Waduuuhhh... dihitung-hitung, udah enam bulan ngga nulis blog -_-" ... Simply karena kemarin-kemarin ini banyak tulisan menumpuk.... dan belum ada yang ingin ditulis lagi. Yup, saya bukan tipe orang yang bisa menulis blog secara rutin. Saya baru bisa membuka laptop dan mengisi blog, ketika ada hal-hal yang udah mulai meluap di hati. Dan kalau nggak dikeluarin, bisa-bisa saya jadi merasa sesak napas, dan otak saya seperti dililit oleh akar pohon yang kuat... seperti sekarang ini...
Ok. Ini masih soal kerjaan. Mungkin, kalau saya masih ABG, dengan suara keras, saya akan bilang, "Gue nggak ngerti, deh! Dia pikir dia siapa?!" Hmmm... Sejujurnya, sekarang pun saya masih berpikir demikian, tapi cukup dalam hati aja.... Sebenernya, orang ini nggak menyakiti saya secara langsung. Ataupun secara pribadi. Tapi, saya hanya merasa dia kurang menghargai profesi saya sebagai orang yang berkecimpung di media. Nggak tahu kenapa. Mungkin, karena banyaknya kasus seleb-wartawan, di mana seleb selalu merasa terganggu dengan wartawan yang kerap memaksa. Jujur, saya sendiri juga nggak suka sama wartawan yang suka memaksa narasumbernya untuk bicara, padahal, jelas-jelas mereka udah bilang, "No comment," atau, "Nggak." Saya juga nggak setuju dengan media yang menulis berita bohong.
Ok, saya akui, media kadang memang menyebalkan.... Bahkan, dulu saya termasuk orang yang membenci wartawan. Tapi, ketika sekarang saya menjadi wartawan (yup, sepertinya saya kena karma. Hahaa...), saya jadi mengerti bahwa dunia wartawan itu cukup keras. Dikejar oleh deadline, ditekan oleh atasan, sementara, tak jarang, diremehkan oleh narasumber (plus, pemasukannya nggak seberapa.... *ups, jadi curcol).
Nah, saya bukan tipe wartawan yang suka memaksa. Kalau narsum nggak mau diinterview, ya udah. Itu hak dia. Privasinya. Saya menghargai keputusannya, dan mencari narsum yang lain. Jadi, saya agak bete kalau ada narsum yang sepertinya kurang menghargai profesi saya. Contohnya, si perempuan ini. Sebut aja namanya A, karena saya nggak akan membocorkan siapa dia.
Jadi, gini. Beberapa bulan yang lalu, saya ingin mewawancarai si A, beserta anak dan suaminya. Ceritanya, pengen mengangkat tentang keluarga bahagia gitu deh. Jadi, dijanjiinlah sama manajernya. Awalnya, jadwal yang dijanjikan, selalu dimundur. Katanya, si A emang lagi sibuk. Tapi akhirnya, sampai juga pada satu jadwal yang fix. Maka, di hari yang sudah dijadwalkan, berangkatlah saya dan tim, meluncur ke rumah si A.
Di tengah jalan, si manajer menelepon dan meng-cancel jadwal pemotretan. Katanya, si A ada meeting tiba-tiba. Jadi, sambil ngomel-ngomel (ngomel-ngomelnya sesudah nutup telepon si manajer, tentunya), saya dan tim balik ke kantor. Sampai di kantor, ketemu dengan beberapa teman dari divisi lain. Setelah mendengar cerita kita yang dicancel begitu saja, teman-teman bilang, "Oh! Dia sih emang terkenal begitu!" Bahkan, orang-orang yang seprofesi dengannya pun mengakui bahwa si A memang cukup menyebalkan.
Tapi, ya udah. Kami maju terus, dan melupakan hal itu.... Yah, nggak sepenuhnya melupakan. Soalnya, kemarin ini, dari divisi media relation ngabarin bahwa majalah saya ada kerja sama dengan salah satu karya seni, dan si A terlibat di dalamnya. Jadi, saya langsung wanti-wanti, "Kalau bisa, langsung dibikin appointment aja. Saya nggak mau kejar-kejar dia lagi."
Dan itulah yang terjadi. Divisi media relation membuatkan janji. Tapi, lagi-lagi, janji wawancara dibatalkan. Kali ini, karena si A nggak ada kabar ketika dikonfirmasi sehari sebelumnya. Akhirnya, saya bilang ke media relation majalah saya, "Mendingan, suruh dia yang dateng ke kantor. Bikin media gathering, jadi kalau dia tiba-tiba cancel, dia ruginya banyak. Atau, cari bintang lain aja."
Sebenernya, si A ini cukup terkenal. Tapi, kalau dilihat, prestasinya juga nggak setinggi langit. Masih banyak seleb lain dengan prestasi segudang, bahkan bisa dibilang legendaris, tapi tetap menghargai wartawan. Atau, menghargai profesi orang lain, bukan cuma media aja.
Menurut saya, menghargai pekerjaan orang lain itu adalah salah satu kunci penting yang bisa membawa seseorang meraih kesuksesan. Keramahan mereka akan membuat orang terus mengingat mereka, apalagi jika semua itu berbanding lurus dengan karya mereka yang luar biasa.
Jangan salah sangka. Nggak semua seleb semenyebalkan si A. Bahkan, sepanjang pengalaman saya mewawancarai sejumlah seleb, baru si A ini aja yang semena-mena. Seleb-seleb lain, baik-baik, kok. Selama kitanya baik, mereka juga baik. Mau yang pendatang baru, ataupun yang jadi bintang papan atas.
Ketika diterima dengan baik oleh para bintang papan atas, saya selalu berpikir, 'Salah satu hal yang membuat mereka besar adalah karena mereka bisa menghargai profesi orang lain. Dan hal itu membuat mereka mendapatkan respect dari orang atas pekerjaan mereka.' Dan ketika diterima baik oleh para pendatang baru, saya berpikir, 'Orang ini sepertinya bisa menjadi besar karena dia menghargai pekerjaan orang lain.' Tidak seperti si A. Sepertinya, sombong memang sudah menjadi watak si A, karena ternyata, di lingkungannya, dia memang terkenal memiliki attitude yang nggak banget.
Mudah-mudahan, besok-besok, nggak perlu wawancara dia lagi, deh!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Ngidam Yang Susah....
Nerusin cerita liburan di Bali, ada satu dessert yang sepertinya akan memenangkan gelar Dessert of the Year dari saya. Udah lupa sih, nama persis di menunya itu apa. Yang pasti, komponen makanannya terdiri dari apel yang direbus, cinnamon caramel, es krim vanilla, dan ada semacam crust di bawah es krimnya, yang rasanya manis, tapi entah terbuat dari apa.
Waktu memesan menu ini, jujur aja, saya nggak nyangka bahwa rasanya akan seistimewa itu. Bahkan, ketika piringnya datang ke depan mata, mulut kontan berkomentar, "Woooww!".... Dan si pelayan masih berdiri di samping saya. Soalnya, sebenernya, saya memesan menu yang ini hanya supaya makanan yang disantap oleh kakak, sepupu, dan saya, beda-beda, jadi bisa saling nyicip.
Satu sudah pesan banana crepe, dan satu lagi sudah pesan banana split. Terpaksa, saya menjatuhkan pilihan ke menu yang masih asing namanya, berharap rasanya nggak akan kalah dengan menu yang udah lebih familiar. Siapa sangka, ternyata dessert yang saya pilih malah menjadi 'pemenangnya'.
Dessert ini jadi lebih nikmat karena suasana tempat makannya bener-bener beda. Memang, pengunjungnya cuma kita bertiga, tapi di situlah enaknya. Serasa tempat itu jadi milik sendiri. Dan kita duduk di pinggir cafe, dengan pemandangan laut tepat di depan mata (deskripsi lebih jelas ada di '...That Peaceful Place...').
Dengan dessert yang menggiurkan, dan hamparan laut serta debur ombak... bener-bener sebuah momen yang I would treasure for... ever.
Sayangnya, sekarang udah kembali ke Jakarta. Dan di tengah sunyinya malam, dan dinginnya AC... tiba-tiba, lidah ini ingin merasakan kembali manisnya dessert itu. Apel yang direbus hingga garing dan manis, dicampur dengan saus karamel dari kayu manis. Plus es krim vanilla dan crust yang lembut-crunchy. Nyaammm... Tapi, ngidam ini harus diredam, karena susah untuk mendapatkannya.
Memang, harganya hanya sekitar Rp50.000. Tapi, kita harus terbang dulu ke Bali, lalu menempuh perjalanan selama 2 hingga 3 jam ke Amed, baru deh bisa menikmati dessert ini plus pemandangan laut... Ngidam yang susah, euy!
Tapi, kalo lagi ke Bali, cukup worth it juga sih menyisakan satu hari khusus ke sana. Lagian, kapan lagi bisa makan es krim di pinggir laut? Berdoa aja supaya itu cafe masih buka, karena nggak banyak turis yang ke sana. Tempat itu memang belum banyak orang yang tahu... Tapi, saya lupa nama cafe-nya apa. Hehehe...
Biar lebih jelas makanan yang dimaksud kayak apa, ini fotonya:
Sekarang, bayangin aja makan itu, sambil memandangi ini:
Sekarang, bayangin aja makan itu, sambil memandangi ini:
Ngiler? Memang itulah tujuannya, supaya saya nggak ngidam sendirian.. hahahahaa... ;p
Regards,
Risty
Bintang, Bintang, Bintang...
Jauh tinggi, ke tempat kau berada... -Bintang Kecil-
Dulu, waktu masih kecil, hampir setiap malam saya dan kakak (dan sepupu, kalo dia lagi nginep di rumah), keluar rumah, dan menatap langit malam. Nggak peduli dengan dinginnya udara. Hanya untuk melihat kerlip bintang yang bermunculan satu per satu. Lebih bagus lagi kalau di tengahnya ada bulan yang bersinar jernih.
Seiring berjalannya waktu (baca: bertambahnya polusi di Jakarta), makin hari, bintang pun makin sepi. Dan makin hari, kita pun makin malas lagi keluar rumah di malam-malam. Nggak ada lagi yang bisa dilihat di tengah gelapnya malam.
Maka, suatu malam di Anyer pun menjadi salah satu kenangan yang rasanya seperti mimpi. Waktu itu, saya dan beberapa sepupu, juga kakak dan adek2, plus bokap-nyokap dan beberapa om dan tante (kayak iklan mobil yak? ;p) liburan ke Anyer. Tahun berapa persisnya, saya lupa. Yang pasti kayaknya waktu itu saya masih SD. Kita nginep di Anyer untuk beberapa malam. Tapi, hanya satu malam saja yang membekas di memori dari liburan itu, hingga saat ini.
Di depan villa milik salah satu sepupu, kami, bocah-bocah kecil, ngeriung di kap mobil. Entah siapa yang memulai, tapi rasanya, tahu-tahu, kepala kami semua menengadah ke atas. Ke langit malam. Terpana.
Di atas kami, lautan bintang berkelip. Rasanya, langit adalah kanvas dengan warna dasar hitam, lalu diberi sentuhan titik-titik keperakan di setiap ruangnya. Rasanya, kami seperti di bawah selimut berwarna hitam dengan gemerlap manik-manik putih keperakan di sana-sini.
Dan yang lebih menghebohkan lagi, di antara titik-titik bintang malam itu, tiba-tiba di tengah legamnya malam, muncul... (tenang, ini nggak horor, kok ;p)... serbuk-serbuk keperakan yang seperti sedang 'lari', lalu menghilang.
"Itu apa, sih? Bintang jatuh, ya?!"
Saya lupa siapa yang pertama kali menyerukan komentar itu, tapi yang pasti, yang melihat bintang jatuh itu nggak cuma satu orang saja. Yang juga melihat sinar keperakan itu, langsung berseru, "IYA!" sambil menunjuk tempat terjadinya bintang jatuh tadi ke sepupu-sepupu yang ketinggalan.
Masih belum selesai ngebahas bintang jatuh yang pertama, tiba-tiba ada lagi yang berteriak, "Itu dia!" Dan seperti efek domino, dalam beberapa detik, bocah-bocah kecil ini pun semakin berisik, berteriak girang setiap kali melihat bintang-bintang 'berjatuhan' di hampir setiap sudut langit.
Sungguh sebuah pemandangan langka untuk anak-anak kota yang dibesarkan di bawah langit penuh polusi udara.
Dan momen istimewa itu berlangsung cukup lama, lho. Dan itu artinya, cukup banyak bintang jatuh yang kami lihat malam itu. Hampir di setiap detik. Saking banyaknya, sampe nggak tahu lagi mau make a wish apa. Dan saking ramainya bocah-bocah ini kegirangan melihat bintang jatuh, salah satu tante sampai ada yang keluar dari villa, ikut menatap ke atas. Tapi, dia bilang, "Mana, sih? Kok, Tante nggak lihat apa-apa, ya. Udah kebanyakan dosa kali, ya, jadi nggak bisa lihat lagi. Anak-anak masih belom ada dosanya, jadi masih bisa lihat."
Sebuah komentar yang langsung disambut oleh teriakan si bocah-bocah, "Ada! Banyak banget!"
Langit malam waktu itu benar-benar bersih. Dan bertahun-tahun berlalu, saya berharap masih bisa kembali melihat langit malam sejernih waktu itu. Sayang, nggak tahu harus ke mana. Masa ke Planetarium? Nggak seru ah kalo nggak asli... ;p
Tapi, keinginan untuk merasakan kembali pengalaman istimewa itu, cukup terbayarkan ketika liburan di Bali kemarin. Memang, bintangnya nggak sebanyak seperti waktu di Anyer dulu. Tapi, masih cukup banyak jika dibandingkan dengan Jakarta (ya iyalah. Langit Jakarta mah sepi). Lagi-lagi, saya, kakak, dan sepupu, menatap ke langit malam, kali ini kita di dalam mobil. Dan tiba-tiba...
"A shooting star!"
Sekelebat cantik sinar keperakan lagi-lagi terulas di tengah gelapnya angkasa. Dan lagi-lagi, saya dan kakak kegirangan, kayak waktu masih bocah dulu (untung aja nggak dimarahin orang-orang di sekitar, karena waktu itu, sebenernya kita lagi di perumahan... hehe...).
Dan momen itu menyadarkan saya betapa saya ingin hidup di bawah langit malam yang bersih. Di mana hamparan bintang merajai langit malam. Dengan kerlip bintang jatuh yang berwarna putih keperakan itu memberi sentuhan cantik. Saya nggak bisa membayangkan, betapa cantiknya pasti langit malam di masa ketika gugus bintang masih menjadi penunjuk arah. I wish I had lived in those years.
Kini, setiap kali keluar dari gedung kantor, sambil berjalan menuju halte bus TransJakarta, saya selalu menatap ke atas. Berharap, somehow, jajaran bintang menyapa. Tapi ya, namanya juga di Jakarta. Mau lihat cantiknya bulan purnama aja susah karena ketutupan gedung-gedung, gimana mau lihat bintang?
Di manakah saya harus hidup, agar bisa melihat lagi keindahan alam yang sangat jujur itu? Semoga suatu saat saya bisa membangun rumah di tempat yang jernih udaranya, supaya setiap malam bisa menikmati cantiknya semesta di angkasa...
Regards,
Risty
Dulu, waktu masih kecil, hampir setiap malam saya dan kakak (dan sepupu, kalo dia lagi nginep di rumah), keluar rumah, dan menatap langit malam. Nggak peduli dengan dinginnya udara. Hanya untuk melihat kerlip bintang yang bermunculan satu per satu. Lebih bagus lagi kalau di tengahnya ada bulan yang bersinar jernih.
Seiring berjalannya waktu (baca: bertambahnya polusi di Jakarta), makin hari, bintang pun makin sepi. Dan makin hari, kita pun makin malas lagi keluar rumah di malam-malam. Nggak ada lagi yang bisa dilihat di tengah gelapnya malam.
Maka, suatu malam di Anyer pun menjadi salah satu kenangan yang rasanya seperti mimpi. Waktu itu, saya dan beberapa sepupu, juga kakak dan adek2, plus bokap-nyokap dan beberapa om dan tante (kayak iklan mobil yak? ;p) liburan ke Anyer. Tahun berapa persisnya, saya lupa. Yang pasti kayaknya waktu itu saya masih SD. Kita nginep di Anyer untuk beberapa malam. Tapi, hanya satu malam saja yang membekas di memori dari liburan itu, hingga saat ini.
Di depan villa milik salah satu sepupu, kami, bocah-bocah kecil, ngeriung di kap mobil. Entah siapa yang memulai, tapi rasanya, tahu-tahu, kepala kami semua menengadah ke atas. Ke langit malam. Terpana.
Di atas kami, lautan bintang berkelip. Rasanya, langit adalah kanvas dengan warna dasar hitam, lalu diberi sentuhan titik-titik keperakan di setiap ruangnya. Rasanya, kami seperti di bawah selimut berwarna hitam dengan gemerlap manik-manik putih keperakan di sana-sini.
Dan yang lebih menghebohkan lagi, di antara titik-titik bintang malam itu, tiba-tiba di tengah legamnya malam, muncul... (tenang, ini nggak horor, kok ;p)... serbuk-serbuk keperakan yang seperti sedang 'lari', lalu menghilang.
"Itu apa, sih? Bintang jatuh, ya?!"
Saya lupa siapa yang pertama kali menyerukan komentar itu, tapi yang pasti, yang melihat bintang jatuh itu nggak cuma satu orang saja. Yang juga melihat sinar keperakan itu, langsung berseru, "IYA!" sambil menunjuk tempat terjadinya bintang jatuh tadi ke sepupu-sepupu yang ketinggalan.
Masih belum selesai ngebahas bintang jatuh yang pertama, tiba-tiba ada lagi yang berteriak, "Itu dia!" Dan seperti efek domino, dalam beberapa detik, bocah-bocah kecil ini pun semakin berisik, berteriak girang setiap kali melihat bintang-bintang 'berjatuhan' di hampir setiap sudut langit.
Sungguh sebuah pemandangan langka untuk anak-anak kota yang dibesarkan di bawah langit penuh polusi udara.
Dan momen istimewa itu berlangsung cukup lama, lho. Dan itu artinya, cukup banyak bintang jatuh yang kami lihat malam itu. Hampir di setiap detik. Saking banyaknya, sampe nggak tahu lagi mau make a wish apa. Dan saking ramainya bocah-bocah ini kegirangan melihat bintang jatuh, salah satu tante sampai ada yang keluar dari villa, ikut menatap ke atas. Tapi, dia bilang, "Mana, sih? Kok, Tante nggak lihat apa-apa, ya. Udah kebanyakan dosa kali, ya, jadi nggak bisa lihat lagi. Anak-anak masih belom ada dosanya, jadi masih bisa lihat."
Sebuah komentar yang langsung disambut oleh teriakan si bocah-bocah, "Ada! Banyak banget!"
Langit malam waktu itu benar-benar bersih. Dan bertahun-tahun berlalu, saya berharap masih bisa kembali melihat langit malam sejernih waktu itu. Sayang, nggak tahu harus ke mana. Masa ke Planetarium? Nggak seru ah kalo nggak asli... ;p
Tapi, keinginan untuk merasakan kembali pengalaman istimewa itu, cukup terbayarkan ketika liburan di Bali kemarin. Memang, bintangnya nggak sebanyak seperti waktu di Anyer dulu. Tapi, masih cukup banyak jika dibandingkan dengan Jakarta (ya iyalah. Langit Jakarta mah sepi). Lagi-lagi, saya, kakak, dan sepupu, menatap ke langit malam, kali ini kita di dalam mobil. Dan tiba-tiba...
"A shooting star!"
Sekelebat cantik sinar keperakan lagi-lagi terulas di tengah gelapnya angkasa. Dan lagi-lagi, saya dan kakak kegirangan, kayak waktu masih bocah dulu (untung aja nggak dimarahin orang-orang di sekitar, karena waktu itu, sebenernya kita lagi di perumahan... hehe...).
Dan momen itu menyadarkan saya betapa saya ingin hidup di bawah langit malam yang bersih. Di mana hamparan bintang merajai langit malam. Dengan kerlip bintang jatuh yang berwarna putih keperakan itu memberi sentuhan cantik. Saya nggak bisa membayangkan, betapa cantiknya pasti langit malam di masa ketika gugus bintang masih menjadi penunjuk arah. I wish I had lived in those years.
Kini, setiap kali keluar dari gedung kantor, sambil berjalan menuju halte bus TransJakarta, saya selalu menatap ke atas. Berharap, somehow, jajaran bintang menyapa. Tapi ya, namanya juga di Jakarta. Mau lihat cantiknya bulan purnama aja susah karena ketutupan gedung-gedung, gimana mau lihat bintang?
Di manakah saya harus hidup, agar bisa melihat lagi keindahan alam yang sangat jujur itu? Semoga suatu saat saya bisa membangun rumah di tempat yang jernih udaranya, supaya setiap malam bisa menikmati cantiknya semesta di angkasa...
Regards,
Risty
Thursday, June 16, 2011
... That Peaceful Place ...
Wow... It has been quite a while since I last wrote something on the blog. Work has been consuming all of my time and energy, not to mention that we just published an additional magazine, a collector's edition of Hello! Indonesia Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding, to be precised. Have you had one of those? (Yes, I am promoting)... :)
Anyway, all those stress now are gone, because not only the deadline has passed, but also because I just had the best vacation ever!! So, a couple of months ago, I was really stressed out with all the work, and all the traffic in Jakarta, and everything. And I don't know why, I feel that I miss Bali so much... and my sister who lives in Bali, of course.
So, without thinking twice, I booked a plane to have a four-day holiday in Bali... and I'd never regret that decision.
We started our first day by watching the sunset from a pool at The Stones, Kuta. This is the kind of pool that I usually see on TV. That I'd never thought I'd be able to swim in in my life. You know, the kind of pool where we can see the ocean from the edge of it. It was one of the most awesome place to enjoy the sunset... And most importantly, that moment was so much fun because I got to spend it with two of my best friends: my sister and my cousin. :)
The second day, my cousin and I spent a great time at Bedugul, riding a speedboat. My sister couldn't join us because she had to prepare for her high school's prom night... But that day... It was another experience. The lake is so vast, and just by looking down the water from the boat, I can feel that it's very deep. I was kind of hoping a Lochness showed up! Haha... But, that's gotta be quite scary, rite?
But as we rode on the speedboat, I could see the mist covering the mountain in front of us. It was very mystical, I felt like I was one of the students on a boat in the Harry Potter movie, coming to Hogwarts... (Okay, I'm a Harry Potter freak ;p)
Enough with the speedboat. We took a walk around the lake, and though there were a lot of tourists around us, children running around here and there, we just sat on a bench, didn't care with the world that was revolving around us. We sat and enjoyed the chill breeze, with Mandy Moore's Merrimack River played from the iPod. What a peaceful moment...
But, nothing more peaceful than the next day. We went to Amed, to go snorkelling. But it wasn't the snorkelling that 'wow'-ed us. It was the restaurant we ate for lunch and the cafe where we had our dessert. It was located right the edge of a cliff, and from there, we can see the vast ocean. And no one was there except the three of us (and the servants, of course). Enjoying ice cream with the ocean in front of us, and the sound of the wave, and the breeze of the wind.... I'd trade anything to feel that moment again. It's something that I'd surely treasure. That memory would be some kind of a medicine to cure my stress in Jakarta. I even took a picture of the ocean, and made it as the wallpaper on my cellphone, just to remind me that those moments weren't just a dream.
To be honest, I've never been in love with a place like this. I even was in tear at the airport. I wasn't sad with the fact that I had to say goodbye to my sister.... I was sad to leave Bali. People say that Bali is now overexposed... But I don't know why and what... I just feel there's something different with the island. Something so peaceful, that I didn't find anywhere else (not that I've been to a lot of places in Indonesia ;p)
In Bali, I felt that I found the balance I've been looking for. A balance that I didn't find in Jakarta. I could hear the voice in my heart clearly. I felt so peaceful. I felt... SANE!
If I could, I wanna hold Bali so tight in my arms (okay, this is hyperbole ;p).. And now that I'm in Jakarta, I realize that I feel like a fish out of water here. Like today, I just returned a bunch of clothes to one of a famous clothing line in Jakarta. There was a big sale there, and of course, there were a bunch of people panicking over the stuff they wanted to get. And then, I went to an event where the MC closed the show by saying, "Don't forget to shop because you can get the 20% discount on today only!"
I mean, I don't know... for me, the people here are just too consumptive. The word 'DISCOUNT' is like an oasis for them. And this environment.... is just not where I belong.
I am dreaming of living in Bali... together with my own little family where we can see the vast ocean, hear the sound of the waves, breathe the fresh air, and go out refreshing without having to pay for anything (in Jakarta, if we go out, we have to pay for something. In Bali, if we go out, we can go straight to the beach. That way, we don't have to spend some money every time we go, you know what I mean?)
But there's still just some things I have to do in Jakarta. So, hopefully, soon enough, I'll be able to make my dream of living in Bali comes true. Because, I just need to have that balance between work and refreshing. Balance between socializing with people and, in the same time, admiring the mother earth that God created. I just need to feel sane. And so far, I think I found those feeling in Bali.
Let's see if I can really make my dream comes true! Wish me luck! :)
Regards,
Risty
Anyway, all those stress now are gone, because not only the deadline has passed, but also because I just had the best vacation ever!! So, a couple of months ago, I was really stressed out with all the work, and all the traffic in Jakarta, and everything. And I don't know why, I feel that I miss Bali so much... and my sister who lives in Bali, of course.
So, without thinking twice, I booked a plane to have a four-day holiday in Bali... and I'd never regret that decision.
We started our first day by watching the sunset from a pool at The Stones, Kuta. This is the kind of pool that I usually see on TV. That I'd never thought I'd be able to swim in in my life. You know, the kind of pool where we can see the ocean from the edge of it. It was one of the most awesome place to enjoy the sunset... And most importantly, that moment was so much fun because I got to spend it with two of my best friends: my sister and my cousin. :)
The second day, my cousin and I spent a great time at Bedugul, riding a speedboat. My sister couldn't join us because she had to prepare for her high school's prom night... But that day... It was another experience. The lake is so vast, and just by looking down the water from the boat, I can feel that it's very deep. I was kind of hoping a Lochness showed up! Haha... But, that's gotta be quite scary, rite?
But as we rode on the speedboat, I could see the mist covering the mountain in front of us. It was very mystical, I felt like I was one of the students on a boat in the Harry Potter movie, coming to Hogwarts... (Okay, I'm a Harry Potter freak ;p)
Enough with the speedboat. We took a walk around the lake, and though there were a lot of tourists around us, children running around here and there, we just sat on a bench, didn't care with the world that was revolving around us. We sat and enjoyed the chill breeze, with Mandy Moore's Merrimack River played from the iPod. What a peaceful moment...
But, nothing more peaceful than the next day. We went to Amed, to go snorkelling. But it wasn't the snorkelling that 'wow'-ed us. It was the restaurant we ate for lunch and the cafe where we had our dessert. It was located right the edge of a cliff, and from there, we can see the vast ocean. And no one was there except the three of us (and the servants, of course). Enjoying ice cream with the ocean in front of us, and the sound of the wave, and the breeze of the wind.... I'd trade anything to feel that moment again. It's something that I'd surely treasure. That memory would be some kind of a medicine to cure my stress in Jakarta. I even took a picture of the ocean, and made it as the wallpaper on my cellphone, just to remind me that those moments weren't just a dream.
To be honest, I've never been in love with a place like this. I even was in tear at the airport. I wasn't sad with the fact that I had to say goodbye to my sister.... I was sad to leave Bali. People say that Bali is now overexposed... But I don't know why and what... I just feel there's something different with the island. Something so peaceful, that I didn't find anywhere else (not that I've been to a lot of places in Indonesia ;p)
In Bali, I felt that I found the balance I've been looking for. A balance that I didn't find in Jakarta. I could hear the voice in my heart clearly. I felt so peaceful. I felt... SANE!
If I could, I wanna hold Bali so tight in my arms (okay, this is hyperbole ;p).. And now that I'm in Jakarta, I realize that I feel like a fish out of water here. Like today, I just returned a bunch of clothes to one of a famous clothing line in Jakarta. There was a big sale there, and of course, there were a bunch of people panicking over the stuff they wanted to get. And then, I went to an event where the MC closed the show by saying, "Don't forget to shop because you can get the 20% discount on today only!"
I mean, I don't know... for me, the people here are just too consumptive. The word 'DISCOUNT' is like an oasis for them. And this environment.... is just not where I belong.
I am dreaming of living in Bali... together with my own little family where we can see the vast ocean, hear the sound of the waves, breathe the fresh air, and go out refreshing without having to pay for anything (in Jakarta, if we go out, we have to pay for something. In Bali, if we go out, we can go straight to the beach. That way, we don't have to spend some money every time we go, you know what I mean?)
But there's still just some things I have to do in Jakarta. So, hopefully, soon enough, I'll be able to make my dream of living in Bali comes true. Because, I just need to have that balance between work and refreshing. Balance between socializing with people and, in the same time, admiring the mother earth that God created. I just need to feel sane. And so far, I think I found those feeling in Bali.
Let's see if I can really make my dream comes true! Wish me luck! :)
Regards,
Risty
Monday, April 25, 2011
Bercanda Dengan Alam
Tepatnya minggu lalu, saya baru saja mengalami sebuah pengalaman istimewa. Pengalaman yang mengingatkan saya kembali akan hal-hal yang saya sukai saat SMA. Pengalaman yang membuat saya menyadari apa yang saya cari dan saya inginkan di dunia ini.
TanaKita, Sukabumi. Sebenarnya, saya melakukan trip ini murni untuk menjalankan tugas liputan yang diberikan oleh atasan. Bahkan, awalnya, saya agak malas ikut. Soalnya, camping. Dan saya kurang suka camping. Kebayang harus tidur di tengah udara dingin, di atas tanah yang juga dingin hanya dengan tikar dan sleeping bag, seperti masa-masa Persami. Yup, harus diakui, Persami yang dilakukan saat SD dan SMP dulu tidak membekaskan memori yang indah. Bahkan, menjadi sebuah momok yang tidak ingin diulangi lagi.
Tapi ternyata, camping yang satu ini berbeda. Kita tidak perlu capek-capek mendirikan tenda, karena semua sudah disiapkan. Bahkan, bagian dalam tenda pun sedikit ditinggikan, sehingga kasur yang tersedia di dalamnya tidak langsung rata tanah. Dan di atas kasur, sudah ada bantal dan sleeping bag. Kamar mandinya juga bagus. Kalau hotel ada bintang lima, maka tempat camping yang satu ini saya sebut sebagai camping bintang lima. Belum lagi makanannya yang enak-enak, dari mulai sarapan, makan siang, makan malam, hingga kambing guling dan jagung bakar saat api unggun.
Tapi, yang paling seru, tentu saja games-gamesnya. Di hari pertama tiba, para media yang ikut langsung dibagi menjadi beberapa kelompok. Ini juga menjadi kesempatan kita untuk saling kenalan (baca: memperluas koneksi). Rintangan demi rintangan games dilalui dengan fun, termasuk saat hiking. (Note: jangan pake sepatu lama, otherwise, solnya bisa lepas... seperti yang terjadi pada saya. Yup, I don't know why, tapi sepertinya kesialan selalu saja terjadi setiap kali saya bepergian).
Tapi, tak ada yang bisa menandingi kebahagiaan saya selain kegiatan yang dilakukan di hari kedua. Inilah kegiatan yang saya bilang mengingatkan saya akan masa-masa SMA dulu. Sebuah kegiatan yang seakan menyiram otak saya, dan membuat hati saya berteriak, "This is who I am!". Kegiatan itu bernama TUBING.
Tubing adalah sebuah permainan di mana kita berbaring di atas ban, dan biarkan ban itu mengalir mengikuti arus sungai. Tepatnya, sungai Cigunung (foto di atas). Jadi, bayangkan saja seperti berbaring di atas ban di dalam kolam arus, tapi ini a real-life kolam arus... dengan jeram di sana-sini, yang membuat kita mengalir turun dan turun... dan kalau jeramnya kuat, bisa-bisa terjungkal kebalik.
Bisa dibilang, ini seperti arung jeram mini. Kalau arung jeram kita naik boat beramai-ramai, ini satu orang satu ban. Jadi, kalau orang yang udah duluan turun di depan kita nggak tiba-tiba nyangkut di batu (airnya dangkal, jadi ban sering nyangkut), dan orang di belakang kita belum kelihatan batang hidungnya, we are literally alone in the middle of the river. Sendirian, mengikuti arus sungai yang unpredictable derasnya.
Ngeri? Nggak juga. Justru di saat sendirian itulah saya merasakan sebuah perasaan yang lama hilang. Saat itulah hati saya berteriak, "This is who I am! This is what I love!". Sendiri, hanya dikelilingi oleh alam... sungai yang mengalir, bebatuan di kanan-kiri, dan pepohonan di tepinya... Mungkin gila, tapi saya merasa saat itu alam sedang mengajak saya bermain. Saya pun memasrahkan nasib saya (baca: pasrah jika nyangkut di batu atau terbalik karena jeram yang deras) kepada alam. Saya merasa mereka tersenyum kepada saya, senang 'menemukan teman bermain'. Air yang dingin pun dalam sekejap menjadi sahabat. Dinginnya tak terlalu menusuk seperti saat pertama kali menceburkan kaki ke dalam sungai.
Benar-benar sebuah pengalaman istimewa. Dan harus dicoba oleh orang-orang yang senang berdekatan dengan alam.
Memori indah dari tempat ini bukan hanya permainannya yang fun, tapi juga pemandangannya yang... Wow... Bahkan, ketika mata baru saja melek dari tidur, jangan bermalas-malasan keluar dari tenda, karena pagi kita akan langsung disambut oleh...
Nice, huh? Kalau tertarik, mungkin bisa langsung aja klik di http://www.rakataadventure.com/tanakita.html
I was lucky karena saya bisa ke sini gratis (itulah salah satu keuntungan media.. hahahaa)... Tapi untuk yang mau menyisihkan uang demi mendapatkan kesegaran alam... TanaKita is worth the experience... :)
Selamat mencoba!
Regards,
Risty
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Why Me? ((try to) stop this question)
It's been a while since my last post.. Well, I was catching up some deadlines... And then I was sick because I was too tired working. Not to mention I had to go camping in Sukabumi with a runny nose. But it was a great trip, anyway. I'll talk about it later.
But for now, I wanna share about something. Well, first, let me ask you a question. How many of you are getting tired with whatever you are facing in your life right now? And how many times do you ask to God, 'why me' or 'why is this happening to me'?
To be honest, those questions are swimming in my mind every now and then... But everytime they cross my mind, somewhere in the back of my... I don't know, conscience, maybe... I can hear a voice of a lady, saying things that - she may not realized this - light up my spirit.
This lady is actually one of the people I interviewed. I'm not gonna say her real name. Let's just say her name is Lily.
That day, I was actually going to interview her daughter. But when I arrived, her daughter wasn't home yet. So, I got to talk with Lily... and she told me everything..... literally evvverything about what's been happening in her family...
Long story short, her husband was having an affair while her daughter was in jail. She walked me through the whole story, with tears coming down her cheek. Even I wanted to cry too, but I knew it wasn't professional...
Listening to all the ups and downs she's gone through, I knew I would think 'Why is this happening to me?' if I were in her shoes. And I asked her that very question. "Have you ever asked God, why me? Why is this happening to me?" I said, bluntly.
To my surprise, she shaked her head...
"Who am I to say that kind of question?" she said, her watery eyes looking right into my eyes. And her following explanation made me feel even more like a fool for asking her that question. She's a Catholic, and so she said (she actually gave me a long explanation, but I'm just going to share her point),
"Jesus has gone a lot more suffering than I did... than we all did. And I'm nobody in front of God. I'm no one. I'm just His one tiny creature. So, if God gives me a hard time, does it mean I have the right to ask Him why? NO. I don't even dare to think about it, because I'm just an ordinary person. What I have gone through is NOTHING to compare with what Jesus has gone through. So really. God just gives me a little bit of a hard time, and I'm asking Him why He gave me all this? No, I have no right to ask that question."
I was stunned. And as a moslem, I adapted her analogy with my belief, Nabi Muhammad SAW. Even the messenger of Allah SWT, the one who was 'pointed' to spread His messages to the world, has gone through a lot of hard time in his life... Most of his life, to be precised...
So, I think Lily was right. If we are going through a difficult time in our lives, try not to ask God, 'why is this happening to me?' I know it's hard, because we are just ordinary people with a lot of (negative) thoughts... But at least, we can try... Everytime that particular question cross your mind, try to remember this piece I wrote. Try to remember what Lily told me, we are just tiny creatures, and we have no right to ask the Almighty that question. That even His messengers' lives weren't all heaven on earth.
I hope this writing would be useful for you... And believe me, this article goes for myself too... :)
Good luck!! :)
But for now, I wanna share about something. Well, first, let me ask you a question. How many of you are getting tired with whatever you are facing in your life right now? And how many times do you ask to God, 'why me' or 'why is this happening to me'?
To be honest, those questions are swimming in my mind every now and then... But everytime they cross my mind, somewhere in the back of my... I don't know, conscience, maybe... I can hear a voice of a lady, saying things that - she may not realized this - light up my spirit.
This lady is actually one of the people I interviewed. I'm not gonna say her real name. Let's just say her name is Lily.
That day, I was actually going to interview her daughter. But when I arrived, her daughter wasn't home yet. So, I got to talk with Lily... and she told me everything..... literally evvverything about what's been happening in her family...
Long story short, her husband was having an affair while her daughter was in jail. She walked me through the whole story, with tears coming down her cheek. Even I wanted to cry too, but I knew it wasn't professional...
Listening to all the ups and downs she's gone through, I knew I would think 'Why is this happening to me?' if I were in her shoes. And I asked her that very question. "Have you ever asked God, why me? Why is this happening to me?" I said, bluntly.
To my surprise, she shaked her head...
"Who am I to say that kind of question?" she said, her watery eyes looking right into my eyes. And her following explanation made me feel even more like a fool for asking her that question. She's a Catholic, and so she said (she actually gave me a long explanation, but I'm just going to share her point),
"Jesus has gone a lot more suffering than I did... than we all did. And I'm nobody in front of God. I'm no one. I'm just His one tiny creature. So, if God gives me a hard time, does it mean I have the right to ask Him why? NO. I don't even dare to think about it, because I'm just an ordinary person. What I have gone through is NOTHING to compare with what Jesus has gone through. So really. God just gives me a little bit of a hard time, and I'm asking Him why He gave me all this? No, I have no right to ask that question."
I was stunned. And as a moslem, I adapted her analogy with my belief, Nabi Muhammad SAW. Even the messenger of Allah SWT, the one who was 'pointed' to spread His messages to the world, has gone through a lot of hard time in his life... Most of his life, to be precised...
So, I think Lily was right. If we are going through a difficult time in our lives, try not to ask God, 'why is this happening to me?' I know it's hard, because we are just ordinary people with a lot of (negative) thoughts... But at least, we can try... Everytime that particular question cross your mind, try to remember this piece I wrote. Try to remember what Lily told me, we are just tiny creatures, and we have no right to ask the Almighty that question. That even His messengers' lives weren't all heaven on earth.
I hope this writing would be useful for you... And believe me, this article goes for myself too... :)
Good luck!! :)
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Love and Life
A lot of people - especially the singles - usually have some criteria or standard that they hope to find in their future mates. But for me, we need to know what life is, so we know what kind of friend we need in our lives.
And I think...
Life is a jungle. And so, we need a partner to show us the way. To protect us from the enemies that are lurking in the darkness.
Life is a battlefield. So, we need a friend to watch our back. To discuss every strategy for us to win the battle.
But most importantly...
Life is a roller coaster. We need our better half to calm us down as we go too high. To hold our hand as we go too fast. To share all the laughter, and just have fun with all the crazy ups and downs that life puts us through.
Regards,
Risty
And I think...
Life is a jungle. And so, we need a partner to show us the way. To protect us from the enemies that are lurking in the darkness.
Life is a battlefield. So, we need a friend to watch our back. To discuss every strategy for us to win the battle.
But most importantly...
Life is a roller coaster. We need our better half to calm us down as we go too high. To hold our hand as we go too fast. To share all the laughter, and just have fun with all the crazy ups and downs that life puts us through.
Regards,
Risty
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)