Before It's Too Late, Too...

A while ago, we did something called Before It's Too Late. It was basically a collation of appreciation from one friend to another. You see, people our age die, so instead of speaking what's good about the person at his or her funeral, it'll be better to appreciate our high school friends while they're still around. But it turned out that I was too busy gathering positive feedback that I hadn't written any myself by the time I finished collating them.

Here's the sequel, exclusively from me to you. The experiences we went through together enriched my life. They made me who I am today. The continuous learning from my generation is always a humbling experience. I mean, it's easy to look back and get a little too proud of what I had achieved so far. The thought that I'm just one of the guys is what keeps me in check.

Mul in Singapore. 

My story began with Mul. When we were in high school, I was as good as an orphan because I didn't stay with my parents. When you were in such a situation, it was heart-warming to be frequently invited to have a dinner prepared by a loving mother. His Mum, may God rest her soul, cooked the best meals ever. A few years later, when I was in college, HM and family did the same, too. They were kind to me and HM was like brother I never had.

With HM in Pontianak. 

Talk about brothers, Eday was definitely there throughout the years, from high school till now. We were the two rascals that were involved in many pranks and he used to be one that got away! We travelled together to Jakarta and Temajoh, long before I knew how much I loved travelling. I'm not sure if Eday ever realized this or not, but he was always the talented one, even since our formative days, and I idolized him. Now that we're entering our fourth decade in life, Eday is still a very good friend that often nudged me and voiced his opinion when he thought I'd gotten too impulsive or took a wrong turn. In this time of day when an honest friend is hard to come by, I'm glad that I still have him around.

With Eday in Hong Kong.

Then there was Ardian, another close friend during college days. We were from the same high school, but I didn't know him then. With HM, there was never a doubt that he was the smarter one and I always looked up to him. But Ardian was the first that I'd consider as an equal. We'd hang out, make music or just talk about life, but his biggest contribution was perhaps the time we spent practicing English. We didn't have many people speaking English willingly then and the only other choice was Parno who started speaking French, so Ardian was obviously a better choice, haha.

Parno and Ardian at Melda, Pontianak.

Oh yeah, now that Parno was mentioned, let's talk about him. I tend to think that everyone had a bit of Parno's story in their lives. That's how influential the man is and he wasn't even trying, haha. In my case, Parno was the one with actions that made me laugh, upset, worried, etc. He is like a constant reminder how flawed we are as human beings, but we'll eventually be fine. Parno is ever hopeful and I always remember his innocent comment about life: "because we're contented." If you put the sentence in the right context (you can read the story here), it is as philosophical as it gets!

The next person, the one behind the greatest friendship story ever told, was Endrico. I might have not said this very often, but he was a great person and it was an honor to be his friend. It's one thing to have a lot of friends during happier times, but he'd proven himself time and again that he was around when things got tough. If you've been following Roadblog101 for a while, you'll see him featured in many stories, so I'll keep it short here.

Anthony, Endrico and Jimmy in Kuala Lumpur.

By the way, there were times when you couldn't talk about Endrico without mentioning Jimmy Lim, too. They were like twins then. Though we aren't that close anymore these days, I was fortunate to have Jimmy around when I needed friends the most. Together with Endrico, he paved my way to Singapore and he showed me around. Come to think of it, perhaps that's what his role was in my life. The one that showed me around, from my visit to Kuching to my arrival in Singapore.

And this wouldn't be a complete story with the following two names: another Jimmy and a nice chap named Rudy. Both are my oldest friends. We hung out in many occasions since childhood days, but the last time we ever got together thus far, just the three of us, was last July in Pontianak. I went home after my Dad passed away and Jimmy happened to be in town. As I listened to them talking, I couldn't help thinking how far we had gone our separate ways, but yet there we were, the three friends since kindergarten, still sharing the same table for our supper. If miracles did happen in life, this must be one of them...

Jimmy and Rudy in Surabaya. 

Sebelum Terlambat Juga...

Beberapa waktu yang lalu, saya dan teman-teman mengerjakan artikel yang berjudul Before It's Too Late. Ini adalah semacam kumpulan apresiasi dari beberapa teman untuk teman-teman lainnya. Ide ini lahir setelah saya melihat bahwa teman-teman yang seumuran pun sudah ada yang meninggal, jadi daripada mengenang kebaikannya saat kita mengobrol di rumah duka, tentunya lebih baik bila kita mengungkapkan langsung selagi orangnya masih ada. Nah, ketika saya sibuk merangkai tulisan teman-teman, saya ternyata tidak sempat untuk menulis.

Berikut ini adalah lanjutan dari apa yang telah kita kerjakan sebelumnya, kali ini dari saya untuk beberapa teman seangkatan. Pengalaman yang kita lalui bersama memungkinkan saya untuk mencapai hari ini. Pembelajaran dari teman-teman seangkatan juga merupakan hal berharga yang senantiasa membuat saya rendah hati.

Mul di Singapore. 

Cerita saya dimulai dengan Mul. Semasa SMU, saya tidak jauh berbeda dengan yatim piatu karena tidak tinggal bersama orang tua. Dalam situasi seperti ini, saya sungguh merasa diterima saat diajak untuk makan malam bersama. Almarhum ibu Mul menyediakan makanan yang fantastis! Beberapa tahun kemudian, ketika saya kuliah, HM dan keluarganya juga sangat baik pada saya. HM sendiri bagaikan seorang abang yang tidak pernah saya miliki.

Bersama HM di Pontianak. 

Bicara tentang persaudaraan, Eday selalu hadir, dari masa sekolah sampai sekarang. Kita dulu sering bertindak iseng dan seringkali dia yang lolos dari hukuman! Kita bertualang ke Jakarta dan Temajoh jauh sebelum saya menyadari bahwa saya suka berjalan-jalan. Saya tidak tahu apa Eday pernah menyadari hal ini atau tidak, tapi dia sungguh berbakat dan saya mengagumi talentanya. Sekarang kita memasuki dekade ke-4 di dalam hidup ini dan Eday masih tetap merupakan seorang teman baik yang siap menegur saya bilamana dia merasa saya salah langkah atau terlalu gegabah. Di dunia di mana teman baik begitu langka, saya senang bahwa masih ada seorang teman yang mau memberikan saran dan pendapat.

Bersama Eday di Hong Kong.

Kemudian ada Ardian, seorang teman akrab di masa kuliah. Kita berasal dari SMU yang sama, tapi saya tidak pernah sekelas dengannya pada saat itu. Sebagai teman, HM itu tidak diragukan lagi kepintarannya dan saya selalu salut dengannya. Namun Ardian berbeda. Dia lebih terasa seperti satu level dan sama pula hobinya. Kita sering menghabiskan waktu bersama, bersantai, menulis lagu dan lain-lain, tapi kontribusinya yang terbesar mungkin adalah sebagai lawan bicara dalam berbahasa Inggris. Pada masa itu, tidak banyak yang mau berkomunikasi dalam Bahasa Inggris di Pontianak. Pilihan lainnya cuma Parno yang mulai gemar berbahasa Perancis, jadi Ardian pastilah merupakan pilihan yang lebih tepat, haha.

Parno dan Ardian di Melda, Pontianak.

Oh ya, bicara soal Parno, saya kadang berpikir bahwa setiap orang memiliki kisah Parno dalam hidupnya. Betapa berpengaruhnya Parno, padahal dia sama sekali tidak berusaha untuk tenar, haha. Bagi saya pribadi, Parno adalah teman yang membuat saya tertawa, kesal, cemas dan beragam perasaan lainnya. Dia ini seperti sebuah peringatan yang konstan bahwa manusia itu tidak sempurna, tapi pada akhirnya semua akan baik-baik saja. Parno selalu penuh harapan dan saya ingat komentarnya yang polos tentang kehidupan: "karena kita sudah merasa cukup." Jika kalimat ini diuji dalam konteks yang benar (anda bisa baca ceritanya di sini), maka akan terasa sangat filosofis! 

Orang berikutnya, yang menjadi inspirasi cerita persahabatan terdashyat yang pernah dikisahkan, adalah Endrico. Saya mungkin jarang mengatakan hal ini, tapi Endrico adalah seorang teman yang luar biasa dan saya bangga menjadi temannya. Adalah suatu perkara biasa kalau kita memiliki banyak teman di kala senang, tapi beda cerita kalau kita sedang dirundung kesulitan. Endrico sudah membuktikan bahwa dia tetap hadir di kala teman susah dan membutuhkan. Jika anda sudah mengikuti Roadblog101 cukup lama, pastilah anda sudah banyak membaca tentang dirinya yang sering muncul di berbagai cerita, jadi paragraf tentang Endrico saya persingkat hingga di sini saja.

Anthony, Endrico dan Jimmy di Kuala Lumpur.

Ada suatu ketika di mana kita pasti menyebut nama Jimmy Lim kalau sedang berbicara tentang Endrico. Mereka seperti kembar dan selalu bersama. Walau Jimmy tidak lagi dekat dengan kita sekarang, saya tetap bersyukur bahwa Jimmy hadir di kala saya membutuhkan bantuan kawan. Bersama Endrico, dia membuka jalan saya ke Singapura. Kalau saya pikirkan kembali, mungkin memang demikianlah peranannya. Dia adalah penunjuk jalan, mulai dari saat kunjungan saya ke Kuching sampai tibanya saya di Singapura. 

Dan cerita kali ini tidak akan lengkap tanpa dua nama berikut ini: seorang Jimmy lagi dan seorang teman lain bernama Rudy. Dua orang ini adalah teman saya yang paling lama. Kita berteman cukup dekat, berpisah dan bertemu lagi di berbagai kesempatan dalam hidup ini. Terakhir kali kita berkumpul bertiga adalah bulan Juli lalu di Pontianak. Saya pulang ke rumah setelah Papa meninggal dan Jimmy kebetulan mampir ke Pontianak. Saat saya menyimak perbincangan mereka, saya jadi membayangkan betapa jauh kita sudah menempuh jalan hidup masing-masing. Menakjubkan rasanya bahwa kita masih bisa bersama, tiga teman dari sejak TK, menikmati sotong di malam hari. Jika keajaiban memang terjadi di dalam hidup ini, pertemuan ini pastilah salah satunya...

Jimmy dan Rudy di Surabaya. 

Staying At Home

Today was our 4th day staying at home after government implemented the Circuit Breaker. My seven-year old girl and me were making clay doll necklaces when out of the blue, she suddenly asked, "Ma, will this moment become my past when I grow up few years later?"

I was stunned for a while when I heard her question. I told her, "yes, this will be your memory when you grow up later."

She continued asking, "how was it when you were a child, Ma? Was there a handphone?"

I looked at those curious eyes and asked, "do you want me to tell the story of my childhood?"

She smiled and nodded her head immediately. "Yes, please."

"Ok, when I was your age, the only phone we had was a telephone. It was a big one with numbers for you to dial by rotating the wheel clockwise, number by number. The phone could only be used to call people. You could not use the phone to send messages, take pictures, browse the internet, listen to music, watch videos or any other things that you can do today with the handphone."

She looked surprised and asked me again, "so when was the handphone invented?"

"Hmm, handphones were available for public in  mid 90s. I had my first handphone when I was in college. It was Nokia 5110, a very popular type back then. Most of my friends used the same model, too."

Showing Motorola Razr to Linda. It was my last handphone before I switched to BlackBerry. 

She listened enthusiastically when I told her what I did during my spare time as a kid. Unlike kids these days, we did not have many electronic devices to entertain us. My father just had a video player and sometimes we watched classic movies such as the Sound of Music and Mowgli. The other activities were playing hopscotch and cooking in our garden, cycling, monopoly, etc.

As I told her my childhood memories, I was reminded that we should be grateful the technology now had become much more advanced than 30 or 40 years ago. Even though we had to stay at home all the time during the Circuit Breaker period, we could contact our friends and family via video calls. We could look at them and listen to their voices even though we were separated miles away. Thanks to technology, the kids could also study at home, learning new skill and updating their knowledge. We could even exercise at home thanks to all the free online classes we could find on YouTube. For those who like to cook or bake, they could explore many recipes and cooking classes that were also available online.

Having said that, instead of looking at our limitation during this difficult time, we could choose to look at the other side of the coin. We had time to expand our knowledge and skill, build a better relationship with our spouse and kids, as well as spending more time to get closer to our God. Most of the time we were too busy with our activities. Perhaps it was time to slow down and listen to His gentle voice. We definitely could overcome this situation together. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Pontianak Cuisine: Good Or Overrated?

Pontianak cuisine is easily one the most favorite topics that we keep revisiting in our high school chat group. Many of us, especially those who are no longer staying in Pontianak, often crave for the hometown delights. They'd like to eat not only this and that, but all of them if possible, as if what we had for the first 18 years of our lives were the most mouth-watering food on earth. This, eventually, brought me to this very question: in all honesty, is Pontianak cuisine good or overrated? 

Simple and innocent though the question may be, the answer of it may upset the balance of the force. It is a delicate matter, the biggest taboo ever! Any answers other than, "yes, it's good," especially coming from a person who was born and bred in Pontianak, will be deemed as blasphemy. That's how fierce and defensive people can be when it comes to Pontianak cuisine.

The roadside eatery in Pontianak.

Anyway, even though the risk is extremely high, let's have a break from COVID-19 and talk about food from my hometown instead. What you are going to read next is a frank opinion. A bit of a background here, I grew up on Jalan Dokter Setiabudi. Back in the early 90s, this place was like the Mecca for local delights. I had almost everything here, from one end to the other end of the street, and what I didn't have here weren't exactly sold far from where I stayed. I ate outside a lot, be it day or night, so I surely knew a thing or two about Pontianak cuisine.

A plate of Melda rice.

Based on my personal experience, I have this thought that Pontianak food is only good mostly because, first and foremost, you never tried anything better than what you had all this while. Throughout my life in Pontianak, I believed Melda was the best until I tried the real nasi Padang in Jakarta. Another great example would be fried beef kway teow. I never knew there was this cooking style called bun until my friend Andy William brought me to try one in Pademangan, Jakarta, circa 2003. I never looked back since then. If both normal and bun fried were on the menu, I'd go for the latter.

the bun beef kway teow.

Secondly, the cuisine was never that special and we were probably just being nostalgic about that part of our lives in Pontianak. Earlier this year, I had this craving for sweet fried noodles. I seemed to recall that it was so delicious, but when my friend Harry brought me to Jalan Siam for a plate of freshly fried noodles, it wasn't as good as how I remembered it. It felt the same for kwe kia theng. It was alright, but not exactly a must eat. It was more like, if we happened to pass by the stall and someone would like to have it, I wouldn't mind to tag along. Singapore's kway chap tasted quite similar, if not better.

Sweet fried noodles.

Up until here, I realize that to some people, I may sound like an ungrateful bastard, but don't kill me yet, please. While I tend to think that some menus aren't that great, that's not to say that my hometown didn't have anything good at all. Some of the stuff from Pontianak are really legendary. I'd travelled quite a fair bit and sampled the food around the region, but I must say nothing really came close to these few: hekeng, nasi uduk Borobudur, chicken rice.

ngo hiang (left) and hekeng.

It's really a shame that not many have heard of hekeng. You don't know what you have missed. Yes, compared with ngo hiang, its more famous cousin, the prawn-based hekeng is like the elusive one. However, I had tasted both and I can safely tell you that while ngo hiang is nice, hekeng is much, much nicer. It's really a local delicacy that I'm proud of.

The fried chicken of nasi uduk Borobudur.

As for nasi uduk Borobudur, it was so sensational and revolutionary when it first appeared in town. Before long, it became the benchmark of how nasi uduk should be: the rice, the fried chicken, tofu and tempe, the chilli and of course a little something called kremes (it is basically a fried dough). In case you have a hard time imagining what I was describing, think of nasi lemak. Good stuff, eh? Now multiply it by ten and you'll understand what how good nasi uduk Borobudur is.

Pontianak chicken rice.

Then we have the chicken rice that is uniquely Pontianak or West Kalimantan. Apart from branches in Jakarta and Batam, I haven't seen this elsewhere. I also have no answer why it is called chicken rice when it is covered by pork. I can only tell you that it tastes heavenly. I love the Hainanese chicken rice, but our chicken rice will surely blow you away!

Anyway, back to the original question, we can't be eating all this for years and not loving it, right? Based on what I observed, more often than not, only Pontianak people praised the local food. But invite any foreigners and they may not share the same opinion. Even those that told you good, they probably were just being polite to the host. There's also the fact that it is never as popular as nasi Padang or East Java cuisine. My conclusion? Pontianak food is good, but most them are overrated...

Makanan Pontianak: Enak Atau Dilebih-lebihkan?

Makanan Ponti adalah salah satu topik favorit yang paling sering dibahas di grup teman-teman SMA. Banyak di antara kita, terutama yang tidak lagi tinggal di Pontianak, seringkali mengidamkan masakan kampung halaman. Terkadang kita tidak hanya ingin makan ini dan itu, tapi semuanya kalau bisa, seakan-akan apa yang kita santap selama 18 tahun pertama dalam hidup kita adalah makanan yang paling lezat dan menggiurkan. Ini kemudian menimbulkan tanda tanya: kalau kita boleh jujur, sebenarnya makanan Pontianak itu enak atau dilebih-lebihkan enaknya? 

Pertanyaan ini mungkin sederhana, tapi jawabannya bisa menyebabkan huru-hara. Ini adalah perkara yang pelik dan tabu, yang harus ditangani secara hati-hati. Jawaban yang tidak senada dengan, "ya, memang sedap," terutama bila berasal dari orang yang lahir dan dibesarkan di Pontianak, bisa dianggap sebagai penghujatan. Bisa begitu jadinya kalau kita diskusi tentang makanan Pontianak.

Makan di tepi jalan ala Pontianak

Walau tinggi resikonya bila topik ini dilanjutkan, mari kita berhenti sejenak dari topik COVID-19 dan berbicara tentang perihal makanan Pontianak. Apa yang akan anda baca berikut ini adalah sebuah opini yang apa adanya. Sebelum saya mulai, mari saya jelaskan sedikit tentang latar belakang saya sebagai orang yang mengulas tentang hal ini. 

Saya dulu tinggal di Jalan Dokter Setiabudi. Di awal tahun 90an, kawasan ini adalah surganya makanan lokal. Hampir segala jenis makanan tersedia di sini, mulai dari ujung jalan yang berbatasan dengan Jalan Gajah Mada sampai dengan ujung satunya yang berbatasan dengan Jalan Tanjung Pura. Apa yang tidak dijual di sini bisa dibeli tak jauh dari Jalan Dokter Setiabudi. Saya hampir tiap hari makan di luar, baik siang maupun malam, jadi saya tentu tahu tentang makanan Pontianak.

Sepiring nasi Melda.

Berdasarkan pengalaman pribadi saya, masakan Pontianak ini terasa enak, pertama-tama karena kita tidak pernah merasakan yang lebih enak lagi. Sepanjang hidup saya di Pontianak, saya menyangka bahwa nasi yang dijual di Melda itu adalah yang paling nikmat. Saya percaya itu sampai saya akhirnya mencicipi nasi Padang di Jakarta. Contoh lainnya adalah kwetiau sapi goreng. Saya tidak pernah tahu ada yang namanya kwetiau bun, sebab zaman dulu setahu saya tidak ada. Ketika teman saya Andy William membawa saya ke Pademangan untuk mencobanya di tahun 2003, barulah saya tahu betapa sedapnya kwetiau sapi bun. Semenjak itu, bilamana ada pilihan kwetiau sapi goreng biasa dan kwetiau bun, pastilah saya pilih yang bun.

the bun beef kway teow.

Yang kedua, makanan Pontianak terasa istimewa mungkin karena kita bernostalgia tentang masa-masa kita di kampung halaman. Di awal tahun ini, saya sungguh ingin mencicipi mie goreng manis. Di benak saya, rasanya sungguh mantap, namun ketika teman saya Harry membawa saya ke Jalan Siam untuk menyantap sepiring mie goreng manis, rasanya tidak seenak yang saya bayangkan. Sama halnya juga dengan kwe kia theng. Rasanya lumayan, tapi tidak sampai kategori wajib makan. Bagi saya, kalau misalnya kita kebetulan lewat dan ada yang mau makan, saya tidak keberatan untuk turut serta.

Sweet fried noodles.

Sampai di sini, mungkin ada kesan bahwa saya ini seperti kacang lupa kulit, tapi tolong baca lebih lanjut dulu. Saya berpendapat bahwa tidak semua makanan Pontianak itu enak, tapi ini tidak lantas berarti tidak ada yang enak. Beberapa menu Pontianak sangatlah legendaris. Saya sudah berkelana ke cukup banyak tempat dan mencoba makanan di berbagai daerah. Saya berani jamin bahwa tidak ada yang bisa menyaingi makanan-makanan berikut ini: hekeng, nasi uduk Borobudur dan nasi ayam.

ngo hiang (left) and hekeng.

Saya menyayangkan bahwa tidak banyak orang luar yang tahu tentang hekeng. Ya, bila dibandingkan dengan ngo hiang, sepupunya yang lebih terkenal, hekeng yang berbahan dasar udang ini memang kalah tenar. Kendati begitu, saya sudah mencoba dua makanan yang nyaris serupa ini dan bisa saya katakan bahwa ngo hiang memang enak, tapi hekeng lebih enak lagi. Ini adalah makanan khas Pontianak yang sungguh saya banggakan.

The fried chicken of nasi uduk Borobudur.

Akan halnya nasi uduk Borobudur, makanan ini begitu sensational saat pertama kali muncul, sebab tidak ada nasi uduk yang seperti ini sebelumnya. Tidak lama kemudian, nasi uduk Borobudur menjadi standar bagi nasi uduk yang muncul setelahnya: mulai dari nasinya, ayam, tempe dan tahu gorengnya, hingga kremes dan sambalnya.

the bun beef kway teow.

Selain itu ada lagi nasi ayam Pontianak. Selain cabang-cabang yang saya temukan di Jakarta dan Batam, saya tidak pernah melihat menu ini di tempat lain. Terus-terang saya tidak mengerti kenapa menu ini disebut nasi ayam, padahal lebih banyak daging babinya. Saya hanya bisa bersaksi bahwa rasanya teramat sangat nikmat. Saya suka nasi ayam Hainan di Singapura, tapi saya yakin nasi ayam Pontianak lebih dashyat lagi. 

Oh ya, kembali ke pertanyaan semula, saya merasa kecintaan kita pada makanan Pontianak itu karena kita menyantapnya dari sejak kecil. Dari apa yang saya amati, seringkali hanya orang lokal yang memuji masakan Pontianak. Kalau anda undang orang luar daerah atau luar negeri, belum tentu mereka suka. Bahkan mereka yang mengaku suka pun, barangkali hanya sekedar bersikap sopan terhadap anda selaku tuan rumah. Faktanya orang lebih mengenal nasi Padang atau masakan Jawa Timur. Kesimpulan saya? Masakan Pontianak lumayan enak, tapi seringkali terlalu dilebih-lebihkan...

Hope In COVID-19 Moment

In early 2020, I thought my life journey would be easy because I'm used to the hard work I did after all these years. However, this year was kind of different due to the pandemic that started to haunt everybody in the world right now. My daily activities were disrupted. I was prohibited from doing the hailing ride and the goverment stated that we were not allowed to go outside. If it was urgent, we needed to wear a mask to protect ourselves in this situation.

It was an awkward situation. I tried to deal with it by watching movies, doing the routine exercise and running my family business. It was ironic that even at this moment, we still needed to rent, but the new shop was more spacious, haha. Well, I might add that we were trying to be hopeful in COVID-19 era. Despite of all impacts that could ruin anybody's life, we still survived in going through this pandemic. 

Be careful and take care of personal hygiene. Practice sosial distancing as well. While it might took some time to get used to the rules, we had to be more diligent in wearing the mask and washing hands. It was sad when some people don't give a damn about the pandemic even though it already caused a helluva mess in the world.

Needless to say, we were living in such a predicament, but for me, we just had to trust ourselves in dealing with this problem. We had to keep on enjoying while waiting for this pandemic to end. Who knows if it gets better? For now, we just had to try adjusting our way in doing business, preferably with a smile... 

The new shop a.k.a the new hope.

Life In The Time Of Corona

This story was started with DORSCON Orange on Friday, February 7. I remember the date clearly because my high school friends and I were supposed to have our yearly hangout that day. I didn't know what DORSCON Orange meant and I didn't even bother to find out, but after it was announced, the rest of the day felt eerie. 

It was bad, but I didn't know how bad. I never experienced this before. As I headed to Clarke Quay that night, I remember breathing slowly through my nose, as if what I did would filter the coronavirus! So silly! But that was me responding to the situation. I wouldn't lie that I felt anxious, too.

The night with a lot of calls.

I met a bunch of old friends that night. It was a happy occasion, especially when we had Mul joining us for the first time, but I couldn't say that I enjoyed that evening. Throughout the night, I received calls and had to make several calls as well. There was work to be done over the weekend, so there we were in office on the following day. 

We spend both Saturday and Sunday sending people home. It was tiresome, but little did we know that it was only the prelude to what was coming in April. It would get worse, but we had more than a month to adjust and after a while, life felt like going back to normal again.

The KFC chicken that didn't taste good. 

I was trying the spicy Thai chicken at KFC when my wife received the news about the travel advisory that required travelers to be subjected to either 14 days stay-home notice or quarantine. It was on March 15 and by the time we received that, my friend Endrico was about to board his flight to Jakarta. He hasn't returned to Singapore since then. 

The spicy Thai chicken wasn't that great to begin with, but the news surely made it even hard to swallow. For someone who loves to travel, the news was a disaster. I didn't like it, but given the escalating COVID-19 situation, the measure was necessary. In fact, drastic measures would be implemented rather quickly right after this. 10 days later, the pubs and cinemas were closed down. Not much left in term of indulgence.

Before the watering holes were closed down.

But apparently the worst was yet to come. This brought us to this week, when almost everything was suspended until further notice. Gone was the crowd in Raffles Place, something that I never saw before on weekdays. There was a certain sadness upon seeing this. It was like things were coming to an end. The bustling CBD area suddenly looked almost like a ghost town. 

Then came the announcement that we had to send 75% of our staff back so that they began working from home. We did some preparation on Sunday, knowing that it was the calm before the storm. Then all hell broke loose on Monday. The usual routines were dropped and whatever plans I made before the announcement last week went out of the window. Temper flared and voice was raised. We struggled to find the order within chaos. Everyone came to tell us the problem, but to whom could we share our problem with? My only consolation was what my colleague Alfa sent to us:

The irony that rang true.

It was ironic and yet it was so true. It did feel like that and I just had to laugh. But I didn't wish to end like the musicians. It was an uphill battle, alright, but one that I didn't have to fight alone. That's when I sought for help. Much to my surprise, some colleagues actually responded. 

I was really touched by the sense of camaraderie. To think that I was just your average Joe. They could just ignore me, but no, they volunteered and asked nothing in return. In the time of need, I was grateful to know that I got friends. We shouldered on for the next three days, some were behind the scene, some were on the frontline, and finally came the night when we made the impossible happen. I felt extremely tired, but I walked home with a piece of memory that I'd proudly look back.

The night we made it happen.

COVID-19 was the sum many things. In the beginning, I remember thinking that I didn't want to live in fear, therefore I tried to live my life as normal as possible, just like how it used to be. I went out for drinks and carried on watching movies in the cinema.  

When the situation went from bad to worse, I suddenly thought about Dad. Perhaps there was a reason why he left us last year. Imagine if he had to go through chemotherapy in the midst of all this, it'd be nightmare for all of us. Knowing him, he wouldn't want to be a burden for us. On top of that, he'd be worried sick about our safety, too.

Last picture with Dad. 

Then came a day like today. It was as bad as it got, but every cloud had a silver lining. It was quite scary to be out there, but it was grand to know that solidarity still existed. I was blessed with a chance to witness humanity at its best. It was an honour to serve and work side-by-side with these wonderful colleagues whom were willing to put other people's needs before theirs. And to see those people smile after we helped them... it felt like we did the right thing so, no, IT job wasn't bad at all! Slightly better than being musicians on the Titanic, I'd say!

Kisah Di Musim Corona

Cerita ini dimulai dengan DORSCON Oranye yang diumumkan pada hari Jumat sore, tanggal 7 Februari. Saya ingat jelas tanggal tersebut karena di hari yang sama, saya dan teman-teman SMA berkumpul di perjamuan makan dan minum yang kita adakan tiap tahun. Saya tidak tahu apa arti DORSCON Oranye dan saya bahkan tidak ingin mencari tahu. Yang saya tahu adalah, setelah diumumkan, malam itu rasanya tidak karuan lagi. 

Kesannya buruk, tapi saya tidak tahu seberapa buruk. Saya tidak pernah mengalami hal seperti ini sebelumnya. Ketika saya berjalan ke Clarke Quay, tanpa sadar saya bernapas dengan perlahan, seakan-akan apa yang saya lakukan ini bisa menyaring coronavirus! Betapa konyolnya respon saya ini. Jujur saya katakan, saat itu saya gelisah dan agak takut juga.

Malam yang penuh dengan dering telepon.

Saya bertemu dengan teman-teman lama di malam itu. Harusnya malam itu meriah seperti biasanya, apalagi ini adalah kali pertama Mul turut hadir dan berpesta, tapi cukup sulit bagi saya untuk benar-benar menikmati acara. Sepanjang malam, saya ditelepon dan juga menelpon beberapa orang. Ada pekerjaan dadakan yang mesti dikerjakan di akhir pekan, jadi saya dan tim pun kembali ke kantor. 

Sabtu dan Minggu akhirnya dihabiskan untuk mempersiapkan komputer-komputer karyawan supaya mereka bisa bekerja dari rumah. Cukup melelahkan, tapi kalau dilihat kembali, apa yang dikerjakan pada akhir pekan ini hanyalah sepersekian dari apa yang akan terjadi di bulan April. Kondisi COVID-19 akan kian parah, tapi berhubung kita memiliki waktu sebulan lebih untuk beradaptasi, keadaan pun sempat normal kembali di bulan Februari.

Ayam KFC yang kurang sedap.

Saya sedang mencicipi menu ayam goreng Thai di KFC tatkala istri saya menerima berita larangan yang mewajibkan para penumpang yang masuk ke Singapura untuk dikarantina atau dirumahkan selama 14 hari. Hari itu adalah tanggal 15 Maret dan di saat yang sama, Endrico sedang berjalan ke pesawat yang akan membawanya ke Jakarta. Dia belum kembali ke Singapura semenjak menaiki pesawat tersebut. 

Dari sejak pertama kali disantap, ayam goreng Thai yang pedas ini sudah terasa tidak begitu enak. Berita yang baru kita terima ini kian menghilangkan selera. Untuk seseorang yang gemar berjalan-jalan, larangan ini terasa seperti bencana. Saya merasa bahwa ini adalah berita konyol, tapi kasus COVID-19 memang kian merebak dan tindakan ini dirasakan perlu oleh pemerintah Singapura. Respon yang kian drastis pun terjadi 10 hari sesudah ini. Dengan ditutupnya pub dan bioskop, habis sudah kesenangan hidup di Singapura.

Malam sebelum pub ditutup.

Namun yang situasi buruk ternyata masih berlanjut. Di minggu ini, hampir semua usaha yang tidak tergolong kebutuhan primer akhirnya ditutup. Bahkan celana saya yang baru selesai dijahit pun akhirnya tak bisa diambil. Hilang sudah keramaian di Raffles Place, sesuatu yang belum pernah saya lihat sebelumnya selama 14 tahun di Singapura. Kesannya seperti mau kiamat. Daerah perkantoran yang biasanya aktif kini terlihat seperti kota mati. 

Kemudian terdengar pengumuman bahwa kita harus memulangkan 75% tenaga kerja di kantor supaya mereka bisa bekerja dari rumah. Saya dan tim bekerja di hari Minggu karena hanya di hari inilah kita bisa melakukan persiapan. Ketika Senin tiba, situasi segera terasa kacau. Kebiasaan rutin di kantor hilang sudah. Demikian juga halnya dengan rencana yang saya buat sebelum pengumuman minggu lalu. Semua berbondong-bondong datang secara fisik, lewat fitur chat atau telepon, berharap agar kita menyelesaikan masalah mereka sementara kita berusaha untuk tetap tenang. Emosi bergejolak dan kadang suara pun meninggi. Satu-satunya hiburan saya adalah apa yang dikirimkan oleh kolega saya Alfa:

Ironi yang sulit disangkal.

Status ini kesannya ironis, namun juga teramat sangat benar. Rasanya memang seperti itu dan saya akhirnya tertawa. Kendati begitu, saya tidak ingin berakhir seperti para musisi di Titanic. Ya, ini memang situasi yang sulit, tapi saya menyadari bahwa saya tidak perlu menghadapinya sendiri. Saya lantas mencoba mencari bantuan. Di luar dugaan, ternyata beberapa kolega langsung merespon dengan positif.  

Saya sungguh tersentuh dengan semangat kebersamaan ini, padahal kalau dipikir-pikir, saya cuma kolega mereka dan mereka bisa saja mengabaikan saya. Akan tetapi mereka justru membantu secara sukarela tanpa mengharapkan pamrih apa pun. Di saat seperti ini, sungguh beruntung rasanya bila memiliki teman. Kita bekerja bahu-membahu selama tiga hari. Ada yang di belakang layar dan sibuk konfigurasi, ada yang membantu staff lain secara langsung. Dan di malam itu kita membuat yang mustahil terwujud. Saya lelah sekali, tapi saya bisa berjalan pulang dengan sebuah kenangan yang kelak akan saya lihat kembali dengan rasa bangga.

Malam ketika kita berhasil mencapai 75%.

COVID-19 adalah sebuah pengalaman tentang banyak hal. Pada mulanya, saya berpikir bahwa saya tidak akan hidup dalam rasa takut, jadi saya pun menjalani hidup senormal mungkin. Saya melakukan apa yang biasa saya lakukan, seperti minum bersama teman dan menonton di bioskop. 

Ketika situasi memburuk, mendadak saya teringat tentang Papa. Mungkin ada alasannya kenapa dia meninggalkan keluarga di tahun lalu. Bayangkan jika dia harus menjalani kemoterapi ketika dunia dilanda COVID-19, bagaimana kita harus melaluinya? Saya tahu Papa dan dia pastilah akan merasa sangat sedih jika menjadi beban keluarga. Di samping itu, dia akan dirundung kecemasan akan keselamatan keluarganya juga.

Foto terakhir bersama Papa.

Kemudian tibalah hari seperti hari ini. Situasi sudah sedemikian buruknya, namun dari setiap peristiwa selalu ada hal yang bisa kita pelajari. Memang ada rasa ngeri saat berada di luar rumah, tapi luar biasa rasanya saat mengetahui bahwa solidaritas masih ada di masa-masa yang penuh percobaan seperti ini. Saya merasa diberkati karena berkesempatan untuk menyaksikan sebuah nilai kemanusiaan secara langsung. Adalah suatu kehormatan bisa bekerja sama-sama dengan para rekan kerja yang rela menempatkan kepentingan orang lain di atas kepentingan pribadi. Dan ketika saya melihat orang tersenyum setelah kita membantu mereka, rasanya kita telah melakukan hal yang benar. Oh ya, pekerjaan IT itu tidak terlalu buruk! Sedikit lebih baik dari musisi di Titanic!

Book Review: The Man Who Cycled To Europe For Love

Roughly a week ago, a colleague of mine shared this peculiar post on her Facebook. I happened to see it and I found it intriguing, so I browsed the internet just to read more about it. Much to my surprise, it turned out to be a true story that happened in the 70s. Cycling to Europe for love? How bizarre!

Then I got myself a copy from Kinokuniya and started reading. It was fascinating. I thought I knew India quite well, but this was the first time I heard about a state called Odisha. That's where our titular character came from. He got a long name that I couldn't remember, so it was a good thing that he was called PK throughout the story. I liked the initials as they reminded me of the movie by Aamir Khan.

By the way, the story can be divided into four sections. The first was PK's origin. It was an eye-opener. I'd heard about the four castes in India and I vaguely remember that we studied about the caste system at school, but I never heard of the untouchables until I read this book. PK had the untouchable father and tribal mother (the tribe was like the native people and they weren't exactly Hindu to begin with). This was like the most unfortunate combination ever and he was considered as a pariah. As a child, PK was looked down, shunned and excluded. If he ever touched anybody, they'd wash and clean themselves. It was that bad.

His teenage years weren't any better. He was constantly hungry and he slept literally everywhere, from inside the phone booth to under the bridge. Life was so tough that he tried to commit suicide several times. But PK wouldn't be the main character if his life was just a series of bad luck. The young man was a talented artist and it was his skill in sketching that changed his life. He met quite a fair bit of important people, including Indira Gandhi, before he met the love of his life.

The second section was about the short period of time he spent with Lotta, the Swedish girl, in India. Oh yeah, the short story of Lotta would appear from time to time since the beginning of the book. These chapters explained the early Indian influence in her life (the Beatles, especially George Harrison, was mentioned, too) and her eventual departure to India. Then finally came the boy-meets-girl story in Indian style, with a tinge of European flavour. He loved her and the girl finally said yes, but then she had to go.

That's when the third section began. The adventure from India to Sweden on a bike! This part was really fun to read (though might not be as fun for the cyclist). He cycled to Pakistan and suffered his first setback there, but funny how help always appeared when all hope seemed lost. 

PK then passed by Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey before stepped into Austria, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. The part where he was warned that Europeans weren't as friendly as Asians was a reminder that we were of different cultures, but still there were a lot of good Europeans that assisted him, too!

Then of course he finally made it to Sweden and lived happily ever after, or else his story wouldn't be known at all. The last section was about his life in Sweden. It was not easy to adapt (and he didn't even speak their language at first), but if he could go the distance, he surely could do it.

While his love might be the title of the story, the book offered the optimism that kind people still exist. I mean, one wouldn't be able to go very far with only an Indian passport and a bicycle. The help from other people along the way played a significant part in getting him to Europe. It was also quite obvious that PK wasn't a supporter of the caste system, especially when it costed him a nightmarish childhood. Sometimes I wonder if the castes were ever relevant at all, but hey, since I'm not an Indian, what do I know? Overall, it was a good and quick reading!

Relaxing and reading the amazing story.

Ulasan Buku: Pria Yang Bersepeda Ke Eropa Demi Cinta

Kira-kira seminggu yang lalu, seorang kolega saya membagikan beberapa foto tentang kisah yang tidak lazim ini di Facebook. Kebetulan saya melihatnya dan lantas merasa tertarik, lalu saya pun mencari tahu di internet. Ternyata ini adalah sebuah kisah nyata yang terjadi di tahun 70an. Mengayuh sepeda ke Eropa demi cinta? Sungguh dashyat! 

Segera saya memesan buku ini dari Kinokuniya dan lekas membacanya begitu saya terima. Ceritanya sungguh mengesankan. Saya mengira saya sudah tahu banyak tentang India, tapi baru kali ini saya mendengar tentang negara bagian yang bernama Odisha. Dari sinilah tokoh utama kita berasal. Nama pria ini panjang dan susah diingat, namun untunglah dia dipanggil dengan sebutan PK di sepanjang cerita. Saya suka dengan inisial yang mengingatkan saya pada film Aamir Khan ini. 

Oh ya, kisah PK boleh dikatakan dibagi menjadi empat bagian. Yang pertama adalah asal-usulnya yang sungguh mencengangkan. Saya sudah lama mengetahui tentang empat kasta di India, tapi baru kali ini saya mendengar tentang golongan yang tak boleh disentuh. Ayah PK berasal dari kalangan ini dan ibunya adalah wanita dari suku asli Odisha yang leluhurnya tidak memeluk agama Hindu. Ini adalah perpaduan orang tua yang tergolong sangat malang sehingga PK pun dianggap sebagai orang tidak berkasta yang rendah martabatnya. Semasa kecil, PK direndahkan, ditolak dan dikucilkan. Jika dia secara tidak sengaja menyentuh orang, maka yang disentuh akan segera membersihkan diri. Sampai separah itu nasibnya yang hina-dina. 

Masa remajanya pun tidak bagus. Dia senantiasa kelaparan dan tidur di mana-mana, mulai dari tempat telepon umum sampai di bawah jembatan. Kendati begitu, PK tentu tidak akan menjadi tokoh utama bilamana hidupnya hanya sekedar dirundung kemalangan. Pemuda ini berbakat dalam seni dan pandai melukis. PK lantas bertemu dan diminta untuk melukis banyak orang ternama, termasuk juga Indira Gandhi. Yang paling penting lagi, berkat keahliannya ini, PK akhirnya bertemu dengan wanita yang kemudian menjadi istrinya. 

Bagian kedua adalah periode singkat yang ia habiskan bersama Lotta, seorang wanita Swedia yang berkunjung ke India. Oh ya, cerita singkat tentang Lotta sudah muncul menjadi selingan dari sejak awal buku dan berkisah tentang pengaruh budaya India di dalam hidupnya (the Beatles, terutama George Harrison, juga disebut) dan perjalanannya ke India dengan menggunakan mobil. Setelah itu, kisah cinta muda-mudi yang bergaya India dan bercampur budaya Eropa pun bermula. PK mencintai Lotta dan sang gadis mengiyakan, tapi dia akhirnya harus kembali ke Swedia.

Dan bagian ketiga pun bermula. Petualangan dari India ke Swedia menggunakan sepeda! Bagian ini seru (walaupun mungkin teramat sangat sulit bagi PK yang mengayuh sepeda). Dia mengengkol dari New Delhi sampai Pakistan dan ditolak masuk, tapi kemudian menemukan jalannya ketika dia mulai putus asa. 

PK kemudian melewati Afghanistan, Iran dan Turki sebelum masuk ke Austria, Jerman, Denmark and Swedia. Bagian dimana dia diingatkan kembali bahwa orang Eropa tidak seramah orang Asia adalah fakta bahwa kita memang berbeda budaya, tapi ternyata tetap saja banyak orang Eropa yang tergerak untuk membantunya! 

Dan tentu saja dia akhirnya berhasil mencapai Swedia dan hidup bahagia. Bagian terakhir mengisahkan tentang hidupnya di Swedia. Tidak mudah untuk menyesuaikan diri di sana, apalagi kalau tidak bisa bahasa Swedia, namun jika dia bisa menempuh jarak ribuan kilometer, tentunya dia juga bisa bertahan dan beradaptasi. 

Buku ini menawarkan optimisme bahwa kekuatan cinta itu menakjubkan dan orang-orang baik masih ada di dunia ini. Maksud saya, tidak mungkin dia bisa mencapai Eropa dengan hanya modal paspor India dan sepeda. Banyak orang yang membantunya membuat perjalanan mustahil ini menjadi kenyataan. Selain itu, PK juga terkesan sangat menentang sistem kasta yang membuat hidupnya menderita. Saya jadi berpikir bahwa sistem kasta ini sepertinya tidak relevan dan terasa menyulitkan, tapi saya bukan orang India, jadi saya mungkin keliru. Secara keseluruhan, buku ini enak dibaca! 

Indulgence In The Time Of Corona

When I heard about the closure of pubs and cinema until further notice, one question immediately came to my mind: what's the meaning of life? It was bad enough that I couldn't travel. If I couldn't drink with friends and watch movies as well, what should I do, then? 

I was made aware by COVID-19 that these three activities had been my favourite pastimes. Over the years, I had subconsciously taken them for granted, as if the indulgence had always been part of my life. Once they were taken away, it became apparent that I had a hole in my life I gotta fill. 

The time of corona changed everything. It was like a rude awakening, but it wasn't necessarily bad. I thought I'd be depressed, but I wasn't. In fact, I was amused by how adaptable human beings could be. At first, it was admittedly unpleasant, but once the reality sank in, it turned out that I could take it quite well.

A happier moment before the closing time.

A rather interesting experience, I would say. During the cold turkey period, I remember having this inexplicable desire to spend. I had this lingering sadness that BlackBerry would be no more this year and I suddenly had this strong urge to buy Google Pixel 4 (by the way, just in case you are wondering, I'm still using my KEY2 now). At the same time, I also did online shopping, buying a book about an Indian who cycled to Sweden for love. I also got myself some Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts, a water filter and other stuff.  

It also didn't help that I got to work from home. I disliked this. To me, home used to be the last sanctuary, my only escape from the madness of the world. Now the worlds collided and everything was commingling. I was unhappy until I reconciled to the fact that it was the reality I had to live with. 

Once I made my peace, it's amazing how the situation improved. For example, I re-discovered that I could play music while working from home. That was surely a bargain! Listening to Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees while working my ass off in the midst COVID-19 season was definitely what I needed! And the list went on. I always hated waking up early and it was quite a good deal to wake up late on weekdays. I could also call it a day just by shutting down my laptop and voila, I was already at home. It was magical!

Working from home.

The moral of the story? You see, sometimes we clung too dearly to what we had. We liked things to happen our way and it might get just a little too much. I had been spoiled and I fell into the same trap, too. This shake-up made me realize how trivial some things in my life could be. More importantly, I was reminded, or probably forced to re-learn, that I was already blessed with the ability to adapt and be relatively happy. Life is funny that way. I mean, how it teaches us the lesson we need...

Kesenangan Di Musim Corona

Ketika saya mendengar tentang penutupan pub dan bioskop selama musim corona, satu pertanyaan langsung muncul di benak saya: apa arti hidup ini? Sudah cukup buruk bahwa saya tidak bisa berlibur dan berjalan-jalan. Jika saya tidak bisa mengobrol dan menikmati bir bersama teman-teman serta ke bioskop, lantas apa yang mesti saya lakukan? 

COVID-19 membuat saya sadar bahwa tiga aktivitas ini adalah hal yang paling gemar saya lakukan. Bertahun-tahun lamanya kesenangan ini mengisi hidup saya sehingga saya terlena, seakan-akan kegiatan ini selalu menjadi bagian dari hidup saya. Ketika tiga hal ini direnggut oleh corona, tiba-tiba ada lubang menganga yang kini harus saya timbun.

Musim corona mengubah segalanya. Rasanya seperti dibangunkan secara paksa, tapi ada hikmahnya. Tadinya saya mengira bahwa saya akan depresi, tapi ternyata saya baik-baik saja. Saya justru tertegun dengan kemampuan manusia dalam beradaptasi. Ya, awalnya memang terasa tidak menyenangkan, namun setelah fakta pahit ini diterima sebagai bagian dari hidup, ternyata saya bisa melewatinya.

Sebelum pub tutup.

Ini adalah sebuah pengalaman yang menarik. Sewaktu saya merasa bahwa kesenangan saya dirampas secara paksa oleh corona, entah kenapa saya memiliki keinginan untuk berbelanja yang begitu menggebu-gebu. Sejak bulan Februari, saya menyimpan kesedihan karena BlackBerry tidak akan keluar lagi dan tiba-tiba saja saya ingin membeli Google Pixel 4 secara impulsif (oh ya, kalau anda penasaran, saya masih menggunakan KEY2 sekarang). Pada saat yang sama, saya juga banyak berbelanja online, mulai dari membeli sebuah buku tentang Indian yang bersepeda ke Swedia demi cinta sampai memborong beberapa kaos Hard Rock Cafe, saringan air dan barang-barang lain. 

Kerja dari rumah juga turut memperburuk suasana. Saya tidak suka kerja dari rumah karena saya memiliki sudut pandang bahwa rumah bukanlah tempat untuk bekerja, tapi tempat untuk beristirahat dari gilanya dunia. Kerja dari rumah membuat semuanya terasa seperti campur aduk. Saya merasa tidak gembira karenanya. Perasaan ini baru sirna setelah saya memutuskan untuk menerima bahwa inilah kenyataan hidup di masa corona. 

Setelah saya merasa damai di hati, situasi dan kondisi pun membaik dengan cepat. Sebagai contoh, saya menemukan kembali kegembiraan dalam mendengarkan musik dan saya bisa melakukan itu saat bekerja dari rumah. Ini adalah hal yang positif. Kapan lagi saya bisa mendengarkan Stayin' Alive dari Bee Gees saat bekerja membanting tulang di musim corona? Contoh lainnya, saya tidak pernah menyukai bangun pagi dan kini saya bisa tidur lebih siang di hari kerja. Selain itu, saya cukup mematikan laptop untuk berhenti kerja dan hei, saya sudah ada di rumah. Seperti suatu keajaiban!

Kerja dari rumah.

Jadi apa inti dari cerita kali ini? Anda perhatikan bahwa terkadang kita memegang terlalu erat apa yang kita sangka sebagai hak milik kita. Kita selalu berharap bahwa semua terjadi menurut kehendak kita dan ada kalanya harapan kita itu terlalu berlebihan. Saya akui bahwa saya sudah dimanjakan di dalam hidup ini sehingga saya pun tak luput dari jebakan ini. Perubahan yang terjadi karena corona ini membuat saya sadar betapa hal-hal yang menjadi kesenangan saya ini sebenarnya tidaklah terlalu penting. Yang lebih penting adalah fakta bahwa saya diingatkan kembali, atau dipaksa belajar ulang, bahwa saya sudah sedari dulu diberkati dengan kemampuan untuk beradaptasi dan bergembira dengan apa yang ada. Hidup ini lucu, terutama caranya dalam mengajari kita tentang pelajaran hidup yang kita butuhkan...