Malaysia Boleh: Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is likely to be the only city I had been for work, transit and leisure. I also went there by various types of transportation, from taking coach, train and flying. However, if you think that I must have been very familiar with the city by now, I have to say I'm not. Despite the fact that I mentioned above, I don't go there very often. As luck would have it, I only went there once in a blue moon, just enough for me not to forget how the city roughly looks like.

Yet KL managed to secure a place in my heart in a strangest way possible. My first business trip to KL was to meet up with my customer, CIMB. On the next trip I had few years later, CIMB was now my employer. As for transit, let's not forget that KL is the home of AirAsia. I stopped in KL when I travelled to Laos and China. I also alighted at KL Central (after a seven-hour train ride from Johor Bahru) when I visited Kota Kemuning, the suburb where my friend Wiwi is staying. For some strange reason, KL and I would cross path from time to time.

Visiting the Petronas towers.
From left: Hendyono, Markus, Sudarto, Tommy and Setia.

Come to think of it, I only had two proper visits to KL so far. The first one was a bus ride together with my housemates then. The duration was roughly around five hours, I think, and we arrived at the wee hours since we departed at night. We hung out at a local coffee shop for an early breakfast before we decided to walk to Radius International Hotel in Bukit Bintang area. After checking in, we took the train to visit the Petronas towers and Suria KLCC. Later on that day, we went to Sunway Lagoon for lunch (and that's where I had Nandos for the first time). The day was ended with dinner at Alor Street Food and a short visit to Berjaya Times Square, right before it was closed for the day. We went to Puduraya bus interchange and headed to Malacca on the following day.

The second trip I had was also with another group of housemates, Jimmy and Ng Lina. We flew there to meet Endrico who worked in KL at that time. The first day we were there, we went to Genting for cold weather and casino. Day 2 was more of shopping mall visits, then we went back for a nap before we headed to KL Central and returned to Singapore.

Truth to be told, even though I had visited KL a couple of times, I didn't get to explore and see much of KL. What I can tell you is, I think KL is like a hybrid of Singapore and Jakarta, but feels like none. I don't find it charming or brimming with strong personality, but hey, what do I know? Perhaps a proper visit with a native Malaysian will change all that, haha...

The second proper visit to Malaysia.
From left: Anthony, Endrico and Jimmy.

Malaysia Boleh: Kuala Lumpur

Sepertinya Kuala Lumpur adalah satu-satunya kota yang pernah saya kunjungi dalam rangka kerja, transit dan liburan. Saya ke sana dengan berbagai macam sarana transportasi, mulai dari bis, kereta api dan pesawat. Kendati begitu, jika anda mengira saya mengenal KL dengan baik, harus saya katakan bahwa itu tidak benar. Meski deskripsi di atas memberikan kesan bahwa saya kerap kali ke sana, sesungguhnya saya jarang mengunjungi KL. Saya hanya pergi ke sana beberapa lama sekali sehingga cukup untuk mengingatkan saya bahwa KL itu kira-kira seperti apa. 

Akan tetapi KL berhasil mendapatkan tempat khusus di hati saya dengan cara yang teramat sangat unik. Perjalanan bisnis saya yang pertama adalah untuk bertemu dengan CIMB, nasabah saya saat itu. Di kali berikutnya saya ke KL untuk hal yang sama, CIMB sudah menjadi tempat saya bekerja. Kalau bicara tentang transit, KL adalah markas AirAsia. Saya singgah di ibukota Malaysia ini saat saya mengunjungi Laos dan Cina. Saya juga merapat ke KL Central (setelah perjalanan selama tujuh jam dengan menggunakan kereta dari Johor Bahru) saat saya bermain ke Kota Kemuning, daerah pemukiman tempat teman saya Wiwi berada. Untuk hal-hal seperti inilah saya datang ke KL dari waktu ke waktu. 

Markus dan teh tarik, saat kita tiba di KL di pagi hari.

Kalau dipikirkan lagi, sampai sejauh ini saya hanya pernah dua kali mengunjungi KL sebagai tempat tujuan liburan. Kunjungan pertama adalah bersama teman-teman serumah dan di kala itu, kita menaiki bis dan menempuh perjalanan darat selama lima jam. Karena berangkat di malam hari, kita tiba di pagi buta. Kita mampir sejenak di warung kopi untuk sarapan, lantas berjalan ke Radius Hotel yang berada di kawasan Bukit Bintang. Setelah check-in, kita menaiki kereta menuju ke menara Petronas dan Suria KLCC. Menjelang siang, kita pergi ke Sunway Lagoon (dan saya pertama kalinya mencicipi Nandos di situ). Hari tersebut pun kita tutup dengan makan malam di Jalan Alor serta kunjungan singkat ke Berjaya Times Square, sesaat sebelum pusat perbelanjaan itu tutup. Keesokan harinya, kita berangkat ke Melaka dari terminal bis Puduraya. 

Liburan kedua di KL juga saya lalui bersama teman-teman serumah, kali ini pesertanya adalah Jimmy dan Ng Lina. Kita berangkat untuk menjumpai Endrico yang saat itu bekerja di KL. Di hari pertama, kita berangkat ke Genting untuk kasino dan cuaca yang sejuk. Pada hari kedua, kita bertualang dari satu mal ke mal lain, lalu kembali ke apartemen untuk beristirahat sejenak. Setelah itu kita berangkat ke KL Central dan bertolak ke bandara untuk kembali ke Singapura. 

Berdasarkan ringkasan di atas, anda bisa mengerti kenapa saya tidak begitu mengenal KL. Meski saya berulang kali ke sana, saya tidak pernah benar-benar menjelajahi kotanya. Kesan yang saya dapat sejauh ini adalah, KL mirip seperti perpaduan Singapura dan Jakarta, tapi tidak memiliki daya tarik keduanya. Namun mungkin ini adalah pendapat orang yang minim pengalamannya, haha. Suatu hari nanti, mungkin perjalanan bersama orang Malaysia lokal bisa mengubah pandangan ini...

Jimmy, Ng Lina dan Endrico bersantai di apartemen, sesaat sebelum kita menuju ke KL Central.

Book Review: Ahok And The Untold Stories

When it comes to reading, there are books that I only read at home because they are very touching that I can't help crying after reading it half-way (I'm not a tough man, but in my defence, it's perfectly healthy to cry). I happened to have books from such category. One is books written by Sinead Moriarty (she surely knows how to make me laugh and cry), the others are books about Ahok.

Ahok was like a shooting star. In a very short span of time as a governor of Jakarta, he set examples and touched so many lives, especially Indonesians. He cared for his people and he showed us that things could be done differently. However, for whatever good that he tried to make, he ended up in jail instead. This is why his is such a compelling story. It was so unfair, but yet so inspiring.

This book was written by those interns at city hall. They not only saw the ex-governor with their own eyes, but they worked with him as well. It was based on firsthand observation, therefore I was very curious about it and I immediately got a help from my friend to obtain it. True enough, it didn't disappoint. From the book, I learnt more about what was going on at that time.

I already knew that Ahok was a very capable person. But it was amusing to read how he was willing to teach and be taught by others. The interns often quote him saying, "if you are smart, teach. If you are stupid, listen." This, apparently, was no exception for the man himself. Even though Ahok was publicly known to be loud, he did listen a lot from others, too.

Some of us might also remember the videos of official meeting that were uploaded on YouTube. Ahok was transparent, ever consistent in both words and actions. He was smart and quick in making decisions. Apart from revealing the impact of those videos to the civil servants, it was interesting to note that he wasn't afraid if the video captured him making mistakes. He was fully aware that he wasn't always going to be right all the time and he expected that we'd learn from his mistakes if there were any.

As the governor of Jakarta, he was a busy man. Every morning when he arrived at city hall, Ahok was greeted by the less fortunate people. He walked into all sorts of problems waiting for him to solved and he tackled them all in stride. In office, he simplified the bureaucracy to make it more efficient. The book showcased a blame game between Sanitary Office and the so-called Water Management Office due to the convoluted and overlapping responsibilities between the two. To the uninitiated, the inefficiency was mind blowing. Ahok obliterated such legacies and brought upon us the new era of bureaucracy, for example the consolidated governmental services known as Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu.

Then of course there were chapters about budgeting and corruption. Those who worked with Ahok remembered how he scrutinised each line of the budgeting plan to ensure that it was accountable. Ahok didn't budge even when he was antagonised by the parliament members (some of them were eventually proven guilty by the Corruption Watch). He stood tall against all odds.

I am particularly impressed with Ahok's vision of Jakarta Smart City. It began with his personal habit of reading every SMS sent to him by the people of Jakarta. He was a dedicated man, but with a primitive approach. The interns then built him something that was more viable. It was a computerised system where all the messages could be read, delegated to the relevant team and actioned. If only this is continued by the current governor, Jakarta would have been a really modern city that was once envisioned by Ahok. Too bad it doesn't turn out to be that way. What a loss.

Lastly, there were also few stories about Vero. We know now that their marriage didn't last. But this was back then, when she was the wife of a governor. She did her best in her role. Reading those stories reminded me again that she was only human. Her work should be separated and acknowledged, despite the fact that she failed her marriage. Let's not condemn her but remember her good work instead.

Now, back to Ahok, how is the man not inspiring? We'll remember the good fight he had fought. To quote the words of the intern that wrote the first chapter, "it's all Ahok's fault. He made us fall in love with the government, bureaucracy and our beloved country." Don't ever stop believing...

The legendary remark on the budget planning that says, "your Grandma's understanding."
Illustration from: Ahok dan hal-hal yang belum terungkap.

Ahok Dan Hal-Hal Yang Belum Terungkap

Berbicara tentang bacaan, ada buku-buku tertentu yang hanya saya baca di rumah karena isinya sangat menyentuh dan seringkali membuat saya meneteskan air mata (saya bukan pria tangguh, tapi saya rasa menangis itu berarti sehat secara emosional). Di dalam koleksi buku-buku saya, yang termasuk kategori ini adalah karangan Sinead Moriarty (penulis ini tahu caranya membuat saya tertawa dan menangis) dan tentu saja buku-buku tentang Ahok.

Ahok tidak ubahnya seperti bintang kejora. Di dalam masa jabatannya yang singkat sebagai gubernur, dia telah memberikan banyak teladan dan menyentuh hidup begitu banyak orang, terutama orang Indonesia. Dia peduli akan nasib rakyatnya dan dia menunjukkan bahwa banyak hal bisa dilakukan dengan cara yang berbeda dengan yang selama ini kita yakini. Akan tetapi, untuk segala perubahan yang ia lakukan, kini ia malah mendekam di penjara. Karena inilah kisahnya sangat menggugah. Apa yang ia alami sangat tidak adil, tapi apa yang ia perbuat sangat menginspirasi. 

Buku ini ditulis oleh para karyawan yang magang di balaikota. Mereka tidak saja melihat sepak terjang Ahok dengan mata mereka sendiri, tetapi juga bekerja sama dengannya. Pengalaman langsung dari mereka inilah yang dirangkum menjadi buku, oleh karena itu saya merasa sangat tertarik dan lekas meminta teman saya untuk membelinya. This book was written by those interns at city hall. Hasilnya tidak mengecewakan. Dari buku ini, saya bisa membayangkan apa yang terjadi di kala Ahok menjabat.

Saya sudah tahu bahwa Ahok adalah orang yang berkemampuan. Justru karena itulah makanya fakta bahwa dia bersedia mengajar dan juga diajari terasa menarik. Para karyawan magang ini sering mengutip perkataan Ahok sendiri bahwa, "yang pintar mengajar, yang bodoh nurut." Ahok berbicara apa adanya dan dirinya sendiri pun bukanlah pengecualian. Meski ia terkenal banyak berbicara, siapa sangka dia pun tekun mendengar pendapat orang lain?

Beberapa dari kita juga pasti masih mengingat video-video rapat yang diunggah di Youtube oleh Pemprov DKI. Ahok senantiasa transparan dan konsisten, baik dalam perkataan maupun perbuatan. Dia cerdas dan cepat dalam mengambil keputusan. Buku ini juga mengisahkan tentang dampak dari video-video ini pada PNS di balaikota. Juga menarik untuk dicatat bahwa Ahok tidak takut bila dia berbuat kesalahan dan terekam oleh kamera. Dia sadar betul bahwa dia tidak selamanya membuat keputusan yang tepat dan dia berharap orang lain juga bisa belajar dari kesalahannya.

Sebagai gubernur Jakarta, Ahok adalah seorang yang sibuk. Di pagi hari saat dia tiba di balaikota, dia sudah disambut oleh mereka yang kurang beruntung nasibnya. Ahok melangkah dalam setiap masalah yang disampaikan padanya dan memberikan solusi. Di kantor, dia juga bekerja keras menyederhanakan birokrasi yang berbelit-belit. Buku ini menyorot tentang bagaimana Dinas Kebersihan dan Dinas Tata Air saling melempar tanggung jawab, suatu pemandangan yang mencengangkan bagi mereka yang tidak terbiasa dengan inefisiensi kantor pemerintah. Salah satu terobosan yang dilakukan Ahok adalah mengubah sistem yang ada, misalnya Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu. 

Kemudian tentu saja ada bab-bab tentang anggaran dan korupsi. Mereka yang pernah magang dan membantu Ahok ingat tentang bagaimana dia menyisir baris demi baris anggaran untuk memastikan bahwa semuanya bisa dipertanggungjawabkan. Ahok bahkan tidak takut ketika anggota dewan yang terhormat berupaya menjegalnya dengan berbagai cara (beberapa di antaranya akhirnya terbukti bersalah dan ditangkap KPK). Ahok teguh pada pendiriannya meskipun diserang dari kiri-kanan.  

Saya terkesan terutama dengan visi Ahok tentang Jakarta Smart City. Di buku diceritakan bagaimana Ahok biasa membaca setiap SMS yang dikirim warga Jakarta. Ahok memiliki dedikasi yang tinggi, tapi caranya sangat primitif. Akhirnya tim yang membantunya membuatkan sistem yang bisa menampilkan setiap SMS di layar monitor sehingga bisa dipantau dan ditindak dengan cepat. Jika saja sistem ini masih dilanjutkan oleh gubernur sekarang, tentunya hari ini Jakarta akan selangkah lebih maju. Sayang sekali sebuah sistem dengan konsep seperti ini disia-siakan begitu saja. 

Terakhir, buku ini juga memuat beberapa cerita tentang Vero. Kita tahu sekarang bahwa pernikahan Ahok dan Vero telah bubar. Tapi cerita-cerita ini adalah ketika dia masih menyandang posisi sebagai istri gubernur. Dia melakukan yang terbaik sesuai perannya. Membaca cerita tentang Vero dan mengingat apa yang telah dilakukannya, saya jadi teringat bahwa dia pun manusia biasa. Hasil karyanya pantas dikenang sebagaimana adanya dan tidaklah pantas bila dicampuradukkan dengan masalah pribadi mereka. 

Kembali lagi ke Ahok, semakin dibaca, semakin saya merasa dia sungguh menginspirasi. Dia akan selalu dikenang karena telah memberikan yang terbaik dan menjalani semuanya secara ksatria. Kalau boleh saya mengutip tulisan seorang karyawan magang, "semua ini salah Ahok. Dia membuat kita mencintai pemerintahan, birokrasi dan negara kita yang tercinta..."

Sampul depan.

First Chapter

Hello, 101 readers,

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been spending day and night working on my book, and no longer have time for much else as I want to finish it within three years. That is my goal at least. I don't have anything new so I thought I would post some of what I've been working on. This is the first chapter again, but it's been changed a lot - hopefully for the better.

THE ROGUE SCHOLAR

The plane that flies under the radar is the one that makes the kill.

          There I sat in a dingy, poorly lit, Greek restaurant. A delicious, well-stuffed gyro oozing tzatziki sauce lay on my plate like a bleeding gazelle just waiting to be devoured by a predator, which in this case was myself. My dad had kicked me out of his apartment for good at the tender age of nineteen years old just a few hours prior. As much as I was aware of how frighteningly unprepared I was to face the world, there was no situation food couldn’t instantly make better. How a Greek restaurant managed to survive in a Southern California barrio is beyond me. Usually the spectrum of ethnic food ranged from taco shops to pupuserias with not much in between. Brave new world I guess. Facing me on the other side of the table sat a massive 6-foot 2-inch Mexican powerlifter named Lumpy. He had a bic’ed head, a sleeve tattoo, and arms as big as most people’s legs. It must have been quite a contrast to see him sitting across from me, a shorter mostly fat, somewhat buff, white kid. Once he finished saying grace, I was finally able to do my thing.

          “Damn, Brick, you ever actually chew your food?” Lumpy asked me as I power-ate my gyro.

          “No,” I replied.

         I stared at him, assessing him mentally as I shoveled food into my mouth. There sat a man different from me in every way possible - a lighthearted, sharp-tonged, jock who was shallow albeit kind. True he must have faced adversity growing up on the mean streets of National City back in the 80’s, but as the center on his high school’s varsity football team, he was given much love and leeway for his physical talents. That’s what gave him his shallow jokester nature, I assumed. He would never know what it was like to be a hated reject like myself. The beautiful, happy people are incapable of reaching the depth of thought that those of us with tragically painful childhoods could obtain. We became deep thinkers by reflecting back on the suffering, becoming amateur philosophers as we sought to give meaning to it all.

          And while I appreciated the fact that he took me out to dinner to cheer me up after getting kicked out, the truth was, outside of a gym, this man had nothing to teach me. In fact, that’s where we had met a few months prior, at Kegrice Gym, a hole-in-the-wall powerlifting gym on Fourth and Vine in downtown San Diego. I had finally found that spot after a months-long search. Powerlifting gyms aren’t like Zumbas - they can’t be found on every corner.

          I still remember my first day walking into the gym. A symphony of clanking weights and random grunts greeted my ears while a mixed aroma of rubber and sweat assaulted my nose as I shook hands with Kegrice, the guy who ran and named the gym. The smell was one that I came to love believe it or not because lifting weights at Kegrice’s was the highlight of my day after dealing with the tension of living with my abusive father.

          The place was filled broken men like myself though most of them were a bit older and way more badass then I ever would be. Many of them had funny nicknames too like Don “Shopping Cart” Rodriguez. He got his nickname because he once got in a fight with an Asian guy over a parking space at a strip mall. The Asian guy whipped out a butterfly knife and got all fancy with it. To defend himself, Don grabbed the nearest weapon he could get his hands on. As you may have guessed, it was a shopping cart. Then there was a guy they called Tri short for Triathlete. I always figured they called him that because he must have participated in Ironman competitions. Silly me. One day he alluded to the fact that he hated running.

           “But you’re a triathlete?” I asked in confusion. The whole gym busted up laughing.

         “Tri ain’t a triathlete,” Kegrice explained. “We call him that because one time he was riding his bike at night on the beach and he cops pulled him over. They searched him and right as the cop felt the package of meth in his jacket, Tri made a run for it. He ran to the ocean and jumped in. The cops were pissed. They even had a helicopter fly over the ocean to look for him but he was hiding under a pier. So since he rode his bike, ran, and swam all in one night we call him Triathlete.”

         Kegrice himself was called “Carp.” Something to do with being a bottom feeder when it came to his choice in women. But of all the characters in the gym, Kegrice paired me up with Lumpy as a lifting partner. He thought we’d be a good match even though I was much weaker than he.

          Back at the Greek restaurant Lumpy began to advise me.

          “I know things are rough right now, Brick. It feels like this is the worst it’s ever been. But it’ll get better.”

         I paid no attention to his Hallmark spiel. Instead I wondered how long it was going to take before he hated me like everyone else I met eventually did. Because while I did have a certain amount of charm, it always only ever lasted so long. Whether it was five minutes, five months, or even five years, it would inevitably wear off. At that point my likable façade was exposed as fraudulent, and I had to move on and find myself a new friend, or scene, or crew as the case may be.

         “I know you think I’m too cool to get what it’s like to be you,” he continued. “But you’re wrong. I bet right now, you’re not even listening to a word I’m saying. Instead you’re worrying about what I think of you, and you feel distant.”

          The thoughts that were running through my mind stopped in their tracks. I felt the blood drain from my face. Woah, did this meathead just read my mind!? I thought to myself. His dissection didn’t stop there.

          “You probably moved around a lot as a kid,” he observed.

          “Yup. Eight different cities, two states, and even another country, and I’m only nineteen.”

          “Another country? Which one?”

          “Germany.”

          “You speak German?”

          “No, but I’m fluent in French.”

          “Of course; makes perfect sense,” he quipped. “Your parents don’t love you much, do they?”

          “That obvious, huh?”

          Despite my nonchalant replies I was in shock. I couldn’t believe he managed to figure out so much about me in so little time. We had never even hung out outside the gym before that night.

          “Oh, I could tell you had abandonment issues the second you walked into the gym,” Lumpy continued. “I knew exactly why you were there too. You think if you’re strong on the outside it’ll make up for your lack of strength on the inside. I’m guessing you don’t have a lot of friends.”

          “Do you count?”

          “Yeah, fuck it. Why not?”

          “OK, so that’s two.”

          Lumpy cracked a smile at my joke, but I was still in awe. All those workouts he spent messing around, incessantly cracking jokes and seeming as if he was incapable of taking anything other than his powerlifting career seriously - all that time he had been paying attention, analyzing, sizing up. However I was a very private person, and was as horrified at being exposed as I was impressed at his ability to do so.

          “Let’s get out of here,” I said, wanting to end this most uncomfortable conversation.

          “There’s a park down the street. Let’s go spark a joint,” Lumpy replied.

          We loaded into my ’92 hatchback Civic which now served as both my car and home. I started her up and gave the engine a couple minutes to get warm.

          “I gotta admit, bro, I never thought you were this perceptive. You see who I am. I thought you were too much of jock to understand.”

          “Thing is, Brick, that pretty girl who wouldn’t give you the time of day back in high school, she had her struggles too. Just cause you didn’t see them doesn’t mean they weren’t there. And her pain is just as real as yours.”

          His voice was slightly high pitched – not higher than a normal one I guess just higher than what one might expect from a muscle-bound powerlifter. It always had a slight tinge of sarcasm he could never quite shake even when speaking about serious subjects. No doubt a result of having been a smart-ass his whole life.

          “Maybe, but I’m still way more messed up in the head then she’ll ever be,” I replied as I put my car in reverse and finally pulled out of my parking spot.

          “And it’s good that you’re aware of that, but don’t forget, the world will not forgive you your shortcomings just because there’s a good reason that you have them.”

         “That’s so true. Dude, you should be a preacher,” I said as Lumpy began guiding me to the park. He cracked a smile in response.

          “You know I used to be a drug smuggler.”

          “Really?”

          “Yeah I used to run product from Mexico to Vegas and I used to cook meth too. Make a left at the light. Other left.”

         “Wow, that’s crazy,” I said almost more to myself than Lumpy.

         “I am a powerlifter after all. Watch out for that guy riding a bike.”

         “He’s on the other side of the street!”

         “Yeah, but I seen how you drove on the way over here.”

         “Whatever. So what’s you being a powerlifter have to do with drug smuggling?”

         “You ever seen a powerlifter working at McDonald’s?”

         “No.”

         “Right, because powerlifters either have degrees and real careers, or they make money getting hired for protection by mafia and kingpins and whatnot. Plus, we get in on the drug trade through our steroid connections.”

         We soon pulled up to the park. Finding a tree to lean up against we watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon, giving the sky, willow trees, and everything else directly in its rays’ path a warm, orange glow. Children’s laughter off in the distance - more an expression of joy to be alive than an expression of finding something humorous - provided the soundtrack to this postcard-worthy scene. It would have been a beautiful evening to enjoy had I not just been made homeless. Lumpy pulled a joint out of his pocket. He tilted his head down and slightly to the right as he lit it up cupping his hand to shield the cherry from the breeze that threatened to extinguish it.

          “So you said, ‘used to’ be a drug smuggler. What do you do now?” I asked him.

          “I pan for gold,” he replied passing me the joint.

          “What the fuck!?” I took a hit, held it in, slowly blew it out. “Where you pan for gold at?”

          “Can’t tell you.”

          I laughed. “You afraid I’m gonna to get in on your racket?”

         “No. But where I go isn’t exactly a public location. The people who own the land wouldn’t be happy if they knew what I was up to.”

         Lumpy was often mysteriously vague, I came to find out, which only elicited the very curiosity he was trying to avoid.

       “You’re an interesting individual, I’ll give you that. So you must have some stories from your drug smuggling days.”

          “One or two.”

          “Tell me some. I have nowhere to go.”

       He obliged my request and proceeded to keep my mind off my new-found hardship by recounting some of his stories. They ranged from the funny to the serious. There was, for example, the time he dropped his ecstasy pills while gambling at a craps table. “Oh no!” he exclaimed, “my aspirin!” as he got on all fours and scurried around the floor in desperate search of his pricey pharmaceuticals.

          There was also the time he and a friend were doing lines of blow off a toilet tank in a bathroom stall of a casino. They were by themselves when they went in, but by the time they finished snorting lines, the restroom was packed. They waited in the stall for the place to clear, but people kept rotating in and out.

          After losing patience, his friend said, “Dude we can’t spend all night in a bathroom stall. Let’s just walk out. We’re big-ass powerlifters; what’s anybody gonna say?”

          “After you,” Lumpy replied. So his friend walked out followed by Lumpy who then zipped up his pants.

          “What are you doing?” his friend asked, noticing him zipping up his fly.

          “If we’re gonna be a gay couple, I’m at least going to be the pitcher not the receiver.”

          There were serious stories as well of course, including the one that made him turn away from it all. It resulted from things going sour with a kingpin in Vegas named Big Smooth. Big Smooth had his start in the Army where he ran a drug ring while stationed in Germany. Though he was “just” an enlisted man, he was the most powerful person on base. Even his commanding officers feared him. Though there was no concrete evidence of the crimes he committed, they lived in anticipation of the day they could discharge him. One day they believed their prayers were answered.

          Big Smooth lived a big life, making money, selling and using drugs, and eating and drinking to his heart’s content. But all this living big made him big, literally. The day came when he was due for a physical and there was simply no way he was going to make weight. His superiors knew it and so did he. Smooth laughed as he recounted to Lumpy how one of his commanding officer’s face dropped when he took off his shirt for the physical revealing liposuction scars on his belly. The magnificent bastard had made weight by getting cosmetic surgery.

         Anyways, at one point Lumpy somehow managed to cross Smooth. Not one who stood for being crossed, Smooth and his goons ambushed Lumpy in his own apartment. The goons held Lumpy down while Smooth pulled out his knife and held it to his throat. He stared Lumpy dead in the eyes. “I’m not gonna kill you today,” he said. “I’m gonna let you go. I want you to live with the torture of knowing that one day I will come back and murder your ass.” On that day, Lumpy moved back to San Diego and moved back in with his parents. He never returned to the drug trade.

           And with that story our night came to an end.

           “It’s getting late, dog. Take me home, yeah?” Lumpy asked.

           “OK.”

          We chatted a bit more on the ride back to his house. Then I let him out and I watched him walk to his door. Suddenly, I was hit with a wave of loneliness. I tried tuning it out by turning on the radio. Finding a well-lit strip mall, I parked my car, and did my best to get comfortable and fall asleep but too many thoughts were swimming through my head. It was a bittersweet day. I lost a home but gained a friend. And not just any friend - one who was deep, experienced, and though I didn’t realize it at the time, one who showed me a lot of love. Funny how friendship can sometimes come from the most unexpected people.

Lumpy and I posing at Scottish Games

 

Check out my book: Moby Brick's Unshuffled Deck, and my blog: They're All Against Me!    

Filipino Fiesta

When it comes to food porn, pork is the temptation that I find it hard to resist. My earliest recollection about it was Grandma's braised pig trotter. I remember staring at the oily cuisine, having my fair share of doubt in putting the meat into my mouth. Then I looked at my Granddad whom was there with me in the dining room and, as he was busy chewing, he muttered that it was the best dish ever. Upon hearing that and seeing how he enjoyed it so much, I was encouraged to take a bite and that was it. Sinful though those layers of fat were, I had no regrets. Let there be pimples and stomach upset! I'd take all the risks for a plate of Grandma's recipe!

Fast forward to many years later, I was a lanky young man in Jakarta. Soedjoko, a friend of mine, brought me to this eatery called Lapo Ni Tondongta. He introduced me to saksang and panggang, the Batak cuisines. They tasted really good! Up until then, I always thought that only Chinese knew how to deal with pork, hence the experience was an eye-opener. There were a lot of good pork-based cuisines out there and it didn't have to be Chinese food to be delicious!

Sisig.

Then came the day when I had my dinner with my girlfriend at an open space dining place in Boracay. Under the well-lit night sky, as the sea waves caressed the beach playfully, I had my first plate of sisig and washed it down with a can of San Miguel. Conclusion? I knew Grandma's recipe would always be in my heart, Lapo was a lifetime favourite and German pork knuckle that I tried during my stay in Singapore was mouth-watering, but the Filipino really upped the game to an entirely different level! Best feeling ever. It was the sum of many things: good ambience, great food and unforgettable moment.

It was so surreal that it was like a dream, really. Hence after the excitement subsided, I was a bit skeptical. Was it actually overrated? Five years after that, I was once again in the Philippines. That's when I tried lechon kawali. It was... how to put it? An enlightenment, really. If heaven was a place on earth, I was convinced there and then. I'm a proud Chinese Indonesian, but since that moment onwards, I'd humbly say just leave the pork to the Filipino for they'd cook you something good out of it.

Lechon kawali served with a plate of rice. 

I was a fan since then. If I went for the quick one, I'd normally have either lechon kawali or one of the tapa menus (consisted of tapa king, queen, prince and other variants of tapsilog). Lechon is a crispy pork, as crispy as a good pork dish should be. Tapa is fried cured meat, often served together with garlic fried rice (sinangag) and egg (itlog), which is shortened as tapsilog.

The proper meal is even more interesting. Recently I had a chance to go with my colleague Carl Barlis to Filipino Fiesta and as the host, he ordered what were good for our lunch. We had ginisang munggo (soup with green bean and bitter gourd), chicharon bulaklak (fried ruffle fat), lechon kawali, sisig (grilled pig head and liver with a tinge of sour taste) and pork adobo (pork belly cooked with vinegar and soy sauce). Needless to say, a splendid time was guaranteed for all. It was a good lunch, closed with dessert a called flan. A Filipino fiesta indeed!

Ginisang munggo.

Makanan Filipina

Kalau bicara soal makanan, daging babi adalah godaan yang sulit saya tolak. Kenangan yang paling awal tentang masakan ini adalah kaki babi yang dimasak oleh Nenek. Saya ingat bahwa saat itu saya menatap masakan yang berlemak itu dan merasa ragu untuk mencicipinya. Saya lantas memandang Kakek yang sibuk mengunyah. Tiba-tiba dia bergumam dengan mulut penuh bahwa ini adalah makanan terlezat di dunia. Setelah menyaksikan bagaimana dia menikmatinya, saya langsung tergerak untuk mencoba begitu saya mendengar kesaksiannya. Sejak itu hidup saya tidak pernah sama lagi. Lapisan lemak dan tetesan minyaknya sungguh menggoyahkan iman! Biarlah nantinya tumbuh jerawat atau sakit perut, saya siap mengambil resiko demi kaki babi yang dimasak oleh Nenek.

Bertahun-tahun kemudian, saya adalah seorang pemuda kurus di Jakarta. Soedjoko, teman yang saya kenal dari sejak di Kalbe, mengajak saya makan di Lapo Ni Tondongta. Dia memperkenalkan saya pada saksang dan panggang, masakan Batak. Rasanya sungguh luar biasa! Sebelumnya, saya kira hanya orang Tionghoa yang pandai mengolah masakan berbasis daging babi, tapi pengalaman ini sungguh membuka wawasan saya. Ternyata ada begitu banyak masakan non-Chinese yang mengandung babi dan lezat.

Saksang dan panggang.

Selanjutnya tiba hari dimana saya menikmati makan malam bersama pacar saya di sebuah tempat makan terbuka di Boracay. Di bawah langit malam yang terang, tatkala ombak menyapa pantai dengan mesranya, saya menikmati sepiring sisig dan membilasnya dengan sekaleng San Miguel. Kesimpulannya? Saya tahu bahwa resep Nenek saya akan selalu di hati, Lapo merupakan favorit seumur hidup dan babi panggang Jerman yang saya coba saat tinggal di Singapura sangatlah menggiurkan, tapi orang Filipina membawa seni memasak daging babi ke level yang melebihi semua yang pernah saya coba. Pokoknya menakjubkan. Suasana yang santai, makanan yang sedap dan saat yang tidak terlupakan.

Rasanya seperti mimpi. Ketika perasaan takjub itu reda, saya jadi sedikit ragu. Apa penilaian saya terlalu berlebihan dan terbawa suasana, ya? Lima tahun setelah kunjungan ke Boracay, saya kembali lagi ke Filipina. Saat itu saya mencoba lechon kawali. Apa yang saya rasakan bagaikan pencerahan. Jika memang ada surga di dunia, maka saat itu juga saya percaya. Terus-terang saya bangga menjadi Tionghoa Indonesia, tetapi sejak itu saya dengan rendah hati mengakui keunggulan orang Filipina dalam hal kuliner daging babi.

Tapa pangeran.

Setelah pengalaman tersebut, saya menjadi seorang penggemar. Jika saya ingin menyantap menu Filipina, biasanya saya akan memesan lechon kawali atau tapa, mulai dari tapa raja, tapa ratu, tapa pangeran sampai beraneka ragam tapsilog lainnya. Lechon adalah daging babi yang digoreng hingga benar-benar garing. Tapa adalah daging yang dikeringkan, biasanya disajikan bersama nasi goreng bawang (sinangag) dan telur (itlog). Nama-nama ini lantas disingkat menjadi tapsilog. 

Baru-baru ini saya juga berkesempatan untuk pergi bersama rekan kerja saya Carl Barlis ke Filipino Fiesta. Sebagai tuan rumah, dia memesan menu yang kiranya enak untuk makan siang kami. Kita lantas menikmati ginisang munggo (sup kacang hijau yang dimasak bersama pare), chicharon bulaklak (urat sendi babi yang digoreng), lechon kawali, sisig (kepala dan hati babi yang dicincang dan dipanggang dengan sedikit rasa asam) serta adobo (perut babi yang dimasak dengan cuka dan kecap), kemudian kita tutup dengan pencuci mulut yang disebut flan. Sungguh makan siang yang memuaskan. Benar-benar Filipino Fiesta, pesta makanan Filipina! 

Chicharon bulaklak.

The True Memories

Perkenalkan, nama saya Hendra. Saat ini saya hidup di daerah Jawa Barat bersama keluarga kecil saya, tepatnya di kota Karawang. Beberapa tahun ini saya lebih familiar dipanggil oppa karena saya menyukai film-film drama Korea. Saya bukan seorang penulis blog, bahkan jujur saja, ini pertama kali saya menulis di blog. Ini pun karena desakan dari banyak teman. Hahaha, kidding. Ok, cukup perkenalan saya. Mari, masuk ke cerita. 

Hari ini saya termotivasi untuk meluangkan sedikit waktu saya untuk berbagi kisah pendek di sini. Kepulangan saya ke kota Pontianak, kampung halaman saya, di awal tahun 2018 ini bisa dikatakan tidaklah sia-sia. Rasanya lebih baik dari situasi sebelumnya. Mungkin karena kali ini berpapasan dengan momen hari raya Imlek atau Chinese New Year. Tidak mudah bagi saya untuk mencapai kota tujuan. Karena saya dan keluarga mengejar pesawat pagi, otomatis kami harus berangkat kebandara tengah malam. Singkatnya semua perjuangan saya untuk pulang terbayarkan di saat saya dan keluarga bisa merayakan Imlek bersama sanak keluarga di sana (biasanya kami pulang tidak bertepatan dengan hari raya Imlek). Tapi kebahagiaan saya kali ini bukan hanya momen dengan keluarga, namun juga momen bersama teman.

Bersama Ahau, Meliana dan Budi Hendra.

Ya, TEMAN! Tepatnya teman lama.. Teman sekolah. Teman-teman yg luar biasa. Di sini saya ingin sekali menuliskan semua momen yg saya ingat. Ini bisa menghabiskan banyak kata dan banyak cerita. Waktu pun berlalu dan liburan terasa sangat singkat. Belajar dari yang sebelumnya, kali ini saya tidak sepolos sebelumnya. Daftar kuliner dan beberapa pertemuan kecil telah saya rancang. Tentunya saya tidak merancangnya sendiri. Saya dibantu oleh hopeng bernama Harry alias Ahau.

Kebetulan hanya hanya dia yang bisa bantu? Hahaha, bukan. Hanya dia yang bisa saya persulit hahaha. Bersama Ahau, saya ikut jalan-jalan singkat, sincia ke beberapa tempat dan kami akhirnya bisa membuat reuni kecil. Saya berhasil bertemu dengan Budi Hendra dan istrinya, Meliana. Kami sempat makan-makan dan berbagi cerita. Saya kemudian berhasil berkumpul dengan tiga teman paling siap bila diajak kumpul, yaitu Parno, Gek Hui dan Novi di sebuah kafe.

Ngafe bersama teman-teman.

Saya dan Ahau berhasil juga berhasil membuat pertemuan yang mengesankan di rumah Tuty. Di situ hadir Fedian, Lidia, Lenda, Tjhui Sang, Novi, Gunawan, Parno, Wiwi dan tentunya Ahau. Kami bersantap sate dan berkaraoke-ria, berfoto dan saling merekam saat-saat lucu dan berlomba foto candid. Apakah kalian tahu, momen seperti itu, meski sesaat, tapi sungguh berkesan. Semua itu takkan terulang, meski kita mencoba mengulanginya, semua itu takkan sama.  

Jadi berlalu begitu saja? Iya. Hilang? Iya, tapi... semua tersimpan dalam hati, menjelma menjadi memori yang sangat nyata dan indah, dimana sewaktu-waktu akan terkenang, sewaktu-waktu akan sangat dirindukan. Sebuah memori yang nyata. Ingatlah, meski hanya sebuah kenangan sederhana, anda bisa merasakan kebahagiaan hidup yang indah. Jadi mengapa kita tidak mencoba untuk membuat lebih banyak lagi? Tidak harus dengan banyak orang, namun tidak juga hanya berdua, hahaha. Di saat kita tua nanti, hanya saat-saat seperti ini yang akan bisa dikenang. Tapi apakah anda mempunyai memori indah untuk dikenang? Memori seperti seperti apa yg anda ingat? Hei, wujudkanlah selagi anda masih punya banyak waktu dan masih punya teman. Anda tidak akan pernah tahu kapan mereka akan meninggalkan anda dan kapan kamu yang akan meninggalkan mereka. Renungkanlah...

Di depan rumah Tuty.

The Unforgettable New Zealand (Part 1)

My best friend once told me this popular quote: "when you are young, you have time and energy but no money. As an adult, you have money and energy but no time. And finally, when you are old, you have money and time but you don't have energy." We were lucky enough to make this BFF trip when we were still quite young (early 30's), while we had energy and enough money for travelling. Time might be our constraint back then, but I am glad that we managed to take two weeks leave from our busy working life and flew to New Zealand.

We visited only the South Island, starting from Christchurch, Akaroa, Mt Cook, Queenstown, Arrowtown, Lake Wanaka, Fox Glacier, Franz Josef Glacier, Hokitika and then we were back to Christchurch. We missed Milford Sound because on the day we planned to go, the road to Milford Sound was blocked by snow so the tour agent cancelled that day trip. For Part One, I wrote only the journey from Christchurch to Queenstown.

                                     

I came one day earlier than my best friend. I took a shuttle van from Christchurch airport to the city. Along the way, I saw pretty houses with garden and trees. The city was very quiet and peaceful. Very different than Jakarta where I lived last time. No traffic jam and no air pollution here. After I put down the luggage at Ibis Hotel, I went to Cathedral Square that was just five minutes walk from my hotel.

Christchurch just suffered from earthquake few months before we came. Some parts of Christchurch cathedral were destroyed by the quake so it was closed for public. But nevertheless, the gothic style cathedral was still very attractive. I took my selfie picture with Christchurch cathedral as the background and then sat in the Square, looking at my surrounding. There were many people in the Square that afternoon. The street musician played his instrument and was watched by many people, some people just sit in the cafe and had chit chat. The Christchurch city tram was parking on the street. Based on the information from city tour centre, we could book Christchurch City tour combo by tram, punt and gondola so we could get the view of the city from many perspectives. We could also walk or ride a bicycle around the city. Christchurch is such a small city that I could explore by foot.

The cathedral of Christchurch.

The following day, I walked around the city. It was still autumn but the weather was already cold especially for me who came from a tropical country. I spent some time sitting beside the Avon River, looking at some pretty ducks that were sunbathing in the grass just next to the river. They were so lovely with their colourful feathers. I also enjoyed looking at beautiful cherry blossoms and exotic trees along the river. Another way to enjoy the river is by punting and that's what we did by the end of our trip. 

Avon River.

The wild ducks, resting at the riverside. 

Christchurch.

When my friend arrived in Christchurch, we continued our city tour to Christchurch Botanical Garden. This place is a must visit place when you come to Christchurch. Founded over 150 years ago, it is the green heart of the Garden City. It's a huge garden with many trees and a lot of colourful beautiful flowers that I never saw before. We strolled around this big garden and took some pictures. Just across the Botanical Garden is Christchurch Art Gallery, a home to New Zealand's most important public art collections. Do a visit if you're an art lover.

At Christchurch Botanical Garden.

From Botanical Garden, we went to Gondola Base Station by bus. Gondola is basically the same with cable car. The gondola brought us to the top of Mt. Cavendish (the Summit Station). Unfortunately it was a cloudy and foggy afternoon, otherwise we could see Christchurch cityscape as well as the stunning Southern Alps and the hills of Banks Peninsula from the Canterbury Plains. 

My friend, Dewi, a moment before we boarded the gondola. 

The view from Canterbury Plains.

On Day 3, we took one day tour to Akaroa, a small town on the Banks Peninsula that is famous by its beautiful bays and harbour. Our bus departed early in the morning. Along the way we enjoyed Banks Peninsula's beautiful scenery. When we arrived in Akaroa two hours later, we walked around the city. If Christchurch was quiet, this town was even quieter. We barely saw any people in the street. After lunch, we joined the cruise, sailing on the deep sparkling blue water and saw the rarest and smallest dolphin in the world, Hector's dolphin, swimming joyfully near our boat. They were so cute. We also saw some seals sunbathing on rock platforms in the middle of the bay. Our tour guide told us that sometimes the penguins also appeared but we weren't lucky enough to see them that time.

Welcome to Akaroa!

A pier in Akaroa.

A Hector's dolphin.

The following day, we continued our journey from Christchurch to Queenstown by bus. The 11 hours scenic drive via Aoraki/Mount Cook included sightseeing and lunch break at Hermitage Hotel, Mount Cook Village. Along the way, we saw the stunning view of Lake Tekapo and the magnificent Aoraki/Mount Cook Mountain. At 3,724 metres, Aoraki/Mount Cook Mountain is the highest mountain in New Zealand and is one of the popular tourist destinations. It is also a favourite for mountain climbers including Sir Edmund Hillary who made his first ascent here in January 1948. Unfortunately, when we arrived in Hermitage Hotel, it was raining and foggy. We couldn't see the mountain clearly. Looking back now, I think we should spend at least 1 day in Mount Cook to explore the area and enjoy the scenery. One or two hours is definitely too short! We missed one of the best views one can experience in NZ. 

View of Mt Cook from the back of Hermitage hotel

The turquoise blue water of Lake Tekapo.

Another highlight of the trip was the iconic Church of the Good Shepherd. Located at the shore of Lake Tekapo and with Southern Alps as the background, this church is one of the favourite object for photographers. Close to the church is a well-known bronze statue of the Collie sheepdog. The statue was commissioned by Mackenzie country residents in recognition of the important role of the sheepdogs in their livelihood. 

Church of the Good Shepherd. 

Lindis Pass.

After these stops, we continued the trip to Queenstown, passing the stunning view of Lindis Pass with its unique yellow brownish grasses. I tried to take a picture from inside the fast moving bus but the result was a bit blur. How I wish we had rented a car and gone by ourself so we could stop for a while and take as many picture as we wanted. I made a note to myself, if I have the opportunity to visit this beautiful island again with my family one day, I will book a caravan so we can really enjoy the nature at our pace. And the sun was going down when we finally reached Queenstown...  

Photo from Lonely Planet.

Kebhinnekaan

Indonesia adalah negara yang luar biasa dengan semboyan Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Saya mencoba membayangkan bagaimana orang dulu mencetuskan Bhinneka Tunggal Ika ini. Luar biasa sekali para nenek moyang kita bisa memiliki ide seperti ini. Mereka sudah menyadari bahwa kita memang beraneka ragam dan kita harus bersatu. Keberagaman ini terjadi mulai dari komunitas terkecil sampai yang terbesar, yaitu kebhinnekaan dalam keluarga, dalam komunitas, dalam masyarakat bahkan dalam negara.

Nenek moyang kita sangat menghargai perbedaan yang ada dan mereka menyadari juga bahwa pasti ada orang-orang yang tidak menghargai perbedaan dan mau memecah-belah, maka dari itu mereka mencetuskan semboyan Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Di bawah ini saya akan coba memberikan pandangan saya satu persatu tentang kebhinnekaan, mulai dari dalam keluarga sampai pada kehidupan bangsa.

Pertama kita akan lihat kebhinnekaan dalam keluarga. Untuk mengawali ini, saya teringat suatu saat pernah ada teman yang masih single berujar pada saya untuk membantunya mencari jodoh karena sudah umur 37 pun belum ada pacar. Saya lantas bertanya, mau jodoh yang bagaimana? Saya terkejut saat dia berkata bahwa dia mau mencari pasangan yang sifatnya sama dan intinya memiliki banyak persamaan. Akhirnya saya bilang kalau begitu, dia mesti cari sesama jenis, yaitu cowok juga. Dia langsung melengos, "huh, masa dijodohkan sama cowok?"

Saya jelaskan jika kita mau mencari yang banyak persamaannya, yang paling mungkin ya sesama jenis dan itu pun pasti masih ada perbedaan. Menurut saya, mencari pasangan bukanlah mencari yang banyak persamaan, tapi cari yang bisa komunikasikan perbedaan itu sehingga akan berwarna-warni dalam keluarga. Saya mengambil contoh, saat kita mau membeli pensil warna, mana yang kita pilih? Pensil warna yang banyak warnanya atau pensil warna yang hanya satu warnanya? Tentu kita mau yang banyak warnanya. Kalau begitu, kenapa jadi masalah ketika dalam keluarga sifatnya maupun tindakannya warna-warni? Sifat-sifat yang berbeda dalam keluarga itu yang akan membentuk keluarga kita dan menjadi sesuatu yang mengejutkan untuk kehidupan kita.

Tetapkan tujuan keluarga dan biarkan semua anggotanya berkreasi untuk menwujudkan tujuannya. Jika ada anggota keluarga yang tindakannya menyimpang dari tujuan keluarga, mari didiskusikan, siapa tahu tindakan tersebut malah merupakan cara yang tepat untuk mencapai tujuan namun dengan warna yang berbeda. Hal yang paling mendasar dalam berkeluarga adalah bagaimana peran kita dalam melayani keluarga. Kendati begitu, jangan sampai apa yang telah kita lakukan membuat kita merasa paling penting sehingga telunjuk akan menunjuk anggota keluarga lain seakan-akan diri kita paling cape dan paling berjasa. Kita juga mempunyai kewajiban untuk mengantar keluarga kita menjadi lebih baik lagi dalam hubungan dengan Tuhan dan hendaknya kita juga mengamalkan agama yang kita anut sehingga menjadi teladan bagi keluarga.

Hal kedua adalah kebhinnekaan dalam komunitas. Di komunitas apa pun tetap saja ada perbedaan walaupun dinamakan misalnya komunitas biker atau komunitas keagamaan. Di dalam komunitas kita bukan belajar untuk menjadi sama tapi belajar untuk berkomunikasi tentang perbedaan, menghargai perbedaan dan bahkan menggunakan perbedaan tersebut untuk menghasilkan karya yang tidak bisa kita kerjakan sendiri sehingga hasilnya bisa melampaui bayangan kita. Di dalam komunitas juga kita belajar untuk patuh akan keputusan bersama, belajar mengatur diri, mengatur orang dan diatur, belajar menjadi lebih dewasa, belajar negosiasi saat mengambil keputusan, belajar bekerja sama dan yang penting komunitas harus membuat kita semakin bersemangat dan awet muda.

Dalam kehidupan masyarakat juga, akui saja kita memang berbeda dalam hal yang detil. Dalam kehidupan masyarakat kita harus sadari bahwa ada yang hakiki dan ada yang pilihan. Yang dimaksudkan dengan hakiki adalah hal yang mutlak dari Tuhan, misalnya saya diciptakan terlahir sebagai Chinese dan teman saya ada yang Jawa dan sebagainya. Bagi yang masih suka mengumpat, "dasar Cina, dasar tiko, dasar Jawa," secara tidak langsung mereka sudah menghina Tuhan-nya. Tentu kita semua percaya bahwa kita semua diciptakan oleh Tuhan sehingga menghina satu suku sama artinya dengan menghina pencipta-Nya, yaitu Tuhan. Berbicara tentang pilihan, agama adalah pilihan dan namanya pilihan itu berarti bebas memilih. Ketika ada yang memaksakan suatu agama dengan tidak memperbolehkan orang lain menjalankan doanya atau ritualnya, mereka ini mencoba mengubah kenyataan bahwa agama adalah pilihan. Orang-orang yang tidak menghargai perbedaan seperti ini harusnya tidak tinggal di Indonesia. Tipe yang seperti ini harusnya dikirim ke hutan Amazon karena di sana mereka tidak perlu berkomunikasi akan perbedaan yang ada. Mereka bisa menerapkan hukum rimba, jadi silahkan terkam-menerkam dengan harimau dan binatang buas lainnya.

Ada beberapa kunci supaya kita menghargai semboyan kita yaitu Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, yaitu:

1. Kita harus menganggap perbedaan dalam keluarga, komunitas, masyarakat sebagai anugerah seperti halnya pensil warna, bukannya dianggap sebagai beban.
2. Kita tidak perlu mencari persamaan secara detil karena pasti berbeda, namun kita mempunyai persamaan mendasar yakni kita sama-sama ciptaan Tuhan, sama-sama bisa berkomunikasi, sama-sama punya keinginan dan tujuan yang sama, yaitu keluarga yang bahagia, komunitas yang membangun, masyarakat yang damai dan lain-lain.
3. Jika terjadi perbedaan, kembali ke tujuan awal baik di keluarga, komunitas maupun bernegara. Contoh: jika terjadi pertentangan di dalam masyarakat akan perbedaan yang ada, kita kembali kepada dasar negara dan semboyan negara untuk menyelesaikannya.

Kebhinnekaan!