Adem

Pengin ke tempat yang banyak anginnya dan pohonnya, terus pasang hammock dan berayun-ayun. Nggak peduli kalau pantat kedinginan kena angin!

Take a Bow

Weekending with Cuplis, Sari, Hendra, dan teman-teman Terangi di Pulau Pramuka, 2011.

Java!

Sugar Rush!

Agus melancarkan aksi bersih-bersih di sepetak tanah tempat Bu dan Pak Udin jualan di Pulau Pari. Aku yang pada dasarnya malas gerak jadi takjub melihat adegan ini.

Aku yakin, itu bentuk kepedulian rekanku ini terhadap pulau yang kita singgahi. Pulau ini memang menderita akibat sampah kiriman. Sedih juga melihat tumpukan sampah plastik dan styrofoam mengotori keindahannya….

Pacar Ketinggalan Kereta & “Bukan Pacar tapi Ketinggalan Kapal”

Yang bikin film Pacar Ketinggalan Kereta pasti terinspirasi untuk bikin film berdasarkan pengalamanku dan teman-teman di Pulau Pari: aku, Agus, Ciwit dan Yasa ketinggalan kapal. Jadi, kami cari informasi sana-sini untuk pulang. Di loket dekat dermaga tertulis ada kapal cepat Kerapu dengan kuota enam orang. Kita antre di depan loket penjual tiket, menunggu petugas kembali dari jam istirahat.

Kedua petugas itu datang dan kita tanya-tanya. “Kapal Kerapu diutamakan untuk pribumi,” kata penjual.

“Maksudnya pribumi?” tanyaku.

“Orang pulau sini,” jawabnya, “Sudah ada empat orang yang pesan. Dua lagi pun sudah dipesan.”

Oke kalau begitu. Memang layak penduduk lokal pulau diutamakan. Lalu, aku tanya lagi, “Jam berapa kapal penumpang biasa yang bukan kapal cepat besok berangkat?”

“Nggak tahu,” jawab penjaga itu.

“Lho bukannya Mbak petugas di pelabuhan ini. Masak tidak tahu?” tanyaku.

“Nggak tahu,” jawab dia lagi sambil terus memandangi ponselnya.

“Kalau pesan tiket Kerapu besok pagi bisa Mbak?” tanyaku lagi.

“Nggak tahu,” jawab dia lagi sambil terus memandangi ponselnya.

“Oh, oke,” sahutku. It was so fucking frustrating to talk to ignorant people. Mereka kerja di pelabuhan sekecil itu tapi tidak tahu info kapal? Nggak masuk akal. I smelled something fishy. Aku pikir aku saja yang diperlakukan begitu. Ciwit pun ternyata juga dapat perlakuan yang sama waktu dia bertanya ke kedua wanita itu. Setelah itu, ada semacam calo kapal menawarkan naik Predator, kapal cepat yang lebih cepat dari Kerapu. Dia jual tiket Rp 175.000. Terlalu mahal untuk kita terlebih lagi uang tunai kolektif kita tidak sebanyak itu.  

Ada seorang ibu pemilik warung di samping loket yang mendengar pembicaran ini. Dia panggil kita dan kasih banyak info soal kapal. Bahkan ibu ini tahu informasi lebih banyak soal kapal daripada dua penjual tiket itu. Luar biasa. Ibu yang baik. Penduduk pulau yang baik!

Akhirnya kami menumpang kapal ke Tanjung Pasir, Tangerang. Lumayanlah hahahaha….walaupun harus berganti lima kendaraan untuk sampai kosku! Hahaha….

Little Fella

His smile was a shy one, but he approached us! So, I said hello to this fellow.
Desa Takpala, Alor

Market Watch: Pasar di Kupang

Kumasuki GerbangNya

Di hari Minggu itu, aku diajak Kak Es ke gereja tempat dia berjemaat. Tapi, kupikir, itu jauh dan aku sedang tidak siap berbasa-basi. Jadi, aku pergi ke gereja yang paling dekat, dapat dijangkau dengan jalan kaki: katedral di Kuta. Dalam hati, sambil aku melangkah masuk, aku merasa aku "masuki gerbang dengan hati bersyukur, ke halamannya dengan pujian. Kataku hari ini hari buat Tuhan, kubersuka sebab Dia girangkanku..."

Oke, itu lagu yang kuingat dari masa kecil hahaha. Jadi, aku masuki gerbang gereja itu dengan kekaguman, sebab, bentuknya kontemporer dan amat modern interiornya. Ada sentuhan Bali di sini.

Aku ikut misa yang kebetulan dalam bahasa Inggris. Sedihnya, aku nggak bisa dengar dengan jelas apa yang dikatakan pastur. Ini telingaku atau pastur yang bicara kurang jelas ya? Kemungkinan besar telingaku.... Jadi, sepanjang misa, aku mengamati interiornya dan menikmati suasana.


Dan, di misa itu, lagu yang sama ini juga dinyanyikan, tapi dalam bahasa Inggris. 

Deep River

Deep river, my home is over Jordan!

Keraton, Jogja 2007

Dengan Cika & Fajar

Star of Wonder

Kain tenun alor sangat cantik. Dan hati siapa pun akan tergoda untuk memilikinya. Sangat cantik, bahkan kain berkabungnya bermotif menarik. 

 

 (colors have been digitally modified)

Selain motif tradisional, bentuk kontemporer, seperti motif ikan, penyu, dan rusa juga banyak dijumpai. Tapi, ada satu yang membuatku tergelitik untuk bertanya lebih jauh.

 (colors have been digitally modified)

“Apa ini bintang Daud?” tanyaku ke penjual kain di dekat RSUD.

“Bukan, ini bintang laut, Muda,” jawab si kakak itu. (Betapa senang hati ini disapa dengan “muda”!)

"Bukankah bintang laut punya lima sudut? Bintang ini punya enam sudut, Kakak,” kataku menunjuk kain.

“Bukan, ini bintang laut, Muda,” jawab si kakak itu, lagi. (Sekali lagi betapa senang hati ini disapa dengan “muda”!)

Aku tidak berargumentasi lebih jauh karena di pantai berpasir merah muda itu, aku menemukan dua bintang laut yang amat aneh bentuknya. Aku pun jadi yakin, itu motif bintang laut.

Stick to Stick Figures

So we went window shopping that night after hanging out at Motel Mexicola. Got fascinated with these stick figures. Time to revisit some culture, eh?

Ay, Keramba!

Ternyata banyaaaaak sekali jermal alias keramba alias tongkang di teluk Jakarta! Kaget aku melihatnya. Tampak kurang elok.

Little House in the...Valley

Sebenarnya, bintang dari foto ini bukan hydrangea, tapi rumah petani bunga di Bedugul nan indah permai ini....

Jesus Entering Brussels...then Jakarta

Minggu pertama di April itu, aku pergi ke pameran Deep and Extreme Indonesia. Setelah bertemu Umi, Echi, Sulis, Bayu, dan Ifan, aku dan Sulis lanjut ke Agrinex di lokasi yang sama. Begitu masuk, aku takjub karena berpapasan dengan ratusan orang yang keluar Plenary Hall. Mereka berjalan dengan cepat sambil membawa bibit pohon. Batang dan dedaunannya melambai, seakan-akan menyambutku...

Ah, begini saja aku sudah girang bukan main. Bagaimana dengan Isa (Yesus) dahulu ketika masuk ke Darussalam (Yerusalem)? Di sana dia—oke, Dia—disambut ribuan orang yang melambaikan kain dan daun palem….

Market Watch: Glodok

The Butterfly Lovers & The Cry of the Violin

I remember, some time ago, I used to play it on the desktop. Vanessa-Mae’s version from her China Girl. I love it because it’s lyrical and at some point grandeur. It’s a beautiful marriage of Chinese-style music and Western orchestration. The violin, of course, is the king.

One morning Fiona asked, “Whose music is it?”

Vanessa-Mae’s, said I.

“It’s so Chinese style.”

It’s the Butterfly Lovers Violin Orchestra. 

“Butterfly what? Oh, I know, it’s Sampek Engtay!”

I had no idea what or who Sampek Engtay was. So I consulted a book.

Long long time ago in the Middle Kingdom, Engtay, just like Fa Mulan, cleverly disguised herself as a boy in order to get education. She met Sampek. Long story short, they fell in love. Sadly, they got separated because Engtay’s parents forced her to marry their colleague’s son. Sampek, heartbroken, fell ill and soon, died. On her way to some place on her wedding day, Engtay passed by Sampek’s grave. She took some time to pray. Hearing this, the sky thundered, the grave broke open, and Engtay jumped into it. Then a pair of butterfly flew from inside the grave to the sky….

Years later from the converation, I managed to watch the show. Exactly last weekend. Watching the show (Teater Koma’s version is not accompanied with the Violin Orchestra but by their own musical pieces), I realized why some parts of the Violin Orchestra is so melancholic. The way the violin cries sounds like a woman in agony. And near the end of the third move, it roars grandly, I bet it's when the grave breaks open. What music.

As for the show, this year’s Sampek Engtay is the 25^th year celebration of the show. Back in 1988, the show caused a stir for portraying many Chinese inspiration. Chinese culture was banned in public from late 1960s to late 1990’s by the regime. Cleverly the director, Nano Riantiarno rewrote the centuries old love story and set it in Indonesia. It was a clever move. So the show is a friendly reminder of what a regime could do and also a celebration of what freedom can inspire.

Please sit down with me (pt. 3)

Market Watch: Alor

Please Sit Down with Me (pt 2)

Chilling out with the Chillun

 Courtesy of Diah R Sulistiowati

 

 Photo by Dwi Ariyogagautama

The supposed-to-be last mikrolet blew out its engine in the middle of the kampong. Everyone stepped off. Here we were stranded in the middle of some kampong and when we turned our head, its young residents flew around us. 

Mister, mister, they called us, despite the fact that we look like every Indonesian. Perhaps they called us so because most people who come there are foreign tourists. 

In an instant we made acquaintance. These chillun were just out of classroom after reciting Koran class. They entertained us while we were waiting for the next mikrolet to take us to Kalabahi. 

To my regret, I din bring along a big plastic bag of candy I left in hotel room!  

All the trees in the field Clap their Hands for You

Can you imagine that, Sem. Isaiah wrote, you shall go forth in peace and the trees and the hills before you, they clap their hands for you. How cool is that! What made him think so? It’s a great narrative, though.

I bet Isaiah traveled a lot. And he enjoyed traveling. If not so, how could he wrote that inspiring verse. When I traveled back on train, It was one of the most enjoyable train trip I’ve ever had. On my left, the rice fields, the hills and cities. And on my right side, the Java Sea. beautiful!

When I saw the trees, I thought, their trunks resembled feet of a great flock of flamingos. And I could see they cheered me. I guess Isaiah was right. They clapped their hands for me.

Antiquities Is in Vogue, also in La Vogue

Jalan Pemuda in Semarang is full of surprises. There are many old buildings. I admire the facades and I wish to see the inside. That morning after Christmas, I strolled along the street and I found this attractive La Vogue. It turns out to be an antiquity store. While I was windowshopping, the door suddenly opened. I was shocked. The owner apparently had seen me and he invited me to step inside.

It is full of antique stuff, from books, rings, photos, dolls, old world souvenirs, bottles, to paintings. Thought, I can get used to this place! Even more, the owner invited me to take a look inside and upstairs. it reminds me of that house at Jalan Argopuro, Lawang. Sturdy wooden stairs, wooden floor, large windows.

I wish to sell it, said the owner.

If I might suggest, Pak, you could turn it into a guest house. It is a very nice place, people would love it, I said.

Wide Eyed Adventure

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(photos by Diah R. Sulistiowati)

You come in the wrong time. That’s what people said to me, MbakDiah and MbakTeja. We came to Alor when the west monsoon came. The sky was grey all the time and the dark clouds kept sending heavy rain. The sea was welling up albeit remaining calm.

I could have drown in sadness and regret, but I just forgot to do so. Every thing I saw was quite new and I love the scenery. I indeed said to myself that it must be more beautiful to see them when it is not raining. But strangely enough, I just forgot to feel resentment.

All things bright and beautiful, even in bad weather.

I was surprised to find that even this old grey brain played a tune to the trip. I didn’t give command to open the file. It just played John Rutter’s song over and over: Look at the world, everything all around you. Look at the world and marvel every day…

A Village with a View

 (photos by Diah R. Sulistiowati)

Desa Takpala is every tourist’s imagination comes true. If they want some authentic things to see in Alor, then this village is what they want to see. It is located up in the hill, overlooking the sea. I could see Mali Airport and Sikka Island from up here.

How do you feel to wake up in the morning and see the beauty? I asked one of the residents, referring to the great view of the sea.

He just smiled broadly. I can see whales from here, he answered, much to my envy.

Whales?! I was shocked—and envious.

If they leap above the water, it means rain is coming, he said. And if they raise their tails, it means, we could plow our lands.

How could that be?

Our fathers said so, and I think it’s true, he said.

And who am I to argue?

Angels, We Haven’t Heard on High

The orgel (pipe organ) inside GPIB Immanuel, Semarang, is special. In the whole Indonesia, instruments like that are only a handful. This instrument is, like the church itself, centuries old. It has been repainted, I can see. It is adorned with four cherubs. Two blow their trumpets, and another two are strumming their harps of gold.

I wish it could be played and I could hear its heavenly sound. If the bells in the Notre Dame Cathedral is recently restored and rung after 160 years, why can’t this orgel. Let me write a letter to the church to inquire.

A Devout inside The Temple

So, on that Christmas day, I went up to Klenteng Sam Po Kong in the outskirt of Semarang. I thought, it’s a kind of tribute to the ancestors. Among many things that capture my attention was this man.

He was praying and I could see he, wearing grey uniform, works there. And he is a muslim.

He was praying, eastward, among the pillars of the temple, dedicated to Confucianism. And after that, he continued doing his chores of cleaning and lighting up the candles.

Isn’t he the living example of tolerance?