papers and stuff

finally am on track of finishing something that (had previously) seemed impossible

[Alhamdulillah]

-moenlite-
[now I can finally go to sleep...]

a nation in waiting...for what?

Was browsing through my old emails and found this one I wrote to my family when I had just ended my work overseas (Europe) and in the midst of travelling around before going home to Jakarta.
I still remember how upset I was when I wrote it.
I wonder if anyone can relate to this...

[mind you it was a personal letter, so do disregard any sentiments to the words chosen. Thanks]

-------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: [...]
To: [...]
Cc: [...]
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 5:05 PM
Subject: Being an Indonesian-just a thought

Dear all,

I've ended my contract in [X], a well known international organization, and have now returned to my status as a 'normal' Indonesian citizen. Only one word comes to my mind right now.....its very difficult.

I wonder what went wrong when we started the nation, or did something happen along the process? Or, maybe....nothing happened over the past 57 years?

When I plan trips with friends, I must reconsider them just because I'm an Indonesian. I want to find better opportunities and must think a thousand times, just because I'm Indonesian. I carry a green passport which says 'Republik Indonesia' in the front, and I feel it doesn't worth much.

I don't remember making any bombs in New York, neither in Bali. But it seems that people in foreign consulates think that they know me much better than my self. They say I'm dangerous. I wonder why...

I remember in elementary school, when the teachers said that I live in a safe place, surrounded by many continents. They also said that we have many friends. Why don't I see that anymore? Shouldn't things become better by time? Why is it that I feel like I was in some fairytale dream and that I've woken up and see all the chaotic unreasonable things happening in an environment I was so familiar with?

I wonder if there will ever be a time when things will come back to normal. Or is this actually normal?

confusedly yours,

Y.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

-moenlite-
[funny how one looks back and sees....]

*picture:
Nation in Transition

feeling like you're hanging on an inch of thread...

TETAP SEMANGAT!!


...and an enormous sense of strength gains.





-moenlite-
[as the sun shines even when you try to resist]

*picture:
Miscue-Tree Frog, Wendy Booth

true...

one must becareful of what one pursues
as the saying goes.....curiosity killed the dog

yet mind you....some wisdom can be taught in isolation,
yet again, some can only be comprehended after one has fallen into a pit hole or perhaps (hopefully) almost fell....















-moenlite-
[when one writes after getting too caught up in one's thesis writing :P]

*picture:
"Curiosity killed the dog", Abdul Kadir Audah

being auntie again

My best best friend just had a baby...
What a wonderful world :)



-moenlite-
[welcome to the world, Latisha Audra Hidayat....it may not be perfect but somehow I know you'll manage dear ;)...]

*picture

bad pratice...

Some people just need to figure out how to be decent, especially if they're in the business of after sales service...ggrhhhh...

Called the HP support number just now, and asked a simple question of how I could configure my printer (through my laptop) to get the least ink quality in order to save my *planned* new cartridge (not yet convinced to spend that much money this week)...

So, the guy on the other end took me through the drill.
You know how after you tell them your product type, they go through the windows and tell you to press this and that, asking ‘can you see this on the screen’; ‘can you see that on your screen’, etc.

Was very confused as he kept asking me to choose this and that button which didn’t exist on my screen.
So I asked him, 'Are you sure? I don’t see those options there...’
And his simple reply was ‘Oh sorry Ma’m, these options do not exist on your printer, the options I mentioned are for a different printer’
So of course my reply was ‘How could that be? I gave you my printer product type, didn’t I’
And the idiot said “Yes, but I’m using a generic tool which shows me all types, and it seems that your low-end printer does not have the features as those of the high-end types, such as so and so type’
The nerve...

Trying to be calm and decent, the only thing I could say was ‘I called you to ask what I do have, I don’t need you to tell me what features I don’t have.’

I think he got the message and could only say ‘Have a wonderful day Ma’m’
Wonderful day, my foot...


[the sales guy *for the cartridge* was pretty good...yeah, go figure...]
[Dell’s call in service is very good, even though I had some issues with my laptop *yet that was my fault, and a totally different story*]


-moenlite-
[not very amused...]

were there falling stars...?

my...my....do mind what you wish for....
things just might happen ;)

-moenlite-
[hoping that the last comes through as well...for the sake of all mankind, etc, etc....:P]

the title

got the movie title.....it's Insomnia.
Geez... :P

-moenlite-

a much needed break

Woke up by a friend’s phone call, reminding me of her plans to go to KL, and wondered if I still wanted to go and spend the weekend there.

Thought really hard…..then figured since I had missed one trip just a week ago, I might as well go, instead of mopping up and down my apartment floor doing nothing.

So there I was, buffing up whatever thesis work that could be done that day (and a lot of things did indeed popped up :), even had to rush to the medical library to get this book recommended by someone that had also referred me to some other people as resource persons. Printed some materials for the road (hey, I did read it up you know ;) Prepared my email account to make sure that important emails were indeed accessible and that the mailbox would not be clogged (yet it was indeed clogged by someone who had sent me a 4mb email with pictures, just 15 minutes after I left for the library, thank you very much for letting me know what possibilities could occur….my goodness :P)

So there I was packed with books, my camera and trying to minimize the bag weight as low as possible (considering my abilities to travel very-very heavily :P), and convincing my self this is the vacation I need :)

We decided to take the train to KL, partly because the buses were fully booked, and partly because we estimated we’d arrive at a more ‘sane’ schedule, since the bus would have us arrive at around 3 something in the morning in a country where we had no zip codes attached to us.

The train was okay, we took the sleepers, despite the (thick) smell of feet (of course we first worried it was ours, then wondered it if came from the two big men across us, then figured it was something the train had ‘collected’ from the many passengers riding it. My nose was definitely stuffed when I got off, reminding me of a ‘similar-not-so convenient’ trip I had some time back…flying business class for 12 hours….yet that’s a different story all together hehehe)

All in all, the train ride was good. Queuing at the customs was indeed not a problem (something people had been warning me all the time), the only thing was that there was no clear guidance/signs on where and what was happening. Then again, we figured, for the sake of being adventurous, we just followed through, no complaints.

Arrived in KL’s central station around 7.40am, managed to wake up my good friend who was kind enough to pick us up.

We washed up, rested for a while, and headed for breakfast (brunch would be more appropriate I think). Had nasi lemak at this nice spot, which Rafiq claimed was what was left of KL’s traditional ‘kampung’. Cheha and I tried (hard) to make resemblances with the ‘kampungs’ that we have back in Jakarta, and came to the conclusion that the ‘kampungs’ here were very dry and a large part of the roads were mostly cemented, which might be the reason it had less of a ‘slump’ impression, at least for Cheha and myself.

Rudy had to go do some work, so Rafiq was fully responsible for showing Cheha the ‘real KL’ (it was her first trip there), I just followed along, since I don’t remember really doing the ‘introduction to KL-101’ before.

So we did all the works; drove through Muzium Negara, visited Universiti Malaya, went to Masjid Negara, and lastly went for a tour in KL Tower (Cheha and I even did the audio toursity thing). And of course took pictures like mad, having Rafiq as our (energetic) art director ;).

After Rudy was done with his work, we headed for Genting Highlands. Drove all the way up there, parked the car and took the Skyway cable car. Just when we were inside this cable car thing did I realize how nervous I might be, going up in mid air, relying on a cable to swing (yes I’m exaggerating) us up. So I thought…..be calm…be calm….then guess what, the thing stopped after 5 meters leaving us hanging hundreds of meters above a wild forest (no exaggeration this time). When the whole thing started to move again, did the ‘speaker’ voice out an introduction mentioning that this was the longest and fastest (my my…) cable car of 3.4 meters (yup, get all the info when you’re on the thing). The forest was really really deep, but it was really lovely. Wish you could see it.

Spending the day at Genting Highlands was fun. We didn’t really get on any of the rides, just had dinner and enjoyed the scenery. Cheha and I got a henna tattoo ;) was kind of fun. She hesitated, remembering that she’d start working very soon, yet I just went in, justifying that having it on the side of my hand would be quite discreet (not :P), and that being a student gives you the privilege of doing ‘stupid’ and ‘crazy’ things once in a while (like dying your hair red…hmmm….did I just say that? :P).

We headed back after having this nice dinner, and decided to go to hartamas for a quick teh tarik and snacks. Met my (malaysian) cousin there…hehehe…that was indeed pleasant, seeing a friendly face among the crowd of KL teens there. the quick the drink and snacks turned out to be very un-quick, one reason being the fact that Rafiq and Rudy (of course followed by Cheha and myself) actually ordered (heavy) snacks, and then….the rain just poured down like nothing else. The funny thing was that Rafiq kept saying….’hey there’s lightning…the rain’s going to go away fast…’ yup…..as fast as the next bunch of lightning…assuring us we’d be staying put for quite some time. And to ‘complete’ the (okay, ‘my’) evening, my cell phone battery went busted. It had given some sign of weakness which of course was un-‘fixable’ considering we were still on the road…and I guess it just cried out for mercy after being used extensively the whole day (hey….how can you blame me for missing someone that badly *guilty as charged* :P).

The rain was not getting any less, it was really really late, so in the end we just walked in the rain (Cheha and I using magazines on our heads, which wasn’t much help :P), heading towards the car that was (brilliantly) parked several meters away.

Woke up with a big headache (part rain, part lack of sleep, part from sleeping right under the air-con, part from being continuously exposed to smoke the whole day from Rafiq’s cigarettes * I definitely am not and refuse to be used to it*), took panadol, still felt it, then tried to ignore it. Had (a late) breakfast (eating the lemang we bought on the way to genting, which apparently uses curry and not ketan item like what I’m used to back home *definitely miss Jakarta food *), went for (an even later) lunch, and then headed for the twin towers and KLCC (yes, the Vinnci shoes was indeed one of the highlighted destinations for us there ;). Kept taking pictures, crossed the street and headed for avenue K (which is still awaiting for an official launching or something) took funny/crazy shots in front of the many ad posters put up in front of the many boutiques ‘to be’. Was indeed fun.

Rushed back, re-packed, and headed for the bus station, yet of course made a teh tarik stop (yes, again!) somewhere on the way. Cheha and I decided we couldn’t take another 8 hour journey sleeping in a train, and Spore was much more familiar for me, even if we would arrive around 3.30am there. The funniest thing was that Rudy had planted the idea of flying back, mentioning that the price was not very different from taking the bus/train. Turns out the price was for one of the budget airlines, arriving in Senai Airport in JB, which meant we still needed to figure out how to cross the border to Spore; and even if we wanted to do this, there was no way of buying the tickets to fly that same day or early the next morning. So the bus sounded like the best solution possible.

The bus was fabulous, very cozy and (yes ;) quick. One thing I don’t understand is how it could show this nice movie with Al Pacino in it, convincing me to wake up (yes, at this point I was wondering if reading in a moving vehicle was good for my eyes….*yup, excuses…excuses…excuses :P*)…and then....just as the story was getting exciting....the video stopped, just like that. Well at that point, arguing about the movie seemed useless, and sleeping seemed like a much better option. Well, the bus trip was nice.

So here I am back again where I started, my books ;)

-moenlite-

[still grateful for the weekend….;)]