2009-03-29 - 8:25 p.m.
I meant to write sooner, but I've been busy. It's cliche, I know. So, this is going to be a long entry.
Last Sunday, last week:
We've got robbed again for the fifth time in our history life.:| What was lost this time? Our family old, silvery black Toyota. (The license plate number is: B 1488 BZ.) It was approximately gone at about four or five in the morning (or at least that's what the police said during quick reconstruction at the crime scene: our driveway.)
This time, I had to agree with Mom. If G hadn't flashed his press pass at the precinct, the cops wouldn't have taken our report seriously. Maybe it has something to do with the media power.*shrugs*
Nothing went on that much after that. My brother went to Bandung to catch up with his old school pal Ari. I hung out with my pal Hani and her sister Ragil at Monas for a while. I tried writing an article while the sisters joined the local activists to celebrate "World Water Day". The street performers were amazing. I love urban poetry, music, and play in one.:) They were incredibly talented and creative.
Last Monday:
It was my first day at work. I visited the dentist's before my first class. She removed the stitches in my gum and...ouch, that still hurt.:( I was still bleeding too, eventhough just a little.
She'd just advised me to keep re-practicing with my mouth. (Open, hold it with a spoon for twenty seconds, then close it again. AAARGH!:O)
One student gave me an interesting point of view when we discussed about celebrity. I'd asked the whole class: "Who wants to be a celebrity? Why, or why not?"
"I want to be a celebrity, because - in this country - celebrities get more respect than smart people do."
Double ouch.:( How young they are to have learned such brutally ironic reality. (Now I know why political parties are recruiting celebrities to get more votes these days. Ugh!:|) It was like a personal slap in the face.
"Will I succumb to what's making me dumb?" ("Just A Girl" - No Doubt)
"Well," I finally came up with a suggestion. "Why don't you be a SMART celebrity instead?"
Last Tuesday:
As promised, I helped Lisa by becoming a jury for her school's spelling bee competition on Wednesday morning in Parung-Bogor. That's why I came home with her that night after work. It was a pretty long journey on a bus. Lisa lives with her mother. She's a very nice old lady.:) They seem very close too. (And I silently wondered about Mom and me.:|)
Last Wednesday:
What a long day!*huffs* Lisa's mother cooked me delicious fried rice - which reminded me of Grandma's old recipe. (I suddenly missed her too.:|) Then we headed to the school, meeting Shanti on the way. It's actually an Islamic dormitory for boys - so there are no female students there, but there are female teachers. The place is nice. The students are creative too. For the competition that day, they invited other schools nearby - so there were a few female students too that day.:P
All in all, it was a pleasant and interesting experience.:) I made a pretty good team with Shanti.
Last Thursday:
A public holiday. No work. YAY!:D I only went to the gym with Gigi today.
Last Friday:
No work again today.:( The electricity in the entire Ciputat area just went out. The traffic was even worse. Why? Another national disaster occured, downhill behind my office building. The dam in Situ Gintung broke after the rain and the river overflowed. It wasn't just flood, they said. It was the small tsunami. Houses were ruined. The last time I checked there with Gigi, over fourty bodies had been found. Some were still unidentified. A community college next to where I work became overcrowded with people. There were bright yellow body-bags everywhere - some carried by the men. People were screaming and crying. A SAR helicopter was flying above the perimeter. Ambulances, police cars, and even the army trucks were everywhere. There were exhausted volunteers. We could see thick, brown mud as deep as the soles of your adult-sized shoes.
In the end, with Gigi and Fitri Gustav, we bought supplies from the closest supermarket for the victims to survive. A lot of people were doing that. I know that they need more clean water, eventhough it's in plastic bottles.
We couldn't go home right away. The girls suggested that we escape to Poins Square for a while for some ice cream and I agreed. It was a good thing that they both ride motorcycles and Gigi always brings a spare helmet for her passenger.:) Honestly, I envy them sometimes.:| Mom will freak out if I ever ride on one, so I must live alone first before getting my own.
Gigi and I accidentally ran into a couple of political candidates from 'The Democratic Party'.:P I knew what they were up to. Their programmes sounded convincing enough (to raise the nurses' salary, to provide more free access to education for all children and women, etc.) But when I asked them about The Stupid Bill (UU APP), their reaction was equally lame.:| First, the lady (a middle-aged local TV actor) didn't specifically answer my question and ended up bitching about other female celebrities on TV infotainment with their 'outrageously vulgar' (her words, not mine!*scoffs*) clothes and behaviour. Gotcha. Her insecurity was dead obvious.*rolls eyes*
And the dude...man, he was being so typically shallow and hard-headed. His comment about things that can arouse lust (his own, I'm afraid) sounded beyond hypocritical. He even still used the word "porno-action" (which is stupid and nonsensical. It's not even in any dictionaries, unless if the writer is too stubborn and stupid at the same time. Enough said.)
I knew that I couldn't resist the repulsed look on my face that actually meant: "Just save it for the shallow idiots out there, because I'm not interested." Gigi noticed my winced expression too. (I know, I know. I'm a lousy actor and a short-lived diplomat.:P) But somehow, I could still manage a (fake) smile and accept their card politely. No, I refused to give them my number in exchange. And if they were visually perspective enough, they could tell my answer.*sneers*
Both Gigi and Fitri G wondered why I didn't (want to) argue with them, challenging their flawed opinions. No, I didn't want to waste my time with any of them. Do you know what I normally do when I'm too tired to argue? I keep quiet, but that doesn't mean I agree with them.:| Passive resistance? Well, yeah. You may call it that. After all, they can't push me.
Btw, Mom summoned Dear Brother to pick me up at Poins Square that day. How did I know? He suddenly called my cellphone and offered me a ride home. And of course, I said yes. I was already sick of public transportations that day.
Mom always does that. She knows I rarely ask for a lift home whenever I'm out there on my own and far away from home. I mean, I'm more of a street-drifter these days. She knows that if I can still go home alone, I will. I can still survive a long walk or in crumpy old buses.
Yesterday;
I went to a classical piano recital with Shanti at the hall in D-Best, Fatmawati, South Jakarta. It was pretty relaxing, almost therapeutic.:) I also met Uncle Iwan Bagoes with his two teenage kids Danes and Anissa. They were performing too.:D
Hani insisted that I notify Nick that I was fine, because he was dead worried since he'd read the news about the flood. He knows it's near where I work. Awww, Nick-ku...:)
Today:
I bought newspaper today. 98 casualties have been found in Gintung disaster, while over 102 are still reported missing...:(
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