My Pilgrimage Travelogue..

Right after Tawaf Wajib..

Writer’s block.

Pertama kalinya saya mengalami ini.
It has been more than 2 months, tapi Saya gag tau harus nulis apa. bukan karena mood yang tidak bagus. Tapi karena bener-bener saya gag tau harus nulis apa. Jadi kalo tulisannya gag asik silakan boleh gag dibaca, hehe..
Perjalanan ini beyond words buat saya.
Something that can only be felt and not to be told.
‘Setrum listrik’ begitu liat Masjid Nabawi.
Perasaan sesak begitu masuk dan Solat pertama kali di Nabawi.
Air mata yang tiba2 aja ada padahal saya gag lagi ngapa2in.
Saat ada di Raudhah.
Saat duduk sendirian di depan Masjid Nabawi.
Menikmati suasana orang2 yang ada di sana.
Yang mendadak gag bisa motret, Cuma bisa mewek dan gag bisa gerak ngedengerin orang ngaji sambil duduk di tengah pelataran ngeliatin kubah Makam Rasul.
Saat ada di Masjidil Haram.
Berdiri di depan Kakbah dan menyentuhnya.
Tawaf di bawah bulan purnama dan di bawah panasnya matahari. Blending with a lot of people from all around the world, for one reason.
Memperbarui janji di depan Hajar Aswad.
Merasakan angin surga di Hijr Ismail.
Berdoa di depan Multazam.
Duduk sore2 di tangga pelataran Masjidil Haram, membaca AlQuran atau hanya sekedar termenung memandangi Kiblat saya selama ini.
Membayangkan segala kejadian sejarah yang pernah terjadi di Makah dan Madinah.
Membayangkan bahwa saya ada di tempat yang sama dengan tempat dimana Rasul dulu pernah tinggal.
A super sad feeling when I did my last turn of Tawaf.
When I turn my back on and see Kakbah for the last time that day.
A very unexplained sad feeling when I have to leave Nabawi, my Rasul home and graveyard
I don’t know how many time I shed my tears there and why i did that.
All I know, I cant hold it and it just happened.
It’s a waw for me.
Mungkin di balik semua pandangan mata khas dari setiap orang yang saya temui di Tanah Suci juga tersimpan segala perasaan yang sama.
Kami semua tertarik pada hal yang sama.
Kami semua disana untuk tujuan yang sama.
Banyak yang tanya Saya disana ngalamin kejadian menakjubkan apa aja?
Yang amazing sih saya selalu dapet matahari, bulan, dan langit yang oke pake banget selama disana. Non stop mulai dari mau landing di Jeddah sampe mau take off lagi, even saya dapet sunrise yang mengharu biru sekali *lebay sekali, hehe*. But yeah, I love sky anyway.
Mesti pada kuciwa ya saya bawa ceritanya begitu ajah.
Saya bukan orang yang bisa bawa cerita hebat begitu pulang dari Tanah Suci.
Tapi ya, saya mengalami beberapa hal yang begitu tepat sekali menyentuh inti diri saya.
Tidak banyak, tapi tepat sasaran deh istilahnya.
Terima kasih ya Allah, baik sekali sama saya..

Perjalanan ini tidak pernah saya rencanakan untuk dilakukan dalam tahun ini.
Tapi saya merasa sangat beruntung berangkat ke Tanah Suci di waktu yang tepat.
Just in time kalo kata orang2.
Yang pada akhirnya perjalanan ini menjadi perjalanan terhebat dalam hidup saya.
Perjalanan yang membuat segala pertanyaan terjawab.
Yang membuat saya memahami untuk pertama kalinya dalam 25 tahun hidup saya.
Tentang sesuatu yang seharusnya sudah ada di otak dan hati saya, tapi tidak pernah dimengerti.
I was lost for a while and felt something is missing from my life.
Dan saya mencari kemana saja yang saya bisa.
Tapi tetap saja tidak ada jawabnya.
Dan di tempat itu, di Tanah Suci, semuanya terjawab dengan sempurna.
Seolah olah semua saklar lampu di diri saya nyala semua.
Saya paham sekarang kenapa ibadah ini wajib.
Saya paham sekarang kenapa harus begini dan begitu.
Saya paham sekarang….
Saya bukan orang suci dan tidak mau sok suci.
Saya akan tetap menjadi saya, tapi dengan pemahaman yang berbeda.

Di Tanah Suci, Saya jatuh cinta..
Jatuh cinta dengan sesosok manusia besar yang namanya begitu akrab di telinga saya, tapi tidak pernah benar-benar saya dekati dan saya kenali.
Saya jatuh cinta dengan Rasulullah.
Dan saya jatuh cinta kembali dengan Islam.
Dan saya pasti akan kembali ke Tanah Suci.
Karena saya tidak pernah puas dengan semua apa yang saya lakukan di sana.
Karena saya ingin lebih.
Karena saya merindu.
Merindu untuk mengucap Labbaik Allaahumma Labbaik..

Ps. Semua cowo kok mendadak jadi tambah ganteng setingkat ya begitu pake Ihrom?seriusan gag pake boong..

Hey kiddo..

Hey kiddo, I'm hepi todeih..
very hepi that i wanna share it to u.
like we used to.
but hemm..
I think I couldn't do it for now.
I hope tommorow everything will be back to normal.
Again and again it's all about perception and communication.
U say, 'deny it all U want'.
And I know U so well, so I think there is such a waste if I defend myself on anything that i didn't do.
I'm waiting kiddo.
I can't bear to share it all to u.
To share everything that i can't share to others.
Because U know me so well also tho?
Come on kiddo, I miss our stupid conversations :)

the art of scrap pictures..

My first digital scrap pictures. Have to try the manual one.

The most severe travelling blues syndrome.

Nabawi Mosque, the heart of Madinah..

Hello world.
im back.
Back from my pilgrimage journey to Tanah Haram.
Back from the most wonderful journey i've ever have.
Though if u wanna compare it with other travelling stories, it isn't best of the best place.
U want a story?
Well, i'll tell u later.
I promise.
But still i can't write it here.
I need my mood.
and a strength to hold on my tears.
I miss that place suddenly.
Even before i left it.

I guess this is my most severe travelling blues syndrome.

3enam5 project..

Akhirnya saya nampang di blog laen, horeee..

Hehehe, ini project temen, namanya Berto. Kurang lebih dia berusaha mengcapture passion masing-masing individu. Taglinenya : Portrait + Profesi + Kehidupan + Passions + Quotes = Inspirasi. Lebih lengkapnya di sini.

Dan ini profil saya :), terima kasih Berto sudah mendokumentasikan passion saya. Bisa jadi pengingat kalo suatu saat saya kehilangan arah :D

The day of our goodbye..

The day we said Hello, we've already said goodbye to each other.
For the faith that we hold on.
For the different lines that we will queue in the world after life.
These faith bring us nowhere,
though we can end up somewhere.
But we decided not.
We walked to the edge of the line.

U've been such a wonderful crayon in my life, dear.
Give the brightest colour ever.
I never regret for what we had.
Though it was hard for us.
U said, 'it's our test in this world. I hope we all pass.'
And we both passed it.
The day when we realized that u can't go with me to Tanah Haram ever.
The fact that made u realized that we won't be together someday. Beyond life.
That there is a real boundary between us. Not just a story.
That's the day when we finally found our end of the line.

The day when i fell into u.
The day of our goodbye.

Hasil Buruan.

Lagi Blogwalking di jam kerja, harusnya gag boleh sih, hihihi..

Dan menemukan banyak link lucu yang bikin 24/7 itu berasa sangat kurang.

Here they are...

http://freshome.com/

http://uktv.co.uk/

http://www.digsdigs.com/

http://www.hgtv.com/

http://www.abeautifulmess.typepad.com/

Unyu unyu deeehhh, ah I Love design, interior, architectural, and their friends :)

Thousands feet above the sea level

Some thousands feet above the sea level. Somewhere above East Java.

Dear Sisters.

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~Barbara Alpert

For my two young sisters, I love u both.
 
X.O.X.O

ladylike or urban girl,boy?

What kind of girl that u like,boy?
Ladylike or urban girl?
High heels or flat shoes?
Chatterbox or jukebox?
Makeup or makeupless?
Classy,glamour,modest?
Long hair or short hair?
Feminine,boyish,or androginy?
Traveller or clubber?
Jazz or rock?
The same or different tastes?
Mainstream or indie?
Backpack or handbag?
Physics,brain,or heart?

I keep asking those questions to myself
To find out what kinda girl that u like.
Those questions run in my had.
Whether I am with u or not.
I tend to be myself,boy.
If u like me,I'm pretty sure u will take the whole package.
Because I take ur full package too.
With the full price,of course.
No need to bargain or ask for the discount.
Or waiting for the sale.
For the quality as high as urs.

after 5 o'clock.

This writing express everything..

No need for me to write anything.

Don Hasman, the living legend.

Saya udah lupa tepatnya kapan saya ketemu Opa satu ini..

Yang jelas waktu itu saya dateng ke sharing session yang ngebahas soal fotografi sama travelling..
Awalnya sih biasa aja ya, dateng cuma mau tau ada Opa2 gaul yang aktif travelling sama fotografi sampe umur 70an tahun..

Eh ternyata saya salah.

ternyata saya jatuh cinta sama si Opa.

Opa yang ternyata legenda hidupnya komunitas travelling sama fotografi.

Opa yang sederhana, humble, dan gag keliatan sombong2nya walopun udah travelling kemana2.

Yang ternyata saking legendanya yang dateng di workshop itu dari banyak kalangan.
Dari Eksekutif sampe yang pake jins sampe kaos ajah.
Saya aja duduk sederetan sama Bapak2 kantoran yang bawa kamera2 segede gaban.
Berasa kaya lagi rapat direksi, hihi..

cupu deh saya baru tahu dan denger namanya.

Saya duduk di front row.
Dan cuma bisa melongo aja liatnya.
Itu bulu tangan udah gag keitung berapa kali merinding denger beliau cerita.

rasanya beneran kaya jatuh cinta.
Even kalo ketemu artis aja saya biasa-biasa aja.
gag berani deketin si opa, cuma ngeliat dari jauh sampe mau nangis.
Duh, saya cengeng deh ah.

Hihihi, ternyata saya bisa juga jatuh cinta sama opa2.
Opa2 yang badannya kecil, tapi semangatnya minta ampun kuatnya.
Yang matanya beneran berbinar-binar pas cerita.

Dari semua link yang saya baca dan hasil googling. rata-rata opini orang semua sama tentang beliau.
Boleh dibaca di sini, sini, dan sini.
Oiya, ini sharing session yang saya ikutin. Saya duduk di depan, paling pojok kanan (gag keliatan di foto) *gag penting juga sih keliatan ato gag, hihi*.

Selamat terkagum-kagum ya..

Singapoh's days out..



And the Journey began..



I just got back from my short vacation, well actually it wasn’t that short anyway. I spent four days in Singapore (officially Singapoh for me now) with some of my office besties. we've planned this trip since a year ago. And like usual, some of besties cancelled their trip, oohhh u girls missed the parteeehhhh *LoL*. I think its gonna be a loooonggggg post, so seat back and enjoy the popcorn.

first day at Singapoh, after arriving at Changi, we went to the hostel that we have been online booked before. we stayed in the hive backpacker hostel. i can't wait to see the hostel. well call me 'ndeso' but i never stay in hostel before and so excited to feel it. It located in little india area, quite far from the downtown. But luckily, the MRT Station is right across it, so it doesnt matter for us. I wish i can stay next to some 'bule2 ganteng nan imut or cutie chinese', but oh but we have to spare the floor with vietnamese bikers. and they were not in young ages :(. Because we travelled in 7, we got our own room, 3 bunk beds and one extra bed. After put all the luggage and made a quick 'washy washy',we went for the first itinerary, shopping!! So the itinerary were : bugis, chinatown, clarke quay (based on the nearest MRT line). Well I have no intention of going shopping anyway, so when the ladies were busy spending their money, I just looked around and took some pics. fortunately, there was Titis that accompany me, so we were taking pics and bought some snacks from the street hawker nearby. The crowd in Bugis were soooooo crowded. I cant stand the crowd so me and titis decided to wait the girls in the alley behind the kiosks.This is my tips for u, if u wanna buy some souvenirs, buy it in Chinatown. The price is quite cheap depend on The Bugis'. the products are more variative, plus the crowd wasnt too scary for its open aired (The Bugis is in arcade). So we spent the day with shopping (I bought some things that my friend asked me to buy and few souvenirs for my fam and friends), taking pics, and ended it in Clarke Quay, had dinner and met up with mimi, Titis Singaporean friend.unfortunately i couldnt grab the turkish Ice Cream, because we were too exhausted to walk and we had to catch the last MRT, huhuhu...

Escaping The Bugis' crowd..

2nd day, we went to Orchard, Marina Bay, Museum Peranakan, Merlion Park. Busy doing the photo session in Orchard, Me and titis did some pose like we used to see in The Sartorialist, hihihi..When I made a line in Cotton on's cashier (clothing shop), suddenly they played Edward Maya's song. Oh i cant stand it and started singing. And a handsome guy in front of me turned his body and asked me how come i know that song. And both of us surprised that we are indonesian. Well a lot of Indonesian there, but it still surprising thingy for us. Unfortunately we didnt ask for each other contact. So, hey u handsome guy, everytime i play that song its always u that pop up in my head!!* I wish he read this post*

The Sartorialist Wannabe..

Then we went to Marina Bay, lil bit lost because we took the wrong MRT station. enjoying the hootttt weather there, took some pics. Then Titis had to go back to Indonesia because she didnt take the office's leave. So we were saying goodbye there, she went to the Changi and we went to our next stop, Peranakan Museum. We passed the helix bridge and the science museum in our way to the museum. A lot of museum in Singapoh and i wanna visit all of them. But we didnt have much time there so I have to choose, oh noooo :(. Actually the distance between the museums isnt that far, because most of the museums in Singapoh is located in one area, so we only have to walk approx. 5 mins to reach the next museum (at least there are 5 museums in that area), though another museums are located in another area. But still I have to choose, because for one museum it could be took min 2 hours. After a lil bit lost (we took the opposite direction, hehe), finally i could do my fave thingy, the museum's look around. Why I choose museum Peranakan?well im crazy with cultural thingy, and very concerned in Peranakan history (I made an Indonesian Peranakan writing for my cross-culture  psychology  task while in college) ,so I wanna know about the Peranakan culture of Singapoh. it's only me and one of my besties that did the tour, the rest?they waited us outside for about 2,5 hours. hehehe, u ladies took a very enough rest huh??

And I was soooo hepi there. The museum is a 3 storey old colonial building. They provide complete information there. With all the displays, the writings and the audio visual thingy. The museum is divided  into 10 gallery, from the Origin Peranakan history to the death tradition of Peranakan (I screamed in that gallery, hahaha, that’s quite scary for me), and in every gallery they provide an audio visual information that explain us about the gallery's theme. In some gallery, like in food and feasting gallery, u can hear a voice recording of people talking in the dining room while u looked at the dining room display. My friend saw some hologram appearance. Well I didn’t know the hologram’s look alike because when I went there its already gone and I have to wait for the next hour to see it. In every gallery, there also an emboss station. So I can emboss a paper that was given by the receptionist with the Peranakan symbols like flower, butterfly, insect. Etc. They also provide us with the meaning of each symbols. It’s quite fun, especially for children. 2,5 hours wasnt enough to spend there. in fact, to make it quick (before i got yelled by all of my besties out there :p), i only took pics for all of the written information there (we allowed to take pics but no flash). The admission charges isn’t too expensive, we just have to pay for $6, and if we take the Asian Civilisations Museum and Peranakan Museum joint ticket, we pay for $10. They also give discounted admission charges for full time students, senior citizens aged 60 years and above, and visitors aged 6 years and below. In Friday, this museum give special free admission charges from 7 pm – 9 pm to children aged 6 yo and below, senior citizens aged 60 yo and above (locals and PR only), and for all Singaporean students and teachers (local and PR only). This museum provide us with free guided tours for public daily except on Public Holidays and Open House days. Unfortunately we came there in wiken, so we couldn’t be guided. I do envy the way Singapoh manage their museums. They provide us with complete informations, a lot of brochures and bulletins, and they apply procedures to protect their artefacts. I took some brochures, and in the back of one of it is written ‘help us to recycle. Return this visitor guide to the museum;s front desk at the end of ur visit’. Cool, huh. Well comparing with museum in Indonesia?I think we have to learn a lot from Singapoh. I just remembered when i Visited some museums in 'kota tua jakarta', it also located in old colonial buildings, but our government dont manage it well. There are no sufficient infos in each Indonesian museums, and I think they just put the artefacs elsewhere. They also don’t do the right procedures there. How come visitors can touch every single historical thingy there???I cant stand it!!



Museum geek..



After that we went to the Merlion Park, the landmark of this country. But unfortunately, the Merlion statue was under renovation. So we have to satisfy with the little Merlion Statue (as high as my body), hahahah i cant stop laughing when I remembered the mimic of my besties (even me myself got shocked and just 'ndlosor' on the stair because we have already tired that day), in fact i laugh while writing it now :D. But thats okay baby, we kept taking pics there with a beautiful backgrounds like Fullerton hotel, Esplanade, Singapore's flyer and Marina Sands Sky with its laser lights. I think Marina Bay is more beautiful at night than at noon with the light at the Marina Sands Sky, the Sing’s Flyer and the light on the helix bridge. I kept busy setting my camera to get the best shot of it (well im still learning with the night shoots). After some trial and errors, I finally made it, but when I asked some stranger to take my pics with those buildings backgrounds, the battery of my camera was empty!!!oooohhhhh deeeeeemmmmmm. I wanna act like tourists that have to take pics of them with the landmarks of the city :(.



Singapoh night shoots..



Then we went back to the hostel. Actually I still wanna go to the Clarke Quay and taste the turkish Ice cream. But my feet won't compromise. I were sooo fuckin tired, and we still have a day to go through. So we went back to the hostel, since we cant stand with our feet, all of us barefeeted walked from the last MRT station to the hostel, huahahahaha..I think we will considered as poor travellers by the native. Fortunately that was already late so we didnt meet a lot of people.

We went to universal Studios in the 3rd day. Well im not quite interesting to go to a theme park, except Disneyland I guess, hehe..And the worst is, roller coasters are everywhere. They also provide another attractions, but in every sections there always be a roller coaster, whether high speed or low speed. Me myself only ride in 2 high speed roller coasters, after that?well that quite enough for me. I think Dufan is better than this place, hihihi..But I quite entertained with the buildings set there. I can made my own photo sessions :p. So that was our last day in Singapoh, and we had to go back to Indo the next day. So saadd, but the next day’s weather helped us to let the Singapoh away. Because there was a superb cold, greasy and hard rain in the morning. Hahaha, we left Singapoh not in its best weather :).

Well I think I enjoy my vacation there. Some unpredictable things happened, but that’s the art of travelling rite? I love it. I love the city, the easy mass public transportations, the city plan, the superb cutie Chinese (hahahaha), the clear directions (u don’t have to be worry when u get lost), the buildings. But I do miss Indonesian food there. And I was fortunate that I have great besties that also great travelling mates. We’ve travelled together to some places and we’ve through many unpredictable things. And still get the fun. like Tim Cahill’s quote :

‘A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles’.

Travel in Crime

I think I have to go back there again and enjoy my own itinerary, which means visiting the museums, going to the park, capturing the buildings, hanging out in local place, eating in more street hawkers, exploring the little India *believe it or not, we stay there but we weren’t exploring that place!*, well act like native Singaporean lah.
And the hostel? we stay right across the main building. And everytime we wanna take brekkie, hot water, make coffee or tea, or ask for something from the receptionist, we have to go across to the main building. Aaaannnddd…In our last nite, we just found out that actually there is a cozy common room right next to our building!!ooohhhh shiiiaaattteeee, then why should I kept my hunger in the middle of the nite haaahhh?All I had to do was just goin downstairs and made some food rite?huahahaha, its kinda funny bin ‘nyeseg’ also. And we also got new neighbours in our last nite since the Vietnamese bikers had already checked out in the morning, and guess who they are??they are Javanese, come from Jogja!!weladalah to adoh2 ning luar negri kok ya ngobrole jowo meneh -.-.
Oh yeah, I almost forget. When we arrived in Singapoh and had to queu in Sing’s Immigration, suddenly the officer came to me and asked me a question ‘Have u ever been to Africa before?’. And he gave the question only to me. a lot of people in the line, and he only asked that question to me. After we passed the immigration, all of my besties just had a superb laugh. Hiks.
See ya in the next travelling. And look for the unpredictable funny things that will happen next. And enjoy the travelling blues syndrome afterward also*LoL*
Ps. We met a handsome bule in our hostel. He look alike Reza rahadian, but I think he is gay because he was with a ‘pretty’ guy. Sigh.

Where is the next destination??mmmm...I wanna see Indonesian beauty more and more, even though Indonesian Travelling journey is much more expensive than goin abroad, hihihi...

Singapoh's modern and historical architectural thingy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I love architectural thingy. Everytime I go to some places, I always wanna capture the landscape of that places. Call me awkward then. I still want to capture the Singapoh's landmarks and landscapes. Especially with its multicultural life. i want to document The Fullerton Hotel's, The Raffles Hotel's, The Indians multi coloured buildings, The Boat Quay's Buildings, The Peranakan buildings, ooohhh and many moooreeeee. So, if i go back there, i will go around and around and capturing all the architectural thingy that i found. And of course Indonesian's landmarks also. I think it will take the rest of my life to capture the Indonesian's architectural landmarks.

I Hate Love

I found this writing in my noteblock.
When I supposed to make a to-pack-list for my travelling holiday tommorow.
I got this from his twitter account @neilhimself

Have u ever been in love?
Horrible isnt it?
It makes u so vulnerable.
It opens ur chest,
and it opens up ur heart,
and it means that someone can get inside u and mess u up.
U build up all these defenses,
U build up a whole suit of armor,
So that nothing can hurt u.
Then one stupid person,
No differences from any other stupid person,
wanders into ur stupid life.
U give them a piece of u.
They didnt ask for it.
They did something dumb one day,
like kiss u or smile at u,
and then ur life isnt ur own anymore.
Love takes hostage.
It gets inside u.
It eats u out and leaves u crying in the darkness.
So simple a phrase like,
'Maybe we should be just friend',
turns into a glass splinter, works its way into ur heart.
It hurts.
Not just in the imagination.
Not just in the mind.
its a soul-hurt,
a real gets-inside-u-and-rips-u-apart-pain.
I hate love.

big blue sky collapse

As I walk to the end of the line
I wonder if I should look back
To all of the things that we're said and done
I think we should talk it over
Then I noticed the sign on your back
It boldly says 'try to walk away'
I go on pretending I'll be ok
This morning it hits me hard that
Still everyday I think about you
I know for a fact that's not your problem
But if you change your mind you'll find me
Hanging on to the place
Where the big blue sky collapse

Big blue sky collapse - adhitia sofyan

paradise has found.

 

  

Let's run.

Let's hide.

from the alarm of deadlines.

To the faraway island.

Where we don't have to worry about anything.

But the weather and the wind.

Playing like a child.

laughing like we have nothing in mind.

Doing some stupid and foolish things.

revealing all the secrets.

Laying down on those white sandy beaches.

craving for the squids and the fish chips.

enjoying the sea breeze and the twillight over the horizon.

while the wind blowing onto my face.

talking,arguing,laughing,wandering,daydreaming,star gazing.

sitting on the ocean's floor,soaking up the sun.

the beach wanderers,what are we looking for?

the paradise has found.

have a great year ahead everybody..:)

Photos courtesy : Nana.Nino.Titis.Day

Ps. I wish Ditto and Cesi were there, the 'Unpar'isme will be completed like here and here..:)