Motivation, Hard Work And Talent

Believe it or not, church can be an inspirational place to be. Last Sunday I was simply captivated by a drummer that played throughout the praise and worship. His drumming was alright, not exactly spectacular, but it somehow reminded me that drumming was something that I always wanted to do.

I remember the younger days when I drummed a bit. I was inspired by Ringo and I wanted to play so badly that I built my own drum kit from boxes. The only thing I could afford then was the drumsticks. The skill was self-taught and I think I managed to learn basic. Another thing I'd also learnt was, based on the complaints I got from my uncle, I could assure you that drumming was a loud hobby that might annoy the people around you, haha.

Playing music with Jun.

Jokes aside, it was due to the right motivation that I ended up learning the skills willingly. When it got frustrating, I was passionate and persistent enough to carry on. But motivation could only bring me as far as I could. As I continued daydreaming, I thought of hard work and real talents.

The only time I ever picked up something new recently was probably when I got myself a ukulele. The inspiration was, of course, from the Beatles. George Harrison loved ukulele so much that he would bring an extra or two, just in case someone needed it. When I saw Paul playing Something on ukulele as a tribute to George, I thought I should give it a try, too.

The self-taught session didn't start well, I must say. I had a hard time changing chords, even the simple ones such as C to G. Strumming was also not as easy as it looked. The whole ordeal was painful, literally, until I developed calluses on my fingers. It took me probably weeks to be able to play nursery rhymes that went from C, G, F to C again, but it was worth it.

Only after learning the basic chord changes from the nursery rhymes that I began to appreciate how beautifully written Something was. The choice of chords and their progression was rather unusual compared with songs by John and Paul, let's say Imagine and Yesterday. It showcased George's calibre as a guitarist.

I can play ukulele and tune it by ear now, but I can't say that I am very good at it, because I am barely able to do E and I still can't do B. The whole journey of learning Something (and ukulele in general) was a hard work. For the fact that I played and sang a bit, I might be musically inclined, but I was never talented, and that's where the difference is.

That thought led me to the time when I watched Rocketman. My favourite scenes was when Elton slowly came up with the music of Your Song. It was magical. That's what talent really was. You see, my friend Ardian and I did it the other way around when we wrote songs. He did the music and when he was done, I just had to fill it in with lyrics. That was easy. What Elton did was, he fooled around on piano, felt his way through and instinctively figured out what worked and was right for the lyrics. That was genius at work!

A long time ago, when I said how good he was in 3D design, my friend Kent August replied me there were talented people out there that made him feel demoralised for being unable to catch up, regardless how hard he tried. Now that I looked back, I think he was right. Some people are just that talented. If that's the case, why do we even bother trying then?

Here are some thoughts: for one to appear talented, there has to be many untalented people around. If everyone is just as talented, noone will stand out, then. Having said that, the talented people are few and far between. They exist to inspire us and to make a world a better place, but it is us that make the world go round. While the best result of our hard work may not make a dent in the universe, we are the ones that collectively shape the world. Eventually, everybody has each part to play. It's okay if we're less talented. What's not okay is we don't give our very best when we could...

Motivasi, Upaya Keras dan Bakat

Percaya atau tidak, terkadang gereja bisa menjadi tempat yang inspirasional. Minggu lalu saya menikmati permainan drum sepanjang lagu-lagu pujian. Permainannya tidak terlalu luar biasa, tapi mengingatkan saya kembali bahwa bermain drum adalah sesuatu yang saya sukai. 

Saya ingat masa SMU dimana saya pernah bermain drum. Saat itu saya sangat terinspirasi oleh Ringo sehingga saya pun membuat formasi drum dari kotak-kotak bekas. Satu-satunya yang sanggup saya beli adalah tongkat penabuh drum. Saya belajar sendiri dari lagu the Beatles dan bisa bermain sedikit. Saya juga belajar bahwa bermain drum itu merupakan hobi yang berisik dan mungkin tidak disukai orang, terutama paman saya, haha. 

Inti dari cerita singkat di atas adalah motivasi yang tepat membuat saya mempelajari keahlian baru ini dengan sukarela. Ketika terasa sulit, saya tidak berhenti karena saya cukup bersabar dan bersemangat untuk tetap lanjut. Akan tetapi motivasi itu cuma sebatas dorongan untuk tetap belajar. Saya lantas jadi berpikir tentang ketekunan berlatih dan bakat.

Bermain ukulele di hadapan Audrey.

Sekali-kalinya saya mempelajari sesuatu yang baru dalam beberapa tahun terakhir ini adalah ketika saya membeli ukulele. Inspirasi saya tentu saja berasal dari the Beatles. George Harrison sangat suka bermain ukulele sehingga dia selalu membawa lebih dari satu supaya bisa diberikan pada orang lain yang ingin bermain juga. Ketika saya melihat Paul memainkan lagu Something di konsernya untuk mengenang George, saya jadi berpikir untuk mencobanya juga. 

Upaya saya untuk belajar sendiri tidaklah mulus. Saya mengalami kesulitan dalam pergantian kunci, bahkan dari yang sederhana seperti dari C ke G. Memetik dan mengocok senar juga tidak segampang yang kita lihat. Butuh beberapa minggu lamanya bagi saya untuk bermain lagu anak-anak yang berpindah dari C, G, F ke C lagi, tapi upaya itu tidak sia-sia.

Setelah menguasai teknik-teknik dasar, barulah saya menyadari betapa indahnya lagu Something. Kunci-kunci yang dipilih dan juga pergantiannya agak berbeda dengan lagu-lagu yang ditulis oleh John dan Paul, misalnya Imagine dan Yesterday. Lagu yang bernada melankolis ini menunjukkan kemahiran George sebagai gitaris.

Sekarang saya bisa bermain ukulele dan menyetem senarnya berdasarkan pendengaran, tapi saya tidaklah terlalu mahir, terutama karena saya masih kesulitan dalam berpindah ke kunci E dan tidak becus dalam menggenggam kunci B. Proses pembelajaran lagu Something (dan ukulele) adalah kerja keras. Fakta bahwa saya bisa bermain sedikit alat musik dan bernyanyi mungkin menunjukkan bahwa saya memang hobi bermusik, tapi saya tidak berbakat. Di sinilah letak perbedaan antara kerja keras dan talenta. 

Saya lantas jadi teringat dengan film Rocketman. Adegan favorit saya adalah ketika Elton menciptakan lagu Your Song. Prosesnya sungguh menakjubkan. Bagi saya yang pernah menulis lagu bersama teman saya Ardian, kita mulai dulu dengan musiknya. Setelah Ardian selesai, barulah saya merangkai liriknya. Ini tidak terlalu sulit, namun apa yang Elton lakukan adalah sebaliknya. Dia memainkan piano sambil bersenandung, meraba dan mencari nada yang cocok untuk lirik yang ditulis oleh Bernie. Ini baru yang namanya jenius!

Komentar teman saya, Kent August, pun terngiang kembali di benak saya. Waktu itu saya memuji karya 3D yang dibuatnya di komputer, lalu dia menjawab bahwa masih lebih banyak lagi orang jago di luar sana, yang karyanya begitu bagus sehingga membuatnya patah semangat karena tidak mungkin baginya untuk mengejar ketertinggalannya dari mereka. Kalau saya pikirkan lagi ucapannya, saya rasa dia benar. Beberapa orang memang terlahir dengan bakat luar biasmencapaiuntuk apa sebenarnya kita berusaha jika tidak bisa mencapai level mereka? 

Saya pikir begini: seseorang terlihat berbakat karena ada begitu banyak orang yang tidak berbakat di sekelilingnya. Bayangkan jika semua orang berbakat dan sama hebatnya. Siapa yang bisa dibilang berbakat kalau begitu? Bila kita telusuri lebih jauh lagi, yang namanya orang berbakat itu tidak banyak. Mereka ini ada di dunia untuk membuat kita terinspirasi dan membuat dunia ini menjadi lebih baik, tetapi mayoritas dari kita yang kurang berbakat inilah yang mengerjakan banyak hal dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Ya, hasil terbaik dari kerja keras kita mungkin tidak menggetarkan dunia, tapi upaya bersama yang kita lakukan menentukan apa yang terjadi selanjutnya. Pada akhirnya, setiap manusia memiliki peran masing-masing. Tidak apa-apa jika kita kurang berbakat dalam beberapa hal. Yang menjadi masalah adalah apabila kita tidak memberikan hasil yang terbaik dari kemampuan kita...

The Land Of The Hui And The Mongol

As you might have known by now, one of my favourite pastimes was browsing the globe. When I looked at China, it occurred to me that I had only visited the coastal cities such as Guangzhou and Shanghai. The farthest I'd been to was Guilin and Nanjing. But the Middle Kingdom is such a big country and I was merely touching the tip of the iceberg. There are inland areas that I wish to visit one day, exotic places like Yunnan, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Then, as I went through the map, I suddenly noticed a small, landlocked region called Ningxia.

I never heard of this place before, but apart from being amused by the name that reminded me of a product from Young Living, I didn't find it interesting. I skipped reading about Ningxia at that time, but little did I know that Ningxia refused to be skipped.

Ningxia.

On a separate occasion, I happened to see Susan's photos on Facebook. I was under impression that she visited Inner Mongolia, but it turned out that I was only partly correct. When I asked about her holiday, she told me that the first batch of her pictures were taken in a place called Ningxia. I was astounded. Sometimes life took its time to surprise me in a rather funny way!

It's not easy to visit the little known Ningxia. According to Susan, she had to transit in Xi'an before hopping onto another plane to Ningxia. It took her 10 hours from Jakarta to get there. By the way, Ningxia is an autonomous region, which means apart from the Han Chinese, there are other major tribes, too. In this case, they are Hui people that practice Islam.

The halal restaurant.

When Susan reached there, she was surprised by how clean the city was. I could relate with that, because there was this misconception that China cities were dirty. The truth is, they are much cleaner than cities in Indonesia and Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia, was no exception. 

What made Yinchuan different than other China cities was the Islamic atmosphere. The shops there had a mosque-like dome as their roof and Arabic words were found everywhere. Halal food and mutton were common whereas pork was almost non-existent. Cuisines were edible, although Susan would prefer more varieties instead of having too much mutton on daily basis. The city was developed and neon lights were shining bright at night.

When Susan hit the road.

From Ningxia, Susan went to the border of Inner Mongolia just to have a glimpse of the Mongol people. It was a two-hour ride and based on the map, it was likely that the small town she visited was Wuhai. As Susan and Mum were invited by the bosses from Mainland, they were in for a grand dinner that came with authentic Mongolian dance and performance. The cuisines were mainly mutton-based. Báijiǔ, the famous Chinese liquor, was served all the time. Susan quickly learnt that the waiter would continue refilling the empty cups, so it was wiser to drink very slowly, haha. Later that night, they gathered around the bonfire to dance. The Mongols were surely a lively bunch, eh?

And that ended the story from Susan. I felt that the trip was kind of too short for places as exotic as Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, especially when there were many things that she could have explored there! But that's alright, I'd probably go there myself one day, since I ever planned for it before. Yeah, the trip to Beijing, Erenhot and Ulaanbaatar! Anybody keen?

A ger in Inner Mongolia.

Negeri Orang Hui Dan Mongol

Kalau anda sudah mengikuti Roadblog101 dari sejak awal, anda pasti tahu bahwa salah satu hobi saya adalah menelusuri peta dunia. Ketika saya melihat Cina, saya menyadari bahwa selama ini saya hanya mengunjungi kota-kota yang berada di pesisir seperti Guangzhou dan Shanghai. Kota terjauh dari laut yang pernah saya kunjungi adalah Guilin dan Nanjing. Cina adalah negara yang besar dan kalau diibaratkan sebagai bongkahan es di laut, sejauh ini saya hanya menjangkau permukaannya saja. Sebagai besar daerah di Cina jauh dari laut dan saya berharap bisa mengunjungi Yunnan, Xinjiang dan Inner Mongolia suatu hari nanti. Kemudian, selagi saya menyusuri peta, tiba-tiba saya melihat Ningxia, sebuah kawasan kecil yang diapit provinsi lainnya. 

Saya tidak pernah mendengar tentang tempat ini sebelumnya. Akan tetapi, selain namanya yang mengingatkan saya pada produk Young Living, saya tidak merasa tertarik dengan kawasan ini. Saya pun melewatinya. Tidak pernah terlintas di benak saya bahwa saya akan segera mengenalnya lebih jauh lagi.

Aneka masakan Ningxia.

Suatu ketika, saya melihat foto-foto Susan di Facebook. Saya lantas mengira bahwa tempat yang dikunjunginya adalah Inner Mongolia. Dugaan saya tidak keliru, tapi hanya separuh benar. Ketika saya bertanya padanya, ternyata sebagian dari fotonya dipotret di tempat bernama Ningxia. Saya pun tertegun karena tidak menyangka akan mendengar tentang Ningxia lagi. Terkadang hidup ini memang lucu dan mengejutkan. 

Tidak gampang bagi turis untuk mencapai Ningxia yang jarang terdengar ini. Menurut Susan, dia harus transit dulu di Xi'an untuk berganti pesawat yang menuju ke Ningxia. Butuh waktu 10 jam dari Jakarta untuk tiba di sana. Oh ya, sebagai informasi, Ningxia adalah daerah otonomi. Ini berarti selain etnis Han, masih ada lagi etnis mayoritas lainnya. Di Ningxia, etnis lain yang dominan adalah suku Hui yang rata-rata menganut agama Islam.

Pemandangan di Ningxia.

Ketika Susan tiba di sana, dia terperanjat melihat bersihnya kota yang dikunjunginya. Saya bisa memahaminya, sebab kita seringkali mendengar kabar bahwa kota di Cina itu kotor. Kenyataannya, kota-kota di sana, termasuk juga Yinchuan yang merupakan ibukota Ningxia, bahkan lebih bersih dari kota-kota di Indonesia. 

Apa yang membuat Ningxia berbeda dengan kota lain di Cina adalah suasananya yang Islami. Toko-tokonya memiliki atap kubah yang mirip seperti mesjid dan bertulisan Arab. Makanan di sana halal dan daging babi sangat sulit dijumpai. Rasanya masih cocok, walaupun Susan merasa bosan menyantap daging kambing setiap hari. Kotanya maju dan lampu neon menyala terang di malam hari, menambah keindahan kota.

Di luar kota.

Dari Ningxia, Susan pergi ke perbatasan Inner Mongolia untuk melihat budaya Mongol. Perjalanan dengan mobil itu berkisar dua jam dan berdasarkan peta, nampaknya kota yang dikunjungi Susan adalah Wuhai. Karena Susan dan ibunya berkunjung dalam rangka memenuhi undangan bos Cina, mereka disambut dengan makan malam dan pertunjukan khas Mongol. Makanannya cenderung berbasis daging kambing. Báijiǔ, arak putih Cina, disuguhkan tanpa henti. Susan langsung menyadari bahwa pelayan akan selalu mengisi kembali cawan yang kosong, jadi lebih bijak untuk minum secara perlahan, haha. Usai pertemuan, mereka pun berkumpul di sekeliling api unggun dan menari. Orang Mongolia memang menikmati hidup! 

Dan cerita singkat dari Susan pun berakhir. Saya merasa bahwa liburan Susan terlalu pendek untuk tempat yang eksotis seperti Ningxia dan Inner Mongolia. Seharusnya dia tinggal lebih lama karena masih banyak yang bisa dijelajahi. Namun tidak apa, saya sendiri mungkin akan ke sana, terlebih lagi karena saya sudah pernah merencanakan rute Beijing, Erenhot dan Ulanbator. Jadi? Ada yang berminat?

Pertunjukan nyanyi oleh para artis Mongol.

Life After Kids

Many around me asked, "how do you cope handling four kids and yet you still seem to have time for yourself?" My answer was simple, "one day at a time, tomorrow is a brand new day."

Yes, our kids are our everything. But, our world doesn't only revolve around them. Don't forget, even though we are their parents, we still have our own parents, friends, colleagues, spouse and even the society that revolve around us.

Time management is all about choices. You echoose to make your own daily schedule either a jam-packed one or a fruitful and rewarding one.

To Friends/colleagues:

I am an old school, I love to meet up with my friends! To me, chatting through the very much readily available texting services has no human touch. You can't really feel the emotion that the other party is currently having.

I love a good catch-up where we sit through a sumptuous dinner, just sipping through cocktails, beer or wine while chattering through the night. This does not need to be often, a monthly meet up is good enough for me.

Family / Spouse:

My husband, fortunately, is a hands-on husband. We're kind of able to divide the tasks proportionally when it comes to the matter of our kids.

Well, luckily for us too, we are able to at least have once a year "just the two of us" holiday. Being away from the kids for just a few days doesn't make us a bad parents peep. With all the advanced technology available, you can video-call your kids with just a touch of your finger away.

To me, a break from the kids equals to a couple-bonding time. Try to ask this: when was the last time you had a heart-to-heart talk with your spouse? I can bet 95% of the conversation at home revolves around kids. So, yes, pack your bag and have a great getaway with your spouse. The so called "just th two of us" kind of holiday doesn't have to be an expensive or long days. Take chances of our neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam or even just a staycation in Sentosa.

Or may be, just do a date night. That is something I did quite often with my other half, too.

Family is equally important, especially as you grow older, you will realized that your parents are, too, growing old and you will understand them better and value them even more. My parents made it a point to go on yearly  holidays with us, three sisters, since we were young. I loves remembering the good times with them.

So now, I also try to do the same as what my parents had done for us. We have a yearly family holiday that includes my parents, my sisters and the kiddos, too. This is also usually the only time where us sisters meet as well (we lived in 3 different countries) to catch up and to bond.

     

Wellbeing and health:

Many of us parents had this tendency to use our kids as  excuses for many things. This included taking care of our own wellbeing and health.

We wpuld chide excuses such as, "my kid has projects that require me to help him/her with," or, "I need to revise with my kid as he/she has a spelling test tomorrow." Sounds familiar? That's me, too, sometimes. Should we think further, isn't taking care of our own wellbeing and health means that we love our kids, too?

Being a parent already is a hard work, both mentally and physically. It is so easy to stop caring for yourself and get overwhelmed. But when you stop caring for yourself, your ability to care for your child is impacted. Same goes for your ability to enjoy parenthood. You get mood swings easily or you're prone to illness, too.

By the way, it isn't selfish to take time to exercise. Besides, your kids are watching you and wants to be like you! Remember this phrase: "monkey see, monkey do."

A parent who is well-rested, eats a healthy diet, gets plenty of exercise, maintains close relationships with friends and gets help when he/she realizes that they are not coping well, is far more equipped to be the best parent he/she can be than those who don't do those things.

Getting the kids involved in exercising such as jogging, cycling or roller blading, also means more bonding time. Exercising also helps to stimulate their brains, therefore they can perform better. So why not?!

Another thing to remember, go for yearly health check up. No amount of money can buy back your health. Having a healthy body also means you get to spend more time with your loved ones. It also means you treasure your own wellbeing for the good of yourself, your kids, your family and friends.

Towards the Society:

We live in a world where something goes around, comes around. So why not do something good and give a little something back to the society that we live in? Many who know me, know that I like to get involved in giving back to society. The question is, why did I do it when so much time and effort were being spent? 

To me, most importantly, I want the kids to know how fortunate they are. They have a roof over their head, meals on the table and nice clothes to wear. To me, getting them involved in social works means more bonding time. Not all things are being taught within the four walls of the classroom and this is one of them. I want them to embrace empathy. 

I remember when I first started the fund raising at our church. My husband asked me why I troubled myself, waking up early to prepare the food, carry it to church, etc. His was basically saying,"you're troubling yourself unnecessarily when you can actually rest on weekend." My answer was simple. I want the kids to see that whatever we have, it's all because of God's gracious and kindness. The fund raising was like giving thanks for all His goodness towards my family and I.

So with all being said and done, having four kids is not really a big feat after all. Take it slow and avoid unnecessary stress. If things get too much on the plate, take a deep breath and take a break.

Written by: DeViLsHGaL

Incredible India

India is probably the most fascinating country that I never visited thus far. We went a long way back. While I couldn't speak on behalf of my peers, it was safe to say that the country was influential since my childhood days. My earliest recollection was the masala films made by Bollywood. They were unbelievable. First you got people appearing out of nowhere just to dance and sing, haha. Then the fighting scenes were so bad to the extent that it felt like a joke. Some bad guys flew away even before the punches landed on them, haha.

On a more serious note, I first learnt about the Hinduism culture through a book about Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity. What I read was likely to be a Balinese version of Ganesha's origin. Not even Wikipedia mentioned the following story, but some Indonesian articles actually talked about the ancient manuscript called Ganapati Tattwa. I vaguely remember that it was about Ganesha fighting Nila Ludraka, a giant that was feared by all the gods. Eventually it was up to Ganesha to do something about it. He was this helpless baby that miraculously grew up every time the giant kicked him. Soon Ganesha was big and strong enough to fight back and won the battle, though he broke one of his tusks in the process.

For the longest time, my only source was the literature. From comics, I followed the adventure of Asterix, Obelix and Assurancetourix to India in order to save Princess Rahazade. I remember reading about Valmiki, the author of Ramayana. Michael H. Hart, in his book called the 100, told the stories about Siddhartha Gautama and Mahavira. Much later on in life, a friend introduced me to a novel titled Life of Pi. That's when I first learnt about Pondicherry. When I was in Yangon, I picked up Where China Meets India, a book that talked extensively about Assam and less known states such as Nagaland. The book also mentioned about the history of Buddhism in Bihar and Xuanzhang's journey to the West. He went alone without the Monkey King and other disciples, though.

From music perspective, the Beatles, especially George Harrison, introduced the Indian influence to their fans. The sound of sitar was first heard in Norwegian Wood. The word om, with a symbol that looks like number three, was sung by John in Across the Universe. I got to know about the maestro Ravi Shankar, the father of Norah Jones, through the Concert for Bangladesh. Then there was the repetitive My Sweet Lord, easily the biggest hit for George, that would get you chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. That's the time I realised that Vishnu was the God with many names!

Taking picture with the statue of Vishnu in Bali, 2004.

When I came to Singapore, I started having Indian colleagues and friends from various states and backgrounds. They were charming and smart people. When we had a casual conversation, I believe it was due the rich cultures that they always had things to talk about. Impressive! I grew to like Indian food as well during my stay here. The cuisines was irresistible, including sweets like gulab jamun. Tasty!

Then I planned trips, quite a fair bit of them. Oh yes, I once thought of travelling to Sri Lanka and flew in to Tamil Nadu to see Chennai, the famous butterball of Krishna in Mahabalipuram and Pondicherry. I also looked at the map and planned the trip to Kolkata, Darjeeling and Gangtok. Sometimes I checked flights to Goa, too. I even told my buddy Franky that I was keen to tag along should he have business trips to Mumbai. Sadly, none of this was ever materialised.

Still the dream to visit India never faded away, thanks to Aamir Khan's movies that I watched recently. My friend Gunawan spoke highly of PK and since it was available on Netflix, I gave it a try. Not only it was funny, it also tackled the taboo and sensitive topics brilliantly. As I dug deeper and watched more of his movies such as Dangal, Secret Superstar and of course 3 Idiots, I was again enamoured by the culture and the beauty of India. Places like Ladakh and Shimla were so beautiful!

I can't say every Chinese Indonesian would have a similar exposure on Indian cultures, but it happened that way to me. It was funny how it started with the movies and, instead of waning, the interest was reignited again by the movies. In-between, there were books and music. India had been part of my life, since the formative years till today. I just hope that I'll have a chance to visit the country one day...

Enjoying chicken lollipop with Fera at Anjappar Chettinaad Restaurant.

India Yang Menakjubkan 

India mungkin merupakan negara paling menarik yang belum pernah saya kunjungi. Ada hubungan yang tidak terpisahkan antara India dan saya, sebuah hubungan yang sudah terjalin dari dulu. Bagi saya pribadi, budaya India sudah terasa dari sejak kecil. Kenangan pertama yang saya ingat adalah film-film kategori masala yang diproduksi oleh Bollywood. Hanya film India yang memiliki adegan orang-orang yang bermunculan entah dari mana untuk menari dan menyanyi, haha. Adegan pertarungannya pun tidak kalah berkesan karena jeleknya. Sebelum tinju mendarat, terkadang yang dipukul pun sudah melayang duluan, wahaha. 

Budaya India yang kemudian saya baca adalah tentang Ganesha, dewa Hindu yang berkepala gajah. Apa yang saya baca pada masa kecil itu mungkin asal-mula Ganesha versi Bali. Bahkan di Wikipedia pun cerita ini tidak ditemukan, namun beberapa artikel berbahasa Indonesia menyinggung tentang naskah kuno bernama Ganapati Tattwa. Ceritanya, sejauh yang bisa saya ingat, adalah tentang pertarungan Ganesha dan Nila Ludraka, raksasa yang ditakuti oleh para dewa. Ganesha berwujud bayi kecil saat bertarung dan setiap kali dipukul, ia pun tumbuh secara fisik, sampai akhirnya cukup dewasa untuk menyerang balik. Nila Ludraka berhasil ditaklukkan, tapi satu gading Ganesha pun patah karenanya.

Berfoto bersama Endrico, Jimmy and Ardian di depan patung Wisnu.

Untuk jangka waktu yang panjang, pengaruh budaya India bersumber dari buku bacaan. Dari komik, saya mengikuti petualangan Asterix ke India untuk mendatangkan hujan dan menyelamatkan Putri Rahazade. Saya membaca sekilas tentang Walmiki, penggubah cerita Ramayana. Michael H. Hart, lewat bukunya yang bertajuk 100 Tokoh Yang Paling Berpengaruh Dalam Sejarah, bercerita tentang Sidarta Gautama dan Mahavira, pendiri Budhisme dan Jainisme. Bertahun-tahun kemudian, seorang teman merekomendasikan saya sebuah buku berjudul Life of Pi. Dari sinilah saya mengetahui tentang Pondicherry. Ketika saya berada di Yangon, saya membeli buku Where China Meets India yang mengisahkan tentang Asam dan negara-negara bagian lain di India yang jarang terdengar, misalnya Nagaland. Buku ini juga membahas sejarah perjalanan ke Barat yang ditempuh oleh Pendeta Tong dari Cina ke Bihar, India. 

Dari sisi musik, the Beatles, terutama George Harrison, memperkenalkan pengaruh India kepada para penggemarnya. Suara sitar pertama didengar lewat lagu Norwegian Wood.  Kata om, yang simbolnya mirip dengan angka tiga, dinyanyikan oleh John di lagu Across the Universe. Saya pertama mendengar tentang Ravi Shankar, ayah Norah Jones, Lewat Concert for Bangladesh. Selanjutnya ada lagi My Sweet Lord yang repetitif liriknya. Lagu dari George yang duduk di peringkat #1 di Amerika dan Inggris ini akan membuat anda menyenandungkan mantra Hare Krishna. Lewat lagu inilah saya menyadari bahwa Wisnu adalah Dewa dengan banyak nama.

Ravi Shankar bermain sitar di Konser untuk Bangladesh.
Foto diambil dari buklet the Concert for Bangladesh. 

Ketika saya pindah ke Singapura, saya mulai mempunyai kolega dan teman Indian dari berbagai negara bagian dan latar belakang. Rata-rata orang India itu pintar dan memiliki ketrampilan dalam berbicara. Ketika kita bercakap-cakap, kita bisa berbicara tentang banyak hal, mungkin karena kayanya budaya mereka. Sangat mengagumkan. Saya juga menjadi suka dengan makanan India setelah pindah ke sini. Masakan mereka sangat menggoda. Bahkan manisan pencuci mulut seperti gulab jamun pun sedap rasanya! 

Saya juga merencanakan beberapa perjalanan ke India. Suatu ketika saya berpikir tentang kunjungan ke Sri Lanka dan terbang dari sana ke Tamil Nadu untuk melihat kota Chennai, bola mentega Krishna dan juga Pondicherry. Selain itu, saya melihat peta dan membuat rute dari Kolkata ke Darjeeling dan Gangtok. Kadang saya pun mengecek harga tiket ke Goa. Saya bahkan sempat berbincang dengan kolega saya Franky bahwa saya berminat untuk turut serta ke Mumbai kalau dia ke sana dalam rangka bisnis. Sayang sekali sampai sejauh ini kunjungan ke India belum terwujud.

Film-film Aamir Khan di Netflix.

Meskipun demikian, mimpi untuk ke India tidak pernah padam. Teman saya Gunawan berkomentar tentang bagusnya film PK dan karena film ini ada di Netflix, akhirnya saya coba tonton. Film ini ternyata lucu dan cerdas dalam mengangkat topik yang sensitif. Saya lantas menjajaki dan menonton film Aamir Khan yang lain seperti Dangal, Secret Superstar dan tentu saja 3 Idiots. Singkat cerita, saya jadi kian terpesona dengan budaya dan keindahan India. Tempat-tempat seperti Ladakh dan Shimla sungguh memukau! 

Saya tidak bisa mengatakan bahwa setiap orang Tionghoa memiliki pengalaman yang sama akan pengaruh budaya India, tapi cerita di atas adalah apa yang saya alami. Lucu rasanya bahwa semua ini bermula dari film dan kembali membara karena film juga. Budaya India secara tidak langsung membentuk saya lewat buku dan musik dari sejak dini. Saya berharap bisa berkelana di India suatu hari nanti... 

Unlabel The Label

We love all our four kids equally. So why are we spending extra and more time on our firstborn then? Well, our firstborn, let’s call him D, he is just like any ordinary kids around. He loves to play, goof around and eat his favourite food, which is fried rice and spaghetti. He can easily have more than one serving when it comes to his favourite. 

Being a first time parents to D, we did not suspect anything different on his development. My parents were the ones that suggested us to take him to the doctor for a further examination. Well, I mean, there was no harm knowing what was affecting his development. So, we went to the polyclinic to get a referral to KK Hospital. 

When D first went to the hospital, he was only about 2.5 years old. At that age, the doctor was unable to give an affirmative diagnosis, so she suggested speech and occupational therapy. The doctor also said he should go to school that provided therapy such as AWWA, Metta and Rainbow Centre, preferably the one which was near to our home. As we knew nothing of what was happening, we followed what the doctor had suggested. All we wanted as parents was for him to be better. 

D attended both Rainbow Centre and childcare. We were proud to say we saw the improvement in him, from being unable to mutter a sensible word to making sentences. From not acknowledging when we called his name to responding. Not forgetting being able to follow a two-step instructions. All these might be small achievements, but for D, every little small achievement was big. 

When D was 4 years old, the doctor gave her diagnosis. D was diagnosed in a category of an autism spectrum. When we first came to know, I personally did not feel surprised, but it was emotional and I had mixed feelings on how to go from here. 

Luckily, we lived in Singapore. At least, there are avenues to help D. Besides attending Rainbow Centre, the childcare that he attended was very much an encouraging place for him to be. His teachers were supportive. They care for and love D. 

But how about the society out there? Awareness in Singapore is relatively okay, but more can be done to create this. 

Kudos to TV documentaries such as Uniquely Me and Love, unconditionally. Also, kudos to LTA for making the awareness on public transport in MRT trains. There are those special people around in our society, whom are part of the society and would also like to be included in the society.

People like D are likely to be labelled. For instance, he is special, so we need to give him "special" attention and he may not be able participate in some activities as he is perceived of not being able to. How much do you know about people with special needs and how much are you willing to know about these group of people like D? 

Among the 4 kids, D is the most compassionate. He cares about people around him. Many achievements have been unlocked. He had performed twice on stage and remembered all the dance steps. He knows how to read better than his siblings. He rides a two-wheel unassisted bicycle and he does roller blade. He attended normal school and is able to do his homework. Yes, of course with assistance from us, the parents and his tuition teacher. 

It was never easy to take care for someone like  D. A lot of patience, encouragement, support, love and of course time are required. Imagine this: doing his schoolwork requires more than three hours in one sitting. However, people like D can sense emotions. They know when you are angry, sad or happy, therefore we as parents need to provide that encouragement, love and support to ensure that people like D aren't neglected.

Our children are viewed as God’s trust and gift to us. Taking care of them is indeed meaningful and rewarding. Our motto is to take one day at a time. We make plans and hold them tentatively. In crisis situations, learn to expect nothing, and anything else you get can be seen as a bonus and a cause for rejoicing.

So with all D’s achievements, I hope the society will break the barriers and do not view them differently. The achievements that these special kids done are not less achieving than those of normal kids. 

Let’s unlabel the label! Being special is not a disease. Autism is not a disease. 

Written by: DeViLsHGaL

The Wake Up Call

Two years had past. It was time for my medical check up. Now this is something that most people don't like to do, especially when you aren't so young anymore. Some people are afraid to do it because they'd rather avoid the truth, haha. However, in my opinion, that's not the right thing. If there is some sort of illness going on in our body, it is likely to be easier to cure it early. Hence go for your routine medical check up and don't be afraid. After all the truth will reveal itself.

In the past, my medical check up result were always perfect. Not this time, though. The nurse told me that my body fat exceeded the normal range. Oh, no!! Even though my weight and BMI were still in normal range, this was still like a wake up call for me.

It's time to exercise!! It's time to burn the body body fat. But it's easier to say than getting it done though, haha. To get started is the most difficult thing to do, am I right? But everyone needs to start somewhere.

I bought my exercise outfit about three months ago. Even the clothing label was still there. I never touched the outfit. I kept delaying to do it day by day. Why? Because I was never a sporty person. There are two things I hate to do the most in life. One is ironing clothes and second is exercise. There is always a reason behind what we hate. I hate ironing my clothes because the iron kept accidentally burning my hand, so I gave up! As for exercise, there were few times when I tried jogging but I always ended up going home using becak, bus or other public transport. My heart couldn't stand it. So I gave up. The only sport I do is swimming, but I am just a social swimmer, haha.

Anyway, back to my check up result. It was a wake up call for me. I had to start exercise, whether I liked it or not. I gathered my courage and told myself, I must lower the body fat and increase the muscle mass. While the motivation was there, I went home, quickly took out my exercise outfit and headed to the gym immediately, much to the surprise of my husband. Prior to that, he had been asking me to exercise with him but I always rejected him, saying I better slept because I didn't see the need of me to do so. One of my friends even said, "no wonder it is raining today," when I told her I couldn't answer her call earlier as I just finished my exercise.

Start slow. I started with a treadmill walk about 30 minutes and continued with short exercise from YouTube to loose tummy fat. Dont force yourself, don't be intimidated by others, especially when you were in the gym and your neighbours were doing much better than you. Rest or drink water to stay hydrated. Just do what you are comfortable at so you don't feel discouraged. Practice makes perfect. I am getting better day by day and indeed I enjoy it.

That's how I got started. It had been two weeks and it is still going strong. If you manage to find moments to spare and a slight motivation, quickly go for it. Don't hesitate and don't listen to your own excuses.

I felt good after doing a routine exercise. I could feel immediately my metabolism was better and I felt fresh everyday. Best of all, I managed to reduce my body fat to normal range after two weeks of routine exercise.

Health is not something that money can buy. Don't wait too long. Hope this writing gives you a bit of motivation to start exercise. If somebody who hated exercise like me could do it, so could you!

Breath Of The Wild

As much as I loved the Legend of Zelda, when I bought Nintendo Switch, I started with Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario instead. Yes, of course I'd heard about Breath of the Wild before, but for some strange reason, the good review felt rather overwhelming. I was simply nervous and wasn't ready for what I knew would be a grand adventure, so I chose to get acclimatised with Switch by playing something else first.

Six months down the road, after I completed Mario Odyssey and Yoshi's Crafted World (the latter was literally a child's play, suitable for kids), I finally got myself a copy of Breath of the Wild. I didn't like the title and still don't, especially when it was compared with brilliant ones from Zelda series such as A Link Between Worlds, Twilight Princess or Phantom Hourglass. Those three examples had a certain quality that it was about something colossal.

Link on the hill of the Great Plateau, when he first came out from the Shrine of Resurrection.

Nevertheless, the gameplay felt right from the start. The moment it began, you couldn't help feeling that you were in the midst of some unfinished business, but yet you couldn't really tell what it was. Link was in a shrine, trying to figure out what actually happened, and by the time he made his way out, the camera zoomed out and the whole wide world was unfolded right in front of Link. Classy!

Then the adventure finally began. As a player, we were given time to learn what it took to survive in the kingdom of Hyrule (or what's left of it). The way it was done was sort of like a hand-holding experience, but yet very intuitive. By the time this ended, we'd have picked up the necessary skills to venture out into the wilderness. The calamity that happened 100 years ago was then revealed to Link, but this is nothing compared with the details you were going to discover later on. There were memories scattered around and once you obtained all, you'd have a full picture of what happened in the past.

A happier moment, the only photo of Princess Zelda and the Champions.
From left, clockwise: Revali, Urbosa, Daruk, Link and Mipha. 

Yes, apart from the almost logical and lifelike gameplay (it was slippery when it rained, for instance), Breath of the Wild also had the most impressive story ever! It was so epic, worthy of a legend. Like most of its predecessors, it started with a prophecy that Ganon would return and the kingdom of Hyrule was preparing for it. The Hylian managed to discover the four Divine Beasts, the enormous animalistic machines that were built by the Sheikah 10,000 years ago. Princess Zelda then travelled across the land to recruit four elite warriors to pilot the Divine Beasts. Revali of the Rito joined and commanded Vah Medoh, the great eagle. Daruk of the Goron tribe was selected as the Champion and he piloted Vah Rudania, the giant salamander. Princess Mipha of the Zora was in charge of Vah Ruta, the mighty elephant. Urbosa, the chieftain of Gerudo, controlled Vah Naboris, the mechanical camel.

Now, it wouldn't be really interesting if they just had background stories. The people behind the game clearly knew this, therefore each Champion was given a strong personality, too. The interaction became very appealing that as a player, one would end up caring about them. We'd learn what happened one century ago as the flashbacks came together: Revali's pride and arrogance, Mipha's unrequited love for Link, Princess Zelda's frustration of being unable to awaken her innate power and the tears she shed when they lost the battle, you'd feel sorry for her and sympathise those fallen Champions.

When Calamity Ganon returned.

And that brought us to the day when the game started. As Link, we resumed the good fight and the result was going to be different this time. We conquered the sky of Tabantha, climbed up the coldest mountains of Hebra, and crossed the driest desert of Gerudo. We journeyed through the melting heat of Eldin and the never-ending rain of Lanayru. We went where the four winds blew, to the highest peaks, to the waterfalls and seas, solving mysteries, helping people and even saving a majestic dragon along the way. The game adopted the open-world concept, which meant we were free to roam the land. 

Instead of the traditional dungeons, we explored the Divine Beasts and wrestled the control back from the Scourges of Ganon. By doing so, Link freed the spirits of the Champions that were imprisoned inside the Divine Beasts when they met their heroic demise 100 years ago. Each of them would then bestow their unique abilities to Link. Together with the Divine Beasts, they were instrumental in defeating Calamity Canon. Eventually it was up to Link and Princess Zelda to finish the job.

Divine Beast Vah Rudania.

Much to the delight of long time fans like me, Breath of the Wild also paid tribute to the previous entries. I'd been puzzled by how familiar the names Vah Ruta, Vah Rudania and Vah Naboris were, but only when Urbosa spoke of Nabooru that I realised the story was linked back to Ocarina of Time. The earlier games were acknowledged as events that happened long before Breath of the Wild. There were relics such as Majora's Mask (that was cleverly described as an eerie mask passed down from ancient times), Island Lobster Shirt from the Wind Waker (it was stated that the Hero of the Winds once wore this shirt on the quaint island he called home) and many more. Even Epona returned as a legendary horse.

And of course there was music we knew and loved. You couldn't have a Zelda game without good music. The Overworld theme song were used time and again but in a way it wasn't done before. It was melancholic and subdued in flashbacks and you could also listen to a different arrangement of it when you stormed into the dangerous Hyrule Castle. Epona's song was playing as you approached any stables. If Kass the Rito was there, you'd hear the accordion version of it. Then of course there was Zelda's Lullaby, too. I remember hearing it when Zelda was praying at the Spring of Power.

When Princess Zelda finally sealed Ganon with the power of Tri Force.

With the exception of Tri Force Heroes, the Legend of Zelda series had been consistently good for the past 30 years, but never before it came up with something like Breath of the Wild. With such gameplay, story and songs, it was simply the best game ever. It'd be very hard to top this one, therefore the response to the news of Breath of the Wild 2 was overwhelmingly positive. The expectation is all-time high! Can't hardly wait!

The sequel!

Breath Of The Wild

Saya adalah penggemar berat the Legend of Zelda, namun ketika saya membeli Nintendo Switch, saya justru mulai dulu dengan game Sonic the Hedgehog dan Super Mario. Ya, tentu saja saya sudah mendengar tentang Breath of the Wild yang fenomenal, tapi semua ulasan bagus yang saya baca membuat saya gugup. Saya belum siap untuk melibatkan diri dalam sebuah petualangan yang luar biasa, jadi saya bermain game lain dulu untuk membiasakan diri dengan Switch.

Enam bulan kemudian, setelah saya menamatkan Mario Odyssey dan Yoshi's Crafted World (yang satu ini benar-benar game yang cocok untuk anak-anak), barulah saya membeli Breath of the Wild. Saya tidak suka judulnya, terutama karena bila dibandingkan dengan judul-judul lain seperti A Link Between Worlds, Twilight Princess atau Phantom Hourglass, Breath of the Wild tidaklah terkesan kolosal.

Link melindungi Zelda dari para Yiga.

Kendati begitu, pola permainannya terasa menarik dari sejak awal. Begitu mulai, anda akan merasa seperti berada di tengah-tengah suatu peristiwa yang sedang berlangsung, tapi tidak jelas apa yang telah terjadi. Link berada di dalam kuil dan begitu dia berhasil keluar, kamera sudut pandang pun menjauh dan dunia luas terbentang di hadapannya. Adegan yang sungguh berkelas!

Kemudian petualangan yang sesungguhnya pun dimulai. Sebagai pemain, kita diberikan waktu untuk mempelajari apa yang kita butuhkan untuk bisa bertahan di reruntuhan kerajaan Hyrule. Pada awalnya kita seperti dituntun oleh seorang pengelana tua, namun prosesnya sangat intuitif sehingga kita kian terbiasa dengan apa yang harus dilakukan. Ketika kita berhasil menyelesaikan misi yang diberikan, keahlian yang dibutuhkan untuk berkelana pun kurang-lebih sudah dipahami. Bencana yang terjadi 100 tahun silam akhirnya diceritakan pada Link, tapi detilnya akan kita dapatkan di dalam perjalanan kita nanti. Ada 18 kenangan yang tersebar di seantero Hyrule dan begitu anda mengumpulkan semuanya, anda akan mengerti rentetan peristiwa yang terjadi di masa lalu.

Putri Zelda mengambil foto dengan Sheikah Slate yang berfungsi seperti telepon genggam.

Ya, selain pola permainan yang nyaris realistis dan logis (sebagai contoh, tebing menjadi licin saat hujan), Breath of the Wild juga memiliki jalan cerita yang paling mengesankan, persis seperti sebuah legenda. Seperti cerita-cerita sebelumnya, kisah kali ini juga dimulai dengan ramalan bahwa Ganon akan kembali dan kerajaan Hyrule pun mempersiapkan diri. Para Hylian berhasil menemukan empat Divine Beasts, mesin raksasa berbentuk binatang yang diciptakan oleh orang-orang Sheikah 10.000 tahun yang lampau. Putri Zelda lantas berkelana untuk mencari empat pahlawan yang akan mengemudikan Divine Beasts. Revali dari suku Rito bergabung dan mengontrol Vah Medoh, sang elang raksasa. Daruk dari Goron terpilih untuk mengontrol Vah Rudania yang berbentuk salamander. Mipha, putri sulung raja Zora, bertanggung jawab atas Vah Ruta, sang gajah perkasa. Urbosa, pemimpin para Gerudo, mendapatkan unta mesin Vah Naboris.

Nah, kalau saja semua ini hanya sebatas cerita masa silam, tentunya tidak begitu menarik. Orang-orang yang terlibat dalam pembuatan game mengerti akan hal ini, jadi para pahlawan pun diberikan karakter yang kuat. Interaksi mereka sangat menarik sehingga sebagai pemain, kita akan jadi terbuai oleh ceritanya dan peduli dengan setiap tokoh cerita. Lewat cuplikan kenangan masa lalu Link, kita jadi mengetahui tentang keangkuhan Revali, cinta Mipha pada Link yang tulus namun tidak kesampaian, frustrasinya Putri Zelda terhadap kemampuannya yang terpendam serta rasa bersalah yang ditanggungnya ketika mereka kalah dan lari dari pertempuran. Ada rasa simpati saat melihat Zelda meneteskan air mata.

Berpose untuk foto bersama.
Dari kiri: Revali, Urbosa, Putri Zelda, Mipha dan Daruk di belakang mereka.

Dan semua itu membawa kita pada hari dimana game ini bermula. Sebagai Link, kita kembali meneruskan pertarungan yang tertunda. Langit Tabantha ditaklukkan, gunung es di Hebra didaki, gurun Gerudo yang kering pun dijelajahi. Panas membara di Eldin dan hujan tiada henti di Lanayru juga dilewati. Kita melanglang ke empat penjuru mata angin, ke puncak tertinggi, air terjun dan laut, memecahkan misteri dan membantu berbagai orang di sepanjang jalan. Game ini mengadopsi konsep dunia terbuka, jadi kita bisa mengembara ke mana pun kita suka.

Berbeda dengan game sebelumnya dimana Link selalu menjelajahi istana atau penjara bawah tanah yang berliku-liku, di episode ini kita mengeksplorasi bagian dalam Divine Beasts dan mengambil alih binatang mesin raksasa ini dari momok ciptaan Ganon. Setelah mengalahkan musuh, Link pun membebaskan jiwa para pahlawan yang terperangkap di dalam Divine Beasts ketika mereka gugur 100 tahun silam. Masin-masing pahlawan ini lantas memberikan kemampuan mereka yang unik kepada Link. Bersama-sama dengan Divine Beasts, mereka nantinya akan membantu Link dalam menaklukkan Ganon di pertarungan terakhir. Setelah itu semuanya tergantung pada Link dan Putri Zelda.

Link dan Zelda, ketika mereka kalah dalam pertempuran 100 tahun silam.

Satu hal yang membuat para penggemar seperti saya bersorak gembira adalah bagaimana Breath of the Wild memasukkan berbagai elemen para pendahulunya sebagai bagian dari cerita. Saya sempat merasa entah kenapa Vah Ruta, Vah Rudania dan Vah Naboris itu sepertinya terasa tidak asing, namun ketika Urbosa berbicara tentang Nabooru, tahulah saya bahwa nama-nama itu berasal dari Ocarina of Time. Selain itu, masih banyak lagi peninggalan kuno seperti Majora's Mask (yang dideskripsikan sebagai topeng menyeramkan dari masa silam), kaos Island Lobster dari the Wind Waker (di keterangannya dikatakan bahwa Pahlawan Angin memakai kaos ini saat ia tinggal dI sebuah pulau yang misterius) dan masih banyak lagi. Bahkan Epona pun kembali sebagai kuda legendaris.

Tidak hanya itu, musik yang kita kenal baik tentu saja tidak diabaikan di sini. Tema Zelda yang tidak asing lagi dipakai di berbagai adegan, misalnya memori masa lalu dan Istana Hyrule, tapi dengan aransemen yang melankolis dan berbeda dengan sebelumnya. Lagu Epona juga terdengar saat kita memasuki kandang kuda. Jika Kass dari suku Rito kebetulan ada di sana, dia akan memainkan lagu yang sama dengan akordionnya. Tentu saja lagu Zelda's Lullaby pun tidak terlewatkan. Seingat saya, lagu ini terdengar saat Zelda berdoa di Mata Air Kekuatan.

Putri Zelda, sesaat sebelum ia menaklukkan Ganon dalam pertarungan terakhir.

Terkecuali Tri Force Heroes, the Legend of Zelda sangat konsisten kualitasnya selama 30 terakhir, tapi belum pernah menelurkan game sedahsyat Breath of the Wild. Dengan pola permainan, cerita dan musiknya, game terbaru dari serial ini adalah yang terbaik sampai sejauh ini. Tidak akan gampang melampaui prestasi yang satu ini, oleh karena itu respon terhadap berita Breath of the Wild 2 sangatlah positif. Harapan penggemar teramat sangat tinggi! Rasanya tak sabar menantikan tanggal rilisnya!