Myanmar, A Land Like No Other

Myanmar that I visited a couple of times many years ago might be very different with Myanmar today. It was an era when the country was still under military junta. It was the time when the price of a regular mobile phone reach one thousand USD per piece. It was also the time when my phone automatically switched off when the plane landed in the Golden Land. There was no signal and it remained like that until I left Myanmar. Nevertheless, even though I was isolated when I was there, I was never lonely because I had many Burmese friends who were friendly and helpful.

Strolling around Yangon, the ex-capital city of Myanmar, was like seeing Jakarta in 1980 with many old buildings and old cars on the road. Some cars had left steering wheel and some cars had right steering wheel. You can imagine how difficult it was for the right steering wheel drivers to turn left or take over the car in front because in Myanmar, drivers drove on the right hand side of the road. However it seemed like they already got used to it so they could drive smoothly. Government did not allow motorcycle to operate in Yangon therefore bus became their main public transportation. Sometimes we could see people in their sarong chasing the bus.

The sight in Yangon.

With pagoda at the back.

Most of the men in Myanmar wore sarong in their daily lives, while the women were wearing the long skirt. The ladies also liked to put thanaka in their faces. Thanaka was a yellowish white cosmetic paste made from ground bark. It could give cooling sensation and protect skin from sunburn. The way they put thanaka was quite unique: they made a circular patch on each cheek and nose. Those who saw it for the first time might be wondering what they put on their face.

A girl with thanaka.

Visiting Yangon will not be complete without visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda, the highest gold plated stupa (99 metres tall) located in Singuttara Hills, on the west of Kandawgyi lake. Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist site for Burmese as it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present Kalpa. It consists of hundreds colourful temples, stupas and statues that reflect the architectural era spanning almost 2500 years. The biggest stupa is covered with hundred of gold plates and the top of the stupa is encrusted by thousand of diamonds. When the night came, the Pagoda lights up beautifully.

The majestic Shwedagon at night.

Inside the Shwedagon complex.

As a form of respect at this religious site, we must take off the shoes and walk barefoot inside the pagoda. It is also not recommended to wear shorts or mini skirt. We can take the picture inside the complex but must be mindful not to disturb local people who come to pray and meditate.

For those who like shopping, Bogyoke Market is the place you must go. It is the biggest traditional market in the center of Yangon. They sell a lot of souvenirs such as beautiful stones, wood carving and clothing. It is better to go with local friends for shopping as the shops usually charge higher price for tourist. We can also find food vendors in Bogyoke Market. Try Myanmar's traditional soup, mohinga, while you're there. This rice noodle and fish soup from Myanmar is considered to be the national dish of the country.

Bogyoke Market.

Mohinga.

It has been 6 years since my last visit to Myanmar. If I have a chance to go there again, I want to visit Bagan, an ancient city located in Mandalay and, of course, a visit to Yangon again. With the recent development in Myanmar, I may find many new things there. One thing for sure, as the mobile phone is common these days, I can keep in touch with my kids all the time now.

The Nice Surprises

First of all, let's have a disclaimer that I'm not under duress and forced to write something nice here, haha. It's just something that I'd been quietly observing this and I actually found it amusing. You know how we, as human beings, tend to take things for granted after a while? In my case, I'd known my other half for easily one third of my life, long before I called her my wife. Funny that just when I thought I already knew her well, she continued to surprise me still.

Evelyn Nuryani is the personification of everything good in my world. From the first few encounters that we had, I immediately learnt that she's smart, kind, humble, and caring. On top of that, she's beautiful, of course, or else I wouldn't be bothered to pursue any further, haha. As I got to know her better, I noticed that, just like me, she's also into writing and traveling. Her writing about her adventure in New Zealand was published in a magazine before. Let's see if she'll release it here one day.

At the Gateway of India, when she was traveling the region.

But there were nice surprises that I figured out only recently. The privilege of being married, perhaps. The first one was nasi goreng cekur. I first had it in Bandung when we had a morning walk in Dago and the breakfast sent us to hospital, haha. It was not the fault of the Sundanese style of fried rice that we got food poisoning, but it was more of the poor standard of food hygiene. Anyway, after learning that I actually liked it, she surprised me one day by serving it on our dining table. I had no idea if she just learnt it or she could do it all this while, but being a big fan of fried rice, I was delighted. This one was like a least known type of fried rice and here was my wife, the expert in cooking it. God does show mercy to a fried rice lover, doesn't He?

Another thing that I'm grateful for is her effort in taking the best pictures of our lovely children. I complained from time to time as it could be quite annoying that we suddenly stopped for a while just because she thought the particular spot would make a great photo for the kids, but by the end of the day, that was just me and I was actually glad that she did it. When I looked back, I realized that she did a good job in preserving those beautiful moments. The kids will be thankful for what their mother did when they grow up one day.

Linda in her photo session with Mum.

Next, there were her newfound hobbies that I found intriguing. She was into making necklace and other accessories made of beads. It was self-taught, with Linda sometimes joining her Mum, dragging me along to hold the other end of the string. The results often found buyers via Carousell. Apart from that, she also picked up balloon craft where she would shaped it into something else, the most complicated one being a troll so far. She must have been quite good that she was asked to help out by the community centre, prior to the mid-autumn festival!

Proud of her, really. To think that she used to be a career woman that traveled around the region, but had been taking a backseat to become a full time mother and housewife since few years ago. It was a sacrifice to do so, fully knowing that it was a 24 hours job that came with no tea break but a disrupted sleeping hours. Only God knows how she could adjust.

She's been a great wife and a very dedicated Mum, but she doesn't stop there. You know the saying, when life gives you lemons... well, she'll make the best out of that fruit, may be ice lemon tea for the hot weather or may be something else. I don't know. If there's anything I learn from this experience, I know I'll be amused and smiling again...

The accessories.

Kejutan Yang Menyenangkan

Pertama-tama, saya perlu menyatakan bahwa saya tidak dalam keadaan tertekan oleh pihak mana pun sehingga terpaksa menulis sesuatu yang baik di sini, haha. Justru sebaliknya, ini adalah sesuatu yang saya amati secara diam-diam dan saya sungguh salut dengan apa yang saya lihat. Anda tentunya tahu bahwa sebagai manusia, terkadang kita cenderung terima bersih dan menganggap segala sesuatu yang terjadi itu sudah sepantasnya begitu. Dalam hal ini, saya sudah mengenal pasangannya selama satu pertiga dari hidup saya, jauh sebelum saya memanggilnya dengan sebutan istri. Akan tetapi, ketika saya merasa sudah begitu mengenalnya, dia masih saja memberikan kejutan-kejutan terbaik buat saya.

Evelyn Nuryani adalah perwujudan dari segala hal yang baik dalam hidup saya. Dari beberapa pertemuan pertama kita, saya segera melihat bahwa dia ini pintar, baik, sederhana dan perhatian. Tidak hanya itu, dia juga cantik, makanya terus saya kejar, haha. Ketika saya kian mengenalnya, saya jadi tahu bahwa seperti saya, dia pun senang menulis dan jalan-jalan. Tulisan tentang petualangannya ke New Zealand bahkan pernah dimuat di majalah Femina. Suatu hari nanti mungkin kita akan membacanya di sini juga.

Nasi goreng cekur.

Meski saya tahu kelebihannya, namun tetap saja ada beberapa hal menarik yang saya temukan hanya setelah kita menikah. Yang pertama adalah nasi goreng cekur. Saya pertama mencobanya ketika kita berjalan pagi di Dago, Bandung, dan sarapan pagi itu membuat kita berdua berakhir di rumah sakit, haha. Kendati begitu, ini bukan salah nasi goreng khas Sunda yang kita santap, melainkan karena kualitas makanan yang kurang bersih.

Setelah menyadari bahwa saya menikmati masakan ini, suatu hari saya tiba-tiba menemukan nasi goreng cekur tersaji di meja makan. Saya tidak apakah dia baru mempelajarinya atau memang bisa sedari dulu, tapi sebagai penggemar nasi goreng, saya gembira karena bisa mencicipinya lagi. Nasi goreng cekur ini bagaikan menu langka bagi orang yang berasal dari Pontianak dan istri saya ternyata ahlinya. Tuhan sungguh bermurah hati bagi pencinta nasi goreng!

Hal lain yang saya syukuri adalah upayanya dalam memotret anak-anak. Terkadang saya mengeluh sebab perjalanan kami sering mendadak terhenti hanya karena dia menemukan tempat yang cocok bagi anak-anak untuk berfoto, namun saya sadari itu adalah respon sesaat. Pada akhirnya saya senang dia melakukannya, sebab berkat tindakannya, kenangan masa kecil anak-anak jadi tersimpan dengan baik. Suatu hari nanti, anak-anak akan berterima kasih atas apa yang telah dikerjakan oleh ibunya.

Balon untuk festival kue bulan.

Selanjutnya, ada beberapa hobi baru yang saya rasa menarik. Belakangan ini, istri saya sering membuat kalung dan aksesoris dari bahan mote dan manik. Dia belajar sendiri, kadang ditemani oleh Linda yang juga berminat, namun sering menyeret saya untuk turut serta dan memegangi ujung benang untuknya. Hasil buatannya ini kadang menemukan pembeli di Carousell. Selain itu, dia juga menekuni seni merangkai balon, dimana balon-balon dibentuk menjadi boneka anjing atau, yang paling rumit sampai sejauh ini, boneka troll. Sepertinya dia cukup berbakat karena dia bahkan dimintai bantuannya untuk persiapan festival kue bulan baru-baru ini.

Terus-terang saya bangga padanya, terutama bila saya ingat kembali bahwa dia dulunya adalah seorang wanita karir yang sering dinas ke mancanegara, namun memutuskan untuk menjadi ibu rumah tangga sejak beberapa tahun silam. Saya rasa ini adalah sebuah pengorbanan karena ibu rumah tangga itu pekerjaan yang selain tanpa jedah juga seringkali terganggu tidurnya. Hanya Tuhan yang tahu bagaimana dia bisa menyesuaikan diri terhadap perubahan yang drastis ini.

Singkat kata, dia adalah seorang istri dan ibu yang luar biasa, tapi dia tidak berhenti sampai di situ. Anda tahu pepatah, ketika hidup memberikannya lemon, mungkin istri saya akan membuat es teh lemon atau sesuatu yang lain. Saya tidak tahu, tapi jika ada yang saya pelajari dari pengalaman ini, saya yakin saya akan kagum dan tersenyum lagi karenanya...

Wonderful Indonesia: Bali

I visited Bali only three times and all happened during the same period of my life, which was the time when I was working in Jakarta. Never go back since then, so it's been more than ten years since I last visited Bali. I don't think the atmosphere will change that much, though. Bali will still be the part of Indonesia that doesn't feel like anywhere else in Indonesia, thanks to the heavy Hindu influence. With Bali, it's like going overseas but still using rupiah.

Anyway, let's start with the last visit first, because it was the least memorable one. The third trip was accidental, as I booked what was supposed to be Rp. 0 return tickets only to find out that I was actually paying the full price. It was the time when AirAsia's online booking system was new to me and I was told that the tickets were free, so I kept clicking next and entered my credit card details. Much to my surprise, it was never transacted with zero value. Apparently it should have been showing Rp. 0 since the very beginning of the booking, not at the end of it. So there I was, stranded in Bali alone, haha. The only thing I remember was walking from Legian to Ngurah Rai International Airport. It was doable.

Sudarman (middle) and Hartono (right), somewhere in Java.

The first trip, on the other hand, was pretty cool. We drove all the way from Jakarta to Bali and back. Amazing experience, although I was kicked out from driver's seat after five minutes for driving too slow. It was during this trip that I really got the idea, how big Indonesia actually was. I was with Kalbe colleagues and it took us more than 24 hours to drive from Jakarta to Banyuwangi alone via the South Coast Road of Java. It was the eve of Eid al-Ftr 2004 and we reached Blitar the next morning, just nice for our driver and technician, Hartono and Pak Doel, to pray on their celebration day. From there, we headed to Jember for lunch and went to Banyuwangi, the easternmost part of Java, for the ferry crossing to Gilimanuk.

And I saw Bali for the first time as we landed. It was different, like stepping into unknown territory that wasn't Indonesia. Pura, the Balinese Hindu temple, was abundant and could be found everywhere. There were also statues of the fat and fearsome looking door guards called Dvarapala scattered around the island. As we approached Legian area, I noticed that there were flowers all over the pavement. It was unusual and somewhat mystical, but the holiday mood was stronger than ever so I decided just to enjoy it!

Hanging out at Graha Wisnu Kencana.

During our stay in Bali, we went to Uluwatu temple, a beautiful seaside temple with monkeys running rampant and trying to steal our stuff. Not very far from Uluwatu, there was Graha Wisnu Kencana, a very grand garden with the statues of Vishnu and his pet, Garuda. Then of course there was a visit to Tanah Lot, another temple by the seaside, next to the roaring waves. Talked about waves, next destination was Kuta. While I'm never a big fan of beaches, I think Kuta was still one of the coolest beaches I'd ever been. Afterwards, we stopped by Ubud, the place famous for its terraced paddy fields. If you think greeneries can't be interesting, you clearly haven't seen Ubud yet! Then, finally, it was time for the last tourist spot of the trip, Pura Besakih. It was a colossal temple built on the slopes of Mount Agung. Just like any other temples in general, those who wore shorts were required to wear sarong before entering. An impressive temple aside, it was quite peculiar that the surrounding area had a lot of street vendors selling a phallic shaped wooden art craft.

We crossed back to Java after few days in Bali, but five months later, I went back again to the Paradise Island, this time with my schoolmates. I repeated the previous routines, such as taking a stroll in Kuta, a visit to Uluwatu, Tanah Lot and GWK, but what made it different this round was the physical activities. We went for rafting where we rowed the oars for fun (that was an honest assessment, because it was the guide-cum-captain that made the difference and steered us to the correct path) before we went all the way down as we passed through a waterfall. It was not very high, but enough to let us feel the effect of the world turning upside down! Then there was parasailing in Nusa Dua, too, the first time for me to feel how it was like to be flying. While the start was awful as I disliked the idea of not having my feet on the ground, it was amazing to glide in the air. For an indoor person who does his best by not doing any outdoor activities at all, I found it amusing that I actually liked parasailing. When the night came, we went to a club in Seminyak for a drink or two.

Second visit in 2005. Showering after rafting.
Photo by: Ardian

Looking back, Bali is really a holiday destination like no other. As charming as Phuket or Boracay is, it's only in Bali that you'll get the mountain, the sea, the greeneries, the food and the culture. It's like the whole island of fun, regardless which part of Bali that you go. Just in case you are wondering why I haven't been to Bali again after more than one decade, that's because I used to think that I'd been there and there are still a lot of places in the world that I haven't visited, but now that I have daughters, I definitely will go back to Bali again. The kids need to know how beautiful their country is...

From left: Jimmy, Anthony and Ardian, strolling in Kuta.
Photo by: Endrico.

Indonesia Yang Menakjubkan: Bali

Selama ini saya hanya mengunjungi Bali sebanyak tiga kali dan semua kunjungan tersebut terjadi dalam periode yang sama dalam hidup saya, ketika saya bekerja di Jakarta. Saya tidak pernah kembali lagi setelah itu dan sudah lebih dari 10 tahun lamanya sejak saya terakhir menginjakkan kaki di Bali. Akan tetapi saya yakin suasana di Bali tetap sama. Bali tetap merupakan bagian dari Indonesia yang tidak terasa seperti Indonesia, terutama karena budaya Hindunya yang kental. Bali itu bagaikan keluar negeri tetapi masih menggunakan rupiah.

Saya akan mulai dulu dengan kunjungan terakhir saya, karena itu yang paling miskin kenangan. Sesungguhnya perjalanan tersebut adalah ketidaksengajaan, sebab saya membayar harga penuh untuk tiket yang seharusnya nol rupiah. Saat itu baru ada yang namanya situs AirAsia dan saya dengar ada promosi tiket gratis, jadi saya coba sampai tiket terbeli. Setelah itu saya baru tahu, kalau memang sedang promosi, harganya sudah ditulis Rp. 0 dari sejak awal, bukannya sesudah transaksi terjadi. Akhirnya saya terdampar di Bali seorang diri, hehe. Satu-satunya yang saya ingat dari petualangan tersebut adalah saat saya mencoba berjalan kaki dari Legian ke bandara Ngurah Rai. Ternyata tidak terlalu jauh. 

Ardian di bandara Ngurah Rai.

Perjalanan pertama lebih banyak cerita. Kita menempuh jalan darat dari Jakarta ke Bali, melintasi jalur Pantai Selatan Jawa dan melewati berbagai kota. Saya berangkat sehari sebelum Idul Fitri bersama teman-teman Kalbe dan kita menghabiskan lebih dari 24 jam untuk mencapai Banyuwangi. Kita tiba di Blitar keesokan paginya, pas bagi supir dan teknisi, Hartono dan Pak Doel, untuk bersholat. Dari Blitar, kita singgah di Jember untuk makan siang dan menuju Banyuwangi, kota paling timur di Pulau Jawa, untuk menyeberang ke Gilimanuk.

Pak Doel turun dari feri begitu kita tiba di Gilimanuk.

Dan saya melihat Bali untuk pertama kalinya saat feri berlabuh. Bali sungguh berbeda, terasa seperti melangkah ke kawasan yang asing. Pura bisa ditemukan di mana saja, demikian juga halnya dengan patung seram Dwarapala. Tatkala kita sampai di Legian, saya melihat banyak bunga sesajen di trotoar yang memberikan kesan mistis. Kendati begitu, suasana Bali yang santai membuat kita rileks dan menikmati liburan.

Dari kiri, Sudarman, Pak Chandra, Pak Doel dan Hartono di Kuta.

Selama di Bali, kita mengunjungi Uluwatu, pura di atas tebing di tepi laut yang diramaikan oleh monyet-monyet yang tampaknya sudah biasa menjambret turis. Tidak jauh dari Uluwatu, ada yang namanya Graha Wisnu Kencana, taman yang luar biasa megah dan memiliki patung raksasa Wisnu dan tunggangannya, Garuda. Tanah Lot, pura di tepi laut dengan ombak bergelora, juga termasuk dalam daftar tujuan. Bicara tentang laut, kita juga mampir di Kuta. Walaupun saya tidak pernah menyukai pantai, saya tetap berpikir bahwa Kuta adalah salah satu pantai terbaik yang pernah saya kunjungi. Selanjutnya, kita juga singgah di Ubud yang terkenal dengan sawah berbentuk teras. Jika pernah anda berpikir bahwa hijaunya alam tidak menarik, tampaknya anda belum pernah melihat Ubud. Terakhir, kita menuju ke Pura Besakih, bangunan kolosal di kaki Gunung Agung. Seperti pura yang lain, turis yang bercelana pendek wajib memakai sarung. Oh, kalau saya tidak salah ingat, banyak toko seni di daerah sekitar situ yang menjual ukiran kayu berbentuk kemaluan pria.

Kent August, rekan di Kalbe, mengagumi oleh-olehnya dari Bali.

Kita menyeberang kembali ke Jawa setelah beberapa hari di Bali. Akan tetapi, beberapa bulan kemudian, saya kembali lagi ke Pulau Dewata, kali ini bersama teman-teman sekolah. Beberapa rutinitas sebelumnya terulang lagi, misalnya kunjungan ke Kuta, Uluwatu, Tanah Lot dan GWK. Yang sedikit berbeda kali ini adalah aktivitasnya. Kita mencoba arung jeram dan sibuk mendayung (walau sebenarnya yang berperan penting adalah pemandu kita yang mengendalikan arah) sebelumnya akhirnya terbanting ke aliran sungai yang tenang setelah perahu karet kita melewati air terjun. Kalau ada yang mau tahu seperti apa rasanya, itu bagaikan dunia berjungkir balik! Selanjutnya kita juga melakukan parasailing di Nusa Dua. Saya tidak suka perasaan saat kaki tidak menjejak tanah, tetapi begitu mengudara, rasanya menakjubkan. Ketika malam tiba, kita mengunjungi klub dan minum satu atau dua gelas.

Jimmy dan Endrico, menantang ombak demi foto di Tanah Lot.
Foto: Ardian

Kalau saya bandingkan, Bali adalah tujuan wisata yang tiada duanya. Sebagai contoh, Phuket dan Boracay memang menarik, tapi hanya Bali yang memiliki perpaduan gunung, laut, hijaunya alam, makanan enak dan budaya memikat. Kalau anda penasaran kenapa saya tidak pernah ke Bali lagi sejak dua belas tahun yang lalu, itu karena saya sering berpikir bahwa saya sudah pernah ke sana dan masih banyak lagi tempat di dunia yang belum saya kunjungi. Namun saya memiliki dua orang putri sekarang, jadi saya pasti akan ke Bali lagi bersama mereka. Anak-anak perlu mengetahui, bahwa negara mereka luar biasa indahnya...

Dari kiri: Jimmy, Anthony, Endrico dan Ardian.

Book Review: Losing The Signal

This book was exactly about what the tagline said: the extraordinary rise and the spectacular fall of BlackBerry. The first half brought us back to the good old days where pager still existed and mobile phone was at its infancy stage. Like every greatest story ever told, it also started with a struggling but promising protagonist. In this is case, it was Research In Motion, better known as RIM, a company led by co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, a tech wizard, and Jim Balsillie, a formidable salesman (he loves Sun Tzu's Art of War).

While RIM had its first big break with a two-way pager, it didn't stop there. They brought it to the next level with an idea that was so revolutionary at that time: bringing email to a mobile device. That's when the first BlackBerry was born. The original BlackBerry did just email and it did it very well.

BlackBerry immediately changed the working culture and blurred the line of work-life balance. The book did a good job in giving us the insight into how significant the impact was. If you ever noticed how some people usually looked down to glance at the phone during the meeting, well, that's all started from that very moment when BlackBerry was introduced to the corporate world. For better or worse, BlackBerry was the first to efficiently and effectively enable people to read and reply email on the go.

Just in case you are wondering how it was like back then, when people started to become BlackBerry addicts, the book did provide us with the background. It was a 2G era, when MENS (Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens) ruled the world. On the other end of the spectrum was Palm, a personal digital assistant. The most eye-catching phone in those days, if it was ever really a cool gadget at all, was Nokia's 9000 Communicator, which was neither a computer it was trying to be nor a proper phone for it was just too bulky.

BlackBerry was everything those phones were not. When it became a full-fledged phone, BlackBerry had the best QWERTY keyboard, the unmatched email features and, later on, an instant messenger application called BBM. There was this irresistible blinking red light, too, a little something that got your heart beating while you were trying your best not to check it out when you were doing something else. The ultimate temptation! In short, it was suffice to say that the rest of the competitors were light years away from BlackBerry.

I especially like the part where the book devoted a few pages to tell the readers a little known fact about how BlackBerry helped to save the day during the September 11 attacks. Most of the phones were not functioning at that time, but not BlackBerry. It allowed people to continue communicating because it ran on a separate network. This information feels like a distant memory now, but if you ever configured an old BlackBerry, you'd know what this was all about.

The Passport and Losing the Signal.

Then came the second half of the story, when Steve Jobs stepped onto the stage to introduce iPhone. BlackBerry had been able to navigate its way to the top in the existing ecosystem, but what Steve did was entirely unprecedented. It was a thing only Steve Jobs could foresee and do: he fitted a Mac, including a full Safari browser, into a phone and let it loose. Given the fact that it sounds normal these days, I like the way the book reminded me again that there was no such thing called data plan in the past. Customers soon complained furiously, indirectly changing how things worked. In other words, by introducing iPhone, Steve brilliantly disrupted the whole ecosystem where BlackBerry was built upon. As if that wasn't damning enough, Steve gave the world the first extensive collection of apps, something that BlackBerry was sorely lacking. All of a sudden, BlackBerry looked outdated. 

After watching Steve Jobs from afar, Google immediately changed its game plan (it originally wanted to release a BlackBerry lookalike), but BlackBerry was slow to adapt. When it was supposed to come up with an iPhone killer, its first foray to touchscreen device, BlackBerry Storm, was disastrous. From then on, it was one wrong move after another, including the PlayBook debacle. To make the matter worse, the introduction of Android gave the defeated competitors a second chance to come back (although it was Samsung that won the race).

It was dreadful to read about how Blackberry was beaten from left and right. It was also busy being self-destructive internally. Eventually, not even the arrival of the badly delayed BlackBerry 10 was enough to recover its damaged reputation. Once the undisputed king of smartphones, BlackBerry was now just a fraction of what it used to be. The story ended with the exit of Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie.

It was a good book and an unbelievably easy reading, really. No heavy finance or IT jargon, so it was like reading a novel. It was a wonderful story about how BlackBerry singlehandedly changed the world. It also told us about the same company that failed to evolve and was eventually left behind by the fast paced technology it helped creating. For that reason alone, even though if you are never a BlackBerry fan, it's still a book worth reading.

PS: but I'm a fan, though, and this article was written using DTEK60, a BlackBerry phone.

Review Buku: Losing The Signal

Kisah dalam buku ini persis seperti bunyi slogannya: sukses dan jatuhnya BlackBerry. Bagian pertama dari buku ini membawa kita kembali ke hari-hari dimana pager masih dipakai dan bermulanya zaman telepon genggam. Seperti kisah sukses lainnya, tokoh utama cerita ini adalah perusahaan yang baru berdiri dan masih tertatih-tatih, tapi memiliki potensi. Namanya adalah Research In Motion, yang lebih dikenal luas sebagai RIM. Perusahaan ini dipimpin oleh dua CEO, Mike Lazaridis dan Jim Balsillie. Yang pertama memiliki latar belakang teknologi, yang satunya lagi adalah salesman handal yang menganut paham seni berperang Sun Tzu.

Diawali dengan sukses pager dua arah yang unik pada zamannya, RIM lantas mengukir namanya dalam sejarah dengan terobosan berikutnya: menciptakan perangkat khusus untuk menerima dan mengirim email di mana saja dan kapan saja. Perangkat itu kemudian diberi nama BlackBerry.

BlackBerry dengan cepat mengubah budaya kerja dunia perkantoran. Buku ini memberikan gambaran yang jelas tentang bagaimana dampak sesungguhnya pada saat itu. Sekarang, jika anda sering melihat orang menunduk untuk mengecek telepon genggam pada saat rapat, kebiasaan itu bermula dari diperkenalkannya BlackBerry pada para eksekutif. Baik atau buruk, BlackBerry adalah perangkat pertama yang memungkinkan penggunanya untuk membaca dan membalas email secara efisien dan efektif.

Buku ini juga menjelaskan perkembangan teknologi zaman tersebut. Saat itu adalah era teknologi 2G dan Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia serta Siemens masih merajalela. Di sisi lain, bagi yang pernah mendengar tentang PDA, ada yang namanya Palm. Untuk kategori telepon genggam, yang paling menarik perhatian di kala itu adalah Nokia 9000 Communicator yang sebenarnya terlalu besar untuk ukuran telepon genggam tetapi tidak cukup canggih untuk dianggap sebagai komputer.

BlackBerry berbeda dengan semua telepon yang beredar saat itu. Keyboard QWERTY terbaik, fitur email tiada tanding, aplikasi chatting gratis dan kedap-kedip lampu LED merah yang membuat kita penasaran adalah kelebihan BlackBerry yang tidak tersaingi oleh telepon lain.

Saya suka bagian dimana buku ini mengisahkan tentang peran BlackBerry sewaktu serangan teroris terjadi di New York pada tanggal 11 September. Di saat semua jaringan komunikasi telepon mati total, hanya BlackBerry yang tetap berfungsi dan memungkinkan banyak orang untuk berkomunikasi. Ini bisa terjadi karena BlackBerry memiliki jaringan yang berbeda. Bagi yang pernah mengutak-atik konfigurasi BlackBerry model lama, mungkin anda masih ingat tentang hal ini.

Suatu ketika bersama BlackBerry.
Foto: Endrico Richard.

Bagian kedua dalam buku ini dimulai dengan munculnya iPhone yang diperkenalkan oleh Steve Jobs. Sampai sejauh ini, BlackBerry berhasil mencapai puncak karena jeli dalam memanfaatkan teknologi komunikasi yang ada, tapi apa yang Steve lakukan dengan iPhone adalah terobosan yang tidak pernah terjadi sebelumnya. Kejeniusan Steve dalam melihat ke depan tidak bisa diabaikan di sini: pada prinsipnya, iPhone bagaikan Mac dalam ukuran telepon, lengkap dengan kemampuan penuh untuk mengakses internet. Walau ini terdengar biasa sekarang, mari ingat lagi bahwa 10 tahun silam, tidak ada yang namanya data plan. Para pengguna iPhone memborbardir Telkom karena buruknya jaringan data dan akhirnya secara tidak langsung memaksa Telkom untuk mengubah infrastrukturnya. Dengan kata lain, ketika ia memperkenalkan iPhone pada dunia, Steve Jobs mengobrak-abrik landasan yang sudah dibangun BlackBerry selama ini. BlackBerry semakin terpuruk ketika Steve meresmikan app store, sesuatu yang tidak pernah menjadi prioritas BlackBerry selama ini. Dalam sekejap mata, BlackBerry terlihat ketinggalan zaman.

Google lekas mengubah rencananya setelah menyaksikan Steve Jobs dan iPhone, tetapi BlackBerry terlalu lamban untuk bertindak. Ketika BlackBerry Storm dirilis untuk menandingi iPhone, produk ini gagal total karena software-nya bermasalah. Setelah itu BlackBerry terus salah melangkah. Masuknya Android ke dalam kancah persaingan kian memperburuk situasi karena dengan adanya Android, Motorola dan kompetitor lainnya pun bangkit lagi (meskipun Samsung yang akhirnya keluar sebagai pemenang).

BlackBerry dihajar dari kiri dan kanan serta digerogoti masalah internal. Bahkan dirilisnya BlackBerry 10 pun tidak mampu membawa BlackBerry untuk bersaing, apalagi kembali ke masa jayanya. Mike dan Jim akhirnya berhenti dari jabatan CEO. Cerita pun berakhir di situ.

Secara keseluruhan, buku ini menarik dan gampang untuk dibaca. Buku ini tidak menggunakan istilah-istilah IT yang rumit. Secara garis besar, buku ini mengisahkan tentang bagaimana BlackBerry mengubah dunia, tetapi gagal beradaptasi sehingga tertinggal jauh dari teknologi yang turut diciptakan olehnya. Untuk pengalaman berharga ini, walau anda bukan penggemar BlackBerry, anda perlu membaca buku ini.

PS: artikel ini ditulis dengan DTEK60, sebuah telepon BlackBerry, oleh penggemar BlackBerry.

The Lyrics

How do you listen to a song? Do you ever realize that there are actually many ways a person can enjoy a song? For a start, perhaps only when the music is catchy enough to attract our attention that we'll start listening to it. In the event that it's our favorite band, we may want to put on an earphone and listen to only the specific part of the music, for example, there are times when I actually pay attention to only George's guitar or Ringo's drums. Another way, and this is how my wife normally does it, is to play repeatedly the song with good music and vocals (she's into All I Ask of You from Phantom lately).

Remember those days when you flipped open and album and read the lyrics? 

As for me, I often dig further into the lyrics. I love the well-written lyrics, probably because I'm a writer myself. If you never noticed this before, do take note that some songs do have lyrics that are brilliant and relevant to our lives. The one below, written by John, is a good example:

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

~Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - John Lennon~ 

I don't know if you can sense it, but I always find the verse above fascinating. It is unusual and smart, like a casual remark that gently nudges us. After years of listening to many songs, I've gathered so much inspiration out of this hobby. You'll be surprised by how much you can learn. Things like the following one are solid gold:

There can be miracles, when you believe.

Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill.

~When You Believe - Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey~

I like how it speaks volumes about faith without preaching. So simple and yet so elegant. Same goes for this one. If you look beyond the fact that it was featured in Tarzan and sung by a female ape to her human son, it was very much about humanity:

Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust what they can't explain.
I know we're different but deep inside us,

We're not that different at all.

~You'll Be in My Heart - Phil Collins~

Talk about humanity, you hear people making noises all the time. Dissatisfaction is rampant, but by the end of the day, that's all there is to it: noises. If only you listen to what Michael sang a long time ago that if you want to make a change, you'll have to start with the man in the mirror and ask him to change his ways:

If you wanna make the world a better place,

Take a look at yourself and make that change.

~Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson~

The thing with songs is, it could have been something that you've heard many times before, but because the message is conveyed by the right voice with the right amount of sincerity and vulnerability, you believe it! The lyrics give us some perspective and the singers enable us to see it that way. Let's look at the particular lines from Ringo's song:

Maybe I haven't always been there just for you. 

Maybe I try but then I got my own life, too.

~Weight of the World - Ringo Starr~

Sometimes there are things in life that you think you shouldn't be doing. But through the songs like the one above, you are enlightened that certain things are not selfish acts at all. I mean, if someone who knows what he's doing sang it, just like Ringo here, I would stop and ponder to see if that actually made sense or not. And the lines above not only make sense, but are also beautifully written and realistic. Trust me on that, because if we are to quote John's, his lines are definitely more straight to the point:

After all is said and done,

You can't go pleasin' everyone, 

So screw it...

~I'm Stepping Out - John Lennon~

So what I have told you so far is just a glimpse of the lyrics that we can certainly relate with. If I really have to go in-depth, I will end up writing a book about it (in fact, I did at least two books with such topics when I was so much younger than today). For this occasion, I'd just like to give you an idea of how such hobby can benefit you if you listen carefully. Now, allow me to sign off with another favorite of mine, one that is based on love and bursting with optimism. I hope you like it, too. Here we go!

There's nothing you can do that can't be done

Nothing you can sing that can't be sung 

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game 

It's easy 

All you need is love...

~All You Need is Love - The Beatles~

PS: Remember, it's easy! All you need is love!

Tentang Lirik Lagu

Bagaimana biasanya anda mendengarkan lagu? Apakah pernah anda sadari bahwa ada banyak cara untuk menikmati lagu? Seringkali semua berawal dari musik yang menarik perhatian kita untuk mulai mendengarkannya. Kalau kita sedang mendengar lagu dari grup favorit kita, lebih enjoy rasanya kalau kita menggunakan earphone. Kalau saya melakukan ini dan mendengarkan lagu the Beatles, terkadang saya hanya fokus pada bagian tertentu, misalnya gitar yang dimainkan George atau drumnya Ringo. Alternatif lainnya, ada yang suka memutar lagu yang sama berulang kali, misalnya istri saya ketika dia terpesona dengan lagu All I Ask of You dari Phantom belakangan ini. Dia suka musik, suara dan teknik menyanyi yang bagus.

Bagi saya sendiri, saya sering memperhatikan bukan saja musiknya, tetapi juga liriknya, mungkin karena saya sendiri suka menulis. Jika hal ini tidak pernah anda perhatikan sebelumnya, menarik untuk diketahui bahwa ada banyak lagu yang mempunyai lirik yang bagus dan relevan bagi hidup kita. Sebagai contoh, yang satu ini, misalnya:

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. 

~Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - John Lennon~ 

Saya tidak tahu apakah anda bisa merasakannya, tapi saya selalu berpikir bahwa ini adalah sepenggal lirik yang mengagumkan. Ini adalah sebuah tulisan yang cerdas dan tidak biasa, layaknya seperti komentar yang santai namun membuat kita berpikir. Setelah bertahun-tahun mendengarkan banyak lagu, saya mendapatkan banyak inspirasi dari hobi ini, misalnya lirik berikut ini: 

There can be miracles, when you believe.

Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill.

~When You Believe - Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey~

Dengan hanya dua baris, lirik ini sudah berbicara lebih banyak dari khotbah yang panjang. Begitu sederhana, tetapi sangat elegan. Sama halnya dengan yang di bawah ini. Jika anda bisa mengabaikan fakta bahwa lagu ini ditampilkan di kartun Tarzan dan dinyanyikan oleh gorila betina kepada putranya yang merupakan anak manusia, makna lagu ini sebenarnya sangat manusiawi:

Why can't they understand the way we feel?

They just don't trust what they can't explain.

I know we're different but deep inside us,

We're not that different at all.

~You'll Be in My Heart - Phil Collins~

Bicara tentang manusiawi, kita mendengarkan banyak orang mengeluh setiap saat. Ketidakpuasan ada di mana-mana, namun pada akhirnya, yang tersisa hanyalah keluhan semata. Hasilnya akan berbeda kalau saja kita mendengarkan tentang apa yang pernah dilantunkan Michael dulu, bahwa jika anda ingin membuat perubahan, anda harus mulai dari dari diri anda sendiri: 

If you wanna make the world a better place,

Take a look at yourself and make that change.

~Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson~

Yang unik dari lirik lagu adalah, walaupun topik yang sama mungkin sudah pernah anda dengar berulang kali, tapi karena kali ini disampaikan oleh suara yang tepat, anda jadi bisa mempercayainya. Lirik lagu memberikan kita sebuah perspektif dan penyanyinya membuat kita bisa melihat sudut pandang tersebut. Lirik dari Ringo di bawah ini, misalnya: 

Maybe I haven't always been there just for you. 

Maybe I try but then I got my own life, too.

~Weight of the World - Ringo Starr~

Kadang ada beberapa hal dalam hidup yang kita rasa tidak boleh dilakukan. Akan tetapi, lewat lagu seperti yang di atas, kita jadi diingatkan bahwa kita tidaklah egois jika kita sudah mencoba tapi tidak selalu bisa menolong orang lain. Maksud saya, jika musisi sekaliber Ringo yang menyanyikannya, saya akan berhenti sejenak untuk memikirkannya. Lirik di atas bukan saja masuk akal, tetapi juga ditulis dalam bahasa yang indah. Kalau kita lihat topik yang sama dari sudut pandang John, hasilnya akan lebih sederhana dan apa adanya: 

After all is said and done,

You can't go pleasin' everyone, 

So screw it...

~I'm Stepping Out - John Lennon~

Jadi kira-kira seperti gambaran tentang apa yang bisa kita pelajari dari lirik lagu yang relevan. Jika saya harus membahas lebih dalam, mungkin saya harus menulis satu buku tentang ini (dan saya sudah pernah melakukannya sekitar lima belas tahun yang lalu). Untuk kesempatan ini, saya hanya ingin memberikan gagasan kepada anda tentang topik ini, jadi coba dengarkan lagi dengan baik lagu favorit anda. Nah, untuk menutup artikel ini, mari kita simak lirik favorit saya di bawah ini, lirik yang penuh dengan cinta dan rasa optimis. Saya harap anda menyukainya juga: 

There's nothing you can do that can't be done

Nothing you can sing that can't be sung 

Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game 

It's easy 

All you need is love...

~All You Need is Love - The Beatles~

PS: Ingat, pada dasarnya semua itu mudah! Yang anda butuhkan adalah cinta!

Penggalan lirik lagu yang ditulis bersama Ardian.

Padang Rice

When I was a primary school student, there were these two eateries that I always found intriguing. One was Rumah Makan Sahara, which I would pass by when I was on my way to school, and the other was Rumah Makan Barito, which I also passed by when I went home after school. They both had this mysterious display made of plates lined up side by side and stacked on top of each other. I never really figured out what that strange formation of plates really was for until I grew up and, much to my own amusement, I still never step into and eat at either one both eateries. May be I should do that one day, for the sake of having a closure. Anyway, by not understanding what I saw when I was younger, I actually missed out what was arguably the most famous food from Indonesia for easily the first 18 years of my life.

I first tried Nasi Padang with my friend and band mate Susanto Phang. It was late at night, perhaps around 11pm Pontianak time, after our high school graduation party at the public swimming pool. I didn't eat during the party as I was nervous about our upcoming band performance then (I remember doing Oasis on the top of the platform at the pool side where audience seats were located), so after the party was over, we went to Melda, to the one before Rumah Makan Barito (I was never aware of its existence, likely due to the fact that it was just an obscure tiny stall). What we had was, probably, the leftover for the day. It was rice with fried tofu, a bit of beef rendang, cassava leaves and the coconut milk gravy.

The dishes was served at Rumah Makan Sederhana in Tanjungpinang!

It was so simple and might not even sound tempting, but if there was any learning curve in life about how the look could be deceiving, this had to be the one! I was skeptical prior to my first bite, but I was a convert the moment I was done with my package of rice. Clearly satisfied that he was the one who introduced me to this life changing experience, Susanto reveled in his I-told-you-so moment.

I learnt later that Melda was actually one of the most popular joint for Nasi Padang in my hometown. As I grew to like it, I joined my Hotel Kartika colleagues whenever they opted for Nasi Padang (I think the name of the eatery was Darmias, but it no longer exists as it was burnt down during the fire incident). We always had the usual dishes, ie. the ones I named earlier plus others like perkedel (fried mashed potatoes), bakwan jagung (corn fritters) and fried or grilled chicken.

I thought that was it for Nasi Padang, but little did I know that my journey had just begun. It was when I moved to Jakarta that I got to know the real deal. I became aware of other menus such as fried beef lung, beef tendon and fish eggs. After that, I went for the national standard, Rumah Makan Sederhana, the franchise well-known for its irresistible green chilli and Ayam Pop (the light colored fried stewed chicken), and it became my favorite restaurant since then. By the way, sederhana means humble in Bahasa Indonesia, but when I got the bill, I often joked that the price was not humble at all, haha.

The dishes from the left: the beef tendon, the cassava leaves and the beef lung.
Location: Rumah Makan Sederhana, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta.

Nasi Padang is so popular and unique due to two main reasons. First, it has plenty of dishes that one can choose. If you count the menus I mentioned above, there are already 12 of them. There are still many more such as egg or prawn with gravy, beef jerky, fried fish, etc. The dishes have a rich taste as if they don't hold back in order to give you the best gourmet experience ever. Secondly, it is about how the food is presented. All the dishes are served until they fill up the whole table. I always love to see the reaction of the foreigners that come to a Padang restaurant for the first time, because they'll have this funny, confused look due to the unexpected element of surprise.

While we're still on this subject, another thing worth mentioning is when you ask for the bill. The waiter will come and note down what you have eaten, but sometimes the color of the gravy from different dishes can look pretty similar, so if you finish the whole dish, leaving only the gravy on the plates, only God knows whether the waiter actually lists down the correct dishes or not!

I always crave for Nasi Padang from time to time. In Singapore, Sari Ratu is the only restaurant that manages to achieve the quality that is almost as authentic as the one in Indonesia. However, when the temptation of having two plates of rice with my favorite dishes such as cassava leaves, green chilli, beef lung and tendon soaked on coconut milk curry was ever unbearable, that was when I would at least cross the sea and head to Batam. Oh yes, I would go the distance just for a taste of Indonesia...

All the happy faces, after the meal at Sari Ratu.

Nasi Padang

Ketika saya masih duduk di Sekolah Dasar, ada dua tempat makan yang selalu menarik perhatian saya. Yang pertama adalah Rumah Makan Sahara yang selalu saya lewati sewaktu saya menuju sekolah dan yang satu lagi, yang selalu saya lintasi saat pulang sekolah, adalah Rumah Makan Barito. Dua tempat makan ini memiliki etalase yang unik dimana piring-piring diletakkan berjejer dan saling bertumpukan sehingga membentuk dua atau tiga baris piring. Saya baru memahami formasi piring yang aneh ini bertahun-tahun kemudian. Lucunya, sampai sekarang saya belum pernah mampir untuk bersantap di dua rumah makan ini. Mungkin ada baiknya saya ke sana untuk mengakhiri rasa penasaran saya. Akan tetapi inti dari cerita singkat ini adalah, karena saya tidak mengerti apa yang sebenarnya mereka jual, selama 18 tahun pertama dalam hidup saya, saya melewatkan apa yang rasanya layak disebut sebagai makanan paling terkenal dari Indonesia.

Rumah Makan Sahara, Pontianak.
Source: Google Maps.

Saya pertama kali mencoba Nasi Padang karena diajak oleh teman yang juga satu grup musik dengan saya, Susanto Phang. Saat itu sudah cukup malam, mungkin sekitar jam 11 waktu Pontianak, seusai acara pesta perpisahan sekolah di kolam renang Oevang Oeray. Saya tidak makan malam karena agak gugup sebelum tampil (sewaktu pentas, kita memainkan lagu Oasis di panggung yang terletak di tempat duduk penonton di samping kolam). Susanto lantas membonceng saya ke Melda, tempat makan yang letaknya beberapa blok sebelum Rumah Makan Barito (aneh juga bahwa sebelumnya saya tidak pernah menyadari keberadaan cabang Melda ini, mungkin karena tempatnya yang kecil mungil). Di sana kita membeli apa yang tersisa dari masakan hari tersebut: sebungkus nasi dengan tahu, sedikit rendang, daun singkong dan kuah kari. 

Kelihatannya sangat sederhana dan bahkan mungkin tidak mengundang selera makan, tapi jika di dalam hidup ini ada proses pembelajaran tentang bagaimana penampilan bisa mengecoh, maka ini adalah salah satunya! Saya sangat merasa ragu sebelum makan, tapi setelah saya tuntaskan satu bungkus nasi tersebut, wawasan saya langsung terbuka. Susanto tersenyum puas karena dia berhasil menjadi orang yang memperkenalkan saya dengan satu pengalaman yang mengubah hidup.

Belakangan baru saya ketahui bahwa Melda termasuk tempat makan yang populer di Pontianak. Karena saya mulai menyukainya, saya turut serta apabila teman-teman kantor saya di Hotel Kartika memilih Nasi Padang sebagai menu makan siang (kita biasanya membeli di Darmias. Kalau tidak salah ingat, tempat makan ini sudah tidak ada lagi semenjak kebakaran). Selain menu yang saya sebutkan sebelumnya, kadang kita juga memesan perkedel, bakwan jagung dan ayam bakar atau goreng.

Saya mengira itu adalah semua menu yang tersedia untuk Nasi Padang, tapi ternyata perjalanan kuliner saya baru dimulai. Ketika saya pindah ke Jakarta, barulah saya menyadari, apa sebenarnya yang dinamakan Nasi Padang itu. Saya jadi tahu bahwa ada menu-menu lain seperti paru, kikil dan telur ikan. Setelah itu, saya mencoba standar nasional, Rumah Makan Sederhana, yang terkenal dengan cabe hijau dan ayam pop-nya. Rumah Makan Sederhana akhirnya menjadi restoran favorit saya. Menarik untuk dicatat, meski namanya adalah Rumah Makan Sederhana, setiap kali saya melihat tagihannya, saya biasa bercanda bahwa harga yang tertera tidak terlihat sederhana, haha.

Sajian makanan di Restoran Garuda, Kelapa Gading, Jakarta.

Kalau saya amati, Nasi Padang itu populer dan unik karena dua alasan utama. Pertama, banyaknya sayur dan lauk-pauk yang bisa dipilih. Jika anda menghitung menu yang sudah saya sebutkan di atas, itu saja sudah ada 12 macam masakan. Masih ada lagi yang lain seperti telur, udang, dendeng, ikan dan masih banyak lagi. Yang terpenting dari beraneka macam masakan ini adalah kualitas rasanya yang gurih dan lezat sehingga memberikan kepuasan dalam bersantap yang tiada tara. Yang kedua adalah tentang bagaimana Nasi Padang ini disajikan. Semua masakan ini digelar sampai penuh di atas meja. Saya selalu senang melihat reaksi orang asing yang datang restoran Padang untuk pertama kalinya, sebab mereka akan terperangah karena belum pernah melihat cara penyajian yang seperti ini. 

Selagi kita masih di topik penyajian makanan ini, satu hal unik yang pantas disebut di sini adalah ketika anda memanggil bon tagihan. Seorang pelayan akan datang dan mencatat apa yang sudah dimakan, tapi terkadang warna dari kuah kari untuk beberapa makanan yang berbeda itu terlihat sama, jadi jika anda menghabiskan makanan dan hanya menyisakan kuahnya di piring, hanya Tuhan yang tahu apakah pelayan tersebut menuliskan menu yang benar di catatannya!

Dari waktu ke waktu, di dalam diri saya selalu muncul rasa ingin menyantap Nasi Padang. Di Singapura, Sari Ratu adalah satu-satunya restoran yang berhasil mencapai kualitas yang hampir sama otentiknya dengan Nasi Padang di Indonesia. Akan tetapi, jika godaan untuk menikmati dua piring nasi dengan lauk daun singkong, cabe hijau, paru dan kikil yang disajikan dengan kuahnya sudah di ubun-ubun, saya biasanya tidak sungkan untuk menyeberang laut menuju Batam atau bahkan berkelana lebih jauh lagi. Oh ya, demi kenikmatan citra rasa Indonesia, tidak ada alasan untuk tidak pulang... 

Parno dan Ardian di Melda, Pontianak, 2014.