Sunday, December 16, 2007

Last Day at the Office (for now..)

Hari ini, Senin tanggal 17 Desember 2007 adalah hari terakhir gue di kantor, mulai besok gue udah ambil cuti, sampe dengan tanggal....7 Januari 2008! Yaaay!

I really long for this long vacation....coz selama satu setengah taun gue kerja di embassy, gue gak pernah ambil cuti!Therefore, tanoshimi na.....gue bener2 menanti2kan saat2 gue bisa leyeh2 di rumah, do nothing, n ngobrol buanyaaakkk sm hubby yg kebetulan juga lagi libur sekolah!

My initial plan was going to London to visit my cousin, however, since my hubby caught a chicken pox, we cant go to London! Emang dasar yah, bad timing banget dah! Tp gak pa2, emang belon rejeki aja kali yah jalan2 ke London....Sepertinya gue akan spend the days here, travelling keliling Jepang ato mungkin ke Korea or HK, lets just see...!

Mungkin juga, my next post will be somewhere in Europe, hahaha, I wish deh.....but up to now, gak adalah yg bisa ngalahin Jepang! Japan will be number one forever, in my heart.....Terlalu banyak kenangan gue di Jepang....dari mulai gue bisa mewujudkan mimpi gue untuk sekolah di Jepang, ketemu hubby di Jepang, learn how to drive and how to live by myself di Jepang, posted in Jepang, hubby bisa sekolah lagi di Jepang....see? Nihon no koto wa zutto kokoro ni aru da yo.....Gak akan pernah bisa lupa deh ttg Jepang....

Monday, December 10, 2007

Narita--3 Days in A Row

Geez...

Weekend kemaren gue totally....tsukaretaaa!

Dimulai dari kunjungan MPR yg ujug2 pengen sosialisasi ttg UUD 45 dan Tap MPR ke Tokyo, pada hari Kamis, gue dan bos gue jemput mereka ke Narita jam 7 pagi. Jam 7 pagi dari kantor means that I hv to get up at 5.30 in the morning...

Udah gitu, malemnya kan ada acara sosialisasi di lobi KBRI, presentasinya puanjang bener (bener kata Hastin, serasa dapet penataran P-4 100 jam deh...!), dan memaksa gue untuk pulang jam 11 malem...! Nyampe rumah jam 11.30, istirahat, dan gak bisa langsung tidur kan, terpaksa gue liat2 internet biar ngantuk, dan dengan suksesnya gue baru tidur jam 1 malem...

Abis gitu, pagi2 gue udah harus ke kantor lagi, coz rombongan DPR itu mo balik hari Jumat itu, pesawat mereka jam 9.20, so, at 6 o'clock, we have to pick them up at the hotel....Dan itu berarti, gue jam 5.30 udah musti ada di kantor, which means, I have to get up at 4.15 in the morning!

Udah nih...sepanjang jalan ke Narita gue kan gak bisa tidur, dan abis nganterin mereka, asli loh, begitu masuk mobil sampe balik lagi ke Tokyo, gue tidur pules, les, gak mimpi apa2, gak kerasa apa2! Tau2, gue kebangun pas mobil udah turun dari tol, udah 5 menit lagi nyampe kantor...gile...itu badan serasa kayak abis ditonjokin deh....

Nyampe kantor, rasanya cuapeeekkk bgt....Padahal kan ya ke Narita itu hanya tinggal naik dan turun mobil, cuma emang perjalanannya itu jauh, sekitar 1 jam-an dari Tokyo. Dan bener, waktu perjalanan sama ngurus ini itu ketika nganter or jemput tamu, udh menghabiskan waktu at least setengah hari deh...Dan ketika elo sampe di kantor, elo tuh udah gak fresh lagi deh...

Pas nyampe kantor, bos gue bilang, 'meid, besok masih ada satu tamu lagi...' Dengan mengangguk lemes, gue jawab ok....gile deh, Sabtu2, musti ke Narita jam 5.30 pagi, terpaksalah untuk sekali lagi gue bangun jam 4 pagi, on Saturday!!!

Ke Narita jam 5.30, pesawatnya ternyata kecepetan, jam 6.45 udah nyampe, ngurus ini itu, sampailah kita ke Tokyo lagi jam 8.45....alhamdulillah....3 days in a row gue udah selesai hari Sabtu kemaren....tinggal badan aja rasanya pegel2 dan serasa mo copot semua...

Kalo kayak gini, gue jadi salut bgt sm orang2 yg kerja di bandara...!

Monday, December 3, 2007

It is a home to me

Gue baru aja balik dari Hokkaido kemaren malem, masih capek, but tetep musti masuk kantor hari ini....Just then, I opened some omiyage that I bought from Hokkaido, salah satunya adalah kristal berbentuk pohon dgn burung hantu kecil2 (lambangnya Hokkaido).

Gue pasang satu-satu, dan gue seneng bgt karena ternyata hiasan ini lucu bgt, kecil, dan so kawaii...:)! It inspired me to write something bout my first home, rumah pertama gue, yang kebetulan berada di Tokyo...

Rumah gue di Tokyo adalah sebuah apartemen yg berukuran + 76 m2, not that big, but it surely is big enough for an apartment in Tokyo (oh iyah, bukan apartemen, tp mansion, coz buat orang Tokyo, apartemen - atau apato, identik dengan bentuk2 yg lama2, while mansion adalah versi modern dr sebuah apartemen).

Apato gue terletak di daerah Minami Magome, sebuah daerah yg kata orang2 kantor disebut `Tokyo coret` karena letaknya yg nyaris ke arah Kawasaki yg udah hampir diluar kota. The first time I saw this apato, I and my hubby was immediately falling in love..:). Walopun terletak di pinggir, namun akses ke kota sangat dekat. My apato is just above the Nishi magome Station, the last stop of Asakusa Line. So, if I am in a rush, I just run to the station and it takes around 5 minutes running, hehe! Not only that, apato gue dikelilingi oleh berbagai fasilitas, seperti, laundry shop, supermarket, kombini (convenient store), Jonathan (24 hour chain restaurant), bakery shop, kusuri ya (toko obat dan kosmetik), just a walking distance from my house. Jadi kalo gue lagi bete, gue tinggal kebawah, n liat2 the newest cosmetic products di kusuri ya, hehehe...!

Satu hal lagi yang gue senengin dari apato gue, we have a quite large porch yang sebenernya bisa dipake buat ngupi2 and nge-teh2 dikala musim semi atau musim panas (cuma saking malesnya gue, dan gak ada waktu, jadinya gue jarang nongkrong di teras). Padahal, teras menjadi sangat penting ketika gue dan suami gue tergirang-girang melihat hanabi (kembang api) yang berdentuman dari kuil di seberang teras kami dan menghiasi malam dengan warna-warni yang sangat, sangat indah di kala musim panas...

Memiliki rumah sendiri membuat gue dan suami gue jadi keranjingan menghias rumah. Rumah gue didominasi warna....oranye! Dari mulai sofa, dining room, sampe pernak pernik kecil (seperti asbak dan keset buat tempat duduk piano) berwarna oranye. Entah kenapa, ketika mulai menghias rumah, gue dan Atri seperti ngidam kalo liat warna oranye, hehehe!

Rumah gue juga dipenuhi dengan pernak pernik favorit kita berdua, gue dengan koleksi handphone strap Hello Kitty gue yang entah udah berapa jumlahnya, dan Atri dengan koleksi Gundam-nya. Instead of memenuhi rumah dengan barang pernak pernik khas Jepang, kita berdua malah punya segudang pernak pernik hobi kita, plus boneka2 gratisan yg kita dapet kalo lagi iseng maen dan menang di game center..:). Tapi, tiap gue dinas ke tempat2 tertentu, gue gak akan pernah lupa untuk membawa omiyage. Terakhir adalah kristal dari Hokkaido, dan gelas keramik khas Jepang yang dibuat khusus untuk pasangan suami istri dari Edomura Nikko.

Oh ya, satu hal lagi yang menghiasi rumah gue....bantal2 yg bertebaran dimana2! Gue emang suka dengan bantal, makanya gue isi living room gue dengan berbagai bantal kursi, dari yg besar sampai yg kecil...karena buat gue, coziness identik dengan banyak bantal...hehehe!

Up to this moment, I feel so lucky to have this kind of opportunity to have my own house, which I can call a home...It may not be an ideal one, but who would ever thought that I will have the chance to be in this apartment? Hontou ni, its not even in my wildest dream to have this kind of chance....I could only think that I was this little girl who cried a river when we had to move to my grandparents house after my dad passed away 20 years ago.....

Truly, what I could think of now is to cherish the moment that I have , before it passes by...

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Many Things I Learn in Tokyo

Tokyo

One of the busiest city in the world, a city that never sleeps and fully packed by 12 million people. So crowded, so busy, so lively, and yet...so clean that it is also named as one of the cleanest city

Tokyo

A megapolitan city that doesnt fo

Yattaaaa!

Aduuuh...

Gue lagi senengggg banget!

Akhirnyaaaa....permohonan cuti gue dikabulkan! And it was soooo easy and as simple as that! Gilee...gue yg udah deg-deg plus pas minta ijin cuti serasa jadi unbelievable gini! Gue jadi mikir...hmm....bos gue kesambet apa yah, sampe ngijinin gue cuti dengan begitu simple dan mudahnya? Gue gak perlu nerangin apa2, just simply ask "can I take a leave on December?" dan bos gue dengan simple-nya ngomong "Sure, why not?"...Heee??? Gue jadi bener2 amazed...! Hahaha....sumpe norak banget dah gue!

Rasanya beban gue udah diangkat abis dgn ijin cuti ini! Dan perjuangan selanjutnya....get a visa to London!

Jya....ganbarimasu!!

Monday, November 26, 2007

Remembrance

Hmm...

Emang yah, setiap kali lo lagi iseng2, pasti ada aja yang teringat...

Kayak malem ini, gue iseng2 buka2 album foto lama (yg sebagian gue bawa ke Tokyo), tadinya sih pengen cari2 foto yg bagus buat ditaro di frame, tapi jadinya...hmm...jadi liat2 semua foto2 yg gue punya, dan jadi keinget semua...

Emang bener kata orang, `picture can speak thousand words...`

By looking at only one picture, I suddenly remember what was the story behind that pic...

For instance, gue liat foto wkt gue lagi mo sidang skripsi. Di foto itu, gue liat hampir semua temen deket gue ada, kecuali 1 orang. Well, it turned out that she, on that day, missed my presentation and came up later cause she was too occupied with her bf, hehehe...

Atau foto lainnya, hmm...foto wkt gue lagi pendidikan diplomat, disitu gue liat tampang anak2 yg super culun dan polos tanpa dosa, hahaha! Maklum, rata2 wkt itu kita baru aja lulus kuliah, blon punya duit, dan hanya bermodalkan pinjeman Rp 250 ribu dari kantor per bulan (yang harus kita ganti begitu gaji CPNS kita turun!)...Liat foto itu, jadi inget, sekarang anak2 udah pada posting, dan udah pada makmur, ada peningkatan, baik dari segi perbaikan penampilan maupun perbaikan gizi...:)!

Di antara foto2 itu juga ada foto gue bertiga sama 2 sahabat gue dari kelas 1 SMA lagi duduk diatas bagasi mobil...Gue jadi teringat, gimana sahabat cewek gue nangis bombay di telepon gara2 gue memutuskan untuk kuliah di Bandung...Kata dia wkt itu `Me`, jangan kuliah di Bandung dong...gue ntar sama siapa..?` I could only cry when she said that ..well, wkt itu gue dengan berbagai masalah yg gue hadapi, gue memang memutuskan utk `kabur` dr Jakarta untuk sementara dan `menyepi` di Bandung, at that time I was so tired with Jakarta...

And when I looked at my other bestfriend`s pic, gue jadi teringat, well, he never failed to call me at 12 o`clock at night, on every b`day that I had ...He`s always the first person that say happy b`day every year, and... he`s also my crush, hehehe! Sono toki, kare no koto ippai kangaeta, demo ne, demo, sometimes gue gak bisa bedain, apakah gue memang suka sama dia, or gue cuma suka dia sebagai big brother aja (considering I was so close with him at that time)...Eventhough on many occasions gue merasa dia jg felt the same way (gak bisa bedain antara crush or little sister), at the end gue memutuskan, nope, I was too scared to losing him forever...Dan memang, gue dan dia stay as bestfriend forever...:)

Gue buka2 lagi foto2 itu...dan, uupss..! Ada banyak foto gue dan mantan gue, hmm....omoidasu...jadi teringat banyak hal ttg mantan gue, on one hand, gue jadi wondering dia sekarang kayak gimana, on the other hand, gue jg wondering, gimana ya kalo wkt itu gue beneran merit sm dia, hehehe....! So many nice memories, and yet, so many sad memories too...Dan setelah gue liat2 lagi, hmm..ternyata dia terlihat lebih dewasa dari gue (padahal dia lebih muda 1 i/2 taun loooh, hihi!)..

Foto lainnya, foto2 gue dengan temen2 kuliah gue, banyak bgt...dan foto2 itu reminds me of how good friends we were at that time...Foto kita wisuda, foto kita jalan2, foto kita ketemuan lagi pas udah kerja..hmm...truly miss them...Walopun gue sering bete, sering sebel, yet I feel so lucky to have them as friends, ...they always be there for me, through good and bad times...

Liat foto lagi, foto2 gue dgn temen2 kuliah IUJ, mostly dgn mereka yg gak pernah ketemu lagi...how I wish time and place will never separate us...Temen2 gue yg tersebar di berbagai kontinen di dunia...yang gue gak pernah tau kapan bisa ketemu lagi...

Akhirnya sampai gue pada foto2 yg terakhir, foto2 gue dan temen2 di Tokyo...Foto2 gue dengan temen2 kantor, on many occasions...Foto2 gue dengan temen2 ex-IUJ yg kebetulan kerja di Tokyo.....Foto2 gue dgn temen2 yg mengisi lembaran hidup gue at this stage, for another 2 years ahead...Foto2 yang menandai another stage of my life...

So many pictures, yet so many stages of my life that I have to go through, that I have to climb every day, in every step of the way....that reminds me that there will be more pictures to come, to colour my days...:)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Choices


Malem ini gue tersadar akan satu hal...

Choices...

Malem ini, sepanjang perjalanan antara Fuchu-Tokyo, memandang langit malam Tokyo yang disesaki oleh ratusan (mungkin ribuan) gedung tinggi pencakar langit, seraya mengagumi indahnya malam di Tokyo yang bertaburan bintang dan lampu gedung, dari kaca Mercedes Benz bernomor plat GAI 4003, gue tertegun memikirkan pertemuan gue malem ini dengan salah seorang sahabat Aji, mantan gue, yang skrg sedang mengikuti pelatihan corruption on criminal law di training center UNAFEI, Fuchu. Gue sebagai wakil dari kedutaan diminta datang mewakili Dubes utk acara farewell reception peserta training ini.

`Mbak Meidy dulu temen Aji dimana?`, gue ditanya oleh sahabatnya Aji ini. Well, dgn setengah tersipu2 ya gue bilang kalo gue mantannya Aji. Langsung dia senyum2 sendiri penuh arti, hehe. dan menyambung `Aji udah punya anak loh, perempuan`. Langsung gue skrg yg surprise abis..Well, benernya sih gak surprise2 bgt, considering dia merit gak lama setelah gue, 2 tahun yang lalu.

2 taun yang lalu...

2 taun yang lalu, taun 2005, gue memutuskan untuk merit dengan Atri, setelah dating selama kurang lebih 1 taun.

Taun 2004, ketika gue sekolah di Niigata, gue memutuskan untuk `berhenti` mencintai Aji, yg sedang menunggu gue di Jakarta. Gue mengambil keputusan ini setelah berpikir penuh dan berpikir panjang tentang masa depan gue. Gue tidak siap untuk berhenti dari Deplu (seperti yang Aji minta, pls quit Deplu and marry me, and become a housewife..). Gue gak bisa dan gue gak akan sanggup...Saat itu, entah itu rasional atau tidak, I chose career over a love...

Saat itu, gue berpikir, jika gue berhenti disini, gue akan menyesali suatu keputusan yang gue ambil, mungkin akan menjadi penyesalan seumur hidup.

Saat itu, gue berpikir, he deserved to have someone much better than me...Aji deserved to have someone yang akan memberikan semuanya, without any reservation. Aji deserved to have someone yang tidak akan memiliki penyesalan apa2...

Dan saat itu gue berpikir, gue akan lebih menyakiti Aji apabila gue tetap bersama dia, tetapi my mind will be somewhere else. Gue berpikir, gue akan lebih siap untuk `sakit` saat ini, daripada di kemudian hari...

Saat itu, we both deeply hurt by my decision. Aji couldnt stop me from doing so..We cried and cried and he even tried to stop me from making this decision...Tapi keputusan gue sudah bulat. I had to stop loving him. I had to give up on our love...

Saat itu, Aji bilang, `I couldnt afford to losing you. You`re the only one that I love. You`re my only one, my partner, my friend. I pick you because you`re smart, therefore you can become my compatible partner. Kamu akan terus bisa keep up sama aku. Kamu akan terus bisa mengerti aku.`

But one thing for sure, our career lead toward different paths...and to tell you the truth, I cant live the way he wants to be...Therefore, on that day, I chose career over love...

Masih memandangi berbagai gedung pencakar langit dari mobil yang membawa gue kembali ke kantor, gue teringat semuanya...Jika pada wkt itu gue mengambil keputusan untuk memilih cinta diatas karir, mungkin saat ini gue akan berada di Jakarta seraya menimang bayi cantik, mungkin saat ini gue akan berada di Jakarta, menunggu Aji kembali ke rumah dari kantor...mungkin saat ini gue sedang bingung menyiapkan makan malam untuk Aji...

Jika saat itu gue memilih cinta diatas pekerjaan..

Mungkin saat ini gue tidak berada didalam mobil Mercedes Benz bernomor plat GAI 4003, kendaraan dinas fungsi Politik, yang meluncur kencang dibawah langit Tokyo yang bertaburan bintang dan cahaya gedung.

Mungkin saat ini gue tidak akan menghadiri suatu resepsi (again), farewell party, atau entah apa namanya, dimana di acara tersebut, gue bersama beberapa diplomat dari berbagai kedubes di Tokyo, di-address oleh MC dan berbagai speaker sebagai `The Honourable Member of Diplomatic Corps`.

Mungkin saat ini gue tidak sedang merasa sendiri karena suami gue sedang sibuk menghadapi berbagai kuliah di luar kota, dan ketika elo menelpon dia, elo merasa telah mengganggu dia yang sedang belajar dengan kerasnya di study room kampus nun jauh disana.

Mungkin semua itu tidak akan terjadi pada gue...

But, sekali lagi, that is choices, either itu rasional atau tidak, entah itu benar atau tidak...Hanya diri elo yang tau, hanya elo yang bisa memutuskan, what is best for you...

At one point of my life, I have taken a decision to choose career over love.

At another point of my life, I still dont know which one will I choose.

However, at least I dont have regrets whatsoever...

Thank God we both (Aji and I) dont have regrets whatsoever....

We remain bestfriend until today...:)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

What is in a love?


Malem ini utk kesekian kalinya gue nonton dorama `Last Christmas`, hehe, norak banget emang, tp somehow, gak tau kenapa, gue suka bgt sama dorama itu, terutama sm akting 2 pemeran utama-nya ya, Oda Yuji (he`s Kanji in the phenomenal dorama `Tokyo Love Story`), dan Akiko Yada, hmmm...chemistry mereka berdua bener2 `kena` banget deh...

Ceritanya sebenernya simple, dan cenderung gampang ketebak. It begins wkt Kenji Haruki (Oda Yuji), salah seorang manager di bagian winter sport perusahaan Heart Sport harus tetangga-an sm seorang cewek, Aoi Yuki (Akiko Yada) yang baru aja pindah disebelah apartemennya. Ternyata Kenji dan Yuki tuh temen sekantor. Dan ternyata, sebenernya apartemen mereka berdua itu dulunya 1 apartemen, tp jadi dibagi 2, dan dipisah sm sebuah pintu yg terkunci. Nah...masalahnya si Kenji dulunya sebel bgt sm Yuki, karena nih cewek, udahlah ganti2 cowok melulu, trus rusuh bgt (numpang mandi krn air panasnya rusak, bikin cair es `abadi` yg dibawa Kenji dr Kanada, heboh minta tolong usirin gokiburi, mabok berat n salah masuk kamar), pokoknya nyebelin bgt deh...!

Sampai suatu hari, Kenji gak sengaja nemuin sebuah tape, yang isinya rekaman Yuki-chan yg ngomong di kamera, bahwa dirinya sakit berat, dan kemungkinan bisa meninggal. Kaget donk si Kenji, dia gak nyangka Yuki yg rusuh dan genki bgt tnyt punya penyakit (I think its a cancer) yang membahayakan... Dari situ Kenji baru memperhatikan kalo Yuki sebenarnya seperti itu (cuek, gonta ganti cowok, heboh) ya karena Yuki menyadari kalo dirinya sangat mungkin cepet `pergi`...

Setelah itu Kenji jadi perhatian bgt sm Yuki. Dari mulai wkt Yuki seneng sm seorang cowok (dan tuh cowok gak suka sm dia), sampai wkt Yuki tiba2 jatuh dan pingsan di kamarnya. Kenji, yang pada dasarnya emang cowok baek2 bgt (tipe cowok ideal yg gak macem2, caring sama temen2nya n of course, ke Yuki, jago maen ski, pinter), menjadi temen baik, menjadi tetangga Yuki yang selalu jadi `a shoulder to cry on`nya Yuki.

Oh iya, mereka berdua juga akhirnya taruhan. Karena Kenji hobi bgt main ski, dia bilang ke Yuki kalo ada suatu tempat yang sangat indah, namanya Yellow Knife, di Kanada, dimana elo bisa melihat sinar `aurora` di langit, di tengah padang salju yang putih...Yuki yang tertarik denger cerita ini, langsung bikin taruhan. Barang siapa yg jatuh cinta duluan sm orang, dia bakal menang dan ditraktir sama yang kalah ke Yellow Knife. Kenji setuju, dan sejak itu mereka sama2 `finding love`.

Tapi mereka gak sadar, kalo mereka berdua akhirnya `fall for each other`. Kenji, yg tadinya suka sm Sachiko, temen masa kecilnya, langsung broken heart pas tau Sachiko udah merit. Dan Yuki, of course dia suka sm Higaki yg suka sm cewek lain (Yuki akhirnya broken heart juga). Tp dibalik perjuangan mereka mencari cinta (ceilah, hehe), ya mereka sebenernya saling suka satu sama lain (cause Kenji sangat memperhatikan Yuki, dan Yuki jg simpati sm Kenji yg selalu melindungi temen2nya dan be a good working partner for all).

Akhirnya suatu hari, Kenji menyatakan suka ke Yuki. Kenji bilang `ore ga mamoru! (I will protect you!)`, waktu Yuki baru aja sedih dan pengen berhenti kerja gara2 dia digosipin yg nggak2 di kantor...Waktu itu Yuki gak gitu aja nerima Kenji pas `nembak` dia, coz Yuki gak mau Kenji kecewa sm dia. Tp ketika ternyata Kenji jg mengajukan surat pengunduran dirinya ke bosnya, dan bilang kalo Yuki berhenti dr kantor, Kenji juga akan berhenti. Disitu barulah Yuki nyadar kalo `he`s the one`. Akhirnya Yuki mengejar Kenji sampai ke suatu tempat di luar kota, karena wkt itu kebetulan Kenji lg ditugasin diluar kota utk satu proyek. Dan disitulah mereka akhirnya saling nyatain, dan made a promise to see aurora in Yellow Knife together...Hmm...indah bgt deh, they share a kiss under a tree that has been decorated with small lamps....How romantic....:)

Dari situ barulah drama ini bercerita ttg kisah Yuki dan Kenji yg berdua berjuang utk mengatasi penyakit Yuki, dimana Kenji selalu ada disamping Yuki, give her support all the time, gimana Yuki yang `ganbatte!`, yang terus berjuang, gak pernah ngeluh, gak pernah nangis...Penyakit Yuki ini (gue curiganya sih kyknya kanker, even gak disebutin di dorama ini) diprediksi akan bisa sembuh, jika dalam wkt 5 tahun Yuki gak kambuh lagi..Dan 5 tahun itu tepat sebelum hari Natal...Dan ternyata, penyakit Yuki muncul lagi pada saat pemeriksaan terakhir (dimana dia seharusnya dinyatakan bebas penyakit itu..)

Yuki udah hampir putus asa, tp Kenji selalu ngasih dia semangat (even sebenernya Kenji sedih bgt...). Sampai pada suatu hari, Yuki gak kuat lagi dan dia nangis di pelukan Kenji dan bilang `Kenji no sei da yo (Ini semua salah kamu Kenji)` Kenji ni deatte, inakunakatta da yo (karena saya ketemu kamu, saya gak mau mati!)...Asli, sedih....banget...Kenji cuma bisa meluk Yuki erat2 tanpa bisa berkata apa2...

Sampai pada suatu hari, Yuki kambuh lagi dan harus dirawat di ICU. Saat itu Kenji sedih bgt, dan nangis sambil memandangi foto mereka berdua yg diambil wkt mereka di pantai ketika pulang ke kotanya Yuki. Gue bener2 terharu liat adegan itu...Gue jadi ngebayangin....Is it a love? Gimana ya kalo si Atri berada di posisi itu....? Once, Atri pernah bilang ke gue..`Mei, kalo bisa aku mo `duluan` aja dari kamu...Aku gak mau kamu `duluan` dari aku, coz aku gak bisa ngebayangin hidup tanpa kamu` Saat itu gue cuma bisa ngomong `Apa2an sih, aneh deh kamu..`

Tapi pas ngeliat adegan itu, gue jadi mikir...`Apa bakal seperti ini rasanya yah, ngebayangin orang yang elo cintai bakal `meninggalkan` elo?` Jadi mikir `Apa dulu pas bokap mau `pergi`, ketika di taksi di pangkuan nyokap, nyokap sempet mikir seperti itu?` Karena dulu wkt bokap mau `pergi`, yang membawa bokap ke RS hanya nyokap seorang...gue dan adek gue stay di rumah (it was a real panic at that time...)

So, what is in a love then?

Apakah memang seperti itu? Berani mencintai seseorang, berarti elo jg berani untuk kehilangan seseorang?

Apakah memang seperti itu? Berani mencintai seseorang, berarti elo juga harus siap menghadapi semuanya, for better or for worse, til death do us part?

Love is a real mystery...Ketika elo memutuskan untuk mencintai seseorang, dan elo pengen terus berada disisinya, zutto soba ni iru, elo juga harus siap jika suatu hari orang yang elo cintai harus `pergi`....

A question maybe....Apakah elo akan siap? Apakah elo akan terus berada disisinya, for better or for worse, til death do us part? Apakah elo akan terus mendukungnya, eventhough it hurts you so much to see him in pain? Apakah dengan seperti itu, berarti elo harus `merelakannya`, karena elo mencintainya?

So many questions indeed....

Dan ketika gue melihat episode dimana Kenji menangis karena dia tidak mampu berbuat apa2 melihat Yuki yg terbaring bersama berbagai alat bantu, disitulah gue menyadari, that is the power of love....The power of love that can put you in a situation, in which you can not deny yourself to always be with someone that you truly care...The power of love that made you realize that you are not alone, it is always the two of you, and no matter what, for better or for worse, til death do us part, you will always be there for him...

Thank god the story ends well....

Yuki akhirnya sembuh setelah mengalami major operation, dan dia harus menunggu 1 tahun untuk masa pemulihan, dimana dia dan Kenji akhirnya married dan pergi ke Yellow Knife to see the aurora together...;)

It might be due to the power of love, that everything ends well...:), sou kamo shirenai na....

Friday, November 16, 2007

Yappari...ie ga ichibaann!

Aahhh...nikmatnya leyeh2 di rumah...

Jarum jam udah hampir menunjukkan pukul 12 siang. Gue masih asik di depan TV dan komputer, masih dengan piyama pink polkadot, muka bangun tidur, ngunyah roti dan segelas cafe mocha, dengerin OST Last Christmas.......

Its weekend....senengnya....!

Pagi gue bangun telat, well, benernya jam 7 juga udah bangun, tp berhubung langit masih gelap, yasutra, narik selimut, nyalain heater yang sempet dimatiin, dan mendengkur lagi sampai jam...9.30! Waaksss! Gue blon pernah bangun sesiang ini...!

Begitu bangun, langsung keluar kamar, liat ruang tamu....mak...berantakan abis! Langsung ambil ikat kepala a la samurai Jepang (buat nahan debu maksudnya), ambil vacuum, bersih2, yooossshhh!!!

Angkut lemari, sort semua majalah, koran, brosur2 delivery dsb, semua bon2 yg udah dari jaman baheula, beres2in berbagai perkabel-an (kabel TV, komputer, PS 3, dsb) punya si Atri yg tersebar di mana2, dengan semangat penuh gue clean up living room yang super duper messy.

Sekarang, well, hehe...dah lumayan rapih lah, ya tapi excess-nya berkantong2 sampah combustible dan non-combustible ngejogrog di deket dapur. Which is gue musti dua kali bolak balik ke bawah ngangkutinnya...Halah...Yaa...gak pa2 lah....At least my house is clean now....;)

Diluar masih mendung, I have to muster my courage to take a bath, hmm....ofuro ii to omoun da...Rasanya malesss bgt utk beranjak, even sejengkal langkah, dari ruang tamu tempat gue leyeh2 ini....:)

Well, I think, for a moment, I want to enjoy this day...just to leyeh2 around and doing nothing..
Yappari...ie ga ichiban daisukiii!
Home sweet home.....

Season of Joy, Season of Love




Its Winter Time!

Hari ini suhu di kota Tokyo tiba-tiba drop!

Kemaren suhu udara masih sekitar 21 derajat, tiba2 skrg jadi sekitar 15 derajat. Karena itu, pagi ini gue ngerasa saltum banget....! Dengan pedenya keluar rumah cuma pake selembar jas musim gugur plus daleman kaos panjang, thats it, gak pake baju thermal, gak pake overcoat.

Keluar rumah dengan pede, begitu pintu kebuka, langsung angin dingin winter menyambut gue dengan kencangnya....wuzzzz! Waduuuh....langsung menggigil abis!...Tapi berhubung udah agak telat dan musti nunggu kereta 5 menit lagi (5 menit disini amat sangat berharga, hehe!), yasudahlah, dgn setengah berlari gue langsung ke stasiun bawah tanah.

Sampe kantor gue pikir, ah, ntar siangan juga cuaca pasti bakal agak lebih hangat...

Tunggu punya tunggu, ternyata tidak!....Damn....Terpaksalah hari ini lunch dgn setengah lari2 supaya tetep anget, hehehe!

Pulang ke rumah jam 10 malem, abis diajakin nonton jazz di Cotton Club Lounge, Marunouchi, ternyata cuaca tambah2 aja dingin...

Nyampe apato, nyalain heater, nyalain musik, gue langsung puter OST Last Christmas, J-Dorama terakhir yang gue baru selesai tonton...Truly, selain suka banget sama dorama ini, gue jg suka bgt sama soundtrack-nya dengan lagu2 yang sangat beirama winter yang riang dan full of joy...

Buka2 tenki yoho (ramalan cuaca), ternyata bener, besok bakal tambah dingin lagi....
However, I love winter...Mungkin karena gue sempet merasakan tinggal di daerah Niigata, `yuki guni`, snow country-nya Jepang selama 2 taun wkt sekolah dulu, jadinya gue sangat menanti-nantikan tibanya musim dingin...

Doushite fuyu ga daisuki?

Karena, musim dingin di Niigata sangat amat indah....Musim dingin di Niigata bak winter wonderland...Untuk mencapai Niigata dari Tokyo, kita harus melewati satu tunnel sepanjang 10 km (the longest one in Japan) yang menembus pegunungan, dimana ketika elo keluar dari tunnel itu, di musim dingin, sejauh mata memandang, lo hanya melihat putih, dan putih...Its a real winter wonderland!

Niigata adalah suatu tempat dimana salju disana bisa mencapai sekitar 2-3 meter setiap musimnya...Dimana mau gak mau elo musti pake boot karet (yg gak ada cantik2nya) ke sekolah dan kemana2...Dimana elo bisa terjebak di dalam badai salju yang kencang di suatu tempat antah-berantah, diantara sawah dan pegunungan...Dimana elo bisa menikmati asiknya main ski sampe berpuluh-puluh kali tanpa harus mengeluarkan uang untuk menyewa peralatan ski...Dimana, di suatu hari yang indah dan cerah, tanpa adanya setitik salju yang turun, dan dilatarbelakangi dengan langit biru serta pohon berembun salju, elo bisa berpose dengan latar belakang yg luar biasa cantik (langit biru dan pohon salju)...Dimana pada suatu hari, tanpa disadari, ketika elo ngeliat ke jendela, ada butiran2 kapas putih jatuh dari langit yang memaksa elo berteriak gembira dan membuka jendela, serta memegang butiran salju pertama yang jatuh.....!

Terbayang semua itu, gue sangat menantikan turunnya salju tahun ini di Tokyo..Taun kemarin salju nggak mampir di Tokyo, gue harus ke Niigata untuk merasakan kesekian ratus drops of snow, dan taun ini gue sangat ingin bisa berada di tepi jendela rumah gue dan gembira melihat turunnya salju pertama....

Dan ketika gue liat ramalan cuaca, ternyata di daerah Niigata udah ada gambar boneka salju besar pada hari Senin depan...! It means...winter udah dateng...! Salju akan mampir di Niigata...How I really wish to feel the snow this year....

Kisetsu ga kawarun desu yo...Fuyu mou kimashita...

Winter has come...! Tanoshimi ni...!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

J-Dorama Lover



Waaa....

1 bulan terakhir ini gue sudah menjadi seorang J-Dorama Lover....! Semuanya berawal wkt gue iseng2 browsing YouTube, dan nemuin serial (baru) judulnya `Hotaru no Hikari`.... Gue click dan tnyt..hmm...it looked interesting...! Without realizing it, gue abisin the 1st episode...

Penasaran, gue cari di d-addicts, dapet, dan gue download, dan ternyata it turned out to be hillarious! Sampe skrg gue udah ngulang `Hotaru` 2 kali! This is the first drama yg gue tonton 2 kali, hehehe!

Dari sini, gue jadi keranjingan cari drama2nya Fujiki Naohito--damn kakkoi! (he played Takano Bucchou in `Hotaru`-very entertaining and well-presented!), gue download semua, mulai dari `Love Revolution`, `Slow Dance`, sampe `Itoshi Kimi E`

Sampe saat ini, hampir semua dorama Nao-san gue tonton penuh! Pulang kantor, mandi, makan dan langsung ngejogrog didepan komputer cari dorama yang pengen ditonton, langsung dipindahin ke panel layar TV 37 inch (biar puas nontonnya, hehehe!)..Gitu terus kerjaan gue tiap hari di rumah, kadang hampir jam 2 malem gue baru tidur, hahaha!


Weekend,....almost the same...!
Bangun tidur, beres2 rumah (dikit), masukkin pakaian ke washing machine, masak2 (dikit), baru ngejogrog lagi cari dorama yg pengen ditonton! Abis nonton 2-3 episode, liat jam, walaaah...! Udah jam 2 siang! Langsung buru2 mandi, n rapi2 sambil ambil kunci kamar, cabut deh ke Shinjuku/Shibuya/Harajuku/Yurakucho/Jiyugaoka...!Hampir lupa janjian sama si Rima and temen2 gue!

Halaah....hari2 gue sekarang udah diisi sama dorama Jepang! Gak tau, gue jadi cinta bgt nih sama dorama Jepang! Well, of course kalo ceritanya bagus gue suka bgt, tp kalo jelek, ya di-skip aja, hehehe! And mostly yg udah gue download sampe skrg ceritanya bagus2, dan of course, gue baca dulu donk review and sinopsisnya sblm download! Pokoknya fully prepared deh!

Tapi gak tau kenapa, gue cuma demen sama dorama Jepang. Gue gak terlalu suka sama dorama Taiwan (berisik menurut gue), or Korea (terlalu sedih, pasti endingnya ada yang meninggal deh..!)..Udah gitu,...kelamaan! Kalo dorama Jepang, at most cuma 12 episode, tp kalo Taiwan or Korea, bujubune...bisa smp 20-an episode! Cape gue nontonnya, considering gue tuh orangnya bosenan...

Lagian, gak tau yah, menurut gue dorama Jepang tuh lebih bervariasi, dan lebih anime/manga, kalo drama komedi, kocak dan konyolnya tuh pol (kyk misalnya Nodame Cantabile yang animated bgt!)...Tp kalo dorama yg sedih (Itoshi Kimi E, or Sekai no chuusin), jangan maen2, bisa tiap episode lo nangis bombay...! Minggu kemaren gue sampe depressed nangis bombay 2 hari 2 malem gara2 nonton Itoshi Kimi E...! Emang norak gue....hehehehe! Makanya gue paling demen sama `Hotaru no Hikari` soalnya, kocak iya, tp romantis juga iyah...seru lah pokoknya!

Btw, minggu ini gue iseng2 search, n nemuin dorama judulnya `Last Christmas`, yang maen si Oda Yuji, yg dulu maen di `Tokyo Love Story` yang beken bgt jaman gue SMA..! Ceritanya ternyata romantis abis, tp kocak juga, serulah pokoknya...Dan liat si Kenji (Oda Yuji) disitu..ihiks...cowok ideal bgt...! Drama ini cocok bgt ditonton pas mo winter, coz tema-nya tentang cewek yg fighting for her illness, n janji mo liat aurora di daerah Yellow Knife, Kanada sama cowoknya (si Kenji)..


Dan ternyata, nonton dorama Jepang buat gue sangat amat bermanfaat melatih pendengaran gue ttg percakapan bahasa Jepang sehari2..! Since gue tinggal di Tokyo sekarang, well, tiap hari kan gue dikelilingi oleh bhs Jepang which can be damn frustrating eventhough I sometimes can understand them quite well...

Tp tetep aja, its not ur mother tongue, its still tough to understand and to use it...Makanya, setiap gue nonton dorama, gue berusaha gak baca teksnya (yg versi download-an dari internet ada teks inggrisnya loooh), dan kalo gue denger istilah2 yg gak ngerti, gue pasti rewind lagi, dan coba mengerti konteks percakapannya...coz inti dari bhs Jepang sebenernya adalah `kimochi (feeling)`...Orang Jepang banyak sekali menggunakan bhs `kimochi` didalam percakapan mereka. Mungkin karena mereka bukan orang yg pandai berterus terang menyatakan perasaannya, jadi mereka menyelipkan `kimochi` mereka dibalik bahasa mereka..Terus terang, ketika gue sekolah dulu, gue gak terlalu mengerti gimana menggunakan `kimochi` didalam percakapan bhs Jepang gue, tetapi sekarang, gue sudah cukup mengerti (dan masih belajar mengerti) untuk menyelipkan `kimochi` gue didalam setiap komunikasi gue dengan orang Jepang...coz they can easily understand ur feeling if u use that `kimochi` in ur conversation.

So, skrg gue ngerti deh kenapa si Nini (nenek gue) di rumah tergila2 sama sinetron Indonesia dan telenovela! Pas si Nini ke Tokyo, musim semi kemaren, begitu nyampe apartemen gue, pertanyaan pertama adalah : `Mei, disini ada SCTV ato RCTI gak? Nini mo nonton sinetron!` Halaaaahhh....jauh2 dateng ke Jepang gitu loooh....masih aja sinetron dicari...:)!

Skrg gue juga ngerti deh, kenapa si Anny nangis2 bombay (sampe matanya bengkak dan tidur jam 3 pagi!) nonton drama Korea wkt dia liburan di Tokyo...Si ibu satu itu sampe bela2in gak ke Tokyo Tower looh hari itu...hahahaha!

Ternyata, sekarang gue juga sama aja kayak si Nini dan Anny....!

Well, from now on I can proudly say that I am a Dorama Lover ...:)!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

A Woman Diplomat

Ada satu pelajaran berharga yang gue bisa ambil minggu ini.

Selama 3 hari dalam satu minggu ini, gue berkesempatan untuk mendampingi seorang pejabat eselon I setingkat dirjen yang kebetulan adalah mantan Dubes, dan wanita...First impression, seperti pejabat lainnya, gue merasa harus menjaga jarak dan sehormat mungkin, dan kagum karena beliau adalah seorang ambassadres, jabatan yang terus melekat pada diri beliau walaupun tidak lagi menjabat. Namun, berbeda dengan ambassadres yang pernah gue temui di waktu-waktu lalu, beliau sangat ramah dan menghargai junior-nya (sangat junior-nya) ini...

Ada 2 hal yang beliau utarakan mengenai tujuannya ke Tokyo kepada kami pada saat perjalanan dari bandara ke Tokyo. Pertama, menghadiri sidang dan bertemu dengan salah satu dirjen di Kemlu Jepang (kehadiran beliau sgt dinantikan oleh pejabat tsb), dan yang kedua, menengok temen, sahabat gue (sama2 diplomat muda), yang saat ini tengah berada di rumah sakit menanti `big operation` yg akan datang pada Senin mendatang. Ternyata sahabat gue ini adalah mantan anak buah beliau pada saat sebelum diposting ke Tokyo. Beliau sangat khawatir dengan kondisi sahabat gue ini...dan sangat ingin bertemu dengannya karena walaupun mereka cukup intens berkomunikasi, sahabatku tidak sekalipun mau bercerita tentang kondisinya (khas, tipikal sifat sahabatku yang tidak pernah mau menyusahkan orang).

3 hari bersama Ibu Dubes, aku mendapatkan banyak hal, dan belajar banyak hal. Beliau adalah tipe ambassadres yang sukses, in love, life and career...Ibu Dubes selalu mendapat dukungan penuh dari suami dan anaknya yang beranjak remaja, dan untuk itu beliau selalu berusaha untuk melakukan semuanya dengan sepenuh hati...Menurut beliau, beliau tidak akan bisa seperti ini tanpa ada ijin dari suami, beliau selalu `look up to my husband`, dan beliau selalu berjalan bersama-sama, tidak di depan, apalagi di belakang....For that, shes truly grateful...

Of course, beliau juga mengalami masa2 dimana beliau ingin menyerah, ingin kabur, dan ingin meninggalkan semuanya...Tetapi, lagi2, dengan dukungan penuh, beliau dipaksa untuk tidak menyerah, tidak berhenti begitu saja...`Remember, they never think that we are (women diplomat) good enough`....! Betul, that statement is so true...`Kita harus selalu put our efforts twice hard...`Yup, lagi2 betul....Dan, sometimes, its indeed tiring...sometimes gue pengen quit, gue pengen cabut, gue lagi2 bilang (sambil pengen nangis), `mou...yadaaa (udahlah...berhenti aja...)`...

Beliau saat ini tengah berada di puncak karirnya, Geneve, Brussel, Ottawa, dan puncaknya Dubes di Hanoi telah dilaluinya dengan perjuangan, dengan airmata, dengan tawa canda....dengan kebahagiaan dan kesedihan...Semakin aku berbincang panjang lebar dengan beliau, semakin aku kagum at how she is...at how smart, open, passionate, brave, strong, yet gentle woman she is... Satu hal lain yang gue kagumi dari beliau, how she treats everyone equally tanpa melihat status dan jabatan....Its rare quality indeed...

How can I say that? Beliau dengan semangatnya bercerita tentang meeting-nya, tentang berbagai isu substansi di departemen yg beliau pimpin, and yet, beliau menjadi sangat gentle ketika menanyakan kepada gue mengenai kondisi sahabat gue saat ini....dan bagaimana beliau sangat ingin bertemu dia....Through her eyes, I can see the pain...

As I promised, aku mengajak beliau melihat sahabatku di rumah sakit...Ketika eskalator berhenti di Lt. 9, dan pintu terbuka, beliau segera keluar dan tertegun melihat sahabatku yg kebetulan sedang berada di koridor eskalator...Segera beliau memeluk sahabatku erat, and gue hampir tidak bisa menahan tangis...

Kami bercengkrama di kamar tempat sahabatku dirawat...`Why you didnt tell me about your condition?`, beliau bertanya pada sahabatku...`I was going to tell you bu...I was...remember that we had a long conversation over the phone before Lebaran? At that time, I was going to tell you, but I cant...`Tipikal sahabatku, tidak mau nyusahin orang...

Kami ngobrol panjang...dan ternyata, sahabatku bisa kami `culik` for a day dari rumah sakit, before her big day...Langsung aku datang ke suster jaga, dan meminta ijin. Keesokan harinya, kami datang kembali dan menjemput sahabatku...Ibu Dubes and I were so happy...dan begitu juga sahabatku...

`Cheers for you gals, as both of you still have long way to go`, demikian perkataan beliau ketika kami toast-kan gelas ume-shu kami (the three of us ordered the same drink, ume-shu, on rocks, with soda, with water)...Malam itu Ibu Dubes dan aku memaksa sahabatku menghabiskan shabu-shabu-nya, dan memesan bnyk makanan, till we had more than enough...Aku sangat senang bisa melihat sahabatku enjoying one night outside before her `big` day....Sangat senang bisa melihat Ibu dubes tertawa dan enjoying her company....her former staff yet her `daughter`...

Malam itu kita slumber party...the three of us slept in the same room, gue dengan menggelar futon dibawah...As if there is no other day, kita ngobrol lagi dan lupa bahwa jarum jam sudah menunjukkan pukul 1 malam, padahal Ibu dubes harus brkt ke Narita jam 8 pagi utk kembali ke Jakarta keesokan harinya...

The moment has come for us to say goodbye....Pagi itu, aku dan sahabatku (before she goes to be hospitalized again) mengantar Ibu Dubes sampai pemeriksaan imigrasi...Before leaving, she hugged me tight, wish me good luck, dan berpesan...`Meidy, please jagain Tika yah...please take care of her...` Dan sembari menahan tangis, she hugged my bestfriend, and wished her good luck for the operation, and for everything...`Be brave...`she whispered that...

We waved our hands and said goodbye....The two of us....aku dengan segala ketidakpastian aku tentang masa depan, aku dengan segala ketakutan dan kesedihan aku, aku dengan segala pengharapan aku untuk bisa mempunyai seorang anak, aku dengan segala kepenatan aku yang terkadang datang tiba2....dan sahabatku, dengan segala kepasrahannya menghadapi operasi yang bisa berujung pada pengangkatan rahimnya....dengan segala kekuatannya menghadapi serangan kanker, dengan segala ketabahannya menghadapi hari esok...

Hari itu, kita berdua mendapatkan pelajaran berharga dari seorang Ibu Dubes, how to be brave and how to always have faith in you....No matter what, hidup adalah perjuangan, dan hidup adalah berusaha....Always perform your best...dont give up....dan insya allah semuanya akan terlewati....

Hari itu, aku berjanji untuk ikut menjaga sahabatku...as Ibu asked me to...

Hari itu, aku menemukan seorang teman baru yang amat berarti bagiku...

Monday, October 29, 2007

Kapal Pemuda ASEAN

Saat ini jarum jam udah menunjukkan pukul 10 malem WJP (Waktu Jepang). Gue baru aja turun dari bis, dan pulang ke apartemen. Sambil berjalan, gue masih memikirkan kegiatan gue hari ini. Yup, hari ini gue seharian berada di National Youth Stadium, di Yoyogi Park, untuk sebuah kegiatan yang berjudul Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEYAP), suatu kegiatan kapal pemuda ASEAN dan Jepang, yang berlayar selama kurang lebih 2 bulan dan singgah di negara ASEAN dan Jepang. Kebetulan tahun ini Cabinet Office selaku penyelenggara program SSEAYP menyelenggarakan SSEAYP Youth Summit di Yoyogi Park, suatu pertemuan yang terdiri dari program eksibisi, performance dan live interactive selama 1 hari penuh.

Kebetulan pula, untuk acara ini, ASEAN embassies di Tokyo diminta untuk mendukung delegasi masing2. Jadi, pagi ini, dengan berbekal barang2 kerajinan Indonesia sebagai display, audio visual untuk memutar DVD ttg Indonesia, plus 2 boneka ondel-ondel raksasa, berangkatlah gue beserta 3 teman2 dari embassy menuju Yoyogi Park untuk fully support kontingen Indonesia yang terdiri dari 28 adik2 dari berbagai propinsi di Indonesia.

Sesampainya kita di Yoyogi Park, kita langsung bongkar muat dan ngebantuin delegasi utk mempersiapkan stand eksibisi, sempet heboh juga nemenin salah satu delegasi yang udah panik karena alat2 cat untuk membatik-nya hilang entah kemana. Jadilah gue temenin delegasi itu untuk cari cat dsb ke Shibuya, untung di Shibuya kita ketemu semua alat yang dibutuhin.

Pembukaan summit dan performances seluruh delegasi dihadiri dan ditonton oleh Princess Kiko (ternyata princess ini juga mantan peserta kapal ASEAN 20 thn yang lalu) dan beberapa Duta Besar ASEAN dan pejabat Cabinet Office. Delegasi Indonesia membawakan lagu `Janger` dari Bali dan tarian Kecak dan tari Bali yang sudah dimodifikasi dan disesuaikan dengan iringan lagu `Shimokita` khas pulau Okinawa Jepang.

Perlu diakui, performance Indonesia memang indah dan bagus...Tariannya luwes dan benar2 mencerminkan Indonesia dengan `unity in diversity`-nya, dengan keahlian para penarinya yg bak penari profesional. Gue terpukau dengan penampilan itu, dan semua orang memberikan applause yang meriah, even Princess Kiko yang duduk di barisan depan...Its true, ketika elo berada di luar negeri, rasa nasionalisme yang sempat padam, menyala kembali ketika menyaksikan sebuah performance yang berkelas...

Setelah itu, gue beranjak menuju stand eksibisi yang sudah tertata rapi dan eye catching, terutama dengan 2 ondel-ondel raksasa kita. Di stand eksibisi pula, gue melihat adik2 dengan semangatnya menyebarkan brosur2 tentang Indonesia kepada orang2 Jepang dan menjelaskan display yg ada dengan memakai berbagai kostum khas Indonesia, even ada yang berkostum Hanoman lengkap dengan baju monyetnya dan gigi palsunya, seraya berlompat-lompat khas Hanoman yang menghibur pengunjung! Sungguh, gue terharu melihat adik2 itu....sungguh gue gak menyangka mereka sedemikian kerasnya berusaha untuk memberikan yang terbaik bagi Indonesia....

Ketika beranjak ke ruang untuk performance live interactive, gue semakin terharu...Adik2 dengan semangatnya mengajak seluruh penonton Jepang untuk berlatih tarian kecak, dan mendapat sambutan yang semakin meriah....Gue membayangkan, gila, mereka masih mempunyai waktu utk mempersiapkan semuanya di tengah2 padatnya jadwal mereka...

Melihat penampilan mereka, sempat gue merasa trenyuh....Lihat, future generation of Indonesian leaders (hopefully) bekerja dengan sangat keras untuk membawa nama baik Indonesia, dan membuat kami bangga...! Tidakkah para `so called` pejabat Indonesia yang super duper menyebalkan, melihat semua ini?? Dimana adik2 itu, dan kami, berjuang di luar negeri demi mempertahankan nama baik bangsa, sementara mereka `the so-called` pejabat didalam negeri sibuk dengan urusan masing-masing dan mabuk memperebutkan kekuasaan?? Its not fair, isnt it?? Kita sudah berusaha keras, namun, apakah selama ini usaha keras kita sudah dihargai, sudah diapresiasi?? Rasanya belum, dan gue yakin seyakin-yakinnya mereka akan tetap seperti itu, haus akan kekuasaan dan berantem antar sesama...Hmm...menyedihkan memang...dan gue gak tau kapan kondisi ini akan berakhir, sungguh gue gak tau...Rasanya gue pengen bilang....Look!!! Buka mata, buka hati....lihat sekeliling....!

Overall, keseluruhan acara telah berlangsung dengan sukses, kita berhasil membujuk pak Dubes untuk datang dan membuka stand eksibisi secara resmi dan memberikan support moral kepada adik-adik yang telah bekerja sedemikian keras...

Dan ketika hari telah sore, dan semua musti berakhir, setelah membereskan seluruh barang2 di stand Indonesia, gue dan temen-temen dari embassy mendadak dikelilingi oleh adik2 kontingen Indonesia, dan mereka membawakan yel-yel terima kasih kepada dengan kencangnya, yang disambung berbagai lagu khusus untuk kami....sungguh, ucapan tulus terima kasih dari mereka buat gue, amat teramat berharga, teramat berarti, bahkan apabila dibandingkan dengan ucapan terima kasih dari seorang presiden SBY....Sungguh....gue bahkan gak bisa berkata apa2..dan cuma bisa tertawa melihat tingkah mereka yang mengelilingi kami....

Hari ini gue merasa sangat puas dengan kerja keras kita...merasa sangat amat dihargai...merasa beruntung dan bangga menjadi orang Indonesia dengan segala keaneka ragaman dan keunikan kita.....

Yup, I am so proud being an Indonesian!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Time to bid farewell

Hari ini gue sedih bgt...

Tadi pagi, one of my bestfriends and his family from embassy is leaving Tokyo for good..After serving the embassy for 31/2 years, its time for him to say goodbye to Japan, and go back to Indonesia to, again, work at the HQ for a couple of years while waiting for the next assignment..

Gue dan bbrp teman dari embassy tadi ikut nganterin ke Narita Airport...temen gue, dengan 2 anak kembarnya yg super lucu dan istrinya, terus2an bercandain kita yang masih tersisa di Tokyo...nggak lupa terakhirnya ngomong, 'ganbatte kudasai ne!' (terjemahan bebas: tetap berjuang!)...

Yep...terus berjuang, tetap berjuang, meski entah 'perjuangan' ini untuk apa...Untuk diri sendiri? Untuk bangsa dan negara? Untuk...? Hmm...there are many interpretations for that....One thing for sure, terus berjuang untuk tetap survive di dunia ini, dunia yang semakin membingungkan dan semakin tidak jelas..

Pagi ini, waktu untuk (kembali) bid a farewell, terulang kembali...entah untuk yang ke-berapa kalinya, I have lost my count....Sometimes I hate my job, terutama di saat2 seperti ini, truly, gue benci banget sama profesi gue, yang mengharuskan gue untuk selalu menangis dan selalu merasa kehilangan....Why there is always a goodbye in my line of duty?? Kenapa gue selalu harus melambaikan tangan untuk suatu perpisahan dengan seorang teman? Gue benci dengan the nature of my job yg seperti ini.....Gue benci karena setiap kali harus kehilangan teman, sahabat, kakak, adik, keponakan, dan gue benci karena harus menitikkan airmata perpisahan...

Akhirnya, di pagi yg mendung ini, dengan tatapan nanar, gue sekali lagi melepas kepergian seorang teman yang, entah kapan bisa bertemu kembali...

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Bete!

Hmpphh...hari ini gue bete bgt....!! Gue kadang heran, kok gue mau2nya yah kerja disini...kadang heran, kok mau2nya yah jadi pegawai negeri, biar kata di deplu juga, tp tetep aja, musti berhadapan sama pejabat2 Indonesia yang menyebalkan dan bikin kepala pusing karena banyak permintaan...!

Gue kadang pengen nangis, pengen tereak kenceng2, pengen lari, pengen kabur, pengen...berhenti jadi PNS kalo kayak gini! Entah apa memang gue gak cocok jd PNS, entah karena sebenernya hati nurani gue gak pengen gue berada lebih lama di ruang lingkup ini....Atau mungkin, gue cuma sekedar bete aja hari ini, dan perasaan itu akan hilang dengan sendirinya nantinya...entahlah...

Tp kadang, gue merasa, I dont belong here....Gue memang mencapai cita2 gue, alhamdulillah, which is, jadi diplomat Indonesia...cita2 yang sejak kelas 5 SD udah gue pegang erat2....cita2 yang gak mudah diraih dan penuh perjuangan (baik fisik maupun mental)....cita2 yang...bikin gue tetap hidup dan berjuang sampai saat ini....

Jika gue someday, memutuskan untuk berhenti, dan keluar dari lingkungan ini, apakah gue akan sanggup? Apakah gue akan bisa melepas semuanya? Memang, being a diplomat is very tempting....Lo dapet semua kemudahan (especially when you are posted abroad), lo dihormati, lo dianggap sebagai bagian dari so-called 'high society' (kalo di Jepang, dibilangnya 'erai hito')...Tapi itu semua kadang, menurut gue, ya hanya sebagai paid off for what you have achieved so far...Terutama buat diplomat Indonesia, OK kita dihormatin dilingkungan counterpart, OK kita dianggap sebagai orang sukses, but in the terms of perlakuan sebuah departemen luar negeri ke pribadi elo sebagai seorang yg capable...hmmm...nanti dulu, there is no term such as stick and carrot....! Buat seorang yang capable, menurut gue, its better to be outside the system! Especially an Indonesian system!

Gue merasa, dengan gue bekerja sekarang, gue gak lebih sebagai seorang pembantu umum, sekretaris, 'party' planner, pembantu pejabat2 Indo (yg kebanyakan sucks), you name it lah...Gue gak merasa gue bekerja sebagai seorang diplomat, yang seharusnya melakukan diplomasi keluar, yang seharusnya mencari informasi sebanyak-banyaknya demi kepentingan negara Indonesia, yang seharusnya membuat network seluas-luasnya demi hal itu...

Yang ada, gue sekarang sering kali malu, kesal, bete, terhadap counterpart gue..Kenapa? Ya lagi2 karena kelakuan pejabat2 Indonesia yang memuakkan, yang sama sekali gak memikirkan kepentingan Indonesia (there is no term such as 'people's interest' yang ada hanya 'private interest')...Lagi2 semuanya kembali kepada kelakuan seorang (atau banyak orang) pejabat Indonesia yang hanya 'care' kepada kepentingannya dia dan kelompoknya (well, mungkin lebih kepada kepentingan pribadinya yah)....

Semakin gue berjalan, semakin gue melihat banyak kenistaan di kalangan mereka... Gue akui, gue juga bukan orang suci, bukan seorang saint yang dengan polosnya berjalan tanpa ada pretensi apa-apa, tanpa ada pamrih apa2...Tapi gue gak bisa tinggal diam, manakala gue membaca berita sedih tentang Indonesia, mungkin gue gak bisa berbuat apa2, tapi manakala gue membaca, gue ikut larut didalam penderitaan bangsa gue...Dan mungkin, ya mungkin, perasaan seperti ini yang membuat gue 'sane' sampai dengan detik ini...Dan mungkin, perasaan seperti ini yang membuat gue tetap gemas manakala berhadapan dengan pejabat-pejabat sontoloyo itu...

Gue gak tau sampai kapan gue akan tetap bertahan...dan kapan pertahanan gue itu runtuh...Only time will tell...

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Itoshi kimi e


This long holiday is spent by watching J-Dorama, setelah searching bbrp dorama, it turns out that I looove to see Fujiki Naohito...geez...ichiban kakkooii! He reminds me bout my hubby...ihik2 (pasti ge-er deeh kalo baca!), maksud gue, well, hmm.....his face is sooo yasashii, gentle, yet determine to achieve something that he wishes for...

So, I searched all Fujiki Naohito dorama, and found `Hotaru no Hikari`, `Love Revolution` and `Itoshi Kimi E` that I liked best...hmm...maybe `Hotaru no Hikari` ga ichiban daisuki da to omoun....coz his role as Bucchou (Manager) opposites Ayase Haruka as Hotaru is so perfect! Calm, charming, funny, kakkoi, all mixes up!

Dan ternyata, OST-nya dorama2 ini....bagus2 bangettt....dan semuanya mengingatkan gue sama, well, lagi2, hubby....how I miss him that much...dan gimana gue baru nyadar kalo ternyata selama ini...hmm....dia (unselfish-ly), selalu berusaha memberikan yang terbaik buat gue....dan gimana dia..hmm...selalu mengajarkan gue hal-hal baru yang gak pernah gue tau sebelumnya, but I always take them for granted....Gimana dia mengajarkan gue hal-hal baru, tp gue-nya seringkali cuek, gak peduli, gak mo susah, gak mo Ganbatteeee!

Fotografi, ngutak ngatik elektronik, learning Japanese....theyre only few of them yang hubby ajarin ke gue....out of so many things.....Waktu blum sekolah ke Niigata, gue sangat2 bergantung ke dia dalam segala hal...males ngutak-ngatik elektronik, males ngomong bhs Jepang sm dia (ribet, menurut gue), sometimes pura-pura ngerti aja kalo pas dia lagi megang kamera-nya n pengen ngajarin gue biar gue bisa jg (lagi2, ribet, menurut gue)...

Dan sekarang...

beneran, baru kerasa...gimana gue kehilangan dia, gimana gue mau belajar sama dia..gimana gue, pengen selalu dia ada disamping gue...gimana gue, well, of course, gak mau sendirian disini..hehe..

Dan sekarang...

Gimana gue harus struggle sendiri dengan bhs Jepang gue utk bisa survive di Tokyo, gimana gue pengennn bgt ngambil gambar2 yang lebih bagus lagi dengan kamera gue, gimana gue seringkali pengen nangis kalo ada sesuatu yg rusak di rumah (gak bisa betulin!), gimana gue, well, jadi turun berat badan 2 kg sejak dia pergi...

Dan sekarang...

Gue harus Ganbatte!! Gue harus selalu berusaha...Gue gak boleh take them for granted lagi! Gue musti bisa...dan gue...hmm...gue baru nyadar kalo gue tuh, hmmm....Yappari, Atri no koto, ichiban, ichiban daisuki desu!!! Atri san no koto....aishiteru yo.....!

Barusan...

Gue lagi denger lagu-nya Miho Karasawa `Way to Love`, OST-nya Love Revolution, dan gue seneeenggg bgt karena pelan2, gue udah bisa mengerti artinya....dan ternyata lagu itu, indah banget...deskripsi Miho ttg arti `how to be in love` sangat bermakna, at least buat gue..

Gue telepon Atri, mo ngasih tau kalo gue udah ngerti lagu Miho Karasawa, dan begitu Atri angkat telepon, gue langsung bilang...
`ima kimi ni aitai yo... (I want to see you now)
`ashita matte ga nante, okashii ne... (I know its so selfish, aneh yah?)
`akegata no sora nagamete tashikameteiru kitto (the more I look up the sky)
`watashi koi ni ochiteku tochuu (the more Im sure Im falling in love)
(terjemahan bebas)

Atri langsung bilang, itu lagu-nya Miho Karasawa yah? Hihihi...ternyata dia ngeh bgt...dan gue dengan semangatnya langsung bilang `gue dah ngerti artinya! Indah yah..?` Atri langsung jawab...`yappari....meidychan no nihon go ga jouzu ni narun da...` Dan ternyata, dulu Atri pernah ngasih lagu itu buat gue (well, wkt kita lagi tsukiate), dan tnyt gue-nya gak nyadar! hahahaha!

Akhirnya...

Kita berdua ngobrol ttg lagu itu, gue tanya2 arti kalimat2 yg gak ngerti ke dia, dia bantu gue (as always), padahal pas gue telepon dia ternyata lagi tidur (dan bangun utk ngangkat telepon gue...), dan....abis gue ngerti isi lagu `Way to Love`, Atri bilang `udah ngerti kan? yaudah, aku tidur lagi yah...jam 2 bangunin yah...musti ngerjain tugas..`As always, he always spares his time (even his precious time, sleeping) for me.....atashi no tame...

Yappari....Atri no koto ga ichiban suki desu yo....

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A little thought of myself

Found something that I wrote a long time ago, on 2004 I think, I dont remember why I wrote this, but apparently this is my true feeling and thoughts for what I have become..:)

hmm....life is soo....i dont know how to say it...sometimes u are up for it...but sometimes u arent...the clock is almost reaching the stroke of midnight...and here i am...with my mind drifted away...n my feeling is not there...sometimes...i picture myself as someone who always try to be nice to everyone...who always dont want to fail everyone...who want everyone to see me as a....happy one...!

well....what lies beneath me is not always the one that everyone see in my everyday life....i can be so unperfect...so unkind....so.....careless....i always put high hopes on everyone, that everyone is the same...that they are always kind, and nice....that they will never fail me....

but what comes in reality is the contrary...i've been hurt...been broken hearted....been torn apart....n they come as a result of my willingness to always put high hopes on everyone...and of course, in the end, i am dissapointed when things turn out different than I thought...

i listen, i laugh, i care, i cry, i go along with people, i feel what they feel, and i do hope that they feel me too....but it wont always go to that direction....sometimes i fall....

i shouldnt put too much hope on everything....just....be as i wish to be....not to put too many things in it....i still listen, i still laugh, i still care, i still cry....i...still go along with people....but, i want now to be different....i want to be me....i want to be.....not what i used to be.....i want to.....just being myself...without so much concern to others.....can I do it? or should I do it?

those questions are really up to me....i just...dont want to be hurt anymore.....

one said that what influence u is ur surroundings....ur family....ur friends....well, ever since my early days without my father's presence, i've been there to always make my little brother happy....i've been taught to always put my happy smile...i've been taught to always comfort him, just to make him feel safe being with me...that i always be there for him...for years i've been doing that....n for years i've been keeping all my sadness with me....

well, friends are always there though...but i could not burden them with my sadness...hmm...its me who always be there for them...dont put ur sad face in front of them....that is what I always said to myself....no matter how hard it is...how painful it is...u can always smile, n say, hey, u are better than anyone else....!

i've been running, and running, and keeping all inside me.....sometimes it comes out, sometimes it doesnt....and sometimes, when I am sad....I am back to being a 12 year old girl who was holding my little brother n said, 'ssh...dont cry...dont cry....i am here...' as I put my happy smile just to sooth him....

as everything turns out to be better, sometimes I feel like running...and bringing all my misery with me....I dont want to share it to everyone...! its my own misery, and its me who is responsible for that....but then I realize...should I run...and run....and run.....and never find the answer?sometimes, tears are just easily flowing on my cheeck...whenever i am sad....whenever i am in a deep pain....whenever.....maybe i can be called a cry baby....but....as for me....crying is the only way to release myself....to release the pain....the sadness...i dont want to cry again...but i cant help it...what should I do? should I just run...and run....and run,...? and try to forget everything...? can I do that? is it good? is it....better?

still dont know the answer....and what is written in the blue moon...maybe it is the only answer....

urasa, november 2004

That is exactly what my thoughts are lately...I've been hurt...been dissapointed, but still, I am trying to be nice..still trying to be, well, a door mat, a push-over...Hmm..I dont want to feel that way anymore...I dont want to be a door mat, its not nice..Even though it maybe looks nice to someone, but it only hurts me, little by little, pieces by pieces...I've been torn apart, but I wont let myself torn again...

I maybe nice, I maybe a caring person...but I had to have that courage to speak up for myself, I have to dare myself not to that caring to others, especially to those who, well, dont really care for me..People says, it takes two to tango...Well, I might as well say that to myself too...It takes two to carry out relations, a friendship...and its not just your own efforts to make it right...to be carried out..

Its not easy though, especially for someone like me...for a person who can not say 'no'...well, I have to learn though...little by little, step by step...until the day that I can say 'no' to someone..

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Pagi-pagi udah bete...

Geez...so much for ruining my day..!

Amy YM me this morning, and she said she was at home, and we chatted and she said..'Mei, I havent received your present, and my omiyage from Netta!' Wtf?? I mean, c'mon, its been, almost 2 months since Netta received that from Anny..!

At first I asked Amy, ' Really, have u tried to call her, or sms her?', she said, 'yes, but she never answers the phone nor does she answer the sms'..So, Amy was just left alone in the dark, not knowing what happened to her presents..

But what made me got bete was....Amy asked me to find a Neko Basu--the character from our favorite film 'Totoro'--she really loves it, and its very expensive in Jakarta...so, at that time I went to several toy stores in Tokyo to find her Neko Basu...I mean, its Amy, and shes my bestfriend, of course I will look for something she likes, hence she especially requested it from me...

I got that Neko Basu, and it cost around 3000 yen something, so, to make it easy I just said to Amy its 240 thousand rupiah...And what made me felt worse this morning was...she has paid it to Anny, on time, and Anny has given it to my mom....(as I've told her to)! And it was already a long time ago....

That is why, I got so so angry with Netta, and felt sorry for Amy, I mean...c'mon, is it so hard for you to answer in one single short phone conversation?? Or, is it so hard for you to just jot few words on your keypad to send sms (the simple thing that u can do almost anytime, even when you sit down on your toilet, trying to do ur number 2..I often do that)

So, I YM-ed Netta and I asked her to give Amy the gift ASAP, well, my message is a little bit harsh I think, but I was so angry with her...I mean, its not the first time she did something like this...and if she really cares for her friend, she wont behave this way...If she's like this, well, I can assume that, she ACTS AS IF SHE CARES, while in fact, shes not..

I dont have to mention how many times she has dissapointed me...in many occasions, I still can stand it then, and I consider its just a plain, forgivable thing that can easily forgotten...but now, I think I've had enough..

Well, she sent me an email though, saying that she's absolutely busy...yeah rite...I mean, I WANT TO BELIEVE HER....really....but I CANT...I lost my trust on her...If you can say you are absolutely busy, then, how come you still could updated your Facebook (a Friendster kind of thing) for the whole day, still could go somewhere to eat, still did something you like, but couldnt call your friend and tell her sorry that she doesnt have that much time to give it to her? I am sure her friend will understand...

One more thing, I'VE NEVER SAID I AM ABSOLUTELY BUSY..as I recalled...yeah, sometimes I say I am really busy...hmm...maybe an absolute busy is...as for me...during the visit of the President of RI to Japan, yeah...but then again, oh well, its only for, 3 or 4 days maybe?

Well, anyway, still my feeling towards her is not as I used to have before...mind you, I dont feel that 'closeness' again, as I feel to my other friends...even though we rarely meet, let alone chat, or talk on the phone (so damn expensive from here to Jakarta!)..However, with my other friends, I still can relate myself...I still feel an ease...I still...KNOW them...

I dont know...I hope my feeling will soon change...I dont want to feel this way...I have experienced like this before with Pema, but as for Pema, she always cares for me, I can sense that....Eventhough at that time I was being such a pain in the ass (I hate her bf-now-husband), she didnt change, of course at that time she's so head over heels fallin for him, but she didnt forget us, I and other friends, she spared her time here and there...I know its tiring, and I know its not easy to hear all the judgements and all the critics for her bf, but she's there....she laughed with us...she enjoyed our companion (and of course, she left early for him), she's always be there for us...that is why I and Pema cried so much like a children lose their toys, during our farewell bid (on the phone, mind you! coz at that time I was absolutely busy, yes, I think its appropriate to use 'absolutely' since on that days after graduation I went crazy here and there, took care of everything up to find a real buyer for our car!)

So, at first I thought Pema and Netta is similar, but, then again, they're totally different...I must say...

I do hope my feeling will be healed soon...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Prime Minister ABE Stepped out Today

I just finished my lunch, when my boss rang me in my cell...He`s outside the office with the ambassador, and got a news that Japanese PM, Shinzo Abe has resigned from the office due to sort of things, which is one of them is the strong opposition from the DPJ--opposition as well as ruling party in the House of Councillors--to the Abe`s plan of extending Japan`s logistic support for antiterrorism operations in Afghanistan.

So, here I am, trying to make a report from scratch, that my boss told me to do...But what amazed me is, how fast a political situation changes from minute to minute, from hour to hour, from day to day...And I feel so lucky that I am here, to witness all important events happen in Japan...from the election of PM Abe, as the youngest Japanese PM who was born postwar period, until his resignation....All happen in just one year, and dont forget, in 2006, we also had Miss Japan to be crowned as Miss Universe after a long, long time...

So, I was thinking, why wouldnt I make a caleidoskop, for myself, as a record for what has happened during my post here...

Ok then, lets start...!

My dearest bestfriend in IUJ

Just did a search for an email of my friend, and happened to bump into an old email sent to my dearest best2 friend, Pema, in IUJ...

I wrote this letter after our graduation day,...to read this again made me, well, once again, weep...do, really, hontou ni sabishii ni narimashita ne....really miss her THAT much...

So, here is what I wrote back then...

`Dearest Pema,

Hi, are u still up? I just want to say thank you for everything...for our friendship for this two years...I am really happy to be your bestfriend...although sometimes you can be a pain in the ass...hehe, just kidding..! nope...you are more than a good friend tome...you are like my sister that I never had...I also want to say, sorry if I can be such a pain in the ass (this is for being such a jerk), I realize that lately I've been such a bad person to you...

I dont know Pem, maybe its because I just miss you, miss the way we laugh, share stories, or even just watch amovie from your broken DVD like we often do before...I dont know why I could not said it in front of you,maybe because I realize I will miss you, dearly, n maybe wont able to see you again...for a very very long time, and only God knows when will we meet again...The moment finally comes for us to say goodbye...

I will miss you so so much, that is for sure...I will miss your laugh, your jokes (which often around 'that'particular area), miss your face when imitatingsomeone..miss your endless, endless complains andstories (hehe!), miss your self beautifying moments..miss you for always stealing my mirror..(hehe..), miss you for your potato and cheese,miss the way you and eiei was fighting over a small and simple thing, miss to watch a movie with you and watching you fell asleep when the movie turned out not the way you expected (as always..hehe), miss the way you and hay teasing one another...miss your grumpiness, miss you in your panic mode, miss you when you called me lazy bum for not moving from my ass from the computer...miss you for teasing me with Atri..and miss you for taking care of me when I was sick...

I surely fervently will miss you, Pem...You are my FIRST friend in IUJ, and your HAPPINESS is the ONLY thing that I want...I just want you to be happy..to meet the man of your dream...who will treat you withhis care and love...so that you will be happy as canbe..:)Once again, thank you Pem...for being such a very good friend...dont miss contact with me please...n do say to your dad that you want to come to my wedding..hehehe...!hmm..I dont know what to write anymore...lost in words, cause the tears kept running from myeyes...hehe...such a cry baby right? so sad here...bye pem, wish you a very happy life andsuccess..remember girl, you can reach higher andbetter than what you have had now....just believe inyourself...:)

love,
meidy`

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Diplomatic Reception...taihen....

Yoshh!

Finally, today we hold the Diplomatic Reception to celebrate the 62nd Anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day....After so many hassles in the past 3 weeks (I happened to be in charge for all invitations...guess how many are coming..yup...more than 500 people...udah kayak kondangan yak....). It is held in the Ambassador`s Residence, in the back of our embassy...

Considering it is in Japan, well, the guests have already come at around 6 pm...while the invitation is from 6.30...The guests keep coming and coming until the house was so packed with people...High dignitaries--Ambassadors, CEOs and Chairman from well-known Japanese companies, Directors and DGs from government ministries, and high-profile media moguls were mixed in a large groups that occupied every space in the residence....The sound of kecapi played by Indonesian students filled the joyous atmosphere, blended with the warm welcome of Indonesian Ambassador and madame, and the staffs of the embassy....The professional waiter and waitresses--hired from the famous Imperial Hotel--kept serving the foods and each champagne and various kind of drinks kept flowing to the guests....It was a nearly perfect night...not even a single drop of rains can ruin this evening....

However, wait.....at around 7.30, at the peak of hours, suddenly some lights in Wisma went out! Gosh....! It was nearly dark in the backyard garden, in which the food were served and it was also in the main hall, where the Ambassador greeted and received the guests! After almost half an hour, the lights still went off, and it turned out that, the Wisma couldnt bear such a huge electricity (there were additional lamps stationed in the garden)....

Well, aside of this, I`d rather said, unfortunate moment, the party was running smoothly, no major hassles, and each guests seemed enjoying this lovely evening....and, thanks to Madame Dewi Sukarno, who came as one of the guests, the party became more interesting, as many guests were eager to take pictures with her...and of course, me too, hehehe!

Its getting late now, I should take a rest....

Kyou wa....hontou ni tsukaremashita...demo, tanoshikatta desu ne....Gokurosamadeshita....

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Our housewarming party

Hooray..! Finally we had a housewarming party for our friends today, after this one year...:)! Well, actually a housewarming is supposed to be held in just few months after we`re moving in to a new home, however, in our case, we just had time to have it, well, today, hehehe! We were moving in to our home around 13 months ago, and we`ve been through fall, winter, spring, and now, summer to fall...so, its more than a housewarming though..:)

To welcome our guests, we both cooked our specialties, Atri with sate ayam and chicken & roast beef pepper, I with, uhm, a simple one, corn cream soup, and both of us made fried prawn...yummy...Well, we started cooking at around 10 am in the morning, and finished it around 1.30, just before they`re coming...

My friends arrived around 2 something, they were my friends from daigakuin (graduate school) in Urasa, and they were now living and working in Tokyo, some of them were married, one with a Japanese girl, and the most important thing, they were already having...their housewarming party! So, it is really my turn to have one...(finally...as Andy said, hihi!)...

So, here they are, enjoying the lunch (Rudy hasnt eaten anything from this morning, he`s saving for the lunch, haha!), and thank God, they enjoyed the lunch so much and finished everything! I was sooo happy...! They liked our place, its cozy, they said...hehe...thx! Maybe because we put many pillows, and have big sofa, and also because our living room is quite spacious compare to others...

Today was really fun....yosh...tanoshikatta ne...!! I would love to have this kind of gathering again, someday, its really nice talking with ur old friends, and just sit around, chit chatting, and doing nothing...so much fun...!

And again, today is not hot at all, the weather is quite friendly btw...;) Really thankful for this wonderful day....:)!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Friends, what are they for you?

As a girl raised in a closed-knit family ties, I value togetherness and sense of belonging more than anything...Through the elementary years and my adolescence years I have several close friends who are still in contacts until we are grown ups now...Of course, as time goes by, we dont have much opportunities to meet that often...our jobs, our life, our families seem to separate us far and further...But still, we are friends until today...

With my friends, I experience many moments--nice, sad, funny, hillarious, devastating--everything comes to pieces...I always value friendship, as I always consider my friends, are, my friends...like those written on huggable teddy bears that once very famous in Jakarta--forever friends--I can always count on them, laugh with them, cry with them, and tell them everything.....I can be who I am with them, and I always try not to dissapoint them, not to let them down, not to...turn away from them...I never knew such phrase called `old friends` as my hubby struck me this evening when I told him about one of my friends whom I consider nowadays as distant and far-reached...As my hubby told me`Well, maybe she considers you as an old friend...she has found a new one which is more interesting and share common things, maybe she feels that you are no longer that important to her...as for her, you are just an old friend...a friend in the past...`

A friend in the past? Of course, I didnt agree with this term...but as I think about it thoroughly, well....it could be....But why? My hubby then told me again `Dont ask why...you just decide, is she your friend or not?` Well, yes, but she`s my friend, not my old friend...Well, maybe my hubby is right, maybe there are categories in friends....maybe there is a term an `old friend` for some people....friend who are in the past...friend who are no longer that important to you...

And as my hubby told me again, `Do not ask people to understand you....but always try to understand people, and your life will be much better...`So, I inhale deeply, and decide, well, maybe I have to move on...Maybe I have to believe the term `old friend` as they exist...and, maybe I just learn a new lesson in making friends...and maybe the term `friends forever` is too naive and too idealistic...

As I feel sad.....there is a message from my high school friend in Friendster, she said, she missed me, she asked me where I am now...and she said she met one of our closest friends in a hospital (she is a doctor now), just like that, the message is just out of the blue....and I realize...there are friends out there who still cares for you....and of course, they are not....old friends....

Saturday, August 25, 2007

One lazy sunday morning in Dear State Minami Magome #503

Sunday is the most likeable, no. lovable day of the week...! We can just get lazy around the apartment, doing nothing, eating many, and watching telly...:). We`ve done our home chores on Saturday morning, so, I think we deserve to be this lazy on bright Sunday morning...Though it is 34 degrees outside, we put our AC at its lowest temp, hehehehe.....Well, its actually against Japanese govt policy of no high-energy consumption during summer....:)

Today, thx to my husband, we ate suteeki (steak) as our breakfast, he made it for us, and its his one of specialities...:), Steak, made of wagyu (Japanese beef that melt in your mouth), frozen veggies, and fried potatoes while listening to jazzy Misia and Mika Nakashima`s songs from the computer.........thank God its Sunday...:)!

In the middle of eating, my hubby told me....`Happy Anniversary`...! Hehehe....he reminded me of our 2nd wed anniversary that we were supposed to celebrate on 13 Aug 2007...! Well, Happy Anniversary too, I said to my dear sun-burned hubby (he got sunburn yesterday because of the long exposure in Asakusa during taking Asakusa Samba Festival...hehehe!)...I hope that we stay the same, ol` couple that love each other, for many years to come....

So, this is our way of celebrating the anniversary, no candle-light dinner, no romantic poems, no nitty gritty things that supposed to be romantic...just a simple breakfast together with a wagyu beef, jazzy songs from Japanese singers, and just now....my tired husband who sleep on carpet beside me mumbling `aishiteru` from the song we hear...;)

Well, I think I will take a shower now and get ready to go to Harajuku to see another festival in Meiji Jingu Shrine..

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Be thankful for what you have today

Gue selalu menikmati saat-saat pulang kantor, driving the car all the way from the embassy in Meguro until Minami Magome...My everyday ritual, always change the CD before going home, and choose which is one I want to hear this evening..

Malem ini, gue pilih CD-nya Michael Buble yg lagu2 christmas...coz its soothing n adem aja dengernya...So, I am ready to go home...

On the way home, waktu lagi nunggu lampu merah deket jembatan tol Togoshi, tiba2 gue liat orang homeless, lagi tiduran di bawah jembatan....hanya beralaskan kantong entah apa isinya, he looks so peaceful, sama sekali gak peduli dengan lingkungan sekitarnya...Hmm...I wonder how many homeless people here in Tokyo...Such a megapolitan city, yet it has the same urban`s problems...

Setelah itu, in the next red light, tiba2 ada mobil ambulans di belakang mobil gue...Mobil gue di jalur tengah, dan sesuai dengan aturan yang seharusnya berlaku universal (termasuk di Jakarta), mobil2 di jalur kanan berjalan perlahan dan memberi jalan kepada ambulans tersebut...that is how the Tokyo people behave, and I think the people around the world should behave (which, gue yakin di Jakarta, biar kata gak macet juga pasti gak dikasih jalan tuh ambulans..!)

Melihat orang homeless, melihat ambulans yang berjalan cepat...gue jadi tersadar...apakah gue sudah cukup bersyukur dengan apa yang gue miliki selama ini dan saat ini? Apakah gue sudah cukup bersyukur, that I am healthy, have a wonderful and supportive husband, surrounded by good friends and wonderful families, have a lovely place called home, have a sometimes unexpected kind-of-job yet challenging? Have I already thankful for all of that...?

Being in this state of realization, jadi membuat gue tersadar....who I am now is because of those who support me, always...Dan seiring dengan lagu Michael Buble `I`ll Be Home for Christmas`, having seen these unfortunate people around, gue jadi terisak...jadi inget keluarga tercinta, especially those who have left me forever....my dad, my uncle, my grandpas and grandma...sedih, inget bagaimana dulu mereka selalu support gue (my dad with the Snoopy brown bag (which was costly at that time) as a present for me for being number one in elementary school..my uncle with his encouragement of saying that I have to continue my study in Japan, even until his last breath...my grandpa with his-then-annoying English conversation that push me to speak English everyday with him during watching `Dunia dalam Berita` program...my grandma with her special chicken dishes that she cooked from the backyard poultry which she owned due to my fondness of chicken....my other grandpa with his soothing smile and wisdom that he took away with him on the last day we met at the Pertamina hospital in Jakarta...

Hontou ni....I am nothing with them....Sudahkah gue bersyukur hari ini? Sudahkah gue menengadahkan tangan sebelum tidur dan memberi doa bagi mereka?

For all the things that I have ever done....I am truly truly sorry...and for all the supports that you have given me....I bow deeply and say...hontou ni arigatou gozaimashita...

Dear God....I thank you for everything...

Thank you for reminding me to always be thankful for what I have.....

Monday, August 20, 2007

Summer and Lunchtime at Meguro

There were several reasons why I hated this particular day of Monday;

1. I had to rush to the office because I was kind of forget that I had a lesson today with my private nihon go teacher, Akiko-sensei
2. Well, since today is the first day after a long weekend (because of Independence Day`s holiday on 17 August), I was so lazy to get up early in the morning..
3. As soon as I took Route 1 (the longest route in Japan that I have to go through every morning to my office), there has already a rassha--rush hour--bad traffic jam in front of Nishi Magome eki...damn...It took me almost 45 minutes to the office from the usual time of 30 minutes...
4. The cause of this bad traffic was that, Japanese people just finished their obon holiday--I`ll explain later bout this kind of holiday--so, everyone goes back to the office!
5. After finishing my lesson, I`ve got so many reply sheet for the Diplomatic Reception on 5 Sept 2007--I`ll explain it later too--aside from that, my boss asked me to do this, that, finish it today, that I can barely breath! Not to mention that I got many phone calls asking bout the invitation of that particular reception....with nihon go, sometimes I could not understand what theyre trying to say, so I have to ask them to speak slower...yukkuri hanashite moraemasen ka? Or, if I was desperate, I connected them with Yamamoto san, the local staff in Politic section (my section, later I`ll explain bout it).
5. The most important thing....the AC in my room was not working that well...! U know with 33 degrees outside...its burning! Gosh....really hate summer at this point...I hate my boss for not letting us to put another AC split in my room (he said that it wil ruin the `beauty` of the room...goddd!)

Lunchtime was coming! I called my friends, no one`s there...So, I thought I just go to the nearest convenient store (AM PM), and grab some onigiri...Ok, then...!

So, I went outside, wearing my sunglasses, n walked to the AM PM...But, wait..., suddenly I felt like I want to eat tempura at Atre Meguro (a shopping mall in Meguro Station)...I walked fast while imagining the yummy taste of my tempura...mmm.....

When I arrived there...wait....why the Soup Stock Tokyo, located in front of Atre Meguro was closed? Why those signs were shut out??? Omg....it turned out that today....out of the other day, Atre Meguro was closed....!! Damnn! Why God, whhhyyy...??!!

I was beginning to get burn, standing there in front of Atre, cursing myself (and Atre) of how dare was I decided to go all the way up to here in a hot summer day....! But not for long, I spotted that the kaiten sushi in front of Atre was not that crowded...So, I ran to kaiten sushi, and finally....ate 6 plates of my favorite sushi....hotate, chu toro, onion salmon, yaki salmon....mmm....It turned out that it was so refreshing eating sushi in the middle of the day....

So, I recommend you, kaiten sushi is the best way to ease yourself from the hot sunny day...:)

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Akihabara and `Densha Otoko`


Have you ever been to Akihabara? It is one of the most famous tourist spots in Tokyo, in which you can find zillion kind of electronic goods, any brand (u name it) and at any price...Its kind of Glodok in Jakarta, electronic center...If you have a chance to visit Japan, dont miss this place..! Aside from being famous for electronic goods mecca, Akihabara is also famously known as the Japanese anime center....In every corner you can find stores selling costumes for cosplays (I read in some news that cosplay nowadays is very famous among teenagers in Indonesia), manga (Japanese comic books-ordinary manga or hentai-not so `ordinary` one, hehe), comic figures, and Akihabara is also a nice place to hang out with your friends to just looking around people with great costumes and some girls promoting `Maid Cafes (coffee shop which all the shopgirls wear French maid-style uniforms--strange though, but I still dont understand, why maid becomes the theme of most cafes there...)

On 2005, Akihabara became more famous, thanks to the Japanese dorama titled `Densha Otoko`, in which it told a nerdy guy--in Japan its called Otaku, an anime freak who loves to visit Akihabara with his friends, otakus...:) One day, he met a beautiful girl in the train, and saved her from a pervert...They became friends, and later on, couple....What so funny bout the story is that, he is soooo nerdy and never dated a girl before, and suddenly he fell in love with this beautiful girl who was soo beyond his wildest imagination, rich--she was nicknamed Hermes, stunningly beautiful, and very kind, and what made this dorama enjoyable was that his efforts to show how much he really liked her without looking so nerdy and nervous all the time....So, in order to overcome his nervousness, he asked advises from his online friends through an MIRC look a like chatting forum...! And thanks to his Internet friends support, who always with him every step of the way, he finally could win Hermes..;)! The story line was original (coz its based on True Story in Japan), I laughed a lot (until it hurt), soo refreshing and so, so funny!

So, today I went to Akihabara with my hubby, before I never noticed these otakus, but now, when I came to Yodobashi Akiba, I spotted few of them, the otakus-shirts tucked in, high pants, always carry big backpack and one more thing...the most hilllarious one...carry a paper bag containing stuffs from their most lovable animes!!

Cant wait to have another adventure in Akihabara, thx to the Densha Otoko...;)!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Hajimemasho....

Hmm...

I dont know how to start to write in another blog...I once had one blog during my college years, never actually be written everyday (as I thought at the first time that it would be..:), and as time goes by...I thought that my life has becoming too busy and too tiring to pour my little notes on another blog...

But wait...! As we drove home, my husband and I, from a second housewarming party at my friend`s apartment in Shibaura...we chatted, and I blurted out all my thoughts bout Japan...bla...bla...bla...and how I really wanted to write something bout my daily life here....My husband then said, `well, stop talking, start writing..`, hehehe...he got the point though...:)

So, as soon as we came home, I logged in the Internet, and started....this blog...

It is just an ordinary one, just my thoughts of the day, no harm done, and...just another means to pour every imagination, every unek-unek (annoying thoughts), everyday`s news, and every hopes and dreams..:)

Ok, here we go....!

Oopss...btw, forgot to introduce myself....Well, I am living in Japan now, to be exact, in Tokyo, thats right, the megapolitan city that never sleeps (actually, almost all shops close around 8 o`clock here, well, except for the bars. restaurants, and of course, Roppongi n Kabukicho, hehe), I am happily married, but my husband will soon leave me alone here, coz he`s got accepted at a daigakuin, to study again in different city (still in Japan though...), no children, yet, still trying, hehe...!

My job, hmm...is one of the oldest job in the world (as they say)...It goes back to the time during the post signing of Westphalia Treaty, in which it formed what we called a `country`, and created the term international relations between countries in the world...So, in order to make that relations run smoothly, countries sent their envoys, their trusted people to each of the countries...so, here I am in Japan...trying to make the relations between Indonesia and Japan run smoothly...well, at first that is how I thought my job will be....however, it turned out to be another story, I`ll tell u later...:)

Ok, since the time is running out (by means its getting late), nemui ne...so sleepy...
Jya ne, thats all for now....douzo, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu...:)

Oyasuminasai....