Lesson Learnt from a Movie: Life of Pi

Life of Pi adalah buku yang dengan cepat menarik perhatian begitu aku melihatnya di toko buku.

Anehnya adalah walaupun aku sangat tertarik dengan buku ini (dan aku memilikinya!), tapi aku tidak segera membacanya.

Teranggurkan begitu saja di rak buku begitu terbeli.

Hingga tahu-tahu, buku ini sudah diadaptasi ke layar lebar. Sedikit di luar kebiasaanku, aku memutuskan untuk menonton film ini sebelum aku membaca bukunya. Hal itu terakhir kulakukan dulu ketika menonton Bridge of Terabithia (another good movie).

Life of Pi adalah film tentang "perjalanan spiritual" seorang Pi.

Life of Pi dibuka dengan adegan aneka binatang di kebun binatang dengan diiringi lagu Pi's Lullaby - Mychael Danna. Lagu yang sangat menenangkan, cocok untuk menemani yoga di pagi hari (tidur dong?) malam hari, terutama ketika sedang melakukan savasanna. -> sebagai penggemar musik dan penggemar yoga, aku merasa ini penting untuk ditulis walaupun ini sebenarnya tidak terkait dengan tulisan ini.

Pi merupakan nama panggilan dari Piscine Patel.

Keluarga Patel merupakan keluarga suatu pengusaha yang memiliki sebuah kebun binatang.

Suatu ketika Ayah Patel memutuskan untuk berimigrasi ke Kanada.

Dalam perjalanan ke Kanada bersama dengan hewan hewan yang akan mereka jual, kapal yang mereka tumpangi terkena badai di Samudera Pasifik.

Pi terombang ambing di laut bersama Richard Parker, seekor macan Bengali dewasa di dalam sebuah rakit.

Apa yang terjadi selama Pi terombang ambing di lautan bersama Richard Parker ini lah yang menjadi inti cerita dari "Life of Pi". 

Yang akan kutulis di bawah ini adalah interpretasi aku pribadi, 

"Tuhan" itu lebih dari sebuah label.
Tidak peduli apakah awal dari perkenalanmu dengan "Tuhan" dimulai dari Hinduisme, dari Kristiani, atau pun dari Islam, (atau pun dari agama lain) itu adalah perjalanan spiritual setiap invididu secara pribadi. Tidak ada orang lain yang dapat mengatakan kepadamu, akan bagaimana kah perjalananmu, karena itu adalah suatu hal yang harus dialami secara pribadi. 

Jangan pernah berputus asa, yakinlah bahwa selalu ada pengharapan bahkan di saat tersulit.

Tidak ada yang lebih menyedihkan daripada tidak bisa mengucapkan selamat tinggal.

(dedicated for my dear cousin: Petrus Sigit , 25 April 1974- 30 November 2012)

Manusia adalah makhluk yang penuh pengharapan. Manusia ingin percaya bahwa manusia lain akan selalu memiliki nilai kemanusiaannya, bahkan dalam keadaan terdesak.

(my opinion: *****/5)

You Don't Have To Win To Be A Winner

Last night, I heard this quote when I was watching The Voice season 3.

That quote came from an eliminated contestant.

I don't know if she was just trying to make her feeling better, or not.

But I know that I like that quote.

Winning...

Is winning everything?

For me, nope, it isn't.

Some people said that life is competition.

Yes I agree, but I think that I have my own standard, my own measurement.

What I mean enough is possibly not enough in other people's eyes.

A few years ago, my boss told me that I didn't have the passion to win.

I asked him "What do you mean?"
How could you measure other's passion?

I have my own measurement.
And I don't want to be told by other people.
Because I know that I'm a winner.

Je m'apelle Séverine

Bukan.

ini bukanlah suatu posting tentang gw secara pribadi or personal.

Ini hanyalah sebuah post mengenai sebuah nama yang kebetulan memang merupakan namaku, Severine.

Aku ingin sedikit mengulas penggunaan nama ini dalam budaya, baik musik, sastra, film, atau kultur masyarakat.

Secara semantik, Severine merupakan bentuk feminim dari Severin.
Kata dasarnya adalah Severe (Prancis, Inggris) atau Severus (latin).
Menurut kamus Oxford, severe merupakan kata sifat yang diartikan sebagai:

1(of something bad or undesirable) very great; intense:

a severe shortage of technicians

a severe attack of asthma

the damage is not too severe

·              demanding great ability, skill, or resilience:a severe test of stamina

2(of punishment of a person) strict or harsh:the charges would have warranted a severe sentence

·              (of a person) formal and unsmiling.

3 very plain in style or appearance:she wore another severe suit, grey this time

(source: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/severe)

Sebagai contoh beberapa penggunaan nama Severine/ Severin/ Severus dalam budaya sastra, musik dan film:

- Belle de Jour merupakan sebuah novel karya Joseph Kessel yang juga diadaptasi menjadi film:

Séverine Sérizy' (f) digambarkan sebagai seorang ibu rumah tangga yang mencari kepuasan dalam hal Masochistic dengan menjadi seorang wanita panggilan di siang hari.

(source: wikipedia )

- Venus in Furs merupakan sebuah novel karya Leopold von Sacher-Masoch dan lagu yang dinyanyikan The Velvet Underground

Severin (m) digambarkan sebagai seorang pria yang tergila gila pada Wanda, hingga bersedia menjadi budaknya. Budak yang dimaksud dalam soal ini adalah sebagai peran submissive dalam konsep dominatrix-submissive. 

(source: wikipedia)

- Severine merupakan judul lagu yang dinyanyikan oleh Ego Likeness (darkwave musician)
Penggambaran karakter Severine di lagu ini adalah "georgous parasite".
(source: wikipedia, lyricstime)

- Harry Potter
Severus merupakan salah satu karakter kunci utama dalam serial ini.
Penggambaran karakter Severus adalah seorang guru yang dingin, namun di penghujung novel, kita akan dapat melihat sisi lembut dan perhatian dari seorang Severus.

-Skyfall (James Bond 2012)
Severine digambarkan sebagai seorang wanita yang terjebak dalam pelacuran, dan kemudian terpaksa tunduk kepada orang yang mengeluarkan dia dari lingkaran pelacuran itu.

Hal yang repetitif untuk setiap kemunculan tokoh Severine/Severin/Severus adalah penggambarannya sebagai orang yang berpakaian hitam dengan karakter yang kelam.
Dalam hal seksualitas, karakter dengan nama Severine/Severin lekat dengan BDSM.
Hal ini sebenarnya tidak terlalu mengherankan kalau mengingat bahwa istilah masochisme diambil dari nama Masoch yang notabene merupakan penulis Venus in Furs.

Fiuuh.... semua bahasan di atas membuatku bertanya, apakah tidak ada image yang lebih positif dari nama Severine ini?
Masih ada kok ternyata..
Coba lihat gambar di bawah ini:

Terjemahan:

Latin: Severus
Arti: Severe (lihat referensi kamus Oxford tadi)
Pesta 27 November
Para Severine tidak se-severe yang dikira oleh orang, mereka sangat lembut dan perhatian, sangat feminim dan pengertian

Ya boleh lah untuk sedikit membesarkan harapan. :)

Pejalan Kaki yang Baik

Selamat pagi... !

Kali ini ingin berbagi soal apa sih sebaiknya yang gw lakukan ketika gw berjalan kaki...

1. Berjalanlah di tempat yang sesuai
Yes, I know. Di Indonesia jarang sekali ada trotoar yang layak. Seringkali pejalan kaki terpaksa berjalan di tepian jalan. Atau pun kalau ada trotoar, yang sering gw temuin sih, entah bolong-bolong, tidak rata, beralih fungsi. Dalam soal alih fungsi, gw ga cuman menunjuk ke pedagang kaki lima ya.
Jari gw terarah para pemilik lahan usaha. Sering bukan kita melihat lahan selebar 1-1.5 meter yang tadinya trotoar itu sekarang diratakan sebagai jalan masuk ke tempat usaha, or malah sekalian jadi lahan parkir?
Gw "mengerti" ketika pedagang kaki lima "mengakuisisi" trotoar, karena kadang mereka tidak punya tempat lain untuk tempat usaha. Tapi para pengusaha yang memiliki modal untuk membeli lahan? Shame on you.
Dengan berbagai halangan untuk jalan kaki, tetap saja, usahakanlah berjalan kaki di tempat yang sesuai. Semakin ke pinggir lebih bagus. Untuk gw pribadi, gw prefer jalan di pinggir kanan jalan.
Kenapa? Supaya gw bisa melihat langsung kendaraan yang menuju ke arah gw.

2. Earphone is prohibited
Dengan memposisikan diri dalam keadaan fully alert dengan suara di sekitar, itu akan membuat gw lebih siaga ketika misal ada "suara klakson motor yang mencuri jalur pejalan kaki" , dan percayalah itu seringkali terjadi. Atau ketika kita menyeberang di dekat blind corner (secara umumnya zebra cross ada di dekat perempatan), maka sangat penting untuk mengandalkan pendengaran untuk mewaspadai apakah ada  kendaraan yang akan berbelok.

3. Menyeberanglah di tempat yang semestinya
Ini cukup sulit dilakukan sebenarnya, secara gw jarang sekali nemu zebra cross di Jakarta. Mungkin sekali hari ini ada di suatu tempat, tapi nanti ketika ada pengaspalan ulang, zebra cross itu hilang karena tidak dicat ulang.
Atau alasan klasik soal posisi peletakan zebra cross or jembatan penyeberangan "Tempatnya nanggung" atau "Jauh ah".
Wahai tuan dan nyonya dan nona muda sekalian, coba deh kalian definisikan jauh itu berapa meter sih?
Gw seringkali geli sendiri ketika menanyakan definisi jauh ketika berjalan kaki pada orang Indonesia pada umumnya. Karena kadang mereka bilang zebra cross/jembatan yang hanya 15-20 m dari tempat kalian menyeberang itu jauuuuh, tapi mereka sangat kuat berkeliling pasar dan mall.. *LOL*

Terakhir..
4.Sadar bahwa semua pengguna jalan mempunyai Hak dan Kewajiban
Ini masalah kesadaran sih menurut gw. Menurut pengamatan gw, pada umumya orang di Indonesia itu sadar akan HAK, tapi tidak soal KEWAJIBAN.
Sebagai pejalan kaki, gw berhak mendapatkan tempat yang layak untuk berjalan kaki. Tapi ya jangan lupa saja, gw tetap wajib bertanggung jawab atas keselamatan gw dengan mematuhi rambu-rambu yang ada.
Karena ingat, sama seperti seorang pengguna sepeda motor mengendalikan motornya, atau seorang sopir mengemudikan kendaraannya, maka seorang pejalan kaki juga pasti mengendalikan badannya.
Jangan salahkan si pengemudi jikalau kmu tertabrak ketika menyeberangi jalan tol (kasus ekstrim), or jikalau kamu menyebrang di jalan yang sudah ada batas tengah (ini pemandangan setiap hari), menyeberang di bawah jembatan penyeberangan (juga pemandangan setiap hari), berjalan di tepian jalan dengan memakai earphone sehingga tidak mendengar ketika ada kendaraan menghampiri..

Jadilah Pejalan Kaki yang Bertanggung Jawab... :)

Catsanova is Waiting for His Girl

I like to bring my pocket cam everywhere, simply because I didn't know what I would find in my way.

Two days ago, I was annoyed by the sound of two cats fighting in the front of my house.

Voila, when I open my door, I found a white gray cat in my wall, looking straight at me.

I'm not a cat lover, and I believe that every creature could detect when someone doesn't like them, so I try to minimize eye contact with the cat.

Still, I thought, why did she look at me with a strange face. For a few seconds, she looked like she wanna say "help me, please?"

But I ignored her and walked to my gates.

Then I heard a cat meow-ing in my right..

"Meeeoooowwww"........ (actually much shorter than what I type here)

Suddenly I understand.

There was a grey cat outside my wall, waiting the white gray cat in the top of my wall.

Just like Cassanova waiting for his girl, there was a Catsanova waiting for his girl in the front of my house.

*psst, the Catsanova failed to impress his girl. As long as this morning, I still heard the sound of cat's fighting. And I found my plant's pot fallen from the wall. :(

Lesson Learnt from a Movie: Carnage

Sabtu kemarin, aku ke Blitzmegaplex bersama pasanganku dan temannya.

Tanpa tujuan film yang spesifik, kami menghabiskan waktu sekian menit untuk memilih film.

TDKR? Amazing Spiderman? Ice Age 4? Total Recall? Paranormal Experience? Three Stooges? Carnage.

Kelima film yang pertama disebutkan sudah kami tonton, jadi akhirnya pilihannya dipersempit antara Three Stooges dan Carnage.

Bersenjatakan rating dari IMDb, akhirnya kami memilih Carnage.

Sebenarnya, harapanku ketika memasuki studio tidaklah terlalu tinggi.

Walaupun review nya okay, tapi melihat genre filmnya yang drama, dan membaca sinopsinya, tampaknya kurang menarik walaupun aktrisnya mencakup Jodie Foster dan Kate Winslet.

Hal pertama yang mencuri perhatianku ketika opening title adalah disebutkan bahwa Carnage ini merupakan karya adaptasi dari Yasmine Reza.

Hmm, nama timur tengah. Mungkin suatu saat nanti

Yang kedua adalah nama sutradaranya, yaitu Roman Polanski.

Seperti yang diketahui khalayak umum, Roman Polanski saat ini berstatus pelarian dari Amerika, dengan karya yang terkenalnya seperti The Pianist ( also my favorite movie).

Film ini menceritakan tentang usaha antara kedua pasang orang tua untuk berdialog soal pertengkaran yang terjadi antara kedua mereka.
Terlihat bahwa dalam menghadapi suatu kasus, keempat orang tersebut mempunyai pandangan dan sikap yang berbeda.
Ada orang yang santai dan berusaha menganggap ringan, ada orang yang menganggap sangat serius, ada orang yang tidak mau tahu, ada juga orang yang berusaha tetap tenang walaupun sebenarnya memendam suatu perasaan.

Ketika orang dengan karakter yang berbeda, suatu masalah yang sebenarnya mudah dapat bergulir ke arah yang tak terduga. Ketidakpedulian, ketidakingintahuan, ketidakpekaan, ketidakjujuran, itu semua dapat menjadi bom waktu.
Selain itu, tentunya segala hal yang berlebihan (alias lebay), itu memang tidaklah baik.

Tapi apa yang paling berkesan menurutku adalah ini...

Suatu masalah yang timbul antara kedua pihak, sebenarnya haruslah diselesaikan oleh kedua pihak itu sendiri. Karena mereka sendirilah yang tahu sendiri mengenai konflik tersebut, dan apa sebenarnya penyelesaian yang terbaik untuk mereka.
Solusi suatu masalah tidak terdapat di pihak ketiga, atau pun pihak keempat atau pun pihak kesekian.
Dan sangat tidak tepat bagi orang lain untuk sok-sok ikut campur dan memperbesar masalah.
Ya memang, kadangkala dibutuhkan bantuan orang lain untuk melakukan suatu mediasi, namun ingat, siapa yang bertikai, itulah yang harus menyelesaikan.

Review of this movie: 8/10

Pause A Moment before You Tweet...

Yesterday, I read a chirpstory about bullying at a high school in Jakarta Selatan.

It is a sad story.

What makes it sad is the fact that, someone re-told this story in his/her soc-med, without camouflaging the identity of the victim and the location.

Yes, he/she doesn't upload the picture.

Still, naming the victim and the location is something that I considered as not a wise move.

Does she/he know that mass media exposure to this case could cause to a child?

Bullying wouldn't happen if this child could stand up for him/herself in the front of his/her senior or school mate or whoever the bully is.

It happened, didn't it?

So how could you hope that he/she could handle the pressure of the mass media news coverage?

I know you are upset.

I know that you want people to sympathize with the victim and sharing this story to prevent this happen to the others child.

But, please don't share the victim identity.

Why do Whatsapp doesn't sell ads?

I'm a Whatsapp user for Android.

I've already paid for my second year in the Q2 of 2011.

At 2011, the price for this app was "FREE for the first year, then 1.99 USD/ year after."

(the same price was valid for the other operating systems, except for iOS, the price is 0.99 USD/ year since the beginning)

I forgot at which times exactly, but I saw a picture that the price has changed into "Free for the first year, then 0.99 USD/year"

My first thought is:

Free = Ads
Paid apps = no Ads

But strangely, I've seen that in my boyfriend blackberry, he still can use Whatsapp normally, even tough the one year period had passed, without any single ads. (FYI, he hasn't paid).

So, how it is possibly for Whatsapp to survive?
Actually, I don't know.
Maybe their contract with Nokia or the payment from the early user of Whatsapp is more than enough to support all of us.
Or maybe there are still people that are willing to pay if they are satisfied (Me?).

I like Whatsapp, and I want to support them.
If you are using Whatsapp, try to read "Why we don't sell ads" - Whatsapp
If you are agree with their idea, maybe you could support them by sharing a little bit of your money. :)

Sailing Trip to Komodo (part 2)

I woke up in the morning, preparing for the next journey.

While we are eating our breakfast (crepes with banana and chocolate sauce, very yummy), we could see a ship approaching the hotel.

Our ship name is Fadaelo.

The welcome drink is papaya juice with milk.

Surprisingly, it is very delicious.

Me and my friend enjoying papaya juice

From Labuan Bajo, our first destination is Pulau Rinca. The port name in Rinca is Loh Buaya.

I'm not a biologist or an ecologist, so I'll say what I see.

Once inside the gate, what I can see is savanna, rock and sand. The weather is hot and dry, with only a small of plantation. 

From the top left, clockwise: Rinca habitat, a Ranger explained Loh Buaya map, me with the Komodo stick, ranger standing near a Komodo nest

We are accompanied by two rangers because our team consists of 9 person. Normally a ranger accompany 5 person.

The ranger brought a stick with two branch in the edge. Why? Since it is known that komodo are afraid with something similar with their branched tongue.

Komodo has an excellent smelling capability.

Women during period is prohibited to enter the Komodo National Park for their safety, because Komodo could smell the blood and locate you even from far away.

According to the ranger, komodo could run at 18 km per hour speed. I think that's fast, because I could only run with max 9 km per hour on the treadmill. :D (and the maker of this song "Macet lagi macet lagi, gara gara si Komo lewat" must have never known anything about Komodo!)

So you better hope that you don't have any open wound or during your period when you go there. A chase between you and a komodo surely would not be a pleasant part of the trip.

For myself, I'm thrilled when we meet a komodo in our trekking trail. I'm speechless, because I feel so frail.

Notes: if you want to see komodo, but you are afraid of doing some trekking, I suggest you to come there before noon. Many komodo will gather around the ranger's housing area, since they smell the cooking!

It is quite strange to see a group of Komodo laying below the house.

Laying under the ranger's hut, "waiting" for the lunch time

After Rinca, our next sailing target is Pulau Kambing. ( Kambing = goat)

If you love to snorkling or diving, you have to go there.

It is one the most beautiful underwater scene that I've ever seen.

I've ever been to several snorkeling points across Indonesia, and this is definitely one of the best.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my underwater camera while I snorkeling there. :(

I don't know why it is named Pulau Kambing, because I didn't see even one goat there. 

The next destination is Kalong Island. (Kalong = bat)

This is the last destination for in the first sailing trip, because this is the place where we'll watch sunset and spend the night.

The view is spectacular. 

Beautiful red orange sky with thousands of bats flying across the sky.

Unfortunately, I have a pocket camera only, and it couldn't capture the red beautiful sky. :(

After breakfast we continued the journey into Pulau Komodo.

This is the biggest island in the Komodo archipelago area.

The difference with Rinca is the komodo living in Pulau Komodo are older and bigger.

Rinca's komodo are younger and more savage caused by their agility.

The habitat itself is quite different.

It is more like a tropical forest. This is also a good place to do some bird watching.

From top left, clockwise: Sulphurea Hill Top, Sulphurea Hill Top, Komodo, Sea Dock 

Oh yes, and I'm lucky that I've got there before the permanent dock is finished. I think a wood dock is much nicer than a permanent dock.
I understand that Komodo will be a big part of tourism in Nusa Tenggara Timur.
But I really hope that the government won't forget that the main reason of making Komodo archipelago as a National Park area is for the animal reservation, not for tourism.

The next destination is Pink Beach.
Why it is named Pink Beach? Because the sand is pink.

Pink Sand

But that's not the only think that you can see at Pink Beach. It is also a beautiful place snorkeling. If you are not a water activity fans, you could do some trekking to the hilltop, the view is quite fascinating.

The last destination for our sailing trip is Bidadari Island.
It is a small island near Labuan Bajo.
This island also has pink sand, but it is more polluted than Pink Beach.
Pink Beach is a no man island and the location is quite far from the local people village.
Bidadari is close to Labuan Bajo, so the rubbish from Labuan Bajo are washed into this shore.
It's a shame, because the beach is pretty.

After two days of sailing trip, we returned to Wae Cicu Eden Hotel.
So long Komodo.... :)
Hope that I'll see you again someday..

notes: all the pictures aren't edited. I'm not a professional photographer, and I'm only using my pocket camera (Sony Cybershot W-570)

Labuan Bajo, a Step before Reaching Komodo (part 1)

First of all,

this journey happened on May 2011.

So I would say I'm sorry if it is not really accurate.

What is Komodo?

From Wikipedia : Komodo is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar.

Komodo is listed in UNESCO World Heritage since 1991 and Natural Seven Wonder List since 2011.

So I'm actually lucky that I got an opportunity to visit Komodo before it is declared as one of the Natural Seven Wonder.

How to get there?
You have to reach Labuan Bajo first.


By air:

• DPS- LBJ: Trans Nusa (7x / week)
• DPS- LBJ: Wings Air (3x/week, TUE, THU, SAT) 

Points of interest:

- Labuan Bajo sea port : It smells fishy, but the view is beautiful. Blue sky tinted with white cloud in the sky. Traditional ships.

- The Lounge : a nice restaurant at Labuan Bajo, don't forget to try Komodo's Smile drink.

It contains Flores mint a.k.a Kemangi for Indonesian people.

(left to right) Chocolate Milk Shake, Watermelon Juice, Komodo's Smile

- Batu Cermin: (a.k.a Mirror Rock) : a limestone cave, with beautiful reflection of the ray light onto the wall.

- Paradise Bar: a bar, best known for watching sunset

- Wae Cicu Eden Hotel : owned by a Swiss and Indonesian couple. Located in the hilly side across Labuan Bajo.  

Fresh water and electricity is available. 

No air-con, only fan, but they provided mosquito net. The bathroom is clean enough for my standard. 

The cuisine is made with French style. I realized that once they served me grilled fish with thyme for dinner.

And for the breakfast, they served crepes (of course ala Francais , not dry like Indonesian crepe)

What I love the most about this hotel is the fact that they don't have a port.

Their commitment is to stay as natural as it can be. So the only way to reach this hotel from the sea is by using a small raft since the bigger boat couldn't landed on the beach.

As you can see on the picture below, there is no port in the front of the hotel.

Enjoy your stay in Labuan Bajo, because the trip to Komodo is still awaiting you.

continued to Sailing to Komodo...

Mengakrabi Ketakutan

Dua hari yang lalu, aku menonton Abraham Lincoln : Vampire Hunter.

Tapi kali ini bukanlah bahasan mengenai film tersebut.

Hanya saja ada sebuah quote yang menarik dari film tersebut ketika seorang tokoh bernama Henry Sturges mengatakan hal seperti ini : 

Real power comes not from hate but from truth

Entah mengapa, kata-kata itu mengingatkanku pada sebuah dialog yang terjadi di meja makan keluargaku sekian tahun yang lalu. Kalau aku tidak salah ingat, sepertinya waktu itu aku masih duduk di bangku SMU.


Dialog yang terjadi seperti ini.
Ibuku bertanya, sebenarnya ada apa sih yang salah di Indonesia, katanya orangnya pintar-pintar, beragama, tapi kalau urusan korupsi juga jalan terus.
Jawabanku simpel.

Di sini, diajarkan untuk melakukan sesuatu di bawah ketakutan.
Manusia sebaiknya melakukan sesuatu karena manusia sadar bahwa hal itu baik, bukan hal yang merugikan.
Sama seperti manusia harus sadar bahwa suatu hal yang tidaklah baik, maka apalah gunanya dilakukan.
Jika semua orang sadar dengan segala perbuatannya detik per detik, maka tidak ada itu istilahnya khilaf, karena semua perbuatan dilakukan dengan sadar.

Orang yang melakukan sesuatu hanya karena takut, maka jikalau hal yang ditakutinya itu hilang, bukannya akan kehilangan makna dari pengerjaan hal tersebut?
Ada perbedaan kedalaman antara doing something only because you are afraid and because you know the real benefit of doing this thing.

Contoh sederhana..
Seberapa sering kamu telah mendengar kata-kata ini sepanjang hidupmu:

"Udah.. ga pa pa lagi begitu. Ga ada yang tahu juga kan?"

-> jadi kamu tidak melakukan itu hanya karena kamu takut ada yang tahu, terus kalau tidak ada yang tahu jadinya tidak apa-apa?

Aku tidak akan mengatakan bahwa tidak ada gunanya ketakutan.
Ada beberapa hal yang aku takuti, dan menurutku itu ada gunanya sebagai alarm buat diriku sendiri untuk tetap mawas diri.
Tapi aku mencoba mengakrabi ketakutan itu.
Apa penyebab ketakutan tersebut, dan apakah yang bisa kulakukan untuk membuatku bisa mengurangi rasa takut itu?

Mungkin akan ada yang bertanya, terus apa hubungannya antara ketakutan, kesadaran dengan quote-nya Henry Sturges itu.
Menurutku ketakutan lebih dekat dengan kebencian, ketimbang kesadaran dengan kekuatan.

Siapa yang suka berada dalam ketakutan?
Kita tidak suka rasa tidak berdaya ketika kita ketakutan.
Tapi jikalau manusia sudah sadar apa penyebab ketakutannya, maka itulah yang akan menjadi kekuatannya.

Fifty Shades Trilogy

Actually, I'm reluctant to review this Fifty Shades of Grey's trilogy.

Since it's like opening up your dirty secret.

Why...?

You don't want anybody know that you read erotica fiction, do you?

Based on Merriam-Webster dictionary:

Definition of EROTICA:

1. literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality
2. depictions of things erotic

Enough of definition.

Why do I want to read this trilogy?
Maybe you've already read my previous blog entry regarding Kobo.
I mentioned that I saw this trilogy in some bestseller list.
Of course I do some research before deciding to buy this bundle.
Most shown up terms are : erotic, fan-fiction, BDSM

Fifty Shades of Grey is originally a fan-fiction of Twilight.
Just add the erotic and (sometimes) hyperbolic touch.
Don't expect a deep story.

The main characters are Anastasia Steele (later Grey) and Christian T Grey.
Anastasia is a recently graduated young woman.
Christian Grey is a very rich businessman with a darker side (in his own term "fifty shades fucker").
Both are madly attracted into each other.
At the beginning, it is mostly the sexual attraction, but the more they know about each other, it will get into a deeper relationship.

My point for this trilogy is 6.5 out of 10.
If you don't know anything about BDSM, this book will give you some insight about this world.
Good for your knowledge maybe (?) :P
The story itself is addicting, but the story lack of depth.

Notes:
This book is not available in Indonesia. I guess the theme is too risky.
If you are a regular visitor at Kinokuniya, you must be familiar that they always put the NY times bestseller list on their bookshelf.
This time, they don't.
I guess this is because that the top number 1,2 and 3 is taken by this Fifty of Shades Trilogy.

Amed Beach - Bali

Last weekend, I went to Bali for company outing.
My first reaction was "Bali"?
I stop counting my visits to Bali since a long time.
Maybe because I've been there more than 5 times, nearly once a year (twice last year, because my flight to Komodo depart from Bali).
What makes difference for this time is the destination.

The destination is Amed.
Located on Karangasem area, on the east of Bali island.
It took 3.5 - 4 hours from Kuta by bus.

On the way to Amed, you can stop at Goa Lawah, Pesinggahan, Tirta Gangga.
The last "city" before Amed is Alampura.
The view between Amlapura into Amed is surely breathtaking.
You can enjoy the view of ricefield across the valley on your side and the blue sea in the horizon for the background.
At another point, you'll see the beach below your way, with several jukung boat laying on the sea-shore.

Unfortunately, because of the flight delay, we didn't have enough time to see the sunset.
I spent the night at Coral View - Hidden Paradise.
I was lucky enough to get the Family Suite to shared with my friends.
It is a two level villa.
The room downstairs provide two single bed, the room upstairs provide one queen bed.
There is one bathroom downstairs , located outdoor (Don't worry, the wall is high enough, unless someone climb the wall, nobody will peek you naked)
Hot water is provided, also the toiletries. (The shampoo and conditioner is well enough. It didn't dry my hair even after I soaked my hair in the pool and the sea. But you can't take it home, because it is stored in a big stone bottle)

Amed is actually a small fishing village.
You can see plenty of jukung boats on the sea-shore during the time when the fisherman are not sailing.
Oh yes...I almost forgot.. Amed is a black sandy beach with sunrise view.

April(e) in May

How about the white sand lovers? Will they be dissapointed?
Of course they won't.
Below the sea-surface, the view is quite beautiful.

Try to snorkeling while you get there.
Or if you are a certified diver, try to dive there. There is a japanase wreck in Amed.
If you don't feel enough, you could arrange a dive trip to Tulamben (30 minutes from Amed). You could find the wreckage of U.S.S.R. Liberty.


You don't like to snorkling or diving?
You can still walk around the village.
It is a quiet village, so if you want to feel a different side of Bali, this is a nice place.
I really enjoy my morning walk there. It is so calm and refreshing.

7:00 AM at Amed village road

You like to enjoy spa? (Balinese massage is quite famous, isn't it?)
From the hotel information, they recommend A-Spa and Puri Wirata Spa.
I didn't have enough time to go to those places, but I was lucky enough that I found a masseuse near the pool.
I paid 150k IDR and I get 60 minutes body massage.
I think the price is reasonable, considering that Amed is only a small village.
(You'll forget about the price once the mbok's hand is in your back, and you could hear the wave sound as the background)

Last, don't forget to eat some fish.
The grilled fish is so awesome. :)

Building my Reading Life with Kobo

I'm a bookworm.

I love the smell of paper. I've already had two large cupboard for my books collection.

That's why it's really hard for me to consider buying e-book.

In the past, reading an e-book was valid for me only if I've already bought the actual copy of the book.

But a few days ago, I made a decision, "Let's try buying an e-book".

50 Shades of Grey is listed in Goodreads, Bookdepository, NY Times Bestseller, etc. Since the original format for this 50 Shades Trilogy is an e-book, so I think, okay then, let's try. 

First of all, I search into the Google Play for some e-book reader app.

After browsing through some apps I decided to try Kobo. 

I like simplicity, and I could sync between desktop, Android, Apple devices and Blackberry. (I only have the 1st gen iPod Nano and I'll never buy a Blackberry, so it's not really important tough)

It also compatible with some e-book reader. Kobo itself have a product named Kobo-eReader.

The files format supported: Adobe DRM and e-pub.

The other reason why I choose Kobo is ..... I like to collect awards. :D

Kobo has Reading Life features.

It provides some collectible award such as:

• Reading Life: Your digital Reading Life has just begun
• I love my Library: You've started to build a digital library with Kobo
• Once Upon a Time: You started reading a new book

etc....

You could see the default awards are already available in the Reading Life.

Some of the other awards are hidden at the beginning, and it will show up according to your reading habit.

So far I've unlocked Page Turner (2H), Primetime, Better in Bed. 

You could check the complete list on Reading Life Awards .

Mine?

some of my Reading Life Awards

Other features:

• sharing into Facebook timeline
• sharing into Kobo Pulse
• custom reading setting 
• appearance: Classic (white background, black text), Sepia (beige background, black text), Night ( black background , white text)
• font size and font style

Snapshot from my LG L7:

Kobo

Kobo Home

reading a book

IMAX 3D in Gandaria City

Hi hi..... 

just want to share a short update. 
Since two weeks ago (4 May 2012), the IMAX 3D is officially open in Gandaria City XXI. 
The ticket price is mentioned as below: 

• weekday (Monday-Thursday) : 50k IDR
• Friday or a day before a holiday : 75k IDR 
• weekend or holiday: 100k IDR

Update!

Since the end of July 2012 (I didn't know precisely since when, but when i want to watch The Dark Knight Rises), the ticket price is:

• weekday (Monday-Thursday) : 60k IDR
• Friday or a day before a holiday : 75k IDR 
• weekend or holiday: 100k IDR

The good news is that the tickets are available for purchased on M-Tix. 
Just make sure that your account balance is enough before transaction ;) 


Enjoy the movie..

me, my bf and his friend 

oh yes, of course you need the review.

I watched The Avengers.

In my opinion, it's rare to see a nice real action 3D movie.

My best experience with 3D movie was How to Train a Dragon.

I watched Iron Man 2, Captain America, Harry Potter 7 part 2, Avatar, Transformer and so many 3D film and yet, the best 3D movie is How to Train a Dragon.

But my opinion has changed when I saw The Avengers in IMAX 3D.

The effect is nice, you could really feel the pop-up effect in your eyes.

I think, if you want to see a real action 3D movie, IMAX 3D is worth for your money. 

But if you want to see animation 3D movie, Dolby 3D is more than enough.

I forget something.

Do you wear glasses? Unfortunately, IMAX 3D only provide one size. Don't worry, it's wide enough for your glasses, but I would really like to have two option for size like Dolby 3D provide.

Meeeeeooooowwww....Rest in Peace...

My relationship with cats have been upside-down for my whole life.

At 6 years old, my neighbor's cat named Maurice scratched my hand. A long scratch from my wrist to my finger. I could still see the mark until this day.

At nearly 7 years old, we moved to Indonesia. We got a cat named Udin. I don't really remember what do we love about him, but I still remember the day of his funeral. We made a little tomb of a brick, and we buried him in our garden, between two trees.


At 10 years old, we moved into a new house. Now we have dogs as our pet and guardian. So bye bye cats.

I never really thought about cat until this morning.
Yesterday, when I go home, there was a cat at the front of my door.
Because I'm not a cat person, I just look at his face then go into my house.

This morning, on the way to the church, I said to my boyfriend "I saw a cat at the front of door yesterday."
He: "Then?What did the cat do?"
Me: "Nothing. It was just sitting there."
He: "Okay. It doesn't matter then"

Near my house, there is an office home building called Merah (means Red).
In my mind Red is associated with blood.
And believe me, you don't want to see what i saw at 6 AM this morning.
At the front of this house, we saw a cat lying in a pool of blood.
And it was still breathing, gushing blood from its mouth.
It's really a heartbreaking view (and disgusting).
I lost my appetite, I can't cook.

Something strange happens when I open my front door while I'm preparing myself to go to the office at 8 AM.
The yesterday cat is there.
This time, he meows at me.
I could feel the goosebumps on my neck.
Yes, I know it's another cat, not the run over cat.
But still, Dear Cat, could you pick another time before showing up at my front door...?

Anyway, this note is dedicated for the run over cat. Rest in peace.