Saya pernah melihat buku ini di sebuah toko buku di kategori “Gift Books”. Kalau tidak salah, isinya adalah kumpulan kutipan-kutipan supir taksi di sebuah kota (atau beberapa kota) yang mengandung makna mendalam.
Di taksi yang saya tumpangi hari ini, saya berkenalan dengan Pak Eddi. Orangnya ramah, penuh senyum dan berpengetahuan luas. Usianya kira2 pertengahan tigapuluhan. Bermula dari percakapan basa-basi yang saya buka dengan “Hari ini Jakarta panas sekali ya, Pak”, kami mengobrol tentang pemanasan global, lapisan ozon yang menipis, dan bagaimana mobil yang sedang kami tumpangi adalah penyumbang terbesar polusi atas bencana dunia itu. “Kita siy sekarang belum terlalu terasa ya mbak, tapi coba bayangkan nasib anak cucu kita nanti. Prihatin, saya”.
Sayapun sampai di tujuan. Saya memintanya untuk menunggu, karena takut susah untuk mendapatkan taksi pulangnya.
Sekitar 20 menit kemudian..
“Maaf ya, pak. Lama ya nunggunya?”.
“Wah, ga terasa mbak. Saya itu orangnya tidak suka terlalu memikirkan sesuatu, apalagi jika sedang menunggu. Takut malah jadi kesal, takut malah mengumpat dalam hati. Takut dosa. Jadi seberapa macetnya jalanan, dan seberapapun lama saya menunggu, saya berusaha menemukan sesuatu yang dapat menghibur saya. Tadi, saya bermain2 dengan buah2 kecil yang jatuh di perkarangan rumah teman mbak tadi. Udah jarang loh buah tadi itu. Mbak tau tidak buah apa itu tadi?”
Saya melamun dan sambil tersenyum menggumam “Always make lemonade out of a Lemon ya, pak”.
“Eh kenapa, mbak?”
“Gapapa, Pak. Buah apa tadi itu namanya, pak?”
Ia menyebutkan sebuah buah yang saya kurang familiar.
“Jadi begitu mbak hidup di Jakarta ini. Harus selalu poisitif dan berpikir optimis. Kalau gak, bisa gila. Orang-orang di kota ini selalu marah dan mengutuk”, ujar Pak Eddi lagi tanpa nada menggurui.
Saya terinspirasi. Dan saya memang percaya betul inspirasi bisa datang dari mana saja.
Saya telah sampai kembali di kantor. Setelah membayar ongkos dan berterimakasih, dalam hati saya tersenyum dan wish Pak Eddi all the best of luck.
Rabu, 22 Oktober 2008
Reasonable VS Unreasonable
“Yes, I guess I am jealous. Am I being unreasonable (again)?”
Do we always need a reason to be jealous? Do we always need a reason to love?
In a relationship, pulling the “Un/Reasonable” card is always tricky. A couple gets into fight, the girl is jealous of the guy’s new hot co-worker, and the guy lightly says, “Honey, you’re being unreasonable, u know that?”. Another time the girl asks the guy to accompany her for a mall trip. “We’ll just go in for a quick window shopping,” the girl says. A quick window shopping turns up to be 3 hours. 3 pairs of shoes and 5 dresses later, the guy is furious, and thinks that 3 hours of shopping trip in unreasonable. The girl then replies, “Oh sure. THIS, you say unreasonable but having me to wait 5 hours at the shop while you’re getting your car done is reasonable!”
There was long silence after that. The girl’s mind goes to the early days when they just started dating. When everything was so easy, and… reasonable. It all felt so natural and reasonable when he follows her like a dog on her 5 hour shopping trip, having him to wait on her while she’s getting her nails and hair done, picks her up when she just finished shower and when finally ready an hour after he still managed to compliment her, “You look very beautiful tonight”. Now, none of them is reasonable anymore.
The guy’s mind also wandering to the early days. When she was sweet enough to accompany him at the shop while getting the car done, when she’s so loveable she shows up at his workplace to bring him and his team lunch, when she had so much trust on their love that she thinks jealousy is such a waste of time and energy.
So is it true that romance evaporates as relationship grows? Is it true in the name of efficiency, comfort, or whatever, it is okay to let romance go? I know, I know, all the things in the above are ridiculous, but they are just some random exaggerated samples of what romance is, to some couples. Some things that were considered “reasonable” during the early days of dating, just sound silly when you’re entering your 3rd year together. It just sounds silly now having to meet your girlfriend from work all the way in Bintaro while your office is in Menteng and you live in Cikini. It sounds impossible having dinner with your boyfriend in the middle of a hectic week, while your clients are constantly chasing you. And when you actually do it, it is only an obligation that you need to fulfill from the “Relationship Handbook”. Don’t you remember how you used to always find ways to make these things work?
Okay, okay, it's not like ALL THE TIME you need to do this. Maybe , maybe it's true that in the name of efficiency, and that you've reached to that certain level of "comfort" with your significant other, doing whatever you refer to "romantic acts" intensely may get a little too much.
But sometimes you don’t even realize that it’s evaporating. You just know when it’s gone. So what happens when it’s gone? Is your relationship doomed? Does the love stop? Is it the end? Not necessarily. You just simply need to click the “REFRESH” button.
*Click.
And just like that, you’ll realize that for certain things in life, you DON’T need a reason.
In a relationship, pulling the “Un/Reasonable” card is always tricky. A couple gets into fight, the girl is jealous of the guy’s new hot co-worker, and the guy lightly says, “Honey, you’re being unreasonable, u know that?”. Another time the girl asks the guy to accompany her for a mall trip. “We’ll just go in for a quick window shopping,” the girl says. A quick window shopping turns up to be 3 hours. 3 pairs of shoes and 5 dresses later, the guy is furious, and thinks that 3 hours of shopping trip in unreasonable. The girl then replies, “Oh sure. THIS, you say unreasonable but having me to wait 5 hours at the shop while you’re getting your car done is reasonable!”
There was long silence after that. The girl’s mind goes to the early days when they just started dating. When everything was so easy, and… reasonable. It all felt so natural and reasonable when he follows her like a dog on her 5 hour shopping trip, having him to wait on her while she’s getting her nails and hair done, picks her up when she just finished shower and when finally ready an hour after he still managed to compliment her, “You look very beautiful tonight”. Now, none of them is reasonable anymore.
The guy’s mind also wandering to the early days. When she was sweet enough to accompany him at the shop while getting the car done, when she’s so loveable she shows up at his workplace to bring him and his team lunch, when she had so much trust on their love that she thinks jealousy is such a waste of time and energy.
So is it true that romance evaporates as relationship grows? Is it true in the name of efficiency, comfort, or whatever, it is okay to let romance go? I know, I know, all the things in the above are ridiculous, but they are just some random exaggerated samples of what romance is, to some couples. Some things that were considered “reasonable” during the early days of dating, just sound silly when you’re entering your 3rd year together. It just sounds silly now having to meet your girlfriend from work all the way in Bintaro while your office is in Menteng and you live in Cikini. It sounds impossible having dinner with your boyfriend in the middle of a hectic week, while your clients are constantly chasing you. And when you actually do it, it is only an obligation that you need to fulfill from the “Relationship Handbook”. Don’t you remember how you used to always find ways to make these things work?
Okay, okay, it's not like ALL THE TIME you need to do this. Maybe , maybe it's true that in the name of efficiency, and that you've reached to that certain level of "comfort" with your significant other, doing whatever you refer to "romantic acts" intensely may get a little too much.
But sometimes you don’t even realize that it’s evaporating. You just know when it’s gone. So what happens when it’s gone? Is your relationship doomed? Does the love stop? Is it the end? Not necessarily. You just simply need to click the “REFRESH” button.
*Click.
And just like that, you’ll realize that for certain things in life, you DON’T need a reason.
Senin, 20 Oktober 2008
My Morning
Hahahaha. Jadi 2 pesan moral dari cerita ini adalah: Jangan pernah terlalu pelit untuk beli sepatu dan SMILE is infectious!
Jadi pagi ini di mobil gw sudah merasakan sesuatu yang aneh dengan sepatu gw which I refer to my "busway flats". They are so worn out because I wear them everyday, to/from work with busway, through the sidewalaks of Sudirman, on rainy/hot days. I have a few pairs of these, but the ones I wore this morning were the oldest of 'em all.
Memang sayanya juga keterlaluan sih, sampe supir saya berkomentar. "itu sepatu mendingan dibuang aja deh, mbak!", tp saya pikir, "kayaknya masih bisa deh niy barang 3 hari lagi mah..". So off I went this morning. Saya didrop di al-azhar. Baru beberapa langkah berjalan menuju halte busway tiba, "klontang, klontang!!",sepotong kawat misterius mencuat dan melayang keluar dari sepatu saya! Beberapa mahasisa-mahasiswi Al-Azhar yang sedang berjalan dari arah berlawanan tak kuasa menahan senyum. Sayapun tertawa geli. Terlanjur malu, saya tendang ke semak2 potongan kawat itu, dan terus berjalan, sambil non-stop menahan senyum geli, ke halte. Semua orang yang saya temui di jalan ikut tersenyum balik sama saya. Penjual teh botol, penjual kue di tangga busway, gadis penjual karcis di loket, sampai orang2 yang berada di antrian.
Di dalam bus, saya baru memerhatikan bahwa, bagian samping luar sepatu kanan saya sudah MENGANGA. Aduh saya makin geli sendiri, nahan senyum dan nahan ketawa, ga karuan pasti muka saya tadi. Saya sampai tidak berani bergerak banyak, takut menambah parah bagian jebol itu. Pada saat ditawari tempat duduk oleh seorang pria muda yang cukup manis, saya cuma mengangguk senyum dan berterima kasih. Sementara di bus reaksi orang sekitar saya menjadi tiga macam; tersenyum balik pada saya, menghindari kontak mata dan ataupun jika kontak terjadi ia melengos salting, serta mengernyitkan dahi sambil (mungkin) berpikir "ini orang gila kali ya".
"Halte setiabudi". Ohhh akhirnya! halte saya! Dengan setengah menyeret langkah takut memperparah sepatu malangku, saya terus berjalan menuju kantor, masih senyum2 geli sendiri. Dari halte ke gedung kantor saya kira2 harus melewati 5 gedung. Lalu kira2 gedung ketiga tiba2, "srottt...", sepatu kanan saya resmi hancur brantakan! hahahahah! Bunyi sroooot tadi adalah bunyi lapisan di bawah sol sepatu saya yang akhirnya keluar jalurnya alias meloncat keluar ke trotoar. Sayapun tertawa geli terbahak-bahak sampai setengah berjongkok, di tengah ramainya trotoar Sudirman, sampai akhirnya saya membuka ransel gym saya dan berharap saya tidak lupa membawa sepatu kantor saya sebab kalau tidak saya harus memakai sepatu gym yang sangat amat tidak sesuai dikenakan dengan outfit kantor hari ini (atau hari apapun juga).
Setengah menahan malu, dan masih geli akan kebodohan saya sendiri, saya susah payah mengenakan sepatu hak saya dan dengan resmi mem-pensiunkan my "busway flats". Orang yang lalu lalang hanya turut tersenyum, ataupun memberikan tatapan, "aneh banget ini orang", tapi tetap membalas tatapan2 itu dengan kuluman senyum karena yang saya pelajari hari ini, SENYUM ITU MENULAR!
So try this, when you out there, alone, walking by the streets, queing for busway, or whatever, try to smile to every stranger that passes by you. And then if you get to the office, smile to your everyday person such as your doorman, security, cleaning lady, receptionist, secretary. The chance is they'll smile back at you, or think that you're probably crazy, but hell, why not infect people with a little bit of goodness?
Jadi pagi ini di mobil gw sudah merasakan sesuatu yang aneh dengan sepatu gw which I refer to my "busway flats". They are so worn out because I wear them everyday, to/from work with busway, through the sidewalaks of Sudirman, on rainy/hot days. I have a few pairs of these, but the ones I wore this morning were the oldest of 'em all.
Memang sayanya juga keterlaluan sih, sampe supir saya berkomentar. "itu sepatu mendingan dibuang aja deh, mbak!", tp saya pikir, "kayaknya masih bisa deh niy barang 3 hari lagi mah..". So off I went this morning. Saya didrop di al-azhar. Baru beberapa langkah berjalan menuju halte busway tiba, "klontang, klontang!!",sepotong kawat misterius mencuat dan melayang keluar dari sepatu saya! Beberapa mahasisa-mahasiswi Al-Azhar yang sedang berjalan dari arah berlawanan tak kuasa menahan senyum. Sayapun tertawa geli. Terlanjur malu, saya tendang ke semak2 potongan kawat itu, dan terus berjalan, sambil non-stop menahan senyum geli, ke halte. Semua orang yang saya temui di jalan ikut tersenyum balik sama saya. Penjual teh botol, penjual kue di tangga busway, gadis penjual karcis di loket, sampai orang2 yang berada di antrian.
Di dalam bus, saya baru memerhatikan bahwa, bagian samping luar sepatu kanan saya sudah MENGANGA. Aduh saya makin geli sendiri, nahan senyum dan nahan ketawa, ga karuan pasti muka saya tadi. Saya sampai tidak berani bergerak banyak, takut menambah parah bagian jebol itu. Pada saat ditawari tempat duduk oleh seorang pria muda yang cukup manis, saya cuma mengangguk senyum dan berterima kasih. Sementara di bus reaksi orang sekitar saya menjadi tiga macam; tersenyum balik pada saya, menghindari kontak mata dan ataupun jika kontak terjadi ia melengos salting, serta mengernyitkan dahi sambil (mungkin) berpikir "ini orang gila kali ya".
"Halte setiabudi". Ohhh akhirnya! halte saya! Dengan setengah menyeret langkah takut memperparah sepatu malangku, saya terus berjalan menuju kantor, masih senyum2 geli sendiri. Dari halte ke gedung kantor saya kira2 harus melewati 5 gedung. Lalu kira2 gedung ketiga tiba2, "srottt...", sepatu kanan saya resmi hancur brantakan! hahahahah! Bunyi sroooot tadi adalah bunyi lapisan di bawah sol sepatu saya yang akhirnya keluar jalurnya alias meloncat keluar ke trotoar. Sayapun tertawa geli terbahak-bahak sampai setengah berjongkok, di tengah ramainya trotoar Sudirman, sampai akhirnya saya membuka ransel gym saya dan berharap saya tidak lupa membawa sepatu kantor saya sebab kalau tidak saya harus memakai sepatu gym yang sangat amat tidak sesuai dikenakan dengan outfit kantor hari ini (atau hari apapun juga).
Setengah menahan malu, dan masih geli akan kebodohan saya sendiri, saya susah payah mengenakan sepatu hak saya dan dengan resmi mem-pensiunkan my "busway flats". Orang yang lalu lalang hanya turut tersenyum, ataupun memberikan tatapan, "aneh banget ini orang", tapi tetap membalas tatapan2 itu dengan kuluman senyum karena yang saya pelajari hari ini, SENYUM ITU MENULAR!
So try this, when you out there, alone, walking by the streets, queing for busway, or whatever, try to smile to every stranger that passes by you. And then if you get to the office, smile to your everyday person such as your doorman, security, cleaning lady, receptionist, secretary. The chance is they'll smile back at you, or think that you're probably crazy, but hell, why not infect people with a little bit of goodness?
Jumat, 17 Oktober 2008
The Sour Sally Phenomenon
If you Google Sour Sally, there are praises everywhere about it. Reviews, people's blogs, everywhere. I think this is quite a phenomenon, for a brand that is NOT a franchise from anywhere in the world. Sour Sally was created by an Indonesian entrepreneur, that did his homework very well. Everything is carefully thought; interior, logo, website (www.hellosoursally.com) and just the whole concept itself. Sour Sally is simply a frozen yogurt (fro-yo, i think that's the popular term they use now) parlor, with only 2 main flavors to offer: plain and green tea, with about 20 toppings of fresh fruits, cereals and chocolate chips. They also have smoothies, but I never bother trying them. (but u can get it for free by collecting stamps every minimum purchse of IDR50,000).
I'm really amazed of how many people quickly get addicted to it. First thing that attracted me and Opiq was the lime green interior. The writings and the little poster on the wall are too cute, Opiq could swear that the owner must be a designer, works in advertising, or just someone brilliant with money that is simply have good taste. (Later I found out the owner is not all that, but the part of the money and the brilliant are partly true; the rest he leaves it to www.kinetic.com.sg, good job guys!) Too bad, their shop at Senayan City is ridiculously small it can only fit about 10-12 people there, just like the angkot. So most pople have it to go. The fro-yo itself, omg. You have to try it yourself. I think people that even are not a fan of yogurt can actually dig this. It has zero fat, so it's guilt free. My friend said the point of having dessert is all the fatty stuff and the guilt you get out of it. I agree, I dig the whole eating healthy thing but leave my dessert alone. I dont do low/non fat dessert coz they mostly suck big time. But hey, how cool to get a fantastic desert that u love and it's fat free?
Tonite, an accumulation of a few bad stuff turned my evening to sour. I thought I was just gonna sleep i through it hoping tomorrow will be a better day. But oh the feeling was just so blah I didn't want to come home straight away, but I was too tired to do anything else. That's when I thought of Sour Sally. Now only 5 minutes away from my home, I could get it anytime on the way! You wouldn't believe how Sour Sally instantly lighten up my sour evening. (I know sound dense, but I'm not exaggerating. FYI this was my second visit this week) Ow thank you Sally!
Serving Suggestions: My personal preference is the plain one, instead of the green tea. On a really hot day, try the fruits topping, a combination a really strong sweet mango and the sour-sweet blueberry sauce mix are great! I also love the fruit pebbles, if I can only afford one topping. Mochi is not recommended because it really does not add any flavor to the fro-yo, only weird chewy texture. Tonite, I tried chocolate chips and strawberry sauce and it was phenomenal! Always try different combination of toppings on each visit, until you found THE ONE, it's always a nice surprise every time. Best serve with family and friends.
Damn I should get a lifetime stock of fro-yo for posting this. And from the many, many solo visits, I never get a single freakin stamp coz I never reach the minimum purchase. BAH.
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