lifted

‘gulali’, photo, rhani, 2008.

Masih inget gulali? Yup, gula yang dipanasin, diberi warna lalu kemudian dibentuk sesuai selera dg tangan. gulali yg sudah jadi ditusuk dg batang bambu & dibungkus dg kantong plastik bening untuk melindunginya dr debu & kotoran.

Kalo dipikir2, perlu keahlian khusus & setidaknya rasa estetika yg bagus dari si pembuat gulali (yg juga sekaligus si penjual) untuk membentuk gula cair itu jadi berbagai bentuk yg cantik & menarik.
Mulai dr bentuk yg paling sederhana, bundar dg motif swirl, sampai bentuk2 yg rumit seperti binatang, misalnya. Malah kadang kalo si abang penjualnya jago, dia bisa bikin gulali yg bisa bunyi saat ditiup.

Ngeliat kreativitas mereka kadang gw sampe geleng2 kepala. sebagai seorang desainer grafis, gw terbiasa untuk menikmati seni di setiap kehadirannya. entah itu dlm bentuk lukisan, seni pahat, seni tari, musik, cover2 buku & cd, packaging makanan & masih banyak lagi. gw inget, waktu kecil gw pernah mengoleksi bungkus2 permen & karet penghapus yg lucu2. juga kertas surat yg bentuk & illustrasinya inspiring.

I don’t know bout u guys, but for me, arts enrich life… Seperti waktu seorang rekan kerja gw ngasih gulali berbentuk kuda bersayap ini (tinggal ditambahin tanduk di jidatnya, jadi unicorn nih) sama persis dg perasaan senang yg gw rasain waktu mendapat gulali serupa waktu gw kecil dulu.

Dalam kasus gulali ini, rasa manis aja nggak cukup.. kita butuh sesuatu yg lebih untuk dikonsumsi batin kita. well.. disitulah seni berperan. That’s why we need colors & motifs on our clothes,.. decoration on our wedding day,.. and ribbons for our hair..

So, buat insan seni dimanapun berada, let’s make life more beautiful!! apa yg kalian kerjakan memiliki manfaat jauh lebih besar dr yg mungkin kalian kira.

’simple silhouette’, rhani, photo, 2007.

Hmm.. liburan panjang di akhir tahun.. How fun!!
Tadinya udah berencana mau ke Merapi.. Diundur menimbang cuaca yg sedang kurang bersahabat begini. Tanpa rencana, malah buka kamar di sebuah hotel bareng beberapa temen deket. Mayan seru juga, dilanjut pesta sushi bareng seorang sahabat. Kegiatan lainnya ngunjungin sahabat yg baru pindahan, juga sekedar ngopi2 & ngerokok while having deep conversation. Jadinya walaupun di dalem kota aja, I’m having quite a quality time.

Untuk lagu tahun baru, gw pilih lagu ini. Lagu lama dari The Cardigans. Easy listening banget.. And somehow, the lyric suits me in some certain ways..

The Cardigans
“Erase and Rewind”

Hey..
What did you hear me say?
You know the difference it makes
What did you hear me say?
Yes..,
I said it’s fine before
But I don’t think so no more
I said it’s fine before

I’ve changed my mind
I take it back
Erase and rewind
‘Cause I’ve been changing my mind
Erase and rewind
‘Cause I’ve been changing my mind
I’ve changed my mind

So..
where did you see me go
it’s not the right way, you know
where did you see me go
No..,
it’s not that I don’t know
I just don’t want it to grow
It’s not that I don’t know

I’ve changed my mind
I take it back
Erase and rewind
‘Cause I’ve been changing my mind
Erase and rewind
‘Cause I’ve been changing my mind
I’ve changed my mind

Erase and rewind
‘Cause I’ve been changing my mind
Erase and rewind
‘Cause I’ve been changing my mind
Erase and rewind
I’ve changed my mind…!

Well, setelah dipikir2, di tahun 2007 banyak kejadian yg gw alamin yg sarat hikmah. Banyak perubahan2 drastis, kesempatan2 & juga tantangan2.
Alhamdulillah.. semuanya gw syukuri. Semoga pelajaran2 yg gw tangkap nggak salah

Dan gw mau ngucapin Selamat Tahun Baru juga untuk kalian semua..! Semoga segala sesuatunya lebih baik di 2008 & di tahun2 selanjutnya!

“Sungai Ciberang, Banten”, photo, rhani, 2007.

Sabtu & Minggu kemarin (8-9 Desember 2007) kantor gw ngadain outing. Acaranya trekking & rafting. Kami mengarungi sungai Ciberang di daerah kampung Muara, Banten. Sungai itu termasuk baru sebagai jalur arung jeram. Fasilitas pendukung seperti penginapan, restaurant & starting point belum ada (starting point sedang dalam proses pembangunan). Jadinya kami makan & bermalam di rumah2 penduduk. Tapi malah fun kok

Puas banget 2 hari penuh basah2an terus. Paha belang kena sorot matahari plus guyuran hujan bergantian oleh2 dari pengarungan. Hihihi. Tapi gw kepingin lagiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!

Gw sendiri sangat tertarik dengan kehidupan masyarakat kampung Muara itu sendiri. Kehidupan mereka boleh dibilang amat sangat sederhana. Bagus sekali upaya pemerintah daerah Banten untuk memajukan potensi Sungai Ciberang untuk wisata arung jeram. Mudah2an bisa mengangkat kesejahteraan penduduknya di kemudian hari.

Salam ah untuk skipper grup gw yg ramah, Soleh. Wish u brighter future, bro!

rice field, ubud, photo, rhani, 2007.

Suatu hari di minggu yg lalu sehabis mandi pagi gw ngeliat ke dalam cermin dg perasaan agak bete. Ada 1 jerawat nongol di pipi. Padahal mau Lebaran… Lalu berangkatlah gw ke kantor. Pas nyebrang jembatan di Thamrin, gw ketemu seorang musafir cewek. Di separuh badannya ada bekas luka bakar yg parah. Inget belum lama sebelumnya dirumah gw berkeluh kesah soal jerawat ’super mini’ gw, bikin gw jadi merasa berdosa pada cewek itu.
Kamis kemarin lain lagi ceritanya. Gw dongkol banget sama salah satu anak redaksi. Pasalnya keterlambatan dia menyetor artikel beserta kelengkapannya bikin gw jadi batal pulang sore. Padahal hari itu hari terakhir kerja sebelum libur Lebaran & semua orang pulang cepat. Apalagi anak itu juga pulang cepat, menyisakan ‘basi-an’ kerjaannya di gw. Kontan gw mencak2. Baru setelah kepala dingin gw mikir, gak perlu segitunya juga kali ya gw…
Terus kemarin siang gw bantu2 nyokap ngisi ketupat dg beras. Krn buru2 waktu mengisinya, jadi banyak beras yg tumpah berceceran ke lantai. Terus gw jadi teringat reportase di sebuah stasiun TV bbrp lama lalu ttg seorang janda tua yg sehari2nya ngumpulin beras yg berceceran di pasar induk untuk makan dirinya & anak2nya. Astaghfirullah.. Sekali lg gw merasa bersalah. Kali ini pada ibu tua itu dan anaknya..
Dlm kurun waktu kurang dari seminggu aja gw udah menyakiti orang lain, baik secara langsung maupun nggak langsung… Kalau dlm setahun belakangan ini pastinya udah banyak banget ya…

Untuk itu setelah berpuasa sebulan penuh di Ramadhan kemarin, di hari Idul Fitri ini gw mau meminta maaf… memohon maaf kepada semua orang yg pernah gw sakitin. Yg dengan sengaja maupun ngga… yg langsung maupun gak langsung…
Semoga kalian memaafkan.. semoga Allah mengampuni.. & semoga Allah meridhoi kita semua ya.. Amien2 ya Rabb

Romantic Dinner, photo montage, rhani, circa 2003.

Hai haii!!!
Been missing u all!!!
Bener2 deh… ternyata gw lama juga ya hiatusnya…

Last month I was DAMNED REAL busy!! So many works had to be done to finish a special birthday edition of 500 pages of the magazine which I work for. Alhamdulillah.. berkat pertolongan & semata2 berkat pertolongan Allah majalah itu bisa selesai pada waktunya. Bener2 kerja yg gila2an. The whole artistic team worked till all our sweat drained and our patience thinning out. Tapi semua berusaha ngebawa enjoy. Lewat tengah malem biasanya bercandanya makin edan & ketawanya makin hebat. Kopi & vitamin jadi andalan buat tetep melek & jaga stamina. Soalnya setiap harinya kita kudu pulang sekitar setengah 3 sampe jam 4 subuh. Thanks so much to the Editor in Chief for the vitamins she gave us and for her time to stick with the artistic team till all’s done and everybody could go home Sempet juga gw sama dua temen gw sesama tim nginep di kantor. Pagi2 bukannya mandi, gw malah jalan ke Hero terus semprot2 parfum tester biar badan wangi. Hahahaha…! Ups.. yg itu off the record yaa ;p

The bad news was, saking sibuknya sampe gw hampir2 gak ada waktu buat ngerokok! Darn!! :p

Kejadian2 seru lainnya juga banyak banget. Mulai dari ngehadirin acara kawinan sahabat gw (I and my other 3 friends rent a hotel room as a base where we changed clothes, went back from the wedding to, had chit-chats, took pictures, smoked a lot and did a toast for the bride & groom from afar –judulnya aja toast.. minumannya mah teteup… cappuccino ajah :p). Kelar deadline, bareng temen2 kantor cabut ke Dufan, nyobain Tornado, wahana baru yg super seru (pingin naik lagiii!!!)–nonton Ratatouille (thumbs up for the magnificent 3D animation), Rush Hour 3 yang kocak abis dari awal sampe akhir–sampe ngikutin upacara perayaan 17 Agustusan di Istana Negara. Ditutup dg ketemuan sama bebek (blogger yg lagi tugas di Aceh & kebeneran akhir bulan kemarin lagi ada di Jakarta) & anak2 bunderan HI yg kocak banget. Meskipun semuanya ngomong boso Jowo gw ngerti lohh… Sayang aja gak bisa nimpalinnya. Hahaha…

Mmmmm, bad part nya juga ada sih.. Gw patah hati euy.. with the same man.. Oh well.., Life.. Shit happens..

But hey, I thank God for giving me such an exciting life.. What an exciting month..!!!!! Thank you so much ya Allah. My deepest gratitude

ps. Oia.. di majalah edisi ulang tahun 500 halaman itu gw juga nampang lohh bareng kru yg lain.. hihihi.. beli yaaa… (promosi nih :p)

Resting, rhani, photo, 1995.

There are many times in my life…
When I feel
that the only ‘one’ I can always trust..
is My Creator above…
Among this deceitful mortal world…
Among all the lies around me…

And there are times…
When I come kneeling befor Him,
asking and wishing for things…
that I think would be good for me to have…

But last night…
Like an old shoe, tired of walking,
I stopped at the rim of the Milky Way…

All of the sudden I forgot how to ask…
How to wish…

All I could think of is to express my gratitude to Him…
All I felt was being blessed

And so I thanked Him for everything He had given me…
for things He hadn’t given me…
and for things He would never give me…
For I know He knows best what’s best for me…

Y’know, my friends…
You can teach good deeds, norms, and kindness…
But WISDOM is something that cannot be taught
To get a grasp of it,
One should live one’s life…
One must know how to be sinned,
so one knows how to beg for His forgiveness…
One must shed tears,
before one knows how not to hurt others…

And there still I was…
at the rim of the Milky Way…
overwhelmed by His Greatness… by His Love…
I could clearly hear a voice inside my heart, saying…
For He always takes a good care of the universe…
for He always takes a good care of me,…
what more should I ask for?

He is Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?

Somewhere in ancient Kyoto, rhani, photo, a set up, 1995.

I don’t know why I always have certain interest in things that are related to Japan. Maybe it has something to do with my name.. or because I grew up with Japanese stuff (on my pencil case, on the writing pad that I exchanged with my friends, on the books, on my stationeries, cartoons on tv, and everywhere) around me.. I don’t know.. Even now I still collect Sinchan comic books.. Heheh…

I have a dream that someday I will have an opportunity to visit Japan.. in the Sakura season… To see those small yet beautiful flower with my very own eyes, and to touch it with my very own hands,.. a flower from which my name came from.

Hmm… I wonder how wonderful would it be…

Starting The Day, photo, handphone camera, rhani, 2007.

Pain on my left chest has grown stronger lately,.. hmm maybe that’s because I’ve inhaling too much smoke these past few weeks.. I guess I did it to put some fog inside my head to blur away some unwanted thoughts.. Silly huh..? I admit I am..

I took the picture yesterday morning with my handphone camera, while having those ‘toxic stimulant’ on my office’s balcony. What a great way to start the day…

sakura matsuri festival, photo, rhani, 21 april 2007.

Ugh, telat posting lagi nih…
Acaranya sendiri sih Sabtu kemarin, 21 April 2007, di Hotel Nikko Jakarta. Acaranya sebetulnya biasa aja.. gak seperti yang gw harapkan sebelumnya. Tapi karena dari awal niatnya mau have fun, jadilah gw seneng2 aja bareng temen2 gw. jangan tanya gw omikoshi itu apa ya… Tapi kayaknya sih semacem sesajen gitu.. Here are some pictures of the ritual…

from susie & ira, photo, 2007. design by yulia.

This post is specially dedicated to three of my best blogger friends from Holland: Susie, Ira and Yulia. I know I should have post this a long time ago.. I am so sorry.. It’s just that I wanted to make a good shot of these necklace & bracelet Susie & Ira gave me, but you know.. insufficient camera,.. me being sooo busy all the time,… so.. this is the result. Believe me guys, the original ones look much much more beautiful. To Ira, I also want to apologize for I cannot put photo of me wearing your bracelet.. Bukannya apa2 Ir… gak pedeeeeee…!! Hahaha…

And you know what… Yulia, who brought me these presents when she went to Indonesia (we were having a great time going karaoke along with other bloggers from blogfam) is the designer of these beautiful jewelry!!! I never knew you have such talent, Yul! And the necklace was named after her beautiful daughter; Sade: “Beauty of Sade”. What a perfect name! Since Sade is such a beautiful little girl

Thank you very very much my dearest friends… You have proven me that distant doesn’t matter in building a sweet friendship. And that although we haven’t met each other face to face (except yulia ), we can always share our sympathy, compassion, and love through our blogs and feel we are close in our heart..

And to all of my friends.. in the real and in virtual world, I love you all. May Allah protect you always