one fine noon

[It was one lazy afternoon when 2 people were stuck in a car, trapped in a traffic jam on their way home for hours. The sky was almost falling to the redness and magenta curtain. The person behind the wheel was drawn in silency while the one who was sitting in the passenger seat was bumping here and there to the music, freeing self to the other world]

...
over the sidewalk
running away from the street we knew... [Story of The Year - Sidewalks]

Red : “Damn!! I love this song!!” [turning up the volume and singing along]
Beige : “And damn! You keep saying those words over and over! ‘Owh! I love this song!’ or ‘Hey! Been a long time not listening to this stuff!’ GOSH!! You’re killing me!!”
Red : [staring at Beige and rolling the eyes] “Hey don’t blame me for you’re the one who close your ears to the newers!”
Beige : [sigh] “I don’t blame you! It’s just… where on earth do you hear these whole craps!”
Red : “And these whole craps called music!” [sighing hard and turned head to the window] “I listen. Ok? Just like you, from radio and any other media with audio output!”
Beige : “Yea, but not like you!” [waving the hands in desperate] “See, from the moment you jumped into my car you started singing every single song played! Every song, I must say. Every word and even you remember which part when the singer is tapping his finger or the coda or… whatever it is!”
Red : “Okay… I’m fucking good at it. Sorry, if it bothers you okay?!”
Beige : “No, it doesn’t. I just…” [sighing] “I’m wondering, what genre are you?!”
Red : [laughing] “What genre?! What is genre?!”
Beige : “You know…”
Red : [cutting the line] “Yea, I know what it means literally, but… do we need to classify ourselves to a specific genre?”
Beige : “Well…”
Red : “That’s why you lost the fun of it. Music is not about genre. It’s about art and fun. And if you don’t listen to any of music ever happens in this world, then you’d probably miss something in your life. You know… something new. Experiencing new thing per say.”
…
[silent came between them for a minute]

Red : “Just because Story of The Year is not a Jazz or POP music that doesn’t mean they don’t exist, ok?”
Beige : “I didn’t say that!!”
Red : “Yes you did!! You thought about it! It seems to you that music is Jazz or POP, other than that are just stupid craps that forbidden for your ears”
Beige : “Look, I do hear but I don’t listen.”
Red : “No you don’t even hear. You just see.”
Beige : “What?!?!”
Red : “Remember when I bought Incubus the other day and your reaction that exact time was ‘Oh man! Not another stupid masking men shouting the F-word’!! You haven’t even heard them!!”
Beige : “Well, that’s because…”
Red : [cut the line] “Because you’re judging!! You’re judging the music from the names or even from me!”
Beige : “What?!” [startled]
Red : “What what?! And please remind me, when does Incubus do emo?! Look, just because I listen to stuffs like SOAD or even My Chemical Romance, that doesn’t have to be every music I’m into is exactly like them, rite?! And don’t forget to underline, I do listen JT, remember?!”
Beige : [sigh] “Guess I dare say that I don’t like music like you do.”
Red : “Nea, you like music. But you don’t wanna hear more. You’re like a safety player, but in this case, you’re a safety listener. You don’t wanna try to listen to a new kind of vibe unless it is commercialized. The one that everybody listens to or well… you can say in major label, things pop-up in MTV or radios”
Beige : “Yea, probably you’re right”
Red : “Hell, damn yea!” [shouting and laughing]
…
[another silency happened, but that was just because Beige had to pay the Toll-fee]

Beige : [staring at the new CDs on Red’s lap] “And what are those?”
Red : [showing the 3 CDs] “You mean these?! Well… this is Laruku’s latest album, it’s a Japanese band and you should listen to this one, because despite of all the freaking language, this band has a character and don’t say it’s a hard core, because it’s just a rock music. And this one… is an emo band, Dashboard Confessional, you’d probably not really into this, but worth a try. And the last one is… I finally found this shit, been looking for this band. Damn yeah, I had to spend more since it’s an imported CD. This band is Budapest. You’d love this one and I’m sure you’ll like it. Trust me on this.”
Beige : [frown in doubt and shaking the head]
Red : [laugh] “Would you just let go and listen to it without any neglecting?! Just listen then you’ll learn something, okay?”
Beige : “Yeah… I’ll take that chance later. When I’m ready enuff”
Red : [LOL] “That means you won’t!!!”
Beige : “Don’t threat me!”
Red : “Hell not! But it’s just the reality, right? Be more open minded in many things, then you’ll find how wonderful life is”
Beige : “Easy for you to say. You love music.”
Red : [smile and sigh] “Can be anything really actually”
Beige : [staring soften at Red] “Funny you know? Seeing how differ we are, am I right?”
Red : “Hm…” [nodding] “Then you know why” [staring at Beige and smile]

…

[inspired by a true story]

-somewhere somewhen-
_______________________________________________

[on ears] this great tune of “That Time on The Ledge by Mew”
nice and relaxing song…

...She said,”What if I said goodbye now? What if I not knowing why left you all behind on the ledge?”I replied, ”That I knew now, I was glad I did not push you off that time on the ledge”... [that time on the ledge]

Pesan Marley

Phew!!
Akhirnya, Sabtu kemarin, selesai juga!
Siksa batin yang bikin gw keseringan menghela napas dan meredam rasa benci maupun amarah.
Lalu apa berikutnya?
Hmm... lihat-lihat koleksi buku di lemari dan pada akhirnya, gw pun angkat kaki ke toko buku. Beli buku-buku Timur Tengah lainnya? Enggak juga. Tapi memang benar: mencari buku.

Butuh sejam lebih nguprek di ruangan berAC itu. Terlalu banyak yang ingin dibeli, sementara budget menipis [hell-Ow?! Gotta save more for the summer, remember?!]

Sepuluh buku ada di tangan, beberapa lainnya masuk jarak pandang dan tersimpan rapi dalam kotak memori di ‘loteng’. Namun, dengan berat hati, hanya tiga yang diizinkan ikut pulang [huaaa!!!]. Salah satunya adalah buku ini....

Yup!!
Aku dan Marley.

Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Hell damn right!!

Tapi untuk yang satu ini, gw gak bisa berkelit.
How could you be so ignorance seeing those adorable eyes?!
Seakan pandangan anjing itu berkata, ajak aku bermain denganmu, dan kita akan bersenang-senang.

Dan memang benar kenyataannya.
I am having fun reading the book.
Seakan ada dorongan untuk lagi dan lagi membuka lembar demi lembar penuh kata-kata itu.

Kadang tertawa. Kadang gemes. Kadang kesel.
Kadang hanya terdiam dan sedikit tercekat.
Dan pada akhirnya, tergugu, dengan lelehan air dari mata, di pojokan kamar.

Ceritanya sendiri berfokus pada Marley, seekor anjing Labrador Retriever, yang sangat nakal dan susah diatur, tapi mengajarkan satu hal: how to grab a life and enjoy every single bite of it.

Marley begitu tahu apa yang ia inginkan dan tahu bagaimana menjadi dirinya sendiri. Begitu menikmati hidupnya dan dirinya. Mengajarkan bahwa hidup itu sederhana dan sangat teramat indah bila kita sedikit mau ‘melepas’ diri kita untuk lebur kedalamnya tanpa batasan yang mengekang kuat.

Hidup dan cinta. Dan kesetiaan. Dan pengabdian. Dan kebahagiaan. Dan kesederhanaan.
Semua sudah ada di depan mata, tapi entah bagaimana, semua itu seakan menjadi kasat mata. Dan kita, mendadak terserang penyakit mass-amnesia, dimana kita lupa akan kesemuanya itu.

Seperti dikutip dari buku itu...

“Sederhana sekali. Akan tetapi manusia, yang jauh lebih bijak, selalu kesulitan untuk menimbang mana yang perlu dan mana yang tidak.” [p.284]

Gw tidak memelihara anjing [walau desperately wanted it] tapi membaca buku ini, gw berasa benar-benar memelihara seekor anjing dan mengikuti perkembangannya selama 13 tahun. The ups and the downs. The laughs and the tears...

Membaca Marley, juga bikin gw makin menghabiskan waktu untuk mengamati ke-12 ekor kucing yang gw piara di rumah. Begitu banyak ulah. Begitu banyak karakter. Kucing yang satu terlihat kalem dan penurut. Kucing yang lain, begitu lasak dan sulit diatur. Ada lagi kucing yang begitu menikmati hidupnya walau harus menghabiskan seluruh sisa hidupnya dalam kandang dan semangkuk bubur hati ayam akibat sakit yang ia derita 3 tahun terakhir.

Dan gw, bersyukur karena memiliki mereka. Hidup bersama mereka, mengajarkan gw banyak hal. Untuk tertawa banyak-banyak. Untuk menyisakan banyak waktu untuk bermain. Untuk menghabiskan waktu dengan tidur pulas. Bahkan untuk sekedar berhenti dan memeluknya [memupuk sisi nurture?].

Salah satu obat paling manjur untuk melepas kepenatan diri.

Rasanya... tenang dan ringan tatkala pulang ke rumah dan mendapati seekor Qinoy yang sedang membulat di sofa, atau si kembar Ijul dan Temi yang berlarian kian kemari melambaikan ekor-ekor besarnya, atau Bona yang membuat kegaduhan dengan curian ikan tetangga yang tertancap kuat di mulutnya [ikan mentah, red.].

Well... animals.
Selalu punya cara untuk menikmati hidupnya. Baik di dalam ‘kandang’ maupun di alam bebas.

Begitu juga dengan Marley. Hanya bedanya, Marley adalah seekor anjing. Satu jenis binatang mamalia yang sangat teramat gw dambakan keberadaannya di dalam rumah. Well, dulu emang pernah piara 2 ekor anjing jenis peking yang kecil dan berbulu banyak dan...... berisik!!
Tapi anjing-anjing kecil tidak termasuk dalam definisi anjing dalam kamus gw, hehehe. Anjing bagi gw adalah binatang berkaki empat, berambut [banyak maupun sedikit], bertubuh besar dan menggonggong [bukan menyalak] dengan suara yang berat dan maskulin, hehehe.

Anyway, the more I read it, the more I convince myself that... I MUST HAVE DOG[s].

Yea, I do love dogs
Dan yea... terobsesi untuk memeliharanya [sebanyak mungkin!!]

Dulu, punya mimpi buat punya rumah di kaki bukit dan pinggir danau. Gak perlu rumahnya gede yang penting halaman luaaaasss buanget. Mungkin mirip rumah-rumah bergaya ranch yang selalu menghiasi film-film bule yaakk??
Tentunya, selain sebuah keluarga [suatu saat nanti... ;p], rumah gw itu akan di’ramai’kan dengan... aneka binatang. Bahkan mungkin buka penampungan binatang terlantar dan terabaikan.
Dan anjing ada di urutan pertama. Kalo perlu dalam jumlah belasan [atau puluhan??]
Pasti seru dan penuh kehebohan.

Cukuplah tentang mimpi itu.
Suatu saat akan gw realisasikan.
Entah kapan.

Tapi yang jelas, keberadaan binatang peliharaan adalah wajib dalam hukum kehidupan gw, hehehe.

Have any pets? Grab one if you don’t, then you’ll know how wonderful life is to have them around.
At least, we can learn how to really enjoy the life in a simple way.

Oia, buku ini adalah buku wajib bagi seluruh umat pecinta binatang, terutama anjing. Foto demi foto kenangan Marley bakal bikin hati ini meleleh dan ingin segera memeluknya. Cerita hidup Marley pun bakal bikin kita makin sayang dengan binatang piaraan kita dan semakin menghargai arti keberadaan mereka disekitar kita.

____________________________________________

Kings of Convenience: convenient lullabies to tuck you in

Pernah denger lagu-lagu dari daratan Skandinavia?
Salah satunya adalah band yang satu ini, Kings of Convenience [KoC]. Duo asal Norway.
Lagunya kayak gimana? Lucu dan unik.
So… simple. Mungkin mereka penganut filosofi macam ‘beauty lies in simplicity’ ato “less is more” ato… kayak mereka bilang di salah satu cover albumnya ‘quite is the new loud’
One thing for sure, I think they want to remind us that life is beautiful in its simplicity.

Karena, believe it or not, lagu-lagu mereka itu begituuuu sederhana [mostly just two guitars and harmonic soften voices] dan… Indah mungkin ya? Ngedengerin satu album berasa lagi duduk dibawah langit malam yang bertaburan bintang, dihangatkan dengan nyala api unggun, satu mug kopi panas dan ditemani oleh dua orang laki-laki yang menyenandungkan ‘lullaby’ diiringi gitar.
Man… so lovely.
A perfect final fantasy to me.

Gw gak tau genrenya band ini apa. Scandinavian experimental-romantic-dreamy pop kalo gw bilang, hehehe [genre paan tuuuh!]. Bukan klasik ato boyband ato popicisan sih.
New kind of something I dare say.

Dijamin sih, kalo band ini mayoritas fansnya adalah perempuan, soalnya selaen musik yang mellow, lirik yang ‘loveable’, muka-muka mereka yang cupu itu juga cukup interesting untuk dinikmati, hehehe. Most of women kan suka sama yang mellow-jellow romanticholic gituh…

Kapan mereka ngeluarin album lagi ya?
Terakhir taon… 2004 kah? Well… hope it’s not a one hit wonder band aja, ya kan?
Susah emang ngeruk peminat musik ‘aneh’ begini. Walau musiknya romantis dan simple, nyernanya gak simple, hehehe……
Sayang pas mereka ke Indonesia, gw gak sempet nonton. Padahal baru-baru aja mereka mampir en manggung [di Bandung sih!!].

Bagi gw sih, Kings of Convenience…a definitely convenient. Pas banget sama judulnya… Kings of Convenience. They are really Kings in making you feel convenient.
Definitely recommended.
Cuma, ada satu saran sih, kalo dengerin lagu-lagu mereka, ada baenya sih jangan pas bawa mobil malem-malem di jalan tol Jagorawi. Alamat nyungsrep dah gara-gara terlalu merasa nyaman ^_^

Try to hear this one. Then you’ll know why Scandinavia is the next big thing in ‘music industry’.

Cayman Islands.by.Kings of Convenience

Through the alleyways to cool off in the shadows then into the street following the water,there's a bearded man paddling in his canoe looks as if he has come all the way from the Cayman islands. These canals, it seems, they all go in circles places look the same, and we're the only difference. The wind is in your hair, it's covering my view I'm holding on to you, on a bike we've hired until tomorrow.If only they could see, if only they had been here they would understand, how someone could have chosen to go the length I've gone, to spend just one day riding holding on to you, I never thought it would be this clear.

______________________________________

Hmm…

Pikir dipikir, musik-musik daratan eropa itu emang lebih bervariasi dan menyenangkan telinga yak… Gak ngebosenin kayak American Industry… ^_^

shortstory: "memory kehidupan"

Tlak…kltik…kltek…

Telinga Kei menangkap bunyi-bunyian konstan yang terirama dalam kecepatan memburu. Cukup membuat perhatiannya pada pertarungan seru si Super dan Elang Merah sedikit teralihkan.
Perlahan, ia menurunkan sedikit komik di depan wajahnya, memandangi sosok dihadapannya. Sosok yang terlihat begitu hanyut dan terpaku pada satu objek tanpa mengindahkan apa yang terjadi disekitar.

Kei tersenyum tipis dan memutuskan untuk menutup komik itu pada halaman dimana Super jatuh tersungkur. Sekilas, ia menebar pandangan keluar jendela besar yang membatasi dirinya dengan dunia luar.

Entah sudah berapa lama mereka duduk disini. Saling berhadapan. Tenggelam dalam diam dan dunia soliter yang diciptakan mereka berdua. Ia dalam tumpukan komiknya dan sosok dihadapannya, tenggelam dalam keasyikannya menarikan jemari-jemari nan lentik di atas keyboard notebook putih itu.

“Hmm…”
Gumaman Kei sukses membuat kepala kecil itu menengadah. Namun semata-mata itu juga dikarenakan pemilik kepala tengah menghentikan tarian jemarinya, menunggu ide kembali mengucur ke dalam kepala.

“Nande gozaru ka?”
Kei tersenyum geli mendengar komentar dalam bahasa Jepang yang dilontarkan perempuan itu. Artinya kira-kira kenapa sih?
“Iie,” sahutnya juga dalam bahasa Jepang yang berarti tidak. “Hanya sedikit menikmati moment ini.”
“Ehm?” perempuan itu sedikit memiringkan kepalanya dan mengerutkan kening. Herannya, saat perempuan di usianya sibuk mengurangi kerutan, perempuan yang satu ini malah tak ambil pusing.
“Sadar gak sih Kan? Kalo kita sering melakukan ini berdua?” Kei menatap lekat-lekat perempuan itu. “Elu dengan notebook elu dan gue dengan tumpukan komik gue? Berada di satu pojokan dan hanyut dalam dunia masing-masing?”
“He? Serius lo?!” Kanna pura-pura terkejut dengan kenyataan itu.
“Kanna… serius nih!” gerutu Kei kesal.
Perempuan bernama Kanna itu terkikik geli dan mengulurkan tangan kurusnya meraih mug hitam berisi cairan yang juga berwarna hitam. “Lalu? Itu masalah buat elu?”
Kei mendengus geli dan menggeleng, “bukan gitu. Lucu aja. Kayaknya, sejak gue pindah ke sini, kebiasaan gue banyak yang berubah tanpa gue sadari.”
“Ehm?” Kanna kembali menelengkan kepalanya. “Sou na?!?!” teriaknya yang berarti kira-kira nggak mungkin!
“He?!” Kei terkejut dengan reaksi Kanna.
“Kebiasaan mana yang berubah?! Numpukin baju kotor di keranjang sampe penuh?! Pake jeans yang sama hampir sebulanan tanpa dicuci?! Ngeberantakin koleksi DVD gue terus gak dibalikin ke tempatnya lagi?! Ngabisin isi kulkas gue tanpa ngisi balik? Ato…”
“Iya!! Iya!! Iya!!!!” sergah Kei cepat sebelum daftar itu memanjang dan membuatnya ditendang keluar.
“Huuh, baru satu kebiasaan aja udah berasa seluruh idup lo yang berubah!” Kanna bangkit menuju dapur dan kembali mengisi mug dengan cairan hitam. Setelah itu, kembali duduk di tempatnya tadi.
Kei mendengus kesal, “tau gak sih kita nih aneh!”
“Hmh??” Kanna menaikkan satu alis menatapnya heran lalu meledaklah tawa renyahnya. Tawa bebas yang menggelegar.
“Sama-sama single, tinggal seatap…”
“Gak punya hubungan darah, gak niat menggabungkan darah,” sambar Kanna menambahkan.
“Kadang-kadang satu kamar,” tambah Kei bersemangat.
“Kadang-kadang satu kasur!” balas Kanna tak mau kalah.
“Tapi gak berhubungan intim,” Kei mengerutkan kening dan mengusap-usap dagunya.
“Dan gak berniat untuk itu!” pekik Kanna geli membayangkan kalo itu sampai terjadi.
“Hem… sedikit sentuhan boleh lah,” Kei menyeringai licik.
“E-hem,” akur Kanna manggut-manggut. “Well, lumayanlah biar keliatan laku.”
Sedetik kemudian, mereka terdiam, saling bertatap dan… DUAAARRR!!!
Gelak tawa kembali membahana. Kali ini, tidak hanya suara melengking tinggi yang terdengar.
“Kita ini menyedihkan ato aneh sih tepatnya?” Kei mencondongkan tubuh mengamati Kanna.
“Dua duanya!” sahut Kanna geli. “Aneh yang menyedihkan!”
Kei terbahak geli mendengar istilah yang dicetuskan Kanna.
“Hm…” Kanna mendadak memiringkan kepalanya dan mengelus-elus dagu, seakan mendapat sebuah pencerahan. “Ide bagus buat bikin pidato hari kematian lo!”
“Uhuk…Uhukk!!!” Kei mendadak terkena serangan batuk yang menyedak. Untung ia belum meneguk kopi hitamnya. Ia menatap Kanna membelalak, sementara yang ditatap hanya membalas dengan tatapan tak bersalah.
“APPPAA?!?!”
Kanna kembali mengerutkan kening, “apanya?!”
Kei mendengus kesal dan meneguk pelan kopinya. Berharap saat itu Kanna tidak kembali membuat tenggorokannya sakit dengan gagasan yang menakutkan.
“Apa salah?” balas Kanna bertanya. “Toh itu lumrah dilakukan bukan?”
“Iya Kan…” desah Kei. “Tapi ntar kali kalo gue udah mati! Kok lu ngerencanainnya sekarang sih?!”
Kanna menatap Kei tak percaya. “Apa?! Kenapa enggak?!”
Kini, giliran Kei yang menatap perempuan dihadapannya tak percaya.
“Diumuminnya memang entar kalo loe udah mati. Tapi what’s the point of it sih?!” Kanna mulai menunjukkan indikasi akan berdebat. Kalau sudah begini, Kei harus bersiap untuk kalah. Somehow, Kanna selalu benar. Atau terdengar benar?
“Pidato kematian itu ditujukan untuk membeberkan seluruh kenangan yang dimiliki atas si Mati itu bukan? Dibacakan kepada seluruh penjuru dunia saat pemakaman si Mati. Semua orang mendengarkan, semua orang menyetujui, tapi si Mati tidak mengetahui itu! Menyedihkan bukaaann?!?!” Nada suara Kanna sudah meninggi, itu artinya percuma untuk menyela. Jadi Kei hanya diam mendengarkan, mengamati dan diam-diam mengagumi kemampuan perempuan dihadapannya untuk bersilat lidah.
Apakah perempuan diciptakan dengan keahlian kungfu seperti ini? Sepertinya bersilat lidah yang dimaksud, tidak hanya secara kiasan, tapi juga harfiah.
Kei tersenyum tipis berusaha untuk tidak menampilkan kenyataan bahwa saat ini, dirinya sedikit hanyut dalam aliran lain.

“Jadi menurut gue akan lebih adil kalo si Mati tau apa yang dirasakan si Hidup Yang Ia Tinggal soal peran dia selama dia masih hidup. Bukankah begitu?! Setidaknya, si Mati bisa mati dengan tenang karena ia tau sudah memberi arti dalam hidup orang lain! Itu juga yang selalu jadi masalah hidup bukan?! Pertanyaan apakah kita cukup berarti at least bagi orang terdekat! Karena pada dasarnya, manusia itu ingin punya arti!” Kanna mengatur napasnya yang terengah-engah. Tak pernah peduli dengan persediaan napas di kantong paru-parunya selama isi kepalanya belum tertumpahkan dengan sempurna.
Begitulah Kanna. Akan rela kehabisan napas, rela memutar otak menyusun ribuan kata untuk mendukung pandangannya dan pada akhir yang mengherankan, akan terdengar masuk akal.

“Jadi, gue sedang menyusun itu!” seru Kanna menutup pidatonya dengan berita lain yang mengejutkan.
Kini, Kei benar-benar melongo. Sementara Kanna membalas dengan senyum lebar penuh kemenangan.
“Maksud loe? Elu seharian ini sibuk ngetik pidato kematian gue?!” Kei bergidik ngeri menghadapi keanehan perempuan itu.
Kanna mengangguk penuh semangat. “Gak cuma elo. Sierra dan yang lain juga!”
“Ehm…gini Kan, gw ngerti maksud elo, dan ngehargain niat baek elo, tapi…”
“Kalo soal wajar gak wajar, loe sendiri kan udah menyetujui istilah tepat untuk kita itu!” Kanna bersikeras dengan pendapatnya dengan kembali meluncurkan mekanisasi rasionalisasi kegemarannya. “Kita itu aneh yang menyedihkan!!”
Dan Kei berhenti disitu. Speechless.
“Suatu saat, sebelom loe mati, loe akan membacanya dan gue akan membawakannya dalam pidato di hari upacara pemakaman loe nanti.”
Kei hendak berargumen banyak dalam kalimat itu, hanya ia memutuskan untuk tidak melontarkan apapun. Itu hanya akan menambah masalah dan membuat kepalanya pening mendengar petasan merepetkan ribuan jenis dan bentuk kata.
Ia memilih kembali menekuri komiknya. “Maa, do what you want lah.”
Kanna tersenyum lebar dan kembali menekuri layar notebooknya.
“Oiya…makan siang pesen ke Ahong mau gak?” cetus Kanna sekilas menghentikan ketekunannya dan menatap Kei lekat-lekat.
Kei mendengus. Ia tahu maksudnya apa.
“Iye, gw pesenin deh!” Kei bangkit menuju batang hitam yang tergeletak begitu saja di atas sofa. Ia beralih menghempaskan tubuh di bantalan empuk nan nyaman itu.
“Nasi goreng ikan asin yang pedes banget yaa!!!” teriak Kanna tanpa mengalihkan pandangan dari layar notebook. “ekstra cengek plus ekstra bawang daun!”
Kei mencibir dalam hati saat menekan nomor yang dituju. “Pastikan pidato bagian gue gak mengecewakan!”
Kanna mengacungkan jempol kirinya, tanda menyetujui hal itu dan Kei hanya mampu menggeleng-gelengkan kepala sebelum membalas sapaan customer service di seberang.
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sneak peak of ‘delapan penjuru’
© 2006 written by np

the new and improved ME: the blog

Well, it’s been a while since I was really curious of what people did with their blogs. Tried to do this and that but end up hopeless and miserable, so I stop surfing and ‘adding’ something to my blog. Until one day, a friend of mine came up with this idea: “I’m sick with my blog. I’ll try to break the code and re-design it”
That time, I was just starring at her and sighing… well, what do you expect? If I were in her position [with all the abilities in designing, esp.], I’d been doing it since years before. But hell yea for the sake of ‘hardworking and career’ [howeeekk], we have to follow the leader rite?

Anyway, after so many times searching here and there… here comes the new and improved ME.... VOILA!!

Somehow, I like it better.
3 columns [what more can I ask?!], my favorite blue and green [in soften lights, reflect water perfectly], in fairies touch [well, it’s a fairy tale of my little world anyway] and wider main column. YAY!

Just enjoy it!

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Thank yous parade:

@ flyin’_cat : for re-designing and putting the whole week in it [a box of cheese-brownies will be at your desk by Thursday! It’s a promise]
@ freetemplates : for the free template
@ faeriewood : for the fairy illustration [we modified it thou]
@ fairyphotograph : for the fairy image [we modified it too]

trackin' back the past

Eehay!!


What’s new?!
Just listened to a new single from Hanson, GO. My Gosh!!! They’ve grown up! I remember how I got into this band. It was years ago… I was in my last grade of high school back then and caught by the falsetto voice of this bloody gorgeous kid-O, hahaha! [Yea rite! What do you expect?! I was in my poppy-ages]
Three bunches of kids with good-looking faces singing a ‘catchy’ song [“MMMBop?! What the hell is that?” came in my head that time] and hell yea, I was immediate fell in love with their gorgeous looks [who would deny Taylor’s great look? Correct me pls!] and those easy-listening songs.
But as years passing by, and my sense of music’s sliding to a “what I like rite now”, this band soon became a history placed in a box somewhere in my room [but still have their super big posters on the walls, haha got 3 of them btw]

And lately, this ‘familiar’ voice and sound is loading my ears, my head and I couldn’t get rid off it. Sometimes when I got ‘lost in space’ this song emerged in my head like a pop-up music-box [kinda annoying actually]. So then, I go searching on YouTube to get the video and BAM!! I was shocked. Hell!! What happened to those cute little boys?! Where are those innocent faces?! And… when is exactly Zach start singing [I meant real singing]?

Whatever, I’m kinda enjoying the tracking back the past now like watching their clips and reading their news [Uhmm..What?! wwait a minute...They're all got married already? Even Taylor has 3 kids?! A..and Zach just married?! He’s even way younger than me!! Where the hell have I been?! My Gosh!]
Well...it’s Quiet fun thou'.

GO.by.Hanson

For all the love we've made Just one thing stays the same The lamp gets dusty The pipes get rusty But I don't wanna wash my hands clean Well you say you love me too Then why won't you go through With the nightly kisses With the hits and the misses Well if you can make it on your own...Then go if you want to go But stay if you want to know the way Through the mess we've made Or lie in the bed you know or go... I heard your moving van But I did not take a stand You can't leave with 'em You can't live without 'em I never thought I'd want to let you...

[like that eerie voice he made actually, hehehe]

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Yup! I’m senseless for a ‘real-writing’ lately.
Talk and talk ‘bout musics then.
Hm... Incubus then Hanson?! whatta lame combination rite?! HA!!

Incubus in developmental stages theory

Lots of people – critics or fans – say that the newest album of Incubus – Light Grenades - is less appealing or too soft or even shows lack of improvements. Hmm… I’m a bit nodding at it [yes i admit it]. Well, not that I agree with those comments but I too frowned as I [really] listening to the whole album for the first time. One question came up in my head was… “Is this the same Incubus?!”
Well, no doubt it still has the strong flavor of Incubus-ism there, really thick for sure.
But there’s something… different…
Something’s… changed.

Hell yea! Changes do you good anyway rite?

Then I again drowned myself into their oldies from SCIENCE, Make Yourself, Morning View, A Crow Left of The Murder and back to rewind again the Light Grenades [too bad, don’t have the Fungus Amongus and Enjoy Incubus here, thou I found some in radioblog and song2play]
And YUP! Something’s changed.

The music is still reflecting ‘Incubus’ but getting a little bit… softer and… [What should I put here to describe it hmm??] mature? Nea… not…not mature but… maybe… ‘transformed’? Yea… could be.
The critical issues also a little bit changed. And the lyrics… well seems like ‘polite’ and ‘mild’ and ‘metaphoric’ probably best to describe.

First time listening to Light Grenades, my Gosh! I’m a bit worried that they’re turning to ‘consumer-minded’ but fortunately they’re not, thou have to admit they’re more ‘catchy’ here. Usually takes dozens times to get into ‘the Incubuses’, but here… it needs only three or four times to straight ‘click’ to them.
Is it because I don’t really listen to similar sounds recently or is it because I share the same ‘chemistry’ here? Hmm……
Whatever it is, one thing to be sure, their latest album really describes the ‘transforming-incubus’ into a different shape. An ‘age-suited’ shape maybe?? [Hhhehe, can’t invent a better metaphoric to describe it]

But if we take a closer look to the Incubus’ albums, it is easily said that they are none other than a ‘serial live journal’ of the band. Their developmental stages diary, exactly. While some people pour it into books/blogs [just like me ^_^], incubus chooses to interpret it in music.

Their first albums can be analogized to the adolescent stages where finding the ‘self-concept’ is the most critical point. It’s all about rebellious, desperately to be ‘heard’ or ‘seen’ or ‘noticed’, dealing with the changes and adaptation difficulties [that’s why we quarrel a lot with the oldsters] Stage where ‘being different’ and ‘the me, myself and I thought’ are the most important thing in life… rite? The world of “self-centered” that’s what I call.
And this lasts till early 20s.

After that, the ‘quarter-life’ phase. The stage where ‘the suited-I’ is already found and well-built. It’s when we really feel comfortable with ourselves and start concerning about ‘the outter-world’, especially in social and politic. Phase when we really view the ‘real world’, jump into the ‘working world’, aware about reality happens around us, so forth. A rebel with a cause per se. Not focusing [again] in ‘our-world’ but as a result of social-awareness. Well, best describe here probably Morning View and ACLOTM.

Now, they’re in their early 30s, rite? What issue is the most critical point in the world of 30something?! Yup! Indeed. Like it or not, it’s all about…… relationships. As you can see, the latest album talks a lot about relationship, not limited to intimate relationship for sure, but all kind of it. Hey, they’re just human after-all, and 30s is when building a relationship becomes so important, whether it’s family or other kind of serious relationships, because in 30s there’s a sense to settle down. Too tired of doing everything alone, too tired of being independent and exploring the free spirit side of ours. Kind like that.

No… they’re not [again] talking about making your self or driving your own path, like those in the past. No. Because they’ve found their own form. Therefore, even the spoken-issue is changed; we still taste the Incubus-ism there, correct? Even when it gets a bit softer or maybe lame?Politic and social issues? Yes, still. Still important to be discussed in this ages, but not to be delivered with angst. It’s more into attitude, and action rather than shouting out loud in radical-demonstrations or apathy behavior. I think that’s why they named it ‘Light Grenades’ anyway rite?

I think 30s is when you turn into a wiser-45$H0l3 [hahaha!]

See…
I’m not good at music so I’m not [or can not?] babbling about riff, beat, jam or whatever music-jargon is. What I’m trying to say here is just the feeling I get as I listen [I mean really listen] to every songs of Incubus. Many of fansites or any music-review sites talks about Light Grenades and feel disappointed and upset about it. They expect the latest from Incubus can at least similar to the oldies such as SCIENCE or MAKE YOURSELF or even FUNGUS AMONGUS…

Well, because we can’t go back to our previous development stage, right? We step forwards not backwards, that’s the point.
So, it is pretty damn sure that every forth coming album of Incubus, differ from each and every one of them. Still with the ingredient of Incubusism of course, but the feelin’ and the spoken issues will be differed.

Wonder if they’ll talk about death and bereavement or probably anxiety of ending up in a torturing loneliness next. Anything is possible, correct?

That’s life and I think incubus interprets life in a good kind of interpretation.

Isn’t it fun? Having an album or two original soundtracks in each development stages we are in, hehehe.

For those of you who are curious about Incubus, here are the links…

official site
myspace
official fan-site
wimpy

or just click the ‘ON’ button on my music player right on the sound of music’s section at the sidebar.
Enjoy Incubus!
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not trying to interpret incubus or review their albums…
just trying to picture them from different views and angles

favies in LG: Pendulous Threads, Rogues, Diamonds and Coal

@kinda living my boring day here and yes… I’m surfing here and there to spoil my incubusholics-complex@