You Are What You Read of 2009

I know it’s only September, and the end of 2009 is still 3+ months away. But when a friend tagged me in one of her notes – which I copied and pasted below, but obviously changed her answers with my very own first – I was tempted to give it a shot.

The rules are simple: you have to answer these following questions using only book-titles which you have read in 2009. You are also expected not to repeat the titles.

Piece of cake, right? And now, you can read my answers. Here they go!

* * *

Describe yourself: The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald)

How do you feel: Possible Side Effects (Augusten Burroughs)

Describe where you currently live: Ghost World (Daniel Clowes)

If you could go anywhere, where would it be: The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (Michael Chabon)

Your favorite pastime: Sex After Dugem – Catatan Seorang Copywriter (Budiman Hakim)

Your favorite form of transportation: The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)

Your best friend is: Spring-Heeled Jack (Philip Pullman)

You and your friends are: The Three Robbers (Tomi Ungerer)

What's the weather like: Silence (Shusaku Endo)

You fear: The Catcher in The Rye (J. D. Salinger)

What is the best advice you have to give: Almost Everything (Joelle Jolivet)

Thought for the day: More About Nothing (Wimar Witoelar)

The most precious thing in your life: Egg in The Hole (Richard Scarry)

How you would like to die: When You Are Engulfed in Flames (David Sedaris)

Your soul's present condition: Dan Damai di Bumi! (Karl May)

* * *

Not only very easy, this is also fun. Don't you think so? So why don’t you give it a try?

Probably The Only Indonesian Ever to Read "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh"

A guy whom I befriended with in goodreads recently sent me an online message. He noticed that I had just finished reading this novel by Michael Chabon, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. Apparently, this guy works in a local publishing company. He said that his company wants to translate said novel into Bahasa and subsequently publish it in this country. He also asked me whether I have time to read their translated draft and give comment.

Remembering how I keep breaking promises, even the ones I made myself for my own good, I simply refused. But I gave him a very different reason. I told this guy, that I can’t imagine this novel being published in Indonesia. Not because it dealt with certain issues like the Jewish mob organization or homosexuality among young men (hey, we’ve seen and read enough about them already!), but because it’s probably going to be “religion-sensitive” case.

You see, one of the novel’s supporting characters is an Arab guy who happens to be a quite flamboyant homosexual. I don’t care what Mahmoud Ahmadinedjad said, but different sexual preference is not race-exclusive. What I found most unsettling about this character that might wreak havoc and cause storm of protests among many Indonesians, is because this Arab gay guy’s name is Mohammed – quite similar with the name of Islam's highest prophet.

Even though I have to honestly admit, that if readers set the Arab gay guy issue aside, this novel may make a good read. It has romance (though more about confused love interests between male-male-female), a little bit of action (a chasing scene involving a police helicopter), talks about the search for personal identity and coming-of-age, intimate feelings (losing the one you loved most), and tragic death. To make it short, a complete novel.

Somehow, I found it quite a relief that probably, I’m the only Indonesian who ever read this novel.

Images were taken from various sources, depicting scenes in the movie adaptation of "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh".

I Just Don't ...

... celebrate April Fool’s Day.

Bukan karena hari ini berawal dari tradisi Yahudi, seperti yang diyakini sepenuh hati oleh seorang teman yang sangat membenci orang-orang Yahudi tapi ternyata bertemu dengan seorang pun saja belum pernah.
Dan bukan juga karena April Fool’s Day seringkali hanya diperingati oleh orang-orang yang tingkat kedewasaannya pantas diragukan, karena ternyata tipu-muslihat yang dibuat seringkali dipikirkan dan dirancang secara matang dan seserius mungkin oleh para pelakunya yang sudah sangat dewasa dan matang dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.

What’s the reason then, you may ask.

Alasannya, adalah karena aku sudah sering mengerjai dan mengolok-olok teman-temanku hampir setiap hari. Tidak perlu menunggu datangnya satu hari khusus dalam setahun untuk bisa ngisengin orang.
Meskipun katanya, para korban April Fool’s Day tidak boleh marah-marah setelah tau kalau dirinya dikerjain. Kalau memang begitu, terus apa dong bedanya dengan para selebriti yang dikerjain Ashton Kutcher dalam acara Punk’d?

Oh well, tapi buatku pribadi, justru karena sering ngerjain teman itulah makanya jadi malas untuk mendedikasikan satu hari ini khusus untuk hal-hal iseng.
Rasanya akan jauh lebih baik dan bermanfaat apabila aku mengisi waktu dengan melanjutkan baca novel Michael Chabon yang jadi 'My Personal Book of April'.