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This is one of few books that I found extremely difficult to be reviewed. I am dumbfounded, speechless even mesmerised as if I found a bucket of gold at the end of a rainbow.

A treasure indeed, something that worth enough as the dishes you eat the air you breath and the soil you step on. I embrace it as a lifeline rope being hurled by Crumb and Mairowitz in the middle of confusion how to understand the complicity of the disturbed artist. Read the rest of this entry »

There are so many friends or readers of mine who keep asking me about scholarship. They wonder to know about how to win a scholarship, especially for studying abroad.

Well, guys, actually, I am not an expert on this matter. I haven’t got any scholarship yet. (pssst, just keep it as our secret: I am hunting for one, now.) So, why don’t you give a try, just like what I am doing now?)

In my latest book, ‘Studying Abroad’, I share a lot of things about what you will experience when studying abroad. I and Maurin used to live abroad; we went there on our own money, not because of scholarship. Nope, we are not from ‘the have’ family. So, if you think we were able to go there because we’re rich, then all that I can say is: YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG.

That’s why in our book, we don’t talk too much about scholarship. But still, you can find the most important things you should know about scholarship, for instance: how to apply scholarship and the factors that can fail you to win scholarship. Read the rest of this entry »

I still remember vividly the day we beat Hull City 6-1. The only goal we conceded that night had caused these butterflies in my stomach. I knew at that moment we would have problems with that sort of defence. This early morning of mine, Liverpool was lost again -fourth in successive games- and left me wondering why I did not support Tenerife from the first place?! I can not even shade a single tear. I was too devastated to do so. It is like being trapped in a nightmare and out of exhaustion wished to wake up soon. But no it is not a dream. This is for real. Read the rest of this entry »

Tanah Tabu by Anindita S. Thayf

‘Gunung itu bukan sagu. Bukan buah merah. Tidak diperjualbelikan. Tanah kita keramat, Nak. Tabu. Diciptakan Yang Kuasa khusus untuk kita, tahukah kau kenapa? Sebab Dia tahu kita bisa diandalkan untuk menjaganya.‘  - Mabel.

Pernahkan kita mendengar kata-kata seperti itu dari para politisi, para tokoh yang memperebutkan jatah kursi di Dewan, atau mereka yang bersaing menjadi Ketua Partai? Mabel bukan politisi, pejabat pemerintah atau lulusan universitas bergengsi. Tapi Mabel memiliki kearifan lokal, sesuatu yang terlupakan di tengah-tengah saling sikutnya setiap orang untuk kepentingan diri sendiri atau kelompoknya masing-masing. Read the rest of this entry »

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

I should not even dare to write a review about this book. It’s crazy, emotionally challenging, and able to bring you down and up, loving and hating the protagonist, Saleem Sinai, at the same time. But by recounting his story, no not just recount but Saleem did take me to India, to watch and experience the frenzy of the Independence, to the Midnight Children, to a bloody separation of Pakistan, to a ‘meat versus vegetable’ war which actually the Bangladesh separation from Pakistan. You know as a reader, I couldn’t ask for more. But apparently as a writer Salman Rushdie wants to give more that any reader would expect from him. Read the rest of this entry »

sini,
jangan jauh-jauh.
akan kuceritakan kepadamu
tentang dunia yang menua
dan senja yang mulai kehilangan merahnya.

kepada angin yang menderu,
kubisikkan tanpa terburu-buru
’sungguh, aku rindu’.

aku melihat keranda pada sebuah senja.

berapa kematian telah diantarkannya

ke dalam tanah yang dibuka?

Aku bertanya pada angin,
di mana kah bintangku
Dengan lembut dia berhembus,
saat malam tiba pasti dia datang

Setiap malam aku menengadah ke langit
Tapi dia tetap tak memunculkan diri
Apakah kabut tebal itu menutupinya dariku?

Teruslah mencari, kata angin
Saat kau menemukannya kau kan menyadari
betapa semua penantian itu begitu berharga
Tanyaku, lebih berharga dari emas?

Kembali ia berhembus lirih,
Ahh sayangku, ada begitu banyak hal yang lebih berharga dari emas
Seperti sahabat
Cinta
Atau bintang.

Lantas di mana bintangku?

- oph

I took my pills last night,
then, I slept so deep.
I was sorry, sweetheart,
but, there were no you in my sleep.