Aqiqah RaRa

Rara comes home

Finally, Rara managed to visit her (future) house at Benhil, Central Jakarta. She didn't stay long, though, only spent a night there. At least, she had aclimatized to the environment and the neighborhood. She looks happy there, at least she didn't seem to complain.

We had to do some major rearrangement to the house. To accommodate her box, we need to move our closet and drawer to the other room. Consequently, our study desk in the other room needed to be moved out. So after she arrives permanently, I would have to do my work outside in the living room. We also had to move out some furnitures to give space in the living room, as well as moving the TV and sofa. Last but not least, we also bought a new air conditioner for our room. That means we also need to rearrange the electrical, telephone and TV cables. What a preparation for the little queen...

Although she had only been away for a night, that was enough to create a 'discontent' in her grandparents' house in Bintaro. Everybody already felt an emptiness without her. On the other hand, her cousins Richard and Ben, who lived just one block away in Benhil, protested when Rara had to return to her grandparents.

In Bintaro, her grandparents have already waited with a new stroller-and-carseat. She did not take much time to mark her territory on it - with her pee and poo within five minutes...

Meanwhile, brother Ben had a theological question about Rara's religion...

Picures. Top: Rara's having afternoon meal with Mom and brother Ben. Bottom: brothers Ben and Richard are posing with crying Rara.

Thanks for the nice wishes!

Dear Ape & Ijul,

It is so sweet... Congratulation!
Hopefully you are always in happiness...
dendi&dini

Juli and Ari,

Selamat yah, Semoga kehadiran Cemara semakin
mempererat hubungan kalian. Turut berbahagia deh.
Wawat, Feli, Mike & Nathan

Mas Ap dan mbak Yuli,

Aduh lutuna foto Rara itu, selamat ya. Mudah2an Rara bisa mengisi hari2 mas
ap dan mbak yuli menjadi lebih indah.
Liza Punderika

Hello Juli and Ari new mother and father
Wow Congratulations. And thank you for letting us know in your busy time.
Rara looks big and clear face. Lovely. You feel already happy, yes, more and more you’ll be happy. You must be busy. you are in lucky. I think you experienced half of raise your sister’s children. And Rara is at your grand parents now. She is happy to be surrounded many nice family. You did good decision.
Adoption is rare in Japan. near Olio station, there is the most famous sterility treatment obstetrician in Japan. some of my friends went there. Some of Hiro and Shin’s friends born there. Some of celebrity went there. When people don’t have a child, they think sterility treatment. Little think about adoption. But see the world, super star adopt child. I like that. Sterility treatment cost a lot and painful, and you don’t know whether success or not. Two my friends from high school don’t have child. Perhaps they did sterility treatment at certain level, and gave up. Sometimes we have lunch together, I want to say them about adoption, but I can’t. I think if for me, I don’t care the baby blood, whom baby is given birth by. But in real, I can easy to know many hurdles.
Somehow I envy you. because I know how sweet new baby. I want hug and kiss her. Please send my kiss,kiss,kiss to her.
See you
Yasuko

Juli dan Ari...
Selamat ya..atas...putri pertama...
Smoga akan menambah kebahagiaan keluarga kalian
berdua...

turut berbahagia...
Wiwik

Wah, menyenangkan mendengarnya. Selamat, selamat...
Semoga jadi anak yg cerdas, cantiq, dan salehah. Amin.

Regards,
Darwis Darwis

Dear Ari,
Selamat. Semoga Ibu sama anak semuanya sehat.
I hope your studies are going smoothly.

Best wishes
Chris Manning

Dear Uli n Ape'....

Selamat ya.... koq pinter sih..... tanggal lahirnya sama ma mba' Wisye.....
Jadi nanti tahun depan... kalo ngerayain HUTnya Rara.... bareng2 ya ma mba' Wisye.... hehehehe..

Oh iya untuk Ape'.... Happy Lebaran ya... Mohon Maaf Lahir & Batin....


salam,
Wisye, Mone & Nicky.

Hallo Jul-Ari,
Congratulation!!..Cemara Vidya Lestari Perdana -- very beautiful and meaningful name. She is very cute. One thing about baby " She knows how to make us work for her"..:) but they all worth it!!! Enjoy parenting Juli-Ari.
Cheers,
Irene-Ben-Reyza

Jul & AP,
Selamat yag tuk new family member, Rara. Gede juga yag si Rara, yang
pasti lucu tuh, bisa di-sayang2 juga sama si ethan..hehe..

Minal aidin juga yag tuk AP.

Regards,
Ade

Juli,

Selamat ya atas kedatangan Rara di hidup kalian; semoga terus menikmati the joy of parenting.
Bambang, Caroline, Frances, Joseph.

Hai JuliAriRara...

Congratulations!!!
love,
frances

Dear both Ijul and Ape',

Congratulations to you both. It is a great news and a big step that you guys took in your life. I am proud of you and happy for you.

Take care of the baby and may God always be with you.
Love,
Ocha.

ps: Shall we throw the party?? he..he..he...

Juli, Ari -

Wah congrats ya ! What a great & noble thing that u
guys did.
Happy ber-parents ria deh ya!
-Petty & Dewin

Juli and Ari,

Congratulations on the new addition in your family!
Warmest welcome to Cemara "Rara" Vidya Lestari Perdana....

Kapan ke Boston lagi?
xoxo,
the Schurs

Ijul & Ape,

Selamat yah atas bertambahnya anggota baru.
Semoga tumbuh menjadi anak yang sehat, cerdas dan dikasihi oleh sanak
kerabat.
Beby

Dear Juli and Ape,

Congrats for Rara!:)
May she become a sholehah, healthy and happy child, a source of happiness and joy for her parents...
May all of you always have His blessings....
cheers,
Devi - Sanur86/FEUI86

Juli Ari,
Selamat ya atas Rara. Kita di KMK miss you dearly,
Agnes & Michael,
Hi Juli,

Thank you for the email. I think you did try to send an email before but I could not open it , I only saw the title new member in our family and at that time, I thought you were going to tell us that you are pregnant. :)

Congratulations, now you have also become a mum. And you are going to be a full-time mum, (what I read from the blog)

She is very lovely and I wish you and Ari all the happiness in your new family. :)
Take care and
Keep in touch
Angela

Hi Juli and Ari,
Wah, surprise banget mendengar khabar kalian udah punya baby secepat ini...
Semoga Rara terus menjadi satu sumber kebahagiaan kalian. I hope I can
see her when I am back to Indonesia, or when you bring her to the U.S.
anytime soon.
I keep the three of you in my prayers..
Btw, you will not miss Boston, coz we got a very nasty weather
recently.. but we miss you.
Rm Bagus SJ

July & Ari, congrat!!! So happy to hear your great news. Terharu sekali loh, lucu sekali sich Rara, gemes ngeliatnya pipinya gendut banget.... enjoy parenting and she will bring lots of joy in your life, trust me....
Best of luck,
Shirley

Juli and Ari,

CONGRATULATIONS!! She is beautiful, and I am very happy for you!

Best wishes to all,
Carol Finney

Aku juga baru buka milis Boston common setelah berhari2 gak buka, baru tahu tentang hadirnya Rara. Selamat ya, kita ikut bahagia dengan kalian berdua. Coba kalian masih disini Nadine dan Rara bisa main bareng nih!
Salam,
Hari, Valen dan Nadine

Juli & Ari,
Your email that I received was blank, but from the subject, I presume that you have a new baby. Congatulation. A boy or girl? I am on mission in the middle east now, and plan to stop by in Jakarta next week. Salam,
Tubagus

Congratulations Ari & Juli on the new addition to your family! She looks adorable in the pictures! Best of luck to you with getting settled with the new baby. We hope you will keep us posted on how everything goes and continue to send pictures!
-Annika & Lee

Juliari:

I enjoyed the blog. Rara is a very very pretty baby.
No wonder the grandparents are carzy about her.
Let them spoil her now that she is still a baby.
Hadi

Selamat atas kelahiran RARA, wah akhirnya datang juga ya si buah hati.
Jul/Ri Gue disini ama teman2 lu di UI, Johan Sidik, Susilo Prasodjo ama
Revi
Florentinus Suryo Susilo

Congratulations! And be happy with her. It's a precious moment to have her in your family. We are fine here even though it's extremely cold. Quite strange actually. Anyway have a marvelous day. My greetings for all of you!
Frater Harno

Hey Ijulle and Mas Ari!!

Congratulations ya... Gue terharuuu banget baca blog kalian... Terima kasih banyak to include me in sharing this celebration...

Rara's is a very beautiful name indeed... Mudah-mudahan Rara bisa tumbuh menjadi anak yang sehat dan pintar yaa, living up to your beautiful name...

Sekalian kok gue lupa... Buat Mas Ari, Selamat Idul Fitri, mohon maaf lahir batin yaa...

Jadi sekarang sibuk ya mondar mandir Benhil-Bintaro?... Kebayang deh, repotnyaa, tapi lebih banyak senengnya ya... It's a wonder how a baby so small can bring so many people together, bring so much love and joy... Babies are truly a blessing, and indeed a bundle of joy...

Wishing you the best ya, Ijul, mas Ari... You are such a nice couple, and I'm sure will be great parents to Rara... She's most lucky!!!!

Kisses also from Juno... Miss you all!!!

Caecilia A. Widati

Halo Ari dan Juli,
terima kasih kabarnya...dan selamat atas anggota baru dalam keluarga kalian...siap menjadi orang tua yang baik.
Sekarang tinggal di Jakarta atau di mana?
Frater Ignas dan Wawan akan berkaul kekal 5 Nov Minggu ini nanti dan ditahbiskan diakon di Gereja St. Therese Chicago, Chinatown tempat aku tugas sebagai diakon saat ini 3 Desember 2006 bulan depan...Awal Juni kami bertiga rencana akan pulang Indonesia tuk tahbisan imamat mungkin di paroki St. Matius Bintaro Jkt 7 Juli 2007 plus Frater Harno pulang tuk cuti di Indonesia lalu balik lagi ke Chicago tuk terusin studinya...Kalau kami bertiga nanti tidak balik lagi ke US tapi menerima penugasan di mana pun kami berada nanti mungkin di Indo mungkin di negara lain sbg misionaris.
Salam dan selamat dari saya di St. Therese Church Chinese Mission Chicago,
dan sorry nih tidak sempat berkunjung saat liburan summer kemarin di Jkt,
Denny

AP & Ijul,

Congrats to you both
RLS

Hi Ari dan Juli...,..selamat yah atas babynya. Semoga kehadiran Rara menambah kehangatan dan membawa kedamaian di dalam keluargamu.
Kabar kami baik-baik saja. Semoga tahun depan jadi giliran saya kembali ke Indo.
Okay yah...take care and have a nice day both of you.
bye...
Adventus Ignatius,sx.
Xaverian Missionaries

Eh Juleeee,

Congratulations ya for the baby. Gue kaget aja gue pikir elo melahirkan. Kok cepet amat...kapan hamilnya. :)
take care ya and congrats again.

lian

Dear Ari and Juli,

Congratulations!

My wife (Lydia, also FEUI-85) and I just recently adopted a son. Born on 30-Mar-05, Jonathan Rio joined us on 13-May-06. He is now a very healthy boy. We love him and he, we think, can feel it.

If you do not mind my sharing, we were holding on to passage 2 Kings 5 of the Bible (http://www.ibs.org/niv/passagesearch.php?passage_request=2Ki+5&niv=yes). For us, this passage talks about: God works in his own way, in his chosen time, using his chosen means. [That Rio became our son after 11 years of marriage through an adoption process which was facilitated by an orphanage house is time, way and means chosen by God]

You guys may want to consider speaking with Ira Petranto at LPT-UI, a good psychologist in the field of family matters. She talked with us on issues around "what to prepare", "how do we deal with the environment", "when do disclose the truth to the child", etc. We found it helpful. So, just in case....

Once again, Selamat!

Cheers,

Sihol Aritonang

Selamat Ari-Juli .... Apa kabar? Kalo dilihat dari foto-foto yang ada di http://juliari.blogspot.com seperti Kalian dalam keadaan sehat dan baik-baik. Wah ada kerjaan extra nih buat kalian berdua buat ngurusin Rara....he.he..... Tapi sepertinya ada eyangnya Rara yang bakal membantu sehingga memperingan kerja Ari dan Juli..... Selamat menjalani hari-hari indah bersama Rara.....
wasalam dari chicago yang mulai jadi dingin tapi tetap indah lantaran dedaunan mulai berganti warna dan mulai juga pada rontok....

Caritas Christi Urget Nos

Paulus Yohanes Dharmawan Adharius

Hello, Juli and nice to meet you, Ari.

Congratulation!!!
Rara is a very sweet girl, isn't she? I saw her pictures.
I am happy to hear that you have a baby and you are parents<:

Juli, I am sure that you will be a wonderful mother. Because I know you.
Mother is usually very busy to take care of her baby. However, it is also
precious time for you. Have a fun time cherishing.

I wish for the health and happiness of your family.

Yuki

Hi Juli!

Congratulation!
She is SO CUTE!!
You wrote "you don't live together yet" in your blog.
Have you lived with your daughter yet?
I hope to hear about your daughter soon!!
Take care.

Best Wishes,
Yuri

Dear Ijul & Ape',

CONGRATS for Rara... Hope she brings joy & laughter to U both. Glad to
read U had a smooth adoption process. Enjoy your new role as parents!

Sorry for the late reply. So much has been going on lately. Be well!

--
bon espoir toujours,
~REvy sjahriAL~

Jul, gua dah buka blog elu, it's really touching story, and a nice
baby's name, anyway congrats again yach....awas lu jangan nyasar kirim
email lagi

Pea

Congratulations! We were delighted to hear of your new arrival. Hope you are getting used to the life of parents and that you managed to get the preparations done despite the Lebaran shop closings! Now settle back and enjoy the next 20 or so years, until you have to plan the wedding! And don't forget to invite us!

Sophia and Joe

Grandparents Children Fund (GCF)

Being an instant parent, Juli and I has yet to have the right 'infrastructure' and 'institutions' to raise Rara in our place. For one, Juli can not walk away from her job. Her boss asks her to stay until the end of the year, although she can negotiate a flexible working hours.

For some reasons, we don't really fancy having a babysitter or nanny to take care of Rara while both of us going to the office. We also don't fancy having a maid in our house. It's a matter of privacy, but also our house is too small so we don't have an extra room for our maid or babysitter. We are thinking of having a part-time housekeeper. So she can help taking care of our house during the day while Juli can focus on Rara. Then in the evening when I'm back from work, the housekeeper doesn't have to stay.

(In Indonesia, as well as many Asian countries, and perhaps also in greater Latin America - that includes Southern California - it is common even for a middle income family to have a full time maid.)

Anyway, we still have to wait until Juli finally resigns from her job. So the most urgent thing is to find the short-term solution. The good thing in Indonesia is, in the absence of the formal market of childcare, we can rely on our 'social capital': the extended family. Rara's grandparents (my mom and dad) enthusiastically offer to 'host' Rara. She is her first granddaughter; the last time she took care of a baby was 20+ years ago. There are also my little sister and sister-in-law who are willing to be the susbtitute moms for her.

So the temporary solution is Rara stays in Bintaro - a suburb around 30 minutes from Jakarta. Juli and I will commute between Central Jakarta and Bintaro. For 3 days in a week we stay in our small house in Benhil, and spend another four days in Bintaro.

But there is always the positive and negative side of it. My family are very eager - sometimes too eager - to take care of Rara. Somehow they are reluctant to let Rara go and stay with us in due time. We are also concerned that the 'Grandparents Childcare System' can make her a spoilt baby. There are also some different opinions about how to raise a baby. For example, should she wear a babypants, or just a traditional pampers (popok)? Should she wear earrings or not? And so forth.

Of course, if we should choose between Rara becoming a neglected child vs. having excessive attentions, we would choose the latter. The consequence is Rara will be an 'experiment' for all of us. She is an outcome of 'multiple household decision-making' process.

Pictures
Top - Rara with her mom Juli, auntie Ria (my little sister) and grandpa (Aki in Sundanese). Bottom - Rara with grandma (Nini in Sundanese) and mom, waiting for the doctor.

Meet the doctor

We brought Rara home on 26 October. In the evening we took her to the doctor to examine her condition, and to have her medical record. She was such a good girl. Did not cry or complain when the doctor examined her.

From the physical examination, she is in a very good condition. The doctor suggested to perform a USG examination on her brain to check whether there are problems.

Again, the USG shows no problem or any defects. But there is a 'normal variant' on her brain. Something about the gap between her left and right brain that is smaller than the average. The doctor explained us with some foreign language, which I did not understand. So I just asked her, "Is there any potential problem?" She replied, "No. It's just a 'normal variant,' just like some people were born with smaller eyes or asymmetric nosebone.." OK then...

(In fact, I was born with asymmetric nosebone, so I cannot breathe freely from my left nosethrill.)

After that, Rara had to have her blood taken. The nurse had difficulties finding her vein in either arms. So, her blood should be taken from her feet - drip by drip. It took a while before we got a sufficient volume. Of course she was crying. That was the first time we heard her crying for more than five seconds.

Thankfully, again, her blood exam did not show any problem. Surprisingly, she has the same blood type with me: B+.

Introducing Rara

We welcome our new member in the family: Cemara Vidya Lestari Perdana, nicknamed Rara. Rara was born on Wednesday, 18 October, 2006. According to the midwife record, she was 4 kg and 50 cm. A big girl – literally she is! We adopted Rara on the 26 October. So it was two days after the Ied (or three, depends on when did you celebrate it).

About the name

Cemara is ‘pine tree’ in Indonesian. We decided to name her Cemara because, well, we just liked it! But we were also inspired by ‘Keluarga Cemara’ (the Cemara Family), a novel by Arswendo Atmowiloto back in the ‘80s (yeah right, we are the ‘80s generation). And cemara is a strong kind of tree – it survives the winter, right?

Vidya is Sanskrit for ‘wisdom’ or ‘knowledge,’ while Lestari means ‘eternal’ or ‘persistent.’ So Vidya Lestari reflects our hope on her: to have, to give, and to be an eternal wisdom. It was her grandma who suggested using Lestari. (By the way, in Sanskrit, Lestari is ‘Amartya.’)

Finally, Perdana means the first one. Like her father, Rara is the first one in the family.

About the adoption

We’ve been discussing the plan to adopt a baby for a while. We began realizing the plan only about a month or so. According to the people we contacted, the process may take a long while. We must be interviewed first. Then it is a matter of luck and time before we can hear about anything.

Saturday, 18 October 2006 began as an ordinary Saturday. It was the last few days of Ramadhan. Juli and I were cleaning up our house when a phone call came to inform that a baby girl was born, but her parents could not afford the cost of delivery (they told us it was a Caesar operation). We were asked whether we wanted to see the baby.

The next day, we came to meet Rara for the first time. It was a love at first sight. We had to make an immediate decision – and it was a ‘yes.’ We were so excited, somehow emotional, that we didn’t bother to open her cover and examined her body. We believed that he was brought to us, and we were trusted to take care of her. So no matter what happened to her, we are chosen to take the responsibility. (In fact, Rara was in a very good condition.)

There was another problem: we were totally unprepared! No baby box, clothing, pampers etc. And we were already in the holiday break. So we had to wait for a few more days before we can pick Rara up. Nobody knows about this at that time except our parents and siblings. Even during our big family’s Ied celebration, we did not spread the news yet.

After some emergency shopping and a big favors from some friends and relatives, Rara finally moved in. However, she will stay at her grandparents’ in Bintaro because our small house in Benhil has not ready yet. Juli still has to formally resign from her work, and she may need a month or two. She's made the commitment to be a full-time mom whenever we have a kid.

Nevertheless, Rara has now joined our family. Let her steals our sleeping and leisure time. But of course she trades the time he steals from us with the joy and happiness she brings…

Idul Fitri 2006

satu hari di jakarta

Aku membuka mata, mendengar bel roti, mendengar musik bayi yang menghipnotis, mencium aroma pagi yang berkeringat. Melakukan rutinitas di pagi hari tanpa mau berkompromi dengan terang. Tidak lupa menelan butir putih itu tapi tetap saja lambung membandel.

Saat membuka pagar, saat aku harus bercinta dengan terang dan dengan hari. Selanjutnya adalah pergulatan semu tentang kemacetan yang tidak kunjung usai. Mendengarkan radio yang itu-itu saja. Mencoba menggantinya adalah sebuah kesia-siaan bagi rasa yang sudah terkungkung ini.

Ketika laci dibuka, satu persatu perangkat masa kini dipasang. Berharap paling tidak satu bunyi membawa senyum. Menera lega untuk beberapa jam ke depan. Sejauh mata memandang dalam ruang empat kali empat, kudapati lukisan hijau itu. Sebuah utopia kehidupan di mataku.

Jakarta tidak pernah diam. Jakarta selalu mengusik. Jakarta adalah kenyataan.

juli

Usia dan adrenalin

Dari dulu aku selalu suka taman hiburan. Seperti taman ria, pasar malam, sirkus, dunia fantasi. Bermain adalah kegiatan yang paling menyenangkan. Disitu ada tawa, celoteh, gerak, minum, makan dan sahabat. Mungkin seperti satu hari di pelangi.

Hari ini aku ulang tahun. Ke 31 tahun. Aku sendiri terkejut betapa panjangnya sudah usiaku. Tapi tidak terlalu aku pikirkan. Waktu tidak bisa diajak mundur. Entah karena aku bosan dengan ulang tahun yang isinya cuma makan-makan dan ngobrol, aku memilih pergi ke taman hiburan saja. 6Flags New England bersama Ari, Esti dan Romo Bagus. Ceritanya seperti Dunia fantasi, tapi katanya lebih thrilling. 1 Juli 2006, summer and above 80F. Panas tentunya. Menyengat dan terik. Ada pertandingan piala dunia. Membuat Ari sedikit terkoreksi perhatiannya. Kasihan juga dia. Tapi dalihnya, demi aku apapun harus mengalah. Haa manis rasanya seperti madu.

Memang benar, banyak banget wahana yang bikin jantung mau copot dan otak melayang. Jenisnya mirip-mirip semua. Seingat aku, waktu masih kuliah, aku tidak mikir-mikir naik wahana yang aneh-aneh gitu. Nikmat kan rasanya menaikkan adrenalin?
Tapi hari ini, baru melihatnya saja sudah bikin takut dan bikin perut sakit. Kami sepertinya yakin kalau kami tidak merasa rugi sudah bayar tapi tidak naik wahana adrenalin itu. Tapi ada yang lucu, kami tertipu juga. Sudah berusaha menghindari hal-hal yang membuat badan terbalik, ehhhh ternyata ketipu saat mencoba Houdini. Dipikir hanya nonton ilusinya Houdini. Ternyata..... badan dibolak-balik buat melihat lukisan dan ruangan yang terbalik-balik. Kok aku takut ya sekarang?
Jangan-jangan karena aku sudah tua.

ps. ari memenangkan game berhadiah. Dapat singa gendut dan dora.

Hebohnya pindahan

I hate myself for buying so many things! Aku pikir yang aku beli-beli untuk dibawa pulang ke Jakarta tidak banyak. Ternyata banyak banget. Apalagi dengan kondisi bagasi yang sudah dikurangi jatahnya. Aku pikir sudah beli oleh-oleh yang kecil-kecil bentuknya. Tapi, kecil-kecil menjadi bukit. Alhasil banyak barang yang harus didonasikan atau dibuang. Sayang oh sayang. Pusingnya mengatur barang-barang masuk koper. Berhari-hari ribet. Sampai-sampai beli tiga koper baru. Kilat khusus ditemani Sharief ke Target yang rada jauh.

Aku pikir membersihkan apartemen yang unyil tidak terlalu lama dan sulit. Ternyata banyak pritil-pritil yang tidak terkira. Pertama, furnitur harus disingkirkan dahulu. Caranya? Jual lewat craigslist dan kasih ke teman. Persiapannya lumayan juga, buat foto-fotonya dulu, nentuin harga secara asal, bikin iklannya dan posting. Sedikit demi sedikit terjual. Tapi ada juga mendapatkan pengalaman buruk. Misalnya, katanya mau beli, ternyata mangkir. Kan repot musti re-posting lagi. Ngejawab-jawab email dan telepon lagi. Pada akhirnya barang paling mahal yang tidak laku adalah televisi kecil kita. Yang beruntung kita titipkan adalah Esti. Setelah barang-barang keluar, hidup jadi minimalis. heehe...

Selanjutnya, belum selesai. Kerja keras, mari kita kerja. Menyapu, mengepel, menggosok kamar mandi, membersihkan kompor, mengelap lemari-lemari, membersihkan dapur dan menyapu balkon yang bercita rasa burung merpati (bonus telur mati, uh sedihnya si mama burung).

Bye Peabody Terrace 2-511.
ps. ada jejak kura-kura yang tertinggal di balkon. See you someday!

jul

Sudah mencapai bulan kelima

Sudah mencapai bulan kelima. Sebentar lagi waktu akan membawa kita ke belahan lain di bumi ini. Apakah hatiku? Apakah hatinya?

Sebenarnya aku belum lama tinggal di kota ini. Cambridge, MA, USA. Tidak sampai 2 tahun. Itupun musim panas tahun lalu, kita pulang ke Jakarta. Tapi aku pikir, banyak hal baru yang aku rasakan.

Aku ingat waktu pertama datang kesini. Ari sudah sibuk kuliah. Dia tidak bisa menemani aku terus-terusan. Aku takut sekali. Takut nyasar! Untung ada Charles River yang bisa jadi patokan. Awalnya senang banget keliling-keliling daerah Harvard. Lama-lama bosan juga karena sudah hafal.

Aku ingat dinginnya sudah menusuk semenjak aku datang tanggal 5 November 2004. Dingin itu juga yang menjadi alasanku untuk tidak bangun dari jetlag. Bermanja-manja di tempat tidur kecil tapi nyaman banget. Menikmati apartemen yang unyil ini. Ternyata enak punya tempat tinggal yang kecil. Life is so simple.

Aku ingat bertemu Teh Ely dan Kang Dadi. Di sebuah malam yang masih jetlag, kita menuju Irving Street. Selanjutnya hari-hari berjalan ringan dengan adanya Teh Ely. Tur bersejarah, belanja-belanja, makan-makan, ngopi-ngopi. She is my bestfriend.

Aku ingat aku datang tanpa tahu mau punya kegiatan apa. Tidak apa-apa. Aku pada dasarnya mencintai santai, memuja bengong, menikmati kesendirian dan sepi. Tidak disangka aku bisa bekerja di Admission Office Keneddy School. Memang jalurnya KKN, tapi KKN yang bertanggung jawab. heeh... It was difficult in the beginning. The language and the culture. But then, I loved the place, the people, the tiny miny job and the money! and they loved me too.

Aku ingat betapa beratnya bawa belanjaan, harus naik turun bus dan jalan kaki 20 menit. Apalagi kalau lagi salju tinggi dan berkostum bantal. Market Basket jadi favorit, Whole Foods jadi pilihan terakhir. Tiap minggu adalah waktu mengubek-ubek flyer supermarket mencari segenggam diskon. Love it!

Cambridge, MA, USA. Aku pasti rindu pada Harvard square dengan cita rasa seninya yang campur aduk. pada Peabody Terrace dengan kenyamanannya. pada semua pohon yang meranggas indah di musim semi. pada semua es yang sudi meleleh. pada tempat jajan favorit Ari (Dunkin tentunya!). pada tempat jajan favoritku (Paradiso, Dado Tea, La Luna).

Juli

Spring and bike

akhirnya....... sepeda saya berguna juga! Kasihan banget deh dia. Selama summer 2005 yaitu 3 bulan, dibiarkan kepanasan di parkiran Peabody Terrace. Ketika kita datang lagi di musim gugur, dia terlupakan. Karena apa? karena bannya kurang angin. Kemudian, datanglah winter. Tidak seheboh tahun 2004, tapi tetep aja.... namanya juga winter.... ya dingin. Males banget naik sepeda.

Spring 2006 datang. Hore! Tapi engga bisa gembira dulu. Soalnya cuacanya suka ganti mood. satu minggu bisa hot hot warm warm. Minggu berikut windy windy bete. Si sepeda merah tua itu ya tetep aja dicuekin.

Sampai jumat minggu lalu. Sepeda aku yang tua itu dan tambah lagi sudah karatan dan kempes, diberi tag oleh management. Si merah dianggap abandon. Jadi kalau tag-nya tidak diambil, maka dia akan di-tow! whhaaaaaa...... meracau deh aku. Ngomel-ngomel ke Ari. Seolah-olah semua kesalahan ada di Ari. Hehehe..... Luckily, my husband is the patient one.

Hari minggunya, padahal cuaca drop dan dingin. Males banget keluar apartment. Tapi aku kasihan sama si merah. Kapan dong dia didayagunakan......
Setelah susah payah bangkit dari tempat tidur, akhirnya kita pergi ke pom bensin kira-kira 10 menit dari apartment. Membawa si merah dan si hitam (sepeda Ari yang umurnya jauh lebih muda). Gratis pula ngisi anginnya!

Lucunya, setelah diisi angin, si merah jadi lincah lagi. Sementara si hitam malah rusak sak sak. Rear gear-nya karatan berat! si Ari sampai luka berdarah mencoba betulin. whuuuuu.... gimana sih, yang muda malah error.

Kemudian kemudian...... ceritanya berakhir dengan bahagia walau tidak sempurna. Si merah bisa dipakai lagi oleh si nyonyah untuk berangkat dan pulang kerja. Sooo happy. Si nyonyah engga capek lagi jalan kaki dan bisa menikmati Charles River.... si merah engga bosen lagi nongkrong di parkiran.

Tapi ya ituuuu..... si merah tidak bisa lagi jalan-jalan sama si hitam!

jul

the forgotten Revolutionary hero

Hari ini membaca puisi "Paul Revere's Midnight Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Sebab Senin yang lalu adalah hari libur Patriots' Day di Massachussetts & Maine. (tapi sayangnya Harvard tidak mau libur dan artinya Ari tetap kuliah dan aku tetap bekerja).

Patriots Day intinya mengenang kemenangan Patriot Amerika/minutemen terhadap tentara Inggris di tahun 1775. Beberapa tokoh pemberontakan yang populer adalah John Hancock (yang punya menara tinggi) dan Samuel Adams (yang namanya jadi merek bir).

Tokoh yang juga aku kenal karena berkali-kali napak tilas freedom trail, adalah Paul Revere. Rumahnya masih ada sampai sekarang di daerah Little Italy jadi museum. Tapi sayangnya di buku guide Boston (yang aku punya) dibilang 'tidak perlu kesana'. Jadinya aku tidak pernah kesana!

Paul Revere dengan kudanya pergi di suatu malam untuk memberikan peringatan pada pemberontak-pemberontak yang lain di Concord/Lexington untuk bersiap karena tentara Inggris akan menyerang. Jadi Revere adalah pahlawan.

Tapi sebenarnya Paul Revere tidak sendiri. Ia pergi melalui jalan sungai dan ada seorang lagi yaitu William Dawes yang pergi melalui darat.

The night was over.... Paul Revere was a hero. How about William Dawes? Check this:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/patriotsday/peopleevents/p_dawes.html

So Forgotten It's Funny

Over the years, Dawes' relative anonymity has become something of a joke. In 1896, Helen F. Moore published a parody of Longfellow's famous poem about the historic night, entitled "The Midnight Ride of William Dawes," one verse of which reads:'Tis all very well for the children to hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;But why should my name be quite forgot,Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?Why should I ask? The reason is clear --My name was Dawes and his Revere.

A cartoon in the early 1960s turned on the same humor, namely that "Dawes" was a name less suited for rhyming than "Revere" (in that comic strip, Longfellow is stuck on "Listen my children while I pause, to tell the ride of William Dawes" when his wife suggests using the name of that other rider). More recently Dawes was the punchline on an episode of "The Simpsons," as the epitome of the forgotten Revolutionary hero.

jul

Just in case

I haven't told you yet today....

I love you!

;) me too me too

jul

holy holy

Holy Friday
truly blessing day.
you can have your skin tanned by the sun .
you can have your refreshing ice coffee. ehm smells good.
you can have the grass covered your open leg.
you can have the happy fat doves.
you can have the pretty girls (and cute boys) walking around.

it's just a perfect day. it's sooo tempting.

but I want to restrain to enjoy the too much things. it's holy friday.
I need that silentio.....
ehm.... for a while

jul

Order and Chaos

The nature of ORDER & CHAOS

We adore chaos because we love to produce order (M.C. Escher)

what a reflective statement. at least for me, who loves order, who makes lists.

I saw the exhibit in University Place coincidentally. but I said to Ari I don't think I adore chaos. I hate it. I adore something routine. I love order because it's beautiful.

jul

BAD DAY

Where is the moment when we need it the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue sky's faded to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carrying on

Stand in the line just ahead of the law
You're faking a smile with the coffee you go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carrying on

*Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carrying on *

Sometimes the system goes on the blink and the whole thing it turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know that you could be well oh that strong
Well I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost *

You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

www.danielpowter.com
Jul, enjoy this song very much

Cute lines from cute boy

"Bank apah? BII apah?"

"Aku moncong putih!"

"Kapi (sapi) ..... kekakutan (ketakutan) .... napas (panas) .... yapung (payung)...."

"Ami...Ami (bell sounds)"

"Gak sampoooo!"

"tu lumah ami (ke rumah ami)"

"Ni, cacar nih cacar"

"Kak, tolongin dong kak!"

"Bohong aja sana sendiri!"

"utule (lutuye)"

"Mamaahhhhhhhh..... (nada sebel)"

"Aku ga mau dipenjara..... (meraung-raung)"

"Ko cium terus sihhhh"

"Eh, itu kan punya koooo (aku)"

"rumpuk (rumput), trompek (trompet)"

"hijo (hijau), hitem (hitam)"

"Ah Ami ko ga tau sih, ini kan Akohhh (aku)...."

"Om sekolahnya bahasa Inggris yah?"

"Om Ari agamanya apa?"

"Om bodoh bener sih"

"Om Ari ga boleh dikasitahu!"

"Aku lagi makan kue bulu (bolu)"


Beben, Om Ari dan Ami miss you so much. You will be 5 this month. keep cute forever, oke? Jul

Puppy mati

Beritanya
bagai salju yang datang di siang hari yang bermandi matahari
ya Puppy mati
tepatnya si Tio
Pemilik aslinya, kakak Richard memberinya nama Tio. Tapi Tio tinggal di rumah Benhil sejak dia masih bayi, sendirian karena ibunya di Sunter. Lalu aku memanggilnya Puppy.

Aku hampir-hampir tidak pernah mau bermain dengannya. Karena aku tidak suka dicium. Tapi aku senang memberinya makan. dan suka penasaran kalau dia tidak mau makan.

Aku pernah ditinggal sendirian di rumah, tanpa Opa tanpa Iin. Aku harus mengurus Puppy yang hampir tercekik karena kelilit talinya. Aku harus menyentuhnya! terpaksa. Aku harus mengurus kotorannya! terpaksa.

Ada suatu masa aku benci sama dia karena tiap pagi dia hobi menggonggong siapa pun atau apa pun yang lewat.

Ada suatu masa aku kasihan sama dia karena dia selalu berada di dalam rumah, jarang keluar, paling sehari tidak sampai 1 jam dibawa jalan-jalan sama opa.

Ada suatu masa Puppy sakit sehingga bulu-bulunya rontok. Dibedaki sama opa sehingga dia jadi putih. Sampai dia sehat lagi.

Sekarang Puppy sudah mati. Terbunuh secara kejam oleh anjing tetangga yang gila. Tragis.

Seharusnya aku biasa-biasa saja. Aku rasanya tidak jatuh cinta padanya. seharusnya ya.....

Tapi aku merasa sedih. Aku memikirkannya, betapa tragis kematiannya. Paling tidak Puppy sudah bersama kami selama kurang lebih 5 tahun. Di depan rumah opa, tak akan kulihat lagi sosok hitam yang akan bangkit happy ketika melihat aku datang atau tertunduk patuh melihat Ari. Tak ada lagi Puppy yang mengesalkan. Tak ada lagi yang bisa aku kasih roti atau martabak. Tak ada lagi....

jul

Duniaku sudah menua

Hari ini aku mendapat berita sedih. Aku sedih. Aku kaget. Sudah 2 orang anggota keluargaku yang meninggal dalam jangka waktu 6 bulan. Apakah memang sudah waktunya? Siapa yang bisa tahu? Bahwa aku akan hidup lebih dari 100 tahun?

Mungkin aku terlalu naif selama ini. Tapi inilah kenyataannya. Dunia adalah hidup dan mati. Umurku bertambah. Sudah lewat batas asuransi yang kedua. Duniaku sudah menua. Aku berusaha untuk terbiasa. Inilah dunia, ada yang hidup ada yang mati. Semoga.

Jul

to kill a mockingbird (1962)

"... but to remember it was a sin to kill a mockingbird. Well, I reckon because mockingbirds don't do anything but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat people's gardens, don't nest in the corncrib, they don't do one thing but just sing their hearts out for us."

Film ini sekarang menjadi film favoritku. Mengalahkan rekor 5 bulan film Alfie sebagai film favorit.
Kemiskinan, keadilan, persahabatan, prasangka, rasisme dan kasih sayang di mata gadis kecil tomboy usia 6 tahun Jean Louise 'Scout' Finch.

"You never know someone," Atticus tells Scout, "until you step inside their skin and walk around a little."

jul

I know

buat kamu yang di ruang sebelah
yang selalu rebyek dengan laptop toshiba
yang seringnya berkerut-kerut jidatnya
yang kalau mengetik terlalu keras
(kasihan atuh keyboard-nya)

I know you are good
I know how hard you work
I know you deserve the best
it just, every road has its obstacles
and I know for sure
You can face it (with me!)

jul

bye bye part 2

Suatu sore yang langitnya biru glossy seperti photo, capek juga habis kerja.
but I always love to check our mailbox.
always happy to see something inside.
always waiting, nothing is waited though

ehm, ada amplop kuning besar...
asik buat aku buat aku!
ternyata tidak. buat ari dari tito
I didn't recognise that small white usual envelope.

haaaaaa
whaaaaaa
bye bye LA

jul

bye bye

suatu siang, setelah kenyang sedikit ngantuk.
ini dia waktunya.
type the name, mine first or yours?
sudah ada hasilnya!
reject
tanganku jadi berkeringat, sedikit deg2an
I'm sorry Juli, she said
type the other names, bla bla bla

hari yang membingungkan
hari yang sedikit kelabu
hari untuk memulai penantian lain
hari yang menyadarkan.....

bye-bye Cambridge, Harvard square, Peabody Terrace, KSG office, Boston, Little Italy, Market Basket Somerville, Central square, Super 88, Chinatown.....

One Perfect Rose

This is my favorite poem for Feb 14:

A single flower he sent me, since we met
All tenderly his messenger he chose,
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet
One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret
"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.

by. Dorothy Parker

Delapan Februari

Delapan Februari. suamiku ulang tahun. Pastinya aku tak lupa. Jauh-jauh hari sudah kupikirkan apa yang akan kuberikan. Tahun lalu aku membuatkan kue ulang tahun dari mbak Betty. haha.... bolu standar banget... tapi biar kelihatan meriah, ditempelinlah dengan krim macem2. Anyway, he loved it (I guess). Oya, aku juga memberinya coklat yang kotaknya bergambar Daffy Duck berbentuk hati. Hati? ya, karena hari ulang tahunnya kan dekat dengan hari Valentine. Dijual dimana-mana, US$1.49 saja..... He kept it untill now (I mean the box).

Tahun ini? Apa kira2 aku kehabisan ide ya? Dari bulan Desember aku sudah punya ide yang kayaknya ok, krn ada unsur surprising nya. Tapi entah kenapa aku tu koooooo comel banget. Masa hadiah ulang tahunnya aku bocorin di bulan Januari. soo silly............... I hate me.

Delapan Februari. Dua hari yang lalu. Aku membuatkan kue yang lebih canggih dan lebih enak dari tahun lalu. TIRAMISU. hehe..... till now, I can't imagine that this Juli can make it such complicated cake. and it actually isn't complicated at all. very easy, fun and fast! not that pretty but delicious enough. Tapi ini engga surprise sama sekali. Habis gimana, kitchen dan meja belajar Ari jadi satu. He knew that I made it for him, for the celebration at 12. Yes, off course he loved it.

Aku sembunyikan hadiah kecil untuknya di balik bantal. Hurrah.... I think it's surprising him. even though the present was the one that I told him before.

Tahun depan, depannya lagi... lagi... lagi.... apa ya? do we really need to prepare a present? I think yes..... because it's fun!

This is for you my dear Ari from Shakespeare (Sonnet 116)

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds
Or bends with the remover to remove
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken
It is the star to every wandering bark
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks
But bears it out even to the edge of doom
If this be error and upon me proved
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Classic lines from classic movies

"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemy closer" (Al Pacino, The Godfather II)

"We still have Paris" (Ingrid Burgman, Casablanca)

"Your girl is lovely, Hubble..." (Barbra Streisand, The Way We Were)

"You want the truth? You can handle the truth!" (Jack Nicholson, A Few Good Men)

"What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful and brilliant? That she loved Mozart and Bach, the Beatles, and me?" (Ryan O'Neil, Love Story)

"What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? Bury her, before she gets rotten...!" (Bart Simpson)

Match point

There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net. And, for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward and you win... or maybe it doesn't and you lose...

Match Point (Woody Allen, 2006)

get busy living or get busy dying

setiap langkah yang kupilih - sukarela ataupun terpaksa - adalah seribu kemungkinan. bisa indah, biasa saja, ataupun neraka. dari hal yang kuimpikan, yang sekilas pernah mampir, hingga yang tak mungkin terpikirkan.

hidup tidak semudah membalikkan telapak tangan.

Andy Dufresne - "you choose: get busy living or get busy dying"

jul-jan 05
the shawshank redemption, 1994

New York, New York...

We spent the last few days of 2005, including the New Year's eve, in New York. Yes, the city indeed never sleeps. We've mixed feelings for the city. Juli doesn't like it very much. She said the city is too crowded and filthy. I think, well, it's not that bad. Although I love Cambridge/Boston more, after all. It's always nice to get back home (to Cambridge) after any trip we've made so far...

tahun baru di NYC

New York City,

kota ini,,,, apa ya? sudah banyak dibahas dimana-mana. intinya, kota yang tidak pernah tidur. Memang benar sih. subway selalu ada penumpang. selalu ada sampah. selalu ada bau menyengat. selalu ada orang aneh. selalu ada yang buru-buru.

keluar dari dunia bawah tanah, juga selalu ada orang lalu lalang. banyak yang buru2. membuat jalanku juga (terpaksa) buru2. juga selalu ada kantong2 sampah bertebaran. juga ada orang yang terlihat aneh.

di manhattan ada apartemen2 bagus terawat, tapi tetap compact. ada banyak apartemen2 yang keliatan jelek, tua, kotor. tapi kalau tahu harganya.... ehm..... berdecak sebal deh.

NYC menjelang countdown. tahun baru 2006. so damned crowded. bayi2, adek2, kakak2, om2, tante2, ibu2, bapak2, oma2, opa2...... siapapun ada. di jalan, di cafe, di restoran, di museum (yg suggestion donation), di panggung broadway, di mall, dimana2.

but anyway, NYC, aku suka makanan Indonesiamu. aku suka supermarket yang menjual ting2 salatiga dan sale pisang. nyam nyam nyam!

NYC punya magnet yang menarik jutaan orang untuk mencicipinya di malam tahun baru. tapi tidak bagiku.

jul-jan 06