Suatu saat, aku duduk di bangku kayu yang bersandaran, di pagi yang tidak dingin tapi menyejukkan. Ketika itu, nafasku tidak beraturan, ada yang ingin meledak di dalam dadaku, tapi ternyata itu bukan apa-apa yang serius, aku hanya sedang gugup karena hari itu adalah kompetisi pertamaku. Pantas saha, perempuan kecil berusia sebelas tahun dulu begitu terengah.

Apakah orang-orang terlambat? atau aku yang begitu semangat menyambut kompetisi pertamaku? Di tempat yang tak kukenal itu, aku hanya memberanikan diri untuk bersandar di kursi kayu panjang. Apa yang bisa aku lakukan saat itu? Hanya mengayunkan kaki-kaki ku yang tergantung karena kursi itu terlalu tinggi. Seperti itu hingga aku bosan dan ada bayangan yang aku lihat dekat tempatku bersandar.

Aku mengenalnya, dia laki-laki berbadan gilik yang cerdas, tak heran aku terpesona. Belum sempat aku temukan apa pesonanya, harus bertemu langsung untuk menemukan kesannya.

Dia bukan orang yang pemalu, dia tahu aku memandangnya dengan sedikit rayu dan ketika itu, ketika hanya aku dan dia yang ada di tempat asing itu, yang membuatku tak sanggup berkata, "Kamu suka denganku, ya?".

Aku hanya bisa dengar suara lucunya. Aku tak lihat bentuk ekspresi apa yang dia pasang saat itu, raut apa yang ada di ujung bibirnya, dan pandangan seperti apa yang berteduh di bawah bulu mata lentiknya. Aku hanya mampu tersipu dan membisu.

Rindu ini tentu semakin rindang, tapi tak seperti rimbun daun-daun beringin yang sejuk untuk tempat berteduh. 

Dari cerita masa kecilku, aku tak menyangka akan terus teringat hingga sekarang. Ketika dia telah hilang.

Sosok yang penuh kesan.

Kami memiliki hobi yang sama saat itu. Tak hanya itu, bahkan guru kursus piano kami adalah orang yang sama.

Semoga tempatmu bersemayam nyaman dan hangat, sampai jumpa di kehidupan yang lain. Rasanya benar-benar menyesakkan untuk menyadari bahwa sementara ini aku tak mungkin melihatmu lagi, entah sementara atau selamanya. Sudah lima tahun sejak hari yang tak terduga itu, aku tak ingin mengingat kapan hari pastinya. Inginku, itu tak pernah terjadi.

Counting days to the start of new semester and rewarding my self for a short holiday in a town, 6-hour away from home. In the last week of holiday when it's should be the most hectic days preparing for the next jam, I am carefree-ly away from home and siding at sister's new boarding room. Sorry guys, I care for my serotonin better than everything. Ha-ha...

A night of two sisters who wished to get the meals by delivery had to be ruined to another way because none of us had cash in hands. With sleepy and sluggish body, we didn't even care to prettily design our night attire. 

And...

We drove out with cozy pajama, no cologne, no lotion, no powders, and no shame for being too clumsy among people who dressed beautifully.

Ordering two portion of ramen, two iced-lemon tea, and Sakana (basically a takoyaki with i-forgot-the-name sauce), we tried to once be a shameless girls fooling around only with pajama.

Ebi Furai Ramen

I wanted to describe my 'sinking' ebi furai ramen which was damn so good. Firstly, the main attraction which is the ebi was a bit off. Why? we usually got our ebi tempura with crispy coat, right? But what I got was the sinking ebi tempura in the sea of ramen's soup. Well, the juicy taste of ebi was still there, luckily, but getting my ebi tempura already swamped inside the bowl was just...

But, that wasn't really matter actually since the soup is just so so good. Maybe, that was one of the most delectable ramen's soup I have ever tried. Complete with sliced-leek, nori, and the crunchy of sesame seeds, the dish was really warm for dinner meal. 

Well, that's our dinner, how's yours? 

I am writing this while laying prone facing my sister's laptop, away from home, Semarang, listening to random songs.

The holiday will end really soon, so sad that my leisure time has to end...

How should we struggle upon this society’s disease? Who should take this blame? And why this problem never meets its end?

I was enjoying the night before my exam on the next day, with no other intention, with my half empty head, I sat on a mat, well--just call it a mat, a man around thirty offers me to rent his piece of cloth with something printed on it, like a banner ad. That’s just how people earn money these days, everything can do. He does a business with me over a used banner ad cost five thousands rupiah.

I don’t remember how long exactly I sat there just as how i don’t remember how many persons came either with clapping their hands and singing  or just with hand opened shoving toward me.

First Judgment?

They are beggars, prone to be a thread and they have no shame for being one.

Beggar /ˈbeg.ə r / /-ɚ/ noun
1. A person, typically a homeless one, who lives by asking for money or food.
2. [with adjective] informal A person of a specified type, especially one to be envied or pitied.

Agreeing to what George Orwell wrote in his first book, Down and Out in Paris and London,

“A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand. He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honor, he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich”

If only government could forget about their value, beggar could have been a profession, a progressive one to oblige them paying taxes.

Taking the perspective economically, they are doing very profitable business but little-or-much they cause loss in some way. Beggar is a passive commerce, in one side they get profit but reversely they can’t give anything back, except ensuring those noble act of compassion and generousness will get a payback from god.

If people think that maybe those people are only the victims of poverty, or some would harshly say they come from the incompetence of government, we can’t say it’s not right. They probably will use that excuse when you ask.

They are capable enough to receive the training base on their interest which actually alienate their reason for not giving contribution when in another place we can see how people selling newpapers, being a laborer, or just anything legal for supporting their family.

Despite the fact that beggar is illegal, harming society’s value, or damaging national’s economy in further, beggar problem is like prostitution. No matter how bad we want to settle this case, it’s also hard to answer where will we put those thousands of people. We can’t hide that indeed in another side government also feel burdened. How long will the government’s hand able to bear those people, protect them like how they protect others? 

 

They are beggar, they say that’s the only way to live by funding to fulfill their needs.

Bandung has always been another nice city to stay and long for. Because there won’t be any year without going there, at least once a year, well not really in Bandung, mommy’s mom is abiding in Cimahi, one of the most hectic sub-cities around Bandung.

If you happen to visit Bandung, get your mind and self together to stay away from malls and everything labeled shopping spot, save time to look on one of its peace-inspiring spot around Situ Lembang. You’ll need only an hour and thirteen minutes in traffic (well, if suddenly Bandung goes silent) from Trans Studio Bandung, approximately twenty-five kilometers drive.

Dusun Bambu.

Jl. Kolonel Masturi Km. 11

Situ Lembang, Bandung Barat, Jawa Barat

This would be an ideal place for those who want a release. Its leisurely scenery is soothing for eyes and soul.

Firstly, if you enter from the second and third parking lot you’ll need to ride a car they have provided freely to get onto the main spot. With the thrilling road, going on through hill and slope, this would get you that feel of nature with the signature cold of Lembang.

There are loads of interesting thing you can do in Dusun Bambu. If you adore photography, the up-down flower beds are really photogenic. Besides, the also offer us a cozy place to have family meals at the side of the small lake. If you only want to go snacking, they also have kind of food court called Pasar Khatulistiwa where we could get some light or heavy meals.

 

An interesting concept they have there is the money inside our purse would have no value. Why? Because no matter how much we have, we can’t use it before exchanging them into voucher. Quite a work to walk here and there to exchange our money every time we we want to buy something but it’s kind of cute to see everyone holding a big paper money