when your shoes decide to flee to Africa....

......is when you definitely need a total mind shift of your whole perspective.

yes, the past few weeks was not easy for me.
too much excitement, too much new-ness in the air....and though not a single thing seemed out of place, the whole thing felt so bizarre. so surreal.
yes of course i'm grateful....its like a dream come true...the ones that you'd never think would actually occur in the present tense, atleast not this soon.

what am i talking about? i'm moving, again.
i've landed this dream job, the kind of dream job you would only well...dream about.
moving thousands of miles away again, into this super team that has an intention to help fix the world, well...atleast try to :)

so off i went to to attend a meeting for this so called new job to present some pre-work that was done before hand (yes, i was that into this new job that i was willing to do some extra work before hand even though my contract wasn't out yet).
but it paid off.....the results were good and the feedback was even better :)

then i stayed on for a couple more days in this foreign land (well not all that foreign, since it was 'only' 4 years ago that i once lived here for some time) to prepare my big move in a couple of weeks, i was faced with several random incidences that put my sanity and patience to the test. yet in the end i'm grateful that these occurences helped show me how nice random kindness offered by true friends really do manage to light up your day.

So, what was it about the pair of shoes that went astray? lets just say i'll let the forces of the universe balance out the so-called random injustice I've had to incur, from this particular someone who has seem to loose her sense of reasoning and empathy.

To life and its randomness :)
-moenlite-

*picture

in the search of silver linings

Sometimes you wonder what is most dear, is it when the world laughs with you or is it when its against you yet there are still those that are near.....

I won't last a day without you
The Carpenters

Day after day I must face a world of strangers
Where I don't belong, I'm not that strong
It's nice to know that there's someone I can turn to
Who will always care, you're always there

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

So many times when the city seems to be without a friendly face
A lonely place
It's nice to know that you'll be there if I need you
And you'll always smile, it's all worthwhile

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

Touch me and I end up singing
Troubles seem to up and disappear
You touch me with the love you're bringing
I can't really lose when you're near

If all my friends have forgotten half their promises
They're not unkind, just hard to find
One look at you and I know that I could learn to live
Without the rest, I found the best

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you

-moenlite-
[to the 'you-s' in my life....]

miles away

Hey, fun.....my professor has now posted the paper in the School's Faculty Working Paper series... ;))

So many stories to tell on totally different subjects (nothing related to vaccines/policies I assure you ;)....as soon as I arrive back to the sacred land of nasi padang, teh botol and sate :D

A bientot!
-moenlite-

all games?

Its funny how things work in this country. You can officially say anything in the forefront and then do the exact opposite in reality…yet the system somehow does not have a way to catch you.

Just the other day I was driving through Kuningan, behind the Swiss Embassy and to my surprise this ‘newspaper guy’ was offering the infamous Indonesian Playboy magazine in the streets (and this was around 11am). As he passed in front of my car I tried to take a closer look; he noticed and approached, trying to convince me it was indeed the original copy (he showed the backside, which matched some pictures a college friend sent through a mailing list).

He then came by my window. I noticed this guy was not your average street retailer, plus...he was only carrying that one magazine. Having trained spotting unlawful cigarette distributions and promotions I automatically knew this guy was sponsored if not working for that particular magazine company. So I rolled down my window...

Me: ‘why is that sold in the streets?’
Him: ‘but the magazine is okay, kok’
Me: ‘well, I’m just surprised, that’s all’. ‘you’re not a magazine seller are you?’
Him: (smiling…and shaking his head, acting timid’
Guess what...he passed but as I was about to roll up my window, he turned back...and said ‘You know, the magazine is actually okay, really...’
Me: ‘Okay, but I’m just a bit surprised its being sold in the street that’s all.

A middle class guy trying to look like a junky, carrying two copies of one same magazine, and promoting the magazine by convincing people that the content is alright.
You’re average red light retailer, or...simply a PR?

The magazine's content is not what I'd like to emphasize here.
But in case you're wondering...no, I am not in favor of that magazine, in case anyone was wondering. And I definitely do not appreciate the looseness and permissiveness of our society’s system. Freedom of speech is not freedom of no responsibility whatsoever. Noticed how after censors on TV commercials were lifted (around 1999 was it?), a huge surge of weird and disgusting commercials came on TV? That’s not a democratic society, that’s a community heading towards a mental breakdown.

So, in a world like ours (Indonesia), where anything says goes; can be found statements that or either not backed up by facts or are complete opposite of the truth.
And what annoys me the most is that these conducts can just stroll along like nothing really matters. Maybe it doesn’t to some, but it does to me. Darn!

-moenlite-

PS: for those of you who can read Indonesian, notice that in the linked article (and also in another article, which I haven't been able to relocate) the Magazine's chief editor states that street retailing is outside of their hands.....by what I saw, I think that's total cr*p.

submissions and stuff

Finally, I submitted the article I’ve (seemed to have) been working on for eons with my professor, to this particular journal home. Alhamdulillah...
Yes, it definitely feels good.

Wish us luck on the review process :)

-moenlite-
[looking forward to her insya Allah yet-to-be next publication ;)]

*picture

in between two worlds...

It’s funny how you see a world from the outside
to then realize that you too are now handed its script.
And at that moment you wonder whether your ‘objectiveness’ is objective at all
And whether you too would give up all that you have, all that you’ve dreamed of, just to be sure...
And you now know what it feels to be like them...
And so here you are trapped between two worlds...
One full of dreams, and one full of hopes...
And when you look in the mirror and see a reflection of their nature,
You now do not mind,
Cause now you know how it feels to that one on the other side...

-moenlite-
[please God grant her unwavering health...]

what fruits of technology?

Funny how one becomes dependent on tools like mobiles, atm cards, etc. What happened to the good ol’days where one could live without these fruits of technology?
I guess the good ol’days gave turned in to the good present days that have enabled us such easiness...well, that is unless you forgot to bring them along...:P

Yes,...its only when you experience it, that you actually appreciate what you have.

I had an appointment with a new friend, and we arranged that I picked her up in my old office, so that we can go to this coffee shop to chat on various interesting issues. Well, as planned...10 minutes before I arrived at the building I was to call her so that she can come down to the entrance. Now, once I realized that I left my miraculous ‘magic wand’ I figured I had to park somewhere near and actually walk down to the building...then I realized I don’t know her number (yes, technology eases our memory, and leaves it stored into a small box), so...good thing that I know my mom’s number (well, I could have relied on that cellphone of mine now, couldn’t I? :), and could call her from this old office of mine; I'm blessed to able to rely on a my mom for such 'emergencies' (yes, I ofcourse sensed her shaking her head in disbelief, that she can have such a forgetful daughter....but I always think that's what makes me so lovable...I'm sure she agrees ;).

Well, that issue was solved, and off we went for dinner and some coffee...yes, life is good. Coffee and good conversation drew the night into a nice conclusion :)

bon nuit,
-moenlite-

*picture

Jogjakarta

Inspired by this website: "No blog, no photo, no links today."

looking out my window

Once in a while life seems to be playing tricks on you. One day you’re on top of the world, the next day suddenly it feels like a truck had just came and ran over you.
And being a twentysomething certainly doesn’t help make things better. You either feel your making decisions based on too-much-information or you simply lack the required knowledge and realize later that what you did should have been a totally different way.

What was I trying to say before babbling? Yes, life.

This year has certainly been an overrated version of life of a middle class girl(slash)woman who takes what ever life throws at her.
Yes, it has certainly thrown a bunch of different things at me recently, and its pitch was like no other. There were pains, heartbreaks, anger, joy, relief, confusion...all mumbled into one whole being, stretched out on different days. Days that I thought would never pass...days that never showed what its tomorrow would have in-store. And at last, days of joy.

Yes, my current state is happiness and relief. And when one is happy, its always much easier to write :)

I’m on a plane from my hometown, to a city that I’ve always been wanting to go. And the travel authorization just came out like that. The purpose? Well, that’s to be mentioned in another post ;)

All I’d like to say right now is...even though things may seem like hay wired threads that run back and forth without que, I’m sure from the front view...my life's 'portrait' ain’t that bad.

Cheers to all you kindred spirits out there.
All I can say is, please don’t lose faith...ever,

Adios,
-moenlite-