July 16, 2018

THREE: AMERICANO X VANILLA LATTE

Everyone was surrendering, to the ticking time...

for the unfailing rain that repulse to cease.

And I was still trapped between my vanilla latte and his americano.

Americano.

Caffè Americano--iced.

the ice cubes were all almost gone.

I finally conceded my disguise in a book and reached the glass of vanilla latte.

He budged a little and looked up at me.

"Sweet?"

the very question he disserted was thing that didn't need an answer, out of all.

"No." I answered. 

I was honest. It wasn't sweet, the ice cubes were all melted away and diluted my should-be-sweet vanilla latte. 

I guess he was thirsty after saying stupid question and took himself his americano.

"Coffee should taste like this, 70 percent bitter, and sour the rest."

I watched half of him through the reflection of the dampen window, he was then leaning back and observed things outside. I just noticed that he wore a pretty brown velvet coat, looking warm. And he put his deerskin primaloft gloves on the table, in custard? and sure he matched them with his coat.

The afternoon was well-spent.

in awkward silence and fleeting ungainly eye-contact.

 

July 15, 2018

Photographed with fad.
Sister in frame.

 The Village has many interesting photo spots.

Wooden bridges, wooden stairs, classic store building, and a black big window.

July 8, 2018

 

So, just yesterday, me and sister drove to one trending good place in town around 11 kilometers from home, 25 minutes to count. This place always come into sight in every weekend's instagram timeline, and when curiosity met a good time, we decided to step on the gas.

Things that make the place seems new and novel in town is the red brick building along with other classic-likes. Paying IDR 18.000 would afford you to enjoy the small river and walking path.

Besides, there are many cutie things to see and touch,

And a kind of aves inside the cage.

Also hard-to-get sweet things which costed me 10 minutes in line...

March 29, 2018

TWO:

My vanilla latte, on the other hand, was unreachable.

This wooden brown table has no power over what happened between me, the guy across, and another girl there, on his phone call, when I thought at least I would perceived the table as a bulkhead that would seclude me from his total mess ambience.

Loud.

I guess, that's how people normally got angry.

Emotional.

I guess, that's what normal people reacting to a break-up.

"Let's just go on our separate way!"

I forgot that I was pretending to be absorbed in the book when I found my self starring at him, with a bit of empathetic-questioning eyes.

The Eleventh Page, I was taking back my eyes down to the book I have been holding only for an hideaway from his cumbersome presence. I read the last three lines.

"... Where I live, everything is so small!"

And, with a perhaps a hint of sadness, he added:

"Straight ahead of him, nobody can go very far..."

Right. It somehow pulled me into a revelation that I have been going nowhere. It would be just another day, with the same people to bump, another happiness I beared, another sadness I came through. Life is just... about re-cycling? so far. for me. though.

"Sh*t"

I misheard? Right?

The man in front of me was peeved and imprecated.

Just as staggered as my ear, my neck brought its way up to look him straight at his eyes.

"Sorry..."

So I paid him with a quite forbearing smile. Well- i wasn't really agreeing him about his swear words, but not completely disagreeing, either. People might need rest to be kind, sometimes the evil wanted to go out.

Curse. an offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance.

Curse. I believed in some way, it could awake happy hormones, to make someone at ease, bring you to an overall sense of calm.


And just yet, I found him smiling.
His endorphins already made their way out.

And I was a little culpable.
For eavesdropping on a couple's fight, for witnessing a break-up.
 

March 28, 2018

 

My Bangkok Story!

Ever since getting my passport, I have been wanting to at least once go abroad and enjoy the world from another view. So here it is, how I tried to cope with myself getting to know Bangkok in around five days.

How was it? Kilometers away from home? Far apart from my comfort zone...

It was superb! terrific! yet I saw my self a little pathetic.

Well, Bangkok in a nutshell seems and feels like Jakarta. All the opulence yet the ghettos. Nothing seems too different, just another busy city with reckless taxi drivers.

Firstly, why Bangkok?

Yeah, I didn't have any other choice aside from Bangkok. I went to Bangkok not for holiday but some academic-oriented things. We visited Siriraj Hospital, the Faculty of Medicine of Mahidol University, which is one of the oldest hospital in Thailand and it's said to be one of the best tropical medicine and infection center in Asia.

We stayed at Royal River Hotel in Bangkok. Right at the side of Chao Phraya River. If you have ever in Bangkok, you'd be really familiar with this river, as everywhere we tried to go, this river seems following us, well-no, it's just defining how long is the river. At the first night, I wasn't feeling really well and couldn't really enjoy my resting time after the whole day travel by train and plane. I suspected my self with bacterial conjunctivitis. My eyes are quite sensitive to dust and wind. And that very moment, I visited the hospital, crazily, it was 12.00 AM, I was just arrived in Bangkok, and the first thing I did was visiting doctor at Siriraj Hospital. 

They were so concerned even if for me bacterial conjunctivitis is a very common and trivial disease. So that was my first experience visiting hospital in Bangkok, in term of care, I would give them standing ovation, so great! The doctor was so detailed and giving a very understandable explanation very greatly. 

The second day was filled with Hospital tour, from the Anatomy Museum with a very topographic of human body's slice, Anatomy Laboratory, and Simulation Laboratory with a very high-end technology. What I wanted to say was, I wished I would comeback there for further study, experiencing their advanced technology. They used a soft cadaver for resident's  surgery simulation, they have a magical mannequin that could respond many sensors. The best I have ever seen! Sadly, I didn't get any photos from here, I was too amazed with everything they have.

The day was closed with a dinner at a Chao Phraya Cruise Ship. We boarded a ship which crossed around the river under a very beautiful night. I thought Bangkok is most beautiful at night, with a lamp gushed through the tall buildings. 

The next day was a full day of sightseeing!

Our destination was The Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) and Taj Maharaj. 

The Royal Grand Palace was resided by previous King Rama and now is still resided by one of the princess. The story they have wasn't much of difference from the Ramayana story in Indonesia. 

Chakri Maha Prasat, I was told that this building has many doors. Women and men have different entrance, and only the King can go through the woman's door. In the past, the Women of Royal Family were only allowed to go out when the time they got married.

There was this Temple of The Emerald Buddha, which is said to be Thailand's most sacred site. It was a very famous place for Buddhist to pray. We had to take off our shoes, be silent, and forbid to take any photos from inside.  

Tha Maharaj is one of hang-out place with the view of Chao Phraya River, you can find many cafes to chill out there with a very modern vibes. It was a very cozy place to enjoy one cup of Thai Tea and watch the boat crossing the Chao Phraya River. 

Thai Village!

Tasting all delicious foods and desserts.

At the supposed to be last day, we went to MBK and Siam Paragon!

The Shopping Center.

The Plus One

We supposed to leave Bangkok on March 20, but after twice delayed announcement, the flight was finally cancelled and rescheduled to March 21. Yeayy! We got one additional day to enjoy Bangkok.

We stayed at Amari Don Muang Airport Hotel for a night and enjoyed the last night in Bangkok, trying to be fine even if we supposed to be home that day.

January 21, 2018

As if time is not ticking, the memory of you never get old.

There has been too much thing I have kept my self, for you, to be told.

If it was only for those reasons, you should have stayed. 

You had never once, said truly how you felt. 

You had never once tried, to even say what you liked.

That way, you let us, be the word that never completed.

Your way, to be used to not saying words, to be used to agree of what I decided, shouldn't let me left distrait.

December 20, 2017

I was carelessly leaving my umbrella home as I didn't expect it to rain.

The forecast failed me that day and I decide to ensconce my self in a book cafe with a warm heater, at the intersection.

Deemed light, quiet, with only a vacant seat near the window because I thought it was rather cold to sit there, well, no other seats available and I didn't have much choices. I comforted my self first, still thinking of what I would do or at least order a glass of worth-enjoyed drink by myself. People were at least talking with someone across, busy with their earphones, and absorbed in a book. 

I left my bag and got up to the counter.

"Vanilla Latte."

"Iced"

there was a lady behind the counter, maybe two to three years older, frowned at me.

"Iced?" she repeated or asked? I didn't have the idea. I frowned back and she looked like finally assured with my frown. 

"it would be 4.5 dollars."

I left the counter to see around the shelves.

Novel. Romance. Shakespeare's to George Eliot's.

Ah, there's one I have been loving since kid, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petit Prince.

My hand involuntarily took out the book, exactly, at the time my name was called from the counter. My vanilla latte was ready.

They gave me a brown tray.
With a glass of cold vanilla latte, and freebies. 
Two churro-s and chocolate on the white saucer.

And that latter-day, the rain was sadly getting heavier and sky turned dark. It was five to fifteen. And oops! Someone has occupied the seat across where my bag laid.

I would be hurt for him taking anyone's seat but also the guilt would be on me if then I reprimanded giddily.

"your seat?" his very own words travel and firstly laid on my heartbeats, like a pacemaker. I was almost incidentally got arrhythmic from dismay that his voice sounded so collected. No, it's only nothing. I wouldn't say I was mesmerized, just, how he laid his eyes on me ruled my autonomic response. He might take adrenaline before and propagate its effect through either his eyes or voice. Does it sound intellectual? or stupid?

I never known nor read any journals stating adrenaline could deploy through sound or sight, either. But, let's make it sense, first. I wouldn't just be this thumped merely with his single look on me.

"if you don't mind, sharing table is bearable, right?" he continued.

I looked around, scanning the room. No vacant seats, well, he got the point.

That afternoon, the rowdy rains saved me.

December 15, 2017

Days had passed, through the loneliness on the air.

Times had much gone, through the endless calling.

Because without you, I would be always waiting.

Because without you, I believe you'd come, one day.

There was a day, when I hope I would give up on you, because giving up means I would turning my way finding better direction. But my heart seems too steadfast that I can't even replace the rotten part of the memories we had and made it damn torturing. I have learned that there was no one could be you, because even if I am without you, your every shadow still remains, apparently, that I still couldn't believe that you had gone for years.

Good for you.

Not good for me. 

I was wrong.

I was wrong that I let my self to bump into you when in the end nothing would remain except the longing you forced me to swallow. I have been lost, walking too far to find you.

I want you to pay!

for the time being.

I have been looking for you.

I have lost in myriads of tears.

  

November 29, 2017

 November 18, 2017

He came long after I have been in love with vanilla latte iced too much. He filled the remaining spaces inside my heart and sometimes made me lost of breath because he poured me too much loves with his cheesiness. 

Thing, he never figured out is I finally come with permanent logic that vanilla latte should automatically come with his presence, which make it a lot hurts when he doesn't come along with.

The glass slowly marred with dew around. Small drops, trickling down the tube later, ratting the wooden table, finally and it would be time he came with his cup of americano and composed smile. 

there was no need of texts nor calls. 

there was nothing such appointment.

he just knew it he should come.

Vanilla Latte is not merely a glass of coffee with latte. 

Vanilla Latte I was familiar with were plus his presence and shared earphone, plus our little argue of what to listen, plus a pinch he laid on my cheek, plus the gaze from his small eyes.