I came home late tonight. I left work an hour later than I
used to. This happens more and more often lately, I suspect this will be my regular
working hour. Oh well, it’s not that I don’t enjoy it.
Anyway, it took me 3 hours and 30 minutes to reach home. As
usual, after work I went straight to the train station. Traffic’s a mess and I
reached the station in 20 minutes-ish. Saw the train on the railway and went
directly on board. Not long after I heard an announcement that there is a
trouble in one of the train station, and that the train will be stuck for a few
while.
I waited for one and a half hour and there were no sign of
the train moving. Only repeated announcements saying that the train company was
extremely sorry; and that the train wasn’t able to depart just yet. I finally
decided to ask one of the conductors, whether the train would leave anytime
soon. No, she said. She said it will take a while, but she couldn’t say how
long. I decided to take the bus instead.
Coming Home, by Agnimaya
I walked to the bus terminal and waited under the rain.
After another 30 minutes the bus finally came. I sit in the front and chatted
with the driver. He said that the traffic was a bit congested, but it’s all better
now. He was right. We had a smooth ride. In 30 minutes I was halfway home.
I changed bus. The driver was a young boy, probably no more
than 18 years old. He refused to stop on a road curve and said that it was his
contribution to lessen traffic congestion. Funny. I rarely hear that from
public transport driver in Jakarta.
An old man stepped in the bus. I offered him my seat, but he
refused. “I have a basket with me, it will be troublesome for me if I sit
there,” he said. “Are you sure?” “Yes.” So I remain seated, and he stood behind
my seat. After a while he was nearing his destination and he stood in front of
the bus door. Everyone reminded him to step a little bit further from the door,
for it was unsafe; but he insisted that he was alright. He was holding on
tight. When he got off the bus with his basket of quail eggs, an old woman was waiting
on the alley, and immediately took his hand. It was a really beautiful sight.
Jakarta is not an easy place to live in. However, I always
loved this city and how the people in it struggle each and every day to
survive. This city is harsh, but there are many things that are beautiful in
it. Tonight’s experience reminds me of that. I reached home at 9.30, but I feel
really grateful because at the end of this day, God put smile on my face and
warmth in my heart.
This little piece of awesomeness was taken from this page.
Let me start by giving yet another applause for the James Bond franchise. Despite what others may think, I have always enjoyed the over the top explosion and bangs in James Bond movies, no matter how superficial they may be. Those that were presented in skyfall is by no means different for me. Anyway, I don't often write movie review in my blog (or anything else for that matter, this blog is practically stranded) and doesn't really understand how to make one. In order not to be redundant with everything else in the world wide web, I decide not to focus on the story itself, but about the impression I get from watching skyfall. Let's all hope that it wouldn't be too kinky. =P
I'll just start from the beginning. I came to the theater expecting an awesomely sexy Daniel Craig in a suit. I didn't get that impression at the fight scene Bond had with Patrice at the beginning. Instead, Craig looked a bit flabby and worn (in a lame way). And I wondered whether this condition will stick with Bond throughout the movie. This thought, frankly, is rather depressing. It even lingers the first time he strips in the movie. But, thank goodness, after he decided to went back from the dead, his charm gradually increased up to the level worthy of a James Bond, although not so much as it was in Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace.
Anyway, the core of this story is wrapped around M's past. No, apparently she was not a stripper. The stolen hard drive does not contain her old sex tape. This is Judy Dench, for God's sake. Creating such past for her would be borderline blasphemy. Apparently one of the ex-00-s (a very handsome one, if I might add) thought that she has wronged him by giving him away to the authorities. In my opinion, he's just showing obvious symptoms of acute Oedipal complex and a bit satiric because he's no longer Mamma's golden child.
What else, what else? Oh! This movie can easily be one of the best bond movie ever, simply because its cast of characters. Everyone played their part nicely, except maybe for Severine. I didn't really get a sexy aura from her. But maybe that's just me. Hey, at least they didn't name her like they named Xenia Onatopp. By putting Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, and Javier Bardem in one scene, the creative team of Skyfall took a sinfully correct decision. Plus they were all in tailored suit. Plus they had their British accent. What more can a girl wish for? \(^o^)/
I love how Bardem plays a sadistic flamboyant antagonist on this movie. As so many other girls out there who have seen the screenshots of Skyfall, I wondered whether the people involved in the making of this movie were crazy for bleaching Javier Bardem's hair like that. Why ruin perfection? That just doesn't make sense. Well, after watching the movie, it turns out that they may not be as crazy as I thought they were. Au contraire, even with lame blonde hair, Bardem's sex appeal still seeps through. If he is in his usual appearance, I'm afraid that he will be too magnetic (as usual) and it will be too damn hard for the audience to notice James Bond who supposed to take center stage. Except maybe if Benicio del Torro was playing the Bond.
It seems that all Bond movie agrees with a Backstreet Boys' song: "Boys will be Boys." Even when you're as maturely charming as James Bond, nothing hurts you more than having your favorite toy wrecked by a bully. In this case, Bond's Aston Martin DB5. Even when Silva has already bombed the MI6, killed his little girlie in cold blood, and create such havoc in London town, it was only when Silva blew his Aston that Bond put his 'now we mean business' face. Which, in a way, is kinda cute. As Pierce Brosnan mentioned in Goldeneye, "Standard operating procedure. Boys with toys."
Anyway, I love this movie because so many knives were involved. I love knives. I
think that it was one of the best weapons ever. And only a handful of
things are sexier than a girl holding a cut-throat razor against a man's carotid artery. Oh, by the way, I find Bond most 'interesting' when he performed a surgery on himself in order to retrieve the shrapnel from his wound with a very cool looking knife.
Now, for the things I was not particularly amused by. My heart broke when at the first scene Bond crushed the VW New Beetle lineup. I didn't enjoy that scene. It was just too painful. Second, I always thought that James Bond was a code name, because how else can we explain his high mature-charm survivability from the era of John Barry all the way to Adelle? That's just scientifically impossible. But the movie successfully ruined my imagination by showing a tombstone of James' parents. Now I have no explanation for the scientific deviance. Third, why on earth were there Komodos? Weren't they supposed to be protected in a wildlife sanctuary somewhere? I wonder if it was illegal. Can somebody enlighten me on this issue? And last, although many people love it, I don't particularly enjoy this wave of humanization Hollywood made our childhood heroes gone through. I prefer my heroes to be flawless, thank you. There, I've said it.
Well, that's that. In conclusion I will say that this is a good Bond movie and highly recommends people to watch this movie. The cast is unbelievable, the storyline is slightly different from the other Bond movie, and it is packed will all the usual elements that makes a Bond movie. Now, I shall close this review with my all time favorite Bond soundtrack. Please enjoy. Do ignore the fact that the video is lamely outdated and just focus on the outrageously handsome John Taylor.
From early age, we are presented with various kinds of proverbs; words that serve as guidance for us in order to have a (supposedly) good life. During our lifetime, we must have heard many kinds of proverbs, either “native” (if such things really do exist) or imported.
A while ago, while I was walking down memory lane with a dear friend, we discussed about an unpleasant experience I went through in the past that involved another friend of mine, let’s just say Mr. M from J-town (can I be more specific? Haha..) My friend responded by saying; “Well, just forgive and forget. Forgive him for what he's done, forget that it ever happened, forget that he even existed." By that time, I realize that I don’t want to do that.
All through my not-so-long life so far, I have experienced many unpleasant things which (in my own opinion) were results of other wrongdoings. When someone does things to you that you find unpleasant, the natural response is to feel upset, or sometimes angry. But of course, such feelings can only last for so long.
Oprah once mentioned that hating someone is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die. For the sake of our own mental well-being, if we get hurt, we cannot wallow constantly in our anger. After some period of time, we should move on and leave the anger behind; because if we prolong the anger and hatred toward one person (who, by the way, might not realize that you’re angry at them) we are practically hurting ourselves.
In this case, the process of forgiving is a crucial part of soul healing. We won’t be able to move on unless we are able to forgive the inflictor of pain. Time needed to forgive someone will vary, depending on many factors. This is very normal, as long as we realize that we have to be able to forgive in the end.
Up to this point, I agree with my friend’s advice. However, I disagree with the latter part. Paulo Coelho once wrote that "forgiving changes the perspective, forgetting loses the lesson." I cannot agree more with this phrase. Forgiving is crucial, however I find that forgetting is the easier path, but not the best one to chose.
As I recall my experience of being hurt by M, I realized that at that time I was truly hurt; and because I don’t like feeling hurt, I have long decided that I should forgive him. And I have. But on the other hand, I refuse to forget what I experienced at that time because there are valuable lessons to learn from that event; about love, life, and pain. And that event has contributed in making me the way I am now, a stronger figure than I was before. I also refuse to erase his existence completely from my memory because despite of everything that has happened between us, to me he is a valuable friend, with whom I made beautiful memories with. And that is a treasure I’m not willing to let go.
Ah dear child,
Fair as snow and dark as ebony
I too was once just like you
Not a care in the world
Surrounded by love and light
But then I grew out of it
When everything was taken away from me
Left with nothing to hold on to but me
And so I learnt
Oh how I learned
That when times are darkest
The only light emits from me
And like moth to a fire they all drawn to my flame
I left none of them behind
Not a single one
But then I saw you
And I was drawn to your flame
Somehow you were shining brighter than me
And I was drawn to your flame
I knew I should never let your spark outshine me
But I was drawn to your flame…
Suddenly out of the ever-dark
Your little spark shone ablaze
You draw them away from my light
And you consume me
And you made me wither away
Until I am no more than ash
Blown away by cold winter breeze
It doesn't take a gale to blow off a candle. A simple puff would do the trick just fine. I've just lost a friend yesterday. We weren't that close, but I felt that he has helped me a lot. Nobody expect him to pass so early, we expect he would still be here for many years to come. But in an instant, just like that, he perished when he was doing his daily job. Many people cried, most important, everybody was shocked.
We never know when someone we hold so dear would leave us. Most of the times we wouldn't have the time to prepare ourselves for their passing. The best thing we could do to anticipate is by showing everyone we care every single day. It doesn't take a grand gesture. A simple hi is often enough.
After a prolonged procrastination I finally manage to get my undergraduate degree. And now came the next step: jobseeking. Jobseeking is a tedious, time-consuming, and energy-draining phase must faced by all fresh graduates. Unless of course, they are filthy rich. Whether you want to work for someone else, make a business of your own, or indulge yourself in the artistic expression; the fact is you will unavoidably face that moment where you wonder what you want to do after this.
Truth is, you'll never know what you want to do unless you do it. Other than that, it is more likely that your beautifully arranged plan to take a slightly different course. If this happen, don't sulk. Just do. Oh yeah, and believe that what you are doing is exactly what you need to do at the moment. Whatever it is, it will enrich you as a person. Anyway, my jobseeking days are almost over. And the fact is it didn't go as I planned. It went better. I can now confidently say that even though people told me what I wanted was impossible, God shook my hand and gave me even more.
A while ago I received a message from Melanie Bowen, a contributor of the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog. She asked me whether she could be a contributor for this blog, and immediately I jumped to this idea. I hope through this blog I could help her writing reach wider audience and inspire more and more people in being proactive in fulfilling their dreams. I also add a link to the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog all over this post and soon, this blog. Here's a link to Melanie's writings in that blog. Enjoy! And don't forget to share! ~Agnimaya
Everyone has goals they
hope to achieve in their lifetime. Some people are simply more proactive about
achieving their goals, while some take the "if it happens, it
happens" approach. The good news is that everyone is capable of taking
steps in fulfilling their hopes and dreams. For those who have been diagnosed
with an illness--such as mesothelioma or other cancers to more acute chronic illnesses like arthritis--having goals and motivation is extremely
important. No matter their prognosis, many patients feel an urge to get busy achieving life
goals and fulfilling their hopes and dreams.
Personal life goals can be as simple as a new look or
wardrobe, or as complex as living abroad for a year. No matter the details, all
goals require focus and determination. A good way to gain that focus is to
write down those goals, either in a journal, a blog or a "dream or "vision" board. Seeing your
goals on paper or online will serve as a constant source of motivation, and
will help you keep sight of all you hope to accomplish.
Blogging is a great way to log your goals and
achievements. Posting your hopes and dreams online is a way to hold you
accountable for fulfilling them. Blogs also offer an enormous source of support
from online friends and fellow bloggers. Don't forget to post the steps you
plan to take in achieving your goals, as well as all the small victories you
celebrate on the way.
Journals are another way to log your goals, hopes and
dreams. Create a journal not only of hopes and dreams, but of practical ways to
achieve them. For example, if it's always been your goal to learn how to play
the guitar, begin by looking at your schedule and setting aside time for weekly
lessons.
Another great idea is making a "dream
board." A dream board is simply a place to list your goals. You can also
post pictures of things you'd like to accomplish or places you'd like to visit.
For example, if your goals include visiting Paris and someday owning your own
home, your dream board could showcase a picture of the Eiffel Tower and a
drawing of your dream home. Dream boards should placed somewhere you'll see
them on a regular basis: like above your desk or bed, or beside your bathroom
mirror. Check out the instruction on Oprah's website for inspiration.
Whichever way you decide to record your goals for the
future, be it blogging, writing them in a journal, making a dream board, etc,
having that tangible reminder will help you to stay proactive about achieving
your hopes and dreams. Don't forget to celebrate each small victory along the
way. This will give you the confidence need to stay motivated on your path to
realizing all your hopes and dreams.
It's been a while since there was a new post in this blog. But then again, I've never been a discipline person when it comes to updating my blogs.
Last night I stumble upon the bucket list of mine written on 2009, right around my birthday if I'm not mistaken. Reading it, I realize that I have done some of the things I didn't think I'd have done by now and more. Sure, there are things that still seem far off, but I realized that maybe those things are not impossible after all.
