Bon Giorno!

I will be honest with you. It is a desire for me to have my own domain since I was still in elementary school. My dad introduced me to the internet that time, and my life was suddenly changed. I’m sure remembered that my first choice on my college entrance exam was School of Electrical and Informatics (which then I failed to enter). Being the IT guy is still kind of cool, because you can really do almost anything to amuse people. Like this guy for example.

It had always been on my wish list since 2011: having a personal domain + hosting. Then, there you go, 2 years later I checked my first, oh wait second—the first one was subscribing to National Geographic and NG Traveler—things to do in 2013 list.

I am permanently moving out to:

http://blog.uncletivo.com

Why not using my own name? Haha. Let’s keep it simple, I think my name is too long and I hardly state a specific nickname because people called me different names to this day :)) Besides, I’m in love with the family of TIVO. I’m assured that you will be seeing them more often. For friends who already made links to this blog, please kindly change the address to: http://blog.uncletivo.com.

Thank you for landing here, it was a great flight :)

2012 ke 2013

Di tengah bulan Januari memulai review tahun kemarin? Hmm, ya, ya, bisa dicoba.

The City That Sleeps at Noon

This is the city that sleeps at noon.

The clattering sound of iron and the sparks of fire. All the great blacksmith live here, sharing a perspective about a metal that breathes a life. A fire that dances through a clank. Hands that kiss a birth. This is the city that closed the door for a stranger and lifts the glass for a brother. This is the city that sleeps at noon.

Being 25 :)

There are so many myths about being 25. Hope shatters, dreams faded, feelings forgotten. All those miserable things that could happen to a man. Last October, I celebrate my birthday alone, in the land of strangers. This is a birthday present I bought for myself after a quarter of decade standing on earth. I went to Hokane that day, exploring the city alone.

Hakone is a small city in south of Tokyo, not too far from Mt. Fuji. The city is quiet and peaceful, a perfect place to enjoy the fresh air or relaxing in the hot springs. I haven’t quite experienced it myself but some other times maybe.

It is quite windy that day, and I intentionally left my sweater back at the hostel for reason I don’t understand it either. As the chill air greeted me, I went straight to ride the bus. The destination was Lake Ashi, a pirate ship, astonishing lake, and its surrounding views. I chose the Hakone-machi pier as my departure point because it is the farthest pier, allowed me to enjoy the cruise much longer.

The other pier—Moto-Hakone pier offers another interesting view, there is tori (a red gate) that build below water.

Along the ride, there was a guide that point what mountain or building we’re going to pass, complete with its historical background and purposes.

The next station took me to a ropeway, my first experience floating through a looking glass in midair. I shared the cable car with some Japanese family, all were in their late of age. I guess Japan senior citizen like to travel, since it is finally their free time after working so hard on their productive age. Things that I haven’t quite sure for myself, what would I do when I hit their age? Having a small theater and a library? Produce a dream machine?

There is a pit stop for the ropeway ride in Owakudani, the valley of hell. There is a famous food served here, a black boiled egg that said can prolong your life for 7 years. The black rock valley breathes smoke from its pores.

It became more breathtaking when the ride continued, the mountain and its beautiful forest blinded me from the rest of the world. Autumn came late that time, though it was already mid-October, the tree hadn’t changed its color to a perfect orange and gold. Though some part had become yellowish, the color that still silenced me for minutes.

As I look my feet and seeing how high I float that day. I know I might be hitting a bottom someday, or I might be floating higher at some place. I know there is so little that I already accomplish and seeing other’s achievement make me kind of small. I don’t deny that sometimes, I threw chances and didn’t do anything about it. I know that this year got me so far away from what I wanted to accomplish. There are too many moments that I kept between myself and the wall in my room. The one that ended up in midnight silence, between the sound of the ticking clock and Chris Martin’s voice. I really wanted to stop the feeling of being left behind, I want to start doing what I can do along with what I have to do, to catch up with the rest of the world. I want to write stories. I want to spend the rest of my life falling in love. With the earth, the sky, the ocean, the stars in the constellation, You, also you, all things that dance like fire, and the rest of the world. I wanted to float longer, but the ride stopped there.

I stepped on the ground again. Realizing, all those things that float must not stay there. I need to take all those back to the ground and walking with me, in every breaths.

I continued my journey through a cable car tram from Sounzan to Gora, through a beautiful forest and sloping route. I chose a seat right behind the machinist, watching closely to all instruments that he stringed along the way. Wondering that he could be a machine that acts like human, as if emotion was left behind at the station, as if routine had made the mind dull. A reality, an everyday routine. Doesn’t it happen to all of us?

I took another train from Gora Station, Hakone Tozan Railways brought me back to Odawara. Along the way, I met a group of elementary school children going on tour. They came in pairs, holding hands with each other, ready with their backpack and water bottle. The teachers taught them to hold on to their ticket and sit calmly. Seeing all the glittering eyes around me just reminded how new things could amuse you. When does my last time being like that? Passionate little things, trying to conquer the world without any anxiety.

The trip to Hakone ended with a strong realization of what I want to do next year and maybe another year ahead.

Hey, being 25 doesn’t always take you to a quarter life crisis, like all those sappy things that all magazines wrote. It is just the same year every other time, only it gets brighter ;) Somewhere there is time you’ll discover that this is too beautiful, to just spend all those times feeling bad over something. If something doesn’t work, your beautiful scenario ruined, let’s configure another timeline. Why wasted all the things just to fit in, just to please people you don’t want to. You are too beautiful. Isn’t it finally a time to focus on you, to let yourself shine?

We grow up and we over think all things, we’re afraid of thing we don’t know of. We just desperate to have a safe place to relax, but sometimes, maybe all you have to do is open the window, go to your backyard, see the sunlight, roll, kiss the air, burn the firework, and just dancing, maybe in the rain.

Then it happened, I want to spend the rest of my life falling in love :)

(Taken from my travel journal on October 16th, 2012)

You’re Home

Another rain and everything comes like slow motion. She never likes coffee, nor hanging in a coffee shop. She writes, you talks. He sings, you laugh. There is a time that she draws a line to things she wants to keep distance to. There is a place he wants to keep for himself, or for other fools to be drools by its beauty. There is.

Another lines, and another lies. Yet the rain is still pouring heavily. Bringing strangers to be a close friend. Bringing distance to be an enemy.

Yesterday, love was still an easy game to play. For those longing to be needed, you are loved. Home is where the earth stands, home is where the star is far, and home is here. You don’t need to seek love, love. You have plenty of it already.

Keliling Jepang – Berbagi Kebahagiaan di Kawasaki

Ada tempat-tempat yang memang diciptakan untuk membagikan kebahagiaan. Tempat ini salah satunya. Ada banyak hati yang tercecer di tempat ini. Ada banyak kenangan yang rasanya menyejukkan hati. Saya menangis di sepanjang ruang eksibisi. Bukan hanya karena dari sini semuanya bermulai, bukan hanya karena pahlawan-pahlawan masa kecil. Fragmen-fragmen kecil yang tersusun dan memuncak. Tempat semua tujuan akhirnya bermuara. Pintu kemana saja.

Fujiko F. Fujio Museum bertempat di Kawasaki. Seakan merayakan keberadaan museum ini, sepanjang jalan antara stasiun Noborito dan museum ini adalah parade penyambutan. Bus, mesin tiket, tiang, jembatan, lampu lalu lintas. Semua hal yang tidak terungkap lewat kata-kata. Hanya air mata dan banyak hati.

Keliling Jepang – Bertamu ke Saitama

Saitama berada di utara Tokyo. Jalan-jalan kota antik dan museum kereta. Cerita-cerita tentang masa lalu dan menara lonceng yang dibunyikan empat kali sehari. Tentang rel-rel yang dikisahkan mundur, tentang kereta keluarga kerajaan.

Saitama Railway Museum yang menyenangkan. Di pintu masuk ada gerbang yang mengharuskan kita memasukkan tiket yang berbentuk kartu, seperti benar-benar masuk ke stasiun. Lantainya juga berhiaskan tabel jadwal keberangkatan kereta. Kunjungan saya juga bertepatan dengan ulang tahun museum, sehingga saya mendapat souvenir pin limited edition :3

Keliling Jepang – Berlayar di Huis Ten Bosch

Ada hal–hal yang kita simpan sejak dulu. Ada hal–hal yang mewujud nyata. Kapal bajak laut dan matahari. Dermaga dan ikan paus. Tiang-tiang, kemudian layar. Juga Den Den Mushi.

Huis Ten Bosch terletak jauh di Sasebo, Nagasaki, pulau Kyushu. Luasnya yang tidak main-main dan fakta bahwa tempat ini adalah tiruan kampung Belanda memang aneh adanya. Jauh-jauh ke Jepang untuk merasakan negeri Belanda? Ya, semakin aneh. Mencapainya dari Osaka, mengharuskan saya menyebrangi pulau dan melesat masuk ke pedalaman desa-desa menggunakan kereta. Apa yang ada di tempat ini semuanya terlihat seperti apa yang ada di negeri dongeng :)

Huis Ten Bosch Express mengantarkan para penumpang memasuki negeri dongeng. Jauh dari keriuhan, mendekat kepada mimpi-mimpi.

Tanah Sang Pengembara

I.

Di lorong sempit berwarna merah, banyak tujuan menggantung, banyak harapan  disajikan. Bersama para pejalan angkasa, dibagikannya suka cita di hati itu. Ada yang patah hati, ada yang menyambung hidup baru. Tapi langit tak pernah memilih. Ia terus memberi cinta pada tanah sang pengembara.

II.

Para pendoa tak pernah lupa bagaimana cara menghormat. Diasapi dan dibasahi. Para pendoa memukul lonceng kemudian membungkuk berkali-kali. Para pendoa tak pernah lupa bagaimana cara menghormat. Apa kita hanya tahu cara mengepal dan berteriak. Tersambut malu aku dan kamu, hari ini juga hormat dibungkukkan.

Keliling Jepang – Berkunjung ke Kuil di Kyoto

Jika Thailand dikenal dengan negeri 1000 pagoda, harusnya Kyoto menyandang predikat kota 1000 kuil. Jalan sedikit, pasti mudah saja menemukan kuil. Kota antik Kyoto punya banyak kuil tetapi hanya beberapa yang benar-benar berbeda dan tampak segar dibanding kuil-kuil lainnya. Salah satunya Sanjusangendo, kuil dengan 1000 patung Kanon yang berada di belakang ke13 dewa penjaga dimulai dari Dewa Petir (Raijin) dan diakhiri dengan Dewa Angin (Fuujin). Kiyomizudera, kompleks kuil yang membentang hutan dan pepohonan yang rindang. Juga Fushimi Inari, kuil dengan ratusan torii (gerbang merah) yang dibangun sepanjang jalur pendakian.

Terlipat kain warna warni, menyusuri batu dan kerindangan untuk lagi-lagi membungkuk di puncak.