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Belum cukup?


Hari Jum’at saya harusnya berangkat ke kantor jam 7 pagi, seperti biasanya. Tetapi, hari itu ternyata jadi hari yang luar (dari) biasa(nya). Saat saya sedang menyetir mobil menuju kantor, saya melihat seekor anjing berkeliaran. Saya hampir yakin, anjing itu hilang atau terlepas dari pemiliknya – karena tubuhnya cukup gemuk dan sehat. Ya, saya takut kalau-kalau jenis orang yang suka mengkonsumsi daging anjing melihat dan menangkapnya. Aduh. Saya tidak sampai hati membiarkan.

Entah, apa yang ada di kepala saya – akhirnya, saya bawa pulang. Seolah, belum cukup semua beban kerja di kantor dan di rumah yang saya punya selama ini.

Ini hari ketiga, anjing itu ada di rumah saya. Saya sudah mengumumkan pada  kelompok-kelompok pencinta ajing di media sosial yang saya jadi anggotanya, bahwa saya menemukan seekor anjing. Tak ada satu pun yang mengaku kehilangan.

Sementara, pada media sosial, banyak orang terus ribut menyelamatkan anjing. Banyak juga yang terus ribut ketakutan dan marah pada orang-orang yang memakan anjing. Juga, tak sedikit orang yang sinis dan menyindir pada mereka penyuka anjing ras (tetapi juga tidak melakukan apa-apa – tolong berkata/berbuat baik, kalau tidak bisa, tutup saja mulutmu atau diam jarimu).

Yang saya heran, masih saja banyak orang bangga mencari pasangan kawin untuk anjingnya, bangga ketika anjingnya pada masa lop. Masih banyak yang bangga ketika anjing mereka melahirkan anak-anak anjing. Beberapa merasa segera membuat steril anjing-anjing adalah tindakan yang tidak hewani.

Belum cukup ya?

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A reflection


Libur Lebaran. Puji Tuhan.

Liburan ini saya kebanyakan menghabiskan waktu di rumah.

Saya memuaskan diri menghabiskan waktu bersama Gita: nonton film, browsing, main monopoli dan tidur. Ada juga sih, waktu-waktu untuk diri sendiri: nonton film, browsing, tidur dan menulis. Tetapi, dua hari ini saya memutuskan untuk membersihkan dan membereskan rumah.

Saya membutuhkan waktu seharian untuk membersihkan dan merapikan rumah. Saya menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam dan membuang tenaga banyak untuk menyapu, ngepel, membersihkan debu, mencuci, mengeringkan, memilah, membuang, menata ulang, menggosok, melipat, menyimpan, dan yang lain. Pfft. Sampai pinggang saya sakit (juga lengan, kaki dan leher).

Parahnya, saya yakin kondisi rumah yang bersih, rapi dan wangi ini hanya akan bertahan beberapa jam.

Butuh waktu yang lebih singkat untuk mengobrak-abrik rumah 😦 Mulai dari meneteskan cairang yang tidak perlu, menjatuhkan remah yang tidak termakan, melempar baju kotor, menjatuhkan kertas tak dipakai, dan meninggalkan jejak kaki basah, meninggalkan noda di pakaian, menaruh piring kotor di dapur begitu saja, meninggalkan tempat tidur dengan kondisi acak-acakan, membeli barang-barang yang tak ada gunanya, dan yang lainnya, dan yang lainnya.

Hal-hal yang merusak adalah hal-hal yang mudah. Kegiatan memporakporandakan tidak membutuhkan banyak waktu. Betapa mudahnya membuat kacau, merusak, memporak-porandakan. Begitu sulitnya menjaga, merapikan dan merawat.

I reflect this in every way. 

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Jiwa ku/mu (?) sakit


Have you ever heard about Project Semicolon?

Here, at Global Semicolon, they say: The trend of semicolon tattoos was started by Project Semicolon, which describes itself as “a faith-based non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury.” As to the significance of the symbol itself, the organization writes on its website, “a semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life;” thus, in the case of these tattoos, it is a physical representation of personal strength in the face of internal struggle.

What people don’t understand about depression is how much it hurts. It’s like your brain is convinced that it’s dying and produces an acid that eats away at you from the inside, until all that’s less is a scary hollowness. Your mind fills with dark thoughts; you become convinced that your friends secretly hate you, you’re worthless, and then there’s no hope. I never got so low as to consider ending it all, but I understand how that can happen to some people. Depression simply hurts too much (Tyler Hamilton).

They are not insane, by the way. They are struggling from illness – like influenza we usually suffer every now and then. Yet, invisible illness.

But if you insist to define insanity, I would say it is the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love (Richard Yates)

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I-K-R-A (sebelum buka mulut atau ngetik status)


hari ini saya melihat sebuah posting yang dipasang pada akun FB seorang kolega. Itu, di bawah tulisan ini.

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Rasanya, postingan tersebut mengarah pada legalisasi kawin sesama jenis.

Kalau mau kontra, silahkan saja Mas Bro. Tetapi boleh tidak pakai aturan?

Pertama, jangan menjelekan pihak lain – termasuk binatang. Mereka juga mahluk ciptaan Tuhan.

Kedua, boleh nggak sih jangan secara terbuka menyatakan diri kita (Anda) bodoh di ruang publik (di internet pulak), dengan memberi indikasi kita (Anda) tidak baca (atau punya fasilitas internet hanya untuk melakukan hal-hal yang bodoh dan menambah kebodohan?) Baca. Baca. Baca. Baca. Baca. Apakah bandwidth internet kita (Anda) nggak mencukupi, sih? Cari free hotspot.

Oiya, untuk postingan gambar itu – tentu saja saya memberikan komentar. Yaitu ini, itu dan yang keren ini, Biological Exuberance.

Ayo dong. Jangan malu-maluin. Anak, istri, suami, bapak, dan ibu kita (Anda) jadi teman loh di akun FB kita (Anda).

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God made Dog


12-20-essential-dog-facts

So God Made A Dog

And on the 9th Day

God looked down on his wide eyed children and said they need a companion
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody to wake up and give kisses, pee on a tree, sleep all day, wake up again, give more kisses, and then stay up till midnight basking in the glow of the television set.
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody willing to sit, then stay, then roll over then with no ego or complaint dress in hats they do not need and costumes they do not understand. I need somebody who can break wind without a first thought or second thought. Who can chase tails, sniff crotches, fetch sticks and lift spirits with a lick. Somebody no matter what you didn’t do, or couldn’t take, or didn’t win, or couldn’t make will love you without judgment just the same.
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody strong enough to pull sleds and find bombs, yet gentle enough to love babies and lead the blind. Somebody who will spend all day on a couch with the resting head and supportive eyes to lift the spirits of a broken heart.
So God made a Dog
It had to be somebody who would remain patient and loyal even thru loneliness. Somebody to care, cuddle, snuggle and nuzzle, and cheer and charm and snore and slobber and eat the trash and chase the squirrels. Somebody who would bring a family together with selflessness of an open heart. Somebody who would bark, and then pant, and then reply with the rapid wag of tail when their best friend says lets go for a ride in the car.
So God made a Dog
God said I need somebody who would stand at your side when the world around you collapses. Somebody to lie next to you during the long nights of pain and sorrow when it hurts to move, or talk, or think, or be. Somebody to stand guard, play games, snore for hours, and repeat as needed. Somebody to give you strength when you have none of your own. Somebody to fight when you have no fight left, to hold onto your soul as if it were their favorite toy, playing tug of war to keep you in this world. Somebody to be your companion and guide in this world and the next. Somebody to wait for you on the other side or stand guard in your absence until they can join you for eternity.
So God made a Dog

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This is how wo(men) should deal with jerks


I’m an Emergency Room nurse and we’re not allowed to have our phones on us; they’re to be kept in our lockers. A call comes into hospital reception on a private line for me.

Phone: “This is [Teacher] from [School]. There’s been an incident involving [Daughter]. We need you to come in.”

Me: “Is she ill or injured? Can it wait until my shift is over in two hours?”

Phone: “[Daughter] has struck another student. We’ve been trying to call you for 45 minutes. It really is very serious.”

I go to the school and am ushered into the Principal’s office. I see my daughter, her advisor, a male teacher, the principal, a boy with blood around his nose and a red face, and his parents.

Principal: “Mrs. [My Name], how kind of you to FINALLY join us!”

Me: “Yeah, things get busy in the ER. I’ve spent the last hour administering over 40 stitches to a seven-year-old who was beaten by his mother with a metal ladle and then I had to deal with the police regarding the matter. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

(After watching him try to not act embarrassed, he tells me what has happened. The boy had snapped my daughter’s bra and she had punched him in the face… twice. I got the impression they were more angry with my daughter than the boy.)

Me: “Oh. And you want to know if I’m going to press charges against him for sexually assaulting my daughter and against the school for allowing him to do it?”

(They all get jittery when I mention sexual assault and start speaking at once.) Teacher: “I don’t think it was that serious.”
Advisor: “Let’s not over-react.”
Principal: “I think you’re missing the point.”

(The boy’s mother then starts crying. I turn to my daughter to find out what happened.)

Daughter: “He kept snapping my bra. I asked him to stop but he didn’t, so I told Mr. [Teacher]. He told me to ‘ignore it.’ [Boy] did it again and undid my bra so I hit him. Then he stopped.”

(I turn to the teacher.)

Me: “You let him do this? Why didn’t you stop him? Come over here and let me touch the front of your trousers.”

Teacher: “What?! No!”

Me: “Does that seem inappropriate to you? Why don’t you go and pull on Mrs. [Advisor]’s bra right now. See how fun it is for her. Or on that boy’s mother’s bra. Or mine. You think just because they’re kids it’s fun?”

Principal: “Mrs. [My Name]. With all due respect, [Daughter] still beat another child.”

Me: “No. She defended herself against a sexual attack from another pupil. Look at them; he’s nearly 6 feet and 160 pounds. She’s 5 feet and 84 pounds. He’s a foot taller than her and twice as heavy. How many times should she have let him touch her? If the person who was supposed to help and protect her in a classroom couldn’t be bothered, what should she have done? He pulled her bra so hard it came undone.”

(The boy’s mom is still crying and his dad looks both angry and embarrassed. The teacher won’t make eye contact with me. I look at the principal.)

Me: “I’m taking her home. I think the boy has learned his lesson. And I hope nothing like this ever happens again, not only to [Daughter], but to any other girl at this school. You wouldn’t let him do it to a member of staff so what makes you think he can do it to a girl of 15 is beyond me. I will be reporting this to the school administrators. And if you—” *turning to the boy* “— EVER touch my daughter again I WILL have you arrested for sexual assault. Do you understand me?”

I was so angry, I gathered my daughter’s things and left. I reported it to the School Board, several of whom I know, and was assured it would be strongly dealt with.

My daughter was put into a different class for that subject, away from the teacher and the boy.

I have borrowed this from here

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Internet, skala 1-10


Was lecturing in a class with two Korean International students.

I asked one of them a question.

Me: Comparing internet connection between Indonesia and Korea, on a scale 1 to 10 – Where is Korea’s Internet?

He: Ten.

Me: …. and Indonesia’s internet?

He: One.

ROLF. Then, a silent question. What on earth do you guys enroll yourself here???????

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Makara UI, kasihan.


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A prior note: Am sorry for (always) being harsh. 

Hari ini ketika sedang menyetir menuju kampus, saya melihat sebuah mobil dengan stiker “UI” besar-besar pada kaca bagian belakangnya.

“Anak UI”, pikir saya.

…siapa pun yang menyetir (bisa juga supir kan?) tetap melaju ketika lampu merah untuk mobil menyala. Harusnya si pengandara menghentikan mobilnya kan? Akibatnya, para penyebrang jalan (yang harusnya punya hak untuk menyebrang karena lampu hijau untuk menyebrang jalan menyala), mundur lagi dan tidak jadi menyebrang.

Pasang stiker UI, tetapi mengambil hak rakyat. Malu. Mungkin, sebaiknya cari dan paham dulu arti Makara UI, sebelum pasang stikernya dan membawanya ke ranah publik.

gambar saya pinjam dari sini

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Christmas, a new definition.


joy

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Two days ago I looked at Apple’s phone. I found her sent messages “Merry Christmas” to a number of her friends. Only one is Christian. The rest are non Christians. I asked her why did she send Christmas wish to non-Christian friends. She replied: “What’s wrong with that?” I told her only Christians celebrate Christmas. She was silent, then replied: “Nan and Pop are not Christians, yet they always celebrate Christmas. Your friend Asma is Pakistani and non Christian, but she always celebrates Christmas with you. Also Philip and Yvonne and Jonno and Amelita. They are not Christians.”

Then I asked her what is Christmas means for her.
She replied: “It is a special holiday to spend time with your best guys and be grateful to people love you, unconditionally. And be thankful for you to have them in your life. Not many people have, you know. Many are lonely. And the food and the also PRESENTTSSSSSS!” ***then asked: Can I open my presents now?***

I was amazed and was thinking when people around her are busy with ‘haram dan halal’ sending Christmas wish to others only because ‘we are told to do or not to do so’, her standpoint describes what Meister Eckhart refers when he says: “All God wants man is a peaceful heart”.

… and I love her even more.

ps.
and yes, some people take a bunch of letters ‘s-e-l-a-m-a-t n-a-t-a-l’ so seriously.