A Long Way Home

I was looking at some old pictures the other day and I suddenly realised that I had moved house quite often: 11 times in 38 years! What's even more astonishing about these events is the fact that apparently I have almost all the pictures of the houses where I stayed before, except one. It had been a long way, from Pontianak to Singapore, and given the circumstances, I naturally wouldn't expect those photos to be around. It was really a nice surprise to have something to reminisce about, hence this story.

Birthday celebration at the first house.

I remember the house for the first six years of my life. It was right behind a wet market called the Horse Stable. Only God knows why the Chinese called it like that because throughout my life in Pontianak, I never saw a single horse there. My neighbours were of Teochew descent and they were the reason why I could speak the dialect, too, even though I'm of Hakka descent. The neighbourhood I lived in was a stretch of shophouses. I remember being puzzled by the shop on the far right of the block. It was called Ayam Goreng Ratu, which could be read as either the chicken fried the queen or the queen's fried chicken. Ours was called Adil Makmur, a three-story house with a mezzanine floor. One of my earliest memories there, a favourite moment of Mum, was when I tried her home-made kaloci (a localised version of mochi) and commented dryly that perhaps she shouldn't make any further attempts. She still laughed when she retold the story. It was also at the shop in front of our house that I first saw the prawn flavored Indomie. The flavor is no longer available now, so talk about a historical moment! By the way, the shop is still open -now run by my uncle- and one could actually find the photos of the latest layout of the shop on Google. Amusing.

Birthday celebration at the second house.

I remember the second house. We moved in to stay with my maternal grandparents for about two years. It was a fun house with domesticated chickens and ducks. There was a yard with a big longan tree that never bore fruits. The floor of the house was made of Bornean ironwood, a very durable but expensive material. I couldn't be too sure if the story was exaggerated, but the house was allegedly built with a suitcase full of money. But whether it was true or not, I had a good time living here. I remember Grandma sitting on the floor between the dining room and kitchen, busy making the dough of a traditional pastry called bahulu while I played Atari, my first game console, or watching Space Sheriff Gavan. By the way, the house is now known as Aneka Rasa Restaurant. The mosque next to it looked almost the same as the one I knew back in the 80s, but the house had been totally revamped. The wooden floor, the pride of the house, had been long gone.

Birthday celebration at the third house. 

I remember the third house, located in the middle of Jalan Setiabudi. I learnt how to roller skate and ride a bicycle when I lived there. I also started keeping pet turtles, ranging from Malayan box turtle, spiny turtle to red-eared slider. I stopped watching the Japanese tokusatsu series and replaced the hobby with new ones such as lifelong interests in Michael Jackson's music and Stephen Chow's movies, reading comics (my father bought me my first Asterix here) and eating. Oh yes, Setiabudi had lot of good eateries, from fried kway teow to pork porridge! Not very far from my house, there was a small Orbit Wonderland, the popular gaming arcade where the boys used to hang out. Some of my friends stayed nearby, too, and they'd come to play Nintendo and Sega. Parno stayed quite far from my house, but he would ride the bicycle and come by as well. And... my fondest memory there? Probably Mum's spicy long beans. She was selling nasi kuning (yellow rice) towards the end of our stay there and her cooking was delicious!

Birthday celebration at the fourth house. 

Things went downhill after this. The fourth house was actually my maternal auntie's house and with Dad, Mum and my brother moving to Bekasi, I ended up staying with my auntie's family. That's not to say it was a bad experience. For a freeloader, I was actually treated pretty well. The house was so big and at least for the first year, I stayed alone at the older but bigger part of the house. It was only later on that I shifted to the sauna-like second floor. No complain, though. The house was very near to my school, making it easier for me to go there early when I had a need to make a copy of the previous day's homework, haha. Located in the more cozy area of the city, it wasn't exactly easy to find any eateries around the house, but I remember the first time I tried ketoprak, a vegetarian dish from Jakarta. I grew to like it since then. The entire life before college and three quarter of the life before Jakarta happened here. Most importantly, it was here that I learnt how to behave and be responsible.

I remember the fifth house, the missing link, the one without any photographs. My last year in Pontianak took place at a rented house where my parents and I were reunited. Our place was between the houses of Dewi and Nurvika, my high school friends. I would ride my road bike to my campus every morning because I worked there, then I'd either go back for lunch or spend time in the computer lab to work on something before I attended the lectures in the evening. I didn't earn much, probably just IDR 300K per month as I vaguely remember that the salary was half of what my previous pay used to be, but in return, I had access to computers and lecturers, the very much needed resources to finish my study. In order to make some extra money, there was a period of time when I was teaching English privately to my fellow college student. I wasn't good, but in a small town where people don't normally speak English, I clearly had the head start and the advantage. It was also while I was here that I learnt the death of George Harrison, the first Beatle that died after I became a fan.

My friend Suhendi, who stayed with me for quite some time in Jakarta.

I remember the sixth house. It was located behind my office in Jakarta and the only part of the house that I actually occupied was a rented room on the second floor. It was burning hot in there and I only had a tiny fan that wasn't even sufficient for one person, but yet many friends, including Parno and Endrico, ever came to stay overnight, haha. It was a very simple room, with one mattress, one wardrobe, one table and one chair. Fried rice vendors with a two-wheeled cart always passed by the house and I once fell down from the top of the steep staircase as I was rushing down to order my dinner. I was lucky that I wasn't paralysed! My best memory here was my treasure, the music CDs that I bought every month from early 2003 to early 2006. It was also during this period that I bought a digital camera, a rare commodity that made a lot of difference for me at that time!

Fendy and Markus at the balcony of my room in Kembangan. 

I remember the seventh house, the three-story landed property was in Kembangan, Singapore. We surely had a lot of fun there. We were young, making a bit of money now and bursting with creativity! Pheng iu was created there and the picture above, the only one that I could salvage, was taken when we made the short film. I'm actually surprised that I didn't managed to save any other photos. It was during my stay there that I kept a terrapin that is still with me 13 years later. It was a beautiful time. We were strangers fated to be together in a foreign land and by the time we left the house, we were family bonded by many bowls of zhu za tang (猪杂汤) that we ate together.

Angie's birthday celebration at the eight house in Bedok.

I remember the eighth house. It was in Bedok. We had to split abruptly after the landlord decided to take back his house in Kembangan. We looked around and I made a decision to make up the number and joined Sugi, Ferdy and Surianto so that the house rent wouldn't be too expensive for them to pay. In hindsight, that went to show how close we were. Most of us actually stayed together until we got married or left Singapore. Now, despite all the good food in the area, what I remember most was empek-empek fish cake, the local delicacy from Palembang. Sugi's wife always made sure that we never ran out of it!

Christmas celebration in Eunos.

I remember the ninth house. It was the last house before I got married. I had my registration of marriage there. The place we were staying was a maisonette, a rather interesting two-story unit. Judging from the smell of the food, our neighbour on the left must be a Myanmar family. On the right, there was Tante Cantik, literally translated as beautiful auntie, a nickname that we anonymously agreed and used. There was a famous chicken rice and fried rice across the street. At night, we'd have our supper at the Indian stall in Geylang Serai. We had our Christmas party and other celebrations there. We also traveled together to Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia, but we didn't make it to Darwin, Australia.

Linda and Papa.

I remember the tenth house, the one in Clementi. It was the one and only time I ever stayed so far from Changi Airport. But Clementi was quite alright, though. It was a mature estate with good food, shopping mall, etc. For a short period of time, there was just me and my wife staying there. Then Fendy and Budi came and went (funny that I had more pictures of Fendy rather than myself in that house). Then Linda came along. We were now a little family. While it was nice to live in Clementi, it wasn't meant to be a permanent arrangement.

Then came the 11th house, the current one in Sengkang. It's the one that I'll step out from every morning so that I can provide for my family. It's the same one that I'll go home to at night when I'm tired, knowing that what I do the whole day will be worth it. Looking back, I had lived in many places. I had been loved. I'd been welcomed. I'd had some fun, no, a lot of fun, but for the first time ever, I'm home. It may not be perfect, but it feels like this is it. If life was a journey, then mine was a long ride that passed by 10 stops. Each stop taught me something and prepared me for the next one until I reached where I am today...

The 11th house.

Perjalanan Panjang Ke Rumah

Beberapa hari yang lalu, saya melihat-lihat kembali foto-foto lama dan tiba-tiba saya menyadari bahwa saya cukup sering berpindah rumah: 11 kali dalam 38 tahun! Yang lebih menakjubkan lagi adalah ternyata saya memiliki foto hampir semua rumah yang pernah saya tinggali. Hanya satu yang tidak ada fotonya. Perjalanan saya dari Pontianak ke Singapura tidaklah singkat dan setelah berpindah rumah begitu banyak kali, saya tidak pernah berharap bahwa foto-foto lama itu masih ada. Senang rasanya mendapat kejutan yang penuh kenangan seperti ini. Cerita berikut ini adalah hasilnya.

Di rumah pertama.

Saya ingat dengan rumah yang saya tinggali selama enam tahun pertama dalam hidup saya. Letaknya berada di belakang Pasar Mawar yang juga dikenal dengan sebutan Kandang Kuda di kalangan Tionghoa Pontianak. Hanya Tuhan yang tahu kenapa tempat itu disebut Kandang Kuda, sebab saya tidak pernah melihat seekor kuda pun di sana selama 22 tahun hidup saya di Pontianak. Tetangga saya adalah orang-orang Tiociu dan karena merekalah saya bisa menguasai bahasa Tiociu, meskipun saya sebenarnya orang Khek. Lingkungan tempat tinggal saya adalah deretan ruko. Saya ingat bahwa saya sempat merasa heran dengan restoran yang berada di ujung kanan. Namanya adalah Ayam Goreng Ratu, yang bisa saja diartikan sebagai ratu digoreng ayam atau ayamnya itu yang digoreng ratu. Salah satu kenangan saya yang paling awal di rumah itu adalah ketika mencoba kaloci buatan Mama. Saya masih berusia balita pada saat itu dan dengan polos saya katakan padanya bahwa saya tidak akan memintanya untuk membuat kaloci lagi, meskipun saya sangat menyukai makanan tersebut. Mama masih tertawa geli saat dia mengingat kembali saat itu. Ruko tempat tinggal saya bernama Adil Makmur dan di sinilah untuk pertama kalinya saya melihat Indomie rasa udang. Ruko ini masih buka dan kini dikelola oleh paman saya. Ketika saya coba cari di internet, ternyata foto tata ruang tokonya bisa ditemukan di Google. Mencengangkan.

Bersama Mama di halaman rumah kedua.

Saya ingat dengan rumah yang kedua. Saya dan orang tua pindah ke rumah kakek dari pihak ibu saya untuk dua tahun lamanya. Rumah itu sangat menyenangkan karena memiliki banyak ayam dan bebek. Di depan rumah ada halaman yang memiliki pohon lengkeng yang tidak pernah berbuah. Lantai rumah terbuat dari kayu belian yang awet namun mahal. Berdasarkan dongeng yang saya dengar, rumah ini dibangun dengan satu koper yang penuh berisi uang. Saya ingat bahwa nenek saya biasanya duduk di lantai antara ruang makan dan dapur. Setiap hari dia sibuk membuat adonan kue bolu sementara saya duduk tidak jauh darinya, entah bermain Atari atau asyik menonton serial Gaban. Sekarang rumah ini mungkin lebih dikenal sebagai Restoran Aneka Rasa. Mesjid di sampingnya masih terlihat sama, tetapi rumahnya sudah jauh berubah. Lantai kayu belian yang pernah menjadi kebanggaan rumah tersebut hilang sudah.

Bersama adik saya di rumah ketiga.

Saya ingat dengan rumah ketiga yang berada di Jalan Setiabudi. Saya belajar bermain sepatu roda dan menaiki sepeda di sana. Saya juga mulai memelihara kura-kura di rumah tersebut, mulai dari kuya batok, kura-kura duri sampai terapin. Saya berhenti menonton video robot-robotan Jepang dan mulai berganti hobi, mulai dari mengidolakan Michael Jackson dan Stephen Chow, membaca komik (dan buku Asterix pertama saya dibelikan oleh Papa saat kita tinggal di rumah ini) dan jajan makanan. Oh ya, Setiabudi memiliki banyak sekali makanan yang dijual di pinggir jalan, mulai dari kwetiau goreng sampai dengan bubur babi. Orbit Wonderland, tempat anak-anak lelaki berkumpul dan bermain game, terletak tidak jauh dari rumah. Beberapa teman pun tinggal di dekat rumah dan terkadang mereka mampir untuk bermain Nintendo dan Sega. Rumah Parno tergolong jauh, tapi biasanya dia akan bersepeda ke rumah. Bicara soal kenangan, yang terpikirkan oleh saya adalah kacang panjang pedas yang dimasak oleh Mama. Dia berdagang nasi kuning di tahun-tahun terakhir kita di sana dan kacang panjang yang menjadi lauk nasi kuning itu sangat lezat!

Saat kita merayakan ulang tahun Parno yang ke-20 di rumah keempat. 

Dan kehidupan saya berubah setelah itu. Rumah keempat yang saya tinggali adalah rumah tante saya, adik dari Mama. Saat itu semua pindah ke Bekasi, jadi saya tinggal bersama keluarga tante saya dan melanjutkan SMU di Pontianak. Pengalaman selama tinggal di sana tidaklah buruk. Justru sebaliknya, sebagai orang luar yang tinggal secara gratis, saya sebenarnya diperlakukan dengan sangat baik. Di tahun pertama, saya tinggal sendiri di bagian rumah lama yang luas. Di tahun berikutnya, barulah saya pindah ke lantai dua rumah baru yang luar biasa pengapnya. Walaupun demikian, saya tidak mengeluh. Rumah tante saya ini sangat dekat dengan sekolah saya sehingga saya bisa berangkat pagi untuk menyalin PR yang tidak bisa saya kerjakan, haha. Rumah ini terletak di kawasan yang lebih mewah dari pusat perkotaan yang saya tinggali sebelumnya, sehingga makanan yang dijual bebas di tepi jalan pun jarang ditemukan. Namun saya ingat dengan ketoprak yang dijual di salah satu sudut jalan. Saya menyukai ketoprak sejak saat itu. Masa SMU dan kuliah saya dilewati di rumah itu, namun yang lebih penting lagi adalah karena saya berada dalam posisi menumpang tinggal di rumah orang lain, saya belajar untuk lebih bertanggung jawab dan menjaga sikap saya. 

Saya ingat dengan rumah kelima, rumah yang tidak ada fotonya, mata rantai yang hilang. Tahun terakhir saya di Pontianak dilewati di rumah sewaan. Saya pindah lagi karena orang tua dan adik saya kembali ke Pontianak. Rumah yang saya tempati berada di antara rumah Dewi dan Nurvika, teman-teman SMU. Setiap pagi saya akan mengendarai sepeda balap saya ke kampus untuk bekerja, lalu saya pulang untuk makan siang atau tetap tinggal di kampus untuk menyelesaikan sesuatu. Malamnya saya mengikuti kuliah. Gaji saya mungkin hanya sekitar Rp. 300 ribu, pokoknya setengah dari apa yang saya terima dari pekerjaan pertama saya di Hotel Kartika, tapi di sisi lain, saya mendapatkan akses komputer dan juga ke dosen pembimbing skripsi. Untuk mendapatkan uang lebih, saya juga mengajar bahasa Inggris secara privat ke rekan mahasiswa. Bahasa Inggris yang saya kuasai tidaklah fantastis, tetapi di kota kecil dimana orang-orang tidak biasa berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris, saya jelas mempunyai keunggulan karena telah mulai lebih dulu. Di rumah ini pulalah saya mendengar kabar tentang meninggalnya George Harrison, Beatle pertama yang wafat sejak saya menjadi penggemar.

Saat dr. Hengky berkunjung ke kamar saya di Jakarta. 

Saya ingat dengan rumah keenam. Lokasinya di belakang kantor saya di Jakarta dan satu-satunya bagian yang saya tempati adalah kamar sewaan di lantai dua. Kamar itu panas membara dan saya hanya memiliki kipas angin kecil yang bahkan tidak cukup untuk satu orang, namun lucunya banyak teman yang datang menginap, termasuk Endrico dan Parno, haha. Kamarnya sangat sederhana, hanya ada satu matras, satu lemari pakaian dan satu set meja dan kursi. Penjaja nasi goreng selalu lewat di depan rumah dan saya pernah jatuh dari atas tangga yang curam karena tergesa-gesa mengejar penjaja yang lewat. Untung saja tidak sampai lumpuh! Kenangan saya di kamar itu adalah koleksi CD musik yang saya beli tiap bulan sejak awal tahun 2003 sampai awal 2006. Saya juga membeli kamera digital saat tinggal di sini, sebuah komoditas langka yang membawa banyak keuntungan bagi saya pada saat itu! 

Fendy dan Markus dalam adegan film Pheng iu.

Saya ingat dengan rumah ketujuh. Rumah tiga lantai ini berada di Kembangan, Singapura, dan menampung 19 orang. Banyak momen lucu dan gembira di sana. Kita masih muda saat itu, mulai menghasilkan uang dan teramat sangat kreatif. Film Pheng iu diciptakan saat kita tinggal di rumah tersebut. Kendati begitu, saya sebenarnya agak terkejut karena selain potret yang sengaja dibuat untuk film Pheng iu di atas, saya tidak memiliki foto lain di rumah itu. Saat tinggal di sini pula saya kembali memelihara kura-kura yang masih bersama saya hingga sekarang. Masa-masa di Kembangan adalah saat-saat yang indah. Kita adalah sekumpulan orang asing yang ditakdirkan untuk tinggal bersama dan ketika kita pindah keluar dari rumah itu, kita menjadi keluarga yang disatukan oleh bermangkok-mangkok zhu za tang (sup organ babi) yang kita santap bersama.

Surianto, teman sekamar di Bedok.

Saya ingat dengan rumah kedelapan. Lokasinya di Bedok. Saat itu kita harus berpisah secara tiba-tiba karena pemilik rumah di Kembangan memutuskan untuk tidak menyewakan rumahnya lagi. Kita lantas mencari tempat lain dan saya memutuskan untuk menggenapkan jumlah penyewa rumah di Bedok supaya tidak terlalu berat ongkos sewanya. Kalau dilihat kembali, hal ini menunjukkan betapa dekatnya kita sama satu lain. Hampir semua dari kita tinggal bersama sampai kita menikah atau meninggalkan Singapura. Perlu dicatat bahwa Bedok adalah kawasan yang memiliki banyak makanan enak, tapi yang saya ingat betul saat tinggal di situ adalah empek-empek Palembang. Istri Sugi senantiasa memastikan bahwa kita tidak akan pernah kehabisan empek-empek!

Bersama Fendy dan Markus di rumah Eunos, saat saya merayakan ulang tahun ke-29. 

Saya ingat dengan rumah kesembilan. Ini adalah rumah terakhir yang saya tempati sebagai bujangan. Surat nikah saya ditandatangani di rumah ini. Unit yang kita tempati adalah apartemen kecil berlantai dua, unit yang langka di Singapura. Berdasarkan aroma masakannya yang kencang, tetangga sebelah kiri kita adalah keluarga Myanmar. Di sebelah kanan ada Tante Cantik, sebuah nama panggilan yang kita berikan karena memang orangnya sangat cantik. Di seberang jalan ada nasi ayam dan nasi goreng yang terkenal enak. Di malam hari, kita sering bersantap malam di tempat makan Indian di Geylang Serai. Kita mengadakan pesta Natal dan banyak perayaan lainnya di rumah itu. Selama tinggal di sana, kita juga berlibur ke Malaysia, Vietnam dan Kamboja, namun kita gagal mengunjungi Darwin di Australia.

Fendy saat tinggal di Clementi.

Saya ingat dengan rumah ke-10 di Clementi. Ini adalah sekali-kalinya saya tinggal begitu jauh dari Bandara Changi. Kawasan Clementi ini sudah tergolong lama sehingga memiliki banyak tempat makan, pusat perbelanjaan dan fasilitas lainnya. Untuk beberapa waktu, hanya saya dan istri saya yang tinggal di rumah kecil dengan dua kamar ini. Kemudian Fendy dan Budi datang menumpang untuk beberapa waktu (lucu rasanya bahwa saya memiliki lebih banyak foto Fendy di rumah itu dibandingkan foto saya sendiri). Setelah itu Linda pun lahir. Kita menjadi keluarga kecil sekarang. Walau tinggal di Clementi terasa menyenangkan, kita tidak berencana untuk tinggal di rumah sewaan selamanya.

Di rumah keluarga Robinson.

Saya lantas pindah lagi ke rumah yang ke-11, rumah pertama yang saya beli. Sekarang ini adalah rumah yang saya tinggalkan setiap pagi untuk pergi bekerja menafkahi keluarga saya. Ini juga rumah yang saya tuju saat saya pulang untuk melepas lelah setelah bekerja seharian di kantor. Ya, lelah, namun sepadan rasanya begitu saya bertemu dengan keluarga saya. Sewaktu saya melihat kembali foto-foto ini, saya menyadari bahwa saya sudah tinggal di begitu banyak tempat. Selama itu pula saya dicintai dan diterima dan melewati begitu banyak saat bahagia, namun hanya di Sengkang inilah untuk pertama kalinya saya merasa tiba di rumah. Jika hidup adalah sebuah perjalanan, maka hidup saya sampai sejauh ini adalah sebuah perjalanan panjang dengan 10 pemberhentian. Setiap pemberhentian mengajarkan saya sesuatu dan mempersiapkan saya untuk pemberhentian berikutnya, sampai saya tiba dengan selamat di rumah yang saya tempati hari ini... 

Disneyland And Sea

You must have heard people saying that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. That's some truth that I certainly can relate with. I'm a fan of Disney, a big fan since I was a kid. My childhood was filled with cartoons starring Mickey, Donald and friends (I didn't understand English then, but even if I could, the way Donald spoke was beyond understanding). When I started reading comics, my Dad subscribed for me the weekly Disney magazine called Donal Bebek. Years later, when I worked in Jakarta, I spent a lot of time at Gramedia book store, reading Paman Gober and Donal Bebek, the nostalgia edition (the compilation of what I read many years ago). The last one I read and re-read was the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, a very brilliant story about Uncle Scrooge by Don Rosa. I also watched the Disney films, from Lion King to Frozen, and listened to the soundtracks.

With such exposure, imagine how I felt when I stepped out of the train as it alighted at the station. The design and layout, the silly melodies that were so familiar, the good ol' childhood memories just came rushing back! It was so overwhelming that there were times I was actually wondering if the Disneyland visit meant more to me or my daughter, because I was so happy I felt like a kid again!

Linda and Papa.
Photo by Evelyn Nuryani.

It was an entirely new experience. I never enjoyed theme parks before and I had been a reluctant visitor to Dufan in Jakarta and Universal Studios in Singapore, thanks to the roller-coaster and all the rides that prevented me from standing firmly on the ground. The two, without doubt, paled in comparison to Disneyland. It was incredible, like walking into the cartoon world. Only with Disneyland you could aptly use the word magical.

By the way, the one mentioned above was Tokyo Disneyland, the first Disneyland I ever went to in 2014. We were staying nearby Tokyo Station, so we just had to take the Keiyō Line and we'd reach there roughly 20 minutes later. DisneySea was just next to Disneyland, but due to the sheer size of the Disney theme parks, we spent one day for each park. My daughter was not yet two years old at that time, so we tried only the slow-moving rides. They suited me well and I was happy to oblige, haha.

At DisneySea. 

I couldn't really tell what the difference between Disneyland and DisneySea was. I remember somebody, probably Wawa, telling me that DisneySea was more adult-oriented, therefore the rides were more challenging. I wouldn't know that because those I took were safe for toddlers, haha. I seem to recall seeing body of water everywhere, which probably explained why it was called DisneySea. There was one particular moment that I remember well, though. We were in Mysterious Island, a section of DisneySea, and I remember staring intently at the cliff and the lake. It was so detailed and really impressive. If you added that together with how dedicated the Japanese people were to their work, it made Disneyland and Sea felt authentically Disney.

I didn't go to Disneyland when I was in Paris (and I did regret this sometimes). The next time I visited Disneyland was four years later, when I organised the father-and-daughter trip and traveled together with Endrico and his daughter. We stayed at the Disney Hollywood Hotel, which made it easier for us to go the Disneyland on the following day. The one in Hong Kong was considerably small and when we were there, it didn't have the iconic Cinderella Castle. I learnt that it should have had a Sleeping Beauty Castle instead, but it was being upgraded at the moment (the new one, called Princesses Castle, will be opened in 2020). When we were there, we saw Mickey Mouse speaking Cantonese, a reminder that the world's most popular mouse was speaking Japanese in Tokyo (and Chinese in Shanghai). Only God and Endrico knew what Mickey was so excited about. The most memorable attraction we had there was Mickey's Philharmagic. We visited it twice, partly because it was raining and we needed shelter, haha.

The kids at Hong Kong Disneyland.
Photo by Endrico Richard. 

The last one I went so far, Shanghai Disneyland, was the only one without it's a small world, the most informative boat ride that would brainwash and get you singing its never-ending song. I thought the ride was a permanent fixture, but apparently it wasn't. The visit to Shanghai Disneyland also made me realize that certain areas are the same around the world. All three parks had Fantasyland for Disney Princesses and fairy tales, Adventureland (it was called Adventure Isle at Shanghai Disneyland) for Tarzan, Lion King and others, and Tomorrowland for acts like Buzz Lightyear, Michael Jackson's Captain EO, Tron, etc. The attractions comprised of Disney's original and other franchises owned by Disney, such as Marvel and Star Wars. Pirates of the Caribbean was the coolest ride and a must try, but my fondest memory was that time I spent at the cleanest toilet in China. It was playing Colors of the Wind when I was there, minding my own business peacefully.

I skipped the fireworks at Shanghai Disneyland as it was scheduled quite late in the evening. Hong Kong Disneyland had no such show, hence the only time I ever watch it was in Tokyo. It was a brilliant closure for a complete Disney experience and it became the benchmark for the future Disneylands that I would visit. With such a high standard maintained by Tokyo Disneyland, the other two felt like they could be any other theme parks featuring Disney characters. Not as good, but still the happiest places on earth! 

At Shanghai Disneyland.

Disneyland Dan DisneySea 

Anda pasti pernah mendengar orang lain berkata bahwa Disneyland adalah tempat paling gembira di dunia. Fakta ini masuk akal untuk saya, terutama karena saya adalah seorang penggemar Disney dari sejak kecil. Masa kanak-kanak saya diisi dengan kartun yang dibintangi oleh Miki, Donal dan kawan-kawan (saya tidak mengerti bahasa Inggris saat itu, tapi seandainya saya bisa pun tidak akan berguna karena ucapan Donal Bebek susah dimengerti). Ketika saya mulai membaca komik, saya pun berlangganan komik Donal Bebek yang terbit setiap minggu. Bertahun-tahun kemudian, ketika saya bekerja di Jakarta, saya sering menghabiskan waktu di Gramedia untuk membaca Paman Gober dan Donal Bebek edisi nostalgia secara gratis. Album terakhir yang saya baca dan baca ulang adalah Kisah Hidup Paman Gober, cerita biografi Paman Gober yang ditulis oleh Don Rosa. Saya juga menonton banyak film Disney, mulai dari Lion King sampai Frozen, dan mendengarkan lagu-lagunya. 

Dengan pengaruh Disney yang begitu kental dari sejak kecil, anda bisa bayangkan apa yang saya rasakan begitu saya melangkah keluar dari kereta yang merapat di Stasiun Disney. Tata ruangnya, nada-nada riang yang saya pernah dengar sebelumnya, semua kenangan masa kecil itu bagaikan muncul kembali di benak saya. Perasaan tersebut begitu menggugah sehingga saya jadi sempat berpikir, bagi siapa kunjungan ke Disneyland itu lebih berarti, saya atau anak saya, sebab saya begitu bahagia seperti seorang bocah!

Linda di dekat Rumah Gufi, Disneyland Tokyo, 2014.
Foto oleh Evelyn Nuryani.

Harus saya akui bahwa itu adalah sebuah pengalaman baru. Saya tidak menyukai taman rekreasi seperti ini sebelumnya dan saya adalah seorang yang enggan berkunjung ke Dufan dan Universal Studios di Singapura karena saya tidak berminat dengan roller-coaster dan wahana lain yang membuat saya tidak berpijak dengan mantap di permukaan bumi. Akan tetapi Dufan dan Universal Studios tidak bisa dibandingkan dengan Disneyland. Tempat ini sungguh menakjubkan karena kita seolah-olah melangkah masuk ke dunia kartun. Hanya Disneyland yang bisa mewujudkan impian masa kecil menjadi kenyataan. 

Oh ya, tempat yang saya maksudkan di atas adalah Disneyland Tokyo, Taman Disney pertama yang saya kunjungi di tahun 2014.  Saat itu kita tinggal di dekat Stasiun Tokyo, jadi kita bisa mengambil jalur kereta Keiyō dan sampai di Disneyland 20 menit kemudian. DisneySea terletak di samping Disneyland, tapi karena luasnya dua taman bermain ini, kita menghabiskan satu hari untuk satu taman. Putri saya belum berumur dua tahun pada saat itu, jadi kita hanya mencoba wahana yang bergerak dengan pelan. Saya jelas tidak keberatan dan dengan senang hati berpartisipasi, haha.

Linda, lagi santai di DisneySea.
Foto oleh Evelyn Nuryani.

Saya tidak tahu apa sebenarnya beda Disneyland dan DisneySea. Saya ingat bahwa seseorang, mungkin Wawa, memberitahukan kepada saya bahwa DisneySea lebih cocok untuk orang dewasa karena wahananya lebih menantang, namun saya tidak akan pernah tahu itu sebab apa yang saya coba adalah wahana yang aman untuk balita. Saya ingat bahwa ada danau dan kanal air, jadi mungkin karena itulah namanya DisneySea. Kendati begitu, ada satu kenangan yang saya ingat betul. Saat itu saya sedang berada di Mysterious Island, salah satu bagian di DisneySea, dan saya memperhatikan tebing dan danau buatan di sekitar saya. Detilnya sungguh luar biasa mengesankan. Hal ini dan juga antusiasme orang Jepang dalam melaksanakan pekerjaannya membuat Disneyland dan DisneySea benar-benar terasa otentik. 

Saya tidak pergi ke Disneyland sewaktu berada di Paris (dan terkadang ada rasa sesal karena tidak berkunjung ke sana). Kali berikutnya saya ke Disneyland adalah empat tahun kemudian, ketika saya mengadakan liburan ayah dan anak. Bersama-sama dengan Endrico dan putrinya, kita menginap di Disney Hollywood Hotel sehingga mudah bagi kita untuk pergi ke Disneyland pada keesokan harinya. Taman Disney di Hong Kong ini terasa lebih kecil dan tidak memiliki Istana Cinderella yang terkenal. Menurut apa yang saya baca, Disneyland Hong Kong seharusnya memiliki Istana Putri Tidur, namun sedang direnovasi pada saat kita ke sana (istana yang baru, Istana Para Putri, akan dibuka di tahun 2020). Saya melihat Miki Tikus berbicara dalam bahasa Kanton di Hong Kong, satu hal yang mengingatkan saya bahwa tikus paling populer di dunia ini berbicara bahasa Jepang di Jepang (dan Mandarin di Cina). Hanya Tuhan dan Endrico yang tahu apa yang dibicarakan Miki dengan penuh semangat. Atraksi yang paling mengesankan selama kita di sana adalah Mickey's Philharmagic. Kita bahkan mampir dua kali, tapi karena hari sedang hujan dan kita butuh tempat berteduh, haha.

Bersama Endrico dalam perjalanan menuju Disneyland Hong Kong.
Foto oleh Rachel Valerie Richard. 

Taman Disney terakhir yang saya kunjungi sejauh ini adalah Disneyland Shanghai. Saya agak terkejut saat menyadari bahwa Disneyland yang satu ini tidak memiliki it's a small world, wahana perahu yang membawa anda berlayar mengelilingi dunia sambil ditemani oleh lagunya yang diulang-ulang. Saya kira atraksi ini selalu ada di Disneyland, namun tidak begitu rupanya. Kunjungan ke Disneyland Shanghai juga membuat saya sadar bahwa beberapa bagian Disneyland selalu sama di mana-mana. Tiga Disneyland yang saya kunjungi memiliki Fantasyland yang bertema Putri Disney dan dunia dongeng, Adventureland untuk Tarzan dan lain-lain serta Tomorrowland untuk tokoh-tokoh seperti Buzz Lightyear, Captain EO yang diperankan oleh Michael Jackson, Tron dan sebagainya. Pirates of the Caribbean adalah wahana paling bagus di situ, tapi yang saya ingat betul justru toilet paling bersih di Cina. Tidak setiap hari saya bisa menikmati toilet sebersih itu sambil diiringi dengan lagu Colors of the Wind dari Pocahontas.

Saya tidak menonton pertunjukan kembang api di Disneyland Shanghai karena jadwalnya yang cukup malam. Disneyland Hong Kong tidak memiliki pertunjukan serupa, jadi sekali-kalinya saya menonton pertunjukan tersebut adalah di Tokyo. Atraksi kembang api itu adalah penutup untuk pengalaman Disney yang luar biasa, yang akhirnya menjadi standar bagi saya untuk menilai Disneyland Hong Kong dan Shanghai. Dengan standar Disneyland Tokyo yang begitu tinggi, dua Disneyland lainnya terasa lebih mirip seperti taman rekreasi yang kebetulan bertema Disney. Walaupun tidak begitu bagus, namun tetap saja tempat-tempat paling gembira di dunia! Jangan lewatkan! Kalau anda harus memilih, pilihlah Disneyland!

Menuju ke atraksi Pirates di Disneyland Shanghai.
Foto oleh Evelyn Nuryani.

Autumn in Fukuoka

As soon as I stepped foot in this city, I could feel how modern and vibrant Fukuoka was. Departing from a small city Nagasaki by train, the atmosphere here was so different. The Hakata Station was connected with a very big mall, JR Hakata City. A lot of young adults were walking inside and outside the mall. Many of them were wearing modern and stylish outfits but there were also some people who wore traditional outfits. A mixture of tradition and modernity! That's why Japan, particularly Fukuoka, felt so special.

Hakata Station/JR Hakata City. 

From Hakata Station we took the metro train to go to our hotel in Tenjin area. After check-in, we strolled along the way to Canal City Hakata. We passed by the flagship store of Ichiran Ramen. Fukuoka was the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen, which was also called Hakata Ramen by the locals and Ichiran was one of their most famous ramen stalls. They sold only one menu, their specialty, the tonkotsu ramen. They believed that only by focusing on one thing, they would be able to master the dish and provide the best for their customer. They really did. Their tonkotsu ramen was very delicious. A must try if you visit Fukuoka.

Ichiran Ramen.

Canal City Hakata was a large shopping and entertainment complex. There were many shops, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, hotels and a canal that ran through the complex. At the centre of the canal, there was a fountain show every half an hour. It looked beautiful at night, thanks to the colourful lights and songs. We watched Godzilla and One Piece shows the following night, then we had our dinner at Ramen Stadium inside the mall. The so-called stadium was a collection of 8 ramen restaurants representing the regional tastes of all Japan. Every restaurant had a long queue, but we could order our food through the machine before we queued so by the time we got the seats, the food was ready. Very efficient.

One Piece showing at Canal City. 

The next morning, we visited one of the most beautiful parks in Japan, Ohori Park. The shades of red, orange and yellow welcomed us as we entered the garden. We were in the midst of autumn or koyo season. Leaves turned red, yellow and brown, depending on the species, before falling to the ground. It was so beautiful! I couldn't get enough pictures of it. We enjoyed the sight of colourful trees as we strolled along this big park.

Ohori Park is a city park with a large pond in its center. Ohori means moat in Japanese. The pond in the center used to be part of the moat system in Fukuoka Castle. There was the walking path around the pond. It was about 2 km long and very popular for jogging or just walking. We crossed the bridge to the artificial island in the middle of the pond while watching colourful ducks playing water and the cranes flying over the pond. The atmosphere were so peaceful and relaxing.

Ohori Park.

Just next to the park was Fukuoka Castle Ruins. Fukuoka Castle was once the largest castle in Kyushu island but it was destroyed during Meiji period. Only the base and a few parts of the castle remained. The Ruins of Fukuoka Castle located in Maizuru Park, home to an abundant cherry blossom trees. During autumn, the colour of the leaves mostly were red. But there were some trees with yellow leaves too. We saw two couples with their traditional clothes doing their pre-wedding shoot at this pretty park.

Fukuoka Castle Ruins.

We spent the rest of the day wandering in Tenjin area, window-shopping in some malls while enjoying Christmas decoration and songs. Fukuoka had a lot of local delicacies such as mentaiko (seasoned cod roe), Niwaka senbei cracker, tsukushi mochi and many others. With colourful and pretty packaging, they were really tempting! Fukuoka was also famous for strawberry. We bought the chocolate-coated strawberry at Muji as souvenirs and also some strawberry cookies named Hakata Kajuen Ichigo Ichigo.

At night, we walked beside Naka River and saw many yatai selling seafood, ramen and hotpot. A yatai is a mobile food cart or a stand stationed on the sidewalks. The place was small but full of people. We were interested to try but we finally decided not to because none of us could speak Japanese.

The following morning, we went to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. It only took 30 minutes by train from Fukuoka to reach Dazaifu, just perfect for a day trip. Dazaifu nestled in the hills of the suburban Fukuoka area. Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine was one of the most important shrines all over Japan. It was dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, whom was known as the god of learning. A lot of people especially students visited this place to pray for their success in academic, but some people just did sightseeing like us. The temple complex consisted of the garden, bridge and colourful trees. Just next to Tenmangu Shrine, there were Kyushu National Museum and Komyozenji temple.

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.

The street nearby the temple was always busy. There were many shops selling souvenirs and traditional snacks. I could spend the whole day here looking at many kinds of pretty souvenirs. Typical Japanese products, they were all so kawaii. Luckily my husband reminded me that our luggage was already full. So I just bought a small yukata for my daughter and tried local specialty snack, umegae mochi, a rice cake stuffed with sweet red bean. It was a popular snack and a must try.

Shopping street at Dazaifu Tenmangu.

We left Fukuoka the next day, returning to Singapore via Shanghai. We are going miss Fukuoka, a modern and convenient city but yet retaining the authentic vibe. Fukuoka is also special in my heart because I experienced autumn for the very first time in this place...

The Full Circle

When I fall in love with something, it often lasts forever. Godzilla from my childhood memories, for example. More than 30 years after I first watched Godzilla vs. Hedorah, I still love the King of Monsters. Same goes for Stephen Chow, the King of Comedy. He has a special place in my heart, thanks to the funny stuff he did from the late 80s till date. Then there are the Beatles and Zelda from music and game world, respectively. After all these years, I still love them so dearly that they simply become part of my life.

Here's one story from such a genre. It started many years ago in the early 90s, when Sega Mega Drive started to dethrone Nintendo in Pontianak. It was my cousin Andreas that introduced the home console and Michael Jackson's Moonwalker to me. I also remember being so impressed by Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse that I'd go to Ligo Mitra, a supermarket nearby where I stayed, just to see the owner's son playing the game. The graphics were very much alive and the colours were so vibrant! All of a sudden, Nintendo looked so dated!

Sonic the Hedgehog - Amiibo version.

I eventually got my own Sega, too. It was a present from my dad and it'd become my last home console until 2018, when I bought myself a Nintendo Switch as a Christmas present for myself, much to the chagrin of my wife, haha. So there I was, a proud owner of Sega and I'd rent the game cartridges from Asia Video. By the way, if you had been reading Roadblog101 for a while and you found that the name sounded familiar, you weren't wrong. Asia Video was the videos and games rental that almost singlehandedly changed our childhood forever. He should have had his own Wikipedia page for the cultural revolution that he was unknowingly responsible for in Pontianak!

Anyway, there's a good reason why Asia Video was mentioned again in this story. While Pontianak was a small town that many of you probably never heard of, we weren't far behind in term of new games. I first rented Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at Asia Video and I was immediately blown away by it. I never saw and played such a game before. Sonic was the fastest moving game character at that time, and that was even before he transformed into Super Sonic. The visual art was stunning. The background music was fantastic. The stages, called zones and each zone was comprised of two acts, were well-designed to showcase how fast and furious Sonic was. And Super Sonic was the cherry on top of an already delicious cake. With yellow coloured spikes that were pointing up and the starry, shadowy aura when he ran, Super Sonic had an uncanny resemblance to Super Saiyan from Dragon Ball. All those were the best things a teenage gamer could have ever wanted in his life!

Super Sonic in Sonia Mania Plus. 

And thus began one of the strangest episodes in my life. I was so obsessed by Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that I mustered up courage to ask Ah Sia if I could buy the game and how much it would cost me. There was this strange look in his eyes, probably because nobody had ever asked him this before, and then he said it was new and if I was keen, he was willing to sell it at IDR 90K. In early 90s, when my pocket money was only around IDR 500 per school day and a Sega Mega Drive was priced at around IDR 270K, the price Ah Sia asked for was a lot of money for a kid! I was surprised to hear such a steep price as I clearly didn't have that much, but I was determined to have the game. I told him I'd be back and true to my words, I returned to purchase it after I had saved such amount of money. It could be the first time I had ever spent so much money and I don't think I ever told my parents that.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was my first introduction to the series. It was only after this that I tried the first game. It turned out that it wasn't that good and my gaming experience would have been so different if I played the original Sonic the Hedgehog first. The next two entries, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, were both brilliant and felt somewhat similar. Years later, when Wikipedia existed, I finally learnt that these two were supposed to be one game and both games could be combined into one using a feature called lock-on. No wonder! Then, right after that, I remember Parno bringing Sonic 3D Blast to Endrico's house (we had this culture of playing game at friend's house back then). The gameplay was so different that it felt like it could have been any other game featuring Sonic. It just didn't feel like a proper Sonic game. Luckily it was Parno whom bought it, not me, haha.

Sonic CD was the only Sonic game from the original series that I didn't play at that time, simply because nobody I knew owned either the game or its player in Pontianak. Sonic Spinball was a rather forgettable game. Sonic Adventure, the next generation game that featured 3D gameplay, was released for Sega Dreamcast platform. I only played it once or twice at Cousin Andrew's house and I lost touch with Sonic for more than a decade after that. Then, when Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was released for iPad, of course I had to buy it. While the familiarity was there, the control on iPad's touch screen was horrible. Sonic Generations (I played the 3DS version), was a great way to reminisce about Sonic. Released to commemorate 20th Anniversary of Sonic, it brought us through Sonic's journey throughout the years, but it wasn't a great game. Sonic Boom that came later on was also not the right fit for an old school player like me.

And this is why Sonic Mania Plus mattered. Instead of trying too hard, it took what worked in the past and refurbished it. It even retained the original graphics, complete with the CRT display effect if you like! As a result, it felt as if I picked up where I left off. The speed, the excitement, the familiarity and the nostalgia worked seamlessly. 25 years might have passed since I first played Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but when I sat down playing my Nintendo Switch last Christmas, I was once again that kid who was in awe after plugging the game cartridge of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 into his Sega Mega Drive. After one big round that took many years to complete, I finally reached a full circle...

Sonic the Hedgehog and other Amiibos.

Satu Lingkaran Penuh

Saat saya menyukai sesuatu, biasanya sesuatu itu akan menjadi bagian dari hidup saya selamanya. Godzilla dari masa kecil saya, misalnya. Lebih dari 30 tahun sudah berlalu terhitung sejak saya menonton Godzilla vs. Hedorah untuk pertama kalinya dan saya masih menyukai sang Raja Monster. Sama halnya seperti Stephen Chow, sang Raja Komedi. Dia memiliki tempat istimewa di hati saya karena hal-hal lucu yang dikerjakannya dari akhir tahun 80an sampai sekarang. Kemudian masih ada lagi Beatles dan Zelda dari dunia musik dan game. Setelah puluhan tahun lamanya, saya masih begitu menyukai dua ikon ini sehingga mereka menjadi bagian dari hidup saya. 

Berikut ini adalah sebuah cerita yang bertema serupa. Kisah ini dimulai bertahun-tahun silam di awal tahun 90an, sewaktu Sega Mega Drive mulai menggeser posisi Nintendo di Pontianak. Sepupu saya memperkenalkan saya pada Sega dan game Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. Saya juga ingat betapa terkesannya saya pada game Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse sehingga saya bolak-balik ke Ligo Mitra, sebuah supermarket di dekat tempat tinggal saya, hanya untuk melihat anak pemilik supermarket itu bermain game tersebut. Grafiknya begitu hidup dan warnanya sangat menarik perhatian. Tiba-tiba saja Nintendo terlihat begitu ketinggalan zaman.

Sonic dan Tails.

Saya akhirnya mendapatkan Sega juga, hadiah dari ayah saya yang kemudian menjadi perangkat game terakhir yang pernah saya miliki di Pontianak. Semenjak itu saya tidak pernah lagi memiliki perangkat game di rumah sampai tahun 2018, tatkala saya membeli Nintendo Switch sebagai hadiah Natal bagi diri saya sendiri, haha. Setelah memiliki Sega, saya pun menyewa kasetnya di Asia Video. Oh ya, bagi anda yang sudah mengikuti Roadblog101 untuk beberapa lama, anda mungkin pernah membaca nama Asia Video sebelumnya. Sebagai info, toko penyewaan video dan game ini berperan besar dalam masa kecil anak-anak Pontianak di akhir era 80an dan awal 90an. A Sia, pemilik toko tersebut, seharusnya memiliki halaman sendiri di Wikipedia karena revolusi budaya di Pontianak yang terjadi secara tidak sengaja berkat bisnis yang ditekuninya! 

Ada alasan tersendiri kenapa Asia Video disebut lagi di dalam cerita ini. Ya, Pontianak adalah sebuah kota kecil yang mungkin tidak pernah anda dengar sebelumnya, tapi kami tidak ketinggalan dalam masalah game baru. Saya pertama kali menyewa Sonic the Hedgehog 2 di Asia Video dan saya pun langsung terkagum-kagum. Ini adalah sebuah game yang belum pernah saya lihat dan main sebelumnya. Sonic adalah karakter game paling cepat pada saat itu, bahkan sebelum dia berubah menjadi Super Sonic. Gambarnya bagus dan musiknya pun fantastis. Setiap zona yang harus dilalui Sonic terdiri dari dua ronde yang dirancang khusus untuk menampilkan betapa cepatnya Sonic berlari. Dan Super Sonic bagaikan buah ceri di atas kue yang sudah terbukti lezat. Dengan rambut/duri kuning yang berdiri dan aura yang berbintang dan berbayang-bayang yang muncul saat ia berlari, Super Sonic memiliki persamaan dengan Super Saiyan dari Dragon Ball. Singkat kata, ini adalah hal-hal terbaik yang diinginkan seorang remaja pemain game dalam hidupnya!

Sonic - Amiibo.

Dan setelah itu dimulailah satu episode yang aneh dalam hidup saya. Begitu terpesonanya saya dengan Sonic the Hedgehog 2, sampai-sampai saya memberanikan diri untuk bertanya pada A Sia, apakah dia menjual kasetnya dan berapa harganya kalau dijual. Dia mendelik saat menatap saya, mungkin karena belum pernah ada yang bertanya seperti itu padanya, lalu dia menjawab bahwa ini game baru dan kalau saya berminat, dia akan jual seharga Rp. 90 ribu. Di awal tahun 90an, ketika uang saku saya hanya Rp. 500 per hari dan Sega Mega Drive dijual di Ligo seharga Rp. 270 ribu, harga yang disebut A Sia sangatlah mahal untuk seorang remaja SMP. Saya terkejut karena saya tidak punya uang sebanyak itu, tapi saya katakan padanya bahwa saya akan kembali dan membelinya. Setelah menabung cukup uang, game tersebut menjadi barang paling mahal yang pernah saya beli saat itu. Seingat saya, saya tidak memberitahu orang tua saya tentang investasi saya ini. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 menjadi awal perkenalan saya dengan serial ini. Setelah itu, barulah saya mencoba episode pertama. Ternyata tidak sebagus yang saya harapkan, jadi syukurlah saya mulai dengan Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Dua episode berikutnya, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 dan Sonic & Knuckles, adalah game yang luar biasa mantap, namun entah kenapa terasa seperti kembar. Bertahun-tahun kemudian, ketika internet memiliki Wikipedia, barulah saya ketahui bahwa bahwa dua game ini memang dirancang sebagai satu game tunggal dan bisa digabungkan dengan menancapkan kaset Sonic 3 di atas kaset Sonic & Knuckles. Pantas saja mirip! Setelah itu, saya ingat saat Parno membawa game Sonic 3D Blast ke rumah Endrico. Pola permainannya berbeda jauh dengan game sebelumnya, bagaikan sebuah game lain yang kebetulan menggunakan Sonic sebagai pemeran utama. Tidak terlalu bagus, tapi untung saja Parno yang beli, bukan saya, haha. 

Sonic CD adalah satu-satunya game Sonic dari serial orisinil yang tidak pernah saya coba pada saat itu karena tidak ada seorang pun kenalan saya yang memiliki CD dan perangkatnya. Sonic Spinball adalah game yang tidak berkesan dan layak untuk dilupakan. Sonic Adventure, game Sonic generasi terbaru yang bernuansa 3D, diluncurkan di platform Sega Dreamcast. Saya hanya sempat bermain satu atau dua kali di rumah Andrew, sepupu saya. Kemudian, ketika Sonic the Hedgehog 4 dirilis di iPad, tentu saja saya membelinya. Pola permainannya mirip dengan apa yang saya kenal baik, tapi kontrol di layar sentuh iPad sangat tidak cocok untuk bermain game. Sonic Generations (saya hanya memiliki versi 3DS), adalah game yang dirilis untuk merayakan ulang tahun Sonic yang ke-20. Game ini membawa pemain menembus waktu dan setiap level yang kita lalui diambil dari game Sonic sebelumnya. Menarik konsepnya, tapi versi 3DS tidak terlalu seru game-nya. Sonic Boom yang dirilis beberapa tahun yang lalu juga tidak terlalu cocok untuk pemain lama seperti saya.

Sonic Mania Plus, versi Nintendo Switch.

Dan karena alasan-alasan di atas inilah Sonic Mania Plus menjadi penting. Game yang satu ini menghindari apa yang tidak perlu dan menggabungkan elemen-elemen yang membuat Sonic sukses di masa lalu dalam kemasan baru. Bahkan grafiknya pun persis sama seperti dulu, lengkap dengan tampilan TV zaman dulu jika anda berminat untuk menggunakan filternya! Hasilnya terasa seperti melanjutkan apa yang saya hentikan sejenak. Aspek-aspek seperti kecepatan Sonic yang membuatnya terkenal, kegembiraan seorang remaja saat bermain game, pola permainan yang dikenal baik dan nostalgia masa lalu berpadu dengan baik lewat game ini. 25 tahun mungkin sudah berlalu sejak saya pertama kali bermain Sonic the Hedgehog 2, namun ketika saya duduk dan bermain Nintendo Switch di saat Natal 2018, saya sekali lagi menjadi remaja pemain game yang memasukkan kaset Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ke Sega Mega Drive. Rasanya seperti satu lingkaran penuh. Saya akhirnya melanjutkan apa yang sempat terhenti sebelumnya...