Books replaced by internet?

I like reading, love it. Through books I learn lots of things and travel to many places in the world. If you ask me what gift that I will always welcome on my birthday I will say BOOKS and no other.

One of my family recreation agenda every month is to a bookstore with my kids. In this way I can teach them to love books, to enjoy reading as much as I enjoy it myself. And it seems to work because my kids always enjoy our monthly trip to a bookstore, and recently my youngest son won't sleep at night before I read him a book.

Last week my eldest son came to me with an idea that he would like to have his own Taman Bacaan where his friends can read his collection of books for free. He even made some brochures advertising his taman bacaan to be sent to all his friends' houses. I was ecstatic and tried everything that I could to help my son making his idea come true. We collected all his books; listed and numbered them. Put them in some boxes. The next morning, reading his bike, my son delivered the brochures to his friends' house around our neighborhood. And in the afternoon, his Taman Bacaan was open for the first time. I was so proud of my son, he was only eight years old yet he has such a brilliant idea. His objective was very simple; he wanted to share his books with his friends.

It seems very ironic to the fact of what we had from our last FGDs on youth; most of the respondents (male and female aged 19 - 25 years old) admitted they did not like reading, even reading a magazine or a newspaper, they preferred to have internet instead for chatting with their friends. Will in the future books be extinct, replaced by internet? A point to ponder...

Written about a week ago · Comment · Like

I am Loved and That's What matters most...

Today I could not go to my office due to stomach-ache while I was supposed to have a meeting with a client. The meeting was important and I felt terrible because I had to miss it. I always hate it whenever I could not meet my schedule and making people dissapointed.

I was in a bad mood and without my realizing it I started yelling to my kids when they made noises. Hearing my sudden of burst, their laughters stopped in an instant and I was confronted by two pairs of innocent eyes starring at me in amazed. I did not mean to pass my frustration to my kids, but there I was, yelling to my kids, and I felt very guilty. I felt that I was a bad mother.

While I was still constructing words of apology to my kids, the youngest ran to me and hugged me close, saying: I love you Ibu. The eldest looked hesitated first, but then did the same. My mood was changed immediately. From down to up; it almost hit the ceiling. I felt I was so loved. Despite of my burst to them, my kids showed me they loved me no matter what. They showed me their unconditional love. Their hugs were so precious; two pairs of hands holding my body. A tear escaped from my eyes. I hugged them back and told them I was sorry.

A lesson that I learned today; I am loved and that is what matters most.

One Morning in A Bus (Omnibus)

Take your distance
you are too close my friend
and it's suffocating
you take all the air supply
and leave me nothing
to breath

I get nausea
so painful in the head
and you talk
and you talk
talk all the time
maybe next time I should bring
my earphone
so that I could rest my ear off your chat

It's nothing personal, believe me
I just could not decide
it's you or it's me who have to leave
and it's better be soon..

The Wind Beneath My Wings

ife is about choices. Like a road that leads to thousands destination. God gives you a brain and conscience to choose which way that you think is the best for you. Have you ever wondered what would you be if you took another turn? Another road? Would you be here by now doing things that you are doing? Would you be happier? Or would you be less fortunate than you are now?

But life is about perspectives too. The way you see the world depends on yourself; whether you think that you are succeed or unfortunate, believe it or not, it depends on your own perspective. If you think that your job is suck, ask others who are jobless. If you think that your hair is dull, ask someone who just had chemotherapy treatments and lost all his/her hair... From their point of view you are fortunate, my friend...

Life is, also, about strength. You are strong when you choose to be a better man, a better woman. To choose things that you think is right for you without being afraid what people may think about you . But the strongest amongst us is the ones who think about others before they think about themselves. Who put themselves behind the scene and let others do performing. They are called HEROES. Let us be a hero for people we love, for people we care. As Bette Midler put it in her song:

Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings.

Milkshake atau Anggur?

Seorang teman pria pernah berkata bahwa wanita bisa dikategorikan menjadi dua jenis; jenis yang seperti segelas milkshake dan jenis yang seperti segelas anggur. Maksudnya adalah; wanita milkshake adalah wanita cantik, lembut dan tak berdaya tapi gampang basi, sedangkan wanita anggur adalah wanita yang menarik, berkarakter dan makin tua makin mahal harganya.

Lalu saya tanya lagi, apa bedanya wanita cantik dan wanita menarik? Menurut si teman pria yang sok tahu ini wanita cantik adalah wanita yang bisa membuat anda menahan napas saat pandangan pertama tapi membuat anda menghela napas kesal pada menit berikutnya. Sedangkan wanita yang menarik adalah seorang wanita yang mungkin tidak akan membuat anda langsung terkesiap dengan kecantikan wajahnya pada menit pertama tapi membuat anda respek dan kagum padanya selamanya.

Lebih jauh lagi teman saya menjelaskan; wanita milkshake biasanya akan membangkitkan rasa sok pahlawan dari jiwa seorang pria, dan biasanya memang wanita jenis ini mengharapkan terus menerus dibantu oleh seorang pria; dari mulai membukakan pintu hingga menggandeng tangannya saat menyebrang jalan. Sedangkan wanita anggur biasanya justru membangkitkan tantangan bagi seorang pria karena kemandiriannya. Wanita jenis ini biasanya tidak mengharapkan bantuan dari pria sehingga membuat pria penasaran. Hhhmmm.

Tapi ngomong-ngomong wanita yang mandiri itu seperti apa sih? Menurut Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hemas pada Power Breakfast yang diadakan di sebuah hotel terkenal minggu lalu, seorang wanita mandiri adalah seorang wanita yang tahu menempatkan dirinya, mengutarakan pendapatnya dan memperjuangkan nasibnya. Beliau paling prihatin bila melihat wanita 3G; Nggendong, Nggandeng, Ngandut (menggendong, menggandeng dan mengandung anak pada saat yang bersamaan). Padahal, menurut GKRH lagi, masa wanita bisa menikmati hidupnya sangatlah singkat, dimulai dari umur 20 hingga umur 40 tahun. Di atas 40 tahun wanita sudah mulai direpotkan dengan mengurus mertua / suami yang sakit. Nah bagaimana kalau di masa mereka seharusnya menikmati hidup mereka, mereka malah direpotkan terus menerus dengan kelahiran anak? Benar juga ya...

Sementara menurut hasil riset dari Polling Center yang diambil dari perspektif wanita, wanita mandiri itu adalah wanita yang bisa menyeimbangkan antara karir dan keluarga, yang tidak melulu tergantung kepada suami secara finansial dan bisa menentukan pilihan hidupnya sendiri termasuk dalam menggunakan hak pilihnya pada saat Pemilu nanti. Wanita mandiri juga adalah wanita yang berani mengambil keputusan, pintar, kuat dan aktif dalam kehidupan bermasyarakat. Hehehe... kok super woman banget ya. Apakah ini berarti wanita menuntut terlalu keras pada dirinya sendiri? Bisa jadi. Karena kebanyakan wanita memang perfeksionis. Sudah tuntutan masyarakat memang berat pada mereka dimana mereka diharapkan untuk menjadi ibu dan istri yang sempurna yang bekerja tanpa henti dari subuh hingga larut malam, mereka sendiri juga menuntut agar diri mereka kuat dan cerdas. Bahkan Pak Faisal Basri (yang juga menjadi pembicara pada Power Breakfast minggu lalu) mengakui dari perspektif pria bahwa tuntutan hidup wanita lebih berat dibandingkan pria. Namun demikian, dari data statistik BPS, usia wanita ternyata lebih panjang dibandingkan dengan usia pria. Nah lo... kok bisa?

Love and Life

Sometimes life does not go the way we want it. The way we hope it would be. The way we think it should be. But I believe whenever there is love, everything is going to be okay. Love heals even the fiercest broken heart. Love heals even when we think life is over. Love from our family, from friends and from God The Almighty.

Whenever I feel down I alway turn to God and also to my family and friends for comfort. I, like any other human being, cannot live alone. I need consolations. And I am very lucky to be able to say that I am loved. I have all supports I need from my family and friends. I am never alone, even in my darkest times. And for that I thank you.

Life has taught me that life has no meaning without love. When you feel that you are alone and sad, just look around, you will be suprised to find that you still have family and friends that care for you unconditionally. But remember, before you receive love, you have to give love first. And you will see that love will be the gift you give yourself...

You are the wind beneath my wings

"Apa arti seorang sahabat bagimu?" seorang teman pernah bertanya suatu ketika dan pada saat itu saya sedang ingin berpuitis-puitis maka saya menjawab: "Sahabat adalah seperti udara yang kau hirup, kau tidak bisa hidup tanpanya. Sahabat bagai sepasang sepatu kaca yang mampu mengubah seorang upik abu menjadi seorang cinderella. Sahabat bagai ombak yang datang menghapus jejak-jejak kaki kepedihan di pasir pantai; manakala sebuah jejak kaki kepedihan terbentuk lagi di pasir pantai, ombak akan datang untuk menghapusnya, begitu seterusnya tanpa lelah.

Bila kau ingin menjadi seorang sahabat yang baik, selalu berusahalah untuk ada pada saat temanmu membutuhkanmu, saat senang ataupun sedih, karena persahabatan bagai pertalian dua hati yang seharusnya tak akan pernah lekang, terus tumbuh, menyemak bagai ilalang di padang savana. Yang menjadi peneduh bagi pengembara yang lelah, yang memberi tempat untuk burung membuat sarangnya di ranting-ranting pohon yang kokoh, yang memberi kehidupan bagi binatang-binatang kecil yang lapar."

Menjalin pertemanan, terutama persahabatan adalah sesuatu hal yang susah-susah gampang. Dalam sebuah persahabatan, dua (atau lebih) individu dengan latar belakang dan ego berbeda mencoba menyatukan persepsi dan persamaan. Diperlukan keteguhan hati dan keinginan untuk tidak selalu mau menang sendiri. Tidak banyak berbeda dengan pernikahan sebenarnya. Bedanya adalah dalam persahabatan kita bisa pergi kapan saja kita mau bila sudah merasa tidak saling cocok, sedangkan dalam pernikahan tidak bisa demikian karena kita terikat dalam sebuah lembaga yang dilegitimasi.

Namun pada dasarnya praktiknya tidak jauh berbeda. Seperti juga dalam pernikahan, dalam persahabatan kita juga memerlukan interaksi yang dinamakan saling memberi dan menerima. Kita juga kadang harus meredam emosi maupun ego pribadi serta melakukan beberapa pengorbanan demi langengnya sebuah persahabatan. Namun sayangnya, banyak persahabatan yang pecah hanya karena satu pihak merasa pihak lainnya lebih menonjol atau ingin menonjolkan diri, apalagi bila setan berwajah hijau yang kita namakan jealousy mulai merayap di hati. Padahal seharusnya arti persahabatan adalah lebih dari itu. Seharusnya kita bisa merasa bahagia bila melihat sahabat kita sukses ataupun berhasil dan kita harus selalu siap membantu manakala sahabat kita sedang berada dalam kesulitan. Seperti lagu yang dinyanyikan oleh Bette Midler - You Are The Wind Beneath My Wings, begitulah arti seorang sahabat - bagai angin dibawah sayap kita (seandainya kita memiliki sayap) yang membantu kita untuk terbang menggapai cita-cita. Nah, apakah anda sudah merasa menjadi seorang sahabat yang baik? Saya terus terang masih harus banyak belajar...

A dilemma

This is really a true dilemma for a working mom like me; seeing my children still sleep on their beds when I go to work every morning. I always make a silent promise to them that I will try to go home not too late so I still can steal an hour or two - spending some quality time - with them. But sad to say, most of it is just an empty promise, three out of five days a week. The luck is not always on my side; when I can go home on timely from work, the traffic jam would not allow, or vice versa. So there I go again, arrive at home at 8 the earliest and find my children are already on their beds to go to sleep.

And this morning on the way to work, I heard ABBA sang Slipping through My Fingers from my favorite radio station and (silly me!) I wept. It was the story of my life they sang:

Slipping through my fingers
all the time
I try to capture
every minute
the feeling in it
slipping through my fingers
all the time
do I really see what's
in his mind
each time I think
I'm close to knowing
he keeps on growing
slipping through my fingers
all the time
Sometimes I wish
that I could freeze
the picture
and save it from
the funny tricks of time
slipping through my fingers

Oh, maybe it was just the famous PMS that came to me this morning. Come to think of it, I have had the opportunity to experience two different sides of the world, I had been a working mom, took a break for a year to become a full-time mother, and work again up till now. Both sides of the world have its plus and minus I must admit. And unfortunately - or rather fortunately - both I enjoy very much; the dynamic life of a full time mother taking care two very active boys and the busy world of a working mom trying to make the best of her time. But I am only human after all; there are times when I think one is better than the other. And there I go again with my dilemma. How about you mom?

Restrooms

Just the other day when I went out for lunch in Blok M Plaza and had to go to the restroom (I always tried not to go to any public restroom if I could help it) I was suprised to find a lady janitor with a bundle of tickets waiting right in front of the restroom. So there I was, obediently paid for the ticket, went into the restroom, and did what I have to do there (you don't want to know, believe me). But I did not mind to pay for the ticket since the restroom, not like any others, was clean and smelled good. Provided with kleenex and other toiletries needed by a lady to wash her hands . Overall it was a quite decent place. I remember not a while ago when I had to go to the restroom in POINS Square, I had to provide my own kleenex since there was not any in the restroom - and the place was dirty, not to mention smelled rather bad. When I asked to the lady janitor for kleenex she said that the building management had stopped providing kleenex since months ago for no reason at all. It was a free public restroom, I understood, but should the building management let their restrooms be like a restroom in a bus station? It was POINS Square, supposed to be a middle class shopping mall, located between Pondok Indah and Lebak Bulus, if their budget was not allowed, why didn't they do just like Blok M Plaza did? Put a lady janitor with tickets and use the collected money to cover the cleaning expense for the restroom. That will make everybody happy! Just a thought...

Bad Traffic

I was tempted, very much tempted, to go back home on the way to work yesterday when once again I was trapped in a heavy - or should I say worst - traffic jam in Pondok Cabe Raya. It was the third time in a row this week, and I was fed up - felt helpless soaked in a mass of cars and motorbikes. Seeing frustated faces of people amongst me who also trapped in the traffic, I wondered, how could one keep one's spirit or one's mood to work when one should face this jam for hours before one could reach one's office (not to mention if there was a morning meeting waiting). I remembered not a while back ago, I could go to work at seven and arrived in the office in time. Now, even I went out of my house at six, I still was late arriving in the office. Aaarrrgggh!

HAPE

Di suatu Minggu pagi yang cerah saya diundang seorang sahabat lama untuk kumpul-kumpul di rumahnya. Biasalah, ngobrol-ngobrol sambil rujakan dengan teman satu gang waktu jaman kuliah dulu. Kami janjian untuk being single lagi, setidaknya untuk hari itu, alias adalah tidak bawa anak ataupun suami. Tuan rumah pun juga mengungsikan anak dan suaminya ke rumah mertuanya. Hehehe… biar enak dan seru ngobrolnya.
Namanya juga Ibu-ibu, ada aja yang digosipin. Dari mulai fashion terbaru, tumbuh kembang anak-anak sampai ke urusan gadget. Salah satu teman saya yang memang sosialita sekali, akhirnya dengan malu-malu memamerkan blackberry-nya. Katanya dia juga sudah ikutan klub gaul ponsel ajaib itu. Iseng-iseng saya tanya fitur-fiturnya. Sok tahu aja, kebetulan saya baru baca tentang barang ajaib satu itu dari sebuah majalah. Eh dia malah mengaku masih kurang ‘ngeh’ cara menggunakan blackberry-nya. Terutama cara menggunakan fitur push e-mailnya. Oalah… ternyata benar ya kebanyakan wanita suka gaptek kalau urusan gadget, senang beli hape baru yang super canggih tapi ternyata hanya untuk gaya-gayaan aja (ssst… termasuk yang nulis notes ini).

Belum habis ngomongin hape, si tuan rumah tiba-tiba menawarkan siomay bandung. Katanya dia punya tukang siomay keliling di komplek perumahannya yang siomaynya enak banget, joss rasa ikan tenggirinya, nggak kalah deh sama siomay di resto terkenal . Dasar tukang makan semua, kamipun serentak buka suara… mau dooong. Tapi mana tukang siomaynya? Tenang, kata teman saya, si tukang siomay punya hape, kalau kita mau pesan, tinggal telpon ke hapenya saja, nanti dia datang. Wah, canggih banget… hape memang sudah betul-betul merakyat sekarang, bahkan tukang siomay kelilingpun punya hape.

Ada lagi nih, teman saya yang lain menambahkan, dia cerita waktu kemarin dia sedang belanja bulanan di sebuah hypermarket, tiba-tiba pembantunya kirim sms mengingatkan untuk tidak lupa membeli beras karena persediaan beras di rumah habis. Belum habis rasa terkejutnya, si pembantunya sms lagi untuk titip minta dibelikan shampoo. Walah!

Saya pun punya pengalaman berkesan mengenai hape. Waktu jamannya pembantu mudik lebaran kemarin, pembantu saya sebelum pulang sempat menitipkan nomor-nomor hape kerabatnya kepada saya. Untuk apa? tanya saya. Ini lo Bu, hape saya kalau di kampung tidak dapat sinyal, jadi kalau Ibu mau telpon saya, bisa ke nomor-nomor hape ini. Ini nomor hape bude saya, yang ini nomor hape ponakan, dan ini nomor hape sepupu saya, jawab pembantu saya kalem. Saya terlongong-longong antara bingung dan kagum. Wah, ternyata di kampung sana sudah banyak orang yang punya hape ya. Oya, berdasarkan hasil riset Polling Center pertengahan tahun lalu, penggunaan hape memang sudah merambah hingga ke rural lo, nggak tanggung-tanggung 42,6% masyarakat rural sudah memiliki hape. Peningkatannya cukup tajam dibandingkan tahun 2006 dimana angka pengguna hape di rural masih 35,45%. Dengan kata lain, hape bukan lagi barang tak terjangkau bagi penduduk di rural, apalagi saat ini banyak provider yang menawarkan pulsa dan hape murah. Jadi jangan kaget kalau suatu ketika anda mendapat sms dari tukang sayur atau tukang jamu keliling menawarkan dagangannya pada anda. Bu, ini minah tukang jamu, kalau mau pesen kunir asemnya lagi, sms saya aja ya Bu…(Eky)

Friendship

This morning on the way to work, I heard a street singer (tukang ngamen bo') sang one of the most favorite songs that one of it's lirycs caught my sleepy head: Persahabatan seperti kepompong, merubah ulat menjadi kupu-kupu. I silently said Amien and added with a touch of smile: Persahabatan juga seperti sepasang sepatu kaca, merubah seorang upik abu menjadi Cinderella. For my friends who happen to read this note, I am thanking you for being my friends, through sunshine through rains, hey.. we even sometimes shared tears, the joy ones and the sorrow ones. Please stay with me although Ican become a real jerk sometimes. But without you, I am an incomplete human being :-)
Please stay...

Batik Trend

These days, many Indonesians are putting on batik clothes. There is a trend in clothing, and it is a fever. Just this morning, on the way to work, I saw traffic of people, particularly women, were soaked in batik of cute and fashionable models. Batik, not so long ago was quasi-antiquated, now has changed: a creation of trendy blouses with colors from beige to strong brown, the later, some decades ago, was usually found as traditional dye in batik sarong. Some colors, as I saw it, were tosca green, crimson blue, and pastel, and they all looked so fresh.
At the hands of creative designers, traditional batik designs can become new and heart some alternatives. Short-sleeved blouses are very amiable to go casually with jean-trousers and sandals under your foot; however, batik blouses with somewhat glossy trousers or long gown, and formal lady’s high-heeled shoes, would make you look great in proper moments.
With this trend, many gasping batik producers are back to live. Thanks to our fashion designers for their rescue, otherwise, it would be a sorrow to see batik, a nota bene Indonesia’s culture heritage, in a dim nook of its own mansion just because the owner cares more to the West’s culture. According to Polling Center ― Jakarta’s prominent social and market research institution ― Indonesians, in large, especially urban people, are keenly trends conscious. 40% of the women are fashion oriented. It is back to us, how we would revert our fashion outside in. If it is done, our batik industry would roar again. It is a guarantee! By the way, I am also wearing batik blouse today. Ha, ha, ha .... so I am one of those 40% afterall!