Sekitar tahun 2004, saya sedang gundah untuk berhenti dari kantor pertama saya. Lingkungan kerja sudah tidak kondusif, cenderung negatif. Atasan persis di atas saya sudah bulat tekadnya untuk berhenti. Entah dia akan bekerja apa setelah itu, yang pasti dia tidak ingin lebih lama lagi di kantor ini. Saya juga ingin buru-buru berhenti, tapi karena belum ada kepastian kerja di mana selanjutnya, saya masih mempertimbangkan keputusan itu.

Makanya saya kaget betul ketika mendapatkan email dari penerbit terbesar di Indonesia. Wow, lamaran yang saya masukkan setahun yang lalu akhirnya diresponi positif! Sebelumnya, mereka memang sudah membalas dan mengatakan mereka belum punya lowongan. Siapa sangka, hampir kemudian, mereka mengundang saya untuk ikut tes penerjemah di kantor mereka.

Eddie

My current crush!

I only knew him for a week, and I already head-over-heels for this magnificent Eton boy.
I knew he was nominated for Best Actor in Leading Role in Oscars for his work in "The Theory of Everything"(I had the movie downloaded safely, tbh). Yet, since I am not a big fan of Mr. Hawking, I didn't find myself rushing to watch the film.
Not until I saw Eddie on the Oscars night. I WAS INSTANTLY TOTALLY IN LOVE.
I love how glowing his face was, how goofy he was in the stage, how humble he was in his deliverance speech, and how madly in love he was with his newly wedded wife, Hannah. I love how genuine he appears, how authentic he is.

Only then I started to do a not-so-little research about him. I learned that he came from a pretty esteemed family, he was in the same year with Prince William ini Eton, and went to Cambridge (yeah, I drool educated men). And, he is a Briton! Yeay! His voice is unexpectedly deep, also.
I didn't realize he was the one who acted as Marius on Les Mis the movie. I only remembered that I wasn't really impressed by this particular man, with his freckles and wide lips. But his song of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" was memorable.

I think I'm officially obsessed, that I follow his fandom IG accounts everywhere. And unlike my previous crushes for Briton, as Tim Roth and Hugh Laurie - oh, and also Mark Owen from Take That, gee, what's in those guys, actually? - , it started with me seeing his real performances as a human being, not as a character in the movie. I mean, like for Tim and Hugh (first name basis, huh), I fell in love with their characters; Cal Lightman and Gregory House. When I did my researches on them, I barely able to stand their dark sides. Tim roots for politics, and Greg seems having a psychological issue. I fell in love with Cal and Greg, not Tim and Hugh.

But for Eddie, I truly swooned by his smile, his hazel eyes, his cute freckles, his amazing talents, his humble personality, his sweet and genuine love to his beautiful wife!

I'm taking a risk to sound like a young girl, but heck yeah, it's Eddie Redmayne! And I'm on a mission to look for and watch his movies!!!

scotty boy

Scotty McCreery won American Idol 10!! Yay!!!
Sejak pertama liat audisi dia udah kepincut sama suaranya yang dalemmm...
Sempet males liat gayanya yang agak sengak, dan beralih ngejagoin Casey Abrams.
Apa daya Casey terdepak, dan Scotty was back to my eyes.
Entah kenapa dia mulai terlihat lebih humble, kalem dan gak neko-neko.
Gayanya yang tenang di atas panggung, nyanyinya penuh penghayatan, dan tentu saja tampangnya yang manis pun merebut hati saya... dan suami, hihihi.
This young lad (17!!!) slowly brings country music to the limelight.
Entahlah apa yang ada di hatinya setiap kali ada temannya yang tereliminasi, tapi yang pasti wajahnya yang solemn tentu tampak lebih bersimpati dibandingkan, let's say Haley, yang tersenyum waktu Casey dan beberapa rekannya tereliminasi.
Scotty begitu bersahaja. He looks like a country boy! Lihat saja busananya waktu audisi, dengan kemeja dan celana jeans cut-bray, dan sepanjang penampilannya di AI, dia selalu tampak sederhana dengan tampilan andalan kemeja+jeans, plus kalung salib sederhana yang tidak pernah lepas dari lehernya.
Meskipun banyak orang yang menilai dia monoton dan membosankan, saya lebih senang menyebut dia stabil. He can sing any songs, and he pulls it effortlessly. Gak perlu tereak-tereak, menyanyi dengan tenang pun dia bisa mengaduk emosi orang.
Hati saya ikut melompat waktu Ryan Seacrest menyebutkan "Scotty McCreery", padahal saya kira dia sedang bersiap melafalkan L (Lauren Alaina).
Dan ketenangan Scotty tetap terlihat setelah dia dinobatkan sebagai Idola Amerika, tanpa ledakan ekspresi berlebihan, dia mendatangi satu per satu keluarganya, dan ketika memeluk beberapa orang tua berambut putih-gondrong, dia pun mulai menangis. Hingga di akhir lagu, ketika finally he stumbled and cried, it was all so amazing and beautiful of sight.
Congratulations, Scotty! Success for you, keep shining, yet keep hiding behind the Cross!
I'll sure own your songs!!

Love in Patong! (part 2)

Day 3
Yay! Hari ini kita tour ke Phi-Phi Island dan sekitarnya. Bisa dapet ini juga anugerah, karena koneksi Etha, yang somehow managed to call me - ga tau kenapa si simcard TrueMove itu, SMS ga bisa, telpon ga bisa - dan memberi satu, eh dua, tempat untuk kita di pelayaran besok. Kita dapet harga 1,100 bht - lebih murah 100 bht daripada yang dekat bandara. Kita dijemput di lobby hotel pukul 10 pagi, naek minibus gitu. Gue gak tahu seberapa lama perjalanannya, mungkin sekitar 45 menit and so buat tiba di pelabuhannya, soalnya gue ketiduran selama di mobil, hihi.

Love in Patong! (part 1)

Sehari setelah pernikahan, tepatnya 12 Desember 2010, kami langsung terbang ke Thailand, menuju Patong, Phuket!
Agak nekat sebenarnya, karena:
1. Both of us had never been to Thailand before
2. We didn't have any idea how to get to the hotel at that time (kita nyampe di Phuket Airport sekitar pukul 9an malem)
3. Kita belum pegang uang Baht 1 peser pun
4. Kita belum pernah naek AirAsia sebelumnya, hihi.

Interpreting for ELC Indonesia, 2010

Jumat malam, 15 Oktober, saya mendapat telepon dari K' Arief - he who brought me to Singapore for an interpreting work - buat bantu terjemahin event ELC Indonesia di Hotel Nikko, 18-19 Oktober ini. Karena masih nganggur, saya mah hayok aja...

an unexpectedly short trip

Salah satu om saya terkena kanker pankreas. Setelah berkali-kali perawatan, akhirnya diputuskan untuk menjalani operasi di Singapura.
Waktu mendengar yang menemani hanya tante saya & anaknya - yang saya yakin tidak terlalu fasih berbahasa Inggris atau Mandarin - saya tergerak untuk menyusul dan menemani mereka. Apalagi waktu tahu nenek saya, atau lebih akrab dipanggil Jipho, disuruh untuk menyusul ke sana, dan kalau tante saya sempat bertanya apakah saya bisa ikut ke sana.
So, long story short, akhirnya Selasa, 3 Agt kemarin, saya & Jipho berangkat dengan penerbangan pukul 7 pagi ke Singapura.

a year ago

Pada tanggal ini, setahun yang lalu...

older, and happier :)

It's true.
Never thought a cynical clown like me could feel this blissful, especially for an event namely birthday.
Bee came quite early in the morning. After last nite conflict, surely this felt great. Hehe... He brought me homemade pancakes! Wow wow, hehehe... So touched.. thanks ya darlingg.. Hihi..
Cai2 came afterward, then we had lunch together at Bakmie Gg. Lontar.
Went home, cat-napping since I caught flu the day before, then Koko called and asked to meet at Central Park.
Off we went.
Enjoyed (free) meal at Hachi-Hachi plus Koko & fam, and Silvy. Really really enjoyed it!
Then took a walk to CP again (parked the bike there for the sake of cheap cost ), met up with Juned, Christy, Suzan, Wijoyo & Hengky. Had a cup of large melon mint of Sour Sally, watched the un-musical fountain there, then went home.
Not a grand party, not even a birthday cake, let alone a birthday song.
But I just feel... content. Feel so blessed having my beloved ones around me (no, not everybody in the list above), feel so grateful that I want to seclude this feeling inside my heart. I even felt a bit sad when the clock ticked away to the next day. But surely this happiness will stay forever. This is a promise.
And thank You, Lord.

Ghost Writer

Saturday, 17 April 2010
Venue: 21 Gajah Mada
With Slivi, Olin & Andre

Sejak tahu ada film ini, saya sudah kepingin banget nonton. Agak ragu buat ngajak si bee, karena tahu this is not his kind of movie. Bener, waktu ngajak dia, dia nyaranin, ‘Sedot aja!’ Hiks. Tapi entah kenapa, saya pengen nonton film ini di dalam bioskop, dengan suasananya yang gelap dan dingin.
Dan memang, dengan setting sebuah pulau di Amerika dalam musim dingin dan tokoh-tokoh kebangsaan Inggris, teater yang gelap dan dingin pun terasa sangat nyaman.

on an ad

As I was looking for a vacancy for editor, I bumped into this ad:

We are looking for a Woman who really loves writing to be our EDITOR with

Journal on Short Trip to Singapore (caution: long writings inside!)

It was my third time to this country. Maybe that's why I didn't really feel hype while being there. Don't get me wrong. I like travelling, love that indeed! It's just a quite strange settled feeling I had, not as my first or second time. Like everything was new. But still, I treasure the experience. 4 days, 3 nights, with two dear friends, cai2 and Olin who has already resigned from her longtime work. Here's the journal!

labour of love - penniless sometimes T___T

Saya seorang penerjemah.
Hihihi, rasanya bangga deh bisa ngomong kayak gitu. No, I'm not a secretary. I'm a translator.
Gak tau napa, sukaaaa banget nerjemahin. Kerja ampe jam 3 pagi pun saya rela (yah sebagian besar karena deadline sih, hihi).

proud to be a reader

Saya sudah suka baca dari kecil. Waktu saya masih berumur 3 tahun, saya maksa masuk TK, ngikut kakak saya. Jadilah saya diterima sebagai murid gak resmi di TKK Pertiwi. Saya masih ingat, waktu lewat rumah di samping TK itu, ada seorang anak kecil seumuran saya sedang berdiri di depan rumahnya, sedang disuapi makan oleh pembantunya.