my own little world" /> my own little world" />

30.11.05 

:: cerita bajaj 2 ::

Kenapa bagian 2? Karena sebelumnya aku sudah pernah ngomongin bajaj.

Hari ini lagi-lagi aku ke PIM naik bajaj. Kali ini berdua HW, teman kantorku. Oia, di kantor, kalau manggil rekan kerja, pakai inisial. Aku dipanggil AL (astrid lewarissa). Bos besar WW (wimar witoelar). Bos yang (katanya) mirip inneke, WT (widya tresna). Temen yang bangga dibilang mirip samuel rizal, MA (maro alnesputra). Nah yang pergi sama aku ke PIM adalah HW (herdiny wulandari). Begitu seterusnya di kantor, semua pakai inisial.

Ceritanya, HW ngajakin nyari kado untuk IK (ira koesno) yang hari ini ultah. Kita naik bajaj dari ITC seperti biasa. Nawar dari 8000 jadi 6000. Begitu duduk dan pintu ditutup, melajulah bajaj. Tau apa yang terjadi? Baru juga jalan, untuk keluar dari barisan bajaj yang lain, dengan tenangnya si supir langsung banting setir. Kaget!

Kejutan kedua, dia langsung melaju ke barisan paling depan melewati mobil-mobil yang mengantri di lampu merah. Kita berdua lihat-lihatan dan berkata, "Mau 8000 aman atau 6000 ugal-ugalan?" hehehehe... Untungnya, kita sampai dengan selamat di PIM.


Setelah putar-putar mencari kado, kembalilah kita berdua ke kantor. Nawar bajaj lagi. Kali ini dari 8000 jadi 7000. Naik, tutup pintu, jalanlah bajaj. HW pun berpesan, "Hati-hati ya bang, bawa barang pecah belah nih."

"Iya neng," jawab si abang.

Tanjakan lewat dengan aman. Namun pas tiba waktu untuk melewati lampu merah, si supir masih saja mempertahankan bajajnya di kiri jalan. Tiba-tiba banting setir ambil kanan dan langsung tancap gas lurus melewati lampu merah. Lihat-lihatan lagi deh kita berdua. Baru selesai kita lihat-lihatan, eh pas tikungan ada mobil mundur. Si supir bukannya berhenti malah klakson dan banting setir ke kanan terus kiri lagi. Mobil itu sempet mundur sedikit dan berhubung aku yang duduk di pinggir kiri, deg-degan dong. Langsung lah aku mukul paha HW (maaf ya HW!). HW pun langsung berubah juga raut mukanya.

Kejutan berikutnya adalah ketika dia tiba-tiba nyelip di kiri jalan untuk memotong masuk ke jalan sempit. Lalu ketika antrian begitu panjang di lampu merah ITC, lagi-lagi si supir membawa bajaj memotong ke kiri jalan dan langsung berada di paling depan melebihi tiang lampu, sejajar dengan motor-motor. Begitu sampai ITC pun, dia masih sempat bikin deg-degan ketika harus memutar balik.

Ya ampyun deh...Benar-benar gila! Ternyata naik bajaj di siang hari lebih horor dibanding naik di sore/malam hari. Benar-benar hanya si supir dan Tuhan yang tahu ke mana bajaj itu menuju. Terutama jika jalanan sedang macet-macetnya, disarankan tidak naik bajaj karena segala hal bisa terjadi tiba-tiba.

Memang bajaj tidak aman untuk penderita sakit jantung.

25.11.05 

:: kangen Bournemouth ::


Kangen sama kota kecil nan ramai dengan orang-orang beragam budaya. Meskipun katanya sih sekarang lagi dingin & berangin banget, tapi tetep aja kangen. Apalagi sekarang kan udah mulai masuk minggu-minggu menjelang Natal, kebayang aja ramainya lampu kelap-kelip, pohon Natal besar + pasar murah di town centre & juga diskon gede-gedean di tiap toko. Namun ya, keindahan dan kenikmatan itu masih kurang karena tahun lalu saya tidak menikmati itu semua bersama keluarga dan orang-orang tercinta.

Dalam hitungan 6 minggu, saya akan kembali lagi ke Inggris Raya. Deg-degan sekaligus excited karena pengen tahu apa saja yang sudah berubah dari Bournemouth. Yang pasti sih, bertambah dingin & berangin, kata beberapa teman. Celakanya, ini masih November. Menurut kabar, musim dingin tahun ini bakal yang terburuk. Tahun lalu, separah-parahnya musim dingin baru Januari-Maret. Nah kalau November aja udah 0-3 derajat, bagaimana nanti Januari pas saya ke sana?

Kangen banget ama kota kecil ini. Beberapa orang Inggris bilang kalau dulu kota ini cuma tempat tinggal bagi orang-orang pensiunan karena tempatnya yang di pinggir pantai yang bisa bikin rileks. Terus universitas di sana tuh mulai promosi ke negara-negara lain untuk menarik minat mahasiswa. Akhirnya uni-nya pun mempunyai kredibilitas tinggi untuk Media Study dan Tourism Study. Seiring berkembangnya ilmu komunikasi, maka minat para pelajar pun tinggi untuk nyemplung di media industri. Kalau tourism, ya tentu saja karena Bournemouth merupakan kota pariwisata dan memiliki banyak hotel. Sejak itulah Tourism Study di sana ditingkatkan juga mutunya.

Hal itulah yang membuat Bournemouth saat ini ramai dengan pelajar dari berbagai kota di Inggris dan juga berbagai negara. Oia, di Bournemouth juga banyak language schools dan itulah mengapa banyak pelajar di kota tersebut. Ditambah Art Institute of Bournemouth dan The College yang menarik para anak muda Inggris dan mancanegara, khususnya dari negara persemakmuran Eropa.

Aku juga sedikit kangen sama kebab dan fish & chips yang dijual di sana...hehehe...Aneh mungkin ya. Kangen kok sama makanan di sana yang tak berasa. Oia, kangen juga sama host family dulu. Mereka sudah ku anggap keluarga sendiri dan setiap kali aku ke sana, pasti disuguhin makanan macam-macam. Belum lagi, cucu mereka Alicia yang lucu dan menggemaskan.

Aku kangen Bournemouth. Kangen Lansdowne Road. Kangen town centre.

18.11.05 

:: blogging type ::




Your Blogging Type is Unique and Avant Garde



You're a bit ... unusual. And so is your blog.

You're impulsive, and you'll often post the first thing that pops in your head.

Completely uncensored, you blog tends to shock... even though that's not your intent.

You tend to change your blog often, experimenting with new designs and content.

16.11.05 

:: The Lewarissa ::





hahaha...these are what my parents just gave me...

left: my sister; Anitha; age 1.5
centre: me; age 8 months
right: my brother; Adrian; age 3 months

15.11.05 

:: No housemaid is a disaster ::

I’m sure most of the Indonesia people will agree with the title & this is what is happening now in my house. It began when my twin housemaids went home to celebrate Idul Fitri (Eid Mubarak) day in their village. We know they always ask for 2 weeks holiday, but this year they ask for almost 4 weeks because one of them will get married. What a disaster??!!

For those who are probably confused why housemaids are important in our country especially in Jakarta, because Jakarta is a very hectic city. People need to count at least 2-3 hours down if they have an appointment in city centre. If they don’t have a maid at home (FYI, we live in a house not apartment), they need to wake up very early in the morning to prepare everything; food, clothes, documents, etc. Then sometimes it will spend about 1-2 hours to reach the place because most of us live in Zone 3-6 (if match up to London map).

For example, around 6 years ago, I went to school which was 12km far from home. I only needed ±30mins to arrive, but now it will take 45mins-1hour depends on the traffic. Another example, I go to the office which is only 7km far and it takes 1hour during rush hour.

Since there are no housemaids at the moment, I need to wake up very early in the morning. My office starts at 8am, so I have to go at 7, then I MUST wake up at 5.30-5.45 because I have to wash the dishes and do ironing first. I even get used to have breakfast in the car since I was in high school. Though I drove to school, but I really knew how to eat my breakfast during driving :D. After work I still have to do several domestic jobs even though I feel too pathetic.

Well, during in the UK I always took good care of myself and my flat though. However it’s different! In Bournemouth, I only did domestic jobs for my own, but here I must take good care of another 4-5 people whose needs are very different. That is why we need at least two housemaids at home, for preparing food and cleaning the house. FYI also, in Indonesia we really cook proper food, prepare everything from the basic, not just reheat or use microwave.

I wish my housemaids were here soon!!! Because before I return to Bournemouth, I really wanna spend my last months in Jakarta with pleasures not just doing the domestic jobs and staying at home.

Oohh what a disaster we have if no housemaids at home………

14.11.05 

:: busy hour poem ::


A poem from the boss in the middle of busy hours at InterMatrix


A hat is not a hat until it’s tilted;

A rose is not a rose if it’s wilted.

A bell is not a bell until you ring it;

A song is not a song until you sing it;

Love wasn’t put into your heart to stay:

Love was put into your heart to give away.


ps: thanks WW for the poem :)

 

:: welcoming hectic ::

Yeahhh…Jakarta is back to normal after being forgotten for a while by its citizens. In the last two weeks, the city was so quite and peaceful.

NO TRAFFIC JAM!!!

But today (Monday, Nov 14) my city is back to its normal situation; crowded, stressful and crazy traffics.

I just wanna say,

“WELCOME BACK PEOPLE…ENJOY YOUR CITY & ITS CRAZINESS”

8.11.05 

:: Why Me? ::


"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
(john 16:33)



When our life turns to grey and become more grey than any other color, we often ask God, “Why me?”

Basically, the answer will be, “I’m God, and you’re not.”

6.11.05 

:: love myself ::


Been singing all night long and got an inspiration to write about a touching song...

It will be about "The Greatest Love of All" which I've put on my melody

The song's great, just like the title. I suppose it will become the most favourable song in my life especially to support me loving myself.

I don’t know why I still feel like I haven’t loved myself deeply. I know that I always love my boyfriend sincerely while he is mine, but sometimes I find it difficult to know how deep my love for myself is.

Some people said that by not belonging to anyone, maybe it’s the time to generate the deep feeling of how to take care of us. As the song said:

"The greatest love of all is easy to achieve.
Learning to love yourself…It is the greatest love of all"

Perhaps we have a friend who thinks that by having someone to be loved, we’ll find the greatest love of all. I won’t say the opinion’s wrong or correct. People can freely say everything about the meaning of love. However, the song said that we will find the greatest love of all by loving ourselves. When some find great love within their loved ones, some might find great love within themselves. As a woman, I can love myself by doing some treatments at the hairdresser, having taken care from the top to the bottom. I can do exercises in order to have a goddess’ beauty & posture. Can those be said deep enough?

One day a friend told me, “Please start thinking about loving yourself by letting your heart free from your no heart ex-boyfriend, by forgetting him!” Will it be deep enough either? Or maybe by letting your heart free from hate and keeping our mind from worry, will we love ourselves sincerely?

I think there seem to be many ways to love us. Sounds easy, but I’m sure it’s difficult to be done. Well at least I know by the song that the greatest love of all is learning to love myself. No matter what people might say about the meaning of the greatest love, I still can feel it within my soul.