A Friendship

Just got back from Jakarta...

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, after a heavy cleaning of my room, I started to think that I have to write something on `friendship`, as I learnt a lot from it within past few months. So, here I am, sitting in front of my computer, while listening to old songs from Michael Buble, and sipping a cup of coffee, I start to write about something (or someone?) that inspires me a lot..:)

I, or to be exact, we have new friend. He is a (very) junior diplomat from my office, just finished his diplomatic training, and got an internship at our embassy in Tokyo for 3 (three) months. Before coming, he has contacted me through emails, asking about this and that, advices and suggestions. On the day of his arrival, I was the one who picked him up at the airport. At first, nothing special, just another of my junior (I thought..:)). I noticed that he is tall and well built, and the first thing that came up to my mind...hmm...boleh juga buat ngangkut-ngangkut kalo ada acara di wisma or di lobi...:)! Well, dont blame me, we all girls at the embassy, the only guy among the `kesets` is only Yudho, and he has already so many works to do. The first impression about him, nice kid and...quite (which turns out to be totally wrong...)

So, we arrived at the embassy, and I introduced him to Yudho, since I thought, well, it is a time for a man-to-man bonding between him and Yudho:). At that time, I was still very occupied with many guests that come and go every week, and I have to even spent the weekend to take care of those `rombengan`. I did not really pay attention to the new guy, until one day I realized that I have not treated him to some place to eat. It is a kind of tradition that you treat the juniors to go somewhere to eat. So, I asked Rima when will be the good time to treat the new guy.

The four of us-me, RIma, Yudho and Kiki (the new guy) went to a restaurant near our office to have a dinner together, we chatted and chatted, and shared many stories. Like I said, he was nice, and fun to talk to. He can always come up with any topics, so there were no silent moment among us. After that day, if we had chance, we went dinner together, or lunch together, usually with other girls, or with Yudho, and we became friends. I introduced him to my husband and my sister in-law, and in instant time, he also became close with them.

As time goes by, he turned out to be very talkactive, funny, laugh a lot, talk a lot. Some people at the embassy even considered him as a comedian, not as a diplomat. He is funny, nice to everyone and never differentiate people. He even made friend with a person at the embassy that I have never wanted to be acquinted..:) That is such a rare quality, considering that many staffs think that we, diplomats, always consider ourselves higher than them. By seeing him, I could not stop thinking, how come he can be that nice to everyone..:)? But I began to learn something from him, that it is no harm in saying `hi` to everyone, that it is no harm in doing good things to everyone.

Another thing that I learn from him, he is always helpful to everyone, and always doing his job properly and as fast as he could. When I had guests that I have to taken care of, I asked him to accompany me to Asakusa, and to have dinner with them. He accompanied me and helped me a lot in taking care of those guests, and that I really appreciated it. Other time, he accompanied me to the airport to take care of the family of Mbak Tika. I did not ask for that, but he voluntarily accompanied me, and that I really appreciated it. He took care of us, the girls, without any reservations, and that is something.

He is also the one who can be with everyone, he is a good listener, he listened to everyone, and he paid attention to what we are trying to say..There is a time that we just need to be listened to, and there is other time that we really need an advice, and he can be at those time..He opened up to some of us, and in return, I finally can open up to him, to tell him my past that I hide from my other friends (even from my longtime bestfriends). I did not know what made me put so much faith on him, but I just know that I could always share my thoughts, my fears and my happiness to him as my bestfriend.

We went together to many places, and we enjoyed each and every moment of it. Many sleepovers, my place, Rima`s place, the girls sometime joined the sleepovers, spent the nights talking, gossiping, laughing, and sometimes eating..:). I have never experienced that kind of thing ever since my graduate time at Niigata. It was so much fun and so memorable, that reminds me of how close we are and how I could not forget such wonderful times together.

Our bonds became much closer when we had to take care one of our friend who is hospitalized due to some illness. At that time, we were the ones who found her in real pain, I could not forget how worried he was when he was asked to buy some medicine for her...how worried we were when we forced her to go to hospital with us... So many nights that I ended up worrying, so many nights that I ended up crying...During that hard times, he is always beside me, giving me a shoulder to cry on, helping me to take care many things...I know I could not ask my friends as they had already many things to do, but he is always there to lend me any assistance, to give me helps more than I could ever ask for.... I could never forget how I was so stressed out, how I cried so much in the car, he was beside me, trying to calm me...I could never forget how he dragged Rima to my apartment late at night, just because he was worried about me after coming back from the hospital...I truly, truly cause him so much trouble...but I really, really touched by that...and for that, I could never say enough thanks..I have found my bestfriend...

I learned a lot from this. Yes, friendship can be made overnight...Yes, a true and long-lasting friendship can be made within 3 months...I now believe that..:). He came with no reservations, he is nice and sincere, and maybe that helps a lot to create such bond, such friendship which I always treasure...It is funny how life can lead us to this...yet, it is remarkable how life can give us such wonderful friends..

I have never told this to everyone, but you know, within those couple months I actually felt that I have lost my longtime bestffriend, my friend since college. She has become distant and has changed into another person which I barely know...On that couple months, she has done something that hurt me, and made me sad...But within that months also, God has given me another bestfriend who has helped me through one of my hardest time in life, whom I can count on...so that I could stay strong, stay as who I am now...

Thank you for coming into my life, Dek...

Count what you have now, dont count what you dont have..:)

I wasnt relly paying attention to that title of the song...

Until

Beautiful movies

Sigh....

I spent these two days watching romantic movies, chick flick romances, such as `The Jane Austen Book Club`, `Only You`, `Serendipity`...among many....I really, really do love those movies, with happy endings and a little bit unrealistic...but can happen in real life..:)!

I guess mine is also like those in chick flick movies, of course, the story of how I met my husband...Well, its like in those kind of stories, in which the girl (in this case, me), never expects to meet someone in a strange, unique way, and to fall in love with that person....just like that, just like a snap of a finger....Never realized that he is the one, until you feel something inside you that makes you realize you want to be with him, forever...

I met my husband through the internet, we chatted, chatted, talked over the phone, so many times...never saw each other until, well 3 months afterwards, in Tokyo.......Its not a romantic city, but yet, to me at that time, Tokyo in the heat of the summertime can be the most romantic city in the world...:)

The first time I met him, I was like....wow....laughed inside my heart (in a nice way of course)...I was laughing at myself, of course not at him, cause he turned out as the way I expected...I was laughing at how I can be in this state of madness, madly enough to meet a stranger in the middle of the busy life of Tokyo....

But then, when we held hands, at that moment I realized that...he is the one....If someone asked me, how come I be so sure? Well, there is no answer for that, to tell the truth...I myself didnt understand what force can put me in such situation....I just happened to know that, he is the one, he is the one that I choose to spend my life with....On that day, in the front of Akihabara station, he held my hand, and asked me `will you be my wife?`....just like that...:) It was, of course, beyond the real proposal, like months after that, but to me, that one in Akihabara certainly expressed how his feeling for me...

4 years after we meet, we still together, still the same me and my husband, still share the love that we have.....

So, if you ask me, is he your perfect one? My answer is, he is not perfect (like me), but he surely is the ONE....:)

Another farewell

...I hate saying goodbye...

This morning, I and my husband and our friend Kik, drove our best friend, Miguel to the Narita Airport. He will go back to Mexico after studying in E-biz IUJ with my hubby. Before leaving, he stays in our place for like, 2 weeks, he is such a funny guy, warm, kind and easy to get close to everyone. That is why when he's leaving, everyone wanted to bid farewell to him to the airport, but since there are only 5 people can fit into our car, so, just the three of us, and Miguel.

Miguel has become a close friend to my hubby, and in these past weeks, to me. That is why, it feels so sad when saying goodbye to him, he almost couldnt keep himself from crying. In these moments I suddenly remembered how it reminds me when I had to say goodbye to my dear friends from IUJ.

Yup, life in IUJ is something that is very precious to us.

IUJ has given us a bond of friendship, which we cant find in any other places in big cities in Japan. Its so precious that our friends can truly be our family, that shares laughs, happiness, sadness and tears. Its so precious that no classes can give any lesson on how to make good friends, on how to form a bond of friendship.

That is why, I hate the moment like this, the moment that you have to really say "sayonara", "goodbye", to your dear friend, that you know there is little chances to meet again, somewhere, somehow. However, to knowing that your friend can say to you " You always have a home in Mexico" or any other parts of the world, makes you so happy, and so grateful that you can be so blessed with friends, in any parts of the world. It makes you realize that, no matter what, you are having true friends, in good and bad times, in needs and indeed..

Bye Miguel, have a safe trip, and please noted that you also have a home, here in Japan and in Indonesia..

Merenung sejenak

While sitting in front of my computer, at home, I suddenly feel so....blessed...
Listening to the voice of Andrea Brocelli singing `Amapola` brings an overwhelming feeling inside me...

Today, just now, I feel so, very lucky....

I have a great husband, great family, surrounded by great friends, great bosses...I live in one of the biggest city in the world with a very low criminal rate....What you couldve asked for

Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you`ll gonna get...

22 Februari 2008
09.30 pagi - Narita Airport

Lagi sibuk mendorong2 koper Louis Vuitton Monogram cabin size kepunyaannya Aa Gyn (red. Ginanjar Kartasasmita) kesana kesini, tiba2 hape gue berdering beberapa kali. G liat, ternyata Atri yang telp. Gak gue angkat, karena g juga musti konsen ngeliatin Pak Dubes n Ibu yg lagi jalan2 diseputaran kawasan omiyage nemenin Aa Gyn n istrinya.

Hape g berdering lagi...sampe bbrp kali lagi, g liat lagi, Atori.., haduh...g langsung feeling gak enak, karena si Atri gak mungkin telepon pagi2, di hari kerja, kalo gak ada apa2...Yaudah, sambil nggeret2 koper, g cari tempat agak pojokan (yg bisa sambil ngeliatin pergerakan dubes n okyakusama), g angkat telpon

Me : Tri, ada apa, g lagi di Narita nganter Aa Gyn ma babe

Atri : Me, alhamdullilah, g lulus interview n diterima kerja di AEON Corporation as Management Trainee (MT) (red. AEON Co. adalah salah satu perusahaan retail Jepang terbesar yg salah satu cabangnya itu JUSCO Dept Store)

Me : Oh yaahh? Alhamdulillah....aduuh aku seneng banget dengernya...! Jadi gimana, kamu kapan mulai kerja?

Atri : Abis lulus kuliah ntar, mungkin sekitar bulan September 2008, tp aku musti ganti paspor diplomatik dulu dsb, dan ada kemungkinan aku ditempatin gak di Tokyo, tp ntar bisa diliat lagi kok, karena mereka tau kamu kerja di Tokyo.

Atri : Me, gimana, aku ambil gak kerjaan ini? Mereka kasih aku wkt sebulan utk jawab...Kamu gimana? Karir kamu gimana ntar kalo aku ambil? Berarti kan aku di Jepang jadinya...

Me : Tri, udah, ambil aja, soal karir aku, hehehe...liat ntar aja lah. Kan aku bisa ambil S-3 ato gimana, udah jgn pikirin aku, pokoknya ini kesempatan kamu, just take it! Kan gantian, kamu dulu udah give up kerjaan kamu buat aku, mgkn skrg giliran aku. Kedepannya, kita liat aja nanti yah, as always.....

Atri : Gitu ya Me, hmm...yaudah ntar kita bicarain lagi yah...Thanx for giving me the chance...Lop u , udah tuh urusin si Aa Gyn n Pa Dubes, ntar mereka cari2 kamu lagi, hehehehe!

Me : Lop u too, hehe, ok de, kebetulan si babe dah ngelirik2 ke arah gue neh, eh, dah melotot2, bukan ngelirik2 lagi, hehehe! Daaaahh! ati2...


Seraya mendorong2 koper dan mendekati Pa Dubes n Aa Gyn, gue gak henti2nya mengucap syukur....alhamdulillah...G seneng Atri mendapat kesempatan yang lebih baik lagi, dan g seneng, kerja keras Atri finally paid off...:)

Hmm...I guess this will be another step of my life...Kaidan wa Atori to issho ni mou hitotsu noborimasu...

Indeed, when you `open` it, life is like a box of chocolate, elo gak akan pernah tau `flavour` apa yang akan elo makan, but it`s interesting, and to be sure, full of challenges..!

New Year`s Resolution

Its 2008

Another year to be spent in Japan....Kalo diitung2, gue udah 4 taun spent NY`s Eve di Jepang...hmmm....gak kerasa yah....!

However, gue gak pernah bikin NY`s resolution...so, I think I might be making some wishes for this year...to remind me for what I have not done, and for what I want to accomplish...

My New Year`s Resolutions:

1. To love and to take care of my hubby much much more
2. To care bout my family much much more
3. To go on with the baby program
4. To learn about Japan (and its politics) much much more
5. To seriously work for my country
6. To study harder for the preparation for taking Ph.D after the posting
7. To stop my bad habit (excessive shopping, bad mood)
8. To improve myself in any aspects
9. To enjoy Japan much much more (develop my photography skill, watch Japanese drama and music, learn Japanese culture, go around Tokyo in weekends and discover many aspects of Tokyo that I love)
10. To study Japanese much much much more (motto motto benkyou suru yoooo!)