Mis-reacting/Over-reacting. Gah! What's Wrong with You, People??!

(I'm bringing this post up from the grave, cause the situation still happens recently).

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Elo lagi nonton di bioskop. Terus elo dapet pengalaman seperti di bawah ini:

WATCH OUT FOR SPOILER!! Gue ga nulis judul filmnya deh.

Matt Damon nangis tergugu-gugu di pelukan Robin Williams. Penonton ketawa. (gue mengernyitkan kening)

Salah seorang wanita gemuk berkulit hitam menangis waktu dia mendapat kabar kalo suaminya tewas di medan perang. Penonton ketawa. (gue mo nangis).

Lilo menangis dan dengan suaranya yang imut bilang kalo dia disamakan dengan kelinci? Penonton ketawa. (gue nangis).

Suster Ngesot muncul di dalam kamar si cewek. Penonton ketawa. (gue setengah mati ketakutan).

Mandy Moore nyanyi di atas panggung teater. Penonton diem aja melongo. (gue mo nangis).

Mandy Moore nyeritain tentang penyakitnya ke Shane West. Penonton mo nangis ato udah nangis. (gue diem aja melongo).

Dakota Fanning tercengang di pinggir sungai. Penonton heboh ketawa. (gue ga bisa ngomong apa-apa).

Tom Cruise nyoba nyanyiin lagu nina bobo buat anaknya. Penonton ketawa. (gue nangis).

Rizky Hanggono ketawa di depan dokternya. Penonton ketawa. (gue mengernyitkan kening, tapi gue tau seharusnya gue nangis).

Dian Sastro ditarik masuk ke kamar dan dicium. Penonton ribut. (gue bingung ngedengerin penonton ribut).

Dian Sastro bilang kangen sama Eyang. Penonton diem aja. (gue diem-diem .. tes tes .. menetes airmataku).

Film-film animasi seperti Shark Tale atau Madagascar. Penonton ketawa ato melongo ga ngerti. (gue ketawa sampe muka gue pegel-pegel).

Film animasi seperti The Incredibles. Penonton tepok tangan sambil loncat-loncat di tempat duduk. (gue senyum aja, cukup lah).

Itu cuma sebagian contoh aja. Can you see the pattern? Kenapa sometimes penonton ga bisa memberikan reaksi yang tepat terhadap adegan-adegan film yang ditontonnya? Mungkin yang paling susah ditebak itu sense of humor. Gue juga masih bisa ngerti kalo ada penonton yang ga gampang tersentuh nonton adegan-adegan sedih .. karena ya pasti, hal-hal yang bisa menyentuh perasaan itu relatif banget, tergantung masing-masing orang juga. Tapi kalo penonton memberikan reaksi yang jelas-jelas berlawanan .. misalnya ketawa heboh pas liat adegan nangis atau pas liat adegan yang seharusnya memberikan perasaan nggak nyaman (disturbing scenes) .. ini siapa yang bisa bertanggung jawab ya? Pembuat film atau aktor yang ga bisa men"deliver" scene-nya secara tepat, atau penontonnya yang kurang peka?

Beberapa penonton, entah karena malu atau jaga image di dalam studio .. menutupi dan menghalau rasa sedihnya dengan tertawa (seperti si Rizky itu loo ..). Dan jelas-jelas gue denger di studio Ungu Violet ada yang ketawa ngikik-ngikik ke temen nontonnya sambil bilang "Aduuhh .. gue sedih nih". Tau nggak sih kalo reaksi mereka itu sangat-sangat mengganggu suasana? Kalo emang mesti nangis, ya nangis aja. Wajar kan? Mereka ketawa malah gue kira mereka sinting. Sampai detik ini juga gue masih ga bisa memaafkan penonton yang ketawa waktu ngeliat mayat mengambang di War of the Worlds. Tense dari adegan itu nyaris musnah sampe ke titik nol hanya gara-gara tawa penonton yang ga pada tempatnya. What now? Apa mereka juga lagi nyoba nutupin ketakutannya dengan ketawa seperti orang gila? Daaaaaaaaaaaammmmnnnnn!

Satu "trend" lagi yang gue baca dari penonton-penonton film Indonesia. Kenapa mereka ga bisa meng-handle adegan-adegan romantis di depan mata mereka? Ada yang ciuman, ribut "Cieeee ..". Ada yang nyerempet-nyerempet dikit, ribut "Ceileeee .." Why can't they just shut up, and sit tight? Apa mereka jengah ngeliat aktor-aktris Indonesia sedikit lebih berani dalam mengeksplorasi adegan romantis? Kenapa mereka ga memberikan reaksi yang sama waktu nonton adegan sejenis di film-film Hollywood? Norak banget deh. Sorry to say. Kampungan. Bete gue. Kayak yang ga pernah liat orang ciuman sama pelukan aja.

Gue sendiri termasuk salah satu di antara penonton yang kadang memberikan reaksi ga cocok .. tapi ga pernah sampe ekstrim, dan gue yakin ga akan pernah sampe mengganggu karena gue ga pernah menutupi apa yang gue rasakan terhadap adegan-adegan tersebut dengan mengeluarkan emosi yang berlawanan dan berlebihan secara OUT LOUD!

Ato jangan-jangan ga ada yang salah sama mereka .. jangan-jangan gue yang ngaco .. mungkin lain kali gue mestinya ketawa aja pas ada adegan pemakaman. Huahahahaahahah.

That's one. Yeap. Gue masih punya uneg-uneg. Satu lagi, ga banyak.

Buat yang sering nonton di bioskop sendirian .. pernah nerima tatapan aneh dari penonton-penonton di sekitar elo? Gue, sering. Tapi baru kemaren gue denger ada yang berbisik ke temennya "Psstt .. nontonnya sendirian" pas ngeliat gue nyelinap di antara kursi-kursi mereka. 'Mang napa? Gue nonton sendirian ga minta mereka bayarin kok. Gue juga ga ganggu mereka seperti mereka ganggu gue dengan cekikikannya itu. My friend once said, kalo jalan sendirian di shopping mall masih oke. Tapi kalo nonton sendirian di bioskop .. ?? .. Sama aja kan. Jalan di mal, makan, nonton .. sendirian .. ga ada bedanya. Of course, gue tau nonton rame-rame itu fun .. lebih fun daripada nonton sendirian. Tapi gue ga jadiin itu menjadi batasan gue buat menikmati film kapanpun dan dimanapun gue mau. Gue, kalo mesti nungguin rombongan buat nonton di bioskop .. bisa berapa banyak film yang kelewat? Yang rugi gue sendiri kan? Yang penting gue bisa enjoying time by myself. Don't you know that a time for ourselves .. a time of privacy .. is precious? Gue malah kesian sama mereka-mereka yang ga berani nonton di bioskop sendirian (atau jalan-jalan di mall .. atau makan sendirian) .. tanpa bawa-bawa temen. Ga pede kan? Ga comfort kan? Am I over-reacting on this thing? Mereka duluan sih.

Furthermore, that particular friend of mine said this to me, "You're unique. Err .. no. Weird". I'm taking it as a compliment.

That's two. And that's all for today.

What Makes a Great Movie?

What are the ingredients to go into making a great movie?
*ngantri di deli, nungguin juru masak lagi bikin sandwich*

A catchy score
*pengamen jalanan lagi niup terompet*

A spectacular location
*jalan di antara pameran pesawat terbang*

Dramatic lighting
*jalan di bawah jembatan double-decker yang ditembus sinar matahari*

Compelling dialogues
*ngobrol sama tukang jualan makanan "But I know we're not here alone, it's gotta be something out there. It's definitely something out there. I've seen it"*

Love
*anak kecil lagi gendong bulldog*

Conflict
*tanda "OPEN" sama "CLOSE" dipasang bareng di pintu toko. orang latihan karate*

Mystery
*nemu sepasang sepatu tak bertuan di trotoar. tepuk tangan bareng-bareng sopir taksi sambil ngeluarin bunyi-bunyian lucu*

Drama
*nyamperin anjing kecil lucu, malah jadinya hampir digigit*

Witty one-liners
*nenek tua sambil nyetir nanya "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" .. dijawab "You gotta practice, lady, you gotta practice"* (note: Carnegie Hall itu semacam gedung kesenian, jadi si nenek mau nanya arah, malah disuruh latihan biar bisa tampil di sana)

Special effects
*snow globe yang diguncang-guncang, jadi saljunya pada turun*

A chase sequence
*mobil lagi ngejar orang naik sepeda*

Clear direction
*ngikutin grafiti bergambar tanda panah gede bertulisan "ONE WAY"*

An underlined message
*berdiri di depan bioskop yang masang judul film cuma berupa huruf-huruf berantakan*

Something to shoot it with ..
*mamerin Nokia N93*

.. at a leading man
*nunjuk diri sendiri, terus mulai bergaya di depan lensa*

All the worlds are stage, and all the men and women merely players
*berdiri di tengah kerumunan orang-orang yang lagi jalan*

- NOW YOU CAN TELL YOUR STORIES IN DVD-LIKE QUALITY. NOKIA N93. THE NEXT STORY IN VIDEO.-

And cut!
*juru masak motong daging pake golok*

It is the best mobile phone ad I'd ever caught on television. Love, love Gary Oldman!

Silence

Love the way this clip was made. The colour is warm, beautiful. Almost contains all my fave scenes.

I'm Lost in Translation, Google Got Me Giggling!

So I played with the Google Toolbar and tried to translate one of my old post. This is one proof that Indonesian language is difficult. Or is it just MY language?

If you got dizzy reading this, please click here to read the original post and here to read the review.

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The story of Revenge of the Sith (SPOILER!! SPOILER!)

Create a mo ga dapet bomb belom spoiler or a movie .. stay away from this post! As far as you can.

Music John Williams began.

Around the first twenty minutes .. war in the galaxy. Obi-Wan Kenobi in one plane, Anakin Skywalker in one other plane. They fight anyone, gue ga tau. Yes robots and aircraft so. ngebebasin mo Keep a captive Count Dooku. ngeh Person gue ga .. I think Senator Palpatine deh. Count Dooku slashed his hand, continued to die.

Udah nih. Ga old .. them to the valley what gitu, ga tau name. Faced as the General says his name .. tuh droid was a big, weird shaped like a spider's legs. The droids are a hobby of the Jedi lightsaber ngumpulin killed. So when he ngelawan Obi-Wan, boloney pake lightsabernya multiple bener .. diputer on the left and right hand front and back like a helicopter propeller. siiiiiiihhhh Cool .. heheh .. but ga effects, losing also. must dong. The evil is always defeated.

Abis it, Obi-Wan as Anakin come home. Area of tau ga what his name. Sempet They both act like a woman who seneng reciprocated the praise of one another. Ciiiiihh. To be greeted as Padmé Anakin is again pregnant. It turned out that they've married without the consent of others. (there's Emangnya, kalo ga pregnant women questioned it? Kali aja pregnant because droids = p). Smell it, smell here .. there pelok, pelok here .. throwing an expression of love .. cheesy. Anakin interrupted as a bad dream, premonition dapet Padmé dying during childbirth. Then also the situation in the environment of the Jedi Master Counselor and less comfortable, because they believe the same ga Anakin. Anakin received included in the board, but given his master's degree ga. Disappointed lah him.

Anakin given the task of spying for Senator Palpatine. Sampe continue ketauan same si Senator Anakin is turned Sith, since he moved to ditawarin dark side and learn the dark force created to save Padmé. Ngasih tau Anakin Mace Windu, and at that time believed the same Mace Windu Anakin. Mace Windu dateng nangkep Senator Palpatine mo .. fight both at the edge of the glass window .. Senators advance the science of the Mace got turned into scary sampe .. his eyes became red, his skin so wrinkles .. fit he would be killed, Anakin dateng who want Senator ga die because he still hoped his wife could be saved. Finally a hit, yes the Mace. his Lightsaber Anakin attacked off .. kept him thrown out the window by the Senator.'s over history (except for her reply magic fly). Direct actions show deh kalo udah Anakin official switch to dark side, and officially became king of the dark pupils. Anakin given the name Darth Vader. Senator Palpatine hood wearing .. and .. jeng jeng jeng .. it's the Darth Sideous, the hooded men who have been the ruler of darkness.

And began the resurrection of Sith. Uprising and the murder occurred everywhere. Dibunuhin Jedi .. small children who are still learning to become a Jedi as Anakin dibunuhin also cool with the hood and his eyes shining like a cat hit the lights. ketauan of security holograms, Obi-Wan, Anakin realized kalo udah moved to dark side. He ngasih tau Padmé, but Padmé ga believe. Obi-Wan so that children know that children conceived Anakin padme. Padmé Anakin catch up to the valley where so .. continue to own ngeliat reply this is the Anakin've changed. Pas ngeliat Anakin Obi-Wan on his boat follow-up nyelundup padme, padme treason he thought Obi-Wan ngajak nyelakain for him. padme sampe strangled unconscious.

Continued .. war, war, and war. ngelawan Darth Yoda Sideous where so .. but lost, and fled as Chewbacca. ngelawan Obi-Wan, Anakin in the valley who've turned into a crater full of lava. Berantemnya lhoo style .. pake show up in pieces of metal which floats on a river of lava .. ga over-done, sampe finally hands and feet together ketebas Anakin his lightsaber Obi-Wan. Anakin slowly sank into the river of lava. Sideous sampe Darth time to the site, he is still nemuin idup Anakin, but the whole body've angus fire. Euw. finally taken, surgery or repair so, given tools for breath, given the hands and feet of iron, given armor .. and given an iron mask. Eng ing eng .. Be Darth Vader as you're familiar. Dikasih Padmé die kalo .. nah .. who killed who come on now?

Padmé seabis emang strangled, she was taken to the hospital or whatever his name, and gave birth there. Padme die abis childbirth. He said because he's too ga've had a zest for life. Ceile. Before dying, he sempet ngasih names twin boys. The boys Luke, a girl Leia. And for some reason, I listened ga .. possible for the security aspect times ye .. they both have to be separated. Finally Leia given to the prince who looks like Lionel Richie (think of the many traitors, he was the one who was faithful in the area), because the prince and his wife is dah lama pengen have kids. To Obi - Wan took Luke to the homelands in the desert .. similar to the house of eskimo igloo was lho (instead of a desert tent, instead there igloos?) .. there was anyone so, husband and wife as well .. Luke handed over to them for care of.

And the movie was over. Music of John Williams began.



)-->----- Did you know my reply was not a fan of Star Wars? So this is my style of talking about Star Wars. Heheheheheehehe ..

Ice Castles

as posted in CineFriends

Pernah dengar lagu "Through the Eyes of Love"? Gue pertama kali nemuin lagu ini di partitur piano gue belasan tahun yang lalu, dengan embel-embel "Theme from Ice Castles". Gue langsung jatuh cinta sama nadanya yang manis dan melankolis. Langsung gue cari kasetnya, ketemu yang versi Nikka Costa. Wuaa .. gue jadi lebih suka lagi, karena liriknya romantis banget. Walaupun masih belum terbersit di pikiran gue untuk mencari filmnya, lagu ini udah menjadi favorit gue sepanjang masa.

Sampai suatu siang, gue denger nyanyian lagu ini keluar dari TV di rumah gue .. suara Melissa Manchester .. gue ngintip TV gue dan gue nemuin di layar tergambar sebentuk siluet sedang menari di atas es, di tengah hutan yang berkabut. It was Ice Castles ! Nggak pake tanya-tanya, gue langsung cari kaset video kosong, nyalain player .. rekam .. dan gue duduk nonton dengan manis .. undisturbed .. sampai film selesai. Hasil rekaman gue bagus, cuma karena mulainya telat .. prolog-nya hilang. Gue nggak bosan-bosan nonton rekaman gue itu berulang kali, dan menular ke adik gue dan kakak gue (sampai sekarang, adik gue masih inget bener sama ni film, sedangkan kakak gue .. "Through the Eyes of Love" adalah salah satu dari sedikit lagu yang dia ingat dengan baik dan benar). Bahkan bokap gue sempat tertarik buat duduk nonton sebentar, demi nemenin anak-anaknya yang seakan terpaku di depan televisi ..

Yang bikin gue suka dari Ice Castles itu .. lagunya, tariannya, saljunya, ceritanya .. ice skating is always my favourite sport. Ever. Gue nggak akan melewatkan film-film yang mengangkat olahraga ini sebagai tema atau latar belakang. Tapi sampai saat ini, gue belum bisa nemuin film ice-skating seindah Ice Castles. Menyaksikan Alexis Winston menari dengan kenangan lagu kesukaan ibunya .. it brought the tears in my eyes. Dan gue juga nangis waktu kaset rekaman gue itu hilang entah kemana .. ada yang minjem nggak bilang-bilang, damn it! Adik gue juga ikut merasakan kekecewaan akibat lenyapnya film gue, sampai dia memberanikan diri menelepon Disc Tarra yang waktu itu hanya ada di Hayam Wuruk, buat nyari. Dari Disc Tarra dapat info kalo film itu film lama, dan mereka hanya punya format LD. Malah ditawarin, kalo mau bawa aja kaset video kosong, nanti bisa direkamin di sana (kacau, berarti emang bajak-membajak itu udah lama banget berakar di sini .. terutama di daerah Glodok dan sekitarnya .. hehe ..). Ya, namanya juga anak-anak, siapa juga yang berani pergi kesana buat ngerekam? Jadi akhirnya, direlakan deh kepergian Ice Castles dari koleksi rekaman gue.

Film ini juga yang menjadi alasan pertama gue buat menetapkan niat beli DVD player, walaupun itu harus dibayar dengan penantian waktu tanpa batas. Karena gue liat Ice Castles dipajang di Disc Tarra dalam bentuk DVD. Yeah .. gue nggak sabar mau beli .. berapa pun harganya .. gue nggak sabar mau nonton lagi setelah sekian tahun gue nunggu. Gue hanya berharap, mudah-mudahan penantian gue dipercepat dengan keluarnya film ini dalam bentuk VCD. (update: now of course I have the DVD player and the DVD! Had to look high and low for it since it was an old movie, so I got it from Disc Tarra online store).

Dinominasikan sebagai lagu terbaik dalam ajang Golden Globe dan Academy Awards tahun 1980, setiap kali gue mendengar lagu ini:

Please, don't let this feeling end
It's everything I am
Everything I wanna be
I can see what's mine now
Finding out what's true
Since I've found you
Looking through the eyes of love

Now, I can take the time
I can see my life
As it comes up shining now
Reaching out to touch you
I can see so much
Since I've found you
Looking through the eyes of love

Now, I do believe
That even in the storm, we'll find some light
Knowing you're beside me
I'm alright

Please, don't let this feeling end
It might not come again
And I want to remember
How it feels to know you
How I feel so much
Since I've found you
Looking through the eyes of love

Gue teringat akan kenangan gue semasa kecil .. and how the time has flown so fast ..

Full House

Click here.

I'm Addicted To: Coca-Cola

I hear "Osteoporosis". But you know what, I'll worry about that later. Cause I love coca-cola. Much more than plain water. It's not good, I know, I know. Been trying to reduce it, but can't help it. When it comes to thirst, it's my ultimate fuel. You can't beat the feeling. It's the real thing. Seriously.

The following video is my favourite of this season:

(Holidays are coming, 'tis the season
Watch out, look around
Something's coming, coming to town)

There's a feeling in the air
Has the city streets all turned into a winter wonderland?
All the trees are shining bright
You can hear the sleighbell's ringing as the snow begins to fall
It's a wonderful, unbelievable
Such a beautiful time to spend with you
So incredible, all the loving we share
It's the moment all emotional
It's a mix of all feeling that we have
So predictable, Christmas time is here ..

(Can't you see it shining bright
Holiday refreshment's what we bring
'Tis the season, it's always the real thing)

p.s.:
I have tasted Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Vanilla, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero & Diet Coke.

p.s.s.:
No, Coca-Cola company doesn't pay me a cent for this blog.

A Love to Kill

Click here to see my favourite scene

I'm Addicted To: Salmon Sashimi

Never get enough of it. I think I was a bear in my previous life.

How or where to get it:
Look for any restaurant that has the word "SUSHI" written on the name.

My Confession

Heard this song first time from Tarra Megastore at Mal Taman Anggrek years ago. It was playing in their Jazz Room. With a great accoustic, it caught my attention instantly.

Gotta love the spanish touch in it. It's very easy to listen, very romantic in melody and lyrics. It has a kind of soothing effect, I can never feel bored playing it over and over again. Imagine listening to this while having a candle-lit dinner with my loved one, only the two of us.

Click to see video (Exclusive on Facebook)

My most favourite Josh Groban's song. Too bad it's overlooked.

Mobile Posting

see how this goes. Aaa no font setting and I can never find the ENTER key on my mobile keypad.

Merry Christmas!

I'm Addicted to: Watching My Son Sleeps

He always looks so peaceful .. and so cute while he's sleeping. A devilish energizer bunny turns into an angel.

The following video is created by Evariny Andriana, excerpted from National Geographic "In the Womb". I just thought I would like to share it here.

Saat engkau tertidur
Kupandangi wajahmu
Masih ingin ku mendekapmu
Masih ingin ku menciummu
Tak pernah kusadari
Waktu cepat berlalu
Kini engkau menjadi besar
Kini engkaulah harapanku
Tumbuh, tumbuhlah anakku
Raihlah cita-citamu
Jangan pernah engkau ragu, Sayang
Doaku selalu bersamamu
Membuat aman di hidupmu
Selamanya…

("Anakku" - Vina Panduwinata)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mathieu!

December

Hot Shot

This Taiwan series is hilarious. Alan Luo is so comical. Jerry Yan is so handsome. Wu Zun .. well .. he's Wu Zun .. as cool as always. Love this opening credit. Very nicely edited and tight in pace.

Moulin Rouge! - Come What May

Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Everyday I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time
Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
And there's no mountain too high, no river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide
But I love you until the end of time
Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Oh come what may, come what may
I will love you

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place...

Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Click here to read my review on Nicole Kidman
and here to watch Moulin Rouge! clips on Youtube

Mars

This Day .. Seven Years Ago

Printed on our wedding invitation: Khalil Gibran's "Terpujilah cinta yang mampu mengisi kesepian manusia, dan mengakrabkan hatinya dengan hati manusia lain."

The invitation was printed only on one sheet of paper. A touch of pink font on pale-yellow paper, the same shade of the colour of my wedding gown. You wouldn't find any symbols of gift, flower and money on the invitation. Sorry, this was not a multiple-choice test and we didn't want to rob our guests.

We spread out 150 invitations, for 300 guests minimum. (You know, our culture could allow a guest that came with a partner, four children and four babysitters. Or he/she could bring the whole family along without any invitation at all). These 150 were divided into 50 names for groom's relatives, 50 names for bride's relatives, 25 names for groom's friends, 25 names for bride's friends. And since the bride and groom had the same friends, mostly, we could give spare invitations for our relatives. O we were so generous.

I printed our matrimonial program books and souvenir cards by myself. Talking about stealing working hours and abusing office facilities.

Our souvenirs were toothpick holders, two kinds. We'd like to encourage our guests to always prepare for toothpicks and have a clean teeth after meals. Probably on our 50th anniversary (amen to that), our souvenirs will be dental floss holder.

Because my parents' house was so full with people, there was not enough room to sleep. So I spent my last night of being single, sleeping together with my older sister, in my new house, one block away. The house that would soon be my staying place as a married woman.

At 8 a.m. in my house, D-Day morning, my brother was busy looking for his pants, my mother got panicked because my brother couldn't find his pants .. and I, I was having my breakfast, still wearing my pajamas, had no comment on any missing pants or whatsoever.

My wedding gown was an off-shoulder, strapless, pale yellow (some said it's creme, some said it's white, I didn't care who's colour blind). A simple empire cut, full of lace and crystal beads, with a detachable train. When my mom's helping me to wear it, she couldn't zip it. Then she got panicked again, "We're dead, it's too tight. What are we gonna do?". Then I said "Relax, it will fit. Zip it slowly." I loved my gown, and apparently the gown loved me too. It fit. See, I told ya, Ma. I preferred it to be tight rather than having a wardrobe malfunction later on.

My hand bouquet was a bunch of purple calla lilies. Long stems, tied up with white ribbon.

I borrowed my wedding shoes from my younger sister.

My dad got trouble breathing. Another panic attack? No. His heart chose a very good timing to act-up. My father-in-law also got sick, he was vomiting since early morning. Seems like he stayed up until very late the night before, because he had to entertain many relatives and guests that came to congratulate him and his son for the upcoming wedding. Too excited, too anxious .. or simply I put the blame on the relatives who're too stupid to understand that sleep was i-m-p-o-r-t-a-n-t before the big day. So, both of our dads were admitted to the hospital's emergency room. On our wedding day.

Our wedding car was a mercedes. The driver was a friend of my groom. My instruction to him: "Could we reach Kelapa Gading in 45 minutes?" And he drove us from Lippo Karawaci to Kelapa Gading exactly in 40 minutes. It was a fun ride.

My groom had his mobile phone, and he kept calling his home while we're on the road, checking on his dad's condition. Me, I left mine at home. Not only because I didn't have pockets, I didn't bring any purse, I also didn't think anyone would dare calling me on my wedding day. Nor that I would answer it anyway. (good thing is, blackberry wasn't available yet back then).

There was quite a chaotic situation at the bridal. Everything was late. My older sister had already sat on the edge of her seat, kept pushing her dresser to her nerves. She had to be at the church early cause I assigned her to sing for my entrance. Later I learned that our priest had threatened to go home after one hour waiting for me to arrive at the church. Hey, do not blame the bride. You should always excuse a bride for being late. She's the queen of the day, wasn't she?? Well, worse come to worst, we could skip the holy matrimony and went straight to the wedding reception instead. But that would be a sin.

St. Bonaventura Pulomas was the church. Lucky it was only around 15 minutes from the bridal.

Jim Brickman's "Glory" was my groom's entrance song (later at the reception, it was also the song for our wedding toast). The pianist, was one of the most talented young man I've ever met. I only provided him with a cassette, and he learned to play the song only by hearing.

Once I arrived at the church, I heard someone said that my dad was not there yet. I assumed he was still in the hospital. So I was ready to grab anyone's arms or even ready to walk down the aisle all by myself. An incorrect intel. Turned out my dad was there! He managed to be okay in time. Love you, Pa .. muach, muach.

My sister sang Jim Brickman's "Your Love" while I was walking down the aisle, holding on to my dad's arms. Heading towards my groom who waited in front of the altar together with our priest and witnesses. It was such a perfect song, for such a perfect moment. (FYI, she learned the song from cassette too).

The vocal group, VOTINS, was assigned to sing all my favourite songs, both for the church and for the reception. I gave them around 30-40 song list. If they couldn't sing it (or if they didn't know the song), they had to learn it. Emphasize on "had to".

The holy matrimonial had a short program. Exactly what we planned it to be. It took only about less than an hour. Even felt shorter cause I loved the songs beautifully sung in the church.

Song list for the church: "Glory" and "Your Love" for the entrance, "Cintailah Sesamamu" for the reading, "Thanks to You" for the parents blessings, "Panis Angelicus" for the communion, "All I Ask of You" was supposed to be sung for the sacrament signing but it couldn't catch the time, "The Prayer" for Mother Mary's blessing, and "Wherever You Go" for the closing.

Missing person in the church: The Father of the Groom (still sick, couldn't attend at all), The Mother and Younger Sister of the Bride (these two managed to show up right before the parents blessing session. My sister had to drive the car, speeding at 150km/hour).

We bought our wedding rings from Felice. It's a pair of simple white gold band, with a tiny round cut diamond in the center. It didn't take us a long time to find it and surprisingly it didn't cost us a fortune. It's love at first sight.

Our wedding reception was held at Hotel Dusit Mangga Dua, by the swimming pool. The poolside was lit by candles.

The tea ceremony and civil registration were held in one of the hotel's meeting room. My father-in-law managed to be there finally.

Right before heading towards the reception hall, my brother stick a black-and-white butterfly tattoo on my back shoulder.

"I Finally Found Someone" was our wedding song. It escorted us to the hall. We chose this song because it was our story. We started over coffee, we started out as friends. It's funny how from simple things, the best things begin.

Looking around when we stopped at the entrance, I saw them .. standing in the very front of line .. our family, and 5 of my good friends from the moviegroup. Such a warm and lovely sight.

The wedding bell didn't work. No matter how hard we pulled the string, the confetties just got stuck inside. (I knew it, I should had provided each guests with tiny bells, so they could ring it for us instead). Well, happy that we could humour the guests though.

There was no wedding cake. I always felt cynical whenever I saw a "wedding cake show". It was a media to show off some kissing and feeding scenes, with the MC as a director. Sheesh! If I felt like kissing my groom in front of all our guests, there would be no directing and no cake necessary.

We had a toast fountain though. We poured over 6 bottles of sparkling white grape juice. No champagne, sorry, didn't want to be one of those drunken brides.

No q to congratulate the bridegroom. We made it easy for our guests. They had congratulated us already by their presence, they could just proceed with their 2nd mission: FOOD. So after the toast, we immediately left the hall .. right to the outdoor pool, looking for some fresh air.

Through the evening, we roamed around our guests. Chatting, taking pics, hearing their comments on us, receiving their handshakes, stealing grapes from their plates .. no pressure at all.

Poco-Poco Dance was still in. Female relatives and friends, including mothers of the bridegroom were dancing. I took off my shoes .. you heard me .. took off my shoes and joined into the group barefooted.

My groom's cousin caught my 2nd hand-bouquet (it's not the calla lilies, but the roses one I got from the bridal). Whoa, the race was a riot, I tell ya. The bouquet was simply damaged to the last petal. We gave him a gift .. a bracelet from Perlini's Silver. We did hope he could give it to his girlfriend.

The reception finished in 2 hours, but the chat with my friends lasted until the next one hour. One of my friends suggested me to go to the cinema with them, watching K-19: The Widowmaker. Wuasai! What a title!

We spent our first night together in the hotel suite room, counting the envelopes. The smallest amount was Rp 1,000,- and the biggest amount was USD 300,-.

The gifts we received: jeweleries, a bedding set, a tea set, a dinner set, an oil-burner, a hand-made DVD glass rack and my very first DVD Region 1 The Emperor's New Groove - The Ultimate Groove (2-Disc Collector's Edition). (And we didn't even have any DVD player at that time). This llama was truly a pioneer in my DVD-collection history. A very hilarious movie, always makes my day.

Our souvenir to the bridesmaid and bestman (my groom's sister and her boyfriend), were a pair of Aigner perfume.

Our wedding day took 3 rolls of black and white film and 4 rolls of color film. All taken candidly by 2 photographers, friends of my sister. They trailed us everywhere since we're in the church until end of the reception. We love the photos, they're beautiful.

There were another photographer and cameraman that captured our day. It took 2 pieces of VCD and god-knows-how-many-rolls of colour film.

I hate our wedding video. Could never stand watching it full in one-sitting. I intend to edit it and make it my own wedding clip. Someday.

Our honeymoon was a gift from my younger sister and her husband. Four of us went to Yogyakarta the following day of my wedding. It was the last evening flight, and we almost missed it. "Please, sir, it's our honeymoon." And the ground crew had to make a call, "Hold the gate! Hold the gate! We've got 4 passengers checking in right now!". Wohooo! Sounded like we're in a movie or something.

I remember my MC called me at the night before our wedding day. He said, "The most important thing of a wedding, is the two of you - the bridegroom. That's what we all want to see .. if you look beautiful and fresh, if you look happy and smiling on your day. Others go second. Should there be any mishappening on the wedding plan, it will only be minor things. Nothing can be really perfect. So get rest, sleep well, do not worry too much. Let us take care the rest". And that's what happened. Even though both of our dads almost couldn't attend our one-day-in-a-lifetime, though the holy matrimonial was late, the reception hall's decoration and setting were not exactly as we planned it to be, and for all other things that didn't go well outside our knowledge .. we wouldn't say our wedding day wasn't perfect.

It's perfect with its flaws. It's perfect because we felt it that way for the whole day. It's perfect because of the people who helped us making it come true. It's perfect, because until today, it can still bring a smile to our face.

"The Colour of My Love" was my promise to my groom. What has started seven years ago .. may it last forever.

Note: please click on the hyperlink for songs and other reference.

Skak Mat ala Mat-Mat

Awalnya setelah nonton Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, gue memulai ritual baca ulang buku Harry Potter yang ke-6. Kemana-mana dibawa. Akhirnya ini memancing keingintahuan Mathieu.

Beginilah transkrip percakapannya:

Mat: Mama baca buku apa?
Gue: Baca buku Harry Potter.
Mat: Ini nama sapa? [sambil nunjuk ke cover buku]
Gue: Ini namanya Harry Potter.
Mat: Herikoter? Metu mo baca uga dong. [sambil balik-balik lembaran buku]
Gue: Mathieu belom bisa baca. Ini buku Mama, ga ada gambarnya.
Mat: Mama ..
Gue: Iya??
Mat: Ada pilem Herikoter?
Gue: Ada.
Mat: Metu mo nonton Herikoter.
Gue: Mathieu masih kecil. Belom boleh nonton Harry Potter. Nanti ya kalo udah gede.
Mat: Metu masi kucil, belom bole nonton Herikoter. Kalo uda gude, balu bole nonton Herikoter, ya? [sambil ngangguk-ngangguk]
Gue: Iya. [sambil ikutan ngangguk-ngangguk]

Fast forward dua minggu. Lagi di kamar mandi mau sikat gigi.

Mat: Metu mo cikat gigi pake yang kucil.
Gue: Jangan pake yang kecil dong. Kan Mathieu udah gede, pake sikat gigi yang gede aja ya.
Mat: Metu uda gude?
Gue: Iya.
Mat: [matanya membelalak] Bole nonton Herikoter?
Gue: ....... [skak mat! ga bisa jawab. kok dia bisa inget aja sihhhh???]
Mat: Lupa Mama ..... heheh ... [sambil ngetawain gue yang pelupa]
Gue: ...... [mati kutu, sambil cari jalan keluar] Iya lupa .. heheh .. nonton Harry Potter-nya nanti aja ya kalo Mathieu udah gedean lagi.
Mat: Metu udah gude.
Gue: Belom. Mathieu masih kecil.
Mat: Metu masih gede [nah tuh, ketuker deh saking bingungnya]
Gue: ........ [nyerah]

Akhirnya gue mulai nyikatin giginya aja biar dia ga bisa komentar lagi.

Moral of the story:
Jadi orang tua jangan plin-plan. Sebentar bilang anaknya masih kecil, sebentar bilang udah gede, trus balik lagi ke masih kecil. Demi sikon. Udah sering terbukti kalo anak kecil lebih pinter dari orang tua.

Disney on Ice "Princess Wishes"

Disney on Ice's back! This time they presented Princess Wishes, all seven princesses in seven stories.

Let me count them all:

1. Jasmine - Aladdin

2. Snow White - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

3. Belle - Beauty and the Beast

4. Ariel - The Little Mermaid

5. Mulan - Mulan

6. Aurora - Sleeping Beauty

7. Cinderella - Cinderella

.. and you gotta count the Princes and the Sidekicks also.

I'm not gonna tell you story about how I bought my ticket, how I fought to get it on my hand. Just this: SENTRA ENTERPRISE, may you rot in Sleeping Beauty castle, cursed asleep for thousand years, with all the fishes, monkey, crab, octopus and dragon nibbling on your face!

But I've got my tickets. And what's more on the good news, I didn't have to queue for long. Reached Istora Senayan on Saturday, 18 April 2009 at around 10am (hey, that's the earliest we could be) .. counted the time spent on security checks, browsing the stalls that sell merchandises (jeez, they sell the program book for 100k. 100k!!! That's a highway robbery. Should have been for free, you agree?) .. it took only 10 minutes netto standing on the line before the gate opened at 10.30am. And smoothly proceeded to the indoor stadium Silver A.

.. And Mathieu was frightened by the stadium's ambience. It was huge, dimmed and cold. What did we do to calm him? Andri bought him a Tinkerbell spinning light for 130k. (Expensive, you said?? Try having shaved ice with blueberry or strawberry syrup on top, in a Princess souvenir plastic cup for 100k. Now, THAT was extreme!! I might better shave ice from the ring instead and see if the vendor could give me a discount for bringing my own ice).

While Mat was busy with Tink, I solemnly noticed that Silver A immediately became crowded because its location was the nearest from outside gate. Across the stadium, at a different corner, Silver B was still empty. Learning my lesson from the last Hollywood on Ice show, I tried to approach the security .. very nicely .. and asked if we could move to the other side. I pointed at Mat, and told the security that my son was not comfortable in the crowd. Not to mention that the ice vendor was blocking our view to the ring. He said ok, though he explained that the vendor would leave soon before the show. But we still wanted to move. Move, move. Hurry. We dig our way out, "excuse us", "so sorry we stepped on your feet", into the other gate and got the privilege to choose our best seat in Silver B. Not too close, not too far .. 4th row, just nice!

Then I took time to go out hunting for snacks and drink. Went back inside and feed Mat before all went dark in the next couple of minutes.

(Note: Please click on the hyperlink to watch video)

11.30am sharp, show's started. On ice, the castle backdrop glowed. Tinkerbell opened the show. Sprinkling pixie dust from her wand, she looked cute. Then Mickey and Minnie Mouse joined her for a while. Dancers skated into the ring and did the set up with Arabian Market theme. Completed with camel. Aladdin danced through One Jump Ahead, with Abu the Monkey sitting on his shoulder. He ran, jumped, avoiding the men with daggers. Then came Princess Jasmine in disguise. Aladdin saved her from the men also. And couldn't get his mind out of her. The blue and friendly Genie showed up, granted Aladdin's wish to become Prince Ali. (I was waiting for Prince Ali, but it didn't happen. Ah!) Anyway. Then Prince Ali/Aladdin and Princess Jasmine (as sexy as always in her two-piece sky-blue outfit) did a lovely pair-skating through A Whole New World. (this moment Mat instantly recognized the song. I used to play HK Disneyland's Disney on the Stars for him, and this song was the main song for the fireworks show). The dance has lots of spins, lifts, and at the end of it, Jasmine almost slipped on the ice. Lucky she got a good grip on Aladdin. So there's their happy ending.

The dwarfs took over the ring. Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful and Dopey danced and played. Very funny, they became Mat's favorite up to now (oho, tell me about it, he started to bring Dopey and Happy to bed). Then Snow White was there .. sitting around the well, waiting for her Prince. The Prince showed up and finally they danced through One Song. (Huh? What happened to Someday My Prince Will Come? This was a much better song, IMO). The dance was good. Perfectly executed, but it wasn't too special. Kinda felt a bit bored because of the song.

Belle showed up, skating down the castle and found an unusual rose. She sang a bit of Belle and thought that living in the enchanted castle might be adventurous, only if she could find .. Lumiere! That's Lumiere. I didn't see how on earth the dancer could fit into that custom and skated on ice!! He couldn't even spread and lifted up his legs while dancing the cabaret piece in Be Our Guest together with Belle and some set of "cuttleries" .. hahahahah. Poor French candle! (What, no Beauty and the Beast? It's ok, I didn't mind. I couldn't imagine Beast with his big head pairing with Belle anyway). Belle was impeccable. One cuttleries was down .. one down! .. but they did a very good job in average. I had fun watching this segment. Lively and so nicely done.

Then come my most favorite of all. Three dancers opened the sequence with this haunting introduction score of "The Little Mermaid". And Sebastian, the know-it-all-crab (and the audience loved him!), introduced the Daughters of Triton. Should be seven of them, but the youngest girl who had the most beautiful voice was missing. Where did she go? While on the sea surface, a group of sailors did some acrobatic dance through Fathoms Below, together with Prince Eric. This was awesome. The sailors could threw each other so high and did this amazing saltos in the air. (And the Prince .. o Eric .. he was so tall and handsome *sigh*). Ariel, the missing daughter, apparently was hiding beneath, accompanied by her friend Flounder. She had a dream to become part of human's world. Part of Your World was playing, and Ariel with her red-hair flared bright danced through it. God. I. Loved. This. Song. Always brought goosebumps on me.

Goofy, Mickey and Minnie came with a boat. They approached the audience sittting at Super Platinum (you know, the ones who occupying upfront seats and didn't have to spend a dime for it. Lucky b*s***ds!!) .. and invited some kids to hop on the boat *jawdrop*. And while Sebastian, Ariel and all the sea creatures danced through the Oscar winning song Under the Sea .. the boat sailed, guarded by mermaids. Could you imagine it? Sitting on a boat that sailed on ice. With bubbles all around .. among the colorful fishes, beautiful mermaids, funny crab .. all dancing in reggae tune - even Flounder had his moment - and Ariel got a chance to pose at the corner near Silver A for a while .. The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake lalala .. spotlight on you .. that was an experience of a lifetime. ("you know, I did encounter mermaids once", said the old woman to her grandchildren). SPECTACULAR!! I was green with envy! GAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

Then came the dark side of the sea. Ursula the Octopus took over, with Flotsam and Jetsam by her side, she sang Poor Unfortunate Souls. Ariel traded her voice with a pair of legs. (I tell ya, when Ariel sang her voice out .. it sounded so real inside the stadium). And the "fins" was changed into "legs" in a blink. (Honestly, I missed to see Ariel changed the costume). Afterwards, Prince Eric and Ariel got together in a romantic mood, he had got to Kiss the Girl. (OMG, Eric's against the gravity while he spinned Ariel by her one leg .. one tiny mistake, she could fly right to the tribune seats). But as you might already knew, Sebastian failed to pursue them to kiss, it ended up with Eric saving Ariel from that big, fat and ugly octopus. He won, and again .. reprising Part of Your World with Ariel. Such a beautiful dance. The song started in a mellow tune, followed by vocal choir .. and Eric lifted Ariel high above his head, spinned her fast with only one hand supporting her body .. then dropped her in an arch-down pose till her head almost touched the ice!! Holy cow!!! Considering the length of the segment, how the story was told, most of the songs were performed .. let alone the splendid choreography .. this was absolutely a winner.

Next: "Mulan". She trained martial art to some children. Lesson Number One. Captain Shang also managed to dance with Mulan. Well. This one was quite short. Fun to see, but nothing more detailed. At first I wondered, why they didn't choose Reflection or even the "manly" I'll Make a Man out of You. On the second thought, I came to realize they took it from "Mulan II" .. so .. ok. Training lesson it was. Maybe someday Disney would present Mulan on Ice, I would love to see Mushu.

Tinkerbell tried to tell the audience about something .. someone .. but as usual, she just frantically waiving her wand .. And the Evil Witch came out from the castle with a blast. When the stage light was back on, there was Prince Phillip. Chained at the corner near Silver B (I swore, didn't see when or how he got there. Did he just pop-up from the air?) And back there in the castle, Princess Aurora layed asleep. Three fairy godmothers: Flora, Fauna and Merryweather freed the Prince. These godmothers ... wahaha .. they jumped up and down, very funny. Just like in the cartoon movie. Then as I was told before, I warned Andri to hold Mathieu tight, cause the dragon would appear soon.

.. and there's the dragon. Phew. Enormous. I tried to count the legs under the costume to see how many skaters inside. Lost it, perhaps around 4 or 6 people. I absolutely had no idea how they could find their way into the ring and moved around .. how could they see? They're all covered in the costume. The Prince fought the dragon, that was quite a riot. Loud music, sword swaying, fire shooting from the dragon's mouth .. (I was happy Mat was secured in his dad's arms. He saw the dragon alright, I knew he was scared as hell, but luckily he didn't cry). The dragon was vanished after letting out a horrible creepy scream. Then all finished. Phillip climbed out the castle, reached the Sleeping Beauty, and gave her a true love kiss. And they're both waltzing in high-speed through Once Upon a Dream. I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream .. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam .. Yes, I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem .. But if I know you, I know what you'll do .. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream .. lalalalalala ..

Now it's Goofy's turn. He was dressed in royal outfit, announcing the kingdom's ball .. for the Prince Charming was looking for an eligible maiden to marry to. Some couples danced, with Anastasia and Drusilla made a fool of themselves. When the Prince entered, he did a good solo, and kept tossing the silly sisters out of his way. Then hear hear .. it was Cinderella in the carriage. The Prince asked Cinderella to dance .. and off they went dancing through A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes. In her pale-blue gown, Cinderella looked just like a babydoll. And the Prince Charming .. well, he was very charming indeed. No doubt, this was the most romantic and elegant pairing of the show. Beautiful. That's our 7th Princess. I learned that this segment was meant to show the last, to elaborate the message to us.

Right after the dance finished, Tinkerbell appeared, and again with her supercute gestures, she welcomed back all the Princesses and Princes to the ice ring. There were Jasmine and Aladdin, Snow White and Prince, Belle and Prince (a.k.a. Beast), Ariel and Eric, Mulan and Shang, Aurora and Phillip, Cinderella and Prince Charming .. all dressed in their signature costumes. They danced in groups and in pairs for finale. Each pair had a personal choreography. Lots of spins, lots of lifts .. especially Ariel and Jasmine who were lifted so high by their partners. It was magical, beyond words. But if I could have one word to describe how they danced, it was C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-B-L-E. (You know, you imagined them as musical miniatures with this little key attached to their bodies. All seven pairs .. you bought them all, arranged them on the floor, turned the key and let them dance for you until the motor stopped. Repeat.)

In the middle of the finale, Mickey and Minnie reappeared. They welcomed back Tinkerbell into the ice ring. Tink sat in Cinderella's carriage, with Goofy stood at the back of it. The ballroom dancers joined them, and they all started to reprise that wonderful Disney Princesses' franchise song. This time, even Mat got really excited, he stood on the seat and trying to tell me that he knew those characters on ice. And show's finally over. Where's the fireworks??? Where?? There should have been fireworks at the very end, shooting off from the carriage. Did they ran out of budget? Were they afraid the fireworks would accidently causing fire in the stadium and burned Tink who's still sitting in the carriage?? Aaaaa .. I was a bit disappointed .. I should have avoided spoilers so that I wouldn't know anything about the fireworks at all.

That didn't change the show's value though. We enjoyed it very much. We got a comfortable seat with good view, not a single audience annoyed us (and I was pretty sure we didn't annoy any either), and I could record the show with my digicam without having to play cat-and-mouse game with the security. Not sure why the security was that flexible, or was it just our lucky day. We marched out of the stadium happily, humming the finale song. And until this very moment, If You Can Dream still lingers. Couldn't get it out of my head.

If you can dream, the wish we're making on a star is coming true .. the music of the wind will lead my heart right back to you .. cause if you can dream, reflections in a diamond sky come shining on through .. romance will always be so new .. and love will save the day, if you can dream ..

Disney on Ice shows were never cheap, but it always entertains. I put a mental note to await their shows in the future. I wouldn't want to miss.

Cousins

It's a boy!
It's a girl!
It's twins!

No. They're super-cousins!!

Separated by one month and two days ..

View video on Facebook

The Best of Friends

- DEDICATED TO MY HUSBAND AND SON -

Click to view video on Facebook

I broke my rule for not posting any personal things on the net. But I can't help it, I'm so proud of them I want to share it to the world.

And I'm jealous, they're so close. When they're having fun together, I wonder if they even know of my existence. Heh. @_@.

Song track:
"You'll Be in My Heart"
Written by Phil Collins
Performed by Usher in album "Disney Magic 2"

Only Hope

Movie: A Walk to Remember
Music Video: "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore

There's a song that's inside of my soul
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again
I'm awake in the infinite cold
But You sing to me over and over and over again

So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours
I pray to be only Yours
I know now, You're my only hope

Sing to me the song of the stars
Of Your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again
When it feels like my dreams are so far
Sing to me of the plans that You have for me over again

So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours
I pray to be only Yours
I know now, You're my only hope

I give You my destiny
I'm giving You all of me
I want Your symphony
Singing in all that I am
At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back

So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands and pray to be only Yours
I pray to be only Yours
I pray to be only Yours
I know now, You're my only hope

Lagu yang cantik. Bait pertama hanya diiringi denting piano. Bait kedua mulai ditambah dengan gesekan cello. Biola juga mulai bergabung di refrein kedua. Semakin ke belakang semakin kaya instrumen walaupun tetap dominan di piano. Mandy Moore tanpa didukung oleh penyanyi latar .. vokalnya jernih.

Pertama kali gue denger ni lagu waktu gue nonton filmnya. The only highlight. Menyaksikan/mendengar Mandy Moore sebagai Jamie menyanyikan lagu ini sewaktu gue duduk di dalam keheningan studio bioskop yang gelap dan dingin, dengan layar lebar dan surrond sound, shot kamera yang sudutnya berputar 360 derajat .. impactnya berasa banget. Rasanya gue seperti tertelan kursi yang gue duduki, tercekat n merinding ga ada abisnya. Probably if I were there in the scene, I would kiss her too at the end of her song.

Dan semakin sering gue putar lagu ini, melodi yang gue tangkap semakin detil. I'm falling in love endlessly with this song.

Karaoke version:

Lifestyle

Can we justify habit, hobby and lifestyle? Can we single-out a trendsetter among the followers? Can we define a need or a must-have?

• Gadgets

Dari walkman, discman, mp3 players, iPod. Dari telepon rumah dengan kabel, telepon rumah tanpa kabel, pager, handphone, handphone dengan TV tuner. Dari desktop, laptop, palm, blackberry. Semuanya bermula dari ukuran besar sampe berubah wujud menjadi mini. Dari fitur yang paling standar sampe fitur yang paling canggih. Setiap ada keluaran gadget baru, berbondong-bondong orang beli. Ga peduli butuh ato nggak, yang penting ngikutin arus biar keliatan keren bawa-bawa gadget terbaru. Ingat fenomena iPod 20GB yang bentuknya masih seperti pemberat kertas, sampe iPod Nanochromatic yang super tipis dan berwarna-warni atau iPod shuffle yang cuma segede kotak korek api.

Atau handphone Nokia Banana (yang dipakai Neo di film The Matrix, yang flipnya dibuka dengan cara dikibas) sampai Nokia E71 yang sedang booming. (Buset kiri-kanan-depan-belakang semua pake E71 dengan silicone skin berwarna). Dulu kita masih bisa hidup tanpa mobile phone. Mau ajak main teman, tinggal telepon ke rumah, atau langsung teriak dari luar pagar rumah. Kalau sekarang, udah berdiri di luar pagar pun masih telepon "Ey, gue udah di depan rumah elo neh. Keluar dong bukain pintu!" Dulu handphone merupakan barang mewah. Sekarang, kuli bangunan, tukang ojek pun terima order lewat hp. Sekarang banyak yang maunya pake GPS dan 3G. Padahal itu GPS juga keblinger kali kalo disuruh nyari jalan di Jakarta yang ga macet. Atau 3G? Apaan tu 3G? Buat videophone? Buat jadi modem internet? Nyari menu buat ganti setting aja ngga ngerti, apalagi buat aktifin bluetooth. Mau pake GPS n 3G lagi.

Udah lumrah juga punya handphone lebih dari satu. Kalo gue dulu, punya satu handphone n satu pager. Fungsinya: hp buat nelepon, pager buat kalo hp gue ga aktif. Keinget pas lagi dinner sama tamu bule (yea it's a date!), hp gue bunyi. Abis gue terima, trus giliran pager gue yang bunyi. Sampe teman kencan gue ngeledek "What else do you have in your bag? A fax machine??". Dan setelah itu, hubungan tidak berlanjut dengan sukses. Mungkin dipikirnya gue kurang sopan karena menerima telepon dan pager pada saat date. Anyway, that's my story .. heheh. Dan sekarang gue cukup pegang handphone satu aja dengan satu nomor. Aktif ga aktif, itu masalah si penelepon =p.

Masih keinget juga larisnya Asus eePC atau Acer Aspire One yang bikin gue bolak-balik ke toko komputer cuma buat nyari warna (mau yang putih, out of stock. Adanya yang coklat. Giliran udah tertarik sama yang coklat, out of stock juga. Adanya malah yang putih. Pusiiiiiiing!! Akhirnya ga jadi beli). Yang sekarang lagi bikin ribut ga karuan: Blackberry. Padahal harganya masih keterlaluan mahalnya. Yang make blackberry dari manager sampe karyawan kelas bawah. What the hell do the SPGs need a blackberry for? Pacaran selama jam kerja? Atau dianggap bisa mendongkrak penjualan harian hanya karena SPG-nya keren bawa-bawa blackberry serasa jadi Acting Manager? Apalagi kalo ada signature email yang masuk "Sent via Blackberry" .. waduh, itu email jadi lebih bernilai karena yang ngirim mampu beli Blackberry. Hari gini ga punya Blackberry?? Kecian de.

• Web community

Dari groups, forums, blogs, friendster, facebook. Group, oke gue punya karena itu berupa kumpulan teman-teman sehobi, dan email bisa gue baca n balas secara offline. Kalo forum, I'm just a participant. Blog .. heheheh .. I can write anything, and it's quite a passive media. Friendster? No. Never. Facebook, blueh!! Need to say more about the importance of a facebook to someone? Let's say it's an email account, an instant messenger, a blog, a photo album, a daily journal .. all merged into one. And everyone's invited to read. Can indulge a person into narcism. Wuahahahaha.

• Coffee, bread/donuts, yoghurt

It's a starbuck fever. Coffee house semakin menjamur dengan pangsa pasar eksekutif muda. Bukan cuma orang kantoran, anak-anak sekolah pun mulai mengerjakan pe-ernya di cafe. Keren kan .. bawa laptop Asus eePC, cari free hotspot, beli secangkir kopi, duduk-duduk sambil ngerumpi. Sekalian lirik-lirik kali aja ada cowok keren duduk sendirian. Ibu-ibu yang di rumah sama sekali ga pernah bikin kopi, abis belanja di mall terus nanya temennya "Kita mau ngopi di mana hari ini?" Saaaaaahhh. How prestigious does that sound? Padahal rasa kopi dimana-mana hampir sama. Dan mungkin abis minum kopi ada yang kena diare. Dibela-belain dang.

Have you flossed today? Sudah. Floss-nya pake abon sapi. Rotinya Bread Talk yang sempat menimbulkan kerusuhan di setiap outlet. Beneran baker-nya jadi serasa artis soalnya tiap kali muncul dengan senampan Fire Floss fresh from the oven, langsung diserbu gerombolan ibu-ibu, bapak-bapak dan anak-anak. Trus J-Co yang donatnya semanis gue ^:^. Masih panjang tuh antrian sampe sekarang. Padahal udah beredar email berantai yang mendiskreditkan si donat. Sekarang mungkin yang lagi ngetrend .. Sour Sally. Wualawaowe!! Gue menyaksikan sendiri keajaiban antrian di outlet Pacific Place. Ternyata banyak ABG-ABG kaya yang rela ngabisin duit jajan sehari cuma demi seporsi susu basi. Gue tergoda juga sih buat nyobain .. tapi ga rela ngantri. Kok penuh perjuangan banget, udah ngantri, bayar mahal lagi. Mending ngantri buat nyari gratisan. Jadi sementara waktu, gue cukup puas lah icip-icip Activia punyanya si Mat-Mat. Murah meriah dan enak.

• Cigarettes

Merokok sama dengan membunuh. Diri sendiri dan diri orang lain. Entah siapa bajingan yang menciptakan rokok, dan untuk apa kegunaannya? Terkutuklah mereka yang berani-beraninya memperkenalkan rokok ke orang-orang di sekitarnya. Padahal kalo mau mati, mati aja sendiri, ga usah bawa-bawa orang lain. Ada orang yang bisa bertahan dari rasa candu merokoknya karena sikon tidak memungkinkan. Sampe berbulan-bulan. Tapi begitu ada temannya yang kurang ajar-ga tau diri menawarkan rokok, ga ditolak karena "Ga enak dong. Masa ditawarin rokok, ga diambil? Nanti tersinggung." Ini yang tolol siapa ya? Candu pun berbaur dengan gengsi. Kalo perokok itu identik dengan kuli, tukang becak, sopir bus, kenek angkot .. sekarang para perokok banyak yang berwujud wanita cantik dengan muka bersih dan make-up sempurna. Dan ga kenal umur juga. Terus terang gue pernah disangka perokok sama temen kerja gue. Entah kenapa, mungkin karena tampang gue yang selalu kucel @_@. Kalah keren dengan cewek-cewek di cafe yang bisa mengisap rokok dengan gayanya yang anggun (atau dibuat-buat anggun). Gimana ga mau gaya, batang rokok dijepit di jari lentik, dihisap oleh bibir bersapu lipstik, dan asap beracun pun dihembuskan dengan gaya yang serupa bintang-bintang hollywood di golden era. Apalagi kalo ditemani secangkir kopi .. nikmat sekali bukan? Padahal sih IMFO, cowok perokok masih keliatan cocok, gue tutup mata n idung aja karena mereka gue anggap sejenis buruh kasar yang berbau seperti asap knalpot. Tapi kalo cewek perokok, nilainya jauh lebih buruk karena gue anggap mereka selevel dengan perempuan murahan yang berdiri di pinggir jalan nunggu ditawar. Secantik apapun dia.

Dimana seluruh dunia sedang menggalakkan lingkungan yang lebih bersih dan sehat, masih banyak orang yang tetap memilih jadi lokomotif dan cerobong asap berjalan. Dulu sih bisa dianggap orang kaya .. gimana ga mau kaya, kerjaannya bakar duit. Tapi sekarang udah ga jaman tauuuuuu .. udah ga keren pake rokok-rokok-an.

Ada yang tersinggung?? Sue me!! Daripada mikirin tersinggung baca post gue ini, lebih baik mikirin umur yang semakin pendek di setiap hisapan rokok.

Midnight Quiz

• How Sexy is Your Name?

My result: Your name sounds more mysterious than sexy.

And what's wrong with that? Nothing, having a mysterious sounding name just makes you more interesting to the opposite sex. They not only will remember your mysterious sounding name, they will follow you to the ends of the earth.

(Note: I like the last sentence. Follow me to the ends of the earth? Niiiicee!)

• What Kind of Fruit Are You?

My result: Pineapple

You are quick to decide and even quicker to act. You are brave in asking career changes, if that is what is to your advantage.You have exceptional organizing abilities and are undaunted by the size of the task at hand. You tend to be self reliant, sincere and honest in your dealings with others . Though you are not given to making friends very quickly,but once you do, it is for life. Your partner is often impressed with your sterling qualities but disappointed in your ability to show affection.

(Note: Hoh. I prefer to be an apple though. I can make myself healthy)

• Angel or Devil?

My result: You are an angel!

Overall, you have way more good than evil within. Not saying you're going to win any Mother Teresa awards, but you're a great person overall. Talk to fellow good samaritans below, or flirt with the devils on the wall!

(Note: Ohoho. I knew it! I knew I always had that invicible hoop above my head).

• What Flower are You?

My result: You Are a Romantic Flower Type

A gentle, caring, generous person might well be attracted to flowers and colours of passion. Varieties You Most Resemble: Calla lilies for beauty, Carnations for pride and beauty, Roses for love, Snapdragon for desire, Sweat Pea for delicate pleasure, and Tulips for declaring love.

(Note: I love these flowers, except for Sweat Pea which I don't know what it is. In fact, Calla lilies were my wedding hand-bouquet. But .. but .. gentle? Caring? Generous? Errr .. don't get too excited)

• What Season of the Year are You?

My result: You're Fall!

You're trendy and creative and love the arts. You love to express yourself through your style and actions. You love to be recognized for your sexual energy and receive it from the world.

(Note: Why can't I be Spring?? Uhuhuhuhuhu ..)

• What's Your Body's Juice?

My result: You Are Made of Orange Juice

Your juice is full of health and vigor. You like to be lively, in the sun and having fun. You’re a morning person with lots to accomplish and lots of potential at your disposal. Like orange juice though, if you stay in normal conditions for too long, you get antsy and begin to wish for more exhilarating climates. You also go well with eggs, you’re full of pulp and go well with some vodka.

(Note: I wonder .. does my urine also taste like orange juice?)

• How Many Ninjas Could You Take in a Fight?

My result: You could take 5 Ninjas in a fight!

Congratulations. You're strong enough to take on and overpower 5 mystical Ninjas from the orient when they ambushed you in the alley!

• How Classy are You?

My result: You are CLASSIER than 95% of Facebook!

Congratulations, you are in the classiest 5% of facebook! That means you are one of the smoothest operators in the world. The next step is learning more about the finest the world has to offer. Keep it up and you can become the next Bond (or Bond girl). Your choice.

• How Stupid are You?

My result: You are an IDIOT

Meaning: You are stupider than 90% of facebook.

(Note: *rotfl* O well. At least I'm classy ..

..

..

and I can take 5 ninjas in a fight! *continue rotfl*)

Buta Aksara

Di Carrefour ITC Kuningan, ada satu travelator arah naik yang bar-nya masih aja dalam perbaikan sejak beberapa bulan yang lalu. Di sana ditempel kertas-kertas pengumuman yang memberikan peringatan yang meminta orang-orang supaya ga pegang itu bar.

But yet, I touched it anyway. Out of curiosity. Nothing happened though. Bar-nya ga bergerak. Ga ada aliran listrik menyengat. Ga copot juga. So, apanya sih yang rusak sampe ga boleh dipegang? *shrug*

Sampe ada kejadian yang membuktikan bahwa bar travelator yang tidak bergerak itu bisa menimbulkan masalah. Dan ga tanggung-tanggung. Kejadiannya terjadi dua kali.

Pertama. Beberapa saat yang lalu, gue naik itu travelator. Agak jauh di depan gue ada seorang ibu yang udah berumur, entah sengaja, entah ga tau, entah ga baca, megang itu bar. Maksudnya sih mungkin ya cuma cari pegangan aja, daripada jatoh kale. Tapi karena barnya ga bisa bergerak ngikutin naik, jadinya tangan si ibu yang ketarik ke bawah .. Gravitasinya ternyata heboh sampe badan si ibu ikut berputar 180 derajat, jadi menghadap ke belakang. Paniklah dia .. super panik sampe manggil-manggil nama siapa gitu. Badannya makin lama makin condong ke bawah, tapi ya kok pegangannya ga mau dilepas .. yah .. jatoh deh jatoh .. *pikir gue*

Gue masih terpesona sama kejadian yang berlangsung di depan gue. Sampe dari arah belakang gue ada cowok yang teriak "BU .. BU .. PEGANGANNYA DILEPAS, BU! DILEPAS!!" Trus .. DUK DUK DUK .. dia lari naik nyamperin itu ibu. Si ibu masih teriak-teriak panik, si cowok sambil lari masih minta si ibu supaya pegangannya dilepas. Ga ada follow up, akhirnya tuh ibu langsung dipeluk sama tuh cowok, trus tangannya ditarik lepas dari bar.

Kedua. Tadi siang. Adengan yang serupa, dengan aktris utama yang berbeda (atau sama ya? Kayaknya sih ini ibu lebih muda). Tapi kali ini, posisi gue pas ada di belakang si ibu. Lagi-lagi ada tangan nyangkut di bar travelator. Lagi-lagi dia nyaris ketarik ke bawah. Lagi-lagi dia panik. Sampe gue yang bilang "Jangan dipegang, Bu!!" Sukses dicuekin karena dia udah panik duluan, rasanya pengen gue tepis aja tuh tangan dari bar .. tapi kok gue pengen juga liat tuh ibu jatoh sekalian. Hah. Biar kapok. Untung masih ada malaikat yang berbaik hati. Cowok yang di sampingnya (kayaknya gue liat dia pake ID card Carrefour), langsung narik si ibu supaya menjauh dari bar. Raut si ibu masih keliatan shock sampe di atas .. dan gue masih ga abis mikir .. kok bisa begitu ya??

Dan sekali lagi gue pegang itu bar, ga ada kejadian apa-apa. Ga kerasa ada magnet di sana. Ini apa gue yang sakti, atau ibu-ibu itu yang sial?? Padahal kalopun itu bar memang ga bergerak, apa susahnya sih lepas pegangan biar ga keseret.

Pikir-pikir, memang larangan semakin memancing keingintahuan. Atau memang pada dasarnya orang-orang udah ndableg.

Orang merokok pas di dekat tanda "Dilarang Merokok". Lukisan yang dipajang ditempeli tulisan "Dilarang Menyentuh Lukisan", masih aja ada yang toel-toel. Di Taman Safari banyak area hewan yang diberikan peringatan "Dilarang Memberi Makan Hewan". Toh para pengunjung masih bisa ngelempar pisang dan wortel ke para hewan. Malah gue temuin di area Baby Zoo .. kalo ga salah di salah satu kandang monyet .. ada tulisan "Dilarang Melempar Makanan atau Rokok ke dalam Kandang". OMG!! Barangkali di masa depan, peringatan "Dilarang Merokok di dalam Kandang" bakalan dipasang buat melarang para monyet tersebut.

Mungkin bagusnya ga usah ditempel peringatan aja. Toh ga dibaca juga. Gue sih baca, tapi gue cuekin .. hohoh ...

Gue termasuk salah satu yang sulit dilarang. Barang-barang yang ga boleh dipegang, malah gue pegang. Apalagi kalo di toko hewan, dimana ada anak-anak anjing di dalam kandang .. kan biasanya ada larangan buat memasukkan jari ke dalam mulut anak anjing lah, dilarang memegang anak anjing lah .. how could I help it?? They're so cute!! And they're so happy that I touched them, I let them licked my fingers. Tapi gue selalu berhati-hati. Setiap larangan itu kan pasti ada maksudnya.

(Yang jelas bukan gue yang teriak-teriak gara-gara mau jatoh keseret travelator).

Moral of the story:
Makanya .. kalo ga bisa baca, JANGAN PEGANG-PEGANG!! Bar travelator Carrefour ITC Kuningan rusak terus gara-gara banyak yang buta huruf.

Facelift

Since I coincidently find other has the same blog title, and I don't want to be judged for this implementation of "plagiarism saves time" .. so I gave this zone a facelift. New free template I got from the net (yeah told ya I'm still a dummie). And a new title. Thus the death of just being me.