Wednesday, April 22, 2015

MEMORIES OF KUALA LUMPUR & SINGAPORE (part 1)



TIKET PROMO

   Jauh-jauh hari rencana ke Singapura sudah dipikirkan. Semua berkat kemurahan hati Air Asia memberikan tiket penerbangan murah untuk periode sekitar Februari sampai Mei 2015. Semuanya pembelian tiket harus dilakukan sebelum Oktober 2014. Awalnya gak ada ketertarikan untuk membeli tiket2 tersebut. Hanya sekedar tahu dan merasa kekuatan finansial saat itu tidak dapat menopang. Bali aja belum pernah, lah elo sok2an mau ke Singapura, Malaysia. Maunya sih kalo ada anggota geng (ceilah geng) gue yang bersedia menjadi teman sehati sejiwa di negeri orang, sayangnya sih gak ada.
   Tapi boom, Eli Susiani Ginting, gadis remaja nan unyu yang pengen jadi Syahrini ciao bella menembus cakrawala mendarat di garis khatulistiwa, tetiba menawarkan untuk bergabung membeli tiket promo Air Asia sebagaimana yang telah disampaikan di atas. Yes, itu jawab gue. Finansial? Mumpung promo..
   Dan gue teringat ama Novryan Hanifan, pria seksi yang punya ambisi memiliki koleksi foto-foto tempat2 ternama di seluruh dunia. ‘Musti diajak nih orang’ pikir gue. Gue tawarkan dan yep, bersedia bergabung. Keputusan tepat, karena ini orang bakalan banyak berjasa banget bagi kelangsungan hidup hajat tim Singkiel ini.
    Akhirnya tim kami berisi 5 orang dimana Ibu Eli Ginting sudah mengajak 2 orang sebelumnya yaitu: Sdr. Nuning, gadis gunung yang makin jauh dan terjal perjalanan jalan kaki makin ceria, dan Kak Sri Enita Ginting, saudara Eli yang sayangnya mendekati hari H perjalanan terserang sakit tifus. Tapi yang bersangkutan tetap memilih berangkat demi kesempatan yang jarang2 ini :D

PERSIAPAN BERANGKAT

        Persiapan tim kita itu luar biasa. Survei sana sini, baca buku traveling (gue sih gak hehe), googling sana sini, bertanya pada orang2, bertanya pada langit, udara, dan rumput yang bergoyang…
   Novryan disini patut kita berikan apresiasi yang luar biasa. Penulis itin kita, jauh2 bulan udah merancang rencana kegiatan di Kuala Lumpur dan Singapura beserta estimasi waktunya. Dia sudah menentukan spot-spot mana yang wajib dikunjungi.
Persiapan hotel pun sangat luar biasa. Googling2 di Abang Goda alias Agoda.com. Selain itu juga di Traveloka.com, bahkan ampe punya voucher hotel! Satu hari kita gunakan untuk berkumpul, dan Novryan hadir jauh2 dari Kupang buat obrolin hotel mana yg musti dipilih.
   Setelah serangkaian jajak pendapat, adu mulut dan adu dada (emangnya duo serigala) diantara kami, dipilihlah Hotel Arena Mountbatten di Kuala Lumpur dan City Backpacker di Singapura. Lalu tercetus pula ide naik kereta malam dari Kuala Lumpur ke Singapura yang menyediakan tempat tidur. Really great idea.

HARI PERTAMA

  Gue dan Novryan mutusin untuk ambil cuti 5 hari kerja dari kantor. Hari Sabtu dan Minggu gue gunakan sepenuhnya untuk packing, persiapan beli ini beli itu, meditasi, luluran, sensual massage (apasih). Sedangkan 2 ladies kita tetap memutuskan untuk masuk kantor di hari pertama demi menjaga lima nilai-nilai Kementerian Keuangan :P.
    Taksi ke bandara udah gue pesen di hari sebelumnya. Gue udah packing dengan sungguh-sungguh. Setiap benda-benda yg gue bawa gue cek ampe 5 kali. Letaknya udah gue tentukan di dalam tas. Gue udah merencanakan apa yang akan gue lakukan pada hari keberangkatan. Persiapan gue udah persis kayak mau menghadap calon mertua.
  Gue udah stand by  depan Gedung Djuanda II, duduk manis di kursi depan di sebelah tong sampah, sambil menghirup udara kantor ketika gue gak perlu ngantor. Sesekali gue ketawa keras dalam hati,”Have a nice Monday” kepada setiap pekerja yang lalu lalang. Gue sih berharap gak ketemu ama rekan-rekan kantor gue, tapi apa daya kekuatan alam semesta yang tak terelakkan, gue tetep ketemu beberapa rekan dan temen yang kebetulan ingat muka gue. Pertanyaannya mirip2,”Eh, Alex. Kok bajunya bebas?”, “Loh Lex, kok nongkrong di sini?”, “Lagi libur Lex? Ciee kemana?” dsb. Semua gue jawab dengan lembut dan penuh belas kasihan,”Iya, Pak/Bu/Mas/Mbak/Cong(?), saya lagi ambil cuti hehe (dengan nada fake)”. Itu normalnya. Eh ternyata pada kesempatan berikutnya, segerombolan mamah mamah muda dan papah papah muda dari kantor gue lewat buat makan siang bareng di salah satu mall terhits di Senen. Gue udah denger suara cekikikan group leader-nya, Mbak Theria Chaterina, atau biasa dipanggil Mawar, eh, Mbak Ria. Gue pengen sembunyiin muka gue, ada tong sampah sih di sebelah, cuman kan gak layak banget gitu loh, muka gue gitu loh. Akhirnya gue hanya bisa mengeraskan muka gue dan memasang senyum polos para peserta Miss Universe. Mbak Ria pun dengan suara melengkingnya nunjuk2 gue sambil bilang kalau gue ketahuan mau keluar negri. Pasukan lainnya pun ikut menyoraki gue. Gue cuman bisa berikan tawa manis gue ke mereka. Setelah mereka berlalu (berasa badai deh berlalu), gue kembali ke dalam suasana hening menanti anggota tim lainnya berkumpul.....



Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Whiplash (2014)

There are always movies that have to wait to be known till they are nominated in big awards like Oscar or Golden Globe. Whiplash is one of them for me. I actually hear the mention of the movie on twitter. It is said that Whiplash is one of the best movie in 2014. I didn't give a shit at that time. But then it was mentioned again, in Oscar.. well, now I gave my attention now.
Whiplash is about young man, Andrew, who studies in a popular Jazz Music School. He plays the drum part. The problem is, a jazz teacher named Fletcher, a music genius, but also a nightmare in the same time. Fletcher suddenly chooses Andrew as his drummer for his band after super-fast selection. Andrew thinks it is the chance for his career, but maybe he is totally wrong. Fletcher is a monster..
I don't understand jazz, even I don't like it. But you don't need to. Whiplash actually is about the struggle of shy-selfish guy achieving his dream to be one of the jazz drummer that will be remembered forever.
Maybe cheap plot. But a cheap plot that played by awesome actors like Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, can be so emotional and thrilling. Miles gave great performance being Andrew. We understand Andrew's will, and feel be united with him. We care so much about him even sometimes he becomes so ambitious and selfish.
J.K. Simmons gave the balance to Miles' performance. Some people say he steals the show. Maybe that's why he got nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Oscar. I am also impressed by his act as Fletcher, and it gets more after realizing that he is the one who played as magazine director in Spiderman movie. He is so funny and unserious character in Spiderman. But then he made me want to pee on my pant while seeing him as Fletcher. Fletcher makes the movie so intense. It feels like psycho-thriller movie that covered by jazz music theme. It reminds me Black Swan a lot although they aren't quite similar.
Whiplash is a prove that movie can be about anything, but still give the emotions that you get when facing great movies.

Whiplash: 8/10
           "Are you rushing or are you dragging?"

Friday, January 16, 2015

''Kill Your Darling''

Our little harry is mere a memory now. There is only Daniel Radcliff, a profesional actor, who dares to take unusual characters like being a homosex.
''Kill Your Darling'' is about young man, Allen, who loves making poets like his dad. He has a mother with mental illness. He is accepted as a student in Columbia University. He learns how to make good poets there. In another time he meets a guy named Lucius, and in no time they become so close. They have same vision of how to make the real poets. But, there is David, 'the another guy'...
So many 'poetic' dialogues here. At the beginning it convinces that this is a beautiful movie with full of beautiful words. But then I felt that's too much. At many points in this film I felt empty. I didn't get the beauty of the dialogues. Maybe I am that stupid enough to not get what the film offers to its audiences.
For acting department, no doubt, Daniel Radcliff and Dane Dehaan gave total performances here. Their chemistry were great in the movie. Daniel shocked me with that random kiss. He then hit me hard with that 'bed scene'. He is for sure are freeing himself from Harry's images that was so attached to him. Dane like usual, gives us rebel and smart character but weak in the same time.