Monday, September 28, 2009

Autumn update!

Setelah berhari-hari sepasang suami istri yang malang ini terpaksa hidup, tidur dan beraktifitas diantara barang2 yang menggunung karena belum ditata pada tempatnya... Akhirnya minggu ini kita berdua kembali hidup normal. Kamar baru sudah berasa homey setelah si istri yang baik dan cantik (uhuk!) bekerja keras nyicil nata-nata kamar selama beberapa hari (sementara sang suami dengan rajin dan pantang menyerah sedang bekerja keras di kantor). Sprei dan sarung bantal sudah dipasang, dan kami tidak lagi tidur di kasur kotor dan berselimutkan dekbed kucel yang sarungnya mungkin udah 2 bulan gak diganti (serius!) Dan akhirnya, internet kembali bekerja dengan normal. Dan TV kami yang tadinya membisu sekarang sudah cerewet lagi, menemani kami beraktifitas sambil menayangkan acara-acara favorit.

And... mulai hari ini saya resmi jadi mahasiswa di http://amsterdam.sae.edu
Design student, at last :)
Classes every Monday and Wednesday, design workshop on Friday. The rest of the week demands 25-30 hour of self-study and/or assignment, which means me staying up late in front of my Mac.

So... that was how our Autumn begun: new home, new school, new spirit.
How was yours?

Friday, September 11, 2009

Paper moon

It was one, rainy day in March.

A gloomy afternoon - tiny hints of daylight flaring through translucent grey clouds.

The rain draped behind my back, showered my head. All over, I was wet all over - my black jacket, my big black map, even a little red foliage I painted on the corner of it.

As I was grasping every bit of the drops, the feeling of Amsterdam's typical cold spring day, I dragged my heavy shoulder and carried away a pack of crushed dreams and a pale broken heart. I sighed. I was restless. That particular day had just been one of the saddest days in my life. Though I tried to conceal the wound, the pain was inevitable. Between my silent weeps and every inch of my pain I sketched a little promise: to get over it, keep moving on, finding a path that goes back into my tiny dreamworld. A sanctuary in a paper moon. The sketch was just like any other of my sketches; it was not pretty. But I did it with courage, therefore I loved it like I never loved one before.

Suddenly, it had dawned on me. The little promise I just made and the big black map dangling on my cold wet hand - they smiled. Ah, dear Allah. I thank Thee for that smile... . For once I thought the sun had shone and instantly I felt warm inside. "Please, wipe my tears," I chanted helplessly. "Please - take away my shattered pieces and keep them in a bottle of hope." In no time had I held onto those hands. I, quietly, put a smile upon my face too - for them eyes only. I walked, we walked, hand in hand together across the empty street. And we kept on walking. No more pain. No more rain.

Say, it's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me

- Ella Fitzgerald

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Day 15

Ah, we're halfway through the holy month - Ramadan.
And I just broke my Ramadan fast for the fifteenth time. How time flies! Fifteen days passed in just a blink of an eye.

For me personally, I regret that much of my personal "ibadah" target this Ramadan haven't been met. So many chances for tahajjud (night prayers), tadarrus (qur'an recital), and sunnah prayers... yet I've let the chances go. I still feel empty. I crave for more spiritual encounters, more silent night and deep prayers, to show my love and compassion for Allah.

How about your Ramadan, friends?

Quick info: great site to listen to some quality Islam lectures/ ceramah (bahasa Indonesia only). Go to http://kajian.net/