The Conversationists

"My idea of good company, Mr. Eliot, is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company." - Persuasion, Jane Austen.

Consider it an attempt at being disgustingly sentimental. Those in the picture are bound to mock me if they read this. They will laugh and tease me because that's what they do. I love them anyway.

Unlike how it seems, it is hard to put in words the overwhelming happiness of spending four years in college and ending up together. Maybe it is hard because I have no other motive in writing this except that I miss them a lot these days and I want to relive those days with them when our time seemed to stop. Usually one writes more easily if one has concrete objective.

There are so many things I want to talk to you about them. I had thought that it would be best to start with the things and moments that tie us up, but it seems irrelevant now. It was probably IKMI and our fondness of gossips that brought us together. And maybe our nonexistent curfew did, too. We seemed to have always been available for staying the night at campus' neighborhood (if not sleeping over!).

Talking of the way they have changed me would also have no point because it would be take too much explanation, so probably I'll just talk about the things I love doing with them.

As a chatterbox, I love conversations. Not just conversations, but deep talks. I believe conversations lead me to knowing people better - and not just about their characters, but also about their ideas and visions about practically anything in the world. And I can always count on these people to satisfy my thirst for conversation. In fact, that is the sole reason I pick that quote from Persuasion to put under the picture. They really are good company. At one point or another, there was always a time when each and every one of us got involved in an insightful conversation.

Oh, we did other things beside talking. We went on trips together. But it always seemed to me that engaging ourselves in conversations is what we do best. Talks with them could take hours, sometimes half a day. And we seemed to talk best after midnight. I don't know if it was because our minds were no longer completely sober and were overused, but we seemed to say better things and think more interesting thoughts from midnight till dawn. We were night owls. We talked about personal stuff (usually romance with the girls, and gossips with both genders) as starter, then we moved on to heavier subjects (by which I mean college stuff such as the study of feminism, gender, psychoanalysis, existentialism, movie critics - basically ideas that we can highly relate to our life and surroundings - and also religion: the difference between the practice and the spirituality).

Talks with them were not always good. We have had our share of bitter discussions and disheartening conversations. It was probably because we were forthright and painfully critical people; it was as if we had no filter of what to say. Some of the wounds left scars in our hearts or awful memories we can't get rid of. But that's sort of okay by me now. That was how I grew up with them. The talks were always challenging and consoling simultaneously. And I sort of learned that that was the way we love and support each other because we stay throughout even the most painful conversation.

For me, 'us' used to be forever. Like time was halted and we would see no end to living like then. At least I felt that way. Their presence did not only lift my spirit; they made me high-spirited all the time. I was boundless and strong in mind and body. And life was full of joy and really "all my friends are nice and gay!" and the image of us ending was nowhere to be seen.

But graduation made way, and eventually we had to stop being in the same place. The talkers can talk neither as often as they did, nor can they give any more critical remarks as frank. Believe me, place and frequency of meeting matter. Some things have to change in order to preserve this valued friendship. And so I miss them. How nice would it be if we are given a night to get together again soon!

A girl caught a bus to a certain post office in the neighborhood. She jumped off when the bus passed the post office and waved her hand to someone. It was her friend, waiting by the rustic gate of the old post office. 

"He gave you something," her friend said. The girl, in overwhelming sadness and confusion, went straight into the post office, followed by her friend, to pick up the package he had left for her. 

The package was sheets of papers, and it was not addressed to her, though there was a note addressed to her attached on the front. "Give this to S," the note said. After a whole day of confusion, such thing was no longer questionable - no longer needed questioning! Her friend was as clueless as she, so the only thing she could do was finding S. 

She walked and walked and in her way, thinking of how they hadn't talked for so long and wondered why he went this length of speaking to her through notes on package. At that time, it had already been two years since their last casual night out. Since the last time they were friends...

The girl's confusion was not something she only had for that day. She had felt it for the two years everything changed between them. They had stopped going out for talks and dinners, and meeting just the two of them. She had loved it; especially the long conversations they had every so often. She had confided in him, and perhaps depended on him without realizing, and she had lost a part in her when all that stopped. 

She wondered why he addressed the package to S when he wasn't supposed to know him.

Her feet brought her to S in no moment at all. Perhaps he knows the answer, she thought, and before handing the package, look up to his face. S stared at her as if she was pathetic, which she probably was anyway, and she hated it. She hated him because the package was addressed to him instead of her. 

"Why?" she barked. She handed the package but wouldn't let go before he answered her. S shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he said quietly, aware of the fact that she was shaken. S - and everybody else - was no stranger to the story of this girl and her guy. 

"Why is this package addressed to you? What is inside?" she begged. She had missed him for years and this was what she got. A note on a package to someone else.

S ripped the package for her. Inside was notes on some college lessons. Sketches she was not familiar with. She didn't understand the significance of it at all. She didn't even understand why he gave it to S. Darn, she didn't even know he studied all of those seemingly difficult graphics! 

"The package only says this is inherited to me," S answered. 

The girl knew S might not know the answer but she just had to ask the question. "Why did he stop talking to me? Why did we stop meeting up?" S shook his head in desperation as grave as hers. 

"Why did he stop being my friend?"

The girl was not sobbing, but it felt like the hollow in her heart choked her. She wanted to know if he had left because he had been afraid she wanted more. She did think they could be more, once, but definitely not if it meant she had to lose his friendship! Even the thought was unbearable for her wounded soul. She had lost two years of his friendship and she felt terribly sorry for everything. She missed him. 

Faith in Humanity: Restored!

1) I have realized for quite some time that I didn't trust human in general. I didn't trust their kindness; I trusted their hidden agenda. I didn't trust people acting purely out of good will and generally I didn't think kindhearted people exist. I trusted that people are originally suspicious, selfish creatures. 

 2) It is kinda hard to live as a Muslim in the midst of all prejudices against us. The social experiment below was conducted to combat Islamophobia in the West, but I think it is applicable to the situation here in Indonesia where Muslims are prejudiced as being superficial, violent, aggressive, judgmental and negatively dominant (which, sadly, are sometimes proven true by some idiotic actions conducted by idiotic agents).

Social Experiment to Combat Islamophobia

Click the link! This experiment encouraged me to believe that kindness do exist. Humans still care about other humans. Humans are still willing to go some distance and break some wall and hug a stranger to show they trust him. Humans are still willing to offer their trust to those who prejudiced them - and that's my homework.

My Keepers

I was just diagnosed of having one of those scary-named illnesses yesterday. It is not something that can be cured with just a full day of sleeping in and it kinda freaked me out the first time I heard the diagnosis. But it is also not something that I am condemned to have for a lifetime or that threatened my life. I won't go into further detail about it. Besides, it turns out many people have had it before me and they are perfectly cured by now, so I won't worry too much. It's just a hormonal problem.

However, scary names are meant to be scary and when I told one of my friends about it, she overreacted a bit and told other friends in our circle. It had pissed me off a little because I don't like too many people knowing about it because if they freak out, they freak me out, too. And I hate freaking out because that makes me feel incapable and weak. I like to think of myself as the protective one; the capable one in charge of worrying - not someone to be worried about!

My mother told me people worry because they love me. It is an opinion I have a hard time accepting. Not that I don't understand... in fact, I worry about people around me because I do care. It's just that I am not used to being the one about whom people need to worry. I hate it so much that I came down to reflecting: am I shutting people out? Am I putting distance to our friendship?

Anyhow, some of my friends paid a visit earlier today.

It was not so much of a hyper-entertaining meeting we usually have, probably because my focus wasn't exactly in place, but we had a quite nice time. I remember laughing a lot to the old sarcastic and cynical jokes, to the goofy way of speaking, and even to the most boring jokes. By the time they all went home I found myself singing out loud, and generally my spirit was lifted. 

Only then that I realized I might have not really seen what this friendship is about: that it is still so warm and so tight, that it is losing if I keep not seeing it, and that it means so much to me.

I still hate too many people knowing about my sickness, mostly because I hate feeling weak and I hate the uninvited attention, but there's a part of me that now thinks I have to open up and accept the way they love me. They went so far to my house for just a visit to someone who barely has to lie still under the blanket - surely no matter how much I hate it, I would be sorry to have them ignore me! What else could someone ask for but a friend - more, friends! - who is willing to go miles just to see you? 

They are precious friends. They're keepers. 

You, these days

You are the representation of easier times.
You are the swing set at the backyard of my dream house.
You are the romcoms on Saturday nights.
You are the city skylights decorating the skyscrapers.
- and this scent of yours,
Reminds me of the passenger seat on which I used to stare at you,
While you were listening to my endless monologue,
Saying you're not getting bored no matter how many times I asked.

You are every little thing contradictorily beautiful in this chaotic universe;
the one flower irritating and treasured by the Little Prince,
the one flower whose disappearance turns stars dead and sky dark.
- and this scent of yours,
Reminds me of the cigarettes you chain-smoked,
Of the songs you cut once you were bored,
While always, you were listening to my endless monologue.

And of all the bridges I'm burning, you're the one I wish to keep.

My Top 5 Books in 2014

As a true logophile and bibliophile at heart, I have a Goodreads account where I keep track of all the great books I have read. I think it is nice for Goodreads to create a list of the books I have read in 2014. You can see it if you click this link 

My Year in Books

and out of the list, I decided to make a list of my own Top 5 Books. I like them all almost equally, so there is no need to put numbers on them. Here it is...

Supernova: Partikel (2012)

 

My friend, Nirma, recommended Supernova Series by Dee Lestari nearing the end of last year. I have read four of them (and am about to read the fifth one), but this one was by far the most mind-blowing. Can you imagine a sturdy rock shattered? Or perhaps an ice river broken? I have never seen ice river breaks, but it was what I had in mind when I read Partikel. I have mentioned how I question the superficiality of Islamic ritual practice in Indonesia and how I am interested in religion/spiritual issues more than I care to admit; well, this book was the representation of all the questions I have. The shattered sturdy rock or the broken ice river was the only surface left where I could stand. I was shaken after I read Partikel. I am not saying the book's kafir, no. In fact, Dee was so brilliant that she could shake me by simply presenting the common dialogue of religion in Indonesia. Of course, my favorite part was the dialogue between Zarah and Abah. That goes without saying. This book has so big an impact on me that I now find the meanings of the Koran verses touch my heart more. I am back at zero level of learning Islam. A good start because it is only at zero level that we can learn more openly. On the other hand, Partikel is also great in terms of the sci-fi theme that strongly influenced the plot. I went through Partikel the same way I went through the movie Interstellar (2014) - only instead of gravity, Partikel has fungi. (By the way, I discussed Interstellar with some friends and coming down to amateurishly theorize that it somehow criticizes the existence of God; well, I kinda felt the same way about Partikel, although that doesn't have to always be the case).

Supernova: Akar (2002)

Akar is another book from the Supernova Series that amazed me. It was also about the religious stuff that interested me the most, but the way Dee presented it was different from the way she did in Partikel. In Akar, she made it feel so peaceful and fulfilling. It was almost as if I was Bodhi. When Bodhi was doubtful, I was doubtful. The questions I asked unanswered; Bodhi has them, too. I was especially attracted to the part where Bodhi thought a converted person must be more knowledgeable and faithful compared to the people who take religion for granted since they are born. I am not saying that we should doubt people who take one religion as their belief just because they were born under it; I'm just saying maybe not all of us truly understand the spiritual part of a religious belief because we take it as a given. After all, we were not given a choice. Converting was never considered an option; converting is judged as a betrayal to the initial religion - a betrayal to the initial group.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999)

The first time I know about The Perks of Being a Wallflower was from the movie. You know, the one with Logan Lerman and Emma Watson. After watching the movie, I knew right away that I have to read the book in order to find the in-depth explanation of many things! Without any means to belittle the movie - I like the movie a lot - I still think that it left too many things hanging. That's why I grabbed my copy of the book and satisfied my need of Charlie's thorough story. The narration is done quite nicely. It's almost like The Princess' Diary, but with more twisted plot. A wallflower is an introverted person; one that is seemingly shy, and I didn't really get it the first time I watched the movie because Charlie there seemed to almost be like any other main character - bullied, socially awkward, a hero-to-be. However, the book showed me how it is to be a wallflower. I only realized it halfway through the end that after pages, the only thing I know was about his friends instead of him. Charlie was an incredibly selfless character, almost as if he's there only to observe the life around him. Believe me, you wouldn't not love Charlie after you finished this book. Way to go, Chbosky!

The Catcher in the Rye (1951)

A classic. You should've known it from the published year.
I couldn't quite comprehend the meaning of this whole book when I first read it (and I have to admit, even until now there are still parts I don't understand), but I always find my mind wanders to it. Salinger presented his work in a rather different way than other writers whose works I have read. I waited and waited for Holden Caufield to become someone who is enlightened, or someone who goes through a life-changing journey, or someone great at the end of the story; but after 100 pages Caufield was still the same whiny and somewhat jerk-y lad. You don't say, The Catcher in the Rye became a tiring book for me, for I see no use of reading it. It did not move me. But later, as my mind kept finding its way back to this book, I realize that this book has left a really strong impression. It even inspired the birth of Literature Slaves - a chain story blog I've been working on with a friend. I started to see how Salinger was a great writer; he managed to not only tell Caufield's bad weekend, but also bring us along with every step and encounter. Holden Caufield was a depressed teenager whose depression is contagious to his reader or whose depression would only be understood by someone as depressed as he. I am planning to reread it sometime soon when I am depressed.



The Little Prince (1943)

 

Originally titled Le Petit Prince, this Antoine De Saint-Exupery's book is also a classic worth read by both adults and children. For children, this book will be a good teacher of humanity; whereas for adults, this book can have multiple meanings. Through its simple and naked words, The Little Prince gave birth to many, many beautiful and symbolically straightforward quotes about the truth of humanity and the essence of life. This is one of the evergreen books that mesmerizes people of all ages... and make us remember the inner child we have long forgotten, as well as the beautiful world within which the child lives.

Being a Teacher (2) - Colleagues!

Anyway, in my first two weeks here, there are so many new things happened to me. I am appointed as the Project Officer for the International Day. My right hand would be a new Japanese teacher: Dara. Since we are both new, Mbak Sasha & Mbak Beppy help us a lot. Mbak Beppy is a French teacher, by the way. We are planning to have a UN Conference simulation.

I met a lot of people and made a lot of new friends here. Not just some, but a lot. Well, I don’t know if most of them consider me as their friend; they must think of me as their teacher!

Of course I met and made friends with the teachers. They know me as Mbak Sasha’s assistant, but mostly they recognize me as the niece of the Junior High School’s Headmaster. I don’t mean to whine, but really, there’s a certain professional line bordering us here. At least that’s how I feel. Or maybe it’s just that I haven’t really got to know them. After all, it’s only my second week.

We have our own pigeon hole at the teachers’ room, and we talk about the students all the time. It’s one of the nicest things about Garuda Cendekia; here, we know the students’ personal background. It’s almost like the teacher and the students have special bond or something. Maybe it’s also because most of the students have been there since elementary school.