok batik buat acara beginian. tinggal tunggu tanggal 24 november jam lima sore untuk menclok ke thai pavilion, di mana acaranya diadakan.

nah, setelah cek-cek tanggal, ternyata 24 november itu hari rabu, dan bentrok sama kuliah penggantinya thai culture, yang mana akan mengadakan pemutaran film ini, ceritanya tentang legenda paya nak. jadinya gue cuma bisa nonton setengah jam, karena kuliahnya mulai jam empat sedangkan acaranya mulai jam lima dan gue ga tau thai pavilion itu di mana. eh ternyata jam lima itu baru mulai registrasi, dan acara benerannya baru mulai jam setengah tujuh. mbuh. dalem hati gue mbatin, awas aja deh kalo acaranya garing. mana gue tampak overdressed lagi, karena orang-orang pada dandan kasual gitu.

eh ternyata acaranya seru! begitu masuk ke tempat acaranya (yang ternyata di ruang terbuka), gue langsung dikalungin rangkaian bunga gitu, terus disapa, "sawatdee ka"... hehehe. oh ya, terlepas dari ukurannya yang bite-size (maklum, judulnya "cocktail dinner"), makanannya enak! ada timun isi salad ayam cincang, puding karamel, sate ayam (meskipun tanpa bumbu kacang), dan... sushi!

gue juga ketemu sama sejumlah mahasiswa asal indonesia, yang kebetulan *ehm* semuanya adalah mahasiswa pascasarjana, baik master ataupun doktoral. malah ada yang seumuran sama gue dan lagi ambil master aja gitu ya. gara-gara ngobrol sama mereka inilah gue jadi ga banyak makan, hahaha. oh well, apakah ini pertanda dari Tuhan kalo gue harus segera lulus kuliah sarjana? *facepalm

acaranya sendiri mulai sekitar jam tujuh, dengan sambutan dari rektor. di sini sih dibilangnya presiden. pak presiden ini datang dengan kemeja warna pink, warnanya universitas chulalongkorn. kenapa pink? karena pink itu adalah simbol hari selasa, hari lahirnya raja yang kemudian namanya jadi nama universitas. nah, seperti biasa, ada sambutan tralalala gitu dari pak presiden.

ada yang unik setelah sambutan pak presiden, sebuah acara seremonial yang mengharuskan para tamu buat duduk berbaris di atas tikar, menghadap pak presiden dan sejumlah wakilnya yang duduk di kursi. gue bingung kan, ini maksudnya apaan. eh, ternyata gue harus menyodorkan tangan, di mana presiden atau salah satu wakilnya akan mengikatkan sehelai tali tipis yang udah ada simpulnya (jangan tanya jenis simpul apa, gue udah pensiun jadi anak pramuka). yang ngiket tali di pergelangan tangan gue adalah salah satu wakil presiden entah siapa namanya. pas gue maju, dia bilang, "welcome to chulalongkorn university", terus tanya gue dari negara mana. begitu gue jawab "indonesia", dia bilang lagi, "selamatang". hahaha, selamat datang disambung gitu. usaha yang bagus sekali, gue jadi terharu *usap airmata. terakhir, beliau bilang, "good luck!"

ternyata, si gelang tali (baca: tali bersimpul yang udah disimpul dan nangkring di pergelangan tangan) ini dipercaya mampu bawa hoki. "jangan dilepas, biarin dia lepas sendiri," kata lisa, temen klub debat gue yang asalnya dari cina. hooo... baiklah, gue sih memutuskan buat ga ngelepas gelang ini buat kenang-kenangan aja, sekalian ngetes endurance-nya... hehehe. soalnya gue setuju sama mira, mahasiswi indonesia yang kuliah master teknologi pangan di chula, "ini kok gelang kaya sumbu kompor..."

abis itu ada cultural performances. selain ada tari-tarian thailand, ada juga mahasiswi indonesia yang perform tari piring, ohohoho bangga sekali rasanyaa. nah, abis itu ada kuis kecil-kecilan gitu, terus ada permainan balap kursi kaya pas tujuhbelasan, terus ada kuis-kuis lagi, terus udahan deh. nah, setelah acara resmi selesai, dimulailah acara foto-foto dengan pak presiden. pertama gue foto sendiri, terus barengan malorie, ken dan ajarn smith yang nemenin kami ke sana, terakhir sama rombongan mahasiswa indonesia. setiap abis selesai foto, pak presiden ini selalu bilang, "good luck, good luck, good luck" (beneran tiga kali lho, gue ngitung). jadi gue dapet tiga kali lipat good luck, hihihi...

acara sudah selesai, waktunya pulang... pas ngambil sepatu di lantai bawah, gue ketemu toto, temennya mira. eh doi nawarin buat nemenin gue pulang. gue sih ayo aja, apalagi ternyata apartemen gue sama dia searah (meskipun tempat gue lebih jauh), hehehe. pikir punya pikir, apa ya moda transportasi yang enak, eh ternyata gue ga punya recehan. lagian, kalo naik taksi atau tuk-tuk kan cuma sepuluh menit, waktu tempuh yang kurang nyaman kalo mau ngobrol. mau naik bis, suka lama nunggunya. jalan kaki aja apa ya? eh gayung bersambut, jadilah gue pulang jalan kaki bareng toto dan satu temennya orang vietnam yang gue lupa siapa namanya. maka pulanglah gue jalan kaki bertiga, sambil merumpi, dan sampailah gue ke tempat tujuan dua puluh lima menit kemudian. wow, akhirnya, setelah hampir empat bulan di bangkok gue menempuh perjalanan chulalongkorn university-rongmuang apartment dengan berjalan kaki! bangganya minta ampun deh, hahaha.

terima kasih universitas chulalongkorn... malam ini akan kukenang selamanya! *membayangkan timun isi salad ayam cincang. pengen lagiiii...

p.s: sungguh pun gue bermaksud melengkapi tulisan ini dengan hasil jepretan (kamera, bukan karet), apa daya blogger tidak mau kooperatif dengan gue hari ini. padahal si timun isi salad ayam cincang itu gambarnya wuih... :D

ketika tidak ada alasan untuk merasa senang...

... gue merasa senang. ga tau kenapa.

mungkin karena di awal minggu ini gue galau gara-gara si rancangan penelitian dan kamerad-kameradnya, kesenangan-kesenangan yang sebenarnya tersebar di sepanjang minggu justru baru terakumulasi dan terasa sekarang. pun demikian, gue ga bakal menulis dalam rangka mencari-cari justifikasi untuk merasa senang.

tapi gue ga bisa menahan diri untuk ga menduga-duga, hal apa yang berpengaruh (paling) signifikan dalam membuat suasana hati gue berubah di akhir pekan.

mungkin karena gue berhasil membuat janji minggu ini, dengan dua narasumber sekaligus, untuk wawancara minggu depan. satu narasumber, yang tadinya minta gue buat "come to my campus, you know abac, the suvarnabhumi campus?", berubah pikiran dan mengalihkan lokasi wawancara di fakultas farmasi universitas chulalongkorn "for your convenience".

mungkin karena gue begitu terpukau dengan pertunjukan siam niramit dalam rangka field trip kuliah thai culture. gue dapet kursi pas di barisan tengah, menghadap pas banget ke tengah panggung. tata panggungnya cantik banget, dan artisnya betul-betul beragam - bahkan ayam, kambing, dan gajah sungguhan pun ada!

mungkin karena kuliah history of science kali ini ga kaya ngulang pelajaran ipa zaman smp, meskipun kelasnya jadi dua kali dalam seminggu karena ada make-up class. kuliah pertama, hari senin, belajar philosophical aspect of science, dengan dosen dari jurusan filsafat yang sangat menyenangkan dan penuh semangat. kuliah kedua, hari kamis, belajar sejarah seksualitas manusia, mulai dari anatomi sampai penyakit menular, bersama dokter muda nan rupawan. meskipun gue ga habis pikir kenapa dia harus bahas juga posisi-posisi lovemaking sama mahasiswa tingkat dua, dan menyemangati mereka buat cari buku elektronik kama sutra di internet, "for further reference"...

mungkin juga karena gue berhasil menahan diri untuk ga nonton bioskop selama di thailand sampai premiere harry potter and the deathly hallows part 1, dan film itu ternyata begitu sempurna. interpretasi sutradara dan penulis skenarionya atas buku ketujuh harry potter itu benar-benar bikin gue terperangah. berbekal pengalaman enam film sebelumnya, gue udah memutuskan buat ga berharap kalau film harry potter akan menjadi semata visualisasi dari apa yang tertulis di buku. keputusan itu ternyata bijaksana dan berujung bahagia. gue sangat suka cara david yates mengakhiri bagian pertama filmnya. dan ronald weasley, dan draco malfoy, oh Tuhan... mereka sungguh tampan.

oh, atau mungkin karena hari ini kuliah seminar gue pindah ke sebuah ruang konferensi di hotel bintang lima, di mana sebuah pertemuan se-asia tenggara tentang kebebasan berpendapat diadakan, dan profesor gue yang brilian itu jadi moderatornya. pembicaranya keren, cemilan pas tea break-nya enak, gue dapet tujuh kantung teh twinings sebagai oleh-oleh pula. gue juga ketemu dan ngobrol seru dengan sejumlah peserta, salah satunya asal indonesia.

ah, entahlah. gue kehabisan alasan. apapun alasannya, minumnya teh botol sosor *eh maaf typo* pokoknya gue senang.

me on commarts website

barusan ken nge-mention gue di twitter. dia bilang begini:

gue kira dia ngomongin ini:

berdasarkan hasil ngerumpi sama ken hari jumat kemarin, intinya kami bertiga merasa kalau penampilan fisik kami di laman itu tidak sekeren aslinya. ken ngomel, katanya dia jadi tampak ga punya leher. gue ngerasa kalau gue tampak manglingi. not in a good way, though. mal sih udah berusaha pasrah aja, hehehe.

eh, ternyata yang dibahas adalah laman yang ini.

gue sama mal kok jadi kaya dayang-dayang gitu ya? tinggal berdiri di kiri-kanan pintu masuk kampus, terus kalau ada orang lewat, tinggal kasih salam dan bilang, "sawatdee ka"... hahahaha.

eh, tapi kalimat terakhir di laman tadi agak menarik... "They also said that when they complete the term and return home they will certainly encourage others to come to study at Chula."

kalau nanti anak unpad juga bisa ikut program pertukaran ke chula kan lumayan, biar ada variasi selain korea selatan sama jepang. karena unpad baru punya kerjasama pertukaran dengan universitas di dua negara itu, informasi soal program pertukaran pelajar masih terbatas banget di website. cerita-cerita mahasiswa unpad yang ikut program pertukaran ke luar negeri pun rata-rata ya berasal dari para peserta program itu.

lagipula, kuliah di thailand itu menyenangkan... ga usah bingung mau kuliah pakai baju apa, dan masih bisa hidup dengan tiga puluh ribu rupiah sehari! hehehe!

eh. tapi gue jadi kepikiran,

gue kapan mau pulang, ya?

"nong nong"

tadi sore, habis selesai kuliah dan nunggu bis 47 dateng, lagi-lagi ini terjadi. seorang ibu-ibu menghampiri gue dan bilang, "nong-nong..."

waktu pertama kali ngalamin ini, respon pertama gue adalah megang dahi dan berpikir, "emang jidat gue kenapa ya?". tapi kemudian gue inget kalau ini di bangkok dan bukan bandung, dan orang yang manggil gue dengan sebutan "nong-nong" itu ga lagi ngomong pakai bahasa sunda.

rupanya, setelah manggil gue "nong-nong", orang tersebut bermaksud menanyakan sesuatu. entah itu arah, atau kenapa bis yang dia tunggu ga lewat-lewat, atau mungkin mau curhat. yang jelas, gue ga bisa jawab pertanyaan mereka, karena ngerti pun tidak... jadi gue cuma bisa bilang, "sorry, i don't speak thai". kenapa gue ga bilang kalimat yang sama dalam bahasa thailand, "poot pasa thai mai dai ka"? karena, dengan tampang gue yang konon mirip orang thailand, apalagi kalau gue lagi pakai seragam, mereka ga bakal percaya...

ya sudah, jadi gue jawablah sapaan "nong-nong" itu, meskipun awalnya gue agak ga rela karena mengira mereka ngatain dahi gue lebar. sorry, i don't speak thai.

respon yang gue tuai bermacam-macam. ada yang cuma bilang "khor tot (maaf)" terus berlalu gitu aja. ada juga yang akhirnya memutuskan untuk menerjemahkan pertanyaan mereka ke bahasa inggris. kadang, ternyata maksudnya bukan cuma nanya arah, tapi bisa juga, "kamu beli jambu itu di mana?". tapi mereka ga pernah menjelaskan kenapa mereka bilang gue "nong-nong".

ah, jawaban itu muncul seiring waktu dan tanpa diduga, saudara-saudara.

nong, dalam bahasa thailand, ternyata maknanya dalam bahasa indonesia adalah adik. jadi, "nong-nong" itu ternyata bukan "nongnong" alias jidat lebar dalam bahasa sunda, tapi maksudnya adalah sapaan, "nong, nong..."

baiklah, berarti gue boleh berlega hati. gue boleh dibuat pusing seminggu ini oleh wawancara dalam bahasa inggris berdurasi total dua setengah jam yang harus dibikin transkrip, belum lagi rancangan penelitian yang diminta sama salah satu dosen gue di indonesia...

tapi yang penting jidat gue normal.

kampusku gaul sekali!

kampus gue memang paling gaul ga ada duanya!

seumur-umur gue jadi anak kuliahan, ga pernah ada yang namanya acara hura-hura sehabis ujian tengah semester, yang semuanya ditanggung sama kampus. makanya, sejak gue liat pamflet ini nempel di papan pengumuman di setiap lantai di gedung satu, gue bertekad buat dateng ke acara yang berjudul after-midterm party ini. kalimat-kalimat seperti "exclusive party for english program students", "free karaoke", dan "free food and drinks while supply last" terlalu menggiurkan buat dilewatkan. apalagi, setelah mengecek ke mbah google, tempat pestanya ini ternyata berlokasi di tempat karaoke dan bowling yang paling gaul di salah satu mal paling gaul di ibukota negeri ini. "meet and greet your advisors" - berarti pesta bareng dosen? - pun ga jadi aral melintang.

tadi pagi, waktu lagi ngerjain tugas sejarah tanaman dan atmosfir yang amit-amit akar pohon itu, pompam nyapa gue di facebook chat, setelah ngundang gue untuk dateng ke after-midterm via facebook event. gue jelas mengiyakan undangan itu dong, kan memang udah ngincer juga. untunglah acaranya mulai jam lima sore, jadi gue masih sempet pulang ke rumah buat ganti baju. kalau boleh pake baju bebas ngapain pake seragam? hehehe.

sialnya, rencana berjalan kurang mulus karena kuliah sejarah ilmu pengetahuan berlangsung sampai tepat jam empat sore, dan macet amit-amit di perempatan jalan phayathai bikin perjalanan pulang naik bus 47 menghabiskan waktu setengah jam. pas pulang, gue baru inget kalo gue belum ngirim tugas yang gue kerjain tadi pagi. dan pas dibuka filenya, ternyata ada satu soal yang belum dijawab! mati. ya nasib, akhirnya gue ngerjain tugas dulu, begitu selesai dan dikirim ternyata udah jam tujuh lewat aja. sementara acaranya beres jam sembilan, dan gue ngincer makan gratisnya.

singkat cerita, akhirnya gue nyampe juga ke siam paragon jam delapan, terus dengan semangat mendaki eskalator sampai lantai lima. pas nyampe, langsung lah gue nyamperin meja dengan tumpukan piring... tapi mana makanannya? ah, ternyata sudah habis, saudara-saudara... huhuhu. dengan berat hati, gue mengalihkan langkah ke meja di mana dua dosen gue lagi berbincang sambil makan. halo james, hai daved. ah, itu james lagi makan mi kuah, pengeeeeen... ihiks.

untungnya, tampang anak kos kelaparan yang tanpa sengaja terpasang di muka gue itu mengetuk hati salah satu pegawai kantor jurusan. dia pun nanya, udah makan malem belum? gue jawablah belum. eh, dia malah bilang, yaudah pesen makan a la carte aja. gue udah ketar-ketir, bisa celaka kalo disuruh bayar sendiri karena gue cuma bawa seratus baht di dompet. akhirnya gue memberanikan diri memesan menu yang berjudul fried noodle in gravy soup with beef. setelah datang, ternyata wujud makanannya mirip kwetiau siram sapi, hanya dengan mi yang lebih lebar. ah, dan ternyata lidah gue mulai menyesuaikan diri dengan makanan lokal... gue nambahin cabai cair (yang sebenernya adalah cabai plus jeruk nipis dan dikasih air, jadinya asam-pedas) banyak banget. nyammu.

nah, setelah mesen makanan, gue diajak masuk ke sebuah ruangan dengan tulisan "platinum" di atas pintunya. oh, ternyata ini ruang karaokenya toh. di situ ada beberapa pegawai kantor dan dosen. ada pompam juga di situ. dan ternyata juga ada ajarn yubol, yang tak lain tak bukan adalah dekan kampus gue. ealaah, udah tiga bulan lewat kuliah di sini malah baru ketemu dekannya sekarang. jadilah gue sama ibu dekan berbincang hangat, tentunya ketika gue lagi ga sibuk makan dan beliau sibuk berkaraoke.

beberapa menit sebelum jam sembilan, setelah bolak-balik buku lagu yang disediain, tiba-tiba gue kepengen nyanyi. tadinya agak ragu bakal masih sempet, karena waktunya udah mepet, tapi ternyata bisa. pas intro lagunya mulai, tiba-tiba ibu dekan bangkit dari sofa dan nyeletuk, "i like this song!" hahaha. buset, ujung-ujungnya gue malah nyanyi duet sama beliau, lagu it might be you pula...

sudah jam sembilan, waktunya pulang deh. mumpung ketemu, sekalian aja gue minta foto bareng sama ibu dekan. hehehe...

ibu dekan yang gaul, super friendly, dan jago menyanyi!

senangnya jadi mahasiswa pertukaran di kampus yang gaul dan banyak duitnya, jadi bisa hura-hura kaya begini... mudah-mudahan, habis ujian akhir semester ada acara kaya begini lagi!

brrrrr!

selamat bulan november, para pembaca! *hahaha sapaan yang aneh

singkat saja, karena tumben banget gue udah ngantuk jam sepuluh malem, jadi gue akan segera meluncur ke alam mimpi sebelum kantuk ini hilang dan baru kembali lagi jam tiga pagi. tapi sebelum tidur, gue mau melaporkan kalau musim hujan di bangkok sudah berlalu, yay! jadi, kalau buat guns n' roses bulan november itu pertanda hujan, di thailand justru kebalikannya... hehehe.

implikasi dari pergantian musim ini adalah cuaca yang mendadak jadi adem, kalau ga mau dibilang dingin. setelah menghadapi bangkok dengan temperatur rata-rata di atas 30 derajat celcius, sekarang siang bolong aja paling panas 28 derajat. pagi-pagi bisa 21 derajat, dan saat gue nulis sekarang, cuaca di luar sana menurut ramalan cuaca di blog gue adalah 23 derajat dengan langit berawan (dan gelap, tentu saja, kan sudah malam. krik). tapi gue suka kok sama cuacanya, soalnya gue jadi ga perlu nyalain kipas angin... dia udah lima hari libur lho. lumayan, bisa irit tagihan listrik. pun, dengan udara begini, serasa lagi di bandung...

bulan ini adalah bulan terakhir gue kuliah gratis dibayarin universitas chulalongkorn, huhuhu *mendadak sentimentil. bakal ada ujian di akhir bulan, dan sebagian ada yang di minggu pertama dan kedua bulan desember. besok mau ada sesi foto buat mahasiswa pertukaran, konon sih buat dipajang di situsnya fakultas komunikasi. oh, mudah-mudahan seragam gue besok udah kering. yuk ah, gue mau tidur cantik dulu... :)