Living in Flow

Everyone should have passion in their lives. It can take many different forms. One person can have many manifestations of their passion.

For William, my dear 4-year-old nephew, one of his passions is BLUEBIRD TAXICABS. Don’t ask me why. I don’t think he’s aware that Bluebirds are taxis with best reputation in this sometimes ruthless city.

He is not living in Jakarta. But when he visit us here with his mommy (aka my sister Marian), Bluebird taxicabs would be his vehicle of choice. It doesn’t matter that his aunt and uncle have one car each. BLuebird Taxicabs would still be it. Inside one, he had reportedly hugged the leather front seat from behind with such love that had made his mom giggle. And then he hugged his mom with the same intensity.

Perhaps in time, his passion would shift away from Bluebird taxicabs. But I hope he doesn’t let his passion for life die away as he grows up. I hope you keep on re-defining your passion, William, and feel to the tips of your being that you are indeed truly alive!

… especially when you’re gonna "browse through" a bookstore afterwards!

Hari Senin lalu (9/5) saya dan teman saya Aten sama-sama hadir di pesta ultah dua orang teman kami yang digabung sekalian, di D’Place, at "the" mall. Great party. Great free supplies of good stuffs (that inadvertently induced some unsightly "jackpots" too… Eeewww…). But at one point the place felt too crowded, and smoke felt a tad too thick. And I needed to get some money out of an ATM. So I headed to the door. Aten said he could also use some fresh air, and he also needed to go to the ATM. So we went out.

After the ATM, we were not too excited to get back into the foggy room too soon. Aten suggested we checked out that bookstore on the second floor for a while. That bookstore, amazingly enough for Indonesian standards, is open until midnight!

While browsing through the shelves, Aten talked about his reading habits, his new position at the Faculty, why he still thinks he’s always short in cash despite a much better income (… it’s because he’d spend most of it on books and DVDs), all the while recommending tons of books and together we discussed some books we’ve read too, including two of the 5 books Aten has written and had published.

I wasn’t planning to buy any books at that time. The money fresh out of the ATM was for my daily use that week, i.e., food and other banal stuffs. But when we walked out of the bookstore (very near midnight), I had two books in my plastic bag. One was a book I’ve been coveting for some time. Another book was Aten’s recommendation. Hard-covered. And it was on discount.

Sialan. Seharusnya memang saya tidak ke toko buku bersama teman saya yang satu ini, terutama setelah barusan dari ATM. But then, there are some passions one just cannot ignore; with or without Aten as a friend.

… especially when you’re gonna "browse through" a bookstore afterwards!

Hari Senin lalu (9/5) saya dan teman saya Aten sama-sama hadir di pesta ultah dua orang teman kami yang digabung sekalian, di D’Place, at "the" mall. Great party. Great free supplies of good stuffs (that inadvertently induced some unsightly "jackpots" too… Eeewww…). But at one point the place felt too crowded, and smoke felt a tad too thick. And I needed to get some money out of an ATM. So I headed to the door. Aten said he could also use some fresh air, and he also needed to go to the ATM. So we went out.

After the ATM, we were not too excited to get back into the foggy room too soon. Aten suggested we checked out that bookstore on the second floor for a while. That bookstore, amazingly enough for Indonesian standards, is open until midnight!

While browsing through the shelves, Aten talked about his reading habits, his new position at the Faculty, why he still thinks he’s always short in cash despite a much better income (… it’s because he’d spend most of it on books and DVDs), all the while recommending tons of books and together we discussed some books we’ve read too, including two of the 5 books Aten has written and had published.

I wasn’t planning to buy any books at that time. The money fresh out of the ATM was for my daily use that week, i.e., food and other banal stuffs. But when we walked out of the bookstore (very near midnight), I had two books in my plastic bag. One was a book I’ve been coveting for some time. Another book was Aten’s recommendation. Hard-covered. And it was on discount.

Sialan. Seharusnya memang saya tidak ke toko buku bersama teman saya yang satu ini, terutama setelah barusan dari ATM. But then, there are some passions one just cannot ignore; with or without Aten as a friend.