it's (almost) Christmas!

"This is my third Christmas time without being around my family." I shared this to a friend whom I go with to the service at Southeast Christian Church today. I was surprised that apparently this is his first Christmas time without his family. I can see tears dropping in his eyes a while after we sang "Silent Night" at the church. He's an international student too and he's been studying in US quite longer than I have but this year is the first time he couldn't go back home for Christmas. There's more to it, he won't go anywhere but to stay at the dorm because he has to participate in his church for Christmas day and also studying.
I sympathize to him. He's left with almost nobody and couldn't go anywhere but he seems to be very grateful, still. I still can picture myself vividly in 2005 when I just came here and had my first Christmas. I was so grateful that my friend, Pastor Yandi, from Philadelphia drove all the way to Lynchburg to pick me up to spend Christmas with his church and family. Earlier I thought I was gonna "die" (exaggerating mode). That time, I was somewhat grumbling... why Christmas time feels like this???? Hehe.. silly me. I should learn from this friend who anticipate Christmas with a different attitude although he might experience the same feeling.

Now, I'm grateful that tomorrow I will get a chance to meet my long-time no see friend from Bandung: Hery, who's now in Indianapolis. Then I'll also get a chance to visit my newly-graduated-doctor friend, Pink, at Morgantown, WV. There will be a lot of driving... of course, but it's not too bad. Lots of driving will be balanced with lots of "eating" .. I suppose (???)
I'll still have two Christmas services on Sunday (tomorrow morning and evening) to accompany before I can leave for my vacation. I'm now at home, by myself, did some cleaning work around the house, run errands, and reading a book. Yes, I know, I will miss my family, and in fact I had already. But this is the time where we actually learn to appreciate and cherish our moments with our family because the reality is, there will be a time when we could not be with them for Christmas. The message of Christmas is simple, it happened in a family and among friendships of people: the shepherds, and the wisemen. At some point, they too, can be called: a family. A family of believers, believers of the news. May the Christmas season this year strengthen our ties with our families and friends.


Merry Christmas everyone!

some update

Achtung! Akhirnya project book translation gue yang pertama jadi jugaaaaa. Fiuhh lega.. rasanya kaya "punya utang" besar banget. Buku ini resmi direlease di Indo 2 bulan lalu, seminggu setelah libur lebaran. Penerbitnya, LLB, is only a "tiny" publisher among all giant publishers in Indo. Buku ini banyak menelan kerja keras dan lebih utama lagi: doa.
Kita udah deg-degan apa bisa direalisasi soale terbentuk faktor duit, beruntung agent royalty disini bersedia kasi kita perpanjangan waktu. Akhirya setelah tertunda kira2 1 thn lebih, jadi juga ni buku: BOY MEETS GIRL by Josh Harris.

Gw dapet info dari penerbit di Bandung, dari cetakan batch pertama sebanyak 1,000 exemplar, dalam waktu kurang dari 2 bulan, stock di gudang tinggal 300. Dari sudut persentase, ini rekor tertinggi sepanjang sejarah mereka. Wow! Praise God! Jadi buku ini cukup booming. Di toko buku yg gua tau, VISI, buku ini langsung laku keras sampe mereka pesen lagi.


Ok, itu cerita ttg buku. Update lainnya mengenai ministry gw di gereja lokal. Udah kira2 sebulan lebih ini gua resmi bergabung dgn New Heights Baptist Church as a pianist di praise team mereka. Gereja ini gak begitu besar tapi sangat welcome dan friendly. Pastornya ternyata lebih muda 1 taun dr gue, tapi keliatannye dia jauh lbh dewasa drpd gue.. hehehe... jauhhh...
Well... kita pasti udah berkali2 denger bhw dimanapun melayani pasti jalan tidak akan selalu lancar dan mudah... Tullll banget. Well, so far, gue blm dapet "tantangan" yg cukup berarti. Jemaat NHBC ini semuanya appreciate dgn pelayanan musik kami. Belakangan, gw dikasi tau pendetanya bhw sbtlnya ada yg "agak sinis" dengan kehadiran gw sebagai pianis. Orang ini ternyata bukan org lain tp "nyokap" dr si "worship leader" di praise team ini. Well, minggu ketiga gue disitu, ada satu ibu2 yg "menginterogasi" gw pagi2 sebelum kebaktian mulai. Gw pikir cuma ngobrol biasa, eh ternyata pertanyaan2nya itu ada "maksud" tertentu, katanya.
Well, tp gak apa2, wong gue melayani bukan untuk dia. Yg pasti dengan adanya hal ini, gw jd selalu diingetin utk apa sebetulnya gw melayani.

Stay tune for the Christmas news.

"hangin there, My child...."

It's been a rough week. I have just finished my vocal lesson and I think this is the "worst" singing. I don't feel like having a sore throat, but still, the singing is a bit "not delicious" a.k.a. BAD. I'm not sure why.

Maybe because so many things due this week and I seem to be drowned and maybe couldn't even breathe. Well, I participated in the Oratorio Chorus and we just had our concert this past Tuesday. The rehearsal was just fine, we had to stay about half an hour longer during the last two rehearsals but that's okay. The problem was I think our "guest conductor" either put too much target or not enough effort to get things done. After Oratorio rehearsal I have to work in the coffeeshop until 10.30 or 11pm, so that might be one of the causes. Plus, this week I've done many stuffs that due: the LICE class "simulation" on worship service, song arrangement for Musicianship, hymnology quiz&project, the concert. I'm glad it's over. Yes!

However, I still have to finish up several other projects. Plus, preparing for my pre-grad recital in next 3 weeks. I might not be under the weather, but it's just improper rest time, especially if I began to feel sort of headache. Yesterday the weather was quite warm, and today it dropped to 30s I guess, n by the way, I got some snow flurries during the noon.

A bit tired, yes. Scary, yes (what if I can't sing well for the pre-grad). Nervous, yes. Excited, to get it done? Of course.

Oh, well...things will get a lot better in 3 weeks.

...........I’m incapable / You’re all-powerful .....

I lose my way / You are merciful........
I hear the music /And I try to sing along......
You are the author and the orchestra / Of every single song

(t.c.)

just released

and

Time really flies. I've just realized that it is November already! It feels like yesterday is still January. Well, Christmas is coming really2 soon. Two things you don't wanna miss on Christmas besides "baby Jesus", is of course... "singing and eating". Forget about eating for a while coz it will surely come. But you might don't want to miss good singing and cool music.

Check this out, today I have to choose between these two and finally decided to get the first. After all, Josh's CD is on the 2nd highest music best seller on amazon.com, hard to beat as always. But I got it from Borders with 30% discount coupon.

Well, they are both different genres and styles, and they're good... but my choice is simply practical, bcoz the Buble album only has 7 songs and I personally don't really prefer those songs 'coz they're not really Christmas carols (although the CD price is cheaper too, half-priced of the other one), but I think I will get it later.....

Enjoy the music!

kena tilang

Hari ini gue dapet parking ticket. Duh 2.5 tahun tinggal di Amrik blon pernah tuh ditilang ngebut or kena pelanggaran parkir, kalo dicium kijang sih sudah pernah, n trust me, ga ada romantis2nya.
Eh hari ini ternyata dapet parking ticket. Arrrghhh. Ceritanya pas ke kampus tadi emang di jalan samping gedung music school ada street cleaning. Kmrn di depan jalan rmh gw juga ada street cleaning jd ga boleh parkir. Well, tadi pas mo masuk kelas gue udah mikir mo parkir dimana lagi, soale emang music building kaga punya parkir buat student jadi ya sdh lah, paling gw geser nanti setelah selesai 1 kelas.
Eh ternyata. Gw kelupaan krn buru2 ngeprint tugas dan mesti masuk kelas berikutnya. Selesai kelas berikutnya pun gue lagi-lagi lupa geser krn gue mesti persiapan buat voice lesson.
Begitu selesai dan ke mobil, yaaa tersebutlah si amplop ijo kinclong bertuliskan "PARKING TICKET" nongol di kaca depan gue.
UNtungnya, setelah gua periksa, di kertas tilangnya cuma disebut "warning" dan denda sebesar $0.00 ......... syukurlah, mak nyooosss.... gue sedikit lega, tapi tetep aje kaga lucu. Siapa sih yg demen ditilang. Untungnya polisi Louisville masi bae2, ngga kaya polisi bdg or jkt.

we're praying for you

Nous implorons la miséricorde de Dieu;

non afin qu'il nous laisse en paix dans nos vices mais afin qu'il nous en délivre.

We implore the mercy of God, not that He may leave us at peace in our vices, but that He may deliver us from them.

- Pascal -


....Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate ....

- Spafford -

Eternal Father, strong to save,

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave

- Whiting -

Abba Father, in Thee we trust.

for Esther and David

Something More

Everything's changed, and I want to believe
There must be a reason, there just has to be
Cause my faith is strong, till it all hits home
And it's not enough for me to trust
When it hurts too much

On the days I feel like I've failed you
The days I feel I've been failed
I need to praise You
For I am Yours, I'm Yours

Where is the power, to give what I gave
Give back the strength
Give back the faith I had yesterday
Cause you are my God
You are my Great I Am
And I know I have fallen but..
I have landed in healing hands

On the days I feel like I've failed you
The days I feel I've been failed
I need to praise You
For I am Yours, I'm Yours

And in my frailty, you lead me to something more
So I close my eyes, cause inside my heart
I believe, that I'm not alone
You'll always be there for me

On the days I feel like I've failed you
The days I feel I've been failed
I know that I need to praise You
For I am yours, still yours
Cause I believe you lead me to something more
Something more, something more


by: Kristy Starling

lesson from lemon

This week I learned a lesson through my sore throat and cold (dohh still nyambung ye, ga beres2...). Oh btw, thanks for your prayers, I have now regained my voice again and the cold/flu is GONE. Yeaaaach! I think I spent 3 big chunk of lemons and 1 medium bottle of honey for the past 4-5 days. AND IT WORKS, MY FRIENDS! Believe it or not, it works! Just have a good amount of rest, a plentiful amount of drink, and take some standard medicines if you need.
Ok. What kind of lesson I'm talking about? It's about a lesson of life. I tell you a secret.
I hate lemons and I hate honey.
Yaiks!
Are you kidding me?
Just to be frank. I never liked those stuffs. However, it was really interesting that when I realize that I got the cold and flu problem, I remember an old advice to take those stuffs. So before the problem got worse, I just drank 'em though I hate 'em
Well, now I'm gonna talk about another thing. I asked a fren about going to the gym to exercise. I've been doing that more intensely since I'm here in L-ville. I asked him how often he went exercise while he was still actively doing that. He said quite often.
Let me tell you another secret. I used to hate running and lifting weights or exercise. Now? I do it again and again.
Bottom line is, I'm trying to apply the principle taken from these realities in life. There are times in our lives where we should have done something necessary for the benefits of our lives, but we reluctant to do it. The problem could be anything. Take an easy example. Which one sounds better? Studying for test or watching movies while enjoying chips n dips? I guess most people would answer the latter is the easiest one. We are humans inclined to do the BAD rather than the GOOD. (No matter how good we are. Ever feel that way?) Our sinful and selfish nature preoccupies that we would rather choose evil than good. I have to admit that this is one of my weaknesses. I'm in the point of life where I'm trying to do something GOOD based to the fact that I need it, although I might having the "hate" feelings of doing it. And I believe everyone would agree that it's not easy at all. Anywhere at one point of our lives, we will have to drink the sour-ness of the lemon of life. And there's more sour in it than in the regular lemon. (Everybody still agree????) I learned this through the sickness. Still a whole lot thing to learn. Well, the bad news is that it's much easier to talk than to do it. The good news is, there's no way we can do it except by relying to God's grace. That's all.

Lord, help me... help us.

aretha franklin

I almost lost my voice.
It was started from having a sort of cold a couple days ago. I didn't have a runny nose but I knew that something's wrong. Three days ago I was still practicing and I can reach high notes so I thought everything was fine. The following day, we went down to Nashville and it was still ok. Yesterday, I started to realize that something's wrong with my throat. Earlier this week, I already drank honey and lemon water. TODAY, I could not sing during the practice with the accompanist. It was more like Aretha Franklin's low-low voice. Ouch.
At least I don't lose all my voice and do grateful for that. Another effect is, somehow I can listen to my voice more clearly (I guess it's because the "mindeng"ness), so it sounded a bit different, hehehe...
Hope I'll get my voice again pretty soon.

*dadidudidoodoo....*

from weakness to meekness

The past few days and even until today, I've got several messages. Not text messages (sms) or those other kinds, but the above message. It could be because I'm at one of the lowest/weakest point so I got all these multilayered thoughts to reflect (?) Sometimes when God speaks to us intensively, it means we really need that, doesn't it? One of them came from Pastor Ryan Fullerton's preaching this past Sunday morning at Immanuel. He was speaking about the "impossibles."

1. Christian life is impossible
It is not hard, difficult, demanding, challenging, nor it is doable, but it is impossible. There is a big difference between becoming a Christian and being a Christian.
2. Christian forgiveness is impossible.
70x7 in human terms could end in bitterness, divorce, civil war, or even genocide.
3. Christian suffering is impossible
Too many examples to describe. Paul often found himself on near-to-death experience in his life.
4. Christian ministry is impossible.
It is not only about using gifts and talents, but it's about crucifix, laying down our life for others.

In short, the Christian is always against the impossible. But praise the Lord. Just as Joshua led God's people to cross that mighty Jordan river (in Joshua 3-4), which was impossible to do, we can acknowledge our weaknesses and depend to God. Yes, we know that Christian life is impossible, and it's not our job to make it possible, either. Our challenge is to turn the focus, from our weakness, all the impossibles, difficulty, suffering, failures... etc., to God's presence. This is our part, and this is still possible. God is the One who works in the realm of the impossibles anyway, not us. Always remember that God can do the impossible.

As long as we're stick with Him, all impossibles can be possible.

hello

I've only talked with him once but I got this in my inbox.

........

As Christians, it behooves us to live out our faith 24/7 and to understand that we may be under the microscope at any given moment. Genesis 17:1b says, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” In other words, Christians should spend every day attempting to live blamelessly before God. And, we should also live blamelessly before others.

But is it even possible to live a blameless or faultless life?
Of course not.
We are all victims of our fleshly nature. Certainly we cannot fully live out our faith on our own.
Attempting to do so is nothing beyond a prescription for failure.

Living lives of diligent faith can be accomplished only when we completely trust God to be preeminent in our lives.
This begins with daily prayer and Bible reading so that our hearts are prepared to be worthy representatives of Christ at home, in the workplace and in our backyards.
This also begins by being honest with ourselves, identifying our weaknesses and casting those cares upon Christ, knowing that we cannot address our own flaws and inadequacies apart from Him.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813-1843) said, “What a man is alone on his knees before God, that he is, and no more.”

Apart from Scripture, there may be no more powerful statement ever made regarding the Christian life. It cuts to the core of our beings.
We cannot lie before God or bargain with Him because He knows our every thought and motive. At the same time, He is also our great advocate who wants to forgive our sins and to facilitate our quest for holiness.

Here is the greatest thing about the Christian life: we have the Spirit of God living within us. In John 14:17, Jesus stated, “… but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be with you.”

What comfort He gives in trying times.

What encouragement He gives in difficult times.

What wisdom He gives in uncertain times.

What friendship He gives in lonely times.

In return, should we not be living our lives so that others want to understand the joys of knowing Christ?
If indeed the Spirit of God lives within us, we have a source of strength that allows us to live above our capabilities; we can actually live beyond ourselves through Christ.
So then, when we serve God in sincerity and in truth (Joshua 24:14), not only can we live victoriously, we don’t have to wonder if people who are observing us are seeing a proper picture of the Christian life.

Not I, but Christ

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

psalm 42

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted in me?
hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the day time,
and in the night his song shall be with me,
and my prayer unto the God of my life.


-king david-

question

Has anybody ever experienced that you have to do something (your responsibility), but you just don't want to do it at the moment???
Kaya yang susaaaah bener gitu? Padahal sebetulnya simple...

Eegghhh...

quote for today... hmm... this week ....?

God is absolutely not concerned about whether you're (I'm) having a great day today. What God is fired up about is producing the likeness of Christ in you (me), for your (my) own good and for His glory. That's real, selfless love. God has dreams for you (me); God sees things in you (me) that could be if you (I) would allow Him to demonstrate His fullest work in your (my) heart and life. That's God's love that He's working out for your (my) highest good.

James McDonald

credit

stinkin (long) day!

day one

Hari ini gue memulai 'chapter baru' (jayus ah) di SBTS. Waktu kemaren ini perwalian/advising, belon apa2 gue uda dikasi 'warning' sama academic advisor, kan gua ceritanya ambil 13, eh... dia bilang.. "Sam, that's too much." Tapi, dasar ini otak uda jalan duluan, sebelum dia ngomong gitu, gue udah punya senjata amunisi.... hehehe gue tunjukin dah itu jadwal lengkap yg gua bikin berikut kelas-kelas yg gua ambil.... Alhasil, si dosen ini "nurut" hehehe.. malah akhirnya dari 13 credit, jadi 14, krn ada salah perhitungan... Eh, begitu pulang, gue baru nyadar, ternyata masih ada salah perhitungan juga..... jadinya merangkak ke angka "15." Intinya ada 4 kelas teori yg gua ikutin: Musicianship I (teori dasar musik), Intro to Music Ministry, Intro to Hymnology, sama Contemporary Expressions of Worship. Itu semua jadi 10 credits. Sisanya yg 5 itu berupa pre-grad voice class, piano class, sama 2 choirs. Alamaaaaxx... Masi belon selesai. Gue kerja 16 jam di warnet, dan ronda 2 jam di warung kopi... tiap Senin malem... (oh ya, gue blm cerita, kopi disini ga enakkk banget.. hoekks....) Pokonya seru banget deh semester ini. Hehehe.. jadi inget pas dulu kuliah di Unpar semester pertama, jadi sarjana "intro" or "pengantar." Well, liat aja deh nti gimane sepak terjangnya... Apalagi sekarang ini tiap kelas most likely bakal ada PR utk setiap pertemuan... tuh.. seru khaaan?

the art of art

Ok. Libur Summer 2007 udah menginjak minggu ke.... ke brp yah? Lupa eui.... pokonya yg jelas skrg kita ada di hari pertama bulan Agustus.... wakkhhhhh????????????? Bentar lagi masuk semester fall donk? IYa!!!!!!!!!!! Idih prasaan gue baru pindahan gitu dari Lynchburg (desa). Well, gue udah ampir 3 minggu kerja di SBTS. Sebelumnya gue cuma bisa bilang ini semua krn berkat Tuhan. I mean, dari awal. Gua dapet kesempatan utk kerja di 2 tempat sekaligus, ternyata.... Gak cuma Founder's Cafe tapi juga di Computer Lab. 2 minggu lalu tepatnya, gua ditelp supervisor lab ditawarin kerja, tadinya emang gua uda apply kerja disini cuma ntah gimana ada org lain yg applicationnya diforward duluan, jadi gue kesusul padahal gue yg lebih dulu diinterview. Well, lumayan cape juga sih kerja di 2 tempat, apalagi dua-duanya sama2 spesialis jaga "warung." Satu warung kopi, satu warung internet... hehehe.... Dua-duanya sama2 hrs menangani "pelanggan." Sekarang baru mulai kerasa nihhhhh capenya. Walaupun gua bersyukur krn ga ada masalah dlm adjustment kerja di 2 tempat ini. Kaya misalnya hari ini walaupun baru 2 minggu kerja di Founder's, gua udah dipercaya nge-training 1 anak yg baru masuk kerja juga, hari kedua. Dohhh padahal itu cafe jual barang kayanya cukup banyak jg. Gue tadi masuk jam 3 sore sampe jam 7 kurang, terus langsung lanjoooottttt ke Comp. Lab ngeronda dari jam 7 sampe 11 mlm. Haiaaa! Bablas!!!!
Ok. Itu soal kerja. Now, about my preparation for placement exam in the school of church music. Gue uda dapet jadwal dan apa2 aja yg mesti bakal diuji. Bisa lolos semua? In your dreams, deh. Gua ga ada rencana ngegol-in semua. Well, ada beberapa hal basic yg gua coba dan do-able (or feasible) buat ditembusin... such as: piano proficiency, sightsinging, sama conducting. Yg laen2nya seperti written harmony, ear training, orchestration, history-literature, dll... jangan ngimpii deh.... uda jelas gue ga pernah menyentuh makanan2 begituan, so gue uda siap2 bakal ambil kelas2 pre-grad ini semua. Tapi yg di atas 3 tadi, well, mo dicoba sebisanya supaya bisa lolos kelas2 itu jadi gak usah ambil lagi.
Well, skrg konsentrasi gue beralih ke nyiapin "conducting." Ada bbrp buku yg lagi dibaca2 dan ini sekarang juga lagi liatin contoh orang2 conducting di youtube. Terakhir conduct padsu (yg serius) gue inget pas PS SMUK1 mo ikutan FPS ITB taun 2000, dohh itu teh kenangan pahit gara2 kita kalah sama Aloy (HERAN!! mrk kok bisa2nya nyanyiin lagu pilihan bebas dan lagu "bebas" yang SAMA PERSIS sama kita..., pulang2 festival pada nangis pedihhh semua.. trophy bergilir batal jadi trophy tetap gara2 dicolong.... hahaha).
Soal piano, I guess kuncinya ada di practice and practice.... (practice makes perfect... yea yea..)
Well, semua juga perlu practice... namanya juga seni... Balik lagi soal kerja di cafe, gue sempet deg2an pas disuruh bikin "Calzone" ... hah? paan tuh Calzone? Gue cuma liat temen gue bikin sekali, eh pas kebagian gue yg bikin, yg pesen mintanya 4 biji.... Halahhhhh.... Bikinan yg pertama mengandalkan teori, yg kedua mengandalkan 1x kesalahan, yg ketiga mengandalkan 2x bikin sblmnya which is teori dan kesalahan. Yg keempat? Mengandalkan ke-malu-an... hehehe, maksudnya malu2in kalo uda 3x bikin berurutan masi tetep salah juga....


*calzone itu mirip pizza isinya tapi adonannya ditutup jadi kaya martabak asin*

spirit talk

Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy, it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit....

Not only must our relationship to God be right, but the outward expression of that relationship must also be right. ....

God will bring us back in countless ways to the same point over and over again. And He never tires of bringing us back to that one point until we learn the lesson, because His purpose is to produce the finished product. It may be a problem arising from our impulsive nature, but again and again, with the most persistent patience, God has brought us back to that one particular point. ...

Beware of becoming careless over the small details of life and saying, "Oh that will have to do for now." Whatever it may be, God will point it out with persistence until we become entirely His..

cf. James 1:4

oc-mufhh

SPIDERMAN 4: Finale

Jangan maen-maen sama yg namanya BAYGON.

summer story

Today I've started to work again. I'm now working at Founder's Cafe at our school. It's really an interesting job, it really is. Not only interesting but you also have to be able to do different stuffs. I'm now able to make pizza in just 10-15 minutes, that's the easiest one by the way. There are some other menus in our cafe/coffeeshop like different sandwiches or wraps. I have to be able to make those.... fheww.. it was fun though....
Since now we're still on summer time, there aren't many people around the school, not as many as the regular semester. Usually, the line at Founder's Cafe could be really tough especially during lunch hours or even morning coffee/breakfast time. It would drive us crazy. Today, I was taught how to make pizza, sandwiches and subs, smoothies, coffee..etc.
Our manager, Ken, is actually out of town this week, so I was trained by a fellow worker. Btw, talking about Ken's leaving for vacation, I guess everybody's happy with that (??!??)... My friend told me, yeach, it's good for him, good for us, good for everybody... hahhahaha... Wait until you see our manager, probably you'd understand... He's a cool dude actually.... but unique too... Speaking about espri't de corps here, I guess our cafe is running a good business. Well, I began to learn new things in my job, I have no choice, but I like it so far. The good thing is... since I got the evening shift which means closing time, I can bring home some donuts and muffins (left overs)... yumm... They're good... and FREE (that's the best part)!

Speaking about school, I'm still finishing up two paperworks for THE WORSHIPPING CHURCH class, they're due this week. Then, I still have to prepare for my placement exam in the following August. Still have to practice several piano repertoires and hymns and one singing repertoire. I think that's the only area where I can do most. Maybe this is one of the advantages of transferring school during Summer where you can prepare your stuffs earlier, do some classes earlier, and work too...in order to get a spoon of rice and a bucket of diamonds (lol... Indo idioms)...

no idea

Udah lama gue ga ngeblog. Belakangan ini cukup sibuk. Ambil 2 summer classes serta sempet ngacirrr liburan beberapa hari. Mudah-mudahan minggu depan udah bisa ngeblog lagi dengan ide segar dan sehat (kayak iklan susu aja)...

when God allows some days to happen

I don't know how should I call "today." There are some days in life where you just hope that it would not happen. Maybe I should say today is one of them. Hmm...
Two days ago I had a car breakdown. When I was about to leave campus it suddenly stopped. So yesterday I had to leave my car in Mazda dealership, since I would rather have their mechanics look my car thoroughly. I know that I got that car, a relatively not an old one, but with a much cheaper price and I realize that probably it would need some work someday. But please Lord not right now.... (grin). Anyway, today, I just found out that the cost to fix that car is probably equivalent to 90 hours payrate of work. Ok, I'm broke! Errrghhhh.... That's a big chunk of money, oh well... I know that God provides what I need. Amen. It's just one of those feeling while me being a student living in a foreign land, there are times when I cast doubt.

Ok, then I got back home. I was about to do my laundry work. Since I've just moved in to Peterson Manor, it's been a while since I last time did a laundry work here when I was just visiting previous times. I forgot that I should have separated my clothes in two batches of work. HA!!!!! Then my white clothes have their color messed up! Ugghhh. Sebel deh! Well, as the old saying: "the rice has now become porridge." What are you gonna do, eat 'em up!
Yo wes... At least I'm still grateful that there are only 3 "wounded" t-shirts anyway.

Then, I went to the gym to have a bit of exercise and to the pool for swimming, trying to ease up the hectic-ness of the day and relax a little bit. After I finished and grab my wallet and cellphone, suddenly there's an incoming text message from Bandung. I got a sad news from our home church. One of the board leaders just passed away at the ICU in Immanuel Hospital today at 4 am (WIB). Man, I almost can't believe it. He's not even close to 50 yet. He's one of the most humble and generous leader in our church. Many-many times I exchange emails with him when he update me about things in our church. I still remember when we talk via e-mail, he's always asked me when I return home so that we can continue God's work. I must say that I'm very surprised with his passing. He's in a much better place right now. Life is short indeed, although there are some days when we feel that it's soooo looongggg.

Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.


Yes, Lord, be the center of our heart, lead us to the springs of living waters, and we believe that you will wipe away every tear from our eyes.

new outlook

Ok, I've just changed my blog with a new look. It symbolizes another mundane transition in my life right now. As some of you probably have already known, I've been accepted at SBTS to continue my education. It has gone through a series of considerations, prayers, phone calls, emails, informations, dialogs/conversations. I've finally decided to sharpen my knowledge and experience in the area of music, in which I believe that I haven't really understand much at all. I'll drop by at some time with a more detail information. As for now, 'waiting' is the only word that suits here as I still have to face that 'placement test/exam' in August. Meanwhile, life in Louisville, Ky has been great. Yes, I do miss Lynchburg with all of its stories, and I'll come over to visit that place again, sometime....
I won't be able to come fly home this Summer and I can enjoy that, besides, there's plenty of things to do here... So, it's gonna be really interesting. Stay tune. By the way, maybe I can get some feedbacks, yeach I know .. I know... I'm still trying to figure out how to fix that dagger. Please bear with me as I'm still new.

gone

Saya terakhir udah bbrp hari menghilang kaga blogging, kecuali pas tanggal 18 dan kemarin. Pengangguran teladan nih ceritanya? Hehe.. ya dan tidak. Nih saya kasi tau ngapain aja selama seminggu ini:

Senin 21/5 - Istirahat dirumah seharian, mulai beres-beres. Sorenya ditelp Pastor David dia baru beli TV Flat Screen 51" minta saya bantu angkatin dari trucknya ke dlm rumah. Terus istrinya masak bikin baked chicken, hmm chickennya enak. Abis itu ya cipika cipiki ... namanya juga perpisahan....

Selasa 22/5 - Lynchburg bisa dibilang "lumpuh" total krn ada funeral service Dr. Falwell. Semua sekolah diliburin, traffic katanya bakal macet taunya super sepi. Semua orang pada gosip bhw President Bush dan Daddy Bush Sr. bakal hadir, eh ternyata kabarnya beneran dari burung alias boong. White House cuma kirim asistennya Bush. Ada Franklin Graham dan Rick Warren yg dateng. Gue tadinya mau ke TRBC ikut funeral service, tapi berhubung baru bangun jam 10.30, maka saya hadir di udara saja dlm doa dan putar TV untuk nonton acaranya, hehe.

Rabu 23/5 - Koran-koran heboh expose soal anak LU yg bawa bom molotov di mobilnya pas ikutan acara funeral, katanya itu utk ngewarning protester Dr Falwell. Itu anak bener2 kurang kerjaan. Hari Rabu saya diundang lunch, KOREAN BBQ, sama tiga cewek Korea sakti, Hye-Lim, Hye-Ryun, dan Skye. Gile tu BBQ asik banget.

Kamis 24/5 - Lanjut beres-beres dan packing2. Ben dateng ke rumah. Dia sejak minggu lalu udah pindah ke apartment barunya. Kmrn dia dateng dan kita sama2 beres2 dan bebersih di rumah sini. Sorenya pergi makan di Schmokeys Grill di Wyndhurst dgn Justin dan Lindsey, ini sandwich/burger khas-nya orang South. Pic-nya yang dibawah postingan ini.

Jumat 25/5 - Pagi tadi saya nongol di kantor sekolah, ceritanya pamitan sesuai janji krn hari ini kan Jumat, hari terakhir kerja sebelum weekend. Senin saya udah cabut dan disini public holiday so ga ada waktu lagi. Yah, tadi pelok2an dan cipika cipiki lagi dah sama para ibu2 kantor itu. Siangnya mampir ke Olive Garden.

Busyettt, beberapa hari terakhir ini saya jadi pengangguran teladan, yang artinya makan 2terusss. Maklum, sebentar lagi akan meninggalkan Lynchburg kota kecil tercinta, jadi di rumah Sandusky Drive ini lagi bertemakan packing-packing dan makan-makan. Saya bakal pindah demikian pula roommate saya, si mas Benjamin or "Dr Forrest."
Hari ini hari terakhir dia di Lynchburg karena besok subuh bakal terbang balik ke Idaho, the potato land. So pada mencar deh satu persatu. Ok gotta run some errands. I will post the updates.

At the end of the day

At the end of the day
When all papers go away
And lips just ain't enough to say
With friends going out each on their way

At the end of the day
When a dreamer passed away
A man of courage, wisdom, and passion that fully sway
A week full of memories in the month of May
A city where its skies turned to gray

At the end of the day
When all heads bowed down
When everyone looked to the Son
And thank Him for all that He has done

At the end of the day
When everybody’s gone
And I continue to move on
Reaching that vision, shining that beacon

At the end of the day
While looking at His shimmering ray
I hope my Master would say
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant,”

Lynchburg, May 2007

on my graduation day

this faithful servant of God will be most remembered as
a beloved husband, father, grandfather, pastor, and chancellor

Dr. Jerry Falwell
(August 11, 1933 - May 15, 2007)



"winners never quit, quitters never win"

di belakang sekolahku

Duh hebat si tante.. sekarang udah pada pake seragam... ckckckk..
Tante..... mauuu tuh kerupuknya yg di atas...

untitled hymn

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

Chris Rice

fun at the gator's land

First Baptist Church Orlando, brantakan yee...


Daytona/NASCAR track

orlando yang bukan bloom atau magic

Pegelllll. Cuma itu doank yg bisa gw bilang. Ini baru aja nyampe di Florida, tepatnya Orlando... Gw dan 5 seminary students lainnya berangkat tadi pagi (harusnya..), gara2 tmn yg bawa mobil telat, janji jam 8, baru cabut jam 11.30 .... (bule jg masi bisa telat tho..). So setelah perjalanan di darat selama kurang lebih 12-13 jam yg melelahkan... akhirnya sampe juga di Orlando. Hueeee...
Pegelnya ga ketulungan deh... Untungnya..... emang God knows what's best for us. Yg berangkat polll cuma 6 orang, pake jeep Chevy Tahoe yg sebetulnya lega tapi berhubung kita semua bawa barang n berenam, seatnya bisa dibilang pas-pasan. MSSSS mobil sangat sempit sampe selonjoran saja suseeehhh.
Kita tinggal di rumah temen-nya temen gw. A nice one.. I guess... quite decent. Neighborhoodnya mengingatkan gw dengan salah satu wilayah di Jakarta yg gw lupa namanya apa... di tengah kota... Tanjung Duren gitu? Maklum Orlando kan kota gede nan sempit utk ukuran Amrik krn populasi cukup padat. Kita kesini dlm rangka ada conference yg kita mesti dateng n make the report....
Which is kind fun.... one way to get away from school... (yeee padahal wisuda udah kurang dr sebulan.. masii aja seneng maen!!) Apalagi biaya pendaftarannya dari $150 direduce jadi $50 utk students.
Anyway, cape banget. We'll see what's this city has for us to revel in these 3-4 days. Yg pasti rombongan ini menarik. Bule ada 2, Asian ada 4 hahaha... 3 Korea and me Indonesian. Bule jadi minority. Pictures menyusul tentunya.

deceiving looks

Hey guess what, I have this conversation at the office.

H - coworker
M - me

H : Hey... do you guys want to see my parent's picture?
(then I looked at the picture)
M : Oh.. your parent's seems so young.
H : They are. Guess how old they are.
M : Uhm.. I don't know... 45 maybe... 40?
H : Nope. Not even 40.
M : Not even forty????????????
H : Nope... not even forty. He's not even forty yet.
M : Hmm .... (I thought.. welcome to America.....)
H : Yup.. see.. that's why he's so handsome...
(yea rite... you tell me with that mustache and beard all around)
H : He will turn to be forty this year, though...
M : Ok.. so thirty-nine, huh?
(jeezz.. thirty nine....)
M : So how about your grand parents???
H : You can look at them. I've got their pictures with me.
(Then I looked at her grand parents' pic)
M : This is...your grandpa and grandma? They looked even younger than my parent's
(everybody was laughing.......)
M : How old are they?
H : Well, my grandma is 47.
M : Now wait..???? Your grandma is now really younger than my mom!
H : Yeach...
(now everyone turn their heads toward our conversation...)
M : Oh man.. This is incredible....
H : Well, our family has a unique history of having children earlier... lol
M : Ok.. how old are you then?
H : I'm 20.
(she looks like 24 or something)
M : So you got married when you're 19, rite?
(She married last Summer)
H : Rite.. Well... My mom got me before she got married with Dad
M : I see... f-y-i, my grandmother will turn to be 85 this year... haha
H : Is she still alive?
M : Sure she is.


*grin*

Today We Are All Hookies

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
When evil people come to devour me,
when my enemies and foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
The one thing I ask of the Lord—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord’s perfections
and meditating in his Temple.
For he will conceal me there
when troubles come;
he will hide me in his sanctuary.
He will place me out of reach on a high rock.
Then I will hold my head
high above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices
with shouts of joy,
singing and praising the Lord with music.

(Psalm 27:1-6, NTL)

For the families and friends of the victims and shooter at the Virginia Tech massacre, 16 April 2007

another cultural... thing....

One more paperwork down tomorrow and my life will be much better by next week... Hehehe..

Bbrp minggu terakhir ini gue kepikir sesuatu, not something new at all. Biasalah, soal si dia.. maksudnya sapa lagi kalo bukan tetangga ranjang sebelah alias roommate. Namanya juga berbagi ruang, alias berbagi space, plus berbagi makan kadang2, akhirnya mah tetep juga berbagi hidup. Hidup dia kayaknya spt diinvasi, hidup gue juga tentunya.
Nah, terakhir ini ada satu masalah yang udah pernah kami bahas, n sama2 mengerti, cuma nga tao deh pokonya hari ini tau2 mood gue jadi kembali terpengaruhi. RM gue itu org yg lumayan talkative dan demen ngobrol sama orang, siapa aja. Sangat2 positiflah pokonya. Friendly.
Cuma jadi ada efeknya jg, dia sering banget telepon alias kayanya ga pernah bisa lepas dari HPnya. Yang bikin lebih seru, nyokapnya itu sangat2 perhatiin anaknya. Well, cukup dimengerti, soalnya bo-nyoknya punya anak tiga cowo dan tiga2 udah 'dilepaskan' semua... hehehe... RM gw paling tua, yg kedua udah married punya anak so otomatis dah ga tinggal bareng ortu, dan yg ketiga baru aja masuk LU taun kmrn. Dan kayanya nyokapnya itu sangat2 merasa kesepian jadilah dia rajin 'absen' ketiga anaknya tiap hari. Sampe si menantu/adik ipar RM gw cukup iritated juga gara2 ni ibu mertua neleponin suaminya melulu. Hihihi... cemburu sama mertua sendiri....
Dan RM gw tentunya tiap hari at least dua kali nyokap RM gw telp dia pas dia lg di rumah. Gue di kamar mandi, suara dia cukup tajam jd kedengeran, palagi suara enyaknya, ... dohhh itu biarin bukan handsfree mode juga tetap sajaa... menggelegar sodara-sodara. Dan sekalinya bicara bisa bermenit2... bukan 1, 2, tapi ya setengah jam juga dilakonin.... Berhubung RM gw pemimpin project persekutuan di kampus, jadi punya anak buah banyak, ibarat manager, semua anak buahnya jg suka ditelp n dicek satu2... which artinya makin sering bicara di telp di rmh.
Ya gue kagum sih, hubungan ortu-anak bisa sampe sebegitu... Mungkin krn jauh-jauh dekat, tinggal telp nationwide masi bisa kejangkau so mereka lakonin juga. Tapi...hmm gue ga tau napa, tetep aja ada rasa ngga comfy somehow. Kita dulu pernah bahas n dia kayanya coba utk avoid stay di kamar kalo pas lagi telp, n naik ke atas. Tapi ya saking sering dan tiba2.. jadi mungkin dia jg ya cape bolak balik. Gue bakal ngomong lagi sih soal ini.
Cuma ya... gue wondering aja, knp gue bisa ga comfy pdhal ini sebetulnya soal sepele banget. Mungkin krn gue sendiri selama 2 thn ini bisa dibilang jarang 'ditelp' ortu. Biasanya gue yg telp, dan sekalinya telp, biasa bawaannya pengen cepet2 udahan pdhal gue masi mau ngobrol....

Mungkin gue iri juga sih dgn dia. Ah pooknya mood gue hari ini jelek. Jelekkkkkk banget.

Paskah!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

BESOK LIBUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

walaupun cuma sehari
masih tetap berarti
hehehe
met paskah ye semuanye...

pasporrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Layaknya perantau yang sedang belajar di negri orang, paspor tu penting n bisa dibilang surat 'hidup-mati' selain I-20 form (di Amrik). Nah, paspor gue diissue taun 2002, so taun ini bentar lagi udah mo abis masa berlaku. Bbrp minggu lalu gue ajuin permohonan bikin paspor baru ke Kedutaan di DC. Menariknya, setelah nanya sana sini, ternyata harga bikin paspor di Amrik lebih murah daripada di Indo. Di Indo denger2 sekarang bikin paspor harga 'gabah' alias resminya tu Rp 450rb-500rb. (Kalo ngipas jadi brp, mungkin bisa hampir sejutaan kali). Nah, di Embassy Indonesia harga paspor kira2 setengahnya!!! Alias $22 saja,... rekkk. So gue bersemangat apalagi prosesnya lebih gampang, tinggal kirim paspor lama, isi form, kirim money order, sama pas photo, udah deh beres, pake pos. Tujuh hari kerja bereslah sudah. CUMA, paspornya mesti langsung diambil in-person kaga boleh diwakilin, masuk akal juga, karena gue mesti tandatangan di bukunya. So, gue minggu lalu telp bagian konsuler dan tanya soal pengambilan, soale gue Senin-Jumat full ga bisa keluar kota krn 'pelajar' nih ceritanya, kecuali Senin gue bisa usahakan datang menghadap di Kedutaan tapi gak mungkin jam 1. (Btw, gue heran mereka cuma buka dari jam 9-13). Nah, kata si bapak petugas, ok boleh aja dateng antara jam 3-5, kantor technically masih buka, tapi mesti pake perjanjian. OK DEH, kata gue, gue mo dateng hari Senin ini jam 3an. Gimana, Pak? Okey kata si Bapak.
Nah, gue hari ini dateng, Lynchburg-DC tuh kira2 3.5 jam pake mobil. Rencananya bareng temen gue yg di DC karena dia hrs ambil paspor juga, n dia baru punya anak ke-2, alias ex-ibu hamil jadinya kaga bisa pergi sendiri, mesti ditemenin krn bawa pasukan. So dia jg telp kedutaan.
Ehhh, pas gue udah setengah perjalanan lebih, temen gue telp, barusan Kedutaan telp, kata mereka NGGA BISA ambil paspor hari ini, soalnya ada tamu, jadi petugasnya pergi semua.
"Ya elah... dalem hati gue, napa beraniin bikin appointment terus maen langsung batalin gini."
Dongkollah hatiku, laahh napa baru sekarang kasi tau. Temen gue juga udah keburu panas n mo marah2in tu orang konsuler. "Jadi GIMANA DONK MBA, ITU TEMEN SAYA UDAH JAUH DATENG2 DARI LUAR KOTA, KO BISA SEENAKNYA GITU?????"
Ewhh, kalo gue jadi si mba gue bakal tutup kuping karena temen gue ini kalo dah ngambek syerem soalnya. (Hehehe.. di Indo mana ada sejarahnya yg bikin paspor marah2in orang Imigrasi, yg terjadi biasanya sebaliknya...)
Terus dia telp gue lagi, n gue bilang, udah deh, gue yg pasti ngga akan balik lagi, gue penasaran, udah kagok gitu..., kita perjuangkan nasib!
Agak seru juga karena di jalan ada road work jadi lalu lintas sempet matot selama 15 menit, uhh berharga tuh buat yg diburu2. Akhirnya kita nyampe jam 3 di depan pintu KBRI Washington DC yang megah. Ada 6 mobil baru berplat diplomat, bertengger di parking lot-nya. Gue bingung liat pemandangannya, ini mana negara kaya, mana negara miskin? Di sebelah KBRI ada Portugal Embassy, negara yg lebih kaya, gedungnya lebih mungil kayak flat apartment, mobilnya cuma satu, tua renta pula. Hehehe...
Anyway, gue masuk ke dalem lobby disambut oleh garuda pancasila segede buta,
heran, nga di Indo nga di Amrik, namanya gedung pemerintah, pasti ada burung garuda yg gede, dipasang ditembok, persis dihadapan pintu masuk(nga ngerti gue, supaya si burung observe tiap tamu gitu ya?) Gue maksa tetep mau ambil paspor krn udah janjian, kasian si kakek yg jaga switchboard, berkali2 dia telepon bagian konsuler, ga dijawab. Akhirnya entah setelah telepon yg keberapa kali, ada ibu2 yg jawab. Barulah gue boleh masuk ke kantor konsuler.
Nah, paspor gue pun didapat. Akhirnyaaaaaaa....
Cuma gw masi bingung, awalnya gue semangat, wahhh paspor gue kali ini udah bukan 'made in bandung' lagi tapi 'issued in Washington, DC. Gaya gitu, ...harapannya...
Eh ternyata, keknya ini paspor kembali ke jaman purba, i mean itu bukan pake komputer tapi ditulis pake rapido or ballpoint. Hari gini masi pake paspor tulis tangan?
Yahhh, gue bilang, dibikin sih boleh di Amrik, tapi tetaap sajaaaa Sama seperti orang-orangnya, lokasi boleh di amrik, etos kerja tetap sajaaaaa ..... namanya juga Indonesia.
Duh Indo.... Indo..... kapan mo maju-maju??????????????????????



*lesu, termangu*

approaching the Good Friday

"I am a sinner.
Unworthy and vile.
My heart grows cold as sin spreads beneath the flesh that has vowed to keep it from showing.
I swear of the change that finds itself held at arms length.
Held back as if the cure were flawed.
Freedom feels the brush of my breath as it stands there, waiting - Waiting for me to embrace it, yet I would rather embrace death.
Darkness is the cover that keeps my contrite heart cloaked in security. Veiled in the sin around me.
I am miserable.
Hell is in my heart as my heart is in hell.
The blood in my veins - the beats are my own. Selfish.
The center of my world within me, eating away at the core of the life that was never meant to be my own .
The pain.
The anguish.
The hurt.
It's an intolerable acceptance.
An accepted torture.
A torture that doesn't have to survive.
There is light.
Before my face, Freedom cries.
Freedom is in pain.
Freedom is in anguish.
Freedom is hurt.
Like me.
Freedom took my place.
Freedom is Christ.
Freedom is only Christ.
My heart slows in pace as death squirms on the floor before me.
Christ took my place."


written by my ol' roommate,
Gary Nathan "Nate" Smith, Jr.
*go .. Nate*

anggota DPR & laptop baru

(I've just got this from a fren.)


Anggota DPR: "Mba, laptopnya salah."
Customer Service: "Salah gimana pak?"
Anggota DPR: "Laptopnya nggak mau hidup."
CS: "Sudah tekan tombol power pak?"
Anggota DPR: "Tombol powernya sebelah mana mba?"

****

Anggota DPR: "Mba, saya mau konek ke internet nggak
bisa, kenapa ya?"
Customer service: "Nggak bisanya kenapa?"
Anggota DPR: "Saya ketik www.playboy. com, gambarnya
nggak keluar."
Customer service: "Pesan errornya apa pak?"
Anggota DPR: "Nggak ada pesan error, pokoknya saya
ketik playboy.com di addressnya, nggak muncul gambar
sama sekali."

Customer service: "Bapak koneksi internetnya pakai
apa, dial up, hotspot?"
Anggota DPR: "Pakai gambar yang ada tulisan e
(maksudnya internet explorer)."
Customer service: "Maksudku, bapak langganan
internetnya pakai ISP apa, lalu cara koneksi
internetnya pakai dial-up atau hotspot, mungkin
settingnya ada yang salah."
Anggota DPR: "ISP itu apa sih mba?"
Customer service: "Wah ini sih 50 x 2 pak.."
Anggota DPR: "Apa tuh mba?"
Customer service: "CAPE' DEH!!"

******

Anggota DPR: "Mba' saya ingin daftar account di
yahoo.com kok nggak bisa ya?"
Customer service: "Nggak bisa kenapa pak?"
Anggota DPR: "Ada tulisan, paswort is nat long inof,
suld bi mor ten 8 karakter"

Customer service: "Itu maksudnya, password bapak
minimal 8 huruf."
Anggota DPR: "Oooo...oke deh.., saya coba dulu."

Anggota DPR: "Mba password minimal delapan huruf itu
delapannya pakai angka 8 atau ejaan delapan?"
Customer service: "Maksudnya?"
Anggota DPR: "Saya suda tulis di kolom password
minimal 8 huruf, tapi bingung mau tulis delapannya,
pakai angka delapan atau ejaan huruf 'delapan'."

Customer service: "Ketik ini aja pak..C Spasi D."
Anggota DPR: "Apa tuh?"
Customer service: "CAPE' DEH !!!"

****

Anggota DPR: "Mba' kalau muter film di laptop, gimana
caranya ya?
CS: "Ada dvd playernya kan pak?"
Anggota DPR: "Sebelah mana tuh mba?"
CS: "Disamping kanan, pak. kalau di tekan tombolnya
nanti, piringan discnya keluar."
Anggota DPR: "Ooooo.... yang keluar itu, piringan disc
ya? Udah patah tuh kemarin."
CS: "Kok bisa patah?"
Anggota DPR: "Saya kira tempat buat naruh gelas
minuman."

******

Anggota DPR: "Komputer saya rasanya kena virus"
CS: "Virus apa tuh pak?"
Anggota DPR: "Kurang tahu juga, setiap mau cetak ke
printer, selalu ada tulisan kennot fain printer."
CS: "Itu mungkin salah setting pak."
Anggota DPR: "Settingnya udah bener kok, kemarin aja
bisa nyetak, tapi sekarang nggak bisa. Saya sudah
tunjukkin printernya di depan laptop, tetap aja dia
terus-terusan "searchng printer not found." Kayanya
webcamnya rusak, nggak bisa lihat printer."

CS: "Mendadak laper nih Pak, ingin makan tape.."
Anggota DPR: "Lho..kok begitu?"
CS: "TAPE DEH !!!!"

********

Anggota DPR: "Mba, kalau mau baca blognya si artist
anu dimana ya?"
CS: "Bapak cari aja di google."
Anggota DPR: "Tapi si artist anu nggak kerja di google
kok mba, saya tahu persis."

Capeeek deeehhh..... ......... .... !!!!

LU student the next Idol????

After a while, our campus' splashpage finally announce that Phil Stacey is one of our students (a DLP.. of course).
I've been wondering two questions.
1. Why it took so long for my bosses to find out that he's a Liberty student?
but hey......
2. Why in the world would they check everyone of them, whether they are one of our students or not? Come on, get a life, do they have any other thing to do besides that?

I only follow the performances once in a while, so I haven't heard his voice.... at least in full attention..... yet, probably after this I will.
By the way, on his interview I've read that he wants to get a PhD, so people can call him Doctor Phil. Now that's quite interesting, knowing that nowadays they call it, "PhD - Permanent head Damage." how about... Pizza hut Driver? Or perhaps, Pathetic home Dreamer, .... Patiently hoping for a Degree, .... wow ... tons of abbreviations. hahaha.... Anyway, don't even think about it now, Phil. The only thing you have to care about is your vocal performance. PhD will come... someday.. If you win, I can almost sure that they will try their best to bring you on campus. That's what I can tell.

Vote?
Hmm.... we'll see.

difference

Gue baru balik dari luar kota. Eh pulang-pulang kamar gue berantakan. Errgh rada kesel. Roommate gue emang udah minta ijin sih, ada temennya dateng dari Nashville, Tennessee. Tapi dasar sesama bule gile, gue baru pulang masi cape eehh ni kamar brantakan banget kaya kapal pecah. Baju, celana, daleman, kaos kaki, topi, pada berserakan ngga jelas. Bantal cadangan gue disarungin kaus t-shirt (huh??).
Emang bule2 rata2 bisanya ngeberantakin rumah gitu ya? (generalisasi tingkat tinggi)

*grin*

listening

I'm now listening to this CD Album. A bit shock... why? Because all these years I knew that his music is kinda more contemporary pop, especially that he's doing lots of contemporary P&W stuffs. A friend told me that he's just launched a different album. I was a little curious about it and when I dropped by at Lifeway today, I listened a sample of his CD. As I listened, hey u know what... he apparently sounds better in this album. However, I realize that his voice is almost similar with Groban, the only difference is that Groban's voice is thicker and more focused/bold. I have compared Travis' voice when he leads P&W concert, he sounded to be shouting/screaming on that one, but this one I think he sounds a lot better. (Taking a voice lesson, eh..?) Oh well.. this is a neo-classical album anyway. I do enjoy it, the only comment I have on this one: too many minor tune songs, maybe because these songs took the lyrics from Psalms. Is he a Grobaners or Grobanians or watever???? Man... once I almost wanna shout to this guy, "BE YOURSELF!!!" But soon I realized, you cannot resist if one has a similar voice tone with other people. If I have to give a score with 1-10 scale basis, I would give him probably 8- =)

lesu

Satu lagi burung baja terjatuh....
hingga kapan Indonesia kan berpeluh...?

*Pa SBY, jangan patah semangat ye, kite-kite dari jauh sini berdoa buat bangsa dan negare.*

plea

Terimakasih Tuhan.
Setahun berlalu
Engkau mengingatkanku
tuk menghitung berkatMu
dan menghitung hari-hariku
Mungkin masih panjang
atau akan segera hilang,
Aku menengadah
mohon tanganMu yang kuat
memegangku setiap saat
dengar bisikan anakMu

Amin.

Lynchburg
March, 2007

suprise!!!!!

Hidup kalo ga ada kejutan emang kurang rame.... hehehe...
Well, hari ini Tuhan kasi hari yang cukup unik. Seminggu ini udah dingin terus, eh tau2.. hari ini rada anget dikit...60'F (brp 'C ya, itung ndiri deh), terus hari cerah banget, kalo jalan kaki ada angin semilir, matahari pokonya kinclonk deh kaya sunlight. Wadew.. gw sampe kagum.

Hari ini di tengah keramaian klise sebagaimana layaknya orang berulang tahun yang diberondong ucapan selamat, ada yang kirim message ke gw, begini bunyinya:
"happy birthday ka Jimmy, hoi happy birthday ya, kapan maen ke bandung sm christin hehehe"
Pas dibaca rada kaget juga. I'm like... uhm what???? Woiyy salah sambung. Sapaaa tuh Jimmy, sapaa tuh Christin?
Anyway, selain urusan 'pesen nyasar', hari ini kata orang2 sini gw sudah resmi masuk golongan "half to half of a century"... dan keliatannya buat org bule, usia 25 taun itu dinanti2... Gw sih biasa2 aja. Yang jelas cuma satu, gue selangkah lebih maju menuju liang lahat...

Diluar dugaan, hari ini roommate gw bikin ulah. As it's always been in America, disini yg ber-ultah itu justru ditraktir... Tadi gue pikir kita cuma pergi bertiga/berempat doank sama adiknya, eh ternyataa belakangan gw baru nyadar yang ngumpul banyakan. Oh my....
Kita pergi ke Neighbor's Place, tempat dessert favorit disini. Makan NY cheesecake yang gedenya setengah batu bata, gw makannya dari semangat 45 sampe eneg. Yang laen biar cowo2 sehat dan pelahap porsi kuli, itu dessert ngga ada yang tuntas tuh... hieh hieh hieh....

on your wedding day, cous....

3-3-2007
Now that you are to begin the journey. Sorry I wont come for sure, but my prayer's with you both. However, I got your Wed Bulletin's before your D-day.... :p

*he... Bang, .... kau jaga baik-baik ya kakakku*

hari merdekaaa (was: suara misteri)

Awwwww betapa senangnya hatiku. Beberapa hari belakangan ini tiap kali nyetir mobil di jalan gue ngerasa awkward plus agak2 iritated gitu. Soalnya mobil berkah gue,... iya... si putih itu loww... dia ada2 bermasalah lanjutan.... (what? again? car problem???)... Jadi begini, ketika gua dapet itu mobil warisan dr temen gua Philip, itu dalam keadaan okay2 aja, cuma timing belt-nya udah harus diganti (ps. di Amrik urusan maintenance mobil, palagi mobil bekas tuh paling2 sensitif, kalo gak tau sejarah tu mobil wkt kita beli, ntar bisa berabe). Soo... bbrp minggu lalu gue spt biasa menitipkan mobil kpd tmn gw Martin, the Taiwanese mechanic (definitely not movie star :p). Dia uda biasa menangani mobil2 anak int'l di kampus, dan sesama penghuni benua Asia nih..cieekkh.... ada solidarity kecil2an gitu lhoo, so kita kalo benerin mobil sama dia gak dicharge gede2an. Plus dia pernah jadi mechanic di Mercedez-Benz, so levelnya uda lumayan gitu.
Gue bersyukur banget, dia bilang, mobil gue tuh kondisinya jauh lebih prima daripada mobil gue si Subaru yg sdh 'sulama' alias almarhum itu. Wow. Amazing to see how God works and gave me something I feel I don't deserve. Oh well. So lalu mobil itu menginap di bengkelnya dia selama 3-4 hari, amazing pula, dulu mobil gue sempet dibenerin dia gak kira2 ada 2 minggu kalee, sampe moment2 terakhir pas gue mau cabut utk pergi sebelum balik ke Indo, last moment, euh pedihh deh nunggunya....
Nah, udah dibenerin, beres lah ternyata. Hati gue plong! Yes bebas, kaga perlu kuatir tau2 di jalan brenti n ada aneh2. Tapi, tunggu dulu, ternyata nih... masi ada kekonyolan yang terjadi. Kira2 minggu lalu, ini mobil tiap distart pasti bersuara aneh. Cekikikan terus, bukan ketawa liat Tukul Arwana, tapi si fan beltnya itu.
Fan belt tuh karet yang ada di roda depan yang muter2 kalo mesin mobil nyala. Somehow ada bunyi keras squeaky sound gitu. Sampe ngeri dengernya, ya ngeri, ya keganggu, ya watir, ya takut juga. Persis kayak gerobak Wal-mart yang rodanya mo copot sebelah bunyinya ngikngikngik. Brisik bangeeeet. Gue sempet panik, but I know sebetulnya gak apa2 sih, cuma ya... GOOD GRIEF! Gile aje saban kali nyetir di jalan orang2 tuh pada melongin gue, disangkanya gue alien dari mana bersuara aneh....
So hari ini akhirnya tibalah hari kemerdekaan yang ditunggu2. Gue telepon Martin dan baru hari ini dia bisa stel/adjust itu fan belt nya. Dia udah bilang nothing wrong, justru karena dia berbaik hati sekalian gantiin itu fan belt jadi brand new, krn karetnya baru dia blm stretched alias masi agak kaku, jadi hrs disetel lebih kencang dikit. Bunyi itu karena karet dan roda penopangnya gak beradu erat, jadi ada bunyi gesekan karet dan metal.
(Doohhh, mana aku tahu mas...)
Tapi tadi sore pokonya seneng deh, hore mari bung rebut kembali, itu mobil normal lagi akhirnya. Dengan tangan2 maut-nya yang sebelah belepotan oli sebelahnya lagi item semua, dia stel lagi tuh apanya gua kaga tau dah, cuma 5 menit. Langsung diem tu mobil begitu distarter dan sepanjang dibawa tadi balik ke rumah, tiada lagi tuh yg namanye suara2 misteri....

Hey mobil, akhirnya kamu balik nyadar lagi setelah mabuk sekian lama.... hehehe....

Eh, btw, si Martin bilang ada beberapa cewe sempet nanyain lohh ke dia, sriusss, "ini mobil siapa, kok mulus amat???"
"Yuhuuuu....."

paradoxical

A day is like a thousand year ---------> artinya lagi nganggur (kali lagi nunggu pacar, nunggu wiken, nunggu2 gajian, nunggu angin lewat.....

A thousand year is like a day ---------> artinya sibuk banget (dikejar paper, dikejar project, dikejar orang, dikejar anjing, sweat and no chance to take a breath)

Savor each time, savor every moment, thank God always. That's why time is so precious as well as mysterious. Hehehe.....

watch your accent

You may believe it or not, but up until yesterday I forgot that Valentine's day is February 14th. I thought it was February 12th, well a bit slipped but that's ok. I don't even know why in the world I can forget that. Back in 2002 if I'm not mistaken, my grandpa passed away on Chinese New Year's Day, which was February 12th, and he was cremated on February 14th. That was one memorable V-day's, which was obviously a very-very busy day.
Now I don't really put this day in mind probably because it has been three years in my life that I passed V-day without somebody, and of course that is not the thing.
Anyway, this morning we had a blast at the office.
Let me tell you now. One of our co-worker, Debbie, shared a small package contained with V-day card and a Hershey's chocolatte to everyone in the office. She said that was from her granddaughter. Then, another co-worker, Joan, gave a simple comment. She said, "Well, a woman's best friend is a husband and a chocolate."
The funny thing is, her strong southern accent made it as if it was, "WELL, A WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND IS A HUSBAND IN A CHOCOLATE"
And everybody goes ..... HUAHUAHUAHAUHUAHUAHUAHUAHUAHUAHUAHUAHUA...
I was like.... "huh...what???" oh.... huahuahuahuahauhaua.... (late receiving system.....called it "lemotttt")
While all of us laughing in hard beat, Joan defends herself saying, "Well, we're married... nothing wrong with that..." (a husband in a chocolate? yeah rite...) And everybody keeps laughing. It was hilarious but I have no idea what's on each one's mind, we just laughed.

I think they enjoyed that.
(if you come to our office, you would notice that even a laugh is so precious at this time.)

lousy

Hey.... guess what????? I've just found out a new cool effect on my camera. I didn't realize about this until that short trip to DC last two weeks. Yeach..yeach..yeach.. I know what you're going to say, I'm being lousy with my camera. Apart from that, it's pretty cool though.. don't you think??

Jalapeno chips? Yaiks.........

New York Ave.

Tadaaaa.... guess where was I????

sepotong lirik

.............

and even though I'm walking through the valley of the shadow
I will hold tight to the hand of Him whose love will comfort me
and when all hope is gone and I've been wounded in the battle
He is all the strength that I will ever need
He will carry me

and even though I feel so lonely
like I've never been before
You never said it would be easy
but You said You'd see me through
the storm

...............

-mark schultz-

short trip

This past few days I've been away from home.
Last Saturday, I drove up to DC to pick up my friend from Bandung. He was our youth leader in my home church when I was in junior HS. Last Summer, I met him and his wife, together with their newborn baby, Aaron. That time, we had already set up a plan to go together to Chicago since he should have been able to go for a training there, sent by his company. But the plan was failed. So this time, they rescheduled the training and after he finished up in Chicago, he then flew to Washington (all paid by the company btw..... yaiks...)
We then drove to Lynchburg because he wanted to see my school. The fun part was, we had a GREAT lunch at ILMEE Korean Buffet at Annandale, near DC. A great place to eat, good for the value of money! They have everything there, including chinese buffet, beef/pork ready marinated bbq of course, and also the sushi buffet. They also have black (or should I call red) rice, and other strange stuffs! I think that was one of those 'fullest' meals I've ever had, much better than Bandung's Hanamasa or Miyazaki or watever....
In Thomas Road Church last Sunday nite, there was a piano concert by DINO Kartsonakis, the Greek 'geek' pianist. Fantastic concert, and he's sharing the Good News also while playing. So my friend came just right on time. After the concert, we headed up back to DC and spent two nights at our friend's place. He wanted to see DC's spotsy places, but too bad, the weather was more than freezing..... Anyway, we kept on going to downtown, especially 'Uncle Bush's house' hahaha... that one we surely can't miss. After taking some pictures, we just ride the train back to Gaithersburg, where we stayed. Now, he really has seen true "America"! (don't mention the weather also... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..)
It's been great to meet friends, old and new... We remember our funny experience in Solo (Tawangmangu) when we had a national youth camp (100% real camping) up in the hills of Gunung Lawu. There was a huge flood (oopss) struck the whole camping area and three of us didn't get even an inch of the evacuation hall, so we slept just with sleeping bags, in the (concrete) ground near the swimming pool, with 10' C temp. Early the next morning, we found out two snakes in the pool.......... haiyaaah... so they probably crawled on our sleeping bags while we were sleeping... (Oh, did I mention that we also took shower in the river because that 500 participant-camp had only ONE bathroom for men, and it was those bathroom used for construction worker.)
Overall, it was just a short visit. He flew back to Indo from DC airport today.
Hopefully when he got back to Jakarta Airport, things will get better.