Apple? Samsung? dan Pemudik bermotor

Di tengah keasyikan baca perseteruan antara Apple dan Samsung tentang smartphone dan tablet di Kompas.com plus baca komentar-komentar pembacanya, terbaca di kolom kecil survey Kompas pertanyaan: Korban tewas terbanyak adalah pemudik sepeda motor. Apakah mudik dengan sepeda motor harus dilarang? Pilihan: ya/tidak.

Hmmm…

Pertanyaannya adalah: apakah para pemudik dengan motor itu punya pilihan??? Sama seperti kalau mereka diberi pilihan absolut: Apple atau Samsung? … mereka pasti susah menjawab karena mereka tidak mungkin memilih satu di antara dua merek itu. Mau Apple atau mau Samsung… mereka sama sama tidak bisa beli…. :)

Berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi, naik motor di jalanan Semarang yang semakin padat setiap tahunnya amat sangat lebih nyaman dan cepat dibandingkan naik mobil.

Kalau pas macet mobil harus berhenti dan mengantri, motor bisa naik ke trotoar, turun ke badan jalan, menyelinap di antara mobil-mobil, dsb. Pokoknya segala atraksi acrobat bisa dilihat.

Polisi lalu lintas juga tidak bisa berbuat banyak terutama tentang jumlah penumpang di sepeda motor. Pernah dalam pemeriksaan lalu lintas, aku yang memboncengkan Dito dan 1 teman sekolahnya di boncengan belakang dan membawa Yogis juga (duduk di depanku) … hanya dikomentari  oleh Pak Polisi: “Waduh… anaknya banyak ya Bu…” … Dan aku berkomentar, “Iya pak… habis jemput sekolah ini…” Tanya jawab yang terkesan tidak nyambung tapi ada kesepakatan tidak tertulis antara pak Polisi dan aku… it is unavoidable… benar-benar situasi yang tak terhindarkan. Iya kan: kalau seorang ibu harus menjemput 3 anaknya dari sekolah dan dia punya motor …  ya motor-lah yang dipakai untuk menjemput … kalau naik angkot … berapa duit coba yang keluar untuk perjalanan pp?

Illustrasi: Rumahku sekitar 4 kilo dari sekolah Dito n Yogis, naik angkot butuh 4x1000x2(pp) = 8000… x 6 hari sekolah x 4 minggu = 192.000,-  Bandingkan dengan naik motor yang hanya butuh diisi 15.000 per tiga hari… (bensin per liter 4.500) itu juga sudah plus plus dipake ke tempat kerjaku (nggak cuma antar jemput sekolah thok…). Selisihnya bisa buat ‘live another day’ begitulah pokoknya…

… dengan pendapatan perkapita yang hanya $2,850 per tahun … uang yang bisa dihemat jadi sangat berharga untuk orang Indonesia….

Sama dengan para pemudik … it is unavoidable … tiket bus pasti tuslah lebaran, yang artinya bisa dua kali lipat dari tariff  hari biasa. Katakanlah biasanya 100.000 dari Jakarta-Semarang, bisa jadi 200.000… itu sebalik … kalau  bolak-balik berarti 400.000. Keluarga dengan 2 anak akan menghabiskan 1.600.000 hanya untuk naik bis. THR yang satu kali gaji (buruh) tidak akan nutup atau cuma sisa sedikit … dan jadi tak berarti… Naik kereta, travel apalagi pesawat juga sama…

Naik motor? Ya satu-satunya pilihan yang paling murah… motor biasanya konsumsi bensinya berkisar 1:30-40 … maksudnya 1 liter bisa untuk 30-40 kilometer (ada yang lebih irit juga sih sampai 1:50) tapi katakan saja setiap 30 km butuh 1 liter  bensin, artinya untuk jarak 500 km (Jakarta-Semarang) hanya butuh sekitar 17 liter bensin x 4500 = 76.500 sekali jalan, dua  kali jalan? Ya kalikan dua saja… lebih murah dari tiket sekali jalannya bis… sudah murah, sampai depan rumah (kl  naik bis, kereta, n pesawat tetep g bisa sampe depan rumah n masih harus extra uang buat angkutan ke rumah)… dan bisa sambil pamer kalau punya motor … (pamer perhiasan emas sudah bukan jamannya lagi sepertinya.) …  uang THR jadi bisa dipakai untuk yang lain …

Jadi 1.600.000 atau 153.000? Buat pemudik motor, kenyamanan bukan segalanya… yang penting duit bisa cukup buat pulang kampung dan lebaran… toh cuma setahun sekali…

Keselamatan? EHHHmmmphhhh…  orang Jawa bilang, “Wong lungguh neng njero omah wae isa mati… (Orang duduk di dalam rumah aja bisa mati…)” dan harap diteruskan sendiri … dan disimpulkan sendiri …

Dan yang pasti, g usah repot-repot tanya: Apple atau Samsung?

Karena opor atau sambal goreng? Mungkin lebih tepat ditanyakan…

Unintentionally racist ...

Overheard this in the street:

“Noooo. You don’t want to see my father. He’s dark, you know. Like an aboriginal… Lucky I skipped the genes”

I gasped … the world came to a sudden halt …

What the ****!

I suppressed the urge to stop and say:

“Hey lady!… That’s racist… .”

Nothing is wrong with dark skin. Nothing is wrong with being an Aborigin. Woaaa… woman … you’re too far with your ‘politically incorrect’ statement. We’re in Australia for God sake … it can really hurt people, the Aborigins for sure… Don’t you know that they (the Aborigins) have suffered a lot from discriminations in their own land for decades????

But after stealing a closer look at the woman… I kind of understand … not to forgive what she said but to understand her statement for what she is. She is someone I saw a couple of times before… knowing her best friend, I guess (99%) that she is Asian (I am not going to disclose her nationality here … for it might make you think that I am racist as well… ).

So what is wrong with being an Asian? Are Asians racist?

Nope. It’s just that Asians especially those who came to Australia when they were an adult…might not really care about the tension between (White) Australian and the Aborigins. Even if they know the history, they can’t really relate themselves with the pain, with the discrimination, with the oppression with the context… So, this woman stated the words in her own simplified understanding that Aborigin has dark skin, so does her father. That’s it, nothing else. No ideological context… no racism involves…

It’s just like when my mom refered to burnt (overcooked) meat by saying:

“Waaahhh… daginge negro.” (trans. Waaahhh … the meat is “negro” = nigger)

I can never say:

“Ouccchh mom… that’s racist…”

Because she’s gonna look at me in a strange way implying:

“What??? What’s so racist about a piece of meat???”

:D

And I don’t think that I can start lecturing her about how politically incorrect it is to say “negro=nigger” because it will break her heart … sure… she doesn’t have any intention to be racist… (I just need to take a precaution not to let her make a comment like that in the presence of Black people … hmmm “no burnt food when Black people are around…?” …)     

What about me? I often unconsciously make inappropriate statement by saying: “Lagi autis…” (trans. I am doing what autistic person does) without really considering how it is like to be autistic people… their struggle… their misery…

It takes a lot of efforts to behave and say things correctly… in the right contexts … I guess… We may fail sometimes but we should always try …

A word or two or more... about our Independence day

Just like other ordinary morning, I started my day by turning off the waking up alarm in my mobile phone. And then I replied Goen's text with: "Sorry, I missed ur text last night." I then got an immediate reply: "It's ok. I am getting ready for Independence day ceremony." ...

Well, today is Indonesia Independence Day ...

#sigh

One of the things that I loathed, especially during my school days, was the ceremony I had to attend every Monday. It was when I had to stand still for the whole half an hour having the rituals of flag raising, singing Indonesia Raya, the reading of Pancasila, the reading of preamble of Indonesia Constitution, some wise words (or waste words?) from the principal, then singing another national song. Every Monday I've got headache, not because I couldn't stand the heat... nope... it was that I couldn't stand the hate ... not of my country but the ceremony. It was the obligation to do it that made me angry. ceremony = anger = die ...

When I was in my undergraduate years, I started to develop "hate" for my own country, my own government... there was always something wrong about the country, the people, and the government. And I was not alone... lots of other people at my age actually shared this feeling. It was when the "love for my country" under the heading of "nationalism" was force fed to many in a brainwashing mode. "It was just like you were set in an arranged marriage... even when there was love to begin with but when it was forced... it would not feel right, would it?).

Post New Order.

And I find myself surrounded by many impassive Indonesian... yup... those who feel disappointed by the government and the country...
The bombardment of news on corruptions, mismanagement, blunders done the government, radicalism, racism, so on and so on ... grows a breeding ground for hate ...
The confusion created, the disappointment felt, the incomprehensible situation, the inability to solve the problems ... all are mixed at once...
Which brings out the option of "Why bother" ... simply shrugging the shoulder ... and ignore ...

But...
then
I am starting to feel differently about this business of "loving ur country" ...
Too many people I know... are ignorant ... some make a joke ... some throw negative remarks... some actually "sell" the negative things about Indonesia...

And I am starting to think ... "What is wrong with these people? What is wrong with me? Come on ... we are in the verge of ruining our own country... or at least ruining the image of our own country by throwing those negative sentiments."

We see what we want to see, right? That's what I believe...
If we're always looking for what is wrong, we will find it ...
So why don't we try to find what is right in our country? ...
There are some gems and many deeds to find...

And for this Independence day,

Indonesians should be proud that we have such strong beginning ... that we actually "FOUGHT" for our Independence ... bloods and tears were shed ... many people died so we can enjoy our today ... and it was a BIG DEAL ...

So if people doubt this independence ... doesn't it mean they disrespect/ignore the sacrifice of many people and many families?

I remember a goose-bumping experience when I was traveling in an economy bus from Yogya to Semarang, when a street singer in Ambarawa sang "caping gunung" with traditional flute ... It was sang by a very old man in such a sad tone that made me feel heavy at heart...

dek jaman berjuang/njur kelingan anak lanang/biyen tak openi/ning saiki ana ngendi
(during the war/I remember my son/I raised him/I don't know where he is now)

Jarene wis menang/keturutan sing digadhang/biyen ninggal janji/neng saiki apa lali
(People say that we have won (the war)/we are independent/he (his/her son made a promise/but  does he forget  (his promise) now?)

Ning gunung tak cadhongi sega jagung/yen mendhung tak silihi caping gunung*
(when he (his/her son) was at home (in the village in the mountainous area), I (his mother/father) cooked      corn/during the rainy days, I (mother/father) lend him cone hat)

Sukur bisa nyawang/gunung desa dadi reja/dene ora ilang/nggone padha lara lapa
(I hope I (and he) can still see/our village becomes prosperous/so all the sacrifices will be paid off)

*it is difficult to translate this part without explaining the context. In short, "gunung" means a village in an isolated area far from modernisation, "sega jagung" is mashed corn, a diet usually associated with poor people, same with "caping gunung" which is a traditional cone hat made of bamboo, the hat usually worn by poor farmer. This song is also ambiguous for me as I am not sure whether the said son is dead or is lost or does not to acknowledge the (poor) parents... or the said son here can also be meant all people who are in power and the parents are those who support them during the war to gain independence but then forgotten.

... Anyway... this is such a touching song. 

So yeah ... be GRATEFUL and start to count our BLESSINGS instead.

SELAMAT HARI KEMERDEKAAN INDONESIA 

17 Agustus 2012 

MERDEKA!!!!!

Untukmu hari ini...

It's been a long time ...
Yep... it's been a long time ...

For so long,
I've almost forgotten that
you... yes... you are not simply you as a person...
you are part of my bigger dream...
and I was so used to have you around to show me how to make that dream comes true ...

I left you to chase my own dream ...
on purpose ... (but not with so cold heart, actually)
Now... and now... I need you... because without you I won't be able to make it true...

I am calling your name in silence...
Expecting you to hear it (how dumb I am... but I am dumb indeed...)
I desperately need you NOW to tell me what to do...
And I wish you could APPARATE and DISAPPARATE ....
so you can reach me in seconds ...

Oh please ... HEAR ME ...

:( :( :(

Jemput aku

Kau mengundangku untuk datang ke tempatmu...
tapi ...
bisakah kau jemput aku di perempatan jalan???
tampaknya aku agak lupa dengan kotaku yang sudah lama kutinggalkan

jika kau tak juga datang ...
jangan khawatir......
aku akan menantimu tanpa mengeluh...
karena kau adalah segalanya untukku ...
....
....
tapi jika ada laki-laki ganteng wangi kaya menyapaku...
dan mengajakku pergi ...
jangan ...
jangan pernah mencariku lagi ...
karena dia sudah membawa hatiku bersama dompetnya ...
....
....


*sore hari di reid library mengobrol dengan sweetie memunculkan kata2 ini*

Ketika kau tak juga menjemputku

Kau bilang kau akan menjemputku.

Aku menunggumu di pertigaan yang kau janjikan.

Berbekal jaket tebal, sepatu hangat dan rasa percaya.

Tak kuhiraukan dinginnya udara yang menusuk tulang-tulang tubuhku.

Aku menunggumu menjemputku,

Berdiri seorang diri ditemani bulan pucat musim dingin.

Serombongan orang lewat di depanku.

Kau tak ada di sana.

Salah seorang yang mengenalku berkata, ‘Ayo, ikut kami. Ada pesta.’

Aku menggelengkan kepalaku.

‘Tidak mau,’ kataku. ‘Aku menunggu seseorang menjemputku.’

Dan mereka pergi meninggalkanku.

Hidungku mulai beku, pipiku mulai mati rasa.

Sekelompok orang lewat di mukaku.

Kau tak ada diantaranya.

Seorang gadis yang mengenalku berkata, ‘Ayo, ikut kami. Ada undangan makan malam.’

‘Tidak bisa,’ kataku. ‘Aku sudah berjanji untuk menunggu seseorang, aku tak bisa pergi.’

Dan mereka pun berlalu.

Gigiku gemeretak, tubuhku menggigil.

Seseorang berjalan ke arahku.

Dan itu bukan kamu.

Dia yang juga kukenal berkata padaku, ‘Ayo, ikut aku. Ada kumpul bersama.’

Aku berkata, ‘Tidak! Aku menunggu seseorang.’

Orang itu berkata, ‘Ayolah, tinggalkan sebentar tempat ini. Hangatkan tubuhmu. Biar ganti dia yang menunggu. Sebentar saja, tak lama. Apa arti menunggumu jika yang dia temui nanti adalah tubuh matimu?

Aku diam.

Dia menggandeng tanganku dan menarik tubuhku pergi.

Dan aku tiba di ruangan itu dengan hati hampa.

Kudengar orang-orang bicara tentang tumbuhan, ikan, lumba-lumba, cuaca, rawa.

Aku tak mampu memahami mereka,

Pikiranku resah.

Aku mencari perlindungan dan kenyamanan pada bergelas-gelas alcohol yang memisahkanku dari kebisingan dan hiruk pikuk percakapan yang ada.

Kehangatan yang kudapat membuatku merasa kuat untuk menunggumu lagi.

Aku kembali ke pertigaan itu.

Sepi tanpa ada dirimu di situ.

Aku dihantui rasa takut dan bersalah.

‘Salahkan aku karena meninggalkan tempat ini sejenak?’

‘Mungkinkah engkau datang ketika aku tidak disana?’

Hangat alcohol itu pelan-pelan mulai menghilang.

Meninggalkan rasa lelah sangat,

Menyisakan rasa sesal sangat.

Buku-buku jariku putih biru menggenggam sisa hangat yang ada.

Aku lelah,

Aku takut,

Aku sedih.

Kupejamkan mataku sejenak,

Membayangkan datangmu.

Kubuka mataku,

Kau belum datang.

Kupejamkan lagi mataku lebih lama,

Membayangkan hadirmu.

Kubuka mataku,

Kau tetap belum hadir.

Mata ini tak bisa meneteskan airmata,

Terlalu dingin dan terlalu beku.

Aku bertahan menunggumu,

Namun aku tak kuasa menghentikan dingin yang pelan-pelan merayapi tubuhku.

Inci demi inci tubuhku beku.

Suara malam mulai tak kudengar.

Langit, bulan, bintang mulai tak kulihat.

---

Jika kau tiba dan menemui tubuh matiku,

Aku hanya ingin kau tahu ini:

‘Meski ragaku tak mampu bertahan untuk menunggumu…

Namun hatiku akan tetap disini, menunggumu menjemputku…’

Ketika kau tak juga menjemputku

*Terinspirasi rasa mellow dan pms-ku, musim dingin Perth, guyon soal ‘jemput menjemput’ via FB, presentasi pada ‘Three Minute Thesis Speech’ Competition di UWA, alcohol yang melewati tenggorokanku-mengalir di darahku, dan Guns N Roses’ Estranged.*

Moral of the story: Ini adalah WUI --> writing under influence a.ka tipsy ... jadi pesan moralnya adalah jangan mabuk ketika mengerjakan thesis... karena bisa berakhir depressi ... ;p