batik

I am always a big fan of Batik and I really like wearing Batik shirt. But it was very unfortunate for someone with a very petite figure like me to find the exact size of Batik. Batik Keris, a popular brand did not have the perfect size for me.

A week ago, my office decided to have a batik day and I sadly went to Batik Keris to purchase a batik shirt in the kids department. Yes, all this time, I can only purchase batik from the kids department.

Until that night, I was told that Batik Keris has just launched a new line called Batik Keris Slim Fit. I was never happier to see batik in life. I tried to put it on and it fit! I bought one first and told myself to purchase probably the entire collections. HAHAHA.

I never liked myself wearing batik before, but on that batik day, I felt beautiful. Unfortunately, this new line is a bit pricey and the collections are limited. Unlike the usual Batik Keris shirt, the slim fit collection was not printed, but it was what they called a stamped batik. I just nodded when they explained the reason why it's more expensive.

The shopkeeper told me that Batik Keris is so excited about this collection that they will produce more of this line. So, yay! I'm happy!

So, in case you're having problems thinking what could be the best gift for me, Batik Keris Slim Fit size SS would just do! HAHAHA, kidding!

madonna

1984, pada acara MTV Video Music Awards yang pertama, seorang perempuan dengan dandanan ala seorang pengantin perempuan bergulingan di atas panggung sambil berdendang. Laksana seorang pengantin yang berperilaku tak pantas, sang publicist penyanyi perempuan tersebut (Liz Rosernberg) dibisiki oleh teman kencannya sambil menunjuk kepada penyanyi tersebut: Bagaimana mungkin dia bisa melakukan itu?! Kariernya telah berakhir saat ini juga.

Penyanyi perempuan tersebut adalah Madonna, lagu yang didendangkan adalah Like a Virgin.

Dan pernyataan teman kencan Liz Rosernberg sangat keliru (begitu pula asumsi jutaan orang yang membandingkan Madonna dengan Cyndi Lauper). Madonna menjadi salah satu penyanyi perempuan yang paling dikenal seantero jagat dan boleh juga dibilang sebagai penyanyi perempuan yang paling berhasil dalam sejarah rekaman.

Sangat sulit untuk menerima rentang karier Madonna tanpa mengerutkan dahi. Madonna yang dikenal sebagai sang manipulator media. Di awal tahun kariernya, dia tidak pernah dianggap sebagai penyanyi yang serius. Madonna hanya seorang pencipta kontroversi.

Like a Prayer, setelah lebih dari sepuluh tahun dari waktu pertama kali diedarkan, kini disebut-sebut sebagai salah satu album yang penting. Tetapi kontroversi video dari lagu dengan judul yang sama juga membakar amarah gereja waktu itu.

Madonna dan MTV adalah contoh sempurna dari simbiosis mutualisme. Mereka saling memanfaatkan. Madonna sebagai manipulator media, menggunakan MTV sebagai bentuk promosi dan sebaliknya MTV yang baru saja diluncurkan mendompleng kontroversi Madonna.

Walau bersahabat, beberapa kali MTV melarang penayangan video-video Madonna. Pertama kali, Justify My Love yang dinilai terlalu sensual. Pelarangan ini justru menciptakan produk baru yaitu video single dan Justify My Love terjual 500ribu kopi, sehingga disebut sebagai video terlaris hingga saat ini. Erotica dan What It Feels Like for a Girl adalah video-video lain yang dilarang penayangannya oleh MTV.

Madonna juga tercatat sebagai penyanyi solo dengan penghasilan terbesar dalam pertunjukan konser. Perjalanan konser terakhirnya, Sticky and Sweet menghasilkan lebih dari 200juta USD. Madonna juga dicatat sebagai penyanyi dengan TOP-TEN single terbanyak di daftar tembang Billboard Hot 100 mengalahkan Elvis baru-baru ini.

Saya sempat tersentuh ketika menonton salah satu dokumenter Madonna, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, di mana di salah satu adegan film itu, Madonna memberikan pesan kepada para pendukung konsernya dalam hidup untuk selalu bertanggung jawab (be responsible) dan mempunyai kasih (have compassion) untuk sesamanya, karena menurut Madonna, dua hal itu lah yang menjadikan seseorang manusia yang lebih baik.

Saya lebih kaget lagi mengetahui di balik penampilannya yang tampak "rusak", justru Madonna adalah orang yang sangat memperhatikan kesehatannya. Dia tidak merokok, menjaga makanannya dan dikenal sebagai salah seorang penyanyi yang paling sehat di dunia. Jika kita menghitung jumlah penyanyi dari tahun 80an yang masih ada hingga ini, tampaknya tidak banyak yah. Kalaupun masih hidup, pasti sedang dililit oleh masalah. Ingat Whitney?

Saya tidak berniat mengajarkan anak-anak untuk mendengarkan Madonna yang nota-bene belum pantas bagi mereka. Tetapi paling tidak ada satu hal yang bisa kita pelajari dari seorang Madonna: to live a good life and be a better person, one must be responsible for his actions and have compassion for others.

got till it's gone

Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone.
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

Belakangan ini saya mendapatkan satu pelajaran yang sungguh amat berharga dan jujur saja, menyakitkan. Saya diajarkan untuk menghargai sesuatu (atau seseorang). Karena jika tidak, ketika sesuatu itu hilang atau orang itu pergi, saya menemukan betapa hal atau orang tersebut sangat berharga. Yang terburuk, penyesalan itu rasanya pahit.

Joni Mitchell di lagu Big Yellow Taxi menyanyikan betapa manusia mensia-siakan alam. Kemudian lagu yang sama dinyanyikan kembali oleh Janet Jackson yang menyanyikan bagaimana penyesalan yang datang terlambat setelah sang kekasih pergi karena disia-siakan. Janet menyanyikan: "If I could turn back hands of time, make you fall in love with me again, so would you give me another chance to love?"

Miris memang penyesalan itu dan naasnya penyesalan itu selalu terjadi atau timbul di kemudian waktu. Tak heran waktu seringkali dibilang "jahat", bukan karena perbuatannya, tetapi karena sifat waktu yang tidak mungkin mundur. Setiap keputusan yang kita ambil detik ini menentukan nasib (atau kejadian-kejadian) hidup kita di waktu yang mendatang.

Semua hal, bisa jadi pekerjaan, pasangan hidup atau bahkan keluarga tidak akan selamanya menjadi milik kita. Semua itu mungkin saja akan lenyap atau pergi. Sungguh suatu yang buruk, jika penyesalan timbul dari "kehilangan" itu.

Saya tidak hanya menyesal, tetapi saya merasa sangat buruk karena saya mensia-siakan anugrah. Saya tidak menyukuri hari-hari di mana saya diperhatikan, saya dikasihi. I'm really sorry for being a horrible person, for not showing enough of appreciations that you deserve.

good tv: weeds, the good wife

It has been a good year for TV, I say. Especially for women in TV, these few years, there have been so many strong roles for women. Although I don't find being a Carol Brady is any wrong, but seriously these days, no more Carol Brady. Mothers on TV are more like Nancy Botwin and Alicia Florrick. They're ... just not your regular moms.

WEEDS (HBO)
New season in August 2010: season 6
This August is going to be a very exciting month for me. Weeds season premier will be on the 16. The first time I watched Weeds was accidental. I although am always a fan of Mary-Louise Parker, the title of the series is a bit too offensive for my taste.

It's probably a slow week or there's just nothing else to watch, I decided to purchase the first season of Weeds. I was wrong (well, not completely). It was offensive, it was horrible, but it's also funny and meaningful. Weeds tells a story of a two children widow, Nancy Botwin. Nancy, after the sudden death of her husband, decided to sell weeds to her neighbors.

By each season, the trouble she accidentally got herself into got bigger. I don't think children (or anyone below 18) are allowed to watch this series. I don't think Jenji Kohan (the creator, she also one of the people who are responsible for Gilmore Girls) tries to promote drugs (or weeds). Nancy Botwin is just an example how a person can do bad under certain circumstances.

THE GOOD WIFE
New season in Fall (September 2010): season 2
Alicia Florrick is the cheat-on wife of a falling-from-grace politician. After her husband was arrested, Alicia decided to return to practice law. With her last name, Florrick, she finds troubles (related or not to her husband) and/or sometimes solutions to the case she's handling.

What makes The Good Wife so good? Alicia is an underdog, and practically too-old junior associate who tries to mark her own place. Don't we always love that kind of story? And Kalinda! Yes, Archie Panjabi, the law-firm investigator with an attitude, makes the series even intriguing. No wonder, The Good Wife earned so many Emmy nominations for this year and don't be surprised if it wins big as well. I bet on Julianne Margulies and Archie Panjabi to win the best actress and best supporting actress in the drama category.

my super-mother

So last Friday (August 6, 2010) was my birthday and unfortunately I was engaged to fulfill certain responsibilities that required me to be out of Jakarta. I didn't spend much time to celebrate it. However despite all that, I was so grateful (still am actually) for all the birthday wishes sent to my facebook account or even to my phone. I consider myself as the luckiest man on earth. If you are one of those people, THANK YOU!

At each birthday (and yes, there have been quite a lot! HAHAHA), I was always reminded of a person that I consider a hero, as my own personal hero, which is my mother. My mother, on the day I was born, put in danger her life so I could have mine. Even until today, she's (currently) in the kitchen preparing a family dinner party to celebrate my existence, which only exists greatly due to her kindness.

My mother has not always been great. She's not flawless, but if you're a single parent of 4 children (any kind of parents for that matter), flaws are just part of the package. Perfect parents are just unreal. My mother taught me to be humble and live life modestly. She always said (still does) never judge a book by its cover (cliche yet true) and never want to be judged only by your appearance.

She taught me (in her own ways) to appreciate things, to celebrate life, to believe things could (can) happen. She loves traveling. She (at 60) canoed in the wild river of Papua. She also love being in the kitchen and we easily love to have her being there. For she cooks many amazing meals, which I personally think not even the most expensive restaurant can provide. So now, you know whom I got the passion for food from. HEHEHE. I was also first introduced to the magic of cinema by her. I remember how we used to watch movies together and at some point, I always wanted to be a script writer.

So, on my belated birthday, let me take a minute or even five, to thank my mother, for her super-heroic life-risk action many years ago (I'm that old) to bring me to the world and many of her days to worry, to love, to nourish, to restlessly pray for me. I love you, mom. Thank you. God bless you.