And it begins pretty well by typing the overly long title of this post above using my tiny mobile keypad, doh. And if you are just too curious about how I started my day, check my moblog.
So, where am I then? Good question. You know, some people said that a good question is a good question because it’s usually difficult to answer. But not with my case. (See, I’m doing good at killing time. Not only mine, but yours too.. :p). When I post this, I’m at citiwalk sudirman, Jakarta. Yeah I know, village kid coming to a big city. What am I doing here? (No, I won’t say that was a good question because I really don’t have to). Well generally, my being here is because I have to accompany my sister, she’s having a job test at a company here in Jakarta. It’s an all day test and I didn’t plan anything before about what am I gonna do this all day long, doh!
Long story short, I’ll do some window-shopping offline at jakartanotebook.com. I’m here already, and since I came too early, I thought having another breakfast won’t hurt at all. :D
Will update later, I have to stop typing at my tiny keypad before I develop CTS.
Peace. Out.
Aku iri kepada para penulis itu.
Ya, para penulis itu, mereka yang mampu merangkai kata dan rasa dengan indahnya. Mereka yang menulis tentang indahnya langit senja, segarnya rintik hujan di sore hari, harumnya bau tanah basah dan ilalang serta tenangnya batin mereka saat berada di hamparan pengharapan. Mereka yang sanggup mengurai indahnya warna kuning bunga matahari, mengulang rangkaian pelangi, menggapai birunya bintang di langit selatan dan hijaunya rumput di savana yang kuangan. Mereka yang menggambarkan eloknya suasana perbukitan, ngarai yang berkelok, lembutnya awan, dan kuatnya hembusan angin kehidupan.
Bahkan sepinya malam selalu menjadi inspirasi.
Kasih berpadu menjadi tema.
Cita-cita menjadi pembakar gerak jiwa.
Aku hanya terlarut nikmat dalam kisah dan karya mereka. Aku iri pada HAMKA, Chairil Anwar, Taufik Ismail. Aku iri pada ribuan penulis sebelum dan sesudah jaman mereka.
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Percikan dari bagian kontemplasi yang kuputuskan untuk kutulis. Sisanya, biarlah mengendap pada gudang arsip pikiranku. (30 Ramadhan 1429H)
Eid Mubarak! Mohon Maaf Lahir dan Batin
Peace. Out.
I love a simple night,
a night when the moon feels like in my grasp,
when the sky feels like only inches away,
when the air is calm and fresh,
when the grass is green and cold,
when my sighting is clear,
and my hearing is so quiet..
I love a simple night,
but I love your simple love more,
a love without reason,
and without too much flattering words..
I simply love you..
Trip To Mount Bromo (And Surabaya)
As you might know from my public calendar, early this month I went to Mt. Bromo (with transit in Surabaya first). I was very delighted to have holiday out of town, especially for having a trip back to nature. And indeed it was a very pleasant trip. I met 5 new friends, well actually, from those 7 persons who went there together with me, I only knew 2 persons before. Those guys really know how to make a trip enjoyable. Can’t wait for the next trip! Lombok maybe? Haha.. :D
Anyway, some of the images below were already posted at my moblog directly from the scene, or so. I was quite amazed at how good the HSDPA signal from my provider there, although you really have to find the right spot to be connected. But being a big city though, it wasn’t as easy as I thought to find HSDPA signal in Surabaya when compared to Jakarta or Bandung. Moreover in Mt. Bromo, it WAS difficult. Well maybe that’s the fun from being mobile in Indonesia, you really have to make good use of your feet and hands when searching for signal. Giddy Up! :p
People said, a picture worth a thousand words. Many picture worth thousands of words.. (really?) Okay, stop blabbering. The point is, stop reading and click the two images above. It’ll tell you more than I can say. You gotta see it to believe it. You gotta go there to experience it, definitely!
Anyway, the journey started in Surabaya. I love this city for many reasons, but above all, it’s always because of the food. :D Surabaya is always able to indulge me with a lot of kinds of tasty food, but relatively cheap in price. And owh, most electronic stuffs are also relatively cheaper here compared to other big cities in Indonesia. But no, I’m not going to tell you about food or electronics in Surabaya, maybe next time. For now, may I present you with a brief field report of Mount Bromo.. *tada*
There are several popular paths to reach Mt. Bromo. One can go from Surabaya through Pasuruan or Malang for instance, and reach Mt. Bromo via Tosari. Or like we did, from Surabaya through Probolinggo and reach Mt. Bromo via Ngadisari. One way another, it’s just a matter of landscape view and transportation, trying every path will give you more fun! :) At Ngadisari, we spent two nights at Yoschi’s Hotel. It was a cozy place with some Balinese touch. There are actually some other nice places to stay, but we’re more like a bunch of backpacker with a car, so picking this relatively cheap but cozy place is the most appropriate decision.
We began our first night by playing Uno Cards! Man I didn’t know it could be so much fun playing cards. Despite the schedule, we played late until about midnight and we woke up at three to begin the real fun journey: get some sunrise! We rent two jeeps for the transportation and reach “Penanjakan” in about an hour later. It was quite a difficult track, but we definitely enjoy the bump and slides! :D
The sunrise was great. And from this location, we can see clearly the Mt. Bromo itself and other spectacular views. There were so many people there, local and international tourists attracted by its beauty. Sometimes it was difficult to have a good spot for your camera because of the crowd, and of course, other photographer. I really gathered my guts when I stood on some kind of monument (but it’s not, I swear) just to get an unblocked view of the early sunrise. That would be the third thumbnail on the first picture.
From “Penanjakan”, we continue the journey to reach Mt. Bromo. The base, (the foot of the mountain) largely consisted of sands. There we can find a lot of locals offering their horses to help us reach the top. But believe me, especially when you go there with some friends, it’s more fun just to walk on your own. When we reach the top, we all feel glad yet amazed with the view. It’s definitely not because we-can-see-it-on-national-geographic view, but because we’re there to experience it ourselves we feel overwhelmed.
Later at the afternoon, we went to some small waterfall (I forget what the name was), it’s about an hour journey using a car from the hotel. And as you may guessed, we were so tired and slept like babies on the second night (okay, maybe NOT like a baby, but absolutely sleep tight, safe and sound :p) We went back to Surabaya the next day and depart to our own destination from there. As for me, it was a hell great journey and will definitely miss you all guys! Really really can’t wait to explore Indonesia again! :)
Ow, a reader inspired me to explain this: the 1st four thumbnails on the second picture is NOT a view of an ocean or a lake. It’s a carpet of clouds. We can see that view since we’re at a higher elevation than clouds. Very, beautiful!
Update: This article has been submitted to Indonesia.Travel Blog Contest. Wish me luck guys! :)
Update (again): This article IS the Winner! Yay! :D
SOEDOE Exhibition @ Jakarta
Not much to say about this. It was an exhibition in Balai Kartini, Jakarta, held by the Indonesian Government for five days from 6th to 10th of August. It’s free, both for the exhibitors and the visitors. But you know, being a *FREE* government agenda, most of the times we have to get a good grip and high measures of patience when dealing with the people.
Also, there’s nothing special with the selling revenue. But that’s not the point from the first place. We really hope to get a good publication and a higher public awareness from the exhibition. I hope I can see the results soon.
We welcome you, Ramadhan
And last but not least, *eww, the language*, Mohon maaf lahir dan batin. Bener2 minta maaf seandainya ada salah2 kata ato perbuatan ato menjatuhkan harapan dan sebagainya, mohon dimaafin. I truly am. Mudah2an kita bisa belajar lebih baik lagi dalam Ramadhan besok.
Anyway, I was also delighted when I read the news that says this year, most likely there will be no difference among muslim organizations in Indonesia regarding the decision for the starting date of Ramadhan and Shawal. 1st of Ramadhan will be on the 1st of September, and the 1st of Shawal will be on the 1st of October. It’s just great.
Peace. Out.
Introducing my new Photo Moblog: Random shots from my mobile phone, fresh!
http://moblog.gpratama.net
So, I finally have the connection I always dreamed of lately, to be able to connect to the Internet from my own room (again). But for now, I don’t think I will have the motivation, hence the time, to write the details of pursuing the connection. Just to make the story short: I add another subscription to my mobile phone plan, and managed to have Telkomsel Flash Unlimited activated. Woohoo.. :)
And what’s about the MOBLOG thing? Yeah, well, another delayed project for many reasons. But finally, a blog to record some pictures, mobile, fresh from the scene yet updated more often (hopefully) is now up and running. Just open the link http://moblog.gpratama.net.
Update: You might want to have a look at my Public Calendar.
Peace. Out.
Two tough days. 1060 participants. Passed the first elimination resulting in 127 participants left, including myself. Second elimination: failed miserably!
The moral: Never attend any audition without at least, read the entire book once and practice. Doh!
Peace. Out.
Kebutuhanku untuk menulis, kurang lebih sama dengan kebutuhanku untuk membaca. Ya, mungkin pernyataan yang terlalu berlebihan, karena pada kenyataannya jumlah teks yang kutulis tentu saja tidak sebanyak yang kubaca.
Kebutuhanku untuk didengar kurang lebih sama dengan kebutuhanku untuk mendengar. Lagi-lagi pernyataan yang bisa jadi keliru karena pada kenyataannya aku tidak banyak mendengarkan orang lain seperti aku ingin didengar.
Kebutuhanku untuk dicinta, kurang lebih sama dengan kebutuhanku untuk mencinta agar bahagia. Kali ini, aku yakin benar bahwa ini adalah pernyataan yang tepat untukku. Dulu aku berpikir kalau aku bisa bahagia hanya dengan mencintai seseorang tanpa mengharap apapun sebagai balasnya. Cukuplah aku yang mencinta, tanpa perlu sedikitpun dia yang kucinta membalasnya. Bahkan dia yang kucinta tidak perlu tahu aku mencintainya. Tapi setelah apa yang kualami, setelah ribuan rangkaian proses berpikir kulalui, aku mengaku salah. Agar aku bahagia maka aku harus dicinta, sebesar aku mampu mencinta.
Adalah kata-kata sederhana yang memberiku kemantapan pikiran kali ini: karena aku manusia. Ya, karena aku bukan malaikat, karena aku bukan manusia suci, karena aku bukan pujangga nan romantis dari abad pertengahan. Tapi karena aku adalah seorang manusia biasa. Yang secara lahiriah merupakan makhluk yang lemah, tapi bisa kuat karena mencinta, dan dicinta.
Disclaimer: Tulisan ini adalah opini pada ruang publik yang diilhami dan menjadi kesimpulan dari ribuan rangkaian proses berpikir. Proses ini masih berjalan, sehingga opini bisa berubah sewaktu-waktu apabila melewati ribuan -atau bahkan kurang- proses berpikir lainnya. Proses berpikir *sangat* dipengaruhi oleh banyak sekali variabel, misalnya kondisi cuaca, kemacetan lalu lintas pada hari itu, kondisi penerangan tempat menulis, harga elpiji, jumlah cangkir kopi yang diminum, jumlah remah roti yang berceceran pada karpet *penting ya, dasar jorok!*, dan sebagainya. Simply take nothing on the internet too seriously! :p
Peace. Out.
