tulisan hampa

Setelah me-review Catatan Akhir dua Tahun lalu, saya jadi bengong sekaligus semangat. I don't know what to write but thanks to Gregorian almanac for giving me a line to start; months. JANUARI New Year's in Scotland!!! Anyone must have been very very jealous of an international girl like me. I spent great time in Edinburgh and Glasgow with amazing Indonesian friends who studied with me in Leeds. Kami nyewa 7 seater car untuk 8 people, dan ended up struggling selama 3 hari di Skotlandia. God bless Reyhan yang hampir menjebak kami di speed camera waktu dia ngebut di jalan tol ; untung nggak ada apa-apa. Selebihnya, saya nggak banyak ngapa-ngapain bulan ini kecuali mulai semester dua Masters saya, dan tetep olahraga, main salju sama temen-temen Indonesia, dan mulai mencoba mewujudkan beberapa resolusi saya. FEBRUARI Bulan yang katanya penuh cinta ini nggak se-lovely itu, saya punya banyak tugas dan disertasi sudah siap menyergap saya di depan mata. Ini dia awal dari langka...

Cecil meninggal hari ini karena kanker lidah, tapi justru my attention went to my dearest friend, Afi. Dear Afi, Pertama kali kita kenalan, di kampus A LSPR, Jane yang ngenalin kita. You were with your baju jawa and eccentric appearance, dari dulu gue tau kalo elo seniman. I was right, beberapa waktu kemudian, gue liat hasil karyalo baik visual maupun audio. You were attractive, considering how I define "attractive" guys. Kita nggak ngobrol banyak, nggak pernah sekelas, dan bahkan jarang banget ketemu. Waktu gue sapa lo sebelum lo perform gak-tau-apa-temanya tapi itu buat charity event LSPR di Ritz Carlton atau Sahid, gue lupa. You were fucking awesome with gue-lupa-nama-alat-musik-yang-lo-bawa waktu itu. Gue juga lupa gimana, tau-tau gue bawain alat musik itu di mobil gue, kayaknya gara-gara adimas minta tolong atau gimana. Semester sekian kuliah, kita baru sering ketemu di smoking area kampus B. I remember you were with your cigarettes and Bea all over you as a...

Yep! less than 24 hours. Nicky Australiano Laksamana. He's the kid! He told me a lot about something, and I treasure living with him in that transition time, and I think he is smart too. He helped me once lifting the stupid drawer and it hurt him I guess, makasih ya dek Nicky! Keep playing sports and I hope the business (and the love story) go (es) well. Wahyu Tamtomo Adi. Rocket scientist, inspiring, patient and loving. Melankolis kesukaan gue ya bang Tama ini. He has this open mid about many things, but still on-hold of many strong principles. I think I wrote one or two about him in my tumblr, yet I don't think he cares. I don't care either whether he cares or not. I just adore him. He's smart and I don't have to wait for one day to be his fan. Boya Subhono. He is taken! He's one hell kind of an engineer who can be really really fun as if he's a social person! He is wise and he once told me what kind of guy to be loved and what kind of to be le...

Silvia Caroline, is always, the only first name that I'd like to recall. A flatmate, housemate, cooking mate, and she's funny. Kalo ada yang bilang bahwa berteman itu ada jodoh ya, then gue percaya bahwa Tuhan menggariskan pertemanan kami dengan sangat indah -di Leeds padahal di S1 kami sekampus, tapi enggak pernah kenal dan ketemu. She's the one I'm gonna miss the most. Andina Rahmaniyah Syafruddin (gosh I hope I spell her last name correctly) was the only female that I'd like to marry if I live another life as a male. She cooks and persistence in what she's doing. It's like she's into anything fun and she means it. Kangen kue kue dan coto andin! Kangen begosiip sama Andin! Lintang Indah Juwita. She's the galau-est and the strongest lover I've ever met. Tau gitu dari dulu gue temenan sama dia waktu kami satu SMA, sayang dulu kakak kelas gue sih dia. She takes care of her friends very well and I like talking to her, abiut anyhing, any girl ...

I couldn't believe I watched the match again! This time together with Dad and boyfriend. I nearly couldn't feel the cold as the heat of the audiences was so warm. Manchester United has always been my favourite since I was in the 6th grade, and now I'm so blessed to have the chance to watch them play, LIVE, IN OLD TRAFFORD. Other reds might be so jealous of me now. It was just perfect that my Dad, who's been a little bit bored, got entertained and felt the England experience after London. PLUS, boyfriend was so kind and gentle with us. United won and the trip was so smooth until we got home. I totally look forward to another live match, soon. Later!

I am so gonna write so much this month. Udah akhir tahun lagi, anoter Catatan Akhir Tahun pasti jadi most waited dan most wanted yaa sama reader dan stalker gue. Hehehe. Nope, not today, gue bia beberes barang dulu ya buat wisuda ke UK. What an achievement, beberapa minggu belakangan gue sibuk banget dan otak kayak drained serta hati kayak exhausted. Hahaha. Anyway, I'll be flying Qatar Airways to Doha then to Manchester buat wisuda. Bonus miles gue kali ini far more special than any maskapai can even give; abel! Kalo kami dulu sempet jadian, mungkin ini LDR terlama gue tanpa adegan diputusin lewat text message karena.... Yeah, one if those things, not event worth writing here. Sabar yaa catatan akhir tahunnya, insya Allah sebelum taun baru lah ya gue publish! Have an amazing race!!

Tentang Afi. Sekitar taun 2009 awal, gue tiga kali mimpiin Afi. Ketiganya adalah kami solat berjamaah sekeluarga Afi dan keluarga gue di rumah gue. Selesai solat, keluarga kami sejenis ada tausiyah. Disitu gue liat ibunya Afi duduk di sebelah gue, nunduk serius dengerin tausiyah dari Afi. Gue nggak pernah sempet cerita soal mimpi ini ke Afi; either gue terlanjur jadian sama Adimas, or terlanjur Afi jadian sama cewek lain. Not to mention bahwa gue pernah deket sama Afi, atau ibunya pernah ngobrol sesuatu yang bikin gue berasumsi lain, tapi kali ini Afi tervonis sakit jantung koroner, dan cuma Allah yang tau akan gimana jalan hidupnya. Kisah hidup afi belakangan ini lagi nengharukan, bikin kesel tapi gue rasa Afi lagi ambil the best step of recovery; mendekatkan diri sama penciptanya. Gue pernah bilang sama Afi kalo gue mau mas kawin gue nanti adalah suami yang hafal surat ar-rahman dan melafalkannya di akad nikah gue. Gue cuma mau bilang, sebelum gue lupa sama hal ini, "Puy,...

God, who the fuck is this man that you've sent me? He's amazing, so adorable that I almost believed you'd send me to hell after this fading nirvana. I almost failed to believe that you're real, that's why people say "reality bites". But hey, look at this! The only reality that bites is that one day I'm sure of letting the beauty go and survive with what's left. God, who the fuck is this man you've sent me? I'm powerless towards your mercy and I never made any point upon myself of what good deeds that I did in the past could grant me this bless. If this is another test, I gotta be honest God, this is terribly hard. I'm awaken in a very strange emotions that no dictionaries can describe, no fortune teller can guess, no language can translate, and no nerves can respond. This is strange, beautifully strange.

This post will probably be a joking material for psychology students and researchers. Hell yeah! It is another parenting post. About how a couple act as parents and affect their children's behaviour in treating them. Let me draw 3 main aspects to be analysed here; respect, interactiveness and ... Let's skip number three until i finish a few more paragraphs. 1. Respect I firstly wondered what if my parents bred me in a serious and strict way. They have been very fun, loving and in-educative to me and my siblings. They reflect their friendliness yet authoritarian style of parenting that made me (i can't have a say for my brothers) feel like they are my bossy friends. Yes, friends but bossy. Not to mention how grateful I am raised by them, but I think their background affects the way they treat kids; they were fighters and they would always do anything to make their living better. Considering as our economy aspect grew quite stable, my littlest brother, compared to me, c...

firstly, screw this keyboard on a huge laptop. I'm always use to with small laptop screen at home, and since I'm away-but-cannot-help-to write so I'm gonna struggle anyway. This post came after a serious but unimportant discussion with, you know, I don't feel like defining him right now, someone. There was an ad, catching my attention about why using the word "popular" in an ad whereas it's implying the product is mainstream and so commonly used by people. Assuming an individual does want anything to be as personalised and distinctive as possible, this term "popular" never makes sense. Anyway, it came to our conclusion that; some products are meant to be targeted for many people, hence it must be presented as a good quality product so people would convinced that this particular product worth the price and the popularity. Another thing is, some other products are made to be as special as possible, such as fashion and other luxurious products, so...

GOOD LORD IT'S NOVEMBER! This month is gonna me a massive mobile me. I'm travelling to many places for work, social and friendship. Let's just begin a business trip to site office out of town. I'd be dead if I don't have a great great company to fill me in here. Dude, the workload was so confusing and I wish I could really pick up on someone just to throw all the shit in my head. I love being busy. And then a visit to a capital city of Eastern part of the island. This one, a bestfriend of mine kind of want me around, catching up stories, which most likely gonna be spent by her listening to all my life-bullshit and self confusion of which way to take and which turn to make. She's adorable, I call her my best friend. Next week, I'm hitting my head on a short holiday to a neighbour country. A friend's wedding and a quick escape with brother. We're gonna have so much fun, I can tell. We need this holiday anyway. At the end of the month, guess i...

If there's anyone in this world in my life that asked me to re-start doing things that I've been quitting, it must be my girlfriend. She's indescribable, she's just always there. She tells good jokes about my ancient history and she cooks well. After the accident, I've been reading my journals and in-distance report regarding my research. I found some error on the way I've been working, and the result too. I barely know that even radiation level could raise up that high and I still thankful at least I'm not in Hokkaido anymore." Couple of weeks ago, I think Julia asked about our relationship. I wish I could tell her how much I've always wanted her around. The distance between us doesn't stop her from being attractive and helpful. I miss her now, although she'd be home in no time tonight. With the dinner. "Kimiga koishii desyoo!" Her voice. Always her voice that I missed these very late days during my recovery months. And I...

"aku nggak tau ma, kayaknya semua Putra yang siapin. Aku udah liat sih design undangannya dan aku udah approve yang aku suka." Gita mengapit telepon wireless di antara telinga kanannya dengan pundak sementara tangannya sibuk dengan sabun cuci piring dan gelas kotor, "oke, once aku ke Surabaya aku pasti kabarin mama nanti. Bye" Minggu lalu mereka tunangan; secara teknis memang orang tua Putra yang datang ke rumah Gita di Surabaya untuk menyampaikan maksud mereka dan melamar Gita yang sedang dinas di Papua. Kedua pasang orang tua terlihat akrab meskipun kedua mempelai Putra dan Gita sama-sama tidak di tempat. Putra menyerahkan rencana dan kelengkapan lamaran kepada orang tuanya dan meminta mereka melamarkan Gita untuknya. Sebenarnya orang tua Gita baru bertemu Putra dua kali, di pesta pembukaan gedung kantor baru Putra dan acara penghargaan Doktor Gita taun lalu, tapi rasanya Putra sudah sangat memberikan kesan terhadap mereka. "Ya Mam?" Putra membuka ...

Week 1 "Eh sorry, itu sendal gue. Kenapa ya difoto?" Abel gusar melihat sandal KW miliknya difoto oleh stranger di depan masjid seusai solat Jum'at. "Oh punyalo, sorry. Gue lagi bikin thesis tentang branding dan typografi, trus gue liat ini lucu aja, "connverse" pake 2 N. Tau kan kalo di tajwid namanya idgham bighunnah? Hehehe" agak kikuk Ausi menjelaskan tingkah absurdnya ke Abel "Typografi?" Week 2 "Ini udah jaman digital gitu, kenapa sih masih nulis tangan?" Ausi masih membolak balik halaman sketch book Abel di perpustakaan kota, ia salut sekaligus bingung atas kelangkaan makhluk yang baru ditemuinya seminggu lalu. "Ini udah jaman cherrybelle gitu, kenapa elo masih dengerin Ludwig?" Abel mendorong maju sedikit meja di hadapannya dan mengangkat pensil HB ke tangan kiri Ausi yang sedang berdiri di sebelah kanannya. "I don't know, seni?" Week 3 "Rotiboy tuh baunya enak banget, rasanya bias...

I have been told that I have no brain, no heart and insensitive. I wonder what makes you keep on checking out my posts. Is it the stupidity? is it the curiosity? Is it the intention to mock? Is it that I'm interesting? Thank you.

udah bertampang serius ala nerd mark zuckerberg pas mau posting kali ini, eh abis nengok halaman web sebelah langsung urung dan buyar otak gue memikirkan konten fiksi bagus. begini emang kalo lagi risau dan kisruh di hati, apa yang ada di otak jadi nggak tersalurkan secara efektif dan eksplisit di sikap. Jadi ceritanya pagi ini adalah salah satu pagi terhectic saya pasca kepulangan saya ke tanah air. Jam 8 pagi saya sudah duduk manis di meja kantor, kembali menjalankan dinas saya sebagai karyawan spesial tingkatan babu di ruangan cantik, temen-temen saya bilang "asisten pribadi boss". Tugas pagi ini adalah menyiapkan dokumen-dokumen kelengkapan untuk membuat visa ke negeri Belanda, alias visa Schengen. Setelah merapikan meja dan komputer yang berantakannya beda tipis sama muka saya, saya mulai dari website kedutaan negara tujuan. di halaman website sebelah ada kedipan yang minta ditengok -ternyata sapaan dari instant messaging. "hoi! apa kabar lo?" "eh, ...

"No! There is no way you're taking her to meet your Mom on the fourth date!" "What? Why? I like her and she likes me back!" "Man! I tell you what? She's the kind of girl your Mom would love, I'm gonna bet you both my ears if she wouldn't! And by that, you're getting yourself in a trouble!" "What's the matter with you? Why can't you be supportive? I don't hesitate to take her home, and I just want my Mom to meet her, and that's it!" "Once your Mom's in love with her, you're gonna be dead, as she WILL leave you! She totally will!" "This doesn't make any sense to me, she likes me, I know it!" "She loves you for a while, for this speeches you've made and all the surprise you threw for her, and that's it. Three months max, she's gonna dump you, trust me!" "Why? Have dated her before me?" "I did date her! That's why! My mom's dying n...

"sayang, nikah yuk!" seketika mata Airin membelalak menatap Kia terkejut. Ia terjebak dalam tiga menit tayangan ulang di otaknya ke masa tiga minggu lalu. Dimana ia membahas masalah pernikahan dengan Ibunya, dan itu bukan hal mudah untuk Airin karena ia harus meyakinkan Ibunya bahwa dalam jangka dua tahun, Airin akan berusaha sudah menjadi istri seseorang; either Kia atau siapapun yang serius dengannya. *** "Memang Kia nggak serius sama kamu, nak?" Adonan banana bread di tangan Ibu mulai membaik dan hampir siap di panggang "Serius sih kayaknya, Bu. Airin aja yang belum yakin sama diri sendiri" Airin sibuk menyiapkan loyang-loyang yang akan menjadi alas cetakan banana bread Ibunya. "Kok kamu?" "Airin nggak yakin bisa membahagiakan suami Airin nanti, belum tuntutan jadi Ibu rumah tangga, seandainya bener sama Kia. Kayaknya Kia mau punya istri rumahan gitu, Bu. Sedangkan kerjaan Airin kan Ibu tau sendiri, harus sering keluar rumah dan bi...

pagi tadi saya ran into an old British veteran, he was bloody nice dan orangnya masih semangat banget di umur 70an. Dia cerita services dia di masa King dan Queen 60 tahun yang lalu, dan dengan bangga menunjukkan badges dan medal dia di baju yang terbungkus coat tebal. Tongkatnya kokoh dan baretnya terpasang rapi menutupi kepala yang rambutnya memutih. Saya berkali kali bilang "that is fantastic", "how beautiful" dan "awesome!" setiap dia cerita setiap medal yang dia dapat. Lalu kepikiran pejuang-pejuang veteran Indonesia yang namanya nggak tercantum di buku sejarah. Saya yakin segelintir makhluk tua renta itu dulunya gagah dan berwibawa, jasanya membawa saya secara nggak langsung ke benua seberang untuk menuntut ilmu, namun terkadang saya terlalu silau dengan modernisasi jaman sehingga saya nggak notice sejarah. The only thing that I could remember about heroism is veteran house near Manggarai. Nggak pernah keliatan aktivitas siapapun di rumah itu, d...

saya kasih disclaimer di awal dulu ya: saya nggak sempurna dan jelas judul postingan ini juga berlaku untuk saya. Terinspirasi dari jutaan keluhan warga Jakarta, dan terakhir, rekan saya Haikal yang ngetwit: "@haikalmaksum69: Mati gw. Di Thamrin, macet ga bergerak, dan 16 menit lagi mulai 3in1..." Specifically, 3in1 menurut saya adalah salah satu strategi pengurangan kemacetan lho. Secara konsep saya suka adanya ide peraturan 3in1. The problem is; how feasible this concept is untuk diterapakan di kawasan protokol ibu kota. Mengacu pada website POLDA Metro tentang kawasan yang ditetapkan sebagai jalur 3in1 , signifikansinya adalah menjadikan daerah-daerah pusat aktivitas kota jadi lebih efisien dengan less cars on the street and more people using public transport if not possible to be in one car with strangers. Iyalah diliat dari wilayah-wilayah ini, sebagian besar memang gedung kantoran, pusat perbelanjaan, terminal dan bahkan sekolah... (whoops, not talking about city...

I was sitting on my couch, a laptop on my lap and a cuppa on the table next to the couch. Typical winter evening, waiting for my husband to come home. Suddenly my phone beeped and there are two incoming messages; "happy anniversary" and "looking forward to your surprised face when I come home later". I smiled. I kept typing my annual report which deadline was the week after. A knock on my door startled me because no one's supposed to be home by this early, especially not my husband. It turned out my mom having a surprise visit on my birthday. I put down my laptop and clear up my coffee table, she hated my coffee habit. "My baby girl now turned 30, and I am so proud of your independence and beauty", she hugged me as if I was a 7-year-old girl. I frowned at her surprise. "Mom, stop treating me like this! My husband's gonna be home in no time and I want you to leave, now!" I hissed at her and could tell her painful face hearing me saying ...

Masih nggak percaya bahwa ternyata Tuhan kasih saya kesempatan untuk tidak menyukai bulan September. Selama ini bulan musim gugur ini jadi kesukaan saya dan selalu yang dinanti tiap tahunnya. Tahun ini, 2012, sungguh September adalah bulan renyuh buat saya. Studi master saya resmi selesai saat tanggal 3 saya submit disertasi saya, kontrak rumah habis juga bulan September dan saya harus pindah ke rumah baru; which means packing in and out and in lagi sama barang-barang. Temen-temen terbaik saya di Inggris satu satu dan pelan pelan semua terbang pergi, Eropa dan Indonesia mostly, dan buat saya painful banget harus melepas Lewis, Nikhita, Wei, Silvi, Reyhan dan Gonggom di consecutive weeks selama September. Sepi. Sebenernya kalo dipikir-pikir, saya tetep bisa naksir sama bulan ini. Selain umur saya yang akan segera bertambah jadi dua lusin, saya juga siap menyongsong gelar baru di kehidupan baru dimana tantangan hidup akan semakin liar dan menarik. Bucket list saya masih beberapa men...

"Renanda, aku nggak tau gimana harus membereskan luka hatimu setelah kamu selesai membaca email ini. Aku rasa kita harus putus, orang tuaku serius dengan perjodohanku dengan Citra dan aku pikir nggak ada gunanya kita teruskan hubungan kita. Aku tau kamu orang yang kuat, dan setelah percakapan kita kemarin, kayaknya aku tau kamu cukup ngerti dan paham keadaanku. Aku pengen kita tetep temenan dan meet up some time in the future. Please stay cool as you are." Bondan cuma menuliskan beberapa kata di surat elektronik itu. Aku hampir berlari menuju warnet ini dari rumah singgahku yang tidak memiliki jaringan internet untuk membaca ini. Ponselku mati sejak minggu lalu dan aku nggak tau bahwa Bondan akhirnya memilih Citra dibanding aku. Hubungan kami baik-baik saja sejak orang tua Bondan pulang dari dinas mereka di Rusia dan mengenalkan Citra kepada Bondan sebagai calon menantu idaman mereka. Aku renyuh. *** "Bondan, aku nggak perlu kenal kamu lama untuk tau bahwa kamu ba...

saya belum bisa tidur, setelah percakapan singkat dengan dokter pribadi saya, Randhy F, ternyata blogging adalah alternatif penyaluran stress bagi Masters student yang jobless seperti saya. Bukan nggak baca jurnal akademik ya untuk mengisi waktu kosong, cuma harga travelling yang menyaingi harga sepatu idaman ini seperti meraung-raung meneror dompet saya. Maklum, perempuan kan, banyak mau. Mari kita bahas yang berbau mainstream (yeah, been talking about this a lot latetly). Ada tiga hal mainstream yang saya lakukan: listening to good music, liking gorgeous guys and looking fabulous. Menurut sebagian orang, sebagian jenis musik adalah sampah. Menurut sebagian lainnya, sebagian jenis musik adalah terbaik. Buat saya, musik sampah itu adalah Nicki Minaj. Seriously, I have NEVER hated any kind of music EVER; jazz pop rnb emo punk metal dangdut bollywood folks country, name it. I never hate anything until Nicki Minaj. I don't know her personally, of course, it's just something ...

nope! not because it's tanggal 20 or something about Lebaran hari ke-dua. It's about being away for almost a year. I might sound berlebihan, but this feeling is terrible, the feeling of comfort being on my own, as well as the feeling of missing home, brothers and parents a lot. I'm imagining going back to Jakarta, smelling the humid air and the rudest traffic in the world, it could be better though compared to the loneliness of dawn when there was no adzan, or the expense of eating simple food. Inasmuch, I don't feel like meeting again with hypocrite people, and the dizziness of Indonesia's atmosphere. Rasanya this day last year saya masih puasa, menghitung-hitung hari menuju Inggris dan menjemput visa yang udah issued. It was really exciting, and up until now I am still grateful of being away, independent and challenged. It is fun exploring some of the best cities in the world, earning one of the best education place in Europe, experiencing the hype of meeting new...

So this breakthrough celebrity has gotten me amazed by how my editor wants her so bad. I managed to interview particular people in her life and got them saying for her. Mertua (tipikal ibu modern yang tinggal di kota metropolitan) Oh, menantu metal itu. Saya seneng ngobrol sama dia, seru dan dia pengetahuannya luas, juga sopan sama orang tua meskipun lama-lama saya bisa anggap dia temen kalo lagi belanja. Asisten Rumah Tangga (perempuan setengah baya yang sabar dan setia) Si Non itu senengnya makan yang nggak sehat, Bibi sampe sayang sama sayuran setiap hari sisa karena Non nggak makan sayuran seperti anggota keluarga lain. Mantan Pacar (pengacara sukses di kalangannya dan di level seumuran dirinya) Gua kenapa ya dulu putus sama dia? Yah, pokoknya anaknya bawel sih, posesif ya menurut gua, mungkin antara terlalu sayang apa takut kehilangan. Manager (bossy, perfectionist and well-planned person) She is absolutely multitalented, she's a triple thread to everyone in h...

Tertampar oleh twit salah satu rekan asik saya, Astrid, saya jadi kepengen curhat tentang apa yang (seharusnya) saya perjuangkan di disertasi Master saya. Tentang MTV. "@astridnaya: Pada masanya, bangun pagi jam 9 itu waktunya nonton MTV Land." Yeah, menurut saya bukan salah siapa-siapa. Lagi-lagi zaman yang sepertinya sudah shifting people through dan menerapkan evolusi dan seleksi alam pada umat manusia. Jaman dimana MTV adalah channel musik 24 jam yang memutarkan lagu-lagu dari masa keemasan nenek saya, hingga apa yang jadi tradisi lokal di Indonesia seperti Dangdut. Buat saya Amerika cukup lihai dalam menerapkan kapitalisme di negara dunia ketiga seperti Indonesia. Lokalisasi itu sendiri bagian dari effort mereka untuk menjangkau orang-orang seperti si mbak di rumah yang nggak doyan dengerin Westlife atau di kala itu terlalu sulit memahami arti lagu "Ooops I did it again" milik Britney Spears (meskipun nggak lama kemudian salon amatiran ramai dengan para ...

Dua puluh tahun lalu, saya hidup di lingkungan menyenangkan. Belum kenal nintendo, playstation dan internet. Sekeliling saya masih ramai anak-anak dengan layang-layang, sepeda onthel, patok lele, dan permainan benteng. Kala itu kemewahan gadget bukan hal yang biasa, justru kami (saya dan anak-anak seumuran saya) asik bermain di lapangan, entah dengan kelereng, karet gelang yang dirangkai jadi tambang elastis, atau layang-layang. Berlarian di gang-gang, makan es krim di dekat sekolah, hingga berkelahi memperebutkan layang-layang nyasar yang putus di udara. Seru, sportif dan sehat. Kami sering dimarahi orang tua masing-masing karena ketidakdisiplinan kami; belum ganti baju sekolah sudah lari ke lapangan dekat rumah, belum kerjain PR sudah jajan dekat pasar. Sepuluh tahun dari masa itu, adik bungsu saya bermain gamewatch, playstation dan rentang sepuluh tahun berikutnya mereka rajin main game online. Semua gadget yang tidak sanggup dibeli Papa Mama tergantikan oleh rental PS dan ...

Sore itu kami berjumpa di taman dekat tempat saya kerja. Andreas terlihat banyak PR dengan beberapa rangkaian kasar dan design rangkaian bunga di tangannya. Saya sendiri memangku tas kerja saya berisikan laporan-laporan yang harus saya analisis malam ini di rumah. Sekian detik pertama kami bertukar kabar tentang pekerjaan kami belakangan ini. Tidak jauh dengan nasib saya, Andreas sedang menerima banyak pesanan untuk acara Natal akhir tahun nanti. Saya sendiri nggak sabar mengambil cuti dan berlibur sendiri ke Dili. "Apa kita seharusnya nggak ketemu lagi? Atau justru menjalin hubungan seperti abang dan adik?" Andreas akhirnya melontarkan pertanyaan di akhir tukar-cerita kami tentang sosok orang tua kami masing-masing. Saya diam cukup lama, menimang apa yang sepantasnya jadi jawaban terhadap pertanyaan ini. Ah, seandainya pertanyaan itu seperti 'Kamu mau nggak jadi pacar aku?' maka saya tidak perlu waktu bahkan sedetik untuk menjawab 'iya', sayangnya Andreas...