A few months ago, I wrote on my blog about a reckless motorbiker who hit my car and how they reacted badly.

This afternoon, my fiancée’s father injured badly after being hit by a truck.

He rode a bicycle heading to the church nearby his house in jalan Kartini Depok. He was standing near by the separator waiting to cross the busy traffic when a yellow truck hit him from his back and broke one of his legs.  

People around the location helped him and took him to the nearest hospital. But nobody noticed that the truck driver ran away and abandoned the fact that he had just injured Okta’s father badly.

When the accident happened, Okta’s 5 years old-nephew coincidently passing by the same road. He cried and told his Mommy at home “Eyang was hit by a truck!” He was so traumatize by the accident that he kept on crying for some time.

Several traffic accidents recently have made me come to two conclusions: so many people are incapable of being responsible on the road. Secondly, when you optimistically report it to the police, they reacted passively by only making a report letter.

The main essence: human soul is not worthy for this kind of people.

The police who accepted the report said they could not do much on it, because it is hard to identify the truck (while at the police station I saw two big monitors showing the traffic of several quarters at Depok and one of it was screening a quarter just 20 meters away from the accident location).

When I said that, the police responded “Well, I don’t know whether they have the recording or not.” (Instead of trying to check it out first).

“It is hard to find the truck driver, but we can help you to claim for Jasamarga insurance so you can ask them to reimburse some of the hospital payment,” he added. We don’t really care about the insurance since it is not really significant, but we do care to find the driver and ask him to show goodwill on this matter.

After the accident, Okta’s family member has to prepare enough budget to pay for the down payment that is no less then 10 millions rupiah (US$1,000).  The total of the hospital bill may increase up to 20 millions rupiah by the end of medication.

What a day, after getting upset of a reckless and irresponsible truck driver who made the problem, we need to deal with unenthusiastic policemen who probably take it lightly as an ordinary thing and dig the saving to pay for the hospital.   

And what happened to the truck driver? By now, probably he’s sitting on the chair while having a cup of coffee and think ‘Thank God I can escape!’

Membaca beberapa berita mengenai pemutihan SIM di Jakarta awalnya membuat saya berpikir, seberapa susah sih membuat SIM A di Jakarta?

Jadi, setelah beberapa bulan mengemudi tanpa SIM saya bepikir “it’s time to have one.”

Jadi saya pergi ke UI dan melihat jadwal SIM kolektif. Ternyata SIM kolektif itu sudah tidak ada. Yang ada SIM dari Sekolah Mengemudi dan tetap harus melalui ujian.

Sabtu lalu, saya pergi ke Samsat di Kalideres dan benar-benar mengikuti ujian untuk membuat SIM. Ujian teori tidak terlalu sulit. Ujian langsung di komputer. Soalnya 30.
Ada beberapa rambu yang memang jarang terlihat di jalanan. Selain itu soal2 umum mengenai lalu lintas. Soalnya memang banyak jebakan. Kalau tidak berhati-hati bisa salah menjawab. Tapi saya pikir ini hanya soal logika.

Setelah selesai menjawab soal ke 30, hasil langsung keluar di monitor. Untuk bisa lulus harus bisa menjawab dengan benar minimal 12 soal. Dan saya lulus. Dari delapan orang teman yang berangkat bersama dari UI, 6 diantaranya tidak lulus ujian teori.

Setelah itu langsung menuju ke tempat praktek. Kendaraan yang digunakan adalah Kijang kapsul yang sepertinya memerlukan servis karena suaranya menggerung dan kasar sekali. Selain itu juga ada Kijang Pick-Up. Saya menggunakan Avanza dari Sekolah Mobil di mana saya mendaftar untuk SIM. (Thanks God).

Ketika ujian praktek, salah seorang peserta mengalami kesulitan dengan Kijang yang digunakan. Kijang itu mudah sekali mati bila gasnya tidak ditekan, bahkan bila kopling diinjak penuh. Artinya, mobil yang digunakan memang tak layak untuk dikemudikan.

Tapi mungkin logikanya seperti ini : seorang yang bisa menggunakan mobil yang rusak pastilah seorang pengemudi yang handal yang memang layak memperoleh SIM. 

Dibandingkan dengan ujian praktek motor, ujian praktek mobil tidak ada apa-apanya. Saya rasa mungkin karena keterbatasan waktu, maka tidak semua point yang seharusnya diuji dilakukan. Saya hanya diminta berkeliling, belok (dengan permintaan mendadak), jalan lurus .... benar-benar tidak ada tantangan apa pun. Saya rasa seorang pengemudi yang baru belajar pun bisa melakukannya.

Lepas dari sini, kemudian menanti di depan loket-loket untuk foto. Dipanggil ke loket sembilan untuk mengambil berkas lalu menuju tempat foto dan sidik jari. Setelah foto, tidak sampai lima menit, SIM sudah keluar. Semudah itu ...

This morning, I took my puppy to Pondok Pengayom Satwa. She’s badly ill.  After she refused to eat and drink the whole day yesterday and throw out all food and milk that I tried to put in her mouth, today she’s bleeding.

The doctor said, she is infected by parvovirus, which is a highly dangerous virus and this pathogen could be so deadly.

She added that if my dog could survive it two days ahead, she’ll probably cure.  But, if she’s not strong enough, she’ll be ‘sleep forever’ before two days.

In a curiosity since I never heard this kind of disease, I searched on the internet to gain more information about the disease – my previous dog was never suffered serious illness until her death caused by infection because of her old age – and finally find out that parvovirus is a common disease. 

It mostly attack young puppies (majority infects dogs less than 6 months of age, with the most severe cases seen in puppies younger than 12 weeks of age)– but it can infect at any age – causing gastrointestinal track damage and dehydration as well as a cardiac syndrome. It spread by contact with infected dog’s feces. 

Though most website said the disease is deadly, www.marvistavet.com said with proper hospitalization, survival rates approach 80%. Beside fluid therapy with IV, potassium is usually added to the fluids to maintain electrolyte balance and dextrose (sugar) is also frequently added to bump up the blood sugar which may go lower as the dog stress of the disease. Second way, it is necessary to give antibiotics added into the IV fluid bag.  Because though mostly infected dog killed by dehydration, parvo also kills through bacterial invasion of the circulatory system.

I just hope my puppy could be one of the survival. One of the website said if a puppy survive through this disease, it will be immune for at least twenty months.

In Javanese tradition, people that has already passed away would stay 40 days before leaving the earth.  I don’t actually  believe this, but it’s a nice way of thought that someone you close with stay close to you for sometime after passed away.

For sometime after my close friend passed away, I feel that he’s still around with certain signs.  Sometimes, I feel like he’s far away, but there’s time when I feel that he stay close to me especially when I feel down.

Nobody knows what’s life after death as some friends of mine said. I hold on to the belief that human soul return to the Creator.

In memory of your 40 days departure friend, I’d like to say again …. Farewell.  Hopefully you have a nice life up there …. With angels surround, no illness and no burden … where joy flooded in every corner … as you are now united with the Owner of soul, the Creator of heaven and earth …. The Almighty God you served along your life … An everlasting life in heaven

For Everything There Is A Season

For everything there is a season,
for every season a plan,
for every plan there is a reason,
The time will help us understand.
There’s a time to learn, a time to grow
And pass things on even as we go.
A time to keep, a time to give,
A time to love, a time to live.
There’s a time for sadness,
A time for pain, a time to find happiness again.
A time for joy, a time for peace,
A time for life to be complete

Time to Retreat

Trying to escape from the same mistake, but sometimes I just couldn’t help to resist.

I should stop myself, and I should have someone near me to stop me doing bad things

Even though I won’t really disturb other, it affects my feeling badly

Trying to be honest, but sometimes my surrounding make it not easy for me ..

I have to hide, hide behind the mask, ideal mask which created by people

Hardly reveal the real me to public as it will wreck the harmony

So in silent, I keep it … reveal it only to significant person in my life, to my close circle

Even I reveal the contrast self, someone which I hardly known as me

Trying to demolish the feeling …even to kill my desire

Reflection

The greatest win is when you can beat yourself.  I do think I can beat my self not to do things that so tempting.  But it is not stop only to the moment you successfully prohibited yourself of doing things you must avoid.  The feeling as it subsequent is even more hurt than not doing it. 

In the world where you have to communicate with people around you, sometimes you just have to listen and do what others want.  I remember a friend of me said that he has an ear to listen to so many people’s problem as his work, but he barely has a significant and caring person to listen to his problem. 

This things even more complicated if it deals with someone that you love.  Sometimes you really wanna do something for whatever the reason is, but the one that you love doesn’t want it.  And at the contrary, you really don’t wanna do things that your love want it badly.  You trapped in a peculiar feeling whether you’re going to do what you want or what your spouse want.  Kinda sticky situation that you really want to avoid.  And if this things happen regularly that you start to recognize the rhytm it sometimes cause a bad effect.  A friend of mine who happen to experience bad relationship with his spouse and always controlled by her seemed to lose his own personality and desire.  Od course I never expect myself to be in the above situation.

Today, I also realize that one of my friend seemed so gloomy.  I was wondering what happen to him till I know from a source that he’s in the process to fix things in his life.  Well, I really appreciate things that he described so trutfully.  In the middle of the ideal condition he wanna create and the present comforting condition, he has no idea of what to choose.  Dilemma is proven easily make people get crazy.  But I learn that when you being in such situation, the easiest thing is being honest.  Honest about what you want, especially to God.

Once, I was doing bad things against God’s will.  I was trapped in a dilemma of stay in the sin which cause guilty feeling even it is so enjoyable, and in a conscience to fix self and please God with my behavior.  I really hard to choose.  So, I said that in my prayers.  And God open the way.  The comfy situation that brought me to sin, without my intervension, seemed to be taken away from me.  Hurt, yes. But in the time when you cannot choose but accept, you’ll learn to survive it. 

Life is full of contradiction. 

30 October 2005 11.47 p.m.

Special Day for A Special Person

What so special about today? Today is my boyfriend 25^th birthday. I’ve known him for more than 5 years since the first time I recognized his existence at my campus on 1999. That time, he looked so young and naïve. But I was wrong. He’s much mature compare to his appearance.

The longer I know him, the more I aware that he’s such a great person. Smart for sure, wise, good leader, idealistic and so many other characters I adore so much from him. Despite all those things, I’m very happy to have him with me.

He’s just called me and make some reflections of the past year and future wish :

I’ve been through many big things this year. Final assignment, graduation, relationship’s problems, starting to work, and so many other. And I’m glad I can pass it.

For the next year, I want to have my life set up well, dare to take decisions, never hesitate for whatever the situation is.

Well, the same wish for me to him as well. My relationship with him was not so easy about several months ago. We’ve been through many conflicts and rearranges our relationship. As for me, our relationship condition now is much better compare to the past time. After so many war, we understand each other better and even getting closer and closer. At least, I feel that way. He also take a brave decision concerning my relationship with him, not only about the conflict resolution but also to take a step ahead for our relationship future.

One more thing, I believe that this year he learns more about betrayal and friendship. Well, sometimes a person who you trust very well can have hidden characters that you wouldn’t now until you get a clash with him or her. I wish he can fix it.

Hmmmm ….. start to get sleepy. So’ I’m going to sleep now.

Wednesday, Ocotber 26^th, 2005 11.08 p.m.

After the test ….

It feels like so released ….

Actually, compared to the test I had when I was on graduate program, the amount of the test is nothing. I usually had 7 to 8 test in a week. On my postgraduate program now, I just only had 4 test in two weeks.

The test I consider as the most difficult is yesterday test. It was Social and Development Theory test with close book system. Even though I had not have problem with time limitation, I hardly remember the theories dispersed in several books. Today’s test is probably the easiest test with open book system. But I had problem with the time restriction.

However, I really thank God that I can finish all the test without significant trouble. For God is good and His mercy endureth forever.

Tomorrow I will leave to Cisarua, in West Java for annual editorial meeting of Chorale magazine, a music magazine. Hopefully, it will have a fruitful result on fixing the work system as well as the preparation for next year plan.