Dearest,
If you were still alive,
I wonder if you’d teach me
how to find light in dark places. Continue reading “Finding Light in Dark Places”
Tag: slice of life
How to Decompress during a Busy Week
Lately, I’ve noticed that my schedule has been getting more and more congested. While I could manage to write blog posts every week in the past, nowadays it feels like I’m straining my brain in order to produce words.
And I can’t really blame it on myself, can I? People get busy; some of you might be having exams at school. Some others might just land on their dream jobs and are currently working their best in the new environment. Some might have even reached parenthood.
Whatever stage of life you’re in, there’s bound to be something that is draining your energy.
I am no exception.
Lately, I’ve been involved in two increasingly demanding projects that I have to babysit every single day. I even had to come to the office during weekends to ensure the deadlines are met. This is certainly not an ideal situation for me to channel my creative writing passion. Continue reading “How to Decompress during a Busy Week”
Of Downed Flight, Grief, and Flowers
The other day, I saw the news about the JT610 plane crash. This wasn’t the first time a plane crash had happened, of course, but as I scrolled the feed on my Twitter and Instagram, I had come to realize that more and more people were posting news about the incident.
I found it fascinating, that instead of the cold, monotonous, professional tone of a newscaster voice that dictates how many people died, how the engine failure happened, and what the airline company promised to compensate, there were more and more people commenting about the victims’ lives.
Inside that airplane, there were more than 100 people aboard. Some of them were newlyweds. Some of them were expecting to be married. Some of them were going to see their family and friends—only to end up in an unfortunate accident.
I shuddered when I thought about being inside that very airplane. What if I were in there? Who would be the last person I contacted before I took off? What would I have said? During the time when the plane fell, would I even stop to think about something—anything? Continue reading “Of Downed Flight, Grief, and Flowers”
Growing Up with “Failures”
The good thing about growing up, I think, is that we become more and more accustomed to failure than we were during our pubescent or childhood. Just hours ago, for example. I was in a small room with 4 others; 2 of whom could literally decide the fate of my professional career.
Yes, I was in a meeting. It’s a very laughable situation where I had to present a proposal I’ve been meticulously preparing for weeks to a member of the board, only to have this person point out every single mistake I’ve made, even denoting that “I haven’t done a thing worth mentioning” in regards to the proposal.
The meeting itself was cut short, as you might have predicted. The end result? A humiliating rejection from the board member, and some dissatisfying remarks I will probably carry with me for the rest of my professional career. This includes unpleasant vocabularies such as “worthless”, “mistaken”, “unneeded”, etc.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel disappointed. As a matter of fact, I knew I could get a much better outcome than just a plain rejection. I knew for sure that I’ve already prepared all I could, and even rehearsed the presentation because that’s just how paranoid I can be.
But still, this thing called “failure” stalks from outside the window; bidding its time until it finds an opening to creep in. And despite your best efforts to prevent it from happening, it always catches you off-guard. Continue reading “Growing Up with “Failures””
Observing Serendipity
When the last of the raindrops smothered the wailing earth that day, she thought everything had been lost. No, not in a bad way. In fact, she was content. There was no better day to celebrate—yes, she decided to celebrate it rather than grieving over it—her loss than today. After all, she had come all this way and lost too many things to even count with her mind.
Decisions that Change Your Life
Once, after receiving my very first job offer letter, I went to the nearest Starbucks, bought a venti-sized beverage, and contemplated for hours whether I should take the job or not.
I remember the interview went quite well. The CEO especially showed a great interest in recruiting me as soon as possible. I recall trying to tell him that I hadn’t even received a confirmation letter from the university to state that I have graduated, but he insisted for me to give him a prompt response for the offer he made.
I should have been thrilled to get the job. I mean, the company might be new, but the team looked solid and friendly. The industry sounded promising. The office location was reachable by Transjakarta. The company was funded by one of the biggest conglomerates in Indonesia—basically, there was no apparent reason for me to refuse at the time.
And yet, it took me hours before I made up my mind and took the job, simply because I was afraid I would be making the wrong decision. Continue reading “Decisions that Change Your Life”
Selamat Tahun Baru
.
Menyambut kedatangan
embun dedaunan subuh,
lelehan langit yang tepat waktu,
dan musim yang berulang mendaur
tawa canda dalam semua jiwa,
setiap detiknya,
yang menguap menjadi menit,
kemudian
mengasap bersama jarum jam
juga memori yang menyambut,
penyubliman hari,
menjadi bulan, lalu tahun
yang berlalu .
Selamat Tahun Baru
yang tidak pernah terlambat datang,
seperti embun
-AL-
Feels Like Christmas
Merry Christmas, I said.
You held my hands and
kissed my cheek before
grinning from ear to ear
…
You forgot to buy present
It’s okay, I said.
Because your smile is my holiday
and your hands feel like Christmas.
Wind Turbines and Their Magic
I often wonder how does it feel like to become a wind turbine. There is just something about its constant movement and spin that fascinates me. And I didn’t mean those power generating wind turbines. Even the run-of-the-mill electric fans people place in their houses in place of more modern aircons, they all give off the same effect.
Whenever I see one of those electric fans, I don’t just stand in front of it, gaping my mouth while trying to sound robotic. Well, I did, but it was in the distant past, when I couldn’t quite distinguish the difference between sugar and salt crystals. Now, I actually see the philosophy of those moving turbines in a different perspective.
Don’t you wonder why those turbines always spin, but they never actually move?
They spin fervently because it is the only thing it can do best, but they never actually get anywhere. And to be perfectly honest, it is just the way it is.
You don’t expect the turbines to actually move when they spin. Otherwise they won’t produce wind in one constant position, and the electric fan would lose its function. This isn’t the best illustration to describe it, but in a way, it is the same with how people are.
You might feel like everything around you is moving so fast that you just have to catch up with them. You might think that the only thing that can help you from feeling so restless is if you move your body, your mind, and your soul in the same direction as everyone else. But is it really the case, now?
What if everyone else is just like the spinning turbines? You can see them spinning, but they don’t actually move away. What if we never truly move away from anything? Perhaps that’s how we have been living our lives; spinning and spinning like a spinning top, and gaining the equilibrium in the process?
Please give it a thought the next time you see one of those cheap electric fans. There is really more to it than how the majority of people see it.
Alicia Lidwina 