just passing by..

It was more than one week ago that I posted the following entry to Jalansutra mailing list (in Indonesian). Now I'm letting you know that my sister is already joining us in Amsterdam, still recovering but far healthier than when she was ill in Japan. Here's she with me, in front of Lambiek (thanks to Akil for the photo).

In short, the posting was about how my sister got terrible case of flu in Tokyo, and how a family who, eventhough they know her for only one week (then), really nursed her with great care and took care of everything (medicals, ticket, visa). At first I had a lot of doubt of posting this to the mailing list, since it is sort of a personal matter. But shortly, after an encouragement from the chief of the community, I did. But I mainly did it for other reasons: I want the world to know that kind and sincere people do exist, and I want to tell a story of hope and humanitiy, among the bad news that we received recently.

So, here goes..

===================================
From: Dwinita Larasati
Date: Sun Nov 6, 2005 9:00 pm
Subject: [o/t] untuk keluargaku: terima kasih!

Dear keluarga besar Jalansutra,
Ijinkan saya mengisahkan sedikit mengenai berkah yg kami peroleh
berkat pertemanan dalam komunitas (yang tidak hanya sekedar) jalan-
jalan dan makan-makan ini. Terima kasih sekali lagi utk Pak BW sang
kepala suku yg telah mengijinkan saya berbagi cerita ini melalui
milis :)

Terakhir kali saya & keluarga pulang ke Indonesia adalah th 2002, dan
sejak itu orang tua saya hanya sempat berkunjung 1x saat anak kedua
saya baru lahir (akhir 2003). Sekarang orang tua saya berkesempatan
mengunjungi kami di Amsterdam sekali lagi setelah sekian lama hanya
'bertatap muka' dengan cucu2 di sini melalui kiriman foto2. Mereka
sudah tiba sejak lebih dari dua minggu yang lalu, berbarengan dengan
acara rutin bapak menghadiri sebuah konferensi bi-annual di Köln,
Jerman. Adik saya, Tiyas, rencananya menyusul kemari setelah
perjalanannya di Jepang.

Saat tiba di Jepang, Tiyas menginap dulu di kediaman keluarga Lim Kim
Soan, seorang anggota Jalansutra yg tinggal di dekat Tokyo, selama 3
hari. Lalu ia mengunjungi sobat SMA-nya yg sedang kuliah dan bekerja
di Hokkaido, di belahan Utara Jepang yg cuacanya lebih dingin, selama
3 hari. Dari Hokkaido, Tiyas kembali ke Tokyo utk menginap semalam
lagi di rumah Kak Kim sebelum melanjutkan penerbangan ke Amsterdam.

Tapi ternyata, saat 'transit' di rumah Kak Kim tsb, Tiyas mengalami
demam tinggi, suhu tubuhnya mencapai 39,8 C. Kak Kim sampai menelpon
kami utk memberitahukan kejadian darurat tsb utk mengambil keputusan,
lalu dengan sigap membatalkan penerbangan Tiyas hari itu dan langsung
merawatnya dengan sangat telaten.
Tumben, biasanya bila demam, suhu badan Tiyas sudah akan membaik
dalam waktu 2-3 hari hanya dengan beristirahat. Kali ini lewat 5 hari
pun masih panas tinggi, bahkan disertai gejala2 parah seperti mual
dan sakit kepala. Kami berusaha berkomunikasi intensif dengan Kak Kim
untuk selalu ter-update dengan keadaan Tiyas, si putri bungsu yg
sedang berperjalanan sendiri, yg terpaksa terdampar di negri
orang dalam keadaan sakit, dan terpaksa tinggal di rumah orang yg
baru ia kenal.

Tiyas yg rencananya tiba di Amsterdam tgl 2 Nov lalu, hingga hari ini
(6 Nov) masih dalam perawatan Kak Kim sekeluarga. Urusan ke dokter,
pengubahan tiket, perpanjangan visa dan penalangan biaya, semua
diurus dengan cekatan oleh Kak Kim dan suaminya, bagai mengurus anak
sendiri. Orang tua saya yg sedang berada di sini dan tak dapat
berbuat banyak, tentu saja sangat berterima kasih pada Kak Kim &
keluarga, atas kebaikan dan ketulusan mereka.

Kemaren kami mendapat kabar bahwa keadaan Tiyas sudah membaik.
Meskipun sampai sempat mimisan, suhu tubuhnya sudah turun dan stabil
pada 37 C setelah (akhirnya) diinfus. Kak Kim pun bilang bahwa Tiyas
sudah bisa makan, meskipun sedikit. Walaupun begitu, waktu itu kami
masih harus melihat kondisinya, apakah masih memungkinkan utk terbang
ke Belanda atau langsung pulang saja ke Jakarta (Tiyas sih berniat
bisa, sebab dia belum pernah bertemu dengan keponakan perempuannya yg
baru berulang tahun yg ke-2).

Kami bener2 sempat dibuat deg2an dengan flu parah itu. Apalagi waktu
baca berita di Internet bbrp hari yg lalu ttg outbreak avian flu di
Vietnam, Cina dan Jepang. Syukurnya Tiyas tidak kena virus tsb. dan,
syukurnya lagi, Tiyas dirawat oleh tangan2 yg bertanggung jawab dan
tulus-kasih - sekali lagi, berkat pertemuan kami dalam komunitas
Jalansutra.
Betapa mengharukan, bukan saja uluran tangan yg diberikan keluarga
Kak Kim di Jepang, namun juga perhatian dari saudara dan teman2 JS
yang turut memantau keadaan Tiyas setiap kali 'bertemu' dengan saya
di program chatting.

Tadi siang (waktu Belanda, malam waktu Jepang) kami sempat mengontak
Tiyas lagi, kali ini lengkap melalui program Skype ('telepon'-
internet), messenger dan web-cam di rumah Kak Kim. Wah, betapa
leganya orang tua saya ketika bisa melihat Tiyas sudah bisa duduk
chatting dengan wajah sehat, bisa bercanda dan ketawa2 lagi. Betapa
senangnya mereka bisa 'bertemu muka' dengan Kak Kim dan suaminya
meskipun hanya melalui web-cam, sambil sempat bercakap2 sebentar.
Jarak jauh yg memisahkan, benar2 bukan penghalang pertalian
kekeluargaan kami. Kini hampir dapat dipastikan bahwa Tiyas akan
cukup sehat dan kuat untuk melakukan penerbangan jauh ke Amsterdam,
dan berkumpul bersama kami sesuai rencana semula.

Secara tidak langsung, kami juga telah dibantu oleh Pak Bondan dan
oleh semangat pertemanan keluarga Jalansutra, di mana pun berada.
Terima kasih!

The Past Feeds The Future

10 tahun yang lalu, jurusan Applied Arts (seni terapan) mulai berdiri di Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam. Malam ini adalah perayaan hari jadi ke-10 jurusan tsb, ditandai dengan pembukaan pameran karya2 para alumninya di Museum Amstelkring, Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder dengan tema "The Past Feeds The Future", berbarengan dengan berlangsungnya Museum Night di Amsterdam.

Museum ini, yg sebenarnya adalah sebuah gereja yg didirikan sekitar 350 th yang lalu, berlokasi di tengah2 daerah red light, berdekatan dengan De Oude Kerk. Kala didirikannya, orang2 pada masa itu tidak dianjurkan utk memperlihatkan kepercayaannya sbg umat Nasrani, sehingga gedung gereja ini terlihat seperti layaknya rumah2 di sekitarnya, dan interiornya pun tidak semegah katedral2 besar abad pertengahan pada umumnya. Hampir tak terlihat ornamen pada elemen interiornya, dan sebagian besar konstruksi dan perabotnya pun terbuat dari kayu dengan desain sederhana. Benda termegah pada gereja ini adalah ornamen yg terdapat di altar: sebuah bingkai dengan lukisan di dalamnya. Hiasan lain adalah lukisan2 yg terpajang di dinding ruang kebaktian dan beberapa patung yg semuanya bertemakan kisah2 dan tokoh2 pada kitab suci.

Seperti umumnya bangunan2 tua di Amsterdam, gereja ini tidak berlantai luas, namun meninggi ke atas dan memanjang ke belakang. Banyak terdapat anak tangga di berbagai sudut ruangan, dari basement hingga ke loteng. Tidak semua pintu terbuka utk publik, dan tidak semua ruangan terbuka. Rasanya seperti berada di dalam labirin bertingkat, bila tidak tahu jalan - hanya berorientasi pada ruang terbuka (ruang kebaktian utama) di pusat gedung.

Di berbagai ruang, terdapat kotak2 display dan kotak2 penyimpanan benda2 yg dipakai pada masa gereja tsb aktif berfungsi sebagai tempat ibadah. Kotak2 kaca terlihat menampilkan jubah pastur, cawan2 persembahan, tempat2 lilin, wadah2 air suci, dll.
Dalam rangka pameran ini, produk2 hasil alumni Applied Arts dari Sandberg Instituut dipamerkan berdampingan dengan produk2 masa lalu tersebut. Jadi misalkan, dalam kotak display yg berisi piring dan cawan kuno yg dipenuhi ornamen cantik, turut bersanding satu set piring dan mangkuk karya seorang mahasiswi yg sepenuhnya terbentuk dari ornamen. Dalam kotak display berisi tempat2 lilin, turut dipasang sebuah kalung bergaya etnik, dan sebuah jubah pastur bersanding dengan karya tekstil.
Sebuah salib kuno bersanding dengan sebuah benda berjudul "Bling Bling", yg dari kejauhan terlihat spt salib emas berornamen meriah, tapi ornamen2 tsb ternyata adalah lambang2 dari penyembahan masa kini (spt halnya logo Coca Cola, McDonald's, Gucci, dll). Pada bilik pengakuan dosa, terlihat seni instalasi deretan hewan2 kecil mengantri di muka, berbaris dengan manis hingga sampai ke bantal tempat berlutut. Di bagian dapur, pada perapian terdapat pampangan susunan ubin (tiles) dengan warna dan ornamen menarik - yg bila diamati ternyata merupakan sebuah pola yg terdiri dari cuplikan foto2, berjudul "Violence is the motif". Masih di dapur, pada wastafel kuno, terdapat tumpukan piring dan cangkir yg sepertinya kotor ternoda tumpahan kopi - tapi noda tsb ternyata terbuat dari lapisan emas.

Benda2 kuno dari ratusan tahun lalu, ternyata masih cocok bersanding dengan produk2 masa kini. Atau bahkan mungkin lebih dari itu: ternyata artefak2 tsb benar2 menjadi inspirasi dan dasar dari pembuatan karya2 modern tsb. Sebuah masa lalu yg memberi makanan, atau energi, bagi kreasi masa kini.

Setiap tamu yg datang malam itu ditawari cap pada punggung tangannya, terdiri dari pilihan sbb: Designer, Artist, Journalist, Non-Important, Groupie, dan Medewerker (= co-worker). Masing2 pengunjung bebas memilih cap, ingin jadi apa malam itu. Ada cerita di balik urusan cap ini, tapi nanti lah ceritanya, utk yg tertarik saja.
Acara pembukaannya sendiri diisi dengan beberapa ucapan penyambutan, yg disusul oleh sebuah prosesi: iring2an sejumlah mhs berkostum spt biarawan, yg masing2 membawa produk2 karya alumni, berjalan mengelilingi ruang utama. Setelah itu para hadirin dipersilakan melihat2 karya2 yg ditampilkan dalam museum, lalu langsung ke basement utk menikmati hidangan.
Ruang bawah tanah tsb dipenuhi pengunjung, yg sedang makan dan minum. Hidangan malam itu, karya Anton van Doremalen, seorang foodstylist/ foodjockey, terdiri dari satu porsi makanan yg ditata apik di atas piring (piring kertas berkualitas tinggi, dengan ornamen bernuansa biru pada pinggirannya). Kecap manis dituangkan pada pinggiran piring, sedemikian rupa sehingga membentuk format bundar yg terdiri dari 2 garis tipis. Garis2 tipis kecap ini lalu 'dikacau' dengan cara disentuh sedikit di sana-sini, sehingga membentuk bundaran2 noda di beberapa titik. Pada 'rel' garis kecap tsb, ditata 2 potong sushi maki (polos) dan 2 tumpuk (semacam) chutney berwarna kuning cerah, masing2 berhadapan satu dengan lainnya, sementara di tengah2 piring terdapat sejumput mie berwarna hitam. Di atas mie ini terdapat sebuah bola (spt baso goreng, tp rasanya manis) yg ditancapkan pada sebuah pipet plastik berisi cairan merah (cairan ini adalah saus utk bola tsb). Hidangan ini dimeriahkan dengan taburan kentang goreng berbentuk balok, yg sekepingnya hanya sebesar paruhan korek api.
Di meja sebelah terdapat wadah2 dalam berbagai bentuk (juga karya seorang alumni), yg berisi berbagai jenis saus utk menemani hidangan yg disajikan. Di meja lain lagi, terdapat 2 macam minuman, dengan pilihan mengandung alkohol atau tanpa alkohol. Minuman2 tsb ternyata dibuat berdasarkan resep campuran minuman pada abad pertengahan, terutama utk anggur merahnya, di mana terdapat unsur2 jahe, cardemom, kayu manis, dan bumbu2 lain (mungkin, bila disajikan hangat, rasanya mirip "bischopwijn"). Minuman versi tanpa alkohol terbuat dari campuran jahe, aloe vera, air mawar, cranberry juice, air mineral bersoda, dan beberapa bumbu lain.

Menyenangkan sekali acara malam itu. Selain menjadi ajang reuni bagi sebagian besar alumni, mahasiswa dan para staf pengajar, acara ini juga dapat dikatakan sebagai tonggak penanda prestasi yg pantas dibanggakan bagi jurusan Applied Arts Sandberg Instituut di usianya yg ke-10. Dan tak ada waktu yg lebih tepat lagi selain malam ini, yg berbarengan dengan Museum Night di Amsterdam, sehingga kemeriahan gabungan artefak2 kuno dengan kreasi modern masih dapat dinikmati banyak orang hingga lewat tengah malam. Pameran ini sendiri akan berlangsung selama satu bulan, sehingga masih ada waktu utk datang lagi ke sana dan menikmatinya dalam suasana yg lebih tenang.

Saya tutup jurnal kali ini dengan kutipan kata2 Lao Tzu yg saya temui di katalog pameran malam tsb, yg dipilih oleh Yu-Chun Chen (seorang alumni Sandberg), sebagai konsep karya2nya:


We join spokes in a wheel
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move

We shape clay into pot
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want

We hammer wood for a house
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable

We work with being
but not-being is what we use

[Lao Tzu, 'Tao Te Ching', hoofdstuk 11, ca. 500v.Chr]

Foto: Bling Bling karya Frank Tjepkema

a week's summary

A lot of things happened last week. So much that I didn't have time to make any doodles of it! I'm recapitulating what has happened here only to have a reference when I do my visual diary, later..

SUNDAY 23 Oct: my mother arrived
My mother's plane landed at 5:40. I had to take the night bus from Museumplein in the pitch dark of 05:00, but that went easy. I thought I would be alone in the streets, considering the day, Sunday, when no morning people (paperboys, bakers, marketplace people, etc.) are required to work. But I was wrong, there were people in the street: those who came home 'late' (or, rather, 'early') from parties.
Arriving at Schiphol, it was already 6:22 but my mother was still inside, and only came out about 10-15 minutes later. We then sat at the meeting point to wait for Ayu and a person who supposed to meet my mother to pick up something. The person (a Dutch man) came and talked a while, but we didn't see Ayu anywhere. After calling home to check if Ayu called there (silly me I didn't bring Ayu's mobile number), we took the 08:09 train back to Amsterdam. Not long after we arrived at our apartment, Ayu rang the doorbell! It turned out that she waited at the Terminal, instead of at the meeting point. A bit of mixed-up, but it went OK in the end.

Dhanu and Lindri got lots and lots of presents from Indonesia! Not only because they just had and will have their birthdays, but also because they're among the youngest family members that my family in Indonesia hasn't seen for a long time. Ayu didn't stay long that morning, she had to go for another appointment. This Sunday, my mother tried to rest but couldn't, because the kids were all over her!

MONDAY 24 Oct: hunting for presents
Lindri went to her daycare as usual, but Dhanu stayed home, since it's his holiday already ("Herfstvakantie"). I took him for a walk to the city in the afternoon, looking a present for Ayu (she babysat the week before, and asked for books as the payment, not money). Also a farewell present because she's going to leave Holland for good, going back to her parents' house in Semarang. I also needed a pair of shoes, because my old ones (from the year 1998) have had holes and thin soles, which easily soaked up water when it rains.

At about 11:00 we went out, taking a tram to Spui. The day was not very pleasant: it was wet and gloomy. We rightaway went into Waterstone where I bought "Why I Am a Muslim" and "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" for Ayu. Before, I've got her "Persepolis" and "De dagelijkse beslommeringen" from Lambiek. I was actually looking for books that Ayu wanted, some Will Eisner's books about urban life in NY; it's a pity that all those shops were out of stock.
After getting those books, I and Dhanu dropped by Perry (a sport store) for my shoes. Nothing on the lower grounds attracted my attention; those running shoes are simply too flashy. We went right up to the "outdoor" department, where I could easily make my choice. I hate buying shoes, so that was a quick process of picking up a model and putting on the shoes for the size. A simple ankle-high all-terrain boots, a bit greenish with black soles. The price tag said 129 Eur, the kassa rang up 59 Eur, and after I filled out a coupon I got another 10 Eur discount. The shoes ended up costing 49 Eur! I didn't know exactly why and I don't really mind.

However, Dhanu said he's very tired before I finished my chores. So I took him home and took care of him for a while. True, he was weak and was a bit warm, so he needed to rest. I left him home with my mother, then I went out again to finish my round.

TUESDAY 25 Oct: our 6th wedding anniversary!
Dhanu was still a bit ill, so he didn't really go anywhere. Lindri was also catching a bit of cold (we could tell by her runny ear). We mainly stay at home, especially me, who had to work for my deadline (submitting a draft last Thursday). No celebration today, with all these sick kids and foul weather (and a tight deadline!).

These recent days, since my mother arrived, I've been eating lots of mpek-mpek. She brought so much I haven't even eaten one-third of the whole batch! This food is specially made fresh, right before my mother left, by her friend, so when it got here, the smell and anything else was still sooo fresh and inviting :D


WEDNESDAY 26 Oct: full house + ayu's graduation ceremony
My mother has contacted an acquintance of hers, who just started living here (in the outskirt of Amsterdam) since about 7 months ago. Hasti (that's her name) planned to come in the afternoon. So when the doorbell rang at about 11:30, I supposed it was Hasti. But it wasn't: it's Raul and Katy, a couple of Mexicans I knew from my school days in Eindhoven!

Raul did the same Master's program at the Design Academy (he started one year earlier than me), and Katy, his wife, accompanied him living in Eindhoven. We used to live in the same apartment building, "Meyboom", where the school provided a whole floor for its international students. So we saw each other not only at school but also daily, while shopping, party, doing laundry, dinner, travels, whatever. Now Raul is doing his PhD at University College London, so he's living in London for now. It was such a nice surprise to see them both, who all of a sudden appeared in front of our apartment!

Not long after Raul and Katy came, Hasti, my mother's acquintance, came with her foster daughter Dian (of 3,5 years old). So the house was full, and Dhanu enjoyed his guests a lot. Too bad Lindri couldn't join the fun because she's at her day care, while Sybrand was working, as well.

At about 14:00 the guests left already, and then it was our turn to get ready. We were invited to go to Ayu's graduation at InHolland Hogeschool in Diemen. We went to meet Ayu at CS, then together we went to her school. Ayu was accompanied by Rizal, her friend, and Tante I'i, mother of her colleagues at her workplace. We were actually quite late, but arriving at the auditorium, we were exactly on time. A semi-formal ceremonial graduation took place not too long, then we took photos together. Afterwards, some snacks and drinks (the common bitterballen and some peanuts, pieces of cheese, worst and salami, plus drinks).

We left Ayu's school building at about 18:00, where Tante I'i had to go back home. The rest of us: I, my mother, Dhanu, Ayu, Rizal, Baby & Niken (Ayu's friends) went to Szechuan Kitchen (at Albert Cuypstraat) for dinner. We ordered one of the specialties over there: crisp-fried coated lamb fillet with Szechuan sauce, Chinese broccolli (or baby kailan as we know it in Indonesia), sweet & sour chicken fillet and fish fillet.
Dhanu was so tired that he fell asleep on my lap during dinner. When it was time to go (about 20:00) he asked for a back ride home, on my back (granted!). He was still recovering, after all, so he must be still trying to gain his energy.

THURSDAY 27 Oct: radio interview
I went to Delft in the morning, like usual, and when I arrived at the station, there was lots of baloons and policemen. I went to the Fietsenstalling to pick up my bike and extend the rent, while asking the guy over there, who's coming? "The Queen", he said. I could've waited there by the gate to see Beatrix, but I had a lot of work to do today, so I left..

In TU Delft, there were also baloons and zappelins and flying tubes, and lots of young people at the Aula. It turned out that it's TU Delft's open day, where they showed everything to senior high school students. So the whole day was full of yellings and loud music that I could hear from my office at the 6th floor. Well, a merry atmosphere to accompany me working - not bad at all.

Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, Ayu picked up my mother at 12:30 to go to Hilversum. Ayu was asked by Radio Nederland to do an interview, being an Indonesian student who just graduated from a school in The Netherlands. Beside Ayu, there's a girl named Inge(?) who was also interviewed, being an Indonesian who just about to start her study here (she's a student of piano classic in Amsterdam conservatorium).
My mother was there only to accompany Ayu, but she ended up being interviewed, too! When they went home, each brought a bag full of gifts from the radio station (book, CD, t-shirt) and, for Ayu and Inge, a voucher of 30 Eur each. Oh BTW, the interview wasn't broadcasted live and they couldn't tell when, exactly. Well, I'll just check their site and listen to the recording, one day.

FRIDAY 28 Oct: ayu leaving holland
In the morning, I and my mother took Dhanu and Lindri to Schiphol. We planned to meet Ayu at the terminal where she supposed to do her check in. Today, Ayu was leaving Holland for good, to go back to her parents' house in Semarang. She had the same flight with her friend Rizal, who was also leaving Holland for good (he finished his Master's Degree in Arnhem), going back to Surabaya.
When we arrived at Schiphol (around 10:00), Ayu and Rizal had done their check-in and were surrounded by many other friends who were there to see them off, as well. We then went to the terrace of the airport (the "waving gallery"), where we could see the airplanes.

Dhanu was so excited! Not only because he could see the airplanes (and counted them one by one), but also because he was all of a sudden surrounded by many friends. We took pictures at the terrace (what else would a group of Indonesian students do?!). Thank goodness for the good weather and bright sunlight. When it was nearing the time for Ayu and Rizal to board (10:50), we went back inside and said our last goodbye. It was a touchy moment, but also a happy one. People come and go at some points of their lives.

Dhanu said he was hungry, so after we said goodbye to Ayu and Rizal's friends, we dropped by at Burger King to rest. Dhanu had a kid's meal of chicken nuggets and fries and chocolate milkshake, while Lindri ate a bag of fries and drinking my water (and a strawberry milkshake). Then we took a train back home.

In the evening, Sybrand went to a parents' meeting at Doenja, Lindri's daycare center. They showed a video of their daily activities (Lindri was in there, too, of course) and discussed about their performance.

SATURDAY 29 Oct: my father arrived
My father and his three colleagues arrived from Köln, Germany, after attending a bi-annual conference. The four of them took a taxi, first dropping my father at our apartment, then the rest continued to Hotel Grand Krasnapolsky, where they'll stay until Monday.

In the afternoon, I, my parents, Dhanu and Lindri went to the Amsterdam Historical Museum. They have a temporary exhibition about sugar factories in the previous centuries. This museum is situated right at the center of the city, and has several entrances. I've never visited this museum before, and I think I'll visit it again on a more quiet day. This museum participated in the "free week" (due to Fall Holiday), where visitors are allowed to enter without paying. I might make a review about this museum in a separate article, for there's lot to say about it. All in all, we (my mother especially) were having a pleasant experience in that museum. My mother, whose father used to work for a sugar company in Jatiroto, was so impressed by the documentation (audio interview, film, photos, etc) about sugar factory in Java. Seems like the memory of her childhood flashed back at her - she had to write it all down at the guest book before leaving the exhibition hall.

Lindri already fell asleep as we left the museum. We went to HEMA for a quick lunch (pea soup, bread with meatballs and appelflap) before visiting Begijnhof (an enclosed courtyard, originally built as a sactuary for the Begijntjes, a Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns). From there, we took a tram to Museumplein, where the kids could run free for a while.
First we sat down for some warm waffels (one wih soft ice cream!), then walked towards home. It wasn't easy to take the kids home, because they enjoyed too much playing with the small stones, near the water fountain, and around the "Iamsterdam" sculpture.

SUNDAY 30 Oct: today!
This morning my father left to meet his colleague; they plan to visit Ajax stadium and the old olympic stadium of Amsterdam. I and the rest will attend an opening of Peter van Dongen's exhibition at Kantjil and De Tijger restaurant (at Spui, Amsterdam). The sun is shining and it's around 20 C.
So that was my passing days. Till the next ones!

[photos: Rizal & Ayu and a group photo at Schiphol by BudiLie, and the invitation of Van Dongen's exhibition at Kantjil & De Tijger]

They call it.. MADNESS!

Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, Tuesday 18 Oct 2005 - My first-ever Madness concert. I've written about the concert in my journal (in Indonesian), and here's the graphic version.

akhirnya kesampean: nonton konser Madness!

Beberapa bulan yg lalu (tepatnya Juli), saya sempet agak kecewa ketika ada konser Madness di Melkweg, Amsterdam, terlewat oleh kami. Untungnya agak terobati karena ada live broadcast dari konser itu lewat Internet, di FabChannel, yg tentu saja saya tonton (dan untungnya lagi, anak2 sudah tidur, jadi nggak ada yg ngerecokin). Tulisan ttg nonton konser gratisan dari Internet itu ada di sini.

Nah hari Rabu minggu lalu, dalam perjalanan naik tram ke CS, saya lihat di jalan (sekitar Vijzelstraat) ada tempelan poster pengumuman konser. Latar hitam polos, gambar siluet 6-7 orang berjejer, dan tulisan MADNESS di atasnya. Saya langsung pasang mata, utk dapat info lebih lanjut ttg konser itu dari poster berikut. Tapi baru nemu poster yg sama ketika hampir tiba di CS: konsernya tgl 18 Oktober, di Heineken Music Hall (HMH). Aha! Hari itu juga saya langsung beli tiketnya, dua, sebab Syb pasti mau ikutan nonton.

Selasa 18 Oktober, sekitar jam 7 malam Ayu datang utk nge-babysit anak2. Dhanu dan Lindri girang banget, mereka seneng bisa main sama Tante Ayu-nya. Belakangan Ayu bilang mereka manis2 saja, dan satu jam setelah kita pergi, mereka mulai tidur. Gampang banget, katanya.
Oh iya - sebelum pergi ke HMH, begitu Ayu datang, kita tiup lilin kecil2an dalam rangka ultah Ayu tgl 17-nya. Kuenya juga kecil2, berupa 3 macam petit four. Lalu ada acara buka kado sebentar (Ayu kita kadoin Cadburry chocolate drink sama buku2: Persepolis-nya Satrapi dan The Book of Magic-nya Gaiman). Baru deh kita berangkat, naik tram ke Wibautstraat, lalu lanjut dengan Metro ke Bijlmer: 3 zone saja.

Ternyata malam itu, di waktu yg bersamaan dan tempat yg sangat berdekatan, ada pertandingan sepak bola, Ajax dengan ... (tim dari sebuah desa kecil di Austria). Setiba di stasiun Metro, ada yg ke arah Gein, tapi penuh sekali dengan suporter bola yg ribut teriak2 dan nyanyi2. Wah, ogah banget, mending nunggu kereta berikut. Saya lirik2 jam, sudah hampir jam delapan! Nanti konsernya mulai duluan! Tenang, kata Syb, biasanya mereka nggak akan mulai sebelum jam sembilan. Kalaupun mulainya mau jam delapan, pasti ada pemberitahuan di tiketnya.

Kereta berikut berangkat pk 20:16, masih ada bbrp suporter bola di dalamnya, tapi nggak sebanyak tadi. Juga bukan jenis yg liar. Kalau melihat mass behavior spt suporter berisik tadi, saya biasanya langsung ingat dengan teori2nya Desmond Morris di The Naked Ape - mengenai kebutuhan orang jaman skg utk melakukan "tribe war", menunjukkan daerah teritori mereka, dengan perangai2 yg mirip dengan manusia purba di masa lampau. Ada benarnya :)

Para suporter Ajax tsb turun di stasiun Arena, satu stasiun sebelum Bijlmer, tempat turunnya para pengunjung konser di HMH dan penonton bioskop Pathé. Waktu kami tiba di HMH, pasti sudah lewat dari jam setengah sembilan. Nggak ada antrian di depan, kami bisa langsung menunjukkan tiket sambil melewati security. Yg laki2 pasti kena geledah, sementara saya diperbolehkan langsung masuk.
*fiuh*.. Ternyata ada opening act dari sebuah band ska Belanda, namanya BeatBusters. Bagus juga, apalagi musiknya yg sewarna dengan Madness jadi seperti menawarkan pemanasan sebelum Madness beraksi. Madness-nya sendiri mulai pk. 21:15, katanya.

Sampai dalam hall, sudah penuh orang, tapi nggak terlalu sempit2an. Memang katanya karcisnya nggak terjual habis, tapi kok keliatannya cukup padat. Dilihat2, pengunjung konser ini rata2 usianya 30-50 th. Yg seumuran saya, pasti yg sudah doyan Madness sejak umur 13-an. Saya pernah dengar bahwa konser2 Madness banyak menarik kaum skinhead, dan malam itu saya lihat banyak orang yg kemungkinan besar 'bekas' kaum kepala botak itu. Dengan kepala masih botak total (atau cepak) dan lengan2 bertato, dan masih banyak yg pakai Doc Martens.
Kami tadinya menyusup di belakang, antara lantai dengan barisan tempat duduk. Tapi saya pelan2 cari celah utk maju, dan maju, dan maju terus sampai hampir tiba di depan panggung. Setelah itu, barisan orang2 mulai merapat, nggak mungkin maju lagi. Posisi kami kira2 tepat di tengah2, dengan jarak sekitar 10-15 kepala dari panggung. Lumayan, bisa melihat jelas!

Jam sembilan, BeatBusters pamitan, lalu ada break sekitar 15 menit. Konser di ruang tertutup ini, herannya, memperbolehkan orang merokok. Bayangkan bau asapnya. Hal lain lagi, adalah dibolehkannya orang2 minum bir selama pertunjukan berlangsung (tapi yg belakangan ini nggak terlalu bikin heran - lha judul gedung konsernya aja Heineken Music Hall). Selama break ini ada orang2 berkeliling dengan membawa silinder raksasa berisi bir di punggungnya, yg tersambung dengan selang yg dilingkarkan di pinggang. Ada silinder yg jauh lebih ramping di samping silinder raksasa itu, berisi gelas2 plastik. Orang yg ingin beli bir, tinggal panggil mas2 dan mbak2 bersilinder ini.
Selama konser berlangsung, herannya ada aja orang yg sempet ke bar utk beli bir, terus balik lagi ke spot semula. Padahal, suasanya sama sekali nggak mendukung utk minum2 bir dan merokok sambil nonton Madness. Sebab...

..ternyata penontonnya banyak yg brutal! Hahaha! Begitu para personel Madness muncul di panggung, orang2 udah pada blingsatan dan teriak2 "ONE STEP BEYOND!". Dan benar, lagu itulah yg pertama dinyanyikan. Begitu not pertama jatuh, langsung, seperti menekan tombol on/off di kepala para penonton brutal ini, mereka langsung lompat2 nggak karuan. Ternyata memang gayanya begitu, dan dilakukan sepanjang konser.
Saya ngerti lah, orang2 menari mengikuti lagu ska model Madness gini gayanya ada yg seperti "mengecek persendian di sekitar pinggang dan pinggul", ada juga yg seperti "melihat sol sepatu, kiri dan kanan bergantian, berulang2", ada yg seperti "engklek tapi jalannya miring". Tapi ternyata yg paling umum malam itu adalah gaya "loncat2 sambil tabrak sana-sini" dan "jatuhkan badan ke segala arah". Untung saya masih bersaudara dengan Obelix (mengutip kata Mas Chico, sepupu yg mengenalkan saya pada Madness lebih dari 20 th yang lalu), sehingga lumayan bisa berdiri tetap di tempat semula, tanpa goyah kena timpaan orang2 di sekitar.

Nggak cukup rupanya dorong2an model "becanda babu" begitu, rupanya banyak orang yg suka siram2an bir. Siraman pertama kena sebagian rambut, dan nggak bisa kesel berkepanjangan, sebab siraman2 dan semburan2 berikut lebih parah lagi. Malah sempet kena timpuk segelas bir di pundak kiri. Ya udah deh, join the fun, saya ikutan ngedorong2 orang yg berani2an belaga jatuh dekat2 saya. Ini nggak hanya laki2 lho, perempuan juga banyak yg ikutan jadi penonton model brutal begini.
Jadi, kebayang nggak sih, orang2 yg maksa beli bir dan niatnya minum bir itu, jadinya malah kuyup karena gelas birnya kesenggol2 pas berusaha melewati orang2. Orang2 yg maksa nonton sambil ngerokok, juga mengkhawatirkan, sebab rokoknya itu kan bisa nyundut orang2 di sekitarnya, yg gerakannya nggak terkontrol lagi. Belakangan saya dikasih tau sama Peter, yg juga nonton konser itu di barisan depan, bahwa sekarang2 ini 'kebrutalan' penonton itu nggak separah waktu mereka masih muda dulu. Sekarang sudah jauh lebih mild. Hihihi.. tapi tetep aja, coba saya tau dari kemarennya, pasti malem itu pergi nontonnya pake boots yg steel-toe! Habis, keinjek2 melulu dan hampir kepeleset gara2 tumpahan bir plus buangan puntung rokok di lantai.

Waktu lagu It Must Be Love (pertengahan konser), orang2 mulai pada crowd surfing. Hingga lagu2 berikut, crowd surfing masih berlangsung. Tapi nggak semua orang diladenin sesama penonton, bahkan seorang sempet jatuh *gedebug!* tepat di depan saya. Nggak masalah, gimana pun jatuhnya, seberapa keras dorong2annya, selengket apapun siraman birnya, semua orang masih tetep senyum satu sama lain dan ketawa2 senang.

Malam itu Madness menampilkan lagu2 dari album terbaru mereka, Dangermen, yg kebanyakan adalah cover dari lagu2 tua, seperti Shame & Scandal (yg aslinya dari Lord Tanamo, liriknya kocak banget), You Keep Me Hanging On (Diana Ross & The Supremes --> salah satu cover song terbaik!), Taller Than You Are (Lord Tanamo -- Suggs selalu memulai lagu ini dengan, "Lagu ini didedikasikan utk Bush dan Blair"), John Jones (Desmond Dekker), dan Israelites (Desmond Dekker).
Lagu2 lama mereka selalu disambut dengan gegap gempita oleh penonton (yg langsung mulai timpa2an lagi). The Prince, My Girl, Grey Day, Bed & Breakfast Man, Shut Up, It Must Be Love, Baggy Trousers, House of Fun, Embarassment, The Sun and The Rain, Our House, Nightboat to Cairo, dan terakhir Madness.

Penampilan mereka benar2 tidak mengecewakan! Waktu nonton konser mereka yg di Melkweg via Internet bulan Juli lalu itu, kesannya orang2nya sudah pada tua dan lelah. Tapi malam ini justru sebaliknya, semuanya keliatan enerjik, dan kualitas permainan musik dan vokal mereka sangat prima. Suggs lumayan komunikatif dengan para penontonnya, sering dibalas dengan komentar2 cheeky, tapi pengalaman membuat Suggs lihai membalas dengan jitu dan tetap kocak.
Saat mereka pamit utk pertama kali, tidak ada yg percaya mereka benar2 sudah selesai. Semuanya menunggu dengan penuh antisipasi sambil teriak2, "We want more!" (duhh standar banget ya). Dan benar, mereka keluar lagi, lalu memulai beraksi lagi sekian lama. Suggs lalu memperkenalkan satu persatu personel Madness. Sebagai selingan tambahan, Suggs mengumumkan bahwa minggu ini Woody, drummer mereka, berulang tahun. Ia mengajak semuanya menyanyi "Happy Birthday to You". Lalu mereka pamitan lagi. Nah di kali kedua ini orang2 pada mulai percaya. Tapi ternyata... mereka muncul lagi! Suggs, dan beberapa yg lain, pakai handuk putih utk ngelap2 keringet. Habis itu bukannya disingkirkan, handuk tsb tetap dipakai Suggs di kepalanya, agak2 berusaha membentuk surban (*hint hint*). "NIGHTBOAT TO CAIRO!!" teriak orang2. Dan benar, lagu itu langsung dimainkan! Madness menyusul sbg lagu penutup. Setelah itu mereka benar2 berpamitan, "OK We've seen you, you've seen us. Let's see each other some other time!".

Lampu-lampu menyala, para penonton kelihatan basah karena keringat dan bir, rambut2 semua lepek kuyup ke bawah. Berjalan di dalam hall agak susah karena lantai lengket sekaligus licin di beberapa tempat. Peter bergabung dengan kami sejak "pamitan kedua" berlangsung, lalu kami bertiga berjalan menuju pintu keluar. Kami berpisah (sebab Peter naik sepeda), untuk segera menuju setopan Metro.
Beruntung, pertandingan sepakbola telah selesai, sehingga Metro tidak lagi dipenuhi para suporter dan fanatik Ajax. Namun, tak bisa dihindari, kami segerbong dengan sekelompok bapak2 Inggris penonton Madness, yg pasti sedang mabuk dan semuanya bermulut besar *sigh*.

Ah, senangnya akhirnya bisa nonton Madness, live! Secara keseluruhan, semuanya menyenangkan, enerji dan atmosfirnya bagus, meskipun agak terganggu dengan tumpahan bir dan bau asap rokok. 'Laporan' versi gambarnya ada di album ini.


Gambar: poster hitam-putih Madness yg adalah cover sleeve dari album Dangermen, salah satu desain T-shirt yg dijual malam itu (ukuran anak2) dan personel Madness dalam pose klasik mereka.

***jurnal ini dibuat utk Mas Chico, yg sempat jadi anggota fansclub-nya Madness di th 80an***

Lindri Turns Two Today

It was two years ago today that Lindri arrived in this world. This morning, as in other mornings, she was the earliest among us to rise and then slowly woke us all up. It was already seven o'clock, but outside was still dark and we could feel the crisp, chilly air of October, eventhough the heater was still on.
I took out her cake from the fridge (which I bought the day before, with Lindri, at Holtkamp): champagne-raspberry cake. Square, with layers of white chocolate all over its surface and three fresh raspberry on top, softened in color by powder sugar. I put two small candles on top, Dhanu turned the light off and we started singing birthday songs. When it's time to blow the candles, Dhanu helped Lindri who basically only making "foeh" sound from her small mouth.

Then I took out Lindri's present that we've been hiding in the laundry room. Dhanu followed me so he could, again, help bringing the present to Lindri. But then he didn't need to help Lindri in the unwrapping department, because Lindri is already good at it. The present looked like a big bucket, and it is a big paper bucket, filled with wooden forms (blocks in various shapes, colours and patterns). Dhanu also got a small present: a Toa-Nuju, which makes him very happy.
Time to cut the cake! It went all messy but it went down well with Lindri and Dhanu. They fed themselves until they got enough. All of a sudden it's time for us all to dress up and leave, Dhanu to school, Lindri to Doenja (her daycare center) and Syb to work.

As usual, I walked along Syb who had both kids seated on his bike. We first went to Dhanu's school to drop him off, with me accompanying him to his classroom, while Syb continued taking Lindri to Doenja. I caught up with them afterwards, to join Lindri's birthday party at Smurfen (that's the name of her toddler class at Doenja).
Syb stayed for a while until it's time for him to go and I stayed with Lindri, her leidsters Carmen and Yvonne, and her friends. There were about 8 boys and girls this morning. We started up by everyone sitting on the long bench and singing the "good morning" song. Then Lindri got her cheerful paper birthday hat, while we started singing all the birthday songs we know. Afterwards, Carmen brought over a big basket full of presents from which Lindri can choose. There were toys, dolls, coloring pencils, even shoe-strings, but I wasn't surprised that Lindri chose one of three hard cover books from the basket. She right away took it out of the basket and started reading, ignoring the whole basket.

Birthday treat time! I have prepared "goodie bags" to distribute among Lindri's classmates. One rule is that we're not supposed to give sweets, candies, or chocolates. This time I used ang pau envelopes I bought from a Chinese supermarket, bright red with cheerful prints of two children greeting each other. I filled them each with a box of Jip & Janneke yoghurt-covered raisins and a piece of Jip & Janneke magnet.
The kids were still having their glasses of juice and the raisins when I said my goodbye to Lindri. She looked upset and started getting angry, and was still being very angry last time I peeked through the door, leaving her classroom.

This afternoon Ayu came to visit us. I and Dhanu, who got out of school at 12:30, were home already but she waited for Lindri to come, to give her her present. Thanks for everyone who wishes happy birthday to Lindri!

Photo by Yohan, taken from Chica's album.

Bakwan Sayuran rada curang

Description:
Curangnya kenapa? Karena pake 'bumbu malas', yaitu Tepung KOBE utk Bakwan & Perkedel.. hehe.. Lagi2 ini resep tanpa takaran pas, dan campuran isinya pun bisa bervariasi, terserah yg buat. Berikut ini resep bakwan andalan saya, yg telah terbukti sukses di acara2 makan malam multi-nasional.

Ingredients:
- 1 blok tahu (kira2 200 gr), potong dadu
- segenggam taoge, cuci dan tiriskan
- 2-3 wortel ukuran sedang, bersihkan dan iris tipis2 sekali (biasanya saya pakai vegetable peeler)
- 2-3 batang daun bawang, iris tipis memanjang
- tepung KOBE utk bakwan & perkedel
- 1 butir telur



Directions:
- Buat adonan bakwan sesuai petunjuk dengan tepung KOBE, telur dan air.
- Masukkan irisan wortel dan daun bawang terlebih dahulu, aduk rata
- Masukkan kotak2 tahu, aduk rata
- Terakhir, bila minyak utk menggoreng sudah siap, baru masukkan taoge, aduk rata
- Sendok adonan sayuran satu persatu, masukkan ke minyak panas
- Tunggu hingga matang (tahu berubah kecoklatan dan kelihatan crispy di luar), angkat dan tiriskan
- Bisa dihidangkan dengan sambal botolan
- Untuk variasi, bisa ditambahkan udang pada adonan bila mau lebih gurih

Foto: Tepung Bakwan & Perkedel merk KOBE dari situs Toko Indonesia di Jerman